Chapter 1: The Elemental Shrine
A Storm Approaches
Spoiler
Show
Amid the rolling hills of a vast grassy plain Beinlein Bubblepot and his faithful eidolon haul a bound prisoner, a human by the name of Lago with crystals jutting out of his temple, to the city at the base of a distant tower to collect bounty. Joining them on the journey is a young human girl with strange red eyes named Nualia, a mysterious human rogue with a tail named Vosen, and a stalwart dwarf of the Magmaeye clan, Garo. Their destination has been in sight for several days, for the white tower on the horizon rises far beyond the clouds.
As stormclouds gather in the distance and a thunder clap pulses across the plains, the party seeks shelter. A lone tree on a hill looms over a cave opening, large enough for the group, but small enough that Beinlein’s cart must be left outside. Garo and Vosen can see the flickering light and burning smell of a campfire from within the cave. Venturing within, a large human man with a scarred lip and closely cropped hair greets them cautiously. Introducing himself as Gregor Abendroth, the party is shocked to learn that Gregor’s right arm and lower leg have been turned to stone, the result of a bloody fight with a pair of basilisks. Gregor has a delivery to make in the city, but has made little progress due to his injury. Regardless, he invites the party to join him as a bolt of lighting strikes the tree and collapses the entrance in a heap of rubble!
Behind the Door
Spoiler
Show
Fortunately, the cave extends past the comfortable alcove, ending at a stone door that has now been opened! A dark hand pushes the door open as a beast made of shadow crawls out and roars in challenge. Vosen and Garo flank the beast, as Beinlein's eidolon charges forwards. A green flash emits from the crystals in Lago's forehead as he trips, and envelops him and Garo. Thinking quickly, Nualia casts a Sleep spell on the creature, as Garo makes short work of silencing it.
Vanishing in an inky mist, several smaller creatures burst from the shadows. Different from the larger beast, these creatures, identified by Beinlein as voidlings, boast sharp claws and an erratic twitch in their movements. However, they pose no significant trouble for the party and are quickly dispatched.
Hidden Shrine
Spoiler
Show
Venturing inside, Gregor realizes that the cave was the entrance for an elemental temple, a shrine to the four elements from an archaic cult long since past. Coming through a descending tunnel, the party emerges on the top floor of an abandoned main hall, still strangely lit from a source-less light. Four stone doors, two on each side of the top floor bear an insignia of one of the four elements. Two iron wrought spiral staircases descend to the ground floor with two more doors, each unmarked, a serene meditation pool with floating silver incense burners, and a massive door on the opposite end of the tunnel. Four spherical holes sit, two on each side of the door, as a strange barrier of light prevents the door from opening.
The Four Chambers
Spoiler
Show
The first room entered, bearing the earth sigil, is roughly carved from natural stone, embedded with glittering gemstones. Stone pews form two rows across from a raised dais below a mural depicting mountains, valleys, and deserts. However, more pressing are the half dozen voidlings loitering in the room that immediately assault the party! Quickly defeated, one drops a clear orb, small as a human's fist, filled with a brown-grey smoke. Upon touching the orb, the holder experiences visceral imagery of the essence of earth, as they feel pulled through the loam and rock into the center of the earth for a few seconds. The gem appears to have been set into an indention on the dais.
The room bearing the water sigil holds no voidlings, but ankle-deep water with more silvery incense burners. The walls appear to have been worn away by rushing water, but the stone pews have been worn away from some sort of acid. A quick study by Beinlein reveals that the water is corrupted and must be crossed in order to reach the blue orb on a pedestal at the opposite end of the room. Or to be a clever arcanist and just cast mage hand. Again, the orb induces feelings of plunging into the deepest oceans.
The fire room seems perfectly preserved, yet empty aside from the pews and two iron floor sconces, one holding a lit flame, the other knocked to the floor. Garo, who entered the room first, feels a slight resistance upon entering, as if passing through a protective veil. Seeing another orb in the standing sconce, the dwarf reaches for the orb.
"Stop" calls a weak, whispered voice from the fire, "are you the ones corrupting this temple?"
Garo realizes that it is indeed the fire talking, being a young fire elemental. Explaining to the elemental that they are not, in fact, the ones who have corrupted the shrine, the fire sprite, introducing himself as Brim, asks to come with them.
"I have been alone here for over two centuries, but there is nothing left to protect. The faithful are long gone my master is no more." Brim can leave with the party, but only through a temporary enchantment, decided to be Garo's lucerne hammer, and let his warding on the room fade away. Brim quickly warms up to the party.
A Forgotten Age
Spoiler
Show
Following the pattern, the party comes to the air chamber, only to find it locked. Vosen steps forward, and determines the the door is not locked, but blocked by something on the other side. Garo and the eidolon force the door open a crack with all their strength, but a small trickle of gravel empties through the opening. Brim recalls a booming noise, "possibly an earthquake perhaps?" that happened some decades ago. They all reason that the room may have collapsed into the one below.
The ground floor rooms contain the remnants of the collapsed air room and orb as well as a workshop for creating magic items (Brim again explains that the art of making magic items has been lost with the decline of the elementals, for the greatest of their kind could enchant items with a piece of their essence, literally bestowing an aspect of their divinity to followers). The opposite room is a library, filled mostly with empty, ancient tomes. Again explained by Brim, over 300 years ago, some event apparently wiped out all knowledge and history, erasing the minds of beings and the words straight out of books.
Harbinger
Spoiler
Show
Back in the main hall, each orb is placed in the appropriate slot as the door opens, revealing stairs leading upwards. Sneaking ahead, Vosen spots voidlings surrounding a ritual circle written in the floor, at the base of a long-dead ancient earth elemental of huge proportions. Overseeing the ritual is an undead once young girl missing her lower jaw.
An intense fight ensues as the ritual is determined to be Abjuration in origin, strengthing the power of the shadow creatures. A bubbling black acid sprays from the undead’s throat that nearly wipes out the party. Barely victorious, the party carefully breaks the circle as Lago memorizes the ritual just for good measure. Investigating the undead (which strangely did not turn to ash), he removes some samples of the acid and recalls a single, ominous word from the back of his mind “Harbinger”
And that's the first session! The party immediately levelled after; don't want to keep them squishy for too long 
Re: The Land of the Endless Sky [Campaign Journal]
Reply With Quote