No rest for the weary...
After felling the brutish Irontooth, we searched the kobol
d's lair. They had apparently been very active in looting the locals and travelers along the King's Road; over 400 gold pieces as well as a splendid suit of dwarven chainmail were found. However, the most interesting item we discovered was a bit of parchment addressed to Irontooth from someone by the name Kalarel.
It seems there is more afoot here than just a group of bandits raiding the outskirts of a remote town. After some brief discussion, we felt it wise to return to Winterhaven and inquire about our newly acquired information. As we made the trek back, storm clouds gathered in the north. I cannot shake the feeling that this is not a coincidence...
Our first stop was Valthrun's tower to visit its occupant, a scholar of some knowledge. It did not take much questioning for us to broach the subject of the letter and upon hearing the news, Valthrun ushered us into the tower with haste. He was not aware of anyone by the name Kalerel but was able to share with us some history of the rift mentioned in the letter. A keep was built upon the site of a portal between this plane and that of the Shadowfell, a place of darkness and evil. It seems this Kalarel is bent on re-opening that rift to terrorize the region. Valthrun urged us to stop this from happening as Winterhaven has no defenses to call upon.
We briefly stopped by Lord Padraig's residence to inform him of the situation, but he appeared to be suffering from some malaise and lethargy that was affecting the townsfolk. With no other aid apparent and time growing short, we left immediately for the Keep that Valthrun indicated being not far to the north of Winterhaven. We only hoped it would not be too late...
In its day, the Keep was probably an impressive structure; giving off the air of defense of the region, it is ironic its purpose was built to keep something in, not prevent outsiders from coming in. No defenses appeared to be present as we approached, however it seemed there had been a lot of recent activity to clear a path to a focal point where a stone stairway descended below the main level. With the storm clouds continuing to threaten outside, we forged downward into the Keep.
It did not take long to encounter some resistance inside. A small group of goblins attacked in what appeared to be a guard room, a small chamber at the foot of the stairs. They had obviously been expecting someone because they had dug a clever pit trap which poor Luthor ran right into and plunged into darkness. I suppose they did not anticipate such a massive individual such as Luthor to enter the pit as he easily escaped with an incredible display of athletics. Aside from the surprise of the pit, the goblins offered little in the way of a fight. It took only seconds for us to subdue the four of them and secure the area.
As we take stock of our surroundings, I wonder if this skirmish is only a lure to bring us deeper into darkness. What will we find in the tunnels ahead?
Region: Nentir Vale
XP Gained: ??? XP Total: 1068
GP Gained: 460 GP GP Total: Gweener tells us we have "a lot"
