Imps, Forgehome, Quests, and Death - 12th session

An improbable trip through the Underdark

The direction of Harper agent Danovar Brighthelm had become increasingly more and more puzzling. You would traverse through smaller and narrower tunnels until he would find another trap door, buried beneath the rubble, that led to another tunnel. The last one led to a spiral staircase leading down, and right into the Den of Dreus.


A negotiation for considerations

The Six Fingers happened onto a small room with four suits of armor propped against the wall. A magical circle was near a magically locked door and in that circle were two imps who immediately recognized the group as not belonging here.

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“Not one of Dreus’s regulars, are you? Don’t belong, no. Door’s trapped and locked by magic. Be glad to help you get through….for considerations.”

The Six Fingers would have nothing to do with negotiating with the imps (who would have granted the group two free successes in the skill challenge to open the door and perhaps not having to fight anyone in this room). Keira and Lendri went to the door to get a better look at it and immediately set it off (by failing the first skill check). The explosion from the door did max damage (20) and knock both of them back. Not only that, but the magic circle dropped releasing not only the imps, but also animating the suits of armor.

The Six Fingers prevails but I’m sure Keira got dropped twice here.


Elemental Alchemy

The next room was a battle with some of Dreus’s experiments. A mass of elemental energy was stored in a pool in the center of the room and left mostly uncontrolled, it sucks in and combines the small elementals into more powerful ones. At the start of each round, two of the minion elementals would combine into an amalgam.

The group got off to a good start but it was unfortunate that Keria went last in each round and would kill the final amalgam on her turn, which then turned it into the two elemental minions. At the start of the next round, the pool would suck in the two minions and form a full-strength amalgam to once again battle the heroes.

Finally the group finished them off and moved to the final room.


Dreus Fight

Since the group failed the skill challenge in the first room, Dreus was alerted and waiting for the six fingers and had already animated three skeletons to defend her. When the group entered her workshop, she had this to say:

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“So, you’ve made it through. It’s been a long time since I got my hands dirty, but I guess that’s what we’ve come to.”

The battle was difficult as Dreus wore some unusual rings on her fingers that dealt different damages depending on how many were lit up and how many were dark.

Eventually the Six Fingers wore through the skeletons and the Stonefist defender to get to, and kill, Dreus.


Another secret passage and on to Forgehome

While the party was searching the room, Danovar found another trap door that led to a rickety old ladder that descended further into the earth. This led to another tunnel that ended in a rock slide. Danovar was excited and claimed that the ancient Underdark highway of Erelhei-Cinlu was just on the other side. After hours of digging, the group emerged on this huge tunnel and just an hour outside of the dwarven mining town.


Welcome to Forgehome!

The heavily defended community was up ahead and before the Six Fingers could enter, Danovar had to vouch for the group. Carlos the Dwarf was singled out as being “Vargrimst” which is dwarven for “without clan”

It was late in the evening so the group found rest for the night at the Flat Rocks.

The following morning they met an older dwarf named Bedre Bronzetracker would thought they sought the legend of the mighty dwarven kingdom of Deepreach that contained untold richest of gold and gems before it was lost during the Spellplague. He mentioned a subterranean river in the Lower Underdark that would lead to Deepreach but warned that none have found it and returned to tell of it.

Next the Six Fingers spotted a skittish dwarf slinking around the market area. He was constantly looking over his shoulder and tightly clutching the bag slung over his shoulder. Later the group learned that Fomar Goldhammer was a gem hunter and was nervous about carrying such quantities of gems and gold around.

The group was not allowed to enter the Drinking hall but it was thought that if they were to gain some renown, they might be able to.

Hram Rockmelter, mayor of Forgehome, introduced himself and pointed the group in a couple of directions if they might be seeking work.


The Quest Givers

In the Longbeard Prospecting camp the group was alerted to Megoras Longbeard who shuffled out and gave the group its first quest in Forgehome:

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“Ah yes, these might do just perfect for us. I say, adventurers! I have a job for you. A book was stolen from my couriers some time ago and I need you to retrieve it with haste! It is a ritual book I purchased and I believe it to be not far from here. Ragnim can fill you in on the details, and here is 100 gp in advance, I know how this works, and I’ll double it when you return with the book.”

The dwarf supervisor would first introduced the Six Fingers to Megoras added this:

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“He speaks the truth, the ritual book is needed to help our company in the mines, and it was stolen not far from here. Apparently the lone survivor of the ambush spoke of being swarmed by “ghost spiders, spawned from the underworld” before dying. I can show you about where the attack occurred. Be safe my friends, the couriers they overtook were well armed and seasoned fighters.”

In the Forgeworks area the group was spotted by Ikos Ironbelly would had work for them:

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“You must be new to town, and available to work! Forgehome doesn’t let many through its doors. The name is Ikos Ironbelly and well, I have work if ye be looking. Months ago I was hired by another adventuring group to craft them a suit of armor made of dragon scales. Based on the size of the scales they must have only brought back a small portion of them. If you’d be willing to travel back to the dragon lair and bring me back some more of them, I can make another suit or maybe even two! I’ll pay you 200 gp if you bring back enough to make a suit, and I’ll make you one if you bring back enough for two. What say you?”

The center of the residential area was a temple to Moradin, where the Six Fingers met Torak Banehammer who also had work for them:

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“I have a job, if you are looking for work. A nearby temple was overrun months ago in with it we lost a relic called the Hammer of Ivak. Recently I have learned of the temple’s location and I want you to retrieve the Hammer. I tried to get it myself but…I found a number of score of creepy, crawly creatures. Too many for me and my old bones to fight. If you’d be willing to go, then take this with you. (+1 thundering warhammer).”

In search of Dragon Scales

The group decided to take the recovery quest first and took a series of side passages to find this underground clearing where a handful of kobolds were lying in wait.

From that encounter, the group found a cave that led further into the kobold base. Inside here was a thundering waterfall and narrow river that deafened all sounds inside. After these kobolds were dealt with it was on to the final room.


Lair of Karonzaxus

Another chamber that contained running water but much larger than the last. As the group entered they were met with a score of kobolds led by Varza, a kobold wyrmpriest. The first thing he did was to call out for the dragon Taloklaxus to attack.

Through the battle it was evident the adamantine dragon (which are not inherently evil) didn’t put his full effort into his attacks. That coupled by the constant yelling from Varza led to a skill challenge to convince Taloklaxus not to attack the Six Fingers.

Early in the fight, Ilthana and Lendri, being the two fighters in the group, made a dash for Varsa, but were slowed by attacks and difficult terrain that the water posed. A reluctant Taloklaxus dropped Lendri momentarily, and the swarm of kobolds dropped Ilthana as well.

The only hope the Six Fingers had was to sway the dragon to their side. And it worked.

Fed up by months of abuse and confusion, Taloklaxus went into a rage killing the remaining kobold as well as Varza to save the day.


The life and death of Ilthana Lunini

Dende dashed across the room as he mentally noted where Ilthana had fallen just seconds before. The body of the great-granddaughter of Umberto Lunini layed on death’s door while the Six Fingers circled around their fallen comrade. Even a remorseful Taloklaxus joined the group to lend his spiritual support.

But it wasn’t enough.

Dende wiped the sweat from his brow, frantically thinking of a solution. He digs into his belongings and pulls forth a small pouch which he carefully unfolds. Inside was no more than a pinch of reddish powder.

“Dust of a dragonshard found in Xen’drik long ago.” Explained the group’s healer, “Now, if we can just find a vessel. The body is no more, but the spirit remains.”

The group took one look at the dead kobolds before Dende shook his head, “No, they are….lesser minds. It wouldn’t work.”

Taloklaxus nudged Dende.

Dende shrugs it off, “We need to find a more suitable candidate and fast, she is fading quickly.”

Taloklaxus nudges Dende again.

The adamantine wyrmling lays his head on the legs on Ilthana as Dende’s jaw drops. “You?!? It would work, we need a….well you’re still alive….but then again you are a dragon…I…don’t…”

Dende turns his attention back to Ilthana, “We are losing her, it’s now or never.” Dende looks up at his comrades and they all nod silently. Dende sprinkles the powder evenly on his two hands and then places them both on the foreheads of Ilthana and Taloklaxus and begins chanting.

The Kalashtar speaks some strange language that none in the cavern had heard before, or ever will again. After about a minute all three start to glow. Faintly at first and quickly growing with intensity. Soon the rest of the group has to cover their eyes and back away. Dende continues to chant, the entire cavern resonate with the strange divine words.

After building in intensity something snaps as if the entire world is cracking in half, the explosion of sound and light knocks everyone back. When they look back they see only the wyrmling where Ilthana was and the body of Dende sliding back into the water.

Keira and Carlos jump over and pull their healer out of the water and look for vital signs. “I think…I think he is still alive. Yea, he’s going to be ok.”

Their attention turns to the wyrmling in front of them, who feels its face and snout with its dragon claws. Then it leans over and looks at its reflection in the water and stares at it for a long time.

“What are you?” asks Lendri, “are you Taloklaxus or Ilthana?”

“Both.”