Session 21: A Druid Must Endure

General Summary

Satisfied that there seemed to be no risk to Terron's wife or daughter, the party returned to the Halls of Acquisition with Sharanda. There, they found that High Lorekeeper Durstan and Chief Archivist Berantil had been joined by several monks from the Order of the Tome. Collectively, they'd made sure that no one had left the building through conventional means. Wondering how the transcribed book got taken to the Chief Archivist's chambers, the party asked Sharanda, who informed them that Alaranth had collected the book. Sending a teenaged half-orc attendant to look for Alaranth, the party investigated Terron's room again, finding no new clues. After a few minutes, the half-orc returned, out of breath, stating that Alaranth wasn't in the building. Convinced the building was properly locked down, the monks nevertheless sent one of their number to scan the building from the outside, while the remainder of the group went to take a look in Alaranth's room.
There, they found nothing of significance after a thorough search, although Doug cast Detect Magic and found faint traces of a conjuration spell that had been cast in the room an hour ago. Everyone concluded it was likely Alaranth was responsible, perhaps with others, in burying all knowledge of Vash'atar, the beings that spoke it, and the places they lived. The monks and the Collectors were interested in apprehending Alaranth and vowed to keep an eye out for him. The party asked if there would be any reward for bringing him in. As the High Lorekeeper was unable to offer money, Rome asked about the possibility of dictating the story of her life to a scribe, which Durstan said was definitely possible. She also asked if any reference to her could be expunged from the library, thinking that would offer additional protection from Balo Blackiron, which the High Lorekeeper also agreed was a possibility.
A few of the party wished to find information in the library. Rome headed to the Pillar of Industry, hoping to find information about Balo Blackiron. With aid from the Tallow attendant there, she discovered an article in the Beacon Register, two days after Rome left him and escaped Beacon. He had put out a 1,000 gp reward for her safe return. Shadow asked for books about the Hexalian Order in the Pillar of History, and was given a few titles, though all were much too long for him to read. As the books could be taken out of the library but needed to remain on the Atheneum, Shadow instead looked for a bookshop, finding a similar tome, "Eternal Hierarchy: A History and Overview of the Hexalian Order", which he purchased. Their business then concluded, the party again boarded the magical books that served as flying mounts, crossing the northern part of Myas'tara, landing in the forest in front of the Shifter's Catacombs.
The entrance to the catacombs was a moderately large tunnel in a hillside, a twisted path leading down beneath the earth before coming to an end in a large earthy chamber. The dirt walls have occasional exposed roots and rocks, and vast quantities of lichens and mushrooms light the chamber, producing a phosphorescent green light. The entrance tunnel ends on a central dirt pillar, with three bridges with wooden handrails heading to three paths, and a short ramp down to a lower level, leading to four other paths. At the center of the pillar is a sundial. Each path leaving the chamber was blocked by a pale green light that the party couldn't pass through. Alden and Shadow carefully investigated and found that several large snakes and several large hoofed creatures had recently passed through, seemingly disappearing into the center pillar on the lower level, though there was no trace of a door.
Doug experimented with the sundial with his lantern, and found that casting a shadow that aligned with one of the other tunnels caused the light from that tunnel to disappear, reappearing in front of the entrance tunnel. Figuring that an investigation of all the tunnels might be in order, they left the central chamber, finding that the tunnel emerged into icy tundra. Walking past a number of large mounds of snow, the party found a spectral polar bear, who communicated with Viridian in druidic. The bear said the party had to pass a test of endurance if they wished to advance: they'd have to survive the icy waters nearby. Accepting, the party jumped in, just managing to spend a minute in the water, before the bear motioned for them to climb out. Leaving the chamber, the party decided on a new path, with Doug manipulating the sundial again with his lantern.

Notes

Takes place on YA 2269, The Panther, day 23

Campaign

Temshai Campaign

Protagonists

Eirame Windthistle

Douglas Fir

Alden MacTabbinshire

Romeindra

Shadow

Tamugar

Report Date

05 Oct 2020

Primary Location

Shifter's Catacombs

Secondary Location

The Atheneum