Strands in a Web

345MoStIAWe

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Dragged away in silken bonds

The party were conscious throughout the entire ordeal. Their weapons and a few items were bound to their sides but their backpacks were left somewhere where they were captured. The ettercaps were ruthless ambushers and almost like a trained squad of assassins they had lunged forward and garrotted the party with a silken rope. A drider hung near by and watched the ettercaps bind each of the party, but it looked down at them like they were subjects of interest rather than threats. Like its eyes were not its own. Clearly the ambush and the illusionary spiders were party of a plan by a more powerful entity. One that was calling all the shots and pulling all the strings.

The party were conscious throughout the entire ordeal. Their weapons and a few items were bound to their sides but their backpacks were left somewhere where they were captured. The ettercaps were ruthless ambushers and almost like a trained squad of assassins they had lunged forward and garrotted the party with a silken rope. A drider hung nearby and watched the ettercaps bind each of the party, but it looked down at them like they were subjects of interest rather than threats. Like its eyes were not its own. Clearly the ambush and the illusionary spiders were part of a plan by a more powerful entity. One that was calling all the shots and pulling all the strings.

As they moved across the silken walkways the ettercaps hauled the party members one by one, dumping them on jagged rocks at the edge of one of the web-bridges. As the party lay there in the dark a rock or discarded blade jabbed into their side painfully, deep enough to hit armour and cut skin. But it also cuts at their web bindings.

A potential opportunity for an escape, a glimmer of hope but when was the right moment to use it. As the party member was then picked up and carried across the web bridge the cocoon came into better sight. Rows of people; drow, duergar, deep gnome (or svirfneblin), and some surface races were bound and lined up against what appeared to be giant cocoons suspended by webs throughout the cavern.

Each person was conscious, some were in pain and making noise but others were listless, barely holding onto whatever drove them to fight. But the party didn’t have long to notice Viktira, Morali and Qistra all appeared before them lined up against the wall before they were unceremoniously discarded a few cocoons down from them.

A presence hung about them like the sensation of a thousand cicadas buzzing in a muggy evening, the presence was almost over bearing and a shape. A large mass of darkness given a monstrous form moved somewhere nearby. Something that dwarfed driders and made Ettercaps look like mice. The puppet master had revealed itself and it studied them for a moment before disappearing back into the voice beyond.

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The Silken Path

344MoTSiPa

The driders and ettercaps were not hard to track. The creatures lay great paths of webs as they moved back through the hidden tunnels below Kalehgrul. Their prisoners, the first wave of residents bound in webs and occasionally, feasted upon by the monstrosities that held them captive. The silk itself was strong, light and durable. Those entangled by it would not be able to break out in a hurry and with the venom that the ettercaps injected into the strongest of the prisoners there was no hope of escape.

And in the dark tunnels where no light could be seen from even glowing mushrooms or other flora and fauna there was no hope of a rescue. Along the way those that the abominations deemed too sick, frail or weak were left bound along the path to die surrounded by their silken bonds. Lost amongst the dark, cold and at mercy to be preyed upon by what other nightmares haunted these tunnels.

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The path led on for days of travel. The party had met some of the other residents of the tunnels but they fled when the true power of the party was revealed. Although the tunnels were bare from game or really edible material there were supplies and goods that had been with those taken from Kalehgrul that the party were able to find along the way. However by the Third day of travel the amount of webs on the ceiling, walls and floor of the tunnel decreased and a draft could be felt coming from up ahead.

As the party continued down the passageway the source of the draft was revealed. A large orb-like Cavern filled with webs and cocoons, and in the centre lay a inky-black pit. Something that seemed to drink in all light. The deep dark lay waiting before them.

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Butchers Hill

343MoBuHi

History of Ravencreek

The town of Ravencreek is a small town with a few hundred residents of a variety of races but they are predominantly half-elven. However the land wasn’t always so and a few hundred years ago, or more, there was a village of elves that called the shady pines, bubbling brooks and meadows of Ravencreek home. When the few humans moved in they worked with the elves to understand the woods, plants and animals that called the area home. As the numbers of humans increased their connection to nature only increased and several elves mingled with the humans.

This was a joyous union of the two races and Ravencreek began to blossom into something more, a place for nature, the wilds and life to be celebrated. That was until the elven warlord returned from his hundred year war to find a new blossoming human village. When the warlord questioned the elders of his village why they had permitted the humans to live in these elven lands the reply was not what he wanted.

Furthermore the discovery of half-elven children in the town drove the warlord man and he, followed by some zealous warriors, flew into a rage. Riding through the street they murdered many people, elves and humans alike over the course of a week. The warlord quickly became known as the Butcher as his brutality was only matched by his skill with his blade.

The elven and human guards eventually captured many of the elven warriors while the warlord, Dokalvar, retreated to the elven tower. A joint force of elves and humans stormed the tower and as they set fire to the building the warlord cursed the town, its people and the land. Before he even left the balcony from where he cursed and spat two arrows pierced his chest – Launched from both the elven elder and a human elder.

The body of Dokalvar fell screaming into the burning tower and was never found, nor was it sought out. The people of the land, elves and humans alike founded the town in Ravencreek and left the ruins of the Elven tower to be a reminder of the darkness that threatens peace.

Currently

Every year as the town of Ravencreek gets ready to give thanks to the land and the animals just as spring blooms. The town’s bond to nature is still strong and its people have forgotten the hatred that ruined the elven village. The town celebrates for a full week beginning with a ceremony that gives thanks to the moon and the respects given to the dead and closing with a celebration of the sun and the thanks given to the living.

As the village gathers for their first celebration the people the elves, humans and half-elves link hands and begin to give thanks to the dead and the moon. But a piercing cry interrupts their singing and the distorted sound of horse hooves on stone can be heard moving towards the centre of the town.

A shadowy figure atop a black mare made from smoke storms down the road. The people panic and scream as they run for their houses but the figure ignores them all. As the man on beast races down the road they rush toward the centre of the town where the mayor, a half-elf woman, was commencing the city’s ritual. As the rider reached the woman an axe flashed in the moonlight and separated her head from shoulders. The swift retreat of hooves revealed the body of the mayor, headless, laying at the platform where in giving thanks to the dead she joined them.

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The Streets of Kalehgrul

342MoTStOKa

In the distance the lights from the underdark city of Kalehgrul appeared like a collection of fireflies or other luminescent life. But as they got closer the stone buildings, torches and blue lights that revealed a touch of magic in the city came into view. Kalehgrul, while not being massive, was still a large city.

With no walls or towers the city appeared to be built on the top of a massive flattened stalagmite with two bridges leading into and out of the city. This meant that the only ways to approach the city were in the funnelled bridges, a steep climb up the stalagmite or from the air – most of which they had covered by soldiers and mercenaries.

Walking with the Melarn family they were granted access pretty quickly despite a few questioning looks towards the party and their prisoner, a daughter of the O’lorun family – a rival to the Melarns. But Izzrysn muttered some quick words in Drow and the guards let them pass quickly.

“I said that you were my new property, my slaves. It’s the way of this city and most of this world beneath yours.” he explained once out of earshot from the guards. “You never know when a swift lie will save your life down here.”

Onwards they walked past shops and houses that sold just about everything that could be bought from food, tools and adventuring gear to services, slaves and more risqué items. Eventually they found themselves at the entrance to an elaborate shop which had “Melarn’s silks” scrawled out in both common and undercommon on the sign. Entering they moved quickly and surely to a room on the second story where they sat the young priestess on a chair. “Now, why did your family want us dead?” Qistra demanded as she pulled out several metal tools of ‘persuasion’.

Thoughts

Now this weeks adventure will go very fast. This is just the opening part but this ‘scene’ can be delayed as long as the party want if they need to or want to go shopping. But to find our the rest you’ll just have to come back over the next few days.

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Falling into Darkness

341MoFaIDa

In the final moments of the well of souls collapsing the tides of undead grey in intensity. Urged towards the well the shambling and crawling hordes faulted as an earthquake rumbled through the ground. A sickening cracking sound resonated through the air followed the rumble as the core of power for the well of souls shattered. Almost immediately the undead approaching the party fell to the ground as the necromantic energy that was commanding their broken forms fled their body. A moment of quiet broached the swamp before the tumbling of a piece of rubble hinted at a worse fate than being buried under undead.

Pieces of ruins, undead, water, earth and vegetation started moving across the ground and through the air towards the well of souls. A low howl began to rise in the ruins as a vortex of magical backlash ripped outwards and started to pull at the party. Then the unimaginable happened, one of the party members slipped and stumbled as a piece of ruins slammed into them and they fell backwards and into the shattered well of souls. As the power grew the other party members faced similar fates as the well devoured the bodies of the undead and began to pull down the ruins onto the vortex to seal it from the outside.

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Falling was the first feeling for the adventurers before they landed heavily in a strand of sticky substance that immediately slowed and nearly stopped their descent. For those who didn’t pass out they were in near complete darkness except for a few sources of glowing light that moved around high above them. After a few moments they realised that they had crashed through a large spider’s web and landed on hard stone. Their eyes adjusted and a large cavern was revealed before them with spiders spinning webs amongst giant mushrooms and stalagmites that filled the cavern.

Waiting for the rest of their adventuring party to wake up they started to come to grips with what had happened. what had caused the magical vortex and, when was the last time they had seen Vikira. They were sure she had been with them next to the well of souls during the fight with the vampire and undead. As the rest of the party stirred, a single place came to mind that would fit the description of what they were seeing. They had found their way into the Underdark.

Thoughts

Now the assumptions that are made is that the party don’t flee from the fight with the vampire or undead and that they either fail to stop all the undead OR they destroy the Well of Souls themselves. The second is that one or more of the party fail saving throws to avoid falling AND being knocked into the vortex by flying rubble. And the last assumption is. If a party member does fall through that the others will try and save them before the ruins bury the well of souls.

If the party don’t the story takes a different turn. They either attempt to get to the final place, the deep dark, which is really another travel arc across the land to the entrance to the underdark closes to the deep dark. OR they get approached by a messenger of Lucile who is trying to find them with some urgent news. That she was able to decipher more of Andrasa’s notes and she was warning a that these points were dangerous seals that cant be broken…

But more on that a different time.

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The Carrion Swamp Ruins

340MoTCaSwRu

Recovering from their encounter with some of the natives of the swamps the party push through some dense brush to reveal pillars and walls of stone. An age ago the scale and size of these buildings would have been a sight to have seen however whatever calamity befell here left the city in ruins.

Vikira stood nearby. Her clothes mostly ruined rags and the confidence she had earlier now gone she gazed upon the city that her parents had wasted their fortune in finding. Everywhere she looked it appeared as if the jungled was trying to erase history itself as vines, trees and stagnant water covered as far as her eyes could see. But that wasn’t what her eyes were locked on.

Up ahead the figures of undead were shambling across the clearing and some even pulling themselves out of the swampy water in their search for… whatever undead search for. A strange hum could be felt pulsing through the loamy soil and occasionally the thrum would build into a pulse that caused ripples to form in the waters service. Something nearby, in the city, was thrumming with power.

The party looked onwards, fatigued as the trek through the swamp had taken longer than anticipated. Several undead, large swamp creatures, lizardfolk and some ancient humans that were skeletons now, shuffled forwards and towards the centre of the ruins. There was no doubt that that is where they would find the source of the undead.

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Into the Swamp

339MoInTSw

The smell of the swamp was pungent enough that when the wind blew from the east the smell travelled along the road that the Party was travelling along. Carmine and Jon had agreed to get the party to the port town of Ferklend. Ferklend found itself on the edge of a dense jungle that gave way very quickly to a large swamp. The volume of vegetation ensured that the waters were murky and unclean to drink from.

But that wasn’t the issue with Ferklend. The undead also frequently rose from the swamp and the people of Ferklend and the other denizens of the swamp also found their way to the gates and doors of the frontier town. Candice and Jon had agreed to take the party as far as the port town where Jon could also retrieve some materials to repair his ship. But once their business was concluded, about a week or so later, they would return with or without the party.

They had offered the party free travel as long as they acted as a guard for their single wagon. This wasn’t a hard job or something that was particularly far-fetched as they had already proven their worth to both Jon and Carmine on the road to Nigrun.

But by the time they were approaching Ferklend it was something that they had already had to put to test as dark skinned goblins had attacked them once during their trek to the jungle. But despite this the two merchants also shared tales of the lands of Ferklend. The swamp was rumoured to once have been a jungle paradise before some calamity swallowed it up by the putrid water. A city and temple like no other gone in a blinding flash of green light or so the ancient stories went. 

Whatever the cause, the heat was nearly as bad as the cold from a week ago and the smell was only growing stronger.

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The Road to the Well of Souls

338MoTRoTTEWeOSo

Saying goodbye to the snow, ice and cold was the easiest part of their departure from Platara. The last battle that they faced in the Ice Spire still caused their bodies to ache as they bumped along towards the Well of Souls. The information that they had gathered from Lucile and the map was that it was located in a sunken forest, well a swamp really. But like the Ice spire it was apparently a place of interest, and the phantom of Andrasa that they had seen in the aftermath of the battle led them to believe that the wards there were also failing.

But for now they smiled at the fresh air and the distinct lack of chaos or impressing doom that was waiting to drag them down. For now the sounds of other travellers coming along with them to the Port town of Jandarl was refreshing. In the town they would have a choice, travel by sea on a merchant boat that stops at a few port towns along the way or travel by land which is a direct route to their destination. The ship is just as fast as a Sled and wagon due to the stops but gets out of the cold a little bit quicker.

Entering Jandarl they were greeted by friendly faces of Jardi and Hisha, both were trading with some locals near the docks. “So you made it. When we left camp we believed that we would see you again.” Jardi said with a smile. “I had a winter wolf visiting me and let me know you all were safe.”

“We can’t thank you enough for rescuing our people from those creatures in the ice caves. They spoke highly of your bravery and determination to save them.” Hisha added with a bow, “but once you do know where you are heading please let us know. We would like to pay your way to your next destination, wherever that is. It’s the least we can do.” Both Jardi and Hisha smiled warmly at the adventurers before ushering them to a tavern nearby.

Warm ale and food was quickly brought out and it wasn’t long until everyone knew of the conquests and actions of the party as they sat down and enjoyed a moment to rest.

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The Ice Spire

337MoTIcSp

Leaving the glacier was a relief and the snow storm had died down after leaving the cave but what greeted them chilled them more than the winds could. A monolith of ice rose high above them nearly piercing the sky like a frozen spear. The Ice spire was both terrible and beautiful and as they stared more into its frozen form a pulse like energy could be felt.

The source of curiosity from Andrasa’s map held untold promise of what could lie within its chilled walls. The script on the map around the spire itself didn’t reveal anything about its construction, purpose or history but suggested it held great power and importance. Andrasa had studied it, this was clear and from the information that Lucile had given them on not only this place but the well of souls and deep dark also held such power.

Each place was obviously significant and in the shadow of the Ice Spire the party could not but wonder what lay within its frozen walls. With the howls of winter wolves nearby driving home the point that they were far from both civilisation and safety they began to trudge through the glacial walls and passages towards the Ice spire. However, as they progressed forwards something ancient and predatorial watched them eagerly as they moved across the ice sheets. After so long the promise of warmth was close yet not close enough as the sun rose across the glacier causing the light to refract from the spire of ice.

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Platara Ice Fields

336MoPlIcFi

The party had never been more pleased to see the end of the now rickety pulley system that brought them to the top of the ridge. Before them lay endless rocky mountains, fields of ice and in the distance, a glacier with a spire of ice jutting from it. Without any ceremony or delay the two tribe women that were with them started talking as they packed up their belongings, hauled them over their shoulder and headed towards a stone statue nearby.

The statue was of a large bearded man, a fur cloak covered his shoulders and he was depicted holding a giant axe. Placing a small parcel taken from their bags and placing it at the statue’s feet they began to head off towards the glacier. “If you want, you can come visit the tribe. They will be excited to meet someone who has killed a Remorhaz.” the younger Drow, Jardi, offered with a smile. Hisha smiled but rolled her eyes.

Following the two Drow women would take them in the direction of the spire for now, and the potential promise of a warm meal was nearly too promising. Without asking the question Hisha called back “If we hurry we can travel through the night and be there at Dawn. Or, we can camp out on the ice for the night and get there later. Either way it’s not a safe journey. But if you stay with us and listen we should get there in one piece.”

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