Tales from the Black Quartz: The Cult of Orcus Report

Brightleaf 7, 2321 AR

We had spent several days at the Black Quartz, planning to head out to that mine the kobolds from Ironspike Mine wouldn't go near, when we received a note from Clovinar Abbey. Prefect Talisen requested our presence, didn't think he knew we even existed. Arriving at the Abbey, we get ushered in by Calmert, who wasn't his usual excitable self that we met at Lucky Landon's.   The Prefect explained that one of the outlying farm-steddings had reported having their graves dug up, and the markers each had the symbol of the demon lord Orcus, prince of undeath, carved on them. Not willing to let a priest of Orcus get away with such a deed, he asked us to track the perpetrators down and either bring them to justice or eliminate them.   Now I'm no Crasock, and I don't have the Korlon Hills mapped out in my head, but I can follow tracks, and zombies aren't big on hiding their tracks either, big drag marks half the time.   So it takes us a few days to follow the tracks and they lead to this ruined keep. Not much left to it. The few walls that still stand top out at maybe five feet, but near the center of the ruins, someone recently cleared a path and pulled aside enough wreckage to reveal a stone stairway down.   Down the stairs, we fought some goblin guards. Brannon nearly fell into a pit trap with rats swarming the bottom, covered with some kinda canvas. Heading west, the whole dungeon passageway turned north until we found a whole goblin complex. First was a torture chamber to the north with a hobgoblin bossing around some of the smaller goblins, then we hit the main goblin lair, a big fat goblin bossing the others around. More than a dozen of those little suckers charging in and out, sneaky bastards. Nice of the fat goblin to have a key to his treasure chest though, makes everything easier, though Brannon took his time making sure nothing was gonna go boom.   Heading back to the staircase and then south, we explored a few empty rooms. Brannon was sure there was something there and scoured them, but nothing. There was a door heading west, which led down into crypts, niches carved out along the corridors. After the first few zombies attacked, we kept our guard up. Abebane is really good against zombies, he calls it holy energy, Gymno calls it radiant.   Problem was, I was so intent on watching for dead bodies to move or round the next corner, that I didn't see the magical symbol inscribed on the floor. A piercing scream erupted from under me as three more zombies lurched into view and I lost it. Gymno said it was the magical rune, but all I could do was run. It seemed like another zombie came around or was about to come out from around every corner. Finally I saw a corridor heading south with not dead bodies, so I took it. I started coming to my senses and mastering the fear inside me when I realized I was alone in a room with ten sarcophagi. I could hear my companions coming up behind me, but when I turned, they were being followed by zombies.   We took positions to defend against the zombies when we started hearing the sarcophagi open. Skeletons began creeping out from behind us. Damn, this was bad. The next few minutes, was it that long, were a blur. Abebane's flashing holy spells, while Gymno lighting the undead up with fire and lightning. Brannon's shortsword and dagger (glad we let him pick that magic dagger) are flashing alongside my longsword. We took some major hits, but we pulled out of it. Not wanting to head north and back into the crypts, we looked for a place to rest up. To the east of the sarcophagi, were two altars dedicated to Athena and some Draconic god, Abebane said the altar was dedicated to Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon.   Past the altars was another set of doors, which opened at Abebane's touch. Turns out to be the resting place of this ghost, calling himself Sir Paedrig. Abebane talks real nice to the ghost, who lets him know that there's this rift under the keep (he sounds like he thinks it's still standing). The keep was built to keep the rift protected from the cultists of Orcus, cause if it opens, Orcus' power can leech through and send waves after waves of undead.   Abebane asks if we are safe here, and Sir Paedrig says that he will keep us from harm. We take a rest and recover slightly from the major undead battle. Then, the ghost approaches me and hands me his ghostly longsword. It turns real when I touch it. He says, "perhaps I cannot aid you, but Aecris can. Seek Bahamut's boon at his altar and perhaps he too will grant you aid."   The next morning, Brannon spent some time searching Bahamut's altar. He found a secret compartment with four silver and gold dragon statuettes. Before heading back to the stairway, we clear out the rest of the zombies from the crypt. They're not as scary when we can ready for them. The runes on the floor take a bit more doing, I really don't like being trussed up like a thing so I can set off runes that scare the living shit out of me. And when did I become the guinea pig? On the other side of the crypts we found the staircase heading deeper, likely towards the rift.   Before heading down though, we thought it'd be a good idea to clear this level. Heading back to the staircase, we took the last passageway east. At the end of the east passage was an excavation site. Goblin archers sat atop pillars connected with plank bridges, while below slaves dug out the room, guarded by hobgoblins with dragon-like creatures on leashes, Gymno called them guard drakes.   Well this was a no-brainer, I ran down the ramp to save the slaves, with Brannon following me, while Gymno and Abebane targeted the archers. I felt like I had to take out the drakes first, no telling what they would do to the slaves if freed. Brannon went after the hobgoblins. It didn't take long, but damn those drakes can bite. I was seriously hurt, but the goblins and the drakes lay dead and the slaves, mostly human, two dwarves, and a gnome were freed.   We had freed prisoners, and we were at the end of our ropes. We decided to bring the prisoners topside and set up camp. The goblins had enough food, unappetizing as it was, to feed everyone. Tomorrow morning, we descend to the lower levels.  

Brightleaf 8

The freed captives helped us keep watch that night, as we rested and healed up from our injuries. They wanted to head back to Hillsboro, but we had to investigate further and make sure that no priest of Orcus was going to open that rift. We told them to wait the day, if we didn't return, do their best to make their way to Hillsboro. Abebane picked the captive he thought would be the most trustworthy and explained the situation, very calmly, saying that if we didn’t come back, she should speak with Mayor Maleon and explain the circumstances of our possible demise, did I say he did that way too calmly.   Making our way through the upper level to the stairway down was creepy, and quiet. Heading down we encountered resistance right away with nine hobgoblins. They had a giant spider caged, but Brannon was able to intercept the hobgoblins trying to open the cage while the rest of us took on the others.   The passage out of this area went east into a chamber with exits east and south. Hearing more hobgoblins east, we knew we had to deal with them first. Heading further eats, we saw a doorway north and a passageway south. Going south, Brannon noticed the loose flagstone before we triggered the trap. We hit the hobgoblin warchief's rooms like a whirlwind. Don't get me wrong, the warchief was tough, and we took some damage, but we got the better of them. He had a chest, for which he carried the key, but we decided not to investigate much and hit the north door.   Bursting through the north door we hit the main hobgoblin barracks, there were like a dozen of them here, and a spellcaster to boot. But our spellcasters were better, and soon it was only the mooks left. We won.   Taking a short rest to gather our strength, we soon set out to the south. Coming into a large chamber, doors headed south and west. The south doors opened to another chamber with several statues. Blood stains near the biggest statue gave Brannon cause to investigate. As he was crouched down investigating, the huge statue swung its sword, which would have struck anyone within yards. Avoiding the big statue, Brannon found the controls to the dragon statues and disabled them, although he caused one statue to breath a gout of fire before being disabled.   The statues to the south activated a magical trap and sealed off the doors beyond. There's more than one way to deactivate a magical statue, so I start go back to the hobgoblins to find a bashing weapon and start swinging. I had to smash three of the four into oblivion to make the magic wall go away.   So what do we encounter beyond, more undead. A ghoul leading a horde of zombies, and there's a friggin automaton somewhere in the middle of them. Despite the surprise and the enemies, we managed to take the out without a lot of damage.   Going down the staircase was another story. A priest of Orcus, her berserker bodyguards, and her undead wights, gave us one hell of a battle. With no rift in sight, we knew this wasn't the final battle, although trying to save our resources hurt us a bit, we managed to put them down.   Knowing we'd be up against the final enemy, we took some time to rest before descending to the next level. There we found a priest of Orcus fully engaged in a ritual to open the rift, which we could clearly see, a ten-foot-radius hole in reality. The rift had tendrils leaking out of it, and the High Priest of Orcus had allies, two skeletal knights and a spellcasting deathlock wight. Standing over the rift was a twenty-foot-tall statue of Orcus.   Thank the gods we had rested. It took everything we had to counter these bad guys. The dragon statuettes of Bahamut sparked to life and seemed to actively counter some of the spells and curses heaped upon us from the enemy. While I took on the skeletal knights, which were tough, Brannon went after the spellcasting wight, leaving Abebane and Gymno to tackle to high priest of Orcus, who we learned was named Kalarel. I dropped unconscious, lucky strike by a skeleton. I woke up to Abebane treating my wounds, and the enemies around us dead.   We took some time to look around us, this lowest level was supported by timbers and struts. We collapsed enough to make the chamber insecure and wrapped ropes around the rest of the main supports. Heading up the stairs we pulled out the supports and collapsed the chamber containing the rift.   Unfortunately, that triggered a greater collapse. Running for the stairways up, we dodged falling ceilings, and supports. Barely making it to the surface before the whole of the dungeon imploded upon itself.   I hope Prefect Talisen is happy. I almost died! Twice!