Time seemed to fly by in Bargewright as the group immersed themselves in their studies. A knock on the door brought them back to reality: their new magical purchases had arrived. With their goods collected, they put their minds together and decided their next target would be the previously overlooked Cult of the Black Earth. Having already brought down Feathergale Spire and Scarlet Moon Hall, it was time to prevent further destruction.
Taking to the air on their Hippogriffs, they flew northwards through a mostly cloudy sky towards the Sacred Stone Monastery. A little under a mile up, the view was breathtaking: vast fields, farmlands, the Dessarin River flowing to their right, and the Sumber Hills rising ahead. The beauty was marred only by wisps of smoke still rising from burnt homesteads. Yet, this distraction wasn't enough to miss the fact that a few clouds were moving very quickly, against the wind.
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| Air Elemental |
The elementals gave chase, diving straight after the Dwarf, the third breaking away from its brief fight to join the pursuit. Arrows pierced their cloudy forms from Joe and Morthwyl, while Gark and his summoned elemental nipped at their heels. Bessok managed to manoeuvre himself in the air towards his Hippogriff, which finally regained control and swept upwards, allowing the Dwarf to clamber back onto the saddle.
Realizing they couldn't outfly their pursuers, and that he was their obvious target, Bessok pointed his Hippogriff in one direction before leaping off again. The Hippogriff, not quite so bright, changed direction to try and catch up to the Dwarf while, above them, the elementals steadily closed in.
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| Look Out Below! |
The Hippogriff looked confused by Bessok's disappearance and came to a halt. The air elemental closed in quickly, raising a smoky arm to smash the beast. But just as it was about to strike, Gark tore through the magic sustaining it, and the last of the elementals was defeated, its cloud of air dispersing into nothingness.
Leaping back through the portal, Bessok dropped like a stone again but sent a Sending message to Gark to arrange his rescue before blinking back into the Astral Plane. Waiting for the perfect moment as Gark manoeuvred the Hippogriff, Bessok once again returned to the material plane and dropped, this time catching the Hippogriff on the way down and climbing back into the saddle.
Briefly gathered high in the sky, the group discussed what had just happened. They realized the elementals must have been chasing Bessok for the spear he was holding, Windvane, taken from the Prophet of Air. Joe recalled the vision he'd experienced while trying to attune with the spear—a portal to the Elemental Plane of Air that had been torn open. It must still be open, a dangerous gateway that the Elemental Prince of Air might be able to use.
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| The Sacred Stone Monastery |
Undeterred by the aerial skirmish, the group continued flying north until they spotted the Sacred Stone Monastery beneath them. The Hippogriffs circled, allowing them a good look at the site. Nestled in the middle of a canyon, the monastery appeared ancient but its walls still stood strong. An open courtyard was hidden behind the main walls, and a garden lay in the far corner. Bringing their Hippogriffs down to a section of land overlooking the area, they discussed their options and decided on a full offensive.
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| Map of the Sacred Stone Monastery |
Choosing lunchtime for their attack, they unknowingly ensured almost everyone inside was in the same place. Riding their Hippogriffs, they dropped low over the building, then leapt off, falling a short distance into the open courtyard (M8), where a few ugly Gargoyles sat on pedestals. The moment one of the group landed, two Gargoyles animated and took to the air, flying to attack.
Joe was first in, firing arrows. Then Morthwyl brought her longsword and hammer to smash the stone monsters. Next, Gark screamed for their enemy to face them. Bessok was last, summoning the ghosts of his ancestors, who made a few practice swings with their warhammers.
Within seconds, the doors to the west burst open, and monks in brown robes, wearing golden gargoyle masks, flooded into the courtyard, shouting and threatening with martial arts manoeuvres and acrobatic flips. They lasted all of six seconds. Joe pulled out a pair of lightning-coated javelins, throwing them one after another at the furthest targets. A flash of lightning followed their flight path, cutting down the monks instantly.
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| Black Earth Guard |
Undoubtedly one of their easiest encounters, the group quickly checked the bodies for anything important, then began investigating the Monastery. They found what they expected: bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a training room, as well as a desecrated shrine to Moradin (M9), now repurposed for the Cult of the Black Earth.
Though they found stairs leading down, for now they remained in the Monastery, exploring every room. Eventually, they came to a locked door with a voice behind it calling out, "I've told you before, no! Now go away!" Not settling for that, Joe took out a chime that caused the door to unlock. With a swift kick, the door opened to what looked like a laboratory of sorts (M16). An ancient figure stood inside, perusing a dusty tome. The figure looked over, revealing himself to be a form of undead—a lich.
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| Renwick Caradoon, Lich |
Renwick had prepared a tomb for his brother's body (M20), so they could lie alongside each other and face the afterlife together. However, retrieving the body was impossible as the Knights of Samular refused any dealings with the lich. Understandable, really. Renwick opened the tomb prepared for his brother, revealing a corpse already inside: the Knight being transferred to Summit Hall. This was their first recovery of a Delegation member, even if dead. The group vowed to help this friendly lich recover his brother's body when they returned the Knight to Summit Hall. They bid the lich farewell and continued exploring the area before heading downstairs.
Entering the area at the bottom of the steps (M21), a huge creature behind a caged area of the room jumped to life, angrily smashing the cage door open instantly and charging the group. An Umber Hulk, normally incredibly deadly due to its dizzying gaze, had had its eyes plucked out and its claws replaced with blades. Joe opened fire as soon as it moved, almost dropping it with deadly accuracy. Morthwyl's follow-up attacks removed the threat as quickly and easily as every other threat they'd encountered so far.
Moving on after a quick look around, they found the stairs down into Tyar-Besil (M24) but ignored them for now to finish this underground area of the Monastery. They encountered an Ogre and a small number of Orogs, half-breeds of Orc and Ogre, but more importantly, survivors! A gathering of eighteen prisoners were caged in the furthest corner of the underground (M19), including the Delegation member, Bruldenthar. Asking to be released and for help crossing the Dessarin Valley, the group—no doubt on a high from all the recent action—were perhaps more stern with the prisoners and Bruldenthar than they needed to be. This didn't go down well with Bruldenthar, who quietly wished it was a different adventuring group who had come to their rescue.
After learning a few things about how they got there, Bessok decided to use his newly acquired miracle, a Teleportation Circle, to transport everyone to one of the only Circles he currently knew: Waterdeep. Rushing through the open portal, they all appeared inside a circular room with a domed ceiling, the Circle they were in surrounded by protection circles of all kinds—demons, devils, elementals, constructs—not to mention the guards who barked for their reason for using the circle and the array of mages who started casting truth detections, evil detections, and a mass of other spells. Bessok quickly realized that teleportation destinations were heavily defended.
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| A View of Waterdeep |
Waterdeep, the City of Splendors. After "processing," the group walked out into the open air, a location on a hill above the city that looked down over the mass of buildings, people, and activity. Many carriages travelled through the city streets, a requirement due to the sheer size of the city. The sea off to one side was populated by masted ships, and in the sky, Knights flew on Griffons, the mounted guards of Waterdeep.
While Bessok and the others travelled up to the castle to speak with Laeral Silverhand, a friend of Bruldenthar, Gark took another path to find some lodgings for their stay and was eventually pointed to an Inn called The Yawning Portal.
A pleasant and friendly woman, Laeral greeted those who visited the castle, offering them a place to stay, food, and drinks for their time there, though they refused as they needed to catch up to Gark. Bruldenthar purchased his books back from Bessok, and Laeral gave the reward for his return to the group. Staying long enough to find out a few more things, it seemed that Waterdeep was also, like Yartar, losing nobles and important figures, and so the Lords had decided to focus on their own issues rather than send forces north to help with the Sumber Hills.
With all the meet and greets complete, the group gathered at The Yawning Portal with many other adventurers, sharing stories, music, and laughter. They drank and made merry for most of the night until finally having to retreat to their rooms to sleep it off.
In the morning, Gark cast a spell that turned them all into a misty form that could travel at incredible speeds, and so the group began their long trip northwards back to the Sumber Hills.
It was as they were closing in on Red Larch that the group had some hint of what might be up ahead. Large crevices had torn open the ground, criss-crossing over the Long Road on the outskirts of the town. Moving quickly forward, they were faced with a scene of utter devastation: every building in Red Larch had collapsed into rubble. Some crevices had pulled buildings apart from their foundations, dropping them seventy feet to their doom.
It must have been recent, perhaps that morning or a few hours before they had arrived. Survivors, a small number compared to the former population, wandered the streets shell-shocked, covered in dust and grime. Some desperately dug through rubble to rescue loved ones, while others simply sat in the middle of the road, staring into space.
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| Gark and Bessok walk through the remains of Red Larch |
Gark called out for Constable Harburk. Joe managed to hear a faint response in the distance. They moved quickly in that direction to find the Constable on his knees before the rubble of his home, his now-dead wife trapped beneath rocks and large wooden beams. The Constable looked up, his dust-covered face revealing dried tear tracks. He rose to his feet to greet his old friend.
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| Constable Harburk |
Deciding on a course of action, Bessok moved through the town, gathering survivors or those who could be resurrected, including the Constable's wife. He opened another portal back to Waterdeep. This time, the group arrived with makeshift stretchers, asking for medical assistance. Bessok quickly went to the castle and arranged to speak with Laeral about what had happened. The Lord quickly rushed to help, organizing transport to the largest temple in Waterdeep.
Here, broken bodies were knitted back together before the soul was returned to the body. It wasn't enough; it was a handful of people compared to the population, but it was something. The Constable's wife, Jalessa Orna, breathed again at least—they owed the Constable that much.
Gark, on the other hand, took all his earnings from his recent activities and placed them on the desk of a construction business, demanding that Red Larch be rebuilt. He was told it would take time, that they'd need temporary shelters and storage. Gark didn't care; he wanted it done, and he wanted it now!
Using Gark's spell once again, the newly resurrected travelled with the group back to Red Larch, finding the area already trying to raise spirits. A bonfire had been lit on the once-thriving grounds of the marketplace, survivors gathered around it, singing songs and sharing memories.
Jalessa managed to shift back to her normal form and quickly rushed over to embrace Harburk, who broke down at the sight of his wife alive again. When he managed to pull himself away from her, Harburk thanked everyone involved, especially when he heard about the plans to rebuild the town. Jalessa made some failed attempts at hugging Gark, then promised him a good, hearty meal when things were up and running.
With the Cult of the Black Earth now firmly on their hit list, the group discussed their next action. Their minds were already made up before much talk even began. Their Hippogriffs still near the Monastery, Bessok and Joe gathered some frightened horses from the fields, brought them back to the market area, then started making preparations to leave.
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