Evil Begets Evil

As the adventurers moved into the room to finish off the cultist minions they heard screams from above followed by a faint chanting.  Demin, Alhellara and Pretis tried to hurry up the stairs while Gofin, Mara and the Hellhound finished off the minions.  Mara moved toward the kitchen/office where he found Virianis lying bloodied on the floor.  After giving him a potion of healing Mara asked where the attackers were.  Virianis replied that they were likely on the third floor up the stairs and to the right.  Demin finding only residents on the second floor move down the hallway and entered a room where him found a window and climbed out to a third floor window.  Alhellara grabbed a resident and asked where the stairs were.  He replied that it was beyond the door behind them.  Lythandar opened the door and 2 minions and a cultist moved out to block the party's entry.


After dispatching the 3 enemies the party moved up the stairs and found a horrific sight.  The windows were covered by black curtains, casting the area into darkness.  The darkened hallway was lined with black, flickering candles that threw strange, twisting shadows on the walls.  The candles produced no smoke, but emitted a soft hissing noise that rose and fell with the chanting of the cultists lining the hallway.  

At the end of the hallway stood a large chair, painted with strange red symbols that seemed to shudder and twist with the rhythmic chanting.  Tied to the chair was Dast, the King of the Madmen, looking small and terrified.  Vocar stood behind him, holding a large silver dagger engraved with black markings similar to those on the throne.  As the party approached the cultists looked up and drew their daggers, continuing their foul chant.

Alhellara cast Astral Defenders into the area around Vocar while Gofin, Pretis, Melisana and Lythandar moved into the fight.  Mara charged up into the hallway and pushed Vocar back from Dast just as his dagger was about to dispatch the King.  Mara was then hit by "Word of Pain" and it was painful.  Melisana cast Written in Fire into the hallway causing damage to all the cultists and Vocar.   Meanwhile the Hellhound joined the fray and three cultists blocked Pretis and Gofin from moving into the hallway.  Blocked from sight Demin entered a room on the third floor and found a cultist waiting inside the door.  He attacked and was in a fight to the death with the lone cultist who danced around with his knife.

Alhellara blinded Vocar but he moved forward and as he was bloodied took on a horrific visage doing more damage to Mara.  Meanwhile the Astral Defenders kept up their attacks when any moved around them.  Soon several party members were bloodied as was the Hellhound and just as the party seemed about to mow down more cultists they heard a scream from one of the side rooms.  It sounded like Marit.  Demin finished off his cultist, opened the door and seeing no one in the way pulled Dast and the throne into a room.  Melisana dazed several of the cultists with Fourfold Invocation of Doom and just as Vocar was able to see again, Mara blinded him.   

At this point the party felt like they might be gaining the upper had but two more cultists appeared from side rooms just as the Hellhound fell.  Lythandar was throwing magic missiles around and Gofin layered the enemies with shrouds.  Finally Vocar fell along with several cultists but the door to the room where the party heard Marit opened and another cultist danced out with more knife attacks.  That cultist was pushed back into the room where the party could see another cultist and a caretaker attending Marit who was lying on the bed in the throes of childbirth.  Demin shot several bolts into the room and Mara and Pretis charged in felling the final two cultists.

Melisana, Gofin, and Lythandar looked into all the other rooms making sure no cultists were still left hiding and just as they made it back to Marit's confinement the caretaker cried out "You did it.  It's a boy!   A beautiful little boy!"  An exhausted Marit looked over expectantly, though still a little frightened, to see her new born son.  As Alhellara and Melisana looked on the caretaker held up the squirming child, who made no sound whatsoever.  Melisana was not sure but thought that she saw a shadow of a smile flicker across the baby's lips.  At this point the party watched to see if the baby nursed, which he did, and other than not making any sound he seemed normal.  The party retreated to another room where they discussed whether they should take the baby to Banquo alone or with Marit to see if he could determine whether this was Vecna or not.   They were unsure whether the Ritual had been completed, Demin pointed out that the Book of Inverted Darkness indicated that the King had to die, the ritual of Lorn Malison completed and then the third word spoken.  He said this was not completed, Melisana was not sure and the party was consumed with discussing the intricacies of rituals.


Virianis approached the group and offered a 2800 GP reward and an Orb of Relentless Sympathy.  Looking around the party also found that Vocar's dagger was a +3 Dynamic Weapon.  While Marit and the baby rested the party was still concerned about the status of the child but they decided to wait until morning to take further action.  Virianis 

When the party awoke they found themselves in a lush green clearing, surrounded by several trees and a pathway leading away from the area.  This did not feel like the Burning Peaks, in fact it seemed as if they were home again, just not in an area they knew.  As they were adjusting to the new reality a tall, pale skinned Eladrin with raven hair stepped out of the trees.  He was wearing leather engraved with shimmering runes and he held his arms out, palms up, to show he held no weapons.  He addressed the group in Elven.

" I bring you greetings strangers whom I hope to call friends.  I have heard tales of your exploits.  You should be proud indeed, for my home lies far from here, and only the names of worthy mortals reach my ears.
     " I would speak with you on a matter of great importance to both all our peoples.  Will you hear me?"

After being queried about his knowledge of the party, the Eladrin spoke of their successful elimination of the Vampiric Lizard Man.  The party was cautious but agreed to listen.  The Eladrin said his name was Paelias and told them of the Garden of Graves, formerly a holy site and a cemetery for his people.  He explained that the site had been corrupted by a malignant outside power that had taken it over and remade the region, driving many of the fey mad and enslaving others.  He explained that the corruption would soon have an impact in this region of the mortal world, if it had not done so already.  His people are afraid to fight back, so he was asking for the character's help.  The party asked where this Garden of Graves might be and the Eladrin said that it was in the Feywild.  Mara asked about the Feywild and Paelias explained that it was the verdant, wild twin of the mortal realm.  Towering forests sprawl for a thousand leagues.  Perfect amber prairies roll between pristine mountain peaks soaring into the flawless clouds.  Emerald, turquoise and jade green seas crash along endless beaches.  The skies are a perfect blue not seen in the mortal world.  The Feywild is home to his Eladrin, vicious hags, tyrannical fomorians and wild dryads.

While the party discussed their "reward", Melisana asked how to get to the Feywild and Paelias explained that they had to find a fey crossing which would might be a tangle of roots, a stylized face or portal made of vegetation.  Reluctantly the party agreed to help out Paelias and he left them to their own devices.  On the horizon the party spotted a small burg and made their way in that direction.

Scorecard:  The party earned 1036 XP for the final battle with Vocar and the Cultists and also gained 350 XP for completing the quest.  Virianis rewarded them with 2800 GP and they gained an Orb of Relentless Sympathy +2 and a Dagger +3 Dynamic Weapon which was claimed by Gofin.

DMs Note: Since no one in the party can use an Orb this was replaced by a Gaj Headdress which was claimed by Melisana.  The Gloves of Ice previously gained were determined to be of little use and were replaced by a Healer's Sash, claimed by Alhellara.