After discovering the remains of a dwarven warrior and recovering a key, the heroes ascend to the Glitterhame. They evade orcs and troglodytes as they escape through an old tunnel built during the siege of Khundrukar. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Player Characters
Dax, human ranger 4
Amira, human (life)cleric 3
Rex, wood elf ranger 3
Gydean, v. human rogue 2
Varrick, hill dwarf (forge)cleric 2
Puddle of Ocean, tortle sorcerer 2
Nyr, human druid 1

Part 3. In Dark Water

1.
Rex was soaking wet, exhausted, and frustrated. Fleeing from orcs and subterranean monsters was not what he had in mind when he agreed to enter the ruins of Khundrukar. But he and the others were here now, and they needed to find a way out.

Rex looked through the prison. He saw his companions, the dwarven skeleton in one of the prison cells… and two other occupied cells. In the first cell, there was a human druid named Nyr. In the other, there was a tortle, hiding inside his shell. When he finally emerged, he introduced himself as Puddle of Ocean, a famed dinosaur racer from the distant land of Chult.

Both Nyr and Puddle of Ocean were wanderers who had somehow found themselves in the depths of the Stone Tooth while exploring the woods near the mountain. They too had faced the tentacle monster outside the prison and narrowly escaped with their lives. Seeing that there was safety in numbers, they joined the party to find a way out of their plight.

Rex looked more closely at the dwarven skeleton, hoping to uncover something of use. He found a small, weathered purse hidden beneath her old, corroded armor. It contained some tarnished coins, a silver brooch, and a dwarven-made key. It was an ornate ceremonial key made of gleaming steel and inlade with gold, seemingly untarnished. It was clearly was not a key meant for this prison but one made for a grand gateway.

Rex’s attention was then drawn to the silver brooch. It had the shape of a leaf and was finely crafted. It was seemingly untouched by time. This was an elven brooch, and it was a token that was only given to non-elves who were held in great esteem. The bearers of these token were called “elf friends,” those who did great deeds for elvenkind in their hour of need. Only when given freely by an elf did the magic of its crafting sustain the luster of the brooch. If stolen or taken by force, it would tarnish in an instant.

Rex was thoughtful. This dwarf was clearly one who had been honored by elven folk. But here she laid, starved to death by orcs in the prison built by her own people. The walls of her final resting place were covered with dwarven runes. They were songs she had written lamenting the fall of Khundrukar and the betrayal of her people by men and elves, those whom they had once called friends.

Where are the spears of the horselords
And their tall banners streaming?
Where are the blades of the elflords
And their sharp warhorns singing?
Where are the shields of the marches
Upon which our oaths were taken?
They hang upon dusty arches,
Their solemn duty forsaken.

Now none remain to guard the dwarfhold
From the hands of plunder.
And none remain to bear the stonelord
To his eternal slumber.
No more will the song of the hammer
Be heard in the forge everburning.
The light of the dying ember
Fades in the hall of mourning.

Varrick read the songs in silence. But Amira deciphered the dwarven runes and read them aloud for the others. The room fell silent. Outside the door, it was eerily quiet. All that could be heard was the splash and gurgle of the subterranean river.

2.
The heroes, unsure whether it was day or night, were exhausted and laid down to rest. Rex seemed strangely restless. He was convinced that the room had no air vents, despite Varrick’s assurances to the contrary – the dwarves of Khundrukar were not cruel. They did not build a prison to suffocate their captives. But Rex was not reassured. His fellow ranger Dax spent an hour trying to keeping him calm.

“Wood elves…” Dax muttered.

The party set a watch upon the door. Puddle of Ocean, having rested before the party arrived, and perhaps to assure them of his usefulness to the group, offered to take the first watch. While the others slept, Puddle of Ocean listened for sounds beyond the door.

It was eerily quiet. He heard nothing but the sound of the river for hours. He thought it strange that the fish swimming in the water and the crabs skittering across the cavern floor could no longer be heard.

Then he heard something. A high pitched, monstrous shriek. It sounded like teeth grating against stone, unlike anything he had ever heard. It was followed by a horrible gurgling sound, like bubbles welling up in a muddy spring. And then came the putrid stench of acid. Puddle of Ocean had to hold his nose to avoid choking on the fumes that crept into the prison.

When the others had woken, Puddle of Ocean reported what he had heard. There was one thing that he did not mention. After the stench had subsided and before his watch had ended, Puddle of Ocean thought he heard the sound of a hammer ringing upon an anvil. It came from somewhere far away and was so soft that it sounded like a pin dropping on the floor. He was not sure whether it was real or if he had imagined it, so he put it out of his mind.

The party finally opened the prison door to see what had happened in the night. The cavern passage looked unchanged, but the subterranean river was now a murky black color and empty of fish and crustaceans. On the far bank, the monster they had fought hours earlier was now a smoldering ruin in a pool of foul acid. Its tentacles were splayed out and half melted. A jagged tear ran through the length of its body, revealing slimy entrails that had been ripped out and scattered on the ground.

Something had torn the creature open and removed something from its gullet. But what could have done this to such a fearsome monster? And was it responsible for the state of the river? The water was clearly polluted with a toxic substance, and none dared to wade through it for fear of being poisoned by it.

3.

The heroes decided to return the way they had come. They went to the river cavern where they first came ashore. From the cavern, they could ascend to the Glitterhame, or dive into the subterranean river and follow its current wherever it may lead.

“Let us go up to the Glitterhame,” Varrick suggested. “It is the safer route, and I would much like to see the halls sung of in our dwarven songs.”

They ascended up a flight of spiral stairs. The light became brighter as the veins of luminescent crystals grew denser along the walls. Finally, they emerged from the stairway. At first, they thought that they had come up from the depths of the Stone Tooth and were looking at the night sky. But they could not recognize any of the constellations, as though they had arrived in another plane of existence. They soon realized that it was the ceiling of a vast cavern whose high roof was covered with shining crystals and mineral veins that shined like the stars of the cosmos.

The heroes stood amazed at the sight of the Glitterhame, where a forest of immense, glowing mushrooms taller than a man spread out eastward. But their reverie was cut short when they noticed a foul stench coming from a passage to the west. It seemed to travel from west to east as if carried by a faint breeze.

“I would like to go into the western tunnel and find out what filth has defiled these dwarven halls,” said Varrick. Amira wished to go with him, but the rest of the party disagreed.

“There’s a draft going east where the air smells fresher. There might be a passage leading out of this place, and we need to restock our supplies,” said Dax.

“I would much like to collect the bounty from our orc heads. They are growing ripe inside my bag,” said Rex.

“And I don’t want to find out what is causing that bad smell,” said Puddle of Ocean.

“Yet where there is great light and beauty, darker dangers might be hidden,” Gydean warned them. But he, too, was eager to find a way out of these depths before delving deeper into the tunnels.

They party went east. Gydean scouted ahead to see if there were any dangers ahead.

“I’ll be back shortly,” he said confidently. Then he vanished into the shadows.

The minutes passed, but Gydean did not return. Puddle of Ocean peaked out worriedly from his shell and stepped forward. Then he heard a voice inside his mind. It sounded like Gydean, reaching out to him telepathically, but the voice was faint and weak.

Help… me…

“Our friend is in trouble!” Puddle of Ocean shouted and ran forward. The others followed him.

The tall mushrooms glowed with a purple light and reflected the light of the cavern ceiling. There was enough illumination to see, but queer shadows were cast all around them. At last, they arrived at a clearing and found Gydean… and the monsters that had waylaid him.

He was caught in the grasp of two enormous maggots as tall as he was. Each had four long tentacles and a horrible beak in the center. Their tentacles were wrapped tightly around Gydean’s limp body. They were fighting over their prey and threatened to tear him apart.

4.

Gydean had gone ahead of the others. He was skulking through the shadows, keeping his eyes open for signs of danger. He never saw where they came from, but the last thing he saw were the tentacles wrapping around him and squeezing the breath out of his chest.

Everything went dark. But the darkness was not empty. He sensed a presence in the void, or rather, the void itself had a presence. Then he remembered that he had felt this presence once before.

When he was fighting the orcs at the mountain door and leaped off the edge of the floor, he had called upon the void to deliver him from danger. And the void had answered. But it offered him much more than mere safety. It promised knowledge beyond measure, if only he would agree to certain terms. With this newfound knowledge, he could attain great wealth and power the likes of which he could only dream of.

Gydean had accepted this offer.

“Remember, Gydean. There is no knowledge that is forbidden. To acquire that which you seek, you must discern the transmundane…” the void whispered to him.

Yet there was no time to rest. During the battle, one of Dax’s arrows had missed its mark and flew clear over the canopy of mushrooms. Where it landed, a roar of pain had been heard, followed by curses in orcish.

The heroes saw that the voice had come from a high cliff to the west. The silhouettes of a dozen orcs could be seen on the ledge, and a tall, fierce ogre stood in front of them. Kneeling before the ogre were four reptilian men will long tails and claws. Nyr recognized them instantly as troglodytes, foul creatures whose terrible stench could send the toughest dwarf reeling. Their leader wore a crude headdress made of bones and bowed his head before the ogre. The heroes guess that this was Great Ulfe, the ogre that ruled the orcs of the Mountain Door.

Great Ulfe had Dax’s arrow stuck on his shoulder. He broke it off and shook it angrily at the troglodytes, shouting curses in orcish. The troglodytes looked confused. But it would only be a matter of time before they looked toward the Glitterhame.

The party snuck away and found a narrow passage where the air smelled less foul. The walls of the tunnel were crudely supported by wooden beams. These were the old tunnels that the orcs had built during their assault on Khundrukar a hundred years ago. The heroes saw a dim ray of light and thought that they must be nearing the exit.

In a small crevice inside the tunnel, they saw another glint of light. It was coming from a longsword held by the skeleton of a dwarf. His bones were covered with a yellow mold that had corroded his armor, but the longsword in his hand was still gleaming as though newly forged. Varrick saw that it carried the mark of Durgeddin’s forge, but the faded emblem upon the dwarf’s armor revealed that his name was Numik. Varrick took the blade, dusting off the yellow mold. Then the party headed for the exit.

Now, they could hear a search party being mustered behind them. But in front of them, they saw to their horror that the tunnel was blocked. Two wooden palisades blocked the passage, forming a crude cage around a huge grizzly bear trapped between them. The wall closest to them appeared to be a makeshift gate with an iron lock, but the far wall had no means of opening at all. As the stench of the trogolodytes grew nearer, the heroes knew that time was running out.

“I have an idea,” said Gydean. The party came up with a plan. They distracted the bear with meat from their rations while Gydean worked to unlock the gate. Within several anxious moments, the gate was open. Then Nyr used his druidcraft to conjure the smell of even more savory meat behind the party. The bear followed the smell down the tunnel towards the Glitterhame. Soon enough, they heard the shouts of orcs and troglodytes and the bellow of the great bear as it mauled its captors.

The heroes tore off a wooden beam from the second wall and ran through the opening. They had just enough time to seal up the wall behind them. As they stood back from the wall, a scaly arm burst through the crack in the palisade, clawing at the air. Its stench turned the heroes’ stomachs, but the troglodyte’s arm could reach no further.

When at last they saw the blue sky and smelled the clean mountain air, the heroes breathed a sigh of relief. They stood at the base of the mountain on its eastern slope where a lake was spread in the shadow of the Stone Tooth amidst a smattering of trees. They had arrived at the Mountain Door the previous evening, and less than a day had passed by the time they emerged from the depths of Khundrukar.

5.

The party traveled through the wilderness, avoiding the main road, and returned to Blasingdell to restocked their supplies. Visiting the Mayor’s house, they collected the bounty for the orcs they had slain on the road to the Stone Tooth. They also showed him the longsword they found on the remains of Numik the dwarf. The Mayor was pleased to see such a fine relic retrieved from Khundrukar, and he was impressed that they had even learned the name of its owner.

“I assure you, my friends, that you would be handsomely rewarded if you procure any more such storied objects from those dwarven ruins.”

The heroes spent the night at the temple of Chauntea. Sister Alonsa was relieved to see that Amira and her friends had returned safely from their adventure. They shared their tales of all that had happened beneath the mountain over a bowl of porridge. But Alonsa grew concerned when the conversation turned to returning to Khundrukar.

For the orcs still held the Mountain Door and threatened the countryside. A dark monster still lurked in the subterranean halls beneath the Stone Tooth. And they had only seen a glimpse of the treasure that might be hidden in the depths of Khundrukar.

As Varrick vowed to return the forge to the rightful hands of the dwarves, his companions resolved to return to Khundrukar and rid it of the evils and monsters that lurked within.

The following day, the heroes set out once more for the Stone Tooth. But they pondered how to reenter the ruins. Now that the orcs were on alert, the Mountain Door and the orc tunnel through which they escaped would surely be guarded. It was then that they remembered the column of smoke they had seen during their approach to the mountain.

Traveling through the wilderness, they arrived at the spot where the smoke had been. Much to their surprise, the smoke was still there, though it was thinner than before. As they drew closer, they saw that it came from a hole in the ground. Varrick guessed that this was the chimney of an underground kitchen in the upper level of Khundrukar. Peering into the hole, the heroes saw a narrow shaft that was barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through.

Varrick had an idea. Drawing out a flask of alchemist’s fire, he dropped it into the shaft, intending to start a fire. He hoped it would distract the orcs in the upper level while the party reentered the Glitterhame through the orc tunnel.

The heroes went swiftly to the tunnel they had left several days ago. But the land all around it had changed. The sparse woods that surrounded the lake were withered to blackened stumps. The hideous stench in the air indicated that they had been burned by some sort of acid. The lake was dark and polluted, just like the subterranean river beside the dwarven prison.

In the shore of the poisoned lake, the heroes found a large, broken scale of black jet hue, darker than the moonless night.

To be continued…

Session #3 Rewards
4 Advancement Checkpoints
4 Treasure Checkpoints
10 Downtime Days

Character Advancement
Dax, human ranger 4 → 5 (slow)
Amira, human (life)cleric 3 → 4 (slow)
Rex, wood elf ranger 3 → 4 (slow)
Gydean, v. human rogue 2 → 3
Varrick, hill dwarf (forge)cleric 2 → 3
Puddle of Ocean, tortle sorcerer 2 → 3
Nyr, human druid 1 → 2