Journal – Session 3
Having annihilated a tribe of kobold bandits menacing the trade routes to and from the settlement of Folkestone, a party of six bold adventurers – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; Tolinyr, an eladrin Wizard of the Feywild, wielder of potent magic; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his battle axe – returned to their accommodations at the Crested Cock in order to rest, enjoy the comforts to be found in a town and plan their next adventure.
Rising late (having greatly enjoyed a restful night in a soft bed), the adventurers – minus Tolinyr – gathered in the common tavern room of the Crested Cock to plan their next move. Upon their arrival, Meldrick the innkeeper advised the party of several messages waiting for them. One was from Greven the magistrate, assistant to Lord Jessup Holtsbridge, lord of Folkestone – the message requested that the heroes appear at the keep for an audience with Greven. The second message was from the Wizard Neltharian, a powerful magic-user with whom the party had previously made contact; a well-regarded (if eccentric) Wizard, the party has recognized that he is a man of power. The final message was from Tolinyr, himself one of the companions.
Meldrick informed the party that there were two separate instances of people asking questions about the party or its members. The first was a man – possibly a traveler or adventurer – who inquired of Meldrick if he or anyone else in Folkestone had seen a female tiefling in or around the town. He also stated that two men, again possibly travelers, mercenaries or perhaps even Rogues, were making subtle inquiries about the new town celebrities (i.e., the party); Meldrick guessed that they didn’t know any of the heroes by name, but were casually trying to gather as much information as they could. He also mentions that a fighting-man known as Olthair was waiting for them across the tavern. Meldrick has known Olthair for approximately three years, and has a decent opinion of him.
The party quickly read the note from Tolinyr, which read as follows: “My friends, I’m afraid I must bid you goodbye. An urgent matter has come to my attention and I must return home to Avalar right away. Best regards, Tolinyr.” Meldrick then produced Neltharian’s note for the party, which read: “I'm not sure if the package was intended for someone in Folkestone. Those responsible could be looking for the box. Be careful.” The party already knew that Neltharian was away on a mysterious errand – as is often the case with Wizards – and that he was due to return to Folkestone in six days’ time. The party discussed the note, and then moved across the tavern room to meet Olthair (as identified by Meldrick).
Olthair greeted the party very warmly and introduced himself; he was an older man, with a small scar on his face. He informed the party that he had a proposition for them. He claimed to be a retired adventurer (a Fighter by trade and training), and that he had acquired a map leading to the ruins of an old keep a short journey from Folkestone. He believed that there could be substantial treasure remaining inside the ruins. He asked a price of 20 gold pieces for the map itself, and a further 1/6th of the haul. The party agreed to these terms.
Repairing to their rooms upstairs to plan the expedition, the always-direct Barrack directly questioned Syxia regarding the shadowy man seeking a “female tiefling” in Folkestone. Syxia became sullen and withdrawn, and for the first time appeared as a frightened girl rather than as a bold adventurer; she did then relate to her companions a significant secret regarding her backstory. She told them that her father is a powerful and wealthy tiefling Warlock, and that after years of being treated as little more than a servant girl by her father (who murdered her human mother in a fit of rage when Syxia was 12, showing little, if any, remorse about the fell deed) and her 12 brothers (most of whom barely – if at all – concealed their lustful intentions towards their sister), she came into the good graces of her father following his negotiating her marriage to an aged and evil tiefling Warlord. For the first time in her life, Syxia was treated as a treasured daughter, rather than as a slave girl subject to being beaten for real or imagined slights, as well as other sadistic cruelty. Using her new-found freedom, she slipped away from the secluded manor house shortly before her wedding was to take place. Unknown to virtually all non-tieflings throughout Soltara, the descendants of the tielfing noble houses continue a shadowy “realm”, hidden from the rest of the world, that to some degree reflects the ancient empire that they once ruled; worship of and trafficking with fiends led to a dark curse on the bloodline of the noble houses of that empire, and the empire fell. Syxia’s arranged marriage would cement her father’s position as a wealthy and powerful nobleman in the clandestine underworld of the tieflings, and would allow him to consolidate his power and control rival houses; Syxia’s flight has ruined this chance for him, and derailed his quest for the one thing he seeks at all costs: power over others. Likewise, her husband-to-be is also furious at having lost his chance to control a beautiful and busty young bride, using her as – among other things – a means to influence others noble houses through her connection with her father. While Syxia has no idea what might happen between these two houses, she is hoping that each blames the other for her disappearance (or abduction), and that she could be forgotten during the bitter in-fighting that could ensue. With the arrival of the stranger asking questions, however, that hope is gone. She is certain that the man is looking for her, and that he seeks to return her – by force – to either her father or her husband-to-be (a vile being who is old enough to be her grandfather); both of them have likely put a price on her head to be returned to “her rightful place” unharmed. Due to her cruel mistreatment at the hands of her father and brothers (and indeed, all male tieflings), she hates the tiefling race and all the dark things for which they and their ancient, vanished empire stood. Syxia was very grateful when Barrack vowed to kill any tiefling – or anyone else – who tried to abduct Syxia and return her to a life of servitude. Or who even stepped into the street in front of the dwarven Fighter.
Moving on to the destination specified in the next note, Greven welcomed the party back to the keep. He again praised the heroes for bringing home the children of Desh the weaver and destroying their bullywug captors (for which the party was rewarded with gold and a magical war hammer that had been a family heirloom for Desh – Barrack gladly accepted this prize, and vowed to use it bravely; all party members can attest that he has done so). Greven told the party that there have been rumors of strange sightings in the graveyard, as well as the desecration of several gravesites. He believed the issue to be one involving pranksters or those stirring things up in an effort to then sell phony protective trinkets. Greven requested that the party quietly stake out the graveyard, evaluate the cause of the disturbance and deal with it appropriately. Syxia, giving in to her darker nature, was very eager to spend some “quality time” in a creepy graveyard.
Before heading to the burying ground, the party thought it best to discuss the matter with Father Corus at the Temple of Pelor; Marik, Syxia, and Jaeran therefore went to the temple and told Father Corus everything that had been told to them by Greven. Ur-Kadar went to the shrine of Bahamut and found the keeper of the shrine to be a middle-class merchant named Siolad. Siolad noted that the main benefactor of the shrine is a man named Olthair; he further noted that the shrine can always use funds to help build it into a full-fledged temple. In the meantime, Barrack met with Gimmar Fellhammer, the town blacksmith, about making a suit of dwarven plate (Syxia would rather have gone shopping, but was pressured to visit Father Corus instead, perhaps to keep her out of trouble and/or to keep the clothing and lingerie merchants of the town from having to show her every single item in every single store. For the third time.).
The party decided that the best course of action would be to spend the night in the graveyard, keeping watch over the place. Around two in the morning, the group heard sounds coming from the southeast gate of the graveyard. Two gravehounds, nine zombies and a hideous creature known to Jaeran as a deathlock wight entered the graveyard, making their way through the crumbling gravestones by the light of the moon, a deathly mist swirling throughout the jumbled headstones and crypts. The undead band did not notice the party, and the heroes watched as the undead creatures crept further into the graveyard. At one point, the wight extended a clawed, cadaverous hand and commanded a recently-deceased body to rise, at which point a body slowly pushed its way out of the ground and joined the ghastly group. At that point, the heroes sprang from their hiding places in and around an ancient mausoleum and attacked. The gravehounds were swift and proved formidable foes. One gravehound caught Marik behind the group and engaged the Warlock in a bitter struggle. Jaeran called upon the divinity of the gods and disintegrated several zombies, as the other undead recoiled from his radiant aura. Despite the wight’s raising of an additional zombie ally, the group was able to hack their way through the zombies. The wight was a deadly foe, and hit Barrack with a claw that drains his strength with the cold, withering touch of the grave. The wight also was able to push back the heroes with a horrific visage. Ultimately, the heroes destroyed the undead; just before a final blow felled the wight, he proclaimed “This is not over . . . the Animator will get you; he’ll get all of you soon . . .”
The party spent the next several hours attempting to follow the tracks left by the undead band, in the hope of finding their lair, but they were not successful. They then returned to the graveyard and disposed of what was left of the putrid undead remains using Marek’s acid breath, and burning the rest. They returned to town after dawn, and told their story to Father Corus. The Cleric was relieved that they had dealt with the issue, and he stated that he would report back to the superiors of his clerical order and seek guidance. He also gave the party two healing potions (held by Barrack and Ur-Kadar). The party also reported the matter of the undead attack to Greven, who was also happy the party had dealt with the issue. He also indicated that he thought Lord Jessup could deal with the issue by doubling the guards posted along the southeast wall, and keeping the area well lit at night. He also asked that the party keep this quiet, so as not to distress the general populace. Following their meeting with Greven, the party was asked to meet with the recently-returned Lord Jessup, who posed a series of questions to them – Why had they come to Folkestone? How long would they be staying in the town? What are their intentions and goals? What were their future plans? Although the lord was matter-of-fact and direct, he did not seem hostile. There was a hint in his tone, however, that indicated that he could be worried about the growing popularity of the heroes among the townsfolk.
The party then returned to the Crested Cock and ate lunch before retiring upstairs for rest (and in Syxia’s case, a hot bath). While eating, the group met Pendingle, a local bard. Pendingle seemed very interested in the party, and he asked to sit down and talk with them to gather information for a ballad he is working on for them. Syxia shared her journal with the minstrel after first getting the approval of the party. She also paid for lunch for everyone in the inn and also gave away a few gold pieces to a couple of children in an attempt to build goodwill among the residents of Folkestone (as she is painfully aware that all of the party members are unusual in appearance, especially her), and to assure them that the party is there to help and protect them. The party then retired upstairs and quickly fell into deep, restful sleep. Syxia first took a long, hot bath and models – for herself, in the full length mirror in her private room – all of the new clothes she has spent a small fortune on, making a mental note of what makes her look her best (her new, expensive clothes are, of course, to remain behind, safely locked in her room, until she returns to the town after each adventure).
The next day, the party set off for the ruins of the Stillthorn Keep, using the map they had purchased from Olthair. They travelled for a day into the wild, hilly country around Folkestone without issue, and arrived in mid-morning to an area that fit the location as noted on the map. The party decided to take a careful approach, and Syxia was sent to scout ahead. She was quickly hit by a volley of goblin arrows, and a number of goblins charged out of the ruined keep. The group of goblins included several archers hidden amongst the ruins, two large and fierce grey wolves, two goblin skullcleavers, multiple goblin cutters, a stealthy goblin blackblade and one goblin bombardier. Ur-Kadar and Marik charged to the north while the others made their way to the goblins near the main entrance to the keep.
The wolves moved quickly and tried to flank the party. Ur-Kadar belched forth his fiery breath weapon, taking out five goblins. The first goblin skullcleaver charged and engaged Barrack, who was also engaged with a wolf. The second skullcleaver also charged out of the ruins and accidentally launched his battle axe (following a critical fumble). The party had a difficult time fighting the goblins and appeared rusty, which was alarming to the heroes. Even with these difficulties, however, Barrack and Syxia put down the first wolf. The goblin bombardier then launched an explosive cinderbomb. Barrack was engulfed in flames and acrid black smoke, but owing to his tough dwarven nature, he escaped with only his beard singed; Syxia deftly avoided the explosion, and lightly leapt aside. The bomb also set fire to two of the allies of the goblin bombardier – he did not seem to care about their fate, however.
Jaeran kept up accurate arrow fire with his bow, felling several goblins. The party then decided to focus on the tough goblin skullcleavers – once they went berserk with rage, the party took advantage of the lowering of their defenses, and quickly dispatched them. Barrack then charged the bombardier who flamed him, just as it pulled out another bomb. The charging dwarf killed the bombardier, causing the bomb to go off as the wretched creature dropped it. Barrack was again injured by the fiery blast, but several goblin archers around him were also seriously wounded. Two goblins broke off contact and tried to escape down the stairs; the others were either quickly dispatched or forced to flee.
Following the ruined and crumbling stairs led the party down to an empty room, where two doors could be seen on each side. The western doors were ajar; Syxia checked the east doors. As she knelt before the doors and started to examine them for traps, the portals flew open and a horde of goblins attacked from both sides. The number of goblins was small, consisting only of one skullcleaver, a blackblade, six warriors and twoarchers. The party quickly dispatched the goblins, although it was painfully apparent that the party can no longer count on surprise. The party went through the east doors, only to find another set of doors that led south. These doors were locked.
The party opened the doors to find this is where the goblins had been discarding their trash. Out of the mounds of trash leapt six ravenous dire rats and two swarms of rats. Ur-Kadar's breath weapon again came in handy, scattering the vermin. The swarms of rats presented a new challenge, however, but the party was able to deal with them. The party breathed a sigh of relief upon finding that no one was infected with filth fever. The party then tried the set of doors to the west, and found that they opened into what looked like an old dining room. Following a diligent search, a secret door was detected; it led to a flight of stairs and another secret door.
Syxia silently knelt and listened at the door; she heard goblins bracing for defense on the other side of the door, assuming that the party would be coming through the passage from the north (the goblins were totally unaware of the secret door to their left). The party surprised the goblins (four cutters, a skullcleaver, two archers and a blackblade) and was quickly upon them. A short skirmish ensued, but the shellshocked goblins were quickly overcome. The party then carefully listened at the double doors to the south of the room, and heard more goblin chatter.
The party opened the door and surveyed the room. Multiple columns were seen throughout, supporting the large room (40’ x 80’); there was also a 5’ wide ledge along the south wall. Positioned on the ledge were three goblin archers, while seven goblin warriors defended the room on the ground. The party took constant and accurate fire from the goblin archers, but they were able to effectively use the columns for cover. The goblins on the ground engaged the party and melee combat ensued. Marik teleported onto the ledge, and dispatched one archer before the other two fled. Leading north from the room was a passageway that led to another room, as well as a door that led south. The open room through the north passage led to a filthy room that the goblins were apparently using as a sleeping chamber. Syxia checked the door to the south and found that it was locked.
With that, the party began carefully checking the room for secret doors, mindful of how helpful they were last time. Indeed, another secret door was found under the ledge in the southwest corner of the room. The door did not lead to the locked room, however. It led instead to a 10’ x 40’ room that had a large round hole in the floor; the room was very dusty and appeared as if it had lain undisturbed for a long age. Also present were the broken remains of what looked to be an ornate table. Atop the table was a jeweled crown of ancient craftsmanship. While the party was deciding whether or not to enter the room, a ghostly figure rose through the dark and ominous hole in the floor, whispering in a ghostly, soul-shredding moan from beyond the grave, “Return them to me . . . return my crown and ring.” The ghostly figure then retreated back down the hole from whence it had issued. The party was not exactly sure what to make of this, so they retraced their steps back down to the south door.
Syxia took her usually position, kneeling and listening at the south door; she heard nothing, only silence. She successfully picked the lock and threw open the door. The room beyond was a 40’ x 40’ room with a curtain along the narrow part of the west wall. There could also be seen a small ledge along the north wall. This room was empty, but noises could be heard coming from the west. Suddenly, a number of goblins charged and combat was enjoined. Two archers appeared on the ledge and begin peppering the party with arrows. The fight then moved through the narrow passage previously covered by the curtain. In the room beyond were the goblin chieftain, one skullcleaver and several goblin warriors. Barrack and Marik both managed to climb up on the ledge, which could slide along both rooms. Barrack smashed one of the goblins off the ledge with his shield while Marik took care of the remaining archer. The rest of the party quickly dispatched the goblin warriors and then focused on taking down the skullcleaver as quickly as possible. With his troops defeated, the goblin chief begged for parlay. Syxia spoke the language of the goblins, and acted as the interpreter. The group let up while the chieftain attempts to bargain for his life with an amethyst amulet (estimated to be worth perhaps 75 gold pieces). Knowing the wicked goblin chieftain could present a future problem for the good people of Folkestone, the party did not let him live to escape the ruins, and he fell beneath Barrack’s powerful blows.
In the northwest corner of the room was a large pile of rubble. The dwarves are no strangers to the stonework of dungeons and the underworld, and so Barrack discovered that the rubble actually covered an ancient, crumbling staircase that appeared to lead down to another level of the ruins, descending into inky, stygian blackness. However, the stout dwarf proclaimed that clearing the staircase would likely take several hours of back-breaking work, so the attention of the party was turned back to the secret room and the ghost.
Syxia and Barrack volunteered to return to the room, but could find no sign of the ghost. Syxia carefully checked the ceiling and floor of the place, and discovered some kind of trapped floor plates near the hole in the floor. The trapped area, adjacent to the hole in the floor, blocked Syxia from going to retrieve the crown. Barrack and Syxia moved over to the hole and lowered a torch to see what lay below. As the lightest member of the party, Syxia volunteered to be lowered into the hole. A rope harness was securely rigged around her slender waist, and she was lowered through the hole, held fast by Barrack (who was by that time joined by Marik). While being lowered on the rope, she could see an underground pool within a large cavern. After being pulled back through the hole opening, Syxia made a bold attempt to disarm the pressure plates. However, she made a critical error by attempting to balance on her toes, and she pitched forward onto her knees, directly onto the trapped floor tile, setting off the trap.
From the center of the 10’ square area arose a quickly-spinning, large pole, equipped with many metal instruments of death. The trap moved about the room quickly and seemingly randomly, slashing Syxia. At that point, the other members of the party hear Syxia’s screams and rushed to the room. After several seconds the quickly-spinning deathtrap moved south, an opening appeared, and Syxia dashed forward and secured the crown. The trap, however, was now blocking her exit. Barrack began hammering on the trap with his magical hammer and shield in an attempt to create an opening. Ur-Kadar joined in with his enchanted axe, and eventually the whirling pole of death was smashed, after landing several crushing blows on both Barrack and Ur-Kadar. With the crown now secured (on Syxia’s head, as she was wearing it), the party was left to wonder what happened to the ring the ghost spoke of, and what, exactly, they should do with them once they find both items. It was possible that the ring was also with the crown and simply plunged down the hole into the water when the table fell apart, or perhaps the crown and ring will need to be returned to a place located on a lower level of the subterranean labyrinth before the ghost could finally be at peace. With that, the heroes tended their wounds and got some rest, before turning their attention to uncovering the stairs Barrack had discovered.
Having annihilated a tribe of kobold bandits menacing the trade routes to and from the settlement of Folkestone, a party of six bold adventurers – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; Tolinyr, an eladrin Wizard of the Feywild, wielder of potent magic; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his battle axe – returned to their accommodations at the Crested Cock in order to rest, enjoy the comforts to be found in a town and plan their next adventure.
Rising late (having greatly enjoyed a restful night in a soft bed), the adventurers – minus Tolinyr – gathered in the common tavern room of the Crested Cock to plan their next move. Upon their arrival, Meldrick the innkeeper advised the party of several messages waiting for them. One was from Greven the magistrate, assistant to Lord Jessup Holtsbridge, lord of Folkestone – the message requested that the heroes appear at the keep for an audience with Greven. The second message was from the Wizard Neltharian, a powerful magic-user with whom the party had previously made contact; a well-regarded (if eccentric) Wizard, the party has recognized that he is a man of power. The final message was from Tolinyr, himself one of the companions.
Meldrick informed the party that there were two separate instances of people asking questions about the party or its members. The first was a man – possibly a traveler or adventurer – who inquired of Meldrick if he or anyone else in Folkestone had seen a female tiefling in or around the town. He also stated that two men, again possibly travelers, mercenaries or perhaps even Rogues, were making subtle inquiries about the new town celebrities (i.e., the party); Meldrick guessed that they didn’t know any of the heroes by name, but were casually trying to gather as much information as they could. He also mentions that a fighting-man known as Olthair was waiting for them across the tavern. Meldrick has known Olthair for approximately three years, and has a decent opinion of him.
The party quickly read the note from Tolinyr, which read as follows: “My friends, I’m afraid I must bid you goodbye. An urgent matter has come to my attention and I must return home to Avalar right away. Best regards, Tolinyr.” Meldrick then produced Neltharian’s note for the party, which read: “I'm not sure if the package was intended for someone in Folkestone. Those responsible could be looking for the box. Be careful.” The party already knew that Neltharian was away on a mysterious errand – as is often the case with Wizards – and that he was due to return to Folkestone in six days’ time. The party discussed the note, and then moved across the tavern room to meet Olthair (as identified by Meldrick).
Olthair greeted the party very warmly and introduced himself; he was an older man, with a small scar on his face. He informed the party that he had a proposition for them. He claimed to be a retired adventurer (a Fighter by trade and training), and that he had acquired a map leading to the ruins of an old keep a short journey from Folkestone. He believed that there could be substantial treasure remaining inside the ruins. He asked a price of 20 gold pieces for the map itself, and a further 1/6th of the haul. The party agreed to these terms.
Repairing to their rooms upstairs to plan the expedition, the always-direct Barrack directly questioned Syxia regarding the shadowy man seeking a “female tiefling” in Folkestone. Syxia became sullen and withdrawn, and for the first time appeared as a frightened girl rather than as a bold adventurer; she did then relate to her companions a significant secret regarding her backstory. She told them that her father is a powerful and wealthy tiefling Warlock, and that after years of being treated as little more than a servant girl by her father (who murdered her human mother in a fit of rage when Syxia was 12, showing little, if any, remorse about the fell deed) and her 12 brothers (most of whom barely – if at all – concealed their lustful intentions towards their sister), she came into the good graces of her father following his negotiating her marriage to an aged and evil tiefling Warlord. For the first time in her life, Syxia was treated as a treasured daughter, rather than as a slave girl subject to being beaten for real or imagined slights, as well as other sadistic cruelty. Using her new-found freedom, she slipped away from the secluded manor house shortly before her wedding was to take place. Unknown to virtually all non-tieflings throughout Soltara, the descendants of the tielfing noble houses continue a shadowy “realm”, hidden from the rest of the world, that to some degree reflects the ancient empire that they once ruled; worship of and trafficking with fiends led to a dark curse on the bloodline of the noble houses of that empire, and the empire fell. Syxia’s arranged marriage would cement her father’s position as a wealthy and powerful nobleman in the clandestine underworld of the tieflings, and would allow him to consolidate his power and control rival houses; Syxia’s flight has ruined this chance for him, and derailed his quest for the one thing he seeks at all costs: power over others. Likewise, her husband-to-be is also furious at having lost his chance to control a beautiful and busty young bride, using her as – among other things – a means to influence others noble houses through her connection with her father. While Syxia has no idea what might happen between these two houses, she is hoping that each blames the other for her disappearance (or abduction), and that she could be forgotten during the bitter in-fighting that could ensue. With the arrival of the stranger asking questions, however, that hope is gone. She is certain that the man is looking for her, and that he seeks to return her – by force – to either her father or her husband-to-be (a vile being who is old enough to be her grandfather); both of them have likely put a price on her head to be returned to “her rightful place” unharmed. Due to her cruel mistreatment at the hands of her father and brothers (and indeed, all male tieflings), she hates the tiefling race and all the dark things for which they and their ancient, vanished empire stood. Syxia was very grateful when Barrack vowed to kill any tiefling – or anyone else – who tried to abduct Syxia and return her to a life of servitude. Or who even stepped into the street in front of the dwarven Fighter.
Moving on to the destination specified in the next note, Greven welcomed the party back to the keep. He again praised the heroes for bringing home the children of Desh the weaver and destroying their bullywug captors (for which the party was rewarded with gold and a magical war hammer that had been a family heirloom for Desh – Barrack gladly accepted this prize, and vowed to use it bravely; all party members can attest that he has done so). Greven told the party that there have been rumors of strange sightings in the graveyard, as well as the desecration of several gravesites. He believed the issue to be one involving pranksters or those stirring things up in an effort to then sell phony protective trinkets. Greven requested that the party quietly stake out the graveyard, evaluate the cause of the disturbance and deal with it appropriately. Syxia, giving in to her darker nature, was very eager to spend some “quality time” in a creepy graveyard.
Before heading to the burying ground, the party thought it best to discuss the matter with Father Corus at the Temple of Pelor; Marik, Syxia, and Jaeran therefore went to the temple and told Father Corus everything that had been told to them by Greven. Ur-Kadar went to the shrine of Bahamut and found the keeper of the shrine to be a middle-class merchant named Siolad. Siolad noted that the main benefactor of the shrine is a man named Olthair; he further noted that the shrine can always use funds to help build it into a full-fledged temple. In the meantime, Barrack met with Gimmar Fellhammer, the town blacksmith, about making a suit of dwarven plate (Syxia would rather have gone shopping, but was pressured to visit Father Corus instead, perhaps to keep her out of trouble and/or to keep the clothing and lingerie merchants of the town from having to show her every single item in every single store. For the third time.).
The party decided that the best course of action would be to spend the night in the graveyard, keeping watch over the place. Around two in the morning, the group heard sounds coming from the southeast gate of the graveyard. Two gravehounds, nine zombies and a hideous creature known to Jaeran as a deathlock wight entered the graveyard, making their way through the crumbling gravestones by the light of the moon, a deathly mist swirling throughout the jumbled headstones and crypts. The undead band did not notice the party, and the heroes watched as the undead creatures crept further into the graveyard. At one point, the wight extended a clawed, cadaverous hand and commanded a recently-deceased body to rise, at which point a body slowly pushed its way out of the ground and joined the ghastly group. At that point, the heroes sprang from their hiding places in and around an ancient mausoleum and attacked. The gravehounds were swift and proved formidable foes. One gravehound caught Marik behind the group and engaged the Warlock in a bitter struggle. Jaeran called upon the divinity of the gods and disintegrated several zombies, as the other undead recoiled from his radiant aura. Despite the wight’s raising of an additional zombie ally, the group was able to hack their way through the zombies. The wight was a deadly foe, and hit Barrack with a claw that drains his strength with the cold, withering touch of the grave. The wight also was able to push back the heroes with a horrific visage. Ultimately, the heroes destroyed the undead; just before a final blow felled the wight, he proclaimed “This is not over . . . the Animator will get you; he’ll get all of you soon . . .”
The party spent the next several hours attempting to follow the tracks left by the undead band, in the hope of finding their lair, but they were not successful. They then returned to the graveyard and disposed of what was left of the putrid undead remains using Marek’s acid breath, and burning the rest. They returned to town after dawn, and told their story to Father Corus. The Cleric was relieved that they had dealt with the issue, and he stated that he would report back to the superiors of his clerical order and seek guidance. He also gave the party two healing potions (held by Barrack and Ur-Kadar). The party also reported the matter of the undead attack to Greven, who was also happy the party had dealt with the issue. He also indicated that he thought Lord Jessup could deal with the issue by doubling the guards posted along the southeast wall, and keeping the area well lit at night. He also asked that the party keep this quiet, so as not to distress the general populace. Following their meeting with Greven, the party was asked to meet with the recently-returned Lord Jessup, who posed a series of questions to them – Why had they come to Folkestone? How long would they be staying in the town? What are their intentions and goals? What were their future plans? Although the lord was matter-of-fact and direct, he did not seem hostile. There was a hint in his tone, however, that indicated that he could be worried about the growing popularity of the heroes among the townsfolk.
The party then returned to the Crested Cock and ate lunch before retiring upstairs for rest (and in Syxia’s case, a hot bath). While eating, the group met Pendingle, a local bard. Pendingle seemed very interested in the party, and he asked to sit down and talk with them to gather information for a ballad he is working on for them. Syxia shared her journal with the minstrel after first getting the approval of the party. She also paid for lunch for everyone in the inn and also gave away a few gold pieces to a couple of children in an attempt to build goodwill among the residents of Folkestone (as she is painfully aware that all of the party members are unusual in appearance, especially her), and to assure them that the party is there to help and protect them. The party then retired upstairs and quickly fell into deep, restful sleep. Syxia first took a long, hot bath and models – for herself, in the full length mirror in her private room – all of the new clothes she has spent a small fortune on, making a mental note of what makes her look her best (her new, expensive clothes are, of course, to remain behind, safely locked in her room, until she returns to the town after each adventure).
The next day, the party set off for the ruins of the Stillthorn Keep, using the map they had purchased from Olthair. They travelled for a day into the wild, hilly country around Folkestone without issue, and arrived in mid-morning to an area that fit the location as noted on the map. The party decided to take a careful approach, and Syxia was sent to scout ahead. She was quickly hit by a volley of goblin arrows, and a number of goblins charged out of the ruined keep. The group of goblins included several archers hidden amongst the ruins, two large and fierce grey wolves, two goblin skullcleavers, multiple goblin cutters, a stealthy goblin blackblade and one goblin bombardier. Ur-Kadar and Marik charged to the north while the others made their way to the goblins near the main entrance to the keep.
The wolves moved quickly and tried to flank the party. Ur-Kadar belched forth his fiery breath weapon, taking out five goblins. The first goblin skullcleaver charged and engaged Barrack, who was also engaged with a wolf. The second skullcleaver also charged out of the ruins and accidentally launched his battle axe (following a critical fumble). The party had a difficult time fighting the goblins and appeared rusty, which was alarming to the heroes. Even with these difficulties, however, Barrack and Syxia put down the first wolf. The goblin bombardier then launched an explosive cinderbomb. Barrack was engulfed in flames and acrid black smoke, but owing to his tough dwarven nature, he escaped with only his beard singed; Syxia deftly avoided the explosion, and lightly leapt aside. The bomb also set fire to two of the allies of the goblin bombardier – he did not seem to care about their fate, however.
Jaeran kept up accurate arrow fire with his bow, felling several goblins. The party then decided to focus on the tough goblin skullcleavers – once they went berserk with rage, the party took advantage of the lowering of their defenses, and quickly dispatched them. Barrack then charged the bombardier who flamed him, just as it pulled out another bomb. The charging dwarf killed the bombardier, causing the bomb to go off as the wretched creature dropped it. Barrack was again injured by the fiery blast, but several goblin archers around him were also seriously wounded. Two goblins broke off contact and tried to escape down the stairs; the others were either quickly dispatched or forced to flee.
Following the ruined and crumbling stairs led the party down to an empty room, where two doors could be seen on each side. The western doors were ajar; Syxia checked the east doors. As she knelt before the doors and started to examine them for traps, the portals flew open and a horde of goblins attacked from both sides. The number of goblins was small, consisting only of one skullcleaver, a blackblade, six warriors and twoarchers. The party quickly dispatched the goblins, although it was painfully apparent that the party can no longer count on surprise. The party went through the east doors, only to find another set of doors that led south. These doors were locked.
The party opened the doors to find this is where the goblins had been discarding their trash. Out of the mounds of trash leapt six ravenous dire rats and two swarms of rats. Ur-Kadar's breath weapon again came in handy, scattering the vermin. The swarms of rats presented a new challenge, however, but the party was able to deal with them. The party breathed a sigh of relief upon finding that no one was infected with filth fever. The party then tried the set of doors to the west, and found that they opened into what looked like an old dining room. Following a diligent search, a secret door was detected; it led to a flight of stairs and another secret door.
Syxia silently knelt and listened at the door; she heard goblins bracing for defense on the other side of the door, assuming that the party would be coming through the passage from the north (the goblins were totally unaware of the secret door to their left). The party surprised the goblins (four cutters, a skullcleaver, two archers and a blackblade) and was quickly upon them. A short skirmish ensued, but the shellshocked goblins were quickly overcome. The party then carefully listened at the double doors to the south of the room, and heard more goblin chatter.
The party opened the door and surveyed the room. Multiple columns were seen throughout, supporting the large room (40’ x 80’); there was also a 5’ wide ledge along the south wall. Positioned on the ledge were three goblin archers, while seven goblin warriors defended the room on the ground. The party took constant and accurate fire from the goblin archers, but they were able to effectively use the columns for cover. The goblins on the ground engaged the party and melee combat ensued. Marik teleported onto the ledge, and dispatched one archer before the other two fled. Leading north from the room was a passageway that led to another room, as well as a door that led south. The open room through the north passage led to a filthy room that the goblins were apparently using as a sleeping chamber. Syxia checked the door to the south and found that it was locked.
With that, the party began carefully checking the room for secret doors, mindful of how helpful they were last time. Indeed, another secret door was found under the ledge in the southwest corner of the room. The door did not lead to the locked room, however. It led instead to a 10’ x 40’ room that had a large round hole in the floor; the room was very dusty and appeared as if it had lain undisturbed for a long age. Also present were the broken remains of what looked to be an ornate table. Atop the table was a jeweled crown of ancient craftsmanship. While the party was deciding whether or not to enter the room, a ghostly figure rose through the dark and ominous hole in the floor, whispering in a ghostly, soul-shredding moan from beyond the grave, “Return them to me . . . return my crown and ring.” The ghostly figure then retreated back down the hole from whence it had issued. The party was not exactly sure what to make of this, so they retraced their steps back down to the south door.
Syxia took her usually position, kneeling and listening at the south door; she heard nothing, only silence. She successfully picked the lock and threw open the door. The room beyond was a 40’ x 40’ room with a curtain along the narrow part of the west wall. There could also be seen a small ledge along the north wall. This room was empty, but noises could be heard coming from the west. Suddenly, a number of goblins charged and combat was enjoined. Two archers appeared on the ledge and begin peppering the party with arrows. The fight then moved through the narrow passage previously covered by the curtain. In the room beyond were the goblin chieftain, one skullcleaver and several goblin warriors. Barrack and Marik both managed to climb up on the ledge, which could slide along both rooms. Barrack smashed one of the goblins off the ledge with his shield while Marik took care of the remaining archer. The rest of the party quickly dispatched the goblin warriors and then focused on taking down the skullcleaver as quickly as possible. With his troops defeated, the goblin chief begged for parlay. Syxia spoke the language of the goblins, and acted as the interpreter. The group let up while the chieftain attempts to bargain for his life with an amethyst amulet (estimated to be worth perhaps 75 gold pieces). Knowing the wicked goblin chieftain could present a future problem for the good people of Folkestone, the party did not let him live to escape the ruins, and he fell beneath Barrack’s powerful blows.
In the northwest corner of the room was a large pile of rubble. The dwarves are no strangers to the stonework of dungeons and the underworld, and so Barrack discovered that the rubble actually covered an ancient, crumbling staircase that appeared to lead down to another level of the ruins, descending into inky, stygian blackness. However, the stout dwarf proclaimed that clearing the staircase would likely take several hours of back-breaking work, so the attention of the party was turned back to the secret room and the ghost.
Syxia and Barrack volunteered to return to the room, but could find no sign of the ghost. Syxia carefully checked the ceiling and floor of the place, and discovered some kind of trapped floor plates near the hole in the floor. The trapped area, adjacent to the hole in the floor, blocked Syxia from going to retrieve the crown. Barrack and Syxia moved over to the hole and lowered a torch to see what lay below. As the lightest member of the party, Syxia volunteered to be lowered into the hole. A rope harness was securely rigged around her slender waist, and she was lowered through the hole, held fast by Barrack (who was by that time joined by Marik). While being lowered on the rope, she could see an underground pool within a large cavern. After being pulled back through the hole opening, Syxia made a bold attempt to disarm the pressure plates. However, she made a critical error by attempting to balance on her toes, and she pitched forward onto her knees, directly onto the trapped floor tile, setting off the trap.
From the center of the 10’ square area arose a quickly-spinning, large pole, equipped with many metal instruments of death. The trap moved about the room quickly and seemingly randomly, slashing Syxia. At that point, the other members of the party hear Syxia’s screams and rushed to the room. After several seconds the quickly-spinning deathtrap moved south, an opening appeared, and Syxia dashed forward and secured the crown. The trap, however, was now blocking her exit. Barrack began hammering on the trap with his magical hammer and shield in an attempt to create an opening. Ur-Kadar joined in with his enchanted axe, and eventually the whirling pole of death was smashed, after landing several crushing blows on both Barrack and Ur-Kadar. With the crown now secured (on Syxia’s head, as she was wearing it), the party was left to wonder what happened to the ring the ghost spoke of, and what, exactly, they should do with them once they find both items. It was possible that the ring was also with the crown and simply plunged down the hole into the water when the table fell apart, or perhaps the crown and ring will need to be returned to a place located on a lower level of the subterranean labyrinth before the ghost could finally be at peace. With that, the heroes tended their wounds and got some rest, before turning their attention to uncovering the stairs Barrack had discovered.
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