At the end of last session, the PCs rested in Falcon’s Hollow after successfully saving the village from a terrible disease. However, their rest was to be relatively short as they heard that there was need of their services to the west in the village of Oakhurst. It seemed that a small band of adventurers had gone missing in the nearby Sunless Citadel and that the mother of two of the missing was offering a substantial reward for their safe return.
Excited by the possibility of earning some much-needed cash, the adventurers set out in late Wealsun.
The party comprised:
- Krorz male half-orc rogue)
- Kemmo (male Bakluni human samurai from the far west)
- Adoven (male dwarf cleric [Moradin]; searching for ancient places of his kin)
- Belivar (male halfling summoner).
For the first few days their travel westward was without incident, but on the morning of the third day a sudden summer thunderstorm caught them in the open. With no real choice, but to press on the party continued, climbing higher into the hills. About midday, they came upon a section of trail that had fallen away – probably the result of a small landslide. As they cautiously approached the narrowed section of trail, they all clearly heard a faint cry for help. Moving forward they discovered a man lying on a ledge about 80 ft. below them with an obvious broken leg. The party moved to assist, but unfortunately Belivar’s eidolon could not carry the man up the cliff. Indeed, the attempt resulted in a fall that knocked the man unconscious. Thinking quickly, the party fashioned a long knotted rope and Krorz heroically descended the slope to aid the unfortunate traveller. Although he briefly contemplated robbing the unconscious man, he resisted the temptation and instead fashioned a make-shift stretcher attached to the party’s ropes. Eventually, the man was hauled back up onto the trail and Adoven’s healing magic repaired some of this injuries.
It transpired the man was Raine Eronen and that he was a puissant crafter of wondrous items. Caught by the landslide, he was very grateful to the PCs who offered to help him reach Oakhurst where he had a house. The rest of the party’s travel was uneventful and they finally reached the village late the next day. Wasting no time, they set about discovering as much about the locality and the nearby Sunless Citadel as possible. Such was the success of this that after negotiating a fee with Kerowyn Hucrele (mother of two of the missing adventurers) , the party set off the very next day!
The Sunless Citadel lay but seven miles from Oakhurst and the PCs found it quickly and easily. Sadly, it seemed the citadel itself had fallen into a deep ravine – a fact confirmed when several members of the party climbed into its depth. In short order, the entire party had reached a rocky ledge about 80 feet down. Descending further, a small swarm of rats attacked the party, but these were quickly slain even though Adoven was bitten several times.
Without further incident the party reached the shattered ruins of the citadel at the very base of the ravine. Moving inside, they discovered that while some portions of the castle were relatively intact, most of it was nothing more than piles of jumbled rubble. Exploring cautiously, they discovered several empty rooms, but also encountered a strange creature composed of water that belched acid and could create clouds of noxious gas. Discovering the creature was resistant to their weapons and that its wounds healed on their own, the party retreated to continue their explorations elsewhere…
