Legends of the dark-hearted sorcerer Sigyfel abound in the local town, despite the fact that he has been dead for centuries. His evil exploits are the topic of many late night fireside stories, and to this day the local townspeople often paint a red eye above their doors to ward off Sigyfel’s evil spirit.
Dark forces stir along a stretch of road near Sigyfel's tomb. A local farmer was found dead along the road, his mouth locked open in an immortal cry of terror. The locals whisper that the tomb of Sigyfel has been opened, and evil seeps from its dark recesses.
The local sheriff has offered a reward of 300 gp to any group of adventurers brave (or foolish) enough to destroy the evil in the tomb and return alive.
You, the adventurers, have gathered in The Green Griffon Tavern to meet and prepare to embark on your quest.
At one corner of the bar, a young woman (girl, really; she looks a bit young to be hanging around in a tavern) sits perched on top of a stool, occasionally sipping something from a flask in front of her. Her clothes are slightly tattered and there are smudge of dirt on her face. She keeps darting her eyes nervously around the room, as though she has to remind herself that she's allowed to be here.
"Fer that much gold, I don't much care what kinda evil creature I have to face," she says with a sarcastic grin to the well-dressed man sitting next to her.
"Well," the man sniffs, "that might be what you're interested in, but I for one simply relish the opportunity to exercise my arcane skills against some threat to our town's welfare."
Of course, I could use the money too, he thinks to himself. Wizardly education does drain one's wallet so.
To the bartender, he says "Ser, have you heard anything about this sorcerer? Besides the unfortunate death of that poor farmer?"
A stern faced whiskered young man wearing platemail and carrying a war hammer emblazoned with the golden scales of justice strides over to the two at the bar.
"I know something of that. I am Robious, Cleric of Lawfulness. Sigyfel the Darkhearted, once an evil sorcerer, a servant of Chaos and user of black magics has lain sealed in his tomb for centuries. Upon hearing an innocent farmer had been struck dead, my church launched an investigation into the matter. The Bishop recieved word that the tomb now lies open. This undoubtably reeks of Chaos!"
He hefts his hammer aloft displaying its religious markings.
"I pledged to bring my Hammer of Lawful Justice down upon whatever evil has crawled out of that place and smite it!"
The intensity of the man's religious furver dips and he looks a bit sheepishly at his booted feet.
"But, uh . . . I may have let my faith get the best me. The Bishop read me a passage from the Litany of Pious Humility then charged me to make good on my word. I'm really just an acolyte, I could really use some help."
His eyes dart between you.
"Would you consider allowing me to join your party?"
A cloaked figure stands up from a shadowed corner and approaches the group. When his hood is lowered his pointed ears, large almond shaped eyes and angular chin reveals the stranger is an elf.
With a slight air of arogance and a hint of a sneer the newcomer bows.
"I am known to your kind as Drizzle, my true name being too complex for your thicker tongues, I am a veteran-medium from Alfheim, Kingdom of the Elf King of the Emerelas."
He stands and places his hands upon his hips revealing leather armor, a sword and a short bow hidden beneath the cloak.
"I have my own reasons for traveling these lands, but I believe our paths may run together. If you intend to explore the tomb, I offer my blade, bow and magic to aid the effort."
His eyes sweep over to the girl.
"My keen elven ears couldn't help but overhear this man is a magic user, but what skills do you posses? Surely you are no fighter?"
Blue takes a long pull from his flagon and wipes foam from around his mouth. The large man draws in a large breath and lets out a large belch.
'Ye lookin' fer a strong arm?' He gently pats the axe leaning against the bar next to him 'Me and Loretta got plenty 'a strength, and a cut 'a that purse would keep us in drink for a fair bit.'
As he shifts from his stool to turn and face the rest of the group his splint mail rattles and clanks. With both feet on the floor his stumbles slightly but manages to catch himself before ending up on his face. 'Now, where's this tomb?
The bartender is a large, muscled man with scraggly brown hair and an eyepatch over his left eye. He leans in to Tydeus and sputters,
"Between yew an' me, mate, I 'eard things. Like 'e was worshippin' devvils an like. That 'e turned inta wunna them livin' dead things. Bad stuff."
"My mate, 'e was travellin' near tha tomb a while back. Sez 'e 'eard things... Ungodly grunts, laffin, and like. Saw strange lights. I think 'e shoulda stayed away from them mushrooms inna forest meself, but ya never know, right?"
"My keen elven ears couldn't help but overhear this man is a magic user, but what skills do you posses? Surely you are no fighter?"
"I've got more fight in me than you'd expect, Mister Elf," Maud replies as she hops down from the stool. "But my real talents're somethin' a bit more, eh, delicate than that," she adds, in a conspiratorial tone.
"Name's Maud, by the way," she addresses the others. "An' I think that we should start headin' over there soon. I'm eager to take a swipe at those evil creatures -- if they're even real."
Maud notices a frail-looking old man, huddled by the fireplace. He keeps looking over to the group and looking away, as if trying to work up the nerve to say something...
Tydeus nods thoughtfully at the barkeep. "Devil worship. Necromancy. Strange lights and noises... so we are indeed dealing with dark magic. But--" he turns to address the others gathered at the bar-- "with the aid of a man of the cloth, a veteran fighter, and even a representative of the elven kingdom-- surely we cannot fail to destroy this evil!"
Maud leaves Tydeus to his posturing and sidles away from the rest of the group, towards the nervous-looking old man.
"Somethin' you wanted to say to us, Gramps?" she says, in a light tone.
The old man, to Maud,
"Please, I mean no harm. I've been to the tomb myself! I tried long ago to stop the evil inside it..." He holds up a stump where his right hand once was, "But I'm afraid I didn't get very far."
"The sheriff is offering a generous reward of gold to anyone that can destroy the foul creatures in the tomb. I'll lead you there, for a modest percentage!"
Drizzle's eyes narrow a bit.
"How meager do you mean when you say modest percentage?"
"Please Drizzle, gold is of secondary concern in the matter."
The big cleric says as he moves towards the old cripple.
Drizzle's eyes wander over to Maud's.
"Secondary to your own motivations perhaps, but not to everyone's I'd wager."
"I will see to it that you will recieve compensation both monetarily and spiritually for your continued assistance to your community. Tell us your name and your tale friend, perhaps a bit of something to eat and drink while you share with us?"
Robious looks for a chair to pull up and settle in across from the old one armed adventurer.
Drizzle crosses his arms and mumbles.
Blue staggers over to the frail looking man and claps him firmly on the back. 'Looks like ye got out lucky, only losin' an arm, if it's as bad as you say. What took yer 'tater grabber? Was it eeeeevvviillll maaaggggiiiccc??'
The old man steps back, a bit intimidated by all the attention.
"I'm not asking for much, perhaps just enough of the gold to procure a decent hook for myself. It's been difficult all these years..."
He continues,
"My name is Caron, and I was once an adventurer like yourselves, a fighting-man like this big, crude fellow here,” pointing at Blue Petes.
”I still remember them as if it were yesterday. There were three others, a dwarf, a thief and a magician. We set off for the tomb and encountered a group of Orcs along the way. Sadly, our thief did not make it, but we pressed on. Armed only with courage and a ten-foot pole, we entered the tomb and checked every inch of it. Perhaps if we’d still had our thief, we would have caught that trap. I was knocked back, unconscious, and awoke to find the heads of the dwarf and magician in my lap, staring up at me, their bodies on the other side of the hall. I fled in terror, and became a farmer after that.”
He looks down at his stump,
”This was an unfortunate accident involving a feral cat and a wild boar. But that day still continues to haunt me…”
The acolyte nods his head with approval and encouragement as the old farmer tells his story. At its conclusion Robious sets his hands on his knees and leans forward.
"I believe we can give you more than enough for a proper artificial appendage Caron and a little more than that besides."
Standing up he grips his warhammer's shaft near its head and strikes a pose in a resolute manner. The party notices that the clerics muscle mass and stiff joints make his movements stiff.
"When shall we set out? At Dawn? When the Thrush strikes? . . . Or, uh, do you just want Caron to come over and wake us up when he gets up? I am sure he wakes up kinda early-ish since he is a farmer and all."
"While I am still not sure we need a guide, I can see you have committed us to this man's cause out of a sense of charity. However, you must take his safety upon yourself as your responsibility. I have misgivings about taking a one armed elderly man into the woods."
The elf's let hand strokes his chin in thought.
"But, if what this man says is true, we may do far better than his company. We have both the girl's skill set and my keen elven eyesight."
"I am ready to leave whenever the rest of you are. Preferably after Blue here drinks some coffee or water and whatnot."
Caron, to the group,
"We can depart as you wish. I am prepared."
He points to an old, rusty short sword he has slung off his belt.
"However, if you wish to depart in the morning, I will rise at dawn and wait for you outside."
Blue straightens up and almost immediately topples over backwards. He manages to catch his balance and he places his hands on his hips and looks at the Elf smugly.
'I'm good ta go now. Just point me at the eeeeevvvviiillll'
"Now, how long would you estimate it will take us to reach the tomb, Caron?" Tydeus asks. "I am prepared to leave myself, but I feel we may be safer if we make our expedition during the light of day. There are some evils which are more powerful in darkness."
Caron responds, "Hmmm... It's about 10 miles, but some of you are wearing heavy armor, which will slow us a bit. I would say if we left immediately we might make it shortly after moonrise. Fortunately I'm still rather spry for my age."
The elf remains silent but his eyes study the man.
Hummm, carries a short sword, but claims to be a fighter . . . It might be s trap. This guy might be a bandit trying to draw us out into the wilderness where his men are waiting. Or maybe it's just an old man with a short sword.
"Hummmm, I don't think we want to arrive at moonrise, fighting evil is best done in the light. Let's get some rest, sleep it off and get a fresh start in the morning don't you think?"
"I think that would be wise, your human eyes are all but useless in the dark. I vote we wait until just before dawn to set out, it will be light by the time we arrive and hopefully when we leave as well."
"Very well then," says Caron, "I shall be here before dawn and wait for you."
"I don't suppose one of you could spare a copper piece or two so that I might get an ale?"
"I'll buy a round. Anyone else thirsty? Hungry?"
'Always!' Blue returns to the bar and finishes the remnants of his flag on and holds it up to the barkeep.
Drizzle shakes his head.
"Not for me thanks, I think I will turn in shortly."
"Maud? Tydeus?"
Tydeus seems uncertain, but after a moment shrugs slightly and takes a flagon. "Just one for me, though," he says with a somewhat judgmental glance at Blue.
Maud, for her part, has already started heading upstairs.
Dawn!
Caron greets you in front of the tavern, as promised. He's wearing a small backpack in addition to his rusty short sword. In his one good hand, he's holding a long, gnarled and chipped wooden pole, roughly 10 feet in size. It looks like a giant used it for a toothpick.
"Good morning to you, adventurers!" he says with an enthusiasm absent yesterday. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yes, let's get on with it.", crabbed the elf.
"Yes, after a wonderful evening, I feel so connected and ready to set out.", Robious said cheerfully.
Blue stumbles to his feet from the shrub he had fallen in to and slept in the night before after hearing Caron bellowing out a greeting.
'Hunh? Uh, not so loud, not until after I've had my morning mead.' Blue grunts out. He disappears briefly into the Inn and reappears wiping his mouth and clearly in better spirits. The warrior also appears to have a few more waterskins with him.
Blue smiles to the rest of the group and pats one of the skins and smiles 'To take the edge off' he says as way of explanation.
The elf shakes his head.
"Then to be blunt, let's go!"
"Ah yes, keeping oneself hydrated is a virtuous endeavor."
You set out, with Caron leading the way. At first you follow a known road and quickly deviate into the woods on Caron's suggestion that he knows a shortcut.
The journey is uneventful and quiet. As you reach the last half mile and approach a large hill, you notice that it's too quiet. The birds have stopped singing and you don't even see any bugs flying around.
Caron is becoming visibly nervous and scared as you get closer.
As you make your way up the hill, the vegetation becomes more dense and tangled, with twisted, stunted trees surrounding you almost menacingly.
You see a small stone structure set in the ground, covered in a mess of vines and brush.
With great hesitation, Caron pulls out his sword and hacks away at the vines to reveal a 3' square opening with a stone staircase leading into the ground. A cool wind can be felt rising from the opening, accompanied by a damp musty smell.
"So this is it." Caron says. He extends the pole to the group as an offering. "You'll want to take this with you. If there's anything you need to leave out here, I will stay and watch over it. But I cannot -- I WILL not -- go any further."
'What assurance do we have that ya won't just take what we leave behind and run?' Blue asks, eyeing the one-armed man suspiciously.
Caron, now going from scared to sullen, "My friend, I can barely carry more than I already have with me. And I am quite fighting the urge to run right now. You cannot imagine the pain this place holds for me, just being this close to it."
He continues, looking around at the group,
"I have no assurance that any of you will make it out of that hell-hole alive to pay me for bringing you here. Though you do look like a hearty group, so perhaps luck will be on your side today."
Blue eyes Caron one last time before turning toward the opening.
'Well, I'm not goin' in first'
Robious flips the man his coin purse of 6 gp.
"Here, my last 6 gold pieces. Until we purge this den of stinking evil that is. We will see you when we come back out."
"What do you mean? It's always been fighters up front, well after the thief checks for traps."
"Maud, check this entrance will you? I'll look for secret entrances."
Drizzle prepares his sword and shield, then uses his keen senses to study the entrance and the mound.
Maud obligingly takes the pole and starts to tap around the first few steps, including the archway's ceiling. After finishing that inspection, she cautiously begins to step down the staircase.
Meanwhile, Tydeus says, "We'll need something to light our way down there. I, ah, I didn't pack a torch or lantern myself, but perhaps I should be the one to carry our light source? I'd prefer to stay in the center of the group, and I suspect the rest of you will benefit more from having two free hands than I would."
As the party ventures down the stairs, Caron calls down "Watch out for that blade trap! It's somewhere around the corner...!"
His voice fades out as you descend.
The stone stairs go down roughly 50 feet at a fairly sharp angle. The stones are covered in light moss, with weeds poking through several cracks. You notice that the growth stops the further you descend. The stairs end in a shadowy entrance that appears to be made of large stone bricks.
As you reach the bottom, you can see the entrance area. The walls of this large round room are blackened with soot from the countless unlit and partially burned candles on the floor against the walls. At the far end on the west wall is a large iron door.
On her first inspection, Maud does not detect any traps.