In the aftermath of the battle, there’s a mixture of elation over having survived, and desperation over the losses and what the immediate future looks like for Dagger’s Deep and its grieving residents. One of the first major appointments is a new militia captain, a warrior named Kallevir.
In examining the Stormlord’s maul, I am unable to discern any of its magical properties beyond that fact that it radiates an aura of evocation magic, destructive arcane forces. I have Zargon examine the weapon to try and determine its provenance as well, but the bard knows as little as I. I take up the maul as my own as well as the Stormlord’s talisman, an iron-forged disc with engraved lightning bolts, the symbol of Talos. I add this token to my string of fetishes. Zargon and Audric divide the other spoils, tucking away a pouch of small gemstones and distributing what remains to the town.
Audric and I take up station at the shrine over the course of the next few days, triaging Dagger’s Deep’s most wounded and treating those wounds to the extent we are able with the powers bestowed upon us by our respective gods. Our efforts are appreciated by the settlement, and by the end of second day, the burials commence. The folk of Dagger’s Deep have been working tirelessly to craft wooden coffins and dig the long trenches that will house the fallen. Everyone is present for the ceremonies, including Odesia, who seems nearly catatonic, unable to cope with the loss of her unborn child’s father.
Zargon spends several days in recovery and training, honing his abilities and refining his arcane knowledge, spending much time mumbling to himself in languages none of us understand. Selben, as well, spends time cloistered away in his tent, poring over Ethelenda’s spellbook as well as his own.
The following morning, Daegahr approaches and informs us flatly that he intends to return to Mirabar immediately, having business to tend to and others to care for. Though he bears us no ill will, he is not interested in prolonging his stay. He has already spoken to Odesia, offering to return her to Mirabar, an offer that she declined. We tell him that we’ll check in on him if we decide to make the trip ourselves, and he departs without further words.
That same day, a small fishing boat comes upriver, and a haphazard party is gathered to greet the craft. The men are fishers from Mirabar, heading to waters where bountiful fishing abounds. We share a warning regarding the river creatures we encountered, and the men thank us for the knowledge. The traffic gives hope that Perhegan may one day turn a profit from his venture.
Perhegan’s daughter Edine looks over Odesia, but the keravela woman remains quiet and distant. Edine has a brightness about her and is very pleasant to be around; there’s hope that her personality will help Odesia through her grief.
A few days after the burials, men begin filling the crater left by the lightning bolt that slew Pol Rallinoth; in the effort, they discover something and call us to investigate. At the bottom, the earth struck by the lightning is found to be flat, crafted, rough-hewn stone. I jump into the crater with the men and spend time trying to discern the size or scope of the discovery. In every direction we attempt, as far as several paces, we find the same flat surface, indicating a rather large construction.
Zargon sequesters himself, attempting to expand his arcane repertoire, while Audric and I focus our efforts on the curious stone. Renewal approaches, saying that he has something to show us, something found in the keep itself. He leads us down into the waterlogged basement cellar, where women and children took shelter during the attack; we never thought much of it, being little more than an unusable storage chamber, and it smells dank and moldy.
Renwal conjures forth a magical light at an empty point in space near the far wall, displaying the smudged outline of a circle carved amid the stonework. It is situated in the general direction of the structure outside, potentially indicating a tunnel opening.
Examining the cellar, it’s close to river level, perhaps slightly below it. Given the direction of the tunnel, however, pointing away from the river, it’s unlikely to be flooded with river water beyond. Audric examines the curious circle, attempting to divine whether it has arcane properties, and shrugs before finally heaving into the stone with a shoulder, budging it an inch. Before I can complain to him about calling me rash, he heaves again, and the stone slab pushes forth as if a door on a hinge, opening into a three-foot diameter tunnel of carved stone.
Audric sends his familiar Lume into the tunnel, and before long the cat disappears into the darkness. She returns safely a few moments later, and Audric says that he’s going to attempt to crawl through the tunnel. Before doing so, I layer a few abjurations upon the warrior, not feeling completely comfortable about the confined space, but feeling better knowing I departed what protections I could.
Headfirst, he crawls into the tunnel, wriggling through the sludge. After a few minutes of worming his way through muck, he reaches what appears to be a wooden door. We discuss the risks involved, ultimately deciding to attempt entry after arguing with Zargon about the right to whatever glory waits beyond.
Though confined by the tunnel, Audric lays a shoulder into the heavy door, pushing it free from its position as it crashes forward, revealing a large chamber of perhaps 30 by 50 feet. The ceiling is higher, allowing Audric to stand more comfortably, and surprisingly the stone is dry, though the air is still musty.
Very little in the chamber is intact. There are broken pieces of wood that are remnants of barrels, crystals of salt littering the ground such as those used to store dry goods and meats, and the fragmented bones of a human skeleton that had been resting against the door before Audric heaved it inward. Large boulders block an opening across the chamber, surrounded by scorch marks and smelling faintly of ash and cinders. Audric relays all of this back through the tunnel.
In the waning moments of his arcane divination, Audric discovers a cloth garment from which radiates a dim magical aura. Picking it up, he realizes that it’s a cloak that had blended in nearly perfectly with the surroundings; from within its folds he withdraws a bloodstone, a smooth stone with black and red ripples the size of a small egg. Carved into the bloodstone is a small circle, perhaps the size of a ring.
Also within the cloak is an old, folded piece of parchment, which Audric brings back to the crowded cellar. Unfolding the document, a cryptic set of writings is revealed, several partial sentences or perhaps all nonsense, numbers that may be dates; we’re not able to make sense of it all without further research. The handwriting looks to be of the same hand, though the script different sizes, as if written at different times and with different levels of urgency.
Using bits of rope to map out the distance from the blocked portal to the entryway and laying out a similar length of rope above ground, it appears that the stone surface discovered in the pit of the lightning strike corresponds with the chamber discovered beneath. The scorch marks and scent are old in comparison to the lightning, likely not connected in any way.
The only words from the parchment that anyone in Dagger’s Deep recognizes is Fort Kaeylnor, a small fort situated near a village north in the Khedrun Valley. “Is that Oldkeep?” Audric asks, recalling our encounter with the troll there. As for Audric, he recognizes one of the names—Mystryl—and explains that she predated Mystra as the goddess of magic.
“Close the conduit” especially seems to cause Audric considerable consternation, harkening back to the runes discovered in Oldkeep and Moonglow Cave, as well as the magics unleashed by Malchor Harpell—or perhaps by the ring—that led to our temporal displacement.
“Is there a library in Mirabar?” I ask. The consensus is that there are likely libraries in Mirabar, but none of any particular note. If more information is to be found, we must travel to the fortress and seek it there. The initial excitement at finding the document eventually leads, for me at least, to a feeling of dread, of being trapped by powers or circumstances outside our control.
Convening to discuss the matter, we decide that a visit to Mirabar is indeed in order—if nothing else to resupply, and perhaps bolster the defenses of Dagger’s Deep by hiring a few men—and we begin to lay out the details of our potential trip.
Audric and I take up station at the shrine over the course of the next few days, triaging Dagger’s Deep’s most wounded and treating those wounds to the extent we are able with the powers bestowed upon us by our respective gods. Our efforts are appreciated by the settlement, and by the end of second day, the burials commence. The folk of Dagger’s Deep have been working tirelessly to craft wooden coffins and dig the long trenches that will house the fallen. Everyone is present for the ceremonies, including Odesia, who seems nearly catatonic, unable to cope with the loss of her unborn child’s father.
Zargon spends several days in recovery and training, honing his abilities and refining his arcane knowledge, spending much time mumbling to himself in languages none of us understand. Selben, as well, spends time cloistered away in his tent, poring over Ethelenda’s spellbook as well as his own.
The following morning, Daegahr approaches and informs us flatly that he intends to return to Mirabar immediately, having business to tend to and others to care for. Though he bears us no ill will, he is not interested in prolonging his stay. He has already spoken to Odesia, offering to return her to Mirabar, an offer that she declined. We tell him that we’ll check in on him if we decide to make the trip ourselves, and he departs without further words.
Perhegan’s daughter Edine looks over Odesia, but the keravela woman remains quiet and distant. Edine has a brightness about her and is very pleasant to be around; there’s hope that her personality will help Odesia through her grief.
A few days after the burials, men begin filling the crater left by the lightning bolt that slew Pol Rallinoth; in the effort, they discover something and call us to investigate. At the bottom, the earth struck by the lightning is found to be flat, crafted, rough-hewn stone. I jump into the crater with the men and spend time trying to discern the size or scope of the discovery. In every direction we attempt, as far as several paces, we find the same flat surface, indicating a rather large construction.
Zargon sequesters himself, attempting to expand his arcane repertoire, while Audric and I focus our efforts on the curious stone. Renewal approaches, saying that he has something to show us, something found in the keep itself. He leads us down into the waterlogged basement cellar, where women and children took shelter during the attack; we never thought much of it, being little more than an unusable storage chamber, and it smells dank and moldy.
 |
| Apropos... |
Examining the cellar, it’s close to river level, perhaps slightly below it. Given the direction of the tunnel, however, pointing away from the river, it’s unlikely to be flooded with river water beyond. Audric examines the curious circle, attempting to divine whether it has arcane properties, and shrugs before finally heaving into the stone with a shoulder, budging it an inch. Before I can complain to him about calling me rash, he heaves again, and the stone slab pushes forth as if a door on a hinge, opening into a three-foot diameter tunnel of carved stone.
Audric sends his familiar Lume into the tunnel, and before long the cat disappears into the darkness. She returns safely a few moments later, and Audric says that he’s going to attempt to crawl through the tunnel. Before doing so, I layer a few abjurations upon the warrior, not feeling completely comfortable about the confined space, but feeling better knowing I departed what protections I could.
Headfirst, he crawls into the tunnel, wriggling through the sludge. After a few minutes of worming his way through muck, he reaches what appears to be a wooden door. We discuss the risks involved, ultimately deciding to attempt entry after arguing with Zargon about the right to whatever glory waits beyond.
Though confined by the tunnel, Audric lays a shoulder into the heavy door, pushing it free from its position as it crashes forward, revealing a large chamber of perhaps 30 by 50 feet. The ceiling is higher, allowing Audric to stand more comfortably, and surprisingly the stone is dry, though the air is still musty.
Very little in the chamber is intact. There are broken pieces of wood that are remnants of barrels, crystals of salt littering the ground such as those used to store dry goods and meats, and the fragmented bones of a human skeleton that had been resting against the door before Audric heaved it inward. Large boulders block an opening across the chamber, surrounded by scorch marks and smelling faintly of ash and cinders. Audric relays all of this back through the tunnel.
Also within the cloak is an old, folded piece of parchment, which Audric brings back to the crowded cellar. Unfolding the document, a cryptic set of writings is revealed, several partial sentences or perhaps all nonsense, numbers that may be dates; we’re not able to make sense of it all without further research. The handwriting looks to be of the same hand, though the script different sizes, as if written at different times and with different levels of urgency.
Using bits of rope to map out the distance from the blocked portal to the entryway and laying out a similar length of rope above ground, it appears that the stone surface discovered in the pit of the lightning strike corresponds with the chamber discovered beneath. The scorch marks and scent are old in comparison to the lightning, likely not connected in any way.
The only words from the parchment that anyone in Dagger’s Deep recognizes is Fort Kaeylnor, a small fort situated near a village north in the Khedrun Valley. “Is that Oldkeep?” Audric asks, recalling our encounter with the troll there. As for Audric, he recognizes one of the names—Mystryl—and explains that she predated Mystra as the goddess of magic.
“Close the conduit” especially seems to cause Audric considerable consternation, harkening back to the runes discovered in Oldkeep and Moonglow Cave, as well as the magics unleashed by Malchor Harpell—or perhaps by the ring—that led to our temporal displacement.
“Is there a library in Mirabar?” I ask. The consensus is that there are likely libraries in Mirabar, but none of any particular note. If more information is to be found, we must travel to the fortress and seek it there. The initial excitement at finding the document eventually leads, for me at least, to a feeling of dread, of being trapped by powers or circumstances outside our control.
Convening to discuss the matter, we decide that a visit to Mirabar is indeed in order—if nothing else to resupply, and perhaps bolster the defenses of Dagger’s Deep by hiring a few men—and we begin to lay out the details of our potential trip.
