Entering the Temple Report

General Summary

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After removing belt pouches and important equipment, the party moved the bodies of the tower guards to one of the nearby abandoned buildings and then took their time investigating the tower. Taking stock of the foodstuffs, extra arrows, and mundane equipment took the better part of an hour. The biggest finds were in the quarters of the tower commander. Hanging on his wall was a dragonborn weapon, a guan dao, with a plaque explaining that the magical weapon was one of many taken off the bodies of fallen dragonborn after the Battle of Emridys Fields. A list of Hillsboro villagers rested on the desk, some names crossed out. Under the rug, they found a trapdoor leading to a shaft 30-feet deep, with bronze rungs set in the wall. At the bottom of the shaft was a bag of holding filled with what could only be described as escape equipment, and a tunnel leading northeast.
Hoping to find a way into the sealed Temple, the party followed the tunnel until it came up under a small hillock in the Devastation. There, some older tracks led north to Dornath. They returned to the tower.

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The next morning, they headed, back into the temple grounds. The vultures watched closely, but none made any aggressive moves. Heading to the main doors, Elyot had an idea that the guan dao may be tied to the door seals, but nothing happened when they made the weapon glow against the runes.

After taking their time walking the exterior of the temple, they decided to try and force one of the side doors. Made of darkwood, the door only resisted slightly against Balan and Adrea's attempts. Finally inside the temple itself, they noted that the side doors were both barred from the inside.
The temple was massive. Four altars defined the areas around them, in the center was the Air altar, to the east, water, the west held earth and the northern altar, fire. Small side chambers were located near each altar, with the east and west vestries containing stairs down under the temple. Crasokk spotted a white robe that had escaped destruction in the rafters of what must have been the air vestry.
Past the fire altar, a set of wide stairs headed down into darkness. The wide processional staircase ended in another set of sealed doors. Heading back up, north of the staircase was a grand altar, behind which sat a huge throne on a marbled dais. Above the throne, etched into the black stone wall was the following message.

THE POWER OF ELEMENTAL DEATH BRINGS MORTALS LOW BUT RAISES THE NAMELESS ONE HIGH

The largest vestry was to the eats of the main altar. Here they found a few red robes. Surmising that the red robes were likely fire robes, and the white robe, air, the party headed back to the earth and water vestries to search for other robes. The earth vestry had two frayed robes, while in the water vestry, they found three green robes under a collapsed wardrobe. Elyot took a few moment to patch and clean the robes using her mending and prestidigitation cantrips. Before the party headed down the west stairway in the earth vestry, they each put on one of the robes. Crasokk and Adrea chose green, Virion donned one of the brown robes, Elyot wore white, while Balan chose the red.
At the bottom of the staircase lay a vast dungeon. Adrea gifted Balan and Virion with Nox's darksight. Taking the lead, Virion came to the first four-way intersection. The northern passage had many side corridors leading off of it. The southern passage led to two ruined armories. Rummaging through the equipment, they found nothing but a common mace.
Back at the four-way intersection, they chose to head east. Soon coming across a grand hallway heading deeper down to the north. Frescoes of elemental destruction, mixed with demon summoning and torture covered the walls. Choosing not to descend further, they continued east and came to another four-way intersection. Again, to the south, they found two more ruined armories, but discovered a magical crossbow bolt sticking out on a ledge above their heads. The eastern passage headed to a set of stairs leading up, likely to the water vestry.
This time choosing to head north, Virion lead the way up to another four-way intersection. Commenting that this place seemed extensive and maze-like, the party saw that the eastern passage opened up into a large pillared hallway. Adrea spotted some movement among the pillars. Steeling themselves for their first battle in the temple dungeons, they headed for the large hall.

Back at the Black Quartz

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As the Infiltrators set out to investigate the temple, things began getting very interesting back at the Black Quartz. A young man, Landryn Caldett of House Caldett, brought news and an offer from Grand Duke Arthien Brunwin. The Grand Duke had heard of the companions successes quelling the bandits, and the clearing of the old temple outpost ruins, along with the measures to restore it.
He sent Landryn as his envoy to the companions with an offer. The crown would grant them a charter for the area around the outpost, and enough starting resources to expand eastward. Landryn explained that, while the Duke was happy with Maleon and Reynulf's protection of Hillsboro, he initially though that the two would expand the duchy's hand into the surrounding hills. It seems that Maleon's Misfits, mostly being from Hillsboro, were very happy keeping the lands that they oversaw safe, but weren't very interested in growing the duchy.
The companions would be ceded the lands around the outpost. They would be asked not to move closer to Hillsboro, or the lands west of Hillsboro, but could expand east into the Gnarled Hills. The Grand Duke would not interfere in their decisions, as long as the security of the duchy were maintained. While the companions seemed to form a council of sorts, Abebane Morrel of House Morrell, as the only noble among them, would be the liaison with the Duchy, and the de-facto leader of the council. Landryn would stay on as envoy for the Grand Duke.
Needing a place to start a village, Abebane convinced the others that the lands around the outpost weren't ideal. Remembering the goblin-hole in the Dymrak valley to the northwest, though not much closer to Hillsboro as their charter required. The council decided to explore the Dymrak valley, free it from outside influences, and likely start a village on the Red River.
As Dworvic finalized his plans for the new construction on the outpost, the Gnarled Council headed out to add lands to their new domain. Abebane has taken to calling it an Earldom, though Landryn has reminded him that an Earl controls more than a "tiny spit of land".

Campaign

Trouble in Hillsboro

Protagonists

Crasokk

Gymno

Lerikan Brightwater

Connal Ravenshill

Rostam Qajar

Balan

Abebane Morrel

Adrea Ravensworn

Brannon

Virion Presfaren

Elyot

Report Date

12 Jan 2022

Primary Location

Temple of Chaos

Secondary Location

Mav Mayot