The Whispering Cairn, Part 4

Edit: These are posts I made back in 2005-2006 and have now transferred them here.

• Tyrrich – Elven, Rogue 1, Warlock 1 (male).
• Garrett – Gnome, Druid 2 (male).
• Cullen – Elven, Monk 2 (male).
• Roma - Half Orc, Rogue 1, Barbarian 1 (male).
• Janna – Human, Cleric 2 (Wee Jas) (female).

Entering the lantern room with the remaining red lantern, Cullen places the last lantern and they are lit. They feel a breeze coming from the blue alcove and Roma climbs up the chain to investigate. Just as they have expected the way is no longer blocked. However, the party pauses to rest before exploring any further.

After resting, the group of explorers re-lights the lanterns and head down the corridor. At the end of the corridor they find a room with a 3-foot wide wooden beam over a pit of 4 inch diameter steel balls about 10 feet below them. The wooden beam extends across this pit to the other side where it ends at a door. The walls on either side of the beam are covered in strange geometric patterns.

Tyrrich attempts to cross the wooden bridge but is stopped in his tracks as the same steel balls start shooting out of concealed holes in the walls. Tyrrich drops prone trying not to get knocked off the beam as he notices something stirring in the pit below. Turrich hurriedly tries to edge his way along the beam to get to the door on the opposite side, all the while steel balls are flying shooting out overhead. Just when he thinks he might make it, a foul tentacled creature known as a Grick leaps from the pit in an attempt to drag Tyrrich down off the plank. Seeing this, Roma quickly jumps into action. He runs across the plank and jumps down into the pit at the same time he sinks his pick into one of the Grick’s tentacles. Cullen tries to do the same thing but slips on something on the plank and is barely able to catch himself as he lands in the pit flanking the Grick. Garrett mounts his Badger companion and charges across the beam where his Badger, Eous, reaches down with a mighty claw and rips the Grick in two.

With the combat seemingly over Tyrrich turns his attention back to the door but staggers back when he sees a ghost appear in front of him coming through the door. This knocks Garrett and Eous into the pit. The ghost laughs at the group and congratulates them on their victory over the Grick. He mentions that he did not think they would survive but then focuses on Roma. He mentions that his name is Alastor Land and is happy that his family has come to find him. Roma has no idea what the ghost is talking about. The ghost carries on about how he has been here for a long time and others have come but none have survived. He also asks the group if they can take his bones back to his family homestead to be buried with the rest of his family. Primarily his father, who, the ghost explains, died about a year before he foolishly ran away from home and ended up dead. The party asks what is on the other side of the door and Alastor describes a circular room with a ledge around the rim and 4 bridges leading to a column of light in the middle. There are paintings on the walls and some of the bridges are broken. He also accounts a time when he saw an armored figure step out of the light and walk around a bit before stepping back in, but that was a long time ago and it only happened once.

So the group collected the bones of Alastor and heads off to the location of the Land farmstead described by him. On their way they stop by Allustan’s in Diamond Lake. He is happy to see them and excitedly tells them what he was about to discover about the runes. He identifies specific names of Wind Dukes who fought against the forces of Chaos at the Battle of Pesh thousands of years ago. Some of these Wind Dukes were the ones who forged the Rod of Seven Parts which was ultimately used to defeat the forces of Chaos. Very exciting stuff he exclaims.

After running various errands in Diamond Lake they head off to the Land farmstead to find a run down house and five recently excavated gravesites. The gravesites are marked with the names of Alastor, his father and mother, and what seem to be his brother and sister… most of which had succumb to the Red Death 19 years ago. Footprints and tracks of a wheelbarrow litter the area. Knowing that Alastor wished to be buried with his family the party heads over to the rundown house to see if any clues are within. When they arrive they hear something inside the house and spot dried blood on the front step but are surprised to find an enraged Owlbear within. After a brief and tense combat the Owlbear is put down, but it left behind a baby owlbear. Not wanting to kill it, and Garrett knowing that Owlbears cannot be tamed, they decide to see if they can sell it at the Emporium.

While exploring the farmhouse the party finds a severed human arm that the Owlbear was gnawing on. The arm has a tattoo on it that marks the owner as one of Kullen’s boys. They are a group of thugs currently employed by Balbar Smenk.

The plot thickens.

End of chapter 4.