Session Eighteen: The Scar Report

General Summary

The party travelled north towards the Scar taking a slower and cautious approach through to snow-covered wilderness. They found pleasant shelter along the way, shielding them from the worst of the winter cold.

When they arrived at the scar they found that it emanated an unnatural heat and that no snow could make its way inside.

Looking through the Spyglass of Starsight the party saw tents and lights at the bottom of the gorge as well as strange stones at its centre.

They encountered some of the native living rock creatures but were able to safely disengage and swiftly moved on.

Wushuu found some Drakesroot. A tough, dark scaled root that grows out of crags in the ravine. Kairi had been told that this herb is useful in crafting more powerful potions.

As they pushed deeper into the scar the heat grew more intense.

Wushuu also inspected the strange stone pillars and was assaulted by primal magical energy. Upon further inspection, he discovered that the stones were in fact bones of some long-dead colossal creature and a quick flyover by Felwynn confirmed this. Some truly massive creature had died here.

The party reached the edge of the encampment and identified the inhabitants as Kobolds, a race of small but fanatical creatures led by a much larger black scaled individual.

Before they were spotted the pathfinders decided to retreat and report back to Guildmaster Gabriel Locke .

On the way home, they stopped at the Aelvari Ruins to test Tinkerer's idea to deal with the arcane protection on the antechamber door, hoping to unlock the secret the Aelvari had worked so hard to protect.

With the Harpy now driven off the population of Cockatrices had flourished and several attacked the intruding Pathfinders in a territorial rage. Much as before the party fended off the small creatures but not before a few bites and scratches found their mark. As the group tended to their wounds, they discovered that their gnome wizard had been turned to stone.

As Darkness approached, the survivors spent the night in the underground ruins away from the wind and snow. Carrying the now stone form of Tinkerer proved quite the challenge and a few close calls nearly resulted in him shattering.

Now safely inside the party bedded down for the night, taking turns to watch over their sleeping companions and new statue. During the night something joined them in their chamber, sniffing and probing over their gear and equipment. It took a special liking to Kairi's chain mail and proceeded to erode it even as Wushuu lit the room up with Faerie Fire. Now illuminated this strange insect was an easy target for the group who dispatched it quickly but not before it had stripped Kairi to her leathers, her metal armour turned to piles of rust on the stone floor.

Now down a party member and several expensive pieces of gear, the group debated their next move. Should they continue to explore or head back to town and what of their new Garden Gnome? After much debate they spent one more day in the ruins, recouping from their ordeal before journeying back to Westmarch.

Roughly 24 hours after the attack of the Cockatrices' Tinkerers Petrification wore off, and he returned to normal. Kairi made sure there were no lasting side effects.

Tinkerer's curiosity quickly got the better of his judgement as he ignored the magically locked book and sent his unseen servant to try the warded door. A tense moment later the door handle turned, the magical shimmer faded and the Glyph of Warding exploded in a thunderous ball of fire.

Fortunately, none of the pathfinders were close enough to be incinerated instantly but a wave of fire rushed past them to get to the oxygen outside even as the structure collapsed. Kairi and Naivara were the first to see the danger and ran, followed closely by Wushuu, his shell and his pristine cloak slightly charred by the explosion. Yulgor took a glancing impact from a falling rock as the ceiling gave way but made it safely outside.

Tinkerer stood his ground, his hair and beard singed by the blast and attempted to use his Rod of Stone Shaping to hold back the falling ceiling, desperate to preserve the secrets but before he could activate it a large stone came loose, knocking him to the floor.

With mere seconds to spare, Tinkerer emerged into the fading winter light, battered and bruised. A plume of dust and dirt pursued him as the Aelvari spire sank into the ground with a rumble like thunder that was sure to have carried for miles around.

The pathfinders now stand together as the light fades and the snowfall intensifies and dozens of disturbed Cockatrices wake from their nests.

Rewards Granted

1 Drakesroot   1 Vial of Cockatrice venom.

Missions/Quests Completed

Investigated the Scar   Discovered the remains of the Fallen Ancient   Destroyed the Aelvari Ruins.

Character(s) interacted with

Really pissed off a nest of Cockatrices.

Notes

That was a close one, Tinkerer was one roll away from being crushed.