Chapter 8 - The Ruins of Golgen
General Summary
The adventurers, knowing that the Bifrost cube was inside the fallen city, walked through the shallow and barren dwarf ruins until they came to the palace of Duran-Golgen. Once inside they talked to the astral projections of the old dwarves there, who warned them that going forth to take the Bifrost would lead to catastrophe. The adventurers listened, though Eogun began to examine the place, and found a rock trap in the main foyer guarding a treasury. He brute forced the trap and was attacked by two young Remorhaz, which he began to fight. Ardor's wild magic went off again, however, and this time it summoned a Unicorn, named Belaphron. Belaphron used calm emotions and caused the Remorhaz to scurry away. Eogun collected some treasure from the treasury room.
They then turned to a hallway, where they fought off more astral projections, which Ardor helpfully used a fireball to get rid of. With that fight finished, the adventurers looked around the room for more treasure, and found a story inscribed on the walls.
Nordlieften our hero, king of the Mountain.
After reading the story, the party entered the last room which had eight pillars with the inscription of magical symbols. The party grew cautious to approach, however, as they saw a large Remorhaz protecting it's two young. The Remorhaz used their abilities to tunnel in order to reach the party beyond the walls, injuring Ardor and knocking Eogun out cold. John used his clerical magic to distract the creatures, which slightly worked. What really helped was Caoimhe summoning two bears to take the brunt force of the creatures, and Uhtric making might smites against them with his longsword to vanquish them. The Remorhaz died, and the last one spit out a helmet from it's mouth: the helmet of Nordlieften himself, which Uhtric grabbed.
Boulder’s appointed, wearer of the Dragon Helm
Who slew the terrible Zokron, the two-headed dragon.
His riches flowed from Lisanricia to the coasts.
Appointed as High King of Lisanricia.
Honored was his name and his riches,
With Fate at his side. Long did they prosper.
The greatest of hammers and shields
Were forged during his reign.
Nordlieften, King of the kings
From the fields of Larian
The mountains of Icen
The deserts of Bolderun
And the coasts of Lisanricia
All bowed to his name,
The Great King of the Mountain.
Yet when Nordlieften passed
The party then proceeded to figure out a puzzle, placing different types of magic on the pillars (which all corresponded to the magic schools) and managed to brighten them up. This activated a platform underneath them, which lifted them up to a second floor. Up they went, going into darkness and preparing spells for whatever was to come. But the room they entered was empty at first, though they saw the movement of some strange dragon creatures in the distance. Abishais is what they were.
They heard the voice of John, though not the one they knew, telling his "angels" (the abishais) to attack the party, along with a half-dragon leading them. The party tried to approach the doorway, but a shock trap hit Eogun and Uhtric when approaching. The Half-Dragon used his fire breath to wound the adventurers, but Uhtric, activating his aasimar abilities, flew over the trap and began to solo the abishais and half dragons, while Ardor shot spells like magic missle (with a surge turning him 10 years older, advancing him finally into adulthood, which he remarked was a new effect to him), and Caoimhe used a Moon Beam to injure the abishais and force them away from her allies. Their ally, Monroe, took out his swords to start fighting the abishais too. The Half-Dragon critically wounded Uhtric in the fight, however, and one abishai stabbed him while he was unconscious. The party got on their feat and slew the remaining abishais and half-dragon, and managed to heal Uhtric before his life could slip away.
Before them was a magically locked door, and a passage way besides it that looked to be dug up by large claws. Ardor figured exactly who it was: Gromherjek had to be there. He used his familiar, Ash, to flutter down the dug-up hallway and see what was going on. Ash saw Gromherjek, Morgainne the Fey, and the Second John looking over one of the Bifrost cubes. Gromherjek listened to the quietness on the other side of the door, and alerted Morgainne and Second John that the enemy was there. Gromherjek instructed Second John to take the abishais and leave none of them alive. Then, Morgainne and Gromherjek used the Bifrost to teleport out of there.
The party opted to make a distraction: Caoimhe would summon some bears to slam on the doors and Ardor would cast Knock on them, to distract the Abishais, while they would sneak around and use the tunnel Gromherjek made. The party enacted that plan, successfully fooling the Abishais into thinking they'd approach through the doors, but Second John suspected something awry. He cast Mirror Image upon himself. With the abishais distracted, the party got the drop on the enemies, with Ardor blasting magic missiles at Second John, wounding him with another round after a wild magic surge. This hurt their ally John as well, as the two had shared a soul.
Curiously, Monroe opted to go another way around, teleporting past the doors to take on the abishais himself. Eogun charged in, but Second John banished him to a pocket dimension. Ardor got swarmed by some abishais, as did Uhtric, and the adventurers began to fight them off. They would have slain the enemies quickly, if they did not notice Monroe taking the second Bifrost cube for himself. Ardor grew suspicious, and cast a mage hand to take the cube from Monroe's hands. Monroe showed his true nature here, lashing out at the party by casting Mass Polymorph, turning Ardor, Uhtric, and Caoimhe's bears into mice in order to take his cube back.
His sons grew greedy
From the riches they had inherited.
The spirit of a dragon indwelled
Into their lustful hearts.
They abused the Bifrost,
The great gift of the Lady Fate
To ascend to the throne of the gods.
When they had unlocked it’s secrets
Their souls were taken
And the sons of Nordlieften were no more.
The Kings of the Mountain were finished
And the Dwarves scattered
Their great golden age and days of grandeur
Destroyed by the faithless greed of their kings.
May it be one day that a king rules over Lisanricia
Faithful and true to the will of Fate
The Navi will proclaim him King of Lisanricia
King over Kings, a child of the Lady.
And to slay the spirit of greed
The fateful dragon who had destroyed them.
"If you know what is best for you, boy, you will give me back that cube."
Monroe then morphed into Bghonah, the King of the Unseelie, and warned the adventurers that slighting him would be a big mistake. John grabbed the cube in the struggle, and cast Blink on himself in order to shift away from Bghonah's grasp. Second John then turned on Bghonah, feeling the same rage as the first John toward Bghonah, and shot a guiding bolt at the fey lord. Ardor turned back to his normal self by purposefully getting hit by the abishais, as well as Uhtric. Uhtric used his Channel Divinity to turn the abishais away, who all cowered away at his holy symbol.
With the abishais gone, the adventurers lifted their blades toward Bghonah. Bghonah teleported around the room with the bifrost, while the adventurers tossed the cube to each other, finding ways to keep the powerful object out of the hands of the archfey. Bghonah used his magic to try and wound the party with words and then grabbing the cube. Second John dropped his concentration on Banishment to let Eogun return, and the two Johns fought the archfey, their previous master, together in order to vanquish them.
Bghonah mocked them. "You do not expect to defeat me with your mere cantrips? I am the one who gave you those powers! I can take them away!" Ardor sent his familiar Ash to grab the cube, but Bghonah wounded the familiar, and tried to grab the cube. Just then, the enlarged Eogun grabbed it before the archfey could, and the two struggled for it. Uhtric attacked Bghonah from the back, and Bghonah tried to wack him with his crook. But Uhtric caught his hand, and then plunged his sword with a critical smite into the stomach of Bghonah, wounding Bghonah mortally. Bghonah could have escaped, but in his anger and hubris, he tried to one final grab for the cube against Eogun's grasp. He failed miserably. As Bghonah was weak and bleeding, Ardor made a final attack against the feylord, utilized his Circlet of Blasting and throwing a scorching ray at him. Bghonah fell to the ground, dead.
The party saw in an instant the second John disappear, dropping his Dagger of Venom, and fusing back to John as they knew him. The rest of the party took a breather, but John overlooked the body of Bghonah. He heard a whisper: that there had to be a King of the Unseelie. Thus, John took the staff of Bghonah, taking his place. He also became filled with memories from his duplicate, learning that Morgainne and Gromherjek were planning on invading Feller's Rock once again, teleporting the Danen army with them. They lacked teleportation magic, but knew they would need to arrive there soon..."I'm a man now, and no, I don't think I will!"
-Bghonah and Ardor
Date (in world)
Midwinten 7th-8th, 4351
Report Date
25 Jan 2022
Player Characters
Uhtric Godwinson, human Paladin of the Crown and the Earl of Beton. Once he was scarred by the Danen for defending his hometown, and has sworn to protect Albion with his life.
Ardor Pelota, dark elf Wild Mage and Wizard. He is a prolific student of evocation magic (especially fire) and a bit of a prodigy. He is joined by his familiar Ash, who has a bad attitude.
John Harvard-Hemming, half-elf Trickery Cleric. A very logical man, John has been seen as a nihilist, having little moral sense yet devoted to his mysterious god.
Caoimhe Kirkpatrick, human Shepherd Druid. Caoimhe is fanatical about myths and legend, but has been sent on a quest by the Ents of Kirk to stop a legend from being created. She is joined by her wolf ally, Fenrir.
Eogun MacOncett, human Rune Knight. Eogun comes from a clan with no claim to fame in the lands of Keller. Armed with Giant runic magic, Eogun seeks to make a name for his family within the lands of Albion.
The arch-fey Bghonah, king of the unseelie, was in the disguise of Monroe the ranger on their journey. He had hoped to grab the Bi-Frost cube for himself.
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