Riva: Moon River

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Mama Cori had just teleported across via magic mirror into a strange room when Mandara ambushed the rest of the party, immediately knocking them out (no combat, guess they didn't stand a chance).  The Feylamia then came for Mama Cori, but since she had all the proper items equipped basically incinerated Mandara on the spot with her moon lantern.

Everyone else got beat up!

With the monster dead, Cori dragged the rest of her team back to the Guild HQ to recover. During the two days it takes to rest up, the Trademaster gives them information that other travelers - a party of mages - was arrested not long ago and taken to the castle for interrogation. Believing these mages to be potential allies, the team is sent out to rescue them.

Conveniently the Guild had found a secret, watery path from Mandara's chambers that leads into the castle walls. The only problem was there was a water dragon who made his home in that passage, and since that entire fight takes place on a raft it is left up to Cooper's archery to slay the beast while everyone else takes turns tanking.

That's a fat dragon.

The strategy pays off and soon the dragon (who is nowhere near as bad as Arkandor) is slain. With no time to waste they advance into the stairwell that leads them up into the castle.

Riva: Hunting the Fey

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

While the Guild HQ in the old sewers serves as a place to get bedding, food and has a small armory to store things, the team is not allowed to simply use it for free. The Trademaster tasks them with first eliminating their greatest threat in the sewers: Mandara.

Apparently sucking people dry made her prettier?

As it happens, her lair was recently discovered nearby so the party makes their way over there. A set of grates blocks the initial entry so Talarian is left to hold the lever while the rest of the party advances. They only get a few paces in when they hear Talarian scream. Wolfy's ears twitch as she ...

Oh my!

Fortunately he's ok: Mandara just decided to kiss him. That's what he says while pulling up his pants awkwardly. :P

Anyway, Mandara likes messing with the party without actually attacking as they delve deeper into her home, which clearly was the base of whomever hunted her before since there are details on how exactly to kill a Feylamia. It's pretty much like a vampire, except she only feeds on elves.

Oh, and she has a weakness to moon light which begs the question: why is there a moon shard and a moon lantern found in her abode? And why does she attack at night? Stupid monster. There are other interesting decorations here too, like a portrait of a woman trying to "get out" of a painting with monstrous shapes behind her and mirrors that teleport people around when touched.

It is in one of those mirrors that Mandara attacks.

Riva: Not Responsible

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Mandara doesn't stay with the team long, because the first thing she does is open a secret passage which leads them right into "the Guild", that nefarious crew that resides down here. In a most perplexing chain of events, the party is taken hostage briefly and then is immediately set free by a swarm of rats.

Someone's playing Dishonored down here.

Lost in the maze of tunnels (auto moving), Allison leads the party to a dead end where the Guild finally catches up to them, only to then have Mandara fully vampire out and begin feeding on the pursuers. With that entire mess going on the team flees to the surface, and by chance come up beside one of the giant town gates. Deciding it's probably best to let things settle down they exit to the nearby and generally pleasant country side of green rolling hills.

By chance they come across a group of eight Thorwallians who ask them for ale. Since the party isn't carrying any, they apologize and state the truth. The drunkards don't believe it though and choose to attack anyway. The last choice any of them will ever make.

Drink responsibly... OR DIE.

Riva: Suspiciously Familiar

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Now is a good time to mention that while finally, every NPC has a unique face in Riva, there are quite a few, "familiar" ones lurking about.

Isey also pointed out that the elf king was David Bowie!

Anyway, after selling all that laboratory junk to Meg Ryan, the party is accosted by a woman in distress claiming her husband was murdered! She takes the team into her home and detective Thorgrim discovers that the elf victim had all his blood drained from his body, with two puncture marks on his neck. At the same time, Allison locates a secret passage behind a bookshelf leading into the sewers but before they can explore it the local guards come shortly after and kick the team out of their investigation.

That's ok though as there are many sewer entrances readily available from the street. The thought of going into an enclosed space frightens Thorgrim though, and he leaves the party. REALLY? A claustrophobic dwarf!? Anyway... In the very dark and smelly tunnels the team bumps into the local "rat catcher" who is herds a swarm of rats past them and further in they find an ugly looking critter that no doubt is a vampire, probably the same one that murdered the poor elf.

Wolfy doesn't agree with this line of thinking and instead befriends the creature, a woman named Mandara - inviting her to join the party.

Awkward.