Session 7: Coin for Corpse?

General Summary

22nd of October, 1916 P.M.E. Butcher's Basin, The Runeweald

The frost giant lays dead in the snow, as he exhales his last breath the glowing blue wisps in his eyes fade to nothiness. The large belt around his waist unclasps and slides off of his body. Each clasp of the buckle thuds loudly as it hits the snow. Seven large boulders roll out of a small pouch attached to his belt. The cleric of Auril is heavily wounds and crawls toward the giant, a trail of blood left behind in the snow. "No, what has you done to the great cold one? My loyal subordinate!"

Mores approaches the dying cleric and finishes him off with a firm step. The party quickly searches the camp for any useful materials and grabs the curious items from the dead giant. After a quick chat, they decide they should leave before any more Kobolds show up, or worse, Kadri and the Allik tribe. However, as they begin to leave something strange happens.

The dusky sky, illuminated by the greens, blues, and purples of the wavy aurora of the north, begins to fade to a deep grey. The aurora mutates into a jagged strip of crimson light. You feel a cold breeze that seems to pass through your thick wool coats as if they weren't even there. A cloaked black figure floats toward you.

The figure is a familiar sight, the mysterious wizard Calarel. He exchanges 32 Crimson Denars for the corpses left behind and gives Llobh a soul lantern so he can exchange souls for crimson denars without the need for Calarel's presence. With the transaction ending, Calarel leaves through a rift of darkness and the sky returns to normal.   The party travels from the encampment to Girt Dwe (Tunnel Three) on the north shore of the Butcher's Basin and sets up camp inside the mouth of the tunnel. The night is peaceful.

23rd of October, 1916 P.M.E, Girt Dwe, Rhun Karaz

  Upon waking up, and eating an excellent breakfast made by Mores, the expeditionary force travels into Girt Dwe in search of Khuldahar. The grand stone halls are adorned with gold trim in typical ancient dwarven styling as well as thousands of names written in dwarvish. A couple of hundred feet from the entrance of the tunnel there is a large stone gate, which Mores and Ezekiel lift with their (Ezekiel's) impressive strength. The party continues through the immense underground structure, eventually encountering a room that has an engraved battle scene from floor to ceiling. From here they continue forward, eventually passing through a room that collapses behind them, sealing off the path from which they came. A long dark hallway leads them to a strange stone contraption which is controlled by two levers. The levers seem to make the stone disc move violently upon its axes. After some mild fuckery, they leave the contraption and delve further into the tunnels, coming across the broken shells of many large eggs, which they have failed to determine the source of.   Khagmadog finds some signage at a fork in the road and determines it to say "Ironpit" and "Shrine". The party follows the path that goes to the shrine. They pass through an old empty store and eventually end up in a room with two large grates on the floor. The room simultaneously smells comfortingly sweet and sickeningly rancid. There are 3 other paths leading out of this room, each with a sign, they read "Commerce", "Shrine", and "Umberhulk Pens". They continue to follow the signs for the Shrine and enter a collection of large white marble halls that have a faint orchestral humming. The largest of the halls has a fountain in the center that is filled by a stream of clear water that falls from the tall ceiling. Intrigued by the sound, they follow it through a winding path of stone halls and roughly hewn caves, eventually ending up in a temple room with a gargantuan statue of the old dwarven god, Moradin. Noticing a narrow pathway up behind the statue, the party travels further into the temple. They find two back rooms, one of which has a large block of immaculately crafted metal sitting atop a pedestal. Jordis reaches for the block but quickly recoils as the tunnels begin to shake and a booming voice shouts "you are not worthy". Khagmadog takes the block and is for a second quickly transported to the halls of Dumathoin, of which he has only visited once in prayer.

TDLR

• The party loots the camp and retrieves a huge two-handed axe, a bag of holding, and a girdle of frost giant strength
• Calarel shows up and purchases the bodies of the camp for 32 Crimson Denars and gives Llobh a lantern that can absorb souls in exchange for Crimson Denars
• The party then uses the remainder of the day to travel to Girt Dwe or "Tunnel Three" before the kobold force returns, or the Allik tribe shows up
• Camp is set up within the entrance of the tunnel and the night goes by without event
• The party ventures into the tunnel network...
• Eventually, the part ends up in a shrine room dedicated to Moradin
• Khagmadog finds a large metal block placed on a pedestal in one of the backrooms of the shrine, it is decorated with silver and gold dragons and has a hole through the center.

Room's explore (in order)

• Stone gate
• Empty room with a draft
• Room that is covered floor to ceiling with masonry that depicts a great battle between dwarves and wyrms
• Collapsing room
• Stone platform device that moves when one of two levers is pulled
• Large eggs that have been crushed
• Hall with signage directing to 'Iron Pits' or 'Shrine'
• Empty store
• Room with two large grates on the ground that smells simultaneously sweet and rancid, signage directs to 'Commerce', 'Shrine', and 'Umberhulk Pits'
• A small room made of white marble, orchestral humming faintly heard from the 'west'
• A large room made of white marble with a fountain in the center. Clear water pours from a drain in the ceiling into the fountain. The water level of the fountain never seems to raise or lower. Slightly louder orchestral humming heard from the 'west'
• The party follows the humming through winding tunnels and caves, eventually heading up a ramp and finding themselves in a large temple room with a roughly 100' tall statue of Moradin. Humming intensifies...

Rewards Granted

• 5000 xp each (everyone leveled up)
• Unidentified oversized two-handed axe
• Girdle of Frost Giant Strength
• Bag of Holding
• Soul Lantern
• Unidentified weapon component