| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"There's a circle of seven stone heads standing upon the western slope of Rimeskull on Stormunder's eastern shore." Ferocia adds.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"The area around Lake Stormunder was the home of a powerful white dragon the Shoanti primitives named Freezemaw. He hasn't been seen in over 200 years, but he may just be slumbering. Or perhaps another dragon has defeated him and claimed his lair for his own. I would wager that if he still lives in the region, the powerful forces that are awakening have attracted his attention."
Marten looks over at Drazh.
"You might gain some new scales to forge with."
"Assuming it's an enemy." Anneka adds with her hands.
"We can find out without too much difficulty, I'd wager. Assuming it's hostile to us or common folk, we bring it down and make it into boots!"
"Well, let's have some protection against cold magic before we reach the area, then."
A low table against the east wall is covered with vials of colored liquid, and sitting in an inkwell is a quill made from a peacock's feather.
Ferocia collects the fancy inks, inkwell, and peacock quill.
Then she looks around the complex again, double checking for any remains of the other guards, or any of their possessions that might be laying around.
Creydon's eyes widen when he finally realises what the quill is.
"Ferocia...that quill is an artefact. A Revelation Quill from old Thassilon. Once each day, we can get it to write out short answers to questions. That could be amazingly useful!"
Marten casts floating disk and asks for help carefully placing the guards on it so that they can be returned to the surface.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ferocia sticks the quill in her hair. "I just like feathers."
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Azalia helps Marten with the guards.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
From the rocky eastern shoreline of Lake Stormunder, the ground rises into the craggy snow-dappled roots of Rimeskull, casting its long shadow over this area. Yet not all of the ground here is rugged and mountainous. Several hundred feet from the lake's edge, the land suddenly levels off to create a circular hill. Rocks and tenacious shrubs poke through the scattered clumps of snow here, but they are dwarfed by the ring of seven ten-foot-tall stone heads that circle the hill's edge, their faces angled inward at each other, mouths agape. To the east, the sheer mountainside of Rimeskull rises, icy and windblasted-two hundred feet above leers a carving of an ancient face, its gaping mouth forming a large cave entrance in the mountainside. A ten-foot-wide stairway of stone descends from this cave to a ledge only fifty feet to the east of the circle of stone faces.
The seven stone heads have all been warded with protective magic, staving off the effects of erosion as they march through the years. Azalia can see which magical aura is given off by which head. Karzoug is transmutation, Alaznist is evocation and the other five schools of magic as seen by ancient Thassilon are present.
"That's the notion. Let's scout around."
Leaving the more academic members of the group deal with the stone heads Drazh and Creydon go dragon hunting...
...of the dragon they find no sign but they do find a massive stairway that looks like it must have been built by giants and taken years, if not decades, to complete is chiseled out of the side of the mountain. A twenty-foot-wide and thirtyfoot-tall stone arch frames the first steps, while the final steps lead directly up to a carving of an ancient face, its open mouth a cave entrance. The familiar seven-pointed star is etched deeply into its surface, prominently positioned at the highest section of the arch. Bones lie in iced-over heaps along the visible areas of the stairway as it winds back and forth over two hundred feat upwards...
"Yeah, looks like the den of a monster. Let's get the others, eh?"
Marten finds that these are good visual representations of the Runelords. Isolated faces of some of these figures have been found at different mountainside locations but never have two been found together let along all seven.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Anneka takes a moment to ward everyone from cold.
The poem said that we have to cast a spell of the correct school on the correct stone which will cause a key to manifest in that stone's mouth.
Azalia casts Open on the Karzoug stone (transmutation), acid splash at the conjuration stone, and light on the evocation stone (Alaznist).
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Marten casts chill touch on the necromantic stone and endure elements on the abjuration stone.
envy (abjuration)
gluttony (necromancy)
greed (transmutation)
lust (enchantment)
pride (illusion)
sloth (conjuration)
wrath (evocation)
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Anneka casts murderous command on the enchantment stone and shadow conjuration to replicate grease on the illusion stone.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
As Azalia casts acid splash on the stone the ground vibrates as a piercing trill emanates from the head. The glow and the sound fade completely after several seconds, at which point a gold key appears in its mouth.
The same happens as the other spells are cast and the magic is absorbed by the stones. As the last key comes into being their in a loud boom which sets off avalanches about the mountain range. It feels like the cold mountain winds grow in intensity as the ringing in your ears stop... the temperature feels a little colder and snowflakes gently begin to drift down from the sky.
We gather the keys.
Anneka draws her shawl about her and casts a spell.
"Let's get them first!"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
After Drazh and Creydon coming hurrying back over concern for their friends when avalanches start, Marten rolls his eyes at their dramatics and changes the subject. Conversation reveals that Drazh and Creydon have found the stairs to the pocket dimension up the slope of Rimeskull Mountain. The party takes the keys and ascends.
That's probably how it happens.
Creydon muses over how best to describe the events leading up to their ascent...
As snow cascades down the mountains along the range.
As your group continues up the enormous, ancient stairs a deep rasping voice is carried along the breeze.
"Long have I slumbered. Your master calls to you, those who would seek me haunt these slopes once more. Arkhyst calls to you who are bound by ancient oaths. Let the interlopers grant proper tribute willingly or flesh to fill my stomache"
"Didn't catch it myself, Drazh, but it is windy here. Anyone else get a voice?"
"It was spoken in Aquan, strangely enough. That's the language of water elementals and other, related groups. The voice called it's self 'Arkhyst,' and it's calling its minions to attack intruders. Presumably us.
"The intruders, not the minions, I mean."
What Marten said. A direct translation is "Long have I slumbered. Your master calls to you, those who would seek me haunt these slopes once more. Arkhyst calls to you who are bound by ancient oaths. Let the interlopers grant proper tribute willingly or flesh to fill my stomach"
Sound like someone is power-hungry. He might be talking to others, or he might be talking to us, but I don't remember being bound by any ancient oaths. You guys?
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
”Well...I am. Bound to the Oaths of my people to the Father of the Forge. But I dunnae think it’s talking about that. Bah! Hope this beastie has a physical body so I can have some fun. Otherwise I’ll just have to watch ye lot boil it away with yer fire and whatnot.”
Two forms start to rise from beneath the snow, towering, lumbering creatures made from ice turn proximities of heads towards your group. Their movement elicits groans and crackling sounds like a frozen lakes surface about to give way...
These are greater ice elementals. Ice elementals are creatures made of animated snow and ice. They form in especially cold parts of the Plane of Water and along its border with the Plane of Air, where giant icebergs careen off of world-high waterfalls into the open sky. Ice elementals vary in their exact appearance.
With frightening speed the ice creatures move forward and unleash a blizzard of attacks against you. Cold ice slams into you, a numbing cold spreading through your body.
You see further down the slopes more of the creatures start to move up against the avalanches like swimmers moving through the snow. There are dozens of them though the closest even moving at speed will take three rounds to get to you.
Azalia sees the vague outline of a huge dragon banking through the skies as it gets into position. It's head is turned towards your group clearly watching the fight with the ice creatures. Given that no one else is looking at it the dragon seems to be under the effects of some form of invisibility, the white dragon begins to speak.
The booming voice returns this time speaking common. A primordial dread can be felt trying to take hold. "You invade my territory, disturbing that which is mine. A weregeld must be paid in treasure or your lives. Kneel!"
Marten
Creydon
Anneka
Azalia
Drazh
Ferocia
Monsters
Creydon is slammed harder than he had been in some time. But he grits his teeth and has the presence of mind to realise the extent of the threat approaching.
He steps back and rapidly begins weaving magic and calling out:
"Dozens more of these icy sods are rushing up through the avalanches! Hold fast and smash them to pieces!"
His whip cracks and his magic continues!
As fast as the elementals are, Marten's desire not to be clobbered is faster. He activates his Mirror of Guarding Reflections...
...but his buyer's remorse for this magic item is justified once again.
"Ice elementals! They are weak to fire, but if you have another energy type you need to work with, let me know."
"And there are more on the way. They'll be here in less than a minute."
"You invade my territory, disturbing that which is mine. A weregeld must be paid in treasure or your lives. Kneel!"
Marten tries to put up a false front of arrogance in response to the booming voice, but after swallowing a few times he only manages a weak "Um."
Turning his attention to the elemental closest to Anneka and Azalia, he casts scorching ray at it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
|
|
Drazh grinned as he saw the enemies come. ”Haha! Looks like we’ve got a right good party this time.” He didn’t bother trying to hide his armor. Rather he stood there, resplendent in mithril and silver, proudly showing the dragonhide on his hammer. He waded into the ice elementals, swinging his hammer, sending shards of ice flying as he did so.
= stunned 1 round
She thinks about warning everyone about the invisible dragon that is 200 feet away, and wants to throw a fireball at it, but she is stunned and unable to speak.
After the dragon speaks:
= now also shaken