Session 11: Pathway to the Shadow Report

General Summary

As the party departs Wolveshire Fortress with Covirus as captive, the decision about what is next looms over the party. Wolveshire provided more questions than answers - and the next steps of the journey seem uncertain with so many different avenues to choose from. The team chooses to follow the lead towards the Temple of the Ancients where the massacre of the village and later the brutal execution of the werewolves occurred. The only information known is that it lies east of Cragbrooke - beyond that they must find a guide. During the three day journey they attempt to interrogate their captive - nothing new is uncovered that wasn't already known from the Zone of Truth back in Wolveshire. The only clue of any value comes from a suggestion that a tavern named "The Sea Hag" is a popular place among the locals for sharing of good times and information. After mooring the ship at the docks in the early evening hours, the party departs for the tavern leaving Zarra and Shade to guard the captive. The group finds the tavern easily - while the crowd is bustling with locals and an old bard singing melancholy tales of woe, there is plenty of room for the team to break up and listen in to conversations and see what they might find out. Conversations are overheard regarding a patron complaining about being cheated from a merchant, and an overly ambitious man hitting on a barmaid, but nothing of any real consequence emerges. The older Bard takes a break from his set and takes a seat at the bar near the not-so-sober Ricfried - burying his sorrows in a tankard of ale. Marigold and Angelo attempt to make small talk with the Bard and buy him a drink - he introduces himself as Anlow and seems approachable and communicative until the mention of the Temple of the Ancients, when Ricfried notices a brief and fleeting moment of recognition in his eyes before the bard distances himself from the conversation, drinks the remainder of the tankard and moves back up to the stage to resume his set. As Anlow's set progresses, the team notices a calming behavior across the crowd. A Detect Magic spell demonstrates the melody produced by the lute and his voice indeed is spreading through the room and keeping the crowd from becoming unruly. Questioning the bartender, he confirms that Anlow is employed by the tavern and helps keep the peace. He also shares that long ago Anlow used to be a soldier until one day he put down the sword and picked up the lute. As Anlow's last set concludes, he quietly steps behind the stage and disappears - making for the back door and into the dark alleyways. The majority of the party departs, leaving Ricfried behind in case Anlow returns, and finds him moving away from the tavern. Asking him about his music and about the Temple of the Ancients, he shares that it is a place that the party should not go - a great massacre happened there - it is a place he does not wish to go back to. He attempts to leave but Tiathina casts Command, speaking the word "halt" and freezing him in his tracks. As the conversation continues, Anlow discloses that he was there when they hunted down the werewolves and killed every one they found. The blood and atrocities he encountered that day made him set his sword down for good - shortly after he came upon a traveling caravan of entertainers and set off with them - learning music and the magic of a tune from the gypsies. He also shared that the hunt of the werewolves came at great cost - only he and 3 others walked away. Of those, one committed suicide, one set sail and he hasn't seen him since, and the third was stabbed and murdered for his coin purse. Upon further questioning, the sailor's name was Oro - a name familiar to the party who now captains the Sea Queen, the large ship that carried them to Arkdale. With the right persuasion the party convinces Anlow to the value of their cause. He tells of how the swamp works to hide the evils of the world away - only those who have been there seem to ever make it back there; many have tried with none saying they have found it and a few never come back. He offers to lead them at the tavern after the morning meal and be prepared to set off on foot. The next morning the team parts ways with the Arachne and Zarra with plans to meet back in a week's time. Before departing they set Covirus free - some of the party argue whether to search him or even strip him before releasing, but ultimately just let him go, watching him quickly vanish into the crowd. They walk back to the tavern and enjoy a humble meal before meeting back with Anlow and setting off eastward into the swamps. The one day journey seems relatively uneventful, although partway along the journey the group feels as if they are being watched - a quick lucky glance by Wellys unveils something about knee-high and pink, possibly carrying bongo drums? Asking Anlow about it, he shares that there are stories of some frog-like humanoids in the area called the grungs who have a village of sorts somewhere in the swamps. If you can believe it there is even stories about werecrocs and other creatures as well - although he himself doesn't believe it. The party arrives at the entry of the temple - a battlefield of different skeletons litters the grounds everywhere around the temple. The paladins can detect the evil presence everywhere around them. Anlow shares that the worst of the massacre is seen even deeper inside the temple. Leading them down, the walls move from something stone based into something more alien in nature - stone that looks like it was magically placed. Metal signs are rusted and falling apart, showing thousands and thousands of years of age - shrines and other decorations far more recent are clearly seen on the surface of these ancient halls. Finally arriving into a massive chamber, the gore and destruction is everywhere - skeletal remains are seen throughout, some with sharpened teeth and extended canines. On the wall is an easily recognized map of the dawn realms, but large black lines extend across waterways and all the way from floor to ceiling of the chamber. On investigation, this appears to be the shape of the land long ago before the great calamity and the unleashing of the powerful magics that reshaped the lands. The language written on other walls speaks of the corruption from this powerful magic - that the ancients unlocked the mysteries of the world and even the gods - the use of this magic called "science" could cause massive explosions - these "bombs" as they were called could destroy huge areas, but would leave behind a corruption - a power that altered the very beings that survived. This "radiation" caused those who dwelled in the forests to alter their forms to have more focused hearing - those who retreated underground became shorter and more stout - a trait that became advantageous for people who mine and caverns that didn't need to be quite so large. Other creatures also changed to adapt to their circumstances because of this corruption. The party decides this is the place of great evil and it is time to smash the black bead and travel to the land of the shadows. A portal is opened and the party walks through into a cavern similar but not the same as the one they left. They instantly recognize that all of the color of their clothing and skin is gone - they now are surrounded only by shades of black and gray. They feel their emotions also effected - everything feels bleak and dreary. Emerging to the surface, they see that instead of trees covered in leaves that there are only a few dead trees dotting the landscape. They feel that even their very livelihood is negatively effected; that resting will not have the same healing effects as they are used to - this is a much different land than the one they left....

Campaign

The Journey Begins

Protagonists