Session 26

General Summary

The party heads off in search of Torshin Barrow in the Arborwilds. First heading up Brynnilog Beacon near Mosston, they see the ruins of Madoc's Spear and beeline to it via the gametrails of the Eastern Arborwilds. The party arrives at Madoc's Spear after a few hours and explores the area for a bit. They find a submerged chest in and underground cave and in the process of trying to retrieve it, are attacked by a Sea Hag called Black Agnes. After the battle, they retrieve the chest and find it to be full of dwarven silver coins, as well as silver chalices and plates. They spend some time trying to light candles they found atop Madoc's Fist but found that they would not stay lit. Wisk scales the Spear to see where the next landmark on their map is located. He spots it, Yva's Oak, on the bend of a small river about an hour or two through the brush. Marti uses parchment that Felix had given her to take some rubbings of a nearby runestone that displayed the names of all the Athasian soldiers who had been stationed at the Spear over the years.
Moving on, the party followed Wisk's direction to Yva's Oak. Once there, they saw the huge fairie ring surrounding the tree and Lorelei - being attuned to the Tir na Nog - felt that it was definitely not connected to a 'good' part of the feywild. At this point a few of the party notice some heavy branches breaking and moving behind the tree and decide that they need to gtfo quickly and proceed to the Barrow. 
Pressing on, the party reaches the barrow. They explore the exterior of the ruins and digsite. In the abandoned campsite they find some digging equipment and some strange old silver coins with a tree on one side and androgynous elven figure on the other. Wisk recognises a glimmer of the magic within the coin but is unable to place it. Felix investigates the exterior of the mound itself including the stone circle at the top and finds the land to be consecrated. Also finds a large central stone within the circle appears to have once been a large carved snakes head. A tree is growing out of its centre. 
Down in the digsite itself, the party find an uncovered altar with the following inscription;

"Here rest the scions of the Clan of Torshin na Telin. Slain by champions of the ancient enemy. Sleep well disciples, the works of your hands at Y Sêl deliver us from the Scourge."

They headed down into the partially excavated barrow. Inside, Wisk takes a look at a polished bronze mirror. In it his reflection is strangely monstrous, he turns around to warn the others but finds himself unable to speak, see or hear. As he turns around, the others see Wisks face is gone, leaving a blank, featureless head. Wisk thrashes about in a panic - Lorelei attempts to dispel magic on the mirror but there to no effect. A minute passes and eventually sight, sound and voice return to Wisk - though his face does not. Marti tries a lesser restoration but that also has no effect. 
Choosing to focus on the mission at hand the party cover the mirror with a cloak and start going through some parchment on the lead archaeologist's desk. (Entries below). After going through the notes, they move into the next chamber and - whilst Lorelei investigated a marble statue with the following inscription below it;
"Teyrn Reyshalin Torshin na Telin, valiant protector of our lady, Teyrna Arinaya Torshin na Telin. May you find rest under her watchful gaze." 
In the next room, through a hole in the wall, Lorelei could hear muttering and pacing of a creature talking to itself. She placed a small light on the floor next to some rations. Upon seeing the light, the creature - a female tiefling in rags with yellow skin and unnaturally vibrant blue eyes - screamed out that there were intruders. This awakened the banshee spirit of the barrow who flew into a rage and screamed at the top of its lungs, instantly downing Helgret. The party split between fending off the Banshee and getting Helgret back up. The possessed tiefling ran after the banshee and used its terrifying visage, struck terrible fear in Helgret and Lorelei - with Lorelei appearing to age 30 years in a single horrifying moment. Felix then Deus Vulted the banshee into next week. Wisk and Helgret downed the tiefling woman, forcing the spirit out of her body, which was then slain by Felix. Now out of initiative, the party heal the tiefling who doesn't wake up and is alive but unresponsive. Her body is tethered to a strange glowing orb by a magical ribbon of energy. With the help of Ella, Felix and Marti figure out the orb has some powerful necromantic energy behind it. Marti finds the body of an elven noblewoman who is wearing the diadem the party had come for, which she takes and attaches her Mortyrn stone to. Below was an inscription which read;
"Our Lady Arinaya, most noble born of Torshin na Telin, silversmith to Lord Honuriel - scion of those who are not our ancestors - and keeper of the soul silver. Your final watch has come, let it be here, amongst those who fell by your side and that you rest your gaze, until we are recalled to our home amongst the Court of Summer."
Now that they can take in their surroundings, the party look around and find themselves in a room with a ton of blank untarnish silver coins, using detect magic, felix finds a number of coins identical to the ones they found outside in the tents. Wisk picks one up and this time feels the presence of a spirit within the coin and briefly hears a voice say "Iflan!" which Lorelei translates to "Unclean!". Meanwhile Lorelei and Ella are looking at a magical harp that they have found. Ella identified it as a fabled 'Instrument of the Bards'. Felix gathers up all the marked coins that he can find (13 in total - a 14th is in Wisk's possession and Helgret has a 15th as well an elven finger bone from a nearby tomb - neither of which Felix or the rest of the party is aware of). The party then destroy the weird orb and the tiefling woman (Jenassa Offizi) wakes up in confusion. The party make their introductions, say she's been gone for a year which is a shock for her to say the least. Wisk tries to lever off some emeralds making up the eyes of a snake mosaic - he manages but sets off an acid pressure trap and takes some damage. The party then use a combo of drilling into the side of the remaining canisters and sacrificing an unseen servant to get the rest. Jenassa & Marti head outside to start digging a grave for Indri the half-elf labourer. The rest of the party check some crates outside and find them full of silver funerary urns - carnet says there should be 12 but one is missing.

End of Session

Daumit 24, FA966
We have been here for the better part of a month. Slowly excavating the mound known as Torshin Barrow. The mound appears to have served as a burial for multiple members of an elven clan known as Torshin na Telin who appear to have died in service to some religious figure or movement. We have uncovered two bodies so far as well as a number of funerary urns containing cremated remains - of which the latter we have packaged up for delivery back to Nubrix in Mosston. When we breached the first antechamber last week, we found a largely intact tomb, much to the surprise of Hemmings and my own excitement. Offizi keeps warning that an intact tomb means intact traps but really, even if the elves had a history of sealing their burial mounds with such contraptions, surely anything mechanical would have long since failed. I'm beginning to wonder why Nubrix even insisted on her presence here, she is far too cautious - and ill informed - for the work we have before us. The coins we have found thus far are unlike anything we have seen from elven wares of the period, clearly this clan were great silversmiths or at least powerful local warlords, enough to have hoarded such fine wares.

Daumit 26, FA966
The labourers have uncovered a beautiful mosaic in the floor of the western chamber, depicting what appears to be the head of a serpent. Snake worship is not a known part of any elven practice that I'm aware of - perhaps a sigil or guardian spirit of the clan itself? I shall have to make further enquiries with the scholars in Mosston when I return. The glittering emeralds set in its eyes are particularly beautiful, I'm sure they'd fetch Nubrix - and by extension us - a pretty price. Enough to fund further exploration of the Arborwilds for years to come!

Dauind 1, FA966
We have spent the last week clearing rubble from the central chamber and have uncovered evidence of a further chamber beyond. We've only been able to clear enough rubble to catch a glimpse of the next room but it seems clear that there is more to this mound than what we have currently uncovered. Offizi is beginning to act a little twitchy, I've ordered her topside to get some fresh air, being in the dark for prolonged time does terrible things to the mortal psyche and as a tiefling - and an Azur no less - she is certainly more susceptible than either Hemmings or I to the oppressive atmosphere of the tomb.Hemmings and I have decided to use my familiar, Iryx, to scope out this new chamber properly in the morning. That way we will not need to open the hole in the wall any further should it prove devoid of objects of worth.

Dauind 2, FA966
A hoard. A veritable hoard! I sent little Iryx in first thing this morning as a spider and the things I saw beggar belief. A pile of silver that looks like it would come up to my waist! Better than that, Iryx also spotted the remains of some elf lord or lady, still sitting upon their throne, diadem on their brow! The diadem was a particularly striking piece, so much so that I have gone to the efforts of making a technical drawing to be sent ahead of our next shipment. Now we begin the process of widening the gap enough to allow some of the more slightly built members of our excavation team access to the chamber - we dare not widen it too far lest we risk a collapse that could jeopardise our findings here. Offizi - despite my misgivings - is just the build we need - Hemmings and I have decided that she and the half elven lad Indri will go in first and try to create some supports on the opposite side.

Rewards Granted

Chest containing set of 12 silver chalices, 10 silver plates, 400 silver coins of apparently dwarven mint

Report Date

16 May 2021