19: Slaying Strongor

The group collect themselves, scan the battlefield to make certain that the lizardmen are victorious and they return to the shrine within the castle to retrieve the mask that Shiv had mentioned. Upon arriving at the room they see the mask has been removed but a tome lies upon the altar that is the centerpiece of the shrine. Embra wraps the book in her tattered cloak and drops it in her bag. As they turn to go, they see that the passage has disappeared and a solid wall has replaced it. Embra feels the book squirm and grow larger beneath the cloak, so she throws the book directly in the center of the group. Davron casts Dispel Magic, but the binding unfurls from the book and the entire thing reforms into the shape of a burly man brandishing a large scythe. Tamariel recognizes the man as a priest of Myrkul, the God of Death, and Steve and Embra recognize him specifically as Strongor Bonebinder, a priest who was trying to achieve apotheosis with Myrkul and who infused his essence into the Mere of Dead Men. Their sure the book is a copy of The Dark Sermons of Strongor Bonebinder, an evil tome that is lost to history. He pauses momentarily and summons six Wights, who encircle the party.

Shiv spins on her heel and attacks one, Tamariel launches three attacks at another, Jory and Embra attack Strongor, Steve (in bear form) claws and bites at a wight, and Karendil fires off Magic Missiles at the remainder of wights. Strongor belches forth a swarm of stinging insects and they swirl around the room, wounding everyone and severely wounding Shiv, Karendil, and Jory. Shiv staggers behind Strongor and delivers the killing blow to his back, and Strongor’s form reverts back to the tome in the center of the room. The group focuses their efforts on the wights and dispatches them all.

[title size=”3″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””]The Spawning Pools[/fusion_title]

They continue beneath the castle to the spawning pools and take positions and wait for the lizardmen to steer the bullywugs into the hidden tunnels and towards them. The heavy fighters break off and form a wall, keeping the spellcasters between themselves and the rear wall of the cave and its passageway. As the battle up top intensifies, the lizardmen drive the bullywugs down into the tunnels and the surviving 20 eventually emerge from the waters and rush towards the group. The ranged attackers strike at the mass, killing a small amount of them before the remainder swarm the hand-to-hand members of the party. Karendil hurls a Fireball into their midst, killing three of them, and Davron conjures Spirit Guardian and kills a couple more.

Pharblex Spattergoo

During the heat of battle, Pharblex Spattergoo sneaks up on the spellcasters and casts a binding spell on Karendil and Shiv. He takes off running towards the doorway out of the spawning pools. Davron spins and successfully casts Hold Person on Pharblex. Tamariel and Karendil attack Pharblex and Steve subdues him with a crushing blow of his claws. They tie Pharblex up and deliver him to Snapjaw, who provides a debriefing on the status of the castle: the catacombs are scoured, the bullywug infestation is wiped out, and the area is secure. There are unquiet dead in the upper levels of one of the towers, which the lizardmen avoid.

Borngray requests audience with the group, and the lizardmen bring him forth. He says, “I accept now that the cult has been defeated in this location. I am willing to cooperate fully with you if you treat me as a prisoner of war and let me speak to the ambassador from Evermeet in Waterdeep before you dispose of me.” The group accepts his proposal and he divulges all his information: the Cult of the Dragon was trying to amass a tremendous amount of treasure. Borngray is not high-ranking enough to know every detail of the plan, but he understood the purpose of the treasure was to placate Tiamat once she was summoned back into the world so that they could negotiate terms with her. Borngray also assumes that the Thayvian turned himself and Rezmir invisible and that they escaped through the teleportation platform. The portal opens at a hunting lodge hundreds of miles to the north. He provides them the keyword and the talisman to use it. Borngray also expresses his regret that Rezmir did not listen to him and employed the bullywugs; he saw himself as a solid ally of the lizardmen. He also mentions a large device on the top floor of the tower that Rezmir mastered the use of. He said what she learned from it was enough to keep Voaragamanther from interfering with her activities. He also says it is guarded by gargoyles, placed there by Rezmir to defend the device. He warns against entering the northeast tower, where there linger angry spirits who he thinks are the remains of the astronomers.

At the sight of the Dark Sermons tome, he visibly pales and explains that Cult of the Dragon leader Severin used the book by negotiating with Strongor. Everything about the plan to summon the dragon goddess must come from the tome, because when Severin found it things changed for the cult.

The commander for the cult on the other side of the portal is Talis the White, whose name is familiar to Karendil. Talis and Rezmir are rivals within the cult structure. Talis aspires to be the wearer of the white dragon mask but was unsuccessful. Rezmir owns the black dragon mask, which is one of the five masks needed to summon Tiamat. Severin found the dragon mask at Castle Naeyatar, along with the book needed to summon the dread dragon mother. The book provided Severin information to collect the other masks, which he has given to four of his most loyal followers; he wears the red mask.

Karendil gives Borngray’s magical sword to Snapjaw, saying “You, Snapjaw, have been elected as the great leader of the Lizardmen Clan of the Mere of Dead Men. Your Great Lord Voaragamanthar has chosen you for this mighty power and wants you to wield this sword. Spend some time in a cave and meditate upon it and come to know the wonderousness of its [intelligible].”

Tamariel pulls aside the dwarf cook and asks him about where Rezmir’s room is. The dwarf, Tharm, gives the group the layout of that tower and they provide him with armor and weapons and send him along with the others. Embra tells him to go to Phandalin for work and to mention her name to the city watch there. The group searches Borngray’s library of magic research and Rezmir’s well-appointed quarters and her personal chapel. They set up camp in Rezmir’s tower and spend the night there.

Body Count

Strongor Bonebinder
6 Wights
20 bullywugs

Acquisitions

Borngray’s magical longsword (returns to owner)
1,000GP worth of swag from Rezmir’s posh room

Experience Points

1,965XP (20,000XP Total)

19: Slaying Strongor

Meta

Body Count

Acquisitions

Experience Points

Meta