Campaign Journal #10 - The Eastern Bridge

Month of Ready’reat

1st Day – Back to Rastor

• We finished our meeting with Fistan Nolro. He offered to teleport us back to Rastor, and we accepted.


• Rerrid told us that Thandain had been scouting out the area around the ridge mines.


• Thandain told us that she saw some “gnoll-like” creatures and a giant escorting a wagon back into the South Gate. The wagon had some elven prisoners.


• Thandain also noted large numbers of bugbears exiting the mines along with several other creatures. This wasn’t a mass exodus, but over the course of a fortnight several creatures were seen exiting.


• We rested that night in Rastor.

2nd Day – Temple, Traps, Giants and Death

• We entered the mines and began searching again for the Temple of Moradin. The orcs had cleared out.


• We found the entrance to the temple just south of the main orc area. It was well protected by a pit trap.


• We found a room with several ornately etched spheres. We realized these were divine relics of Moradin. Korthalis seemed intent on keeping anyone else from handling these items. We determined that he was under the influence of a magical compulsion.


• Another room contained a magnificent emerald on a silver chain. When Uthgar and Korthalis examined it, they saw magnificent images of their ancestral past. Clearly this item was a powerful relic.


• We entered the main temple area and encountered the guardian left behind by the dwarves of Kuluth Dun. It was finely crafted with adamantine plate armor and four razor sharp blades, and it seemed impervious to most energy and magical attacks.


• The battle was difficult, and it took the life of our rogue, Olitherum.


• We were exploring the rest of the temple, when a Vannay’s pet heard a loud noise near the entrance.


• A group of bugbears, a warlock and a massive blue skinned demon giant had entered the temple.


• The bugbears laid down withering fire from their bows and the mage shot eldritch spears at us. We closed the distance but our frontline was hit hard by the demon giant’s cold attack.


• Vannay weakened the assault force considerably with a fiery blast, and Delvanos followed it up with several well placed shots.


• The demon giant made to escape on the premise that he was getting some giants as reinforcements.


• Vannay entangled the remaining bugbear, the warlock and the demon giant in a web.


• The giant assumed gaseous form and escaped. After the web was dismissed, we finished off the warlock and bugbear.


• Victor was able to catch up with him. He changed into a small insect, but Victor grappled and apparently killed him.


• As we searched the remains of the assault force, the pseudodragon noticed that the demon giant, D’Gran, was recovering quickly from his wounds. Before we could put him down again, he became invisible and began fleeing.


• Aided by Delvanos’ haste spell, we gave chase. D’Gran called for his giant reinforcements to come to him.


• We still pursued him, but it became clear that catching him again would be difficult.


• We made preparations for another assault, but after some time waiting it became apparent that no attack was forthcoming.


• A decision was reached to go and find D’Gran before he had a chance to rest and regain his power. We healed our wounds and set out.


• Korthalis followed the bugbear tracks to the Western Bridge Complex. Upon entering, we discovered that D’Gran’s claims of giant reinforcements were true. There were two brutish looking giants standing near some piles of stone. Another wiry looking giant clad in chain armor, who we identified as a troll. And there was another feral looking troll waiting for us.


• A decision was reached that this battle might be best fought on another day.


• We returned to the temple. There was one room unopened. Korthalis filled in admirably for our fallen rogue, when he disarmed the trap protecting the room.


• We had found the dwarven treasury. Clearly these dwarves had obtained great wealth in the ridge mines. The Eye of Tulian Saltheart was not in the treasury. Korthalis later mentioned that the dwarves may have placed it somewhere else in the ridge mines to protect it from treasure hunters and other undesirables.


• The dwarves believed that there may be other unseen exits out of the temple, and Vannay used his wand to locate two exits. One of them led to the outside. Finally, we have a better (or at least better hidden) entrance into the ridge mines.


• We spent the night in the temple.

3rd Day – Back in Rastor

• Rerrid was happy to see us again, and he gave his condolences for our fallen companion.


• He was very pleased to hear that the temple was finally found.


• Rerrid agreed that the temple artifacts were safer in the hands of the Khannenhelm Clan until the mines were safe again for dwarven settlement.


• We presented him with the gold statue of Moradin recovered from the temple.


• Rerrid told us that there was a former resident of Rastor scouting out the area around the mines with Thandain. His name is Erwin Muir.

News of the Flanaess
Excerpt from an article in the Furyondy Beacon, 6th Day of Brewfest, C.Y. 591

The blight that darkened our lands this year has ended. A group of adventurers travelled to Blackwell and discovered cultists of Incabulus. The cultists had spread this blight over the fields of the March, Littleberg and Gold County. The immediate danger has ended, but the grain supply has been stretched to the point of breaking. The winter will be very difficult.

Although apparently not the source of the troubles, Iuz did take steps to make the bad situation worse. Agents of Old Wicked delayed and rerouted grain shipments, set fire to storehouses and stirred unrest among the northern regions of the kingdom.

Word from Chendl gave news that some of the crops were saved. The epidemic did not reach famine levels. Next year’s planting should not be affected by the events of this year. Lord Marten on behalf of King Belvor IV said, “This has been a difficult time. No one in Furyondy has been spared from the vicious attacks on our food supply. We can be confident that next year the reaping in the March will yield a good crop. The dresadoes of the Gold County will bloom. The king has declared a special festival during Needfest to commemorate the work of these heroes and the saving of the kingdom.” Marten went on to say that a special announcement would be made by the king during the year’s winter festival.