Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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"If Caellia's gift does not sooth the material desire's of our cantankerous Mage, Tyr has granted me additional capabilities that should remove this ill omen from him."
<Lesser Restoration likely not going to work on a Curse. However Greater Restoration should remove it.>
Kragen casts his Greater Restoration. Under normal circumstances, he would expect any Curse to be lifted. The Glyph of Greed remains bound to Starker, however. The spell is unsuccessful.
/OOC. Can't one of these Solar disciples cure him?
Raguelion has prescribed the cure. It is done once his instruction is followed.
Starker:”Thank you both for the attempt. I am in your debt. The damp will dry as we wend our way towards the calcining fire.
“I left a great deal of valuable material on my pack animal at the entrance to our plane’s narthex to the path that led us to the protolich. If would fain be returned their after we have accomplished the destruction of Illiandal’s fell instruments.
”Then we will alert Xagyg of our presence on his plane and he can come get the staff.
“That is, unless those of you who have more wisdom deem some other plan better.”
The journey across Dothion is pleasant. It seems that the weather here is always pleasant. Rain falls on regular intervals the locals explain to you. It is a complex formula involving differing times of day along with quantities. Never too much, never too little rain falls.
A mountain is ahead of you. You can see very large birds flying from the top of this mountain up into the air. They fly so high that they are lost in the background forest of Shurrock hanging in the sky above you. It is this aerie that is your destination. Your guides from Axiom lead you along and to a road that circles the mountain in a gentle ascent.
At the top you find a busy encampment. There are inns and taverns here as well as traders hawking wares from Shurrock. Curiously, you see no coin traded. It seems to be more of a barter system in place. Lumber, nuts, ores and gems from Shurrock are traded for grains, fruits, livestock and textiles from Dothion.
In the center is the aerie. Several rocs can be seen perched here. There is a high platform with a roc standing next to it currently. A structure has been secured to the giant bird that appears to be an enclosed cabin with storage bins set around the edges. You see people boarding the cabin and baggage being stowed upon the roc standing at the platform. Sweet melons are being fed whole to the roc by several men on a tower it is facing. After about 30 minutes of loading the doors and hatches are closed. The roc takes a few careful steps away from the platform and launches into the air. It then gently glides on thermals making lazy circles into the sky. On Shurrock, you can see that there is a mountain on that side as well. The top of the mountain looks to be cleared, but it is too far away to make out details.
Your guides urge you on towards the platform. They hope to be on the next ferry to Shurrock. You are to ride on the back of a roc to get there.
Up into the sky you lurch, leaving your stomach behind on the mountain top. The twin horizon tilts and whirls for the first few moments. Then calm takes over. You are instructed to remain in your five point restraints that your very comfortable seat has built into it. The roc climbs and climbs. At a point that seems to be betwixt Dothion and Shurrock the horizons flip. The roc rolls over and you feel as though you are floating. Neither bound to Shurrock or Dothion, but free to move how you care to. Soon, the pull of Shurrock has you in your chair as the roc descends. Another aerie awaits you that seems much like the last one.
You disembark from your transport and your escorts hire coaches to take you to the Radiant Furnace.
Before they leave Axiom..."Master Anglor, if it wouldn't be too much trouble could I get a small bag of apples please? Freya, my horse, I imagine will be he a bit anxious and cross about our lengthy absence. Hope it'll help smooth things over."
While riding in the coaches.
"I think we should ask the Titan to reforge, or melt down Soulrend as well while we are there. That thing is bad news, no reason to tempt the fates carrying it too long."
Xymox:
“Sir Chadwick… you trust me, do you not?”
A pause.
“I would not carry something that threatened this Company.”
His voice softens.
“Allow me time to determine its nature. If it proves irredeemable… I will stand beside you when it is unmade.”
Starker:”Speaking of reforging: what shall we do with the shard from the gigantic guardian’s sword? Perhaps if there is enough material left over after The Judge is enhanced we could make it into an enchanted dagger for me? If there is enough material left over maybe a lancet for Cyrus to wield?”
Starker <during the carriage tide. chortling, flipping through Illiandal’s journal> “Oh, what a tale, what a cautionary tale! Xymox, I think the Tragedy of Illiandal could be your greatest work. An epic ballad or maybe even a musical play! I particularly recommend the 92nd entry to your attention.”
"Indeed?" Xymox nudges over to Starker and begins peering over his shoulder at the journal. He scans a few pages and nods at the mage in agreement. "92nd entry you say?....."
Xanaros and the Radiant Furnace are met. Along with his storm giant assistants the titan is able to unmake the phylactery and ring. They were a duality supporting the unlife of Illiandil. Further reading in his journals show that Illiandil did not have the power to claim lichdom, and he knew it. Approaching the end of his life he reached out for help. He found it in the Far Realm. In the end, this unmade him. Not fully free, he was bound to serve another and his strength was slowly siphoned. What you met was not a lich, but a failed attempt at lichdom. The destruction of the ring and phylactery assure his destruction. Illiandil is no more.
Axiom rejoiced at the news that your mission was successful. A celebration was held in your honor. Kellen has decided to remain at the Citadel in the care of their healers. Serethia seeks to return to Neverwinter. The Company enquires about return to the Spine of the World. Arrangements are made and a planar gate is opened through which you are returned to the valley of Illiandil's tomb.
Serethia bids her farewells to each of you. She is grateful for her refund freedom. "You will find a friend in Neverwinter should you ever pass through her gates," she tells you.
The rituals are performed and you find yourselves where you left your mounts. But, there are no horses here. Yartol determines that there have not been horses here for a long time. Starker looks about and sees that the trees are wearing Autumn colors in the higher elevations. When you left it was late Spring. You count the days and guess you had been gone for a ten-day, maybe half more. Chadwick calls Freya who is happy to see him. She reports that you have been gone for a very long time and that raiders came and claimed the horses. They all wore the same symbol of two lightning bolts with curly lines on each side in blue. She has been at their encampment with the other horses since then. Until now, that Chadwick has called her again.
Freya led you through to the next valley and there you encountered a group of men wearing the symbol she described along with a wizard. He called himself Monlor the Tempest and was quite powerful. You found victory against his men and nearly captured him. Instead he escaped, quite angry.
Following your meeting with the wizard and his men you met another. Aldric Stonebarkh, an old Firbolg and druid. He lives in this area and was following Monlor and his band. They have been very disruptive in the valleys of the area, his home. He knows of where the wizard and his bandits have made camp. It is atop a peak with a palisade wall and many buildings. In the center is a large iron tower. Monlor has been here for the past 1-2 years investigating the happenings atop Stormspike mountain. Something is there holding his interest. He has recently had an encounter with the bandits after they savaged the Spike Tooth clan of goblins. They were searching for something, they thought the goblins had it. Many of the goblins were killed before Aldric could drive the men off.
Now he follows Monlor's men to determine what they are up to in the low lands.
The Company returned to the area around Illiandil's Tomb. Chadwick used Dispel Magic to disable the Glyph of Warding upon the door to the tomb. The door was opened without incident to reveal that the entry hall had collapsed and is now a rubble pile. The frame of the door cracked as well leaving the door unable to be closed.
Camp was made. Aldric was foraging and preparing a nice soup of herbs, roots and fungi. Xymox cast Leomund's Tiny Hut and a long rest was achieved.
The morning arrives. Aldric is not seen, but his raven Raya sits perched on a branch nearby. She eyes you with her beady, black eyes.
Starker:”Thank you, Xymox. That is a wonderful spell.
”Friends and colleagues, it appears that, during my time under the influence of the Glyph of Greed I filled my backpack with many small but valuable items, such as gems and circlets and iron flasks. <shows small shiny hoard> These are rightfully the property of The Company as a whole and I will of course, place them into our common pile when we get to civilization and sell them to convert them into more easily carried and traded gems. I am sorry I was so weak.”
"There was a lot of powerfully evil magic in that place. If you squirreling away a few shiny things was the worst to come out of it I say we did well."
Chadwick then gives him a smile and claps him on the shoulder.
Agreed.
To more pressing matters. If we are to help Aldric in removing the threat of Monlor from this area, rather than just a few strikes to find mounts, then we should get to work on gathering information about this compound.
Number of forces, layout, and weaknesses we can exploit to start. Perhaps we should start by returning to Aldric's camp and ask if this bird could be of any use in helping us with the assessment.
Starker:”Or, and hear me out now, we could run away. It is a big world with lots of places to hide. One does not simply walk into Monlor.”
"It pains me to say this, but this situation has been going on for years and they probably aren't going anywhere soon. We are carrying a potential world ending artifact (he whispers this part) that needs to take priority.
While I'm sure we could overcome his forces in a straight up fight, there is the possibility of subterfuge and making off with it. I feel we need to deal with the staff first (looks at Yartol) take care of the dragon, then come back here.
And is him taking out a couple goblin and orc camps that bad? Usually those creatures are the ones causing trouble.
If he sends forces are way, we'll take care of them, but I think we need to make for Waterdeep directly.
Xymox, with your new teleport spell could you mark this area somehow to make it quicker to get back to? And what's the closest you could take us to near Waterdeep?"
Xymox: "The closest that I can get us is Neverwinter."