Raleigh D&D 5E - Session #7 - The Hidden Palace of Sancre Tor

This session's cast:

-Drael, the (still) blue, apex seeking, goliath barbarian and his faithful(?), always hungry, red saber-tooth tiger companion.
-Rolin, the elven yellow assassin, and secret priest of Mephala, lord of the eight shadows of murder.
-Vyn, the dark elf and red, gold dragon (retconned) sorcerer.
-Theren Galaodel, the straight shootin' pious fighter

After following the friendly buzzards through winding ravines and towering sandstone columns the party finally came to the Valley of the Hidden Palace. The walled city could be seen to have a myriad of streets centering around a great palace, with a large ziggurat of differing architecture looming behind  From a distance Drael noticed that the city Sancre Tor did not seem abandoned but alive and full of activity. So Rolin and Vyn enthusiastically rode their horses through the valley towards the open city gates, while Drael and his tiger companion trailed cautiously behind.

Finding no guards at the gate, Rolin and Vyn quickly questioned one of the several beggars loafing outside the gate along the wall. "Call me Ishmael, travelers! What brings you to the sacred city?" They explained they had heard great things and wanted to visit, but were weary from travel. Rolin asked to buy Ishmael's clothes. Ishmael immediately offered to introduce him to the finest clothier in the city, who owed him a favor. "Why would you want to wear a beggar's clothes?" Ishmael laughed. Drael, uncomfortable about the city, opted to wait outside the gates. As Ishmael walked them through the market streets, they noticed various smiling beggar's lounging around while men and women in white busied themselves with work. Rolin pulled one of them aside attempting to question the nervous man but Ishmael quickly dismissed him before he could relay any information.

Growing suspicious, Vyn decided to not enter the clothier shop once they arrived. Rolin entered and met a man in white named Tarok who began to fit him into a robe of purple and yellow. All the while Ishmael babbled away. Suddenly Vyn entered the shop disguised as Drael and had a confusion conversation with Rolin, Tarok, and Ishmael that I can't fully recall. Not having the results he desired, Vyn left and wandered the streets questioning beggars and eventually disguising himself as one of them before exiting the city before the gates were closed. All the while, Rolin's robe was finished as night fell and Ishmael brought him to an inn run by the maiden Sonsari for the night so he could be prepared to be presented to the lord. When questioned about the lord, Ishmael merely stated with wide eyed adoration that he was a lion of a man.

After Ismael left Rolin to rest with Sonsari, Rolin quickly took the opportunity to get the low down from his new host. She told him that she was the daughter of a Tangari chieftain that had been captured by the Lord's minions. She said if he could rescue her he would surely be rewarded. Rolin said he would do one better, by killing the lord, freeing all the Tangari slaves, and cleansing the sacred city of Sancre Tor itself! Amazed, Sonsari wished him luck as he left to go gather his comrades to undo the lord once and for all. He successfully sneaked through the quiet and deserted town streets, but found himself at the closed gate. It was unguarded but locked by a massive bar too great for him alone. Climbing up the steps to the top of the wall, he found both Drael and Vyn quibbling about whether to abandon the adventure and leave him alone in the city or not. Once the two of them saw Rolin, they begrudgingly changed their tune and climbed the wall with Rolin's rope. Between the three of them, especially due to Drael's great strength, they opened the massive gate to let the saber-tooth tiger in.

Carefully making their way through the dark streets, they made it back to the inn only to find Sonsari missing and Ishmael waiting in her place. Rolin quickly cast charm person, and introduced his two friends to Ishmael under friendlier circumstances. Ishmael told them he had prepared Rolin for the presentation for the lord, but when he was missing when it was time. Thus Ishmael's only choice was to present Sonsari instead, although that was not preferable. He also added the clarification that it was a presentation of an offering for a sacrifice to the demon prince Graz'zt. Rolin demanded that they be taken to the lord immediately. Ishmael was only happy to oblige.

They entered the gates of the hidden palace, and passed through grand rooms, gardens, and courtyards, until they finally came to the throne room of the lord. The double doors to the throne room were wide open to the lighted and opulent chamber. Ishmael presented the party to the lord, a haughty looking man wearing a pendant of a golden apple, with a lion body below the waist lounging on a great pillowed couch. Two guards in plate armor flanked him on either side. Behind him hooded and robed figures forced a girl quickly through a door to the next chamber. Rolin, quickly recognizing it to be Sonsari, bowed before the lord and stated they were there to serve him and attempted to cast charm person but to no apparent effect. The lord got up from his lounge and told the party he had been expecting them, and that his men would take care of them.

The lord then passed through the door, and the armored guards rushed to close the double doors to the throne room. A battle ensued as Drael and Vyn pushed back against the two armored guards, while Rolin rushed to the door to follow the lord, only to be met by a fiery flying suit of armor in his way. The tiger was soon distracted by several flying weapons that came off the wall. Rolin weaved in and out of battle, backstabbing and firing arrows where support was needed. Drael held off the flying fire armor, and Vyn shot forceful blasts of magical energy until the flying armor was blasted against the wall into dozens of pieces by a great bolt of fire. After that the battle quickly wrapped up in favor of the victorious but bruised party.

The momentary silence made the party aware of chanting beyond the door, which made them realized time was growing short. At that moment a determined man burst through the double doors and demanded to see the lord. After some initial distrust, the learned that the warrior, named Therol, was on a quest to slay the lord in the name of his monastery, which was an enemy to all cults of Graz'zt. A moment later they all ran through the door to interrupt the dark rite being led by the lord and his priests of Graz'zt. Sonsari was tied to a great alter surrounded by the priests. Rolin ran up and back stabbed the lord causing him great pain. The lord escaped through another door, while the priests attempted to stop the party from following him. The battle slowly went the way of the party, and one of the injured priests spilled his own blood on the alter to summon a hell hound as a final pleading to Graz'zt. But, the hound rolled terribly on its initiative and was slaughtered before it could breath fire all over everything. Sad. Rolin freed Sonsari, and she refused to stay put, scared to be out of their direct protection.

Following the lord out of the sacrificial chamber, they found him with dagger drawn in what appeared to be a personal chamber with pillowed bed, gilded mirror, Jacuzzi and even a cage for his two pet giant scorpions, which he immediately released. The outmatched and injured lord was defeated soundly, and Drael spoke to the scorpions, reasoning with them that this was not a fight worth fighting, and they scurried back into their cage, only to be lite on fire by Vyn. Soon after the body of the lord finished dissolving, everything that once looked extravagant and new became decayed and ruined, the illusion and magic of the lord fading away.

Rolin snatched up the pendant of the golden apple before anyone could notice. Vyn picked up the intriguing dagger, a red blade seemingly fashioned out of a single horn, and wrapped in a black leather for the hilt. After feeling uncharacteristically greedy and selfish, Vyn's further inquiry with Theren revealed the dagger to be called "the gift". The runes on either side of it meaning gift and blood respectively. This type of blade is giving to every great leader of Graz'zt cults, a gift from Graz'zt himself, fashioned out of one of his many horns. A truly evil artifact. Theren took it and sealed it in a chest found on the sacrificial alter along with its previous contents, a dried out human(?) heart. He vowed to take it back to his monastery to either be sealed away or destroyed. Drael picked up the head priests long sword, which at first glance seemed perfectly ordinary, but closer inspection revealed to be of great manufacture. A feeling of optimism and a positive outlook for the future took hold of him immediately.

As the party walked down the steps of the hidden palace onto the city streets, the sun rose to finish the cleanse of the sacred city of Sancre Tor.

disclaimer: this session happened a few weeks ago, so this is to the best of my memory and notes.