The Call of Atropus: Omens (Chapter 1)

The party of Odom, Quatre, Crow, Alm, Melody, and Relia Mallas headed to Neverwinter, answering the call for aid from the Order of the Gauntlet, namely Ostur Barrelbringer. Ostur explained the context of the mission, showing the party a series of documents from both Guild and Order officials. Several years ago, the Order and several high-ranking members of the guild had discovered that the Cult of Atropus was actively undertaking measures to bring forth a being known as the “Herald of Atropus” or the “Dark One.” After a series of dangerous investigations, high-level guild members and their allies called upon the power of several deities, including Helm, who directly intervened. After the dust settled, the party learned that a series of new seals had been put in place, and the existing ones had been strengthened across the cosmos, to prevent the entity from entering the mortal realm. The Order has heard whispers that such an entity is being pursued again, and that the Cult had located the first seal. They also learned that the seals must be broken in a specific order, which would be helpful for prevention efforts. However, they also realized that the locations of the seals are nearly completely unknown, a rather intentional decision by the Divine, to make breaking them more difficult. Beyond that, the Order does not know how the seals are broken, but they had located the “First Seal,” which was contained in a location known as the Tomb of Midnight in the Plane of Shadow. In addition, the Order had received word of the meteorite outside the Hawthorne Outskirts, at the edge of the Winding Water. The Order informed the party that the meteorite and its aftermath was not an isolated incident. Over a dozen similar crashes had been spotted across Toril, and the Order has become very worried that these occurrences are a sign of something to come, an omen. The party was given maps, details, and other preparations for their journey. They were taken into a ritual room, and given disguises by a mage of the Order. They were informed that their destination, Evernight, is inhabited mainly by undead. As such, they were all given a magical guise, which made them appear to be Revenants, rather than humans, elves, loxos, and the like. After the disguises were administered, the party was taken to a transportation chamber, where a controlled Shadow Crossing was opened.