It is the year 578 CAE, 1st of Taurus (month 2) of High Summer Waxing.
An Xian stumbled out of the Laughing Wench tavern, shaking and muttering to himself about “daemons, death, hair like fire and a woman yearning for her love”. He attacked Korr, the bouncer before passing out and dying. Korr took the money pouch to cover the Xian’s tab. The group started going through his belongings when the Xian awoke an undead and attacked. Reagan was paralyzed before Thorn and Saruuke were able to slay it.
Many possessions were looted, and eventually sold, from the body. The following were kept:
A tattered map to a tomb located outside of Scardin (The Tomb)
Dagger +1, it’s hilt fashioned like a horn, significant to “The Horned One”, Thaumagorga.
Writing stick, 2 torches and 4 iron rations
The Necromancer, with his two hooded, foul smelling bodyguards, took the stub of a black candle which the Xian had been carrying, along with the Xian’s body.
The group convinced Korr to pay for their drinks and meal as reward for killing the undead.
A number of villagers were present in the inn:
Big Morgan the Black Smith
Enku, the local coot.
Word from Enku was that the Xian had been with a Viking and a crimson robed woman and had set off almost a week ago from Scardin.
2nd of Taurus.
The group makes arrangements for a horse and sleigh and sets out for the tomb. The Necromancer meets with Saruuke in secret and offers him a large sum of money if more black candles are brought to her.
3rd of Taurus.
The group finds the tomb, a hole dug in the middle between a standing stone, rock and stone altar. There is another sleigh by the standing stone, but no sign of a horse nearby.
The standing stone has a rope tied around its base. Carved into the stone are ancient depictions of Mordezzan with more recent carvings of Thaumagorga and even Yug. The rock is carved to look like a skull. The stone altar was faintly stained with blood.
Inside the cave was a huge titan’s skull partially excavated, double doors with the symbol of Mordezzan flanked by stone statues with the same symbol on them (they appeared to move when it looked like you would try to open the double doors), and the woman in the crimson robe slumped against the wall being sucked dry by a trio of large insect-like creatures. The creatures were hacked off her. Saruuke cut off a finger from the woman to remove a black stone ring etched with gold dust (Ring of Lightning Resistance) and Thorn took the pack which contained a Spell Book titled, Secrets of the Blasted Waste, 2 arcane scrolls and a travel journal written in Xian which Saruuke could not read.
The woman awoke an undead, like the xian and attacked, paralyzing the trio. Thorn was dragged away leaving a bloody trail behind him. Reagan and Saruuke recovered just as the undead woman returned and were able to slay it.
At that time a new explorer entered the scene, Dane, a cleric of Apollo, who followed the trail of the original bearer’s of the map, believing they were up to no good.
They followed the trail to a room with a plain stone crypt adorned with carvings of skeletons marching away from a female winged figure. The stone lid looked like it had been removed using a crowbar and put back by whatever was now inside it, based on the nature of some hand prints on the edge of the lid. Two darts on the floor were collected by Saruuke. A second blood trail led southward beyond a stone door.
On the other side of the door was a horrific site. The bodies of Thorn, face up, and an unknown Viking, face down, lay atop a large grate. Daemon maggots were feeding on the bodies from under the grate. Symbols on the grate prevented the maggots from crawling into the room. A silver arm ring (Ring of Sustenance) on the Viking was deftly collected by the group but the contents of Thorns backpack, with the items from the crimson woman, were lost down the grate.
On the shelf in the room was the following:
A collection of sacred texts dedicated to Mordezzan
A prayer book, The Grey Veil, dedicated to Mordezzan
A necromancers tome by its markings written by Ashnzar Plaigi
A stone tablet describing a horrible unnamed city in Underborea. The stone was written in Hellenic (Hyperborean dialect) which I think you had Enku translate for you? If so let me know and I’ll give you the info on what it describes.
A map made of rotting skin written in Hellenic (Amazon dialect) which I don’t think you had translated (not sure if you had this translated? Let me know and I can retcon this info into the doc).
In the crypt to the south you found and kept a silver offering bowl stamped with the Eye of Xathoqqua. Beside it was another stone crypt, untouched, engraved with carvings of sensual winged daemons coupling with men and women and strange runes.
Then there was the silver mirror. Trapped in the mirror was a red headed serving girl, Kiara. She claimed to have been trapped by the jealous lady she served and begged to be freed. A sword strike upon the mirror did nothing. It was decided that the mirror should be taken with you to which Kiara readily agreed. However, Kiara was left for the moment leaning against a wall with the promise that the group would return. Kiara reluctantly agreed.
A wooden barrel was found engraved with runes. It was a quarter full but left untouched. On a cabinet was found a number of jewels resting in the eye sockets of numerous skulls belonging to various types of species, along with another dagger +1 with a horned engraved hilt and an arcane scroll (you later discovered from the necromancer it detailed a ritual to trap a daemons essence in an object.)
You entered the last tomb, and were met by a Hyperborean Ghost, Shavanizur Traal. The ghost's only concern was that the daemon trapped in the mirror was not freed, nor that the tombs in her chamber be touched. A banging could be heard coming from inside the large central tomb in the room. The sound amused Shavanizur Traal. The ghost cast a spell upon Saruuke where he promised to ensure Kiara would never be freed from the mirror which would remain in the crypt.
A comedy ensued as the group was charmed by Kiara to bring her out of the tomb, each member trying to get it out with the others stopping them. Eventually, Reagen was able to put the mirror back, Kiara revealing her true form to him, that of a succubus.
In a side passage were a series alcoves containing large black candles. On the opposite wall could be observed a relief of a hooded figure, death like figure standing before a massive titan. The relief continued but the group did not travel further down the tunnel, instead grabbing one of the candles and running out. Unfortunately, the fumes given off affected both Dane and Reagen who dreamt of horrible fish men dragging people below the waves and a massive, unholy presence watching from afar.
The hole was covered with wooden planks from the other sleigh, and buried in snow. Two days back to Scardin had them return by the 5th of Taurus.
On the 6th of Taurus the arcane scroll was sold by Saruuke to the Necromancer in exchange for providing Identify now, as well as five more times in the future. The gems were sold to Kolgor, the gemcutter. Dane made it known that the crypt in the hills was haunted by ghosts and that they had recovered all the treasures within.
Over the course of the next few days the group ordered armor from Big Morgan, bought an empty lodge house from the local lord of Scardin, Kall Macc Bran and went about their business, improving their skills (level up!). On the 14th of Taurus calamity struck in the form of a mighty earthquake. Numerous lodge houses toppled, injuring many. The next few days were spent rebuilding. Word was a sink hole had opened up in a nearby mine with the promise of a huge find in gemstones revealed.
On the 18th of Taurus news arrived of a massacre discovered in a hunting lodge to the north west. Miners and hunters were both missing. The decision was made to wait until the armor was ready before heading out.
On the 20th you picked up the armor and set off the next day. You found the hunting lodge on the 22nd. It was a bloodbath inside, and a man with a partially mutated face like that of a spider was found within.
On the return back to Scardin you were ambushed by a small group of mutated spider men who leaped onto your sleigh. You fought them off as your sleigh raced through the snow.
You returned to Scardin on the 23rd.
The next day the local Justicar, Conn Macc Brehan, Saruuke’s boss, was in a foul mood. The boss of the mining guild, Halla Ivarsdottir, was demanding something be done about the problem as her miner’s were starting a work refusal. Conn demanded Saruuke and his companions talk with the miners and deal with the problem.
The miners described the attacks and their work refusal. It was one thing to die in the mines, another to die or be dragged off by one of those things they said. The companions convinced the miners to return to work in exchange for their heading out with them as protection.
You set off on the 25th of Taurus to the main mining camp situated just south of the Frost Crags, arriving on the 26th. That night the camp was attacked by spider men. Saruuke was bitten by one of the spidermen, and the wound became infected.. One of the spider men was recognized as a previously kidnapped miner, Zenon. The group decided to try and backtrack the location of where the spidermen came from. A scout (will need to look up how much for the scout) and 4 henchmen were hired. (The henchmen for 1gp per day with an additional gold offered for bravery). The scout tracked the spidermen’s trail through the snow. It led to the Birch Bog Wood. You arrived at the wood on the 27th of Taurus and made camp.
End of Session 1
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