War of the Runestones

Samhiunn 7: Ying, monk slave heads departs to Kroptuvirki to start her duties as a Thrall.
Samhiunn 14: Druin, Jarl of Kroptuvirki leaves with Ying towards middengeard to regain fame and glory.
Samhiunn 28: Aidrien appears in Manheimm after being sacrificed in Faerun and then caught and sold as a slave.
Jol 10: The heroes reach Logrheim and a small Alukhai invasion takes place where the Jarl of the town dies and a ring is stolen. Aidrien becomes a Thrall of Druin.
Jol 11: Heroes head deep into the forest to find a hermit who has information on the rings. There they find an old man with an eyepatch, a servent of Odin who lost his eye fighting a dragon. The heroes learn of the 3 rings that contain information about a hidden Runestone which if discovered and reactivated it will grant great benefits to the region its located. After fighting a white dragon and talking to the hermit, their discovery leads them to Aldrnarihrid.
Jol 17: The heroes become aware of corrupted elders who took the ring from Finn, the Jarl of Aldrnarihrid. After being deceived shortly by one of the elders, the heroes dealt with them but in the end, the eldest sacrificed himself to summon the undead minions of Hel, after seeing captain Finn being stroke down by the undead warriors, the heroes decided to flee (even though Ying protested).
Jol 25: Heroes reach Logrheim and visit the hermit but he was already gone. They discovered a hint left behind by the hermit, saying that he was heading towards the capital.
Jol 26: The heroes caught up with the hermit, here they met another of his apprentices (a male air genasi). After a few hours they Ying noticed a storm will come, which as very odd since that region was warded from snow storms.

The Frozen Tower (Jol 27): The heroes discovered a strange tower in the middle of a giant lake, from the top of the tower an orb was glowing and emanating a magical fog that quickly became a raging blizzard and started to spread across the land. The heroes went to the tower while the hermit and two of his apprentices kept going towards the capital. At the shore of the like the heroes encountered goblins touched by the elemental chaos and they wielded the element of ice. After dealing with them, they entered the tower where they found frozen bodies of dwarves, Ying manage to stop a key and took it but she wasn't very careful and the frozen dwarf lost a piece of his leg (not that he could feel anything). They opened a magical vault full of magical items. They went up the tower, Aidren researched some books on the Elemental Chaos, her origins, and the origins of the Ice King, it seems he was a warlock before he was afflicted with some illness and left his tower and all his research behind. At the top of the tower was a giant cracked sphere, who was holding a Spirit of Winter, but it cracked and he was causing the storm. The heroes couldn't deal with him and went back into the tower, but the spirit of winter wanted to eliminated them and started climbing down the tower, as he did the tower started to crumble and the heroes had to escape by climbing, dodging boulders and using teleportation circles.
Once on the ground the heroes fought the monster and after killing it, Ying and Aidrien used their arcane knowledge to seal the sphere while Druin charged the sphere and destroyed it.

The road to the Capital (Jol 28): After an extended rest, the heroes started heading north towards Middengeard. On their way there they heard the cries of a little girl who seemed wounded, Ying noticed that her cut was self-inflicted and as soon as the girl noticed she screamed for the bandits to come out and attack their prey. The heroes dealt quickly with the bandits, the dwarf bandit leader offered them their stash of valuables if they would let them go, but in reality it was another ambushed prepared in-case they would get caught. There at the bandit's base they started negociating with them, but all they said was to leave before Koss returned, nobody of the party knew who he was, and ignored their warnings until they saw a 8 foot tall man who spoke to them in a deep but calm tone. Koss offered to let them walk away if they could beat him in combat, which the heroes did with some effort and then headed towards the capital.
While in the capital, Druin was greeted by one of the guards after recognizing the heirloom of his house, then the heroes went to the Hungry Wolf tavern where they met with the hermit who revealed he was the brother of the King, but that there were issues between them and he needed the heroes to deliver the 3 rings to him, but first they needed to catch his attention by doing diverse things within the city.

Here are some of the research notes found in some of the books inside the tower:

Walpurgis 12th 01: The Elemental Chaos is the source of the material and energy that make up every other realm in the multiverse. Stone and smoke, fire and metal, water and light, ice and lightning, wind and raw magic-all combinations are the substance ofthe Plane Below. Thus the Elemental Chaos is considered one of the two fundamental planes, along with the Astral Sea. These two realms anchor the entire cosmos; without them the world, and most other planes, could not exist. I believe Muspelheim and parts of Niflheim are located here.


Walpurgis 20th 01: I have encountered an entity called Lyggi he has teached me many things about this Elemental Chaos and has given me hints about another place called Fjarrifold, the Far Realm, i will be studying this further.


Ostara 7th 01: The Far Realm is a dangerous place, ive started many experiments using the elemental chaos with the guidance of Lyggi, ive mastered many ways to bind creatures from that world into ours. I have taken in my first subject Kossfangglima, a smart and strong viking who lost his arms and legs during the Great War, Lyggi suggests to bind his body and soul to the Far Realm and see the results, so i will.

Ostara 18th 01: Kossfangglima regain his arms and legs and has grown to 8 feet, but his mind is very unstable and has gain some sort of speech impediment, further studies have revealed that part of his mind is trying to keep control of his body. He now responds to the name of Koss, his original name is too long for him to pronounce anymore.

Samhein 1st 01: Lyggi suggests that i try to bind the Far Realm and Elemental Chaos to a perfectly healthy magic user. I have chosen a female subject for this experiment. I hope it goes well.

Samhein 5th 01: My experiment has gone terribly wrong, i am bound to ice and so is she... nameless horrors have escaped from both realms, i must shut away this tower, i must go away from this place... my subject has escaped, she is calling herself Winter... i dont have much time.... this will be my last entry.

Lofgar

Bark at the Moon (Jol 29 -Thurseblot 15 ): In order to attain the king's attention, the heroes kept their ears out for jobs or quests they could take on. Following the rumours of a gang that kept terrorizing the nobles, the party decided to settle qualms with them in the undercity. There, they met Lindo, an alchemist gnome who decided to accompany them during their travels. After successfully closing down the blackmarket, the heroes found that the hermit had sacrificed himself during a Duergar invasion.

They returned to the to the Hungry Wolf with the hermit's body. The barkeep informed them that two letters were awaiting their response. The first, from the king, requesting to meet them. The second, from a noble, asking for protection. Deciding that the matter with the king was far more urgent, and that perhaps they could find a way to revive the hermit, the heroes left for the castle after a short rest. The audience with the king had proven rather unfruitful, as the king took the rings from them and requested that they return the next day.

They then went to meet the noble. The heroes were to protect the nobleman's daughter at all costs, as they were being attacked by werewolves. Deciding to take the job, the heroes did as told and though witnessing the massacre of the noble man's house, they completed the job. They returned to the inn, and along the way, met a woman who was covered in blood. They insisted on demanding what had happened to her and were told to meet with her in Fellheim.

The next day, they went to the king. The king had already dispatched a group of “more seasoned” warriors to protect the runes, and thanked the party for their services. Unsatisfied, the heroes decided to follow the hired warriors. They buried the hermit in the forest, as they could find no way to revive him, and traveled on.

As they camped, they met a group of werewolves who were attacking the bloodied woman from before. Her name was Regina and it turns out that she was seeking her husband, who had been lost during a werewolf raid. They took her along and arrived at Fellheim, a city riddled with a strange mist.

There was a tear in the veil seperating their plane from the Feyrealm, and the party agreed to find out what was going on before continuing their quest towards Heilgard. They found out that the mist descended from the werewolves' keep beyond the city. They traveled towards the keep and met with Valdyr, the werewolf leader. They promised to find a way to remove the werewolf curse in exchange that the raids would stop. The werewolves gave the party 6 days time.

The found the Eladrin's ruin, where the witch who had cast the curse was rumoured to have been buried. They found her spirit resting atop of a tomb, and were told to bring her the blood of her descendant in order for her to show them the way to remove the curse. The party decided against keeping their word and managed to trick the witch into believing that Aidrien, the Changling, was her descendant. They proceeded with the ritual to revive the witch.

They fell into the ruin and traveled the dungeons, finding the witch at last. It turns out that the witch was a vampire. They received a grimoire with the way to undo the curse, and killed the witch (She was considerably weakened as they used the wrong blood for the ritual.) They returned to Fellheim on the 6^th day. They waited for the werewolf attack, and stalled them. They read the grimoire and found that the curse was never a curse. The young monk explained to Valdyr the situation, her words brimming with courage as her companions aided her speech. Valdyr swore onto the allegiance that his family had agreed to centuries ago, re-joining under the banner of the House of Gwrnal. The raids would cease, and the werewolves would learn to accept their beastial abilities. The mist cleared upon the horizon, and the heroes would resume the quest to Heilgard.

Aberrant Dreams and the Forces of Nature (Thurseblot 16- 24) :
Our heroes continued their march towards Vidirgala to take ship and reach Hofgitorp--the last city before they reached Heilgard. Along the way, they met Shrist, an Elven Hunter who had been seeking out some wanted criminals for bounty. She joined Druin's party and the heroes set up for camp, but not before Ying and Adrienne engaged in a snowball fight against Druin.

That night, they dreamt of a red sky, and a giant skull in the heavens replacing the moon. Its jaw gave way, and maggot-worms descended from the skull. They awoke, minds perturbed at what they had just seen. Quick the react to her surroundings, Shrist noticed the presence of unwanted company: a mindflayer who made clear that his intentions were to secure Adrienne into his plans. The aberration offered Adrienne an army of her own, to which she would be queen of, under the condition that she leave her companions. She refused his offer, and the mindflayer left, with promises that she would seek him out sooner or later.

The next morning, the party arrived at Vidirgala. The group separated ways in the market. Ying was to stock up on their supplies for the boat ride, Adrienne and Shrist went about their own ways, and Druin set off to find the bravest captain who would dare sail the Serpents' Sea.

Find her, he did. At the port, staring longingly out to the sea, was Captain Darvia. Druin requested that they be taken to Hofgitorp, and even convinced her to lower the price for which she was to take them. The party rejoined at the port and they set sail. Out on the sea, they encountered a sea serpent and its minions, and after a victorious battle, they reached Hofgitorp.

But they were too late. The entire village was set on fire, and above them, far in the sky, a black dragon soared. The party set out to find survivors. Upon reaching the jarl's longhouse, they found the General, who seemed to have gathered 5 ring-maps. He called out to his black dragon, and the heroes fought against it.

...and then they woke up. It was morning once more. Or was it? The heroes had been dreaming all along, no doubt something that the mindflayer had inflicted upon them. They set out--again.

They arrived at Vidirgala, and the party decided to visit the jarl of the region before setting out to sea. There, they encountered a Beholder, and together with the freelancing half-elf bard that had been present, they defeated it. The group, now accompanied by Inigo the Bard, set forth to find Capt. Darvia and her crew. It took much persuading and alcohol, as leaving the port was illegal by the General's orders, but they convinced her to take ship. They fought a Kraken.

They arrived at Hofgitorpwith chunks of meat from the kraken, they offered it to the jarl of the town and in exchange they jarl drugged the party and somehow they ended up closer to their destination. They woke up in the middle of a forest which they quickly identified as they one in their dreams, and if this was correct, heilgard was nearby. They reached Heilgard and were met by flames. However, these flames were set around in a ring around the city, for it was the Dragon's Festival. The same black dragon from their dreams appeared, soaring through the sky before disappearing from sight. The heroes walked on to the jarl's longhouse. They reached the longhouse just as the General was leaving it. He and Druin had a brief discussion, and upon agreeing that no one would be injured, the General would take his leave. And leave he did. Moments later, an agonized cry was heard from within the longhouse.

The jarl had been injured, severely, by the blade of the General. Angered by this, Druin swore to take revenge, and the party marched on.

Along their path, they reached a deserted monastery. Ying decided to remain there and find the reason undead walked its halls, and urged the party to continue their hunt of the General. In the monastery, she learned that the monastery had been attacked by creatures of the underworld, and that a being names the Sleeper was behind it all. She found the ancestral tablets belonging to the headmasters, and sought out the Sleeper with their help.

The Sleeper was was a headmaster and he went to look for missing students deep inside the caves built by dwarves long ago. He never returned, so a search party was sent. They found his body, deep in slumber. That was when the attacks from the Underworld began. Those few who survived trenched themselves in the monastery. Lured in by the Sleeper's powered, the mindflayer used it to drive those who survived mad. He had planned to lure Adrienne for an unknown purpose. Ying had to become a Sacred Fist of Zuoken in order to seal the Sleeper's essence within her, she did the ritual and became an Elan and merged her soul with the essence of the sleeper.


On their way to Uros, the party was attacked by Yuan-Ti slavers. Luckily, Ying had found their old companions and was able to assist them. After slaughtering the Yuan-Ti, Ying explained what happened back at the monastery. the next day the party set out for Uros.



The adventure begins with a powerful earth tremor and a wave of concussive force that ripples through the forest. The heroes traced the source to an ancient shrine where three ley lines converge. Yuan-ti have constructed six summoning beacons around this location and used them to summon forth a gargantuan elk that erupts from the ground, leaving behind a gaping rift to the Feywild. The sovereign elk lumbers toward the village of Uros, leaving shattered trees and a trail of knotted roots in its wake.
Ying redirected the sovereign elk away from inhabited areas but wasunable to harm it. The Uros militia arrived to harry the colossus, thus freeing the heroes to find another way to halt the elk’s advance.
If the adventurers had followed a ley line into the Stormbolt Highlands, they discover that it intersects with
a mysterious rune-etched wall recently excavated by Skarn Felstorm’s miners. They follow the ley line in
the opposite direction and step through the gaping rift left by the sovereign elk, they are transported to
an isolated valley in the Feywild. Following an obvious trail of destruction leads the adventurers to a damaged eladrin and elf stronghold situated where the Stormbolt Highlands would be located in the natural world. If the heroes convince the eladrin and the elves that they share a common enemy, they are welcomed into the stronghold.


The eladrin and the elves reveal that the sovereign elk is a beloved archfey, and they are eager to help the heroes lure it back into the Feywild. The heroes also learn that the sovereign elk is being used as a pawn to free a powerful naga exarch of Zehir trapped in a magical prison that Skarn’s miners accidentally unearthed. The heroes are given a vial of the sovereign elk’s blood that must be imbibed before they confront the archfey in the Stormbolt Highlands.
The Stormbolt Highlands militia, powerless to stop the sovereign elk, tries to steer it away from populated
areas as it advances slowly toward the mine, drawn to something trapped behind the rune-etched
wall. Meanwhile, a force of yuan-ti and snaketongue cultists confronts the Stormbolt Highlands militia.
The charaShrist took the vial and had figure out how to gain control of the sovereign elk before it reaches the cold iron prison buried below Skarn’s fortress. Shrist entered the Elk's twisted mind and there released the Archfey from his mental prison. The Elk returned to the Feywild. Inigo had died in an encounter with a troll in the feywild but adrianne took the feather left by the Valkyrie who took his soul and brought him back to life with the aid of the leader of Uros. The general they were looking for was imprisoned here, but died after the Elk destroyed half of the city.

The next day, the party received payment of 1,000 Platinum pieces (100,000 GP) for their assistance with returning the Arch-Fey into the Feywild. Uros had been destroyed, and the heroes decided to stay there to help with reconstructing the city. Druin went to visit the leader of Uros to request for the General's belongings, or, more specifically, the rings. The leader refused politely, and Druin rejoined the group. After a brief discussion, the party decided to revive the old hermit.
Adrienne and Ying purchased the components, and they took it to the center of the square. The leader was to help them with the ritual, but the heroes would have to battle the Valkyrie on their own. The Valkyrie descended from the sky, and they managed to defeat her.
The hermit was brought back to life.