The Sunken Keep

The Middlelands - Spring 722 - Aethia, Kriv, IV

Aethia had spent some time during the winter investigating Orc tracks found around her hunting grounds, these tracks led back to an old keep in the swamps. Thinking she needed help she called on her newly found adventuring friends.

As the winter snows began to melt, Aethia travelled to Welton to request the aid of IV, as Kriv had been neglecting to answer her letters Aethia asked Fillmore the wizard to contact the Dragonborn. Kriv would meet the pair in Ambroton.

They then traveled north through The Blackleaf Woods and entered the Undying Bayou. As the woods became too think and the ground too wet, IV was forced to leave behind Duos the man and his carriage. As the trio arrived at the building door, rather than pick the lock IV smashed his way into the flooded interior. The construct bypassed the rooms around the entrance and marched straight into the structure. Soon the party were ambushed in the wet darkness by the orcs.

The party killed and pursued the attackers further into the keep. Where they were attacked by zombies made of plant matter. After killing these and examining the corpses, these turned out to be local peasants infected with a fungal entity.

In the most flooded part of the keep the heroes found what seemed to be the source of the fungus. They attempted to burn the wet plant so some success and then left to further clear the building.

They came to a makeshift throne room, finding the Orc leader and his bodyguards. After killing the Orcs the leader plead for his life, uncharacteristically the party let the Orc leave, after he had told them how to completely remove the fungus.

The group then entered the refuse room of the keep, where they were set upon by a Black Pudding, both IV and Kriv lost their shields in the fight but they defeated the ooze and found a magic sword. They decided to reexamine the fungus growth in the flooded chapel. Thye learned that they had not quite been successful in destroying the mould, IV knew that this fungus released spores when disturbed and that it was most likely Aethia and Kriv had been infected. IV left to retrieve the coals and braziers from his carriage.

As they left towards the entrance the party noticed the two doors they had missed on entry. In the ransacked kitchen they found a small pouch of Dust Of Dryness. They knew they could use this to remove the mould infection from the keep. After some experimentation IV knew that he would need to cast silence to avoid sound damage to himself and companions.

After the chapel was completely dried and the mould removed, they went to leave and seek medical aid for their infection. Aethia was stopped from leaving by her curiosity at the final unopened door, scrawlled in charcoal on the wood were the words "no open".

The three heroes did open, as IV applied more dust of dryness he was attacked by four plant zombies, the group dealt with their foes with ease and left the sunken keep feeling that they had accomplished the removal of the invasive fungus.

The party knew they had limited time before the fungal infection would become a major issue, they had a day at most to find help. Aethia knew that the Church of Eilistraee could help then but Nightwood was too far away. IV believes that Bishop Rittingham most certainly had the power to heal his friends.

After carefully navigating the town of Ambroton during the night the party believed they did not spread their infection and arrived at the Church of Om, where IV requested the aid of the Bishop. Rittingham laid his hands on the now exhausted Kriv and Aethia, curing them with his Greater Restoration magic.

They rested.