Moonstar Villa

…With Keresta defeated and stripped of valuables, the party made their rounds to ensure that the place was clear. Leo skinned and harvested the Yeti, Thaminor collected the maps and papers off Keresta’s table, and Molish tended his mentor. A chamber (41) to the east contained two identical altars in alcoves to both the north and south. Each altar was sculpted from a single chunk of obsidian and inscribed with the following words in Common: “Memories are the shackles that bind us to the lost.”

Far to the west, Glyster opened the doors to his treasure vault (42). Above an altar of black stone in the middle of the 30-foot-high vault floated a 10-foot-tall, dagger-shaped rift of wispy shadow that Nym could swear was moaning. Steps climbed to alcoves in the north, west, and south walls. At the back of each alcove were statues with coins piled around its base.

• The northern statue, 8 feet tall, depicted Keresta Delvingstone, with her claws outstretched and her fangs bared. Around its neck, the statue wore a large ruby pendant on a gold chain, and draped over its shoulders was a deep black cloak with embroidered bats. Piled around the base was a mountain of silver and miscellaneous items.
• The southern wooden statue, 10 feet tall, depicted Umbraxakar in humanoid form, appearing as a muscular man with charcoal-colored skin, bronze-colored eyes, and dragon wings. Piled around the statue were gold coins from all across Faerûn and some weapons.
• The western stone statue stood 9 feet tall and was painted jet black. It depicted Shar as a cloaked woman with a dagger in each hand. Following Glyster’s direction, Leo discovered that one of its daggers was a lever that opened a compartment at the base of the statue. The compartment contained a rolled-up painting of Shar and a vial containing 2 doses of midnight tears. Another mountain of coins surrounded its base.

While the party collected their spoils, Pix studied the rift over the altar. Unwilling to leave a tear to the Shadowfell behind, Pix surmised that destroying the altar would eliminate the anchor holding it to this plane. Bigby’s Hand made short work of the altar, sealing the rift and banishing the darkness.

Glyster lead the party back through Vanrakdoom, to the chamber (1) of their original arrival. There, he opened a portal and led them through… to the garden of the Moonstar Villa. Entering the villa, the party found its two floors unoccupied but maintained. It appeared as if only three people still lived there, an older (judging by the style) noblewoman, a guard, and a servant. Glyster’s old room was untouched, covered in a layer of dust, and a statue of him stood in the library. While the eight trespassers awaited the return of the residents, the party caught Glyster up on the past hundred years. Glyster, in turn, shared his knowledge with them about Chult’s Black Jungles.

Late in the evening, the sounds of the returning residents echoed through the two-story entry hall. First, a middle-aged woman, wearing very nice yet utilitarian commoners’ clothes entered, carrying a basket of goods. Second, one of the oldest humans they had ever seen: a noblewoman wearing fine-if older-clothes and thin, silver hair was pulled back in a bun. Her back was hunched with age, yet she shuffled in at a good pace with a cane. Finally, a 50-ish year-old house guard entered, closing and locking the front door. With salt-and-pepper hair and a short sword at his hip, he turned around with a suspicious look on his face… sensing something amiss.

It was then that Glyster finished casting his spell, magically holding the three of them in place as if they were statues. He stepped out of the shadows of the side sitting room with his arms raised, and said:

Glyster: “Please, do not be alarmed, for my friends and I mean you no harm. They will show themselves in a moment, but it was my duty to approach you. You see, this was once my home too… in fact, my room upstairs appears to be just as I left it, over a hundred years ago.

My name is Glyster, and I traveled for many years on behalf of this house, with Lord Vanrak. I know that he did not leave here in peace, causing the family much pain and loss… but I would like to share how he repented in the end.”

As Glyster spoke, he focused primarily on the noblewoman, trying to judge the reaction in her eyes.

Glyster: “My friends will step forth now, and I will drop the spell that holds you. Please do not act foolishly, if you wish us to leave without hearing me out, all you need do is ask.

Boys? Please show yourself to these good folks, whose home we intrude upon,”

As Glyster finished speaking, the guard noticed a spider dangling from a web over his head… in a poof of smoke, it disappeared and a wood elf appeared.

Leo: “Hello my friends. You have some wonderful oaks in the backyard. My name is Leoneiros Ranalaika. And I am from the forest.”

Shady quietly stepped forth from the shadows and properly introduced himself,

Shady: “Good day nobles, I am Shady, your friendly wondering feline monk.”

The tabaxi made a slight bowing motion towards the two ladies, and tipped his cap towards the guard… Then he faded back into the shadows.

Pix: “HEY, I’M PIX WIMBEE!”

…loudly preceded the gnome’s approach, his hand out for them to shake it… until he remembered they were enspelled. Thaminor, still helmed and covered, stepped forward and said,

Thaminor:“Greetings, I am Thaminor Oakenshield. We have traveled far and long and suffered much along the way. We hope we have not inconvenienced you by staying in your beautiful home.”

Molish stepped up,

Molish: “We thank thee for use if this home. We needed to find a place to rest and gather our strength. We will not dally, and will be on our way soon. If there is anything that we can do to repay you, please let us know.”

Pix: “So it seems you know our names, can we have yours? And sorry for intruding on your house but its been a crazy trip the last few weeks. We took a portal from the underdark and it poofed us here. While Its bad we kind of just dropped into your place, I cant begin to tell you how happy I am to be out of that joint.”

Glyster drops his hold person, and each of the three stumbles slightly before they regain their balance. The housekeeper backs up towards her companions, obvious fear in her eyes. The noblewoman straightens, standing as tall as she can, locking eyes with Glyster, seemingly studying him. The guard steps up next to her, hand on hilt, and points to where the monk disappeared. Trying to keep the fear from his voice, he asked:

[Guard]: “If you come in peace, where is he going?!”

Leo: “The wild feline? He’s always popping in and out of shadows. Not to worry.”

[Guard]: “Not exactly inspiring confidence, for trespassers.”

Leo: “He’s not much of a talker. But Glyster vouched for him. That should work right?”

[Noblewoman]: “So, your best answer is trust the word of the best friend of the man who killed my grandfather, then followed him into the Mad Mage’s Dungeon, continuing to aid him as the evil in his heart corrupted him into a vile being of undeath that murdered innocents of my own temple, and cost me my own mother?”

Shady emerged from the darkness and told the guard,

Shady: “There is not need for hostility sir, I mean you no harm. I’m more comfortable in the shadows my friend. My apologies if it made you uncomfortable.”

Thaminor: “I understand the hardships that have fallen upon your family, It seems as thou your family and mine have both been pulled into a war that we were unaware was happening… as for your loss, you have my sympathies but I believe people who seemily betrayed your family were luredand deceived by the Goddess Shar to be pawns in her plans. We unknowingly came came across Glyster and pulled him from her grasp. Please let him explain what happened and make your decision after that.”

The guard, still shaken by the spider, relaxed slightly when Shady stepped back into the light… but he still kept his hand on his hilt. Glyster turned to the noblewoman and said,

Glyster: “Grandfather, mother… Wylynd? Can it possibly be you?!”

Wylynd: “I was still at my mother’s breast when you last walked these halls, yet you don’t look any older than your statue. I suppose the stories she told me must have been true. She respected you, and trusted you to return Vanrak to us… yet you did not. It has been many years since we have heard of my uncle, so I will hear your tale.”

The housemaid tried to tell Wylynd to sit, but the centenarian refused, saying

Wylynd: “I may have seen more than a century, but I am not feeble… please go get me my brandy, dear.”

Glyster told the tale of Vanrak’s fall into darkness, and final act of repentance. He shared his own tale of despair and servitude to the Dark Lady, until Molish helped him remember who he was.

Through it all, Wylynd looked around, taking in these intruders in her home. Her gaze kept shifting back to Shady, however… almost like she recognized him, and was trying to remember a name.

Pix: “Madam Wylynd, we ventured to that dark place that Glyster speaks of and let me tell you it was an awful place to say the least. My friends and I were fortunate enough to dispose of the evil there, free Glyster and I destroyed the portal that let the darkness in.”

The gnome smiled proudly, adding,

“Oh is there any way I can have a glass of that brandy? After all the craziness the last few days I could use some!”

Wylynd: “Are you even old enough to drink, little guy? Pix, was it?”

Pix: “More than old enough, don’t let my small stature fool you!”

Wylynd: “Well, as long as you’ve got it where it counts! Ria, get our guests some of the ‘58.”

Shady approached Wylynd, saying:

“Have we had the pleasure of meeting prior to this unusual encounter? I can’t help but notice the way you are looking at me, as if our paths have crossed before?”

Wylynd: “You do look very familiar, but you are surely too young for us to have had dealings. The cat folk are few, even in the City of Splendors. Tell me, child, who are your parents?”

Shady: “I’m a proud member of the endless tribe, my father is Ash, and my mother is Bella. Both are elders of our tribe. Our blood line goes back many, many generations in our tribe.

Wylynd: “Of course! You are the spitting image of your father, but with your mother’s eyes. I did not know they had a child, else I would have never allowed them both to make their dangerous journey… and that was before the Sundering claimed them in its destruction of Mezro! I am sorry for your loss, they were good souls.”

Shady: “Whoa what! You knew my parents? What journey? You sent them, where, why? So many questions… Are you certain they are not still out there somewhere? What was your relationship with them?”

Wylynd: “Your parents were traders for your tribe, one of them often traveling on Moonstar ships to Chult, where they traded with other Tabaxi tribes. They were granted free passage on our ships for themselves and their cargo, in exchange for also representing Moonstar interests with the Tabaxi tribes.

Ten years ago, they came together. There was something very important that they wanted to accomplish together. They traveled to Mezro as usual, and were there when the Sundering destroyed the city. Our caravan was lost, and your parents with it.”

Molish’s mentor, Brother Montantis, cleared his throat and spoke for the first time:

Montantis: “There may be hope yet…”

Leo looked at Montantis and ask him,

Leo: “How do you know about any of this, there guy?”

Montantis: “The same way I found my way to the Rod in Vanrakdoom, it was shown to me by the Lord of Bones. Finding the Rod to help break that yuan-ti’s control of the undead is the key to Mezro’s safe return.”

Shady: “Lady Wylynd, What was the cargo on the caravan? Montantis please continue, what hope could there still be?”

Wylynd: “I do not know what their mission was, I did not ask and they did not volunteer.”

Montantis: “To save the city from destruction during the upheaval of the Sundering, the barae created a demiplane and transported their city and all its citizens there. They left behind artificial ruins to discourage Ras Nsi and every other troublemaker to find what really happened to the city. “

Shady: “So they were chosen then?”

Wylynd: “That, I do not know. They may have been… they may have been ‘called’ to that place and instrumental in its saving.”

Shady: “Were there any known survivors from this mission?”

Wylynd: “No, our entire mission was docked at Mezro. It took another expedition just to find out what happened to it when it did not return.”

Shady: “Lady Wylynd, is there anything else that you can tell me about my parents and their affiliation with you before I depart?”

Wylynd: “It was one of mutual benefit, arranged with your grandfather and mine.”

Shady: “Not sure about the rest of you. But I feel like we need to head there!”

Glyster: “Chult is where I believe the Rod is, so I believe you are already heading there.”

Wylynd: “We have another ship departing for Chult in two days, that’s where we were tonight–a final survey of the cargo.”

Shady: “I’m all for leaving in two days.”

Molish: “How long of a trip is it?”

Wylynd: “Six weeks.”

Shady: “Well, better prepare then.”

Pix: “Um… I’m going home.”