Hi, everyone! This is the campaign where I'll be running my parts of this quest series. Please dot and delete and come chat in the discussion thread!
The River Kingdoms is a tumultuous land of bloodthirsty bandits, treasure-laden ruins, and self-proclaimed kings, and for years it has been the subject of study for Ulisha, a curious and capable half-orc explorer. Shortly after performing a heist that enraged the local nobility, she came across a collapsing stone circle and discovered Silverhex, an enchanted sickle used by druids millennia before. She did not have long to admire her find, though, for the nobles had posted a bounty to end her meddling for good. Unable to deal with her pursuers on her own, she has contacted you. If you can raise enough money, she’s willing to sell you Silverhex at a steep discount and then pay off her bounty. By the time you arrive at Ulisha’s meeting place, she is nowhere to be found. However, she left behind her journal full of profitable leads as a sign of good faith.
Following the first clue, you go to the town of Gralton, and its cemetary. Your clue was the following:
"Excepts from Ulisha’s Journal (Mausoleueu m)
The only thing worse than working for a Galtan nobleman is working for two Galtan noblemen—in my case, Lords Tullivor and Sarvio, both of whom are happy only when the other is not. I made a tidy sum recovering their heirlooms, but when Laban Tullivor tasked me to steal a platinum chalice belonging to the Sarvios, I took my leave (and the cup), and they’ve been hounding me since. Now Laban’s deceased, and it’s rumored his mausoleum in Gralton’s cemetery harbors a treasure. I hope you’ll not balk at tomb-robbing. Remember, these are aristocrats. I say, a plague on both their houses!"
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A red headed dwarf with carefully kempt hair, beard and equipment joins the group and looks over the journal.
"Well, I'm not a fan of other people's leftovers, but it's hard to pass up profit someone else has done the hard work of finding," he says, after offering his name as Thurgar Ironhead.
He certainly does not balk at tomb robbing, though chatting up the locals is not his forte so he waits to hear of any information anyone else has gathered before moving ahead.
"Name is Crowe. I kill."
A dark skin human nods to the party. He gives out a 'man of few words' vibe, as he controls his emotion.
Crowe reach for his earthbreaker and nods to Thurgar to express his appreciation.
"......"Crowe does not have anything new to contribute to the team, for now.
Lara and Thurgar know Laban Tullivor was a corrupt and cruel man. Before dying, he boasted about the treasure to be entombed with him as well as about a magical trap that could be bypassed by “one who earns Tullivors’ thanks.”
For a small city, Gralton boasts an ostentatious cemetery, with the tombs of wealthy Galtan refugees evoking their lost glories. You find the gates ajar and no guards on duty, which you know is unusual.
Please place your tokens in the red box on the map linked at the top of the page.
Crowe draws out his earthbreaker, anticipating troubles.
Please roll perception checks, everyone.
The blue arrow points to your goal mausoleum.
There is a human form slumped over a small marble pedastal.
When you approach the bust, a voice speaks, "When the last sun falls upon this spot, receive my thanks"
The body is that of a young human male dressed in a noble’s outfit with his hands bound with rope. He wears a belt buckle resembling a badger and that the deceased’s facial features somewhat resemble the bust’s.
The body was killed with a short sword and also bears scratches on his face.
There are two sets of humanoid footprints surrounding the pedestal (easy survival check to follow). A matching set of prints is also near the cemetery gates, accompanied by hoof prints.
Crowe didn't notice anything.
Lara and Thurgar?
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Thurgar strokes his beard in a thoughtful manner. Looking closely, you might note his eyes darting from one of his companions to another hopefully. Yet, his hopes are dashed and he begins to think in earnest when no one else comes up with a solution.
He does know a thing or two about tracks, though so he goes to see what he can see about them.
"If the hawks come for us, I will smash them into pieces."
Crowe follows Thurgar, who seems to know what we're doing.
You follow the tracks, and find another tomb. This alabaster tomb evokes a past age of Galtan architecture, including a ten-foot spire atop a broad dome. Its awnings teem with sculpted white raptors. An iron gate bears the motto, “Last to Fall.”
Crowe is perceving...
You notice a horse tied near one corner of the mausoleum, and see a young woman and a hawk concealing themselves behind the mausoleum. Seeing that you noticed her, she approaches you to talk.
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Seeing someone with a hawk, given what they've already discovered, Thurgar is immediately suspicious.
He tries not to show it, though and approaches the woman.
"Seems like someone got the order of operations wrong, doesn't it?" he says gesturing back towards the slain young man with gallows humor.
"They're supposed to be dead before you bring them to the cemetery."
The woman nods, but seems to find an explanation unnecessary. “The Tullivor mausoleum contains an object rightly belonging to us. If you help me retrieve it, you may earn the Sarvios’ gratitude.”
The woman looks shocked and offended that you do not recognize her, then introduces herself haughtily as Rhiannon Sarvio.
No, it was supposed to be the way to get into that dratted tomb.