Act I: The Awakening at Khazad’s Echo
The town meeting had ended, and a handful of townsfolk rallied to investigate the release of a mysterious threat. Driven by a desperate need for survival, they headed out to Mount Khazad’s Echo. Walking through the forest, they came across the northwestern outpost, which had been attacked last night. They observed soldiers piling up the bodies. Two of the townsfolk tried to gather more information about what had happened, but unfortunately, the guards at the entrance denied them access. However, one of the halflings used this as a distraction and sneaked past the guards. Inside, he found a sample of a sticky string wrapped around one of the bodies and decided to keep this information to himself.
Once at the mountain cave, they were awed by the towering ceiling that stretched beyond sight. The serene sound of running water was occasionally disrupted by drips from the ceiling. Guided by the scent of gunpowder, they moved south, venturing into the darkness of the cave with no more than a few torches and ordinary tools as weapons.
Their journey, however, is fraught with danger. One of the party members slips while rappelling down a cliff, plummeting thirty feet. Fortunately, his comrades save him just in time. Another setback comes in the form of a gas trap. Two members inhale the toxic fumes before reaching safety, poisoning their lungs. They also face an attack from rats, add some casualties from the previous night's, but they manage to gather explosives, which seem to be part of their objective.
Deeper into the cave, a gust of wind threatens their light source, but they manage to keep the flames alive. As they navigate the tunnels, they encounter a lurking spider, only to discover it is a wizard elf trapped in that form by a miscast spell. The elf informs them about the threat they were investigating, revealing that it is a giant spider, and begs the party not to kill it. She explains that the spider maintains the ecosystem of the mountains by funneling monsters into its nest in the cavern's center. The giant spider, she insists, is not a threat to the villages but a necessary guardian of the mountain's dangerous balance.
The party gathers together and makes a plan to lure the creature back into its nest and use the explosives to seal the nest exit. But as they plan, they realize that this is easier said than done.
The meeting that is referred to in this Act you can find it here: The Calling
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