Elodan
Adventurer
Posting my campaign summaries. Feel free to ask for clarifications or more details.
Bear with me as this is my first attempt at a story hour posting.
12 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)
Diamond Lake. The trail Windsdale, a male human greenbond of Illuskan decent, had been following ended here. About a tenday ago, Windsdale found an area of the Misty Forrest that had been eradicated. The trees were either missing or broken. Was this the work of an agent of the Dark? Windsdale was not going to let those who had wounded the land get away. The loggers had left an easy trail to follow. Along the trail he met Ash, a male strongheart halfling wolf totem Warrior, who had seen a caravan carrying a large load of logs pass by not a day or two ahead of the greenbond. The two journeyed together and found themselves in Diamond Lake at the Able Carter Coaching Inn.
Located on the Delimbyir Route mid way between Daggerford and Secomber, Diamond Lake was exactly how Windsdale remembered human settlements; dirty, smelly and containing no respect for the Green. The pair discovered that the wood was for local mine manager, Balabar Smenk, so that he may add-on to his residence. Ash and Windsdale decided to ask about the inn to see what else they could learn about Smenk and his men. It was while they were enjoying a drink after their evening meal that Barrik, a male shield dwarf mage, approached Ash and Windsdale. Barrik was a local resident of Diamond Lake. The dwarf had worked the various mines for years and was tired of it. He wanted to leave the town. The death of his cousin, Thalor Axebeard in the Tilgast mines was the last straw. He had heard that some children in the Forlorn Hills had discovered a new cairn a few hours north of the town. The cairns and the riches that were usually to be found within was the main reason Diamond Lake was established. Barrik had heard that a group of adventurers have come from Waterdeep to explore the Stirgenest Cairn. He figured it would only be a matter of time before they heard or stumbled upon this new cairn, dubbed the Whispering Cairn by the children who discovered it. Barrik had been waiting for someone trustworthy to help him enter the cairn and take its riches. He knows why Windsdale and Ash are in town and that they are outsiders, which make them more attractive as partners. Barrik buys the pair a drink and tells them his story. At first, the pair would not be swayed from their quest but the desperation in the dwarf's eyes and the idea that agents of the Dark or people like Smenk could use the riches from the tomb work against the resolve of the halfling and human.
The three are toasting their new alliance and the adventure ahead of them when, from four tables away, Mason Vheold, a male human warmain who appears to be of Damaran blood, shouts "Adventure! I believe I'm an adventurer. Perhaps I can help you?" as he approaches the trio. The strongheart replies, "Excuse me? I don't believe we were talking to you. Is it the custom where you come from to barge your way into other people's conversations?" "I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm a soldier for hire,” replies Mason. “Don't remember much else before that battle in Mithril Hall a few years back. I went to Silverymoon to find my past, but didn't have much luck. I was thinking of heading to Candlekeep next, so I started heading that way and ended up here. I've been here for a day. I was thinking of looking for some work here since my traveling funds are running low. Now, it sounds like you might have an opportunity that's right up my alley." Ash whispers something to Windsdale and gets a chuckle in reply. "It's your quest, friend," Ash tells the dwarf. Barrik address Mason, "Well, at least you're not from this pimple on a dragon's arse. You do look like you'd be useful in a fight, so…you can come."
13 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms
The foursome leave early in the morning and arrive at an abandoned mine office several hours later. Barrik tells the others that the cairn's entrance is close. Proceeding on, Barrik exclaims, "This is it" when the group reaches an area of heavy undergrowth. After a few moments of search, the band of four discovers the entrance to the Whispering Cairn. Once they cross the threshold, the dwarf, halfling and two humans are greeting by a whispering that comes from all around. Upon closer inspection, they find that the walls are riddled with little holes and the whispers originate from them. Passing a pair of alcoves directly across from one another they find that the western one is blocked by rubble, possibly from a cave in. The other contains what appears to be the remains of a mirror frame and the ground is littered with a strange black glass. Whispers echoing around them, the group moves further down to the corridor. Greeted by a strong musky odor, they come to another set of alcoves. Ash remarks, "This is familiar." The left is blocked by rubble and the left seems to have a dais with whatever is on it just beyond the reach of their light. Ahead think cobwebs block the path. Beyond the cobwebs comes a sickly green glow.
As Mason approaches the passage to burn the webs, the sound of low growls comes from the western alcove and three wolves attack the party. Windsdale is brought low before he realizes that the beasts where there. "Wolves! Of course, it's wolves," murmurs Ash as he prepares his weapon. The group manages to defeat the animals without much damage. The party then discovered that the western alcove is not as blocked as they believed. There is a small passage leading to the wolves' den beyond the rubble. The halfling decides this would be a safe place to put Windsdale, who is stable but unconscious, while the group continues to investigate the cairn. While moving the body, the wolf totem warrior finds a lantern made of indigo colored glass. "Do you hear running water?" Mason asks Barrik. Ash exits the wolf den with a smile on his face and proceeds to find a mural in the alcove with the dais. The mural is of a large area with passages evenly spaced around the main area. At the end of each passage is a lit lantern reflecting a different color of the rainbow. Beyond the cobwebs are stairs leading down.
As they reach the bottom of the landing, the group (minus one) finds the chamber depicted in the mural. The chamber has a sarcophagus in the middle. A bas-relief figure of a djinni decorates its cover. As the group approaches the center of the room and the object there, they hear noises coming from the stairs they've just descended. Weapons drawn, the explorers turn to face this challenge. Ready to fight more wolves they are somewhat surprised to find a dwarf stumbling down the steps. "Barrik! There you are. How could you leave me out of this? What kind of cousin are you?" Bellows the newcomer. "Just how many cousins do you have?" asks an exasperated halfling. Barrik rolls his eyes, "I didn't invite you because you were too busy pissing away your wages in the Veiled Corridor." "I'd still be there but me money ran out and then I remember what you told me about this place so here I am." Ash perks up, "Veiled Corridor?" "Make yourself useful and help me open the lid of this thing," Barrik tells his cousin. "By the way this is John, he fancies himself a fighter" he introduces the other shield dwarf. As this conversation concludes, Mason moves down one of the passages. This one seems to be the source of the eerie green light. He finds an everburning torch stuck in a lantern similar to the one Ash found earlier, except this one is made of green glass. He and Ash begin looking down the other passages and find the same thing except for the passage that should hold the red lantern is empty. As the human and halfling and making their way around the chamber, they hear a WHOOSH and see a bright light coming from the center of the room. They turn to see the sarcophagus lid open and the two dwarves rolling on the ground trying to smoother flames. "What in the nine hells is going on," shouts Mason as he runs back and pushes the lid closed. As he slams the lid shut he notices that the sarcophagus is empty. The warmain also notices that the dais the coffin sits upon is shaped like an arrow and points at the chamber with the orange lantern. "Maybe this thing moves." He asks John the still smoldering dwarf if he could try and shift the coffin. John is able to push the sarcophagus until it points to the yellow lantern chamber. A great rumbling of the sound of stone grinding against stone emanates from the yellow chamber. At the back, a small cylinder rises from the floor and a door in the front opens to reveal a hollow space inside. Mason and Ash approach the cylinder. The find it empty and just large enough for the human to fit in. Mason climbs in and immediately the doors close and the cylinder returns to the floor. The others wait for a few moments and the cylinder again rises from the floor. When the doors open the cylinder is empty. "He must be trapped down there, see if you can move the thing back," Ash tells the dwarves. "No good, it only moves in one direction," replies John. "Push it forward then, " is the totem warrior's retort as he rolls his eyes. John and Barrik push the sarcophagus until it points to the chamber with the green lantern.
Again comes the sound of rumbling and stone grinding against stone from the green passage. Another cylinder rises from the floor. Before the three can move toward it, there comes a loud crash and the floor gives way under the cylinder. As Ash joins the shield dwarves by the sarcophagus the sound of hundreds of insects echoes from the hole in the back of the green passage. A horrible creature that appears to be an eye with six sharp legs climbs out of the opening and is quickly followed by a swarm of beetles. "Windsdale! I've got to get him out of the wolves' den or these creatures could finish him." Exclaims the halfling as he runs up the stairs. "Give me time." "Take all the time ye need," says John as he draws his axe. Barrik loads a crossbow and fires a bolt into the aberration on six legs that is rapidly moving toward them. Several more bolts take down the creature before it can reach the pair of dwarves. John steps up confidently to the beetle swarm and swings his axe at the creatures only to find that the axe does little to slow the swarm. He tells Barrik to run and does so himself. Unfortunately, it is too late for Barrik as the swarm reaches him and begins to crawl over his body. The mage quickly drops. Barrik lights a torch and tries to burn the swarm off his cousin. He finds that the torch is doing more harm to Barrik than the swarm. Ash has pulled Windsdale to the outside of the cairn and returned to the bottom of the stairs to find that Barrik is slowly being eaten alive by the swarm. He launches a flask of oil at the body that connects and covers the beetles and Barrik. "Burn it", yells Ash, "hopefully we can find him a healer before he expires." John lights the oil. Flames consume the beetles and shield dwarf body for some moments. As the fire dies down, the pair find, much to their dismay, that these beetles were acid beetles and released their acid as they died. Destroying Barrik's body.
Ash says, "Let's go, there may be more beetles about." John refuses to leave without Mason. He won't leave another to suffer the same fate as Ash. Urgently, the pair push the sarcophagus along. Nothing happens until they reach the passage where the indigo lantern should be. Another cylinder springs from the ground. They notice it is filled with crushed bones and decide to place a lantern in it to see what happens. They continue to push the sarcophagus around. At the yellow passage the cylinder raises from the floor, it is empty. Determined to see what happened in the cylinder in the indigo passage, the halfling and dwarf push on. With the arrow once again pointing at the indigo passage, the cylinder rises from the floor. The duo is dismayed to find the lantern crushed. They decide to perform the same test in the yellow passage.
Mason, somewhat cramped inside the cylinder feels the sensation of motion and finds the doors opening after a moment or so. As he steps out, the doors close and the cylinder lifts into the ceiling. The warmain finds himself in a small room with the only passage blocked by a large stone. Searching the room, Mason finds a button on the wall near where the cylinder rested when it was in the room. He pushes the button and the cylinder comes down and the doors open. The human steps inside only to find that nothing happens. The doors stay open and the cylinder remains in place. Mason steps out of the cylinder. The doors quickly shut and the cylinder rises into the ceiling. Fearing that he may have to find another way out, Mason tries to move the block that is blocking the passage. Unable to do so, the warmain removes his armor and tries to fit in the small opening between the block and the ceiling of the opening. He finds that he is too big to fit. In frustration, he slams the button on the wall. To his surprise the cylinder doors open and a lantern is sitting in the middle of the floor. Mason decides to write a message on the inside of the cylinder with the only thing he has, soap. This is Mason, come down. Warily watching the hole in the green lantern passage, Ash and John push the sarcophagus until it comes to rest on the yellow lantern passage. Luckily, the totem warrior notices that there is something a little shiny reflecting off the back of the wall inside the cylinder. Reading the message, he shakes his head. Ash pulls out a piece of chalk and writes, `Get up here or we're leaving your arse here." For the fourth, or is it fifth, time they push the sarcophagus around. Mason having noticed that sometimes there is a difference in how high up the cylinder raises, waits until the cylinder lowers itself somewhat and then pushes the button. Reading the message on the inside wall, he then steps in and waits. Eventually, the exhausted halfling and dwarf push the sarcophagus. The cylinder rises from the back of the yellow lantern passage with Mason inside. The three decided to head back to town to recover. The adventures spend the night just inside the cairn and leave for Diamond Lake at first light.
14 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms
Bearing Windsdale on a litter, the group makes it back to Diamond Lake without further incident. They bring the greenbond to the Bronze Lodge of Silvanus where the priests take him in and care for him. The remaining three decide to explore the town. Ash discovers the pleasures of the Veiled Corridor while Mason and John discover the meaning of proper dress requited, quickly followed by drinking at the Feral Dog.
Bear with me as this is my first attempt at a story hour posting.
12 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)
Diamond Lake. The trail Windsdale, a male human greenbond of Illuskan decent, had been following ended here. About a tenday ago, Windsdale found an area of the Misty Forrest that had been eradicated. The trees were either missing or broken. Was this the work of an agent of the Dark? Windsdale was not going to let those who had wounded the land get away. The loggers had left an easy trail to follow. Along the trail he met Ash, a male strongheart halfling wolf totem Warrior, who had seen a caravan carrying a large load of logs pass by not a day or two ahead of the greenbond. The two journeyed together and found themselves in Diamond Lake at the Able Carter Coaching Inn.
Located on the Delimbyir Route mid way between Daggerford and Secomber, Diamond Lake was exactly how Windsdale remembered human settlements; dirty, smelly and containing no respect for the Green. The pair discovered that the wood was for local mine manager, Balabar Smenk, so that he may add-on to his residence. Ash and Windsdale decided to ask about the inn to see what else they could learn about Smenk and his men. It was while they were enjoying a drink after their evening meal that Barrik, a male shield dwarf mage, approached Ash and Windsdale. Barrik was a local resident of Diamond Lake. The dwarf had worked the various mines for years and was tired of it. He wanted to leave the town. The death of his cousin, Thalor Axebeard in the Tilgast mines was the last straw. He had heard that some children in the Forlorn Hills had discovered a new cairn a few hours north of the town. The cairns and the riches that were usually to be found within was the main reason Diamond Lake was established. Barrik had heard that a group of adventurers have come from Waterdeep to explore the Stirgenest Cairn. He figured it would only be a matter of time before they heard or stumbled upon this new cairn, dubbed the Whispering Cairn by the children who discovered it. Barrik had been waiting for someone trustworthy to help him enter the cairn and take its riches. He knows why Windsdale and Ash are in town and that they are outsiders, which make them more attractive as partners. Barrik buys the pair a drink and tells them his story. At first, the pair would not be swayed from their quest but the desperation in the dwarf's eyes and the idea that agents of the Dark or people like Smenk could use the riches from the tomb work against the resolve of the halfling and human.
The three are toasting their new alliance and the adventure ahead of them when, from four tables away, Mason Vheold, a male human warmain who appears to be of Damaran blood, shouts "Adventure! I believe I'm an adventurer. Perhaps I can help you?" as he approaches the trio. The strongheart replies, "Excuse me? I don't believe we were talking to you. Is it the custom where you come from to barge your way into other people's conversations?" "I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm a soldier for hire,” replies Mason. “Don't remember much else before that battle in Mithril Hall a few years back. I went to Silverymoon to find my past, but didn't have much luck. I was thinking of heading to Candlekeep next, so I started heading that way and ended up here. I've been here for a day. I was thinking of looking for some work here since my traveling funds are running low. Now, it sounds like you might have an opportunity that's right up my alley." Ash whispers something to Windsdale and gets a chuckle in reply. "It's your quest, friend," Ash tells the dwarf. Barrik address Mason, "Well, at least you're not from this pimple on a dragon's arse. You do look like you'd be useful in a fight, so…you can come."
13 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms
The foursome leave early in the morning and arrive at an abandoned mine office several hours later. Barrik tells the others that the cairn's entrance is close. Proceeding on, Barrik exclaims, "This is it" when the group reaches an area of heavy undergrowth. After a few moments of search, the band of four discovers the entrance to the Whispering Cairn. Once they cross the threshold, the dwarf, halfling and two humans are greeting by a whispering that comes from all around. Upon closer inspection, they find that the walls are riddled with little holes and the whispers originate from them. Passing a pair of alcoves directly across from one another they find that the western one is blocked by rubble, possibly from a cave in. The other contains what appears to be the remains of a mirror frame and the ground is littered with a strange black glass. Whispers echoing around them, the group moves further down to the corridor. Greeted by a strong musky odor, they come to another set of alcoves. Ash remarks, "This is familiar." The left is blocked by rubble and the left seems to have a dais with whatever is on it just beyond the reach of their light. Ahead think cobwebs block the path. Beyond the cobwebs comes a sickly green glow.
As Mason approaches the passage to burn the webs, the sound of low growls comes from the western alcove and three wolves attack the party. Windsdale is brought low before he realizes that the beasts where there. "Wolves! Of course, it's wolves," murmurs Ash as he prepares his weapon. The group manages to defeat the animals without much damage. The party then discovered that the western alcove is not as blocked as they believed. There is a small passage leading to the wolves' den beyond the rubble. The halfling decides this would be a safe place to put Windsdale, who is stable but unconscious, while the group continues to investigate the cairn. While moving the body, the wolf totem warrior finds a lantern made of indigo colored glass. "Do you hear running water?" Mason asks Barrik. Ash exits the wolf den with a smile on his face and proceeds to find a mural in the alcove with the dais. The mural is of a large area with passages evenly spaced around the main area. At the end of each passage is a lit lantern reflecting a different color of the rainbow. Beyond the cobwebs are stairs leading down.
As they reach the bottom of the landing, the group (minus one) finds the chamber depicted in the mural. The chamber has a sarcophagus in the middle. A bas-relief figure of a djinni decorates its cover. As the group approaches the center of the room and the object there, they hear noises coming from the stairs they've just descended. Weapons drawn, the explorers turn to face this challenge. Ready to fight more wolves they are somewhat surprised to find a dwarf stumbling down the steps. "Barrik! There you are. How could you leave me out of this? What kind of cousin are you?" Bellows the newcomer. "Just how many cousins do you have?" asks an exasperated halfling. Barrik rolls his eyes, "I didn't invite you because you were too busy pissing away your wages in the Veiled Corridor." "I'd still be there but me money ran out and then I remember what you told me about this place so here I am." Ash perks up, "Veiled Corridor?" "Make yourself useful and help me open the lid of this thing," Barrik tells his cousin. "By the way this is John, he fancies himself a fighter" he introduces the other shield dwarf. As this conversation concludes, Mason moves down one of the passages. This one seems to be the source of the eerie green light. He finds an everburning torch stuck in a lantern similar to the one Ash found earlier, except this one is made of green glass. He and Ash begin looking down the other passages and find the same thing except for the passage that should hold the red lantern is empty. As the human and halfling and making their way around the chamber, they hear a WHOOSH and see a bright light coming from the center of the room. They turn to see the sarcophagus lid open and the two dwarves rolling on the ground trying to smoother flames. "What in the nine hells is going on," shouts Mason as he runs back and pushes the lid closed. As he slams the lid shut he notices that the sarcophagus is empty. The warmain also notices that the dais the coffin sits upon is shaped like an arrow and points at the chamber with the orange lantern. "Maybe this thing moves." He asks John the still smoldering dwarf if he could try and shift the coffin. John is able to push the sarcophagus until it points to the yellow lantern chamber. A great rumbling of the sound of stone grinding against stone emanates from the yellow chamber. At the back, a small cylinder rises from the floor and a door in the front opens to reveal a hollow space inside. Mason and Ash approach the cylinder. The find it empty and just large enough for the human to fit in. Mason climbs in and immediately the doors close and the cylinder returns to the floor. The others wait for a few moments and the cylinder again rises from the floor. When the doors open the cylinder is empty. "He must be trapped down there, see if you can move the thing back," Ash tells the dwarves. "No good, it only moves in one direction," replies John. "Push it forward then, " is the totem warrior's retort as he rolls his eyes. John and Barrik push the sarcophagus until it points to the chamber with the green lantern.
Again comes the sound of rumbling and stone grinding against stone from the green passage. Another cylinder rises from the floor. Before the three can move toward it, there comes a loud crash and the floor gives way under the cylinder. As Ash joins the shield dwarves by the sarcophagus the sound of hundreds of insects echoes from the hole in the back of the green passage. A horrible creature that appears to be an eye with six sharp legs climbs out of the opening and is quickly followed by a swarm of beetles. "Windsdale! I've got to get him out of the wolves' den or these creatures could finish him." Exclaims the halfling as he runs up the stairs. "Give me time." "Take all the time ye need," says John as he draws his axe. Barrik loads a crossbow and fires a bolt into the aberration on six legs that is rapidly moving toward them. Several more bolts take down the creature before it can reach the pair of dwarves. John steps up confidently to the beetle swarm and swings his axe at the creatures only to find that the axe does little to slow the swarm. He tells Barrik to run and does so himself. Unfortunately, it is too late for Barrik as the swarm reaches him and begins to crawl over his body. The mage quickly drops. Barrik lights a torch and tries to burn the swarm off his cousin. He finds that the torch is doing more harm to Barrik than the swarm. Ash has pulled Windsdale to the outside of the cairn and returned to the bottom of the stairs to find that Barrik is slowly being eaten alive by the swarm. He launches a flask of oil at the body that connects and covers the beetles and Barrik. "Burn it", yells Ash, "hopefully we can find him a healer before he expires." John lights the oil. Flames consume the beetles and shield dwarf body for some moments. As the fire dies down, the pair find, much to their dismay, that these beetles were acid beetles and released their acid as they died. Destroying Barrik's body.
Ash says, "Let's go, there may be more beetles about." John refuses to leave without Mason. He won't leave another to suffer the same fate as Ash. Urgently, the pair push the sarcophagus along. Nothing happens until they reach the passage where the indigo lantern should be. Another cylinder springs from the ground. They notice it is filled with crushed bones and decide to place a lantern in it to see what happens. They continue to push the sarcophagus around. At the yellow passage the cylinder raises from the floor, it is empty. Determined to see what happened in the cylinder in the indigo passage, the halfling and dwarf push on. With the arrow once again pointing at the indigo passage, the cylinder rises from the floor. The duo is dismayed to find the lantern crushed. They decide to perform the same test in the yellow passage.
Mason, somewhat cramped inside the cylinder feels the sensation of motion and finds the doors opening after a moment or so. As he steps out, the doors close and the cylinder lifts into the ceiling. The warmain finds himself in a small room with the only passage blocked by a large stone. Searching the room, Mason finds a button on the wall near where the cylinder rested when it was in the room. He pushes the button and the cylinder comes down and the doors open. The human steps inside only to find that nothing happens. The doors stay open and the cylinder remains in place. Mason steps out of the cylinder. The doors quickly shut and the cylinder rises into the ceiling. Fearing that he may have to find another way out, Mason tries to move the block that is blocking the passage. Unable to do so, the warmain removes his armor and tries to fit in the small opening between the block and the ceiling of the opening. He finds that he is too big to fit. In frustration, he slams the button on the wall. To his surprise the cylinder doors open and a lantern is sitting in the middle of the floor. Mason decides to write a message on the inside of the cylinder with the only thing he has, soap. This is Mason, come down. Warily watching the hole in the green lantern passage, Ash and John push the sarcophagus until it comes to rest on the yellow lantern passage. Luckily, the totem warrior notices that there is something a little shiny reflecting off the back of the wall inside the cylinder. Reading the message, he shakes his head. Ash pulls out a piece of chalk and writes, `Get up here or we're leaving your arse here." For the fourth, or is it fifth, time they push the sarcophagus around. Mason having noticed that sometimes there is a difference in how high up the cylinder raises, waits until the cylinder lowers itself somewhat and then pushes the button. Reading the message on the inside wall, he then steps in and waits. Eventually, the exhausted halfling and dwarf push the sarcophagus. The cylinder rises from the back of the yellow lantern passage with Mason inside. The three decided to head back to town to recover. The adventures spend the night just inside the cairn and leave for Diamond Lake at first light.
14 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms
Bearing Windsdale on a litter, the group makes it back to Diamond Lake without further incident. They bring the greenbond to the Bronze Lodge of Silvanus where the priests take him in and care for him. The remaining three decide to explore the town. Ash discovers the pleasures of the Veiled Corridor while Mason and John discover the meaning of proper dress requited, quickly followed by drinking at the Feral Dog.
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