Each of you received a missive from you Venture-Captain. The message concise and curt. "Make your way to the River Kingdoms...Emerald Spire has been opened up for exploration. A contact will meet you in Fort Inevitable.....
By horse, boat, and foot, you've all made your way up to the rolling plains near the West Sellen River. Looming above you is Fort Inevitable, a formidable stronghold of Hell Knights bent on bringing law and order to this lawless land, and providing the only safe place to conduct commerce for dozens, if not hundreds of miles around.
Walking through the cheerless, drab cobblestone streets, populated by by two and three story tiled roofed buildings, the inhabitants are an industrious and serious lot, though lacking a welcoming mien.
Sitting in a quiet tavern, you are approached my a man dressed in the fashion of Brevoy and carrying an Aldori dueling sword on his hip. He glances around the subdued common room, then says. "You must be the recruits they sent up to risk your lives in the Spire, eh?" He says, shaking his head. "Name's Vitor. Vitor Bresnarov."
Grabbing a chair, he seats himself at the table and motions to the barkeep. "The Spire is six miles to the northeast. If you require anything, buy it here. There's nothing else around for miles." Taking a long drink from the tankard set in front of him by the serving maid, he continues. "I can't tell you much about the Spire, having never delved it myself. In fact, you lot will be the first to document it. Any questions you have, I'll try to answer the best I can."
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"Steve" is a wrinkled, gaunt elf who appears ready to pass onto Pharasma's Boneyard at a moment's notice. He wears very poor clothing and has only made minor attempts to keep his clothes clean (though his hair is perfectly straight.) He carries little gear beyond a spell component pouch and a knife, the latter of which looks rarely used.
Attending him Flapping around the room as if on fire, making "Wok! Wok, wok!" sounds during the meeting is a bird of more seafaring origins.
The elf, failing to acknowledge the bird, wakes up from a momentary nap started during the briefing. "What's, huh? Meetin'?" he looks around the room in a daze. "Must'a I dozed off again, baw haw haw! Nah, I was listening. Learned that one in the Naptakers Guild." Steve nods as his bird continues to be a persistent nuisance, matching the grating laughter of the old man. "What's gonna kill us getting up to this Jade Tower through the woods?"
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"Rest assured. We will bring great justice to this Emerald Spire!" A large half orc stands before you six and a half feet tall. His light green skin is heavily scarred though it serves to make him more dashing instead of less. He also has a thick beard. On his back is a crossbow of Qadiran make and a very large axe.
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A young man of above average height, with brown eyes and hair, enters the tavern. He is tanned and appears stout, probably a farmer's boy. His equipment while common, appears to be new. He looks around and comes to the table. You notice the brand new tabard with the symbol of Liberty's Edge sewn to it.
"The society sent me here, said I was to meet some others. I assume you are they? I am not sure what to do next, this is all so new." He takes an open seat. "My name is James Shieldworn. I arrived not a few days ago, apparently someone couldn't make the trip and they sent me."
He looks around the table and smirks. "Don't worry, I know how to use these." tapping the sword on his hip and the shield on his back. "These, while new, are not unknown to me, it's this." he says as he pulls at the tabard, obviously new to wearing one.
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A lithe, well proportioned woman with red-tinged skin, red hair and a strange instrument on her lap - some sort of piano, but much, much smaller - sits slightly off to the side, playings a complicated tune.
"Greetings, Vitor; I am called Nuria. I work for the Scrolls". A gnome in the archives down in Absalom told me of Azlanti ruins in this region. I was intrigued enough to travel north and learn the truth of the matter./b] She pauses to play a complicated, rising series of musical notes. [b]"There must be something of the history or the local news that you can tell us of the spire. Do you know any stories regarding the spire?
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"Yes, where are my manners. I am Torque, Lawbringer of the Master of the First Vault. An old friend of mine recruited me and told me about this place. I will cut down the trees of chaos with my axe of justice!"
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"I know if'n we have seven hours of boat ride to the Green Pillar, I'm gonna be sawin' some logs, baw haw haw!" a drowsy Steve retorts.
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"Wok wok wok!" Dumb Bird flaps around, mocking/imitating the elf as he laughs.
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"Oh, you haven't missed much my friend." Nuria smiles sweetly at Damien and carefully eyes the young man. "It is a pleasure to meet you Damien. I'm glad to see the society has sent someone of quality. Vitor here was just telling us that he knows nothing of the spire. I find it hard to believe that such a wondrous location has not been the seed for many a fine tale."
I must have heard something about this places. A tower of emerald! Some tale of it must have reached even distant Qadira.
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"Chaotic trees? I've never heard of such a thing." A pale young man with copper tinged shoulder length hair inquires with a sarcastic tone as he enters the inn. "Name is Damien, new recruit of the society. Have you started the briefing early? Are we to be lumberjacks?"
'They're metaphors my friend! For chaos and injustice will grow like a redwood if no one is there to cut it down. So yes we are to be lumberjacks of sorts. Of law and order."
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"Axe? I ain't using no beardystumper tools! Next you'll be saying we're going underground and I aught'a buy me a pickaxe and mining helmet!" Steve shakes his fist in frustration, like old folks do. "Heck, my mom'd whip me silly if she knew I was hanging about folks who wanna go be woodsmen, Calistria rest her bones." Steve shakes his head, "Cutting down perfectly good home building locales..."
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Responding to Nuria, Vitor says. "The Spire is thought to be ancient, heh.....no one knows for sure who built it. Most scholars believe it is an Azlanti ruin or workshop."
Shrugging, he says. "People in the past have entered the Spire, but few have returned to tell about it. A wizard explored the upper levels a few years back, but never returned from his last delve. After this much time, its hard telling what may lay in wait. I've heard this area was once overrun by goblins in the distant past, led by some goblin king named Zog or something. Aside from that, I don't know."
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After procuring any last minute equipment, the party hikes out to the Emerald Spire. As you approach the crumbling ruin, you notice that the name is not a misnomer as the spire is constructed of a strange, green glassy material.
Getting closer, you see the stone staircase that led up to the tower’s door is now nothing more than a rubble-strewn cliff. On the tower’s south side, a dirt path winds up the steep embankment to a pitch-black doorway.
The footpath climbs up to a jagged hole in the side of the green glass tower. The light outside the tower does not penetrate into the building more than a few feet. Beyond that, it’s pitch black, though Torque and Buria have no problem seeing further in.
As you near, Torque and Nuria can see half-melted blocks of green glass lie thick on the floor. A crumbling archway to the north leads into another chamber, while a door to the west leads into the round tower at the southwest corner of the building. To the east, a barricade of rubble and wooden stakes blocks a passage leading into the tower.
The two one with darkvision try to provide some illumination to the companions, but then everyone quickly notices that as soon as Nuria's floating light globes get more than five feet away, they are swallowed up by the darkness!
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"Wow," Steve notes at the kinda-darkness. "I was just about to complain how bright it was gonna be down there, baw haw haw!"
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"Wonder how far it goes..." Steve ponders. "What if'n one of you hunks puts this shawl on and Missy here can keep a light on you. Fish out whatever's in there, if anything. Heck," Steve looks to the Ifrit and Cleric, "We ain't quiet anyways. What's say we drive these here lights around and go fishing? Maybe it's just the room."
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Damien conjures a ball of light onto his dagger and appears perturbed by its lack of effect. "Torque, i think your trees may be absorbing a bit too much light. Maybe I should have bought an axe before I left." The man nervously jests in the darkness.
"I told you so. The trees of anarchy are absorbing the light of Justice in here." Torque then looks to Steve. "Is it a Shawl of Law and Order?"
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Steve deadpans, "It's full'a your lifeforce, sonny. When you're wearing it, its named whatever you want it to be. Alls I knows is it'll reverberate life into you if you break your hip er something like that." He ponders and dozes a little, "Though I guess since you're the law around here, it kinda is full'a order'n'law...?"
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Sorry, I meant wight, not ghoul "If you wish I can lead the way, so that at least we have some hope of spotting those who wish us harm."
Steve digs out a 2 torches, "Anyone got a light, baw haw haw!" He also digs out a flint and tinder to light it. He will then chuck one into the tower, "Only you can prevent forest fires! BAW haw haw!"
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Nuria can see that the chamber the party is entering is about fifteen square feet, with exits to the north and south. Broken glass and rubbish litters the floor everywhere, making it difficult to walk.
Nuria leads the way south, clambering over rubble and into a relatively debris free area. The ifrit can see that this curving room, a door leads east. A small table with four rickety chairs sits in the middle of the room. A pair of dice lies on the table amid cups and plates.
As the party enters, you suddenly hear screams from behind, as Nuria sees a goblin riding wretched looking dog coming toward the party, bow drawn!
Out of the drakness, Torque sees an arrow fly in and land next to him!