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Crown of Souls: Part 2 - Investigating Dr. Domini
After meeting Kartekast and hearing his story, the group went back to the area around Domini's keep. Exploring a couple villages to the north of Domini's place they found that they had been depopulated. Near to one they found a gruesome clearing in the forest where an uncounted number of bodies appeared to have been shredded sometime recently. While exploring there they were attacked by a black demonic-winged creature and chased away. After recovering and some serious healing they returned and killed the creature (with significant damage to themselves). Digging around in the muck of the shredded corpses they found a single and very old brick, quite large, with a dweomer of summoning detectable within it.
Going back to the depopulated village they camped and the next morning set out and discovered another village where the same thing had happened. Suspecting Domini of depopulating the villages and turning the citizens into Goblyns with the power of the Crown, they decided to break into Domini's place to see what else could be found.
To make a long story shorter, before they could discover anything they got caught breaking into the place, beaten nearly to death, and thrown into Domini's dungeon (they got caught by Lauren, Domini's mage friend, domini wasn't home at the time.)
Domini came home and found out that his former "allies" had broken into his place and had been thrown into his dungeon. So he had them brought up and they all chatted for a bit. He explained the depopulation of the villages as a necessity because Radaga (the witch from whom the PC's stole the crown originally) had placed a incurable magical disease upon the entire populace of both villages in revenge because she knew that Domini has the crown. Domini slew the villages painlessly before the plague could spread to more populace places and disposed of the bodies in one place so that mundane diseases could not arise (kinda like how they burned villages back in the olden days when the black plague had infected the entire populace). Thus the disappearing populace was explained. Domini explained other things as well, such that it had been revealed that Kartekast was actually the Werewolf (thus the wolves in his towns, absence of churches and other suspicious things justified - also justified by other things that Kartekast said, equally reasonably) and that Domini's studies of the crown had revealed that it had the power to control Kartekast's lycanthropy, thus the reason why Kartekast wishes the crown destroyed. Many other things were convincingly explained as well... most opposing what Kartekast said and all very equally convincing and complete as Kartekast's arguments. Asking the adventurers for their help, Domini revealed his plans to destroy Kartekast by ruining him through the powers of the crown and sharing the profits of it with the adventurers as well as ridding the area of the curse of it's werewolf problem which has long belabored the populace or the region. Well, since Domini doesn't feel he can trust the adventurers he moved them into different but more pleasant quarters under heavy guard while they thought about his offer of freedom if they would assist him.
While imprisoned, Taren made herself a holy symbol from the wood of a chair and a sharp bed spring to carve it with and Theo figured out how to get out of his finger locks so that he could cast magic. Having accomplished these things Theo sent sanjian and bolas to Tel Akbar to do some reconnaissance and other stuff, while maintaining an illusion of Sanjian and Bolas still there at Domini's so as not to arouse suspicion during their short absence.
While the two were in Tel-Akbar, they convinced a priest to commune with Arden concerning some of the questions they had. They learned of the following:
Yes; they were cursed.
Yes, Domini is evil
Yes, the crown of Souls is evil
No, Kartekast is not evil
Yes, ut was possible to destroy the crown
Yes, Radaga the witch possesses the knowledge to destroy it
Yes, they will have to travel to Radaga's to accomplish that.
Also while in Tel-Akbar, they met the Viceroy of Lathidus, who was visiting the Temple of Lathidus in Tel-Akbar while away from Valorian Castle in the United Kingdoms. Isam, the Viceroy, lent to Sanjian and Bolas the use of 6 silver daggers, all mildly enchanted, which they would need to return after completing their quest. He also gave them some treasured wolfsbane, which is very very out of season at the moment (they are in the equivalent of late december at the moment).
Theo opened a portal for them at a prearranged place and Sanjian and Bolas traveled back to the group.
To wrap up my telling of this, they accepted Domini's offer to work for him sot hat they could escape imprisonment, unfortunately, Domini is keeping all their magical things (including stuff they are borrowing from other mages) and also has Chance still imprisoned somewhere in his Keep. (his excuse for that was that chance had become ill after the combat where the adventurers were captured and was receiving medical attention and was quite unfit to travel with the party and in to poor a state to be seen. His wounds such that they were not magically healable, so it would be time before he could rejoin them.
Well, the group left the place (they still have the daggers hidden amongst them). Then they broke back into the place disguised as monks to get Chance back, to get their magical items, and to get the Crown of Souls back from Domini, which they have decided to destroy sine it is evil, rather then let Domini, who is confirmed evil possess it or give it to Kartekast who professes to not want to have anything to do with it anyhow except to make sure it is gone from him.
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