The Sunless Six

Into the Liar of the Xanathar
28th day of Elient

Ash and Stubbs track the mother’s coin to a run down part in the Dock Ward. Ash investigates a small dwelling he feels might be harboring Aesino. Upon entering and investigating, he finds the body of Bastella lying on a bed in a back room. Aesino’s sword is sticking from her stomach and Ash finds 2 coins on the dead woman’s eyes. Both look like his mother’s coin. He covers the body and takes both coins and the sword.
On the street, David’s cat messenger finds Ash and tells him that his colleagues are at Phaulkonmere Manor. Stubbs decides to head back to his newly purchases tavern.
As Ash finds his group in the manor, he breaks the news of Bastella’s death to Quin and gives her Aesino’s sword. Quin seems unconcerned. Ash, feeling guilty fesses up to David about Kevin’s death. David does not seem to take the information well and leaves the group.
Jeryth Phaulkon then approaches the group, telling them that her awakened rats have found a short cut into Skullport via the sewers and through the Xanathar’s layer.
A rat guides the group through the city and into the sewers to a spiral stairway that descends deep into the dark. xanathar.jpgThe group push through a doorway and into a chamber containing a magical surveillance eye. Ash uses a darkness spell to obstruct eye as the group venture to a hallway at the back of the room. The group then encounter a room full of what looks to be beholders. They ascertain that the beholders are all decoy plants save for the one in the center of the room, which seems to not notice them.
Not wanting to take their chances fighting a beholder, the group decide to head though another set of doors on the other side of the initial chamber. As Gruisduin enters the large chamber, he hear heavy footfalls. He hides and sees a dwarf approaching. As this is happening Xanath tries to ‘take out’ the surveillance eye with his warhammer. He fails miserably nearly hitting Quin in the process and creating a loud thud on the stone floor. Hearing this the dwarf stops, and yells out who goes there! Grisduin answers that it “The Dancing Devil”!!!! The dwarf does not know the name and goats the drow. As Grisduin is set to charge, Anakis tries to quell the situation by putting up a wall of thorns between Gris and dwarf. Realizing that he is now outnumbered, the dwarf decides to flee. The group pursues, and with his feline grace and agility Ashes catches up to the dwarf, who turns on the Tabaxi and knocks his unconscious with 3 quick blows of his great axe. The dwarf then proceeds to flee. Quin then catches up to the tabaxi and brings Ash back to consciousness.

View
A Meeting at Phaulkonmere
27th day of Eleint

As Ash and Stubbs begin tracking Aesino using the mother’s coin, Xanath and Quin return to meet with Anakis and Grisduin who are cleaning up after the street fight. They are confronted by the City Watch whom question the group as to the circumstances of the tussle.
Captain Staget arrives on the scene and questions the 4 individually. He deems them to be trustworthy. He explains that he’s been dealing with a lot of violence between the members of the Zhentarim and Xanathar’ s Guild, and is happy that their are now less thugs off the streets for him to deal with.
Xanath tries to then glean some information from Captain Staget about Skullport, but the captain claims he doesn’t have time to talk as he is now dealing with creatures from the Undermountain coming up to terrorize the Dock Ward. The captain conveys that finding the entrance to Skullport would be very difficult, if it even still exists.
The group then continue their search. Grisduin notices a small white cat that has been following them for a while now. The cat relays a message to Anakis that a high ranking member of the Enclave would like to meet her in Phaulkonmere, a manor near them in the South Ward.
The group decide to investigate this and head to Phaulkonmere. They are greeted by a familair face, David the Bugbear, who is know working for Jeryth Phaulkon, who he explains to the group is Emerald Enclave adjacent.
tarokka.jpgJeryth welcomes the group to her garden, where she offers to reads the groups futures from her Tarokka cards. After she reads Grisduin’s cards, she asks him his house name and what he is looking for. She reveals that the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, which Grisduin is seeking, has been destroyed by the Xanathar Guild and the evil drow that lurk near Skullport. She tells him that she believes the moonspring still exists within the ruins of the temples. She then asks Grisduin his house name, and is not surprised. Jeryth then proceeds to fashion a small moonspring with the help of Grisduin’s drow magic. Although he cannot travel through the portal, he is able to look in. He sees a small community of people living under the shade of the canopy of a high forest. He sees his sons practicing their sword work with skill and the grace of dancers. He sees his daughter talking, teaching others around her, her beauty unmatched but for the beauty of the Dark Maiden herself.
Anakis then accepts Jeryth’s offer. Jeryth informs the group that a Grell has taken a woman in the Dock Ward. She believes that Xanathar has been releasing creature from the Undermountain into Waterdeep as a distraction for something. She would like Anakis to investigate this and hopefully rescue the woman is their is anything to rescue.
The group begin tracking the Grell and quickly come upon it near an old dock by the seaside. They notice a second Grell and a panicked scream from a woman and quickly engage the two aberrations. The group eventually take down the pair, but then notice another beast rising to the shore. An Otyugh rises from the sea and attacks the groups.
The group does battle with the beast and eventually kills the aberration leaving its body lapping in the shallow sea waves. 520px-Otyugh_1.jpg
Bloodied and beaten, the group returns to Phaulkonmere. She shows the group gratitude and gifts each member with a charm of heroism. David prepares a meal for the group and Jeryth offers accommodations for the night at Phaulkonmere.

View
Rooftop Chase
26th day of Elient

The group make for the rooftops to try and catch the assassin that killed their last attacker. Ash, Quin, and Xanath begin the pursuit as Anakis and Grisduin stay back to investigate the remains of the street fight with the thugs.
Curiously, Stubbs, while out on errands regarding his new business in Waterdeep, heard a commotion. He decided to investigate, and as the luck of a halfling, wouldn’t you know it, he runs into his friends from Woopedu. Grisduin explains the rest of the group have started to pursue an assassin on the rooftops, and Stubbs send Innis to catch up with them.
shadowfell-rooftop-chase.jpg
Partway through the chase the voice in Quin’s head tells her to stop pursuing and investigate an open door in the alley below. Quin follows the voice, which no longer seems to be in her head, but coming from a dwelling behind the open door. Quin enters and finds a human woman woman dressed in dark robes speaking to her.
Meanwhile, Ash and Innis follow their quarry in to a building, which proves to be a theater.
As they enter, they a greeted by Aesino Silenta, standing center stage.
He questions Ash on where his loyalty lies, when the Tabaxi conveys it’s not with him, Aesino attacks.
The woman speaking to Quin reveals herself as Bastella. She tells Quin that she has done her a great wrong and wants to clear her conscience. She says that she had on many occasions stole Quin’s memory and controlled her mind. She offers to give Quin back all she has taken from her, if Quin lets her go free. As Quin begins to contemplate this, Xanath enters and tries to put the mage to sleep. Bastella showing her strength as a wizard quickly counters the spell.
Quin then accepts the mage’s ultimatum, and Bastella places her hand on Quin’s forehead. The memories reignite in Quin’s mind and she learns much from her past and the injustice her parents imposed on her. The rush of thoughts leaves Quin exhausted and she falls unconscious.
Ash, with the help of Innis, do battle with Aesino in the theater. Aesino’s strength and fighting skills seem to be too much for Ashes, but the fight turns as Stubbs finally catches up to Innis and lends aid to his tabaxi comrade.
Xanath revives Quin with a healing potion, and Quin starts making her way for the assassin, concurring that he must have been Aesino. They follow a path of destruction caused by Stubbs’ Thunder Step and find the halfling and tabaxi doing battle with the assassin.
Seeing his odds of making it out very low, Aesino tries to escape, but is stopped. Quin demands answers, and Aesino tries to deceive his way out of the situation. The group eventually catch onto Aesino’s ploy and demand he put on manacles. He refuses and attempts to flee.
Hasted the assassin makes it out onto the streets, but Ash manages to slip the mother’s coin onto the assassin before he finally gets away. Ash can now track Aesino’s location.

View
The Yawning Portal

Anakis reports back to the Emerald Enclave after defeating the necromancer in the City of the Dead. The high druids are impressed by Anakis, and promote her to the Circle of Alluvium. Anakis is now a sworn protector of the wilderness of Faerun.
The group then decide to seek out information on a possible church of Eilistraee in Waterdeep. Xanath explains the best place to find information is at Yawning Portal.
7ba62b94f1ae5ab9cb42541f72defd87.jpg
At the portal, Ash talks to the proprietor, Durnan. Durnan explains to him if he wants information, there is no better man to talk to than Volo. Durnan points out Volo, who is in conversation with Xanath.
Volo ends up selling 2 of his books to Ash, Volo’s Guide to the Churches and Shines of Faerun and Volo’s Waterdeep Enchiridion.
Grisduin sees a well dressed Drow and decides to start up a conversation. The Drow seems to think that Gris is looking for membership into the Bregan D’aerthe. He introduces himself as Fel’rekt Lafeen. Fel’rekt tells Grisduin to find Zardoz Zord, captain of the Eyecatcher, docked in the harbor.
The group then take a room at the Yawning Portal for the night.
The group meet the following morning in the tavern. A fight breaks out between a half-orc and a few thugs. Grisduin attempts to enter the fray to help the outnumbered half-orc, but soon realizes that she has already handled the thugs. Durnan breaks up the fight and throws out the aggressors.
As the crowd begins to dissipate, suddenly a loud snarling noise crashes from the portal. A half dozen stirges fly out from the portal followed by a troll. Grisduin and Ash rush to attack the Troll as the others fight off the stirges. Ash kills the troll, sending it back down the well from which it came.
The group then decide to head to the docks to find an entrance to Skullport, where the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, a central temple to Eilistraee lies.
Once they reach the dock Ash asks a young fish monger to the location of Skullport. The point them in a direction down the shoreline. The group venture out, but the shore is still quite wet and muddy, so they decide to walk in the streets for a bit.
As they walk, Quin notices 2 ragged fellows huddled by a fire, but eyes a very nicely polished rapier under the dirty cloak. The men attack the group, and are flanked by another individual with a spiked chain. A fight ensues, and the group is able to take down 2 attackers. Seeing his odds of survival fall drastically, the last man standing tries to flee, but is put down by a pair of darts. Anakis notices a dark figure on the roof that the darts originated from and alerts the group. Ashes moves to pursue.

View
A Task from the Enclave

After another day for shopping and seeing the town, the adventurers decide to treat themselves and head to the more upscale North End of Waterdeep to wine and dine. At the tavern Ash is approached by an old comrade from the monastery, and told to meet him later that night for a secret rendez vu.
Aesino Silenta meets with Ash in a quiet part of town. Ash senses the magic from Bastella, Aesino’s companion and mage of the monastery. The meeting becomes tense, as Ash seems reluctant to heed to Aesino’s advice on what to do about Grisduin’s bounty. They part way on not the best terms.
The next morning the group accompany Anakis to the City of Dead to meet with the Emerald Enclave, a group of nature worshippers that strive to protect the natural balance in Faerun.
Anakis meets with 3 high members and they discuss her actions in thwarting Belak the mad druid. The Enclave then task Anakis with investigating a problem arising with undead within the City of Dead. She is also encouraged to take a new initiate with her, a bugbear named David.
Upon returning to the group, David quickly recognises Ash. David reveals to the rest of the group that he was part of the Starry Eyed Monastery. He also conveys that he sensed a problem when his animal companion has not returned to him. He went back to the monastery to find answers, but found the place in ruins, with no survivors to be found.
David then explained that he was lost, but a member of the Enclave picked him up and brought him here.
David then brings to group to where he discovered undead activity occuring, and the group find 3 Dread Warriors roaming about a grave yard. The group dispose of the undead.
necromancer.jpg
Quin then scouts ahead and notices more Dread Warriors and a Necromancer performing a ritual. She relays the information to Anakis, who deduces that this Necromancer must be causing the increase of undead within the city. The group sneak up and attack the Necromancer and his thralls, quickly taking care of the threat.

View
To The City of Splendors

The adventurers decide to make their way to Waterdeep to trade items they have found. They load their cart up with a few casks of Ardabad’s Ale to sell to the Brewer’s Guild in Waterdeep.
They make their way back to Red Larch and connect up to the Long Road, heading South towards Waterdeep.
After a few days of travel they reach their destination, and enter the city through the River Gate.
waterdeepcity.jpg
Upon approach to the gate, the city guard stop them and enquire about their business in the city. He points them to the Brewer’s guild in the South District as the place to go to sell their ale. They get a good price for the ale from the guild, whom seem impressed by the quality of the brew.
The group then head towards the Castle District to try to sell their gems. They find a respectable shop run by a half-orc woman named Sutheina and her appraiser, which is a chicken. After a bit of bartering, the group leave happy with their take away from their gems.
The group then head towards an armorer. Grisduin is able to sell his shield, and Quin purchases some new leather armor.
Anakis then decides to head to the city of the dead to consult with the Emerald Enclave.

View
Finding the Chronicler

After gaining some valuable information on the location of the Chronicler by the towns people, Xanath decides to seek out the barrow in the golden plains. Grisduin and Ash decide to accompany the dragonborn on this quest.
The group head up the north road through a dense dark forest. Late in the evening, Ash notices a fire ahead in the road. The group approach the fire, and see 3 malnourished men gathered around the hearth. The men notice Grisduin approaching and invite him and his friends to take camp with them for the night. They are travelling from their village of Ossington in search of supplies. The village has been under hard time as the men explain that the village is under siege by a group of ‘forest giants.’
Seeing the starving look on the men’s faces, Ash decides to go hunt for supper. Strangely, Ashes hunt comes up unsuccessful, which is very odd for the great hunter. The forest is dead quiet, no birds chirping or rustling leaves from crawling critter is to be heard.
Screenshot_2019-05-18_at_8.17.45_PM.png As the night progresses Ash notices something moving towards them up the road. He wakes the party. A faintly glowing knight aggressively rushes towards them on horseback. The adventurers attempt to turn the horseman, but he continues towards them, cutting down the three commoners as he rides past the fire and continues on down the road until he disappears in the darkness. The group investigate their fallen comrades, but notice no bodies, only their clothes remained.
Ash, Gris and Xanath continue down the road in the morning. The forest breaks and reveals the golden plains. They head towards a hill in the field which they believe to be the barrow. Xanath uncovers the entrance to the barrow, which was hidden by magical means.
The group enter and notice an elf sitting with his back to them reading a tome. The elf introduces himself as The Chronicler. He answers Xanath’s questions. He also relays information about Gulthias and Ashardalon the Ancient Red Dragon.
The trio then leave the barrow and teleport back to Wilderem’s Wonderous Workshop.

View
New Allies

After harvesting from the dragon, the group leave Halwreck and Wilderem to learn of the power in the dwarven halls.
Upon returning to Woopedu, Quin is encouraged by the others to try planting another magical bean. Cautiously she plans the bean, but the effects are not as drastic as the last on. A small nest appears from the group containing unnatural eggs. The group take the eggs to Sir Miles, who agrees to have his man servant keep an eye on the eggs for hatchlings.
The group head back out to the field near the temple and decide to plant the last seed. A fruit tree sprouts from the ground and Ash quickly picks a fruit and eats it. The fruit is delicious and he encourages the rest of the group to try one. As group eats the fruit, the group begin to notice a change in Gris’ appearance. Deep purple and blue tattoos appear all over his body in vein like patterns.
fruit_tree.jpg
The group pick the rest of the fruit and save them for later.
They head to the Unseen Protector to plan their next course of action. Grisduin and Ash decide that they are going to head towards Waterdeep in the morning to try to deal with the bounty on Grisduin’s head. Ash also wants to learn more about Eilistraee, the drow diety that resurrected him.
Later in the night, Xanath decides to go talk to someone in the tavern he thinks might be another dragonborn. He quickly discovers that the creature is a tortle. The tortle is named Trusk and he is the adventuring partner of Dartagoss Selk, a human articifier. As the dragonborn and the tortle converse, Dartagoss interjects, telling Xanath’s he’s not likely going to get much direct answers from the tortle. Dartagoss explains the two are in Woopedu looking for a friend and trading partner, Wilderem.
He also questions Xanath on the nature of the large newly erected temple just adjacent to town.
Xanath explains what the temple is and that they intend to investigate it. Dartagoss seems interested in joining his and his party in this endeavour. Xanath propositions to Anakis and Quin to having the new pair join the party. After sleeping on it, she decides to let the new pair tag along.
The next day, Xanath visits the temple of Palarandusk. He gains valuable information on his own origin from the temple priestess Sister Alonsa, whom suggests to him to seek out the Chronicler for more information.

View
The Unbound Forge

After gathering their plunder from the dragon, the group decide they would like to harvest the dragon scales, but the dragon is now in 40 feet of water, at the bottom of the murky lake.
The adventurers decide to head back to Woopedu. The halflings run off ahead of the rest of the group, and are captured by Redglian, the new War Chief of the orc tribe.
Redglian stops the adventurers in the dwarven hall. He threatens the groups lives if they do no forfeit their plunder.
zaa1bvfqp2fozsmsp3ue.jpg
The group refuse and the orcs attack. Redglian, miscalculating the power of his former associates is easily slain, along with the remnants of his orc clan.
the adventurers find their way back to Woopedu. Ash resupplies at Tolm’s Outfitters before they head to Wilderem‘s shop.
The group present Wilderem with a longsword baring the mark of Durgeddin, and the gnome is pleased, but senses the group is holding back on him. Reluctantly, the group show the wizard the weapons of the four season. Wilderem is impressed by the quality of the weapons. He tells the group that these weapons are best held in the hands of warriors capable to welding the power and offers to buy the weapons should they ever want to sell them.
Wilderem also senses more magical items that the group is withholding.
Xanath presents the broom. Wilderem uncovers the glyphs and teaches the Dragonborn how to use the broom for flying and attacking.
Quin also presents the magical beans found in the hags cabin. Wilderem explains what the beans are and is excited to show the group their power. Quin plants a bean in the middle of a field and waters it. Within seconds the ground below starts to quake and a foreign temple nearly 60 feet wide and 40 feet high appears from the ground.
The group decide to leave the temple alone for the time and head back to Wilderem’s shop. Wilderem propositions the group. He will give them amulets of teleportation, that will allow the group to teleport back into his shop at anytime should they work together with the gnome.
The adventurers agree.
Finally, they lead Wilderem back into the forge. Wilderem is pleased to finally be able to enter into Khundrakar unthreatened, to be able to unlock the secrets of Durgeddin and his mage Anduril.
Halwreck, and accomplished blacksmith, heads into see the forge, and helps the group harvest what he can from the remains of the black dragon.

View
What Lies in the Black Lake

After defeating the succubus, the adventurers further explore the library. They find a connecting bed chamber, and upon further investigation, they see a large figure lying in the bed, asleep. Xanath uses mage hand to gently pull the blanket off the slumbering entity, to discover it isn’t one, but 3 small humanoids fast asleep.
Xanath quickly recognises their friend Stubbs and his familiar Innis lying in the bed with Sir Miles Tarkelbee, mayor of Woopedu and adventurer extraordinaire.
They wake the halflings and Stubbs retells his story of him and Sir Miles drinking at the Unseen Protector, then in a drunken stupor decide to make their way back into Khundrukar in search of their allies. They luckily stumbled their way to the library, but were succumb by the charm of the succubus. Once the adventurers defeated the succubus the spell on the halflings was broken.
The group decide to rest within security of the library before they delve down into the chasm. As they rest, Ash and Grisduin hear a rustling in the chamber outside, the two investigate and find another familiar face in the sole surviving duergar.
He presents to the group the newly repaired sword. Although the workmanship is quite poor, Xanath accepts the sword and pays the duergar a small sum and sends him on his way.
Feeling refreshed, the adventurers head forth to the chasm. They begin climbing down the chain ladder. Ash perhaps feeling overconfident slips, but Quin, acting quickly, is able to grab the tabaxi before he can fall.
The group now stealthily venture forth in the depths of the cave system. They finally come upon a large underground lake. Grisduin’s drow eyes spot a large black dragon asleep atop her hoard of treasure on a island in the center of the lake. The group back off and discuss a plan.
Finally they approach the lake. Ash throws a rock embued with light towards the dragon, and as the image of the huge beast comes into view Anakis binds the great wyrm to the ground with a spell.
The dragon eventually breaks free of the magical restraints and dives into the water. The group relentlessly attack the dragon with magic and ranged weapons. The dragon then retreats to the back of it’s island and the fight turns into a stalemate, but with one final push the dragon beats it’s wings and flies towards the attackers. Submerged in the lake, Stubbs breaches his mug out of the water enough to deliver a powerful eldritch blast toward the black dragon. As Innis rides the magic towards the dragon. The quickling with dagger pointed outward pierces clean through the throat of the great black wyrm, killing the beast. The dragon falls from the air hitting the water hard creating a large wake outwards before finally sinking to the rocky bed of the lake floor.

View