Last Hope For Ironwood
General Summary
The human warrior Theolin Windsplitter and halfling bard Kassandra meet in Ironwood, a small village whose citizenry are comprised of lumbermen employed by the Lumber Consortium and their families. The villagers were stricken with a fatal malady, called the Blackscour Taint, of which there seemed to be no conventional cure, or could be removed by the priest's divine magic.
Asked by the local apothecary to search for the ingredients to a recipe of a lost arcane like brew, the adventurer's headed into the nearby Ironwood Forest to search for the elixir's three ingredients; elderwood moss-to be found growing on the oldest tree in a forest, a pickled rare root called "rat's tail," and ironbloom mushrooms-a fungus that typically is found growing in dark, damp places thick with metal.
Theolin and Kassandra head into the Ironwood Forest and begin their quest searching for the oldest tree in the region, thus finding the elderwood moss. There they are accosted by a weird abomination that appeared to be part-snake and part man. They defeat the monster and find the moss.
Next, was the rumor of an abandoned hut of an old witch. The hope was if a rare pickled root were to be found, it would be found there. Upon entering the ramshackle hut, they were attacked by the witch's forgotten guardian of her domicile; her cauldron came to life and attempted to slay the pair. They defeated the magical construct and did indeed, in a stroke of luck, find a pickled rat's tail root.
Finally the warrior and the bard headed north to the rumored dwarven monastery which served as a forge for the people from the mountains. The day before arriving they met a dwarf cleric of Volturnus named Brokar and his companion- female halfling sorcerer called Pelee. The cleric and spell-caster were also seeking the old monastery so Brokar could explore the building and solve the mystery of what happened to the place and the dwarven people who once dwelled there. The four agreed to join forces.
The monastery had been abandoned a long time. No signs of living beings could be found at first, but the monastery was indeed inhabited by several various monsters, including, Greypelt, a large, intelligent, mystical wolf that called himself "King of the Wolves." He and his pack of wolves claimed the abandoned holy site as their lair.
Greypelt possessed a large portion of the ironbloom mushrooms sought by Kassandra and Theolin, and the beast struck a bargain with the explorers; eliminate other monsters and strange creatures that have taken residence in the wolf king's lair, and he would give them the mushrooms and let them leave the monastery without incident.
The four agreed and upon exploration they discovered the former dwarven monks and smiths that resided here had turned rebuked their god, Volturnus, and turned their faith and worship to Vecna, the god of secrets. The enclaves of these monsters had been slain, and when it came time for Greypelt to hold up his end of the bargain, he and his pack instead attacked the four, refusing to turn over the mushrooms which he revealed were a delicacy for he and his wolves.
In the battle, Pelee was slain, but Greypelt was handedly dispatched by Theolin and Kassandra. While Brokar was stricken with grief over the loss of his love, the warrior and bard explored the basement below. There they found a pile of unrefined ore of a mysterious metal, and the remnants of old parchment-the last of several clues found within the former monastery. Brokar identified the ore as mithril, a very rare metal only mined and worked by the dwarven people into armor and weapons. It was then theorized that the former smith-monks that resided here had not yet learned the delicate and complicated procedures for smelting and forging the mithral. They prayed to their god, Volturnus, for guidance and then became desperate, filled with greed and pride, and turned their faith to Vecna for the secret to refining the metal ore. The remaining three held a makeshift dwarven funeral for Brokar's halfling beloved. He decided to remain with at the former smithy to further explore it's history and consecrate it, forever ridding the place of evil.
Kassandra and Theolin returned to Ironwood with much haste and gave the ingredients to the apothecary. She was able to brew the elixir which did save the lives of several townsfolk. The people of Ironwood proclaimed the two heroes, and held a feast in their honor as thanks for ridding the village of the blackscour taint. It was then they were approached by a man named Fenric, who revealed himself as a royal envoy to the Kingdom of Galador. He and a small retinue of men were traveling to Oathheath to determine why the city had paid their yearly taxed and tribute to the throne. He had heard rumors that city's baron had been deposed and suspected treachery, and asked the two adventurer's to infiltrate the city to either confirm or deny those rumors.
Theolin had accepted the quest, but Kassandra respectfully declined stating she must return home to fulfill a familial obligation and duty. The two sadly said their goodbyes and parted ways, leaving Theolin alone to plan his next adventure.
Rewards Granted
Missions/Quests Completed
Character(s) interacted with
- Laurel-apothecary of the Roots and Remedies shop.
- Milon Rhodham-logger who knew of the whereabouts of the Ironwood's oldest treee, the witch's hut, and the dwarven monastery.
- Brokar- Dwarf priest of Volturnus, historian and archelogist.
- Pelee (deceased)-Halfing sorceress and lover of Brokar.
- Fenric- Human male royal envoy to the Lord Regent Arvidius and the throne of Galador.
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