Week Twenty Nine

SEGUE

With the destruction of Ixchachaxi, all across Waterdeep Shieldbreakers began to stop what they were doing. Not all of them- not the ones who had already embraced evil long before Ixchachaxi's arrival. But the others, the men and women of weak will who had been carried along by the dragon's powerful aura of malice, they all awoke as if from a nightmare. The citizens of Waterdeep, seeing the confusion in the Shieldbreakers' ranks and feeling their own force of will returning, struck back at their captors, joined by countless Shieldbreakers who had returned to their senses. Vastly outnumbered, those Shieldbreakers who tried to maintain their stranglehold on the city were quickly killed or captured; many Dragon Cultists met a similar fate, though most managed to escape into the countryside. Waterdeep had been retaken...the nightmare was over.

EPISODE

The survivors of the epic battle with Ixchachaxi gathered their wounded and returned to the sewer chamber where the others (Piergeiron, Calishara, Gino, and a few Tempurians) remained. Lord Piergeiron had been moved to a separate chamber, and flashes of light and sound periodically emanated from there. In the main chamber Calishara, Turik, and the other Tempurian priests cast healing magics until they were exhausted, restoring everyone to full strength except for Kelly (crippled arm, missing foot), Gregory (turned to stone), and Talyth (blinded).

Lord Piergeiron then entered the room- the metal caps of his stumps had been magically crafted into new working hands and feet. He was overcome with emotion, and just stood there marveling at his new hands for long moments. Finally he thanked all the defenders in the room, thanked them for risking their lives and for saving the city.

At that point a white sphere suddenly appeared in the chamber, leaving behind a dark haired woman and six veteran guards when it faded. The woman was Lady Alustriel of Silverymoon, and she rushed to Piergeiron's side. The two talked excitedly of all that had transpired in the past months...Piergeiron then asked her if there was anything she could do for Gregory. Lady Alustriel studied Gregory's stone form carefully, placed her hands on his shoulders, and cast a long and intricate spell. When she had finished Gregory lay on the ground, flesh and blood once more and physically unharmed. Piergeiron and Alustriel then teleported elsewhere, no doubt to check on the status of the city.

Small groups of green-clad Chauntean clergy began entering the chamber; their uniforms identified them as soldiers of the Silverymoon army. They continued the healing begun by the Tempurians, and shortly everyone had been restored except for Kelly; her wounds were just too severe for priests already so weary.

The party gathered themselves, left the sewers, and headed for the castle. The city's streets were chaotic, filled with people running here and there, but there seemed to be only confusion, not violence. It appeared the citizens of Waterdeep had indeed thrown off their chains.

Once at the castle the party, plus Talyth, Rakmor, and Shreesha, collapsed into the comfortable couches of the main floor study. Drinks were poured, and the PCs began to relax (especially Gregory and Willow, who wandered into the next room for a more intimate revelry).

Lord Piergeiron and Lady Alustriel soon arrived at the study after a brief tour of the city. Piergeiron reported that the months of troubles seemed to finally be over for Waterdeep; it was now time to begin rebuilding. But first, there must be a celebration! Piergeiron invited the PCs to a very special feast that evening. He then sent for some of Alustriel's Chauntean healers, who quickly arrived and examined the stump where Kelly's foot had been. According to her wishes the three priestesses didn't just regenerate the foot; they gave Kelly a functional metal foot, as their sisters had done for Piergeiron. The party was then shown to private rooms where they could freshen up and change clothes before the banquet.

A short time later the party was escorted to the castle's main dining room. Already seated there, behind a sea of food, were Lord Piergeiron, Lady Alustriel, Rakmor, Texter, Calishara, Kitten, and Mirt. Piergeiron offered the party his most heartfelt thanks, and made it clear that both he and the city owed them each an enormous debt of gratitude. In fact, most of the secret Lords of Waterdeep had been killed by Ixchachaxi or her agents (only Piergeiron, Texter, Mirt, and Kitten remained of the original twelve); Piergeiron presented each of the city's champions the opportunity to become a full Lord of the city.

Willow, Erik, Tristan, Rakmor, and Gregory all accepted Piergeiron's offer; Kelly respectfully declined, saying that she would need to travel to the North soon, and was unsure how long she would be gone. Piergeiron assured her the Lordship would be waiting for her, whenever she returned. Talyth and Calishara also both declined, citing potential conflicts of interest (one political, the other spiritual). After everyone had responded, musicians were brought in and the celebration began in earnest.

As the music played and the spirits flowed, everyone danced and enjoyed themselves. Later in the night Lady Alustriel and Kelly began chatting. Alustriel introduced herself and shook Kelly's hand. When their hands touched, the closed silver rose pin on Alustriel's blouse slowly spread, much to her amazement. She dropped to her knees before Kelly, kissed her hand, and spoke just two words: "Your highness!"