[Expeditions] The Hunt for the Missing Adventurers

[Andy Clark]

Luncheon at the Lakeside inn was a busy if not overly boisterous affair. The barman was being kept busy behind the bar serving those villagers who'd come to round off their week a little early. He wasn't complaining. Coin was coin and serving the food was giving his boy something to keep him occupied and not chasing rats with that miller's girl he'd been hanging around with recently.

 

Above the gentle bubble of noise from his customers he heard a commotion outside, and a moment later in through the door stepped the band of three Elves, a Halfling and a Gnome who'd set out the five days earlier to try and find the party of adventurers who'd still not returned.

 

The inn fell silent and all heads turned to stare at the somber look on their faces.

 

Briar, the halfling cleric stepped forward, making her way over to a group of dwarves from the temple of Moradin whod been sat quietly in one corner of the room. They stood, looking at her intently as she gently laid Helgrethe's hammer on the table before them.

 

"We should tell you what we found..."

[Andy Clark]

The Hunt for the Missing Adventurers

 (Notes from Sariel's Journal)

Leaving Home

 

After a troubled night’s sleep, our small party met at the Lakeside Inn to head out to try and find the group of five adventurers from the valley who had still not returned. After restocking our rations, we headed out to the tunnel, making our way down to the bottom of the Falls of Ardun. Whilst climbing down the last few feet from the ledge at the bottom of the tunnel, Dramble and Briar slip but were caught before they hurt themselves. Dramble then used magic to raise the rope back to its hiding place. At some point, there is a risk that parties leaving the valley are going to be noticed by someone from outside the valley.

 

We spent some time looking for tracks, but there are none to be found save the ones made by the earlier party returning the previous day. The river at the base of the falls and flowing away to the south is too fast flowing to cross, so we decide to follow the river down to the forest. As we travelled we found no tracks from the missing party, and we reached the forest by late afternoon and head to the hollow to camp. Once there, and as we were going about setting up camp for the night, we spotted signs that other people have camped there, along with a cluster of wolf paw prints.

 

We set watches for the night, but it passes uneventfully. In the morning, Aila climbs a tree to try and gain a feel for the lay of the land and to see if there is a way across the river. From her vantage point she spotted a fallen tree bridging the river a little way away, so we packed up our things and headed there. On the far bank we found obvious signs of 5 pairs of footprints which disappear into the forest, heading south. We followed these as far as we could, and then continued making our way south along the river to where the forest ended and the valley began. At the edge of the forest we find a path leading away to the east beneath the hills, and south-west along the river. Along the path by the river, about 20 minutes’ walk away we could make out the two stone pillars marking the path to the hillside doors. Unlike the first trip through the valley, there were no plumes of smoke rising from behind the hills, but in the hills above the stone doors we saw a lot of birds circling.

 

 

Encounter with the Kenku

 

Heading along the path towards the door, we spotted footprints that appear to have been made by humanoid sized birds, three claws facing forward, one pointing back. Alerted by this, we then spied a cloaked bird figure skulking around next to the pillars. From the way it was behaving it looked suspicious, as though it was lying in wait.

 

We quickly moved up the hill to try and get out of its line of sight, but hindered by her armour, Alia made more noise than the rest of the party and the creature (for the sake of argument we named it a Kenku) spotted her, making a loud “squawking” sound. To keeps its attention Alia called out “What ho fellow!”, words which the Kenku parroted back to her in her own voice, before laughing mockingly as it reached for its bow. Unspotted by the Kenku, the rest of us moved up along the ridge flanking it, and Bramble cast a spell, throwing the sound of Aila’s voice behind it, followed by the sound of the Kenku itself laughing. This served to distract it from shooting at Aila, but it turned to the doors, letting out a loud recognisable scream. The Scream sounded like Helgrethe.

 

The doors start to open and as Briar cast a blessing on us, Bramble used his magic to start a small fire behind the Kenku by the pillar, intending on using it to start a larger conflagration. At this point, two more Kenku appear from the door and I shot at one, my arrow ricocheting off its armour. The Kenku drew their bows and fired arrows at Alia and myself, wounding us both. Briar and Alia shot back and kill the Kenku by the pillar, and Alia ran forwards to put the pillar between herself and the surviving Kenku. Through the doors she could see a dark chamber, and a tall blue figure standing in the shadows to the right. At this point Torvar summoned a shard of ice, throwing it at one of the Kenku hitting it hard and exploding, wounding the other. Dramble and I shot at one and managed to kill it, and as the third runs back into the room behind the doors, Alia took aim and kills that one too. Much to our relief, the tall blue figure has not moved. As we regrouped outside the doors, Torvar healed my wounds, and Alia used her magic to heal herself a little.

 

 

Exploring the Chamber

 

Moving into the chamber and inspecting the body of the Kenku who fled inside, we found a green crystal arcane focus around its neck. The chamber itself was very large (roughly 75 ft across), and had stone floors and walls. The walls however did not reach all the way to the ceiling, stretching maybe 30’ up the 50’ height of the room.

 

On each side of the room, about half way back were stone plinths, and stood atop the one to our right is a tall blue stone statue. A second statue was stood in the centre of the wall the back of the room, but whilst the first was stood straight, arms by its side, this one is leaning forward, its arms outstretched as though reaching for something. It was not stood on a plinth, and was tied to the wall with ropes, leaning forward precariously. Both statues had hollow eye sockets but no eyes, and they had no other facial features. There was a faint blue glow coming from behind their eye sockets. They were sculpted, but not completely anatomically accurate, and each had had six fingers like the creatures we saw in the strange images we saw at “En Ta Tra Ta Shan”.

 

Behind this second statue we found a wooden door, the statue positioned in such a way as to make us think it had been put there to scare people away. We listened at the door but could not hear anything, however before we proceeded further we decided to go and investigate the birds circling further up the hillside above the doors. We took the time to prop the doors open, appreciating just how exceptionally well balances for their size they were as they required very little effort to open or close. We also noticed that roughly 7’ up there were faint blue patches near the join between the doors.

 

 

Atop the Hillside

 

We made our way up the hillside to a ridge set well back above the doorway. There we found a circle of stone plinths, and on them eight bodies have been respectfully laid out for some form of sky burial. This is what the birds circling high above had been attracted to. Three of the bodies were the same as the Kenku creatures we had encountered at the doorway below. The other five bodies were the members of the adventuring party we had come to find - Alagos, Helgrethe, Maiva, Whisper and Yirisel. A number of days had obviously passed since they had been placed here, and the birds had done their work so we were unable to tell for certain what had done for them, but all eight were dressed in their clothes and armour, even though their weapons were all missing. We could not be sure why the Kenku would have laid them out as they did with their own, and it made us wonder what we should do with the remains of the three we had killed.

 

We spent some time there, and after some discussion decide to bury or burn the remains of our fellow adventurers, helped by Briar’s knowledge and depending upon what we each knew of their beliefs. Where appropriate, we took something of each to return to their families, except for Maiva who Torvar knew had no family. We remember that Whisper used to carry a green crystal arcane focus, and surmised it was probably the one we found round the neck of the Kenku we had killed. Alia sat and and carved remembrances for each of them.

 

We then brought the remains of the other three Kenku up from where we had left them, and laid them out in the same manner as the ones already there. We were still unsure whether it was them that had killed the party (although the overall balance suggested that they had), but we decided that we should show them the same respect in death that they had apparently shown our kind in the end.

 

Not wanting to set up camp outside the chamber we had yet to explore properly, we stay atop the hill, a distance away from the sky burial site. The night passes uneventfully.

 

 

Further into the Chamber

 

In the morning we headed back down to the doors, which had not been disturbed and were still propped wide open. After lighting torches for those without the ability to see in the dark and having examined the room further, we opened the door behind the statue, revealing two sets of stairs leading up to the left and right to what turned out to be two galleries overlooking the main chamber. In each gallery we found two stone doors, in the one to the left (as you would have understood it to be if you stood with your back to the main entrance) the doors had a blue, softly glowing panel set into them, roughly 7’ up. In the gallery to the right, the doors were simply plain stone with no blue glow coming from them. It was this side, with its plain stone doors that we opted to explore first. Pushing open the door furthest from the stairs, we found a long stone corridor, at least 100’ long, and at the far end we could make out another stone door. Cautiously, being mindful that we could not be sure that whoever built this place had not laid traps to keep people out, we made our way along and through the door at the end.

 

Behind the door we found ourselves stepping into a hexagonal room. Set into one wall is another plain stone door, and against the others are four large (9’ long) beds. One was piled high with blankets, and on the others were the belongings of the other party, along with some older items and 120g worth of coins and gems. It looked as though the Kenku have been sleeping here, although for how long we could not tell. There were recesses in the walls holding glass globes which presumably once acted as sources of illumination, but now they do not emit any light. By the door through which we had entered we found a shelf, on which were laid out three Kenku feather and 4 worn wooden figures. Seeing these, Torvar remembered that Maiva had lost four children, and that these were probably carvings of them that she used to carry around. Amongst the belongings Briar found Helgrethe’s Hammer, and vowed to return it to the temple.

 

Behind the other door we found another corridor, ending in another stone door. Behind this was another hexagonal chamber in the centre of which sat a table which looked to have been covered in gold filigree and in the centre of which was a hollow much like the one at ‘En Ta Tra Ta Shan’. Remains of the gold inlay could be seen worked into the surface, but most of it has been pried out, presumably by the Kenku or other creatures which may have used this place as shelter. Shelves lined the walls, on which sat a couple of crystals similar to those that held the images of the strange city we had previously seen. I took these; regretful of the fact that scattered across the floor were more fragments of crystal which had obviously been smashed. Maybe taking them back to ‘En Ta Tra Ta Shan’ would reveal more visions of the blue creatures who had built it?

 

There were two other stone doors behind which were two further corridors. One lead back in the direction of the main chamber, and we surmised this joined up to the unopened door in the right hand chamber. The other corridor stretched on further, and the door at the end of it had a blue panel in it, glowing softly. There were signs that someone or something had been trying to chip away at the door, with limited success.

 

Heading back to the main chamber, and having tried to open the doors in the other gallery with no success, we spent more time inspecting the statues. They had been skillfully carved out of smooth blue stone, except for what looked to be some kind of panel on the back of their heads. I climbed up the statue which was tied up by the door, and whilst trying to prise the panel open I broke it into pieces. Inside the head was a glowing blue bolt, just like the keys that we had found in the mechanism at “En Ta Tra Ta Shan”. The rest of the head was hollow, so I carefully removed the key before climbing down. Torvar then climbed the second statue and managed to open its panel without breaking it, removing its blue key.

 

On a hunch, we took the key to the doors in the gallery to the left which had the glowing blue panel in them. As we got close to them, their panels glowed brighter, and with a clunk they unlocked! We headed down the corridor from the first door, noticing as we went that the corridor feels much cleaner than the others, presumably because no-one had been able to get past the locked door until now. At the end was another stone door with a blue panel which also unlocked as we approached, behind which was another hexagonal room which looked rather… creepy…

 

In the centre of the room was a large stone table, with what appear to be drainage channels cut into it. On the far wall is a narrow bench and shelves, on which rest various delicate metal tools, and glass jars in which are the dry, gooey remains of whatever they once held.  Briar tells us that the table appears to be an operating table. The tools included a pair of bizarre and rather nightmarish three-pointed scissors, various delicate blades and an 18” long rod with what looked to be a green keyhole in one end which we took with us.

 

Through another door, another corridor and one last door, we found ourselves inside a final hexagonal room. Around two sides of the hexagonal wall was another large workbench, on which sat the head of a statue identical to the ones that stood the main chamber. This one did not however contain a blue key (although in hindsight part me wonders what would have happened if we had placed one from the statues in the main chamber inside it). There were various tools on the bench, including a large blade-like cutting tool (longsword sized) with a green keyhole in it. Also on the bench were two green keys, and when we tried putting one of the keys into the keyhole of the cutting tool, the blade began to crackle along its edge, and carefully welding it, Aila easily sliced though the bench (functions as a longsword, counts as a +D10 slashing damage). When we put the other green key in the rod from the other room, the end began to glow. Casting detect magic revealed that it was magical, of the school of evocation, most likely some form of magical enhancement, maybe some kind of healing rod? Deciding to throw caution to the wind and test this, I lightly cut my hand and persuaded Briar to wave the rod at it. The wound healed itself, but as it did so, the glow from the key diminishes slightly. The dimming was only very slight, and only really noticeable because the room we were in was so dark, but we do not know if the keys recover their charge so figure that it is best not to waste what power it has.

 

We made our way back out to the main chamber and leave, stepping back into the blessed late afternoon sunlight. The doors initially do not appear to lock, but holding one of the blue keys to the doors causes them to fuse together, sealing the complex shut. We check that we can unlock and lock the doors using the blue keys, whilst Briar spends some time copying what runes she can from the worn stone pillars. We then head up the hillside to the sky burial site, and bury Maiva’s children with her.

 

By this point it was too late to travel far, so we returned to the complex, opening the doors and set up camp just inside the main chamber for the night. In the morning we lock the doors again and set off on what was an uneventful journey home, arriving back at the Lakeside Tavern 5 days after we set out.

Fig 1- The Layout of the Complex

Fig 2 - Detail of the Complex

[Richard Jackson]

Another Friday story time at the Lakeside Inn

"Copper piece for your thoughts?"

It was late afternoon. The luncheon crowd had cleared at the Lakeside Inn and most of the returning party of adventurers, who had made such a dramatic entrance earlier that day, had also left. The barman had finished his shift and handed over to the barmaid. It was beginning to get busy again, certainly a lot busier than it had been the week before. Many of the farmers and smiths had finished their work for the day and were seeking a well-earned drink. But it was still early enough that folk from the Valley weren't cramped too closely together. Rumours and whispers were circulating.

Alone, perched atop a stool at the bar, sat a fair-haired gnome dressed in a traveller's cloak. He was absent-mindedly twirling a glass of drink in his hand, while staring distantly into the candle of a small lamp in front of him. The candle's flame flickered and shifted colour - one moment cobalt blue; the next emerald green. The barmaid could be seen casting a wary eye at it occasionally, but said nothing.

Dramble looked up at the human who'd asked what was on his mind. Gunter was a farmer, and a regular at the inn, who liked to hear Dramble's stories. He looked eager in anticipation.

"I mean, I hear you and the others have been out exploring what was on that dwarven map? You just got back? Come on, what stories you must have to tell!"

"Yeah. I do. I mean..." the gnome seemed unsure of himself. "It's just that adventuring turns out to be a lot more complicated than I thought it would be."

"Come off it, Brighteyes! It's not like you to be lost for words. Everyone's waiting to hear your story!"

Dramble turned on his seat. Sure enough, there his regular crowd were - the humans and halflings; the big half-orc too. 'Everyone' was perhaps a slight exaggeration, but he certainly had an audience.

Mentally, he shook himself and grinned. "Well, okay then."

…..

The diminutive sorcerer jumped down off his stool and wandered over to the low table where the others were gathered round. He took the small lantern with him and pulled off its cover. (The barmaid eyed him suspiciously.)

"Five days ago, we set out to discover what had happened to the first party of brave explorers that ventured out of the Valley. We were Briar, the healer, in search of her friend..."

The rough shape of a young halfling's face flared up in the flames, slightly larger than life.

"Sariel and Torvar, mighty elves from the woods..."

The flames shifted, showing two elves in succession.

"The legendary Aila, a bona fide hero of folklore..."

Now a third elf, aloof and mysterious.

"...as well as, of course, your humble narrator."

Dramble took a mock bow as the flame died down again to a candle flicker (He may have spotted the barmaid heading over to tidy the empty drinks.)

"Now, I could tell you about our perilous journey; about how we nearly plunged to our doom down a perilous waterfall!  I could tell you about the mysterious woods we passed on our travels, devoid of even the slightest sign of life, that not even the birds go near it. I could tell you lots of things. But what I'll tell you tonight is the tale of the mysterious temple we found, inhabited by strange bird people and containing magical wonders!"

…..

A spectral hand appeared and began to arrange cups, utensils and other props on the low table into a crude map.

"It was the second day of our journey. We had crossed a fast-flowing river and found tracks on the other side that appeared to be those of our missing comrades. Following them, we came to a set of vast stone doors set into the hillside. The doors were nearly ten times my height! And in front of them were giant pillars, twelve times my height! A murder of crows circled ominously over the hills above."

Several cawing sounds increased the tension around the table, causing several people to involuntarily look up.

"Just as we were wondering how to get inside, Sariel spotted a trail of strange, three-toed footprints, like those of an enormous bird. And then we spotted a large cloaked figure by one of the pillars, as big as a human, and shaped like one too - except for the beak-like mouth and taloned feet."

"I was all up for going over and saying hello. What a fascinating creature! But the others were more cautious and suggested we sneak our way to the hill above, to get a better look. Brave Aila - hero-of-our-forest Aila - threw herself in harm's way by attracting the creature's attention so the rest of us could get by."

"'What ho, fellow creature!' she called. And, 'What ho, fellow creature!' it called back, in exactly Aila's voice, before laughing in its own."

"Well, I thought that was a pretty neat trick. And so, 'What ho, fellow creature!' I called in Aila's voice too, from the pillar behind it, and added the creature's laugh for good measure."

The group around the table laughed along at this jest, as "What ho, fellow creature!" echoed repeatedly around the inn in the wood elf's voice, accompanied by screeching, inhuman cackling.

"Alas, my friends, it seemed my valiant attempts at introductions through humour did not succeed. The creature drew its bow and aimed at our comrade. It also screamed at the doors - in our friend Helgrethe's voice! - and the doors began to open..."

A collective gasp from around the table. Dramble had his audience's rapt attention. The spectral hand began to pick up various props on the table and frantically moved them around.

"Well, now we knew the other group had come this way. Many things happened all at once then. Aila and the creature exchanged arrow shots! I started a fire to distract it! Briar cast a blessing upon our elven warriors! Two more bird creatures came rushing out the doors! Sariel shot one with a n arrow while Torvar cast a magical icy dagger at the other - and the dagger exploded, catching the other!"

Wooshes and the sound of shattering ice accompanied this description.

"Briar and I joined in with our crossbows. I - yes I, your humble narrator - succeeded in finishing one of our attackers off! Aila - legend-made-life Aila - killed first another, and then the third as it ran back through the doors seeking to raise the powers within against us."

…..

"The fight over, we trod cautiously inside to find out what secrets lay beyond those giant stone doors. Inside, we found an enormous square room. In it were two giant figures. At first we were fearful, but then we saw they were statues made of a strange, blue stone."

Dramble glanced once back to the bar. The barmaid was busy pouring a round for another table. With a wave of his hand, he triggered the lantern again. The spectral hand picket it up.

"I levitated a torch and saw a stone gallery running around the room above the tops of the great doors. But it was the statues that caught our attention. They were truly huge, unclothed, and had six fingers on each hand. Their faces were blank and featureless, but an unearthly blue light filled the holes where their eyes would be..."

The lantern drifted back down, its flame splitting and changing colour as it did so, forming two miniature Catherine wheels, glowing blue.

"What was even stranger - and what had made us fearful at first - was the positions of the statues. One stood to attention on a plinth to the right of the room. But the plinth to the left was abandoned. It's statue was tied in front of a door at the far end, in a menacing pose, as if it were about to attack!"

Gasps, especially from the younger halflings.

"There were signs of damage, as if it had been fought with swords, and chips of blue stone across the floor. The body of the bird creature was wearing a crystal I recognised as an arcane focus (possibly that belonging to our friend, Whisper?). It had been killed running towards the statue. Had it been about to awaken it to crush us? Truly we had had a narrow escape!"

…..

"Before exploring any further inside, we made our way to the top of the hill to see if there was anything more to be learned up there. We came across a shocking sight."

Dramble began to play a solemn, mournful tune on his pipes.

"Laid out on stone plinths at the top of the hill were our missing comrades, along with three of the bird creatures. Their fate had regretfully not been as fortunate as ours. It was a sky burial. They had not lived to tell the tale."

The inn fell silent. There were gasps and tears from those, like Gunter, who hadn't yet heard the news. Those who had shook their heads sadly.

"Seeing our friends laid out like this gave us pause to rethink our impression of the strange bird creatures. Clearly they were an honourable race, to have treated their fallen foes with such respect. But we could not leave them lying out like that for the crows. We spent the rest of that day burying them and conducting funeral rites."

"Ahem. No, I'm okay, it's just the fire in my eyes. could I trouble you for another drink though?" 

…..

"We camped overnight and the next day we explored the mysteries of the temple. Surrounding the stone gallery I discovered the day before was a maze of corridors linking four hexagonal rooms - yes, just like the markings on the dwarven map! One of them contained possessions from the fallen warriors. We gathered those of our friends, so we could bring them back to the Valley. The second room contained crystals and strange artefacts."

"The other rooms were locked to us, until Sariel and Torvar climbed the statues in the entrance hall and retrieved magical blue bolts from inside their heads! It was these that were causing the statues' eyes to glow. Apparently they were some sort of mystic keys, as the other doors unlocked themselves as we brought the keys near to them. Beyond were other strange rooms, containing some sort of workshop and what appeared to be an operating theatre of some kind. But with alien tools and artefacts that were unlike anything any of us had ever seen! There were more of the enchanted bolts too, these ones glowing an eerie green."

The twin Catherine wheels faded from blue to green.

"It seems these bolts were sources of mystic power for some of the arcane tools lying around. One powered what seemed to be some sort of healing rod. Another powered a sword or cutting tool, causing it to crackle with lightning! Briar was very concerned that the tools might be used irresponsibly. We took them with us for safekeeping, splitting them between the group so there was no temptation to misuse them and so they couldn't all be taken from one person. Then we secured the temple and began our long journey home, to tell the tale of what we had learned!"

…..

As Dramble paused to let his story sink in, a flurry of voices erupted.

"But what really happened to the fallen party?"

"What did the bird people really want?"

"Did you find out who built the temple and why?"

"Tell us more about the crystal tools!"

"What about that dead forest? Did you go back there?"

Dramble shook his head, but his gold eyes were sparkling as he did.

"Those, my friends, are mysteries that are still unanswered. And they will remain so until intrepid adventurers journey out once more to that unfamiliar land beyond the valley."

The gnome felt his spirits lift and the desire for adventure calling him once more. He blew on his pan pipes. An eerie, whistling tune spread through the inn, causing patrons to pause their questions and their drinking.

"The truth... is out there!"

[Richard Matson]

'He blew on his pan pipes. An eerie, whistling tune spread through the inn, causing patrons to pause their questions and their drinking. "The truth... is out there!"'

Is a Gnome looking to get stabbed?  Because thats how Gnomes get stabbed...

On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 7:01 PM Richard Jackson <rich.ja...@gmail.com> wrote:

Another Friday story time at the Lakeside Inn

"Copper piece for your thoughts?"

It was late afternoon. The luncheon crowd had cleared at the Lakeside Inn and most of the returning party of adventurers, who had made such a dramatic entrance earlier that day, had also left. The barman had finished his shift and handed over to the barmaid. It was beginning to get busy again, certainly a lot busier than it had been the week before. Many of the farmers and smiths had finished their work for the day and were seeking a well-earned drink. But it was still early enough that folk from the Valley weren't cramped too closely together. Rumours and whispers were circulating.

Alone, perched atop a stool at the bar, sat a fair-haired gnome dressed in a traveller's cloak. He was absent-mindedly twirling a glass of drink in his hand, while staring distantly into the candle of a small lamp in front of him. The candle's flame flickered and shifted colour - one moment cobalt blue; the next emerald green. The barmaid could be seen casting a wary eye at it occasionally, but said nothing.

Dramble looked up at the human who'd asked what was on his mind. Gunter was a farmer, and a regular at the inn, who liked to hear Dramble's stories. He looked eager in anticipation.

"I mean, I hear you and the others have been out exploring what was on that dwarven map? You just got back? Come on, what stories you must have to tell!"

"Yeah. I do. I mean..." the gnome seemed unsure of himself. "It's just that adventuring turns out to be a lot more complicated than I thought it would be."

"Come off it, Brighteyes! It's not like you to be lost for words. Everyone's waiting to hear your story!"

Dramble turned on his seat. Sure enough, there his regular crowd were - the humans and halflings; the big half-orc too. 'Everyone' was perhaps a slight exaggeration, but he certainly had an audience.

Mentally, he shook himself and grinned. "Well, okay then."

The diminutive sorcerer jumped down off his stool and wandered over to the low table where the others were gathered round. He took the small lantern with him and pulled off its cover. (The barmaid eyed him suspiciously.)

"Five days ago, we set out to discover what had happened to the first party of brave explorers that ventured out of the Valley. We were Briar, the healer, in search of her friend..."

The rough shape of a young halfling's face flared up in the flames, slightly larger than life.

"Sariel and Torvar, mighty elves from the woods..."

The flames shifted, showing two elves in succession.

"The legendary Aida, a bona fide hero of folklore..."

Now a third elf, aloof and mysterious.

"...as well as, of course, your humble narrator."

Dramble took a mock bow as the flame died down again to a candle flicker (He may have spotted the barmaid heading over to tidy the empty drinks.)

"Now, I could tell you about our perilous journey; about how we nearly plunged to our doom down a perilous waterfall!  I could tell you about the mysterious woods we passed on our travels, devoid of even the slightest sign of life, that not even the birds go near it. I could tell you lots of things. But what I'll tell you tonight is the tale of the mysterious temple we found, inhabited by strange bird people and containing magical wonders!"

A spectral hand appeared and began to arrange cups, utensils and other props on the low table into a crude map.

"It was the second day of our journey. We had crossed a fast-flowing river and found tracks on the other side that appeared to be those of our missing comrades. Following them, we came to a set of vast stone doors set into the hillside. The doors were nearly ten times my height! And in front of them were giant pillars, twelve times my height! A murder of crows circled ominously over the hills above."

Several cawing sounds increased the tension around the table, causing several people to involuntarily look up.

"Just as we were wondering how to get inside, Sariel spotted a trail of strange, three-toed footprints, like those of an enormous bird. And then we spotted a large cloaked figure by one of the pillars, as big as a human, and shaped like one too - except for the beak-like mouth and taloned feet."

"I was all up for going over and saying hello. What a fascinating creature! But the others were more cautious and suggested we sneak our way to the hill above, to get a better look. Brave Aida - hero-of-our-forest Aida - threw herself in harm's way by attracting the creature's attention so the rest of us could get by."

"'What ho, fellow creature!' she called. And, 'What ho, fellow creature!' it called back, in exactly Aida's voice, before laughing in its own."

"Well, I thought that was a pretty neat trick. And so, 'What ho, fellow creature!' I called in Aida's voice too, from the pillar behind it, and added the creature's laugh for good measure."

The group around the table laughed along at this jest, as "What ho, fellow creature!" echoed repeatedly around the inn in the wood elf's voice, accompanied by screeching, inhuman cackling.

"Alas, my friends, it seemed my valiant attempts at introductions through humour did not succeed. The creature drew its bow and aimed at our comrade. It also screamed at the doors - in our friend Helgrethe's voice! - and the doors began to open."

A collective gasp from around the table. Dramble had his audience's rapt attention. The spectral hand began to pick up various props on the table and frantically moved them around.

"Well, now we knew the other group had come this way. Many things happened all at once then. Aida and the creature exchanged arrow shots! I started a fire to distract it! Briar cast a blessing upon our elven warriors! Two more bird creatures came rushing out the doors! Sariel shot one with a n arrow while Torvar cast a magical icy dagger at the other - and the dagger exploded, catching the other!"

Wooshes and the sound of shattering ice accompanied this description.

"Briar and I joined in with our crossbows. I - yes I, your humble narrator - succeeded in finishing one of our attackers off! Aida - legend-made-life Aida - killed first another, and then the third as it ran back through the doors seeking to raise the powers within against us."

"The fight over, we trod cautiously inside to find out what secrets lay beyond those giant stone doors. Inside, we found an enormous square room. In it were two giant figures. At first we were fearful, but then we saw they were statues made of a strange, blue stone."

Dramble glanced once back to the bar. The barmaid was busy pouring a round for another table. With a wave of his hand, he triggered the lantern again. The spectral hand picket it up.

"I levitated a torch and saw a stone gallery running around the room above the tops of the great doors. But it was the statues that caught our attention. They were truly huge, unclothed, and had six fingers on each hand. Their faces were blank and featureless, but an unearthly blue light filled the holes where their eyes would be..."

The lantern drifted back down, its flame splitting and changing colour as it did so, forming two miniature Catherine wheels, glowing blue.

"What was even stranger - and what had made us fearful at first - was the positions of the statues. One stood to attention on a plinth to the right of the room. But the plinth to the left was abandoned. It's statue was tied in front of a door at the far end, in a menacing pose, as if it were about to attack!"

Gasps, especially from the younger halflings.

"There were signs of damage, as if it had been fought with swords, and chips of blue stone across the floor. The body of the bird creature was wearing a crystal I recognised as an arcane focus (possibly that belonging to our friend, Whisper?). It had been killed running towards the statue. Had it been about to awaken it to crush us? Truly we had had a narrow escape!"

"Before exploring any further inside, we made our way to the top of the hill to see if there was anything more to be learned up there. We came across a shocking sight."

Dramble began to play a solemn, mournful tune on his pipes.

"Laid out on stone plinths at the top of the hill were our missing comrades, along with three of the bird creatures. Their fate had regretfully not been as fortunate as ours. It was a sky burial. They had not lived to tell the tale."

The inn fell silent. There were gasps and tears from those, like Gunter, who hadn't yet heard the news. Those who had shook their heads sadly.

"Seeing our friends laid out like this gave us pause to rethink our impression of the strange bird creatures. Clearly they were an honourable race, to have treated their fallen foes with such respect. But we could not leave them lying out like that for the crows. We spent the rest of that day burying them and conducting funeral rites."

"Ahem. No, I'm okay, it's just the fire in my eyes. could I trouble you for another drink though?" 

"We camped overnight and the next day we explored the mysteries of the temple. Surrounding the stone gallery I discovered the day before was a maze of corridors linking four hexagonal rooms - yes, just like the markings on the dwarven map! One of them contained possessions from the fallen warriors. We gathered those of our friends, so we could bring them back to the Valley. The second room contained crystals and strange artefacts."

"The other rooms were locked to us, until Sariel and Torvar climbed the statues in the entrance hall and retrieved magical blue bolts from inside their heads! It was these that were causing the statues' eyes to glow. Apparently they were some sort of mystic keys, as the other doors unlocked themselves as we brought the keys near to them. Beyond were other strange rooms, containing some sort of workshop and what appeared to be an operating theatre of some kind. But with alien tools and artefacts that were unlike anything any of us had ever seen! There were more of the enchanted bolts too, these ones glowing an eerie green."

The twin Catherine wheels faded from blue to green.

"It seems these bolts were sources of mystic power for some of the arcane tools lying around. One powered what seemed to be some sort of healing rod. Another powered a sword or cutting tool, causing it to crackle with lightning! Briar was very concerned that the tools might be used irresponsibly. We took them with us for safekeeping, splitting them between the group so there was no temptation to misuse them and so they couldn't all be taken from one person. Then we secured the temple and began our long journey home, to tell the tale of what we had learned!"

As Dramble paused to let his story sink in, a flurry of voices erupted.

"But what really happened to the fallen party?"

"What did the bird people really want?"

"Did you find out who built the temple and why?"

"Tell us more about the crystal tools!"

"What about that dead forest? Did you go back there?"

Dramble shook his head, but his gold eyes were sparkling as he did.

"Those, my friends, are mysteries that are still unanswered. And they will remain so until intrepid adventurers journey out once more to that unfamiliar land beyond the valley."

The gnome felt his spirits lift and the desire for adventure calling him once more. He blew on his pan pipes. An eerie, whistling tune spread through the inn, causing patrons to pause their questions and their drinking.

"The truth... is out there!"

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[Richard Jackson]

It seemed appropriate! ;o)

[Evie]

Dramble, did you bring any of those bolts back? Specifically the blue ones.

[Richard Jackson]

But of course!  We brought back all the bolts, blue and green. We weren't about to leave shiny, magical treasures like them lying around! :o)

(Wait... Briar, was I not meant to tell everyone that...?)

[Andy Clark]

As I recall, Briar and Aila each have a green bolt, Torvar and Bramble each have a blue bolt... ;-)

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[Evie]

What do they look like?

[elvens...@gmail.com]

Leaving the tavern behind, Torvar paused a moment and let his eyes adjust to the evening light.  Behind him the lights flickered, the sounds of mourning and laughter intertwined in the rooms as the stories spread around the tavern, soon to spread to the whole valley.

What were we doing?  We didn't belong out there... it was dangerous!  OK, the valley had some predators and problems but the danger out "there" was almost overwhelming.

As he walked down the street towards the darkness at the edge of the village he couldn't get the faces of the dead adventurers out of his mind.  Some may twist the thoughts into stories, is this how legends are made?  But Torvar didn't have any interest in this, once again he wanted time and space without...people.  

Although maybe they weren't all that bad, he was starting to like the people he had been out with, shared food and adventure with.  Could they be called friends?

It had seemed so exciting, the new fields and forests, the bear, the frog people, the mysteries.  But just a few nights ago that all changed.  All too real now is the chance of death.  Death for himself, death for his companions, maybe even the village wasn't safe now.  

As the lights from the village faded behind him Torvar looked at the stars and paused for a moment.  There was a world out there.  A dangerous world but maybe one that, just maybe, he could find a place in.  

For tonight he would retreat to the woods and make himself a rest place for the night, adjusting his bag he headed out.  It wouldn't take long to find somewhere and maybe after a rest his head would be clearer.  

As he walked something fell from his back pack, stopping and picking it up he realised it was one of the figurines from the temple.  A tear came to his eyes, this was one of the tokens that belonged to the fallen adventurers, one of Maiva's treasures if he recalled. He stopped and looked around him, the woods beckoned but at the edge of the starlight he saw a small house.  

Maiva's house.  

Was this fate or some coincidence, how many times had he walked this way and not payed attention to the house or the person in it.  He knew of her but only in passing, she had always been kind but had a hidden sadness, neither of them had wanted company.

He entered the empty house and placed the figures gently on a shelf, the house was just as she must have left it.  It was late and time to sleep, he left the house, set his bedroll out under the stars and drifted off into a restless sleep.

The next morning the sun was out, Torvar ate some of his rations instead of hunting.  Sitting on a stone he played a mournful tune on his flute to know one in particular and lost himself in his thoughts as the world moved around him.  

They needed to be more organised, to know what was out there, to know about the dangers and mysteries of the world.  Not everyone though, talk of treasure would get more people killed, he didn't want any of that blood on his hands.  They needed somewhere to plan, to talk, to store things safely and maybe to heal.

Maiva didn't leave anyone behind, no one to tell her story, her legend.  No one would know her final moments.  Her life was lost.  Her house now as still as a tomb.

It didn't have to be this way.  

An idea formed.

He had some gold, he had time and he had some skills.

The house could be used as a meeting place, a place for organising the next adventuring parties, to share tales without the noise and drink of the tavern.  A place to train, a place to heal and a place to rest.

And a place to remember.  

Remember the fallen

Remember Maiva, Alagos, Helgrethe, Whisper and Yirisel.

He set his sack and bedroll in the corner of the house, closed the door and filled with purpose jogged towards the town to find his friends.

[Adam Spragg]

Hi,

On March 29 2019 at 06:59, Andy Clark wrote:
> We made our way up the hillside to a ridge set well back above the
> doorway. There we found a circle of stone plinths, and on them eight
> bodies have been respectfully laid out for some form of sky burial.
> This is what the birds circling high above had been attracted to.
> Three of the bodies were the same as the Kenku creatures we had
> encountered at the doorway below. The other five bodies were the
> members of the adventuring party we had come to find - Alagos,
> Helgrethe, Maiva, Whisper and Yirisel.

What? No, no, no!

Damn it. That's... that's not how this was meant to go.

> We spent some time there, and after some discussion decide to bury or
> burn the remains of our fellow adventurers, helped by Briar’s
> knowledge and depending upon what we each knew of their beliefs.
> Where appropriate, we took something of each to return to their
> families, except for Maiva who Torvar knew had no family. We remember
> that Whisper used to carry a green crystal arcane focus, and surmised
> it was probably the one we found round the neck of the Kenku we had
> killed. Alia sat and and carved remembrances for each of them.

Thank you for that, Briar and Alia. I didn't really know Alagos,
Helgrethe, Whisper or Yirisel[0], but I remember being dared to knock
on Maiva's door and run away when I was a kid - and being scared half
to death that she'd hexed me for it for the next week!

Are we going to have a service for them up here in town some time? To
allow those who did know them to say their goodbyes?

And... we - or I at least - should probably think and prepare a bit
more carefully before heading back down there again. The old stories of
adventure sound perilous in an exciting and fun kind of way, but not -
you know - like this.

:-(

Bran.

[0] But that's mostly because I can't find any character backgrounds
posted to the list for them, so I don't know if Bran would have known
them? Have I missed any posts anywhere along the way?

[Kathryn Karnage]

Everyone would have known Yirisel, she was a hard who visited everywhere regularly carrying news, messages and song, and although possessed of a dark demeanor, was astoundly generous whenever at the inn, drinks, dark songs and stories and gossip would flow like rain. She will be missed.

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[Rory Cullen]

Dang, Andy, that is a detailed writeup! Maps and everything! Kudos.

 Adam: You might have known of Alagos but you wouldn't have seen him much - he lived in a hut in the woods with his curunir, or teacher, supposedly learning the ancient fighting arts of the Feywild. He spent much of his time punching boards, emptying and refilling large water vessels with small water vessels, cooking fish-heads and brewing herbal teas. Olldir, his teacher, is the mysterious old eladrin who was hanging around the tavern awaiting his student's return. If you approach him about Alagos, he will frown, stroke his long white beard, and mutter something about "destiny averted" and "the tides of fate" and "a darker path now awaits us all"

 He's probably just a crazy old man though.

R.

[Evie]

Well, you already have a character ready, backstory and everything!

[Rory Cullen]

Olldir, you mean? I'm not sure Eladrin are a permitted race, and it might be a bit odd if the Feywild Master was only 1st level ;)

It's an intriguing thought, however!

R.

[Kathryn Karnage]

Eldarin are *technically* in the DM guide as an exemplar, so not in the Players guide, so don;t meet Ed's stated criteria. I might ask anyhow though ;)

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[Ed Chivers]

How about we keep eladrin as NPCs?

[Rory Cullen]

I'm wandering around the workshop muttering "Back once again for the Feywild Master, d4 damager with the elf behaviour" for whatever that's worth.

R.

[Kathryn Karnage]

Makes my decision for new character between High Elf and Eladrin easier, so I'm for it ;D

On Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 11:44 AM Ed Chivers <ed.ch...@gmail.com> wrote:

How about we keep eladrin as NPCs?

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[Richard Matson]

Them elves was gonna Ranger, but then they got high.

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[Adam Spragg]

On March 31 2019 at 10:33, Adam Spragg wrote:
> Are we going to have a service for them up here in town some time? To
> allow those who did know them to say their goodbyes?

...or, I think it would at least be good to honour them by continuing
in the quest they gave their lives for. If we can find answers for
them, they might rest easier with their gods. I think a good next step
would be to investigate the last group of hexes on the dwarven map
- the ones just to the west of the base of the waterfall.

Does that sound like a good idea to anyone else?

Bran.

[Rory Cullen]

.... I think a good next step

would be to investigate the last group of hexes on the dwarven map
- the ones just to the west of the base of the waterfall.

Does that sound like a good idea to anyone else?

Bran.

I'm up for that!

R. 

[Adam Spragg]

On April 02 2019 at 05:58, Rory Cullen wrote:
> > .... I think a good next step
> > would be to investigate the last group of hexes on the dwarven map
> > - the ones just to the west of the base of the waterfall.
>

> I'm up for that!

Great. So we'll meet at the top of the tunnel early Saturday? Bring
whatever gear you think you'll need.

Given what happened to Alagos, Helgrethe, Maiva, Whisper and Yirisel,
it's probably a good idea to give everyone an idea of how long we'll
expect to be gone.

The symbols on the map look fairly close to the base of the
waterfall, and are on the same side of the river that the tunnel comes
out at, but they are in a forest, so, finding whatever we're looking
for might take most of Saturday. If we give ourselves Sunday to
investigate... whatever it is, and plan to return mid-Monday, that
should give us enough time to do everything we want to.

So, yeah, we expect to be gone until Monday. Don't even start to worry
about us 'til then.

Bran.

[Evie]

According to the wiki and some guessing, a statue that was not in use would presumably have its arms crossed over its chest. So does anyone have any guesses as to why there was one not like that? I'm thinking maybe something bad happened to whoever was controlling it.

[Richard Jackson]

Our working theory is that it was activated by the coffee bi... Kenku in the battle that ended the lives of our fallen comrades, and fell motionless when the Kenku who was controlling it was killed.