Group 4 Narrative

[EricStratton]

One previously uneventful morning at the Douven Stahl School of Adventuring Master Stahl, a kind, tough old dwarf, told one of his prized pupils, Sagar Redbeard, that he was leaving on urgent business.

Weeks later, having not heard back from his master, Sagar put the call out to other former standout students of the Adventure school to help find their missing master.

On their way to the town of Winterhaven they were ambushed by kobolds! It was a good fight as each student got a feel for outside-the-classroom combat and in the end the kobolds were dispatched.

Once in Winterhaven they hit the local tavern - Wrafton's. While Jagged was chatting up the pretty, young elf girl, Sagar and, the newly arrived, Greebo were talking to the old mage, Valthrun who happened to be an old friend of Stahl's and the reason for the dwarf's departure from the school.

Speaking with Valthrun they learned their master had come to Winterhaven to assist the town with a recent kobold uprising. But Stahl believed something else was going on. Unfortunately, Valthrun hadn't seen him recently either. The group eventually learns that Valthrun and Douven believe a cult of the demon prince Orcus has moved into or around town. Valthrun also tells them Douven was last seen heading to a nearby excavation site.

Cilene and Mazirith also made the acquaintance of the town's leader - Lord Padraig. He ended up offering our adventurers a reward for dealing with the kobold threat.

The group heads for the excavation site to find their teacher. They encounter a little gnome named Agrid. He tried to trick our heroes into walking into the crater with him but his ruse was spotting and a fight ensued. Our heroes were victorious capped off by Rend making a daring leap from the crater's edge on to Agrid. In the crater, under a tarp they discovered their long lost Master Douven.

He tells his students that the workers here had found an idol of Orcus and that the "bad guys" must not be allowed to keep it. He shows them a hidden door in the middle of the crater and sends them down into a series of rooms and tunnels.

Down in the tunnels Greebo takes over. He bullies the kobold guards to allow the group passage. It's during his exchange with one particular kobold wyrmpriest named Moskig we learned how a nasty goblin named Irontooth defeated the kobold's original leader, Issitik, and took control of the kobold clan - The Clan of the Withered Arm. It's Irontooth that has been ordering the kobolds to raid the local population. Moskig is told to get lost with the promise to get rid of Irontooth if the kobolds will stop their raiding.

The group moves on and comes face to face with the idol's protectors - a White Dragon Wyrmling and a small army of kobolds. It's an intense fight but the group puts down the guardians and takes possession of the idol.

[EricStratton]

Back in town we meet back up with Douven and Valthrun. Valthrun explains the history of the large, crumbling keep to the north of town:


"Two hundred years ago, this entire region south of the Cairngorms was a stronghold of the cult of Orcus. The cult deliberately created a gap between this world and another realm - the Shadowfell. Although not inherently evil, the Shadowfell is fraught with dangers, and through the gap between worlds the cult brought forth skeletons, zombies, and even fouler creatures.

"In those days, fortunately, the Empire of Nerath was still strong. A legion was dispatched to quell the threat. They destroyed the undead, sealed the rift, and built a keep to keep watch over the location and contain the threat. Today, however, that keep lies in ruins.

"You see, only two short decades after the empire withdrew its influence from this part of the world, the commander of the garrison - a man by the name of Sir Keegan - began to systematically slaughter every resident of the keep, starting with his own wife and daughter.

"Some versions of this tale say that Sir Keegan succeeded - that everyone in the keep was slaughtered. Many such tales claim that this was a sacrifice to a dark god - presumably Orcus - and that Sir Keegan now lives in a sickly paradise within another world - a reward for his bloody gift of tribute.

"But since there is, in fact, a story to be told, I suspect the other version of the tale is probably true: Sir Keegan was too skilled for any single soldier to defeat, but eventually the remaining garrison rallied an organized defense. Although many brave soldiers died, Sir Keegan was slain before his dark work could be completed. Following Sir Keegan's death, the keep became notorious and the tales grew in the telling. The surviving guards scattered, and with the empire gone there was no one to put the keep back into service. So it was abandoned, feared for a time, and - eventually - more or less forgotten. At some point during the last century, an earthquake reportedly collapsed the upper towers and walls.

"Rumors persist of great treasures buried beneath the keep, yet there are few tales of anyone daring to explore the ruins. A popular tale in the area was that old Sir Keegan's ghost still roamed the corridors beneath the keep, wailing his grief and rage. But even this tale has faded with time, and the story of the wailing ghost is used to frighten children. Although the keep is still considered bad luck by most people in these parts, it has largely been forgotten as was it's original purpose."

Douven explains that it's his belief that the Orcus cultists are planning to use the idols to perform a ritual to reopen the gap between worlds again and, if that were to occur, we'd all be doomed. Our heroes handle the news well and set off for the Keep the next morning.

[EricStratton]

On the way they run into a kobold blockade. Cilene has some problems with traps and Jagged makes a mess but the fight goes well and the group moves on.

Finally arriving at the Keep, the group descends the stairs into the lower levels where they encounter goblin guards. Mazirith took a bad step and ended up falling into a pit trap with some nasty rats. It took a bit but our friends won the battle although the rats did prove troublesome.

Moving on they headed to the NW and discovered a very large, gross hobgoblin torturer and his torture chamber. Thanks to Greebo's silver tongue the adventurers were able to get the drop on the torturers and Jagged made such quick work of the hobgoblin, he didn't even get to react. The fight proved to be a pain with the goblins able to hide under tables but, again, our heroes came out as the winners.

Deep in the torture chamber's jail cell they discover the kobold Issitik - leader of The Clan of the Withered Arm. The group offers to help him get rid of Irontooth in exchange for a cessation of all kobold hostilities. Issitik agrees and everyone leaves the Keep to make for the Kobold Lair.

Once at the Lair Issitik is quickly able to rally his troops including Moskig and the fight with Irontooth is short and sweet. There's a minor hiccup as some kobold allies are fired upon. Issitik doesn't take kindly to this and ends up keeping his magical armor instead of gifting it to our heroes. But he's true to his word and he puts the word out to all his fellow Withered Arm clanmates to leave the area immediately to head to their maternal nests.

Issitik informs the group that a priest of Orcus named Kalarel is behind the movement to reopen the rift. And that Moskig, the wyrmpriest, has volunteered to assist in the fight against Kalarel.

Our heroes dinged level 2!!

[EricStratton]

The group heads back to town to rest and learn their new skills. Their beauty sleep is interrupted by a zombie attack led by the hideous undead servant of Orcus known as Maw. The heroes act quickly and are able to save the townspeople from harm. But it seems the attack had a source! We head down to the graveyard where we find Jagged's girl, Ninaran, commanding the undead army. She's guarded by skeletons, zombies, and undead hounds. The adventurers fight their way through the graveyard, killing Ninaran and deactivating the magical rune that kept the undead creatures animated.

The group is tired but they press on going back to the Keep to stop the ritual. Back inside the Keep they come upon Balgron the Fat and his soldiers. It's a tough battle and Balgron escapes. The search is on! Our protagonists find themselves in an excavation site where goblins are looking for treasure that, it turns out, amounted to a pair of magical glasses. Jagged performs a clever move in which he runs up the side of a earthen mound, grabs one of the goblins by the ankles, and throws him to the ground.

Still no sign of Balgron, though. Moving on, the group heads into a dark cavern teaming with rats. Discretion being the better part of valor, they back out and head to the western side of the Keep.

The area is a set of tunnels with zombies and fear inducing terror runes carved into the floor. After the group helps Jagged take out the zombies, they head south deciding that stopping the ritual was more important than clearing the area.

[EricStratton]

The group finds themselves in a long hallway lined with coffins. The sarcophagi themselves appear empty until the group decides to move on. Their progress triggers the release of a Skeletal Legion led by a large Troop Captain.

While bruised and battered at the end of the fight, our heroes emerge victorious taking with them the Troop Captain's +1 Defensive Sword.

Down the hallway they find two alters to the god Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon. It seems if the adventurers had prayed to the Dragon at one of these alters, it might have silenced the undead legion.

Searching the alters Rend discovers six small statues of Bahamut which Sagar believes will have some future use.

[EricStratton]

Proceeding on the group enters a small crypt. Before they are able to open the tomb it opens itself in a most explosive manner out of which steps an armored skeleton the party finds out is Sir Keegan who tells the group his story.

"I was commander here in Shadowfell Keep. It was my charge to keep the rift sealed, lest Orcus's unholy powers once again seep into the world. But I failed in my responsibility. I allowed the influence of the Shadow Rift and my knowledge of the crumbling empire to distract me from my sworn oath. The corruption that lies on the other side of the rift touched me and triggered disaster."

His skeletal shoulders sink. "My crimes...were most vile. Orcus's taint soaked through the rift and into my dreams. A madness overcame me. I was possessed! In a rage, I drew my sword and slew my wife and children. From that bloody deed I moved outward, attacking my captains, one by one, killing them even as they stared in shock. I had become a murderous fiend!

"Finally the alarm went up, and what remained of the legion banded together against me. Even in my rage, I knew I couldn't best them all, so I fled into the crypts to hide from vengeance. Only then did the madness lift. I realized what I had done and despaired. I had killed my love and broken my oath. More than that, I had done so with my sword, Aecris, an implement given to me by King Elidyr when I was knighted.

"The remnants of my legion sealed the passage and trapped me here. I selected this as a fitting place to spend eternity."

"If one as strong as you was corrupted, is there any way we can avoid your fate?" Sagar asks.

"Avoid my fate...." The fallen knight pauses in thought and reflection. Looking at Sagar with his hollow eyes, he says "Stay strong in your faith." He looks over the rest of you and continues. "Find something you find dear to you and hold on it to and fight for it."

His gaze falls on Mazirith. "And you, swordsman. Take Aecris. Perhaps this elegant weapon, unlike me, can be redeemed. I give it to you that you might purge Shadowfell Keep of those who work to open the rift."

After a nice long rest, the party continues on. They move north through the maze-like crypt and end up setting off one of the terror rune traps. They are accosted by zombies which are easily dispatched.

Rend then notices a part of the crypt wall that doesn't look quite right. The group discovers the wall is actually a hidden door which is quickly opened. Behind the door is an empty room. But Greebo discovered the far wall is actually an illusion behind which hid a couple gravehounds, a ghoul, a specter, and a Phantom Master once known as Lt. Clayton Lazard, a soldier of the Keep.

The battle is a close one and while the specter got away the party is successful in beating the undead creatures. A plaque on the wall attracts the party's attention and they are presented with a riddle which Greebo easily solves. A junky suit of armor is then transformed into a gleaming suit of Whiteflame Chainmail which Sagar gets.

[EricStratton]

Chainmail snuggly in place on the dwarf's shoulders, the group moves finally to the stairs leading down to the second floor.

Rend is given a challenge phrase but no one knows the reply. Instead the group charges into the room to fight the hobgoblins. A couple of grunts break off from the fight and are able to unleash a very angry Deathjump Spider.

The spider makes things more difficult but our heroes do manage to defeat the hobgoblin guards and their pet. They also find a Cloak of Distortion that one of the guards somehow got his hands on and Greebo lays claim to.

A search of the area shows many different avenues the party could take. They opt to go east where they find a set of doors going north. The party tries to be stealthy about entry but Jagged gets bored and smashes the doors in.

[EricStratton]

The goblins in the room retreat deeper into the Goblin Barracks behind two sets of doors. After a few tense moments in which Cilene jams one of the doors shut and the rest of the group piles crates in front of it, Mazirith bypasses it all and enters the room swinging while Jagged takes the other set of doors.

The meets their first Goblin Warcaster but, like the rest of the foes before him, the group makes short work of him and his crew.

Our heroes move on to the Warchief's Council Room. They discover the portcullis which was designed to keep them in the room as the Warchief's troops overwhelm them. Instead they push a table against the southern door creating a fun obstacle.

Sagar ends up with his hands full keeping Rend and Jagged alive while everyone chips in to kill the Warchief. His death and Greebo's taunts cause the remaining hobgoblins to go berserk allowing the group to cut them down easily.

On the Warchief they discover Bestial Armor which goes to Jagged and an Alfsair Spear which Rend takes.