From Sterling to Stone

"From Sterling to Stone" (C1.S08.1) is a one-shot in the first campaign of The Vanguard.

## Synopsis

After the party arrives at the Whack & Tally, they begin to ask around as to the whereabouts of the deep gnome alchemist by the name of Umbodoben. Umbodoben's name appeared among the names on the ledger recovered by General Grom's team next to Fa-Sujo, and the Vanguard believes that his life is similarly under threat.

Investigations with the barkeep reveal to the party that they are too late to catch Umbodoben. However, while asking around they notice and further investigate a pair of robed and tattooed individuals, now believed to be assailants from the Monomaterial. Following the tattooed individuals to the second floor, they find them barricaded in Umbodoben's room, ransacking it. After kicking down the door, the party manages to slay one of the assailants as the other leaps out the window.

The party pursues the second assailant on foot through the streets and markets of Waterdeep down to the wharf. They arrive just in time to witness as another tattooed individual stands over unconscious deep gnome, Umbodoben, amidst a gathered crowd. Sand and soil swirl around them in a grand magical display before there is a large explosion, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

From out of the cloud, several small swarm of dust mephits, a cadre of mud golems, and a mighty earth elemental all appear one by one as the cloud slowly dissipates, and the crowd quickly disperses. The party manages to slay all of the earthen beings as well as the Monomaterial assailants, saving the life of Umbodoben.

The deep gnome has since been brought back to Vanguard headquarters. He has shared with us that he was presenting a new alchemical process he discovered through which a theoretically infinite supply of silver can be generated. He claims that the assailants magically tampered with his experiment, opening a portal to the elemental plane of earth. Aside from eliminating Umbodoben, the exact nature of their goal is not yet clear at this time. Credit must go to the Vanguard members sent on this assignment for their quick judgement and valiant actions.

## Guild Dispatches

The following are messages from the guild members who participated in the mission. They contain valuable information the guild can use to piece together clues.

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> *From: Opal Daraln*
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> *To: Spark Ascendant, Sentinels Grace*
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> *~~Dear Spark Asc To necessary vang~~ I am pleased to report my first successful mission as a member of The Vanguard. We had quite the group: Vahorn, Ampel, Emi, Bastion, Graak, and myself. I must admit, it was both a comfort and relief to have a mix of new and experienced members for our task.*
> *After our debrief concluded, we made quick work of traveling to the Wackintali, not a far trek still being in Waterdeep. It was an… interesting establishment, but ultimately a bar and inn like any other, I suppose. Several Vanguard members went to the barkeep to… discreetly acquire information and it didn’t take long for us to recognize some odd behavior from two suspicious figures.*
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> *We tracked them to an Inn room, where a scuffle occurred. It was the oddest thing; Emi got some good hits in and this being simply combusted. Never seen anything like it before. Just prior, they mumbled some nonsense about “to bring the stars unto the earth,” which didn’t make a lick of sense to me, but I think Vahorn and Graak might have recognized it.*
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> *I do regret to inform you that we were unable to ascertain who exactly these individuals may have been as, I’ll continue to detail, none were left for us to question. Things happened all so quickly after that. Our group took chase as one of the suspects had vaulted from the window. I decided on a different route, wanting to leave the barkeep with some form of compensation for our deeds that may or may not have left that poor inn room in a questionable state.*
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> *We ultimately found ourselves at the water's edge, confronting a new hooded figure who was able to summon forth a sand storm, and conjure little mephits of the same element to fight on their behalf. What a dreadfully irresponsible use of magic. This is where we also located our priority target, Bilbron, who Graak was able to thankfully stabilize mid-fight.*
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> *I find myself filled with a sense of pride, recalling the events, at how well our party worked together to bring down these foes. A few more mud monsters and a towering rock golem joined the battle against us, but it made no difference in our victory. In all my years working around and with stone, never had any hit that hard before. This is where we also located our priority target, Bilbron, who Graak was able to thankfully stabilize mid-fight.*
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> *As the dust settled, literally, all were left standing with some bumps and bruises for our efforts. We rushed Mr Umbodebem back to the guild hall for his safety. You’ll find that we recovered a few documents from the inn that may contain small details as we review them further. Also, please let me know if Bilbron requires any further healing, as I’d be happy to provide care on behalf of the Vanguard.*
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> *- Faenor Opal Daraln*
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> *Additional note: These figures had noticeable markings. I’ve attempted to replicate what I recall below in case it provides any useful information.*
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> *(Original Source)*
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> *Emi Moonriver’s first adventure with the Vanguard started as all good adventures should, sampling a glass of mead at a tavern. The mead was so-so, the barkeep unhelpful. So, Emi followed her companions upstairs chasing two robed assailants with interesting tattoos. While Ampul, Bahorn, Opal, Graak, and Bastian were busy breaking into the room and destroying the exterior wall, Emi’s sacred flame dispensed one of the assailants. The other assailant jumped out of the building so Emi grabbed a bottle of mead and some papers, and leaping out of the opening she called to Graak to catch her-which he did, sort of. Being a devout cleric, Opal ran back downstairs and tossed coin to the barkeep for the damages.*
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> *The party chased the remaining assailant through the crowded streets of Waterdeep to a square standing over their target Umbodeden, who appeared to be unconscious. Most of the heroes stepped into the fray, while Emi stayed at a safer distance. She noticed an observer counting the number of her drinks, so she finished the mead and cast Chromatic Orb at its strongest power. As per usual, when the mead was gone, her spellcasting ability decreased. Yet still she was able to assist in vanquishing the remaining tattooed figure, and all of the creatures they conjured. The clerics in the group stabilized Umbodeden and took him to safety.*
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> *All in all, it was a successful mission and Emi looks forward to adventuring with these travelers again.*
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> *- Emi Moonriver*
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> *From: Ampel*
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> *To:Whomever is in charge (IDC)*
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> *After action report. We blew up a room, broke out a window and frame at some hotel or other, destroyed a glass pane that was being carried, killed some mephits, mud golems and a rock golem. Unfortunately killed the tattooed bad guys, should have kept them alive for questioning. But, whatever, they are dead now. Bill the deep gnome is alive. Some experiment or other with silver is good to go. All in all, very successful. Target achieved.*
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> *- Ampel*
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1. ↑ Be aware that this is told from the player’s perspective of the adventure. Details and happenings may have been presented with some liberties taken to fill in the blanks from poor memory and scribbled notes. Other players should be asked about their views of what happened, and are also welcome to type their stories to share.