Rise of the Runelords

It was slow going up the tributary. Between the very difficult terrain - made slippery by the recent snow - and thin air the group only managed a few miles at best.  Another summer snow squall started toward the end of the day forcing you to make camp.  In the relative warmth of hut created by D'Argo you rested out the night.  Early in the evening, those on watch and a few who were sleeping heard a howl carried on the winds.  You first chalked it up to wolves, but soon realized there was something more to the noise.  It seemed to be carried by and even be part of the wind itself.  You were on edge for hours after.

You broke camp and went about your morning routine.  Henrik noticed Wolfgar was dragging a bit.  He asked Wolfgar if he thought he might be having some altitude sickness.  Wolfgar said he didn't think so.  He said he slept poorly and was just really hungry.  He grumbled throughout the day and commented at meals that he would really like some fresh meat for a change.  Henrik consulted Edwin and that nights' watches were reconfigured.  Edwin, now on Wolfgar's watch kept and eye on him and talked.  Wolfgar mentioned that his sleep was so poor that he was unable to concentrate enough to meditate for spells from Moradin.  And he was still really hungry.  Edwin convinced him to allow a break enchantment.  After casting, Wolfgar felt less hungry but was still craving fresh meat.

Travel the next day was nice.  The sun was out which lifted everyone's spirits a little. That didn't last.  Mid afternoon brought another snow squall form over a nearby peak and the temperature dropped. Just as you were contemplating finding a place to camp, Balros spotted a structure in the distance.  It was built at the bottom of a cliff with an enclosed structure that hugged the cliff all the way to the top some 60' plus.  He could make out a large pine, perhaps dead, near the structure.  Deciding inside an actual building would be better than another night in the hut you headed along an old road that led the direction of the cabin.  When you were about 100' away, Balros yelled for everyone to stop. The snow was whipping around making seeing beyond even 20' very difficult.  "What is it?".  Balros replied, "I'm not sure, but I could swear that tree moved."

In just a few seconds, he was proven correct.  Out of the wind driven snow the rest could finally see the tree. It was scrambling over the rocks toward you.  Arrows, magic missiles, and scorching rays flew.  Several of you set up a line of defense to meet the creature head on only to be pummeled as the tree trampled the front line and stopped in the middle of the group.  Even this close, the snow made is difficult to see specific locations for area spells.  People resorted to melee and target specific spell casting.  Henrik moved up and smote the beast.  It returned the favor with a heavy blow from one its branches.  Henrick was covered in a cloud of fungus that was dislodged from the dead tree as it attacked.  He was coughing but otherwise seemed alright. Pirozzi was dishing out massive damage as his fire spells seemed to be the creatures vulnerability.  D'Argo sprayed the thing with acid.  The tree seemed to want to attack Pirozzi, who was just out of reach, so it turned its fury on D'Argo who crumpled under two massive blows.  More fire damage from Pirozzi and Edwin destroyed the tree.  D'Argo was Healed and the group went on to examine the location from whence the tree came. Malloric hung back and found some magic bolts stuck in the  tree's craggy bark and a potion vial in a rotting knothole.

The first foray into the building was short as you had to break the rusted lock and chain off what turned out to be a storage room with no further access to the interior.  The second door, also locked, led into the heart of the small cabin.  As Henrik and Pirozzi tended to the pack animals, the rest wound your way further in.  You opened doors of an ore processing room.  The front few of the party saw a dwarf, hunched over with he back to you. He appeared to be shoveling something into his mouth.  He turned toward you and you saw he was reaching into the dust around him -  that now looked like piles of gold dust - and shoveling it into his mouth.  His long beard was soaked with saliva and glittered with the dust.  "You HAVE to try this!  It is DELICIOUS!"  The front of the group looked at each other quizzically as Balros headed into the room and began filling his mouth with gold dust, which had reverted back the ore pile originally seen.  He quickly shook off the image and started to spit out what dust he didn't already swallow.  D'Argo mentioned the gold ore can be full of some nasty stuff and maybe a cure disease might be a good precaution at some point.

You continued and after exploring a few small rooms, came to the central feature of the cabin.  A tall shaft rose along the cliff face with a chain loop hanging in the middle and a wooden stair winding its way to the top.  D'Argo said this was probably on ore drop from the mine up top to the processing here.  You started up the stair.  Near the top, the stair collapsed under Balros, Wolfgar and Malloric.  Each jumped for the chain. Balros missed and fell 40' to the floor. Malloric and Wolfgar were hanging on the chain with the rest trying to figure out how to get them back to the stairs when the chain started to thrash and spin.  It started to loop itself around Malloric while Wolfgar used hi free hand to smack it with his hammer.  Others cast spells at it.  When Malloric was grappled, the chain moved on a pulley, hauling both to the top where it proceeded to drop Malloric to the floor 60' below.  Golian flew toward it and said with realization to the rest of the group, "You do realize this place was locked from the OUTSIDE."  With numerous adamantine blows and more spells, the chain fell 'lifeless.' A little bit of curing and the team moved on.

The upper part of the cabin had numerous rooms which were explored one by one.  The group soon found the front door and stood for a moment on the porch looking out into the blowing snow.  Some of you could have sworn you saw a dwarf in rags in the snow.  It turned to face you and you heard it yell, "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! THEY"RE GOING TO EAT YOU!"  Balros froze in panic and started yelling at the rest of you to not come any closer.  Henrik, realizing the these were probably haunts called for Edwin to come forward and try to dispel them as he had at the old mansion outside Ardrinn.  Edwin moved forward while other looked into other rooms.  In one room, Golian found am activation lever for a trap or door.  When he pulled it you all heard a scrape and thud from somewhere in the cabin. Pirozzi found a small office with several sacks and a ledger on the desk. Henrik, looking in the last room found it empty save for a pile of bones in a far corner.  He was soon overcome with a vision of nearly a dozen or so dwarves scrambling over one another each trying to eat another. They soon saw Henrik and attacked.  All the rest  of the group saw was Henrik violently trying to fend of some invisible attacker while scratched and larger cuts appeared on his exposed skin.  Poirozzi and Edwin tried to keep Henrik cured while others attacked the pile of bones.  Soon the haunting stopped.

Less than a minute later, some of you heard a knocking from somewhere in the lower part of the cabin.  It lasted only  a few seconds and stopped. Then there was a loud cracking sound followed by sounds of mighty hammering as the cabin itself started to shake.  The shaking become worse, almost as if the cabin were being knocked off the cliff. Many of the group were knocked off their feet or had to grab hold of something.  Soon Wolfgar was the first to have that familiar look that you had seen days earlier.  He looked famished and grabbed his stomach in pain. "By the Gods am I hungry!" he yelled.  Several others were writhing with pangs of hunger as well.  The shaking continued as they regained their composure.  However, when they did, they no longer seemed affected by the shaking and started attacking the others of the group.  Edwin, still out on the porch was keeping eyes on the group and helping and curing when he could.  After a very chaotic 30 seconds or so, Edwin noticed the snow itself coalesce and quickly move toward him.  A shape flew past as it attacked doing both physical and cold damage.  "There's something out here!" he yelled as he cast a mass protection from cold and tried to force his way into the cabin.

[this is where we stopped. what follows is some narrative leading up to next session.]

As Edwin forced himself into the room and pulled the door closed behind him, the shaking suddenly stops.  The cabin shows no signs of damage from the shaking aside from a few tipped chairs. You assess the situation, cast a cure or two and start deciding what to do when another vision starts to coalesce in the middle of the room.  Some grab your weapons, others look for the nearest exit as a a figure of a balding dwarf with no eyes forms from the mist. He speaks though his lips barely move and bit-sized bits of him tear loose with each word and fade before they it the floor.  By the time he finishes, there is little left of him and soon even that fades away.

You… you are alive? You do not hunger? Ah… that is what I sense in your blood. Greed. You seek the City of Greed. You should abandon your quest, lest you end up like me. Cold. Dead. Eaten. But I suspect you cannot be swayed. Know then that I know the way to Xin-Shalast. I can show you the way, but only if you bring me my brother. He died on a ledge high above our final mine. I can feel his soul out there, still hungry, still insane. Bring his bones to me so that I might reconcile with him. Once he is at rest, I will show you the way so that I might rest as well…

 [we'll pick up from here next time....]

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