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Setting the Scene : A brief intro ASTAROTH 11/08/22(Mon)22:48:42 No. 118

A long, long time ago, the region of Impiltur was united as a kingdom, ruled by a monarchy that reigned through peace, and the land flourished under their sovereign rule. However, when the royal line died out, everything fell apart quickly. The new leaders, a council of lords, were inept, and the region was swiftly overrun by rogues. And once the Spellplague shook Faerun, demons and plaguechanged monstrosities roamed the nearby lands, making travel unsafe.

The Fraternity of Tharos, a fanatical cult that worshipped these demons, had somehow grown in size and power recently. Their forces in Lyrabar took control of the city, butchering the council and gaining command of the city watch and the network of thieves. The demon hunters went into hiding, fearing for their lives, and many of the nobles sided with them, if only to keep their titles. All who resisted were swiftly put down.

Some of the nobles, however, plotted to overthrow the cult in secrecy, and rule Impultir themselves. The Yuu clan, a wealthy merchant family, was one such group. So they sent out their messengers to every city outside the clutch of the cultists, looking for recruits to take on a dangerous mission : seize power from the Fraternity of Tharos. A very significant reward was promised in return. It was many weeks before those brave enough to challenge this mission arrived at the designated location : the port city of Yhaunn.

Everyone had different motivations for taking the job, and some traveled much further than others, but four able adventurers of some fame were the ones to answer the call:

Fays, a tiefling who had a brush with the dark side before.

Lia, an elf who sought to atone for her past.

Rock, the longtooth shifter who was in it for the fighting and the glory.

And Kadol Stormbrew, who sought to smite enemies of Moradin.

The Yuu family hid them in a trading vessel bound for Lyrabur, stowing them away in the cargo. One member of the Yuu clan, a knight named Yagi, offered to stay with them and use their family's connections to help them. Of course, their motives were less than honorable, but it was their job to keep the rest of the focused on the mission. But since their involvement with overthrowing the cult might get them in trouble, the fighter wore a helmet to conceal their identity.

The adventurers arrived under the cover of night, following Yagi's directions as they crept towards the base of the resistance. Before they got there, one member of the resistance, an alchemist named Walala, rushed out and told them to run. The Fraternity of Tharos had taken over here, too, and they were severely outnumbered. Were it not for Kadol's divine powers keeping the enemies at bay, the group would have been quickly overwhelmed. Their only option now was to escape.

The cult was faster, though, and the militia shut the city gates securely. Foes swarmed in from all directions, eager to slay those who would defy them. Lia held them off valiantly from afar while Rock tried to break down the impeding gate, but they were up again an entire city hellbent on ending their lives, and those people were swiftly closing in. Yagi Yuu knew that their identity would be at risk if they were caught here, and they would certainly be killed.

A well-placed charm placed by Fays compelled a cultist to lash out at its brethren, creating enough confusion to buy them some more time. By a stroke of luck, one of the nearby stables housed one of the Yuu family's horses. A combination of Rock's brute strength and several pounds of Alchemist's Fire courtesy of Walala smashed the tall wooden gate open, and the knight took advantage of the distraction to command the horse to follow them out. At the first opportunity, the group hid well off the road, losing their pursuers for now. Yagi told everyone else they'd go on ahead to Procampur and secure a boat, riding off without waiting for a response.

With a significant lead, Yagi Yuu made it back to Procampur in less than a week. Or rather, made it to what used to be Procampur before it was overrun by demons. The Fraternity of Tharos had very powerful allies, allies who chased Yagi out of town for miles. The group somehow managed to reunite halfway between the two locations, the others reporting that they were being pursued again.

With demons closing in from the west and the Fraternity closing in from the east, they agreed their best hope was to go through the Earthfast Mountains and into the region of Vesperin, where the Yuu family still had some boats waiting. But first, they had to navigate through the Gray Forest...

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