Session 34, So Ordered

The ritual chamber in Szass Tam's estate crackled with dark energy as Magistrix Istrava, having arrived through a portal from Phlegethos, presided over the final arguments of Bane v. Tam — the divorce to end all divorces. The party stood as legal advocates for Szass Tam, presenting evidence of his substantial performance under the ancient covenant, while the God of Tyranny himself manifested overhead as a colossal black hand, chains of shadow weaving down from his fingers into the suspended contract. Bane thundered that the covenant was unfulfilled because other gods were still being worshipped in Thay, but Séantal and Taliya countered sharply: the contract had never stipulated exclusivity, only primacy, and for a time, that primacy had been absolute. Yona added that Szass Tam had provided every possible means for Bane's cult to flourish — he could not be held responsible for the priests' own failures to maintain it.

Magistrix Istrava reviewed the contract in cold silence before overruling Bane's objection entirely, noting that official religious primacy had been established and that no failure to maintain it had been demonstrated. Bane's colossal hand clenched into a fist, its chains pulling against the suspended covenant with a sound like enormous iron gates being dragged across stone, and his voice shook the chamber as he asserted an enduring entitlement to Szass Tam's soul — payment, he claimed, for centuries of divine patronage. The party turned to Article XVII of the covenant, which expressly permitted the discharge of such an entitlement before it matured, and confirmed that every required condition had been satisfied. Taliya pointed out that the contract even contained its own subclause stating that loss of sovereign authority could not in itself constitute proof of deliberate breach — the document had essentially argued their case for them.

Séantal then negotiated for protection against divine retaliation, and Magistrix Istrava clarified that while the court could not prohibit every independent future action of a deity, the party held no contractual liability whatsoever for their participation. When Bane roared that he offered the party nothing, Séantal replied with perfect composure that they had not been asking him. The Magistrix raised an eyebrow at Bane's thunderous declaration of his own identity and responded with the flat, unimpressed tone of a bureaucrat who had heard it all before: his identity, she noted, had been adequately established. She then brought her gavel down and overruled his final objection, reminding the god that he had consented to the court's jurisdiction and could not revoke that consent simply because he disliked the results.

Vhale, the Assessor, who had also stepped through the portal from Phlegethos, then requested an authenticated copy of the judgment for Archdevil Glasya's private archives, noting that an established precedent was considerably more useful than an interesting theory. Magistrix Istrava granted the request and formally sustained the petition for the lawful partition of the covenant. The Seal of Concordance blazed to life, its silver geometric lines illuminating every chain that bound the contract, and the Calamus Pactum — a dark-feathered infernal quill — drifted through the air toward the party, gathering a single drop of black ink beneath its nib. As proprietors of the instrument, the party authorized its use, and for the first time since entering the chamber, Szass Tam hesitated, his gaze settling on the hovering quill before he extended one skeletal hand.

He spoke his renunciation clearly and without ceremony: he acknowledged all consideration rendered, renounced all benefits not yet delivered, and surrendered every remaining portion of divine power subject to the approved partition. The moment the quill's nib touched the illuminated covenant, the entire chamber shuddered, and for one fleeting instant, the dark feather of the Calamus Pactum blazed brilliant white — luminous as a fallen star — before the infernal ink spread through its barbs once more. A knot of iron-colored flame erupted from Szass Tam's chest, the last unspent remnant of Bane's divine gifts, and the Seal of Concordance closed around it with perfect geometric precision. It simply vanished — no explosion, no thunder, only an absence where something had once existed.

Lysandra Mortain stepped forward, her divine ledger open in her hands, and formally witnessed the lawful execution of the instrument, recording that no claim on the petitioner's soul would pass to another. Above them, Bane's colossal hand spasmed and convulsed, and his voice tore through the chamber in a final, furious roar: "You were mine." Szass Tam raised his head and looked directly into the terrible darkness above him, and softly, with the quiet weight of centuries, he replied: "For a time." Every chain shattered simultaneously, the colossal hand crushed nothing but the last fragments of the severed covenant, and then — with a sound like a thousand great iron doors slamming shut across an impossible distance — it dissolved into ash. Silence fell over the chamber, absolute and extraordinary. Vhale departed with a barely concealed smile, remarking that it was not every day a god lost an argument by the terms of his own contract.

Szass Tam stood alone beneath the empty space where Bane's hand had been, his eyes fixed on something no one else could see. After a long moment, he said quietly that he had forgotten what silence felt like. He then led the party to his banquet chamber, where his chamberlain Hestra had prepared drinks and food, and presented them with a crimson leather folio of illuminated documents bearing his personal seal. Their names were to be entered into the official records of his office as honored benefactors of the Zulkir of Necromancy, granting them preferential treatment and hospitality across Thayan institutions. He authorized a payment of ten thousand gold pieces to each of them — which Velessa, in a moment of spectacular undignity, poured directly down the front of her clothing — and offered each member a rare magical item, with the option to commission bespoke instruments from his household artificers. Yona requested access to his private libraries and necromantic knowledge to aid her patron Miirym, and it was granted without hesitation.

Szass Tam also pledged one significant future service to the party collectively, promising to put the undertaking in writing, and offered them refuge and protection within his territories against any agents of Bane who might seek retaliation. He told them plainly that he had spent a very long time surrounded by those who approached him seeking power, wealth, or immortality — and that they had earned his genuine respect for standing their ground against the God of Tyranny himself. That evening, Yona spent the night in the Zulkir's library, searching for clues that might one day free Miirym from her soul-binding curse at Candlekeep, while the rest of the party enjoyed the estate's considerable hospitality. The following morning, Hestra saw them out to a waiting carriage, and they began the three-day journey back to Eltabbar.

The road was long, and the party filled it with debates about magical items, the mechanics of extra-dimensional spaces, and the deeply questionable cuisine of the Underdark. Velessa described a drow flatbread called Blarth — made from fungus and minty lichen-infused cave slug butter — to the visible horror of her companions, while Séantal and Taliya argued the merits of Marmite and fairy bread with equal passion. Yona, who had joined the group only days ago, reflected with some amazement that she had already met a god, attended an infernal court case, and been granted access to one of the most powerful necromancers in Faerûn's private library. The carriage rolled on.

Two days into the journey, the carriage passed through the village of Kethron, and the party found it utterly transformed. Where there had once been a sleepy, neglected hamlet, there were now armed guards, shackled prisoners laboring in the irrigation canals, wagons loaded with confiscated luxury goods, and a large notice board plastered with government documents stamped in black wax. They found Veyra Vorn walking out of the administrative building with a bounce in her step, her black and green clothing immaculate despite the surrounding dust and mud. She cheerfully explained that she had uncovered a network of corruption involving diverted irrigation funds, falsified accounts, and projects that had never been completed — the treasurer had received ten years of hard labor, the works inspector five, and the head magistrate had been executed for criminal neglect that had caused three preventable deaths. She pointed out one particular worker in the canal who, upon closer inspection, turned out to be undead — the magistrate's remains, she noted with a satisfied nod, reassigned to public service rather than wastefully buried.

Séantal and Veyra fell into easy conversation about the beauty of properly documented investigation and their shared contempt for incompetence, and by the time the carriage reached Eltabbar, Séantal had invited her to share a drink. At the city's gate station, the guards treated the party with a deference they had not previously enjoyed, waving them through customs without a word of harassment. Veyra observed the change with a smirk, and Velessa attributed it simply to having done some very important paperwork for someone very important. The group arrived at the Crystal Ball Inn, where Veyra reminded Séantal of the standing invitation, and when Séantal asked for a recommendation for a good establishment, she looked around the inn and said it would do just fine.

Last we left off, our party found themselves in the most unusual of courtrooms — the ritual chamber of Szass Tam's estate, where arbiters from Phlegethos arrived through a portal — standing as legal advocates in a case that would determine the fate of one of Faerûn's most feared and ancient souls. Bane v. Tam, the divorce to end all divorces, had reached its final arguments, with the God of Tyranny himself manifesting as a colossal black hand overhead, chains of shadow pulling at the suspended covenant between him and Szass Tam, the Zulkir of Necromancy. The party argued brilliantly and precisely: the contract had never demanded exclusivity, only primacy — and primacy had been achieved. Article XVII permitted the discharge of Bane's entitlement before it matured, every condition had been satisfied, and even the contract's own subclauses argued against the god's position. Magistrix Istrava, unmoved by divine fury, overruled Bane's objections one by one, and when the Calamus Pactum drifted through the air and Szass Tam extended one skeletal hand to sign his renunciation, the chamber shuddered. Every chain shattered. Bane's colossal hand dissolved into ash. And in the silence that followed, Szass Tam said quietly that he had forgotten what silence felt like.

In the aftermath, the Zulkir led the party to his banquet chamber and rewarded them with extraordinary generosity — ten thousand gold pieces each, rare magical items, access to his private libraries, a pledge of one significant future service, and formal recognition as honored benefactors of his office across all Thayan institutions. He told them plainly that in a very long existence surrounded by those who sought only power and immortality, they had earned something rarer: his genuine respect. Yona spent the night in his library, searching for any thread that might one day free her patron Miirym from her soul-binding curse, while the rest of the party enjoyed the estate's considerable hospitality.

Now, three days into the road back to Eltabbar, the party has passed through the transformed village of Kethron — where the inimitable Veyra Vorn had already dismantled a corruption network, sentenced its architects, and put the executed magistrate's remains to work in the irrigation canals — and arrived at last in the city, waved through customs without a word of harassment and welcomed at the Crystal Ball Inn. The God of Tyranny has lost an argument by the terms of his own contract, a lich stands free of a divine claim centuries in the making, and our party finds themselves, for the moment, exactly where they belong: at a well-earned drink, in very interesting company...

In Tam's own estate, Bane made his case, But Bane's contract was put in its place. The party read fine print, Gave Tyranny a hint — And Istrava kept her poker face!

The Calamus Pactum did float, And Szass Tam signed each careful note. The chains burst apart, The hand turned to art — Just ash, and a god's final gloat!

"You were mine!" Bane did thunder and roar, But Tam said, "For a time — nothing more." The silence was sweet, The victory complete, And Vhale smiled walking out the door!

Ten thousand in gold for each friend, (Velessa's went straight down her end), A title, a pledge, A library's edge — The lich's respect, theirs to spend!

Through Kethron, where Veyra held sway, The corrupt had been swept clean away. The magistrate? Dead — Now digging instead. They rolled into Eltabbar: hooray!

Hearke well, ye souls of mortal birth, Who dare to stand in chambers grim, Where devils through a portal dim And gods themselves are bound to tell!

The Zulkir's chains were long and old, A covenant of shadow-ink, But Séantal and Taliya bold Did pull the God of Tyranny's brink.

"No exclusion was writ," they cried, "But primacy — and that was done!" The Magistrix, cold-eyed, replied: "Objection overruled. He's won."

Then Szass Tam raised his skeletal hand, And signed his name in silence deep; The chains did shatter, ash did land, And Bane's great fist fell fast asleep.

With gold and title, freely given, The party rode the long road home, By Veyra's justice, corruption riven — And found their inn, no more to roam.

Welcome to Bane v. Tam, the most bureaucratically satisfying smackdown in infernal legal history. Our party walked into a ritual chamber hosting a portal to Hell, argued contract law at a literal god, and won — not through divine power or heroic sacrifice, but through careful reading of subclauses. The God of Tyranny, manifesting as a building-sized black fist of pure menace, was ultimately defeated by Article XVII and the flat, unimpressed stare of a devil magistrate who had clearly heard enough. When Bane roared that he offered the party nothing, Séantal calmly pointed out they hadn't been asking him. When Bane announced his own identity to the court, Istrava noted it had been adequately established. A god got bureaucratically owned, Szass Tam signed his freedom with a quill that briefly turned white like it was having a moment, and Vhale left with a barely concealed smile because apparently even archdevil archivists appreciate a good precedent.

Then the party got paid ten thousand gold each — Velessa immediately poured hers down her shirt, which is a choice — received a formal title from one of Faerûn's most powerful liches, and rolled back into Eltabbar to find that Veyra Vorn had already dismantled an entire corruption ring, sentenced a treasurer, executed a magistrate, and put said magistrate's undead corpse to work in a canal. Just a normal Tuesday. The city guards waved them through customs without a word, because apparently "did paperwork for a very important lich" is a perfectly valid form of identification in Thay.

Dramatic — Szass Tam

For a time.

Context: Softly responding to Bane's furious cry of 'You were mine,' looking up at the terrible darkness of the god's dissolving hand with quiet, centuries-old resignation.

Funny — Magistrix Istrava

Yes, your identity has been adequately established.

Context: Dryly responding to Bane's thunderous declaration of 'I am Bane' with the flat, unimpressed tone of a bureaucrat who has heard it all before.

Funny — Séantal

We weren't asking you, Bane, but thank you for your input.

Context: Responding to Bane's furious declaration that he offers the party nothing, after Séantal had been negotiating with the Magistrix, not the god.

Funny — Séantal

Next time, Bane, make some better friends with devils and get a better contract written.

Context: Remarking on the god's catastrophically poorly written contract after the Magistrix overruled his final objection, essentially ending the case.

Dramatic

Szass Tam signs the Calamus Pactum, the quill's feather flashing brilliant white before returning to black, as every chain binding the covenant shatters simultaneously and Bane's colossal hand dissolves into ash.

Context: The climax of centuries of servitude, ending in a moment of eerie silence after a sound like a thousand iron doors slamming shut.

Dramatic — Szass Tam

I had forgotten what silence felt like.

Context: Standing alone beneath the empty space where Bane's hand had been, eyes fixed on something no one else could see, after centuries of the god's oppressive presence.

Funny

Velessa pours her share of 1,000 platinum coins down the front of her clothing to carry them, prompting Szass Tam to remark that in all his thousand years, this was a first.

Context: Immediately after receiving their payment from the Zulkir of Necromancy, in the most undignified way possible.

Funny — Vhale, the Assessor

It's not every day that a god loses an argument by the terms of his own contract.

Context: Adjusting her glasses with a barely concealed smile as she followed Magistrix Istrava out of the courtroom, savoring the historic legal defeat of a deity.

1. The Infernal Court: Bane's Objections

The party acts as legal advocates for Szass Tam in a high-stakes infernal court case held in his estate's ritual chamber against the god Bane, countering his claims that the covenant was unfulfilled.

Key events

• Magistrix Istrava presides over the courtroom as the party presents evidence of Szass Tam's substantial performance of his religious obligations.
• Bane manifests in the chamber as a colossal black hand descending from the ceiling, with chains of shadow weaving into the suspended contract.
• Bane argues that the contract is unfulfilled because other gods are still worshipped in Thay, despite his promise of supremacy.
• Séantal and Taliya counter-argue that the contract never stipulated exclusivity or a specific timeframe for religious dominance.
• Yona points out that Szass Tam provided all necessary means for Bane's cult to flourish and cannot be held responsible for the priests' failure to maintain it.
• Magistrix Istrava reviews the contract and overrules Bane's objection, citing that official primacy was established and that Bane failed to demonstrate a failure to establish his faith's official primacy.
• Bane's colossal hand closes into a fist, its chains pulling against the suspended covenant with a sound like enormous iron gates being dragged.
• Bane asserts an enduring entitlement under Article 7, claiming the price of Szass Tam's soul remains owed for centuries of divine patronage.

2. The Final Arguments of Bane v. Tam

The party reviews Article XVII of the covenant and presents their final legal arguments before Magistrix Istrava to sever Szass Tam's contract with the god Bane.

Key events

• The party reviews Article XVII of the covenant, which permits a lawful partition before the claimant's entitlement matures, and confirms all required conditions have been met.
• The party argues that Szass Tam fulfilled his obligations by establishing the primacy of Bane's worship in Thay, noting that the contract did not require exclusivity.
• Taliya points out that the contract's own subclause states that loss of sovereign authority shall not in itself constitute proof of deliberate breach.
• Bane manifests as a colossal black hand and rumbles with the sound of an earthquake, asserting his identity and displeasure.
• Magistrix Istrava dryly responds that Bane's identity has been adequately established, and overrules his objections, noting that he consented to the court's jurisdiction and cannot revoke that consent merely because he dislikes the results.
• Séantal negotiates for protection against divine retaliation, and the Magistrix clarifies that the court cannot prohibit every independent future action of a deity, but that the party holds no contractual liability.
• Bane roars that he offers the party nothing, to which Séantal replies they were not asking him.
• Szass Tam expresses his satisfaction with the direction of the proceedings.

3. The Severing of the Covenant

In the ritual chamber court, the party authorizes the final execution of the contract partition, leading to Szass Tam's liberation from Bane.

Key events

• Vhale the Assessor requests an authenticated copy of the judgment for Archdevil Glasya's private archives, noting that an established precedent is considerably more useful than an interesting theory.
• Magistrix Istrava grants the request and formally sustains the petition for the lawful partition of the covenant.
• The Seal of Concordance illuminates the chamber, validating that Szass Tam has fulfilled his religious undertakings and renounced future benefits.
• The Calamus Pactum, a dark-feathered quill, drifts toward the party to receive their lawful authorization as proprietors of the instrument.
• Szass Tam approaches the altar for the first time since entering the chamber, hesitating as his gaze settles on the hovering quill.
• Szass Tam renounces all divine patronage and petitions for the extinguishment of Bane's claim on his soul, then signs the document with the Calamus Pactum.
• As Szass Tam signs, the quill's feather flashes brilliant white before returning to black.
• The crimson ring of the covenant collapses into fragments of light while silver geometry from the Seal of Concordance intersects the chains binding the contract.
• A knot of iron-colored flame, representing the last of Bane's divine gifts, is pulled from Szass Tam's chest and expunged by the Seal of Concordance with no explosion — simply an absence where something once existed.
• Lysandra Mortain steps forward to witness the lawful execution of the instrument, recording in her divine ledger that no claim on the petitioner's soul shall pass to another.
• Bane's colossal hand spasms and roars in fury, crying out 'You were mine,' before dissolving into ash as the chains binding the covenant shatter simultaneously.
• Szass Tam looks up at the terrible darkness and softly says, 'For a time.'
• Magistrix Istrava officially adjourns the court and departs back through the portal to Phlegethos.
• Vhale, the Assessor, expresses satisfaction at seeing a god lose an argument by the terms of his own contract before following the Magistrix.

4. A Zulkir's Gratitude

Following the court victory, Szass Tam hosts the party in his banquet chamber to discuss their compensation and standing in Thay.

Key events

• Szass Tam leads the party to his banquet chamber, where Hestra and other servants greet them with drinks and food.
• The Zulkir admits he initially considered their success unlikely but expresses deep respect for their competence, noting they exceeded his expectations.
• Hestra presents a crimson leather folio containing illuminated documents bearing Szass Tam's personal seal.
• Szass Tam officially enters the party's names into Thayan records as honored benefactors of the Zulkir of Necromancy, granting them preferential treatment and hospitality within his nation.
• The Zulkir authorizes a payment of 10,000 gold pieces to each adventurer, which the party chooses to receive in platinum.
• Velessa humorously pours her share of platinum coins down the front of her clothing to carry them, prompting a dry observation from Szass Tam.
• Tam offers each member a rare magical item, even allowing them the opportunity to commission bespoke instruments from his household artificers.
• Yona requests and is granted personal access to Szass Tam's private libraries and necromantic knowledge to assist her patron, Miirym.
• Szass Tam pledges one significant future service to the collective party, promising to put the undertaking in writing as a gesture of respect for their competence.
• Szass Tam offers the party refuge within his territories and protection from the agents of Bane.
• Szass Tam expresses that he has spent a very long time surrounded by those who approached him for power or wealth, and that the party has earned his respect for standing their ground against the God of Tyranny.
• Hestra is instructed to prepare all necessary documents and communicate the party's requirements to the appropriate offices.

5. Dinner and Drunken Debates

The party enjoys a lavish banquet at Szass Tam's estate, discussing the political fallout of the trial and their future plans.

Key events

• Tazira Imravel joins the party for dinner and inquires about the outcome of the trial.
• The group discusses the 'religious loosening' in Thay now that Bane no longer has direct influence over the nation.
• Velessa reveals that her mother is currently militarily occupying Baldur's Gate, framing it as complicated family drama.
• The party discusses Szass Tam's plans now that he is free of Bane's influence, noting his ambitions can now span indefinitely.
• A drunken conversation ensues regarding the nature of chickens, drow recipes like 'Blarth,' and the ethics of eating various creatures.
• Tazira begins reviewing the party's compensation folio while they discuss which magical items to commission.
• The party discusses the mechanics of extra-dimensional spaces like portable holes and bags of holding.
• Tazira informs the group that they will be transported back to Eltabbar the following morning.
• Yona contacts Miirym through a planar connection and receives guidance to search Szass Tam's library for clues to break the dragon's soul-binding curse at Candlekeep.
• The servants grant Yona permission to explore the library at her heart's content, and she spends the night researching.

6. The Road to Eltabbar

The party travels back to Eltabbar over three days in a carriage, passing the time with debates about food, magic items, and their upcoming return to Baldur's Gate.

Key events

• Velessa, Séantal, and Yona discuss various rare magical items they might commission, including stones of elemental control, flying brooms, and specialized armor.
• Tazira reveals she was promised a reward by the Zulkir for her assistance, ensuring the Imravel family can continue their licensed business across Faerûn.
• Yona offers to accompany Velessa to Baldur's Gate to help deal with Velessa's mother and the military occupation of the city.
• Velessa describes 'Blarth,' a drow flatbread made from fungus and minty lichen-infused cave slug butter, to the disgust of her companions.
• The party debates the merits of surface foods like Marmite and fairy bread, and speculates on the taste of monster meats like chuuls and cave crickets.
• The group reflects on the rapid pace of their adventures, with Yona noting she has already met a god within days of joining the party.

7. Return to Kethron

The party's carriage passes through the village of Kethron, where they find it dramatically transformed by Veyra Vorn's administrative justice.

Key events

• The carriage approaches the village, revealing a bustling scene of construction and repair on the irrigation canals and aqueducts under armed supervision.
• The party observes living workers in iron shackles performing hard labor under armed supervision, a departure from the usual Thayan practice of using undead labor.
• Wagons are seen loaded with confiscated luxury goods, furniture, and fine clothing marked with red inventory tags.
• A large notice board displays lengthy government documents stamped in black wax, signaling the new administrative order.
• The party locates Veyra Vorn at the administrative building, where she cheerfully explains she uncovered a network of corruption involving diverted irrigation funds and falsified accounts.
• Veyra explains that the treasurer was sentenced to ten years of hard labor, the works inspector to five, and the head magistrate was executed for criminal neglect resulting in three preventable deaths.
• Veyra points out an undead worker in the canal, revealing it is the remains of the executed magistrate, reassigned to public service.
• Séantal and Veyra bond over their shared appreciation for accurate record-keeping and their hatred of incompetence.
• Séantal invites Veyra to share a drink once they return to Eltabbar, and she accepts.

8. Return to Eltabbar and the Crystal Ball Inn

The party arrives back in Eltabbar with Veyra Vorn, noticing a significant shift in how they are treated by authorities before settling in at the Crystal Ball Inn.

Key events

• Veyra Vorn finishes reprimanding a local official and joins the party at their carriage for the journey to Eltabbar.
• Yona chooses to sit outside with the driver to avoid Veyra Vorn, whom she finds intimidating.
• The carriage arrives at the Eltabbar gate station where the guards treat the party with newfound deference, allowing them to pass through customs without harassment.
• Veyra Vorn notes the change in treatment with a smirk, and Velessa attributes it to their recent work for Szass Tam.
• The group arrives at the Crystal Ball Inn, where Veyra reminds Séantal of their earlier offer to share a drink.
• Séantal asks for a recommendation for a good establishment, and Veyra suggests the Crystal Ball Inn itself will do just fine.

Magistrix Istrava

An ancient pit fiend jurist who presides over the infernal court convened in Szass Tam's ritual chamber with an iron gavel and molten gaze. She is cold, precise, and strictly adheres to the letter of infernal law, overruling Bane's objections and officially discharging Szass Tam's obligations before departing back through a portal to Phlegethos.

Bane

The God of Tyranny, manifesting in the courtroom as a colossal black hand with chains of shadow descending from the ceiling. He is arrogant and furious, claiming entitlement to Szass Tam's soul and roaring in fury as his contract is severed and his claim extinguished, before dissolving into ash.

Szass Tam

The Zulkir of Necromancy and ruler of Thay. He remains composed throughout the proceedings and shows rare relief upon the severance of his covenant with Bane. He rewards the party generously with gold, political standing, rare magic items, and a significant future favor, expressing genuine respect for their competence.

Lysandra Mortain

The Chosen of Jergal, present in the courtroom as a disinterested divine witness. She quietly takes notes on the proceedings in her divine ledger, acting as a court stenographer, and formally witnesses the lawful execution of the contract severance.

Vhale, the Assessor

An erinyes antiquarian who requests an authenticated copy of the judgment for Lady Glasya's private archives. She finds the god Bane's legal defeat 'rather satisfying,' noting that it is not every day a god loses an argument by the terms of his own contract.

Hestra Vaul

Szass Tam's personal chamberlain who presents the crimson leather folio of compensation documents to the party and manages the logistics of their rewards and departure from the estate.

Tazira Imravel

A dry-witted Thayan bureaucrat who joins the party for dinner at Szass Tam's estate, reviews their legal documents, and arranges their carriage transport back to Eltabbar. She reveals her family's business licenses are secure thanks to the party's success.

Miirym

The spectral dragon guardian of Candlekeep who communicated with Yona via a planar connection, guiding her to search Szass Tam's library for clues to break her soul-binding curse and to pursue her own personal power.

Veyra Vorn

A Deputy Prefect of Civic Order who has transformed the village of Kethron through strict Banite administrative justice, rooting out corruption, sentencing officials to hard labor, and reassigning the executed magistrate's remains to public service. She is immaculate, cheerful, and deeply committed to the idea that incompetence is the greatest sin. She joins the party's carriage back to Eltabbar and agrees to share a drink with Séantal.

Szass Tam's Ritual Chamber

A ritual chamber in Szass Tam's estate, temporarily serving as an infernal courtroom where Magistrix Istrava and Vhale arrived through a portal from Phlegethos to adjudicate high-stakes contractual disputes. The atmosphere is heavy with the presence of divine and infernal powers, featuring chains of shadow, rings of infernal writing, and a suspended covenant illuminated by the Seal of Concordance. The court adjourns as the arbiters depart back through the portal to Phlegethos.

Szass Tam's Estate

A palatial residence in the volcanic Thaymount where the party is hosted in a banquet chamber following their legal victory. Managed by chamberlain Hestra Vaul, the estate operates with unnatural precision using both living and undead servants. The party was also granted access to the estate's private library of necromantic and arcane lore.

Kethron

A previously sleepy hamlet that has been transformed into a bustling hub of state-mandated labor and reconstruction under Veyra Vorn's administration. The atmosphere is heavy with the presence of armed guards, shackled prisoners, confiscated property, and the clinical efficiency of Banite justice.

Eltabbar

The capital city of Thay, where the party's status has noticeably risen following their successful legal work for Szass Tam. Gate officials treat the party with newfound deference, allowing them to pass through customs without the usual harassment.

Crystal Ball Inn

A respectable establishment in Eltabbar where the party returns to rest at the end of the session. Séantal and Veyra Vorn agree to share a drink here.

The Covenant

The ancient infernal contract between Bane and Szass Tam, suspended in the courtroom and bound by chains of shadow leading from Bane's colossal hand. Its rings of infernal writing collapse and shatter as the severance is executed.

Calamus Pactum

A dark-feathered infernal quill that hovers and gathers black ink beneath its nib. It is the central instrument required to execute the severance of the covenant. During the signing, its feather briefly flared with the brilliance of a fallen star before returning to black. The party, as its proprietors, authorized its use to complete the proceedings.

Seal of Concordance

A powerful artifact used to validate the proposed partition of the covenant. Its silver geometric lines illuminated the chamber and expunged the iron-colored flame of Bane's last divine gift from Szass Tam's chest with perfect geometric precision.

Lysandra's Divine Ledger

The book held by Lysandra Mortain, used to preserve the historical record of the covenant's severance and the discharge of Szass Tam's obligations, ensuring no claim on his soul passes to another.

Thayan Writs of Service

Beautifully illuminated documents bearing Szass Tam's personal seal, contained within a crimson leather folio presented by Hestra. They recognize the party as honored benefactors of the Zulkir of Necromancy, granting preferential treatment and hospitality within Thayan institutions.

Portable Hole

A magical item discussed by the party as a potential commission reward. Velessa considered acquiring one and joked about keeping it in her clothing, while Taliya warned of the catastrophic consequences of placing it inside a bag of holding.

Broom of Flying

A magical transportation device the party considered commissioning as one of their rare item rewards. The GM noted that its appearance could be flavored as a cape or other garment rather than a literal broom.