After the characters defeated the tree’s guardians, they investigated the chamber fully. The tree of life was clearly ancient. Its bark was crumbling from the trunk, and its twisted branches were splitting from age. They found the seed Because of the life-sustaining energy of the tree; all characters regained the use of one daily power that they previously expended when they took the seed cone.
The Thri-kreen decided they did not trust the PCs with the seed. The Thri-kreen decided that taking the seed back to their homeland was a safer solution. The PCs decided this was not what they were sent there to do so they acted swiftly and killed their leader. With the leader dead, the remaining Thri-kreen asked to be spared, the PCs agreed and the Thri-kreen began to leave. As they were leaving Kronus the Human Ranger (Waynes Character) began to attack the PCs and back himself in to a defensive position surrounding him self with 15 ft of caltrops. Tealgorthian easily saw that this was actually a Doppelganger and informed his confused party. The Brothers, Pancho and Durgarn, were enraged at this and took the body of the Thri-kreen leader over to the caltrop defensive position and laid it over one section. Using the body to deflect the damage they began their assault on the Doppelganger. The Thri-kreen, that was leaving, looked at this as an opportunity to reclaim the seed and exact revenge. The rest of the party held off the Thri-kreen attackers as the brothers eliminated the Doppelganger. During the battle a 350lb 6’10” Warforged, Paladin Fighter, came barreling down the stares into the chamber. It was established he was there to exact revenge on the Doppelganger for killing his friend. The party quickly learned he was not an adventurer of many words and instead he used symbols and gestures to communicate. His name was 1138. 1138 had the mark of fingers the party told him what it meant and convinced him to join them for a while. After some searching of the area, the party found A stone box buried at the base of the tree. Inside, a gold cloth is draped around a simple silver headband (a level 10 helm of heroes) and a pair of elven boots. There were also six small stone tablets covered in ancient hieroglyphics. The secret of this writing was lost forever during the Doom Hammer War, but the message can be understood by using the Comprehend Language ritual (from the scroll found earlier in the adventure).
The message reads:
I, Avor Firesworn, do make a record of the end of my days. Gormack’s foul defilers even now besiege our refuge; we shall not last the day. They are driven by hatred we do not understand to eradicate our people from the land. I do not know if other non-humans live still. After the battles in the Fields of Moriaton, I led my band here, where we have lived as beasts, hiding in the ground. We have prayed to Taraskir for guidance and protection but He has not answered our prayers. I no longer believe that He watches over us. Instead, I have chosen to fight evil with evil – I have entered into the blood oath with the Dark One from the Gray beyond. It shall have my eternal soul and those of my brethren but it will grant us the power to protect our sacred Seed even after our deaths against any who try to possess it. Furthermore, I shall hide this record according to the ways of my people in hopes to speak forth to the future as with the voice of dust from the earth. If you find the Seed or the Tree of Life that springs from it and I am not there to protect it, I exhort you to meditate upon the great cycle of Life. I exhort you to ask whether it be wisdom to protect the sources of Life. If you ponder these things in your own heart, with sincere intent, then you will know the truth of them and you will know what to do with the Seed. I, Avor Firesworn, do thus end my record and seal it up.
The party decided to take a short rest and then advance up the stairs to leave. As they approached the base of the stares the party heard faint noises coming from above. The Rogue, Mortgage, volunteered to use his thieving skills to hide in the shadows and find out what was making the sounds. When Mortgage never returned the party decided to advance up the stairs and were surprised to find Mortgage at his knees being held hostage by Durok, toil templar and his hellish soldiers. In a mighty voice Durok commands, “Lord Gormack has authority over these lands, and as his agents, we are authorized to collect his belongings. Hand over the seed.” The party sates they do not have the seed. Durok replies, “We know that you retrieved a seed from a primordial tree of life in these ruins. Stand where you are, or die where you are. I truly don’t care which you choose, but I will have the seed.”
Durok, toil templar (T), 1 human defiler (D), 1 salt golem (S), 5 goliath enforcers (G), 3 kank soldiers (K), 9 goliath toughs (E)
Just like Avor Firesworn and his allies’ centuries ago, they find themselves besieged inside the catacomb by the forces of Gormack, bent on capturing the seed of life. A templar (Durok) accompanied by eighteen soldiers and a salt golem is ready to ambush them when they emerge from underground. The heroes were faced with the alternatives of handing over the seed, or fighting an overwhelming enemy. With the odds stacked against them the hero’s began to hack and slash, trying to fight their way out. The Rogue, Mortgage, took heavy damage along with Durgarn the Slayer. When they were heavily bloodied and the battle turns desperate for the party in just a few turns. All around them was the fury and chaos of battle. Blood from a dozen cuts streamed down their armor. Suddenly, all sound stopped. Everything that was a blur of motion moments before, including them, was locked in place. Even arrows were frozen in mid-flight. Somehow, they were still aware of their surroundings and of the passage of time. An unearthly, metallic message echoes in their minds:
“Your flesh unwinds. Soon, your projection will pass across the barrier to this side. You will not be able to protect the life seed. “Your quest need not end this way. I offer my protection to you, if you desire it. There is a price. Do you accept my aid?”
The players then took some time to ask questions of the voice. Its replies amounted to the following:
“My covenant with you would be this: My shadow will reside near your flesh. When projections are unbound from the flesh, I will be there to collect them. In return, I will confound your enemies so that you might go away from this place. This covenant will bind you for three cycles.” (The entity uses the word “cycles” to mean years.)
No direct harm will accrue to you from my shadow’s presence. Indeed, when it rides upon you, you will have less reason to fear the son of air, but more fear for air’s daughters.” (In the entity’s parlance, fire is the son of air, while cold and radiance are its daughters.
For every character that accepted the bargain, one enemy creature was stunned for 3 rounds. Each character that accepted the bargain gains resist 2 fire, vulnerable 2 cold, and vulnerable 2 radiant. In addition, characters who accepted the bargain take on an indefinite air of darkness: they cast darker shadows than others around them, fire burns slightly less brightly in their presence, Nothing else sets these characters apart from anyone else visually. The entire party accepted the deal except Krähe Mensch, the bard; she was stead fast with her belief that this was a bad idea. With the amount of players that accepted all the enemies were stunned for 3 rounds and everyone ran for the exit. Once outside they were in a skill challenge to out run Durok and his squad. Three success before 3 failures meant that they would make it to the meeting point where the Coramear Knights awaited their return. Upon there successful rolls the players made it to the Coramear Knights and were taken back to the ancient city of Darnath. The players took the seed to the temple of Xavster Humblevoice. As they entered one person thought they saw a shadow out of the corner of their eye. Inside Xavster was at the temple altar. He raised his hands up to give a big greeting celebrating the success. Suddenly Xavsters’ chest exploded outward and his guts fell to the floor. He stood with an expression of total terror. A shadowy figure raced behind the stage and disappeared to the back of the building in to a shadowy dark hall. The figure was so fast that it was gone before Xavster began to fall lifelessly down to the ground. Mortgage sprang in to action and chased the shadow to the hall where he lost it. With his keen thief abilities he detected a hidden stone door that when opened revealed a 5’x5’ shaft with a ladder going down in to darkness and sewers. Mortgage continued down and discovered a massive smelly sewer system. He proceeded 20 feet forward toward an intersection where he could see a Giant Gelatinous Cube Inorganic material remains trapped and visible inside the cube’s body. UNTIL NEXT TIME HEROS!...
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