Chapter 9: Glorium Part 1

The changes I'm proposing shift the tone of this scenario from a boisterous romp into a psychological mystery. You could give the warriors here the celestial weapons, say they're being driven to demonic bloodlust, and call it a day. I want it to feel like Shemeshka's scheme is affecting everyone in the Outlands, regardless of planar allegiance or lineage.

Muddying the Waters

Glorium is a place that values valor and combat, so it's easy to see why Gargauth and Shemeshka would want to corrupt this gate town. It's a great asset to have in a multiplanar war. The characters' previous incarnations came up with a plan to capitalize on the violent potential of the Ysgardians.

We've already established that Glorium and Grakenok are receiving steady shipments of the tainted celestial weapons, courtesy of the fixer and smuggler characters. That's a fine way to seed Gargauth's influence, but we need a reason for war to break out and pull the gate town away from Ysgard. That's where the arcanist comes in.

Neruthis, Mistress of the Murk

The characters needed someone they could trust to do the job and leave no trace, so the arcanist summoned and hired a hyrdoloth called Neruthis to do their dirty work. Neruthis uses her ties to the river Styx to sew forgetfulness while using a legion of spined devils to wreak havoc on the seas around Glorium and Grakenok.

So far the towns have suffered losses in their fishing fleets and many people who ventured to the Ysgard maelstrom have washed ashore, dead. Bkol and the Courier have had their memories wiped of the attacks, and any survivors have been found adrift with their memories gone, some permanently.

Strange spines and weapons of warriors from both towns have been found lodged in the wreckage and dead bodies. To top it all off, whirlwyrm attacks are on the rise.

Neruthis uses her powers of invisbility, darkness, and suggestion to spy, silence peacemakers, and incite hostilities. This has led the leaders of both towns to conclude that the other towns are raiding them at sea with the help of monsters. Glorium and Grakenok are on the verge of all out war.

Drink to Forget

Glorium and Faunel have corrupted celestial weapons driving them to aggression, and Neruthis is actively manipulating their leaders into war. She also needs the populace to fall in line, so she's corrupted their mead supply with waters from the River Styx. The warriors that drink their fill each night forget the important details of the prior day, and just a few sips will make them misremember or forget what just happened an hour or two past.

Tainted Mead. Anyone that drinks from the mead in Glorium or Grakenok must make a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or forget the past hour. If they drink an entire pint they must repeat the save or forget the entire day prior.

Exploring Glorium

The introduction in Glorium should proceed as written, but the characters quickly notice that many of the warriors of Glorium bear the corrupted celestial weapons. There's an edge to their sparring and tension in the air.

Go ahead and introduce Sytri, Tol Frostmane, and Kai (the drowning boy) as NPCs that the party can get to know before they become competition. If they ask around they can find out the following info:

• The denizens of Glorium have faced increased hostilities from Grakenok.
• Several sailors and boats have washed ashore, their bodies riddled with wounds.
• The whirlwyrm attacks have increased recently, and it must be due to the meddling from Grakenok.
• The celestial weapons are a godsend. They've arrived in time to defend Glorium from whatever is to come from Grakenok.

Sytri and Tol are particularly keen to strike Grakenok preemptively before Glorium is caught blindsided.

Fading Away

If the characters ask to investigate the bodies they are shown to a pyre with three waterlogged sailors. They are being prepared for their final rites before they are set adrift and burned at sea. Two of them are fishermen, and no one quite remembers what the third sailor did–something to do with Tyrza, perhaps.

A DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check will uncover the broken tips of spined barbs deep in their wounds. If a character succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check will know the barbs do not come from a natural creature or monster native to the environment. Any roll of 20 or higher reveals that the barbs are from a fiend.

Asking around about the dead sailors turns up more confusion. No one can remember details like where they lived, their families, or even their names. Someone thinks the fisherman were headed deep into the inner fjord before they washed ashore, but there was a whirlwyrm attack after that, so it is all a bit fuzzy.

Tyrza Bonebreaker

Upon meeting Tyrza, she greets the characters so:

"Aye, you here for more of our mead? Or are you here to forge your legend? Either way, glad to see we keep you coming back!"

Tyrza will recognize the fixer and smuggler characters, but awkwardly ask for their names again. She knows they set up a weapons trade with the Consortium, but the particulars are hazy.

If the characters ask about the dead sailors, she will vaguely remember the third sailor because she has his belongings. No one has claimed them. If they ask to investigate they will find a finely carved horn, a handful of writing supplies, and a note preserved in an oilskin:

I must head to Grakenok to broker peace on my own. Tyrza doesn't remember the last two diplomats we sent–or that they didn't return. Nor does anyone else in this town! I'll drive myself mad if I don't learn the dark of this!

I'm setting out toward the inner fjord, away from the maelstrom. If I don't make it I hope someone will remember me and my mission.

This denizen was one of the few sober members of Glorium, and hadn't suffered memory loss from the mead. They were attacked by Neruthis's spined devils and quickly killed.

Tyrza doesn't remember any of this, doesn't remember setting aside the belongings, and can't recall if she read them or not.

Now that we've set some table stakes we can expand on this further when Glorium and Grakenok heat up.