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.
Come morning, we decide head out to the closest camp and discover that it is full of Halflings. Their leader, Effram Dorano, and they have decided to repair the ramparts. Effram tells us that he is trying to find someone lost a few years ago who is supposedly being held by hobgoblins.
Scapin asks if they have had any problems with the Kobalds or if they have seen any Dark Kreepers, but Effram declares that "those critters stay away from us cause we stay away from that Tower." The Halflings have been here for almost a year but none of the have seen any Alabaster Pillars. Effram jumps on the fact that we have one and ask where we are keeping it but Scapin tries to dissuade him with a vague answer.
Effram is hiding something, and whatever it is it is not good. With a farewell and a take care for there are dangers lurking, we head then towards the Ramparts, but not before Scapin informs Effram that we are staying in the Monestary which is what I am sure he wanted to know in the first place.
As we head to the Ramparts we each discuss many things we have so far discovered but none of us seem to be able to piece together this puzzle.
At the Ramparts, we notice Halfling tracks and a few scattered piles of stone and wood. There is fresh mortar and stonework but Travok declares it to be shoddy workmanship. The Halflings do seem to be poor carpenters though, as the door is misaligned.
Near the door we also find clawed footprints of a medium sized creature, but none of us can figure out what kind of creature made them. We knock at the door and enter tentatively but there were some boxes stacked at the doors entrance that fall as we open the door making a large clatter. A Halfling is standing on a table in he middle of the room and starts to pull on a long rope, obviously an alarm of some kind, before we can inform him of our peaceful intentions, he suddenly and surprisingly turns into a giant rat creature! Not to state the obvious but he is a Wererat. This is the secret that Effram Dorano was trying to keep from us… but was it just this, or could there be more?
The Wererat / Halfling attacks us and we kill him, but not before four of his brethren come up from the stairs below, while Travok standing near the stairs hits three of them opportunely as they pass him by. Then Keth fey steps with a bamf onto the table and tries to control the Wererats movements with color spray and chill strike. The Wererats are sneaky and try as we might; they are harder to kill than one might think. Scapin moves to box in more of the rats and one bites him, exposing him to Filth Fever. Donaar kills a bloodied Wererat and Travok casts Beacon of Hope, which heals Donaar and weakens the Wererats. We keep attacking and quickly surround and kill the last Wererat / Halfling. Interestingly when dead, the Wererats revert to their Halfling form.
There are stairs in the room heading up and down and since the Wererats came from below, we decide to head down first. There we find a basement room with a single door and a chest. In the chest there is some gold and a viper belt. There is also an ivory carving of Lady Saharel. After resting a short while and regaining our breath, we head up the stairwell to the second floor and see around the spiral curve a bioluminescent glow.
Scapin sneaks up and is attacked by a Fire Beetle who then breathes flames of fire at him. A sword attack from another wererat barely misses him and Travok charges up the stairs to retaliate. Between them, the Wererat hardly stands a chance. Keth moves into position and uses Freezing Cloud on the majority of the Fire Beetles and one dies outright, but the others are all badly hurt. The remaining beetles maneuver to surround the guys and breathe fire at them in a coordinated wave attack. Donaar kills the Wererat by attacking him and then fortifies himself and attacks a second time. Meanwhile Travok smashes the beetles nearest him and using this tactic the beetles are quickly destroyed. Travok however becomes infected with Filth Fever, from one of his wounds by the Wererat, where Scapin is lucky enough to not get infected even though he was at risk from earlier.
Searching the room is fruitless and after another short rest we head further up the stairs to the roof. The rooftop is 30 to 40 ft above ground, and looking out we can see no activity from the Halfling camp. There also seems to be an Obelisk or something white, buried in some rubble at the far end of the Eastern Side, close to the third camp.
Heading back down to the basement we open the door and discover a tunnel that is easily 300 ft in length. There are tracks in the tunnel that come from Halfling, Wererat, wolves, spiting drakes, and dire rats. At the end of the tunnel is another door and opening that we find a room much like the basement room at the other end. Inside we find three humans in chainmail and two Spitting Drakes who each attack Donaar and Travok with an Acid Arrow of somekind. A Shadow Hunter Bat appears and attacks but Keth steps up and Color Sprays it and some of the humans with radiant light dazing them. The Shadow Hunter Bat attacks Scapin with his tail as he flies by.
Once Donaar kills the wererat, the three human mercenaries switch sides and begin to attack the four Zombie Hounds that have just shown up from downstairs. Keth continues to try to control the Shadow Hunter Bat by slowing it, allowing for Scapin to get in behind the Drake grappling with Travok, and shiv it, killing it instantly. Travok then is free to Turn Undead, immobilizing two of the hounds, and disintegrating the other two. A mercenary gets a good lick in on the Shadow Hunter Bat and kills it! Donaar meanwhile has been attacking the other Drake, and in a bold move smacks the Drake hard and almost kills it, but I take his glory finishing it off with a Magic Missile at critical capacity.
At this point another Wererat shows up from upstairs along with two more Zombie Dogs. One of the mercenaries Marks the Wererat and Donaar uses Pain of Death on the Wererat so that it hurts itself when it attacks the mercenary later. The mercenaries start knocking things prone with their halberds and I for one am glad we didn’t have to fight them. Donaar uses enfeebling strike on the Wererat, killing it, and eventually we kill all the Zombie Hounds. Travok stabilizes and heals one of the mercenaries that fell in battle and we question them.
They tell us that they are adventurers who were captured by the Wererats and forced to work for them. All of the Dorano clan are wererats. Borelum’s room is upstairs and we are in a collapsed tower section of the Ramparts. Downstairs there are guard Grey Wolves, on chains, and below that is the Ramparts storage area, and that there is an entrance to the Catacombs. There is some kind of conflict between the Ramparts area and the Catacombs, but these mercs don’t know anything else. We let them go and head upstairs first.
There is a small tunnel in the wall in a corner that is Halfling sized and leads to a place next to their camp. It is an escape route and entrance for small creatures, and is how they enter and exit with alacrity. There are arrowslits in the walls in varying places as well. We find a Headband of Perception and decide to return to the Dorano camp and try to find Effram. The Camp is abandoned, but there are fresh tracks leading to the Ramparts which we know now leads to rooms below that have entrances to the Catacombs, which hopefully can lead us to the Tower.
Back at the Monastary we convince Brother Turnagall to come dismantle and burn the remnants of the Dorano camp. Then we rest for the remainder of the night. Travok is ill with Filth Fever so Keth and Donaar help to stablize his condition. Unfortunately we were only able to maintain the disease so it doesn’t get worse. Travok will need more rest and healing if he is to get better.
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.
Come morning, we decide head out to the closest camp and discover that it is full of Halflings. Their leader, Effram Dorano, and they have decided to repair the ramparts. Effram tells us that he is trying to find someone lost a few years ago who is supposedly being held by hobgoblins.
Scapin asks if they have had any problems with the Kobalds or if they have seen any Dark Kreepers, but Effram declares that "those critters stay away from us cause we stay away from that Tower." The Halflings have been here for almost a year but none of the have seen any Alabaster Pillars. Effram jumps on the fact that we have one and ask where we are keeping it but Scapin tries to dissuade him with a vague answer.
Effram is hiding something, and whatever it is it is not good. With a farewell and a take care for there are dangers lurking, we head then towards the Ramparts, but not before Scapin informs Effram that we are staying in the Monestary which is what I am sure he wanted to know in the first place.
As we head to the Ramparts we each discuss many things we have so far discovered but none of us seem to be able to piece together this puzzle.
- What are the Obelisks?
- Why does Saharel appear to some but not others?
- What are the Dark Kreepers doing in that Tower?
- How can we get in there, as we are fairly sure that the Tower is where we will find Saharel?
- What was the Halfling Dorano really hiding?
Near the door we also find clawed footprints of a medium sized creature, but none of us can figure out what kind of creature made them. We knock at the door and enter tentatively but there were some boxes stacked at the doors entrance that fall as we open the door making a large clatter. A Halfling is standing on a table in he middle of the room and starts to pull on a long rope, obviously an alarm of some kind, before we can inform him of our peaceful intentions, he suddenly and surprisingly turns into a giant rat creature! Not to state the obvious but he is a Wererat. This is the secret that Effram Dorano was trying to keep from us… but was it just this, or could there be more?
The Wererat / Halfling attacks us and we kill him, but not before four of his brethren come up from the stairs below, while Travok standing near the stairs hits three of them opportunely as they pass him by. Then Keth fey steps with a bamf onto the table and tries to control the Wererats movements with color spray and chill strike. The Wererats are sneaky and try as we might; they are harder to kill than one might think. Scapin moves to box in more of the rats and one bites him, exposing him to Filth Fever. Donaar kills a bloodied Wererat and Travok casts Beacon of Hope, which heals Donaar and weakens the Wererats. We keep attacking and quickly surround and kill the last Wererat / Halfling. Interestingly when dead, the Wererats revert to their Halfling form.
There are stairs in the room heading up and down and since the Wererats came from below, we decide to head down first. There we find a basement room with a single door and a chest. In the chest there is some gold and a viper belt. There is also an ivory carving of Lady Saharel. After resting a short while and regaining our breath, we head up the stairwell to the second floor and see around the spiral curve a bioluminescent glow.
Scapin sneaks up and is attacked by a Fire Beetle who then breathes flames of fire at him. A sword attack from another wererat barely misses him and Travok charges up the stairs to retaliate. Between them, the Wererat hardly stands a chance. Keth moves into position and uses Freezing Cloud on the majority of the Fire Beetles and one dies outright, but the others are all badly hurt. The remaining beetles maneuver to surround the guys and breathe fire at them in a coordinated wave attack. Donaar kills the Wererat by attacking him and then fortifies himself and attacks a second time. Meanwhile Travok smashes the beetles nearest him and using this tactic the beetles are quickly destroyed. Travok however becomes infected with Filth Fever, from one of his wounds by the Wererat, where Scapin is lucky enough to not get infected even though he was at risk from earlier.
Searching the room is fruitless and after another short rest we head further up the stairs to the roof. The rooftop is 30 to 40 ft above ground, and looking out we can see no activity from the Halfling camp. There also seems to be an Obelisk or something white, buried in some rubble at the far end of the Eastern Side, close to the third camp.
Heading back down to the basement we open the door and discover a tunnel that is easily 300 ft in length. There are tracks in the tunnel that come from Halfling, Wererat, wolves, spiting drakes, and dire rats. At the end of the tunnel is another door and opening that we find a room much like the basement room at the other end. Inside we find three humans in chainmail and two Spitting Drakes who each attack Donaar and Travok with an Acid Arrow of somekind. A Shadow Hunter Bat appears and attacks but Keth steps up and Color Sprays it and some of the humans with radiant light dazing them. The Shadow Hunter Bat attacks Scapin with his tail as he flies by.
Once Donaar kills the wererat, the three human mercenaries switch sides and begin to attack the four Zombie Hounds that have just shown up from downstairs. Keth continues to try to control the Shadow Hunter Bat by slowing it, allowing for Scapin to get in behind the Drake grappling with Travok, and shiv it, killing it instantly. Travok then is free to Turn Undead, immobilizing two of the hounds, and disintegrating the other two. A mercenary gets a good lick in on the Shadow Hunter Bat and kills it! Donaar meanwhile has been attacking the other Drake, and in a bold move smacks the Drake hard and almost kills it, but I take his glory finishing it off with a Magic Missile at critical capacity.
At this point another Wererat shows up from upstairs along with two more Zombie Dogs. One of the mercenaries Marks the Wererat and Donaar uses Pain of Death on the Wererat so that it hurts itself when it attacks the mercenary later. The mercenaries start knocking things prone with their halberds and I for one am glad we didn’t have to fight them. Donaar uses enfeebling strike on the Wererat, killing it, and eventually we kill all the Zombie Hounds. Travok stabilizes and heals one of the mercenaries that fell in battle and we question them.
They tell us that they are adventurers who were captured by the Wererats and forced to work for them. All of the Dorano clan are wererats. Borelum’s room is upstairs and we are in a collapsed tower section of the Ramparts. Downstairs there are guard Grey Wolves, on chains, and below that is the Ramparts storage area, and that there is an entrance to the Catacombs. There is some kind of conflict between the Ramparts area and the Catacombs, but these mercs don’t know anything else. We let them go and head upstairs first.
There is a small tunnel in the wall in a corner that is Halfling sized and leads to a place next to their camp. It is an escape route and entrance for small creatures, and is how they enter and exit with alacrity. There are arrowslits in the walls in varying places as well. We find a Headband of Perception and decide to return to the Dorano camp and try to find Effram. The Camp is abandoned, but there are fresh tracks leading to the Ramparts which we know now leads to rooms below that have entrances to the Catacombs, which hopefully can lead us to the Tower.
Back at the Monastary we convince Brother Turnagall to come dismantle and burn the remnants of the Dorano camp. Then we rest for the remainder of the night. Travok is ill with Filth Fever so Keth and Donaar help to stablize his condition. Unfortunately we were only able to maintain the disease so it doesn’t get worse. Travok will need more rest and healing if he is to get better.
640 xp / 3rd level
35 Gold
Viper Belt
Headband of Perception
Viper Belt
Headband of Perception
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