Thankful of the healing hands from the followers of Muir. Everyone is taken care of. Now back to full strength the group continues on with following these lonely tracks. Hours go by with nothing worth looking upon. A miracle that the sky is clear and no wind to hamper your vision. Over a rise you see several creatures attacking what looks to be a person. Getting closer you see several Babubu demons fighting the looks of a Satyr? Making quick work to fell the demons, you engage in conversation with Hrolf. Names are exchanged and after some time you let him in your fold after hearing what story he has to tell.
You learn that the tracks you’ve been following has a high possibility at leading to an oasis if you can believe it out in this wasteland. Hrolf leads you to believe that its not something he wants to go back to. Druids and trees attack him and his party. He barely survived. Wisely choosing to avoid the place everyone decides to head west toward the trade way. Another full day of traveling is meet with a full day of sitting at camp while a Downpour of Acid rains from the sky.
Seeing the partly cloudy skies on the following day showing signs of promise you head out due north west and encounter a phantom ghost with a sand dwelling monster. Hrolf get’s swallowed up but the party makes quick work of the creature and pulls him out. The remainder of the day is spend west. Feeling tired from all this traveling, you consult the map and feel that the road is only hours away. Everyone conjures up what remaining stamina they have and continue on, those that lag behind feel that temporary relief of holy magic.
Alas the road comes into sight and you camp for the night, only to be attacked by life draining undead. Several well placed magical arrows, bursts of holy magic and a timely light based spell destroys the creatures.
Discussing what next to do, you guys decide to follow the road north. After several hours of traveling you spot what looks to be two bodies lying on the ground some distance to the east of the road. Seeing nothing else, several of you move up to investigate. Taking your time to examine the bodies you note that both a dwarven and human body lay dead before you. It seems that either they had a quarrel with each other, self mutilated or something attacked them without leaving tracks. Nevak spots some a pair of humanoid tracks venturing off to the east. Moments later several members hear growling sounds close by from the north. Ghoul wolves have come to taste some flesh. Combat ensues and the wolves are no match for the adventurers.
Debating between following the new tracks or continue on the road north to the crossroads then west to tsar. Seems everyone votes for the tracks. Nevak leads to party east easily following the tracks. Hours later a bone storm blows by, but everyone is safe due to the wizard’s magic.
Camp is set up for the night, Nevak on watch duty notices a pack of ghoul wolves slowly creeping towards them. Arrows are fired, destruction magic is unleashed and the wolves are no more.
Bright and early the group continues on following the footsteps. In the distance boulders break the bleak environment that’s been so depressing and bland. Through the haze you spot a frail knight atop a bony horse. The symbol of Muir brazen and marred on its chest. Attempts to hail go awry as the figure charges towards the group intending to do battle. Shouts of confusion and talks of negotiation are eventually forgotten as the unknown knight refuses to yield. The group’s only course is to give him death. Right before he falls, the knight words only a few words. “My memoirs are in the Rat’s Roost”
PIcking back on the trail that now turns north west the party spends the rest of the day crumbling about the bleak weather and these accursed tracks. Almost time before finding a location to set camp, you spot a large whole out on the sand. Curious everyone investigates, looking down near the edge you see that the whole is a small dip to a chiseled stone structure with a 10ft whole. Lancalin slips in the sand and almost tumbles down the whole, holding on to the lip just in time. Everyone makes it down to the structure and several people help Lancalin up. A source of light is tossed down the whole and observations are made. You see a 50 ft drop to a damaged room below. Several pillars can be seen destroyed and are laying astrun about the place. A dwarven stone slab can be seen on the northeastern wall. Webs can be seen all along the walls.
Taking turns, the party decides to descend below and explore. Once everyone is down you find a magical rock atop a dwarven shrine. The dwarf god Dwarfter is carved in the stone. Seems this place was constructed my dwarfs. Talster decides to look around for another passage and tosses a illuminated rock at the base of a 20ft wide passage covered in coat of spider web. Unbenounced to him a huge spider strikes out and bites him. He feels weak from the bite. Almost dizzy from the fangs. The shouts of combat can be heard as everyone scrambles to fight this new threat. Magic, arrows, weapons are all turned aside against this creature. Fear in the minds over several members, the call of retreat is issued. Taslter knowing he won’t make it trys to fight the creature to his last. Everyone makes it out of the pit, with several close calls, where others almost fell. The whole to small for the large portion of the spider to fit through. You hear it hissing in distance at the lack of fleshy morsels that it missed out on.
Lancalin falls to the sand yards away from the spider. He too has been bit and the spiders poison has been working on him. Everyone now decides to move away a safe distance and rest for the night.
After spending several minutes checking for any more signs of monsters in the hills following an encounter with a Pryo-Hydra. Your group continues north towards the Desolation. Nevak can tell its only a few more hours till you see the encroaching wasteland.
Little did you expect a shamble of housing smack dab in the middle of the old trade ways. Lancalin giving the order for the group to hold back while a small delegate investigates the rundown hamlet. Moments upon entering the camp a Crazed Hill Giant called Gurg charged forth and gave your small group a rude awakening. After a fierce clash the Giant met his match and was slain by your adopted methods. Cody and Jayret was a threads breath away from seeing their maker. You go about the camp seeing few locals, most of them either crazy, undead or downright evil. Unsure about what to do, you guys head back to camp and mull over your plans that night. During 1st watch Nevak meets a mysterious peddler in the night. Buying a rotten codfish and only getting a cryptic voice in exchange.
During daybreak Cody spends some time talking with several of the group. Listening to their stories and hearing rumors about the Desolation.
After everyone was done with their morning duties, camp is packed up and everyone makes way on the old traders way through camp. You can see several individuals come out as you ride by. Paying no heed you venture out into the unknown. Your first foray is met by clear skies and no wind. The air is still, giving you a somber and depressing feeling. Some of you know that in this place thousands met their end here.
The old trade route is well worn and damaged out here. Traveling on it is difficult, costing you extra time to navigate.
You can see out for about 1.5 miles. Anything farther is a haze of chalky dust. To the east the ground seems to be mostly chalky sand in nature. Small dunes can be seen in the distance. To the west the ground looks like hard earth coated with a thin line of chalk. You can make out protrusions of bone sticking out through the landscape.
Several hours of traveling is spent on alert. Yet nothing peaks your interest. No creature disturbs your journey. Nevak at the front of the caravan spots an oncoming white dust storm hastening speeding towards you all from the east. Without a moment to lose he rounds everyone up, shouting instructions against the windstorm. The wizard’s both conjure up a protective dwelling for a small group. Lancalin opting out to give another his place.
A loud howling noise can be heard as the storm crashes into the caravan. Covering everything in a thick powdery dust. Visibility is cut down to 6ft. Anyone outside the protective bubble feels sharp knicks from random objects in the storm. Not knowing how long the storm will last, Lancalin prepares himself. 11 mins past and the storm fades away. Minutes go by and when the dust settles you everyone outside the hut is laying on the ground covered in dust, bone fragments. None stir when you call to them. Moving over to them you can see that there are many lacerations on their body. The white chalky dust covering their nose and mouth.
You all prepare a burial service for the dead. A rough estimate is 23+ bodies. Afterwords you discuss if you its wise to travel in the desolation with your followers.
A follower of Iori has located the old shrines of Muir and Thyr. Inside he found a set of orders in the archives issued by Zelkor during the Battle of Tsar that somehow survived and were transported back to civilized lands. These orders detail the assignment of the paladin lord Bishu and his company, adherents to the faith of Muir, to hold the city of Tsar and await relief from the Army of Light.
The fact that he never returned and possibility that he or some of his command may have survived for some time at Tsar holding to their duty has ignited the church hierarchy. What did Bishu accomplish during his time in the city? Do his bones, surely now sacred relics of the church, still rest there awaiting repatriation? Could he or any of his knights somehow by the grace of the gods have survived all the intervening span of years and man their posts still awaiting relief? The Church has asked for volunteers to venture forth into the desolation and find out what happened. Returning any relics they come across.
Lancelin seeing as no one moved to speak, filled you with shame in your fellow brothers that they wouldn’t step forward and retrieve their fallen brothers. Breaking the silence by pulling forth your sword and rising it up in posture. “I will go north and return our brethren home. I will find out what has happen.”
Letters were sent to various influential organizations and people.. The Wizards Guide sent two of its own to assist in your quest. Pledging their knowledge and arcane discoveries. Informing you that they too are here to recover arcane relics for the Tower. The Society of Arms has hired you a guide through the foothills into the north. A solid man at arms with skills in swordplay. This way you won’t lose your way, and having a extra muscle around wouldn’t hurt.
You spend the remainder of your time collecting the items or information you will need for your trip. Saying any farewells to friends, colleagues, family that you hold dear. You know that the desolation is roughly 300 miles to the north. The trade way hasn’t been used in years. The trek north will take some time.
The northern wall of Bard’s Gate looks out over a vast river valley disappearing into purple hills in the hazy distance.
The mighty gates fixed in that wall rarely open anymore. On the few occasions when the north gates do open to allow entrance to the occasional merchant caravan or especially daring traveler, they reveal a wide road, paved with great stone flags forming a smooth and level traveling surface striking due north for the hills. However, closer inspection reveals the signs of a lack of maintenance, and after a few miles the road deteriorates into little more than a wide dirt track, overgrown with weeds and with only the occasional stone paver visible in the hard soil. It obviously sees little travel and even less care.
Few stand atop Bard’s Gate’s north wall and gaze out upon that hazy vista or care to think about what lies beyond those distant highlands. Fewer still are brave or foolish enough to make the journey in that direction. Bard’s Gate relies on its commerce from other roads in other directions and pays no mind to the north, for to the north, beyond the village of Taverlan and the distant purple hills and across many leagues, lies the reminder of one of the most tragic moments in the history of the civilized kingdoms. To those who even care to remember, the north gate leads only to bad memories or mournful legend. To the rest it leads to where only madmen would dare to go—the ruined city of Tsar and the great Desolation that surrounds it.
After several weeks of travel, during which time your characters will have had time to exchange names, discuss policies of the quest once in the desolation and combat tactics incase you’re forced to defend yourselves. Nearing the end of the hill lands out before you for miles is a barren land. White chalky dust is all your see, with shrivelled sticks poking out from the land periodically. In the distance still you can tell that their is a large storm pelting the land with its might. A sudden roar close by brings your attention back. To your north west you hear load stomping noises and the sounds of foliage breaking. As you see a multi-headed flaming reptile make way for your position.
Nevak peers thru the tree outcropping and fires several arrows. You all hear a whine as a arrow burrows thru one of the creatures many necks. Lancelin pulls forth his sword to do battle with the creature. Just by looking at it, he knows that its a evil spawn. Verlis informs the group that its a rare Pryo-hyrda. She invokes a few lines of magical chant and gives Lancelin some increased strength. Baeltas points out his hands and with a gleam in his eye conjure up some quasi invisible form. All the heads swing to look at this new form. The Hydra roars out a challenge but before it could do anything it shutters and shrieks before it falls over motionless.