Dunmari Frontier - Session 113

Unveiling the Phylactery: in which the party finds Apollyon’s phylactery

Featuring: Seeker, Delwath, Kenzo, Wellby, Riswynn
In Taelgar: May 22, 1749 DR
On Earth: Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Temple of the Eight Divines, Drankor

The Dunmar Fellowship discovers and secures Apollyon’s phylactery hidden in the Temple of the Eight Divines and plans its destruction.

Session Info

Summary

The Dunmar Fellowship investigates the Temple of the Eight Divines, searching for Apollyon’s phylactery.
Kenzo’s staff triggers visions revealing Rai’s actions in hiding the phylactery within the temple’s crypt.
The group uncovers an illusion concealing a staircase and explores the crypt, finding powerful wards and defenses.
They find the phylactery, an adamantine dagger containing seven souls, and learn it must be destroyed in the Land of the Dead.
The group secures the phylactery and uncovers information about the souls within, preparing for the next stage of their mission.

Timeline

May 22, 1749 DR, afternoon: Explore the Temple of the Eight Divines, and find Apollyon’s Phylactery. Make plans to destroy it. Recover tokens from four of the seven souls bound within. Suspect trouble with Vindristjarna.

Narrative

We begin aboard Vindristjarna, hovering above the sprawling ruins of the Temple of the Eight Divinesin the heart of Drankor, the last known location of Apollyon’s Phylactery. Hoping to detect the telltale signs of Adamantine. Seeker consults his runic magic; he detects no adamantine directly below, but discovers signs of a vast underground excavation beneath the temple.

As the party debates, questions about Rai’s decisions with the phylactery resurface. Could Rai’s inability to destroy the artifact stem from a lack of knowledge about its creation? Or perhaps its destruction might have risked weakening the prison holding Apollyon. Arheste’s teachings on phylacteries underscore the need for precise knowledge to dismantle such artifacts, leaving the group to speculate whether Rai hid the phylactery in the temple, protected by divine wards, to keep it from Apollyon’s grasp. Kenzo reaches out with his senses, seeking Apollyon’s presence, but finds only an empty void—a possible sign of concealment or displacement.

Resolving to begin their exploration, the party sets a cautious plan. Faldrak Bronzehammeris instructed to remain vigilant aboard Vindristjarna, prepared to send a rescue party if the group fails to return by evening.

Inside the temple, the air shifts to one of tranquility. Though the ruins outside are oppressive, the temple’s interior radiates peace, illuminated by sunlight refracted through a mirrored dome. The marble floor glows faintly, and the massive central altar, intricately inlaid with gold and adorned with gem-encrusted candelabras, stands as a testament to the divines. Eight chapels radiate outward from the central dome, each dedicated to one of the Eight Divines.

Seeker’s investigation of the altar reveals a powerful aura of divine magic. Meanwhile, Wellby and Kenzo scout the central chamber and side chapels, finding no signs of recent activity. Delwath, employing his ghostly gaze, surveys the crypt below and identifies a central vault directly beneath the altar, flanked by eight smaller crypts aligned with the chapels.

Kenzo’s staff, now adorned with the complete remains of Rai’s jade hand, triggers a vision of Rai’s jade statue conferring with Dimitaur. The vision reveals that Rai hid the phylactery in a lead-lined chest below the temple, but the chest appears to be missing. Seeking clarity, Riswynn casts Divination, confirming the phylactery was indeed placed in the crypt but is now obscured by arcane magic.

The search intensifies as Wellby uncovers an illusion concealing a staircase descending into the crypt. Though auras of disinterest affect Seeker and Delwath, the party presses on. Another vision from Kenzo’s staff shows Rai weaving protective enchantments into the floor, crafting magic to deter exploration.

The crypt is a somber, awe-inspiring place, its walls lined with statues adorned with death masks—a funerary tradition of Drankor. The crypt’s layout mirrors the temple above, with a central chamber and nine passageways leading to underchapels and a grand vault. In the passage to the vault, Kenzo’s staff reveals a vision of a celestial elven warrior defending the crypt from intruders. This defender’s presence looms large in the party’s minds as they begin their exploration of the underchapels, starting with the The Sibyl’s chapel.

Each underchapel holds niches and memorials, maintained by magical altars that sustain the temple’s wards. The group concludes their preliminary exploration, preparing to delve into the grand vault.

The grand vault is stark compared to the rest of the crypt, its emptiness marked by a lack of magic. Kenzo’s staff reveals another vision of Rai casting powerful spells while uttering “Naun Tarvanos,” an Elvish phrase meaning “Valley of the Hidden Forest.” The chest vanishes in the vision, leaving its location unclear.

The party contacts Dimitaur, Rai’s former familiar, who recalls Rai’s insistence on keeping the phylactery in the temple for safety. Though Dimitaur associates “Naun Tarvanos” with a distant place Rai visited, he believes the chest remains within the temple. Delwath’s careful search uncovers the chest, hidden by potent invisibility magic. Using flour to outline its shape, the group confirms its presence. Riswynn skillfully dispels a series of wards protecting the chest, including Glyph of Warding, Symbol, Arcane Lock, Sequester, and a final ward, designed to teleport intruders to an elven divine realm.

Opening the chest with Mage Hand, Delwath reveals a plain adamantine dagger—Apollyon’s phylactery. Kenzo’s soul sight reveals seven souls bound within, sacrificed to create the vessel for Apollyon’s essence. Seeker and Kenzo study the dagger alongside notes from Apollyon’s Tower, uncovering a way to destroy the phylactery: it must be taken to the Land of the Dead, where the souls can be guided to remember their identities and pass into their Divine Realms. This process would unravel the phylactery, a method Apollyon deemed impossible without both the artifact and detailed knowledge of its creation.

The party secures the phylactery, placing it in their Portable Hole stored in a lead-lined locket around Wellby’s neck, and turns their attention to gathering information on the seven souls. Wellby’s search of the nearby area uncovers a Book of Martyrs of the Radiant Path, stored in the temple’s administrative complex, which describes some brief details of the life of four of Apollyon’s victims: Antonius Patrius, Floria of Aphasium, and Marius of Drankor, memorialized as martyrs in the underchapel dedicated to The Father; and Valanthe, an elf associated with the Radiant Path and Fides Lucaris, who resided in the elven neighborhood north of the temple. Searching the underchapel reveals death masks associated with Antonius Patrius, Floria of Aphasium, and Marius of Drankor. Meanwhile, Wellby searches his halfling ancestral memory for a clue about Seraphina Appleblossom, catching a glimpse of a memory of a tavern near the docks, The Laughing Wave.

In the last hours of afternoon light, with Seeker remaining behind to guard, the rest of the group ventures into the overgrown ruins to search for a token connected to Valanthe. Heading north, the party finds the ruins of her house, and defeats a horde of undead shades led by a shadow dreadlord. Riswynn’s divine power obliterates twenty shades, and Kenzo’s martial precision dispatches the dreadlord. Among the ruins, they find a silver quill imbued with echoes of Valanthe’s soul.

Back at the Temple of the Eight Divines, the party reacts in concern to a cryptic message from Faldrak, hinting at trouble aboard Vindristjarna, which has fled north and is now defeating attempts to scry its location. With no immediate recourse, the party chooses to remain in the temple overnight, trusting in its protective wards as they prepare for the trials ahead.

Detailed Summary

The Approach to the Temple of the Eight Divines

The session begins aboard Vindristjarna, hovering above the ruins of the massive Temple of the Eight Divines in Drankor, which is the last known location of Apollyon’s phylactery.
Using his rune, Seeker determines that there is no adamantine immediately below but detects a significant underground excavation beneath the temple.
The party debates why Rai didn’t destroy the phylactery and considers its potential hidden location:
- Destroying a phylactery may require knowledge of its creation, which Rai possibly lacked.
- The phylactery’s destruction might have unintended consequences, such as weakening Apollyon’s prison.
- Arheste spoke of destroying phylacteries, which is often is made easier by, and may even require, precise knowledge of their creation.
The party theorizes Rai might have hidden the phylactery in the temple, possibly with divine protection, to prevent Apollyon or his minions from reclaiming it.
Kenzo tries to detect Apollyon’s soul or presence, but senses a complete absence of Apollyon’s essence, possibly due to magical concealment or interdimensional displacement.
The group resolves to begin their exploration of the temple’s exterior and underground areas, noting their limited time before magical protections and resources diminish. They instruct Faldrak to remain vigilant and send a search party if the group does not return by evening.

Inside the Temple of the Eight Divines

The party enters the Temple, marveling at its pristine condition. Despite the oppressive atmosphere outside, the interior feels warm and peaceful, with sunlight illuminating the marble floor through a magical or mirrored dome.
The temple’s central chamber is vast, with a massive altar made of intricately inlaid marble and gold and decorated with gem-encrusted candelabras and chalices. Eight large chapels, each dedicated to one of the Eight Divines, radiate from the central dome.
Seeker investigates the altar, noting a powerful aura of divine magic emanating from it. The glow and warmth seem strongest here.
Wellby and Kenzo scout the main chamber and side chapels, finding no signs of recent occupation. The magic of the altar appears to maintain the temple’s immaculate state.
Delwath uses ghostly gaze to survey the crypt below. He identifies a large underground vault directly beneath the altar, with eight smaller crypts leading outward beneath each chapel.
While searching, Kenzo’s staff and the Jade Piece of Rai’s Hand triggers a vision of Rai as a jade statue speaking to Dimitaur in the temple. Rai mentions hiding the phylactery in a lead-lined chest beneath the temple to shield it from Apollyon’s minions. However, the chest appears to be missing.
Riswynn casts Divination, asking whether the phylactery remains in the crypt. The response confirms the object was placed below, though powerful arcane magic obscures its current location.

Discovering the Crypt and Exploring the Underchapels

Wellby uncovers an illusion concealing steps leading down to the crypt. Despite auras of disinterest affecting Seeker and Delwath, the party follows Wellby.
Another vision from Kenzo’s staff shows Rai weaving protective magic into the floor, creating magic to discourage exploration.
The stairs lead to a grand crypt chamber, adorned with statues, niches, and elaborate memorials for the dead of Drankor. Many statues feature metal death masks, a Drankorian funerary tradition.
The crypt includes a central chamber and nine passageways leading to additional areas: eight underchapels for each of the Eight Divines and one grand vault.
Kenzo’s staff triggers another vision in the passage to the grand vault, showing Rai hiding the chest and invoking powerful concealment magic. The vision also depicts a celestial elven warrior seemingly tied to the crypt’s defense, defending the passageway against intruders.
The party begins exploring the underchapels, starting with the Sibyl’s. Each chapel contains similar layouts with niches, memorials, and magical altars that maintain the temple’s protective wards.
The group concludes their initial investigation of the underchapels and prepares to delve deeper into the grand vault.

The Grand Vault and the Hidden Chest

The party enters the grand vault, observing a large, domed crypt lined with niches and faint remnants of memorials. Unlike other areas, the vault is stark and free of magic, giving it an eerie emptiness.
Kenzo’s staff shows another vision of Rai casting spells and uttering “Naun Tarvanos,” an Elvish phrase meaning Valley of the Hidden Forest. The chest disappears, but its location remains unclear.
The party contacts Dimitaur, Rai’s former familiar. He recounts how Rai repeatedly insisted the phylactery remain in the temple for safety. He associates “Naun Tarvanos” with a place Rai once visited, but insists the chest is likely still within the temple.
Searching the room again, Delwath stumbles upon an invisible chest in the center of the vault, concealed by powerful magic. Using flour and careful exploration, the party confirms its outline.
Riswynn manages to dispels multiple layers of protective spells on the chest, including Glyph of Warding, Symbol, Arcane Lock, and Sequester. The final ward was designed to teleport intruders to an Elven divine realm, but Riswynn dispelled it successfully.

The Phylactery Revealed

After confirming no additional traps, and figuring out how to unlcok the chest, Delwath opens the chest using Mage Hand to avoid any lingering dangers.
Inside the chest lies a plain dagger made of adamantium, confirmed to be Apollyon’s phylactery.
Kenzo’s soul sight reveals the phylactery contains seven souls, each sacrificed to create the vessel for Apollyon’s essence.
Seeker studies the dagger with the aid of Kenzo and other party members, and with careful attention arcane notes from Apollyon’s tower on the Circular Island. The group learns the following:
- The seven souls were Drankorians, mostly humans with a few mixed species, who lived in the city during Apollyon’s reign.
- These individuals were falsely accused of crimes, taken to the island, and sacrificed by Apollyon to bind their essences into the phylactery.
- The souls form a protective cocoon around Apollyon’s essence within the dagger.
- Their names are listed in Apollyon’s notes: Antonius Patrius, Floria of Aphasium, Marius of Drankor, Valanthe, Seraphina Appleblossom, Khemut of Targu, and Minarith
Hidden in Apollyon’s notes, Seeker discovers a potential method to destroy the phylactery:
- If a portal to the Land of the Deadcan be opened, the dagger must be taken there.
- Once in the Land of the Dead, the souls must be guided to remember their identities and pass into their Divine Realms. This process will unravel the phylactery.
- Apollyon believed this method was impossible, as only one who possessed both the phylactery itself and the notes on its construction could even attempt this challenge.
The party identifies the administrative complex behind the temple as a potential source of detailed records on the victims. They decide to search it for artifacts or clues.
After a thorough search of the administrative complex, the group finds a Book of Martyrs of the Radiant Path, containing information on four of the seven victims. Key discoveries include:
- Three victims are listed as martyrs memorialized in the temple, their bodies never recovered: Antonius Patrius, Floria of Aphasium, and Marius of Drankor
- Valanthe, an elf, lived in the Elven neighborhood north of the temple and is also listed as a martyr.
While Seeker is researching, the party learns that Vindristjarna has fled due to an attack by specters, leaving the party without immediate aerial support.
The group secures the phylactery in a lead-lined portable hole to shield it from detection.

The Gathering of Tokens

Armed with information and names, Riswynn and Kenzo investigate the Chapel of the Father for tokens related to the three martyrs memorialized there, finding three distinct death masks within a somber section of the chapel dedicated to martyrs. The masks are painted with closed eyes and tears, symbolizing mourning.
Wellby uses ancestral halfling memory to uncover details about Seraphina Appleblossom, a halfling victim connected to a tavern near the docks, revealing she was the owner of a popular tavern, the Laughing Wave, located near the docks of Drankor.
The elf, Valanthe, lived in a neighborhood north of the temple. The group decides to search her courtyard.
Khemut of Targu, a human with a foreign name, is suspected to have connections to the docks or a traveler’s quarter.
Minarith, a peronar, one of the elves aligned with humans during the days of Hkar, remains a mystery.
Leaving Seeker behind to guard the phylactery, the party travels through overgrown jungle and ruins to reach Volanthe’s courtyard.
They encounter and defeat a horde of undead shades led by a shadow dreadlord. Riswynn’s divine power destroys 20 shades instantly, while Kenzo’s martial prowess helps defeat the dreadlord with precision strikes.
The party locates a silver quill in the rubble, imbued with echoes of Valanthe’s soul.
A cryptic and unauthenticated message from Faldrak on Vindristjarna raises concerns about its status, but the party decides nothing can be done immediately.
The party resolves to remain in the temple overnight, resting in its protective magic.