Journey to Fate’s doorstep: the battle to save Ft. Morninglord

The Drow’s Bane along with Lady Judith Kaladar return to Ft. Morninglord gardens from the Ethereal plane after a much needed rest. The party’s plan this time around, will focus their efforts on taking out the drummers; Naismith noticed previously how Lord Kaladar winced in pain when a drummer died. No one seems to fully understand the relationship between Lord Kaladar and the drummers but this feels like a good plan.

“Mordrock, may I have a word with you please?” says Lady Kaladar. As she watches Nong from afar with slight trepidation. “I have decided not to return with your party to fight my husband but instead, stay here in the greenhouse where I feel safe.” Mordrock looks surprised and begins to speak when Lady Kaladar holds up her hand and says, “It was too much for me to experience that evil being that was once my loving husband who so easily took me down without a second thought, blaming me for the death of our son!” “Furthermore, I do not feel comfortable in the presence of Nong; I do not trust that Orc especially wielding that evil wand. I know you say he’s ‘fine’ but it is too much for me dealing with him and my husband at the same time while I’m fighting for my life and future.” She hands Mordrock her staff and tries to smile, “Please take my staff, a gift from me to the party to use against my husband. I feel it will do more for you than me right now,” she pauses and walks up to Naismith, and politely takes the obsidian dagger back from him. Then she continues speaking to Mordrock, “I will know if you succeed…and in the event you do not, I know what I must do…again,” as she looks down at the dagger in her hand.

Mordrock sadly walks back, explains the news to the party and together the Drow’s Bane and Lady Kaladar, exchange goodbyes. When the party approaches the dining room, they see once again the undead around the table. “Everything is reset again,” says Royce nodding to Mordrock, who approaches the door ready to cast. Naismith throws a dagger into the room connecting with one of the undead at the table. As the undead begin to stir, Mordorck unleashes a locust swarm into the dining room, then quickly shuts the door while Royce secures it with the Immovable Rod.

Ten minutes goes by as the party hears screaming from behind the door and then an immediate silence. As they open the door they witness once again, nothing in the room except bits and pieces of chewed wood, bone and metal. The party quickly makes their way through the dining room, into the hallway, through the room with the Bane statue and towards the upside down door. In the hallway, Nong hears a voice in his head, “You have returned…I am waiting…to strike you down and raise you in the service to BANE!!” Nong turns to the party, “Did you all hear that voice? He knows we are outside so you can forget about the sneaky stuff,” and kicks open the upside down door.

The drumming is loud inside the 40 x 40 foot room. Lord Kaladar and his knights are hovering in the air in the middle of the room, chanting. Royce notices all six drummers are back, one on each wall, floor and ceiling. Lord Kaladar’s angry red eyes flash toward the party and then gives a nod causing the room to shift ninety degrees. The gravity on the wall pulls everyone to it from the floor; those unfortunate to not catch their balance in the move suffer significant damage. Naismith runs down the wall that serves as the floor and takes out a drummer; Lord Kaladar flinches in pain. Nong runs along the floor that now serves as a wall and takes out another drummer; Lord Kaladar reacts similarly. Then, Lord Kaladar flies toward Nong and attacks him viciously, while Mordrock causes earth to erupt from the ground rising up to connect with the hovering knights.

The four knights still hovering in a circle turn toward the party; each one raises a hand where an orb of hellish flame appears. One by one, they lob their flaming orbs toward the party. The necrotic flames on impact are enough to take down Royce and Mordrock instantly, immediately shifting the tides of battle toward Lord Kaladar, who bellows in laughter at the sight. Nong, who would have fallen too, draws upon his Orcish strength to last one more round.

Fear washes over Naismith’s face seeing both of his cleric comrades go down seconds after the battle begins. He reaches out to Jimjar to channel a bit of life back into Royce, hopefully with enough time for Royce to get the party back on their feet.

And then something happens…

Nong calms himself giving him time to channel Ki into his fists, then strikes Lord Kaladar causing vibrations to occur all over the undead body; Nong then pulls away and snaps his fingers. Lord Kaladar reverberates from the strike, grabs his chest, gasps and then collapses to the ground, dead; his crown rolls off his head and settles a few feet away. Hope fills the room briefly as everyone takes in what Nong, who is barely alive, just did to turn the tides of battle toward the party’s favor.

Royce seizes the moment and casts Mass Heal, reviving everyone back to health. The knights do not relent as each one flies down to the ground, raises his sword and strikes the ground with it. Thunder and necrotic energy ripples out from the impact cumulatively doing massive damage to everyone after the fourth strike occurs. Mordrock turns two of the knights causing them to flee in fear, but the remaining knights cause destructive waves again, removing fear from their comrades upon impact.

The battle is tough but eventually the Drow’s Bane get the upper hand and succeed in taking down all four knights causing the hateful angry energy of the room to begin to subside; the drummers also lose their strength and eventually fade away. The room returns to its original small size as the party notices a corporeal Lord Kaladar, moving on the ground; he’s coughing up black bile and weeping.

“So…much…pain…I’ve…caused…,” cries Lord Kaladar who no longer looks undead but pale and alive. Nong walks up to the prone Lord Kaladar and looks down at him with disdain at the same time a small light falls from the ceiling floating down to the ground next to Lord Kaladar. Everyone watches the small floating light but only Nong can see that the light shines bright with the symbol of Lathander. As the light touches the ground it becomes a child. “Johnny is that you!” proclaims Lord Kaladar as he moves toward the child. “Daddy, daddy!!” the boy cries out; together father and son embrace as tears of joy flow down their faces. Mordrock feels someone run past him and sees Lady Kaladar run into the room toward her family. She’s crying as she embraces her husband and son.

The Drow’s Bane watch as the Kaladar family is reunited after twenty six years of pain and misery. Nong picks up the crown and walks back toward Lord Kaladar. Luther Kaladar looks up and says to Nong, “My life is yours. I offer you my crown. It is the symbol of my station. I know not best how to atone for my sins. Is it my death? Or a life of servitude to a higher power? All of you saved our souls from the clutches of Bane. I leave the choice in your hands but please let the boy live.”

Nong spits on the ground and responds, “You deserve death for all of the pain you brought to this world for the PAST TWENTY SIX YEARS!!! You do not deserve mercy and you must pay for your sins.” Luther takes a gulp of air and sighs as his son hearing Nong, begins to cry harder clutching his parents.
Judith looks to the others and says, “Please show us mercy, I beg of you. We have endured enough pain to know how to live the rest of our lives in servitude to Lathander.”
Royce, Naismith and Mordrock consider the options and then turn to Nong. “Nong, let the family live. They are no use to us dead and we don’t want the crown nor this fortress,” says Royce.
Naismith turns to the family and says, “As the living you must repent for your sins by dedicating your life to servitude of the light and Lathander. You must smite evil, Bane, Orcus and the undead for the rest of your life.”
Nong raises the wand and says, “Fine! but I’ll take his left hand as his punishment.”
The other three in unison exclaim, “NO!!! You will do no such thing Nong.”
“Fine! then Lord Kaladar you will establish a new order dedicated to Elder Brother Taliq as the protectorate over smiting evil. AND, you will replace that Bane statue with a statue of Taliq,” proclaims Nong.

Luther and Judith Kaladar agree to abide by the rules set forth by the Drow’s Bane from this day forward. They also agree to build shrines to Tempus, Kelemvor and Tymora and to honor them in addition to Lathander. Soon after, the party decides to visit the Dawnbreakers to see how Royce’s father is doing. They say farewell to the Kaladars and move on. As they exit the fortress, they see Royce’s father’s ship fully repaired. When they arrive at Omenhale, Elric greats them and tells them it has been a month’s time since they entered the fortress. “I thought you didn’t make it but last week our healing spells began to work again. I then thought you sacrificed your souls to bring us such luck, but thanks to Lathander, you stand before me now!”

Royce scans the crowd and sees his father, Aldrich, talking with his crew. Royce breathes a sign of relief as he approaches his father. Aldrich turns and smiles when he sees Royce, “You’re alive! You did it son, you saved the people here. You are such a blessed boy.” Father and son spend a long time together as Naismith and Mordrock catch up with paladins and crew; Nong moves 300 feet away to avoid trouble.