The Ruined Abbey, Part 1
4 Kythorn, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
The Ruined Abbey, The Sword Coast
It was days before the summer solstice and Phandalin was bustling with eager miners and farmers ready to make a new life. Loggers had been clearing land all around the town over the last few months. Farmers had been following the loggers making ready for planting by clearing stumps and building cabins.
However, some farmers had gone missing while trying to clear land around a ruined abbey once dedicated to Lathander and Chauntea.
In Phandalin, Frian Benin of Chauntea asked Errich Alderleaf and Caradoc Ehrenhalt to travel to the ruins of a nearby abbey and investigate what happened to the farmers. A child was found by some loggers not far from the abbey ruins. The child has spoken little and only knows there were some skeletons and another creature shooting black bolts out of his fingers.
Friar Benin knows these farmers and wants to make the area safe for the other farmers going out and starting farms. He also fears knowledge of undead will scare many in town and wished the threat to be dealt with, quietly if possible. He gave the group 10 gp to help with any expenses. He also offered a potion of healing.
Friar Benin offered the help of his acolyte, Crane Dermont, to help Caradoc and Errich’s investigation.
The trio prepared themselves for the short journey that would take them a few miles east of Phandalin.
The ruined abbey was only a few miles outside of town near a small lake and sat on a small rock outpost looking towards the Sword Mountains to the south. Everyone agreed that the land around it would make a good place for farming since more families are looking to settle in the region.
The wagon trail from town was easy to follow and the logging trail split shortly before the ruins. A rocky knoll sat above an area of recently cleared woods. Only a partial foundation remained of what was once a grand building. The main courtyard measured was large and contained several partial walls and a few areas of rough terrain.
Near the outer wall, they found several containers, boxes, and tools from the farmers laying under a wind-blown tarp. Several other possessions lay scattered near the area. On the far side of the courtyard was a large set of double doors that lay closed and to the right was a single door that leads to the only building with some form of a roof.
Wandering around the courtyard the three spotted several skeletons dressed in ancient scraps of armor and carrying old, rusted weapons. They appeared to have not seen the adventurers’ approach and seemed concentrated by the doors to the front and side.
Since Crane was a cleric, both Caradoc and Errich urged him to turn the six skeletons gathered near the double doors.
However, and to their amazement, Crane was afraid to confront the undead. Crane said he didn’t realize there would be that many undead wandering around in the area.
After convincing the cleric he would keep him safe, Caradoc threw a rock across the courtyard to distract the skeletal guards. The three then snuck up to them allowing Crane to try and turn them all.
Crane mustered up enough courage and managed to turn three of the undead.
Caradoc and Errich joined in the fight along with Crane who, despite hesitating, destroyed one skeleton with a mighty blow from his mace.
During the fight, Caradoc heard something slam against the door leading to the only building with some form of a roof. It sounded like something large was inside trying to break out!
Caradoc warned the others as the door blasted outward in a shower or rotting splinters.
A bear suddenly burst out of the building!
To the group’s horror, the bear’s body showed it was rotting in several places. Maggots crawled over its fur. A hole where one should have been gave the undead bear a more fearsome appearance.
Errich rushed the bear, slicing it across its belly. He slid past it and took a shot with his hand crossbow. The bolt buried itself in the thing’s thick hide doing little to hurt it.
The bear attacked the halfling twice, tearing through Errich’s leather armor. Errich screamed as he realized the undead bear could very well kill him.
Seeing Errich in trouble, Caradoc followed, flanking the undead creature, slicing the bear’s back open with his short sword and dagger. Maggots and decayed flesh fell onto the half-orc making him almost retch.
Crane, his arms shaking, kept his distance and took a shot at the bear with his light crossbow. The bolt nicked the undead bear’s paw ‘bearly’ doing any harm to it.
Both Errich and Caradoc pressed the attack but could not drop the bear fast enough. The undead bear turned its attention to Caradoc, its sharp claws tearing through Caradoc’s armor. With two powerful strikes, the undead bear nearly killed Caradoc.
Mustering all his might, Caradoc stabbed into the bear with his blades, finally felling the creature once and for all.
Seeing Caradoc and Errich wounded, Crane healed them both, but it wouldn’t be enough to completely heal them.
After, the three entered the building where the undead bear emerged from. The small building’s interior was brightly lit from numerous cracks and holes in the mostly intact ceiling. The room was still decorated with some fragments of a mosaic indicating that this room was once a prayer room of some sort.
Inspecting what was left of an altar, Crane found two gems Errich later valued at 25 gp each.
It was decided the gems would go to help equip Caradoc with better armor after they all agreed to head back to Phandalin rather than spend the remainder of the day at the ruins. Also, going back to Phandalin would allow Crane to recover his spent spells and allow both Errich and Caradoc to rest and heal.
They left the ruined abbey agreeing to return the next day and confront whatever dangers awaited them in the ruined abbey.
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