Chapter 3 - Session 14a
Under the pale yellow sky the dusty trail leads on towards a low lying city surrounded by large dirt barricades that funnel traffic in and out. The closer the group comes, the more figures pop up from the mound. Each armed with weapons made of stone and wearing mismatched scraps of armor.
"How many nights have you witnessed?" asked one of the guards. It has felt like days since the sun has set since arriving in the land of the dead. The surprised look on our heroes' faces tells the guards all they needed to know and allows passage in the city of Fort Hope.
Within the fort grounds they see scores of people within rigorous training for many different combat scenarios. There are two things that each of them have in common, they are all training while blindfolded, and each person is wearing a colored metal armband. The guard captain escorts the group to a door in the side of the main centralized building saying that each of the newcomers must be interviewed. A silver dragon born slides open the door and invites the first two to enter. Nite and Diana step in and are greeted by Votgoh who asks about their life experiences.
Votgoh, playing with his slender whiskers tells Nite and Diana about how once a month the moon disappears and the entire land is plunged into darkness for an entire day. He also explains that the armbands that everyone is wearing are signifier on the health of one's soul based on the actions they took while in Ilomiun. Eventually all souls will deteriorate and become a personification of the major basic emotion that individual held while alive. Fort Hope seeks to keep the peace for those souls who have found serenity.
Votgoh concludes their interview by handing them a pair of armbands. Diana's turns green showing her strong will and is welcome within the inner district of Fort Hope. Nite's armband glows a heavy orange. Votgoh in a low tone says that Nite's severe mistrust has held her back and is only able to walk the streets of Fort Hope under Diana's direct observation. Another door slides open revealing the full city.
Fort Hope digs into the ground nine stories deep as bridges and roads criss cross in every direction about a central crevice. Hundreds of people stroll the streets adorned with green and yellow armbands gazing at works of art, engaged in conversation, and converging around a glowing white silhouette nestled at the bottom. Diana spots two familiar faces from Trisfal, Reverend Zodrick and Sentinel Yorham. Diana is deep into questioning the paladins when Nite suddenly pulls her away, eying the marker which Hekate has told them to search for. A small halfling man with a black cat sits basking on a bench. The instant he notices Nite, the strange man makes for his escape.
The pursuit zips between the crowd, over railings, and ducks into a stairwell where the halfling is finally caught. Some harsh interrogations of the man reveals this is Ogden. Taken aback, only recognizing that name as the old human that challenged them all to a battle, or was it the small gnome with anger issues throwing potions at them? Before they could get to the bottom of this, the peace keepers of Fort Hope have surrounded the trio and are moving to escort them outside.
Upon their exit from the inner district back outside in the training yards, Diana notices her armband change to a yellow hue. From behind Nite finds Vlaliskia who has just finished their interview with her new friend Lynlyn the goblin. Keeping their firm grip on the squirrelly halfling, they step outside of the protective walls of Fort Hope.