Upon completing his short meditation, Vilkas, who regularly found it difficult to await the sluggish resting rhythms of his compatriots, made his way back to the temple to sate his curiosity. There were two enormous emeralds gleaming brightly from the face of Dumathoin, a god Vilkas could tolerate little, and the idea of desecrating the temple while also earning a tidy profit proved immensely satisfying. Carefully, and well aware that dwarven worshippers of the knowledge-burying deity were devious in the traps they would lay, Vilkas used mage hand to work one of the emeralds loose and pull it back to himself in the safety of the hallway.
His caution proved to be wisdom. As soon as the gem was freed from its socket, the pillars of the room collapsed and the ceiling came down with them. This would have meant certain death for his companions had any of them been in the room. Thoughtfully, Vilkas examined the gemstone and found it was not a gem at all. It was simple colored glass, meant only to deceive the greedy. No matter, the temple was destroyed which seemed a far greater prize to his mind and as a bonus, Nezznar and his lackeys were buried away to be safely forgotten.
Once the party had roused themselves from their rest, they retraced their steps to a doorway formerly bypassed. Inside, they found old stone bunks lining the walls which were lit by a glowing iron brazier in the center of the space. On the opposite side of the room was a door barricaded by the remains of an enormous wooden table. They also discovered five guard bugbears, remnants of Nezznar's personal force. Failing to recognize our heroes, these enormous mercenaries turned immediately to the attack. Lo Risten laid waste the largest of them, staggering the beast. Vilkas unleashed his burning hands, igniting the entire lot.
After this ferocious onslaught, the largest bugbear retreated to the other side of the room, collapsing behind a table. The fighter at his side moved forward to the attack, but his morningstar glanced off Count Alistair's mighty form. The fighter responded with a brutal smash. Two more of the goblin beasts moved in to attack the nobleman, but their best blows weren't enough to stagger his defenses. Seraphina burst from the shadows and took down one of the fiends, then Avina and Holly joined the fray.
Vilkas, wondering if something more was afoot, found his interested piqued by the cowering bugbear. He moved close behind the table and attempted to strike up a conversation with it. The bugbear responded by savagely beating the overenthusiastic wizard. Knowing the score, our heroes destroyed the errant bugbears, then reluctantly took another rest for Vilkas' sake.
Exploring the rest of the cave, the group stumbled upon the smelter cavern which they knew to be ancillary to the forge of spells. Within, however, was a territorial Flameskull, which attacked on sight, hurling a powerful fireball into the party and wakening the hunger of seven nearby zombies. The adventurers focused their fury on the flaming skull, carving away its health swiftly and Avina used her holy terror to send the zombies fleeing. In the midst of the confusion, our heroes laid waste to the opponents before them, conquering one of the only obstacles that had kept Nezznar at bay all that time.
Feeling bold, the party continued, clearing each room systematically. A short stint of splitting up worked out poorly and required they barricade themselves once more for respite. Ever onward, they finally found a cavern filled with the glittering starlight of thousands of glinting minerals. The cavern was pocked with craters and scorch marks and littered with hundreds of skeletons. This was the epicenter of the ancient battle that destroyed the Phandelver Pact.
Our heroes expeditiously made their way to the closest structure: the northern building. This was a large workshop badly damaged by the ancient spell battle that laid waste to the mine. Worktables taking up two corners of the room were scorched and the plaster burned off the masonry walls. In the middle of the room, a stone pedestal held a small brazier in which an eerie green flame danced and crackled. Oddly, the brazier and pedestal appeared to have been untouched by the forces that destroyed the rest of the area.
Behind the brazier of green flame was floating a spectator, its spherical mass measuring roughly four feet in diameter with four eyestalks protruding from it central mass. At the center of the body was a large eye that fixated on the party as they entered. The spectator spoke telepathically to each of them with a simple "Hello" in a thick, burbling voice.
Though the spectator was quite insane, locked away in an empty cave for hundreds of years, it retained enough presence of mind to realize this group of strange fighters couldn't be undead because of how they obviously understood its greeting. Or did they? Or perhaps undead actually could understand speech now. Maybe these were thieves trying to steal from the spectator's summoner, Gunger the Fiery. It waited patiently for some indication as to whether these interlopers were friend or foe, but the responses were incoherent, rushed, suspicious and... incorrect. The spectator had no choice but to attack.
Though the party knew little of spectators or how to fight them, their strength had grown to overwhelming proportion. They had little trouble defeating the confused creature, leaving them to inspect the brazier. They found this to be the very source of the magic which suffused the surrounding caverns. This was the heart of wave echo cave and the fabled Forge of Spells. This is the point at which all of the magical energy bubbled forth and was once harnessed for enchantments.
Enthusiastically, the group began dipping their weapons into the flame, but Vilkas' educated insights revealed that the power of the spellforge was greatly diminished from the intensity proclaimed by tales of old. The party found that the power infused by this once great forge was capable of little more than a few hours of magical endowment before the effects would dissipate. Gundren would be very disappointed to discover this. The mine was apparently not as valuable as had once been thought.
Nevertheless, within the workshop the party found two items of which even they had heard stories.
The final stop on the party's incredible journey through the ancient mine found them intruding upon the former wizards' quarters, where they came across the ghastly wrath of Mormesk, a wizard who had served faithfully in the mines until he was slain during the great battle. Though the wraith was confused and greedy, Vilkas was able to reason with it to an extent, wresting more information about the mysterious Tresendar Project which Oghma had tasked him with uncovering. This was a delicate dance, to massage the ego of a wizard long dead while belaying the violent impulses of the wrath which had led the undead marauders scattered throughout the cave.
Mention of the ancient project, however, instilled a sense of anticipation in Mormesk and gave him an inclination toward allowing the adventurers to continue on their quest. Vilkas successfully gleaned enough information to determine that Mormesk and Makith Tresendar had designed some form of device to siphon power from the ley line of life magic which coursed beneath the very floors of the mine as well as the Tresendar manor back in Phandalin. The intent of the device was apparently to harness the power of the mythical fountain of youth so that its users could grasp at immortality.
Mormesk encouraged the group to return to Tresendar manor and unseal this ancient project, given that they might return and relate in what condition they found the work. To this, the party readily agreed, while eyeing the treasures Mormesk guarded within his quarters. Vilkas wisely brokered a deal with the wraith to exchange his own Spider Staff, recently pulled from Nezznar's dead fingers, for these riches, among which was a curious wooden pipe with platinum filigree that Mormesk had kindly revealed was the key to entering the device beneath the manor. They also found some carefully preserved books: Abnin's Cloak of Vigor, LS Pocket Guide to Adventuring, The Watchman of Irragin, Ley lines and Their Uses, and From Irragin to Mountmend.
Once the party had roused themselves from their rest, they retraced their steps to a doorway formerly bypassed. Inside, they found old stone bunks lining the walls which were lit by a glowing iron brazier in the center of the space. On the opposite side of the room was a door barricaded by the remains of an enormous wooden table. They also discovered five guard bugbears, remnants of Nezznar's personal force. Failing to recognize our heroes, these enormous mercenaries turned immediately to the attack. Lo Risten laid waste the largest of them, staggering the beast. Vilkas unleashed his burning hands, igniting the entire lot.
After this ferocious onslaught, the largest bugbear retreated to the other side of the room, collapsing behind a table. The fighter at his side moved forward to the attack, but his morningstar glanced off Count Alistair's mighty form. The fighter responded with a brutal smash. Two more of the goblin beasts moved in to attack the nobleman, but their best blows weren't enough to stagger his defenses. Seraphina burst from the shadows and took down one of the fiends, then Avina and Holly joined the fray.
Vilkas, wondering if something more was afoot, found his interested piqued by the cowering bugbear. He moved close behind the table and attempted to strike up a conversation with it. The bugbear responded by savagely beating the overenthusiastic wizard. Knowing the score, our heroes destroyed the errant bugbears, then reluctantly took another rest for Vilkas' sake.
Feeling bold, the party continued, clearing each room systematically. A short stint of splitting up worked out poorly and required they barricade themselves once more for respite. Ever onward, they finally found a cavern filled with the glittering starlight of thousands of glinting minerals. The cavern was pocked with craters and scorch marks and littered with hundreds of skeletons. This was the epicenter of the ancient battle that destroyed the Phandelver Pact.
Our heroes expeditiously made their way to the closest structure: the northern building. This was a large workshop badly damaged by the ancient spell battle that laid waste to the mine. Worktables taking up two corners of the room were scorched and the plaster burned off the masonry walls. In the middle of the room, a stone pedestal held a small brazier in which an eerie green flame danced and crackled. Oddly, the brazier and pedestal appeared to have been untouched by the forces that destroyed the rest of the area.
Behind the brazier of green flame was floating a spectator, its spherical mass measuring roughly four feet in diameter with four eyestalks protruding from it central mass. At the center of the body was a large eye that fixated on the party as they entered. The spectator spoke telepathically to each of them with a simple "Hello" in a thick, burbling voice.
Though the spectator was quite insane, locked away in an empty cave for hundreds of years, it retained enough presence of mind to realize this group of strange fighters couldn't be undead because of how they obviously understood its greeting. Or did they? Or perhaps undead actually could understand speech now. Maybe these were thieves trying to steal from the spectator's summoner, Gunger the Fiery. It waited patiently for some indication as to whether these interlopers were friend or foe, but the responses were incoherent, rushed, suspicious and... incorrect. The spectator had no choice but to attack.
Though the party knew little of spectators or how to fight them, their strength had grown to overwhelming proportion. They had little trouble defeating the confused creature, leaving them to inspect the brazier. They found this to be the very source of the magic which suffused the surrounding caverns. This was the heart of wave echo cave and the fabled Forge of Spells. This is the point at which all of the magical energy bubbled forth and was once harnessed for enchantments.
Enthusiastically, the group began dipping their weapons into the flame, but Vilkas' educated insights revealed that the power of the spellforge was greatly diminished from the intensity proclaimed by tales of old. The party found that the power infused by this once great forge was capable of little more than a few hours of magical endowment before the effects would dissipate. Gundren would be very disappointed to discover this. The mine was apparently not as valuable as had once been thought.
Nevertheless, within the workshop the party found two items of which even they had heard stories.
Mention of the ancient project, however, instilled a sense of anticipation in Mormesk and gave him an inclination toward allowing the adventurers to continue on their quest. Vilkas successfully gleaned enough information to determine that Mormesk and Makith Tresendar had designed some form of device to siphon power from the ley line of life magic which coursed beneath the very floors of the mine as well as the Tresendar manor back in Phandalin. The intent of the device was apparently to harness the power of the mythical fountain of youth so that its users could grasp at immortality.
Mormesk encouraged the group to return to Tresendar manor and unseal this ancient project, given that they might return and relate in what condition they found the work. To this, the party readily agreed, while eyeing the treasures Mormesk guarded within his quarters. Vilkas wisely brokered a deal with the wraith to exchange his own Spider Staff, recently pulled from Nezznar's dead fingers, for these riches, among which was a curious wooden pipe with platinum filigree that Mormesk had kindly revealed was the key to entering the device beneath the manor. They also found some carefully preserved books: Abnin's Cloak of Vigor, LS Pocket Guide to Adventuring, The Watchman of Irragin, Ley lines and Their Uses, and From Irragin to Mountmend.
