Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2

is the second episode of the two-part Exandria Unlimited: Kymal special. Laying low only lasts so long in the casino town of Kymal... After regrouping, the Crown Keepers daringly attempt their heist at the Maiden's Wish.

Previously on Exandria Unlimited: Kymal
''So, fleeing a 20,000 gold bounty on his brother Cyrus' head, Dorian fled across the sea from Marquet through Emon, and met up with his friends, the remnant Crown Keepers, in the seedy little casino town of Kymal. You all synced up, caught up a little bit, immediately got into trouble because you needed to steal a fur for reasons that are beyond me as a DM to understand. And ran into a new, uniquely gifted and very powerful friend, Morrighan.''

''After overhearing a bit of the Crown Keepers' money woes, you figured you might as well combine your efforts. Mor is here to clean out this casino after telling the group that she has made her way through every other casino in the city. But this casino is different. It is the original casino in the city. It's the most well-guarded, and by far the most prosperous. So you teamed up with this group and began your poodle heist.''

''You began your heist by stealing a key to a penthouse in hopes of finding master blueprints. You did so successfully. You broke into the penthouse, got into a big fight, and then blew up the room. You got the blueprints, you've retrieved the treasures hidden under some tiles inside the penthouse, and you, specifically, discovered the most interesting secret of The Maiden's Wish, that a piece of the architecture of this place, the sky deck, a glass bottom overhanging bar that looks out over the vast mud and rocky nothingness of Kymal, shouldn't have been able to stand for the decades it's been around. That's because it's magically reinforced with a very rare, very powerful magical stone called brumestone. So, you know that the streets are full of Nameless Ones stopping everyone from leaving via conversions and threats of death and pledges of fealty. But if you play this right, you can rob the vault, get up to the sky deck, and make the craziest escape ever into the night.''

Part I
The Crown Keepers and Morrighan Ferus are in their shared room at the Maiden's Wish in Kymal, getting ready to rest before they perform their heist the next morning. Mor finds the experience of being with others for her heist rather than on her own new but helpful. On her way back to the room, she had noticed that Myriad and Clasp representatives had been talking in the hallways about the attack on Phaedrov Krishtan's penthouse, and that they seemed to believe the Nameless Ones had been the cause of the chaos. Dariax asks Mor what she's thinking about and why she targets casinos, and she responds that she finds them to be greedy and exploitative places that control Kymal. She tells Dariax that she was sent over from the Feywild when she was very young, and has otherwise always lived alone in Kymal. She then asks the party what their plans are. Dariax tells her that they're here to help Dorian get the money for Cyrus's bounty. Fy'ra Rai joins in and tells Mor that while traveling alone has some advantages, it is much better in a group.

Cyrus then remembers that he received a note from Jinoir for Fy'ra about an hour ago. The note tells Fy'ra to meet him in the spa in two hours, so the party plans to leave Cyrus behind in the room and go down to the spa. Mor and Fy'ra discuss the blueprints Mor found in Phaedrov's room. Fy'ra is familiar with brumestone, and Mor tells her that it's what's keeping the sky deck in position and that if they could separate the deck from the building, they could use it as an escape vessel. Mor also notices that the vault is directly below the West Run Arena, through 50 feet of earth, and that the vault tunnels can be accessed through a grate in the kitchen near the Taste of Tal'Dorei buffet. Fy'ra is impressed by Mor's skill and tells her to consider traveling with the group rather than alone. Dorian casts Invisibility on Cyrus, and Opal and Dariax disguise themselves in fluffy robes and flip-flops, and the party, having had a brief rest after the fight, leaves for the Chroma Dawn spa. At the spa, which is themed to look like a dragon's lair, they are greeted by a young goliath named Tovar who begins to go through the five different rooms, each of which is themed after a member of the Chroma Conclave. Mor pays for the party's entry with one of the platinum coins Dariax gave her earlier, and Fy'ra finds Jinoir in the Vorugal-themed cold water room as the rest of the party splits off into other rooms for various spa treatments.

Jinoir asks Fy'ra if she's okay after the explosion, likely referring to the party's combat in the penthouse, and she tells him that she's fine. He tells her that he had attempted to run after hearing it, but was stopped at the edge of the city by the Nameless Ones and given the option to join or die, so he joined. He tells her that the Nameless Ones had made a blockade of the bodies of those who had refused to serve. He gave the guards his money and asked to see the leader, but was only introduce to three lieutenants: a dwarf woman named Mulberry; a large goliath with many facial piercings; and a fire genasi who looked like Fy'ra but was dressed differently, whom Fy'ra immediately realizes is her sister, Fy'ra Kai.

Fy'ra Rai, shaken, uses the Gift to verify what Jinoir said, and while she cannot detect Fy'ra Kai's location, asks Jinoir if he wishes to be a Nameless One. He tells her that he's always been in Kymal on his own and assumes he'd be picked up by one of the warring organizations eventually, but the Nameless Ones had suddenly taken over within only two days, so at least allying with them seems like the safe bet. Fy'ra tells him that while she is not allied with the Nameless Ones, she does care for him. She asks him for more information about her sister. Jinoir tells her that Fy'ra Kai was involved in preventing people from leaving and converting them over to the Nameless Ones, and that the Nameless Ones appeared to be gearing up for something big. He tells her that he will try to avoid doing anything that would harm her or her friends, and she tells him that ultimately, he should save himself if it comes to it, and gives him another two gold.

The rest of the party, having taken spa treatments or, in Mor's case, continued to study the blueprints, reconvenes with Fy'ra who tells them that they need to go back up to the room to discuss further developments. Back at the room, Fy'ra relays what Jinoir had told her and tells the party that she's worried Fy'ra Kai is under her thrall. The party reassures her, and Dariax is hopeful that perhaps this means that Fy'ra Kai was working against the Nameless Ones from within. After confirming that the invisible Cyrus is asleep, the rest of the party goes to bed.

Opal has a dream about Lolth, who is in the place where Ted had usually come for her in her dreams. Opal tries to discuss her appearance and aesthetic with Lolth, who is uninterested, and instead urges Opal to seek out the Children of Malice in Kymal. Opal ignores this and instead attempts to discuss rehabilitating Lolth's image by associating her more with good, or at least neutral deeds. She convinces Lolth to make her her champion, and Lolth grants her a boon for speaking to her as an equal: it is painful, but Opal is able to withstand it, and she becomes resistant to poison and immune to the poisoned condition as her Circlet of Barbed Vision awakens. While Lolth gives Opal the ability to change her appearance as part of the deal, Opal decides to keep it.

Later that night, Cyrus, having awakened early as he'd gone to bed very early, wakes up Dorian, and asks for his advice. Cyrus admits that he's not ready to go home to the Silken Squall let alone assume rule. The brothers talk openly, and acknowledge that their upbringing often kept them distant and sheltered from the world. Dorian tells Cyrus that he will become a good leader, and admits that he also wants to stay out in the world, exploring and experiencing it, and that when they're both ready they can go home together. Cyrus becomes emotional and tells Dorian that he's proud of him. The two play a few rounds of cards before going back to sleep near the fireplace.

Break

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Part II
Following their long rest, the Crown Keepers wake up in their room and prepare themselves for the heist. Morrighan disguises herself in her blue and lilac showgirl outfit; Opal wears her typical pink suit but uses Mask of Many Faces to wear something similar; and Dariax disguises himself to match Morrighan's outfit, all with the intent of looking like staff of the Maiden's Wish. Dorian uses Cyrus's hooded cloak to appear inconspicuous and Fy'ra Rai, realizing that she looks like her sister and therefore a lieutenant of the Nameless Ones, merely tones down her hair slightly. Dariax also casts Aid on Morrighan, and Opal speaks again to Lolth, who returns her boon of the spider familiar, Ted 2.

The party, upon going downstairs, finds the situation to be tense, with the doors barricaded and the people inside bracing for the upcoming assault by the Nameless Ones, although there are people eating at the buffet. Mor and Opal go into the kitchen to get to the grate that leads down to the tunnels, but find the kitchens full. The cook asks them why they're in the kitchen. Mor first tries to convince them she's trying to cut through, but the two then manage to convince the cook that they are here doing an inspection. The cook seems slightly skeptical, but agrees to wait out in the buffet and whistles for the rest of the kitchen staff to exit. The rest of the party then enters and Fy'ra, Dorian, and Dariax all push the table over the grate away and Fy'ra wrenches open the grate. As had been planned in advance, Cyrus plays Dorian's lute, yodels, and causes a commotion in the buffet to serve as a distraction as the party slips down into the grate, with Mor leading the way. Dariax casts Light on his spear to provide those without darkvision a way to see in the tunnels, and Dorian and Fy'ra move the table and grate back into position as they leave. Mor casts Snare below the grate as a trap for anyone who follows them down.

The party begins to travel through the tunnels, and after some time, Mor, Fy'ra, and Opal notice a sound of someone moving in the tunnels about 80 feet ahead of them. Opal sends Ted 2 with Fy'ra, who, along with Mor, quietly begins to scout ahead outside the range of light of Dariax's spear. They approach the source of the sound but cannot quite make out the figure until Dorian, unaware that someone is ahead pulls out his Moon-Touched Scimitar. The light it emits reveals a massive goliath lieutenant of the Nameless Ones whose face is covered with piercings. He is smoking a cigar which emits a purple smoke, and he blows it out towards the party, filling the area with the purple vapor. Dorian holds his breath, and Fy'ra resists the effect. Mor takes the full poison damage and Opal is resistant due to her connection with Lolth. Fy'ra approaches him, impersonating her sister, but she realizes as she does so that he appears to realize she is not Fy'ra Kai and that the vapor grants the goliath man with some ability to see through illusions. The goliath tells her he was unaware that Fy'ra Kai had family. Fy'ra Rai immediately attacks him. Mor Misty Steps behind him to attack him as well, and the party enters combat.

Mor's attack alerts Dariax to the commotion ahead. Fy'ra Rai threatens the goliath and vows to kill him for press-ganging her sister into service, at which point he mockingly tells her that Fy'ra Kai joined of her own volition, and Fy'ra Rai spits at him. Dorian casts Warding Wind, deafening the goliath, who still attacks Fy'ra with his mace. He then turns around and grapples Mor, holding her by the neck. Dariax blinds the goliath, who still keeps Mor grappled. The party continues to fight back, even a the goliath uses the piercings in his face to slow Fy'ra and limit her reactions, and Opal sends Ted 2 ahead in the direction of the vault door, away from the fight. When Dorian uses Dissonant Whispers against the enemy, the man replies, telling him that he is wanted, presumably by the Nameless Ones. Eventually, the Crown Keepers and Mor overtake the goliath lieutenant, with Opal getting in the killing blow with her daggers. Opal then raises him as an Accursed Specter. Mor immediately searches the body and finds his notes on the plans of Nameless Ones, including references to Poska and Fy'ra Kai; the location of their hideout; and the fact that the group arrived in Kymal with 1400 members and have since doubled their numbers. Mor gives the notes to Fy'ra Rai.

The party continues on, catching up quickly with Ted 2 who is about 100 feet further down the hall at the door of the vault. The door is made of thick steel and is inscribed with arcane glyphs, but Mor is prepared for the moment, having previously stolen from similarly guarded vaults. She uses her specialized tools to slash through the glyphs, disabling her magic, and then spends a minute picking the elaborate lock. The door opens. Inside, they find 50,000 gold worth of coin, and after some discussion in which Dorian is reluctant to take the bulk of it for Cyrus's bounty, 40,000 of it goes to Dorian with the remainder going to Mor.

Dariax, having been caught without a way to carry his gains before, had prepared by impersonating a Syngornian emissary to Kymal, with some forgery help from Cyrus. He was offered two Bags of Holding by an elderly shopkeeper on the condition that he return and set up an ongoing business relationship. Dariax gave her 50 platinum, knowing he would not be returning. The party uses the bags to hold the money.

While in the vault, the songbird that Mor hears begins to become frantic, and Mor feels panicked. The sound seems louder in her head as she approaches the eastern corner, so she follows it until she finds the item that seems to be causing it: an intricately carved bas-relief white marble carving of a woman, with raven feathers surrounding her. There is a name below the bust, but Mor cannot seem to perceive it and it makes her feel more unsettled. She brings it back to put into the bags of holding, but is visibly trembling as the cawing in her head increases. The party notices and Fy'ra asks her what is wrong, telling her to drop the item. Mor attempts to put the item down gently but this further exacerbates the cawing. Opal uses Detect Magic and takes psychic damage but is unable to read the text. The cawing in Mor's head begins to tell her to destroy it, so she throws it down and after some attempts is able to crack it in half. This lessens the cawing, but does not stop it. She tells the party this is what the voice is telling her to do. Dariax joins in and smashes one of the halves. He thinks he might see a raven feather after doing so, but only at the edges of his vision. Fyra, upon seeing this, attempts to recall what this may have been about but can only surmise it's related to the Raven Queen. Opal attempts to contact Lolth, who does not respond. Fy'ra says "Mother, protect us" and cracks the second half, which finally silences the raven sounds in Mor's head. Fy'ra then attempts to use the Gift, but feels as though she is prevented from seeing what it was.

Having gathered their spoils, the party then begins their escape. The previous evening, Fy'ra had scoped out the high roller suites near the sky deck by pretending to be housekeeping staff, and had found an empty suite from which the sky deck is an easy climb. Opal makes a hole in the ceiling, allowing the party to climb through to the holding cages below the West Run arena, and they sneak out from there. Opal is somewhat noisy, but uses her Ring of Invisibility to hide from anyone who notices and they are able to make it to the suite. From there, they can see the sky deck, which has a transparent bottom. They notice two people on the sky deck, and fights erupting in the various rooms and hallways of the casino.

Mor scales the wall and reaches the top of the skydeck, as the rest of the party discusses how they will detach it and propel it once it is cleared. Mor sees her boss, Gaola Mistwick. Mor tries to pretend as though she's unaware of the current attack and asks Gaola for olives. While Gaola does not seem to believe her, she does seem to understand that Mor has a plan, and tells her that she will leave and get olives. Mor hugs her, and Gaola hugs her back. Gaola takes the other bartender with her and they leave, at which point Mor drops down the rope so the rest of the party can climb up.

The party begins to attempt to break the attachment to the wall with their weapons, and Dorian uses the goliath's mace but is unsuccessful. Cyrus then arrives, having, through a series of mysterious overnight adventures, procured explosives that can be used to separate the sky deck from the wall. He and Dariax begin to place the dynamite at intervals between the deck and the outside of the building. Cyrus also notes that he can't see any exposed brumestone, which seems odd to him given his recent experience on a skyship. As this happens, the party realizes the door Cyrus entered through is open, and they have been spotted by the Nameless Ones. They close the door, but know that their time for a getaway is limited. The party begins to attack the pillars and lions at the corners that contain the brumestone. Fy'ra, Opal, and Dorian use their weapons and magic to expose three of the four sources, but one remains damaged but not exposed. The party realizes that they need to make their escape now and Dariax casts Burning Hands to set off the dynamite fuses.

Opal then reveals her plan: she had prepared to use Major Image to make it appear as though the sky deck collapsed, rather than was pushed off, to buy them a little extra time and avoid any Nameless Ones catching up to the slow-moving sky deck. As Dariax casts Fireball to speed up the fuses, Dorian uses his new mandolin to cast Fly on Cyrus, and the brothers fly beneath the skydeck to steady the remaining corner on which the brumestone is unexposed. This helps Opal cast her image, of the deck collapsing, with Poska standing over the corpses of the Crown Keepers, having sacrificed herself. The Nameless Ones are caught off guard, and the party is able to make their escape. Dariax covers up the final sounds of Fy'ra exposing the last corner of brumestone with Thaumaturgy.

As they float into the sunset, Fy'ra Rai looks back towards the casino and sees her sister, watching her from the penthouse balcony. Fy'ra Kai meets her eyes and grins at her menacingly as the fights in the casino continue. Fy'ra Rai's tigerstone shatters. Mor, excited to finally leave Kymal, thinks back to when she was sent into the Material Plane from the Feywild by a woman who shared her name and who tasked her with changing the world in whatever way she could. A raven lands on the brumestone and looks at her with approval.

Crown Keepers

 * Dariax Zaveon
 * Dorian Storm
 * Fy'ra Rai
 * Morrighan Ferus
 * Opal
 * Ted 2 (as "Ted 2 Again"), Opal's spider familiar

Returning

 * Cyrus Wyvernwind
 * Gaola Mistwick, Morrighan's supervisor
 * Jinoir
 * Spider Queen

New

 * Tovar, a goliath owner of Chroma Dawn spa
 * Elena, masseuse
 * Fy'ra Kai
 * Raak-motu, orc masseuse

Mentioned

 * Mulberry, an old female dwarf of the Nameless Ones
 * Poska
 * Raven Queen
 * Ted

Quotations

 * Aabria: "Life needs wine to live."

Trivia

 * Mulberry of the Nameless Ones, who was mentioned in this episode, was first mentioned by Aabria Iyengar during her storytelling segment of Narrative Telephone, being referred to as "our druid on the inside." She had snuck into the stables of three noble houses in Emon and awakened their horses.