After learning that
Etu,
Zoi, and
Crow had defeated the owlbear and krasis, the townsfolk at the inn mentioned that the krasis never used to come this far north. They said that the previous local army commander, a Captain Sullis, used to send patrols into
Smuggler's Fen. However, his replacement, Captain
Tolk, prefers to keep his fancy clothes clean and dry. Etu and Zoi decided to explore the ancient underground ruin, the collapsed entrance of which was used as a lair by the owlbear. The party figured they would need shovels to dig out the entrance, so decided to buy some the following morning.
While shopping at Thatcher's General Store,
Etu and
Zoi met
Laeanna Brightmeer and
Rus. Laeanna had produced a map of Westland, which Etu purchased from her. Etu and Zoi then invited Laeanna and Rus to join them in excavating the ancient ruin with them. In addition to two shovels, they purchased one torch for each party member.
Etu led the party on a path to the ruins which avoided the bodies of the Storm Crows they had killed the day before. However, once they bagan digging out the entrance to the ruin, they decided the sand, clay, and loose rocks would be good for hiding the bodies. Laeanna asked about the sudden appearance of three dead bodies, and Etu and Zoi told her how the Storm Crows had ambushed them. Laeanna had heard of the Storm Crows, and knew of their unsavory reputation. She also recalled that the woman who leads the Storm Crows goes by the name
Raven.
The cleared tunnel led downward in a series of shallow ramps and steps. The party members each lit a torch and carried it with them as they entered. The 15 foot wide passage was lined with stone columns every few feet supporting the ceiling. The tunnel floor had thin deposits of silt and water stains indicating that roots had long ago penetrated the entrance. The tunnel finally leveled out just before a 25 foot long section of tunnel with no visible floor or supporting columns.
Examining the displaced stone entrance doors revealed that there had once been an arcane metal seal across the doors. The seal, marked with the symbol of Kelemvor, had been burned from the inside long ago. The party surmised that this might have been during the arcane blast waves from
Shattering.
Peering into the pit revealed a pool of cloudy, yellowish-brown liquid about 15 feet down. Etu found cloudy liquid to be suspicious, and he expected clearer water this deep underground. A rock was dropped into the pit, which woke up the slumbering ochre-jelly. Clambered out of the pit and attacked the party, causing minor injuries, but it was soon defeated. Zoi collected a sample of ochre-jelly fluid in a small vial.
The fluid at the bottom of the pit was now dark. Two party members jumped into the pit to investigate; one narrowly avoided the stone spikes which lined the bottom of the ancient pit trap, the other party member discovered that the spikes were still fairly sharp. Nothing of value was found in the stagnant water at the bottom of the pit. Zoi used her uncanny monk skills to run along the wall to the far side of the pit, carrying a rope with her. Securing the rope to columns on each side of the pit allowed the rest of the party to cross to the far side.
The far tunnel led to a large ceremonial chamber. Four large columns held up a vaulted ceiling over a raised dais in the center of the room. On the dais was a stone platform, apparently to hold a deceased person during funerary rites. A closed stone door was on the far side of the room, across from the entrance. The walls were engraved with holy symbols of the god Kelemvor.
The party investigated the room thoroughly before opening the far door, and discovered arcane traps on each of the columns. They disabled the traps, one by one, then opened the far door. When they finally opened the exit door, a magic mouth appeared in the ceiling and accused them of being "grave robbers". However, since they had already disabled to traps, they were not attacked and the doorway they had entered through only partially closed.
The tunnel beyond the ceremonial chamber forked. The left fork was blocked by a wall of collapsed stone. This could not be cleared by shovels alone.
The right fork led to a long catacomb lined with rough-hewn niches. In most of the niches lay a long decayed body, but some of the bodies rose up at the party's approach, revealing themselves to be zombies. The did take some more serious injuries from the swarm of zombies, but were able to defeat them all. Searching the bodies, each party member recovered 5 gold pieces.
Beyond the catacombs the party found a finely-carved stone chamber with a large stone sarcophagus on a raised platform. As they approached the entrance, a voice from darkness spoke arcane words of power, and all the party's torches dimmed noticeably. The party fanned the flames of their torches, restoring their normal brightness, and entered the room. They found the black silhouette of a
shadow in the corner of the room. The shadow continued to dim the party's torches, disappearing in the darkness each time. However, the party was able to keep restoring their torches, and easily
(Editor: too easily) defeated the undead spirit. Inside the sarcophagus each party member found 10 gold pieces. They also found a finely-crafted dagger that showed no signs of corrosion. The party deduced that the dagger was enchanted, but everyone was too wary to attune to the dagger to identify its properties.
The party then retraced their steps out of the ancient ruined tomb. In their absence, it appeared that a badger had dug up one of the shallow graves and began eating the dead Storm Crow within. The party then returned to town without any issues. Finding the small town to lack sufficient amenities, they resolved to return to Westport and apply for membership in the Mercenary Guild.
The party asked
Dame Wilkendal to write a letter of recommendation for the them to Mercenary Guild. Dame Wilkendal agreed, and asked the party for the name of their group. The party then replied...???
The next DC20 session is scheduled for 13-Jul-2025.
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