~ HoD Summary: The Rakshasa Journals

The 5th Editon playtest campaign.
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EvilGenius
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~ HoD Summary: The Rakshasa Journals

Post by EvilGenius »

Normally this would go into the big Discovery Thread but that thread has become a little unwieldy and this is endgame stuff so I'm putting it in it's own thread. :) (fight me!)


The PCs recovered two journals from the nice office in the demon-themed hidden temple beneath the Grandwood.

The first journal is an expertly made, wine red colored hardcover book. You have seen other books like this elsewhere in the Grandwood, though you know they were on a variety of topics. This one is clearly a journal, though.

Inside the book, you find decades old entries written in a cramped hand. You surmise these entries are from the actual Bern Haupt. In reading through them, you do find implications that he has other daughters besides Gwendolyn Haupt, but that's hardly a revelation for you now.

Toward the back of the book, the handwriting changes drastically. The new handwriting is larger and more spaced out, though more difficult to read because of its heavy calligraphy. However, it is still written in Common, and with a little practice you can read it well enough.

The first entry identifies the new author as Hravja, and describes his joy at being back on the mortal plane, then goes on to describe in vague terms how the author stealthily infiltrated Farweald, identified the wealthiest resident and spent several days secretly reading his mind. When Hravja had enough of a base of knowledge, the author imprisoned Bern Haupt and assumed his identity. After a few more weeks of interrogation/torture, the Hravja ate Bern Haupt alive.

There are several paragraphs excitedly describing the torture and the devouring. You skip over those.

The next few entries describe Hravja's forays into Farweald and all of the information gleaned from people as the rakshasha read their minds. There are many dirty secrets listed here and more only hinted at, involving many of the people of Farweald. Tt seems that most of those people are now dead.

You can make Investigation checks to see if you can find information on specific people, if you'd like.
Last edited by EvilGenius on Sun Nov 01, 2020 2:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Another daring escape for the intrepid Spaceman Spiff!
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EvilGenius
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Re: ~ HoD Summary: The Rakshasa Journals

Post by EvilGenius »

The Haupt Journal
The second journal is made from some type of leather, well cured and tanned a bright red. There are corner caps of polished bone and the binding is covered with a polished bone plate.

Inside, the pages are a fine vellum-like material, filled with more of the calligraphy that you found in the first journal. However, this appears to be written in a language that you can't readily identify. You quickly decide not to waste time trying to decode the book and use a Comprehend Languages spell to reveal what is written. However, after you cast the spell, you are no closer to understanding what is in the book! As you watch, the script seems to re-arrange itself to make new words, which you quickly realize are filthy insults about your parentage. Clearly, it will take some work to decipher this strange book .....

That strange Vistani fortuneteller instructed the PCs that they would find more information about their goal inside of the 'tiger's first victim' and that they should take it to where that victim was killed.

The PCs determined that the cryptic clue referred to the strange journal they had found in the secret demonic temple below the Grandwood.
1. Reading the Haupt Journal before the main demonic altar summoned a nalfeshnee and then a glabrezu. When the PCs closed the book, the summoned demons were banished.
Another daring escape for the intrepid Spaceman Spiff!
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EvilGenius
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Re: ~ HoD Summary: The Rakshasa Journals

Post by EvilGenius »

With some trepidation, you open Haupt’s Journal, mentally steeling yourself for whatever horror will be unleashed next. As before, you are greeted with blank pages, then glowing runes begin to flash on the pages, faster and faster until they are simply a blur.

Then something new happens. The blank page before you grows dark, then seems to gain depth, as though you are looking beyond the page itself into … somewhere. Then there is a small dot of something in the darkness, and random gouts of flame at different spots on the page. As you peer closer, the small dot begins to grow larger, and you think you can hear distant screaming. The dot gets larger and larger, then spins and you can clearly see the decapitated, bloody head of Bern Haupt seemingly flying toward you. Bern’s eyes are wide and his mouth frozen open in a howl of terror.

Bern’s face rushes toward you, filling the page, then seems to burst halfway out of the journal, stretching the page upward before falling back into the journal, settling just below the surface of the page.

Bern’s bloody visage lets out a low, mournful howl, then his eyes seem to focus on the journal holder. Bern’s echoey voice cries out, “what would you ask of me, master”, and even though you clearly hear Bern’s voice asking you the question, you can also hear Bern’s voice in an ongoing howl of pain and horror in the background.


1) PCs find more info in Rakshasa Journal
..a) The Ritual had multiple purposes
....i) Feed the Book enough souls/magic so that the Dragon could travel through the Donjon Barrier safely
....ii) Use the magic of the Well of the Worlds to stay on target as the Donjon’s location changed
....iii) Ultimately drain the Well of the Worlds into the Book, thereby giving the Book the ability to planar shift on its own, out of the Donjon.
........(1) Bringing the Journal out of the Donjon was supposed to happen during the ritual itself, as more of the PCs souls were fed to the Book, keeping it at maximum absorption.
..b) The Ritual failed because The Master did not know that overfeeding the Book would cause magical feedback and potentially a magical catastrophe, which is what happened.
..c) As a result of the Ritual:
....i) the Dragon was able to safely travel into the Donjon.
....ii) The Well of the Worlds was completely drained into the Book of Infinite Souls.
....iii) Part of the PCs souls were also drained into the Book, but also somehow entangled with the Well.
....iv) The interaction of the Well and the PC’s souls caused Portals to open in locations held dear by the original PCs
....v) Erk’s Tower suffered a magical, planar catastrophe as parts of the tower were exploded into various extraplanar locations.
........(1) Currently there is an area of planar instability just above the top floor of Erk’s Tower. Members of the original party, whose souls were mingled with the Well of the Worlds, have been able to open planar portals in that location, as an act of will.
..d) The Dragon speculates that the PCs souls somehow control the absorbed Well of the Worlds, and if they close all of their Soul Portals, then they would no longer be able to control the Well, and the Dragon could use it to then escape the Donjon.
....i) Hravja isn’t sure that’s possible, or desirable, but he is curious about what will happen.
Another daring escape for the intrepid Spaceman Spiff!
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