Session VI: Into the West Report

General Summary

• NCN travels westward out of Alderweld in search of what could be causing caravans to go missing.  Horses were not purchased, for some reason.
• The landscape is changing rapidly.  Winter is ending, ice is melting, water is flooding the streams and a multitude of animals are reappearing.  Its very slushing and muddy.
• The party travels west for several days. Most nights pass without incident, though at one point a large rustling sound is heard, along with something being heavily dragged several islands over.  This is ignored.
• Following Brett Barret's map, the party is able to find the location of his caravan.  Or the remains of it at least.  The wagons them selves are mostly torn to shreds. The contents of the crates smashed beyond recognition, and large quantities of goods just missing.  Of the caravan workers and their animals, there is no sign.
• The party is able to find drag marks leading back east.  These are followed to a large sinkhole on one of the marshy hills that rise out of the swamps.  The tunnel descended ~40 feet before ending in waist-high water.  A man-sized hole in the earthen wall led into some kind of subterranean structure and was followed.
• The tunnel let out onto a vast underground cavern.  The entire area was flooded in muddy water.  Holes in the ceiling allowed for dim light, and numerous pillars rose from the water to the ceiling.
• Tully "back-flops" into the water, creating a loud crash that echoes through the underground chamber.  The party is immediately set upon by bird-sized mosquito like creatures called stirges
• After battering, squishing, burning, and drowning the little buggers (there were a lot of them), the party continued further into the cavern.  On the far side, opening in the wall revealed a path that angled upward out of the water.  The path led to a crossroads, with the party approaching from the south.  The northern path was blocked, filled with collapsed rock and other bracken. To the west stairs led down to a doorway, while the right the path curved out of sight.
• The stairs were chosen, and the party found themselves in the remains of a chapel of some sort.  Rotting benches covered the worked stone floor.  The remains of faded murals covered the walls, though in many places they were destroyed by tunnels that had been carved through them.  A dais rose on the far side of the room, and a door could be seen in one of the other walls.
• In this room, the party was attacked by two creatures called ankheg
• After being regularly doused in acid, the party eventually killed both creatures.  Inspecting the room afterwards, the party found more than enough evidence that the ankheg were responsible for destruction of the caravans, and cut off the head of one of the monstrosities to bring back to Paxton as evidence.
• Traveling through the door on the other side of the chapel, NCN came to what must have once been a beautiful sight: a long narrow room, traversed by a wooden rope bridge, with a series of waterfalls running the length of the room.  Time had taken its toll, and this room had become partially submerged, with much of the bottom area covered in opaque green water.
• While crossing the bridge, the party was attacked by a combination of Giant Spidersand Giant Wolf Spidersand for real, almost died.  For super serious guys!
• At the end of the bridge, the party found one final obstacle in their path, the last 15 feet or so of the bridge had rotted away.  Rather than risking the jump with everyone injured, they decided to spend the night on the stone pillar supporting the bridge.

Campaign

Sanctum Campaign

Protagonists

Talise Crest

Neutral Half-elf (Sailor)
Ranger, Beast Master 3

46 / 46 HP

STR
13

DEX
16

CON
16

INT
13

WIS
10

CHA
10

Anguish

Lawful Neutral Tiefling (Soldier)
Bard, College of Swords 4

21 / 29 HP

STR
14

DEX
13

CON
10

INT
13

WIS
15

CHA
12

Riya

Level 3 High Elf Neutral Good Rogue
(Custom)

/ 22 HP

Report Date

03 May 2021

Primary Location

Susmis Swamps