Mission: A History of Stone

The group had all heard the stories about some sort of walled town to the east so they all head out together. 2 days in they discover that the land on the way seems to be embroiled in a gang/race/family(?) war between Rab Tribe and Yeez Clan. One goblin and the other kobold. A night ambush on day 3 was repelled after a retreat was called. On the 4th day the group discovers a walled town built by dwarves which is almost all ruins and beginning to be swallowed up by nature. By investigating a person-shaped growth, a great hedge labyrinth sprung up. Navigating maze monsters, they find the blocked West Gate of the **Mines of M'hordrau**. They burn their way out and report back to Farhaven.

## ***The Personal Journal of Solomon Kinsley - Twelfth Edition (by Solomon)***

*Entry 12.44*

Rowen has been a real dick today. He woke me up before sunrise to “do our part” standing guard just outside the city walls. OUTSIDE the city walls. What are the walls even for if you stand outside them?

And of course, appearing like I was overly concerned with security got me “invited” on an expedition to the east. Haunted ruins aren’t exactly the sort of place I’m eager to visit. Rowen tried to explain that if they’re in fact haunted, then rooting out the specters proactively is a safer way to deal with them, but I’m sure he’s full of it. He just sees it as another chance for glory for the Kinsley name. Anyways, I guess I’m going.

It’s an interesting group going on the journey, at least. Troom is a loxodon, which I’ve never seen before, but I remember hearing tales back home. Darut and Maxwell both look incredibly uncomfortable in these lands, but they both seem like capable adventurers. And Rheinhart is at least very brave, if a bit young and headstrong. We should be able to handle what comes our way, I suppose. I mean, unless there are actual ghosts. Then we’re fucked.

*Entry 12.45*

Travel today was pretty uneventful. It’s a couple days to the ruins, and we’ve been pretty much unmolested so far. I think Rowen understands he’s been a little overbearing recently. He’s spent much of the trip so far giving me encouragement and laudations for my “bravery.” He’s also spoken about “unlocked potential,” and told me that if our group needs nourishment to simply create it myself.

I don’t know what he’s talking about exactly, but I do feel like there’s something going on with my body. There are a lot of sensations and a weird strength that I’ve never felt before. Like puberty, except I’m a million years old. I assume everyone else is going through the same sorts of things in this strange world, so I’m keeping my mouth shut. Because if they’re not, I don’t want to be the weirdo in the group. I’ve seen what happens to outcasts.

*Entry 12.46*

Of course.

We apparently have wandered into some sort of feud or land war between rival factions. The others were reading some signage and what-not, but Rowen had me on high alert when we ventured into what seemed to be some sort of boundary line, complete with impaled goblin and kobold skulls. I’ll be surprised if we manage to get through this warzone alive. I suggested that we pick a side and try to curry favor by attacking the other, thereby negotiating safe passage to our destination, but my party members (as well as loudmouth Rowen) didn’t think there was any honor in that. As if honor matters to a corpse.

*Entry 12.47*

We were set upon by kobolds last night. I saw Rheinhart and Darut and Troom and Maxwell in action, and I have to say, they worked like a well-oiled machine. I was barely awake, running around with a torch, trying to find something to whack, and in a matter of less than a minute, our attackers had been killed or routed. I have to admit that Rowen was right about joining up with this group. I have no doubt that they kept me alive last night.

Back on the move.

*Entry 12.48*

We found the ruins, set into the hills, and they were considerable. It looks like a robust dwarven city was there, before time and decay had their way with it. We started looking around when we arrived, and the group’s curiosity got away from me. Before I could wrangle them back, Rheinhart, Maxwell and Darut each struck out into the dilapidated keep. Troom and I remained in the center of the area, when apparently Rheinhart disturbed some remains or something, and massive shrubs were unearthed. It was a damned labyrinth, complete with hungry vine monsters.

Troom and I tried to signal to our companions our location, and we headed inward towards the large door we had seen upon our arrival. We had to fight through a couple of angry plants, and dodge several more, but we were able to reconvene at the foot of a larger hill, into which a massive stone door was built. Maxwell began torching the aggressive plantlife while Troom and Rheinhart investigated the door. There was a large amount of debris in front of it, which apparently was put there intentionally, no doubt to keep some terrible monster on the other side. Rowen suggested we clear the way and slay whatever monstrosity was inside, but this time I put my foot down. And mercifully the rest of the party agreed. We’re heading back, with reports on the location and the potential dangers, including the apparent gang war that rages along the route.

I look forward to staying home while other adventurers set out to explore and defend Farhaven, at least for a few days.

## A History of Stone (by Rheinhart)

Oh happy day!  Another new arrival just yesterday and he’s a wizard named Maxwell! Both he and Troom were headed off to the mountains for some business I was not paying attention to and just volunteered to help so I could show Troom what I’ve been practicing and maybe see if this Maxwell fellow would also be my mentor. My star sailor buddy Darut was tagging along as well as an eccentric fellow, Solomon. I think he might know something about magic, but he’s extremely evasive and/or defensive whenever we talk, so I figured it’s best to leave him be until he gets comfortable in Farhaven.

At first camp, I tried to show off a fire starting minor spell to Troom to show him how well I’ve been practicing but I think the pressure of demonstrating it caused me to mess something up and out spat a think green blob of snot instead of a mote of fire. And the smell… I had to move upwind. Troom reassured me that I’m making great progress in such a short time. He’s very patient with me. I tried to get Solomon to talk about that book he scribbles in, but that just made him alarmed, so I let the matter drop. It must be a personal journal and having kept one myself for a while, the reaction is understandable.

As we approached the foothills, we started to encounter more and more “rocks that were spaced out fairly regularly”. It didn’t really mean much at first. Then we found some strangely shaped skulls on tall spikes. Maxwell used a skull like a hand puppet. Amusing fellow! I misread the obvious warnings as a sign to stick to the path and not wander from it to either side. This went on for some miles. At one point, we came to a large space with lots of spiked skulls and even a couple of erected signs written with strange letters. Well, one of them was a language I could understand. The others called the language “Draconic” but the runes were familiar to me as just an old form or runes from the northern reaches. Come to think of it, they did worship a “World Serpent”. Maybe my world isn’t so different after all. Anyway, the sign said “Rab Triib Only”. We later find out the Rab Tribe is a bunch of smaller beings known as “kobolds” which are tiny lizardmen. Solomon managed to read the other size and it said “Yeet Clan Land” which we suspect are a bunch of “goblins”, although we never saw one up close.  I could have sworn they were leprechauns, but they left us alone mostly. Only those kobolds tried to ambush us at the very foot of the mountain.

Those tiny dragon-men, pardon me -- kobolds, are deadly accurate with this slings. However, our group would not be taken easily by night time ambush. We let one get away so he could tell the rest of his tribe not to mess with us anymore or they will suffer the same fate as the rest of their attack squad. It was after this when I finally realized we were indeed headed to explore some “haunted ruins” up in the mountain range. I hope it’s just rumors and not filled with those living corpses like what we found at that sawmill the other day.  Ew.

Maxwell is some kind of living machine. I don’t understand that term at all. Machine-man? Metal-man? Magic-metal-man? He does not eat, but he says he has a heart. He showed Troom his brain, so I asked if he could show us his heart. Then he screeched something awful and seemed delirious so I never did get to see his heart. He practices “rune magic” which he tried to teach me some basic stuff, but it was way beyond my understanding. Although I did understand about a third of the words he used, so that’s something! I love his little flying metal snake companion, Edison. Maxwell said I could summon something like Edison if I learned magic, too. I’m looking forward to that day!

We found the ruins in the mountains just where the rumors said it was located, but it seemed empty and deserted. The outer wall was mostly intact, but the gates had fallen due to age as they were not battered down like they would have been if the city were besieged. Near the front gate, a couple of vine covered statues still stood watch. I ripped down the vines and viewed large statues of dwarves. At first the group stuck together in the middle of the city, but Maxwell wandered off a bit and so I naturally wandered off too, exploring. Its a flaw of mine, I know. I found a dead body covered in vines. I called Maxwell over to have a look. I started trying to uncover the body to see what was under the vines like the dwarven statues at the gates. I pulled at one vine near the mouth of the victim and it just kept pulling and pulling and pulling and… that’s when it happened.  Vines and giant bushes sprang to life before our very eyes and filled the city with a giant hedge maze. By this time, many of us were spread out and now isolated.

I pointed towards the gates at the back of the city that led into the mountain. They were the only landmark still easily visible above the maze of plant growth, so Maxwell and I started off in that direction. We wound around the edge of the city mostly unharmed, but we had to squeeze by the hedges at one narrow spot in order to get to the gates. Things from inside that living hedge came out and attacked us. The hedge itself wrapped vines around me and started to drag me in. Maxwell broke free, backed out of its reach and started pelting it with motes of fire as I hacked away with my zwei-hander to get free of its grasp.

Once fighting our way past that narrow spot, we came to the foot of the stairs leading to the mountain gate. Back in the city, we saw the giant magic arrow pointing down at Troom as he, Solomon, and Darut came out of the city heading to the same place as Maxwell and I were headed. Great minds think alike, they say, and after today, I have to agree!  I’m so glad we all made it out of that deadly maze alive.

Once we stood in front of the gates that led into the mountain, we saw they had a column or three collapsed to ensure the gates stayed shut as if locking something inside the mountain. Curious. Even more curious was the fact that of the five of us, only I could read the script engraved above the gates: “Mines of M'hordrau: West Gate”.  M’hordrau, the famous homeland of the dwarves. Why is a famously mythical dwarven city written in an ancient form of script from my own homeland? My mind is numb to the myriad of possibilities and questions this revelation has shown me.

Having no further business in these ruins, Maxwell used his newfound love of torching the vines to burn a path straight back to the outer gates to the city so we could head home to Farhaven. The return journey is quiet, but we maintain vigilant watch throughout just in case those warring tribes decided to mess with us again. I look forward to learning magic from both Troom and Maxwell once we get back to town.

P.S. “Yeez Clan”, not Yeet.