Winterhaven – The Keep on the Shadowfell.

Winterhaven – The Keep on the Shadowfell.

The party:

Eggs Benedict – A mysterious cloaked figure wielding a huge blade, a servant of Avandra he has vowed to destroy all who would rob people of their freedom. (Hates slavers with a vengeance).

Poppin Thunderlips – A proud and stout dwarven cleric in the service of Avandra, his knowledge of healing and religious matters may be vital for the party. (Can be a touch hamfisted).

Trixie Jumblepuff – A young Halfling; beneath her unassuming appearance lies a chaotic power that she is still learning to control and wield.  (Hobbies include fashion)

Britfilta Erwater – A Wilden, has the ability to control a battle using his psionic powers (likes nature walks and learning about different cultures).    

On the road to the village  of Winterhaven our party of adventurers, seeking the fate of their mentor Douven Staul, is ambushed by a small band of kobolds, after some initial troubles they dispatchtheir foes and continue onward.  Staul had trained our adventurers well and given them their first taste of life on the road.  They had last heard from their mentor three months previously when he claimed that he had heard tale of an ancient dragon’s tomb near to the village of Winterhaven.  He was due to return some time ago and his continued absence did not bode well, our adventurers, fearing the worst set out to discover his fate. 

On arrival at the village, they find a small walled enclave surrounded by farms and thatched buildings, a fairly unassuming place.   They head to the local inn, Wrafton’s, keen to enquire about their missing friend.  The villagers are more concerned about the bands of kobolds that are frequently disrupting the local trade routes, the party is directed to the local village lord Padraig, who offers them a reward if they can find and shut down the kobold’s operation.  The party accepts hoping that this favour will foster good relations with the villagers.

Having been given directions to the potential site of the kobold lair, our adventurers set off, once again, they are set upon by a group of kobolds, accompanied by a shaman, he is carrying a small necklace which they discern to be a charm dedicated to Orcus.  After dispatching this group the party arrives at the site of a waterfall, which is teeming with the reptilian creatures.

After a frantic battle the party finds a path through the waterfall and into the lair iself, the kobolds are ready for them and wave upon wave of the creature attack the party, until finally their chief, ‘Irontooth’ steps into the fray.  After a fierce and exhausting battle he is dispatched along with his allies.  Upon his corpse the adventurers find a troubling letter, addressed from a man named Kalarel, it speaks of opening a rift that will allow the servants of Orcus to attack Winterhaven! It also speaks of a spy within the village itself. 

On returning to Winterhaven and collecting their reward they present this information to Lord Padraig, he is very concerned and directs them to speak to a man named Valthrun the Prescient, one of the village elders and a font of knowledge.  They find the sage in Wrafton’s Inn, he conveys to them a story about the rift being beneath an ancient keep not far from Winterhaven itself, however he urges the party to wait so that he can undertake some more research.  When asked about Douven Staul, Valthrun is able to tell the party that he last saw him heading to an ancient burial site south west of Winterhaven, he draws a map for the adventurers who decide to set out in the morning after resting, following the day’s ordeals.   

The next morning our party set out for the burial site, on arrival they find what appears to be a ghostly apparition, overseeing a group of workers who seem to have uncovered some sort of relic.  One of the workers, a gnome, attempts to tempt the adventurers into the pit, claiming to be a friend of Douven’s.  The party refuse to believe him and after dispatching their guard drakes into a pit, slay the remaining men and battle the gnome and the mysterious spectral apparition.  Upon dispatching the spectre the gnome cries out “Kalarel, I have failed you.”  It would seem that our adventurers had found their priest of Orcus.  Staul is found bound and gagged, upon releasing him he rewards the party with his amulet and informs them that Kalarel is attempting to open a rift to the Shadowfell, he believes that the site of this is an ancient keep nearby.  The party also discover the relic that Kalarel’s minions were seeking, an ancient mirror, although any magic it may have had appears to be spent. Douven decides that his adventuring days are over and sets off to return to his beloved wife.

On returning to Winterhaven the adventurers call upon Valthrun, who has been conducting research into the rift.  It appears that the ancient keep was built during the time of Nerath and was constructed to contain an ancient evil, a gateway between this world and the Shadowfell.  The keep was abandoned after the last Protector of the Keep, Sir Keegan, was sealed inside having been driven insane and murdering his family.  The party decide to set out for the keep as soon as possible, after speaking to some of the villagers they are warned that there are frequent goblin patrols in the area.

On arrival the party discover an entrance that appears to have been recently used, they proceed into the dungeons and discover a large amount of goblins that have taken up residence there.  After battling through several rooms the party find a goblin chieftain, Balgron the Fat, and slay him, however before doing so they interrogate him and discover a pass phrase for the next level of the keep, “and life fails in the dark.”

Whilst exploring the keep our adventurers also discover a small, damp cave that hides a vicious blue, slimelike creature. After a frenzied battle the party discover two corpses, they are carrying a letter from a Chief Krand of the Bloodreavers.  It hints that Kalarel may also be providing slaves to Duergar in an area named Thunderspire.  This news greatly upsets the party, especially Eggs and Poppin, who swear an oath to Avandra to look into this matter and fuelling their hatred for Kalarel himself.

As well as goblins the second part of the dungeon is crawling with undead zombies and skeletons, there are also evil arcane runes set into the floor in some areas, that shriek wildly and attract these necrotic denizens to the party.  After a particularly gruelling encounter which involves a seemingly endless wave of skeletons inside a chapel dedicated to Bahamut, the party stumble across a tomb and a ghostly spectre.  Realising that this is Sir Keegan, the party successfully convince him that their motives are pure.  Sir Keegan relays to them his tragic tale and asks that they seek out his children’s effects and lay them properly to rest.  He urges the party to make haste and close the rift as catastrophe will ensue otherwise. He gives Britfilta his blade, Aecris, and tells them to seek ‘Bahamut’s boon’ in the altar outside.  Upon searching the altar Trixie finds 4 silver dragon statuettes.  On exploring the area further the party discover a hidden room, which contains a magic hidden wall.  On killing the zombie residents inside they manage to solve a riddle and discover some ancient armour, they also realise that this may be a safe place to rest.

After several hours our adventurers find a stairwell leading further into the depths of the keep, upon descending they are confronted by hobgoblins who challenge them with the phrase “Shadow seeks Shadow”.  When Poppin replies with the correct password, the guards are suspicious.  One of them backs further away towards a cage containing an enormous spider.  A battle ensues and more hobgoblins appear from all sides, but the party emerges victorious. 

In another area the group are attacked by a hideous gelatinous cube, in an old tomb.  After defeating it and the two corrupted corpses that dwelt in there, they find a toy sword, a hairbrush and a small doll, amongst a pile of rags they find two medallions, indicating that these are the effects of the Keegan family.

The adventurers eventually stumble across a seemingly empty room, containing a huge statue of a warrior and two dragons, at the far end of the room are cherubic statues holding vases.  Upon setting foot inside the room the party finds itself in the centre of an elaborate trap!  The warrior swings its huge sword around, knocking people prone in its wake, whilst the dragons breathe fiery plumes towards the party..  Seeking safety, Eggs, Trixie and Britfilta hop onto the statues dais.  Poppin makes a break for the double doors on the opposite side of the room, but much to the party’s horror an impenetrable magical wall appears, trapping him.  The remaining party members eventually manage to disable the warrior and avoid the dragon breath. However Poppin is in dire trouble, the cherubic statues begin to pour a never-ending supply of water into the tiny space he occupies.  Fearing that he may drown, Poppin tries to smash the statues to pieces, doing so slows the rate of the water and in the nick of time he decapitates the last statue, destroying the magical wall and breaking the spell; he emerges gasping for breath, very damp and extremely irate.

The path through the double doors is treacherous, with ghoul like creatures and a small clay homunculus barring their way.  After negotiating this warren the group emerge into a large cathedral-like structure, where they are confronted by vampire spawn, several beserkers and a priest of Orcus.  Huge streams of blood flow from an altar down a large hole in the centre of the room.  Our heroes dispatch their foes in another savage battle and decide to scale the bloody chains that descend into the pit below.

After safely negotiating their descent the party comes face to face with Kalarel and the portion of the rift he has opened as well as several wight like creatures and skeleton sentinels.  A huge portal on the northern wall attempts to grab Britfilta and drag him into the abyss beyond.  The party battle fiercely and as they strike the killing blow, Kalarel is swept into the portal by dark shimmering tentacles.  However the rift remains open, in an attempt to close it Trixie throws the dragon statuettes, ‘Bahamut’s boon,’,inside.  This has no effect and unbeknownst to her, hinders the party’s efforts.  Eventually after calling upon his religious knowledge Poppin manages to successfully seal the rift. Deciding that they should immediately escape, the party head back to Winterhaven.  On their arrival they are greeted as true heroes and richly rewarded by Lord Padraig.  Now, they decide.... it’s time to investigate these slavers up at Thunderspire.....