Ghosts, Ghouls, & things that go bump in the night

Following the trap that the Cult of the Dragon set specifically for us I’ve spent some real time meditating on our position and role. Our little mismatched group has largely been running about, nearly non-stop, reacting to various events as they have unfolded. Some of those events have been of a purely personal nature, such as freeing Nuri’s grandparents and helping Rhumor clear the basement of the Tower of Luck. With the exception of some of the early excursions, we’ve largely done what was needed to stymy the Cult without any direct compensation from those who implored us to do so. In doing so, we have been so successful that we have drawn the attention of the top leaders of the Cult. It is high time we garner some sort of hazard pay for both the situations we are putting ourselves in by hunting dragons and wyrmspeakers and by making ourselves a targeted enemy of the Cult.
 
Fortunately, Nuri was able to represent this concern adeptly during the latest Council of Waterdeep meeting where we provided the update on the results of hunt for the Drakhorn and the slaying of the white dragon that had imprisoned the mage Maccath. The Council agreed to give us the title to a parcel of land and fortress that is near Waterdeep if we could make it safe after its 50 years of abandonment. They would also send workers out to repair any existing damage and make it ready for use while we investigated the attacks in the Misty Forest that rumored to have a green dragon with a rider – assumed to be a wyrmspeaker.
 
As a group we have all come to greatly appreciate the resourcefulness and professionalness of Gimlet, the gnomish concierge at Blackstar. We were able to convince him to come work with us once the new fortress, which we’ve decided to name Wyvern’s Watch, is ready for occupancy. Gimlet will manage the estate and take care of the day to day while we are away. For my part I am hoping to set up a workshop so I have a good space for crafting and brewing potions. Likely I will want to set some up some barracks as well so we have some solid protection while in our home as a precaution against the new target that we have painted on ourselves for the Cult. Eventually I would like to establish a greenhouse. While there are currently spaces for the wyverns to land, I may want to provide some actual stables at some point for them. We will have to see how the existing situation works.
 
When we arrived at the fortress it was in shambles. One section of wall was blown out, strangely enough this appeared to have happened from the inside. Forest overgrowth everywhere, and a disturbing silent pall was over the place. As we entered an otherworldly voice bade us to leave. Our careful investigation led us to a central keep inside the fortress and there we were assailed. Upon entering a horrific wail assaulted our ears and minds, and Virgil simply dropped dead on the spot. In addition to the banshee that had just felled our minotaur friend before the fight began, ghosts and other undead things appeared inside the keep. I immediately threw up a wall of fire to try and contain them. In order to prevent myself from being burned by the fire, I darted deeper inside the keep-face to face with the “Master” as he called himself. Strangely, I remember very little of this fight. I know I kept the undead Master busy for a while before his frustration drove him to escape me through the outer wall of the keep, I know we prevailed, and at some point Virgil was brought back into the fight. After killing the last of them we filled the strange hole in the ground that they had all come out of. That will likely be another problem for another day.
 
We returned to Waterdeep to inform the Lords of Waterdeep they could now send workers to the fortress to begin repairs. Leosin asked us to meet with him, and he introduced us to a friend of his by the name of Titus, who has some experience in the Misty Forest and offered to help us in our investigation. In short order we were off to the Misty Forest.
 
Upon arriving at an elven village in the forest that was the only town to survive an attack by the dragon, we began our investigation in earnest. The leader of the town was clearly hiding something. I tried to follow him one night as he left the village, but I lacked the skill our friend Rhumor has in staying hidden, and the wily elf spotted me after a bit. Meanwhile, back in the village, the rest of the group had managed to concoct a way to find out what was really going on. When the elven leader returned we confronted him and finally received the full tale. He’d made a bargain with the dragon and its rider to provide information on other village’s defenses. Despicable. He did provide us with some information that will hopefully lead to the dragon’s lair, and possibly the location of the wyrmspeaker.
 
As we were making our way toward what we hoped was the dragon’s home, we began to hear a woman’s voice crying out from deep inside what appeared to be the ruined remains of an ancient elven village. Virgil rushed in headlong only to get caught up in a huge spiderweb that covered the entire ground in front of us. Giant spiders began to pour out of trees and other hidey holes, ettercaps came rushing in, and then some truly hideous looking monstrosities I would later come to learn were ruin spiders appeared. The fight was harrowing. The ruin spiders were literally melting the armor right off of Virgil. I darted to and fro trying to get to the ruin spiders to aid him, but continually had giant spiders assailing me. Eventually we prevailed, with Virgil’s armor half gone, and most of us feeling quite tired. Titus turned out to be instrumental in breaking up the focus of the various foes as he moved about the field of battle with surprise ease and speed. He also has a most curious way of providing relief from injuries that looks as though it would be most painful, but Virgil swore it felt amazing. Perhaps it’s a quirk of being a minotaur. I am not certain I’d liked to be slapped about in hopes of feeling better.
 
I am wary of what we will find as we investigate deeper in the ruins, and how it came to be that a woman was alive and able to call out for help with so many vile creatures about. Time will tell….