Session 60 - The Ruin of Runeforge

General Summary

Having driven the dragon Arkrhyst back inside Rimeskull, the Saviors of Sandpoint cautiously gave chase. They navigated through the cave system, expecting the wounded - yet still formidable - dragon around every bend. Mite discovered an invisible path leading down a chasm, and Quilith revealed an illusionary statue that was concealing the pathway. At the bottom of the chasm, the heroes made several discoveries. Seven pillars covered in Thassalonian runes circled an eighth, much larger pillar. Each of the seven pillars had a keyhole, and the runes described a particular school of magic that differed from pillar to pillar. The eighth pillar bore no runes, or a keyhole. This matched up with the note Echo had given them. This had to be the entrance to Runeforge. Several smaller tunnels branched off this cavern, but the real point of interest was the large pile of treasure heaped up on the far side. Quilith, Kumiko and Jayvielle inserted and turned keys, activating five of the seven pillars before joining Mite by the pile of loot. Kilgor remained at his post, standing guard and watching for movement from the tertiary caves while the others began taking inventory. Kumiko was sorting through a few items when a sending spell reached her. ""Kumiko, it's Dagourn. I hope you survived that multi-eyed bastard. I'm trapped on a boat filled with those smiling beasts. They won't let me escape." She announced that she'd received a message from Dagourn, and Quilith told her they could help him if he could wait until tomorrow. She replied, asking if he was alright and could survived until tomorrow. There was no reply. With the dragon's hoard divided up, the heroes activated the final two pillars. The central pillar began to glow, then swirl like a vertical vortex. The heroes could barely make out a long hallway at the center of the vortex. One by one, they stepped through the swirling portal. Once on the other side, the heroes noticed a glowing light at the end of the hallway. The domed chamber was huge. A large pool of bubbling prismatic liquid occupied the center of a raised dais in the middle of the chamber. The spiky flanges of the seven-pointed Sihedron were engraved into the marble floor. Each tip of the enormous rune pointed at a twenty-five-foot-tall statue facing the pool with its back approximately ten feet from a partially concealed arched opening in the wall directly behind it. Each statue depicted one of the Runelords in fine detail. There were also dead bodies. Many, many dead bodies. Some appeared torn apart and flung aside, while others looked cut down by precise blade work. And on the far side of the room, standing like a sentinel over the carnage, was Maximus Merilander himself. He regarded the heroes with a cold, calculating gaze. Then, without a word, stepped behind the statue of Karzoug and fled down the corridor behind the statue. Kumiko and Quilith quickly examined some of the corpses before joining the others in pursuit. The room opened into a vast expanse at the far end of the hallway. A pathway of woven gold, illuminated by enchanted gems and lined with golden statues, led to a small flight of stairs which led to a single-story building. Along the pathway were several large crimson smears staining the opulence. A pile of gold, jewels, and treasures lay on the stairs leading up to the building. On the roof of the building, a man clan in black stood with a golden scimitar in his hands. “It is good to meet you all finally,” Maximus Merilander said. “Our paths were destined to cross. Unfortunately, Master Karzoug has other plans for me now that you are here. However, transmutation magic can produce all manner of exciting results. Some turn stone into gold. Some turn flesh into diamonds. And some turn dragons into… something more.” The heroes heard a clicking noise inside their minds and, from around the side of the building, lumbered an abomination that could have once been a dragon. Now, it was something else. "Master Karzoug gave his apprentices a gift from Leng, and as you can see, they made great use of it."

Rewards Granted

Arkrhyst's hoard provided the following loot:

39,500 cp, 9,410 sp, 3,500 gp, and 250 pp
mixed with the coins are tapestries, small pieces of furniture made of precious wood, delicate pieces of jewelry and fine works of art, silverware and candelabras, six everburning torches, and several decorative boxes spilling pieces of jewelry worth an additional 16,000 gp in all.
a quiver of 14 masterwork arrows and two greater dragon-slaying arrows
a belt of giant strength +4
a teak box holding a felt cushion with six round depressions each containing a thunderstone
an ivory set of lesser bracers of archery
a +3 darkwood buckler carved with the symbol of Kyonin on its face
a chime of opening (5 charges)
a cloak of resistance +3
a flametongue longsword
a masterwork suit of full plate decorated with onyx ravens perched on the shoulders (each raven is worth 200 gp)
a suit of +3 half-plate with a wolf motif
6 vials of frozen holy water
a pearl of power (1st-level spell)
17 potions of cure light wounds, six potions of cure moderate wounds, three potions of cure serious wounds
2 potions of resist energy 20 (cold)
two Small +1 mithral shirts
a scroll of globe of invulnerability
a scroll of heal
a scroll of remove blindness/deafness
a wand of bear’s endurance (38 charges)
a wand of cure light wounds (46 charges)
a wand of magic missile (CL 5th, 8 charges)
a +1 adamantine warhammer.