30: Shadows of the Last War

The City of Sharn

As the rain hammered down around them, the group made their way through the dirty streets of Lower Dura, walking by graffiti on the walls, "Cyran's Go Home!", "No To Refugees!", "Need Someone Stabbed? Antoine Has You Covered!". The Broken Anvil was a small inn tucked into the corner of a street, inside of which a small band could be found on stage, warming up for their show later and performing a mix of jazz and blues music. The only other people in the bar was a female halfling bartender, and an old man who was muttering to himself in the corner, a survivor of the last war, an arm lost and his soul given over to the alcohol before him.

Map of the Broken Anvil Inn

Lady Elaydren d'Cannith

Settling down for a meal and an ale while they waited, the group chatted between them about the strange city they had found themselves on this time around. It wasn't long, however, until the door opened and a woman in her early thirties entered, an attractive woman with long, dark hair. Having expected someone more extravagant, this woman was the opposite, dressed in old clothes and wearing a hooded cloak to keep out the rain. Judging from her appearance, however, this was a ruse, she was concealing herself.

Looking back over her shoulder, she searched the area outside for a few moments, then closed the door and rushed over to the group, obviously aware they were the people she needed to meet. Not even sitting down, she told the group that she had to rush, she was being followed, that people were searching for her. She placed a haversack down on the table between them all and told them, "Everything you need is in there.", and explained that she'd meet them in Rhukaan Draal once they were finished.

A Warforged Warrior

Barely having time to finish the sentence, the door burst open and a group of Warforged rushed inside, all wearing long, hooded cloaks against the rain. Behind them, another Warforged thudded his way into the bar, declaring that they had come for the schema and anyone in their way would regret it. Starting with the Lady. The Warforged raised an arm, a circle of tubes strapped around the forearm, one of which released a shard of metal that travelled straight at Lady Elaydren. She started to duck, twisted a ring on her finger, and as the shard was about to contact, she was gone, no doubt teleported away to a safer location.

Naturally, it didn't stop there. Bessok warned them against attacking an obviously superior force, but they didn't heed the warning and soon came to regret it. Joe was the first to react, throwing out a small bead that burst open into a field of force, trapping two of the Warforged and the angry Leader inside. The other Warforged rushed forward to engage the group, attacking both Morthwyl and Bessok, and though they worked well together, their skills weren't up to fight. After an electric shock was released into one by Vinthanamel, a few more strikes soon had them on the ground. The last of the three decided to make a run for it, Bessok quickly following behind to ensure his escape as the other members of the group sought to stop him, but he soon returned once the Warforged was out of sight.

That left the three inside the bubble, the leader of the group giving his apologies to his allies, before thrusting a blade into each of their throats. This left only the leader. The group tried to talk him down, but he was an obvious fanatic, willing to die for his beliefs - or whoever was giving him his orders. Having to wait for the bubble to disappear, time steadily ticked on and so the halfling bartender, no doubt used to this in Lower Dura, and seeing their connection to Lady Elaydren, warned the group to hurry as the watch would be on their way. The group asked if she could keep watch at the door, while they.. dealt with things. 

She agreed and, once the door was closed and the bubble dropped, so Vinthanamel tried to charm the Warforged, but a few seconds later he shouted in anger and the spell was broken. He quickly pulled out a magical longsword and attacked Bessok, who was in front of him, and having declared that Joe would be the first to die, fired another shard of metal in his direction, a shard that struck him firmly in the side and knocked him clean off his feet.

With the group wanting to know what this was all about, Vinthanamel once again tried charming the leader, this time gaining success - the fight wound down, though he still had a hateful glare for Joe. He can be Vinthanamel's friend, but the others still gained his distaste. Thanks to the spell, he was at least no longer trying to kill them. 

Deciding to disappear before the watch arrived, they gave an extra large tip to the bartender, then made their way up a level to try and put some space between the incident and themselves, forcing the leader to stay with them. Once they found another tavern with a quiet place to rest and a private place to talk, they began questioning the leader of the Warforged. They found that he too was after the schema, which the group had no idea about at this point, both the one that Lady Elaydren had previously recovered, and the one that the group were going to be sent for. 

The Lord of Blades

Once he had the bag, he could find out where it was. But why? He was under orders from the Lord of Blades, a Warforged based in the Mournlands who was seeking to find the way to create more of their kind, likely possible through the use of the schemas lost in the Last War. Not understanding about schema's, being new to this world, the group emptied the haversack, a magical storage pack that had a vast amount of space inside. Rope, bedrolls, potions, gold and platinum, torches, it all came tumbling out as they upended the pack. Also inside was a letter from the Lady, explaining their task about recovering a schema and where to go to find it, as well as a letter of credit to ensure they didn't have to pay for their travel to the destination.

They would have to take the lightning rail to Sterngate and then a wagon train to Rhukaan Draal, from there they could find someone who could give them passage to Rose Quarry, which would point them in the direction of Whitehearth in the Mournlands - all places they had never heard of until now. And what was a lightning rail?

A Map of the Travel Locations

Despite being charmed, the leader still showed a lot of hatred to everyone except Vinthanamel, and it was clear he wasn't going to be someone they could simply let free knowing what he knew. And so Vinthanamel wiped his memories of the whole incident, told him to stay where he was for a while. After storing everything back in the pack, the group made their way out, the leader looking on, wondering who they even were.

Before searching for whatever a Lightning Rail was, Joe suggested they travel back down into Lower Dura and to something called a 'Private Investigator', to find out what had happened to the Vecna cultists that were reported slaughtered inside the city. Joe had gathered information during his travels around the area, he knew where they could find the investigator handling the case, at a company called 'Vance & Associates'. The group agreed and back into the rain they went, through the dirty and dangerous streets of Lower Dura, to a building with the business name displayed proudly upon the door.

Kaelen Thorne
Private Investigator

Inside, the group met the receptionist, who asked them who they were and what they wanted, with Joe explaining about the Cult of Vecna and that they were interested parties. Excusing herself, she walked down a corridor and into one of the rooms, a muffled conversation overheard before she returned and invited them to make their way to the room, where a 'Kaelen Thorne' would talk to them about the case. He was in the bathroom, but he would be right out, she added.

Inside the room was what anyone would expect from a private investigators office. A board covered with notes and strings tying the clues together, a large desk with a few chairs, a small table with a bottle of whiskey and a couple of shot glasses, and a filing cabinet, of course. After the group had enough time to take a brief look around, from a side door, Kaelen Thorne made his entrance. A stocky man who might have been in the Last War, considering the scars on his face and the walking stick he now had to use. Once everyone was settled, he questioned why he should be giving information to the group, he had rules to follow. Vinthanamel's rules, as the wizard quickly charmed him into talking.

With his tongue loosened, he described how the cult had been slaughtered, their bodies broken, torn and scattered like rag dolls. Some were impaled on rebar, or crushed against a wall, limbs were severed, some even cut completely in two by an impossibly sharp blade. He went to his filing cabinet and pulled out a leather bound journal that was placed on the table in front of Joe, allowing him to read the cult leaders diary, about how they had travelled to this world to 'intercept the travellers' and 'recover the rod'. 

With questions about if he or Silas Vance, the owner of the business, had been on the investigation, he was charmed enough to reveal the secret that he was both people. And two other private investigators. And the receptionist. He was a Changeling, able to change his appearance to whatever he needed. His private investigators were tailored to who he thought would be most suitable to acquire the job, after checking the clients over in the reception area as the receptionist. He would sneak through a hidden entrance to the office, hence why he was 'in the bathroom'. Clever!

Kas the Betrayer

The last thing he revealed before the group decided to leave was an eyewitness statement from a homeless man called 'Dusty' Jim, who had said, "I didn’t see him come in, but I saw him leave. A tall man, big as a dragon’s shadow, with armour like polished blood. And that sword... It weren’t a normal blade. It screamed. He came out of that warehouse like a streak of lightning, and the ground... It just cracked wherever he walked.".

The group came to the natural conclusion that this was Kas the Betrayer, clearing the ground ready for their arrival. Was he really on their side, or trying to appear like it to gain their trust? They would find out one way or the other, no doubt about that.

A lightning rail, the group found out, was a style of transport unique to the world of Eberron. A long group of carriages that were tied together and hovered above small pyramids that were lined up across the country, acting as conductors for the elementals bound to the base of the carriages. The resulting magical discharge came in the style of crackling lightning, hence the name.

A Lightning Rail

After handing over their letter of credit to something called a 'ticket officer', they were handed a small stamped piece of paper each in return and were told they needed to take the next train on platform one. Working that out after some nudging from the 'officer', they boarded their carriage and were shown to their room. A pair of bunkbeds were set up for the longer journey they were on and, though there were windows on both sides of the room, they were granted privacy through some nice satin curtains.

The group settled down as the train started to move, which accelerated at a rapid pace, leaving Sharn behind and heading into the countryside. Taking a wander through the carriages, they noticed the people on board varied from everyday people, perhaps travelling to visit family or friends in the next city, businessmen and other working folk. The view outside the train was a pleasant one, with rolling hills and farmlands in the distance, the farmlands all with reinforced walls - food supplies were a regular target in the Last War. It was a long few hours before they reached their first destination, Wroat.

The City of Wroat

Wroat, they found, was the capital city of Breland, home to the Royal Family and an elite military and intelligence agency. The passengers changed here, from everyday people to more businessmen, more traders and a more exotic mix of races. Their next destination, Starilaskur, was a trading capital, a centre point for a few countries, a neutral ground for traders to do their business without threat or unfair treatment.

This was a longer section, taking two days to travel across the country. The passengers weren't the only thing that changed the further east they travelled, but the surrounding scenery too. Scars of the Last War were starting to show themselves - watch towers, now deserted, trenches yet to be filled, and the sites of large explosions no doubt caused by the worlds strange magical technology.

After Starilaskur, they were on the home straight, a final days travel to Sterngate. Along this route, the passengers changed again, this time they appeared more ready for action - soldiers drafted to the fortress town of Sterngate to protect the borders, adventurers seeking riches and excitement, and the businessmen now came with a handful of bodyguards as protection. The view outside also grew darker, the path taking them alongside the Seawall Mountains with its collection of watchtowers, sites filled with stone markers and flags, declaring the dead lie here, the flag revealing their nationality. There were too many stones, too many flags.

A fortress town, Sterngate stood at the mouth of the Marguul Pass, the entrance to the Goblinoid nation of Darguun. Despite the war being over, attacks from the goblinoids were persistent, despite it breaking the Treaty that was signed by all Nations to stop hostilities. For now, they were little more than skirmishing bands, unaligned with Darguun itself - goblinoids doing what goblinoids do. But it would only take one major assault to bring the Treaty crashing to the ground, and so the entire area was living a Cold War. 

Knights patrolled the area outside the fortress walls, scouts climbed the mountains to keep a careful watch on proceedings, and a full battalion of troops were on call inside Sterngate. And yet the border was still open, Darguun was still a nation that could be traded with, could be bargained with, despite the aggression from its people. And so, fortified wagon trains would travel through the pass, guarded by soldiers, personal bodyguards and adventurers, and this is where the group found themselves next.

Their letter of credit was shown again, this time to the wagon master, and he welcomed them onto the wagon train and showed them to their own. These were not simple wagons, they were used to transport supplies during the Last War, they were fully sealed, made of solid hardwood and protected with steel plating.

The group settled into their seats as the wagon train began to move, slower and more uncomfortable than the lightning rail, for sure, but a necessary evil that they were accustomed to, having been raised in the Sword Coast. It was a long trip, days would go by with nothing happening, and then Joe started to spot goblinoids at the top of the pass, scouting forces that seemed to be growing with each passing day.

Bugbears, Goblins & Hobgoblins

As the wagon trains started to leave the pass behind and the ground to either side started to level off, so the horde of goblinoids attacked. Bugbears, goblins riding wolves, hobgoblins, they struck from both sides like a wave. Unfortunately for them, the wagon train had a group of veteran adventurers onboard. The goblinoids surely didn't expect such a violent response. Riding a summoned Giant Goat, Bessok rode out to meet the incoming wave, ghostly spirits of his ancestors swirling around him and smashing into any goblinoid that came close. Vinthanamel unleashed lightning down the ranks, turning most of them instantly to sizzling flesh, and Morthwyl leapt from carriage to carriage, smashing the heads of any goblinoid that was close enough. Joe eagerly pointed out which one she should hit next, he was in no danger and seemed to be enjoying watching rather than taking part.

Realising they were in way over their heads, the goblinoid horde turned tail and ran back into the mountains - what was left of them, at least.

A Map of Rhukaan Draal

A Geriviar

After changing direction at an intersection, the wagon train rumbled onwards, the city of Rhukaan Draal slowly coming into view on the horizon. As they moved ever closer, however, the gargantuan creatures that wandered the outskirts of the city caught their attention. Asking others on the wagon what they might be, one replied that they were Geriviar, giants of incredible size with four arms that offered their protection to the city but, more importantly, to Lhesh Haruuc, the hobgoblin king who resided inside the city, in his enormous red tower named Khaar Mbar'ost. Wondering if they'd found something that could actually stop them, the group had something to think about on the rest of their journey into the city.

Once inside, and seeing the glares that they were receiving from the local bugbears and hobgoblins, they decided it might be best to go undercover. Keeping out of sight for a moment, Joe and Vinthanamel changed their appearance so they also looked like bugbears, while Bessok and Morthwyl threw some dust up into the air and promptly disappeared, turning invisible.

The Architecture of Rhukaan Draal

With the local populace now more amiable to talking, it didn't take long for them to find Failin, their contact in Rhukaan Draal. They questioned a few bugbears at the Bloody Market, named due to the aggressive nature of the trading taking place, and were pointed to a nearby tavern called The Clenched Fist. Though it was occupied by everything but goblinoids, the class of the clientele were.. less than desirable. Open drug use was on display, a fist fight that nobody bothered breaking up, while over in one corner a gangly human with a shock of red hair watched the new arrivals curiously. Joe and Vinthanamel dropped their disguise, Morthwyl cancelled her invisibility, but Bessok decided to tease this 'Failin' by staying invisible and moving things around near him.

Failin

Failin was a curious man, not one for talking about anything but business, and even then he talked very quickly and seemed to want to get things done rather than waste any time. The group were back on their feet within a minute of sitting down with the man, heading for the door and Failin's alleged 'Land Cart', whatever that was. At the door, however, two bugbears leapt out of nowhere declaring that Failin had cheated them! So Morthwyl knocked one unconscious with a lazy punch, which had the other running for freedom.

Failin gave his thanks then told the group to hurry, as he quickly left the Bloody Market area and headed outside the city to a nearby rise. Placing his hand against the wall he spoke some strange words and a tattoo on his arm briefly glowed. With a rumble, a cart rolled out of the stone wall and came to a stop beside them. "My land cart..", he explained, ".. earth elemental powered.".

Top Down View of a Land Cart

Once the group were back on the road, heading further east, Bessok offered to increase the speed of the vehicle. Failin, thinking he knew everything about travel being of House Orien, questioned Bessok's ability to do this. Sometimes showing is easier than explaining, and so the cart doubled in speed after a brief blessing from Bessok, something that had Failin actually show a smile of glee. The old man does have a soul after all!

Even at that speed, however, Failin explained it would take at least a day and a half to reach Rose Quarry, their next destination. When nightfall came, Bessok pulled out a square metallic box which rapidly expanded into an adamantine watchtower, something that seemed much more suitable to camping than simple tents. After breakfast the following morning, they were off again, racing across the country into nightfall. They were so close it didn't seem worth stopping, though the wall of mist moving ever closer certainly caused them some concern.

The Dead-Gray Mists

At the edge of the Mournlands, the wall of mist wasn't simply static, but silently screaming faces moved within, stretching out briefly before being pulled back inside. A constantly moving wall of fog that seemed possessed by thousands upon thousands of lost souls. A shiver ran up the spine and they looked away as Failin came to the top of a rise and slowed to a stop. "Were you expecting company?", he asked.

The group had finally reached Rose Quarry, a vast mining village that stretched onwards for at least a mile, though the village had seen much better days. Anything made of wood had burned to cinders, leaving only the stone foundations behind, and though the weather was warm, the village seemed to be covered in a layer of ice that glittered in the light of the rising moons. More worrying, there were lights glowing in a few sections of the village remains, there were people here already, an area had been claimed as a campsite for whoever they were, with four large tents protected by human guards and several skeletons. Skeletons! Evil! Vinthanamel had already made his mind up on the alignment of the group that were ahead.

Map of Rose Quarry

Moving back over the rise and into some cover, the group started plotting on how to deal with this, with Vinthanamel declaring that they didn't know what they were facing yet and suggested using an 'arcane eye'. That was the best idea right now, and so Vinthanamel conjured his invisible arcane eye and guided it out into the remains of the village, first looking over the campsite that the other group had set up. Here, he found nine chainmail wearing guards, four skeletons, and what appeared to be a necromancer inside one of the tents.

From here he went to the next glowing lights, which were inside the remains of an old Cannith Refinery, recognisable by the seal above the door, the same seal that was on their letter of credit. What caught his 'eye' first, however, was the floor - it wasn't ice, as they first thought, but a strange covering of glass. It covered the whole village. In the pathway outside the Refinery, there were also Dwarves, still standing but coated the same way, as if they had been hit by molten glass that rained from the sky, instantly killing them and securing them in place. 

Leaving that behind, the eye travelled inside the Refinery where two people were clearing rubble and searching over a detailed map built into the floor. Three different coloured fireplaces were flanked by statues of varying designs. Something they would have to look into later, no doubt. For now, the 'eye' moved to the last of the lights, which were outside the ruins of an old church. Not being from these lands, Vinthanamel didn't recognise the God that was being praised and so the eye moved on.

Moving behind the church, another necromancer was controlling a few of the glass covered Dwarves, zombified and still moving, they were digging up the graves with their bare hands and pulling out the bodies, stacking them off to one side, no doubt for the necromancer to use for his own evil plans later. Recounting all this to the group while the eye was travelling, Vinthanamel cancelled the spell and his focus returned to the group around him. Plans were made, a perfect attack on this wicked group, it will be swift and brutal!

Vinthanamel, invisible to all, moved back to the graveyard and settled into some cover, watching the necromancer while consulting the rest of the group about their positions through their mental connection. Once everyone was in place, Vinthanamel cast a spell that dominated the mind of the necromancer. The instruction was simple, take the zombies and attack the camp with them. Unable to refuse, the necromancer turned and started heading for the camp where the guards and skeletons awaited.

The skeletons were the first to fall, the zombies shambled their way up to them without a worry, these were the necromancers zombies so why would they be worried? The first was smashed apart in seconds, but this caught the attention of the second pair of skeletons who went to join the fight. Unfortunately, the skeletons attacks were futile, their spears pinged harmlessly off the glass coating the zombies, an extra covering of protection that served them well.

Female Necromancer

Meanwhile, Bessok and Morthwyl appeared in camp, teleported in by Bessok and landing right next to the female necromancers tent. Bessok opened the door and rushed in behind her, while Morthwyl attacked her from the front. She stumbled under the heavy assault, but managed to mutter the words of a spell that had her teleport out in response, across to the other side of the camp. 

By now the guards were growing curious and started looking around, wondering why the skeletons and zombies were attacking each other, another noticed the female necromancer had appeared nearby so started moving to check on her. That's when a hailstorm of arrows was released from Joe, hiding close to the hill. A single arrow fired into the sky that split into thousands and rained down on the area, causing massive damage to everything. The skeletons shattered into pieces under the onslaught, the arrows pinged off the glass of the zombies but there were so many falling that they found gaps and inflicted enough damage to fell them too.

Emerald Claw Guard

The guards split, moving in different directions, some against the zombies, some to protect the necromancer who had just been joined by Bessok and Morthwyl, both in hot pursuit and teleporting again to her location. Another volley of arrows rained down on everyone, including the groups Dwarves, putting most near death. Morthwyl quickly cleaned up on her side of the camp, the necromancer falling first followed by one guard, then another.

The last three guards were downed by their leader, Vinthanamel ordering the necromancer under his control to attack them, which he did with dark balls of necromantic energy. In just a few short seconds, the whole camp was dead, and the master necromancer was under the groups control.

Garrow

Keeping him under their control, the group decided to take some time out to talk to this necromancer, who introduced himself as Garrow, a member of the Emerald Claw. Asking about the Emerald Claw, he revealed them to be an organisation of Karrn patriots and Blood of Vol worshippers, originally a military order of knights and necromancers during the Last War. He explained they also want the schema to further their own cause, an inherently evil one, without a doubt. Not learning anything useful from him, Bessok suggested they keep the domination spell running and have him walk west until it stops, obviously not wanting to murder a captured enemy. This is agreed and Garrow walked free, clambering up the hill before disappearing over the edge.

Now to do what they came here to do - find the location of Whitehearth. Leaving the camp, they made their way to the Refinery, the two guards who were inside now gone, fleeing after witnessing the attack from a distance. Looking over the area, they realise that the statues each have a clue etched into the back of their heads, and that on the floor, different coloured Cannith seals were placed. It didn't take long to find the correct etching, revealing that Whitehearth was North East 9 from the White Seal. Morthwyl stepped onto the white seal, orientated herself north east, then took nine paces until she found herself standing on a marker for a mine inside the Mournlands. This was it! 

The group made a quick search of the area for any treasure they missed, then it was back to Failin, who point blank refused to go any closer to the dead-gray mists. Informing him they'd return as soon as possible, Failin agreed to wait for a few days before assuming they were dead, though suggested they might be in that state much sooner. Taking to walking, the group approached the mists and the screaming faces of long dead souls moving within them.

Each step brought them closer, and each step brought the volume down around them, sounds becoming distant and whispered, until they stepped into the mists and there was nothing but complete silence. They could barely see their hands in front of their outstretched arms, and so they tied themselves together with a rope to ensure nobody became lost. The feeling of despair was unbearable, a psychic wall that required a force of will to move forward, as their minds screamed for them to turn back. Bessok pulled out his bagpipes, trying to create some music that might brighten their mood, but the sound was sucked away the moment it was released.

A minute of walking, two minutes, three, the mind wandered wondering if they were ever going to escape. And then, the mists parted and they were inside the Mournlands. The silence still prevailed, no sound of wind brushing through grass, no insects, no creaking of trees, no birds, nothing. Ahead of them, the road they were walking on had turned to cracked earth, akin to a desert surface that had broken open. The grass on either side of them sparkled, as the blades were now crystalline, various colours of green but seeming incredibly sharp. The trees were no longer trees, but monuments, white marble twisted and distorted, flecks of blood red breaking up the monotony. 

Ahead of them they could see perhaps two hundred feet, though through half of that the mists danced, lighter but still there. And the sky? Perpetual twilight, a glow of something that might be a sun sitting on the horizon, creating a haze behind the mists. Welcome to the Mournlands, it's all downhill from here.

The Mournlands