Post by Bandgoat on Nov 11, 2015 3:06:32 GMT -6
[OoC]
From previous sessions, our party was able to figure out which river to follow into the Varisian interior, so we set out to find the lost city of Xin-Shalast. As we followed the meandering Kazaron River, we came across what looked like an abandoned cabin perched atop a bluff - a mining cabin probably left by the Dwarven Vekker Brothers as their expedition team was prospecting in the Kodar Mountains. As we approached the cabin, we heard a mournful cry that Lai'Ki thought might be a wounded elk. We left our mounts and investigated the cabin. We quickly found it to have been haunted by the spirits of the Dwarves who were apparently slain there and in the nearby hills. We encountered a ghostly apparition that compelled some of us to consume what was thought to be gold dust, but was in fact mining slag. We encountered an animated chain and all kinds of remnants of Dwarves who had lived there. As we explored the cabin, the weather outside grew steadily worse, nearing blizzard conditions.
In this session, we continued our search of the cabin. As Gorm and Tolgun perused the porch area, out of the corners of their eyes, they thought they saw someone running toward the cabin through the blowing snow. By the time they turned their heads to look, another ghostly apparition stood right next to Tolgun. They recognized the dwarf immediately as the one they saw in the work shack eating dust, but he had no eyes. He grabbed Tolgun, wild with fear, clothes in tatters, blood dripping from cuts on his exposed flesh, and cried out, "Run! Run for your lives! They're going to eat you!" At that, Gorum was overcome with the feeling that Tolgun was going to eat him. The ghostly apparition ran off into the snow in a panic while Gorm dropped his axe and ran away from Tolgun and into another room of the cabin. Soon after, Ryll approached the area and Gorm's fear abated.
Searching the cabin more carefully, we found some hidden magic items, several sacks full of gold nuggets and dust, and a ledger with detailed maps of the nearby regions that the Vekker Brothers had been mining. It located all of their assay points and mines, complete with notes on payouts of each mine. It appears that each had played out without imparting any particularly rich lodes. Several pages near the end of the ledger had been torn out.
As we discussed what to do next, something strange happened. We heard a faint knocking coming from the stair shaft. We approached that area of the cabin cautiously. The sound got louder, but we continued to see nothing. Suddenly, the sound stopped and everything became deathly quiet. After a few seconds, a loud crack followed by a mighty hammering sound suddenly filled the cabin as its walls began to shake and groan, almost as if the entire structure were giving up its purchase on the cliff's edge and sliding off. "Out the front!" ordered Epshi. Lai'Ki and Epshi, steadying themselves against the shaking floor, escaped out the front, Nala and Soril flew out, but Gorm, Ryll, and Tolgun fell down, unable to move on the unsteady floor. The hammering continued. Those left inside saw ghosts of starving Dwarves and experienced intense hunger pangs. Soril was able to teleport Ryll and Tolgun out, while Nala ran back in to save Gorm. They reported hearing fragments of sentences related to hunger and cannibalistic intentions. Soril fired off a huge gout of flame as a signal flare near the cabin as a rally point. Fearing others were lagging behind, Epshi ran back in to help. However, the shaking suddenly stopped and we were all able to vacate the premises. Once we got out to the porch, in the doorway behind us manifests a ghostly dwarf with no eyes and said, "You...you are alive? Do you not hunger? Ah, that is what I sense in your blood: greed. You seek the City of Greed. You should abandon your quest lest you end up like me – cold, dead, and eaten. But I suspect you cannot be swayed. Know, then, that I know the way. I can show you the way, but only if you bring my brother. He died on a ledge in the mountains a mile's walk north of this cabin. I feel his soul there, still hungry and still insane. Bring his bones to me so that I might reconcile with him. Once he is at rest, I will show you the way so that I may rest as well." The ghost's form eventually faded away piece by piece.
With that, we created a rope trick so we could have a stable and not-so-haunted place to rest and recuperate. When we left the rope trick the next morning, the blizzard was still raging, despite the control weather spell Soril attempted. We then went back through the cabin quickly and went down the cliff and outside to retrieve George, Lai'Ki's horse. We found him, no worse for wear. According to the map we found, the mine that possibly held the remains of one of the Dwarves was about a mile north of the cabin. There was a mostly shear cliff that was 200 feet high and there was a large outcropping with a natural cave, in which they found several mineral deposits. Despite the near white-out conditions, Lai'Ki was able to use the map to find the proper trail to the mine. After a few hours of trudging through the deep snow, we finally made it to a cliff that resembled the appropriate place on the map. We found pitons placed in the rock that we used to climb the cliff to the top. We made our way to a large outcropping, the ground rough and uneven and covered with rocks and rubble. Near the eastern edge of the cliff, a small number of grave stones protruded from the ground. There was a cave that was probably used as a mine with a long-dormant fire pit near the entrance. The area was somewhat protected from the wind and weather. Near the fire pit was the frozen body of a long-dead Dwarf. The corpse was wearing padded armor but was broken and mangled in such a way that it appeared to have fallen from a great height, while the ends of the legs were charred and blackened stumps. Inspecting the grave markers, they all had names listed, but only one stood out – the one belonging to Silas Vekker, one of the two brothers. The corpse wore magical padded armor (+4 Improved Cold Resistance) with a wolf motif. The feet appeared to have been burned off, not cut off. We moved to recover the corpse but another ghost appeared. A battle ensued. It really hurt Tolgun with a life-draining touch and bite, dropping him in one massed attack. Out of the ground in front of the cave burst a huge frost worm. It spewed a cold breath weapon at Soril. The ghost then heavily damaged Gorm. With a combination of melee attacks, we destroyed the ghost (though we knew it could return). The ice worm then attacked Nala, dealing horrendous physical and cold damage. Finally through a combination of arms, we killed the frost worm.
We took a moment to heal before quickly exploring the cave. After about 60 feet, we found that the mine had collapsed and was basically impassable. We found nothing of interest on the ledge or around the mountain. We took the body of the dead dwarf and wandered back to the cabin. Along the way, we heard another mournful wail on the wind, this sounding much closer and much eerier. After listening closely, Lai'Ki and Epshi realized that it was not a natural sound. It resembled the textbook sound made by a wendigo. They are planar outsiders associated with cold and have the ability to haunt the minds of mortals, driving them to desperate and ultimately cannibalistic madness. They enjoy tormenting their prey before finally causing them to succumb to their own desires to consume each other. Sometimes, tribes of bestial humanoids (e.g. orcs or goblinoids) will sometimes resort to worshiping the creatures.
We took the bones back to the cabin. Once we took them inside, a strange sense of calm seemed to fall over the cabin. Even the howling sounds of the raging blizzard outside seemed muted and more quiet. Carrying the bones into the living quarters, the no-eyed dwarf ghost manifested again with a sad expression on its face. The ghost of the other dwarf we fought on the mountain ledge also manifested. For a few moments, the two stared at each other under intense concentration. Wispy tendrils of ectoplasmic material moved and swirled between the two of them, like a mental struggle was taking place. While they were doing that, the wail of the wendigo was heard again, though it was much, much closer. Then something suddenly attacked the cabin. The anticipation of the oncoming attack made it seem like the moment would last for months.
END OF LINE.
[/OoC]
From previous sessions, our party was able to figure out which river to follow into the Varisian interior, so we set out to find the lost city of Xin-Shalast. As we followed the meandering Kazaron River, we came across what looked like an abandoned cabin perched atop a bluff - a mining cabin probably left by the Dwarven Vekker Brothers as their expedition team was prospecting in the Kodar Mountains. As we approached the cabin, we heard a mournful cry that Lai'Ki thought might be a wounded elk. We left our mounts and investigated the cabin. We quickly found it to have been haunted by the spirits of the Dwarves who were apparently slain there and in the nearby hills. We encountered a ghostly apparition that compelled some of us to consume what was thought to be gold dust, but was in fact mining slag. We encountered an animated chain and all kinds of remnants of Dwarves who had lived there. As we explored the cabin, the weather outside grew steadily worse, nearing blizzard conditions.
In this session, we continued our search of the cabin. As Gorm and Tolgun perused the porch area, out of the corners of their eyes, they thought they saw someone running toward the cabin through the blowing snow. By the time they turned their heads to look, another ghostly apparition stood right next to Tolgun. They recognized the dwarf immediately as the one they saw in the work shack eating dust, but he had no eyes. He grabbed Tolgun, wild with fear, clothes in tatters, blood dripping from cuts on his exposed flesh, and cried out, "Run! Run for your lives! They're going to eat you!" At that, Gorum was overcome with the feeling that Tolgun was going to eat him. The ghostly apparition ran off into the snow in a panic while Gorm dropped his axe and ran away from Tolgun and into another room of the cabin. Soon after, Ryll approached the area and Gorm's fear abated.
Searching the cabin more carefully, we found some hidden magic items, several sacks full of gold nuggets and dust, and a ledger with detailed maps of the nearby regions that the Vekker Brothers had been mining. It located all of their assay points and mines, complete with notes on payouts of each mine. It appears that each had played out without imparting any particularly rich lodes. Several pages near the end of the ledger had been torn out.
As we discussed what to do next, something strange happened. We heard a faint knocking coming from the stair shaft. We approached that area of the cabin cautiously. The sound got louder, but we continued to see nothing. Suddenly, the sound stopped and everything became deathly quiet. After a few seconds, a loud crack followed by a mighty hammering sound suddenly filled the cabin as its walls began to shake and groan, almost as if the entire structure were giving up its purchase on the cliff's edge and sliding off. "Out the front!" ordered Epshi. Lai'Ki and Epshi, steadying themselves against the shaking floor, escaped out the front, Nala and Soril flew out, but Gorm, Ryll, and Tolgun fell down, unable to move on the unsteady floor. The hammering continued. Those left inside saw ghosts of starving Dwarves and experienced intense hunger pangs. Soril was able to teleport Ryll and Tolgun out, while Nala ran back in to save Gorm. They reported hearing fragments of sentences related to hunger and cannibalistic intentions. Soril fired off a huge gout of flame as a signal flare near the cabin as a rally point. Fearing others were lagging behind, Epshi ran back in to help. However, the shaking suddenly stopped and we were all able to vacate the premises. Once we got out to the porch, in the doorway behind us manifests a ghostly dwarf with no eyes and said, "You...you are alive? Do you not hunger? Ah, that is what I sense in your blood: greed. You seek the City of Greed. You should abandon your quest lest you end up like me – cold, dead, and eaten. But I suspect you cannot be swayed. Know, then, that I know the way. I can show you the way, but only if you bring my brother. He died on a ledge in the mountains a mile's walk north of this cabin. I feel his soul there, still hungry and still insane. Bring his bones to me so that I might reconcile with him. Once he is at rest, I will show you the way so that I may rest as well." The ghost's form eventually faded away piece by piece.
With that, we created a rope trick so we could have a stable and not-so-haunted place to rest and recuperate. When we left the rope trick the next morning, the blizzard was still raging, despite the control weather spell Soril attempted. We then went back through the cabin quickly and went down the cliff and outside to retrieve George, Lai'Ki's horse. We found him, no worse for wear. According to the map we found, the mine that possibly held the remains of one of the Dwarves was about a mile north of the cabin. There was a mostly shear cliff that was 200 feet high and there was a large outcropping with a natural cave, in which they found several mineral deposits. Despite the near white-out conditions, Lai'Ki was able to use the map to find the proper trail to the mine. After a few hours of trudging through the deep snow, we finally made it to a cliff that resembled the appropriate place on the map. We found pitons placed in the rock that we used to climb the cliff to the top. We made our way to a large outcropping, the ground rough and uneven and covered with rocks and rubble. Near the eastern edge of the cliff, a small number of grave stones protruded from the ground. There was a cave that was probably used as a mine with a long-dormant fire pit near the entrance. The area was somewhat protected from the wind and weather. Near the fire pit was the frozen body of a long-dead Dwarf. The corpse was wearing padded armor but was broken and mangled in such a way that it appeared to have fallen from a great height, while the ends of the legs were charred and blackened stumps. Inspecting the grave markers, they all had names listed, but only one stood out – the one belonging to Silas Vekker, one of the two brothers. The corpse wore magical padded armor (+4 Improved Cold Resistance) with a wolf motif. The feet appeared to have been burned off, not cut off. We moved to recover the corpse but another ghost appeared. A battle ensued. It really hurt Tolgun with a life-draining touch and bite, dropping him in one massed attack. Out of the ground in front of the cave burst a huge frost worm. It spewed a cold breath weapon at Soril. The ghost then heavily damaged Gorm. With a combination of melee attacks, we destroyed the ghost (though we knew it could return). The ice worm then attacked Nala, dealing horrendous physical and cold damage. Finally through a combination of arms, we killed the frost worm.
We took a moment to heal before quickly exploring the cave. After about 60 feet, we found that the mine had collapsed and was basically impassable. We found nothing of interest on the ledge or around the mountain. We took the body of the dead dwarf and wandered back to the cabin. Along the way, we heard another mournful wail on the wind, this sounding much closer and much eerier. After listening closely, Lai'Ki and Epshi realized that it was not a natural sound. It resembled the textbook sound made by a wendigo. They are planar outsiders associated with cold and have the ability to haunt the minds of mortals, driving them to desperate and ultimately cannibalistic madness. They enjoy tormenting their prey before finally causing them to succumb to their own desires to consume each other. Sometimes, tribes of bestial humanoids (e.g. orcs or goblinoids) will sometimes resort to worshiping the creatures.
We took the bones back to the cabin. Once we took them inside, a strange sense of calm seemed to fall over the cabin. Even the howling sounds of the raging blizzard outside seemed muted and more quiet. Carrying the bones into the living quarters, the no-eyed dwarf ghost manifested again with a sad expression on its face. The ghost of the other dwarf we fought on the mountain ledge also manifested. For a few moments, the two stared at each other under intense concentration. Wispy tendrils of ectoplasmic material moved and swirled between the two of them, like a mental struggle was taking place. While they were doing that, the wail of the wendigo was heard again, though it was much, much closer. Then something suddenly attacked the cabin. The anticipation of the oncoming attack made it seem like the moment would last for months.
END OF LINE.
[/OoC]
