Bel Garreth: Head of the White Order
Bel Garrion: Garreth's second in command.
A lot of the aristocracy of Mystvale are upset that they've lost their power and are maneuvering through the luncheon trying to figure out how to get their power back. All they have is the Sardovar White (essentially the militia of Mystvale)
The People from Mystvale:
Some of these delegates from Mystvale approach Mugul to fight as their champion to become the Sardovar Grand Marshall. He says he might if they pay him 5000 gold now, and another 10 000 after he wins. They are floored by this amount, but say they'll try to put it together.
Orianna contacts Ephraim. She has been keeping an eye of the Arkas in prison. Sardovar White keep visiting the Arkas, she's worried they're vulnerable to manipulation by the Arkas. Asks Ephraim to come check it out. Eph tells Clarys, she talks to the White Order. They're not concerned. Clarys presses the issue.
Orianna comes back again. She says she's really concerned by how small of a force is guarding them. She wants us to put more people down there. Mugul, Clarys and Eph (and two of Orianna's people) accompany Orianna down to the holding cells behind some Paladins.
The bars to the cells have been bent open, there are 10 dead bodies on the ground (Sardovar White?). It appears that this just happened. The bodies are warm.
We go back up the stairs, Clarys casts “locate object” on the Arka with the arm. She has a faint feeling of it on the Southern side of the city, by the front gate.
Eph and Mugul go and grab the pegasus and rush to fly to the gate.
There's a ice bridge, on the other side there is an entourage of servants, hudled with the masses camped on the other side of the chasm.
Mugul and Eph fly back and report what they saw. The ice bridge starts melting.
Clarys tries to raise the ice bridge. Fails. Mugul and Eph fly across the chasm and drop themselves off on the other side of the chasm beyond the choke point. They get off and send the pegasus back to Clarys, who follows with a White Order Paladin. We keep sending the pegasus back for more Paladins. 15 in total.
We jog towards the crowd. The crowd parts at the choke point. We make our way through the crowd.
Waiting for us are five Sardovar with weapons drawn. We fight them. They hurt us but we cut them up good.
We can see that the servants (ie: Arkas) and some Sardovar have stolen some horses and are riding towards the Sardovar camp.
We quickly barter for some horses and ride hard in pursuit with a small number of the paladins we brought with us.
We ride hard for half an hour (really?) and we reach the edge of the Sardovar army, which seems to be over 50 000 people now.
We can't tell where the Arkas have disappeared to.
The camp has changed since we were last here. They've set up a ringed enclosure for the Grand Marshall challenge tonight.
As we reach the camp, we're stopped and questioned. We say we're looking for the Arkas. The guards don't seem to know about them and aren't concerned too much.
We see Corbyn Bentor (a Sardovar that was previously befriended). As we a approach the tent, a Colonel stops us. Asks us if he can help us. Clarys explains we're looking for the Arkas. Like the guards, he says he'll put out notice but doesn't seem to know anything. Clarys explains that the Arkas have the ability to magically influence people. Tries to make them worried. The Colonel isn't too concerned by this.
The Colonel brings us into a dining tent. We see Corbyn Bentor in there, he waves us over to him. We talk to him. Clarys asks him about the dark paladin she saw before. Bentor says he's here and he will be showcasing his talents tonight. We ask to go to the main tent to see Ilithia. Bentor sends us with a Colonel Wilshire to accomany us to the main tent.
Mugul leaves on the pegasus to head back to his quarters in the city. We notice there's a region of the camp that seems to be the Sons of Arioch part of the camp.
In the main tent, Clarys and Eph and Co. are broght before Field Marshall Illithia. A tall, heavily armored (female) Elf. Clarys explains the issue with the Arkas. Illithia says she'll make sure eyes are out for them, but they can't really do anything if they're not causing trouble.
Illithia says there is a knight amongst them, Dreadnaught, that works for the Arkas. He is the dark paladin that we had seen. Clarys asks if he has been staying here, and Illithia says she's not sure. He seems to appear and disappear without anyone noticing how.
She says the last Field Marshall, Jargal, should be arriving soon.
As he arrives near the Allentia quarters, there's a small caravan of private secruity troops led by a tiefling, Tulius, one of the aristocrats of Mystvale. They have his 5000 gold retainer. Mugul tries to have them bring it into his bedroom, the Sardovar White stop him. They make him store it in a vault in the palace basement for a 5% fee.
Mugul grudgingly agrees. He goes back out and talks to Tulius. Tells him to pass the message on to Likinia (Minister of War, head of the militia) that she better make sure his gold is kept safe or she won't be getting her Sardovar. Back at the Sardovar Camp
Clarys goes in to talk to Jargal, a half-elf, half-orc. Dreadnaught is at his side, whispering in his ear. Jargal calls him an advisor.
Clarys tries to talk to Dreadnaught, but he sneaks out the door. Clarys follows and talks to him. He says he knows who she is. She asks him where the Arkas are, he says “Close by. Closer than you think”.
Clarys asks him to arrange a meeting. Dreadnaught says they're resting and will be attending the competition tonight. He takes his helmet off while they're talking, he's half-orc. Very ugly.
He calls Clarys the “last of Mystra's paladins”, and says he's the “first of Ariochs”.
Clarys rests up in Corbyn's tent.
Eph takes the pegasus back to Mystvale.
He meets up with Bel Garrion. Bel Garrion asks where everyone from Allentia has gotten to. Eph is evasive.
Eph asks him who the head paladin was that screwed up and let the Arkas escape. Garrion says his name is Melmegar. Says he accompanied Clarys and Eph out of the city.
Bel Garrion notices Eph's amulet and says “Hmmm… interesting”.
Eph shows him a terrible card trick and says, “See, I know magic too.”
This makes Bel Garrion turn and leave right away.
A person walks into Eph, bumps into him, then turns and walks the other way. Once the guy is about 30 feet away, he starts running. Eph teleports in front of him, then teleports him to another room, knocking the guy out. Eph searches him. He doesn't find anything on him of interest. He has a wrapping on his hand, with a needle thin spike sticking out (he presumably used it on Eph). Eph makes his saving throw, he feels a little groggy, but he can shake it off.
Eph puts a stilletto dagger in the guys ear and asks him who paid him. The guy says “I was supposed to get all of you”. He says something about “your friend in the other room won't wake up” (Mugul). He kicks Eph, and Eph bursts into flames, burning the guy. He hears running in the hallway, a militia guard bangs on the door. Militia start breaking down the door. Eph stabs the guy in the ear and “bamphs” into the closet next door.
Two assasins try to attack Mugul, but he wakes and deals with them. As one of them is dying, he tells Mugul “The Sultan” (ie: from Ylarum) sent him. The guys do look like they could be of Ylarum ethnicity.
Things are tense.
All the delegatations from the cities are there.
The White order is there:
Ilitithia runs the ceremony. She explains the tradition set for by the founder, Sardovar. She asks for the first challenger, Asher steps forward. As does a huge viking dude from Norvick. You don't have to die to lose, you just have to be taken out of comission.
Asher wins the first fight. Not easily, but he is victorious. Intentionally spares the viking's life.
Next, a massive guy Dwarf named Domar challenges Illithia. Tough fight, Illithia takes his head.
A guy named (?) fights Jargal, Jagal easily defeats him.
Dreadnaught steps forward and challenges Corbyn Bentor. Dreadnaught dices him to pieces. Making him suffer. Nobody cheers when the first field marshall falls. Illithia looks a little concerned.
Mugul fights a big shirtless guy from Ylarum. Kills him easily.
Asher and the two Sardovar Field Marshalls win their next fights.
Jargal challenges Mugul. It's a tough fight, but Mugul cuts him in twain.
Dreadnaught challenges Clarys. Clarys accepts. Asher says she can't (the head of state cannot fight). Bel Garrion says that the city-states have to put forth their own champions, ergo, Mugul has to fight for her. Mugul reveals that he's not fighting for Allentia. Bel Garrion then allows Asher to fight for Allentia.
Dreadnaught and Asher start fighting. As they fight, there's rumbling in the distance. A boulder is thrown and crashes. Giant footsteps can be heard in the distance. Snow and sleet starts falling.
Word reaches the crowd that Storm Giants are coming. The fighters are slipping on the snow and ice as they fight. Illithia says the battle must be completed.
Arka Zarth's staff starts glowing. He appears to be getting ready to attack Asher in some way as he's fighting.
Clarys casts moonbeam upon Arka Zarth and the other Arka's. This causes the blast from his staff to misfire and just miss Asher.
Arka Raze fires a blast of energy, injuring Mugul and Eph.
The Sardovar are trying to call off their Storm Giants, but they're not listening. The Sardovar start preparing to fight their own Giant.
As the giants approach, it becomes a full on fight with the Arkas. Mugul almost kills Zarth, but he gets away. Clarys kills Raze. The giants open a giant chasm, Eph, Clarys, and Mugul escape with the White Order. Get back to “safety” within Mystvale.
One note I want to point out was that when the giants approached (two of them), Arka Zarth was standing boldly upon the 100-foot giant's palm, casting spells and commanding the storm giant. He has possibly taken mind control over the leader of the storm giants.
If Dreadnought defeated Asher, then is he the new Sarduvaar Grand Marshal? And yet, Mugul did not lose his fights either. Ilythia too remains undefeated.
And where was Bel Garreth in all of this? Why was he not on the field of battle?
What of Guy's new staff????
Did Bel Lucius build it or is the White Order corrupt?!