That afternoon the PCs met their old adventuring companion, Gwendolyn Haupt, at a coffee shop nearby to 'catch up' and find out what they needed to know for their audience with Lord Shazadar that evening.
That afternoon the PCs met their old adventuring companion, Gwendolyn Haupt, at a coffee shop nearby to 'catch up' and find out what they needed to know for their audience with Lord Shazadar that evening.
When you arrived at the coffee shop, you spotted her immediately, in what you immediately recognized as her customary seat; closest to the hearth, the hotter the better. And you also all immediately remembered that through all of your adventuring, the one thing you could always count on was that Gwen always thought it was too cold.
After awkward hugs and greetings, you all settled in for your reunion chat. In order to smooth over the awkwardness, you initially stuck to questions and brief recaps of events. The PCs discovered the following:
1) Gwen left the party voluntarily, and secretly, sometime before The Ritual.
....a) She left because she was trying to learn more about her 1/2 efreeti heritage.
....b)
Erk had been able to put her in magical contact with
Lord Shazadeh, who was her ancestor.
....c) Efreeti don't care about offspring or family, but they DO care about power, and Lord Shazadeh saw the potential power in Gwen's heritage.
2) Gwen was very surprised when the PCs popped out of a portal onto the Obsidian Fields outside of the City, where Lord Shazadeh was testing her abilities.
....a) The PCs launched an attack, which would have been catastrophic, if Gwendolyn hadn't intervened and begged for the PCs lives.
3) Gwen lost contact with the PCs after that.
....a) She tried scrying them from time to time and it appeared they were always angry at each other.
4) Gwen contacted her old friend
Thulik and asked him to find the PCs and see if they needed help.
5) Gwen heard back from Thulik after some time with the terrible news that some of the PCs had turned on their mentor,
Quirinseyru and all of the PCs and Quirinseyru were slain in the resulting battle.
6) Thulik let all of the clones go, at Quirinseyru’s request. Quirin hoped that the pcs would begin their adventuring lives anew and regain their former good natures.
7) Thulik took
Brigga’s Hammer back to her stronghold only to find the stronghold was missing. Thulik gave the Hammer to Brigga’s aunt and uncle.
8 ) Thulik tried to take
Bannock’s Answerer and
Quarion’s Father’s Armor back the
elven village where they lived, but Thulik was gravely wounded by the elves who lived there who did not give him a chance to explain his purpose. Also, the elves seemed … savage somehow?
9) Thulik began to show signs of
lycanthropy after escaping from the elves.
10) Nursing his wounds, Thulik encountered
The Oracle, and traded the strange being Bannock’s Answerer in exchange for curing him from lycanthropy and healing some wounds which had not regenerated. Then the Oracle transported Thulik back to Rookroost.
For her part, Gwen has been living in the City of Brass, as one of the most trusted servants of Lord Shazadeh, while uncovering the power of her heritage. She is now a powerful spellcaster, drawing upon both her own inherent magical bloodline
(sorcerer) and her pact with her great great grandfather
(warlock). (She was a rogue/sorcerer when she was your adventuring companion).
Mordai and The Oracle contacted her recently and explained a bit about what has been going on with The Master and these strange Portals. Lord Shazadeh has agreed to guard Mordai for the time being, agreeing that The Master should not be released while in control of the Book of Infinite Souls.
Gwen cautions the PCs to be extra polite when they meet with Lord Shazadeh later that evening. They should politely explain the information that they seek and Lord Shazadeh will propose a price, which is likely to be a service that he would like the PCs to perform for him.
After that, the talk turns to Farweald. Gwen doesn't miss living in Farweald, but her memories of the town have grown fonder over time. You spend some time expressing your overall frustration with the people in town and their failure to embrace your heroic natures. Gwen laughs with you at the locals backwards attitudes about magic, then the conversation turns to Gwendolyn's father, Councilman Bern Haupt.
Gwen asks after his health and well being, then says something strange. She assumes that her father would have sought you out immediately, as old friends of his daughter. When you inform her that you had only recently met him and started staying in his home, she seems confused. Gwen tells you that all of you had met
Bern Haupt years ago, when Gwen was your adventuring companion. He had come to visit her in Rookroost and stayed with all of you for about a month. You had all gotten along very well, with him telling tales of his old adventuring days, and all of you regaling him with tales of your exploits.
Gwen seems concerned that he didn't seem to know you when you arrived in town, and didn't reveal that he was Gwen's father. She isn't quite sure what that means .....