Return to the Vault

In The News

Sharn Inquisitive: Sul 8 Lharvion - World Pg 1
Xen'drik Expedition Missing - Gimel Tryck, the famous Gnome explorer's expedition to Xen'drik is late in returning. While this is not exntirely unusual, Tryck's star pupil, the up and coming bard, Garnet Harmony, is organizing an expedition to find him.

Sharn Inquisitive: Sul 8 Lharvion - Sport Pg 1
Annual Shifter Reachrace - The annual shifter tradition of Reachrace begins this upcoming Sul 15, Lharvion. While not as grand as the Reachraces held in the Eldeen Reaches, the event in the city of towers certain rivals any other urban center. Most of the events will take place in the lower portions of the city, and, as always caution is advised when visiting those locales. That said, for those willing to risk the excursion, many of the events encourge spectators, and all races are welcome to attend. Actual competition is limited to shifters, of course, but any shifter may participate.

Here is a breakdown of the various events. Unless otherwise noted, most events take place in the Torchfire Pavillion.

Sul 15 Lharvion
5 PM - Opening Ceremonies
6 PM - Festivities - All establishements in Olldra's Kitchen, Boldrie's Hearth, Downstairs and Firelight are offering 30% all services for shifters this night (and 10% throughout the week).
Mol 16 Lharvion
9 AM - Dash Race Qualifiers
1 PM - Dash Race Finals
3 PM - Bear Strength Qualifiers
7 PM - Bear Strength Finals
8 PM - Festivities
Zol 17 Lharvion
9 AM - Arrow Dodge Qualifiers
1 PM - Arrow Dodge Finals
3 PM - Quick Climb Qualifiers - Tradefair District, near Vakka Spire
7 PM - Quick Climb Finals - Tradefair District, near Vakka Spire
8 PM - Festivities
Wir 18 Lharvion
9 AM - Wrestling Qualifiers
1 PM - Wrestling Finals
3 PM - Swimming Qualifiers - Ship's Towers (we advise avoiding this district)
7 PM - Swimming Finals - Ship's Towers (we advise avoiding this district)
8 PM - Festivities
Zor 19 Lharvion
9 AM - Hide and Track Qualifiers
4 PM - Hide and Track Finals
8 PM - Festivities
Far 20 Lharvion
9 AM - Longrun
4 PM - Highclimb
8 PM - Festivities
Sar 21 Lharvion
9 AM - The Reachrun Extreme
8 PM - Closing Ceremony and Naming of the Champion
9 PM - Festivities (30% shifter discount is in affect this night as well, 50% for the champion)

Chronicle

Sadie had always wanted a secure place to stash her belongings. The dynamic natures of sewer denizens meant that no hiding place was completely safe. So when she, Thaspar, and Cora had found the ancient House Cannith vault in the Sharn undercity she was overjoyed. The entire party had decided to make the vault, and its containing forge, a sort of secret safe-house. However, this meant that they neeeded to explore the surrounding subterranian region for dangers that would make the vault less secure. Thus the party of three set out to return to the forgotten forge. With all three of them together, what could go wrong?

The first thing the group noticed, upon reaching the entrance to the forge in the sewers, was the recent climbing attempts that had been made. At the bottom of the shaft their suspicions were confirmed: a length of frayed rope and a smear of blood, trailing off toward the cavern containing the forge. The three tracked the trail of blood all the way back to the lair of the horrid rats. Unfortunately, their scent alerted the rats to the presence of the party and the three creatures attacked with tenacity.

Cora has already scaled the ruined wall around the rat's nest and Sadie quickly did the same. The rats prooved able climbers, however, and soon the two were engaged in a fierce melee atop a crumbling stone wall. Thaspar also tried some climbing of his own, but after a few falls he simply came around the other side of the walls and engaged the rats from the ground. The battle ended quickly but not before both Sadie and Cora had been bitten by the horrid beasts. Both suffered both bites and the corrosive acid spewed by the creatures. The latter was too much for Cora who lost consciousness, and nearly fell from atop the ruined wall. Only a well timed grasp at the rubble, as her mind clouded, saved her from a nasty fall.

Once the rats were dealt with (and healing potions administered), the trio searched the rats nest (finding nothing) and went to the ruined temple to recuperate. Sadie and Thaspar were anxious to get to the vault, but Cora wanted to rest, so they left her in the safety of the temple to investigate the forge. They found it just as they had left it, and after stashing a rope ladder there for the future, made their way back to the temple, and Cora.

Deciding it was time to lick their wounds the three left the undercity and visited a House Jorasco healing house. All three were attended by a halfling by the name of Liam who healed them, and made sure to administer help against Filth Fever, in case they had contracted it from their rat bites. Cora was unusually shy and toungue tied around Liam, and even Sadie expressed a little interest.

After spending the night at House Jorasco, the trio returned to the undercity, fully recuperated.

In the knowledge that the vault was secure the three decided to explore the passages leading off from the forge cavern, to make sure that they were safe, and see if there were any other ways to reach the surface. They decided to first investigate the short hallway leading out of the east side of the chamber.

The well made passage led into a small room. Doors were set in the north and south walls, as well as an eastern door in the southeast corner. In the southwest corner the remains of a ruined desk decorated the environment. Shards of gnawed wood and torn vellum adorned the floor. There was also a rack of rusting weapons in the room, though none of them proved useful.

Since the door to the south was open, and hanging off its hinges, the party decided to pursue this avenue first. The room was long and appeared to have once been some sort of barracks. The remains of beds littered the floor, though most of the wood had been gnawed and broken, while the cloth had been torn away. The room also carried the distintive odor of rats. As the three moved towards the southern portion of the room the smell grew stronger, and at the southern wall they found an unadorned flight of stairs descending to darkness. They decided to creep down these steps. However, just as the three Horrid Rats in the corner of the lower room came into view, Thaspar accidentally kicked a loose stone. The three rats rushed forward, hungry for fresh meat.

The party made quick work of the creatures. They waited at the top of the stairs, and Sadie, catching the glint of light off the rat's retina fired an arrow which downed the creature in a single blow! The second rat raced to the top of the stairs and engaged Thaspar. The third, however, squeezed past to come around and attack Sadie and Cora from behind. Thaspar took this opportunity to land a leveling blow against the second rat, sending him tumbling down the stairs, dead. The final rate engaged the party fiercly, but he too was finished off by Thaspar who round-house kicked the beast right over Cora's head, into the wall and down the stairs. At the end of the battle all three rats lay on top of each other in a filthy heap.

Returning the the room to the north of the barracks the group decided to try opening the eastern door. Finding it to be stuck, Thaspar pounded on it until it flew open, revealing a large space beyond. Immediately outside the door was a landing which lead to stairs leading down to the north. The space itself was large, and about thirty feet across, its ceiling obscured in darkness. Doors lined either side, but its length stretched into the dimness of the undercity. In the faint light cast by their lanters Sadie noticed two humanoid figures shuffling into the darkness.

While this area looked interesting, the three decided it would be best to at least try the northern door before progressing. Fortunately the party emerged virtually unscathed from the lightning trap on the door, and Sadie picked the lock with ease. The door opened to a large blast of stale air, and onto what appeared to be a store room of some kind. Rusted weapons littered the floor, a few sacks rested in one corner, and a small wooden chest in the other. While Cora searched the chest for traps Sadie combed through the old weapons for something useful. She found some melee weapons in reasonable condition, but her greatest find was a shortbow. It was in good condition, with strange runes marking it, and it felt cold to the touch. Sensing she had found a real treasure she stored it in her pack to be identified later. Afer this she went about unlocking the chest (Cora had certified that it was trap free). Meanwhile Cora went to investigate the three sacks in the other corner. Just as Sadie was about to open the chest Cora disturbed one of the sacks which had been utterly consumed by yellow mold. In an instant the air was filled with fiendishly poisonous spores. Gagging and sputtering the party fled the room, but as they caught their breath in the outer room, both Cora and Thaspar stumbled and fell. The poison should have killed them both, but some heroic quality of their character keep them alive just long enough to be saved. Acting quickly Sadie emptied a healing potion into each of them, but they still remained unconcious.

It was indeed fortunate the the party had already killed the three horrid rats in the cavern the vault was in, because they would have posed a deadly peril as Sadie dragged her two nearly-dead companions back to the forge.

There they rested for three full days.

After recovering from the poison the party felt as good as new, and decided to head off, down the stairway, into the large open chamber. As they descended the stairs Sadie again noticed two humanoids slinking towards them stealthily. Aware of their approach the party retreated back inside the door from which they had come and waited for the creatures to approach. And approach they did. Once the creatures realized that the party had seen them they rushed forward uttering low warcries is a guttural language.

The creatures were grotesque, but humanoid. Covered in grisly gray skin they hunched forward. They had no eyes, instead their heads bore two fleshy lumps where their eyes should have been. The first was clad only the crudest of garments, but the second bore half-plate, incorrectly strapped to his body. Sadie immediately recognized the creatures as grimlocks, and evil subterranean race that occasionally made forays into the sewers for food and slaves.

The first grimlock, unsteadily waving a large sword, charged up the stairs to meet a quick end. A thrust from Thaspar's fist, a shot from Sadie's bow, and Cora's dart sunk into his gruesome flesh almost simultaneously, dropping him before he even saw what was coming. His companion stood blinking for a moment... then took off to the south as fast as he could. A few arrows were fired after him, but those that found their mark were deflected by his armor.

After a quick conference the party decided to move north, along the western wall. After a short distance they came to one of the doors set in the wall. Opening it they found a scene of devastation. The room was littered with the bodies of grimlocks - and they looked like they had died violently. Perhaps only a few days old, the bodies gave off a nauseating stench. More troubling for the trio, however, were the large amounts of broken bone and skulls mixed in with the rotting corpses. An iron staircase hung precariously in the far side of the room, and a smashed desk lay in the corner, but the party decided to move on - at least for now.

Moving further along the wall they came to a door facing north, set where the wall made a small jog eastward before heading further north and coming to a dead end in a pile of rubble. Listening at this door the three could hear heavy breathing and the tinny tune of a music box. Perplexed, and a little frightened, they decided to leave this door alone as well.

Coming to the end of the easily traversible space they headed back south along the eastern wall. However, they found both doors in this wall stuck, and not wanting to create a loud noise they decided to pass on them as well.

It was about this time that the grimlocks attacked again. The armored grimlock had returned with another companion. They attacked fiercly, but soon the new grimlock was slain, and as before the armored beast made an expedious retreat.

Unscathed by the attack, they passed even further south, and the underground street widened. A large building stood before them. In the western side of its northern face were set double doors, and beside them a small pool of water collected the many falling droplets in the cavernous space. Above the door were strange symbols. On either side of the building the street was covered with arches above which sat rooms attached to the building in the center.

Wanting to avoid the pool (for fear it was a gray ooze) the trio went about the west side of the building, passing under the arch, and out behind it. On the far side the street came to a stop with a flat wall that had partiall collapsed, dotting the entire place with rubble. A stairway ran up along the southern wall to the west.

As the party was contemplating their next action they were attacked from behind by more grimlocks! The grimlock in incorrectly donned armor stood back while three of his comrades assaulted the three adventurers. The three monsters shot out from behind the building and attempted to cut the party down before they could react. Fortunately, they all missed. Once again the party made quick work of the creatures. Only once did one of them nearly suceed in harming the Thaspar, and he heroically deflected the blow. With his companions once again fallen, the armored grimlock ran off again, screaming angrily. However Cora's dart lodged squarely in his back as he ran (in the spot where the neck-hole of the armor was) and he stumbled and fell, loosing his axe... which tumbled through the air... and came crashing down on his skull as he lay unconcious.

Considering this a victorious place to end their exploration for the day, the party headed back to their vault and the surface, after searching the bodies of the fallen creatures. The armored creature was in fact wearing half-plate, and the one with the large sword carried a bastard sword. The others carried enough gold to buy equipment for their next foray.

Returning to the surface, the party enjoyed and nice relaxing evening at the Lizard's Mantle recuperating after their journey.

Timeline

• Sul 8 Lharvion - Investigated the vault, and returned to the surface after the battle with the Horrid Rats. Spent the night at a House Jorasco healing house.
• Mol 9 Lharvion - Returned to the vault, but Thaspar and Cora were nearly killed by the poisonous spores of yellow mold. Sadie spent the rest of the day nursing them back to health
• Zol 10 - Zor 12 Lharvion - Recuperating from the poison in the forge
• Far 13 - Foray into the Grimlock domain and return to the surface

People

Liam
A halfling healer for House Jorasco. He is very friendly and a skilled healer. Cora has a crush on him, though Sadie has show some interest as well.

Legends & Lore

While no one knows how lycanthropy began, most know of the purge that almost brought it to an end. Around 800 YK, the power of the curse began to grow. The scholars of Aundair sought an answer in planar conjunctions or the influence of unknown fiends, while deep in the Eldeen Reaches shifter moonspeakers bemoaned the growing power of the unseen moon. Evil lycanthropes -- always the most numerous of the shapeshifters -- became even more vicious, and many good and neutral lycanthropes were corrupted and drawn down to the darkness. Afflicted lycanthropes gained the ability to pass the curse to their own victims, allowing lycanthropy to spread with terrifying speed. By the early years of the ninth century, packs of werewolves were roaming across western Khorvaire and wererats had established warrens beneath the greatest cities of the age. Farmers lived in fear of wolves that walked like humans. What was once a superstition used to frighten children was now horrifying reality.

The templars of the Church of the Silver Flame had fought shapeshifters in the past. But the heart of the Church of the Silver Flame was in the nation of Thrane, far from the traditional Eldeen haunts of the lycanthropes. As the death toll mounted in Aundair and Breland, the cardinals grew increasingly concerned and the templars began to take a more active role in the defense of the western lands.

The battle was long and brutal. Today, many assume that the lycanthropes were hunted prey, fleeing from the overwhelming force of the Church of the Silver Flame. Little could be further from the truth. The typical wereboar is far deadlier than the average templar of the Flame, and even if the soldier defeats his prey, one good bite is all it takes to transfer the curse and create a new wereboar. Evil werewolves infected entire villages, and wererats took great pleasure in infecting templars, imprisoning them until the curse took hold, and then sending them against their former allies. Clever lycanthropes fanned the puritans' paranoia toward the shifters, and these mistrustful folk massacred hundreds of shifters before someone could prove to them that shifters did not carry the curse. While some of the shifters later fought alongside the templars, many have never forgiven the Silver Flame -- and, indeed, humanity -- for these deaths.

Today, the balance of power within the Church of the Silver Flame has shifted toward the moderates, and many feel shame and regret for the actions of their predecessors. While the evil lycanthropes needed to be stopped, the paranoia and zealotry of the age led to the death of innocents. However, it did accomplish one goal: The Silver Flame did gain many supporters as a result of the purge, and Aundair is the stronghold of the puritan faction in the modern age.

Heroic Actions

• As the horrid rats were ascending the stairs Sadie caught sight of the glint of light off the rats retina and the extra second was enough for her to land a devastating attack.
• Thaspar was locked in a deadly battle with a Grimlock. The Grimlock brough his axe down towards Thaspar's head. Percieving the attack he reached out to block, but unexpectedly the Grimlock twisted his axe at the last second toward's Thaspar's shoulder. However, Thaspar noticed this just in time, and with his fine tuned relfexes he hit the axe away and shifted his should just enough for the axe to glance by without harming him.
• In a last ditch effor to stop the Grimlock with half-plate incorrectly strapped to his body, Cora hurled her dart at the creature. The dart stuck in his back, which was not at all protected properly. He stumbled, caught his foot on a loose flagstone and tumbled to the ground, letting go of his crude axe. As he rolled on the ground the axe looped in the air, finally crashing down in the center of the creatures face.
  

Heroic Quotes

• "What skill do I roll if I want to try and seduce him" - Robyn "Jump?" - Bryan
  
• "I'm going to charm the pants off him." - Sadie "You'd better not!" - Cora
  
• "C'mon. Let just open one more door..." - Cora
• "Ah he's sooo dreamy... I hope I get grievously injured again." - Cora
  

Adventure Names

• Robert - Grimlocks: More than Meet the Eye
  
• Robyn - Note to Self: Buy More Healing Potions
  
• Bryan - Mold Slayer
  

Statistics

Date Played: September 25, 2005
Session Length: 6 hours
Experience Gained: 1156/character
Foes Vanquished: 6 Horrid Rats, 5 Grimlocks, Lightning Trap, Yellow Mold
Most Dangerous Foe To Date: Yellow Mold
Rules Mistakes Made by the GM: 3
Characters Alive Because of Said Mistakes: 2