Borderland of Adventure #62: Into the Twilight Tomb

At the end of last session we left the party in a precarious position. Having following their enemy through a strange grey portal they had discovered themselves…elsewhere…

BoA

 

After resting briefly and taking stock of their surroundings they took the only real path open to them – along a glimmering glass walkway leading to the first of four glass towers rising out of the roiling sea. With brave Krorz leading the way, they proceeded cautiously passing through the skeleton of a huge serpentine dragon-like figure wrapped around the bridge. Without incident, they reached the tower. The first door, however, initially stymied their efforts at entry. Eventually they worked out the door (like all others they could discover) slid sideways into the wall and did not open like a normal door.

Beyond they discovered a large room – the signs of battle were scattered all about. Bloodied and broken gnoll bodies lay everywhere. Intermingled with them were the shattered and slashed bodies of skeletons and zombies. As they investigated the room, a roaring hoot alerted them to danger. Moments later a huge blood-covered owlbear burst into the chamber. While the creature injured Garinor it was quickly slain. A brief exploration of its nest revealed no treasure (and neither did the many bodies scattered about the chamber – it appeared they had been stripped of valuables). However, as Krorz approached the statue of a beautiful elven woman at the far end of the chamber it spoke to him. Only Ulmo could understand it for it spoke an archaic form of Elven. It bade them welcome to Tir’in’tiral (or the Night Realm as Ulmo translated it). Remarking on the fact that encountering gnolls was strange as they were normally only found in warm plains and deserts they continued their exploration.

Moving on they discovered another room containing more skeletons and zombies. Gairnor used a scroll to consecrate the room, and the abominations were quickly destroyed. Another door lead onto yet another room – this one dominated by a huge fountain and pool. The party found the bodies of two gnolls in the pool and a bloody drag marks leading to a chamber beyond. Inside this chamber they discovered a site of horror – the partially flayed body of a gnoll and an elven guardian wight bending over it. Montagu shouted a warning that the thing likely possessed fell powers and then battle began! The creature wielded an elven curve blade with devastating skill and proved very hard to injure with weapons–its incredible speed keeping it safe from most attacks. Ulmo, though, unleashed a barrage of magic missiles at the creature and the party’s three clerics began to repeatedly channel positive energy into the beast. Although it was badly hurt, the creature still managed to drain vitality from Garinor and destroy Ulmo’s summoned earth elemental. It also nearly slew Tzaran with one mighty cleave of its weapon, but eventually the barrage of magical attacks proved too much and the creature fell.

With the fall of the creature, the party rested a few moments. Ulmo was out of spells and much of the party’s healing was now depleted. Taking the creature’s sword and chain shirt–which were both magical–the adventurers retreated to the consecrated area created by Garinor to rest. They rested for much of the next day as they waited to see if their new friend would throw off the wight’s malign influence. To aid him, the party poured all their magical resources into the struggle. Both Montagu and Tzaran aided with their powers and Garinor used several protective spells on himself. Luck was on his side and eventually he threw of the wight’s sinister power. With their friend restored, the party discussed pushing on deeper into the tower…

Published by

Creighton

Creighton is the publisher at Raging Swan Press and the designer of the award winning adventure Madness at Gardmore Abbey. He has designed many critically acclaimed modules such as Retribution and Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands and worked with Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Expeditious Retreat Press, Rite Publishing and Kobold Press.

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