Session 11: Powerful Acquisitions

General Summary

Following the Flamekeepers, the group briskly marched back towards Dur’Khazun. Along the way Geneviève tried to convince the Flamekeepers to participate in a flanking counter-offensive from the north, but they were adamant that they needed to return to the High Flamekeeper. Together they could perform a ritual to save the town, but only if all thirteen Flamekeepers worked together. Thus the group elected to ignore the splinter force of Ezzan and follow the clerics back to town. 

As they returned to a Dur’Khazun on the verge of being overrun, they quickly navigated themselves towards the pillar of light that signaled the location of High Flamekeeper Odrik. There they saw the Wyrm Gate being held by Lord Barathane himself along with his honor guard. They joined forces and held for over fifteen minutes as the Ember Oath performed the ritual. In the end the wall of light that had protected the town rose again. But much bigger. Surrounding the whole of Dur’Khazun, it began to expand. As it did, the group could see dwarven spirits clad in light, march with the wall, slaying all undead who stood before them. When the wall eventually faded away in the distance, only a fraction of the undead horde remained, and they fled as the sun rose upon a victorious Dur’Khazun. 

When the cries of victory died down, and the last splinter forces of undead were purged from their streets, the dwarves began to gather the dead. Rows upon rows were laid out in the market squares, and as those who had fled returned the mourning began. In the meantime the party got some well-deserved rest. Geneviève got drunk, and Jane revealed what had actually happened in the tent where she met Moorbrand. She also told them who and what he really was. An inebriated Geneviève wanted to take this information to the authorities of Frankonia, but Jane, Ki’tor and Zalia but a decisive stop to that idea. Volodomyr stayed uncharacteristically silent during the coming days. Theories were lifted of how Moorbrands lichdom would work and how it was connected to Jane, but they came to no conclusions on their own. Perhaps Galvatorix, or some other well-read scholar could provide answers. 

The following three days were spent in the aid of the people of Dur’Khazun as they began to rebuild all that had been destroyed. Volodomyr spent his time trying to heal those who had been injured. Geneviève helped in the reconstruction of buildings. Jane surveyed the battlefield for clues, but later she too joined the reconstruction. Ki’tor spent his time connecting with one of the Flamekeepers, named Zolten. Together they shared many drinks during these three days. Zalia, on the other hand, spent most of her time in solitude. Her book had stopped answering her, and during the nights she was haunted by night terrors. Dreams in which she found herself in a fiery place, hung in chains among her former victims. Among them Pierre-Pascal. In the mornings she awoke with chain marks on her wrists. A fact she hid from the group, but her screams in the night couldn’t be hidden. 

Four days after the siege was lifted the people of Dur’Khazun gathered in the square by the Everforge, to celebrate the honoured dead and the heroes who had saved their town. The party was called in front of the town’s people and were hailed as Savours of Dur’Khazun. They were then taken into the ancient treasury of the Everforge, where they could select one reward each. Geneviève chose a chest of gold coins. Ki’tor found a magically spacious pouch as his reward, whilst Zalia took a staff of fire. Volodomyr couldn’t help but to take a rare holy symbol of his goddess Aurora, called a Dawnlight. Jane on the other hand took nothing, instead she implored the Lord to repay their ancient debt to Cragyard, which he promised to do personally. 

With their new titles came a great lot of recognition in the town. People hailed as they passed and gave them heavy discounts in the shops. The group, and Geneviève in particular, took full advantage of this and got herself a lot of runework done on her armour and weapons at Rurik Deepforge’s smithy. The rest of the group also got some runes engraved in their gear, like Jane, who bought a brand new runecrafted Crossbow. The party then prepared for their departure. They had stayed in Dur’Khazun long enough and it was now time to move on. Ki’tor had also managed to pick up a lead from Lord Barathane about a portal chrystal that might be located in a tomb along the road to the north. He had even been given his blessing to take the chrystal for their own. The day after their rewards had been given, they departed.

Two days they travelled along the great dwarven roads under the mountain, before they came upon a massive graveyard. The walls around the gargantuan entrance to the grave-city were covered in art and carved figures honouring the goddess of Death, Lethara. She who waits in the end. As they entered to meet with the priests that would help them, according to Lord Barathane, they noticed the signs of a battle. Weapons and ash covered the ground. As they wandered deeper they found a massive temple in the city’s centre, they saw the corpses of Letharan clerics among the remains of undead soldiers. They also saw some priests that had been drained of their life-essence by negative magic. A harm spell. Only a powerful dark mage could perform such an act.

Inside the temple stood a huge crypt that had been broken and in it laid the remains of a dragon. A gold dragon by Genevièves estimate. By one of its claws was an indentation that matched with the size of a planestone. Jane could quickly deduce that one had been hidden here. Especially when the noticed that the lid of the crypt, which was now broken, dampened all magic in its vicinity. It had been hidden even from their map. And now Moorbrand had it. Before they left, Ki’tor managed to find the remains Barathane had told him about and thus managed to procure a portal crystal that they could use in Galvatorix’s lab.

Rewards Granted

• 250 gold
• Spacous Pouch
• Dawnlight
• Staff of Fire
• Portal Crystal

Missions/Quests Completed

• Siege of Dur'Khazun broken
• Dur'Khazun rebuilt
• Made Dur'Khazun settle their debt to Cragyard
• Gear enhanced with runes
• Found the location of a secret Planestone
• Procured a Portal Crystal