Zhents Session 13: Raiders of the Lost Tomb

Green Orb

We catch up with the Zhent Deputies this week as they re-enter the humble town of Green Orb. Eragyn asked to be taken to the Schnapps Queen to pray and recover her abilities. (It didn’t come out but she has a permanent room here.) She was taken in by Nella, to whom Eragyn has a sister-like relationship.

As Eragyn busied herself, the characters passed the time eating in the Schnapps Queen common room where towns folk came and went helping themselves to stew and apple beer. Some overheard talk of riders seen along neighboring hills heading north.

About an hour later Eragyn returns from her meditations obviously refreshed, determined. She spoke of a strongbox that was at the ruined church that will help rebuild, Tiberius adds a modest amount of funds to this endeavor as a tithe.

Without further delay the characters leave Green Orb for Shraevyn’s Tomb. Their westerly path of travel is devoid of a road or even a trail. A few hours and countless hills later, around midday the characters find a huge skeleton of a dragon laying across a low hill, a dark tree standing sentential waiting for curious victims. A dark cousin to the treant but feeds off the blood of its victims; an example of flora grown awry under the red ring in the sky. The dragon skeleton, a remnant from the godsfall, had a torn piece of horse barding that had the family crest emblazoned on it. 

Red Morgan and Mara Trollsblood

It was then the dark tree attacked instigating a tough fight but after it was over the characters investigated the surrounding area. It was possible the nostril opening in the dragon skull was a message drop where the horse barding was found. Not only did it have a Cormyrean family crest emblazoned upon it, on the back written in blood was the word dragon.

Turning once again west (and slightly north) the characters come within sight of Castle Enneth and a flag flying overhead that looks like the same as the barding found- a Cormyrean family crest. The characters decide not to investigate at this time. 

With Castle Enneth at their backs the characters eventually enter mountainous foothills and encounter a Zhentish caravan who had wandered off the path avoiding monsters. After Dylan made the initial contact, the rest of the characters introduced themselves to the roguish caravan master Red Morgan, a priest of Bane named Mara Trollsblood as well as seven drovers/guards and several oxen. They were road weary from a trip across the desert and ready to be relieved of their cargo: raw building supplies from the west.

The characters identified the need for these goods for rebuilding the church of Bane in Green Orb and Havaok redirected the caravan not to Dagger Falls as was their destination, but to Green Orb instead.

 

To Shraevyn's Tomb

As the sun disappeared behind the Desertmouth Mountains the characters find narrow stairs that lead up to a tomb built into the side of a mountain. The tomb had twenty foot tall statues, one a graceful woman who’s statue had been damaged in an avalanche and the other, a warrior male standing regal and vigilant. The opening to the tomb lie broken revealing a dark interior, there was obvious signs of recent passage.

Inside the characters find a mosaic of a piece of Daggerdale history, but without reference. Deeper in the tomb the characters encounter two cursts, unfortunate undead humanoids trapped under a curse that will not let them die. The encounter was not as challenging as the dark tree, but yielded some magic, the body of Ilthond and some information in a personal journal Ilthond kept.

While some of the information is in Ilthond’s code, the characters were able to discover the mage was hoping to find the soul of Shraevyn hoping that with the soul of the individual who enchanted the Sword of the Dales Ilthond could overcome the sword’s powerful defenses. Unfortunately Ilthond met his end with the undying cursts and Shraevyn’s body, as well as (according to Ilthond's notes) the known deceased Morn family linage has been moved to unknown locations.

The characters decide to rest, taking turns on watch and begin next week’s session on the third day with an overland return trip to Green Orb.