Starker: “So, what’s next? I’ve a mind to go and teach this Alamnal person a lesson he’ll never forget by killing him. Let’s go do that. Anyone in the future who thinks about sending an acid-arrow-armed assassin to kill me or my friends will be deterred by the infamous, inventive indignities we subject Alamnal to before we inhume him. Deterrence by singly assured destruction. That is the road to peace. And, as lagniappe, maybe we end up helping Trokarl.
I am not opposed to seeking out Alamnal, but I would be more interested if he can provide insight about why the drow with the freshly stretched neck had a map fragment.
Starker: “I worry that he might die from natural causes or be escorted gently into that good night by someone else and we lose the deterrent effect. Still, I am intrigued by these map fragments and it would be elegant to finish our tesselation quest before committing this intentional murder. So I am happy to go along with whatever the collective thinks best. I will just toss another pebble into our communal thought pool … the Ahole can hire many assassins and he only needs to get lucky once. The sooner his unseeing eyes are looking up at the brown side of the sod the sooner we can stop looking over our shoulders.” [Makes a ‘ploop’ sound by sticking his index finger in his mouth, inflating his cheeks, and snapping his finger out, producing an uncanny imitation of the sound of a pebble being dropped in a still pool.]
Starker, in a note addressed to Kragen and Chadwick: “I am going to assist one of the local wizards in the destruction of the shadow spewing lantern. It is an artifact of such evil and he and the town leadership are so opposed to evil that it is thought best to destroy it. Might we enlist you, Kragen, and you, Chadwick, in the destruction? We intend to build a bespoke furnace to melt the lantern and then we will tear down the furnace and spread its component parts around, hopefully using geography and distance to dilute any residual evil. We’d ask that you provide blessings on the furnace and ourselves before the melting and on ourselves and the component parts afterwards. Would you be so kind?”
“Of course I will assist by providing Tyrs blessing to protect you and the others. Removing this evil arcane artifact needs to be done. Let me know when and where, I shall be there!” Nods approvingly at Starker
The Shadow Lanthorn is sequestered during the construction of a two-way ventilating (blast) furnace in a nearby vale. It is not a large furnace so only takes the dwarves a few days to get it constructed. The bellows are secured. It is decided to consecrate the area and Hallow is cast surrounding the furnace to start the ritual destruction of the fell item. Kragen and Chadwick participate in this process and the blessing of the furnace. It is then ignited and fed with fuel. The bellows are worked to elevate the temperature to extreme levels and the Shadow Lanthorn is placed within the chamber. It flares with magical energy as the lantern glows dull red, then bright red, orange and finally turning white. Muran casts an elevated Dispel Magic spell upon the white hot glowing lanthorn. The noon sun bears down upon it as well as the furnace was designed to allow the sunlight to bathe the chamber as well. The glass melts and runs out through the channel into the mold ready for it. This is then followed by the metal components creating several small ingots of metal and one of glass. The metal pieces are quenched in oil and then water. The glass is allowed to cool in the air and a fine pattern of cracks appear in the ingot. Muran is satisfied that the components of the device no longer radiates magic.
The cooled metal pieces are then placed in a lead lined wooden box. The four boxes are then given to squads of dwarves who depart in four directions with instructions to bury the box in an unmarked location. The glass is ground to a powder and this powder placed into a small flask. Muran turns to Starker, "Please randomly scatter a portion of this glass powder on your travels." He then hands the flask to Starker.
You each feel a sense of accomplishment at the completion of these efforts.
Starker to Muran: “Thank you for allowing us to participate in this unique activity.”
Starker to Kragen and Chadwick: “Thank you for your having played a key part in this event, a part I am singularly ill-equipped to have played. Our complementarities are what makes our (if I may be so bold as to say ‘our’) fellowship so effective. Please do not hesitate to call on me whenever you think I may be of any service to you.”
Starker to the vile of glass powder, under his breath away from Muran: “Coincsidentally, it’sss my birthday. How precioussssss.”
Starker: “As I try to puzzle out the various puzzles aboit which we are puzzling, I wonder if all of us have had an opportunity to read all of the books, tomes, diaries, and scrolls we have found in our wanderings. Have all of you had an opportunity to peruse these that I have in hand?
Loccating the Tomb
Encoded Diary
Iarno Albrek’s Diary (and the tuning fork found therein)
Map Fragments (unnumbered, 2, and 3)
Are there any other documents that might hold clues dispersed among our saddlebags or backpacks?
The only other item of mystery that comes to mind is Craddock’s [sic, Craddick’s] Magic Key. We know it is magical and radiates transmutation magic. It has not been identified (by using the spell).
While we are awaiting a decision to move forward, i ask Starker if i can review the book Loccating the Tomb. In the book, the last third describes areas that had been searched. I attempt to compare those descriptions with places we have explored and the combined map fragment we have.
"The last third of the book seems to be written in another hand, also in common. It describes locations of search without success in the mountains."
Seeking to, by process of elimination, determine areas to potentially search as an option.
Hoid proposes to the group that we seek out the Stonejaw brothers and investigate their mine. Craddick the Coward was interested in it, but we don’t know why. We should tie up that loose end.
I am open to furthering the investigation on the Spiders interest in the Stonejaw mine. They seemed to be seeking something of importance. Cannot remember if they inferred anything such as gems or something Arcane??
Still seeking feedback on my post wrt the Loccating the Tomb journal review...
While we are awaiting a decision to move forward, i ask Starker if i can review the book Loccating the Tomb. In the book, the last third describes areas that had been searched. I attempt to compare those descriptions with places we have explored and the combined map fragment we have.
"The last third of the book seems to be written in another hand, also in common. It describes locations of search without success in the mountains."
Seeking to, by process of elimination, determine areas to potentially search as an option.
The learned dwarves and those experienced in scouting are happy to talk with you about your questions. None can come up with something that sounds familiar. But, they add that the Spine of the World is vast. What you seek just may not be near here.
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Starker: “So, what’s next? I’ve a mind to go and teach this Alamnal person a lesson he’ll never forget by killing him. Let’s go do that. Anyone in the future who thinks about sending an acid-arrow-armed assassin to kill me or my friends will be deterred by the infamous, inventive indignities we subject Alamnal to before we inhume him. Deterrence by singly assured destruction. That is the road to peace. And, as lagniappe, maybe we end up helping Trokarl.
”Thoughts?”
I am not opposed to seeking out Alamnal, but I would be more interested if he can provide insight about why the drow with the freshly stretched neck had a map fragment.
“He’ll be in a mood to be helpful about a third of the way through the process I have in mind.”
Starker: “I worry that he might die from natural causes or be escorted gently into that good night by someone else and we lose the deterrent effect. Still, I am intrigued by these map fragments and it would be elegant to finish our tesselation quest before committing this intentional murder. So I am happy to go along with whatever the collective thinks best. I will just toss another pebble into our communal thought pool … the Ahole can hire many assassins and he only needs to get lucky once. The sooner his unseeing eyes are looking up at the brown side of the sod the sooner we can stop looking over our shoulders.” [Makes a ‘ploop’ sound by sticking his index finger in his mouth, inflating his cheeks, and snapping his finger out, producing an uncanny imitation of the sound of a pebble being dropped in a still pool.]
Starker, in a note addressed to Kragen and Chadwick: “I am going to assist one of the local wizards in the destruction of the shadow spewing lantern. It is an artifact of such evil and he and the town leadership are so opposed to evil that it is thought best to destroy it. Might we enlist you, Kragen, and you, Chadwick, in the destruction? We intend to build a bespoke furnace to melt the lantern and then we will tear down the furnace and spread its component parts around, hopefully using geography and distance to dilute any residual evil. We’d ask that you provide blessings on the furnace and ourselves before the melting and on ourselves and the component parts afterwards. Would you be so kind?”
“Of course I will assist by providing Tyrs blessing to protect you and the others. Removing this evil arcane artifact needs to be done. Let me know when and where, I shall be there!” Nods approvingly at Starker
Starker, Kragen, and Charwick join with the local wizard to destroy the dread Shadow Lanthorn. So let it be written, so let it be done.
The Shadow Lanthorn is sequestered during the construction of a two-way ventilating (blast) furnace in a nearby vale. It is not a large furnace so only takes the dwarves a few days to get it constructed. The bellows are secured. It is decided to consecrate the area and Hallow is cast surrounding the furnace to start the ritual destruction of the fell item. Kragen and Chadwick participate in this process and the blessing of the furnace. It is then ignited and fed with fuel. The bellows are worked to elevate the temperature to extreme levels and the Shadow Lanthorn is placed within the chamber. It flares with magical energy as the lantern glows dull red, then bright red, orange and finally turning white. Muran casts an elevated Dispel Magic spell upon the white hot glowing lanthorn. The noon sun bears down upon it as well as the furnace was designed to allow the sunlight to bathe the chamber as well. The glass melts and runs out through the channel into the mold ready for it. This is then followed by the metal components creating several small ingots of metal and one of glass. The metal pieces are quenched in oil and then water. The glass is allowed to cool in the air and a fine pattern of cracks appear in the ingot. Muran is satisfied that the components of the device no longer radiates magic.
The cooled metal pieces are then placed in a lead lined wooden box. The four boxes are then given to squads of dwarves who depart in four directions with instructions to bury the box in an unmarked location. The glass is ground to a powder and this powder placed into a small flask. Muran turns to Starker, "Please randomly scatter a portion of this glass powder on your travels." He then hands the flask to Starker.
You each feel a sense of accomplishment at the completion of these efforts.
Starker to Muran: “Thank you for allowing us to participate in this unique activity.”
Starker to Kragen and Chadwick: “Thank you for your having played a key part in this event, a part I am singularly ill-equipped to have played. Our complementarities are what makes our (if I may be so bold as to say ‘our’) fellowship so effective. Please do not hesitate to call on me whenever you think I may be of any service to you.”
Starker to the vile of glass powder, under his breath away from Muran: “Coincsidentally, it’sss my birthday. How precioussssss.”
Starker: “As I try to puzzle out the various puzzles aboit which we are puzzling, I wonder if all of us have had an opportunity to read all of the books, tomes, diaries, and scrolls we have found in our wanderings. Have all of you had an opportunity to peruse these that I have in hand?
Loccating the Tomb
Encoded Diary
Iarno Albrek’s Diary (and the tuning fork found therein)
Map Fragments (unnumbered, 2, and 3)
Are there any other documents that might hold clues dispersed among our saddlebags or backpacks?
The only other item of mystery that comes to mind is Craddock’s [sic, Craddick’s] Magic Key. We know it is magical and radiates transmutation magic. It has not been identified (by using the spell).
Hoid will seek out an official in Granitestead that we have interacted with to inquire about who might be interested in the weather forecast painting.
What are you hoping to get in return for it?
Anything useful. Money, magic items, whatever. We have no mantle over which to hang a painting.
While we are awaiting a decision to move forward, i ask Starker if i can review the book Loccating the Tomb. In the book, the last third describes areas that had been searched. I attempt to compare those descriptions with places we have explored and the combined map fragment we have.
"The last third of the book seems to be written in another hand, also in common. It describes locations of search without success in the mountains."
Seeking to, by process of elimination, determine areas to potentially search as an option.
The advisor asks around and comes up with a few offers:
Trade for an adamantine dagger
Trade for a suit of chain mail
Trade for 2 x Diamond 100gp each
I think we can do better.
Hoid proposes to the group that we seek out the Stonejaw brothers and investigate their mine. Craddick the Coward was interested in it, but we don’t know why. We should tie up that loose end.
I am open to furthering the investigation on the Spiders interest in the Stonejaw mine. They seemed to be seeking something of importance. Cannot remember if they inferred anything such as gems or something Arcane??
Still seeking feedback on my post wrt the Loccating the Tomb journal review...
The learned dwarves and those experienced in scouting are happy to talk with you about your questions. None can come up with something that sounds familiar. But, they add that the Spine of the World is vast. What you seek just may not be near here.