Your meeting with Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin in Absalom was quite brief and to the point. He directed you to go to the River Kingdoms and explore the ruins of something called the Emerald Spire. Upon first arriving in the area you were told to avoid the nearby town of Fort Inevitable and go straight to the cabin of your Pathfinder liaison Walda who will give you more information and act as your intermediary with the Grand Lodge. Furthermore, he added that this was undoubtedly a long term assignment. As he ushered you out the door, he advised that any questions you have could be fielded by Walda.
Now your long journey is over and you find yourselves at Walda's cabin. Although the directions you were given were quite precise, the group nearly misses finding it thanks to the thick ivy and other vegetation obscuring it from casual view.
As you walk up to the door, it flies open and a small female gnome bursts out, dressed in simple clothing with her silver hair placed in a braid over her right shoulder, ”Oh good, you're finally here! Welcome, welcome!”
Following her into the cottage, it appears to be in need of some repairs, but there's still plenty of room to sit among her books, papers, and the 3 sets of bunk beds set up in the common area. Pulling out a well-polished Wayfinder the gnome finally introduces herself, ”I'm Walda, great to have you here! I'm sure Ambrus told you all about your assignment, so stop me if I'm boring you. The Society wants you to explore the Emerald Spire in spurts, coming out every so often to report what you find. The problem is those nasty Hellknights in Fort Inevitable want 30% of everything adventurers find so we're going to need to be clandestine for now. I'm the solution to this problem, since I already have the proper paperwork with those crazies, they think I'm just an herbalist, so my cabin will be the base of operations for you for awhile. I'll take care of keeping in contact with the Society and whatever friends you have back in Absalom as well as transporting money and goods back and forth as necessary so you can just focus on the mission. If we have to go to Fort Inevitable for anything, I know ways to sneak you in, but as a general rule you guys are going to avoid it so the Hellknights don't start asking any questions.”
”The only bad thing is, we won't be able to publish your reports until after you're finished so you won't be famous for awhile, so I hope none of you have huge egos! So, do you have any questions? I'm afraid I don't much about the ruins themselves, that's what we have you guys for!”
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On the trip from Absalom, the elven woman had been quiet, yet polite. While her words were never rude, she still had that air of unintentional condescendence most Kyonin elves do, as if their elven blood somehow made them intrinsically better than everyone else, and it was just a fact to be accepted and moved on from. Despite that, she never insulted anyone, and carried on all conversations with a smile.
Throughout those conversations it was made known that she is from Kyonin, and studied as a mage there for quite some time before joining the pathfinders out of curiosity of other culture's histories and the world in general. She has a deep reverence for nature, and an expansive knowledge of it, as well as the arcane. This is her first mission for the Society, and hopes to gain from it a better knowledge of both herself and the world at large.
When she arrives at the cottage, she adjusts the longbow on her back before stepping into the door. Tall for a female, and even taller for an elven female, she almost has to bend over to enter. She remains silent thoughout the introductions, and introduces herself after Walda is finished.
I am Jirah. It is an honor to meet you. I find it interesting that the Pathfinders wish to keep this clandestine. A society known for its cooperation and openness hiding this from the Hellknights is... interesting. Nevertheless, I shall follow the orders. Anything else is not my business.
Her violet eyes seem to take in everything as she talks, sweeping the room several times and sizing up Walda seemingly all at once.
When do we begin? I have prepared a general assortment of magic, but if anyone knows of any specific dangers we may be facing, I may have something I can prepare from my spellbook.
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"My name is Xakon. I'm here to keep your lot from falling into deadly traps and to fill my pack full of treasure."
A blonde-haired scar-faced halfling leans out of the shadows dressed in black. A slender dagger dances around his hand in a circular motion as his fingers guide its hilt. The dance ends when the dagger suddenly disappears from sight.
"I'll need to mug of ale at the local tavern before we head off. Never know when it will be your last."
You recall that adventurers are supposed to obtain a "Letter of Warrant" from the Hellknight government in Fort Inevitable before beginning exploration of the Emerald Spire. It costs around 50gp and requires you to list everything you take out of the dungeon. It would seem this set up is designed to circumvent that process, especially the last part.
"Oh no, I'm sorry but you can't possible go to any pubs around here, although I think I have some dandelion wine somewhere if you really need a drink!" Walda says, shaking her head 'no' to Xakon's desire for some pub ale.
"You can leave anytime you'd like, the Spire is directly one mile to the west, you'll know you're in the right spot when you come to a huge clearing with green ruins in the middle."
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What? A fort?, A spiral, ruins? I like Geen, Emerald is green right?
The Halfling adorned in flowers and leathers and her boar seemd to have all sorts of mixed emotions from worry, to excitement.
how do we get there? I think I have family in the River Kingdoms, well My pa said we did, but he sometimes makes up stories. do they have trees there? I really like trees.
she gathers her stuff, well, we going? Oh wait I need a towel, Pa always said always bring a towel, and a waffle iron, but mostly a towel, never knew why though.
she shrugs and grabs her miniature scythe, daylights a wastin.
Truffles gives Xak a glare, being protective of his charge. Snort
Sugar simply smiles at the idea of another halfling but avoids long eye contact.
as introductions begin to go around Hi there, I am the Lady Sugarsnap, and the overprotective but adorable boar there is Lord Admiral Truffles and he loves chocolate. and I just want everyone to realize the importance of mother earth as well as love and respect all aspects of nature. she adds with a smile.
Sugar's ears perk up at the idea of dandelion wine wow, you have that stuff? I used to sneak sips when my pa wasn't looking back home, or here home? or whatever home. anyway can I have some?
"Oh sure, I think I have a nearly full skin of the stuff, you're welcome to take it with you, I'm sure after exploring that place you'll need a stiff drink!" Walda replies to Lady Sugarsnap, fetching the wine after a few minutes of searching.
* * *
With no further questions, the group eventually heads out of the cabin and begins heading in the direction specified by Walda. After an approximately mile long hike through the Echo Woods, you come to a wide clearing. In the center sits a ruined keep guarding a broken central tower, all made of smooth, green glass. It’s obvious that a grand battle took place here many years ago, and the clearing around the ruin lies barren, with sickly weeds struggling to rise from the magic blasted earth. Melted chunks of twisted glass pepper the ground, lending a green hue to the clearing’s light. Despite the damage, however, the glass of the keep itself seems to have avoided the ravages of time, with those pieces that survived the initial cataclysm unmarred by pitting or cracking, clean of moss and other clinging debris.
At the top of a steep dirt path winding up through the rubble, a doorway opens onto darkness, its entrance seeming to steal light into its inky depths.
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"Green is for mold, mud, muck and murder. The place needs a good burning already I think. Seems like a terrible place to be buried forever, dead and forgotten. Maybe we'll get lucky and those hell knights will come and kill us more swiftly? Probably not. "
with a regret-filled sigh Mudk wanders off round the building scoping the place out.
The party takes its time exploring the exterior of the ruins before attempting entry and finds a hidden door on the east side of the structure, which is composed of a screen of canvas and wood painted to blend into the rubble.
Entering through this 'door', the first thing the party notices is that it's pitch black to everyone except Mudk's darkvision. Even when Jirah shoots an arrow at the ceiling, it just seems to disappear into the darkness. Magical lighting only seems to illuminate the immediate area around it, leaving the rest of the room obscured.
The second noticeable detail is the room is full of small pieces of rubble, making it very difficult to move around.
Mudk can tell the group that this curving hall has been badly damaged, but there are intact doors to the north, east, and south, as well as a large double door leading west to the core of the tower. The southeast corner of the room has collapsed in a mound of green glass rubble, but a tunnel runs through the debris, shored up with rough timbers.
Nothing else of note can be found in this room.
* * *
After finding no traps on the north door, Mudk looks inside to see a plush, human-sized bed standing in this chamber, along with a table holding a bone scroll tube and jars filled with eyeballs, claws, and teeth. Various automaton parts lie scattered around.
Inside the bone scroll tube is a sheet of parchment on which is drawn a complicated magical sigil in iridescent green ink.
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As she enters the darkness, Sivantanpisil draws her dagger and casts light upon the blade.
"Wow, this place is kind of creepy. Being made of emeralds is really neat, but I wish it wasn't so dark in here. I'm not really fond of the dark. I would think that being a dwarf and being able to see in the dark would be awesome... Except for the whole beard thing. I could never have a beard. Even the ones with little braids in them are weird. They have to be itchy. Maybe I would want to be a gnome. They can see in the dark and lots of them are soooo cute.... Ugh. I hate this rubble everywhere."
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As Jirah's lit arrow disappears, Frēodwēn murmurs a spell and his Armor begins to glow.
"This darkness is depressing. And inconvenient." He puts away his bow and draws his Morningstar.
"Lead the way my gloomy friend. This place suits you, doesn't it?"
"Gnomes can't see in pitch black darkness like this, Tan, but they see as well in moonlight as I do."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Mudk looks at the cheerful human woman and a grimace that might have been a smile tries to disfigure his face.
"I'm glad to find a fellow cheerful soul like myself in this cursed place. Ware the rubble. It probably hides horrible bugs that will spasm up your body and into your bea--- err hair and lay eggs that will devour your brain through your eyeballs. Which I guess is a happy alternative to non-rubble walls that are covered in soul capturing sigils written by demons, so yay?"
Gesturing at the scroll,
"Can anyone decipher that? Probably not, adventuring groups are never prepared enough. They all end up dying together because of something they forgot. Being together is such a great blessing. One of the joys of our journey right?"
Sivantanpisil and Jirah both recognize the green sigil as an identifying mark similar to an arcane mark. It's purpose or meaning beyond that is not clear.
* * *
With that bedroom explored, the group moves to the south door, with Mudk, Jirah, and Frēodwēn all looking for traps.
Finding no traps, Mudk opens the door to see a room full to bursting with a motley collection of cots and other furniture cobbled from scraps of wood and cloth. The stench of rotting food is overpowering. Doors lead to the west and the north.
There are also 6 large-headed small ugly humanoids inside lounging in the room, which are probably goblins. "Longshanks!" One of them yells getting the attention of the rest.
The goblin closest to the door charges Mudk and slices at him with his short sword, but only hit armor. Another two pull out shortbows and fire arrows at Mudk, but both miss the difficult shot. The other goblins move near the door with their shortswords, with one complaining, "No room, no fair!"
Initiative (Round 1)
Goblins
Lady Sugarsnap <= Up
Mudk <= Up
Xakon <= Up
Frēodwēn <= Up
Jirah <= Up
Sivantanpisil <= Up
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Once everything went dark, its not green anymore, well I can't see it anymore, but then again I guess its still is <Bump> Ouch. found the wall.
eventually there is a light right next to her.
as the last room was searched and Sugar had nothing to offer she simply stood there in the dark waiting for light to reappear.
she thought she heard a voice offering a gem, but what did it look like? who knows, is it still there? she waves her hands around hoping not to smack anyone.
suddenly there is a yell, ohhh, sounds like a battle. then out of nowhere, Sivvy is next to her. Oh hi, don't go anywhere ok?
with everything happening in the dark, Sugar simply stands there. Truffles readies to defend her if something that does not look friendly gets close.
As Mudk prepares to cast his spell, the goblin slices him with its short sword, breaking the cleric's concentration.
As the dwarf moves out of the way, Jirah moves in to jab at the goblin with her rapier. She does significant harm to it, but it remains standing.
That does not last for long, however, as it attempts to cut her, misses, and falls unconscious.
Another goblin happily moves in to take its place, declaring in Goblin, "My kill, my loot!" He then swings his short sword at Jirah, hitting the elf for some substantial damage.
The two goblins with short bows shoot at Jirah, and are again terribly inaccurate.
The last two goblins merely look bored, one yawning, while the other picks his nose.
Initiative (Round 2)
5 Goblins
Lady Sugarsnap <= Up
Mudk [4 Dmg] <= Up
Xakon <= Up
Frēodwēn <= Up
Jirah [3 Dmg] <= Up
Sivantanpisil <= Up