Town Hall regarding the Drow Incursion
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*Another place, another time, the Amethyst Festhall is rented out for a private function- A briefing and discussion about the Kiaransalee worshippers, developments, and their motives. Any adventurers that have been involved (or want to be!) have been extended an invitation.
Elliott sheepishly stands at the podium, nervously flipping through his notebook as he clears his throat*
Is- is- is it my turn to talk now? It is? Ah! Hello! So, first of all, thanks for coming, getting everyone under one roof can be so difficult with everything going on so the time is appreciated- Ah, I’ll get to the point then, of course.
I’d like us all to talk about what we know about the drow, and what actions we’d like to take!
For example, Reemul and I went to further investigate in Oscura, speaking to Templar Bokelgein. From there, we got a lead that Ennenan Snydders knows more about what’s going on. We spoke to him, and learned the following:
The drow want the Orb of Inferus- they were targeting the sisters of bones to this end. An army of undead for the drow cult of creating undead… this is likely what they meant by the Graverending being only the beginning!!
Merovech has the orb, but has gone dark. The drow priestess wants the orb and is chasing it directly- Merovech is likely to be plane-hopping, with tags and wards and explosions protecting this orb. Merovech can at best hold out for… a month left, at most.
Snydders suggested that the best way to find the Drow Priestess could be casting discern location? We have two veins we can try with this- Morgan Azzen managed to see her, and can cast the spell. But also, if we manage to find something of hers we can tie to her, Snydders has offered to cast the spell as well. Options are good to have, and time is not on our side. Finding the drow priestess could mean finding Merovech at this rate.
The second prong- the Drow camp. It’s likely to be by the faerzess. The Sheverash have offered to scout for us, and report back on any activity they find. Taking out their camp could be just as crucial in curbing their invasion!!
Oh, and as a side note, despite the knife found at the graverending incident, it’s likely the Blood Spiders are not an item at the moment, but Vloss Orb was once a drow slave? So something to at least keep in the back of our minds.
So, all this being said- what should our next moves be? The floor is open.
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This doesn't seem to be getting the traction it needs? Can I get a show of hands of who is willing to take action on this? Time is of essence, perhaps if we know whos willing to help we can try to find an appropriate time to take action?
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Elliott claps his hands!
“A-Ah! Reemul and I did run into a Believer-!! She took us to Snydders! I had no idea she worked with Merovech… but she might still be around with Snydders!”
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Isolde grins and comfortably cuddles in under Nate's arm: "It's admittedly difficult to be sure, with regards to someone like Believer, but from Ros' account it sounded that way. Of course, if she's already with Merovech, it's a moot point… I'm otherwise in favour of tracking the drow priestess over Merovech directly, so that we don't inadvertantly help the former. Let's have Morgan sweat and do some heavy lifting, spellwise!"
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"Good to see you too, Reemul - " he startles as Isolde pops up and tickles him, and then laughs and wrangles an arm around her to playfully squeeze her to his side.
Then he adds: "Oh, good thinking darling. You know I wasn't aware Believer was working directly for Merovech! I haven't seen her at all lately, though..."
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Isolde, suddenly appearing from behind Nate and mischievously tickling his side, pipes up: "Has anyone seen or been contacted by the mysterious dark-cowled woman going by the name 'Believer'? She tends to work closely with Merovech and if she isn't already with her, could be a possible ally. I imagine she's not the sort you find, though, but rather is found by."
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Nate, good to see you here! Lightens my heart. I agree the Orb is a priority, do you have a way we can join in a planar chase? I get the impression the camp is being used as a place for the Drow Priestess to return to and securely rest and restore power giving her a reprieve that Merovech may not be getting during all of this.
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Nate listens closely, then nods.
"I had missed the part about Merovech. Sorry about that Elliot. No, you explained it fine. I'm the one who should have listened more closely."
He goes on:
"Based on what you're saying, discern Location sounds like a viable option after all. If we opt for that route, and I believe it makes sense that we do, then I believe Morgan should be the one to cast it. No offense to Snydders or the Sheverash."
He considers Elliot's question.
"If you ask me we should save Merovech and the orb first, and strike the Drow camp second. The orb just seems to me to be the greatest priority."
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Elliott nervously fidgets, flipping a page of his notebook back and forth.
“W-well actually- As I said, Merovech has the orb. She’s taken it from Oscura, and is on the run trying to keep it safe. But the drow priestess, she’s chasing her. They aren’t in Oscura or the camp- and that’s why Snydders suggested the discern location spell- we don’t know where they could be at the moment, but finding Merovech or the Priestess likely means finding the other. And Merovech is running out of time!! I’m sorry if I didn’t explain that well enough, oh gosh, um. As, as far as the little lady of infernus still being trapped, if she is, unless anyone has heard different,,, I don’t know? But likely she is, if she was before, if the drow want that power.”
He traces his fingers along the book once more, shifting a little at eyes on him.
“To, to that end as well, exactly, the Faerzess can’t easily be scried on- the Sheverash are due soon to tell us any of their findings as far as scouting attempts to find the camp. They’ve been invited to this meeting, in fact!
So the question becomes- strike at the drow camp, or save Merovech and the orb, and in what order?”
With another nervous nod, he adds
“And, and if you want to legend lore the knife, I believe Roslyn is still in possession of it! It’s, Snydders seemed to think that the Blood Spiders could be a red herring in the big drow picture, is the reason I mention it. But, information is always important and good to have, if you can get it!”
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Nate, who is seated by the now-empty band arrangements, idly plucks a few chords on one of the string instruments.
He chimes in further thereafter:
"Thank you for these details, Elliot. Bad news, but useful information. I have a few thoughts on the matter.
First, a preemptive attack on the Drow seems to me to be the better option. That's for a few reasons.
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The Orb of Inferus is in Oscura, under the the control of the Sisters of Bones. They are unlikely to let us meddle with their defenses.
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If we aim to defend rather than attack and fail, the consequences of the Drow cult acquiring the Orb of Inferus are unacceptable.
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It sounds as though Morgan, Snydders, or the Sheverash can locate the Drow in question. This enables the preemptive attack.
Second, I have a few concerns or possible snags which we should think about before proceeding to locate the Drow camp or the Drow priestess.
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If the Drow camp is likely to be by Faerzress underground, that may mean that any magical attempts to locate the Drow camp will not succeed. That is because Faerzress interferes with divination spells. Discern location is a divination spell.
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If the Drow Priestess is currently in the Drow camp, then the Faerzress also means attempting to locate her with the Discern location spell will likely also fail for the same reason.
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For the above reasons, the alternative would be to rely on the Sheverash. That said, I haven't met with these folks and you would have to confirm you trust them.
Third, some final remarks:
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No idea whether Vloss Orb was once a Drow slave. But I wouldn't discard that line of inquiry just because it currently seems less directly on point. Perhaps we can look into this just in case. We can cast Legend Lore on the knife if you agree. I can check the Bard College library as well. I believe we have a profile on Vloss, and will make that available to you.
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The Orb of Inferrus. It creates a nigh endless amount of undead, correct? I understand it is related in some way to the entity known as 'the Little Lady of Inferrus.' I understand this entity also created undead in a similar fashion. Is she currently captive inside the orb?"
With that, he leans back, listens, and continues idly plucking away at string instruments here and there.
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Current events are overshadowing the danger of this situation. You know im in Elliott, this Orb in their hands is just yet another extremely dangerous artifact on the loose. Im sure more people will chime in when the current threat has been put to rest one way or another.
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Ilath, a young moon elf dressed in black leathers and wearing a necklace in the shape of an asymmetrical starburst, can be seen entering the meeting. He finds himself a place somewhere in the back and remains quiet. For now.
