(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Spoiler: Map

Owlbear Rodeo link

Sure enough the pebble passes through the bas relief with a faint shimmer and the sound of it clattering on the stone floor beyond is audible. Peeking through the illusory bas relief reveals the corridor continues wrapping around...but comes to another dead end. This one strewn with charred zombie corpses.

Surveying the walls of this passage reveals yet another bas relief of Dumathoin graciously sharing his gifts on the southernmost wall.

However, tossing a pebble through here gets a different result – it seems to pass through the wall with a shimmer, but then there's the immediate sound of the pebble striking something metal before it bounces back through the illusory wall to land at Lumrolur's boots.

GM: You don't have to wait. However, Angrom cannot carry the unconscious Rurm alone back to the entrance (or deeper into the dungeon, whichever you decide) – he needs help from another person bearing the litter. It's a 2-person job. Brydum can do that...but then you'd have no more dwarf guides. Or one of you can do that...but it will take ~20 minutes (and time is of the essence). Or you can decide to leave Angrom & Rurm behind.

 

[Neurotic]

Lumrolur returns to the group after about 20 minutes.

"There are two more illusions down the stairs. One just intersects the hall, but it continues on. There are another metal door behind the other one."
He looks at the group.
"I had hoped you'll be ready to continue. Can we move Rurm back up before we continue? He can get the proper care and we can continue exploring. We're still close to the entrance. And you can give the report so maybe some guards can be moved in here immediately."
Returning to the task at hand
"Brydum, are these illusions something that was set up before or something added after the fall of the temple? Also, what's behind those metal doors and how many halls and vaults are there in the temple?"

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Shaking his head, white beard wagging, Brydum gazes about the ruined temple as he speaks, "I may carry my grandfather Dorn Black Axe's holy symbol, but I never was one o' Dumathoin's priests. They kept their secrets closely guarded...during holy days the priests would seem to appear out of nowhere. Wouldn't be surprised if the illusions were theirs, but it's the first I've seen of them."

For a moment, he furrows his brows at Lumrolur's question, recalling the old battle, then explains, "The temple's a place of locks and keys. It's three levels deep – the Supplicant's Hall that we passed through, the level we're on in the Mead Hall, and down below is the sanctum with the Arcane Gem Press – only priests were allowed down there, where they kept their greatest secrets. And that's where the breach from the Underdark occurred."

 

[Aethmud]

Jack turns to Lumrolr with a grin. "Lumrolr, I reckon we’d be better off setting a clever trap for any remaining zombies behind that door, and that's best done with our mighty dwarven warrior companions here. Let's make sure this temple is completely cleared first. Then, Brydum and Angrom can head back to the Dain’s healers with Rurm and report our success, bringing Rurm back for some proper healing. With the temple cleared of danger, they might even have some time to wait back a moment give Rurm some time to wake up and walk it off on the way back. That way, all three of them could bask in the glory of their victory, while we continue our merry adventure through the Underdark!"

Jack flits a step closer to the dwarves, a cheerful twinkle in his eyes despite the tense atmosphere, speaking with a sense of surety and confidence. "Brydum and Angrom, the two of you should have the honor of opening up the last door. Your dwarven relics and this fancy chalice are the keys to unlock whatever secrets lie behind it, if the scenes depicted in the illusionary walls are anything to go by."

With a playful wink, Jack adds, "Just think! Before you know it, you'll be regaling the Dain with stories of our glorious victory, and sharing some hard earned pints of ale. I bet the Dain's healers have some special brews waiting, with secret healing properties! They say a good brew can mend the heart. So why not the body too?" He chuckles, peering down the hallway, trying to think of what good traps the party could try to set for any remaining zombies.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Spoiler: Map

Owlbear Rodeo link

Helping Angrom carry the unconscious dwarf back to the temple entrance, you bid farewell and safe travels. With your wounds bound and Ludo's damaged frame stored in Logrim's magical bag, you follow Alma's red light once more below (though her Detect Magic has elapsed).

Coming to an apparent dead-end – another bas relief depicting Dumathoin generously sharing his gifts – Lumrolur leans into it, causing the bas relief to shimmer before he vanishes through it. Tentatively passing through this second illusory wall one-by-one, you come to another dead-end! Charred zombies are collapsed on the ground. Lumrolur demonstrates with a tossed pebble against the southern wall – another bas relief of Dumathoin generously sharing wealth with the dwarves – the pebble momentarily passes through the wall with a faint shimmer before the sound of it striking metal echoes, and then the pebble bounces off something and rolls back to your feet.

It appears as if this third illusory wall conceals another metal door.

Brydum scratches his beard, "Well, I'd be honored to open the doors, Frost Sprite, if I could puzzle out how we're meant to open something we cannot see..."

GM: State of the NPCs Brydum 12 / 13 hp (HD ♦︎♢) Russet 26 / 31 hp (HD ♢♢♢)

Spoiler: Dwarf Warriors (1)

Brydum hp 13 12; AC 18 (chain mail, shield), speed 25; Str +2, Dex +0, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0; advantage save vs. poison / resistance to poison; darkvision 60 ft, passive perception 10; Battleaxe +4 hit, 6 (1d8+2) dmg; Light Crossbow +2 hit, 80/320 ft, 4 (1d8) dmg; Defender (reaction): if a creature attacks the dwarf or a creature within 5 feet of the dwarf while it is wielding a shield, the dwarf can use a reaction to give the attacking creature disadvantage on the attack roll.

Spoiler: Holy Water (1/4)

As an action, you can splash the contents of this flask onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw it up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged attack against a target creature, treating the holy water as an improvised weapon. If the target is a fiend or undead, it takes 2d6 radiant damage.

 

[Necropolitan]

Zeth pushes his hands through the illusionary wall and feels around.

"There are carvings of dwarves here. One group's holding a chalice and the other's got...something triangular."

He turns back to the group, pulling his hands out and pointing to Brydum.

"Angrom mentioned something about a door opening if you had the chalice and a holy symbol of Dumathoin. We've got both. If one of us holds them at the same time we might be able to get the door open."

 

[Quickleaf]

Zeth pushes his hands through the illusionary wall and feels around.

"There are carvings of dwarves here. One group's holding a chalice and the other's got...something triangular."

He turns back to the group, pulling his hands out and pointing to Brydum.

"Angrom mentioned something about a door opening if you had the chalice and a holy symbol of Dumathoin. We've got both. If one of us holds them at the same time we might be able to get the door open."

Brydum looks dubiously at Zeth for a moment, not having forgotten his horrible butchering of the Dwarvish language earlier. Surveying the "wall" shrouding the door with the convincing illusion, Brydum pulls out the holy symbol of Dumathoin resembling a mountain.

"Well, what's the worse that could happen?" He says with grim dwarven aplomb, handing the chalice to Zeth. After a moment holding them aloft, the sound of metal grinding on stone echoes from behind the illusory wall. "Well I'll be a kobold's pick..." Brydum whistles.

Though you can hear the doors open, the illusory wall currently still shrouds the path forward, so you'd be stepping through blind.

 

[happylace]

"Well done," Alma hums. "Unfortunately, my ability to detect magical energies has worn off, so I can't offer any information about what's on the other side. Unless someone else can, I suggest we proceed in a defensive formation. Alternatively, I can provide mental communication if someone wants to scout ahead, but that's riskier."

 

[Neurotic]

"Just wait here for a bit. Come after me if you hear a scuffle."
Lumrolur slips through the wall, stopping immediately after the illusion to check for the next glyph or other traps. And to check for enemies behind the door.

Spoiler: Actions

Move: forward step neurotic: D20 + 7#lumrolurstealth → 21(14 + 7)#Lumrolur stealth if no problems immediately obvious, move inside
Action: neurotic: D20 + 2#lumrolurinvestigation → 10(8 + 2)#Lumrolur investigation - if this is perception under your rules the modifier is +6 (if it is reactive)

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Spoiler: Map

Owlbear Rodeo link

The stairs down to Dumathoin's sanctum are steeper, descending another 16 feet, chipped stone from fierce battle long ago. Remnants of the fighting – broken axe heads, sundered shields, pitted rusting bits of horn and metal – litter the stairs, but there are far fewer bodies here than you've seen elsewhere. Two zombie corpses at the top of the stairs is all.

Otherwise the coast looks clear.

As you filter through the illusory wall and opened metal doors one by one, you can feel the air is slightly cooler and damper, not as stale as the rest of the subterranean temple.

From Alma's magical red light you can tell the room with its engraved walls is roughly circular in shape, with some kind of central chamber – there appears to be an entrance into the center chamber to the east. Those of you with darkvision are also able to see a bronze double door to the west with a palm-sized axe indentation in it.

A low croaking sound suddenly echoes from deeper in the temple to the south.

Spoiler: Logrim notices...

@VLAD the Destroyer Logrim can pick out that some of the holes in the engravings on the upper walls are not 'weep holes' for drainage as they appear to be – which would make more sense being closer to the floor – rather they're deliberate additions with tell-tale signs of his uncle Jorlen's hand. Traps most likely.

They look like they're designed to shoot forth a projectile...but they're positioned too high up and are too small to allow a pivoting device, so if they were a purely mechanical trap, they'd be no threat unless you were the size of a troll or something. There's likely more than meets the eye to those holes.

Brydum tightens the grip on his shield, even the stalwart dwarf needing to make conversation to steel his nerves. "I heard about th' murder of Muirdohr Evenhand, the dwarven glassblower in Termalaine. Part of your investigation?" He inquires, stepping over rubble and glancing back as he and Russet resume their place at the front line. Little does he realize the glassblower was just the first of the four deaths attributed to this cold-hearted killer. "The Dain has called for dwarves of Icewind Dale to return to the Valley and seek shelter in our halls. There's been a trickle of pilgrims, but with the murder souring dwarves on the Ten Towns, likely we'll be overflowing with beards soon..."