Jorlitharr yells "Aengus! Push me into the ribbon!"
he touches the stone and floats inside it.
Casts Meld into Stone:
You step into a stone object or surface large enough to fully contain your body, melding yourself and all the Equipment you carry with the stone for the Duration. Using your Movement, you step into the stone at a point you can touch. Nothing of your presence remains visible or otherwise detectable by nonmagical Senses.
While merged with the stone, you can't see what occurs outside it, and any Wisdom (Perception) checks you make to hear Sounds outside it are made with disadvantage. You remain aware of the Passage of time and can cast Spells on yourself while merged in the stone. You can use your Movement to leave the stone where you entered it, which ends the spell. You otherwise can't move.
Minor physical damage to the stone doesn't harm you, but its partial destruction or a change in its shape (to the extent that you no longer fit within it) expels you and deals 6d6 bludgeoning damage to you. The stone's complete destruction (or Transmutation into a different substance) expels you and deals 50 bludgeoning damage to you. If expelled, you fall prone in an unoccupied space closest to where you first entered.
Show Attribute List
Jorlitharr smiles and in a flash the magical energy is absorbed by the Urus rune. A silver streak zaps down his beard.
Purity of bedrock (Simple Property)::
While you are attuned to this rune, you have resistance to force damage. You may also expend a spell slot to reflect the force damage back to the creature who dealt it. This damage becomes radiant damage and automatically hits.
The dragon is engulfed in blinding sunlight but remains unslain.
Jorlitharr looks like a fish out of water gasping for air.
He steadies himself and grips the chain around his waist. He swings the stone hard behind him, leaning to one side. As it floats around him it's weight spins him slowly like a top towards the edge of the bubble.
"I knew you'd be able to help me. In the most ancient magic, that which is done with runes and gems, the amethyst represents the mind, thought and imagination."
He looks at the amethyst. "It's beautiful. It's just right." He looks back to the priestess.
"I'll give it back soon. In the meantime I'll need you to keep it safe like you always have."
Jorlitharr grows quiet and starts a rumble deep within his chest. It's low and builds in intensity. He reaches down and grabs the stone he keeps chained to his waist and rubs his shards of the heart of Tzchazzar. It glows like a coal. He reaches for the tip of his beard and presses it hard into the glowing ruby. The tip of his beard catches alight and he swiftly blows it out. He rubs his beard across his forehead drawing an ancient rune meaning "Beyond".
He reaches for the gem. "Hold it tight. And don't let it go." He says. Once I'm gone you'll be my only connection to the material plane. My roots.
And with a shout Jorlitharr disappears and the amethyst grows heavy.
Sister Alonsa closes her eyes and listens deeply to the poem. As Jorlitharr explains his plans she opens her eyes and gazes towards the mountain range. She gratefully accepts Jorlitharr's homecooked meal of the earth. After tasting it, she speaks for the first time. "Your cooking is exquisite," she says, "and these are all of my favorite foods."
Sister Alonsa eats and thinks for a couple moments. "We indeed must learn from Durgeddin's mistakes. He did not respect the mountain. He did not preserve the natural life of the underground creatures, and he exploited the mountain for his own personal greed. He was punished for his disrespect, and sad as it may have been, it was a warranted ending to his exploitation. And bringing a red dragon into the mountain..." She shakes her head slowly and sadly. "However, your discovery of the veins of ore is a blessing, a gift, a way to honor Dumathoin. And a way for this town to have a breath of life blown into it from honoring the Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain."
She places her fork down and looks at Jorlitharr right in the eyes. "I am confident that myself and the other Sisters can guide the proper removal the precious mithril ore from the mountain with the utmost reverence to its creator. We shall also work to preserve the mountain. In the morning, I shall speak with the Mayor and make the arrangements."
She leans in, with almost a twinkle in her eye. "Now, a giant broken dwarf, you say? I need to inspect this, and see if it is repairable. It could be the perfect guardian for the mountain."
They talk long into the night, then Sister Alonsa asks Jorlitharr to walk her back to the temple. "I shall look for you tomorrow and keep you informed of the progress I've made with the Mayor. Thank you so much for the meal and for your words." She touches him gently on the cheek and smiles fondly.
Jorlitharr cracks a wry smile before blushing a bit.
His attention wanders and his eyes grow wide and narrow to serious. "Do you have an Amethyst? I need a big one. A special one."
Jorlitharr finds a quiet area with a good view of the moon outside the eastern wall. He moves earth with a wave of his hand and a mumble of words. He fills the pit with sticks and wood and breathes fire embers into the pit starting them ablaze and eventually rakes them until they're a healthy bed of smoldering a glowing coals. Inside He places a heavy lidded iron cooking pot deep into the coal bed and places two potatoes on top of the lid. He slides a wide, flat stone over the top of the pit being sure to not seal the pit completely starving the coals of air.
He smiles with quiet satisfaction and waits for the priestess to arrive.
When she does he greets her and reads her a poem.
"Deep down beneath all things is the blood of Dumathoin. A vast ocean of molten metals and stones. Without Dumathoin gifts the races of the world would not be able to stand against the ancient and evil forces devoted to taking what others would build. Stone walls a bulwark. Steel hammers pound steel armors to protect. Stone wheels sharpen steel blades to draw wicked blood. The races of stone and steel are the shield upon which evil skulls shatter and wicked bones break. Those who have the gods favor will forever remain. "
Jorlitharr closes the ancient book of dwarven poetry.
Durrgadin fouled his halls with evil dragons to protect his treasures. I feel this is what doomed his people in the eyes of the gods and allowed the tide of orcs to overtake all he'd built. We must learn from his mistakes. A resplendent and precious artifact lays broken. A giant dwarf made from mithril once protected those deserving. I believe with your help we can repair its body and breath life back into its eyes and renew its purpose. You carry such favor with Dumathoin and your heart is free of selfishness and greed. You don't seek power or fame, just to serve the God that provides us with such gifts. I think you should be the steward of removing the gift of mithril from the Stone Tooth mountains properly and the preservation of the dwarven halls.
The doors of its vault are equipped with an arcane lock. It's key, four enchanted gems in the possession of my companions and I.
Jorlitharr finally pauses. He pulls aside the stone covering the pit and removes the cooking pot bare handed. After taking the potatoes off the pot and placing them into clay bowls. He removes the lid to reveal a savory pie wrapped in thick pastry crust inside a warm gravy filled with mushrooms, carrots, potatoes and cuts of rabbit.
"A meal made in earth filled with ingredients of the soils to bless Blasingdell's new chapter?"
"Sister, I feel as though this town has been blessed by Dumathoin, I'm sure your devotion is what's brought it upon us. When eradicating the draconic incursion we came across an extensive vein of fine Mithril as well as many ancient Dwarven treasures lost to time. Perhaps this being the greatest treasure."
He takes out the Ancient Book on Dwarven Mining. I felt this may be of particular interest to you. Such insight into the gifts of Dumathoin is something I thought a priestess like yourself...I think you'd be able to keep this knowledge and it could bring you closer to Dumathoin. I've read the book and gleaned what I could but I'm no miner and I'm no blacksmith. I wanted to give you this book for safe keeping
"There are two Dwarven women in this town that I feel will be leading it into it's next generation. The Mayor is a fine man but he lacks vision and commitment. I'm hoping you'd be willing to perform a ritual to cleanse the tunnels of evil magics and purify the soils and stones. There was evil magics and dragon taint...I still.." Jorlitharr brushes the Deep Red ruby embedded in his stone, hot to the touch.
"There's also an artifact that I believe could keep the mining operation safe. At the moment I'm not sure the town is up to the task of maintaining the protection of a valuable mining operation and protecting the town and surrounding farmlands. While the Orcs, the Ogre, the Dragon have all been dispatched..." he's clearly trying to brag and he raises his eyebrows with a smirk.
"You're a wise leader sir. The town is lucky to have you. I think spring will bring a rebirth to this town in more ways than one. Having you to lead them will carry them far. I'd love to help. I've taken quite a liking to your town. We have the luxury of the winter to make preparations I'd imagine not much beyond that will happen until after mud season."
Jorlitharr gets a slight smirk at the mention of 'mud season'.
_____________________________________________________________________
Jorlitharr looks to constable Whitestone.
"I'd be more than happy to help you with fortifications or planning financials or logistics but I'm not one who has much tactic skill in combat in the traditional sense. In fact, I avoided basic military training most Dorian dwarves get at a young age. I think Olias acting as a recruiter to fire up a young passionate workforce is a great idea."
Olias, I'll meet you in the Griffon's Nest. I think Oleksander and Thravum heading to Haven's Cross post haste is a wise decision. Oleksander seems to feel there are pressing issues that cannot wait. I'm confident we can handle things from here. If you're planning on making the trip back to Haven's Cross however it might be prudent to go with them so you're not making the trip alone."
"Oleksandr, thank you. You have many books to read, I'm happy taking this off your plate. I wont spoil it for you." Jorlitharr grins widely and takes the book from Oleksandr's grips with grubby grimy hands.
Olias smiles in return towards Mayor Berrick and Constable Dara. "It's so good to see you both again. You are correct in your assumption. The dragon is indeed slain and the hall is no longer haunted by its foul presence, due of course to the bravery and might of my fellow companions," Olias says, winking and gesturing towards his friends. "We'd very much like to help get the mining business back up and running, as well as figure out what to do with the Great Hall inside the mountain." He pauses for effect. "Perhaps later, after we settle in, we can discuss an arrangement we can all be comfortable with?"
Jorlitharr nods to Olias. "The dragon and it's.. spawn have been eradicated. I know our previous arrangement was to provide 10% of our loot to the town, but as my friend Olias explained, we have another potential offer for you that I think you'll find will be far more lucrative in the long run...one of the things we found when exploring these long abandoned ruins was a vein of a very precious metal. Mithril. It would appear the vein is extensive based on our initial observations.
Mister Mayor, We're prepared to offer you partial rights to the proceeds of this Mithril (after expenses of course). In exchange I will personally aid in the training by providing long forgotten knowledge not only in the mining of Mithril but also in it's smithing into finished goods. I think this is an unbelievable opportunity for your town. While we'll retain property rights on the Dwarven Hold, your town will have an opportunity for a booming economy. You're a very wise man I know, I'm quite sure your citizens will be ecstatic that their mayor led their town successfully to such a windfall. It could lead to generations of good fortune. I don't want to speak for everyone, but personally I'm very excited to invest in city with such potential.
As to the particulars, I believe Olias would like to handle those as he's quite skilled in negotiations, but I'll be staying near Blasingdell through at least the spring to assist in anyway I can.
He turned to Dara, I have some thoughts on how to properly defend such a valuable resource you may be interested in. I believe we may be able to repair and repurpose some of the systems the original owners were using to defend their holdings.
I'm willing to aid in cleaning and repairing damage done over the years. I could use a few dozen laborers to assist with hauling out what's left of the nefarious occupants and I'm willing to pay them for their time as a sign of good will and future relationships."
"I think those books on mithril mining and smiting may be Blasingdell's saviors. Their economy is struggling. Perhaps we could copy the book and provide them with copies."
"The paintings and statue are fine artwork that maybe best suited for display in your new estate."
"Once we've counted and distributed loot, I'll take my share. I'd like to stay in the mountain and Blasingdell area for the winter."
Jorlitharr will open the sealed note and read it to the group.
"I agree with you. The knowledge in these books will surely improve these peoples lives...."
Jorlitharr frowns a bit. "I know you're a very smart chi...er man, but things such as this shouldn't be 'parsed'...but yes eventually copies."
"I'll stay here for the winter. I'd like to spend some time in the Temple in town, speaking with the mayor and.."
He pauses and looks at each of his companions.
"Do we want to claim this hall? Or are we prepared to give rights to the town?"
I'm never one to pass up some choice real estate. I say we keep it!
"Perhaps we should work out some sort of agreement with the town, their economy is struggling and this real estate would be far more valuable with a thriving town close by. Perhaps we could form a rental agreement with the town? Give them rights for mining these Mithril veins under the condition they maintain the property or something to that effect? We could even negotiate a cut I suppose."
"I think those books on mithril mining and smiting may be Blasingdell's saviors. Their economy is struggling. Perhaps we could copy the book and provide them with copies."
"The paintings and statue are fine artwork that maybe best suited for display in your new estate."
"Once we've counted and distributed loot, I'll take my share. I'd like to stay in the mountain and Blasingdell area for the winter."
Jorlitharr will open the sealed note and read it to the group.
"I agree with you. The knowledge in these books will surely improve these peoples lives. This mayor won't be able to make heads or tails of it though. It will take quite some study to parse and find the most important information. Let me takes these works to Haven's Cross where I have an a proper library. I will be able to consume them faster than the 10 wisest men in Blasingdell working together. I will have Myra deliver scrolls with where to begin and eventually have the entire work copied properly."
Jorlitharr frowns a bit. "I know you're a very smart chi...er man, but things such as this shouldn't be 'parsed'...but yes eventually copies."
"I'll stay here for the winter. I'd like to spend some time in the Temple in town, speaking with the mayor and.."
He pauses and looks at each of his companions.
"Do we want to claim this hall? Or are we prepared to give rights to the town?"
"I think those books on mithril mining and smiting may be Blasingdell's saviors. Their economy is struggling. Perhaps we could copy the book and provide them with copies."
"The paintings and statue are fine artwork that maybe best suited for display in your new estate."
"Once we've counted and distributed loot, I'll take my share. I'd like to stay in the mountain and Blasingdell area for the winter."
Jorlitharr will open the sealed note and read it to the group.
"I am Jorlitharr Deepflagon great great great grand nephew of Grumbarr Deepflagon. I call the earth my home. I intend to rid this mountain of evil so its beauty and riches can be appreciated by those who can, as Durrindal would have hoped. We have slain the orcs that stole this mountain and the evil serpent and its brood which claimed these vaults."
....make his way back to the vault door and lift the gem (The earth I believe?) that gave off a beam of light pointed towards the vial at the far end of the room and attempt to further discern the nature of the lock.
The doors before you are shut. You think deeply about the events surrounding the vault doors. You remember that as soon as all of the gems were placed in the door (left to right: topaz, diamond, sapphire, ruby), the giant hourglass appeared. Olek pondered, then pushed on the doors; the hourglass disappeared and the doors opened inwards. You saw a long, deep chasm of stone and a little ledge at the far end. You worked out the topaz from the door and as soon as you did, a Dwarven voice boomed the words: “The thick repository of all that is/volcanoes spew me, earthquakes chew me/Always beneath I exist.” A steady beam of light shot out from the gem and focussed on a sparking vial across the chasm before you.
You recall how the gems fit perfectly into the square slots in the door. The slots are carved into the wooden door, and as you focus on the door you feel the glimmer of abjuration magic keeping it tightly shut. You also sense the illusion spell that created the hourglass.
You shift your focus to the light brown gem in your hand. You sense deep magic within, and the longer you concentrate the more detailed your glimpses become. You feel a transmutation spell wrapped around the entire gem… You feel an evocation spell twinkling within the depths of the gem….. After ten minutes, you feel the rumble of a spirit within, and sense that an elemental is currently trapped within the facets of the gem……..
Jorlitharr calls Myra, "Hey Myra, you think you could snatched that vial for me?"
The top of the large egg splinters under the weight of Jorlitharr's hit. A sallow yellow liquid oozes from the cracks, followed by a dusky smell reminiscent of the red dragon in the room.
One chest lays submerged about three feet in the water on the western wall, unopened.
There are no doors on the walls that you can see. However, as Jorlitharr stands upon the high nest of stones, he notices that the floor in the northwestern corner of the room is sitting slightly lower. Thravum, you also notice something as you are walking around smashing chests; you feel the floor shift subtlety as you walk over a spot in the north, like the movement of a loose floorboard in a house. Marked on battlemat by dotted lines.
Jorlitharr will use the extended length of chain and grappling hook to wrap and hook the submerged chest and try to drag it onto dry land using the help of his companions. If they succeed he'll make his way back to the vault door and lift the gem (The earth I believe?) that gave off a beam of light pointed towards the vial at the far end of the room and attempt to further discern the nature of the lock.
"Oleksandr and Olias, can you finish identifying the necklace and the bracelet?"
Olek picks up the bracelet and hands the necklace to Olias. He tries to discern if there are any dwarven runes engraved in it that may help in identifying its true purpose.
Also, detect magic?
"We still have that room behind the large doors that we unlocked with the gems to investigate. I'm curious what it may hold considering how much effort went in to protecting it."
"I think we're IN what it was protecting ultimately, though there's clearly at least one room between the front door and the back. Some damage allowed us to circumvent the vault door I think."
Thravum stumps over and grabs the mithril hammer from the pile he's made.
"Want me to smash or ye got a plan, Dusty?"
"Busting em seems as good as any other plan, I was thinking we could pack the bars in the chests Olias popped open. Once we get the mole up here, it'll have no trouble hauling most of this back. "
Jorlitharr will let his flail drop hard enough to crush the egg, but not swing hard enough to spatter it's contents onto himself.
"Well then." he says with a sigh of relief.
"I think we should get these chests open and count what we have. Carry what we can and I can bury the rest with almost no chance of it being found by anyone other than us. "
"Oleksandr and Olias, can you finish identifying the necklace and the bracelet?"
He turns to Thravum and motions to the locked chests while grabbing the chain around his waist with a wide grip and the runestone poised over his shoulder. "Shall we?"
"Tell you what, I'll give you 3,000 gold for your share of the egg."
"What are you planning on doing with it? If you are too destroy it then I do not want your gold. I can assist in buying out the others shares though."
Olek gazes upon the treasures in the room with a concerned look.
"This is all ours by right, but I do agree that blasingdell could use some support. We should evaluate the town's leadership though. I'd hate to see our gifts squandered by incompetence. Perhaps we could arrange for someone from the guild to help evaluate the needs and then arrange and oversee the contracts?"
Then of course is the matter of getting this all out of here. News of this much wealth could start a riot."
He's quiet for a moment.
"I want to see what's in the other room."
"Red dragons are a blight no different than demons, devils or undead. They exist purely to bring about ruin and destruction. Theyre responsible for many dwarven deaths and homes lost. Women. Children."
"We've gotten plenty of loot here and I've bought Olias' share. Thravum is fine with destroying it."
He looks to Oleksandr with a slight desperation while he stands with the egg, flail in hand.
"Olias, how much are you willing to sell the egg for?"
"I imagine it would sell for at least 1,000, maybe even 10,000 gold pieces, if not more. These must be exceedingly rare. Think Ole Bill would be interested?"
Considering the conversation between Thravum and Jorlitharr, Olias responds. "We just took down a gods-damned dragon to free this place. I think that entitles us to the treasures."
"Tell you what, I'll give you 3,000 gold for your share of the egg."
"I'm a bit troubled. This isn't quite like some of the other loot we've gathered on our travels. This belongs to the ancestors of Durgeddin, not us. Though...Thravum's is kin in a way. But it seems they no longer lay a claim to it, as far I know Grimrock hasn't tried recover it."
"Them at The Rock don't need this. Clans'r rotten at the core. Too much riches already, that's the problem. I'm thinkin we get Durgederin's heirs back in here minin, buildin, an making- we done good enough by them."
"How many them mithril bars ya think it'd take to get a Smith to turn these scales into a new suit? Maybe Guldir?"
"I deal more in stone and gems than metals, but I think you'll be able to afford it. I'd imagine it's in Guldar's ability. Not sure about finding Durgeddin's heirs, but I'm sure it would be great for Blasingdell's economy."
That shield looks to be arguably the finest and most powerful artifact we have found so far, though I haven't examined the weapons."
Jorlitharr will also motion to the door outline. "seems like the dragon found another way in.. I think we know where the front and the back of the passage is, wonder what's in the middle or in that vial.."
Jorlitharr takes time before the rest to work on harvesting from the dragon's corpse.
He's quiet but seems at ease. He makes a small clay bowl fills it with dirty water from the pool and then uses his magic to draw the bits of earth and mud out from the water into his palm that he sprinkles onto the floor. He rinses his hands of dragon blood and then smashes the bowl on the floor.
He swims back to retrieve his chained Stein Rune by using a chisel to break the small pin holding his chain to the longer chain attached to the grappling hook.
He ties it back around his waist and drops the large stone into a large outer pocket of his robe before swimming back to his companions. When he awakes he'll skip breakfast and continue working on harvesting the scales and teeth of the dragon.
Then he'll start working on learning the properties of the non-weapon magical items that have been found.
"I'm a bit troubled. This isn't quite like some of the other loot we've gathered on our travels. This belongs to the ancestors of Durgeddin, not us. Though...Thravum's is kin in a way. But it seems they no longer lay a claim to it, as far I know Grimrock hasn't tried recover it."
He pauses in thought, holding his forehead.
"There are 12 chests. That means we could split them among the four of with three chests each, or we could each take two leaving two unaccounted for. Perhaps investing in Blasingdell may be something to consider. It would be a shame for this city to continue to struggle and it's sustained quite a bit of damage from the orcs and the dragon."
Jorlitharr clambers out of the murky water and charges recklessly at the dragon, finally on the ground.
this provokes a single attack of opportunity from the dragon at advantage
Your axe slices across the dragon's chest. Blood spills everywhere.
Jorlitharr swims awkwardly through the mucky water after throwing the mace as far as he can ahead of him in the water. As it's about to break the surface of the water a glob if wet earth collects around the mace hurtling out if the water.
Dex save or 4d8 ⇒ (4, 5, 8, 8) = 25 bludgeoning Damage (ignoring any bludgeoning resistance
"You stole your home like a coward, you stole your treasures like a coward and you ran from a fight like a coward. Accept your death with dignity you s**+ lizard."
Jorlitharr lifts the fallen mace as the lines etched in his foreheard shimmer.
Olek seems slightly obsessed with this puzzle of a room and continues to examine the gems while talking to Jorlitharr over his shoulder.
You can't seem to get the other gems out of the door. You can get your fingers around them but they are not budging.
No matter which way Jorlitharr turns, the gem he holds shines a beam towards the small sparkle in across the deep chasm. The light makes the plentiful, drippy stalactites shimmer.
Jorlitharr carefully puts the gem down and jump back in the water.
"Provided Jorlitharr can get the beast to chase him, and he can get back through in time, I could make the dragon think the exit of the tunnel is much longer than it is. And when she enters it starts collapsing on her."
"Good idea, after we should try to get away from the edge of the water to force it onto the stone. Depending on which direction you'd make the collapse on."
"Hmm, this is curious but we probably shouldn't give that dragon time to rest. Perhaps we should return to pursuit. How deep of a breath will we need to get through that tunnel?"
As he speaks he pries at the blue gem inquisitively, trying to see if it can be removed.
