The Halls of Gathering

After a long day on the road you decide to stop for the evening in a small town a few days travel north of Waterdeep. The warm light of the tavern is a welcoming sight, even if your appearance is likely to turn heads. Your race is not a common one, especially in a small town like this. At this point you don’t really care, your feet are sore from weeks of travel and the winter chill seems to have invaded your bones. You step toward the tavern door and suddenly everything goes black.

Your eyes blink open to a harsh light. As they adjust you find yourself in a strange cell with transparent, glass-like walls. All of your equipment is missing. Looking around you, you see other creatures in similar cells. All rare, some you’ve never seen before in your life. A tall humanoid with green-yellow skin is standing between the cells. He is lean but muscular, with a gaunt face and a slit-like nose. He looks over all of the creatures and speaks. His voice is deep and commanding.

“Good, you are all awake. My name is Grathyon, Keeper of the Halls. You are now guests of Baron Sylas das Sommler. Welcome to the Halls of Gathering.”

Synopsis

The heroes find themselves collected. Baron Sylas das Sommler has used his considerable wealth to construct the Halls of Gathering, a collection of rare creatures from all over the planes. The heroes are not only guests of the Baron, they also find themselves performing in an arena for the Baron and his audience. Meanwhile, the heroes live in an area known only as “the Community”, a tavern/dormitory area for creatures that are considered civilized. The heroes must seek a way to escape the Halls. Once they break free of the Community, they find themselves in a sprawling facility that doesn’t exist on the material plane. The Halls contain a variety of biomes, such as jungles and tundra, each with it’s own inhabitants and challenges. Can the heroes recover their equipment and find a way to escape the Halls of Gathering?

Art from the Campaign

The Party

The art below features several versions of my players’ party, self-named “The Collected”:

By Andrea O’Brien
Kite and Whistler Reading

NPCs

Baron Sylas das Sommler, master of the Halls of Gathering. By Evan Winston
Clara the Staff, a powerful wielder of the arcane with deceptively pleasant persona. By Comics Ink!
Slight, a mute assassin who is equal parts courageous and enigmatic. By Comics Ink!
Lt. Barlock, an optimistic young guard who lost an arm and eye. By Evan Winston