The Order of the Red Circle consists of:
Donaar, a Dragonborn Paladin of Kelemvor,Travok, a Dwarvin Cleric of Kelemvor,
Scapin the Sly, a Halfling Rogue &
myself - En'Kethradath, an Eladrin War Wizard.
After eight days on the road with a Dwarven trader named Thergargengrim we arrive at the Monastery of the Precipice within the Ruins of Spellguard Keep.
Thergargengrim tells us that the current rumor revolving around Lady Saharel is that she will appear if one repairs the keep. He also informs us that there may be some connection between Spellguard and the Reversed Obelisks. The view of the Ruins shows us that some of the walls appear to be in decent shape and there are several camps all over, some abandoned and others full of life.
- Sister Chara is a monk who came here six years ago from Waterdeep looking for her lost brother. She oversees the running of the distillery but has never seen Lady Saharel.
- Brother Turnagall is in charge of the upkeep and repair of the monestary. He too is looking for answers, to what question he will not tell us, and also has never seen Lady Saharel.
- Yannick too is seeking an audience with Lady Saharel, for the purpose of stopping a feud between his two sons and has been here the better part of a year. He believed that the key to getting her to appear is repairing part of the keep. He tells us that she last appeared three weeks ago, near the Scepter Tower, to a young woman (who had been there barely a week) looking to find the body of her dead husband. He also doesn’t believe that there is any particular pattern to her appearances either.
- Rallio is trying to discover a way to lift his family’s curse. He states that he is not selfish and only trying to do his family a favor. He also tells us that he too has been doing his share of repair work but then he talks disparagingly of the young woman who got her question answered.
- Millek has been observing the Scepter Tower. She believed that there is an extensive tunnel network due to the number of Kobalds running around in the ruins. She tells us that she also saw a group of Dark Kreepers carrying off a large alabaster pillar. From her conversation with us Scapin realizes that the fortune and fame question she seeks from Lady Saharel is a lie and that Millek is probing us for information. She is a con artist.
Travok talks to Turnagall who is quite forthcoming about Spellguard. The keep is maintained as best as can be expected due to the ravages of time. Also it doesn’t help that bands of Kobalds have infested the ruins tunneling everywhere and making it dangerous to go out alone. Dark Kreepers come in and out of Scepter Tower usually once a month or so, when they attack anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way. He is adamant about his own safety and always goes out with others when he need to make repairs to something or remove something shoddy and dangerously built by adventurers. There are currently three camps of seekers in the ruins and Turnagall points out their locations. Turnagall also tells Travok that the Reverse Obelisks are also worth seeing.
Eventually Travok meets us in the monastery and we share information in the cheap rooms we rent and decide to head out to the farthest camp passing by the Scepter Tower. The tower is in really good shape comparatively. It has a spire and parapets, three flying buttresses and is surprisingly untouched. It is the original stonework of Spellguard standing before us. But it is occupied! Someone or something is atop the spire hurling stones at any who approach the tower’s base. Scapin yells profanity at the people in the tower and we runaway quickly, because as Travok says, "stones falling on your head makes your head go splat."
Quickly heading to the farthest camp, we find that it is full of Dragonborn. They have been here a little while and Vannak, their lord and master, is seeking an audience with Lady Saharel. They have seen many Kobalds, and have had a few casualties due to other dangers lurking; Cruthicks, Dark Kreepers, and Wererats, to name a few. Vannak seems to be hiding something, he won’t tell us his question for Saharel, but he does tell us that he’s not convinced that repairs are the way to meet her. He is definitely trying to find a way into the tower via the Kobald tunnels.
On our way back to the monastery we are attacked by Kobalds, near the far side of the Scepter Tower. After a short battle we kill the two Kobald Skirmishers, and a spear-thrower, but two more spear-throwers and the priest all escape down a hole. The last spear-thrower I smacked upside the head with my quarterstaff, knocking it unconscious. As a gesture of goodwill we turned this kobald over to Vannak. As we head back to the monastery… again, this time a different way, as we reach the road neat the Scepter Tower we find a pillar with creatures surrounding it.
The pillar is 10 to 12 feet in height and the creatures turn out to be constructs circling the pillar. Three are in hound form and the fourth is a large cobra shaped iron defender. There is also a body near the pillar, which turns out to be the body of a Dark Kreeper. After we destroy the constructs, that attacked us, we find that the pillar is made of a very light stone, an alabaster most likely used for ornamental purposes, and as a magical conduit for some sort of binding ritual. We decide to take the alabaster pillar back to the monastery and store it in the basement. We speak again with the guests and Sister Chara who believes that the Kobald is now dead and we might do better to interrogate any other captives ourselves. We rest for the night and will head out fresh in the morning.
305 xp & 3rd level
Alabaster Pillar
