Brief description of the background of our party members.
Adira
Adira was born in a small human village with poor parents, and grew up loved. Her parents’ debt caused her at age 7 to become a bondsman to the Lady of the court to pay back the debt. Under her care, Adira learned to read, write, and social graces. During her service to the Lady, she learned of the Dukes Royal company of Archers. Upon release from bondsman, her patron the Lady secured an appointment to join the Royal company of Archers. In time she became 1 of only 2 women to ever be in this Archers. She was assigned to the 4th Falcon troop and mostly was involved in competitions, and royalty events, not seeing battle. After the release from the Archers she fell in love with a master craftsman named Gerald. Gerald traveled the whole kingdom and was sought after by temples and royalty alike to build for them. Adira traveled and learned by watching and also became a mother. Gerald was killed in the accident in the shop, and her son William has taken over the work. Adira, still having a traveling spirit and adventure, made sure her son Willian was successful and left to find her own wealth.
Dro
Dro, born the son of a lower clan dwarf family, always had it rough. Somewhere as a young dwarf he took the rarely used path of an adventurer. Some say he was forced to because Thule Urt Greybeard was and is now his enemy, others say it was his choice. Thule left his clan and ventured into the land of elves, men, and roden. Working his way up he became an adventurer and was on such expeditions as, Lost twin tower or Arikey, Treasure horde of Elise the bandit king, and the Death Tomb of Lich King Ashemoen. Dro is unusual in that he is poor. He spent his fortunes delving into the magical side of dwarven arts and other things. He has that mad twinkle in his eye for all things magical He believes that gold and the rare artifacts of treasure hunting will bring him wealth, honor and power among his clan someday.
He has few friends except for Jade who is his adventurer agent for jobs, and his brother Zalbak Svodiifari who is back still with the clan.
Mort
Mort was raised in a small human village with his younger brother Bert. Grew up thinking he would never leave the village. Mort grew to be a big man, but hideous in face to look at. Because of his looks, the village hired him on to be a Warden and Village Guard, which he struggled to keep his mother and brother fed with the pay. His brother Bert excelled in studies and was offered a student position in the temple university of the town Melta. Mort followed along and got a job as town guard. Not being able to support his brother’s tuition on that alone, Mort did what most town guards did, he straddled the fence between law and crime. His only true crime is to make enough for his brother to study and live the life his family only dreamed of.
Tha’pop
Little is known or revealed about the Elf warrior Tha’pop. He is roughly 150 years old if you guessed, and in his prime still. Tha’pop doesn’t have much need for most things, even in music, study, reflection or crafting. His path was that of the warrior, and in that he has dedicated his life so far. Skilled in bow and sword, and horse, not many can match his fighting prowess. He has fought Orcs, Trolls, Men, bugbears, and all enemies of the Elven lands. He was married but no one knows how his wife died, leaving him a son who is by common name Alok. His Son was a scholar and also a warrior.
His son Alok fought in the battle of firefall. Before joining Tha’pop in Kalitum some of the troops stayed for the ceremony of the dead, which Alok was one to participate in. The rest of the story is conjecture. During the ceremony the Alabaster Brigade broke the ceasefire and attacked the ceremony, slaughtering many elves.Aloks body and some of his companions were not found there and it is heard to be a survivor that was chased by the brigade. The name Thomas Scind is rumored to have chased and killed him Thomas is well known in some circles as a renown tracker. Alok is also rumored to have burned down villages during his escape but that does not sound like his son. They also say that Thomas Scind killed Alok but the armor he wore was Tha’pops and expensive and not easy to recognize if that was true. Tha’pop believes Thomas and Alok were actually friends and that his son was killed brutally in a home. Tha’pop is living among men now, searching for Alok and Thomas Scind.
As Tha’pop looked up at the opening in the ceiling he climbed.
Climbing up into the room, your torch sees what has not been seen in 2000 years.
The room is a square with a curved circle roof about 20 feet up. Paintings adorn the ceilings and walls depicting great battles. Battles of men, and creatures you have not ever seen before. A seal at the top of the dome shows the same design as the one at the entrance of the tomb you started from. The lion mane and beard of a fierce warrior known as King Morkitan. Casting your torch to the side you see the sarcophagus with symbols and a white chiseled statue of a man in some sort of ancient warrior armor, as best you can tell. Your eyes start to pick out cascading down the walls, water drips and corrosion where water has seeped in with the ice over the eons. The air smells musty as you see lining the walls, the remains of scrolls, items, and weapons made of brass, copper, and obsidian that have green corrosion from water. Reaching out you touch one item, and see it disintegrate from the ravages of forgotten time.
Turning your attention to the sarcophagus which stands 10 feet up, you use the steps on the base and see a shining glitter of light radiating from something in the grasp of the statue from your torch. Getting close, you behold a bronze sword untouched by time, shimmering and cascading rays of light from your torch shines forth. The Sword looks new and you see a water drop hit the sword, and like a shield, slides off to the sarcophagus below it. The Bronze sword clasped but not held in the statue radiates magic from your sense of the world and seen magic.
Tha’pop gingerly touched the sword with his dagger anticipating any trap or such. None was felt, and after sliding the sword out of the grasp of the statue, looked at it again. Looking at the Sarcophagus, he uses his power (ob.6) and successfully pushes the top enough to look in the tomb coffin itself. Just some bones and ceremonial bronze attire is only seen. Climbing down out of the chamber he moves over to the shaft and yells up at the party as to what he saw.
Dro hears the story from below and ponders. (treasure wise ob 3)
Your gut feeling is not good about this tomb.
Your instincts tell you that this is a royal tomb, and perhaps a person of high standing, perhaps even a general or warlord, but not of King Markiton.
In your experience you would have seen more paintings depicting more than battles. Also no traps or tomb robbers have been seen.
The last bit that has confirmed your gut is the slab mover. All the stories you have heard have slab movers destroyed or made immovable into a king’s chamber to stop theft and only can be opened from the inside.
Tha’pop says he is going to look some more and the party agrees. The party discussing what Tha’pop has found, hears a large thundering noise and crack from the stairs above. Mort takes a torch and climbs the stairs to investigate. A large boulder has fallen and lodged in the stairway. There is a small space under the boulder and Mort hears Mook call out. Mort tells Mook everyone is safe for the moment. Mook apologizes profusely and says the Thaw has come and dislodged the rock he thinks. He thought he could get the party out of here before the thaw started. Mook and Mort talk back and forth, and Mook starts to send torches, and tools thru the hole to the group and then try and save the supplies up above from the rains and water now.
Mort makes his way down to Adira and Dro and tells of the situation. Adira magical lights dim down and finally go out, and now feels drained (failed tax roll)
Meanwhile Tha’pop finds another stairway up and travels up the tomb. He comes to a room where a wheeled wench of some sort sits. The ropes are long destroyed and see a rock slab in one corner of the room. Studying it, it appeared to be a door of some sort that the wench would open. Tha’pop finds no other entrance or such and travels back to the shaft and hollers for the group to haul him up.
Tha’pop shows the sword to the group, and Dro eagerly takes it in hand, tells of the water sliding off the sword. Tha’pop teasingly tells Dro to touch the water in the water chamber below and see what effect might happen. To everyone’s surprise Dro does it. Nothing happens. Dro then slashes the water hoping it would separate the water, with nothing happening. Then Dro holds the sword like Tha’pop saw the statue did and falls back in the water and submerges himself. Seconds later sputtering and group laughing, Dro waddles to the steps and grumbles. Dro is sopping wet, but the sword feels completely dry.
Now chomping at the bit to see the tomb, Dro goes down the shaft and inspects the tomb chamber as well. Finding nothing of treasure hunt value and now even more certain of this not being a King’s tomb, he scampers back.
The party decides to investigate the boulder and their own tomb and hope to escape. At the boulder Adira surveys the boulder (craftsman ob3) and thinks it will take 9 days to break it apart. Mort eager to investigate the wench Tha’pop described wants to go back. The party decides that Mort and Adira will go to the wrench, while Tha’pop and Dro start breaking up the boulder which only allows one person at a time to work on it.
Mort makes a sling (beginners luck still rigging ob 2) and tells Adira everything will be alright and trust him.Lowering Adira down, the knots hold and then tying off, Mort climbs down as well. They find the room with the wench and Mort works on the wench as Adira studies the rock slab. (craftsman ob3). Hits the slab and it falls open with Mort looking. Looking in the next room its the back wall of the water chamber they were in earlier. Mort is eager to find that plug under the water and open it. Tha’pop had warned Mort earlier of seeing water vortexes in Elven waters suck many under and give caution. Mort scrambles in the water (speed ob3) and in the dark doesnt find the plug. Exhausted, both Adira and Mort make it back to the lodged boulder and the rest of the party.
Two days later working on the boulder, with Mook passing food and supplies thru the hole, Adira checks the boulder again (craftsman ob3) and exclaims, it will only be 2 days more, not 7 to get free. The party takes turns working on the boulder and Adira is up to full strength again. Last day digging Mort convinces the group to take Adira again to the wench and open the plug, convinced that something important is under water and perhaps treasure. The party agrees and Mort and Adira start below.
About 2 hours before the boulder is clear, Dro realizes that Mook is not present as he has been for the last 4 days. Worried, Dro and Tha’pop work furiously on the boulder and it finally relents and an opening is made. Tha’pop heads to the shaft and yells for Mort and Adira to come, because Mook might be in trouble. Adira (perception ob3) hears and tells Mort to come as he is swimming and looking for the plug in the dark.
With the group gathered they head to the hole in the tomb above and see the stars as its night time now. Tha’ pop (perception ob 4) hears a pack animal hobbling and neighing and no other animals since there should be 21 animals up top. Tha’pop climbs up and peers over the ground. (perception ob4) With his elven eyesight he sees a pack animal bloody and hobbling on a back leg. He then sees 30 yards away a pack animal down and an Arctic Lion eating the carcass. Tha’pop climbs all the way up and then helps Mort up next. Tha’pop, knowing from Mook that these lions work in pairs, scans the surroundings. (perception ob4) Seeing no other Lion but sees instead the prostate body of Mook face down about 20 yards away.
Watching the Lion, the whole party gets topside and Tha’pop with a sword drawn makes his way to Mook. Turning Mook over, he is still breathing. Tha’pop starts dragging the body back to the party. The Lion then stands up, grabs the pack animal and drags it away about 100 yards.
Mort and Adira bend down and examine Mook. He has a nasty single claw mark that goes from sternum to below the belly button and is exposed. Hurriedly Adira grabs some apothecary tools with Mort and Dro grabbing their herbalism kits and start to stop the flow of blood and hopefully stabilize Mook. Mort with the best Herbalism starts work ( Herbalism ob6, frkd with Adira and Dro helping and 2 persona) and is successful in stabilizing Mook. Morning comes and Tha’pop kills the wounded pack animal and keeps a look out for the lions. Adira (cooking ob2) cooks up the meat to preserve it and gets about a week’s worth of meat. The camp is a mess and Tha’pop and Mort start looking for the pack animals while the others clean up the camp. Bags of flour, sugar, salt, and other food items are destroyed in the water due to stampeding pack animals. 300 arrows of the 600 for the party are crushed and unusable till other shafts can be found. Adira thinks there is about 2 weeks of food left, and they have a minimum of 2 months to travel back.
Tha’pop and Mort find 4 horses and 7 pack animals for a total of 11 out of the 21 they had. The weather is raining hard and extremely windy. The tundra now is a quagmire of new lakes and ponds with freezing water all around and the ground is now soft and treacherous to walk or ride in. They move the camp to a small hill to get out of the water. A week later, Mook succumbs to infection and dies. The group has no guide back and in the middle of the thaw.
They bury Mook as best they can.
Dro pulls out his magical stone he found in the fire and Mort pulls his out and they start conferring about them. Adira shows interest and asks to see them. They give them to her. (Socery ob 3) and she tells them what they are.
Guide stones
Sorcery is used to separate 1 element into 2 halves.
With sorcery you can find 1 half with the resonance of the other. Some guide stones must be touching, others may be miles or leagues away if attuned. 2 guide stones can find each other, like Gps.
To activate the stone and find or use the other half, some methods might include pouring dirt on it, submerging in water, moonlight beams, blowing on it like wind, putting it in a fire, etc.
Another use for guide stones is to activate another spell such as finding lost or hidden items or places. Can also be set up to illuminate or hide writings, scripts, or decipher coded messages.
The group now has more questions than answers.
