29th to 30th day of Palesun 1492
Mission:
Campaign: Find Karion's missing Father
Location(s): Ashabenford, Abbey of the Golden Sheaf, Glen, Galath's Roost.
Present: Anor, Aramil, Bandur, Karion, Paskan
29th:
The group continued on. As they turned off the main roadway towards Glen they could see a low pall of black smoke had settled on the hamlet. As they approached they observed blast marks on the buildings and dead lying everywhere. A low moan from behind a fallen wall and they found a young Dwarf lying injured. Paskan cast a quick healing spell and Karion set the youths broken arm. They found no one else alive.
Youth: "They came last night, no warning. Made off south into the woods. Is everyone dead?"
The group turned as the noise of an approaching cart made them look towards the road. Aramil could be seen sat next to a man.
Aramil: "What the hel...........magic?"
Karion: "Yes, the village has been attacked, the people slaughtered, all save this youth who was behind a collapsed wall. All the others have been horribly mutilated."
Paskan: "Karion, come over here tell me what you think?"
Karion observed tracks, the same tracks he had noticed throughout the village. They led straight into the woods. Whomever made them had made no effort to cover them up.
Paskan cast a quick healing spell. Anor told the cart driver to take the youth straight to the Abbey and find the Abbess and tell her what had happened here. They were going to follow the tracks and find out who was responsible.
The youth was put on the cart and the driver headed back towards Ashabenford.
Karion: "They're are only about half an hour to an hour ahead of us. Let's make best speed, however Paskan you take the lead."
2 hours later they crept forward carefully. They could just make out the battlements of a tower and some ruined/half built walls. Paskan indicated a better approach was from the north east. Bandur asked if Karion could change into a hawk and scout from on high. He did so but returned with information that the tower was surrounded by a wall under repair but he did not observe anyone or anything moving around.
The group moved to a more advantageous position, as suggested by Paskan. Again moving stealthily to avoid detection they approached the forest edge and observed at irregular intervals 2 figures on the top battlement.
Aramil used a misty step spell to get to the wall. Karion and Paskan moved stealthily behind him.
Aramil passed an opening and could see no movement in the courtyard so proceeded to a larger opening, ducking under a suspended beam and keeping the wall of the tower against his back inched his way along. Karion and Paskan followed as Anor and Bandur kept a deadly aim with crossbow and longbow on the battlements should the alarm be raised.
Aramil made it around the corner and observed the heavy door opened away from him. He waved Karion forward and indicated for him to open the door on his signal. Aramil prepared his ring of storing he would unleash a scorching blast spell on any inside. He stepped away from the wall to get a better view and indicated to Karion to open the door. Karion flung the door open and nothing, just total darkness.
Karion cast daylight on his club and stepped forward. instantly the 'darkness' was dispelled and he was standing in a room. 2 quick spear thrusts from his right barely missed him passing either side of his shield. Paskan had moved up in support, dropped his scimitar to the stone floor and made to grab the second spear thrust. He jerked his hand away as it was badly cut.
Anor and Bandur had lost sight of the others and were still watching the tower when an arrow slammed into the tree to Anor's right. Bandur, putting his bow away, drew his battleaxe and charged towards the opening. Anor, who had kept a deadly aim on the tower battlements let fly a deadly bolt and was rewarded with a body plummeting off the tower top into the courtyard where it landed with a heavy thud. Bandur appeared around the corner recognising the figure for what it was, Drow, buried his battleaxe deep inside it's head.
Aramil had heard the thud and a second thud and went to investigate. He gave Bandur a thumbs up.
Bandur thought, 'um must be an Elf thing', and returned the favour. Inside the tower the cellar door burst open and green, writhing tentacles exploded into the room.
Karion and Paskan were struggling to avoid being wrapped in tentacles and eventually Karion dispelled the magical effect. When gone the second door burst open and Drow poured into the room. 2 manged to jump down the now open cellar entrance as others fought Karion and Paskan. Soon Anor joined the fray and the group were hard pushed but managed to defeat the Drow, the last falling to Bandur's charge.
Paskan guards the cellar entrance by straddling the gap.
Aramil cannot cast and there's no room for Bandur
PAskan was just about to speak when there was a crackle of energy and a bolt of lightning shot up from below and blew him across the room badly injured.
Aramil could feel the build up of powerful magical energy from below but all he could see was total darkness below. Bandur told them it was Drow magic. They could surround themselves in darkness to hide or escape. They agreed it would be suicide to attempt to go down. Eventually the magical energy subsided to a bare whisper, the darkness was gone below and anor said:
Anor: "Looks like a job for a small person, that hole is narrow and it is 'underground' so to speak.
Bandur looked down into the cellar.
Bandur: "No, this rungs are way to far apart for me, looks like a job for someone taller.
Paskan: " It's ok, I'm ok Don't worry about me".
Paskan took 2 healing potions and cast 2 cure wounds spells on himself.
Anor and Bandur laughed and climbed down into the cellar. It was empty, all kinds of boxes were lying around. Aramil approached the far corner and identified it as the source of magical energy but couldn't quite make out what it was.
Aramil: "I think, but I'm not sure, that they opened some kind of portal or gate here and went where ever".
Identifying some boxes of interest an some items of worth they dragged them back up to the ground level and explored the rest of the tower.
The group searched the tower and the bodies.
They identified aA common symbol on the armour worn by the Drow.
2 masks.
3 Drow short bows (75gp), 3 quivers of 20 Drow arrows (3gp), 3 Drow Spears (3gp), 6 Drow Scimitars (150gp) and 1 Drow Great Sword +1/+1 (150gp). A carpet and 2 rugs total value 2590gp, 3 boxes of spices, total value 180gp, in coin: 150cp, 200sp, 120gp.
The group returned to the Abbey of the Golden Sheaf. They returned the box entrusted with them for delivery to the Dwarven mining village. They asked the Abbes about the symbol worn on the armour. The Abbess shuddered as she told them it was the symbol of House Jaelre, a Drow house that were banished from Menzoberranzan for heresy. Long thought gone from Cormanthor but now it would seem they had returned.
Aramil asked about the masks, but the Abbess nor Terananya had seen them before, the curious thing was when they were worn nothing could be seen out of the bejewelled eye piece.
That night the Abbess summoned Karion to her chambers.
Abbess: "As promised I will tell you of your father. He came and was researching books in our library. I'm sure we can find out which ones. He then left suddenly, he took the road south out of Ashabenford. He never came back.
30th:
The next day the group were given access to the library. The librarian knew which tomes Karion's father had looked at during his research. They were all about herbs and herbal remedies, cures and the like. Nothing that would give an indication of where Karion's father had went. Aramil spotted a potential clue. All the books Karion's father had read all bore the same mark inside the binder. When asked the librarian told them that the tomes were written by the scholars from Cedar Spoke, the Eartholme College. When asked where this was Karion interrupted:
Karion: "I know where it is, it is the city of the Druids, in Gulthmere Forest".
Aramil: "Ok, lets get there then......"
Karion: "It's not that easy.........................we're going to need a ship!"
Karion asked the librarian if there were any maps of this area and Gulthmere, he pulled out 2.
Player Information:
The cost of selling the Drow weapons has not been taken into account. Please indicate if you would like to keep any of these or just sell them.
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