The Hallows of Horsia 3 - Enigmatic Fortress

 

Objective

Use the provided compass to explore the Shadowfell from its borders and gather information on its current state. Priority for this mission is scouting the reflection of the King's Road between Ogden and Horsa.    

Observations

Keep your eyes out for a creature resembling a Tabaxi stalking you on your outings. Take extreme caution if approached.   The compass requires magic of a higher order to function, but Valas warned about overcharging it.   Horsa proper is not in the Shadowfell, but some of the souls from it are. They are hostile to us.   The River Stix appears to mirror the Swanmay and is quite active   The fortress surrounding the Shadowfell appears to be occupied by the enemy, notably, Julius and the girl from Horsa.       Speculation:   The owner of the fortress seems to have at least some control over the terrain of the Shadowfell   The ravens on the gate could be a sign that the Raven Queen yet lives.   Given what ocured within the walls, the ravens could also be a sign that the master of the fortress is Creed, The Hollow One, mentioned in the recovered journal of Orin the Ravenous.  

Follow up

Continue exploration of the Shadowfell to find a means to combat the darkness south of the Swanmay   Determine if anything of value can be gained from direct access to the River Stix and its Denizens   Ascertain the fate of the Raven Queen  

Preparation Details

We were briefed on the Shadowfell by Storm and Ketla of the Lords Alliance. We were then handed a compass that could facilitate travel between the Prime Material Plane and the Shadowfell.  

Operation Details

Valas was rendered unable to sleep last night due to what he described as a tabaxi that holds a grudge against him. It seems it may be hunting or stalking residents of the fort.   We were taken to command for a briefing with Storm and Ketla, the white haired noblewomen that have come to the island from the Lords Alliance proper. The following are the key points of the discussion:   * The Shadowfell is a product of Shar. It was a the place that souls filtered through on the way to the River Stix   * The Raven Queen has gone silent   * * May be Shar's first victim   * There is a fortress ringing the horizon of the plane, stretching into the sky   * There are ways to stave off the effects of the darkness
  * * Dolls made in Neverwinter   * * * Details unclear, ask Cailindriel about his   * Protective elixirs and similar items could be created with ingredients extracted from the Shadowfell   * * Shadow creature essence   * * Saliva of a dark weaver could also be used   * * * A tentacled creature that teleports and plays tricks of the mind   * A spell can be cast using a special compass held by command to walk in the boundary layers between the Prime Material Plane and the Shadowfell   * * Use of the device improves survivability by granting vision of the Shadowfell prior to committing to entering it   Our Instructions were to go to Ogden, proceed south down the King's Road and upon reaching Horsa, have a look around to determine its current state. Storm provided a portal from the fort to the road just south of Ogden to facilitate the expedition.   Caelindriel attempted to use the compass once we arrived to determine how it would work. Mist flowed from the compass and the terrain began shifting as we found ourselves on the border of the shadowfell, with the shadowfell showing dominance. The trees of the forest looked corrupted and mostly dead. The fortress was visible through the trees in all directions, sitting at the horizon even as we moved.   After a short walk, the compass slammed shut and we had difficulty determining the precise nature of the problem. Valas examined it and came to the conclusion that the spell was incomplete. Using a bit more potent magic, he was able to get the compass working in a manner closer to what was described. The Prime Material Plane was now highly visible with the Shadowfell overlapping the terrain in front of us.   We advanced a bit to the south and found that the terrain was shifting oddly. We were on the outskirts of Ogden one moment and then found ourselves on the outskirts of Horsa in mere moments. Using the compass, we were able to select the plane on which to enter from the shared border. We selected the Shadowfell.   The only remnants of the city in the Shadowfell were some tile and cobblestone. Upon reaching the remnants of the square, we were confronted by a shadowy being with some purple lacing on their otherwise black clothing. It was accompanied by 3 dogs of a similar nature that could turn invisible on a whim.   It became aggressive as soon as it spotted us. The fighting was quite intense and will require some proper rest to recover the strength sapped from us by its attacks. During the fight, it uttered the words "Horsa Remembers," which seems to indicate that the ghosts of Horsa are liable to be aggressive. When it was finally dispatched, the shadow fell away revealing the soul of a laborer who was rapidly pulled away towards the river. One of the dogs survived and was brought along by Halar in the hope that it might be of use back at the fort.   We continued onwards towards the river which was now believed to be the River Stix. As expected, when we arrived, we found ourselves at the precipice of a cliff looking down upon the swirling colors of the souls within the river. I refused to stay in the area, but the others mentioned that the opposite bank was occupied by two creatures with the river itself containing several other moving shapes. The two on the opposite shore appeared to be a ferryman of some type and their passenger disembarking.   While we discussed the implications of this discovery and what to do next, I noticed the forest north of Horsa was closing distance. By the time I got the party's attention drawn to this matter, the forest's edge was upon us. At the edge of the forest, was a road through a wooden gateway arch ending in the gates of the fortress that we had seen on the Horizon.   Given the choice between entering the fortress and attempting to do something with the River Stix, we elected to approach the fortress. After crossing under the arch, a pair of ravens landed on it and one of them locked eyes with me. I attempted basic communication, but got no response of any kind. Keeping eyes on the raven, I backed up the path towards the gates of the fortress with the guidance of the party.   Once inside the walls, we found ourselves in a large courtyard with a singular path going forward. With no choice but to advance, we did just that until a pair of lights shown on the path in front of us. Those lights became more clear as we closed distance to it and a humanoid shape was revealed. It was the girl from the last Horsa attack who seems to shine through the darkness like a beacon. Locking eyes with her caused me great strain and our advance was halted.   The terrain within the fortress seems to be under the control of its master who remains unknown as of yet. She neither acknowledged our pressance or moved herself so we tried to leave, and could not make progress. We then tried to advance, with the same result. The land expanded as we attempted to move from our current location. While pondering next steps, Caelindriel mentioned hearing the voice of Julius. He claims the words spoken to him were the following:   "Interesting seeing you here; hopefully you'll get to stay longer."   Upon being informed of our peril, we elected to use the compass and leave. While the compass did indeed work, it did not work instantly. As the lightly glowing mists seeped out of the compass, the girl became animate, shining a blinding white and declaring that "Your light makes you an easy target," before attacking us with an unceasing barrage of light. During our escape, I was hit and nearly rendered unconscious in an instant. We were able to get clear due to Halar's own darkness blocking the light.   The return back to the fort was unhindered from this point, but I required treatment from the temple in the capital to fix the mark of Mask that was burned into my back by the earlier attack.