Varus Journal, Entry #12: The Rise of Greystone Keep

Once we cleared out Greystone Keep and the haunted village, we spent a long night drinking and discussing what to do next. At the end of the night, we decided to embark on rebuilding the town and the Barony. Varus traveled to Iron Master and hired messengers. He dispatched them south to Luskan with a sealed message for Lord Rothgar. It informed him that Tyala had kept her part of the deal with the help of her friends. We had secured the Keep and were re-establishing the Barony. She requested that he send laborers and resources to help secure this land in the far North to ensure its survival and extend his domain. We also paid the messengers to stop along the way and inform the local lords that there were jobs and land to be found at Greystone Keep. Varus made his way to Ten Towns and spread the tale of retaking the Keep around the bars there, then headed back north, performing along the way and spreading the word.

Within a month, people started arriving, looking for a new opportunity or a new chance at life. The Keep and the town buildings were soon repaired or rebuilt. Over the next six months, more people started arriving. Laborers, hunters and trappers, rangers, and farmers at first, then merchants, bankers, craftsmen, scholars, and more. With Tyala’s new title, Varus’ persuasion, Basel’s charm, Tomeck’s humor, and Unagi’s discipline, Greystone Keep became the buzz of the North. The dramatic tale of the party taking back Tyala’s rightful estate spread far and wide. New buildings for businesses and homes sprang up. The Baroness subsidized families that wanted to move in.

Basel and Varus researched the magical pool and fountain circulating system and tapped into it to power waterwheels and expand the existing system. It provided power to mills and other businesses. At night, the city streets twinkled in many colors with the expanded magical lighting.

Tyala decided that she and her friends could no longer handle all the duties, and that we needed a Council of Advisors to help run the growing town. She sent forth word throughout the North for applicants and told them to come to Greystone Keep as soon as possible. Varus was surprised at the number of applicants and their impressive qualifications. Were there advisors hanging around just waiting to apply for a new position? There were at least 12 deserving applicants, and all petitioned in a lengthy interview process. All of them had advantages and disadvantages, but Tyala insisted that we select three. She abstained from the voting, entrusting the rest of the party to decide. The party was quickly exposed to the realities of the political arena.

When all the candidates had been interviewed, the final vote was taken. The choices were not easy, but Baroness Tyala basically locked us in a room and made us decide. After long debate and many arguments, the voting began. Lord Klavin passed unanimously on the first vote. J’eff passed on the second vote, with Unagi dissenting. He preferred a more militant direction to protect the town and did not like the idea of so much alcohol impairing everyone’s senses. Maurice was the last one approved; Unagi was concerned about establishing a social caste system if only mages were in power. The sorcerer, bard, and paladin did not see this as an issue. Varus promised to help ensure that did not happen.

The new members of the Council:

Lord Klavin the Silver, our old friend the dragon! The only unanimous decision. We were shocked to see him show up and asked how he could be here.

“I was quite surprised to find myself here not long after all of you disappeared in the Temple of Tiamat. It appears that the worlds have possibly merged.”

Lord Klavin’s advantage was that he was a dragon and would help protect the town. He also influenced the town so significantly that it’s alignment was now neutral good. He did require that the treasury be worth at least 10,000 gp, and he would need to eat and sleep in the treasury. Varus solved this issue by producing the fabulous chandelier from the underground quarters and offering to have it installed in the treasury. Lord Klavin was delighted with the elaborate piece as a starting point for the treasury and agreed to serve as treasurer. (Our party gained 1 hp/level).

J’eff, the Fermonmancer. J’eff was a magical brewer extraordinaire. His advantage lay in potions. With his facilities and assistance, we could create 5 random potions for every 20 days of individual downtime. However, his alcoholic beverages were legendary, and would draw admirers from far and wide. Essentially, the town was always drunk. As a result, our party would always be at disadvantage in combat for the first round. He gave us poison resistance, which reduced the damage by half and advantage on the saving throw.

Maurice, the Miracle Worker. Maurice wanted to start a mage guild and college. He told us that the Keep had been built by a legendary mage who had disappeared many years ago, and he could easily attract students that wished to study the arcane arts here. The guild would help produce wands and scrolls for every 30 days of individual downtime. The downside was that, in a relatively small town like this, this would lead to the formation of a magocracy and a caste of civilians. Any arcane magic users received one extra wizard, sorcerer, or bard cantrip.

With the new Council of Advisors, the town continued to expand. Lord Klavin brought a sense of security to bankers and investors. J’eff’ built a large facility and started brewing his amazing alcohols and magical potions as well. He was soon supplying all the bars and taverns in town and started shipping barrels south as production grew. Maurice started work on the mage school immediately, renting some buildings and hiring workers to build a brand-new campus according to the plans he had drawn up. He hired several arcane instructors and set up curriculum. Classes were already filling, and the new students brought income to families and others that wanted to rent rooms. In the new laboratory facilities, Maurice and his apprentices created a steady stream of magical items, specializing in wands and scrolls.

Greystone was quickly becoming a magical college party town.

The Barony collected taxes on a portion of all of it. The monies went into the treasury, and Tyala and the Council worked on budgets and planning. Lord Klavin hired a personal guard for Tyala and soldiers to protect the lands. Tyala enlisted arcane and clerical magic users for support and rangers for scouting. She asked Unagi to train them, and had barracks built to house them and an armory to store weapons. Shielded ballistae and catapults were put into place to protect the Keep and the town. As part of his agreement, Maurice provided magical protections for the Keep and for those serving the defense of the Barony.

Tyala had large greenhouses and magically-lit underground growing caverns built to ensure food production during the winter months. They were watered by the magical irrigation system that flowed from the spring. These greenhouses were available for crops and personal gardens.

Lord Klavin set up a small mint to issue money in the name of the Barony. The first coin was a copper piece…with Varus’ face on it! The phrase, “Let’s talk about it” was printed on the bottom. The townspeople called them coppers and they were soon the most commonly seen coin around town.

After more than six months of this, the party members were getting restless. Tyala might now be a Baroness, and she was surprised she enjoyed it as much as she did. But she was used to traveling around in disguise, gambling and gamboling with the rich. She might be royalty now, but she could not sit around all the time in meetings and civic planning.

An opportunity arrived while Varus and Basel were investigating the mage who had built the magical complex at Greystone Keep. Over at J’effs, after many brews, this guy told us about it.

“Yeah, I heard about it from Ernie, he heard about this gig from his ex-boyfriend, where you could go and play this weird party, but no one that had gone had ever returned. That was where the great mage lived, but now he had disappeared.”

On further investigation, Basel and Varus discovered that the mage’s name was Jo-ardan Freeman, and he had disappeared or died over 50 years ago. He was rumored to be an aspect of the great god Ao, The One Above All. He had gone missing at his estate, which was even further north, into Icewind Dale. No adventurers that had set out to discover his fate had ever returned.

Basel and Varus told the party of this, and we resolved to find out Jo-ardon’s fate. Tyala left Lord Klavin in charge and told him to keep their forces on alert until she returned. She also left her personal guard behind to protect Lord Klavin. It was a relief to change back into her leather armor and traveling gear. We set off in the traveling coach with Basel riding his mount and headed deeper into the North. The trip took a week, and it seemed like forever since we had ridden into the unknown. As we rode into the foothills, we could see signs of frost giant activity. Icicles fell from the sky—most likely an indication of white dragons flying high above. It felt like we were on the edge of the world.

We finally arrived at a cobblestone road that was made of…platinum! Tomeck inspected it and found it to be to be a major illusion spell. Varus pulled out his orb of augury and asked if they should follow it. The stone answered. Weal and woe. We proceeded until we came to a grand gate surrounded by mountains on either side. The gate was crumbling, and the grounds inside were unkept. The buildings of this grand estate were decrepit. In the town, a small keep or fort seemed to be crumbling brick, but the doorway was full of green swirling energy. There were six larger buildings and scattered smaller ones.

We tied up at the crumbling tavern and proceeded to the keep. Basel opened the door and cast Zone of Truth. We entered a foyer. Unagi inspected the elaborate curtains and found they were no illusion. Standing on a landing was a ghostly image of what must be Jo-ardan Freeman. It was a magical simulacrum, a major image or magic mouth spell, as well as Varus or Tomeck could discern.

“Hey Jo-ardan are you alive?” asked Tomeck.

“I will be if you can stop what’s trapped in my body. This is one party that you should never invite a demon to. Oh, one piece of advice, if a flaming circle is cast around you, don’t walk out of it.”

“O…kay.”

“Where are these demons from?”

“From the Abyss, of course.”

“Where is your body?” Varus asked.

“About ten floors up.”

“How many floors are there?”

“There were eleven. One has fallen.”

We heard horses whinnying to the left, and Varus heard a hammer clanging on an anvil. Tyala said she would check it out and vanished. She crept up to find a large room, obviously a blacksmith’s forge and stables. Ghosts of blacksmiths walked around working at the forge and anvil. Along the right wall were stalls that held…fiery horses! Tyala recognized them as nightmares or fiends. There was one nightmare out on the floor, being ridden by a giant undead man… She thought it might be a zombie. It had a falchion engulfed in blue flame. It also had a key ring with several keys on it. Tyala crept back and reported what she had seen.

Basel led the way and cast Turn the Unholy; some of the ghost blacksmiths turned and moved towards the back wall, but the zombie resisted. Varus cast Faerie Fire on the zombie as Unagi dashed in, killing one ghost and striking another. Tomeck followed him in and blasted 3 with Burning Hands, then turned and blasted another 3. Basel cast Protection against Good and Evil on Varus, Unagi, and himself and advanced on the zombie while casting blinding smite. He slammed the zombie with his hammer, activating the spell.

The zombie groaned, and a plague of insects issued forth from his mouth and smothered Basel, who dropped his mace. The zombie gestured at one of the blacksmiths to pick it up and charged past the paladin and the invisible Tyala to attack Tomeck. Basel tried to slam the horse but missed as Unagi attacked the zombie. The zombie hit him with a purple ray from his falchion.

Invisible, Tyala daringly swung up on the nightmare as it went by, expertly pick-pocketed the ring of keys right off the zombie’s waist, then appeared as her flaming short sword plunged into the zombie.

The ghost blacksmiths attacked, and one of them ran to release a hellhound. Another picked up Basel’s hammer and slammed him with a critical blow, and Tomeck was hit by another ghost. The zombie dismounted as Varus cast hypnotic pattern on the nightmares and the ghost that was going to release them to keep them out of the fight.

Unagi sunk his intelligent sword in the chest of one of the ghosts. Electricity crackled along the blade as he pulled out the thing’s heart and it went up in smoke right there. He spun and struck another down, and then used his chi power and to stab and finish a third one! The monk was a force of destruction in battle.

Tomeck slashed the zombie with his sword, bashed him with his shield, and knocked him down. He then somersaulted over all the opponents and Tyala with his magical boots! Basel grabbed his hammer slammed the zombie. Holy energy erupted, eating away at the zombie. It started to regenerate, but his second blow blasted it again, and it faded into dust. The remaining ghosts faded away, leaving only the mesmerized hell hounds.

We inspected the forge and stable area and discovered the room of the zombie forge master. Tyala found a blacksmith hammer with a plaque on it. The Dreadguard Redhorn. He must have overseen the forge and stables in life. And then in death, or, rather, undeath.

His belongings were quite impressive. A full set of fine plate mail with a symbol of a horse on it (+2), his sword of purple flame (+1 to hit, deals an additional 1d6 fire and 1d6 ice damage), and a gorgeous burgundy cloak (cloak of resistance, fire) Tomeck took the cloak and Varus took the longsword.

Unagi found a set of reins. Varus identified them as reins of summoning—it allowed the owner to cast the phantom steed spell 2/day. Tyala found small golden bars that could be used to create magical horseshoes.

We found a door on the other side of the entry hall. Tyala tried her thieves’ tools but could not open the lock. With a laugh, she remembered the ring of keys she had daringly pick-pocketed! She opened the door to reveal a corridor curving down into darkness. It was filled with webs. Tomek stepped forth and blasted the corridor with flames. They burnt quickly, and we could hear screaming coming from the webs. We headed down until we came to a portcullis, which was unlocked. Fire erupted from Tomeck’s fingers again and the webs burned as several spiders tried to flee unsuccessfully. With some of the webs burned away, we could see bodies on the ceiling held in place by webbing. Tomeck suspected they were magical it they survived the deadly flames.

Coins started raining from the ceiling. Thousands of coins and some gems, clinking and ringing as they hit the floor of the large corridor. Tomeck inspected the things in the webbing on the ceiling and saw that they appeared to be mimics; they were stuck to the ceiling and the coins were leaking from them. To everyone else, they looked like amorphous blobs. Tomeck convinced Unagi, and he saw the monsters as well, then Tyala. We then collected all the coins and the gems. There were 6 gems worth 120 gp each and 60 gems worth 40 gp apiece.

Unagi wanted to test the properties of his new sword, so we gave him one of the less expensive gems. He held the ruby next to his intelligent sword, and it absorbed the gem! Unagi’s skin seemed to crystallize and take on the color of the gemstone. A powerful weapon, indeed.

There were several magical items, and Varus identified them with his wand:

·         A sword with a bronze blade and a fist-sized ruby embedded in the hilt; it was a fire sword (+1, Flame On activation word, sword gives off bright light, 2d6 additional fire damage). Unagi claimed that.

·         A shield with an open hand on it; it automatically blocked the first blow that would have landed by an opponent. Basel claimed that and strapped it on.

·         A belt with an image of a frost giant on it, and Basel claimed that as well (Belt of Frost Giant Strength ; increases strength to 23!).

·         A ring with a picture of a scroll engraved on it; a ring of spell storing (3 spell levels). Varus claimed that.

·         A chain mail shirt (+2 elven chain shirt, Medium armor proficiency), which went unclaimed.

·         Finally, there was a beautiful animal horn that had been crafted into an instrument; a horn of magic missiles (Perform skill check: 10 or below, 1^st level, 15 or below, 2^nd level, 20 or below, 3^rd level, equal to CH mod times per day. Failure removed the remaining charges). Varus requested this as well; it would help to do some damage if his usual spells were not effective.

We headed down this corridor, and the temperature quickly dropped. We saw stalagmites, stalactites, and then…an image of a black widow. Several of us recognized it immediately…the sign of Lloth, the evil Spider Queen, chaotic goddess of the feared dark elves, also known as the drow. We stopped in our tracks, looked at each other nervously…and then beat a hasty retreat, closed the portcullis, headed up the curving passage, and shut the door. The Underdark would have to wait until another day.

We went back upstairs and opened another set of doors to discover a magnificent but moldering banquet hall. To our surprise, there was a party on, in full swing. People were dancing to lively music and feasting. It quickly became clear that they were ghosts and apparitions. A gorgeous half-elf in magnificent dress turned and greeted us.

“Welcome my friends. Enter and join our party. There are games to play!”

Varus knew this must be Morose, the legendary bard and companion of Jo’ardon. We entered and join the ghostly soiree. It was a most well-kept room, but only illusion. The food on the tables was rotting. Someone offered Tomeck a mug of drink, which glowed green. He puts some on his finger and felt invigorated in places he had never been invigorated., Basel cast Protection from Evil on Tomeck and Unagi.

The other party-goers with Morose appear to be starving; he looked much healthier.

“What happened to Jo-ardon?” Tomeck addressed him boldly.

Morose clapped his hands.

“Play my games, drink! Then I may answer your questions, if I feel like it. But not until you play my drinking game. It’s been so long since we had someone new.”

“What kind of games?” Tomeck asked.

“Devil’s games. Bureaucrats and bouncers.”

Tomeck did not like the idea of a drinking game with the green glowing liquid.

Morose regarded him. “I also have spirits.” He laughed loudly. “That one always slays my audience.” He giggled.

Varus consulted the stone. Is this game fair? It answered: weal and woe. He stepped forward.

“I am feeling a bit thirsty. I will play your drinking game if you will answer our questions.”

“Excellent. There will be three rounds of drinking the phantasmal punch. This punch affects my ghostly companions just as it affects mortals. You will drink against Bonemaker. If you triumph, I will answer your questions and provide aid. If you lose…you will join our little party.”

With these high stakes, Varus was determined to prevail. When the contest began, he started ribbing and joking with Bonemaker. In the first round, he insulted with Vicious Mockery. Bonemaker failed his save and drank with disadvantage and failed. Varus drank and saved against the damage. He did the same thing on the second round and triumphed again. On the last round, he did the same, but Morose insulted him with his Vicious Mockery, and both drinkers failed. Varus won the competition, but the phantasmal punch kicked his ass.

“Haha, you have triumphed, my friend, using your wit and magic. You have my respect, young Varus. What do you wish to know?”

“Why are there demons here?”

“The demons came because Jo-ardan asked them to. He should be careful who he invites to these parties, but…ah, what can you do? If you wish to see him, head down this hall. Oh, and thank you. That was a great party” With that, Morose and all his companions collapsed on the ground.

Varus was quite wobbly from the effects of the phantasmal punch, and his companions steadied him as they headed down the hallway.

Found Items

·         Reins of summoning – cast phantom steed 2/day. Unagi

·         Small magic golden bars that would make magical horseshoes. Tyala

·         Full set of plate mail with a symbol of a horse (+2)

·         Cloak of fire resistance. Tomeck

·         Purple flame longsword, +1 to hit ice flame, deals 1d6 fire and 1d6 ice. Varus

·         A sword with a bronze blade and a fist-sized ruby embedded in the hilt; it was a fire sword (+1, Flame On activation word, sword gives off bright light, 2d6 additional fire damage). Unagi

·         A shield with an open hand on it; it automatically blocked the first blow that would have landed by an opponent. Basel

·         Belt of Frost Giant Strength ; increases strength to 23! Basel

·         A ring with a picture of a scroll engraved on it; a ring of spell storing (3 spell levels). Varus

·         A chain mail shirt (+2 elven chain shirt, Medium armor proficiency), which went unclaimed.

·         A horn of magic missiles (Perform skill check: 10 or below, 1^st level, 15 or below, 2^nd level, 20 or below, 3^rd level, equal to CH mod times per day. Failure removed the remaining charges). Varus

Varus Journal: Entry #10, To The Barony!

Varus Journal: Episode 10, To The Barony

After the battle with the basilisks, Flidais, Unagi, and Valentia decided to return to Neverwinter to ensure our interests there as well as pursue their goals.

Varus used his new wand to identify Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, and we discussed who could best use them. They didn’t help Varus’s fighting style, and Tomeck and Basel declined them, so Tyala ended up with them; now our rogue was the strongest in our party!

“You’re almost as strong as I am pretty!” joked Tomeck. We piled back into the carriage, and Tomeck got the horses moving again.

As the four of us headed north on the road to Luskan, Varus reflected on some the events that occurred before we left Neverwinter. On board the Leviathan, he finally had time to investigate the magical books that they had found back in the Dungeon of Sythren’daal and was able to identify them. They turned out to be:

·        It’s a Trap. Trap setting/disabling guide. +1 for traps after 10 days of study. Tyala gleefully claimed this one.

·        Cockatrice Writer. Instructions for working with animals. +1 for Ride or Handle Animals checks after 10 days of study. With his undeniable love of horses, Basel naturally claimed this one.

·        Arcane Spellbook for a 6^th-level Wizard. 1st-level spells: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Shield, Identify, Mage Armor, Floating Disk, Detect Magic, Color Spray. 2nd-level spells: Acid Arrow, Scorching Ray, Web, Invisibility. 3rd-level spells: Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Fear, Fly. Bound in red dragon scales. Worth app. 9200 gp. Could have other uses.

·        Manual of Constitution. +1 to Constitution and cap to Con after a regimen of 20 days. Tomeck took this one to pump up.

·        Patronage: A Warlock’s Choice. 45 downtime days to learn Eldritch Blast, or Chill Touch, or Minor Illusion. Varus was intrigued by Eldritch Blast, and kept this one.

·        Crafting recipes: +1 magical weapon, +1 light or medium armor, +2 ring of protection, ring of invisibility, minor .

It turned out the battle with Tiamat’s servants had affected all of us; we were now Foes of the Green Dragon Flight. It would be easier to score critical hits (19 or 20) on green dragons and their offspring, and we would do additional damage when we hit (d6).

Varus had also discovered he had been blessed with the Call of the Fey Wild. He could call back the soul of a fallen ally (once per session) at the cost of receiving a -2 Con penalty, which required 20 days of rest to restore.

Varus was worried about Basel. He had been very down about losing contact with his god and had taken to wandering the city and surrounding countryside. We had tried to find him before we left, but could not locate him. We left word with Harrag where we were headed and told him to join us when he could.

Back in Neverwinter, Basel wandered the streets deep in thought. He was on a spiritual quest, and barely noticed where he was in the city. He was looking for a sign. His mind wandered; he remembered a time when Tomeck had gotten totally trashed and was being particularly annoying. Basel “cured” him of his drunkenness, leaving him completely sober. Tomeck had not been amused. Good times.

Basel decided to visit some of the city temples and check them out, to evaluate his options in this new place. He first came upon the Temple of Helm. Helm was god of protection, and that appealed to Basel. He knew that many in the city followed his faith. He went to the temple and asked to enter. He was shown in to see the leader, Gorum Goldgraft.

“Hail Goldgraft. We got ourselves a healthy one!” announced his clerical escort.

“I have lost my god. Helm intrigues me. I am interested in pledging, but I would know more of your faith,” announced Basel.

Gorum spoke to him for some time, telling him of the grandeur of Helm, The Vigilant One, The Watcher, and of the large and dedicated following here in Neverwinter. Basel thanked him for his time, and told the head priest that he would reflect on his words.

Next, he went unto the Temple of Oghma, a god of knowledge and learning. It seemed like a perfect fit. The temple was lit by candles, and it was more library than temple; books lined the walls, and there were arcane marks that translated to No Fire Past These Marks. He was greeted by a half-orc woman missing one eye; her name was Tusk IronTeeth. She wore a necklace of teeth dipped in iron, which was her legacy. Basel greeted her and they talked for some time. She discussed the history of Oghma here in Neverwinter, and how the temple had been looted during the Cataclysm and at other times. It became apparent to Basel that this temple was dedicated to returning what was rightfully Oghma’s knowledge, not protecting the books or knowledge in general. Basel thanked Tusk for her time and told her he would consider her words.

As he continued, deep in thought, someone spoke to him.

“I know you. You’re a hero!”

Basel looked down to see a peasant boy.

“I am no hero, boy. But you may be. Take this javelin. The role of a protector is to protect.”

“You can take my dad’s horse as payment.” The boy pointed to a horse.

“What? Where is your father?”

The boy pointed to a man.

“My dad has both legs, but no eyes. My daddy is Helm.”

“That is not Helm.”

Basel cast Zone of Truth on the boy, who revealed that the horse indeed belonged to the man. The man was blindly swinging at anyone passing near him. Basel approached the man. As he neared, the man struck his armor with the club.

“Sir, manners please.” The man whacked him several more times.

“If you continue this behavior, I will beat you to death!” Basel intimidated the man, and he stopped.

“I will give you a gold piece for your horse. And I offer something much more valuable than coin.”

Basel cast Lesser Restoration on the man and cured him of his blindness.

“I can see! I never thought I would see my son again!”

“In payment, please take care of the kids in the orphanage of Helm.”

Basel took the horse and walked back to the Beached Leviathan, getting acquainted with his new steed on the way. The horse took a liking to Basel.

“I shall call you Helm!” he beamed.

When he got back to the Leviathan, Harrag informed him that we had headed north. He grabbed his gear, saddled up, and rode north as fast Helm would carry him. After two days of hard riding, he caught up to us. We were quite surprised to see him and his new mount.

“What is the horses name, Basel?”

“This is Helm!”

“You named another horse after a god?”

“Indeed. It will bring me luck.” Varus looked around at the others, and we burst into laughter.

As we neared Luskan, Tyala started recalling the night in question. She had gotten a Lord drunk, then she got drunk, and then she beat him soundly at dice. He lost badly (usually the case when you gambled with Tyala) and offered her the Barony in payment.

“Well, let’s go get her, highness!”

We arrived in the Port of Luskan, also known as the City of Sails. It was the northernmost major port on the Sword Coast that was ice-free during the winter. The River Mirar ran through the town, and the docks that lined the river and the coast were filled with ships. Luskan was the gateway to the northern lands and the major market for those goods and resources. The Mirabar dwarven merchants maintained a large trading compound on the northern shore and brought in cut stone, raw ore, processed silver, and fine dwarven weapons. Other popular goods included intricate scrimshaw and fish from the Ten Towns in Icewind Dale and timber from the Lurkwood forest.

Many of the homes here were made from fine mason stone to protect against the harsh winters, but there were also many hide huts and wooden structures. The smell of fish, oil, smoke, blood, and spices filled the air.

Varus wanted to go into town in disguise and investigate to see if the situation was as it appeared, for he feared the letter was a deception, but the group thought this overcautious. We drove around town a bit, asked a few questions along the way, and found our way to the great house where the Lord of Luskan could be found. 

Varus cast Minor Illusion on the carriage to make it appear more regal, and Tyala donned her costume as a noble of Luskan, rocking the Barbarian Formal look. We pulled up to an enormous wooden longhouse that was 200 feet long and had three smokestacks. We piled out of the carriage and approached the two 10’ tall doors, which were open. The guards barely reacted as we strode into the longhouse.

Inside, huge wooden beams supported the ceiling. Three great fires burned in large pits with chimneys. Long tables filled parts of the enormous room. Next to the center pit were round tables. The well-to-do and well-connected sat at these tables. Barbarian nobility, tattooed, dressed in furs, with piercings and bones in their hair, conversed with lords that were obviously from the South, based on their fine dress and jewelry, and more formal speech.

Varus addressed one of the servants.

“Have you seen Luscious?”

“Ooh, you pronounced my name correctly! I identify as Luscious, dear boy.” The group turned to see that the voice came from a man with red skin, a long tail, and horns coming out his head. Varus recognized him as a tiefling.

Tyala pulled out the sheet of parchment and solemnly presented it to Luscious, who was absolutely dazzled with her.

“Oh, yes, of course, I remember you now!”

“I would like to speak with the Lord to discuss my claim.”

“Yes, of course. Oh, Rothgar!” One of the barbarians turned around.

“You have a guest. She is redeeming her claim!” he tittered.

“Come, my dear, join me, and we can talk.”

“Can my companions join me?”

“Eh…they can join Luscious. I would speak with you alone.”

Tyala joined him as the others sat with Luscious at another table. She presented her claim to him, and he nodded.

“It was fairly won. I recognize my debt to you.” He drank to her, then continued.

“You may claim this Barony of Greystone Keep if you can plant the Luskan flag there, but I must warn you, it is still well north of here. Still north of Ten Towns, which is at the ends of civilization. It is in the hinterlands, a forbidding place of harsh snow and fierce monsters. The Keep has been abandoned for many a year. Yet, you look like a tough woman that can handle snow and ice, ice dragons, and barbarians.”

“It sounds like it possesses little strategic value. Why do you want to claim it?”

 

“It may prove useful as a northern garrison.”

“When we plant this flag and return, we will discuss other opportunities. And you will reward our party.”

“Agreed!” He shook Tyala’s hand and then turned to our table.

“Luscious! Drinks for everyone. It’s time to toast.” Luscious had the servants make sure everyone had a drink. 

“To Tyala. The new Baroness of Greystone Keep! Welcome to family! Luscious! Everyone! Drink!”

Later that day, Basel decided to visit the Temple of Helm, a prominent temple here in Luskan. He entered the temple and received the blessing of ointments from the priests. Then he walked through the Hall of Dedication there, which honored the feats of the Luskan barbarian paladins. He meditated here, and he felt the call of Helm! He knew that he wanted to be a protector. After he finished his meditation, he went to the head priest.

”Sir, I am Basel Leaf. I am here to take the Oath of Devotion for Helm.”

“I have observed your meditations here, brah. You do see the most righteous path of Helm. Go forth and show his path to others, bro. First, you must take the oath. So, stick up your right hand, with three fingers. Helm is cool, Helm take us to school, Helm helps a friend in need, and friend in need is a friend, indeed.”

Basel repeated the oath.

“Thank you. What is your name, priest of Helm?”

”I am Smasher, on account that I get smashed!” He chugged the rest of his ale and smashed the mug on the floor. “Ha!”

“Ah, yes, I see, very good. Can I get a helm? Like yours?”

“Uh, well, we had some major grindage last night!” He looked around the hall, which showed all the evidence of a huge party.

“Here you go!” He pulled out a hat with ale tankards on either side and siphons leading out of them to the wearer’s mouth.

“Your helm, paladin of Helm. Drink deeply!”

“Fantastic. Do you think you could modify this for horse?”

“Whaaaat? That’s rad, dude!”

“I will pay you 2 gp to have it ready by the morning.”

While Basel was at the temple, Tomeck and Varus went to  the market to see what was available. We were headed into extreme conditions and needed to be prepared appropriately. We procured heavy furs and warm woolen undergarments and mittens, cured meats, and firewood, and loaded them into the carriage. We were also lucky enough to find two potions that would protect us against the elements (for up to 8 hours).

Early the next morning, we left Luskan and headed north. After three hours of driving, the temperature plunged at least 20 degrees. At one point, a huge shadowy figure appeared through the snow. It looked like a huge ape, and it was…dragging an elk! Based on the size of the elk, the creature must have been at least 14 feet tall. It turned and looked at Basel, its eyes peering into his soul.

“Wah!” Basel started violently, then shook his head, as if to clear it. The yeti turned and disappeared through the falling snow. “That is the yeti. Its gaze can sap the strength of a man. That is an ice man ape!” 

“I would like to ride that magnificent beast! What a team we would make!” cried Basel. That brought on an extended session of laughter and discussion concerning the ramifications of Basel riding a yeti. Tomeck drew a picture of the two.

“Riding the yeti! Yeah!”

“I can cast a suggestion spell on it for you, Basel,” Varus offered with a grin.

Sometime after that, we saw greater wolves in the distance, then heard their chilling howls. The snow began to accumulate. Visibility declined, and the light started to fade early.

A storm came in; gusts of wind pushed at the carriage and almost tipped it over at times. Tomeck had his hands full with the driving, and he was tiring. Basel hooked Helm up to the lead of the team, and the horse and his beer helmet led the way. It was well below freezing when we rolled into Bryn Shandar, the capital city of Ten Towns, and we were all happy to have arrived.

We stabled the horses, then piled into the nearest tavern, which was the Googly Eyed Goblin. Obviously a franchise place, decorated in garish colors, with various diversions for young humanoids. An old lady gnome wearing goblin nose and ears approached us.

“You work here?”

“It’s a living,” she sighed in a deep, gravelly voice. She seated us and brought out some bread burnt to look like a human. Those that were hungry enough to eat it soon regretted that decision. We asked if we could upgrade our rooms. An old dwarven man with goblin nose and ears appeared.

“We can pay.” We upgraded to the Ochre Jelly suite, which was a terrible Bob Ross off-yellow.

“Tomeck, if you would be so kind?”

Tomeck cast a Cleaning spell so that the place was bit fresher and we wouldn’t have to worry about catching anything.

After a poor night’s rest, we rode out the early the next morning, eating our supplies rather than another meal at that tavern. Two feet of fresh snow lay on the ground. As we continued north, we could now see that the Ten Towns were fishing villages located on the waters of the large lakes in the area; Redwaters to the south, connected to Lac Dinneshere to the north, and Maer Dualdon, to the west of Kelvin’s Cairn, the lone mountain in the area. Many of the villagers were fishermen, and the lakes were filled with many fishing boats working.

We were on a barren stretch of the “road”, when we heard large wings beating the air, a screech, and a flash of blue light in the sky. Ice pelted the carriage as a large creature flapped its wings and alit on the large rock near us.

It was a white dragon! A dragon of the north that breathed freezing death. It roared and tensed to leap on the carriage.

Webs shot forth from Tomeck’s hand, and trapped it against the rock. It tried to tear free, but Varus cast a hypnotic pattern around it, and it succumbed to the spell. Basel cast searing smite and ran up to attack. Both strikes bounce off the dragons impressive scales. Tyala bounced an arrow off of it, and it returned to her. A boomerang arrow!

The dragon could not break out of the webs. Tomeck cast a firebolt, but it bounced off. He recast it as a quickened spell and that attack slammed into the wyrm. Basel came in right behind that, landing one blow, and following that up with a critical blow.

Tyala hit it with a sneak attack. The dragon could not break out of the hypnotic pattern or the web. Tomeck hit it with another firebolt, then Basel missed with his first strike, but connected with the second. The white dragon went down. 

For the next several hours, Basel, with help from the others, proceeded to process the dragon. He cut off the head, removed a third of the scales, and harvested the heart, lungs, and several other organs. Fortunately we were able to put much of it on ice. Scavengers assembled during that time, then came in as soon as we headed out.

We were in the hinterlands, a desolate place where no one could survive without shelter. Barren, frozen tundra stretched to broken lands in the far distance. The one mountain, Kelvin’s Cairn, dominated the northern horizon. We sped through small copses of dark, twisted woods, anticipating an attack at any moment. Near nightfall, we finally entered the small village of Iron Master. It had been raided several times in recent history. We could see a shadowy keep about a half a mile distant. We decided to stay in a local tavern and head out the next morning. As the sun set, we watched the beams of light reflect from the walls of the Barony of Greystone Keep.

The next morning, we headed out early and quickly arrived at the keep. It was in ruins; the door had been busted in for some time.

“Oh, I believe we’ve arrived, Your Highness!” grinned Varus, bowing low.

“Let’s go in and look around!”

 

“How long do you think it has been abandoned?”

“From the looks of it, at least 500 years. It’s practically falling down. We should be careful.”

Basel cast Detect Evil and extended his senses to the keep; he sensed both good and evil; there was some sort of undead, and also something Abyssal. Probably a creature of the lower planes. He informed the rest of us, then cast a Protection from Evil spell on us.

Tyala activated her ring and disappeared. Tomeck opened the broken door and entered the keep. This was obviously the main throne room. Ghostly figures wandered around, some going about their business, some seeming confused or aimlessly wandering. At the far end of the room was the throne. On the throne sat a fearsome creature. A large, purple, devilish-looking abomination that looked like it was made from bone! It’s eyes glowed red. Large spines covered its back from head to tail, and at its joints. It had a long spiny tail with a fearsome stinger at the end curled over its head. It arms ended in huge talons with claws. 

The creature seemed to be the puppeteer on the throne, controlling the ghosts in the throne room. Tomeck did not hesitate, but cast firebolt on him twice. The first one hit, with little effect. The second one missed, but the creature caught it and threw it back at us, barely missing Basel. What sort of creature could catch a magical attack and throw it back, like Unagi re-directing an arrow or bolt? The devil stood up; it seemed to be made of bone, and was quite tall (at least 8 feet) but thin (about 100 pounds). It leapt and landed in the middle of us. Bone spurs shot out and sliced into several of us.

Varus sang, and purple flames illuminated the evil creature. Tyala reappeared as her flaming sword bit hard with a sneak attack. Basel dropped his shield and swung his axe twice, hitting both times. Varus moved to the right and up against the wall, and then a hulking figure crashed through the wall behind him. Looking up in horror, the bard could see (and smell) that the huge thing was obviously undead. A zombie giant. It smashed down at Varus with two huge fists, but the lucky bard somehow evaded both attacks.

Tomeck drew his magical longsword and slashed the bone devil, then slammed it with his shield. The devil caught the shield and tried to wrest it free, but Tomeck prevailed and kept his hold! It attacked the sorcerer, but was thwarted by his shield defense. Tyala totally missed, but Basel struck true and landed two solid blows with his axe. Black fluid started to gush from its wounds.

Varus sang, and Dissonant Whispers hit the giant zombie’s mind, even as an undead creature. It fled back into the room where it had busted through the wall. Varus saw three other creatures with purple skin in the room. Based on his studies, they looked like ghouls or ghasts.

Tomeck used his shield to cast shocking grasp on the devil twice; it responded with an all-out attack, but it was only able to swipe him with one claw. 

Tomeck’s shield strategy seemed to be working quite well. Tyala used the opening to dash in and plunge her flaming sword into the evil thing again. She hit where its kidneys would be, and the thing roared and then split in half as it died. The Baroness was staking her claim!

Basel cast Turn Unholy and moved into the throne room. The ghosts dissipated as he walked, and he felt like a warm springtime morning. Evidently, his spell produced a feminine hygiene product effect as well. Or perhaps it was some type of blessing from Helm. 

Varus drew his wand of fireballs and fired it into the room with Solomon Grundy and the Ghouls (possible band name?). The giant zombie picked up one of them and used it as a club to slam Varus hard. He tried to push Varus into Tomeck, but was unable to do so, as Varus surprisingly resisted the undead giant’s enormous strength.

Tomeck cast scorching rays into the room, then webs. Tyala missed and retreated as Varus blasted another fireball into the room, taking down the last ghast. Basel hit with a javelin.

“Go fuck yourself giant!” Basel yelled.

“Thanks, Basel!”

The giant tried to pick up Varus and use him as a club, but again Varus resisted the giant’s strength and would not be moved. Frustrated, it tried to hit Basel, but he easily blocked the blow with his shield.

“You’re really bad at gianting,” Basel taunted. Varus was not complaining. He would probably be a smudge on the floor by now if the giant had been more proficient.

Tomeck hit with a scorching ray, Tyala missed, and Varus sang of song of chaos in its mind. It managed shrugged off the effect, but that gave Basel an opening and he finished it with a final stroke of his axe.

“I have one thing to say,” announced Tomeck, “Goanna!”

With the bone devil and its undead servants out of the way, we inspected the interior of the keep. The stairs that accessed the second floor had rotted away. 

“We can’t access the second floor. The first floor is accessible”.

We approached the throne at the far end of the room. It has been worn in to the point of falling through the floor. We checked out the rest of the room and found that most of the evil had been removed. The remaining ghosts were harmless, spirits of the people that had once lived here.

After a very thorough search, we found 3 potions in one of the rooms. Tyala found and unlocked a secret door that contained a 5-foot pit. There was a small chest at the bottom. Tomeck and Varus used mage hand to lift it out. Inside we found several small pearls, 12 gemstones, and a fist-sized ruby.

Basel blessed the place in the name of Helm to help rid it of any further evil and protect it. Varus made a rousing speech. We raised the Luskan flag over it. None of us really wanted to be here when night fell again. We piled back in the carriage and headed back towards Luskan.

Financials

·        2 potions of Endure Elements

·        Dragon parts: head, scales, various organs (Basel)

·        3 unidentified potions

·        Several small pearls, 12 gemstones, and a fist-sized ruby