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Arcade’s Journal – The Academy of Flamecraft, Part 1
...set forth from Kindric many days ago, following Wyrmscar’s map and heading for Hettich. The town was once known as Heat-teach, evidence of its proximity to the Academy. We are seeking Goblin’s Leap, which should be found nearby. We passed through many wonderful towns: Ragost, the spa city of Helidan, and Callandale.
On arriving in Hettich we were greeted by an acolyte of a man named Tallonias the Prophet. The Prophet is the dominant figure in the local religion, and he apparently had foretold our coming. The acolyte kindly provided us with healing potions for our quest.
We made some inquiries about town. It seems that Chemith, the last known location of the Academy of Flamecraft 200 years ago, is now the home of horrible creatures of flame. It is located beyond the Flamefalls and the Fire Rift, and sits on the plains below. We resolved to avoid the area if possible, and set off on the trail to Goblin’s Leap....
...reached the ‘Leap. The entire area is a plateau, hundreds of miles long, set thousands of feet over the southern plain. The ‘Leap is at the top of this steep cliff, known as The Wall. At sundown, as described on the map, we began to descend the perilously narrow path down the cliff face, moving from rock shelf to rock shelf. Far below, we could make out the shape of a stone wyvern. Alix used his magical crossbow to assist during the descent. Its enchanted bolts could be fired in a straight line while carrying a rope, and a command word would cause the rope to be winched in. His expertise with the device was highly questionable, however, and he managed to hit me in the head with one poorly placed shot! (Not the first time for this, I’m afraid.)
We were part way down, facing a deep chasm cut in the rock, when a harsh cry rang out. From some hidden cave, two winged shapes dove towards the party. At first it appeared that gigantic green eagles were attacking us… until we saw the heads: black stags’, with glowing red eyes. The battle was fierce, and I was sorely wounded. As they stooped, attempting to knock us from the cliff, I managed to fork a ’Bolt into them and blew them from the sky.
We reached the stone wyvern. In the shadow of its wing we could see the entrance to a huge cavern. On the rock outside, a picture of a heart was inscribed, containing initials and a date: “L + E ’22.”
As we entered the cave, we found evidence of a tremendous battle. A dragon, turned to stone, stood upon the cavern floor. The skeleton of a smaller dragon was found nearby. Its bottom half was buried in a large pile of dirt, while its head had been smashed by a Wall of Iron, now nearly rusted away. Large rock piles were found that had melted and run in the blasts of dragon’s breath. Shattered walls, huge gouges, and crumbled columns could be found everywhere.
In a vast depression, deep within the cavern, lay the skeleton of a much larger dragon, truly gigantic, with the skeleton of a smaller one nearby. It appeared that Fireforge and several of her children had met their doom at the hands of Felzik and his band.
With some searching, we located a passage leading to what appeared to be a Teleportation circle. We suspected that this way led to the Academy. But first, to our sorrow, we decided to investigate another side passage obstructed by rocks near the entance to the cavern.
As we turned the corner, only Grundo and Alix (why did it have to be them?) were quick enough to avoid looking upon the massive mirror propped in the hallway. In an instant the entire rest of the party disappeared into a grey void, as the Mirror of Life Trapping did its work.
Needless to say, Alix and Grundo did not have the patience to work out the command word needed to free us from the device, nor to come up with any other sensible plan. Their response was predictable, direct, and foolish, and resulted in a near disaster.
They shattered the mirror into a million fragments, releasing all of its inhabitants....
...set forth from Kindric many days ago, following Wyrmscar’s map and heading for Hettich. The town was once known as Heat-teach, evidence of its proximity to the Academy. We are seeking Goblin’s Leap, which should be found nearby. We passed through many wonderful towns: Ragost, the spa city of Helidan, and Callandale.
On arriving in Hettich we were greeted by an acolyte of a man named Tallonias the Prophet. The Prophet is the dominant figure in the local religion, and he apparently had foretold our coming. The acolyte kindly provided us with healing potions for our quest.
We made some inquiries about town. It seems that Chemith, the last known location of the Academy of Flamecraft 200 years ago, is now the home of horrible creatures of flame. It is located beyond the Flamefalls and the Fire Rift, and sits on the plains below. We resolved to avoid the area if possible, and set off on the trail to Goblin’s Leap....
...reached the ‘Leap. The entire area is a plateau, hundreds of miles long, set thousands of feet over the southern plain. The ‘Leap is at the top of this steep cliff, known as The Wall. At sundown, as described on the map, we began to descend the perilously narrow path down the cliff face, moving from rock shelf to rock shelf. Far below, we could make out the shape of a stone wyvern. Alix used his magical crossbow to assist during the descent. Its enchanted bolts could be fired in a straight line while carrying a rope, and a command word would cause the rope to be winched in. His expertise with the device was highly questionable, however, and he managed to hit me in the head with one poorly placed shot! (Not the first time for this, I’m afraid.)
We were part way down, facing a deep chasm cut in the rock, when a harsh cry rang out. From some hidden cave, two winged shapes dove towards the party. At first it appeared that gigantic green eagles were attacking us… until we saw the heads: black stags’, with glowing red eyes. The battle was fierce, and I was sorely wounded. As they stooped, attempting to knock us from the cliff, I managed to fork a ’Bolt into them and blew them from the sky.
We reached the stone wyvern. In the shadow of its wing we could see the entrance to a huge cavern. On the rock outside, a picture of a heart was inscribed, containing initials and a date: “L + E ’22.”
As we entered the cave, we found evidence of a tremendous battle. A dragon, turned to stone, stood upon the cavern floor. The skeleton of a smaller dragon was found nearby. Its bottom half was buried in a large pile of dirt, while its head had been smashed by a Wall of Iron, now nearly rusted away. Large rock piles were found that had melted and run in the blasts of dragon’s breath. Shattered walls, huge gouges, and crumbled columns could be found everywhere.
In a vast depression, deep within the cavern, lay the skeleton of a much larger dragon, truly gigantic, with the skeleton of a smaller one nearby. It appeared that Fireforge and several of her children had met their doom at the hands of Felzik and his band.
With some searching, we located a passage leading to what appeared to be a Teleportation circle. We suspected that this way led to the Academy. But first, to our sorrow, we decided to investigate another side passage obstructed by rocks near the entance to the cavern.
As we turned the corner, only Grundo and Alix (why did it have to be them?) were quick enough to avoid looking upon the massive mirror propped in the hallway. In an instant the entire rest of the party disappeared into a grey void, as the Mirror of Life Trapping did its work.
Needless to say, Alix and Grundo did not have the patience to work out the command word needed to free us from the device, nor to come up with any other sensible plan. Their response was predictable, direct, and foolish, and resulted in a near disaster.
They shattered the mirror into a million fragments, releasing all of its inhabitants....
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