Myrkul Doesn't Live Here Anymore

General Summary

Following some consideration, the Party descended the steps into the cellar of the ruins. As they approached, Bronwen Mandit's loyalists sneak attacked them from behind the many interior walls. Eventually, the traitorous Mandit himself joined the battle. After some back and forth, Emmalyn channeled her frustration into a bolt of radiant energy that put the captain down for good.
After the battle, the Party turned their attention to a magic circle extending out from elaborate double doors. Bartimus translated the arcane runes as saying, "Only one with the heart of a Mistglide may claim this place." Emmalyn remembered from her studies that the Mistglide family was one of the early families of influence following the First War, but their lineage was believed to have been broken centuries ago.
Impulsively, Barty tried to cross the magical barrier. However, he could not anchor himself to that point in reality and found himself teleported above the nearby river, falling into the rapids. With some struggles and a little bruising, he made his way back to the shore and eventually the cellar. Hobart and Axelrod, not knowing Barty's fate, also tried to cross the barrier. For their troubles, they were thrown away from the barrier and slammed into the wall. Even Emmalyn, coming from an old family line herself, suffered the same fate after she involuntarily crossed the barrier. This mystery will require further study from the Party.
After a long rest, the heroes ventured north in the morning, arriving at Ambridge in the early evening. When they arrived, the found the town abandoned. The scene suggested the people simply quit what they were doing and left. As the Party investigated the town, they found the faint outline of a large arcane rune still traced in the ground. Suddenly, that rune and many others lit up around town, and the Party felt themselves being pulled away from Ambridge.
Once they recovered their senses, the heroes found themselves in a deep mountain valley with no visible exit, standing atop a colossal rune. They saw a passage into a mountain, ending in two stone doors engraved with the words, "FOREVER THE ABODE OF MYRKUL. ENTER WITH DELIGHT, ZEALOTS AND SACRIFICES." The name "Myrkul" had recently been scratched out by the new tenants. The Party ventured forth into what was clearly an ancient death temple to Myrkul, long abandoned but recently found.
When they reached the first hallway intersection, the Party heard voices coming from behind the doors directly ahead. Deciding to avoid them for now, they tried to stealth away down another hallway. The loud clanking of metal armor alerted the occupants, and the doors flung open to reveal several foes. Before the chaos escalated, Barty looked into the room and saw a dark, hooded figure with a glowing staff peering out from a mirror. Though Barty could not see his face, he could tell the hooded figure was staring him in the eyes. The figure took one swing with his arm, and the mirror shattered outward onto the floor. After defeating the enemies, they found a note from the mysterious "Q" instructing the cultists to continue their experiments at the uncovered temple of Myrkul. What else would the Party find in this place?
They proceeded down a hallway, coming to a room with a large stone skull rising from the center of the floor. Inside the sculpture, Axelrod found two vials of a red liquid, which he took for safekeeping. They moved onto another hallway, which opened up into a large gathering hall. They saw two dead cultists lying alongside strange earthen rubble, as well as some intricate "statuary" adorning the upper walls. As they moved onward, they were attacked by a gargoyle, quickly dispatching it.
Cautiously moving down a narrow hallway, the Party came to another junction. To their right were impressive double doors with writing above them: "Those still to give." To their left was a short hallway with its own writing: "Those who have given." A quick look down that hallway revealed a large, seemingly bottomless pit. Seeing the bloody handprints on the door, Hobart sliced his hand and pushed open the door while the others hid. He witnessed an ominous scene: arcane runes, multiple cultists, and a priest conducting a vile ceremony. Hobart tried to grab the door and quickly pull it shut, but it escaped his grasp.
One by one, the heroes pushed into the room to interrupt the ritual. As the priest chanted, streams of energy coursed like water upward from pits in the floor, coalescing into a sphere of dark energy. Axelrod shoved one cultist into the pit, which disrupted one of the energy streams and put greater strain on the priest to continue. Pushing ever onward, the Party saw a familiar face standing next to the priest: Bilmop Xert, the acolyte from the Temple of Mystra in Redmund. Though he did his best to heal and support his true priest, the Party struck them both down, ending the ritual. However, with no on to control it, the sphere of energy exploded with withering force, injuring Axelrod and taking down Emmalyn. When they finished the battle, they surveyed the carnage, not knowing exactly what they had interrupted. Just what is this cult trying to accomplish?

Report Date

11 Oct 2020

Primary Location

Ancient Death Temple

Secondary Location

Mistglide Ruins