Lord Ryhel

A member of the nobility, a man with considerable wealth (but not one of the major players in Stoneharbor though). He showed an unhealthy interest in the old Illithid ruins under the Paradise District, which ultimately led to his demise.

The party inherited his manor and made it their HQ.

## Quest for the Unknown

When the party gained ownership of the Ryhel Manor (later renamed as Frost Lodge) they also acquired the library and notes of the former Lord Ryhel. From it they have gained an understanding of what they have been involved in.

It all started about 120 years ago with the Imperium at the height of its power. The Arcane Directorium, the magical authority of the Imperium, decided that a new laboratory complex should be constructed where imperial mages would work in secret to discover the greatest arcane secrets. Such a complex would need to be well shielded and secret from the outside, but also fairly accessible. That is why they chose to excavate the ancient Illithid ruins under Stoneharbor, as the complex was already built and the ancient protective spells would make it easily defensible.

The excavation started in secret, hundreds of slaves were brought in to clear the old tunnels. For the first few months the work was progressing at a steady pace, but later the slaves started complaining of strange dreams and later the others had started experiencing them too. These dreams had no real theme or meaning, but they were strange and terrifying. Later the excavation reached the **Inner Sanctum** where they discovered a portal to a yet unknown plane. At this point a number of wizards suffered suspicious accidents or just disappeared, including the archmage leading the excavation. Soon a contingent of powerful wizards came to investigate the site and found that a large portion of the workforce has fallen under the influence of a being known as the **Great Old One**.

This being was worshiped as a god by the Illithid, but as far as the wizards and clerics could tell it was not a deity (at least not like the others), but an alien and unknowable being of immense power. It supposedly helped the Illithids establish their inter-planar empire and subjugate most other species to rule them as slaves. It disappeared not long before the Illithid civilization fell apart. It had been "slumbering" for millennia and the prophecies of the Illithid foretold that it will awaken "*when the stars align*" and the "*faithful make the ultimate sacrifice*". After learning these the Archmistress of Magic, one of the **Living Gods** ruling the Imperium, ordered the entire complex to be purged and then sealed. Several dozen of iron legionaries were sent into the complex, as the power of the Great Old One manifests mostly in swaying the mind of mortals, while the golems had none. The golems massacred the workers then the wizards sealed them in to act as guardians to prevent anyone from ever awakening the Great Old One. The seal of the Archmistress was supposed to keep the complex buried until the End of Time, but with the destruction of the Living Gods the seal weakened and eventually diminished, allowing people to enter the complex again.

Of course we would know nothing of these matters if not for ***Barnabas Aldori***, a young mining engineer who was chosen to be one of the foremen directing the work. Since his work involved occasionally leaving the complex the Directorium wizards put a spell on him that prevented him from revealing anything about the work he is doing to anyone except a Directorium mage. During the excavation of a particular chamber he happened upon a strange metal circlet lying in the rubble. He himself was unsure why but he decided to keep it for himself. He was struggling with nightmares like the others, but he noticed that having the circlet near him made his nights more peaceful. Later he tried it on and realized that it puts his mind at peace. Not only that, but it also lifted the mental block the Directorium put on him. He decided to keep it a secret and write a diary about his experiences. Every week when he was allowed to go to the surface he would leave what he has written that week in a hidden boy at his home in Stoneharbor. One week he did not return and a vague explanation was given by the imperial authorities that an accident claimed his life.

But his diary remained and was later discovered by his great-great-grandson **Reynard Aldori**, who was visiting from Meerport to research his roots. Reynard was a very successful merchant, but after reading the diary he became fascinated with the secret the ruins could hold. Later he decided to sell his business and devote all his time to research. He bought a noble title from an impoverished nobleman, founded the **Ryhel House** and moved to Stoneharbor where he had a manor constructed on the place of his ancestors old house. As **Lord Ryhel** he funded a secret excavation of the Illithid ruins in the Paradise District, which often required mercenaries provided by Shady to clear out the undead, and that is how he met the Avalanche, whom he later invited into his service.

In the meantime the stars once again aligned in the prophesized formation and the call of the slumbering Great Old One became strong enough to bend the will of Lord Ryhel and all who spent enough time in the complex. But his call was heard by others, the seelie fey of the Summer Court feared the return of the Great Old One so Prince Sagrell, one of the immortal leaders of the fey, sought to organize a group to prevent his return, the Children of Light**,** to whom he appeared as the Bright Lord. These cultists were instructed to lie in wait at potential sites where the Great Old One could be awakened and to try to stop those enthralled by him, whatever the cost. That is why they attacked Lord Ryhel's excavation. They were hoping to collapse the tunnels using gunpowder and raise the dead workers as an undead deterrent to further excavations.

But the Avalanche thwarted their plans and also managed to acquire a ring of an imperial archmage from the vaults of the Brass Embassy, one of the few artifacts that could open the magical seal to the Inner Sanctum (Note that Rhelora allowed the party to keep the ring after discovering the theft). This prompted Prince Sagrell to gather all his follower and mount an assault in order to prevent Lord Ryhel from reaching the Great Old One. But once again the Avalanche thwarted his plans and Lord Ryhel reached the altar and his death (at the hand of the Avalanche) served as the necessary sacrifice to awaken the Great Old One. Furious in defeat, Prince Sagrell brought the entire complex down, crushing the Avalanche and all others who were in it (fortunately Rhelora later pulled them out and had them resurrected to continue fulfilling their contract with her).

Now the Great Old One is awakened and it is unclear what will happen. Most clerics quickly assert the he is a deity of great evil, but most scholars agree that his nature is so alien and beyond our understanding that neither the "good" or "evil" labels have any meaning. No one knows what he wants and what will happen, but one thing is certain: the world will be changed forever.