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From Womford to Summit Hall, on the southern edge of the Sumber Hills.
The party traveled up the Dessarin Road for two days and two nights, arriving at Summit Hall at noon on a hot day. The small stronghold stood on a hilltop in the southern region of the Sumber Hills. It consisted of a stone hall surrounded by a fifteen-foot wall with a sturdy wooden gate. Stables, a tower, barracks, and storage buildings were enclosed within the protective wall. A barrier flying an emblem of a crossed torch and sword fluttered overhead.
It rained the entire time they traveled toward Summit Hall.
As they approached, they saw a dozen young aspirants-in-training practicing swordplay before the keep's open portcullis. More seasoned-looking knights stood watch and allowed our heroes to enter unimpeded. Inside, artisans and servants went about their duties, attending to the knights housed at Summit Hall.
A herald approached the party and asked them their business. Kahntun introduced himself, announcing his noble lineage and his title as "Marcheon of the Order of the Gauntlet."
The herald noticed Kahntun's shield and its emblem of Selûne, goddess of the moon and replied, "Honored guests, welcome to Summit Hall, stronghold of the Knights of Samular. Please, allow me to introduce you to the head of our order, Lady Ushien Stormbanner.
The party was escorted through the castle yard by a guard and a fully-armored knight. They crossed a short stone bridge that spanned the gap above a cold, clear stream bubbling beneath, descended a long flight of stairs, and emerged within a torch-lit chamber. There they met Ushien Stormbanner. They spoke with the lady of the order and learned the following:
- The order defends justice and protects the vulnerable in the name of Tyr.
- The Knights of Samular are staunch allies of the Order of the Gauntlet.
- They have been busy dealing with monsters in the Sumber Hills in the last few months.
- They are unaware of the source of all this increased activity.
- They know that the missing caravan disappeared somewhere along the Dessarin road to the north; they sent patrols out searching, but they were as yet unsuccessful in locating the Mirabarans.
Head of the Knights of Samular, Usien Stormbanner.
- Kahntun asked about the fallen knight the caravan was bringing to Summit Hall to be interned in their crypt. Stormbanner responded that the warrior's name was Narl Elrok, adding "he fought bravely in the northern skirmishes. I believe he added his strength to your father's forces repelling Ice Giant attacks on the northern border of Vassa."
- Kahntun was stunned by his own ignorance about what was occurring in his own homeland, but he kept this to himself and nodded solemnly.
- Alexander asked about any known entrances to the lost dwarvin kingdom, Tyer-Besil. Ushien denied any knowledge of such portals.
- LiKi asked about "elemental cults." Ushien didn't seem to know anything.
- LiKi pulled out the mask and cloak she had taken off one of the dead "Bringers of Woe" they dealt with in the Tomb of Moving Stones beneath Red Larch.
- Ushien immediately recognized it and asked LiKi to tell the story, which our gnome recounted precisely. When she finished, Ushien responded, "We were beginning to wonder about these mysterious monks. They keep to themselves, and we don't know much about them other than the fact that they refer to themselves as members of the Sacred Stone order. They inhabit an old monastery hidden in a narrow valley just west of the Dessarin River."
- LiKi and Alexander immediately suspected that this monestary must be the third of the four "haunted keeps" built so many years ago by the Knights of the Silver Horn to safeguard the hidden entrances to Tyer-Besil.
- After a moment, Ushien invited the party down to a sacred crypt.
Samular Caradoon wins glory and honor fighting bravely during the second Troll War.
In the sacred crypt, the party beheld a glorious,finely-crafted mural. Recognizing the nobility of the mural's subject, Kahntun asked Ushien who this hero was. Here's what the party learned:
- The mural depicted Samular Caradoon, the founder of the Knights of Samular.
- His tomb is within an ancient, lost monastery; the order would like to recover his remains.
- The order is dedicated to Tyr, god of justice.
- Samular had two brother, another famous knight named Amphail and an older brother named Renwick.
- The brothers had earned renown by fighting bravely in the second Troll War
- Legend has it that Samular's brother Renwick had a hunger for arcane knowledge that lead him to eternal life, though nobody has heard word of him in several centuries.
After a tour of the grounds during which Kahntun asked specific questions about the "Rule of Knights," the extensive series of moral and martial instruction the initiated drilled their initiates on, the party settled into a lively feast with the Knights of Samular. This feast was silently attended by the acolytes of the order. Drinks were had and food was scarfed. LiKi sat back and watched, silently monitoring this order of knights. Alexander won some substantial renown by besting an older knight with a belly like a keg of ale in a drinking contest (he dispatched seven tankards of ale in less than a minute). The mood was lively and friendly.
One of the knights asked Leopold to play his harp and sing a tale of honor and glory. Having a sophisticated understanding of the common pattern of the hero's myth, using what information he had learned from Ushien about Samular, and trusting that these knights lacked historical precision, he was able to improvise a powerful series of heroic verses about the founder of this order. The room sat and listened, perfectly still during this performance, not least of all the head of the order Ushien Stormbanner. As Leopold strummed his final chords and finished with a chilling line about the cold honor of a noble death, he locked eyes with Ushien. The two of them slipped silently away from the feast shortly after.
At the end of Leopold's heart-rending, improvised song, Ushien made a subtle gesture that was hint enough for our bard to understand what lay in store for him that evening.
Leopold later learned from the infatuated woman that a secret chamber beneath Summit Hall contained an artifact that resonated with echoes of Renwick Caradoon's spirit, but nobody could locate it or understand the nature of this haunting presence. For some reason, she believed that this mystery was connected to the missing monastery and Samular's missing remains.
TL;DR
TL;DR
- The party arrived at Summit Hall.
- They learned about the Caradoon's, three brothers who fought bravely during the second Troll War, one of whom established the Knights of Samular.
- They learned that this order was unable to locate the missing Mirabaran party.
- They were expecting the arrival of the party because the caravan was in possession of the remains of one of their fallen warriors.
- A secretive group referring to itself as the Sacred Stone Order settled into an old monastery to the west.
- Alexander won another drinking contest.
- Leopold rocked his lyre and wooed the commander of the Knights of Samular, Ushien Stormbanner.
- He learned from the older woman that something "haunts" Summit Hall. Although this spirit does not seem malevolent, they do not understand its nature.
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