A Bear on Fire
DM-Reddestmage
Players: Araurian, Tar, Naga, Gabriel, Nikas, Lilith
The day had just began when the group of us gathered up at the Axe and Thistle to investigate reports from some farmers of fires being set out in the plains. While they did not have specific information about the cause we could tell that what was going on was not natural.
After just a few hours after setting out from White Moon Cove we detected a disturbance in some near by bushes, I prepared my self and shouted warning to the party ready to take on yet another rampaging bush. The party mocked me but I could still remember the poison coursing through my veins from the last time a bush attacked me.
Fortunately, the bush was not aggressive and out pop a strange little fellow and I could tell right away he was in some great distress. I ask him what was wrong and I could sense great despair and loss and could see images in my mind of his home being destroyed by fire. Knowing that Pinkybrain, as I came to call him, could guide us to the location of the disturbance we enlisted him as our guide and set off to find the source.
Not soon after we were greeted by some fire snakes that were up to no good. There were four of them and they look like they were headed toward town
After we defeated them I felt a strange rumbling under the ground and a loud strange sound emanating from a nearby cave. The first thing I thought was that more of these creatures were marshaling underneath us and were going to burst forth from the cave. I warned the party about this and we moved to higher ground but after a few moments nothing came out of the cave, so we moved up to investigate it with Gabriel in front.
We found some stair leading downward and a strange door blocking our path, it had three symbols that I remembered, a whirlwind, a lightning bolt, and a bearded man. I quickly felt that we might be facing some form of elementist, given that the fire snakes are not normally found on this plane. Naga opened the door and we proceeded in there was a strange hallway with a red door to our left a blue door to our right and another large door to the north. We tried opening the northern door but to no avail. Nikas then checked the wall and found them strange and we could hear strange clicking noises. The blue and red doors were also locked and both had strange gems embedded in them. Gabriel conjured up a feathery hand and found that activating the gem on one door allowed the opposite one to be opened. We opened the blue door first and were greeted by a blast of cold air and four small impish creatures. The creatures raked at us with their claws and covered us with their icy breath, but they were not match for our group, even with them blowing up on death. Inside the cold room was the bony remains of a poor adventure, Nikas discovered this later using some form of divination magic.
The red room proved slightly tougher as it was a fire room and unlike the ice room the four denizens were hiding in molten lava pools. Poor Doug was consumed by the creatures and I could tell Nikas took it kind of hard even though he held back his emotions. Once these creatures were sent back to their proper plane the northern door became accessible to open. Beyond the northern door was larger room. At the far side were two-man sized fire elemental creatures flanking yet another door, and as the party debated as to what to do I moved forward cloaking myself in invisibility to look around the corner of the room expecting to see two Ice elementals on the near side because at this point the elemental theme and the number four was stuck in my head.
The fire creatures were saying something, so I moved up to see if I could better understand them when suddenly they lit up with strange glowing lights and then rushed forward. One of the fire creatures lit me on fire while the other rushed pass towards the rest of the party. These two creatures were very tough, but we were holding our own when they decided to go get reinforcement. I was just going to disengage but then it was like a strange voice was whispering in my mind, “If not you, Who?”, and I knew what I had to do. The Fire must be stopped.
After defeating the Fire creatures they explodes in a splash of water, and were able to enter the last room. It was filled with lots of books and magic looking stuff, but most obvious was the portal structure sitting on a large platform with a book and three orbs, the orbs were made out of different material one was wood, another was glass, and the third was stone. The orbs had letters on them in different languages a Y in infernal on the wood one, a U in merfolk on the glass one, and an M in giant on the stone one.
We search the room for clues but there was too much we did not understand, at least the book had pictures in it, and depicted folks using the portal near White Moon Cove. The drawing were of such quality that I recognized two people in the picture as being Jabb and Te’sil. I do not know them personally but have seen them quite often at White Moon Cove and in passing at Ruined Oak. We could not determine what the intent of the room and the book meant, so we checked every nook and cranny and noticed that one of the books on the shelf was titled “The Storm Lord’s Decree”. I knew nothing of this and there was so much activity and with everyone talking it was hard to follow the conversations. But we discussed what the owner curiosity with WMC portal and inhabitants were, whether they were a friend or foe, what their connection to the Storm Lord was, and why so many languages. Our leader Naga then decided that the safest course of action would be to lay the portal flat to prevent who ever was responsible for this room and the elemental from sneaking up on us. Sadly however as Naga and Araurian pressed on the portal the stone frame cracked and gave way, only the Metallic ring remained. Figuring we had already done enough damage I headed back the entrance with Nikas carrying the three orbs, while I watch Araurian pick up the books and some of the papers. I had just gotten back to the entrance when I could smell smoke and as the other moved up to join Nikas and I they told us they had set the room on fire just to be safe. I was unsure what consequence this action would have.
We set up camp after leaving the cave as night time was upon us and I took the time to learn the rat form from Mister Pinkybrain. We did have one encounter that night as a large strange beast with hooked claws came barreling through the forest knocking over trees as it went. It spotted us but I convinced it that there was easier prey to be had, as the party formed a strong defensive line. The creature took the hint and departed and we continued our rest.
We headed back to White Moon Cove at first light and as we approached the town we encountered a travailing Kenku Artist, I bought one of his painting that I thought would look good in the inn. The Kenku indicated I think that his home was to the south and after a few pleasantries we departed and Araurian and I arrived at the Axe and Thistle to find someone who might understand the book and the purpose for the orbs. That is when we met Equinox.