Session 4: Of the Shadow Duke Report

General Summary

Tuesday, October 17th, 1916 P.M.E. The Runeweald, Astrakain

• The party recovers from the pit trap and ventures back down the hallway towards the room with the dead body. Something is lurking about and they get in a scuffle with a monster that was definitely not a carrion crawler. Ezekial, Khagmadog, and Llobh get paralyzed by its tentacles. Polis channels his necromantic powers and scares the creature off for long enough to reposition. When it returns they strike back and slay the beast.
• The next room they enter is full of skeletons hung on meat hooks. To the north, there is a collection of freshly dead Kobolds manacled to the wall. The figure that this is where the hungry insect came from. Khagmadog finds a secret door hidden behind the fountain that leads to the cistern.
• After traversing past some locked doors and blowing open a wooden portcullis the party finds a room with a thick layer of ice on the floor and a strong briney scent. Against the northmost wall is a crushed altar, destroyed beyond recognition. Jordis grabs a piece from the altar. There is a thick wooden door to the southwest that looks brand new.
• The door was unlocked and leads into a small room containing a smashed statue of a woman that radiates a faint aura of illusion magic. The statue has a sledgehammer sitting beside it. Jordis notes this to be remnant energy from the Permanent Illusion spell. Directly across from the statue is a dead body. The body is wearing chainmail over a gambeson as well as a great helm. The room smells strongly of rot. He is decomposing. He has a bolt stuck in his lower right abdomen and another through the bottom of his chin into his head. He has a light crossbow in his lap as well as a key on his belt. His masterwork bastard sword sits on the wall beside him. Ezekial grabs the key, hands the bastard sword to Polis, cuts a piece of the heraldry off of his tabard, and opens the locked door to the west.
• There is another stairwell that heads up to the north and a passage to the east. The party goes east.

As you head further down the hall an ambient low-hum can be heard getting louder and louder. Occasionally a loud cracking boom can be heard which echos down the stone corridor.
An ornate stone archway leads into the room. Inside there is four metal statues of grotesque figures in each corner. Each of the statues has one of their hands raised in the air as if offering a gift to the gods themselves. In the palms of each of the statues sits an orb of pulsing blue energy. In the center of the room a tall figure drapped in black robes and rusted armor faces the east wall. 15 feet infront of the figure appears to be 5 small piles of metal coins, each stacked meticulously and placed exactly equidistant from eachother. He raises his staff, which appears to be a large iron crusifix with a serpent wrapped around it. Each of the blue orbs create a large arch of energy connecting to the tip of the figures staff. He then lowers the staff and points it towards the left-most stack of coins. From the center of his staff a blinding bolt of lighting fires directly at the stack of coins and arcs between each of the placed piles. The impact of the bolt launches the coins throughout the room. The metalic clang of the flying coin is muffled by the defeaning hum of the blue orbs.
The figure turns to you. "What say ye tresspasser of the Black Sanctum of the Shadow Duke. For what reason doth thou have to disturb mine sacred ritual"

• The figure summons five skeletons and channels electrical energy from the statues into his staff chaining it off the party.
• The party fights back valiantly, Khagmadog nearly suffering a mortal wound after heroically leaping into the frontline disrupting the Shadow Dukes casting. Much of the fighting was done in the darkness. Ezekial, Llobh, and Jordis destroy 3 of the orbs before the Shadow Duke is slain.
• Upon death, he utters "The Frost maiden will damn you all to icy oblivion"
• A rod falls off of his staff and rolls toward Khagmadogs feet.
• Shortly after the fight, the cloaked figure from the tavern enters with his legion of undead warriors. He offers the party 10 Crimson Denars for the bodies. They ask for his name and he responds with "Mortals call me Calarel". Shortly after the transaction, he leaves. Polis makes sure to grab the armor and sword off of the Shadow Duke before he is carted away by the undead minions.

Rewards Granted

• Unidentified Rod
• Unidentified Scale Mail
• Unidentified Broadsword
• Masterwork Bastard Sword
• 25 Platinum
• 10 Crimson Denars
• 2500 xp each
• 200 xp each to Ezekial and Polis RP reward.
• 100 xp each to Ezekial, Jordis, and Llobh for having a Good Idea (destroy the orbs).

Missions/Quests Completed

The Shadow Duke is Slain

Campaign

Runehammer

Protagonists

Ezekial Thrakk

Jordis Drianska

Llobh Gnaagmurr

Mores Potem

Player Journals

Duking it out with the Shadow Duke by Jordis Drianska

Report Date

17 Sep 2021

Primary Location

The Runeweald

Secondary Location

Astrakain