Session 56
TBA
The sun was starting to set, and as the Four Feathers traveled in what remained of the golden hue it cast upon the land they inevitably ran into a fork in the road. The ‘Howling Windwaze’, they knew; The last stretch before they would reach Elkenveil.
To the left of them was the steep mountain path. Though seemingly the straightforward choice for it’s predictability, its elevation could mean that from a certain point they would have to leave their steeds behind and go further on foot.
To the right of them they spotted a series of caves, possibly a remnant of the works of an older civilisation. Presumably the path through the mountain would both be shorter and less strenuous, though it was equally unpredictable.
Going in for a closer inspection, the group soon discovered skeletal remains littering the mountain path; a sign that it might not be as safe as they had hoped to walk so out in the open in this region. To assess the area further they decided to approach the caverns next.
In a shallow cave at the foot of the mountain the party stumbled upon the remains of three dragonborn. They lay mutilated in between their camp provisions, none of which had been taken. This seemed to indicate that they could have been ambushed by an animal, such as a wolf from the land.
The party tried to discern how old these caves were, and if they were possibly still in use, though they found no signs that the area had been maintained by anyone. Once built by ancestors of the current dragonborn, Aragir vaguely remembered, they could have been used by smaller dwarven faction that splintered from those of the Basalt Kingdom at some point in history. Though whether this faction still existed and made active use of the tunnels to this day was up for speculation.
Whilst going through the deceased dragonborn’s belongings, Soul found a map and a strange bag of transparent beads. Somewhat spongy when squeezed, they briefly speculated on what these beads could be before Soul dared Cynic to swallow one of them. Instantly, it was as if any thirst he had was instantly satiated, and he would be able to manage for a little while longer without needing any water. They discerned that this was how the dragonborn kept themselves hydrated on their travels and decided to take the bag with them.
In the meantime Loxen had ventured further, and found another small cave. The area looked somewhat like a small altar, with a bronze bust of a dragon in its midst. On the pedestal there was some writing in Draconic that read; ‘Hygeria, mother of storms.’
It seemed relatively upkept, and did not match the rest of the caves. Perhaps the altar was raised by and for travelers.
After reconvening, the group deliberated a little on which path they would take. Though Aragir still preferred the clear mountain path, the majority vote was to enter the caverns instead.
It did not take long before the path split into three separate ways, and they were once again wondering where to go next. To make sure they would not lose their way, they decided to carve an arrow on the wall beside them, pointing at the entrance.
Whilst Aragir was trying to see if the strange compass he had found before could help him here and Loxen tried to determine if there was a draft coming from any of the tunnels, Soul spotted carvings alongside the walls of each of them, which read as follows;
Wanderers Trail, the path between Brassdorf and Diremound,
North edge Road, the road between Diremound and Elkenveil, and
Elkenveil, the city Northernmost of the continent.
Naturally, the group decided to proceed towards Elkenveil.
It became increasingly darker as time progressed and the group ventured deeper into the tunnels, until the only sources of light left were the magically lit torches that were installed alongside the walls. Further down they spotted large shadows projected on the wall before them as the path curved right, cast by what seemed to be a small campfire.
Cautiously, Aragir sent his owl to investigate, hoping that it would be silent enough to avoid detection. He spotted a large, brutish looking creature sitting near the campfire, but when the owl approached to observe further it was suddenly forced to avoid a large club that was swung at it from behind. Now that the owl had been spotted, it was best for it to retreat.
The group quickly tried to devise a plan to attempt to pass by these creatures without a fight. They eventually agreed that Cynic would use an Invisibility spell on himself so that he could throw one of the Beads of Refreshment into the fire in an attempt to extinguish it and hopefully blind the creatures.
Soon after the campfire had been doused, the giants fell into panic and violently started to move about.
Cynic remembered how the beans he had had previously helped the party escape from the Scarlet Academy, and in a quick reaction he threw another in the middle of the three giants.
Soon after, a large pyramid sprouted from the ground, which quickly pushed its way through the cavern hall. With violent force it moved creature and stone alike. One of the giants was crushed in the process, though the other two seemed to be caught on the other side of it.
When it had fully emerged, the only roads ahead that remained were the newly formed but rubbled paths around the giant structure. Water was leaking on all sides and the sound of loose rocks falling down echoed through the halls.
Aragir once again inspected the area ahead with his owl, and spotted the two leftover giants there. But more worryingly, the Mummy Lord that had risen from its grave was standing menacingly atop the stairs before the entrance of its tomb.
Aragir was convinced that the group should return; the road ahead was too difficult for the horses to traverse, and they had no idea just how dangerous the enemies ahead were. Neither did they know whether the hallways ahead were compromised or safe to pass through. The group, however, was reluctant to turn back.
In order to distract the creatures behind the pyramid, Loxen sent her Zhapin to sprint towards them. They could soon hear the commotion on the other side.
Since the unanimous decision seemed clear, they decided to send their horses running back towards the entrance and traveled further past the pyramid.
Cynic and Loxen decided to climb over it, while Aragir and Soul walked the path around it instead.
Once they had assessed the situation, Soul cast a Darkness spell on the giants in an attempt for the party to sneak past, while the Zhapin continued to distract them. While Soul and Aragir tried to run as far as they could, Cynic attempted to carry Loxen over the remainder of the pyramid.
Unfortunately, a confrontation seemed inevitable…