The Westgate Campaign Chronicles - serial

[Carlo-One]

Lloria excused herself and left for the temple of Torm, as the others remonstrated with Rosten in Queron’s foyer. The halfling refused to back down, however, arguing that business was business and they were a mercenary company that should not be shedding blood for free. While the discussion was still going on, Bustable discreetly appeared and asked Darrow to come upstairs to see the Council Member in private. After a short time passed, Darrow and Bustable returned to the mansion’s entry, where his companions were still squabbling. Dermot flipped a weary salute Bustable's way and Darrow waved to the manservant as he headed out the door, telling the others he would fill them in when they got somewhere they could have a chat. They ended up at the Two Swords in the Bayside district, after some grim walking and irritated stomping along the way.

Darrow motioned to a table in the common room they could occupy, then shared with the others that Queron was not personally upset, but had indicated Rosten was no longer welcome in his house, having upset his daughter Janatha. The dwarf observed that she was a bit fragile and Aerikoth found the development unsurprising. Darrow said that most of their conversation, however, had to do with rumors Queron had been hearing about Ironhelm. Specifically, that the place was shut tighter than a duergar's lampshade – the dwarf’s words – and there might be a dragon flying about the clanhome. Aerikoth found this intriguing and mentioned he had visited the new leader of the Westgate mercenary guild, Varen Malavhan, who mentioned there had been discreet inquiries about dragon hunters for the Giant’s Run Mountains.

At this point, Rosten’s companions explained to him that during a previous expedition into the mountains, they had come across an abandoned dragon’s hoard, which Dermot admitted they had robbed; this met with the hin’s approval. Helrud, an exotic member of the Clan Ironhelm – as Aerikoth put it – had lead them to its secretive entrance. Darrow asserted, contradicting a suggestion from Dermot, that there was no way that the dwarves would give back the hoard, even if there were a dragon. Aerikoth advised them not to concern themselves at the moment with talk of a dragon, until they were there and could see it for themselves. The wizard also reminded them they had been invited to the coronation ceremony on the 15th of the month, which could play into the situation, given the previous politics involving a faction wishing to place Darrow on the throne as the “redeemer” of the clan. Darrow said he hoped that his support for the Prince would solidify his standing. Rosten for his part looked forward to getting some coin, if they were to stand against a dragon.

Their common business concluded, the companions decided to break, although not before Aerikoth had fished out a book with an intricate cover design and inquired if Rosten would be willing to take on a task for the wizard. Rosten looked at him suspiciously, until Aerikoth explained that he was impressed with the hin’s skill at disabling the locks in the crypts they were within recently, so wondered if Rosten would be able to open the lock on the book. Aerikoth further explained that it was a spell book from a neophyte necromancer who was a slave that the company had rescued. Rosten, curious, agreed to look it over and tinker with it. After sorting out additional rooms at the Two Swords, and Dermot checking in on Killian Gryphonhawk, the group decided to retire for the night.

 

[Carlo-One]

Disaster at Ironhelm​

The night of Tarsakh 7 was dream-filled for the companions. In the morning, Aerikoth was the last to arrive at their table in the common room of the Two Swords for breakfast. Rosten upon seeing the wizard handed over a now-unlocked book, the hin earning an expression of thanks as Aerikoth tucked it away in a magical bag, after looking it over for a moment. Darrow said he would be ready to depart for Ironhelm whenever the gang was, the plan being for Aerikoth to magic them to a tavern close by the dwarven hold.

Dermot said that Killian’s situation had been sorted - the Reddansyr innkeeper’s son having departed earlier - and that the ranger had written his letters, so was ready to depart, as was the hin. Lloria however said she had a meeting in a few hours, before she could go. The others were fine with the idea of breaking their fast at the inn and wandering the city for a while in the meantime, to see what was at the various merchants. Aerikoth however offered to teleport Darrow to the Ironhelm gates directly, so that the dwarf could more rapidly find out what was happening at the clanhome. After some thought, Darrow agreed and wished the others well for the morning, moving to maintain contact with the wizard. Rosten watched with interest as Aerikoth’s eyes went distant and he focused his thoughts before speaking a brief, powerful word of magic, causing him and Darrow to disappear.

Aerikoth returned to Teziir magically and by highsun on Tarsakh 8 he, Dermot, Rosten and Lloria were on the road to the Ironhelm citadel in the Giant’s Run mountains. Their slow route was designed to give Darrow some extra time to himself in the clanhome, and also provided Dermot the opportunity to encounter and tame a companion wolf, the ranger having none until then. The four adventurers then stopped at the Mountaingate Inn, the last outpost of civilization before dwarven territory. Exhausted from their time on the road, the companions rested until close to midday on Tarsakh 9.

 

[Carlo-One]

Aerikoth departed via teleport during the night, leaving Darrow, Dermot and Rosten to make their way to the valley of Clan Ironhelm. Along the way, they found and defeated a small pack of winter wolves, thanks to a warning from Dermot’s new wolf companion, Connagh. The three were challenged by the dwarven defenders manning the outside gates and then led to the clan’s guest cave, which featured hot springs for warmth and cleaning. As they were finishing bathing, Darrow arrived and explained that the clanhome was locked down, so outsiders could not enter. However, a dwarven worker would be dispatched to show them the way to the location of the dragon hoard in the Hidden Peak area.

The four companions and their local guide made their way further into the cold mountains, the dwarven worker leaving them once they were in sight of the mountain peak. Dermot noticed that his animal companion still had an injury from the fight against the winter wolves, so stayed behind to tend it while the other three adventurers continued toward the old hoard entrance. They encountered and defeated a group of ogres and then a dire bear along the way, reaching the safety of a cave before nightfall. A trail had been left for the ranger to follow, so Dermot easily found them at their camp, where they remained until the dawn of Tarsakh 10.

 

[Carlo-One]

It was midday by the time Aerikoth arrived in the valley of Clan Ironhelm. The wizard encountered Darrow outside the inner gates and the dwarf, who had just returned from the hoard site, briefly informed him that the clan expedition to the dragon’s lair had been wiped out. The clan thought a dragon might have returned and been responsible, but Darrow was skeptical of this. He excused himself to go inform High Priest Iskar of their initial findings, while Aerikoth went to the guest cave to see his other three companions and hear what had occurred in his absence. (Although it is not remarked on here, Aerikoth's separation from his companions for stretches of time is not unusual for the wizard. I suspect he plays his own game. And plays it well. --R)

There, Dermot recounted how they had been up to Hidden Peak, agreeing with Lloria that it was almost guaranteed there was no dragon. The ranger described how the bodies of the dwarven party were still there, mutilated and tongueless. Rosten grimly mentioned that knew men that killed like that, years ago – his shipmates, the savage crew of the Laughing Boar. The hin said that they had followed their mad pirate captain in his quest for treasure, through years of savagery, before they ran aground off Traitor’s Isle and the crew murdered each other. Rosten, hiding from his shipmates in the captain’s cabin, found a magic map that changed over time, displaying different places. Once the hin came to Westgate, it showed an isle in the Dragonmere and the spot in the mountains where the Hidden Peak and hoard were.

Aerikoth indicated he was willing to examine the map, as urged by the others, then spoke a word of arcane magic with a brief gesture over his eyes, staring intently at the map as he reached for it in Rosten’s hand. The hin allowed the map to be taken, though his expression darkened slightly. Lloria took advantage of the delay to get in some calisthenics, while the wizard intensely studied it.

Speaking in a calm tone, Aerikoth read the spidery script on the map, now comprehensible to the wizard: “Pursue what is found here to the ends of the earth, and yet you will not find what you truly seek, only the desires of others." Lloria remarked that it sounded like a curse, sending you on wild goose chases until you go bonkers. Rosten objected that it had lead to the hoard, and – perhaps of more concern to the agitated hin – he and his shipmates had followed it for years, shedding oceans of blood for the accursed thing. (What an evil artifact! Tempting the greedy to chase illusory dreams - or commit atrocities in the pursuit of real treasure. I wonder - does it exist in the present day? --C)

Aerikoth further explained that the writing was not in any typical language; the map was powerfully enchanted and the script on it changed, although he was able to decipher it. There was also illusion magic weaved within as well – why they saw the varied lines and script, which would also change over time. In response to curious questions from Rosten and Lloria, the wizard indicated that it would take a great deal of further study to divine more about the map.

 

[Carlo-One]

Darrow rejoined his companions and caught up with them in the guest cave; meanwhile, they gave Aerikoth additional space and time to further examine Rosten’s magical map. After several hours, the wizard emerged from the back of the cave, announcing that he had discovered something intriguing. Rosten eagerly encouraged him to share, the hin looking up at Aerikoth with tired yellowed eyes that still gleamed with obvious interest.

The wizard declared that, as he had hypothesized, the map changed depending on who held it. What was intriguing, if his study of it was accurate, was that the changes were affected only by those in proximity to the bearer of the map, not its holder. Rosten was puzzled by this, so the wizard further explained that the illusion and divination enchantments were slowly altering because he now held it, but Aerikoth himself had no effect on the map’s contents – only his companions, somehow.

Dermot furrowed his brow and asked Rosten when the map had started showing the dragon’s lair. In response, the hin scratched his head and said it was on one of his first days in Westgate. Aerikoth confirmed with Rosten that the Dragon Coast had been visible, but nothing was marked – then, the isle in the Dragonmere was shown, followed by the Hidden Peak. Darrow observed it was therefore doubtful that the map had brought Rosten’s former pirate companions to the Hidden Peak.

This did little to calm Rosten, who ranted about the map showing only what was important to others, and his former Captain spending years chasing down what it was showing, turning all the men into monsters. Aerikoth had no answer to this, but pointed out how the appearance of the new locations on the map logically matched Rosten’s joining of the party. The wizard also observed that unless the Captain was skilled in the Art, he would not be likely to have understood the map’s true function, perhaps thinking it was showing him his own desires.

The group then pored over the map’s current form, with Dermot noting that the island in the Dragonmere appeared to be the location of what he knew as Slaver’s Isle, which he, Aerikoth and Darrow had visited sailing out of Starmantle; there, as Aerikoth recalled, they eliminated the slaver presence and freed numerous slaves. Darrow also recalled a vampire being there – Tuli the vampire spawn, as Aerikoth clarified.

 

[Carlo-One]

Clan Greeter Rumnaher entered the cave, hailing the group. Aerikoth gave him a short glance and then tucked the map away, evidently not wishing the dwarven leader to see its details. Darrow and Rumnaher had a short exchange in dwarven as the wizard stood calmly, holding his staff in both hands and watching the clan greeter with an unblinking gaze. Darrow’s words caused Rumnaher to regard Rosten with some concern, but then the clan elder moved on, formally thanking them all for their valiant service in the Hidden Peak. He then announced it had been decided to move forward with Prince Dalgan's coronation on the night of Tarskah 15, and they were all invited, earning a broad smile from Darrow and raised eyebrows from Dermot.

Rumnaher explained that it was a time of sadness for all, yet the Clan must move forward. Now that the bodies of the expedition could be recovered and work resumed in the Hidden Peak cavern, the council felt that it was time. Per the clan’s agreement with Helm's Shadows – the formal name of the adventuring company - one-fifth of the treasure recovered would be apportioned to them. Finally, it was decided to open commercial negotiations with Teziir Council Member Queron Ulanthar; a delegation would be sent to the city in the coming days.

Talk then turned about the mystery of what had happened to the massacred expedition members. Rumnaher’s examination of the bodies that had been recovered so far revealed that they were similarly mutilated as that of Toran Goldfinder, the dwarf noble leading the group. Darrow asserted it was unlikely the work of a dragon, and Aerikoth agreed it was highly unlikely it was due to a return of Edallisunfanxar, the red dragon who previously had laired in the mountains. Rumnaher also mentioned that High Priest Iskar said that bodies’ condition meant that his divine prayers were useless with them.

Rumnaher indicated that a work crew and dwarven defenders would be dispatched at first light, now that the party had cleared the caverns and determined there was no dragon to be feared. Lloria expressed some concern over whether the defenders could handle the situation. However, after Darrow confirmed that the lair was clear, the Clan Greeter asserted that they could not cower in the citadel in fear of nothing – even if whatever it was might come again. Rumnaher concluded their talk by saying they all would be welcome on Tarskah 15 for the coronation ceremony.

 

[Carlo-One]

After some speculative discussion about what could have been responsible for the Hidden Peak massacre, the group decided to return to the site with Aerikoth, to see if they had missed anything. Rosten during the debate had remained distraught and oblivious to the others, instead slowly and methodically cutting off all of the good-luck trinkets hanging from his bandana and belt. Gathering them into his hand, he then dropped them all into the water and watched them sink, saying it had all been for nothing. (A terrible time for the hin, no doubt, discovering that he had effectively been chasing shadows for years. Yet as was evident from his confessions, he was likely no better than the rest of his bloody pirate crew, whose depradations he described so violently. I wonder what will happen with the Captain's magical map, now that its secret has been at least partially revealed? --C)

Heading off toward the mountains, the group was held up for a time at a cliffside requiring them to climb up. Dermot and Darrow made it up their rope with no problem, but Lloria’s dexterity completely failed her, causing her to flop back to the ground with a painful bruise and a curse. Rosten meanwhile sullenly climbed up as Lloria readied herself for another attempt, this time sliding back with a thump, but no damage taken. Ignoring offers by Aerikoth for magical assistance, the warrior priest made it up over the top on the third try. Dermot’s companion wolf paced at the cliff bottom, then followed Dermot’s tossed bit of old sausage to Aerikoth’s side. Another command and bit of sausage from Dermot followed, as the wizard reached down and touched the wolf before speaking a word of power. The two appeared at the top of the cliff and Aerikoth immediately released the wolf, stepping away from it.

The group first made their way to the cave where Dermot, Darrow, Rosten and Lloria had camped, collecting the equipment they had left behind. From there, they hiked to the Hidden Peak entrance area, where Lloria carefully checked out an old cave entrance, mining platform and oubliette shaft. The others were less curious and prepared to descend once again into the main cavern.

 

[Carlo-One]

The sun was setting on Tarsakh 10 as the party descended to the Hidden Peak cavern floor, via the ancient stone ladder. Dermot’s wolf companion, however, signaled something of interest was up top, so the ranger decided to rejoin it outside. Rosten attempted to set a trap by the ladder, in case something unfriendly decided to follow, but achieved nothing but a loud metallic twang and a spiked finger. The hin dumped the now-useless trap on the floor, unset, with a huff of irritation.

They followed Rosten’s suggestion, however, of showing Aerikoth the treasure-chamber, the wizard noting that if arcane magic had been used, he might find traces of it. En route below, a cold breeze wafted out from a side corridor and when the party investigated, a hostile ice elemental attacked them. Although it was quickly defeated, it inflicted a frozen wound on Darrow and the bitter cold was uncomfortable for all. Lloria heard more ice creaking ahead and Aerikoth confirmed there appeared to be more creatures in the chamber beyond.

The four adventurers decided to brave the cold and advanced, after Aerikoth cast protective spells. Several other ice elementals were in the room and Rosten was hit hard, the hin cursing loudly after the battle was done and using potions to heal himself. Even Darrow, brushing away a frozen patch of beard, admitted they could have used more help from Dermot and his “dog.” The dwarf informed Aerikoth that they previously had gone straight to the hoard, skipping this side passage in the caverns. (This was indeed true for the current visit to the Hidden Peak caverns, although during the first expedition, Darrow, Dermot and their former companion Shanni had run across the cold chamber; it was, however, new to Aerikoth and Lloria. --C)

Lloria was the first to go examine an icy pillar in the southeastern part of the chamber, which radiated the most intense cold. Rosten pulled his cloak tighter around himself, teeth chattering obviously as he called out to Aerikoth and gestured with his cutlass at the pillar, saying there was magick over there. Lloria, drawing on her extensive book knowledge, shared that the pillar fit the description of something that had been projected there from the paraelemental plane of ice. Aerikoth, after studying it himself, agreed that Lloria was correct and it did appear to be extraplanar in origin.

As the group debated the significance of the pillar, it let out a pulse of bitter cold that washed across the chamber, causing some additional frostbite. Rosten, after wrapping a bandage around a frosty arm, suggested they keep moving before they found out how long it would take for another elemental to appear. The others agreed, Darrow encouraging them to head for the hoard chamber.

 

[Carlo-One]

Descending, the four adventurers reached the area where the doomed dwarven expedition had set up a winch for easier access to the hoard chamber at the bottom of the caverns. Lloria warned the others to be wary of more fire elementals down there, perhaps having been reminded of them by the encounter with their icy kin. When the party reached the chamber, Rosten again immediately fixated on the treasure lying about, although with less evident enthusiasm. Aerikoth walked around the bodies of the mutilated dwarves, looking at each one for a few moments before moving on.

The wizard declared that he did not detect any kind of magic, arcane or otherwise. He stated it appeared the attack had occurred more than a tenday ago, and unfortunately traces of the Art would not last that long. Darrow muttered something in dwarven after Rosten asked whether current party members would still get a cut of the hoard. The hin then noted that there did not seem to be any new information to be gained.

The four adventurers discussed the fire elemental presence, which seemed to be concentrated near the lava flow to the west; that would explain the burns on the dwarven bodies, but not the mutilations to their heads, as both Aerikoth and Darrow observed. Aerikoth raised something Dermot had said earlier, about how the massacre might have been a vendetta against Toran Goldfinder, the noble who led the expedition.

The wizard noted that Toran had been looking to begin trade with Underdark communities, something that had been mentioned during a previous visit by High Priest Iskar in the presence of Prince Dalgan. Also recalled was the fact that Toran had wished to take the powerful shadow magic sword found in the hoard out the party’s hands, which the wizard speculated could have been used as part of an Underdark trade deal. Aerikoth emphasized that it was just conjecture, but if dark elves were responsible, they of course would not wish their presence known and would be very familiar with divine magic that allowed one to speak with the deceased. (Here the wizard is referring to the requirements for casting Speak with Dead; without tongues and with damaged brains, the dead dwarves would not be suitable targets for the spell. The implication, of course, is that the mutilations were done deliberately with that in mind. Not the first time I have seen such done, and it clearly points to the intelligent nature of the author of the expedition's massacre. --R)

Darrow sorrowfully concluded there was little more to do at that moment and proposed camping at the hoard site, to hopefully surprise anything returning to it, before moving on the next day. Lloria meanwhile had been carefully examining the dwarven bodies, poking around their head gashes inside with a finger. The warrior priest looked pensive, but did not speak of her examinations, instead joining the debate about where it would be best to camp. Eventually the four settled on the area above the hoard next to the winch, with Rosten impressed that Aerikoth could conjure a magic hut if needed. However, it was decided that the hut would not be ideal for them to use in an ambush, so the adventurers sent up tents on the hard stone of the cavern floor.

 

[Carlo-One]

After Aerikoth took the first watch, the wizard stated that he would seek other sleeping accommodations, rather than spending the remainder of the night on the cold ground, and teleported out. The morning of Tarsakh 11, after his return, Darrow decided to remain at the hoard site with his father Boirin, who had arrived with a new expedition from Clan Ironhelm to help remove the bodies of their clansmates. The other four adventurers, after some further discussion and speculation about what had happened to the dwarves, hiked away from the Hidden Peak and back to the main trail between Ironhelm and the village of Mountaingate. Descending from the cliff next to the trail, Rosten and Lloria tumbled awkwardly down into the snow, after having rejected assistance from the party mage. They then watched as Aerikoth stepped off the ledge and spoke a quick word of power, floating gently down to the ground. Dermot competently climbed down and dislodged the rope and hook, storing it for future use.

After observing they had four days’ time before they were expected to return to the Ironhelm hold for the coronation of Prince Dalgan, a short debate ended with the adventurers deciding to visit Old Hamish, the hermit ranger who had been searching for a troll nest in the Reddan River region. Given the time involved, they voted to have Aerikoth teleport them to Reddansyr to give them a head start. After some time spent sorting out their inventory to allow Aerikoth’s magic to carry their weight, the group linked hands and Aerikoth’s eyes grew distant, the wizard one moment speaking a word of power and the next appearing with his companions outside the Giant’s Folly tavern.

Inside, the group was welcomed by tavernkeeper and village leader Ian Gryphonhawk, who thanked Lloria for what she had done for his son Killian in Teziir, after he had gotten drunk and lost his father’s money for supplies to tavern thieves. Ian had no news, but let them know he had in stock the usual adventuring gear, prompting Dermot to purchase some alchemist’s fire. Rosten liked the idea of the notice board’s offer of 100 gold for captured magical beasts, but Lloria pointed out all the work that would be involved in transporting them to Westgate. Aerikoth informed the others that if they were able to subdue a suitable creature, say a manticore or an owlbear, he could change it into something they could carry back to Westgate. Once caged at the Quivering Thumb – the fighting arena offering the contract – the wizard could return it to its normal form.

The four headed out the south gate of the village, towards the Reddan River Crossing, a three-hour trek. Once there, out of concern for potential troll or other attacks, Aerikoth cast a series of protective and summoning spells, as Dermot summoned his animal companion to his side and magicked his wolf as well. From there, Dermot found the way through the swampy forest and after two hours of walking the party arrived in the area of Old Hamish’s cabin.