Secrets Gathering Dust

8 Flamerule, 1502 DR

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we were hired by nahaunglaroth, the blood of morueme, the sky surge. some blue dragon? idk but he sent this bugbear named hario (lol) who had a scroll requesting our help. go raid this wizardly spot where a wizard of undeath died undeadedly. dragon wanted skull and staff. so aber, evander, forvist, glitrende, snap, and wilson and i went!

a short way into the graypeak mountains we got there and saw a sign in undercommon- "here lies phineas the sallow. try not to wake him or feel his wraith." not wrath? whatever. saw a elf or drow mosaic on the ground. saw a portcullis with a button beyond it. headed through the non-port door despite knowing it was trapped. it sounded a real loud alarm and then ghouls and shadows ran at us! we were okay but those shadows really hurt and scared us.

there was a hall with a guillotine trap, then another room trapped. some skulls released flammable gas. we kept on the plate to not trigger the rest. i opened a door and then there were more ghouls and shadows! during the fight i forgot about the gas and used fire and we got all blown up but it hurt the undead more. then we all took a super secure rest.

in the next room was a lever and a chest. evander pulled the lever. we heard a noise elsewhere (the portcullis!). i tried disarming the chest but failed and set it off. the door shut and forvist and glitrende got separated from us! they had an adventure on their own while we hurried through a sewer grate to avoid falling pressure spikes. next room had an acid trail flowing towards us. aber was walking around through it to investigate and we found a real nice room with sarcophagi! decided to keep exploring to try and find fovist. aber fell into a pitfall trap. wilson and i got them out. then we reunited with forvist who almost withered away and died by other shadows.

during our reunion evander opened the sarcophagi and got attacked by phineas and some skeletons. we raced to get forvist across the gap and to the room to save evander and win! and we did!!! no one important died. we looted phineas and skedaddled.

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Loot

• 55gp (11gp/ea)
• Enduring Spellbook (Evander)
• Lock of Trickery (Aber)
• Orb of Time (Rokka)
• Potion of Climbing (Snap)
• Potion of Healing (Forvist)

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-rokka :)

9 Flamerule, 1502 DR

Secrets Gathering Dust

Party: Rokka, Snap, Forvist, Aber, and Evander

My second expedition with the Syndicate led us into the Greypeak Mountains at the request of Nahaunglaroth, the great blue dragon. Evidently, the Syndicate had previously earned his favor by dealing with a plague in the nearby forests, and so another task was entrusted to us.

A hobgoblin named Hario, clad in finely kept armor reminiscent of an ancient legionary, arrived bearing the dragon's instructions. Somewhere beneath the Greypeaks rested the tomb of a wizard named Fineas, dead for roughly a century. Nahaunglaroth desired only two things from the tomb: the wizard's skull and his staff. Everything else, we were told, was up for grabs, if we chose. It seemed a fair arrangement.

After crossing the Delimbiyr River and several hours' travel into the mountains, we found a forgotten staircase descending beneath the earth. Dust was thick upon every step. We came  upon a door with an inscription, written in Undercommon: "Here lies Fineas. Try not to wake him, or fear his wraith." A grammatical error, or a warning?

My inability to see in complete darkness continues to be an inconvenience, though Aber's enchanted rapier shed enough light for us to proceed, until I remembered I had a Bullseye Lantern. Beyond the entrance stood a stone statue of Fineas clutching a staff, alongside a heavy portcullis that refused to budge. A button sat mockingly on the opposite side, quite beyond our reach. After a brief discussion, we chose instead to investigate a nearby door.

An arcane sigil above its frame caught my attention. A quick casting of Detect Magic revealed a spell of fear woven into the enchantment, though before we had much opportunity to study it, the tomb offered its own welcome, in the form of five ghasts.

I managed to wreath one of the creatures in Faerie Fire, making it an easier target for my companions, though the spell proved less effective than I had hoped. Before the battle could conclude, shadows emerged from behind the portcullis, silently drifting toward us with strength-sapping necrotic magic.

Once the creatures had been dealt with, we searched what appeared to have once been Fineas's library. Though much had succumbed to age, I was delighted to discover an Enduring Spellbook, its pages preserved by enchantment to be resistant to fire and water. Deeper within the complex we passed a mural illustrating the grim progression from mortal spellcaster to lich. Shortly thereafter, both Aber and I fell victim to a concealed guillotine trap.

The next chamber carried the distinct odor of alchemical gas. Snap inadvertently discovered the pressure plate responsible for releasing it, while Rokka attempted to open a locked door nearby. The lock, it turned out, was the least dangerous thing in the room. More ghasts, and more shadows. Several rounds into the fighting, the accumulating gas ignited.

Remarkably, we survived. After taking a short rest to gather ourselves, we continued onward. Another chamber presented us with a curious inscription: "Death is the only exit." There was also a lever, so naturally, I pulled it. Nothing appeared to happen.

Moments later, Rokka opened a nearby chest, causing the stalactite-heavy ceiling to begin descending toward us. Fortunately, we discovered a narrow passage beneath the floor and escaped moments before the chamber sealed itself. Unfortunately, Forvist escaped in a different direction.

Separated from the rest of us, Forvist found himself battling two shadows entirely alone while we searched for another route. Unknown to us at the time, he also located the mechanism that halted a river of acid blocking our own progress. We benefited greatly from his efforts while being entirely unaware they were happening. 

Beyond the acid lay Fineas's burial chamber, considerably more ornate than the rest of the tomb. At its center rested the wizard's sarcophagus. Having come all this way, it seemed only proper to confirm the occupant. In hindsight, the inscription at the entrance had been perfectly clear. Fineas rose as a wraith, accompanied by five skeletal guardians.

The battle that followed was the fiercest within the tomb, but with persistence, we prevailed. Fineas's remains were finally laid to rest, and we recovered both his skull and the staff promised to Nahaunglaroth. Hario accepted the relics without ceremony upon our return and saw that we received our reward.

I cannot help wondering what drove Fineas so completely toward undeath. The mural, the preserved library, the careful construction of his tomb…it all suggested a man consumed less by mortality than by the fear of its inevitable conclusion.

(The text on this note is written very small, though is still very legible and well-written.)

8th of Flamerule, 1502 DR

Myself, Abuh, Forest, Avan, and Rowka.

This was another job on the more serious side, by the same people. Ario, representing Nahauglaroth for the Blood of Morueme, requested we retrieve a scepter and skull from a deceased necromancer, within some precarious catacombs in the Greypeak Mountains. Dare I say, today's mission was my finest work yet.

The place was riddled with traps and troops. The very first room had two ways to proceed. The way we chose had many zombie-like creatures. Avan let us frontlines push through a chokepoint, which turned out to be a mistake. From the other door appeared shadows, which sapped the strength of many of us (though not of me).

Past this, we entered a strange room, with faces on one half of the walls, and metal rods on the other. I stepped on a pressure plate and flammable gas began filling the room, though nothing more. After thorough inspection by Rowka, who insisted I step off which I refused, and then a magical window placed upon the faces to see the mechanisms behind by Abuh, we concluded... nothing more than we knew. So, I asked Forest to take my place and attempt to unlock the path to the next place, which he did, though needed Rowka's help to unlock. Here, we were attacked by more ghoulish ad shadowy creatures. Fortunately, Forest was smart and did not step off either... until it did not matter, as Rowka cast fire magic and blew everybody up anyway. Then stepping off the trap, it triggered the rods to spark, which would have ignited the gas. I was right!

Moving forward, we attempted to pick a chest. Unfortunately, that caused the door behind us to shut... with Forest on the other side. So, we split up. I am unsure of the exact happenings on his end, but I believe he vanquished two shadows by his lonesome. Good for him.

The rest of us crawled through a secret passage behind the chest and found some river of acid. Abuh sacrificed itself and began wading through to find a way to turn it off, finding an ornate room with the sarcophagus we sought and such... and the acid suddenly stopped flowing. Why, I still ignore. Abuh then proceeded to fall into a pit as I was trying to explain the floor would collapse below him, which it did. Rowka and Whimson pulled it out, and we saw Forest on the other side!

And then Avan thought it would be a superb idea to open the sarcophagus holding the items we were looking for, far away from us. I was quick to answer and positioned myself in front of some skeletons to at least split the attacks. Fortunately, he cast some illusion wizardry and was fine. The others came as soon as they could, and it appeared skeletons do not like having their ribs broken. My source is my fist. A ghostly figure also fought against us, the necromancer we believed, and one punch through its incorporeal form kept it from doing too much harm to us.

We retrieved the items and returned them to Ario, and received LESS gold than we did for inspecting caravans, which was much less dangerous. I am baffled, but 11 gold richer.

We deserve more for risking our lives,

Snap

MISSION REPORT: investigate the dungeon of a dead wizard and collect their staff and head. DATE: 8 Flamerule, 1502 DR

Departure: left the Glassfang Syndicate with an armed squad of Blood of Morueme towards the location of the dungeon in Greypeak Mouintains.

Directive: explore the area and collect the required items. Note: entrance is a long corridor that lead to a square room that continues into 2 paths. Observation: before entry the following text in Undercommon: "here lies phineas the sallow. try not to wake him or feel his wraith".

New directive: follow the westernmost path. Note: the path was trapped and called for reinforcements. New directive: dispatch the threats. Observation: shadows crippled normal functionalities for the duration of the mission. - BuT tHeY wErE rEtUrNeD tO tHe PlAnE tHeY bElOnGeD.

New directive: continue the path southward. Note: more traps were run through and -d-dis- damag - armed. Observation: more undead threats beyond a gas chamber. New directive: dispatch of the treaths. - MoRe UnDeAd WeAkLiNgS bRoUgHt To KnEeL a TrUe WiElDeR oF nEcRoMaNcY - Note: tactical ignition of the gas chamber by syndicate member Rokka was done and damaging 3 rooms. - sHe ShAlL bE sPaReD tHe AnNiHiLaTiOn FoR nOw, ShE hAs HeR uSe - no party casualties occurred and significant - DeStRuCtIvE - blow was dealt to the - wOrMlInG - enemy.

New directive: continue path west then south. Note: reached small room with a sealed chest and lever. Observation: chest probability of being disguised sentient entity high. cautious inspection of the room is recommended. lever was pulled and inspection of chest triggered a trap. 1 squad member seperated. the rest required to flee through hidden passage way to avoid total crushing. Note: using a wooden pole to disable crusher failed.

New directive: explore new area and find path to reunite with missing member. Observation: path covered in an acidic river and a sarcophagous room northward was revealed. Note: high probability of mission items within. High priority direcitve: reunite with missing squad member. Solution: search area after high directive completed. Note: acidic river dried. further travel eastwards and more traps dis-disabling reunited the enitre squad.

Observation: squad member Evander left the group proximity. Note: high probability of inspecting sarcophagous room alone. New directive: reunite immediatly to avoid possible fatalities. Observations: Evander's inspection raised the dead to life. New directive: SeNd ThEm BaCk To ThEiR gRaVeS. nO fAiLeD lIcH cAn OuTdO a TrUe MaStEr Of UnDeAtH.

Post directive: staff and head found inside the burial tomb. returned to the draconic employer.

Post mission: new equipment received.