The sun hasn’t risen over Icewind Dale in two years. Many believe that the
goddess of winter’s wrath -- Auril, the Frostmaiden -- is weaving a spell to
lengthen winter and increase the suffering of Ten Towns. No one knows exactly why,
but the people of Icewind Dale are hoping for heroes to step up and save them
from the everlasting night.
On behalf of Sheriff Markham Southwell of Bryn Shander, bounty hunter Hiln
Trollbane has hired a group of adventurers: Anatol, a human paladin of
Amaunator; Harvan Stonebridge, a halfling cleric of Yondalla; Ligs, a dwarf
fighter from the Dwarven Valley; Ratimir, a human bard; Ziff,
a kobold rogue; Glim Peppadimmie, a gnome druid; and Lain Sorenstarr, a drow ranger. What began
as a search for a serial killer has become a struggle for the survival of Icewind Dale, and perhaps the world itself.
Day 24 of the campaign, the 15th day of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne has just entered the new phase.
The Dawnbringers were served refreshments by Kresselack in the Vale of Shadows; afterward, they battled the memory of a fallen paladin at the Decimation of Caer-Bannog.
Guests of the Black Wolf
Kresselack led the Dawnbringers across the large chamber with twin
green pools, down a large hallway lined with columns and statues, down a smaller
corridor off that and finally into what appeared to be his study. Books filled
the walls, punctuated here and there with a collection of the former barbarian
king's trophies and curios gathered from across the Dale.
A few of Kresselack's undead men were there preparing a large wooden table for
the guests. They set out tea from Calimshan, coffee from Chult, and elvish
brandy from the Glimmerwood. A wide range of fruits, nuts, and dried meats
filled the space between. Their host bade them to sit and partake of the
refreshments while they discussed the situation in Icewind Dale.
The Solensäng was being held in the frost giant Jarl
Grugnur's home, a glacial rift in the highest reaches of the Spine of the
World Mountains.
This glacial rift was well hidden by three of Auril's protective wards.
Originally, Grugnur and his brother
Kvaltigar had allied with Kresselack's sister
Geluvicken and pushed for a return to the old times when
frost giants ruled the north.
Upon Queen Vassavicken's death, Grugnur and Kvaltigar absconded with the
Solensäng as they didn't trust Geluvicken's allegiance to Auril.
Grugnur and Kvaltigar fell out and Grugnur murdered his brother.
Lysan was Kresselack's lover and trusted advisor. Although he cannot see
where she's being held, Kresselack interpreted Anatol's dream of a "gray wolf
with green eyes and a moon-shaped amulet around its neck" and visions of purple
pears as evidence that Lysan was being held in Ythryn.
Kresselack does not know the identity of his father. "That knowledge died with my mother."
The rest of the Kuldahar druids' locations are unknown, though
Anga disappeared on the Sea of Moving Ice, Arundel went
deep into the Underdark after planting his acorn underneath Bryn Shander, and
Tolben ventured into Damien Morienus' laboratory but never returned.
The Isle of Dread – an island archipelago on the other side of
the planet that can be accessed via the jade key and the Netherese
Doorknob – was used by the Netherese Empire as a source of slave labor and
proving ground for their experiments hybridizing illithids with humans.
Horizon
As the party ate and drank their fill, they noticed that the fire in the
hearth behind Kresselack had slowed almost to a standstill. Kresselack's bearing
shifted and he spoke to Anatol about his sword, the Vargensklinga.
"You've become familiar with the Vargensklinga, and no doubt you've examined the
wold motif of the blade. That comes from its previous wielder, the storm herald
Sovenis of the Wolf Tribe. It was her struggle involving Horizon that inspired
me to challenge Damien Morienus.
"Long ago, the star elves forged Alestreya – or Horizon in
the common tongue – a blade that allowed their warriors to travel across
the planet, even cross over to other planes of existence. When they departed
this world, they left the blade behind in one of their vaults to secure a portal
back to Toril.
"In your travels you've learned of the Star Elves, the Netherese and their
flying cities. You've heard of Ythryn, the great city that crashed
to Toril almost two millenia ago. You stumbled upon a fragment of it in
Termalaine. Right now, there are many factions and players vying to be the first
to step foot into Ythryn. However, they are far from the first to try..."
Alethane
Alethane was a human wizard and scholar fascinated with the
legends of the Star Elves, their Nether Scrolls, and the empire built by the
Netherese after discovering those scrolls. He was the first known person to go
searching for the lost city of Ythryn and the vestiges of Star Elf magic in
Icewind Dale almost 500 years ago. Tracking down legends of city fragments
falling into Mirabar and surrounding environs, he spent years canvassing the
Spine of the World Mountains until he stumbled upon the Temple of the
Forgotten God, a guardian outpost built by the Star Elves as an anchor to
the one of their portals. Over the centuries, it had been co-opted by a variety
of interlopers and cults until its original purpose was lost to time.
Inside, Alethane discovered Horizon. Finding the temple and the
sword were the first signs that he was on the right track, but the years were
catching up to Alethane, and he feared that his death would come before
discovering Ythryn. Using a tome of dark magic he'd stolen from a dying mage in
Neverwinter, he transformed himself into a lich, using Horizon as his
phylactery. He killed the cultists at the Temple of the Forgotten God, fed
their souls into the blade, and raised them as his undead minions. He
took the Temple as his home and leveraged its elusive nature to launch search
expeditions for Ythryn across Icewind Dale .
A Fallen Paladin
How Alethane met Charenthoth and made the fallen paladin his death knight is unknown,
but that dreadful warrior cut a swath of death across the Spine and the Dale in
Alethane's name, feeding souls into the lich's ravenous phylactery. Charenthoth
met his first challenger in Sovenis, a Storm Herald warrior of the
Tribe of the Wolf. She and her companions met the death knight and
his horde of undead at Caer-Bannog.
The pair fought a viscous battle, but in the end Charenthoth was victorious...or
so it seemed. By falling to the blade, Horizon absorbed the soul of Sovenis, and
that soul fought against the essence of Alethane
himself. With the lich engaged in this struggle, Sovenis' companions were able
to destroy both Charenthoth and Alethane at the Temple of the Forgotten God. The
sword Horizon split in two: the Levandedöd – Living Death
– containing Charenthoth and Alethane, the Vargensklinga –
Wolf's Blade – containing Sovenis. With his phylactery divided, Alethane's
body was prevented from reforming, and the lich trapped inside the sword.
To unleash the full power of a recombined Horizon, the would-be wielder and
their allies must meditate on the two blades together. Once they reach a state
of mental synchronicity, they would be transported to a demiplane where they relive
the fight against Charenthoth the Death Knight during the Destruction of
Caer-Bannog. Defeating Charenthoth will allow the wielder to temporarily
reform Horizon once per day. To permanently reform the blade one must
allow Alethane to regenerate and then destroy him with Horizon inside the Temple
of the Forgotten God.
The Destruction of Caer-Bannog
The Dawnbringers face Charenthoth at the Destruction of Caer-Bannog
As Kresselack concluded the story, the flames in the hearth resumed their normal
speed, and the party felt themselves shift slightly in their seats. "Your abilities
and health have been restored. If you are to face Charentoth and wield the Levandedöd,
it would be wise to do so now as the syzygy between the sun and Selûne has weakened
the death knight."
He led the Dawnbringers to a training room down the hall where his men had lit candles
and were burning incense. Anatol, Ligs, Ziff, Ratimir, and Harvan laid down upon the stone
floor and – with a little boost from Gleb's mind spores – meditated on the blades.
Within a few minutes, the Vale of Shadows melted away and they found themselves
standing in sunlight-bathed Caer-Bannog from many, many years ago. The town was
under siege as a motley assemblage of orc mercenaries, ogres, and Charenthoth's
army of undead slaughtered townspeople, toppled stone buildings, and burned the
wooden structures.
The orcs, ogres, and townspeople were phantoms to the Dawnbringers, but
the ground, buildings, and Charenthoth's undead minions were real enough.
The party strode across town to the recently-destroyed castle tower
where Charenthoth was executing the town elders and fought the death
knight there. Catching sight of Anatol, Charenthoth removed his helmet,
revealing flowing blonde hair. Later in the battle, he extended a pair
of radiantly glowing wings and took flight. Soon, the party got the
upper hand and Anatol pushed the fallen paladin into Ziff's Sphere
of Annihilation, ending the encounter and returning the party to
the cold stone floor in the Vale of Shadows.
Kresselack stood nearby and noted their success as he asked Anatol,
"Stjärna, do you know where do your people come from? I've not uncovered
much of Charenthoth's past, but I do know that at one point he was a
Purple Dragon Knight in Cormyr registered under the name
Charenthoth Mrazdan. From there, he pledged himself to
Lathander's service north of the Moonsea. After that, he falls off the
map until emerging as Alethane's fist. I suspect he figures into your
ancestry somehow."
Day 24 and 25 of the campaign, the 15th and 16th days of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is exiting the new phase.
The Dawnbringers used Kresselack's Ethereal Pools to free Vellyne Harpell and steal a critical item from Sven the Bard.
Donjon, Warrior, Avenger, Necromancer, Abjurer
The Dawnbringers sat on the floor of Kresselack's training and meditation room
and pondered their next step. Which path should they follow? Their host
suggested a good night's rest followed by a visit to his Ethereal
Pools to scry on Sven and Vellyne and see if that would help them make a
decision.
But before heading off to bed, Ratimir performed an eerily-relevant Tarokka
reading for Kresselack, drawing the Donjon card as "The Focus", the
Warrior card as "The Past", the Avenger as "The
Present", the Necromancer as "The Future", and the
Abjurer as "The Journey".
His Story Has Ended
The Black Wolf Skeletons led each of the party to their own private
bedroom, complete with hot water baths. Everyone availed themselves of the
luxury save Ratimir, whose Damaran ways favored a more relaxed approach to
hygiene. As the bard was removing his clothing and gear, he heard water
splashing behind his back. He turned to see Olidammara, the Laughing
Rogue reclined in the tub and pouring water from a ladle over his head.
"Oh, Ratimir, this is a joy and a pleasure. You're really missing out."
Olidammara complimented Ratimir for his progress since they'd last met,
and the bard gave all the credit to his new-found friends and
companions. The god gave him an apraising look and remarked that this
next leg of his journey would be the most challenging yet, and that the
Mizwad of the Verdant Glades was capable of far more than
the pair of spells Ratimir currently knew. With that, Olidammara snapped
his fingers and the pair were transported to a beautiful sunlit meadow
in Porpherio's Garden. Ratimir saw the familiar shape of
the Lake Palace backlit by the sunset and the thick forest treeline
opposite toward Nightward. As he stared, the Green Man
cautiously stepped forth from the trees, scanning the meadow for
something.
Olidammara whispered to Ratimir, "Don't be alarmed, my friend. This is
but a memory. He cannot see or hear us. But you should pay close
attention."
The Green Man crept silently into the tall grass and kneeled next to a
depression where the grass had been laid flat. Olidammara beckoned and Ratimir
stepped closer to get a look. In the center of the beaten grass were the bodies
of four centaurs, bloody and covered with green vines. The Green Man slowly put
a hand on the head of one and bowed his head as tears dripped from his cheeks.
Olidammara placed a hand on Ratimir's shoulder as the Green Man raised his
flute and played a short tune. The music flowed visibly from the
instrument and wreathed the fey guardian in a subtle blue-green translucent
shell, and then faded.
As the Green Man stowed the flute. He called out, "Serahthil? I know you're
here. Step forth and answer for your deeds." Vines shot out and seized his arms,
legs, and neck as Serahthil the Green Hag became visible thirty
feet away. She stretched out her hands, holding a piece of amber in one and her
hand mirror in the other. The mirror inhibited the magic of the amber, releasing
one of Serahthil's sisters into the meadow. Serahthil then activated her amulet
which enveloped both her sister and the Green Man a pale light, changing the
appearance of Oberon's garden servant to that of the green hag. When the effect
of her mirror had worn off, the amber gem reactivated and the Green Man
disappeared. With that, Olidammara snapped his fingers again, returning Ratimir
and himself to the bedroom in the Vale of Shadows.
"That tune casts Protection from Evil and Good. Unfortunately for the
Green Man, he cast it too late. He'd already stepped into Serathil's trap."
Before leaving, Olidammara gave the bard a bottle of fine Urnst whiskey from
Greyhawk, and returned the ornamental scimitar depicting the story of
Angajuk the awakened whale that Ratimir had lost to the
Manifold Mirror. When Ratimir asked why he was returning it now,
Olidammara replied, "The other Ratimir won't be needing it anymore. His story
has ended."
Jotunklifra Draft Map (details TBD)
Jarlmoot
Abandoned Mage Tower (Teleportation Circle)
Skytower Shelter
Ator’s Fingers
Wyrmdoom Shelter
Karkolohk
Vale of Iron Shadows
Eversmoking Wood
Staircase of the Giants
In the morning over breakfast, Kresselack gave the party a map of the
Jotunklifra, or the Staircase of the Giants, a glacial cascade
where the Glacial Rift of Jarl Grugnur was located but hidden by
Auril's wards. As the party ate and drank, Kresselack briefed them on some of the
possible locations the wards could be hidden.
Jarlmoot - Long ago when frost giants ruled the north, the
Jarls of the various tribes would meet annually at Jarlmoot to discuss issues
that affected them all. It has been abandoned for centuries, but legend has it
the ghosts of past Jarls sometimes appear in the thrones and mete out judgment
on those present.
Abandoned Mage Tower - The identity of this crumbling tower's
builder has been lost to time, but the teleportation circle on the bottom floor
is still operational. There are steeply switchbacked trails on both sides of the
knife-edged ridge, one dropping to a pass connecting the Hœgr and Vinstri
Glaciers.
Skytower Shelter - High above the Hœgr Glacier,
the tribe of goliaths that call this lofty cave complex their home are wary of
outsiders and highly skilled at taming and riding griffons, which they use to
get around the Spine of the World.
Ator’s Fingers - Unfathomably large stone fingers of an
humanoid protrude from the glacier, but no one seems to know how or why they
came to rest here.
Wyrmdoom Shelter - The Wyrmdoom tribe of goliaths is friendly
and welcoming of outsiders that show respect and participate in their
traditional games of sport. The cave complex and tribe was named for the
skeleton of the ancient white dragon that the tribe killed a hundred years
ago.
Karkolohk - This goblin fortress looms over the
Vinstri Glacier; its keen-eyed lookouts don't miss anything
crossing the crevasse field.
Vale of Iron Shadows - A massive battle between humans and orcs
was fought here hundreds of years ago. When the tide of battle turned against
the humans, their wizard cracked a piece of dark chardalyn from the original
Crenshinibon that he'd charged wth the spell Control
Weather. The resulting maelstrom of ice flash-froze both armies in the
middle of the fight.
Eversmoking Wood - A population of fey elves have taken up
residence in this forest where natural hot springs keep it warm, moist, and full
of steam clouds. The flora and fauna here are typically found at far lower
elevations and latitudes.
Kresselack detailed the nature of Auril's wards that had been placed throughout
the Jotunklifra to keep Jarl Grugnur's home hidden, and how
destruction of these wards will also alert Geluvicken to the
Solensäng's location.
The Ethereal Pools
Kresselack created a pair of Ethereal Pools in the main hall of his
fortress in the Vale of Shadows. Once per tenday, a single person can immerse
themself in the pool and concentrate on a person or place as if they cast the
spell Scrying. If successful, the person is then transported via
the Ethereal Plane to the location and they have a limited ability to interact
with their environment there. Learning this, the Dawnbringers discussed possible
plans to stop Sven, rescue Vellyne, or impair Icingdeath, among others. They
settled on Sven and Vellyne.
Harvan cast Enhance Ability on himself and climbed into one of the
pools as Ratimir sang a short tune, giving the cleric a little Bardic
Inspiration. Harvan concentrated for several minutes on Sven until he
sank below the surface of the green, luminescent liquid and found himself slowly
descending through the clouds over the Spine of the World
Mountains. He came to a rest at a hover two feet off the ground in a
glacial crevasse field amidst a group of humanoids that looked exactly
like the Dawnbringers. "Ratimir" was in front clutching a metal rod and was
followed closely by "Anatol", "Ligs", "Ziff", "Harvan", and "Glik".
Hoping to lure Sven into an ambush, Harvan scrawled into the snow a drawing of
the abandoned mage tower where the Dawnbringers would be teleporting in and a
snowflake on the path to the tower. "Ratimir" caught sight of drawing, but was
skeptical. He called to the person that looked like Anatol, saying in Sven's
clear voice, "Trill – take a look at this. Seems a little convenient,
don't you think?"
"Anatol" kneeled beside "Ratimir" and looked at Harvan's drawing. Then, in
an exact echo of Sven's question replied, "Seems a little convenient, don't you think?"
While Sven and Trill stared at the drawing, Harvan realized the bard had opened
up an opportunity: when he stooped to look at the ground, he shoved the metal
rod he'd been using into his back pocket. Harvan concentrated and focused his
will – feeling the effects of his Enhance Ability spell and
Ratimir's Bardic Inspiration flow within him – and he plucked
the Rod of Alertness from Sven's pocket. With the rod in hand, Harvan
returned to the Vale of Shadows.
The Wind Beneath Vellyne's Wings
Ziff climbed into the second Ethereal Pool and concentrated on his friend and
mentor, Vellyne Harpell. He was transported to a road north of
Caer-Koenig where a large wagon was being pulled by six axe beaks. In front, the
driver appeared to be the wight that Dzaan employed as his bodyguard. Sitting
next to the wight was Ithlis, Ziff's old nemesis from the
Saryndalaghlothtor brood near Mirabar.
He continued to descend until he passed through the wagon's roof and landed
inside. There, he saw Vellyne bound, gagged, and sitting against the outer wall
of the wagon. Across from her was another wight, almost identical to the driver.
The Red Wizard Dzaan was asleep on a bench seat at the head of the
wagon's cabin. A pile of books and his pack rested on the floor nearby.
Vellyne lifted her head and Ziff could see the space behind her eyepatch
glowing. She caught sight of his ethereal form, and her exposed eye widened in
surprise. Ziff carefully untied her bonds, making sure that the wight didn't
notice she was free. Vellyne cast her eye down to her pocket and Ziff took the
hint: he reached in and withdrew a piece of delicately folded origami in the
shape of a skull. Vellyne looked pointedly at the wight and Ziff threw the paper
skull at the undead guard. As he did, Vellyne spit the loosened gag from her
mouth and spoke the verbal component of the spell Origami Skull.
The paper art erupted into flames and took the shape of a
Flameskull, complete with fire rays and maniacal laughter. Ziff
unlatched the outer door a fraction of a second before Vellyne threw her
shoulder into it and then tucked and rolled onto the ground outside the speeding
wagon. In a flash, she was on her feet again, uttered the incantation for
Polymorph, took the form of bird, and flew away.
Day 24 of the campaign, the 15th day of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is exiting the new phase.
Sheriff Markham Southwell lead a team into the Lonelywood Forest to find the loxodon druid Hootkins and ended up witnessing an ominous black mist leaking from a broken Manifold Mirror in the The Moon Elf Barrow.
Hootkins
It was quiet in the Lonelywood Forest. The Sword Mountains where he
used to live were alive with activity, and Hootkins found himself missing those
familiar crags in this mausoleum of a wood. After that horrible battle on the tundra a week ago –
when the charming prisoner he’d been hired to escort was murdered in front of
him by his teammates and that frightening man that seemed to control them, the
one who smelled like freshly turned earth – Hootkins was ready to dive
into the forest and be a hermit for a while...at least until he could collect
his thoughts.
The forest was comfortable enough once he found a secluded cave to shelter
inside, it was just that damned silence...so unsettling. No birds, no stoats, no
elk. He didn’t understand it and it made him jumpy.
That’s what made the fourth day so memorable. That’s when the loggers came.
Hootkins could smell them before he could hear them: axe beaks. It was a smell
he’d become very used to on the caravan up from Luskan, and there were several
of them pulling a heavy load. The wagons trundled up the nearby logging road and
stopped at the abandoned camp a quarter mile away. The next several hours were
filled with the sounds of the men unloading gear and repairing the camp. Even
though Hootkins didn’t relish the thought of loggers chopping down the sacred
trees, the sound was welcome company.
Over the next couple of days, Hootkins took care to avoid the loggers during his
foraging outings, but rarely fell out of earshot in the still forest. He was
always careful to stay downwind and became used to the smell of human sweat,
tobacco smoke, and cooking food.
But on the sixth day, he picked up a different smell – hot iron; oily musk; a
hint of sulphur.
There was something else in the woods besides the loggers, something quiet and
furtive.
Hootkins ventured closer, transformed into a small spider, and climbed to the
top of the tallest tree he could find to get a better look. The moon was about
to enter its new phase, and the forest was pitch dark. The sky above was the
darkest Hootkins had ever seen, and there were stars and details he'd never
before realized. Only dim starlight gave relief to the scene, but it only
outlined things in ominous blobs.
Two hundred feet away, he saw the creature: tall, but resting on its haunches.
Four arms, elongated snout, horns or antlers on its head. It watched a trio of
loggers and a pair of axe beaks leave the logging camp and start out into the
forest. Hootkins descended the tree, resumed his loxodon form, and shouted out
to the loggers, "Hey guys! There's something super creepy following you!
GUYS!?"
The loggers stopped in their tracks, surprised at the warning. Then, a moment
later, from the far side of the loggers came another warning, an exact replica
of the first: "Hey guys! There's something super creepy following you! GUYS!?"
Then the loggers' torches went out.
Hootkins wild shaped into a deer and bolted for the safety of his
cave as the sounds of the loggers screams echoed through the forest.
Derzu
"What magnificence this is!" thought the tattooed tribal shaman wandering
through the Lonelywood. There were no trees back on the High Ice,
and after the long walk across the glacier and then the tundra, Derzu stared
wide-eye at the junipers and hemlocks soaring over his head. Wrapping his cloak
of flayed skin tightly around himself to fend off the chilling wind, he stumbled upon a
shallow canyon and found the carcass of a once-mighty remorhaz,
long dead but its meat perfectly preserved by the cold.
After butchering what meat he could carry, he picked up another trail: evidence
of a tall, bipedal, hooved beast. He followed the tracks to a scene where the
pool of freezing blood suggested a brief, desperate fight and rapid death. The
tracks left that scene and continued to a cliff face where – through a
narrow crack too small to pass – Hootkins the Druid was hiding underneath
a blanket. Derzu transformed into a cloud of gas and slipped through the crack.
Southwell
"From what I understand, that vampire took control of Marie Kae and C.W. before
anyone knew what was going on," explained Sheriff Markham
Southwell, leading his team away from the house of Town Speaker Nimsy
Huddle and into the Lonelywood Forest. "The only one who was able resist his
power was this loxodon, Hootkins. Hiln tells me its because his people have a
remarkable 'stillness of mind'. If that's the case, we're going to need people
like him on our side when the Caer-Dineval vampires step out of the shadows."
"Herg, hug mmmh fhhuhs, mehugm," grunted gnome artificer Gullivan "Gully"
Pilwicken as his battle barrel Gully II sloshed along behind.
Rogue goliath Marie Kae, fighter Rushhouse, and
Dawnbringer Mishann each furrowed their brows at the statement.
Southwell continued, "I agree, Gully. It would be helpful if the Dawnbringers could
stick close to Ten Towns in case the vampires come back, but they've got bigger
fish to fry and I've got a stack of reports on my desk that need attention. Just
this last week, my guardsmen Zeb Cole hired a gnome and a fey elf to work on the
Walt
Sallow case, which turned out to be some Mind Flayer's monster that had made
its way into Bryn Shander. Speaker Duvessa Shane has given me broad
authority to coordinate with other town leaders and law enforcement and put
together additional teams to address these smaller cases. I've got plenty of
work to dole out, no doubt about that."
Southwell hadn't noticed that their tracker – Moss, the ranger
of the Termalaine kobold brood – had stopped short and stood in front of him with
his arms crossed.
"I assume ve don't want ze beast Speaker Huddle mentioned to know ve are here,
yes?" asked Moss in his clipped draconic accent.
"That's correct," replied Southwell.
"Zen perhaps zis conversation could be had a different time? I smell somezing
off ze trail."
The party tracked behind Moss through the dark woods and found the frozen pool
of blood with hoof prints and humanoid tracks leading away. Eventually they made
their way to the cliff face with the narrow crack and heard the voice of
Hootkins coming from within. Within moments, they all heard the unnerving
voice of Derzu in their minds.
The Moon Elf Barrow returned to the Prime Material Plane
Sanhar
Once introductions had been made and Hootkins caught Southwell up to the
situation with the beast stalking the loggers, The party followed the tracks
through the woods, and after passing through a thick swath of junipers they
emerged in a wide bowl. Situated within were two matching carved stone platforms
surrounding a 50 foot moondial with an obelisk gnomon at its center. Numerous
toppled humanoid statues were scattered around the platforms. A stone sarcophagus lay
shattered atop one of the platforms and the entire scene appeared as if a terrible
amount of destruction had been unleashed not too long ago.
The party didn't have long to investigate before the beast they'd tracked
emerged from the treeline, mimicking Hootkins' warning to the loggers in a very
unsettling manner. Then a second beast emerged and Mishann guessed that these
were Ravisin's pair of Wendigos that had broken free of their
master.
Near the end of the battle, the moon entered the new phase, and the
corresponding symbol on the moondial illuminated, opening the door to the
undergound portion of the barrow. The combined strength of Rushhouse, Maire Kae,
Derzu, Hootkins, Gully, and Moss finished off the Wendigos within a few minutes,
and with the newfound quiet the party entered the barrow to investigate.
The floor was littered with large chunks of ice, many of which resembled
humanoid parts. Alongside they found the scattered remnants of a skeleton
dressed in fine elven silks. Most of the body had been pulverized, but the upper
torso had crawled away and written some ancient elvish words into the dust:
"vaarn lintaru" on one line and, "Alestreya" beneath,
which Mishann translated as "evil watcher, Horizon".
Viscous black mist snaked its way out of a short hallway at the far end
of the chamber. The party peered down the corridor and saw a large framed mirror
with a sizeable crack running across its surface. The mirror showed no
reflection, just an undulating tunnel of darkness. The black mist poured out of
the surface, spread across the floor like an oily fog, then raced to the open
door of the barrow into the world outside.
Day 24 of the campaign, the 15th day of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is exiting the new phase.
Sheriff Markham Southwell's "B-Team" of Gully, Kaneen, Marie Kae, Hootkins, and Rushhouse ventured through the Manifold Mirror to a distant world.
Black, oily mists spilled out of the cracked Manifold Mirror and snaked their way across the floor out of the barrow's stone door.
Gnome druid Kaneen slowed the progress of the black mists with a wise use of Gust of Wind, creating a hazy, gray miasma in the barrow.
Cleric of Amaunator Mishann cast Faerie Fire to delineate the mists. She and those with fire-based cantrips attacked the intruders.
Sheriff Markham Southwell sent Moss back to Termalaine to ask guard captain Camit Foxwarden for backup.
The team ventured through the tunnel inside the Manifold Mirror and arrived in a dark, bowl-shapeed amphitheater with hundreds of standing stones surrounding a central glowing pool and enormous set of purplish-black crystals.
The sky above was completely alien to them and was entirely consumed by a gargantuan black sphere emitting mysterious balls of energy.
A trio of humanoids – two of them Thri-kreen insectoids affixed with metal collars – passed by the party. The central, black-bandage-wrapped humanoid was carrying a rod which pulled a luminous purple filament that arced in the air over the stones and back to the central pool.
Once these humanoids connected the filament to a stone, the filament grew and transformed into a long, techno-organic tentacle. The stone then opened a portal with a tunnel like the one they had traversed.
Gully entered one of these tunnels and arrived in a 10 x 15 room with three backlit holes in the wall. Looking out he saw a large marble room with a shallow depression containing various unkempt bedrolls.
When Hootkins approached the insectoids and attempted to speak with them, the trio turned to examine him and then walked away, seemingly uninterested.
The party fought and defeated one of these trios of humanoids, taking their rod. Gully examined it carefully and despite not knowing the runes inscribed, the rest of the design resembled an item he knew called the Rod of Security.
Gully returned through the tunnel to the Elven Barrow and used the rod to repair the crack in the mirror. The repair did not, however, break the connection to the tunnel.
He learned from Mishann – who was still fighting the black mists pouring from the mirror – that they had been gone for 3 hours, hinting that there was a time difference between the two locations. He returned to the party on the other side of the mirror.
Marie Kae stole down to the bottom of the amphitheater where she saw a dimly-glowing pool and enormous purplish-black crystals. A number of thri-kreen and black-bandaged humanoids surrounded the pool, pulling forth additional glowing filaments.
Day 25 of the campaign, the 16th day of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
The Dawnbringers teleported from the Vale of Shadows to Delnor's Tower in the Jotunklifra.
The Jotunklifra
Kresselack briefed the Dawnbringers on some of the locations and hazards they may
face in the Jotunklifra.
I must warn you up front, I know very little detail about the current state of
the Jotunklifra. My knowledge comes from my own time roaming these ridges, and
Auril's wards are very effective at thwarting my attempts to scry. You were able
to home in on Sven so quickly because you have personal experience and an item
he's touched with you. Acknowledging that, I can tell you want I know.
Ator's Fingers
You're all familiar with the struggle between Selûne and her sister Shar?
Ator is a primordial that Shar resurrected and sent to destroy our
sun. Selûne stopped Ator by hurling a fragment of herself into its chest,
transmuting it to obsidian. She then cast it down to Toril with great force,
burying it for eons. Natural glacial erosion and a landslide revealed it 20
years ago.
Religion Check: Selûne and Shar
Selûne and Shar are twin sister goddesses are the original deities of Toril.
Selûne is the godess of the moon and stars; beauty and purity; love and
marriage; navigation and navigators; tracking, wanderers, and seekers; diviners
and dreams; good and neutral lycanthropes. Shar is the goddess of darkness,
loss, night, forgetfulness, caverns, dungeons, and the Underdark.
At the beginning of the universe, they lived in harmony until Selûne decided to
create planets, life, and more light. Shar disagreed and the two have been at
odds ever since, with Selûne striving to expand and protect the light of the
universe and Shar devoted to extinguishing it.
Basilisk's Garden Crevasse Field
Where the glacier flows over a low drop in the underlying bedrock, it fractures
in a fanfold shape. Most travelers that enter this region never come back. Those
that have describe seeing hundreds of frozen corpses, many locked in position
from their last moments of life.
Delnor's Tower
Delnor was a mountain dwarf wizard that dedicated his life to crafting magical
weapons and armor with the blacksmiths of Dorn's Deep. He built a
tower up Dumathoin's Ridge where he could hone his craft and teach his many
apprentices. When the forge was overrun by orcs seeking to possess the armor and
weapons of the dwarves, Delnor and his apprentices retreated to and fortified
his tower. Delnor hoped to create items powerful enough to one day retake Dorn's
Deep. Sixteen months later – once the orcs had exhausted the cache of magical items
and lost control of the forge's magma control systems – they
marched to Delnor's Tower and destroyed it.
Dorn's Deep and The Fields of Eternal Slaughter
Dorn's Deep was a mithral mine and dwarven stronghold located in
the caldera of an ancient volcano. The dwarf blacksmiths and craftsmen made a
reputation for themselves crafting weapons and armor of exquisite quality. Their
reputation attracted the attention of the Many Arrows Tribe of
orcs, who sought to possess the weapons and armor for themselves. But routing a
dwarf from their underground stronghold is no small task, even for a tribe as
strong as the Many Arrows. The dwarves held them off for years...but, something
happened to change the tide. One day, the dwarves were overrun and the orcs
gained control of the mine. The wizard Delnor and his apprentices
escaped to his tower, east uphill on Dumathoin's Ridge.
The orcs controlled Dorn's Deep and launched expeditions to raid and pillage Ten
Towns, but their tenure was cut short when an army from Ten Towns ascended the
Spine to attack. The orcs and humans met on the fields inside the caldera below
the entrance to the mine. When the tide of battle turned against the humans,
their wizard cracked a piece of dark chardalyn – a relic from the original
Crenshinibon – that he'd charged with the spell Control
Weather. The resulting maelstrom of ice flash-froze both armies in the
middle of the fight, creating the Fields of Eternal Slaughter. Both
armies stand there to this day, frozen in their moment of combat.
Eversmoking Wood
The name isn't really apt -- the haze that issues from that high mountain shelf
is not smoke: it is steam. The remnants of the same ancient volcano that fueled
Dorn's Deep heats the hot springs in the Eversmoking
Wood. In my time, it was a biological curiosity, a place where flora and
fauna from much further south could flourish. From what I can tell with my
limited abilities, a group of elves have taken up residence there. Why I cannot
say.
The Jotunklifra
Jarlmoot
Back when all of the Spine was ruled by the frost giants, Jarlmoot
served as the grand meeting place where the Jarls could come together to settle
issues that affected them all. Seven giant-sized stone thrones stand there,
arranged in a circle facing one another, one throne for each of the frost
giant's jarls. One of which was claimed by Jarl of Jarls,
Reggaryarva, who ruled the Jotunlands before Vassavicken united the
dwindling territories under her rule. It is said that under a full moon, the
ghosts of those jarls appear to mete out rewards and justice for any daring enough
to stand before them.
Karkolohk
Goblin are scavengers, bandits, thieves, opportunists...and incredibly
adaptable. They can travel fast through these mountains and negotiate crevasse
fields as if they were nothing. They used to send raiding parties to attack the
caravans from the south that would trundle over the road at the foot of
Lower Wyrmtooth Glacier, and they situated their stronghold here to
dissuade those looking to retaliate. I can't imagine they've much to pillage
since darkness settled on the Dale. They're likely getting desperate and
undoubtedly are keeping a keen eye on the Wyrmtooth Glaciers. The only thing
standing against them up here at the goliaths at Wyrmdoom Shelter.
Wyrmdoom Crag
Wyrmdoom Crag is home to the friendly Thuunlaka clan,
and if you approach them humbly and participate in their games of sport, you
should have no problem dealing with them. They are skilled hunters and trackers.
Not long after establishing this as their home, an adult white dragon attacked
and was slain by the Thuunlaka goliaths, earning the cave complex the name
Wyrmdoom Crag. The skeleton of the white dragon remains in plain view for
everyone to see as an example of the tribe's accomplishent. Their presence on
Wyrmtooth Glacier is the only thing keeping the Karkolohk goblins
in check.
Skytower Shelter
These are goliaths of clan Akannathi. They are fiercely competitive and
untrusting of outsiders. They have mastered the art of griffon taming and have
maintained an aerie of them for a hundred years. They use the griffons as their
primary mode of transport and for hunting. You can often see them high in the
sky, scanning the glaciers for opportunities.
Goliath Feud
The goliaths of Wyrmdoom and Skytower do not get along. If they could be
reconciled and reunited they'd make great allies.
To Make an Entrance, you Must First Make an Exit
Then the party turned the conversation to the Auril, the Rime, and Kresselack's
half-sister Geluvicken. They asked if Kresselack felt if perhaps Auril was not the
one responsible for the eternal night.
After several lifetimes in the Spine, one thing I've learned about Auril is that
she has a heartfelt appreciation for the dramatic. She loves to make entrances.
But to make an entrance, one must first make an exit. Eternal winter is out of
her character. As much as I can fault her for her merciless nature, I can
say that she always respected the balance.
Kresselack
As the group prepared to leave, Ziff heard Vellyne Harpell's voice in his head via the spell Sending.
"In Caer-Koenig resting to regain energy and raise help. Location Soldondremn
unknown, maybe Termalaine or looking for you. I have many questions. Where are
you?"
Vellyne
"Glad you’re safe! Where were Ithlis and Dzaan when I freed you? We about to
enter Jotunklifra. Get to Termalaine mine. Friends there.
Ziff
The Bitch With Booyaugh
Kresselack teleported the Dawnbringers to Delnor's Tower to begin
their search for the Solensäng. They searched the ruins of the
tower grounds and discovered a pair of dead goblins on the second floor of the
tower. The bodies were hard-frozen, exhibited signs of extensive burn injuries, and
appeared to have been dead for a few days. The party noticed signs of
goblin tracks around the grounds, including a set that seemed to be carrying a
medium-sized humanoid. Near the two dead bodies, Ziff found a wizard's
spellbook titled Lantomir's Traveling Libram containing the spells
Clairvoyance, Cloud of Daggers, Counterspell, Detect Magic, Detect Thoughts,
Find Familiar, Melf's Acid Arrow, Tenser's Floating Disk, Thunderwave, and
Harpell's Origami Skull.
Ziff's curiosity was piqued by the presence of Vellyne's spell in this
spellbook. Thinking back to his time at the Hosttower Arcane of the Arcane
Brotherhood in Luskan, he remembered that Vellyne's previous mentee was Nass
Lantomir, an ingenue with grand ambitions.
Vellyne's voice projected into Ziff's mind once more.
"On their way to Morienus. Will go to Termalaine. How can I get to you?"
Vellyne
"We’re at a teleportation site, Delnor’s Tower, in the Jotunklifra. Found fucking Lantomir’s spell book! WTF?
Ziff
"Lantomir. That bitch. She stole my professor orb. She went for Delnor. He was a student of star elves and Netheril."
Vellyne
"Is Delnor alive? She appeared to fry some goblins up here and bail. Can you eagle up and fly up here?"
Ziff
There was no response to Ziff's last question, though it was safe to assume
Vellyne was out of spell slots.
Ratimir cast Speak with Dead on one of the goblins and learned
they'd been sent from the goblin fortress Karkolohk to capture a
woman "powerful with booyaugh", the goblin word for magic.
Symbol of Dumathoin
Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain
While Ligs inspected the tower grounds for clues relating to the site's
destruction, Ratimir set a Glyph of Warding charged with
Gravity Sinkhole on the eastern trail down to Delnor's
Pass. He also cast Hallucinatory Terrain on the western
trail descent to The Hedgerow.
Ligs' investigation suggested that the tower site had been
destroyed by a massive explosion long ago. He noticed that holy symbols of
Dumathoin, the dwarven god of mines, had been crafted over every
doorway and on the wall inside the remains of the tower. In all of these symbols
except for the interior tower wall near the teleportation circle, the gem in the
center of the mountain motif protruded in a convex bas-relief. On the tower wall
the gem was inset and rubbed smooth as if frequently used.
The Dawnbringers searched the grounds again looking for a key to this symbol; Ligs
even attempted to craft a stone replica of the gem to no avail. Eventually, Ratimir
cast Dispel Magic on the symbol, causing it and the teleportation circle
beneath to glow brightly, shake, and then go silent.
Days 25 and 26 of the campaign, the 16th and 17th days of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
The Dawnbringers made a deal with Sven the Bard.
Kevin
The party settled in for a long rest and each member took a turn on watch. The
sky was clear and the breeze came from the west, blowing in warm, moist air from
the Eversmoking Wood down the mountain. As Anatol took position at
the beginning of his watch, he heard the sound of flapping wings descend onto
the grounds. He raced from his position to the sound and saw a 2-foot tall red
humanoid doubled over holding its knees. On its back were a pair of leathery
wings that quivered with each deep, wheezing breath.
"Message...for...Ratimir...of Damara. Is there a...Ratimir of Damara here? I
have a very...important...hold on a tic...message for Mr. of Damara."
After a few moments, the imp pulled itself together, stood up and
straightened out its clothes – a uniform with the name Kevin
embroidered on the left breast. Kevin produced an envelope from his pants and
held it out to the party. Ratimir began to open the envelope, but the letter
inside finished the job, reducing the envelope to confetti. The page unfolded
and hovered in mid air before the bard. Then an approximation of Sven's mouth
formed in the middle of the paper and began to speak in his voice.
"Ratimir, old man, I was very happy to learn that it was *you* who paid me a
little visit this morning and borrowed by special tool. I hope you're enjoying
it and it serves you well.
"I have no doubt that you and your friends are digging in at that dusty old
tower and are planning quite the ambush, and I'm sure had I taken the bait the
song I'd write about the epic fight that ensued would have been one for the
ages. I had Kevin fly up to deliver this message as I'm positive the trails
leading to the ridge are absolutely festooned with your glyphs.
"Let me come to the point. We're both after the Solensäng and we know that the
Frostmaiden's wards are protecting its location. You've realized by now that
once we destroy those wards, Geluvicken is going to come looking and will focus
all the holy wrath of the Frostmaiden's high priestess upon the poor sucker that
stands in her way. Have you thought about what happens next? I have, and the
prospects are dim.
"I propose a truce. We should put our heads together and come up with a way to
address this. Furthermore, I suggest we meet at another location that neither of
us can booby trap. The ground at Jarlmoot is consecrated and protected against
non-giant magic. We'd be on an equal footing. If you assent to this proposal,
tell Kevin and I will meet you there in two days. If you have another
suggestion, please relay it via Kevin.
"Warmest regards, and I'll see you very soon."
After considering their options, the party agreed to meet with Sven at Delnor's Pass.
The Usual Suspects
The Dawnbringers descended to Delnor's Pass – the narrow trail connecting
the Wyrmtooth and Aerie Glaciers – and waited for Sven.
Anatol and Ligs retreated a hundred feet away up the trail to give Sven and Ratimir
space while Ziff found a hiding place closer to Ratimir and – via the
recently unpredictable magic of the Moonflower Bracers –
turned invisible once more. While waiting in position, another boulder (similar
to the one that had fallen near the Cackling Chasm) detached from
somewhere up slope and rolled straight for Ligs. He dodged the crushing boulder
and watched it roll out of sight without leaving the faintest trace of a track.
Sven arrived alone, as agreed. The two bards verbally sparred for the better
part of an hour. Ratimir expressed his extreme distrust of Sven and demanded to
know Sven's goals. Sven agreed that he'd treated Ratimir poorly and said that he
was working for a patron interested in recovering the Solensäng and wanted to
prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. He believed that they both stood a
better chance of surviving Geluvicken's wrath if they worked together.
Ratimir demanded that Sven return all of his memories. Sven agreed, but added,
"I'm not sure you're going to want them all back." As a show of good faith, Sven
then returned a memory: knowledge gleaned from a book Ratimir had read at
Herald's Holdfast on ancient giant Rune Magic. Inside
were descriptions of physical warding stones and crystals that were used
to protect the homes of giants, similar to the lrge crystals the Dawnbringers had
destroyed in the Vale of Shadows.
Ratimir conferred with the the party and agreed to the plan. Sven then beckoned
forth his team to introduce them to their new allies. Among them was
Cuso, a Yuan-Ti cleric; Trill, a Kenku Monk;
Lohte, a Drow Ranger; Lugdush, an Orc Barbarian; and
Brydon, a Tielfing Paladin. The Dawnbringers and Sven's Roadies
sized each other up and considered their next steps.
Day 26 of the campaign, the 17th days of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
The Dawnbringers begin their uneasy alliance with Sven.
Shirts and Skins
Ratimir and Sven agreed that they should form two teams from both parties and
split up to cover more of the Jotunklifra. One group would start at
Ator's Fingers while the other would attempt to recruit the aid of
the Thuunlaka Goliaths at Wyrmdoom Crag to battle
Icingdeath.
Ator’s Fingers
Anatol
Harvan
Lugdush (Orc Barbarian)
Ziff
Brydon (Paladin)
Wyrmdoom Crag (Thuunlaka Goliaths)
Sven
Cuso (Yuan-Ti Cleric)
Ratimir
Ligs
Trill (Kenku Monk)
Lohte (Drow Ranger)
The Hedgerow
Ratimir, Sven, Ligs, Cuso, Trill, and Lohte descended from Delnor's
Tower to the Hedgerow, a high mountain shelf bounded by
steep cliff walls on the north and south. They came across two more dead goblins
and signs of a fight. Trill and Cuso pocketed a trio of small bombs from the
bodies while Lohte surveyed the tracks and inspected the bodies. A bulette
soon erupted from the ground and attacked, but the combined efforts of the
group soon felled the armored monster.
Karkolohk
At the end of the Hedgerow, the group got their first good look at the goblin
fortress Karkolohk. Ligs' used the Amulet of Clairvoyance he
acquired from the Willowsinger home in Caer-Dineval to
get a closer look. He saw two outbuildings with parapets, both staffed with
guards. Forty feet behind was a thirty foot high wall with guards walking the
alure on watch. A pair of towers flanked the main entrance gate while inside
several lage buildings appeared to be teeming with activity.
Day 26 of the campaign, the 17th days of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
On their way to Ator's Fingers, Anatol, Ziff, Harvan, Lugdush, and Brydon rescue a pair of yeti infants from verbeeg marauders; Corthanx delivers disturbing news about Ravisin; Vellyne declines to poop on Ziff's shoulder.
Ziff visited by crows of Corthanx. They told him Ravisin was dying from a wound inflicted by the vampires, and that if she dies she will rise as a vampire spawn under the control of the Sanguine Court.
Not knowing the current location of Mishann, Dawnbringer of Amaunator, the party reckoned that Painbearer Calliano would be the most experienced healer to enlist.
Ziff opened the Netherese Doorknob to Kuldahar and told Glik to get to Easthaven to fetch Calliano from the House of the Bleeding Rose. More of Corthanx' crows arrived soon after and whisked Glik away to Easthaven.
The party walked into a fight between a band of verbeeg marauders and yetis. The verbeegs were trying to escape with a pair of yeti infants bound for their cook pots. After a brief but intense fight, the party killed the verbeegs, healed the infants, and delivered them back to the yeti parents.
A pair of goliaths astride griffons perched on a ridge high above the fight to watch the action. After the verbeegs were defeated, they departed. Their griffons mounts deposited a load on manure onto the party.
Vellyne Harpell arrived in the polymorphed form of an arctic tern and perched on Ziff's shoulder.
Day 24 of the campaign, the 15th day of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is exiting the new phase.
Sheriff Markham Southwell's "B-Team" of Gully, Hootkins, Mary Kae, and Derzu challenge the denizens
of the remote planetoid and barely make it back to Toril before the Manifold Mirror portal closes.
After unsuccessfully attempting to intimidate the Xeg-yi entity
that appeared to be in charge, Derzu cast Hex and initiated
combat.
The party fought numerous Ebon Cultists, Thri-kreen
Thralls, Void Mists, and the Xeg-yi aberration.
During the fight, both Gully and Derzu fell. Sheriff Southwell successfully
revived Gully, but the wild shaman Derzu took several more blows from the Xeg-yi
after he fell unconscious.
Mary Kae attempted to use one of the rods the cultists were using to pull
techno-organic tentacles from the pool, but could not replicate the
incantation.
Many of the open portals on the standing stones were connected to the
central pool via the techno-organic tentacles. A few – such as the one
leading back to the Manifold Mirror in the Lonelwood Forest –
were open without a tentacles. These latter portals didn't seem as stable,
flashing and pulsing randomly.
Fearing that their opportunity to return home was waning, the party sped
uphill to their portal. They were met by Moss who told them they had been gone
for 10 hours.
Arriving back in the Elven Barrow, the party found a team of Termalaine
kobolds stamping out the remaining black mists in the tomb, though an unknown
number had escaped through the open door.
The portal inside Manifold Mirror and the stone outer door into the Elven
Barrow both closed just as the moon Selûne exited the New phase.
Dawnbringer Mishann was unconscious and being tended to by one of the kobolds.
Day 26-27 of the campaign, the 17-18th days of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
Icingdeath paid Ligs a visit, and the party discovered a lost dwarven delivery expedition.
Ratimir, Sven, Trill, Ligs, and Cuso descended from the
Hedgerow and arrived on the Middle Wyrmtooth
Glacier.
Lohte discovered that the goblin trail to Karkolohk diverted
far onto the glacier to avoid avalanche zone.
Just like back at the Cackling Chasm, another boulder broke loose from the
ridge and rolled straight for Ligs. He dodged the rock and the group followed it
as it rolled onto the crevasse field. It dropped into a crevasse and disappeared
without a trace.
The party walked 1/2 mile out and made camp inside Ratimir's Leomund's
Tiny Hut for the night.
Cuso secretly gave Ratimir one of the bombs she and Trill had recovered from
the dead goblins on the Hedgerow.
Ligs took first watch and promptly fell asleep. He had dreams of
Selûne's eyes watching him from the sky and heard her say
"Change is the only constant".
He saw flashes from his life, including teaching a young Graendel
Granitefist to shoot a bow, the druid Tolben bringing him
back to life after the battle with Icingdeath, and a night with
Oyaminartok at Caer-Bannog.
At the end of the vision he saw black fingers reaching from beneath the ice –
Ator's Fingers.
He was shaken awake by the sound of huge flapping wings.
Icingdeath perched somewhere nearby on the glacier and spoke to
Ligs directly, the dragon's voice echoing from the scales of Ligs' armor.
"Ahnvae Daoin! Vanyali gyz Khazâd...the dwarvish words a poison upon my tongue.
I can smell you, covered in dwarvish filth. Wearing my scales...AS IF YOU HAD THE RIGHT!
"I followed you to the Vale where you hid behind the half-breed bastard...and
now beneath the Frostmaiden's veil. Well, no longer. I know what you seek. I
have what you want. I have taken the Jarlmoot. I will be there.
I am patient. I will wait. You...will...COME."
The next morning, Lohte led the party across the treacherous crevasse fields.
Cuso spotted a goblin tundra wagon – similar to the one the
Dawnbringers captured and renovated into the Bone Machine –
traveling west toward the trail leading from Middle to Lower Wyrmtooth Glaciers
on Dumathoin's Ridge.
Sven, Ratimir, and Cuso fell through a weak section of the glacier. Ligs
dugs his hammer into the ice and arrested their fall.
Cuso discovered an old frozen dwarf delivery sled at the bottom of the crevasse.
Ligs set a rope up top and the party descended to investigate. Ligs
recognized the sled as a design that was used over a hundred years ago. They
found three dead dwarves that had died from the fall and then frozen in place,
one of which had recently been broken into several pieces and was wearing only a
thin undergarment. The sled had been carrying a number of crates that had all
been busted open. They recovered a dozen large mithral ingots
packed in wooden slats from one crate.
The other crates listed their contents as "Mithral Armor, Steel Forge
Weapons, & Miscellaneous Items Recovered from Underdark" though nothing was
found in the crates.
Lohte noticed a series of draconic tracks leading away from the sled into a
labyrinthine section of ice caves and crevasses.
As they made their way through the icy passages, yet another boulder broke
off from somewhere overhead, descended into the crevasse, and rolled straight
for Ligs. This time, the party laid weapons to it and quickly pulverized the rock. Once
destroyed it mysteriously left no trace.
The party followed the tracks and encountered a well-camoflaged
Coldscale Drake.
Day 26 of the campaign, the 17th of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
Harvan, Anatol, Ziff, Lugdush, and Brydon discovered a Shar sect living inside the caverns surrounding the petrified primordial Ator.
Ator's Fingers Entrance Tunnel
A golden eagle landed on Ziff's shoulder and delivered a message sent from
Moss via the spell Animal Messenger.
"In Lonelywood. Found Loxodon. Elven barrow has returned. Sanhar dead. Mirror
broken, now portal. Southwell and team stepped through. Shadow entities
invading. Mishann defending alone."
The party roped up and crossed the glaciers using Nigel the Black Wolf
Skeleton as a crevasse tester.
They crossed the glacier and inspected the base of Ator's Fingers. There,
they uncovered an entrance tunnel with no signs of tracks.
They descended the tunnel with Nigel in the lead. The skeleton triggered a
Glyph of Warding charged with a Wall of Force,
trapping Anatol, Lugdush, and Brydon inside.
Drow cultists dressed in purple and black robes enclosed from both sides.
Ziff cast Invisibility and ambushed the drow on their side of
the Wall of Force.
The standoff degenerated into combat. The drow cultists hit the group hard
and then disappeared using a Darkness spell to cover their retreat.
Tracks on the tunnel floor showed that the drow descended further into their
lair.
The party followed the tracks and came to the border between the glacier and
the underlying bedrock. There, the path entered a carved stone tunnel lined with
pairs of torches that burned with a dim, purple light.
They passed through a supply room with several hanging animal carcasses and
many boxes of rations. Beyond the supply room was a barracks containing 20 bunk
beds and a statue of the goddess Shar.
Descending further, the party came to a large chamber that housed the torso
and upper shoulders of Ator. The head was looking upward and still
partially embedded in the surrounding rock.
Scaffolds hanging from ropes were stationed at various spots around Ator,
suggesting that the cult was attempting to free the petrified primordial.
A large glowing bluish-gray stone jutted from the primordial's chest and a
black ichor dripped from the wound into a large stone-rimmed pool at Ator's
waist.
Standing on a platform at the pool's rim was a drow dressed in a purple and
black mage's robe. He welcomed the party and asked them to step closer.
Kebros, the mage, invited them to drink Ator's Solace and share
in Shar's Blessing of Oblivion. He prepared a ceremonial basin,
filling it with Ator's ichor and a mixture of ground fungus from the
Underdark.
Day 26 of the campaign, the 17th of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
Harvan, Ziff, and Brydon commune with Selüne while Anatol appraises Kebros' teeth; Lugdush takes some new friends for a swim.
Kebros, High Priest of Shar, invited the party to join him on the dais and
partake of Ator's Solace, a cocktail of the ichor leaking from the wound in the
primordial's chest and some unidentified fungus.
Ziff attempted to fake taking a drink of Ator's Solace by covering it with Minor
Illusion, but quickly learned that his magic didn't work in this space.
Ziff, Harvan, and Brydon persuaded Kebros to let them
ascend a scaffold and touch the fragment of Selüne embedded in Ator's torso.
All three took turns touching the moon stone, and one-by-one each was given a
vision of being on the surface of the moon. There, a voice pierced their minds and
addressed them.
"Ziff of Saryndalaghlothtor, Ziff the Outcast, Ziff of Luskan, Ziff the Corsair,
Ziff of Bryn Shander, Ziff the Fey Touched...who are you and what do you
represent?"
"Harvan, Fifth Son of the Merchant; Harvan, Child of Yondallah; Harvan, Envoy of
Dallah Thawn; Harvan, Despoiler of Towns; Harvan the Vampire Slayer...who are
you and what do you represent?"
"Brydon of the City Watch; Brydon, Fist of Pelor; Brydon the Fallen...who are
you and what do you represent?"
Each answered truthfully and earnestly. Both Ziff and Harvan thought back to
their Tarokka readings and used the portends revealed in those cards to guide
their answers. Both were granted the Blessing of Selüne. Harvan's
Darkvision increased while Ziff lost his Sunlight
Sensitivity. Both regained access to their 1st level spells inside the
Church of Shar's Shadow Weave bubble and 10 temporary hit points
whenever the moon is in the sky.
Harvan cast Guidance on Brydon before the tiefling touched the
stone and Dallah Thawn appeared at the former Paladin's side.
Selüne and Dallah Thawn acted as a conduit to Pelor and inspired
Brydon to retake his vow to the war god. Brydon also received the Blessing of
Selüne.
They descended the scaffolding and Brydon took a drink of Ator's Solace from
Kebros. The elixir erased a pleasant memory from his past, but boosted his
Shadow Weave magic casting ability and gave him access to Shadow Step.
Ziff cast Harpell's Gravity Well to lock down the Shadowblades of Shar while
Lugdush grabbed the two nearest and drowned them in the pool.
The tide of the battle shifted back and forth as Harvan, Brydon, and Lugdush
alternately droped to zero hit points.
Ziff extinguished one of the many purple flame torches stationed around the room
and discovered that the torches were the source of Shar's Shadow Weave magic
that prevented any of them from casting spells.
Vellyne Harpell crept in from the access tunnel and lobbed a goblin bomb at
Kebros. Later, she tossed out an Origami Skull to attack the
Shadowblades.
Once the majority of the torches had been extinguished, the party was able to
significantly shift the battle in their favor. Soon, the Shadowblades were dead
and the rest of the acolytes escaped back to the Underdark.
Inside Kebros' personal chamber, the party found a slate tiled book titled
The Leaves of One Night and a Shadow Weave Lantern
burning with the same deep purple light.
Harvan received a message via the spell Sending from Painbearer Calliano:
"In Lonelywood with Glik and druid sisters. Ravisin needs Timmask fungus from
Underdark or she will become a Vampire Spawn. Taking her to Termalaine."
Day 27 of the campaign, the 18th of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
Ligs, Cuso, Trill, and Macho Grande take on a quartet of Coldscale Drakes in their lair deep inside a crevasse on the Middle Wyrmtooth Glacier while Ratimir and Sven reminisce about the good ol' days.
While the others explored the crevasse complex below, Sven explained to Ratimir why he had stolen his memories.
"First, Ratimir, the bad news: the Seasons of Man doesn't exist. It's a lie.
"Let me try to explain with a thought experiment: What would happen if the existence of Harvan Stonebridge was removed from your mind? All your experiences with him would remain, but there would now be a halfling-shaped hole in your life. Your brain would take those loose threads, those frayed edges, and work to fill them in. It would create a scar tissue of fabricated memories to cover over those gaps. Over time, your brain might go so far as to concoct some imaginary person to explain all those events from which Stonebridge had been removed.
"When Hedrun the Ice Witch hid the existence of the Solensäng, she didn't just remove it from Geluvicken's mind: she removed it from the collective consciousness of the entire world. Her spell deleted it from the minds of every living person on the planet (those who knew about it, anyway) and in written accounts in libraries around Toril. However, because of some strange loophole in the spell, visual representations of it persisted in books, which is why depictions of Queen Vassavicken playing playing the instrument exist.
"So, much like our thought experiment with Mr. Stonebridge, the hole left by the Solensäng left enormous gaps in the lore of the Frozenfar and soon that hole began to fill in with myths, legends, and tall tales. But here's the crazy bit: Hedrun's spell is still working. Sages fascinated by visual depictions of a mysterious musical instrument with no name and no mention in the lore scoured the land for knowledge, but as they uncovered evidence and came to realize the existence of the Solensäng, Hedrun's spell would modify their memories, removing knowledge of the evidence, creating a magical scar tissue that filled the hole. Soon, conjecture, rumour, and Hedrun's spell coalesced into a new story: The Seasons of Man – a theorized "primordial song" that accompanied or perhaps predated the origin of the universe.
"Nothing infatuates humankind more than the lie that it enjoys some sort of cosmic significance, and the Seasons of Man offers exactly that. The myth caught on like wildfire and soon sages were turning out the libraries looking for evidence of this song.
"Here's why I'm telling you all of this: you were one of those sages that started putting the pieces together and arrived at the conclusion that the Seasons of Man story didn't add up. The closer you got, the more Hedrun's spell would alter your memories. Our advisor, Professor Tutelage, was worried that the constant tug on your mind would drive you mad, and so he asked me to modify your memory directly, remove any knowledge of the Solensäng, and nudge you toward pursuing the Seasons of Man.
"By the way, Hedrun's original spell -- that's powerful magic, don't you think? My theory is that Hedrun was the last person to use the Solensäng before the frost giant brothers hid it away in their vault.
Sven gave Ratimir his memories back, confirming what he had just explained, though Ratimir sensed the bard was still holding something back.
At the end of the returned memories, Sven tacked on a "sex tape" of him bedding one of the wives of a clan leader in Calimshan while he was disguised as Ratimir.
Sven claimed to possess some sort of protection that prevented Hedrun's spell from removing knowledge of the Solensänd from his mind.
Down inside the crevasse complex, the party fought and quickly defeated an adult Coldscale Drake and its three offspring.
In the drakes' nest, the party found a full set of dwarven plate armor, numerous weapons, and a longbow
made of zurkhwood from the Underdark.
Day 27 of the campaign, the 18th of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
Harvan, Anatol, Ziff, Lugdush, and Brydon consider their next steps as they settle in to rest near the petrified primordial Ator.
Yard Sale
Understanding the urgency of Painbearer Calliano's message,
Ziff traveled through the Netherese Doorknob to Termalaine and
briefed the kobolds on the situation with Ravisin.
Harvan responded to Calliano's Sending message with, “Ziff contacted kobolds in Termalaine mine to have them access underdark and mushrooms. Touch base with them.”
Vellyne marvelled at the Netherese Doorknob as Ziff used it to
store the Church of Shar book The Leaves of One Night in his
extra-dimensional closet.
Once the party told her that they'd found the knob near a Netherese Bag of Holding, Vellyne reached inside the bag and pulled out the bottom. The entirety of the bag's contents spilled out onto the floor.
Aside from the items stored by the Dawnbringers, there were six keys
for the Netherese Doorknob, a number of healing potions, a
Potion of Hill Giant Strength, a Pole of Collapsing,
an Immovable Rod, a studded leather set of the Favored
Studded Leather Armor of Mortals +1, a Pendant of Sorrows,
and a Lyre of Building.
Vellyne once again used her concealed eye to cast Identify on
the magic items and pocketed the Shadow Weave Lantern inside Kebros' personal chambers.
The party found a chamber filled with empty barrels and liquid
handling equipment: hoses, ladles, funnels, corks, etc. It appeared as though the
cult members had been packaging up large quantities of the Blood of Ator
to transport elsewhere.
The group set up camp in the barracks and had a long rest.
Looney Selûne
During his shift on watch, Anatol strolled down to the main chamber and climbed
the scaffolding to reach the fragment of Selûne. Just as he was about to touch it,
a voice called out from behind him.
"Well, well...Anatol the Lap Dog, running to yet another god for help. Let me
see if I have this right: chosen by the Frostmaiden, rejected her and ran for
cover behind Amaunator. Recently signed up with the Black Wolf, a man that got
himself betrayed by his power hungry sister – who didn't see that shit coming?
And now you're ready to bend the knee for ol' Looney Selûne. Have you ever done
anything by yourself?"
"Tell me what you really want. And don't lie to me – I'm in your
head and already know. I just want to hear you say it to yourself."
Charenthoth
Standing on the scaffold behind Anatol was Charenthoth as he
appeared in life, wearing his Purple Dragon Knight armor and
regalia. Despite the experienced-lined face and full beard, the family
resemblance to Anatol was striking.
Anatol appraised the apparition of the death knight and replied that he wanted
the suffering in Icewind Dale to end so that people can get back to living their
lives.
Charenthoth told Anatol that his lich boss Alethane sought the
Netherese technology of the frozen city of Ythryn that could steal
the powers of gods. He said that Alethane knew the location of the city and
could get them inside. Anatol decided to not touch the Selûne fragment.
In the Eye of the Beholder
When Ziff went to wake Vellyne for her shift on watch, he noticed her
eye patch had been knocked askance. Underneath the patch he saw a network of
dark red inflammed capillaries around that eye socket.
Vellyne saw Ziff staring at her eye and took off the patch to give him
a look. There was a smooth, clear crystal in her eye socket. It emitted a
very faint white light.
She told Ziff that after Dzaan left the Arcane
Brotherhood, she tailed him to see what he was up to. He was raiding the
private collections of a number of wealthy and influential people along the
Sword Coast.
Dzaan's travels led her to Sundabar where she caught up with the Red Wizard. She found him breaking into the private collection of a beholder named Tharsis. Dzaan found what he wanted – a Star Elf Diadem, an item that would enable one to read the Daoinalu Haera (the ancient book Ziff received from his alternate reality self that was stored in his Netherese Doorknob closet)
Vellyne was captured and held responsible for the theft by Tharsis. The
beholder took her eye and replaced it with this magical eye that lets her see
invisibility, into the ethereal plane, as well as detect and identify magic. It also
allows Tharsis to scry on her whenever he wants.
Return of the Acolytes
Deep below the feet of Ator, the party found an entrance to the Underdark that
had been hand-hewn from the rock. Looking out over the forest of glowing fungi
that stretched out into the darkness, Harvan caught sight of a single meandering
purple light 300 to 500 feet away.
Both Vellyne and Ziff sent out their owl familiars to have a look and saw a drow
warrior holding a large Shadow Weave Lantern emitting purple light,
a duergar, and three of the Acolytes of Shar that had escaped the earlier
battle. The cultists were steadily but warily approaching the entrance near
Ator's feet.
Day 27 of the campaign, the 18th of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
Ligs, Cuso, Trill, Ratimir, Sven, and Macho Grande defeated the Wyrmdoom Goliaths in a game of Goat Ball.
Having just escaped the collapse of the Coldscale Drake lair, the Dawnbringers (and Friends) roped up to complete the
traverse of the Middle Wyrmtooth Glacier just as a snow squall blew in.
Just before reaching the ascent to Wyrmdoog Crag, the snow squall subsided and they spotted a frost giant riding a mammoth traveling from south to north across the Middle Wyrmtooth Glacier.
As they reached the climb to Wyrmdoom Crag they spotted a pair of Crag Cat tracks climbing the trail ahead.
Massive glacier calves fell from the Middle Wyrmtooth Icefall behind them as they climbed the steep switchbacks.
When they reached the top, they were welcomed by a goliath riding a Crag Cat and then escorted to the Thuunlakalaga clan village.
Ligs told the party that he knew some of the the goliaths of this clan, particularly the tribe's blacksmith Wayani Highhunter Thuunlakalaga. She had worked with Ligs and the Battlehammer dwarves in the Dwarven Valley a few years back.
Ligs was summoned for a private audience with the tribe's leader Ogolai Orcsplitter Thuunlakalaga.
While Ligs was away, the goliath scout Loroziath Brighthauler Thuunlakalaga took the rest of the group on a tour of the village.
The skeleton of the white dragon was festooned with bright flags, banners, and graffiti. The names of many goliaths were etched into the bones of the creature.
Chwingas – small creatures less than a foot tall resembling small animated dolls with masks for faces – appeared in the skeleton and watched the party with interest.
Chwinga 1 had a white face with a dark triangle painted over one eye.
Chwinga 2 had a white face with two concentric blue rings around one eye. It took up with Ratimir and combed his beard with a pinecone.
Chwinga 3 had curly black antennae growing out of its head.
Chwinga 4 wore a gown made of pine needles and strutted around regally.
Beyond the skeleton was an open area covered with dozens of stone pedestals and surrounded by an amphitheater. Loroziath proudly presented the tribe's Goat Ball court to the party and asked if they'd like to play.
Ratimir suggested a wager, prompting Loroziath to show the party where the tribe culivated Cragmoss, a drug made from a hybrid of cave lichen, fungus, and the gut bacteria harvested from the scat of the tribe's Crag Cats.
Once dried and brewed into a tea, Cragmoss grants the user hallucinatory visions for about half and hour. After that, the user gains ten temporary hit points and is under the effect of the Bless spell for one hour. When the effect wears off, they take one level of exhaustion.
The Dawnbringers (and Friends) played well against the goliaths, ultimately squeaking out a victory.
After the game, the spoke with Loroziath about the Solensäng and Icingdeath. The goliath knew little of the magical instrument, but much about Icingdeath. He said their scouts had observed the undead dragon flying high over the glaciers with a humanoid riding it.
When asked if the humanoid was Hedrun, Loroziath did not know, saying that the Ice Witch's territory was out on the Reghed Glacier and the High Ice. No one had seen her in over a generation, though rumors of possible sightings abounded.
Day 27 of the campaign, the 18th of the month of Hammer, 1492 DR. The moon
Selûne is waxing crescent.
Standing at the feet of Ator and peering into the Underdark, Lugdush, Ziff, Harvan, Anatol, and Bryden repelled another wave of Shar Cultists and let a mysterious duergar escape.
Peering across the darkness, the party could just make out the purple
lantern carried by a drow paladin.
Ziff's and Vellyne's familiars spotted the drow paladin, a duergar warrior,
and two Acolytes of Shar that had escaped earlier carefully
approaching the entrance to Ator's feet through a stand of huge flowing
fungi.
Vellyne cast Invisbility on Lugdush before the huge orc warrior
snuck across the rock bridge connecting the tunnel at Ator's feet to the fungal
forest.
The purple lantern's aura of anti-magic dispelled Lugdush's invisbility,
causing the drow to stop short while the duergar turned invisible and fled.
A trio of drow hunters that had returned from an expedition across the
glacier descended the tunnel and attacked the party from the opposite side.
The party quickly dispatched the drow, with Lugdush throwing the acolytes
off the rock bridge. Anatol and Bryden traded blows with the drow paladin until
ultimately beheading him.
Lugdush attempted to track the invisible duergar, pursuing him into the
fungal forest. There, the orc warrior ran afoul of Bibberbang and
Green Gibberer fungi, alternately taking fire and poison damage
before finally giving up the pursuit.
The party returned to the main chamber and found that the drow hunters had
left an unconscious goliath they'd captured on the chamber floor.
