As the heroes wake from their dreams they need to make a choice; follow the words of the Angel, or continue their lives as normal. The majority of them gear up and headed out. Puck wakes up in The Lonely Tower with complete silence and no animals in sight. This unsettles her. She chooses to hang around home for a bit and do some research before leaving. After casting a few spells, to no avail, and setting a few traps and wards for her home, she decides to begin her journey. As she lives the closest to the camp she is really in no rush.
Meanwhile at Wolmad's Camp, people and creatures are gathering outside the walls and appear to be drawn in by some kind of force. Everyone is just talking among themselves. Whispers of speculation flow throughout the crowd but no one is willing to get close and investigate. Even the soldiers stationed at the base have fallen back.
As the group begins to arrive one at a time they coast through the crowd attempting to find Dugarth or any of the others they may recognize from the dream. Puck stays back with the local forest life to observe the growing crowd. Morthos and Laira are not having luck finding anyone useful. Suddenly, someone yells "DUGARTH!" from near the front gate of the camp. This catches everyone's attention so Morthos and Laira head towards the entrance to find Fulgher standing near two guards. Immediately all three make eye contact and realize this is where they are meant to be.
"Who dares call for me?" Dugarth grumbles as he pushes his way through the crowd. Covered in well polished plated armor and broadsword sheathed to his back he aggressively approaches the group. "I am Dugarth the Captain of Wolmad's Camp. As you can see there is a lot going on, so you better have a good reason for being here." As Fulgher begins to explain they have been summoned here he notices Puck making her way towards the front gate. Dugarth's attention moves to her also. "Stop! All that attempts to enter the camp fall under some kind of spell" says Dugarth. "Every time they get within a few feet of the entrance they collapse and fall asleep." Puck begins to exam the energy emitting from the camp and feels the immense holy magic present. "If I am not mistaken this is holy magic and I cannot be put to sleep by magic spells" explains Puck. (DM side note. I was going to mess with them a little but was not expecting this.)
Having faith in her powers Puck moves onward past the entrance of the camp without feeling any negative effects. As she moves throughout the camp she can feel the cause of the power is generating from the center of the court yard. From a distance a bright light flickers from the ground. Resting in a crater, as if this object fell from beyond the heavens, Puck finds a ring. She slowly reaches down with hesitation and takes up the ring. Like a cool spring breeze rushes over the camp and surrounding area Puck can feel that the holy energy has gone. Suddenly the unmistakable voice echoes in heads of all the adventures. "This ring will help protect and save you. I will only be helping this one time" the angel says. Outside the walls people no longer feel compelled to remain at the camp and the animals start heading back into the woods.
With both joy and hesitation Dugarth asked, "What did you do?". Puck began to explain they were told to come help him and she had a feeling that what ever was stopping people from the entering the camp would not be harmful to her friends as this may just be their destiny. She continued on about how they have been tasked to find the weapons of the Gods and that Dugarth would be able to lead them on their journey. "Are you referring to the angel from your dreams?" Dugarth asked. "How would you know about our dreams?" Fulgher asked with curiosity. "I also had a dream where the spirit came to me and stated I needed to help all of you. I thought to to be my imagination but this is happening exactly as i have seen it. She warned me that the life of my people would be endangered" Dugarth explained. "I know of a tomb that was built for a great warrior who was said to possess the power of Gods. In the morning we will head out to the Tomb of Deckon Thar.". Dugarth leads Puck, Morthos, Laira, and Fulgher to the main keep to allow them to rest for the evening. "Food, drinks and rest are on me tonight. Tomorrow please talk to our merchant, all gear will be on sale for you." offers Dugarth.
The next morning Dugarth, Puck, Laira, Morthos, and Fulgher meet at the front gate after preparing gear and rations. With a half days walk and no idea what they were getting into the team spent most of the time in silence. Until, without warning, a loud crack echoes over the mountain range. Fulgher and Morthos ready their weapons and begin scanning for potential threats. Puck forgot she was on a walk to a tomb and Dugarth was staring at the stick that he broke which startled everyone. With everyone staring at him Dugarth with a smug grin "What? I'm heavy"
As the group reaches the tomb they notice the intricate craftsmanship and time that went into this tomb. Large pillars sprouted from that ground as if they were there by natures design. The doorway was sculpted bedrock into the side of the mountain. The door stood tall and firm of oak from surrounding trees. Everyone knew the tomb was centuries old but the door had recently been opened.
When our heroes entered the tomb, the first thing they spotted, on a pillar in the corner, was a statuesque bronze colored dragon. It remained motionless however, it possessed a particular peculiarity, unlike any statue. Fulgher, a Dragonborne, attempted to communicate with it. Try as he might, his attempts were in vain. Clearly, the only logical course of action from here was to have one of the party members attack it. The other Dragonborne, Akra, had dealt the final blow, leaving her hands marred with the blood of the dragon. Through the tomb, the group faced a bevy of monsters. There was a small snake, a few spiders, and two giant snakes, who proved harder to defeat than initially thought. After dealing with the serpents, they happened upon a perfect sphere, which appeared to glow with a strange, inherent energy. With an extreme curiosity, Morthos carefully pocketed the orb, assuming it might be worth something. While spelunking alone further into the crypt, at the end of a hallway which appeared to lead nowhere, Laira discovered yet another large blue sphere. Without hesitation she snatched up the orb, placing it in her bag and saying nothing to her fellow companions.
From there, the team carried on to find a larger, more well-kept room. The walls in this room were composed of marble, with torches elegantly placed every few feet. The room possessed large, 30 foot-high polished pillars, stretching from floor to ceiling. However, their attention was diverted to a large fountain of fire on the far side of the room. Behind it, sat a statue of armor, stretching from floor to ceiling. The visage, whom brandished an epic great sword, loomed over the room, striking fear into the hearts of our travelers. As they cautiously approached the fountain, Morthos and Liara noticed two small pillars with bowls. Morthos shouted to the rest of the group, "methinks the blue sphere I've pocketed might fit perfectly into this bowl. But, it appears as if we need another." Without hesitation, Liara spoke up. "Think this'll do the trick?" In perfect unison, Morthos and Liara dropped their spheres into the bowels as a wave of tension and anticipation filled the room. Dust began to fall from all around, as vibrations from the floor resonate through the statue. As Morthos and Liara backed away from the fountain, a bright spark turned everyone's attention to the left side of the room. A swirling ring of fire began to grow, opening up to a pitch-black void of darkness. With the vibrations gaining intensity, it appeared as if the team's fate was sealed, rendering them unable to escape the impending danger.
Just as the circle of fire reached the ceiling, an immense and grotesque claw had emerged, grasping the wall and pulling forward a fierce red figure. Morthos, who instantly recognized the entity, was astounded that a Pit Fiend would inhabit an earthen realm. He had thought that the power needed to summon a pit-fiend was something only heard of in stories. Morthos needed to know what treachery would facilitate demons such as this to walk in their world. He spoke to the fiend in his native tongue of Infernal, asking who allowed his release to this terrestrial plain. With its attention affixed on Morthos, the beast let out a hollowing growl, which brought the entire party to theirs knees in pain. With this bellow resonating throughout the tomb, the once still armor came to life and quickly stepped towards the demon. Wielding the great sword above its head, and carving though the marble ceiling, the suit of armor sliced though the monster's neck with ease.
With the portal now closed, and the resonating thoughts of what could have been their last battle, Morthos, Fulgher, Liara, Puck, and Akra once again regained their composure. The now animated suit of armor turned to them and approached. Within its first two steps, the giant started to shrink until it was roughly a quarter in size. Slowly, it reached up to remove its helmet, revealing the spirit of Deckon Thar. "Why have you entered my tomb and brought into my realm this unholy being?" Deckon asks. Without hesitation, Fulgher answered, "We did not summon that demon, but we were tasked by a prophecy to retrieve holy items that will help us with an upcoming clash..." "What prophecy?" interrupted Deckon. Fulgher continued, "We all had a dream of a battle lost that would mean..." Again Deckon, with little patience, asked, "When did you have this dream? What does some battle have to do with me? How do I know you aren't just grave robbers?" Morthos, slightly agitated by the interruptions, spoke while moving towards Deckon. "Take a minute to hear us out," he said. "An angel showed us what would bring this world to an end. Then gave us a task to stop these unholy events. That task has lead us here for a reason, and you must be that reason." Deckon, realizing this Tiefling was addressing him angrily, responded, "How dare a demon like you come here and address me!" Morthos, who remained unflinching, stepped closer. With a smirk he said, "If a half demon is here to stop whatever unholy terror is on its way, then you know this is not to be taken lightly." Deckon, calmed his tone slightly and retorted, "Let's say I believe you. You still need to prove that you are worthy. Continue you quest and bring me one of these holy items. Then I will share with you my power." He continued, "You can start with my brother. He was also a great warrior on his own path of holy blessing." Deckon then turned away to return to his post as he was found. "Now leave my tomb and only return once you possess Grimlights power."
As the team exited the tomb, they decided to head south, traveling to the abandoned tower "Hawks Nest" for rest and shelter. The tower lookout could be seen just above the tree line, and sat only a hundred yards off the main road. Travelers from Khelb and Auvandell had been warned not to venture too close to this tower as haunting stories were passed down from generation to generation. Morthos, being familiar with these stories, knew that his entourage needed rest for the long journey ahead of them. "Everything should be fine for one night," Morthos thought to himself. Having finally reached the tower, the team wasted no time in settling down for the night.
Comments