The World Stone
General Summary
It was NOT a dark and stormy night- in fact it was early in the morning at the Moonshadow Inn. Ember slept soundly in his bed as the cursed adventurers loomed over him, hoping a night's rest was all he needed after being magically drained.
Ember’s eyes opened, and to nobody’s surprise, he was confused and alarmed. The gang explained what had happened last night but Ember had no memory of the estate or the ritual.
Driven by a shared desire to break the vampire’s curse and go about their own lives- the gang gathered around a map of Esker. They decided to follow their only lead: visit the renowned Dwarven artificer, scholar, and mayor Bronach the Distracted of Sonyan Cove. Due to the severity of the situation, the group decided to take the fastest route from east to west- the dreaded Darklight Pass which they had just escaped from. The team set out at once.
After a full day of trudging across the narrow mountain pass, the adventurers decided to rest for the night in a comfortable nook in the cliffs. Little did they know, their rest would be short lived.
In the black of the night, Ember’s alarm spell woke the crew up with an ear piercing “awooga.” A giant bat had breached the party's perimeter. As weapons were being drawn, Aralia quickly chose a peaceful path; she asked the bat what it wanted. The creature was merely hungry and happily accepted a freshly conjured goodberry. Balance with nature had been restored.
Also lurking in the dark was a much deadlier predator, a black panther. As the shadowy cat stalked the exhausted heroes, Vash, Ember, and Rowan devised a clever trap for it- only to be bamboozled. Just as it was destined to be cleaved, the panther shapeshifted into a crow and flew away- an unexplained phenomenon which remains a mystery to this day.
After the local wildlife had been subdued, the party turned around and were suddenly surrounded by none other than Nightshade and her gang. Arrows and spells began to fly in every direction.
Nightshade’s outlaws stood little chance against the cursed adventurers in battle. Out of goons and out of options, Nightshade successfully escaped into the darkness, the bounty on her head escaping with her. Surely the team had not seen the last of this cruel stalker.
The adventurers finally took a well deserved rest and reached Sonyin Cove in the morning. Taking only time enough to eat a hot meal, the group hurried to the doorstep of the good Bronach at his keep. They were greeted by Bronach’s steward, a sultry tiefling who denied them immediate audience with the mayor. After some “haggling” - the group found themselves in Bronach’s study chamber.
They explained the nature of their curse and their run in with the vampire lord of Darklight Manor. The group showed Bronach the inert magic orb and told the story of the ritual. Bronach was fascinated by these discoveries.
Bronach revealed the orb was perhaps a legendary artifact of amazing power- the World Stone. He revealed that the Shatterlands are in danger of entirely falling apart without the World Stone charged and in place upon its pedestle. The World Stone needs to absorb all four elements from the guardian Genie of the Shatterlands all your dreams will come true. Bronach marked the possible locations of the guardian Genie's domains.
That night the gang upheld their part of their deal with Bronoch’s steward in a large bedchamber in the hold. I waited outside the chamber but the sounds from within were quite troubling. I recall hearing the moo of a cow, screams, laughter, a voice praying to an unknown god, and eventually what sounded like a wet mop on a cobblestone floor.
I hate my job sometimes.
-journal of the unseen servant
Character(s) interacted with
Nightshade, Bronach, Vision the Tiefling, Syrrith the Informant
Adventurer's Present: Rowan (Ernie), Aralia (Katie), Vash (Juston), Ember (Austin).
Campaign
The Shatterlands Campaign
Protagonists
Rowan Lonethorne
Report Date
12 Jul 2022
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Plots
Related Characters
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