Chapters
Introductions : The Orphan Job : The Inheritance : The Tomb of Winds : Interlude One : A Troublesome Ring
A Troublesome Ring (14-15th of Ready'reat, 577 CY): The walk back to Alhaster is uneventful and they reach the city by midday. They avoid the traffic-snarled North Bridge and proceed into the North Shore district, then cross the High Bridge to the main part of the city and the Midland district, where the Iron Cockatrice Inn is located.
Checking back in they notice that the innkeeper, Ostler, has a black eye. He has their rooms readied and they sit down to eat. When he is asked about his eye he appears nervous and seems to not be telling the truth. When Osman confronts him about it he finally breaks down, telling him that two thugs, Rastophan and a hulking Northern Barbarian named Todrik were asking questions about them and looking for a ring. They roughed him up in the course of their questioning. The only other thing he knows about them is they are part of the Red Hound Gang, which is based in Old Alhaster. The party members realize the ring is probably referring to the engraved silver ring they took from the thieves in the old fishery, inscribed with, "For Emmah, the light of my nights." They concoct a plan of action and wait to see if the thugs return. While Horus and Millicent remain at the inn, drinking, Osman and Edana go to the Lesser Temple of Heironeous to ask Abbot Gaius if he knows anyone who can help them resolve the mystery of what they experienced in the tomb. As it happens, an older priest in the temple, Heirodeacon Dolaucoth, is quite knowledgeable of ancient history. The frail old priest immediately recognizes the scenes being described and the tomb as belonging to a race from the Elemental Plane of Air, known as the Wind Dukes who ruled a vast multi-planar empire in the Age Before Ages, long before the rise of mortal races. He continues his tale in between long coughing fits. Legends say that the Wind Dukes planted colonies on Oerth as part of this empire. Their time came to an end when the world was invaded by creatures from the Far Realm, a plane of madness that was before all else, which still exists beyond all the other planes, outside of existence, whose inhabitants seek to return creation to that state. It is said that Oerth is the cornerstone of all existence and that the creatures, led by an entity known as Shothragot, the Worm that Walks, sought to conquer and destroy it, thus drawing existence back into the nightmare of the Far Realm. At the Battle of Pesh, which some say took place in the shadow of White Plume Mountain, the Wind Dukes defeated Shothragot and his minions when Qadeej, the leader of the Seven Wandering Dukes banished him back to a demiplane of imprisonment using an artifact composed of seven parts they had quested for and found, the Rod of Law. In doing so, Qadeej and another of the Seven, Zosiel, whose tomb it appears the party explored, were slain. Heirodeacon Dolaucoth goes on to say that Shothragot sometimes manages to send a fragment of his influence beyond his prison into the real world. In one such instance he twisted a powerful priest of the god of death, Nerull, who lived in the Kingdom of Sulm, which existed in what is now the blighted land known as the Bright Desert, south of the Lake of Unknown Depths and beyond the Domain of Greyhawk. Kyuss was the priests name. He raised a great city and in a despicable act of twisted sacrifice slew all his followers to try and draw Shothragot back into the world to merge with his flesh. The tales don't specify how, but in some way he was thwarted. Dire prophecies still speak of a coming time of writhing doom, known as the Age of Worms which will see the destruction of the world, and then all of creation. Osman asks if there are any more details. he says he knows there is more but can't remember at the moment. He laments that most of the knowledge of this was in the Great Cathedral of Heironeous which was burned in the purge of the Knights of the Holy Shielding by Prince Zeech and whose ruins are off limits to all. He says he may have some books and notes that tell more and will go through them if they will check back later. The duo thank the exhausted priest and go back to the inn, where they relay what they've learned to their companions.
The next morning the rest of the party finds that Millicent has dyed and restyled her hair and changed her clothes and appearance enough to not be readily recognized based on a description. She tells her comrades to now refer to her as Vanima. According to the plan she and Osman will head for Old Alhaster, where she will secure rooms at the Flounder Pounder, a cheap inn in the West Point district, near the Narrows which separates Old Alhaster from the rest of the city. Osman will go to Black Hana's to purchase more healing supplies and tell her that is where they are staying, in case the thugs question her. Vanima leaves first and immediately spots a suspicious man in the alley across from the Iron Cockatrice. She walks toward him and asks where she can buy a pipe. He obviously doesn't recognize her as fitting the description he has been given, so she goes further down the street and finds a place to watch him as he watches the inn. When Osman comes out 10 minutes later, the spy begins to follow him. Vanima, knowing his route, runs ahead through side streets and is waiting out in front of a tavern. She pretends to ask him for a light and whispers that he has picked up a tail. He continues to Black Hana's, and as it turns out, they had, as evidenced by a bruised lip and missing tooth. Her story is pretty much the same as Ostler's, confirming the party's suspicions. As he leaves Black Hana's he notices his tail watching from across the street, and heads to meet Vanima. She meanwhile goes to the Flounder Pounder and rents 4 of its 6 rooms for the night. She also befriends a plucky, meat-pie-loving street urchin named Angus who she hires to take a message to leave with Ostler for the rest of the party. When Osman arrives he takes care to stay separate from her in case someone is watching.
Edana and Horus meanwhile go to the Street of Armorers to the shop of Master Vardiff, said to be the best armorer in the city. It is located in the Heights district. He buys the wind warrior's armor for the price of 925 gp and the commission of a helmet for Edana. They next go to the Street of Glaziers where she places an order for windows for the house. When they arrive back at the Iron Cockatrice they are given the message Vanima sent and go to the Flounder Pounder. Osman positions himself in one of the rooms facing the street and sees there are two watchers now. With evening coming on, he and Vanima concoct a plan to draw off one of the watchers and capture him for questioning. Vanima, who so far has been unrecognized as a member of the party heads out first and hides in an alleyway down the street. Soon after Osman leaves and as expected one of the thugs begins following him. He ducks into the alley Vanima is in and they both surprise the thug, with Osman casting a sleep spell on him and Vanima tying him up. Once he's secured they wake him up and question him. Under a thorough slapping around by Vanima he reveals that the gang has been hired by someone named Filge to get the ring back that was found by the party at the old fishery and that Rastophan is the boss of the gang and knows more details. The gang normally meets at the Feral Dog, which is a tavern on the west side of Old Alhaster. The thug begs for his life, promising to leave town if let go. After being slapped around some more and not revealing anything else, Vanima and Osman decide he is telling the truth, let him go and he runs off in the direction of the High Bridge. While Vanima returns to the inn by the direct route, Osman plans to sneak up on the other watcher by coming through the alley he is stationed in from the opposite inn. Once he reaches the alley he lets Horus know to come down and help him by using his message spell. Unfortunately the thug hears him coming and engages him in a brief fight, only to have Horus come up behind him and split the thug's head open with his halberd, spraying Osman with blood and brains. Having previously surveyed the back of the inn from the back room they rented, they know there is a gate leading into a fenced back yard with an outhouse. It is dark now and there is not much traffic, so they cover the pulped head as best they can, and carry him across the street and into the Flounder Pounder's yard, pretending he is drunk, then throw him over the fence, into the waters of the narrows.
Gathering inside, the party decides to go to the Feral Dog to confront the gang on their own terms. They gather in an alley across from the tavern and Vanima goes inside. Questioning the hunky bartender, who she instantly finds attractive, but fails in her attempts to flirt with, she finds out that none of the Red Hounds have been in by pretending to be a former lover of Rastophan's. The bartender tells her that she can do better. Having found out all she can, she reunites with the party and they head back to the Flounder Pounder with Vanima going in first and the rest sneaking around to the back yard. Inside, she sees that the gang is waiting for them. Relying on not being recognized she goes up to the back-facing room and opens the window to warn the rest of the party. She gets a rope ready to lower to them, but is interrupted by heavy footsteps coming down the hall toward her room. She quickly hides behind the door just in time for it to be kicked in by the barbarian, Todrik who apparently thinks that she has fled through the window, as he sticks his head out and looks down just in time for Osman to cast dissonant whisper on him. Struck with the full force of the spell, he reels back and flees from the room in fear. Horus and Edana run through the back door of the inn, head-on into Rastophan and another gang member. The fighter quickly kills the gang member with a combination of blows from his halberd, while Edana engages the gang leader. Osman runs in from the back just in time to see Todrik rush down the stairs. Regaining his composure the barbarian goes into a rage and attacks Horus with his battle axe. Horus counters and cleaves off the barbarian's arm, dropping him. Edana knocks Rastophan unconscious, rapping his skull with the flat of her blade. Meanwhile, Vanima, having engaged the last gang member, upstairs forces him to surrender to her. Horus, overcome with rage, beheads Todrik. Edana delivers a stern, but brief lecture on the necessity of acting honorably to the barman, who peers in shock over the top of the bar which he is cowering behind, just as Vanima marches her prisoner downstairs.
Interlude One (12-13th of Ready'reat, 577 CY): A few hours travel sees them back to Halfway There, where they soon run into Farmer Gillem. Edana inquires about craftsmen in town who might be employed to repair her house. Farmer Gillem introduces her to the village's carpenter and stonemason, both also named Gillem. The party arranges to take them up to the house where they can assess the work that needs to be done. The next day they set out for the house. After looking the house over both craftsmen agree that the work can be done for 200 gp, with a 50 gp down payment. The tumbled stone on site can readily be reused for the stone parts of the house, but lumber will have to harvested and processed to repair the upper floors and other wooden parts, which will push the work time out to a month. With the work agreed upon, the party readies to leave for Alhaster the next day.
The Tomb of Winds (11-12th of Ready’reat, 577 CY): After having camped out in the house for the night they set out for the cairn at dawn, finding it easily by midday. The tomb's open entrance is overgrown with vines and brush, which they clear away. A passage slopes down into the depths of the hill. As they go down it the tracks of a large animal, possibly a canine are spotted. At the end of the passage is a large room whose floor is scattered with bones and has a pillared gallery in the back. They quickly discover that a giant hyena has made its lair there. The hyena is defeated and a search of the room reveals a few coins and a stone finger.
They advance through a door in the back of the room and down a hall to a dome-ceilinged chamber with a chain and hook hanging in the middle of the room over a carving on the floor of a circle with rays coming off of it. In the center of the circle is a skeleton whose bones are broken as if it fell from some height. Edana hangs the lantern from the house on the chain. Besides a few torches, a tinderbox, and some desiccated food, the skeleton has a dagger with a broken tip.
Through a short hallway is another room with a sarcophagus whose lid is carved with an effigy of a humanoid belonging to an androgynous alien race, whose right hand is missing a finger. Seven strange glyphs are carved into the floor, one of which matches a glyph carved on a stone scarab worn at the effigy's throat. In three alcoves hang lanterns identical to the one found at the house, although each has different colored glass; red, yellow, and blue. After experimenting a bit they discover that the sarcophagus can be turned and when the head of the figure is pointed at the red lantern, a fire snake is summoned. Unfortunately for Osman he was standing right next to the spot where it appears and succumbs to its fiery bite, but revives on his own as the rest of the party attacks the snake. After defeating it they turn the sarcophagus one more turn to the yellow lantern, summoning a sandling. Better prepared this time, tey more easily defeat it. They finally turn the sarcophagus 360 degrees back toward the previous room and are rewarded with the grinding of stone as a hidden portal opens in the ceiling, revealing a 10' wide shaft from which the chain hangs.
Millicent climbs the chain, discovering an opening to a hallway at the top and swings out into it. At the end of the hallway she sees a large stylized face carved into the wall, with what appears to be an opening inside its mouth. Exploring the hall, she sees several gouges scraped in the floor, and as she moves past them is surprised to feel the stone of the floor give slightly beneath her feet and a howling wind begins issuing from the carvings mouth, pushing her back toward the shaft. The fate of the skeleton below is suddenly clear to her.
With the wind rising in force, in desperation she runs and leaps into the shaft, grabbing the chain. As she is buffeted she climbs down the chain and the force of the wind lessens and eventually stops blowing. Now knowing how the trap works she guides the rest of the party in climbing the chain and avoiding the triggering pressure plates. Before crawling through the carving's mouth they take a full rest in the hallway.
Once rested they proceed and find themselves in a circular room with a platform running around its perimeter and bridges of stone leading to a platform suspended at the room's center. Fours long alcoves with bas-reliefs are cut into the walls around the perimeter of the room. Of the four bridges, two are broken, their remains can be seen as rubble on the floor about 60' below. Rising out of the depths below is a pillar made of flowing mist, which passes through a hole in the center of the platform and continues up to the domed ceiling. A slight breeze issues from it.
Circling the room the party examine the carvings in each alcove and as the torchlight plays across them some magic creates phantasmal scenes where the carvings seem to come to life.
The scenes tell a story in succession. In the first scene a city by a lake which the party members quickly realize stands on the site of Alhaster, and is inhabited by members of the alien race depicted in the effigy, is menaced by worm-like monsters. In the next scene seven armored members of that same alien race, each bearing on its shield one of the glyphs carved into the floor of the room with the sarcophagus. They raise their swords together above the head of an obvious leader. The next scene shows these same figures before and assembly putting together individual pieces that unite as a rod, wielded by the leader. the final scene shows a great battle in the city and outside it, with White Plume Mountain rising in the distance. Armored members of the alien race. led by the seven seen in the previous scenes fight the worm-like monsters and their minions. Finally, the leader of the seven uses the rod to stab the central worm monster and open a rift in space that they are both drawn into. Before the rift closes, the worm monster casts a ray of black energy that kills one of the remaining seven; the same one who bears the glyph on the effigy. His body dissolves into smoke, leaving his armor and possessions behind. Theses scenes puzzle the party members.
When one of the remaining bridges is stepped onto a dark form rises in the pillar of mist from the floor below until it is even with the platform and then steps out, revealing itself to be a wind warrior, an armored figure wielding twin sickle-shaped swords. The armored figure moves silently forward to attack, engaging Horus and Edana at close range while Millicent and Osman attack it at range with arrow and barbed verse, respectively. The fight goes against the wind warrior and as a last effort it clangs its swords together, creating a thunderwave, but fortunately Horus and Edana retain their footing and are relatively undamaged, before the party's united effort overpower the guardian. Defeated, it fades to mist and its armor and weapons crash to the floor.
Osman is lowered by rope to the floor of the room where he searches the rubble and retrieves the guardian's pieces of armor and swords, which fell. He also discovers that the pillar of mist acts as a transport, lifting anything or anyone places in it up to the level of the platform. They are just about to leave Osman mentions that the pillar of mist seemed to be issuing out of a 10' wide hole in the floor of the room and the party realizes that something may lie below. When Horus steps into the pillar from the platform he slowly descends down and through the floor into a secret chamber which it immediately becomes obvious is the actual tomb of the humanoid who died from the killing ray, as depicted in the moving scenes above. The rest of the party descends and they open the sarcophagus whose effigy depicts the same figure in his baroque armor. Inside the sarcophagus they discover a suit of half-plate armor of the winds, twin falcatas of lightning, an amulet of health, and a ring of agility. Splitting up the treasure they emerge from the tomb to find the sun is just coming up.
The Inheritance (10th of Ready’reat, 577 CY): With the orphans rescued, Black Hana having revived and patched up the wounded, and a good night's rest spent at the Iron Cockatrice, the party can continue with their original goal of reclaiming Edana's inheritance. It is a property located in the hills to the west of Alhaster, about a day's walk. Crossing the river to Northshore and leaving through the West Gate, they are fortunate to meet a farmer named Gwillem, who is from the village of Halfway There, located near Edana's late uncle's house. He is heading back to his home and offers them a ride in his cart. During the journey, Horus asks him about any "likely lads" living in he village who might be hired to help the party. He answers that the villagers are simple folk, not willing to risk life and limb against "gerblins" and other threats that may live up in the hills. In the course of the conversation he mentions an old mine that was located at the end of the road that the house is on, but it has long since been abandoned. he leaves them at the track leading up into the hills toward the house.
After another few hours of walking it is near dusk when they arrive at the house, which appears to be in dire need of repairs, though windows and the front door are boarded up. Being cautious, most of the party enters through a gap where a section of stone wall has fallen, while Millicent scouts around the house and through the gap in a boarded up window sees kobolds lying in wait in the kitchen. She is not able to warn the party, who having heard a noise proceed to fall into the creatures' ambush.
After a tough fight against the 8 kobolds, the party is free to explore the house. Though Edana did not share the letter left to her by her uncle Ugol, Osman is still able to figure out that the figure of Saint Alika painted on the wall of the study is pointing toward a part of the wall which is hollow. Breaking it open they find a map to a cairn, located further up the road, and a lantern of metal and indigo glass of exotic design.
The Orphan Job (9th of the month of Ready’reat, 577 CY): Having breakfast in the common room of their inn, the Iron Cockatrice, located in the Midland District of the city, they are interrupted by a filthy street urchin of about 9 or 10, who introduces herself to Edana as Aalis. Having heard that paladins help people (although living on the streets she assumes they want to be paid) she offers her all the money she possesses, a copper piece, to rescue her brother Gwarin from the bad men who have kidnapped him. Agreeing to go along the party follows Aalis to an abandoned fishery in the Old Dock ward of Old Alhaster which is apparently being used by a gang to run some sort of criminal enterprise using kidnapped street children as thieves, and as labor to produce illicit fish slurry for the fish slurry market.
Coming up with a plan they assault the gang, composed of a filthy Dwarf, a tittering, sadistic Half-orc, and a human Hedge-wizard, and free the children enslaved there while avoiding the wrath of Bloo the Mastiff on a number of occasions.
Questioning the children they learn that Gwarin has been taken into the boss's room, concealed behind sacking tacked to the wall, for punishment. Entering the room, which is built around an opening in the floor that drops away to the river below, Millicent is winged by a crossbow bolt from the Boss, standing in the doorway of his room. She withdraws. In the fight that follows Edana and Horus followed by Osman enter the room, with Millicent shooting her bow from the doorway. Rushing the Boss, Edana goes down under a crossbow bolt and Horus is surprised by a Crocodile in the water snapping at him. Millicent quickly kills the crocodile with a couple of well-placed arrows. While Osman stabilizes Edana, the already wounded Horus finds the Boss a good or better match to his halberd with a rapier and dagger. Fortunately the Boss offers to let them have the boy if they allow him to leave with his treasure. Seeming to take him up on his offer, Osman allows Horus to move away while he casts a thunderwave spell, knocking the Boss back into his room. The Boss rushes forward and slashes Osman knocking him out, but having exposed himself, Millicent kills him with a shot from her bow.
Having freed Gwarin and taken a chest of loot, they collect the unconscious Edana and Osman and carry them to Black Hana, a local healer who Aalis knows.
Introductions: The players have gathered in the city of Alhaster, brought together by circumstances. Edana Dalrymple, a well-born paladin in the church of Heironeous, has inherited some property in the hills to the northwest of the city, left to her by her favored uncle, a former adventurer and somewhat black-sheep of the family, named Ugol Fant. The hills are wild and dangerous and Abbot Gaius of the Minor Temple of Heironeous in Alhaster recommends gathering some help to secure the property. To this end she is introduced to Horus van Housen, a grizzled veteran of many battles. The party has been further bolstered by the addition of a story-telling bard, Osman Spare and his traveling companion, the archer, Millicent Bogstromm. Having discussed plans to journey to the property, which is a day's travel from the city, they gathered in Iron Cockatrice, a modest inn located in the city's Midlands district.