Darkon’s Fractured Throne
Hook
Erasmus showed Azalin disappearing during the destruction of Castle Avernus and Darkon breaking into territories controlled by competing powers.
Evidence
- Castle Avernus exploded, split apart, and became frozen.
- Azalin’s physical body dissolved into nothing within the castle.
- Alcio “Baron” Metus appeared as the power over Martira Bay.
- An unidentified noble undead woman commanded a great host around Il Aluk.
- An unidentified fae-like elven woman represented the Eternal Order in the east.
- The King’s Ravens appeared to control another territory.
- Turning gears surrounded the Brautslava Institute.
- Ooru appeared only as a representation of Har’Akir and the world beyond Darkon, not as one of Darkon’s rulers.
- Black Lily has heard that evil stirs beneath Castle Avernus and that the castle is healing itself.
- A note from Black Lily stated that “the phylactery must be hidden in the castle.” The party believes it refers to Azalin’s phylactery.
- The party reached Castle Avernus and saw it split apart yet bound or repaired by luminous webs of stone and light.
- Azalin’s banners still moved there in a wind the party could not feel.
- Bald Kargat vampire Darian Corvrick welcomed the party inside as protected guests.
- A raven speaking for Ebb offered escape from Darkon through the Dark Delvers.
- Allaric Van Stradleheim offered conquest through the Kargatane, beginning with the Eternal Order and Il Aluk.
- Irik Zal’honan offered discovery and truth, declaring that Darkon remembers but does not obey.
- Ignatius and Carver pledged themselves to Irik’s path.
- Different castle rooms display daylight and night at the same apparent moment.
- The party found a magical menagerie whose prisoner Siv claimed to have been confined first by Azalin and then by later captors who transformed him.
- Construct guards still patrol the castle’s bailey walls and upper approaches.
- Irik endorsed using wealth recovered from the upper treasury for the greater good.
- A hidden library beneath the treasury contained accurate records of other domains, including Har’Akir.
- Lower chambers held a sealed cache of coins stamped with Azalin’s face and a massive beast assembled from the dead.
Open questions
- What happened during Azalin’s failed transformation?
- Is Azalin dead, displaced, transformed, or imprisoned?
- Who are the unnamed rulers around Il Aluk and in eastern Darkon?
- What territory do the King’s Ravens control?
- Why is Castle Avernus frozen, and what is healing it?
- Why does time differ from room to room within the castle?
- What role does the Brautslava Institute play in the struggle?
- Did Azalin’s phylactery survive the destruction, and is it responsible for the castle’s healing?
- What obligations accompany the party’s pledge to Irik?
- Will Ebb or Allaric treat the party’s choice as opposition?
Next steps
- Follow Irik’s remaining leads toward his tomb, Snowmane, and Strahd.
- Compare Erasmus’s vision with Vidic’s account of the failed transformation.
- Identify Darkon’s rival powers before becoming entangled in their conflict.