The Sunless Citadel Report
General Summary
You have decided to make your fortunes by exploring this great and dangerous continent known as Oerik. A week ago you found your first real lead in the town Thornward that folks in Oakhurst were having strange happenings with livestock disappearing and trees that move in the night. There's word around town that they sent a few hometown heroes to investigate, but they haven't been heard from since. You decided that this could be be interesting so you journeyed west to the foothills of the Baklunish mountains. You spent a day exploring Oakhurst trying to gather any fresh information. You learn that two of the adventuring party were part of the Hercule family and they offer a reward for bringing home this brother and sister duo. You also learn that twice a year goblins trade an unique apple to this village. In the summer when it's ruby-red, it grants vigor, health, and life, while the albino winter fruit steals them away. Fenveyd also learns that the old road skirts through a the Ashen Plain, a lifeless area that is attributed to the long-ago rampage of a dragon named Ashardalon.
The next morning your party sets out on the old road and around mid-morning you discover a ravine with two pillars at the entrance. One of them has a rope leading down below that looks somewhat new. Lowering yourselves down, you find yourself on a large sandy ledge with a fire-pit near some stone steps that lead further down into the depths. As you explore this area, three giant rats scurry out from under rocks and you commence into battle. The rats are wily, but no match for your party and you quickly quell the threat. Morgana shares her darkvision letting Johnny "Sticky Fingers" see in the deepening gloom and y'all start down the steps. They switch back and forth as you progress and as you reach the third landing you can see the dim features of citadel below. From the signs of destruction on the walls, you can tell that this fortress used to be at ground level, but somewhere in it's ancient past, the crust collapsed and the whole structure sank deep within the earth. Reaching the bottom of the stairs places you at the top of the fortress. What was once towers and crenelated stonework is now rocky hazards at your feet. Nazgog takes the lead and starts marching toward a door across the courtyard with Morgana tailing behind her. Ten feet into the courtyard Morgana feels the stone she's on give way and she falls into a pit with minor cuts and scrapes. Nazgog helps her out while Sticky Fingers deftly crosses the grounds. He quickly studies the remaining ten feet and declares it safe to traverse. He then boldly steps forward and falls as a trap door opens beneath him. He falls into a pit with two recently dead goblins along with a giant rat that was dining on one of them. Nazgog declares, "Rat go squish!" and jumps from the ledge onto the giant rat flattening it like a pancake. Sticky jerks backward by the sudden appearance of Nazgog and while wiping guts and blood from his face he spots a causeway across the pit. He and Nazgog climb out the far side and direct the others to the causeway to successfully navigate over the pit.
The door leads into a circular area about forty feet in diameter. The floor is cobbled with cracked granite upon which sprawl four bodies of Goblins apparently slain in combat. Once corpse stands with its back against the western wall held up by a spear driven through it. Your party chooses the southwestern door that leads into a twenty foot wide hallway whose far end has collapsed. Near that far end there is a stone door with a rearing dragon carved in relief on it. Approaching the door, a giant rat attacks from out of the rubble-strewn end, but your party makes quick work of it. Sticky attempts to pick the lock found in the door, but doesn't quite understand the mechanisms involved. He stands up stating "clearly there is a magical enchantment upon this door so it is beyond just physical means of picking".
Having reached this apparent dead-end, your party backtracks to the northwestern door and enter into a ten foot wide hallway that has three more doors at the far end. Approaching the southern door, you find that it also has a stone relief carving on it. This one depicts a dragon-like fish swimming. Sticky examines the door and then quickly picks the lock. Opening the door, you step into a ten foot square chamber that contains an upright keg fashioned out of rusted iron with equally rusted pipes running into it from the ground. You shake the keg and hear liquid sloshing and then try to remove the bung in the top only for it to be sealed too tightly. Nazgog grumbles, "Let lady do it, Sticky too scrawny." She then grabs the bung and pulls it forth with a loud pop. As she does, two small creatures fly forth and the first exhales an icy breath that damages all of you. Nazgog retaliates with her great axe and cleaves into the mephit, but the ice-mephit still looked fairly healthy. The other demonish looking creature rakes it's claws across Earendil but does little damage. Then you hear the sonorous sounds of arcane magic from Fenveyd as she casts a sleeping spell upon the mephits. Looking around the party decides to escape instead of risking that the demon-like creatures wake. Quickly your party starts to retreat from these unknown creatures except Nazgog who takes a moment to smash the keg and then pick up three small sapphires. Slamming the door as she exits, Sticky quickly picks the lock to the closed position.
Now that those creatures are secured behind a locked door, you move across the hall opening that door unto a ruined chamber that stands empty of all but litter and rocky debris. You move to the final door at the end of the hall and upon opening it you see crudely executed symbols and glyphs inscribed in bright green dye that decorate this large irregularly shaped crumbling chamber. In the center, a large pit shows evidence of a fire. Along the southern wall there's a large metallic cage with a gaping hole in it. Near the cage, there's a small bedroll and the sounds of whimpering emanate forth. Fenveyd approaches the bedroll and speaking draconic finds out that this kobold's named Meepo and that their dragon, Calcryx, was stolen by Goblins. She tries to find out more information, but every question she asks is merely met with the reply that "Meepo doesn't know, but Yusdrayl does. Meep will take you to Yusdrayl, our leader, if you make nice. Maybe if you rescue Calcryx, Yusdrayl make nice to you, answer questions." After conferring with the rest of you, Fenveyd tells Meepo that they will make nice and will try to rescue Calcryx. Meepo brightens up and proudly leads you to the west into a large hallway and periodically shouts in Draconic "Ticklecorn" which explains is the password meaning friendly. From this first hallway you take the first right that a short distance later opens up into a grand hall that has a double row of marble columns whose relief-carvings depict entwining dragons. As you move westward through the hall, an elite squad of kobolds pass you on their patrol. Upon reaching the end of the hallway, you see a short through standing against the western wall constructed on an old altar. Also on the altar sit a variety of small items. The back of the throne made from a portion of the altar features a carving of a rearing dragon whose open jaws firmly hold a metallic key. Sitting on the throne is the kobold's leader, Yusdrayl, and two elite guards. Approaching her, you ask about why the kobolds are here.
She responds, "Kobolds are heir to dragons. As the mightiest of my people, I have led a brave few to this ancient holy site that celebrates Ashardalon."
Fenveyd then asks about the goblins with Yusdrayl responding, "The Outcast, he lives below. He grows the fruit, which he gives to the goblins. The dragon-thieving goblins are his servants!!".
Next Fenveyd asks about the previous humans and Yusdrayl responds that they went to fight the goblins and never returned. Finally, Fenveyd asks about the dragon to which Yusdrayl replies, "The goblins stole our dragon! If you return Calcryx to us, I shall grant you a reward. Meepo can accompany you, if you like."
Quickly you discuss amongst your group and decide that Meepo would be more of a hindrance than anything else and you feel like you might be able to receive the key as a reward. Although Johnny Sticky Fingers really feels like he could grab it with just a very minor diversion. You thank Yusdrayl and state that you will go forth alone. She states that Meepo will guide you back to the dragon room and then point you onward.
Upon reaching the room where the dragon had been held, you ask Meepo about the other rooms. He indicates that one room is for the guards, the other room is empty, and the last room holds the food for the dragon. Thinking that having scraps of food for the dragon might help keep it calm, Nazgog opens the door and you can see a small half-barrier traps swarms of rats behind it. As you discuss what to do, the rats knock the partition down and look to swarm into the dragon room. Fortunately, Earendil just slams the door trapping them.
With that disaster averted, you head to the northeast door and open it to a ten foot hallway that appears to dead-end thirty feet away. Cautiously, you start moving forward and then you see that another five foot hallway cuts to the right at the far end. That passage opens to the left after ten feet for another hallway that extend forty feet with a door on it's left. Opening the door, you look upon an empty chamber that is home to rat droppings, crumbling flagstones, and stains. Morgana investigates the room and notices a trail of boot-prints that head north across the room under the next door. As you progress forward, you open onto another room that has dust and odd bits of stony debris and rubble scattered across the room. An ornate stone fountain is built into the eastern wall. Though cracked and stained, the fountain's overarching carving of a diving dragon retains it's beauty. You also notice a relief-carved stone door on the opposite wall. Morgana and Sticky inspect the fountain and notice a worn-away inscription in a foreign language. They call Nazgog over who reads the draconic inscription aloud of "let there be fire" and the fountain gurgles and groans as a reddish liquid wells from the diving dragon's mouth and spills to the basin below. Morgana tastes it and recognizes it's fire breath elixir. Nazgog repeats the inscription, but the fountain merely wheezes and groans without any new liquid flowing. It's magic appears to be spent. Moving across the room, Nazgog feels that the air is cooler at the door and reads aloud it's inscription of "Rebuke the dead, open the way", but nothing occurs. She then pulls on the handle and scythe blade swings from the ceiling above slicing her arms as she spins clear. Sticky Fingers examines the ceiling and then wedges a piton into the trap effectively disabling it. Your group then tries condemning the dead, saying rebuke in different languages, before giving up and moving through the opening in the north. As you step through a different hall cuts left to right with a door on the left. Passing through the western door, you see another empty chamber with only rat droppings, crumbling flagstone, and stains. You also pick up a trail of footprints that head north.
Opening this new northern door, you can see a ten foot wide corridor that has hundreds of caltrops strewn across it. Twenty feet away is a roughly mortared three foot high wall that has crenelations. Your party starts discussing how to move across the room when two goblins popup from behind the crenelated wall and attack. Responding quickly, Earendil takes cover to the side of the doorway and then takes one out with a deadly arrow. The remaining goblin fires back and then hides behind the wall while the arrow goes awry. Sticky takes cover on the opposite side and misses. Fenveyd chants the arcane sounds and a splash of acid falls behind the wall accompanied by a yelp of pain. Nazgog yells out in goblin, "Surrender little one or you will face certain death!"
A bow flies over the wall as a goblin head peeks above it and says, "You no hurt Gurg. Gurg will help if you promise no hurt tribe."
"We want to talk to your leader about the Kobold's dragon. Can you take us to your leader?" Nazgog replies in goblin.
"Durnn not nice. I take you to him, but I not stay. Durnn no like to be disturbed," answers Gurg. He then leads you through a door behind the wall and around into another hallway with humanoid target dummies on the south wall, two doors to the west, and another crenelated wall to the north. Three goblins are shooting arrows at the dummies as target practice. Gurg greets them and says that he is bringing these people to Durnn. As Gurg takes you over the wall and out through the north-western door that leads into a ten foot wide hallway whose northern and southern walls are stacked with ill-made barrels, boxes, and crates. He proceeds across and goes through another door on the western wall into a large hallway with a double row of marble columns carved with entwining dragons. He points to a door to the north and says, "Wyrmling reside there. We no go in there anymore." He then leads you a bit further west and then through a door to the north. This opens into a five foot wide hallway and then opens up to ten feet as it corners to the west. He leads you down this hall and stops at a door in a curved wall. "Durnn in there. He no like to be disturbed, but you ask so I take."
You take a moment to gather your thoughts and then Nazgog knocks on the door, loudly but politely.
A voice behind the door booms out, "Who disturbs Durnn!"
Nazgog responds, "We seek information. May we enter and present tribute to the great and mighty Durnn?"
"You may enter to present your gifts to Durnn", he bellows with pride.
Opening the door, you walk into a forty-foot diameter chamber that likely was a tower in ages past. A circular shaft pierces the center with dim violet light shining out of it. In addition, four lit wall torches are set equidistant around the chamber. Against the northwestern wall sits a crudely fashioned stone throne with a hobgoblin sitting on it and his legs propped up on a large iron chest. There are three other hobgoblins that are equally spaced in the room and a goblin standing near the throne. The sitting hobgoblin magnanimously states, "What tribute do you have for Durnn?"
"We come with four precious sapphires for you and questions about four humans that likely passed by a month ago", Nazgog inquires.
"Only four small stones? You are well equipped, perhaps you have more tribute for me? Perhaps instead we capture you, send you to Belak, and keep all your things as tribute?" queries Durnn. While Durnn talks the other hobgoblins move around the party and slam the door shut as battle begins. With the reflexes of an elf, Earendil engages with the closest hobgoblin, a flurry of sword strikes occur leaving both combatants seeking a weakness in defenses. Sticky takes advantage of the distraction to sneak around that hobgoblin, but fails to penetrate his armor. Grenl, the shaman goblin, stretches her hand toward Earendil and invokes the arcane powers causing a puff of gas around him. However, he side-steps the gas as the hobgoblin trades additional sword strikes with him. Another hobgoblin strikes at Morgana who feels the bite of his sword but remains sound. And on the eastern side of the hole the third hobgoblin steps up to challenge Nazgog, but fails to hit her. Nazgog retaliates by grabbing the hobgoblin, lifting him, then walks to the circle hole and drops the hobgoblin into it. He reaches out to grab one of the vines, but can't maintain his hold and he disappears from sight. Morgana retaliates against the hobgoblin near her and Fenveyd invokes the arcane energies that causes Grenl and the remaining hobgoblins to fall asleep. Durnn seeing his forces fall to the wayside marches toward Nazgog swinging his longsword wildly at her. On the other side of the room, Earendil grabs his hobgoblin and tosses him over the short wall into the hole while Sticky moves over to the final hobgoblin and maneuvers him into the hole as well. Morgana and Fenveyd move over and tie up Grenl as Nazgog lifts her great axe and severs the head of Durnn. Searching Durnn's body you find a potion of healing, two elixirs of antitoxin, splint armor, longsword, a gold signet ring with the crest of Hucrele, and a key. Sticky takes the ring and unlocks the stone chest revealing two onyx gems and 231gp.
Slowly you hear moaning from Grenl as she wakens. Fenveyd asks if she will cooperate. Grenl readily agrees stating that Durnn just took over her tribe and abused them. Ask you question her, you find out that only three humans came this way and that one of them died when Durnn went into a rage and kept the deceased's ring as a prize. He then sent the other two onward. Upon asking about Calcryx, she reveals that it was also Durnn's idea to capture the Kobold's dragon, but once it got here it broke free of it's chain and they now avoid it waiting for Balsag to return and corral it. Furthermore, Grendl wants the Kobolds gone, because this was the Durbuluk's lair first. When you ask if you can get a guide for down below, she responds that she's not willing to risk losing more tribe and that they are all needed here for the fight against the Kobolds... now if you drove out the Kobolds, then maybe she could do something. Recognizing that her thoughts are for her tribe, you untie her. As you finish searching the room you see one of the twisted twigs planted in a pot. As you inspect it, it attacks you, but you quickly destroy it.
Opening the northern door just this side of the goblin's pantry, you see mounted and stuffed animal heads adorning the walls. The mounting job is sloppy and the assortment of heads include cattle, rats, and other unimpressive specimen. In addition, there are a few grisly trophies with the animals that include a few kobold heads. Smashed and broken cabinets and tables litter the periphery of the room. A rusted iron spike stands in the center of the room trailing a broken chain with thin patches of frost coating sections of the walls, floor, and debris. Sticky sneaks into the room but doesn't see the dragon, then a white paw arises from behind a cabinet and Calcyrx the mighty climbs on top of it. As planned, Fenveyd chants the arcane formula for sleep upon the dragon. However, she yawns in boredom stating, "Had a nap. Don't need another. Why don't you come closer?" You parlay with Calcryx, but can see she's toying with you like a cat and a mouse. Finally, Sticky moves out of the room, slams the door behind him, then feels a loud thump as Calcryx slams against it. Nazgog dryly states, "Perhaps she needs a bit more beauty rest."
Your party moves back to the throne room to rest a bit and prepare to go down below. After an hour or so, Fenveyd and Earendil tie ropes around themselves and then begin climbing downward. The descend about forty feet when Fenveyd's hand slip off the vine. For just a moment she's falling, before being supported by her rope that the rest of you hold. Regaining control, her and Earendil can see two robed figures below along with two more of those creepy creeping twig blights occupied in what seems to be gardening. They signal to be raised and relay that there are four entities below. Slowly your group climbs to the lower level with Nazgog and Sticky acting as anchors above until they take to the vines to join their companions about ten feet above the floor. Luminescent fungus, shedding violet light, cling to the walls and ceiling of this wide cavern. The air is damp and chilly with odors of loam and decay. As you watch, the saplings tend to the garden using shovels and a rusty wheel barrow. The scrawny twigs blights advance toward where you're hanging from a vine as they try to attack you. Nazgog then climbs to the ground attacking the nearest twig blight which knocks several branches from it's mass. One robed figure advances on Nazgog and attacks her with it's longsword revealing the skeletal bony hand holding it. The other skeleton pierces Morgana's armor staying beyond melee range. Sticky gets to the ground and flanks the first Skeleton then stabbing it with both of his daggers so hard that it's bones rattle. Earendil slides down and moves to the other twig blight brandishing his rapier that slices off a branch. Fenveyd still holding onto her vine summons the arcane and a splash of acid hurts the twig blight near her. Then Morgana gets to the ground and invokes the blessings of Celestian causing flames to shoot forth igniting the nearby twig. The battle continues as each group flanks and attacks exposed fronts, but quickly your party becomes victorious. However, almost as soon as the final skeleton's bones finish falling to the ground in stalks this large hair goblinoid and screams "haakhagaan duun ghaar daan shuuluur" which means "Prepare to meet the cook-pot!" He then strides up to Nazgog striking her with his morningstar. Two giant rats follow him into the room as you engage to meet these new enemies. Nazgog stands her ground against Balsog while Fenveyd summons acid on the rats. Earendil artfully dispatches the other rat. Once Balsog lies dead upon the floor, you move through the crumbled wall into a cavern from whence they entered.
The rough floor of this cavern is stained and reeks of blood and animal musk. Light from glowing fungus reveals an eastern niche that contains a pallet of matted furs and two large nests made of hair, dried fungus, and refuse. Searching the nests doesn't reveal anything. Approaching the pallet of furs, you see a wide wooden board with a variety of weapons attached to it. You then search the pallet and it's empty as well. Exploring further into the cavern, you find a narrow passage that leads to the underdark. Recognizing that this takes you away from the Belak and the mysterious fruit, you head back to the first room and cautiously open the eastern door. Sticky Fingers quietly steps into the room and sees another hallway with two rows of dragon-carved marble columns that are mostly covered in the luminescent fungus. The cobbled floor is cracked and stained and there are a smattering of work tables throughout the hallway. The tables have a variety of laboratory equipment like mortars, small tools, bowls, and beakers. He also sees six partially open doors. Returning to the group, you decide to first check out the southern door and walking through it leads you forty feet down a ten foot hallway to a rift. As you reach the rift, you can see that the floor drops two feet below the corridor. No phosphorescent fungus grows within the rift that spans from southwest to northeast. The corridor continues south past the rift, but the rift has shifted it some ten feet to the west. A number of two-foot diameter holes riddle the floor of the rift and the air smells of burnt earth.
Moving southwest, the rift begins to widen into a cavern-like chamber with additional two-foot diameter holes riddling it. A dim fiery glow emanates from one such hole in the south. Sticky Fingers tries to sneak up to the hole, the air starts getting rather hot. Backing away, a snake with a body of fire rears out of the hole. Fenveyd immediately reacts and chants an ancient verse causing a splash of acid hitting the snake. Nazgog then uses her oversize axe to cleave at the snake receiving several burns due to proximity with the snake's fire. Morgana fires her crossbow sending a bolt into the snake and then the fire snake strikes forth bites Morgana leaving a burn mark along her defensive arm. Sticky uses his short bow slowly wearing down the beast and then Earendil finishes it off with his crossbow. Searching within the hole, you find two small sapphires.
After leaving the cavern, you come back to the southern side of the corridor and follow it's twists and turns until reaching a door. Stick inspects and finds it neither trapped nor locked, but even when heaving he's unable to pull it wide. Nazgog smirks while stating, "Sticky too nimble. Not bulky enough. Let me." And she heaves on the door until finally it pops free of the framing. Looking into the room, you see faded mosaic tiles still decorate parts of the wall, but many or rather most have fallen to the dust-covered floor and shattered. Situated at the center of the chamber stands a slim pedestal of rusted iron shaped like an upright dragon. In the dragon's mouth rests an empty wooden tray. You remove the tray from the dragon statue's mouth without issue and you thoroughly inspect both. It seems to be just an idol of a dragon and a wooden tray. Placing the tray back into it's mouth, you lay some silver pieces in the tray. The silver pieces look like silver pieces lying in a wooden tray, but nothing more. Taking the silver pieces back, you place one of the jade dragon figurines into the tray. Looking at it, you admit that elevating it like this really presents the figurine nicely, but nothing else occurs. After reclaiming the figurine, you decide that this room seems rather secure and pull the door closed so that everyone can eat, rest, and contemplate the iron statue.
After recuperating for an hour, your party backtracks to the rift. With Johnny Sticky Fingers in the lead, you move northwest through the rift that slowly narrows until you come to a crumbled wall. This leads into an empty twenty foot square room with a door on the north side partially open. Sticky quickly crosses the room and peeks out into the laboratory that has two rows of entwined dragon columns. He then sneaks across the hall into another twenty foot square room that has a door to the east. He signals for you to quietly cross and to follow. He then opens the eastern door into a ten foot square room that has doors on opposite walls. Continuing east, he quietly opens the door into a large hallway that has a door to the north, a crossing hall, and a door some seventy feet to the south. Sticky next moves up to the door in the north, slowly and quietly peeks through to see another sixty foot hallway with a opening roughly twenty feet north on the eastern side. Closing the door, he leads the adventurers south and then east to a door in the cross hall. Hearing no sounds, he cracks the door to look upon an octagonal room with luminescent mists blurring the edges. Glowing fungus dot the stone walls of the ceiling in this room that smells of rot. Near the back of the room, there are two foot diameter holes and out of one of those a orangish light glows. Closing the door, Sticky whispers that there's another fire snake in there and proceeds to the door at the southern end of the hallway. Listening at this door, he can hear the sounds of movement and muffled idle chatter. "Something's in there," he whispers before shrugging and leading the group back to the laboratory hall. Returning to the hallway, he sneaks across the hall to listen at the northwestern door and hears the sound of snoring from multiple sources. He then quietly crosses the hallway and hears squishing sounds and idle chatter from the southwestern door. Moving eastward he listens at the middle door and hears horrible squeaks of pain. Rejoining the group, you quietly discuss the situation. You want to help whatever is being injured in the south central chamber, but you're worried about other room occupants joining into the fray. Sticky suddenly lights up and whispers, "I've got this! Just watch and I'll handle it." He then crosses back over to the western end of the lab and very gently and quietly closes the northwestern door, ties a rope around it's handle and quickly and quietly crosses to the southeastern door. Your party moves closer to watch as Sticky gently closes the door with a distinct click. Everyone pauses hoping nothing was noticed, then the door gently opens back up and a goblin head peeks out of it. Recognizing intruders, he pulls a short sword swiping at Sticky. Nazgog tries to convince the goblins that Grenl sent them, but it fails to be heard. The battle is short-lived as there were only three goblins and as it ends as quickly as it started, the occupants of the south central chamber stream out of their room providing three more goblin attackers. However, this time they believe Nazgog that Grenl would send them as tributes to Belak, particularly since Belak wants more supplicants.
One of the goblins agrees to escort you directly to Belak. He leads you first to the northeastern room, through it's adjoining chamber and then into the large hallway. He quickly opens the northern door and continues northward to the far door. Opening this door, you find yourself in an octagonal room with luminescent fungus dotting the walls and ceilings. In addition, there are caps of toadstools and mushrooms, small polyps, puffballs, and lichen along the walls and all of it smells like rot. The goblin without pause heads toward a door in the southwestern edge of the room and crosses into hallway that opens up into a thirty by forty foot room that has a semi-circle western side. In this room dragon-carved granite blocks line the chamber walls and ceiling. And even though many are crumbled and broken, you can see the grandeur that this room once had. Standing in the curve is a huge marble statue of a rearing red dragon. The eye sockets are empty, but a red glow lingers there tinting this room with a reddish glow. Behind the dragon is deepening shadow. A five-foot diameter, circular tile of dark stone is set in the floor in front of the dragon. Runes are carved around this circular tile's inner edge. The goblin continues confidently straight to a door in the northern wall. And you are now in a twenty square foot room filled with leaning and fallen stone bookshelves. A clear path connects wooden doors on opposite sides. Passing through the northern door, you enter into a stairwell that leads down and east. This ten foot wide hallway spans about forty feet and then goes up another set of stairs. Moving steadily forward, the goblin follows the hallway as it turns right and continues for more than an hundred feet before passing one door where he states, "That's Belak's study. We don't go in there." After another twenty feet he enters a door on the eastern side. Walking into this latest room, twigs and roots are piled on the floor of this sagging chamber. The collapsed southern wall opens into a vast cavern. The ever present luminescent fungus on the rough walls and the high roof loom over a twilight grove of sickly briar, bushes, saplings, and other woody plants. Ruined walls and hollow towers protrude from the briars. The goblin heads directly through the collapsed wall which opens into a vast cavern where pale spindly briars press close, casting twisted shadows on the earth floor in the violet light. As you move southward through this cavern, you can sense more than see or hear several of the twig-blights within the shadows. Finally, you pass beyond some crumbling walls into a walled clearing. The walls are twenty feet high which is less than half the height of the cavern's ceiling. Several varieties of plants grow around the perimeter, including a few suspicious looking saplings, but their importance pales before that which stands at the courtyard's center. Beneath the fungal light grows an evil tree. It's blackened, twisted limbs reach upward, like a skeletal hand clawing its way out of the earth. Before it stand a few twig blights; a heavily armored, young human male with a shield and an impressive sword; a blonde, young woman in a robe fit for a noble; and a middle-aged, bearded human male wearing a hooded brown robe and armed with a staff and sickly. The younger humans have deep black eyes and gray skin with the texture of bark.
Belak greets you "Welcome! I am Belak the Outcast. Before you stands the Gulthias tree. It's beautiful, is it not?" Morgana speaks first asking what happened to the first group from the village and he replies, "They are the first supplicants. The Gulthias tree has accepted them, and now, now they are mine to control, just like the twig blights. You can't save them." Johnny Sticker Fingers inquires about the fruit and Belak responds, "I give fruit to the goblins with orders to disperse their seeds on the surface. Deceitful beings that they are, the goblins barter the fruit, but the fruit gets used and the seeds get distributed all the same. My plan for colonizing the surface with the children of Gulthias continues." Nazgog then asks about his ultimate goal and how did the Gulthias tree come about. Belak smiles darkly then confides, "I am Belak, called the Outcase, because my circled expelled me, the fools. Why? Because I dared to expand nature's reach in ways they couldn't grasp. I have found what I sought in the Gulthias tree. The Gulthias tree is very much alive even though it looks dead. In an age long past, someone staked a vampire on this very spot. The stake took root. And so grew the Gulthias tree, reverberating with primal power for those who can tap it. I have tapped it's energies and am always developing even more ways so that the surface world will be returned to nature, violently as it deserves. And though your remains would enrich the compost, you'll serve my needs better as supplicants. You shall retain your lives, after a fashion. Come surrender and submit peacefully, or perish!" On that command three twig blights move into the perimeter of the courtyard trapping you. Johnny 'Sticky Fingers' Millson reacts quickly, firing his bow, wounding Belak. Almost as quickly Nazgog, closes on Belak uses her great axe to slash across the front of Belak. With blood seeping from his clothes, he collapses with arcane words fading from his lips. The twig-blights move closer with one attacking Morgana, another engages Earendil, and the last swipes at Fenveyd. Additional twig-blights are seen entering the courtyard while Earendil retaliates with his rapier knocking the sapling to tinder. Then Fenveyd recites her arcane formula directing acid to splash on her sapling. Morgana wields her mace and joins Fenveyd against a sapling knocking the life from it. Sir Bradford squaring up with Nazgog draws forth his mighty longsword, Shatterspike, without emotion he critically strikes her. Suddenly a giant frog leaps down from the heights of the Gulthias tree attacking Sticky. Then his Sharwyn invokes arcane energies targeting Fenveyd and Earendil with sleepiness, Fenveyd succumbs, but Earendil's heritage protects the spell from affecting him. Sticky uses his daggers to wound the frog and Nazgog strikes at Sir Bradford. The blights on the perimeter move into melee flanking Morgana. Another blight shambles toward Sticky and the frog. Meanwhile, Earendil hurries to Fenveyd side and shakes her back awake. As Fenveyd arises, she summons the eldritch powers within her and recites her formula casting sleep in the middle of the battle. As she does, Sir Bradford, the Giant Frog, and a sapling slump quietly to the ground. Morgana, bloodied but feeling strong, smashes her mace into a blight reducing it to bits of branch and root. Sharwyn then invokes the elements with a ray of frost that Nazgog sidesteps and then steps forward and cleaves into Sharwyn. While that's occurring Sticky drops another sapling with his daggers and flanks Sharwyn. The blights continue their march with more appearing on the edge, but Earendil ripostes with the blights and holds them at bay. Fenveyd feeling embolden with her arcane powers steps toward the Gulthias tree, reciting an ancient formula that causes a thin sheet of flame to spread outward engulfing the giant frog, a sapling, and strikes the Gulthias tree itself. Morgana joins by invoking her patron and sending flames shooting downward onto it. Sticky backstabs Sharwyn dropping her lifeless body to the ground. Nazgog determinedly stalks to the Gulthias tree swinging her great axe chops the tree in two. All of the blights begin to converge on Nazgog, but all come to violent ends. As you look around at the devastation, you see that Sir Bradford no longer has gray skin and starts to wake and you quickly bind him. Then search the other bodies finding potions, two antitoxins, a wand, Sharwyn Hucrele's signet ring, and a key. As he regains his faculties, you question what happened since they left Oakhurst. He relates that their encounter with the kobolds and promised to seek out the goblins. As they were searching for the goblins, Karakas perished to bites from a giant rat and then they were subsequently imprisoned by the goblins for weeks. Eventually, they were brought before Durnn who flew into a rage and murdered Talgen Hucrele before sending Sharwyn and him to Belak. During this recitation, he occasionally coughs up blood. He then continues relating how he was accepted by the Gulthias tree by it actually absorbing him through it's trunk and over the next twenty-four hours infected his mind and body with tendrils of itself. You ask if he's willing to join your party as there are still blights and other threats. His eyes sadden while he replies, "I can still feel the tendrils within me. I'm sure I won't survive the day." Your party regroups and Sir Bradford comes with you carrying the body of Sharwyn Hucrele. You pass back through the cavern and then through the crumbled wall and to a door on the north wall. You use the key to unlock and enter a twenty by forty foot room. A layer of soil covers this room and Rough wooden shelves line the north and east walls. The shelves are filled with a scattering of tomes and scrolls. A rough hewn desk stands in the center of this study underneath the pale violet glow of the fungus. Searching the tomes, you find the seasonal recordings of growth, precipitation, harvests, and other agrarian efforts. You also find an ancient scroll bound with fresh wax that when opened shows a map of a strange area with the handwritten note "Durgeddin's legacy lies beneath the Stone Tooth" which is highlighted on the map. After searching a bit more you find a tome titled, in draconic, Treasures of the Fire Lords. Several of you inspect it by turning to various pages all of which are blank. Frustrated by not piercing it's secrets, Nazgog takes it and starting with the cover page intends to flip each page one by one. Unfortunately, on the second page a glyph explodes filling the room damaging everyone. Feeling relatively secure, you settle in for the night by ensuring both doors are locked, setting out bedrolls, and starting a small cook fire using shards of wood from the shelves.
Belak greets you "Welcome! I am Belak the Outcast. Before you stands the Gulthias tree. It's beautiful, is it not?" Morgana speaks first asking what happened to the first group from the village and he replies, "They are the first supplicants. The Gulthias tree has accepted them, and now, now they are mine to control, just like the twig blights. You can't save them." Johnny Sticker Fingers inquires about the fruit and Belak responds, "I give fruit to the goblins with orders to disperse their seeds on the surface. Deceitful beings that they are, the goblins barter the fruit, but the fruit gets used and the seeds get distributed all the same. My plan for colonizing the surface with the children of Gulthias continues." Nazgog then asks about his ultimate goal and how did the Gulthias tree come about. Belak smiles darkly then confides, "I am Belak, called the Outcase, because my circled expelled me, the fools. Why? Because I dared to expand nature's reach in ways they couldn't grasp. I have found what I sought in the Gulthias tree. The Gulthias tree is very much alive even though it looks dead. In an age long past, someone staked a vampire on this very spot. The stake took root. And so grew the Gulthias tree, reverberating with primal power for those who can tap it. I have tapped it's energies and am always developing even more ways so that the surface world will be returned to nature, violently as it deserves. And though your remains would enrich the compost, you'll serve my needs better as supplicants. You shall retain your lives, after a fashion. Come surrender and submit peacefully, or perish!" On that command three twig blights move into the perimeter of the courtyard trapping you. Johnny 'Sticky Fingers' Millson reacts quickly, firing his bow, wounding Belak. Almost as quickly Nazgog, closes on Belak uses her great axe to slash across the front of Belak. With blood seeping from his clothes, he collapses with arcane words fading from his lips. The twig-blights move closer with one attacking Morgana, another engages Earendil, and the last swipes at Fenveyd. Additional twig-blights are seen entering the courtyard while Earendil retaliates with his rapier knocking the sapling to tinder. Then Fenveyd recites her arcane formula directing acid to splash on her sapling. Morgana wields her mace and joins Fenveyd against a sapling knocking the life from it. Sir Bradford squaring up with Nazgog draws forth his mighty longsword, Shatterspike, without emotion he critically strikes her. Suddenly a giant frog leaps down from the heights of the Gulthias tree attacking Sticky. Then his Sharwyn invokes arcane energies targeting Fenveyd and Earendil with sleepiness, Fenveyd succumbs, but Earendil's heritage protects the spell from affecting him. Sticky uses his daggers to wound the frog and Nazgog strikes at Sir Bradford. The blights on the perimeter move into melee flanking Morgana. Another blight shambles toward Sticky and the frog. Meanwhile, Earendil hurries to Fenveyd side and shakes her back awake. As Fenveyd arises, she summons the eldritch powers within her and recites her formula casting sleep in the middle of the battle. As she does, Sir Bradford, the Giant Frog, and a sapling slump quietly to the ground. Morgana, bloodied but feeling strong, smashes her mace into a blight reducing it to bits of branch and root. Sharwyn then invokes the elements with a ray of frost that Nazgog sidesteps and then steps forward and cleaves into Sharwyn. While that's occurring Sticky drops another sapling with his daggers and flanks Sharwyn. The blights continue their march with more appearing on the edge, but Earendil ripostes with the blights and holds them at bay. Fenveyd feeling embolden with her arcane powers steps toward the Gulthias tree, reciting an ancient formula that causes a thin sheet of flame to spread outward engulfing the giant frog, a sapling, and strikes the Gulthias tree itself. Morgana joins by invoking her patron and sending flames shooting downward onto it. Sticky backstabs Sharwyn dropping her lifeless body to the ground. Nazgog determinedly stalks to the Gulthias tree swinging her great axe chops the tree in two. All of the blights begin to converge on Nazgog, but all come to violent ends. As you look around at the devastation, you see that Sir Bradford no longer has gray skin and starts to wake and you quickly bind him. Then search the other bodies finding potions, two antitoxins, a wand, Sharwyn Hucrele's signet ring, and a key. As he regains his faculties, you question what happened since they left Oakhurst. He relates that their encounter with the kobolds and promised to seek out the goblins. As they were searching for the goblins, Karakas perished to bites from a giant rat and then they were subsequently imprisoned by the goblins for weeks. Eventually, they were brought before Durnn who flew into a rage and murdered Talgen Hucrele before sending Sharwyn and him to Belak. During this recitation, he occasionally coughs up blood. He then continues relating how he was accepted by the Gulthias tree by it actually absorbing him through it's trunk and over the next twenty-four hours infected his mind and body with tendrils of itself. You ask if he's willing to join your party as there are still blights and other threats. His eyes sadden while he replies, "I can still feel the tendrils within me. I'm sure I won't survive the day." Your party regroups and Sir Bradford comes with you carrying the body of Sharwyn Hucrele. You pass back through the cavern and then through the crumbled wall and to a door on the north wall. You use the key to unlock and enter a twenty by forty foot room. A layer of soil covers this room and Rough wooden shelves line the north and east walls. The shelves are filled with a scattering of tomes and scrolls. A rough hewn desk stands in the center of this study underneath the pale violet glow of the fungus. Searching the tomes, you find the seasonal recordings of growth, precipitation, harvests, and other agrarian efforts. You also find an ancient scroll bound with fresh wax that when opened shows a map of a strange area with the handwritten note "Durgeddin's legacy lies beneath the Stone Tooth" which is highlighted on the map. After searching a bit more you find a tome titled, in draconic, Treasures of the Fire Lords. Several of you inspect it by turning to various pages all of which are blank. Frustrated by not piercing it's secrets, Nazgog takes it and starting with the cover page intends to flip each page one by one. Unfortunately, on the second page a glyph explodes filling the room damaging everyone. Feeling relatively secure, you settle in for the night by ensuring both doors are locked, setting out bedrolls, and starting a small cook fire using shards of wood from the shelves.
Related Reports
Notes
Monsters Faced:
Giant Rat
Ice-mephit
Steam-mephit
Kobold
Goblin
Swarm-of-rats
Hobgoblin
Twig-blight
White Dragon Wyrmling
Skeleton
Bugbear
Fire Snake
Belak the Outcast
Sir Bradford
Sharwyn Hucrele
Giant Frog
Giant Rat
Ice-mephit
Steam-mephit
Kobold
Goblin
Swarm-of-rats
Hobgoblin
Twig-blight
White Dragon Wyrmling
Skeleton
Bugbear
Fire Snake
Belak the Outcast
Sir Bradford
Sharwyn Hucrele
Giant Frog
