The Champions Valoris

The Champions Valoris (also known as the Champions, the Pog Champions (out of universe) and, briefly, the Dark Oak Companions) are a band of adventurers who are the protagonists of the Dungeon Delvin' campaign.

Current Members

 * Ashara - Drow Sorcerer
 * Jorah Wolfwood - Human Ranger/Paladin
 * Kilwin of Cowersby - Human Cleric
 * Reides Laverath - Triton Wizard

Former Members

 * Briar - Elf Druid
 * Erak - Drow Half-Elf Barbarian
 * Slumberjack - Aasimar Fighter

Guest Members

 * Keras - Half-Elf Paladin
 * Miré - Hexblood Druid
 * Torble Treecarver - Gnome Artificer

History
For more information, see Session Synopses.

The adventuring party who would become the Champions Valoris first met at the Silverbass Inn in Port Valor by chance. Two of them, Reides and Kilwin of Cowersby, had actually met a month previously. At the inn, the two of them met Erak and Slumberjack before being approached by a wounded man who asked them to retrieve his brother from a mine that had been attacked by goblins. The goblins had been sent by someone named Thorak. The brother was rescued, shaken but ultimately unharmed, and the group returned to Port Valor. Soon after their return, Slumberjack attempted to join a criminal organization called the Broken Crown. Upon being rejected, they started a bar fight in the recruiter's establishment, called the Twisted Nail, and were soundly beaten and ejected. Slumberjack rallied their new allies, claiming that they had been attacked for their drow heritage rather than having been the aggressor. The planned brawl quickly turned into a massacre, and the party soon learned that the boss of the Broken Crown wanted them dead. While laying low, the party assisted a priestess of Alethus named Lathendria with an undead problem in the temple's graveyard. After dealing with the undead, Slumberjack stole a magic greatsword from a damaged mausoleum, but decided against wielding it. Hiding at the temple, the party formulated a plan to attack the organization's lieutenants in order to disrupt the Broken Crown's operations long enough for the Twisted Nail incident to be unactionable or simply forgotten. During this process, they were introduced to Jorah Wolfwood, a bounty hunter who had his own issues with the Broken Crown and was willing to assist them. Reides also gained the party a new ally when he first summoned his familiar, Pepega. They also learned that the Broken Crown's leader was a man named Tyrian Vordt, an advisor to Count Corvus who was planning on assassinating the count and seizing power for himself. After forming an alliance with one lieutenant and killing the other two, the party approached Corvus with the evidence they gathered against Tyrian, exposing him. Corvus asked them to bring Tyrian to justice, a quest that ended in Tyrian's death to one of Reides's spells. Corvus was grateful for the party's help and paid them well. He also offered them two possible other quests: Either finding and eliminating Thorak, who had been causing more and more trouble in the area, or delivering a letter to Emperor Eurystheos XIV in Falas to inform her of Port Valor's recent troubles and request her aid with Thorak and the potential remnants of the Broken Crown. Knowing little about Thorak, the group chose the latter job. Jorah remained behind in Port Valor to conclude some of his own business, while the rest of the group traveled south to Quadroad.

On the road, the party rescued a mother and son from the giant who attacked their inn. They also met a paladin of Cysebelle named Keras who was lonely and invited them to join him in his camp for the night. Keras detected a necromantic aura attached to Reides, but was unable to discern its source. Keras also shared that he was on the trail of a group of orcs from the Fireaxe Clan who had attacked some mages from Atemcester and stolen a powerful magic scroll. The party agreed to assist him in this endeavor. The next day, the group found their target, and Keras began to stealthily approach the orcs, who were performing some type of ritual. When the ritual completed, a bright light erupted from the hilltop, destroying the surrounding plant life at the hill's elevation and instantly killing Keras. Jorah (along with his dog, Julius) managed to catch up with the rest of the party, and together, the group managed to kill most of the orcs and restrain an Eye of Gruumsh for interrogation. They learned that Thorak was the leader of the Fireaxe Clan and that there were more groups of orcs stealing magical items with destructive power before Jorah killed the Eye. Unsure if they were capable of standing up to Thorak with their current abilities, the party continued their journey to Falas. They arrived in Quadroad, where they encountered a group of abandoned children who supported themselves by pickpocketing unsuspecting travelers, including Reides and Jorah. In the process of trying to recover their hard-earned gold, the party visited the Temple of Cysebelle, where they met Pandora, a priestess who was saddened to hear of Keras's fate. She was also able to identify the source of Reides's necromantic aura: An undead being known as a revenant, who had marked him and his companions for vengeance due to their roles in the revenant's death. The party quickly identified the revenant as Tyrian but were perplexed as to how Tyrian became a revenant, as they are typically victims of unjust deaths. The party also learned of Quadroad's history as a "convenient" place to leave unwanted children behind. After confronting the pickpocket, the party reached an arrangement with Pandora where the party purchased a farm to the north of Quadroad as a food farm and sanctuary for the children of Quadroad. The farm was dubbed Stardew Farm, and Jorah offered to stay behind and help, claiming to have some knowledge of farming. The rest of the party proceeded to Vila's Watch, which had been locked down due to a brutal murder. In order to restock on supplies, the party offered to assist with the investigation and quickly learned that the primary investigator, Grinlief Dartson, had some unusual ideas about the case (and detective work in general) and was unlikely to successful identify the culprit. Grinlief did, however, apprehend both Slumberjack, who had split off from the group briefly, and Jorah, who attempted to climb the village's walls in his efforts to reunite with the party. Jorah managed to uncover a connection between the crime scene and Drakov, one of the innkeepers' younger brother. Drakov was revealed as a werewolf and, once he had been subdued, claimed responsibility for the crime. Soon after, Jorah slipped away again. However, on further questioning, the party realized the Drakov was being framed and Mayor Irwin was the true murderer. The party allied with Grinlief and orchestrated a plan to force Irwin to reveal his lycanthropy. Irwin and his accomplice, Meredith, were both knocked unconscious. However, when Reides left Irwin's manor to find a guard to resolve the situation, he instead found Tyrian, who had breached the village's walls. Tyrian followed Reides to the mayor's manor, where the party, exhausted and lacking a plan, were forced to retreat. As they fled, Slumberjack slit Meredith's throat, as they had wanted to during the fight. The killing was only witnessed by Erak. Before fleeing Vila's Watch, Erak also purchased a Bag of Holding. Jorah, having purchased a new horse named Gin, caught up to the rest of the party after they put some distance between themselves and Vila's Watch. Apprised of the situation, Jorah remained with the group. The next day, a horde of zombies, commanded by Tyrian, descended upon the party. The zombies were slain and Tyrian himself was unceremoniously shoved into the Bag of Holding by Reides.

Free of the revenant's wrath, the party returned to Vila's Watch to check on things before continuing their journey. Jorah almost immediately left to get drunk. The rest of the party learned that Irwin had been arrested for the murder, as well as Meredith's murder. While Kilwin and Reides were quick to blame Tyrian for Meredith's death, Erak decided to reveal the truth to them. This resulted in a fist fight between Erak and Slumberjack, as well as a rift between the two of them. While Reides followed Erak back to the tavern to talk things over, Kilwin followed Slumberjack, who revealed their nature as a fallen aasimar and that their guide had encouraged them to kill people for as long as they could remember. Kilwin was convinced that Slumberjack would stop their killing if freed from their guide's influence and resolved to help them do so. He was reluctant, however, to agree to their suggested solution of just killing them. Despite seeming receptive to Kilwin's offer of help, Slumberjack decided they needed some time away from the party. Jorah reunited with Erak and Reides, who soon found Kilwin who managed to keep most of his conversation with Slumberjack a secret. The party soon left Vila's Watch behind, hoping that Slumberjack would be able to catch up. The day before reaching Falas, they stopped an inn called the Traveler's Boon, which had been taken over by a pair of criminals who had killed the previous owners. While the party attempted to stay the night, the tables turned when they were targeted, resulting in the death of one criminal and the escape of the other. The next morning, Slumberjack caught up to the party again, reluctant to discuss what happened in Vila's Watch. Upon arriving in Falas, the party purchased rooms at the Outer Wall, an inn run by a dwarf named Urli. They also managed to gain an audience with the emperor, who received Corvus's letter and agreed to send help to Port Valor, despite Falas's recent struggles with the return of chromatic dragons from Dregonus. With access to an alchemical supply store, Reides was also able to magically seal the Bag of Holding that contained Tyrian. Urli also asked the party to investigate the ruins of Earthbreaker Hall, his clan's ancestral home, for a box that was given to his grandfather. The party agreed and traveled north to the ruins. They encountered the ghost of one of its former residents, who asked them to purge the Hall of the drow who had invaded and displaced the dwarves who lived there in the time of Urli's grandfather. After reuniting with Jorah and Julius, who had stayed behind in Falas initially and were beset by wyverns, the party successfully completed both Urli and the ghost's requests. Erak also obtained a Bag of Tricks, giving him a number of animal companions dubbed the Brothers Booboo, and Jorah obtained a dwarven sword that had been corrupted by the drow. Upon returning to Falas, Urli revealed the box to be a music box. He also directed Jorah to a smith named Galnur, who was able to restore Jorah's new sword, an enchanted blade named Quickbrand.

After the celebrations, Urli encouraged the party to pursue a bounty on a young green dragon named Blighthorn, who had been terrorizing the forests around Malino're. The party decided to test their luck and, with the prospect of traveling south, Kilwin proposed stopping in his hometown of Cowersby for a visit. While the party successfully slew Blighthorn, the battle was perilous, nearly resulting in the death of Julius. As a result, Jorah left the party for a time to bring her to Stardew Farm, where she could retire from the adventuring life. The rest of the party left behind a note informing any would-be dragonslayers that the deed had already been done, signed the Dark Oak Companions. This name was almost immediately forgotten. Upon arriving in Malino're for supplies, the rest of the party discovered that the Bloomshower Fest had begun and were invited to join the festivities. However, beneath the games and merriment lurked a dark conspiracy. The party was quickly drawn into rescuing a young woman who had been taken from the city by two disguised hags. Another party of adventurers also wished to see the hags vanquished, and the two parties developed a brief but fierce rivalry. Ultimately, the party was able to escape a trap that the other group succumbed to, and the two parties made amends. The party was directed to the hags' lair, where they faced demons and discovered the extent of the hags' crimes before slaying them. The party was thanked heartily by the elders of Malino're for their assistance with both the hags and Blighthorn. However, Erak had received a vision relating to his totems that he knew he would need time alone to unravel. He left the party to their own path. Before leaving Malino're, Kilwin attempted a ceremony of atonement to free Slumberjack of their guide's influence, but the ritual was ultimately unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Jorah returned to the group, without Julius. The party set out for Cowersby, stopping to rest in Laketon, before heading north to return to Port Valor and see what could be done about Thorak and the Fireaxe Clan. In Cowersby, Kilwin briefly reunited with his mentor and the man who raised him, a gnomish priest named Glasny Whitehall, as well as several other people from his past. The party learned that one of Kilwin's peers, a troubled man named Len, had been kicked out of his parents' house and left the village to live by the sword, as well as rumors that Len had turned to banditry. Despite facing antagonism from Len in the past, Kilwin was deeply concerned and wanted to help him. The party traveled north and intentionally fell into an ambush by a group of bandits, which included Len. While Kilwin confronted Len alone and attempted to convince him to return to Cowersby, the rest of the party engaged the rest of the bandits. Despite Kilwin's stated concerns that killing the other bandits would cause Len to stop listening, two of the bandits were killed. However, Len was ultimately willing to turn against his former comrades, having been increasingly uncomfortable with their activities but too afraid of them to leave. The party had a deep conversation about trust and communication, but ultimately returned to Cowersby with their goal accomplished. While Len was sentenced to serve the Temple of Alethus for a year as penance for his banditry, he accepted this as merciful, and he and Kilwin parted on the most positive terms they'd ever been on. The party hurried north to Port Valor, but were too late. As they approached the town, it was enveloped in a bright light, much like the one that killed Keras months ago.

The party rushed into Port Valor, recruiting two guards, named Bellevue and Harvella, along the way, and found those within the town's limits dead where they stood. Bellevue's wife and mother were found dead, but his son was nowhere to be seen. Upon investigating, the group also realized that the town was at risk of burning because of a large number of suddenly abandoned cooking fires. Unable to deal with the fires, the party retreated to the Temple of Alethus outside the city limits. There, they found a number of survivors, including Lathendria and their old friends Kargath and Zenine. The party ventured back into the city, accompanied by Bellevue and Harvella, to search for more survivors. Near the gates, they encountered a Fireaxe Clan scouting party, and Bellevue was killed in the ensuing skirmish. However, Kilwin quickly resurrected him, and the guards were convinced into returning to the temple with an unconscious orc hostage taken during the fight. The party managed to find and rescue Count Corvus, tortured and badly wounded but alive. He explained that he had been just outside of the spell's radius and saw the orcs steal a robe that had been entrusted to him by Emperor Karseidon II from his personal vault. He asked the party to retrieve the robe if possible before being sent back to the temple to seek shelter. The party also found evidence that at least one survivor had been captured and taken the Fireaxe Clan's base, potentially Bellevue's son. However, exhausted from battling the numerous orc bands and magical constructs running amok in the town, the party was forced to retreat. At the temple, Jorah interrogated the orc hostage, a man named Torshul who had begun to have doubts about Thorak's leadership, as well as his own culpability in following him. Torshul warned the party that Thorak had been consorting with a powerful demon and also requested that they attempt to spare a man named Othurk, who had always opposed Thorak. The next day, the party set out for the Fireaxe Clan's base. They found Othurk, who managed to rally a few more orcs to his and the party's cause. Thorak was confronted before he could sacrifice his second captive survivor, a young boy, to his demonic patron. As the tide of battle began to turn against Thorak, he sacrificed himself with the Everburning Longsword, summoning a powerful demon called the Burning Knight. The Knight forced most of the party to kneel and threatened Reides into inaction. He beckoned Slumberjack to join him, promising that this was the path their guide had set them on all along. With little choice in the matter, Slumberjack left through the Burning Knight's portal to the Abyss. The Burning Knight also freed Tyrian from the Bag of Holding but commanded him to stay his hand against Reides, informing him that the Abyssal Crest had been claimed and there were more important matters to tend to. The portal closed behind the two of them, leaving the remaining party to mourn their losses. In the wake of this, Reides discovered a list of cities that had Port Valor and Malino're crossed off. Reides was horrified to discover that his home, Aquos, was also on this list.

The party returned to Port Valor with Othurk and his surviving followers in low spirits. On the way, they learned that the boy they rescued was, in fact, Bellevue's son. They also met a mysterious traveler named Ashara, who quickly agreed to join them, as well as Emperor Eurystheos and her arcane advisor, Kain Thessos. The emperor had received word of the happenings in Port Valor from Urli, who had received a message from Kilwin earlier in the day, and teleported with several of the Drake Guard to provide aid. Regrouping at the temple, the party learned of a group of ancient relics called the Abyssal Crests, which had once sealed a powerful demon lord named Alzrius. The robe stolen by Thorak was one of these Crests, and another was located in Falas, which was another city on the list. The party, now joined by Ashara, was tasked with traveling to the cities on the list to ensure that their Abyssal Crests wouldn't fall into the hands of agents of the Burning Knight. The party had a heartfelt conversation in which Kilwin told the others what he knew of Slumberjack's struggles, Reides revealed his royal status and responsibility to Aquos, and Ashara revealed her Vrinian origins. They took some time preparing for their journey and researching their foe. The party purchased a second horse, soon dubbed Cricket, to assist Gin in pulling the party's new carriage. During this time, Kilwin set about preserving the bodies of the fallen in Port Valor, noting that, while they lacked living souls, their bodies seemed to be attempting to sustain life. By the time the party was ready to depart for the Exeter, a number of clerics from Falas had been teleported to Port Valor to continue the endeavor in the hopes that some of the dead could be raised. The party traveled through Quadroad and the Cyvirian Wood until they reached Gutsnake Gorge, where they were ambushed by a four-armed troll and his pet basilisk. While they found a number of petrified travelers, they were unable to do anything for them beyond avenging them. Upon reaching the gates of the Exeter, the party learned that the city had been placed on lockdown due to the news of what happened in Port Valor. The gate guard informed them, however, that a noble named Orrin Stormshield would be able to secure their passage in exchange for a favor: The elimination of a flesh golem and its owning mage who had been terrorizing the countryside and made their lair in an abandoned dwarven hold called Kahzdurga. Leaving the horses alive, the party made their way to Kahzdurga, where they faced the flesh golem and a dragonscale mage, one who had served the chromatic dragons centuries ago and unnaturally extended his lifespan. The party also activated, fought, and dismantled a mechanical dragon that the mage had built as a replacement for his master. When they returned to the gates, they were granted passage into the Exeter.

Upon first meeting with their new patron, the party learned of a tradition among the Exeter's nobility called the Bequeathing Ceremony, where the king would select a noble to receive an item of their choosing from the royal armory to keep. That year, a man named Dunan Slagmeld, the warden of a high-security prison called Magmaslag Rock, was set to receive an ancient set of armor called the Plate of the Ancestors. The party suspected that the Plate of the Ancestors was an Abyssal Crest, but before they could properly investigate or plan their approach, they learned that Dunan has issued warrants for their arrests, accusing them of the destruction of Port Valor. Initially, the party disguised themselves and fled. However, they were approached by a mysterious man named Soruza Blackmines, who offered them a way to clear their names and confront Dunan if they turned themselves in and performed a job for him within Magmaslag Rock. Having few alternatives, the party agreed. Soon after their incarceration, they were approached by a prisoner named Torble Treecarver, a contact of Soruza's and recruiter for the Underbelly Bout. Torble explained that if they entered the Underbelly Bout and won, a to-the-death battle tournament, they would be publicly exonerated of their crimes. The party entered the tournament as a group, calling themselves the Champions. Torble initially served as their recruiter and coach, assisting them by magically enchanting their equipment. However, after the first round of the tournament, Torble yielded to Reides's encouragements to take his own freedom and joined the Champions as a combatant. In the final round, the Champions faced the Duskwall Brigade, a group of prisoners led by a paladin of the Nameless God named Kievan Duskwall. The Champions ultimately triumphed, and at Jorah's urging, the group rescued Kievan's body for a proper burial. The party remained in a safehouse for several days, until the day of the Bequeathing Ceremony. During this time, Jorah received the Mark of the Chosen on his wrist, chosen as a paladin by the Nameless God to replace Kievan. After their stay in the safehouse, the party was taken to Dunan's office, where they uncovered evidence of his corruption before confronting him. Dunan was assassinated by Ashara and Jorah, and the party took the Plate of the Ancestors with them. Dunan's abuses and arrests of innocent people became public knowledge and the party was allowed to freely leave the Exeter. Torble, however, found himself truly free for the first time in years and stayed behind in the Exeter to pursue his own endeavors.

After putting some distance between themselves and the Exeter, Kilwin began to wear the Plate of the Ancestors in order to prevent it from being taken from the Bag of Holding. The party set their sights on Atemcester, but took a detour to Hommlin in order to restock on supplies and, more importantly, push Jorah into getting closure on the fate of his family, whom he assumed had perished in the Memory Plague outbreak that caused him to flee the village as a child. Upon arriving, the party was shocked to discover that the Wolfwoods were alive, having recovered from their illness and rebuilt their lives after their memory loss. However, Jorah was still troubled by dreams of his family's passings, and the "Wolfwoods" fled, kidnapping a childhood friend of Jorah's in the process. They were revealed to be a group of dopplegangers who had been ordered to take over the lives of those who had died in the Memory Plague and wished only to leave Hommlin behind now that their nature had been discovered. They released Jorah's friend once they were guaranteed passage and warned the party of an entity that was the true source of the Memory Plague. Jorah resolved to avenge his family, and the party readily agreed to help him. They traveled into Aidan's Glen, where the veil was weak, and into the Feywild. In the heart of the twisted Feywild version of Aidan's Glen, they met a hag who called herself the Dream Eater, who readily claimed responsibility for the Memory Plague, as dreams and memories were her food source, and threatened to feed on Hommlin again. She died by Jorah's hand before she could follow through on her threats. Jorah was also able to visit the hidden graves of his real family before the party headed north. The party next stopped in Raven Rock, where they were quickly pulled into rescuing a couple, the Heartkins, who had been taken by terrible beasts. The man who requested their help also introduced them to a pair of druids, who agreed to help with the rescue: Miré, the guardian of the Deytrwood, and Briar, a friend of Miré's who was already familiar with the party due to his close relationship with Erak. The party tracked the creatures, revealed to be armanites, into the Deytrwood and slew them, rescuing the Heartkins. While Miré stayed behind to help the forest heal from the wounds inflicted by the demonic encroachment, Briar elected to accompany the party for a time, wanting to learn more about the people Erak regarded so highly. With one more member, the party escorted the Heartkins back to Raven Rock. However, before they arrived, the town was besieged by a horde of demons. The party attempted to find the leader of the attack, in an effort to end it. At the cliffs at the edge of town, they found Tyrian and Slumberjack, apparently working together. While they offered to spare the party's lives and withdraw in exchange for the Plate of the Ancestors. The party refused, and a battle began. During the fight, Tyrian revealed his ambitions on a more cosmic scale, while Slumberjack seemed compelled to keep fighting their former friends by an unknown force. While Tyrian was melted away by a fireball from Reides, Slumberjack used magic channeled from a mysterious orb to summon a large dome of force and darkness, knocking most of the party unconscious. They then fled by jumping off the cliff behind them. Ashara was able to tend to her allies' wounds, and the next day, the party discussed the experience. Kilwin revealed that he had received a Sending message during the fight, informing him that a number of the soulless people from Port Valor had lapsed into ordinary death. Suspecting that this was related to the orb Slumberjack wielded, Kilwin led the party back to the scene of the fight, although no evidence of the orb was available. Briar was able to confirm with the local seagulls that Slumberjack teleported away before impact with the sea.

Fearing pursuit, the party left Raven Rock as soon as they were able and made their way to Atemcester in relative haste. Upon arriving, Reides managed to arrange a meetup with the sailor who originally fished him up when he fled Aquos, learning that his name was Aske Chales. Aske had been delayed in Atemcester for some time, due to a large storm in the Eadrenan Sea preventing most sea travel. While Reides and Aske spent time together and began to discover their mutual romantic interest in each other, Ashara went on a date with Kain, and Jorah discovered that he had been chosen as a paladin of the Nameless God. Jorah also introduced some of his friends to his former guardian, Julia, who was formerly an adventuring companion of Jorah's parents. Julia was able to tell Jorah about a ruin in the south of the Spine of the World, where wall carvings depicted a number of artifacts being used to seal away a demon. Via Kain's letter of recommendation, the party was able to access the library of the Academy of the Archmagi, where they determined that a pair of wristbands called the Bands of the Archmagi were likely Atemcester's Abyssal Crest. Hoping to simply set events in motion, they requested an audience with the Archmage of Transmutation, the newest member of the Circle of Eight. However, they were summoned before the entire Circle of Eight instead. The Circle had narrowly voted to entrust the Bands of the Archmagi to the party, pending their successful completion of a trial. The party was teleported to another world, presided over by a sphinx who guarded the bands. She dubbed them worthy, and the party returned to the Material Plane, Bands of the Archmagi in tow. Reides reluctantly became their temporary wielder, as Ashara refused to take them before Aquos's Abyssal Crest was recovered. Ashara realized that the archmages were using the names of ancient mages from the Vrinian Empire and revealed her background to them. She offered her knowledge of the Vrinian Empire and ability to translate uncovered Vrinian tablets in exchange for the destruction of the Everburning Longsword and Dunan's (presumably demon-summoning) dagger. Her offer was accepted. Reides revealed his background to Aske and requested assistance in transporting the party to Laverathian waters. Aske agreed, introducing the party to his captain, the Kraken, and her ship, the Desperado. While the Kraken was wary of the dangers of the storm and violating the treaties against sailing on Laverathian waters, she agreed to sail the party out in exchange for a large sum of gold. On the party's last full day in Atemcester, Ashara met with the Circle once more, accidentally revealing the party's next destination (as well as its existence) in the process. Jorah asked Julia to take care of Gin and Cricket and the carriage, as the horses couldn't make the journey, and gave her a good sum for the trouble. Reides contacted his brother, Viglis, in the evening to tell him that he was returning to Aquos. However, Viglis warned him against coming, saying that the city had been taken by a beast and their sister, Lotlyn, had been captured by it. At the same time, Ashara met with one of the archmages, Paisodos, who raised concerns about a villa of intact but inactive warforged that may exist. He entreated Ashara for her help in locating and destroying these warforged without informing the other archmages.

In the morning, the party set off on the Desperado. While their journey was initially peaceful, the Kraken soon spotted another ship trailing the Desperado and told the party to investigate. A group of mercenaries, led by an abjuration mage, disembarked from the other ship and attacked the party. When the mage was killed, the mercenaries surrendered, explaining that they had been hired to kill everyone aboard the Desperado, and that the mage had been sent by their employer to watch over them. At Jorah and Kilwin's urging, the party allowed the mercenaries to flee with their job undone. While the party speculated on the identity of the person who wanted them dead, they were unable to reach any definitive conclusions. Upon returning to the ship, the Kraken ordered the party to take responsibility for night watch, as the journey was evidently more perilous than expected. However, other than the storm, the Desperado faced few obstacles before reaching Laverathian waters. However, on the night before the Desperado reached the eye of the storm, the vessel was boarded by a force of sea spawn and deep scions. These sea spawn were led by a transformed triton named Nakros, who served an entity named Kal'dazzum, the one responsible for both the storm and the fall of Aquos. Nakros and his forces were defeated without any casualties among the crew of the Desperado. Upon reaching the eye of the storm, the party took some time to regroup and say their farewells to the crew before jumping over the side and diving to Aquos, aided by magical items they had acquired in Atemcester.

Reides contacted Viglis once more and learned the location of the Aquosian refugee camp. While the tritons there were somewhat hostile to the party's surfacers, Reides managed to convince the captain of the royal guard, Dharsus, to allow them to see Reides's father, Emperor Khavas. Khavas was overcome with fury on seeing that surfacers had entered Laverathia, although Viglis was able to inform Reides and the rest of the party of what had happened. During the year's Stormbringing Festival, Aquos was attacked by an army of sea spawn and sahuagin, led by a kraken and aboleth. Viglis readily accepted the party's help, although he knew nothing of Aquos's Abyssal Crest. To help equip the Aquosian forces, the party traveled to the Crystalline Trench to uncover a lost armory and the pelagic gear lost within it. During this mission, they were found by the aboleth, who pursued them just long enough to offer them each their deepest desire in an attempt to turn them to its side. The party returned to the camp, successful but shaken. Reides and Viglis learned from their father (and their significantly calmer mother, Arlyn) that the Abyssal Crest was called the Wreath of Persana and was hidden somewhere within Coralpeak Citadel. The party was also tapped to serve as a strike team that would enter the palace through secret tunnels and attempt to eliminate the kraken and aboleth, while the main Aquosian forces attacked the front gates as a distraction. On the day of the attack, the party successfully killed Kal'dazzum before locating and killing the aboleth. However, both creatures had foreknowledge of Viglis's battle plans, which had been leaked to them by Reides's other brother, Dhudus, from information that Reides had willingly shared with him. Unwilling but under the aboleth's full control, Dhudus turned on the Aquosian forces, badly injuring Dharsus before being knocked unconscious by Viglis. Immediately after the battle, the party freed Lotlyn from her imprisonment. The next day, the party obtained an audience with Khavas, who officially made Reides an ambassador of Laverathia and told him the Wreath of Persana's location. In retrieving the Wreath, the party also discovered a secret teleportation circle that Reides could use to visit home more easily. Reides handed the Bands of the Archmagi to Ashara and donned the Wreath of Persana himself. As preparations for leaving Aquos began, Briar revealed to the rest of the party that he had obtained a lead on his own quest, guiding him to the Cyvirian Wood and that he planned to split off from the party to pursue it. Once Reides had said his goodbyes to his family, finding himself on better terms with them, Ashara teleported the rest of the party to Falas.