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Chronicles of the Quest for the Elemental Scrolls

The first major adventure of the Silver Tempests, before they acquired their wealth and fame, was in service of the Great Library, hired by Archivist Lyra to recover the lost elemental scrolls, that had been created by a famous wizard, Airion Mistspeaker, before the Great War, but lost during the chaos of the Blood Years. Along the way, they helped some Centaurs with a curse; helped the soul of Xameia of the Order of Twilight find peace; helped Iara, a lizardfolk woman; and made enemies of the orcs of Grumella’s Horde.

We begin on the road to Chardon, as two aspiring adventurers meet…

Adventure 0: Die Froggies Die

Session 0

Samso and Adrik meet on the road to Chardon, both seeking adventure. Finding a dead horse, they chase some Bullywugs into a swamp and recover a message bag from a messenger.

Events

  • Feb 16, 1747 DR: Samso and Adrik meet on the road south of Chardon and retrieve a lost messenger bag from a messenger killed by Bullywugs.

Adventure 1: The Flamekeeper Scroll

Session 1

Our adventure starts on the road: Brelith, Adrik , Samso, and Alton have traveled north towards Voltara to meet Archivist Lyra, in the service of the Great Library. On the road Goblins of the Red Knife tribe attack; they slay two and let the other two live, after learning that Hobgoblins and Goblins live in this area. The goblins are told to flee and not attack them again.

In Lyra’s camp, the party learns their mission: search for the scrolls of elemental power. The location of the Flamekeeper Scroll and the Stonemaster Scroll are known, while the location of the Skyborn Scroll and the Deepwater Scroll are not. 

Our heroes decide to head to the Forge of Fire, a part of an ancient Dwarven mine complex that once extended through much of the Fiatara Mountains, where the Flamekeeper Scrollis thought to be. They find it is now a kobold shrine to the “fire god”, which is a rune protecting the Flamekeeper Scroll. After killing some Kobolds and convincing others they are the fire god made flesh, they get the scroll, and leave, but not before triggering a magma eruption which destroys forge and probably all the Kobolds. 

Events

Adventure 2: The Stonemaster Scroll

Session 2

Samso and Adrik meet another member of the Great Library adventurers’ team, Aglath the Goliath Fighter, at The Purple Pig in Voltara. With the map from Archivist Lyra, they set forth to find the Stonemaster Scroll. Traveling north across the Erbalta Plains, they encounter a few Orcs before arriving at the cave where the scroll is hidden. After defeating some puzzled orc guards, a cursed swarm of tiny orcs, and a magically shrunken hill giant, they find the scroll is a large stone chest. Samso recovers a shrunken black bear which he names Friend.

Events

Adventure 3: Letters from the Abbey

Session 3

Adrik, Samso, Aglath, and Brelith meet two new recruits for the Great Library team: Aelar the elven monk, and Scordith the human sorcerer. The party is sent to explore the Pietravola Abbey, looking for any clues or letters from Airion Mistspeaker that might hint at where the next two scrolls are hidden. 

In the abbey, the party encounters ghouls and zombies, and the talkative ghost of the former Abbess, who directs them to the underground crypt. There, they recover notes and letters that may hold a clue to the location of the Deepwater Scroll, as well as some treasure for themselves. 

Events

Adventure 4: The Deepwater Scroll

Session 4

Adrik, Samso, Brelith, and Aelar set out from The Purple Pig, armed with the location of the Deepwater Scroll, deciphered from the notes they found in the Pietravola Abbey. The Drowned Tower, a place where the Elemental Plane of Water is close to the Material Plane, is their destination. After several days of travel across the plains, the party reaches the tower, where the swimming ability of Samso comes in handy. After battling blights outside and making their way through the flooded, diseased tower, the party finds and cures an awakened tree, and the defeats a cursed water weird living in the corrupted fountain at the top of the tower. After removing the corruption from the water, they recover the scroll and other treasure from its hiding place, anchored in the Elemental Plane of Water with an immovable rod.

Events

Adventure 5: The Dwarven Forge

Session 5

Adrik, Samso, Aglath, Aelar, and Brelith, hanging out at The Purple Pig, fend off a dire wolf attack on town. Brelith learns in town this may be connected to the dwarven ruins under Goldpeak Mountain, part of the same complex of extensive dwarven ruins as the Forge of Fire. After a brief and rather unsuccessful meeting with traveling merchant and caravan master, Quintus Percomia who has need of adventurers to help a group of Centaurs to the south, the party decides to explore the dwarven ruins and the source of the dire wolf attacks. Finding the entrance to the mine, the party fights off death dogs, ankhegs, and a chuul before deciding to retreat to safety and rest before exploring further. 

Session 6

While Brelith and Aglath return to town, Samso, Adrik, and Aelar head back to the mine to explore. At the entrance to the mine, they meet Oskar, a Dwarven Ranger, and Stoneclaw, his hyena companion. Continuing into the mines, they defeat a carrion crawler, subdue a giant subterranean lizard, manage to disable the haunted statue that is stirring up the local monster population, and find some Dwarven treasure (Thunderbrand and Coldguard). On the way back, some exploration turns up a small amount of mithril, which Aelar keeps. 

Events

Adventure 6: The Cursed Tomb

Session 7

Back in town, Adrik, Samso, Aglath, and Brelith, joined by Scordith, visit again with Quintus, where Aglath apologizes for his rude behavior before and the party learns more about the problems the Centaurs are having. Apparently, the local water supply has been poisoned by a curse. The party heads south to investigate. After surviving oozes raining from the sky, and a wild boar charge, they meet the centaurs and head to investigate the cursed lake. There, they find the tomb of Xameia the Forsworn, a paladin of the Order of Twilight, sacred to The Night Queen, who forsook her oath out of a desire for greed and was cursed. She cannot rest until the temple of her order is restored to atone for her mistakes. The party agrees to take on this challenge, and Xameia subsides, freeing the lake of her influence for 30 days. After being rewarded by the Centaurs, the party heads back to Voltara.

Events

  • Jun 06, 1747 DR: Samso, Adrik, Brelith, Scordith, and Aglath visit Quintus Percomia and learn of the problems of the Centaurs to the south.
  • Jun 08, 1747 DR: Samso, Adrik, Brelith, Scordith, and Aglath arrive at the centaur camp and deal with the poisoned water by placating Xameia the Forsworn, a paladin of the Order of Twilight who broke her oath. They promise to restore the temple of her order in 30 days.
  • Jun 09, 1747 DR: Scordith leaves to returns to Voltara and is never seen from again, while the others rest in the centaur camp.

Adventure 7: Orcs at the Lonely Watchtower

Session 8

Returning from the centaur camp, Adrik, Samso, Brelith, and Aglath are attacked on the road by bandits, where they are joined by Oskar. The bandits are desperate for treasure to pay off demands of tribute from orc raiders, but quickly surrender when it is clear they are overmatched. After gathering some information, the party heads to theLonely Watchtower, the raiding base of this group of orcs. There, the party makes their way through the tangleweed around the tower, defeats the orc guards, and ultimately kill Raluhk the Orog the leader of this raiding band. Exploring the rest of the outpost, they rescue Ralvaz, a mine captain working north of Voltara who reports orc raids on numerous caravans bringing treasure from the mines to Voltara. The party then returns to Voltara with this news.

Events

Adventure 8: Iara’s Plea

Session 9

After returning to Voltara from the orc camp in a ruined watchtower, Samso is approached by a troubled Lizardfolk woman named Iara who is looking for help after the people of her village to the west mysteriously disappeared. Joining with Brelith, Aelar, and Adrik, the group heads to investigate. Traveling west, they find an empty lizardfolk village, and are attacked by shadowy creatures that look like evil echos of lizardfolk. They find the lair of these shadow creatures, where Aelar surprises and kills two guards with poisoned darts. In the lair, they confront and kill the leader of these shadow creatures.

Session 10

After defeating the shadow lizardfolk leader, although no closer to understanding the cause of this disturbance, Adrik, Aelar, Brelith, and Samso return to Voltara. On the road, they are stopped by bugbears, who demand payment to continue. Refusing, the party attacks and defeats the bugbears, finding orders from Grumella the Vengeful demanding the capture for ransom of all travelers from the west.

Events

  • Jun 22, 1747 DR: Samso is approached by Iara, a lizardfolk woman, seeking aid for her village. The party agrees to help, and Samso, Brelith, Aelar, and Adrik set out from Voltara.
  • Jun 26, 1747 DR: Samso, Brelith, Aelar, and Adrik find an abandoned lizardfolk village, and are attacked by evil shadow lizardfolk. Find, confront and kill the leader of these creatures.
  • Jun 27, 1747 DR: On the road back to Voltara, party kills bugbear raiders and finds a letter from Grumella the Vengeful demanding all travelers from the west be captured and ransomed.

Adventure 9: The Lost Temple of the Order of Twilight

Session 11

Returning to Voltara with news of kidnappings of messengers from Chardon, Brelith, Aelar, Adrik, and Samso decide to tackle their promise to Xameia to restore the desecrated temple of the Order of Twilight. Brelith finds information about the probable location of this temple in the library in Voltara, and the party sets off into the wilderness in search of the ruins. Making their way into the hills southwest of Voltara, the party is ambushed at night by a large group of small, vicious humanoids with blue skin and giant rat pets, who try to grapple and drag them off. After driving these attackers off, the party regroups and continues towards the temple.

Session 12

Approaching the temple, Brelith, Aelar, Adrik, and Samso find an area of death where nothing seems to grow. Continuing to explore, they come upon the approach to the temple itself, and defeat several maw demons guarding the path. Continuing, they find the temple swarming with demonic influences, and face off against more demons in the ruins itself. 

Session 13

After defeating the demons guarding the ruins, the Brelith, Aelar, Adrik, and Samso explore and find an entrance to a crypt below, which seems to be the source of the demonic influence. Climbing into the crypt, they are attacked by a cambion. After a challenging battle, they manage to prevail, and learn that the temple is the location of a portal to the Abyss, which must be closed before the temple can be cleansed. Gathering some treasures and items remaining in the crypt (including a necklace of spell storing and a cloak of twilight), they return to town to consider their next move. 

Session 14

Back in Voltara,  Brelith, Aelar, Adrik, and Samso attempt to find someone who can help them close the Abyssal portal and cleanse the temple. They are directed to the priest Galius Filuso, an adventurer and traveler from Chardon interested in the history of the Order of Twilight as he attempts to restore it to its former glory. Traveling with Galius back to the temple, the party sets up to defend him for the 24 hours it will take to cast the Hallow spell and close the portal. The first wave of attackers – minor demons and their minions –  are relatively easily defeated.

Session 15

Continuing to defend the temple, in the middle of the night the remnants of the xvart tribe, allies and servants of the demons, attack from the hidden entrance to the crypt. After they are defeated, as dawn approaches and the spell is nearly complete, a large, four-armed, clawed demon, a glabrezu, steps from the portal and heads for Galius. The party is able to defeat it, however, and the spell is complete. As the portal closes, and the curse is lifted from the temple, Xameia can finally rest. In thanks for their efforts, an avatar of The Night Queenherself appears, and offers each member of the party a boon. 

Events

  • Jun 29, 1747 DR: Samso, Brelith, Aelar, and Adrik return to Voltara with news of the kidnappings.
  • Jun 30, 1747 DR: Brelith finds information about the location of the ruined temple of the Order of Twilight and the party leaves to fulfill their promise to Xameia.
  • Jul 01, 1747 DR: Brelith, Aelar, Adrik, and Samso are ambushed in the hills on the way to the temple.
  • Jul 02, 1747 DR: The party arrives at the temple and fights demons, and realize they need powerful magic to cleanse the Abyssal portal at this temple.
  • Jul 04, 1747 DR: The party arrives back in Voltara and convinces a priest, Galius Filuso, to come with them to help end the Abyssal curse on the temple.
  • Jul 06, 1747 DR: The party arrives at the temple and defends Galius Filuso for 24 hours while he casts Hallow to end the Abyssal corruption and close the portal.
  • Jul 07, 1747 DR: The portal is closed and an avatar of The Night Queen appears to reward the party.

Adventure 10: The Messenger and the Kobolds

Session 16

Returning from the success of restoring the temple of the Order of Twilight, Adrik, Brelith, Aelar, and Samso are invited to meet the proconsul, the governor of Voltara, and given permission to enter the walled city itself. After this meeting, they receive word a messenger bearing information about the last elemental scroll has gone missing, and head out on a mission from Archivist Lyra to ransom the messenger from Kobolds. While they are able to ransom the messenger, Amus, they realize that he does not have the map they need to locate the scroll: it has been taken by the Kobolds. Leaving Amus in a well-hidden camp, the party deduces that the Kobolds may try to get the map to Grumella. Searching for hidden exits from the lair, they find several, and set a careful ambush. With some clever planning, the ambush is a success and the scroll is recovered, after which the party returns to their camp to rest and plot their next move. 

Events

  • Jul 08, 1747 DR: The party arrives back in Voltara.
  • Jul 09, 1747 DR: The party meets the proconsul, and Archivist Lyra tells them a messenger is missing.
  • Jul 10, 1747 DR: Adrik, Brelith, Aelar, and Samso random the messenger from the Kobolds, but not the map they need to find the last scroll, the Skyborn Scroll.
  • Jul 11, 1747 DR: The party, with Aglath, ambushes the Kobolds and retrieves the map to the Skyborn Scroll.

Adventure 11: The Skyborn Scroll

Session 17

Camped outside the kobold lair, Adrik, Brelith, Aelar, and Samso meet up with Aglath and contemplate their next move. The Skyborn scroll is thought to be located in Airion’s Tower, a floating tower deep in the highest peaks of the Fiatara Mountains, near Blacksilver Peak, at the northern edge of the old Dwarven fortresses in these mountains. The party decides to head north. Heading north on the plains, they are attacked by a hobgoblin patrol returning to camp in the mountains, and nearly killed. Only some quick thinking from Samso, and an elemental summoned by Aelar while barely clinging to consciousness, keeps the party from ending up the prisoners of the hobgoblins. 

Session 18

The party decides to move on quickly, after only a brief rest, trying to put some miles between the hobgoblin patrol route and themselves before camping for the night. The next day, they encounter their old companion Oskar on the plains, who has been traveling in this area with Stoneclaw. They decide to journey together for a time. Approaching the northern end of the mountains, they avoid a flash flood on the plains, and finally identify Blacksilver Peak and turn towards it. Finding a path up into the mountains, they encounter and defeat a frost giant who hates dwarves, and his pet remorhaz. Coming to some cliffs without an obvious way down, they meet a giant eagle who agrees to fly them to the old Dwarven road to Blacksilver Peak in exchange for a meal of giant goats.

Session 19

After bargaining with the giant eagle, Oskar and Stoneclaw return to the plains, while Aelar, Aglath, Brelith, Adrik, and Samso travel along the Dwarven road towardsBlacksilver Peak. On the way, they defeat a hunting party of basilisks. They find the entrance to an old Dwarven complex, which now seems to be inhabited by some other kind of beast or creature based on the piles of cast of bits of armor and clothes from dead victims in the entryway. 

Session 20

Pressing further into the cave, the party finds it is now the lair of a pair of trolls, who are eventually defeated by Aglath’s burning hands. After navigating a chamber of regenerating stirges, the party finds a stair climbing up through the center of the mountain, and begin the long ascent to the top of Blacksilver Peak and hopefully Airion’s Tower and the scroll. During the ascent, they navigate (eventually) around a partial collapse of the stairs by use of the climbing abilities of Samso’s giant spider form.

Session 21

Continuing to ascend the endless stairs, the party arrives in a broken chamber, seemingly a former waystation but in disrepair. Here, they are ambushed by roving black puddings; while Adrik’s armor is destroyed, they otherwise manage to survive the encounter and make their way to the top of the stair. Here, the party ascends to a former Dwarven outpost. Deciding to explore north, they find a large cavern with a glint of light above. Despite Samso’s ancestor’s warning that only woe will come of it, they decide to explore the light.

Session 22

Using summoned giant spiders to help explore the flash of light in the ceiling nearly 400’ above, the party faces predictably bad results, but do learn that there is a snowy landscape outside, although no way to access it from this small skylight. After a bit more aimless exploring, they find themselves face to face with some spirits of past wars, sword wraiths who are upset their stories have been forgotten, guarding what seems to be the exit from the Dwarven fortress. An attempted negotiation fails as the sword wraiths are not inclined to let them exit, but they are eventually defeated, and the party finds themselves looking out at a stormy glacier.

Session 23

Exploring the snow and ice landscape at the top of Blacksilver Peak, the party finds tracks and a trail leading to a small cave complex, where they encounter Dinia, an old woman mysteriously living in this winter wasteland, and affectionately nicknamed Grandma Yoda by the party. She will help them find the tower, but only if they first take care of a yeti problem for her. After defeating an abominable yeti, they return to Dinia’s cave to rest before setting out in the predawn light to cross the glacier to the tower. While the glacier crossing is not without peril, with Dinia’s help they make it to a bridge leading across thin air to the tower entrance.

Session 24

The party crosses the ice bridge, and encounters the guardians of the tower, a living statue of ice and its two ice fox companions. After managing to defeat these guardians, the party is faced with the puzzle of opening the door, which is locked with arcane sigils and runes. After solving the puzzle, the door swings open.

Session 25

The party begins to explore the tower, passing through the grand illusion of the sky in the entrance room, and defeating a pair of animated suits of plate armor guarding the library. In the library they find some clues and treasure, and then proceed up, to the ruins of an alchemical laboratory. Here, they meet Mehrangeesa of Sulmana, a djinni trapped here with enchanted manacles. Mehrangeesa tells them some of the history of Airion, how different factions on the Elemental Plane of Air saw him as relatively harmless or a great evil to be destroyed, and told them of Zadkai, a warlock devoted to a great power on the Elemental Plane of Air who wanted to see all humans who would interfere with the Plane of Air destroyed. After being freed, he tells them he will be listening if they find a way to get in touch, gifts Aelar with the power of whirlwind punches, and disappears.

Session 26

Ascending to the final floor of the tower, the party encounters Airion Mistspeaker himself, trapped in a magic circle and unable to retrieve the scroll. Tricked into helping him extract the scroll from the chest near him, Samso (in opposum form) hands the scroll over, only to have the illusion of Airion fade, and the ruined, undead form of Zadkai appear in his place. After summoning four dust mephits, Zadkai casts dimension door and vanishes onto the icy bridge. The dust mephits are easy to destroy, after which the party rushes to the ceiling where the perceptive eyes of Samso, guided by Brelith’s magic, pick out a small, running figure far below: Zadkai fleeing. Quickly conjuring two giant eagles to carry most of the party, while Aelar uses his monk magic to glide down the side of the tower, the party gives chase. In a climatic battle on the icy outskirts of the glacier, the Adrik manages to retrieve the air scroll from Zadkai’s grasp, but despite a well-placed stunning strike from Aelar, Zadkai vanishes just before he can be killed.

Session 27

Spent after the battle, the adventurers decide to rest in the tower and head to Dinia’s after, when the sun is down and the glacier less prone to melt beneath their feet. As they rest, a glowing rune appears, growing and pulsing. Curiously and somewhat foolishly, Adrik and Aelar sit by it, noticing that it grows faster when they get closer. After half an hour, two living lightning bolts appear and attack. The party rushes into combat, and although Aelar is knocked out, they win and resume their rest. 

After a full sleep, the rune appears again, and they leave before it is activated, resources refreshed. They make it across the glacier without much trouble due to Samso and Brelith’s skills, and make it past a shifting crevice with Adrik’s (a little late) help. Before they reach Dinia’s, they encounter a wolf pack. Samso negotiates with his druidic and Lizardfolk abilities, and Aelar suggests leading them to the frozen yeti corpse to eat. However, intelligent, magical alpha’s appear, interrupting. After tense bargaining, they get away, but not before Aelar acts foolishly and provokes a single parting attack. They reach Dinia’s and chat with her, learning more about Chardon’s history and the air scroll itself. Empowering by her stories, they leave on a route that the bard suggested, heading down the mountain. The session ends as an orc sentry from Grumella’s Horde – also chasing the scroll – sees them and blows their horn.

Session 28

They begin battling the orcs of Grumella’s Horde, and the fight is going well until they knock out the orc leader to interrogate later and find that two of the orcs are healers who revive their leader again and again. After eliminating the clerics with a critical hit from Samso and a flurried series of stunning strikes from Aelar, they win, but one orc escapes. 

Session 29

After a brief interrogation with the orc leader, Aglath kills him after he taunts them and refuses to talk, then they find a place to rest. Experimenting with magic items from the tower leads to empowering Thunderbrand and summoning a roc bound to Adrik. They head back to Voltara on the roc’s back and are attacked by wyverns but fight them off. They arrive in Voltara as heroes, and deliver the scroll to impressed Archivist Lyra after questioning her about the library’s responsibility with such a powerful artifact. They then get a break and several weeks of downtime to do what they please.

Events

  • Jul 12, 1747 DR: The party decides to immediately head north to find the Skyborn Scroll, leaving Voltara in a hurry.
  • Jul 15, 1747 DR: On the plains north of Voltara, heading for the rumored location of the Skyborn Scroll, the party is attacked and nearly killed by a hobgoblin patrol from the mountains.
  • Jul 16, 1747 DR: The party encounters Oskar on the plains, who joins them for a time.
  • Jul 19, 1747 DR: The party finds Blacksilver Peak and begin the ascend. Part way up, they fight a frost giant who hates dwarves, and bargain with a giant eagle for passage down a cliff to the old Dwarven Road.
  • Jul 20, 1747 DR: After defeating a group of basilisks, the party arrives at the entrance to the old Dwarven mines, and kills the trolls that now occupy it. They begin the ascent up the long stairs to the summit of the mountain.
  • Jul 21, 1747 DR: After resting on the stairs, the party emerges into a ruined Dwarven waystation, finding the exit after some shenanigans and defeating some sword wraiths.
  • Jul 22, 1747 DR: The party meets Dinia, and deals with her yeti problem.
  • Jul 23, 1747 DR: Aglath, Adrik, Samso, Brelith, and Aelar cross a glacier to find Airion the Mistspeaker’s floating tower. After crossing an ice bridge, defeating the guardians, figuring out the door puzzle, and freeing the djinni Mehrangeesa of Sulmana, the party finally meets Airion Mistspeaker and finds the air scroll. However, Airion turns out to be an illusion created by another wizard Zadkai, who takes the scroll. The party manages to retrieve the scroll in battle, but Zadkai gets away. The party rests for the night in the tower.
  • Jul 24, 1747 DR: After crossing the glacier and dealing with wolves, the party reaches Dinia’s and spends the night.
  • Jul 25, 1747 DR: The party heads down Blacksilver Peak, and encounters an orc patrol coming to find the Skyborn Scroll for Grumella. The orcs are defeated after a tough fight, although one gets away.
  • Jul 26, 1747 DR: Experimenting with magic items from the tower, Adrik summons a roc, who flies the party back to Voltara. Defeat a pack of wyverns from roc-back.
  • Jul 28, 1747 DR: The party returns to Voltara triumphant on the back of a giant roc.