The Emerald Enclave has discovered a mystical oak in the Flooded Forest whose glowing hollows contain temporal rifts to the past. The druids of Cormanthor have unanimously agreed to seal the hollows and their rifts to prevent tampering with the natural order of the space time continuum. But a group of rebels challenging Szass Tam and the Red Wizards of Thay have other plans for the fortuitous discovery. Before the druids can close the portals, the rebels will send their bravest agents hurtling through space and time on a mission… to kill Szass Tam before he rises to power in Thay!

Player Characters:
Uss, the aarokocra cleric
Lemoni, the tabaxi assassin
Alduin, the dragonborn sorcerer
Jaleinno, the human barbarian
Elgorn, the elf ranger
Pungus, the tortle spore druid

I.

Deep in the Flooded Forest, the Emerald Enclave discovered a mysterious tree whose glowing hollow opened a portal to the distant past. The druids of Cormanthyr agreed that the hollows of the tree were much too dangerous to leave open, so they planned to seal up the tree.

But before they could do so, a group of adventurers plotted to return to the past. Their goal was to find and kill Szass Tam, a powerful lich who ruled the evil nation of Thay, while the villain was still young. Failing this, they would learn the nature of the lich’s phylactery, the vessel that carried a lich’s immortal soul.

Far in the unapproachable east, the Red Wizards of Thay massacred and enslaved the people of the land. Each of the would-be time travelers had their own reasons for wishing to go back in time on this dangerous mission.

Uss the aarokocra cleric of order came from a mountain tribe that was wiped out the Red Wizards of Thay. In his quest for revenge against the Red Wizards, he had freed Lemoni the tabaxi rogue who had been stolen from her family by the Red Wizards when she was an infant and trained to be an assassin. Lemoni swore a blood oath to help Uss in his quest. Together they found a group of Emerald Enclave agents who had recently received a letter informing them of the magical tree of time.

These agents were Alduin the dragonborn sorcerer, Jaleinno the human barbarian, and Elgorn the elf ranger. Each of them had lost someone dear to them at the hands of the Red Wizards. Alduin had lost the silver dragon that was worshipped by his clan. Jaleino had lost one of her sons to the Thayans. Elgorn, like Uss, had lost his whole family to the Thayans and sought revenge against evil humans.

Everyone wanted vengeance against the Red Wizards, and what better target than its most powerful leader? Perhaps the only person without a desire for revenge was Pungus the tortle spore druid, the original recipient of the letter. Upon receiving the letter, he had shared it with his friends in the Emerald Enclave and regretted it, for he soon found himself being swept up in the fervor for revenge and was dragged along on the mission.

The letter came from the late elf wizard Araman. His experiments with the tree had led him to conclude that its hollows contained a temporal rift which allowed people to see into the past and future. Entering wholly into the rift also allowed travel to the past. Sadly Araman was no longer alive to confirm his theories and provide more information to the heroes. But near the Flooded Forest in the Tower of the Mage Who Never Dies, there was rumored to live a very old elf diviner named Aramil. The party sought him out, hoping to gain more knowledge about Szass Tam before setting out on their quest.

II.

The heroes arrived in the dark forbidding tower on the edge of the marshland, where Aramil the Diviner had lived for thousands of years. He had the countenance of a mummy, not unlike a lich. In truth, he was a baelnorn, a rare elven lich who had cast off his mortality to preserve his knowledge and wisdom for his people. But his clan had long ago passed into the west, and now Aramil dwelled in his tower alone, brooding upon his vast stores of knowledge.

Aramil produced two decks of fortune telling cards and offered each of the heroes a reading, asking them whether they wanted a vision of their past or their future. The heroes pulled the following cards.

Uss – The Lovers (future), masked couples dancing together.

Lemoni – Two of Wands (future), a robed figure holding two staves standing at a crossroads.

Alduin – Six of Chalices (future), a woman bathing in a lake filled with lotus flowers.

Jaleinno – Ace of Chalices (future), a fountain from which water poured forth.

Elgorn – The Sun (the past), a strange alien mountainscape.

Pungus did not want a vision of his past or future. He was content to live in the present.

They asked Aramil if he knew anything about Szass Tam which might help them on their quest. Aramil revealed that Szass Tam was not always called by that name but had a different name, and had lived much longer than most people suspected. Indeed, the lich now known as Szass Tam was the scion of farmers who lived long ago before the Folly of Karsus and even before the Orcgate Wars. The family lived near what is now the town of Zolum south of the great mountain called Thaymount in the present day.

The heroes asked if Aramil knew the meaning of the name Szass Tam. Aramil drew the Ace of Chalices card from the deck of the past. He said that Szass Tam chose the name out of a desire to become the fountainhead that was the source of all things, the alpha and omega of the multiverse. He noted with ominous concern that Jaleinno had drawn the same card from the deck of the future.

The heroes thanked Aramil for his wisdom and continued to the Flooded Forest.

III.

The heroes soon arrived at a crossroads near the entrance to the forest. The main road would be guarded by the rangers and druids of Cormanthyr. To the south of the forest, there were wide plains occupied by a tribe of centaurs. The northern part of the forest was the territory of the dryads of the woods. The heroes entered through the north and decided to take their chances with the dryads.

The party came to a clearing in the woods where they encountered three dryads. They were guardians sent to watch this part of the forest and keep a look out for intruders seeking the Tree of Time. The dryads were engaged in a deep philosophical debate about the merits and dangers of time travel. The heroes took a chance and revealed themselves to the dryads. They declared their mission, hoping to convince them of the good that would be done by eliminating Szass Tam from history. The dryads had seen the wanton destruction of nature caused by the Red Wizards. After much thought, they allowed the heroes have  passage to the Tree of Time.

At the center of the Flooded Forest, the heroes found the magical tree. Upon stepping into its large glowing hollow, the party was transported to the distant past.

IV.

The heroes arrived in an open field. In the distance, they saw a tall mountain with dread peaks overlooking the countryside. On their left, there was a farm just over the next hill. On their right, there was a pillar of smoke rising from a campsite. The heroes decided to approach the camp first.

The camp belonged to a tribe of Rashemi, the nomadic barbarians living in the region that would become Thay in the present day. The heroes asked the Rashemi if they could share their fire for the night. They asked the Rashemi if they knew anything about the occupants of the farm. The Rashemi told them that the farm had four inhabitants: a farmer, the farmer’s wife, the couple’s son, and a traveling wizard. They knew little more, except that the farmer’s son had a macabre fascination with bones.

The following morning, the heroes went down to the farm and began to investigate. They met the four inhabitants that the Rashemi had mentioned in the main hall of the travelers’ lodge. The farmer brusquely greeted the adventurers, while his wife invited them inside with the utmost politeness. The farmer’s son was in the main hall, which was otherwise empty except for the traveling mage who seemed to be showing the boy some card tricks.

The heroes took a close look at each of these four individuals. The farmer was a gruff and straightforward man, but also a man of ambition who wanted to expand his lands. His wife was a polite and genial hostess, and she was meticulous in the extreme and paid attention to the smallest details. Their son was a precocious young child, and his fascination with magic was evident in the way that he nagged the family’s guest to show him real magic. Lastly, the traveling mage was showing card tricks to the young boy, but never once did he show an example of true magical power.

The heroes could not determine who Szass Tam might have been. For all they knew, Szass Tam could have been all of them. For when a lich performs the ritual to achieve lichdom, he must transfer his soul into a living vessel. Perhaps in time the real Szass Tam would sacrifice one or all of the others in this room for the chance to gain immortality.

They would need to find more clues before they could decide which individual to eliminate from history.

V.

The heroes learned that there were few other travelers that passed through these parts. The Rashemi kept their distance, and the occasional travelers who headed to the Thaymount only stayed here briefly. A few stopped by on their return voyage and boasted of the shards of black stone with magical properties which they found in the mountain, or whispered in hushed tones of the ancient Netherese relics they discovered. The farmer and his family seemed to take little interest in these tales, or at least they feigned disinterest. In truth, their son seemed to possess a natural predisposition to necromantic magic. Perhaps this family of humble farmers descended from a lineage of sorcerers from long lost Netheril.

The heroes spent the following days discreetly investigating the farm and its curious inhabitants. Apart from the house, there was a barn for the animals, great fields of wheat and barley, and a small garden. In the largest field, they found a patch of land that radiated an aura of temporal displacement. But the aura seemed to be dormant, as if waiting for something to happen.

Behind the barn, they saw the young boy animating small animal bones and giving them a grotesque semblance of life. Naturally, they suspected him at once, since Szass Tam was a powerful zulkir of necromancy in the present day. But they could not yet be certain, so they continued to investigate.

It was in the small garden of the farmer’s wife that the heroes found a decisive clue. A small gardening spade radiated an aura of magic, deceptively faint but nonetheless powerful. Upon closer investigation, the heroes realized that this was no ordinary spade but an artifact from the days of ancient Netheril. Through their divinations, they learned that this simple implement would one day become Szass Tam’s phylactery!

Knowledge of the nature of the lich lord’s phylactery was itself a most valuable discovery. Even if they failed in their assasination attempt, at least they would know what to look for if they searched for the vessel that carried Szass Tam’s soul in the present day.

More importantly, they now knew that the farmer’s wife was the person who was destined to become Szass Tam.

That night, the heroes debated how to carry out the deed. They decided that it would not be enough to assassinate the farmer’s wife alone. The river of time might “heal” the damage caused to history and raise up another villain from one of the survivors of the farm. To ensure that Szass Tam was utterly destroyed, they would need to slay not only the farmer’s wife but all the inhabitants on the farm.

They would start by splitting up and eliminating the farmer, his son, and the traveling mage. When those three targets had been terminated, they would regroup and descend upon their primary objective.

Uss the aarokocra cleric and Lemoni the tabaxi assassin would kill the traveling mage in his sleep. Pungus the tortle spore druid would confront the farmer in the field. Alduin the dragonborn sorcerer would lure out farmer’s son with promises of a demonstration of real magic. Jaleinno the human barbarian would keep a watch on the farmer’s wife and divert her attention if she suspected that something was amiss. Elgorn the elf ranger would take up a sniper’s position on the roof of the house.

VI.

Uss and Lemoni crept into the mage’s room. It was a simple chamber with only the bare necessities for a traveler. There was no aura of magic anywhere within the humble place. The unsuspecting mage was sound asleep in his bed wearing a simple nightgown. Perhaps he was only a charlatan after all, peddling his cheap card tricks for food and lodging on the road. Uss and Lemoni hesitated, their hearts strained by the task set before them. The latter felt like the robed figure from her fortune reading, standing upon a crossroads. But for the sake of their own time period, they knew that they had to go forward with their mission.

Lemoni drew out a long dagger. Silent as a shadow, she thrust the dagger at the mage’s heart. But she was startled when an invisible force field kept her knife at bay! Yet the force of her attack tore away a part of the fabric of the mage’s garment. Sparks of electricity flew as the mage’s body seemed to shimmer and waver before the tabaxi’s eyes.

A moment later, the mage was no longer in his nightgown. His attire was all a sophisticated illusion that radiated no magical aura. But how could that be? Now he was wearing a tight fitting body suit fitted with all manner of buttons, gadgets, and devices.

The startled mage leaped up from the bed, touched a button on his arm, and began to speak.

“Temporal agent requesting backup! Chronocrime is in progress!”

A bright light flashed outside the window as the mage drew out a strange looking wand and held it in front of himself like a weapon.

“Stop!” he shouted at the heroes. “You know not what you do!”

“We know exactly what we’re doing,” the heroes replied. “We are here to kill Szass Tam and ensure he never exists.”

“You fools!” the mage shouted. “Your actions will only fulfill a predestination paradox.”

Uss and Lemoni fell upon the mage who fired thin bolts of lightning from his wand. Despite his high tech weaponry and defenses, he was no match for the aarokocra and tabaxi together. The heroes quickly dispatched him, plunging their blades into his heart. As he fell dead, the buttons on his suit began to glow with blinking lights which flashed faster and faster. After 30 seconds, the mage’s body was suddenly engulfed by an explosion that hurled Uss and Lemoni against the walls. The mage’s body was completed incinerated, leaving no trace whatsoever.

VII.

Jaleinno heard the explosion from the hallway. A moment later, the farmer’s wife appeared at the door, appearing frightened by the noise.

“What was that?” the woman shrieked.

“I… am not sure,” Jaleinno said truthfully. For she had not expected the mage to put up such resistance.

“I sense we are in grave danger. Come with me!” said the farmer’s wife. She grabbed Jaleinno’s hand and led her out of the house.

As they stepped out of the door, arrows rained down from the roof, narrowly missing the farmer’s wife and Jaleinno.

“Assassins! Murder!” the farmer’s wife shrieked.

Elgorn cursed his poor aim as he drew another arrow from his quiver. But as he took aim, he was momentarily blinded by a great pillar of light descending upon the wheat field. The bizarre light burned like the fiery sun in the strange mountainscape shown in Aramil’s fortune reading. It distracted him just long enough for the farmer’s wife and Jaleinno to escape.

VIII.

In the wheat field, Pungus went to face the farmer who was returning home late in the evening. The tortle did not wish to hurt the man who had been his host, but he felt there was little choice for him in the matter. The farmer was a hard working man. Even now, he tended to his crops in the darkness.

But what Pungus found in the field was not what he had expected. Instead of the farmer, the tortle laid his eyes upon the hulking form of large brown bear. As a druid, Pungus instantly recognized that the farmer also had a connection to the natural world and possessed a druid’s power to change his shape into that of a ferocious beast.

Pungus drew his limbs close to his shell and steeled himself for battle. But the tortle and the bear were not alone in the field. A bright flash of light erupted in the field. Several moments later, just as an explosion blew the windows out of the guestroom in the farm house, a great pillar of light descended onto the field. From the light, there stepped forth four men dressed in strange, alien-looking suits covered with all manner of blinking lights and buttons. They wielded bizarre rods which crackled with electricity.

“Temporal vagrants detected,” said one of the men in a cold, almost mechanical voice. “Terminate with extreme prejudice.”

IX.

As battle raged across the farm, Alduin met with the farmer’s son behind the barn, far from the fighting. The dragonborn sorcerer had promised to show the young boy some real magic. And he intended to do just that. The last thing the unsuspecting boy would see would be the arcane fire that would engulf him.

Alduin steeled his heart against guilt and remorse. He told himself that there was no other way but this, and the others were counting on him to fulfill his part of the plan.

With the boy’s curious eyes locked upon him, Alduin conjured a powerful spell. In an instant, the boy was immolated in magical fire. The foul but necessary deed was done.

For a brief moment, the dancing flames looked like fiery lotus flowers blossoming upon a burning lake. 

Then Alduin was horrified to hear the boy shrieking, not in pain and fear but screaming with delight! The boy emerged from the flames, charred and blackened but very much alive. His head began to turn and made a full rotation, twisting around his shoulders until it returned to its original position. Alduin could now see the monstrous eyes of the boy locked upon him.

This was surely no ordinary boy but a demon from the depths of the abyss.

As lights and explosions erupted across the farm, Alduin began his own fight for survival.

X.

When the dust had settled, the heroes alone were left standing upon the field. Each of them had survived their encounter with dangers and terrors beyond imagining. They regrouped to assess the situation, but they found that Jaleinno and the farmer’s wife were missing. After a long and fruitless search, they realized that their friend and the suspected villain had vanished together.

Jaleinno did not know how long she had been running with the farmer’s wife. The woman’s grasp upon her own hand never slackened all the while that they ran through the countryside. Just as well, thought Jaleinno. She did not want to lose sight of the woman and hoped the others would catch up to them after they had completed their respective tasks.

Yet Jaleinno was amazed that a housewife could have such a powerful grip. As they continued to run through the darkness, Jaleinno began to suspect that something was not right. The farmer’s wife promised to lead them to a nearby river where they would find a hidden raft. They would use the raft to escape to safety.

As they approached the river, a cold mist rose up from the water. Soon, Jaleinno could hardly see anything through the fog. She also began to feel exceedingly sleepy. She tried to fight the drowsiness that washed over her, but she was suddenly overcome by exhaustion. Jaleinno collapsed upon the earth and remembered no more.

When Jaleinno briefly regained consciousness, she found herself upon a small raft, laying upon the floor. The farmer’s wife sat across from her and rowed the oars of the boat. She wife looked different in the mist, seeming somehow thinner or almost skeletal, but there also was a regal air about her, as if Jaleinno was seeing the ghostly visage of an empress upon her palanquin rather than a humble farmer’s wife in a leaky raft. That was the last thing that Jaleinno would remember before darkness took her for the last time.

When next the human barbarian once known as Jaleinno awakened, she was lying upon a stone altar beside an ancient fountain. The ritual to transfer the soul of the farmer’s wife into her new vessel had been successful. The body of Jaleinno was now possessed by the soul of the scion of a family of humble farmers whose ancient Netherese ancestors had ruled kingdoms in the sky. She had buried her ambitions for long years until the opportunity to escape and complete this dark ritual had presented itself. Now the soul of this scion of ancient Netheril saw through the barbarian’s eyes, burning with unbridled power. She gazed upon the fountain beside the altar and named herself Szass Tam, the alpha and omega, the fountainhead of the world from which all power would flow.