Bands of Power - Game thread

It was hundreds of years ago, in the northern territories ruled by the ancient dwarf lords when Gorffrey, a skillful fire master forged the bands for their king. They are encrusted with two dozen rubies of different sizes each. The face of the bygone king is sculpted on their surfaces. The ancient dwarven magic in the bands gave the king abnormal strength, vitality, and stamina. The intricate spells cast into the bands would help him outlive all his contenders.

The bands caused unrest in the kingdom. Word traveled fast, and it did not take long for assassins to appear. The king was murdered, and the bands stolen. Civil war followed, and before they knew it, all those involved forgot why they were fighting in the first place. The bands were stored away and were soon forgotten, hoping no one would ever seek their might again.

The arcane bands were lost to the world for centuries. Lost until a mage named Hartvigg, through arcane serendipity, perceived their energy and triangulated their location. Hoping to find out more about them but not to risk his skin, he hired a group of foolhardy adventurers to help him explore the vault. Hartvigg claims the bands must be hidden somewhere inside. He provides a rough map to the lone woods; a few day’s travel and then past the village of Greenvale. He describes what path to take beneath the shrouded bows to locate the ancient dungeon’s entrance.

The party had only a little trouble finding what must be the entrance they sought, but without the signs and hints of Hartvigg’s map they would have thought it just a root choked and mouldering hill. Centuries of forest detritus, and perhaps purposeful burial, had smothered the low squat structure. The cycles of the seasons provided much camouflage.

The villagers of Greenvale had flocked to you when you passed through. They had babbled about empty farmsteads and missing villagers. They yammered like so many children talking over each other until the Old Man of the village had arrived to calm things. The fear in their eyes was real though. Perhaps this structure was the Old Barrow they mentioned in hushed tones as they begged our aid in returning their kin and ridding them of whatever evil plagued them.

After a few minutes of investigation an entrance into the mound was located. Someone had hacked away roots and brush to partially expose what must be two stone doors. The roots of the trees which had grown upon the mound had wormed their way into the cracks and crannies, pushing one door askew and’s whoever came before had widened the opening, leaving the way open. It was plain to all that there were a number of tracks leading in and out by those careless of the step. Some tracks were obscured in wide swathes leading inside which were in turn trodden over.
The forest gloom hangs overhead while the pitch black portal lay ahead. The weak and filtered light of the dying sun barely penetrates the darkness, but more than enough to see the broad steps leading downwards.

With the light of the torch Berith can tell that there seen to be a few different people who have been through here. There is evidence of tracks of different sizes, all shod in some kind of footwear, even a human child’s or a halfling’s thought you don’t remember any halflings in the village. The tracks aren’t distinct enough to her eyes to tell much more.

As Berith studies the tracks leading in and out of the entrance, Borgo slides forwards to peer down the stairs. They good down farther than he first assumed, about 30’ or so. He can just make out part of what must be a landing or floor of a room with a few leaves laying scattered on the visible flag stones.

The stairway itself is about 20’ wide, finely made with smooth walls of close fitting dressed stone. The walls leading down are unadorned, but the even a clod can tell this place was dwarven wrought.

Light Sources:
Berith - Torch (10)

Initiative Order:
Borgo
Thak
Lattremond
Bereth
Elspeath
Albrecht

As Borgo starts slowly and carefully down the broad steps, the large pack obscures much of his scrawny frame, making him look much like a large tortoise to those above. His soft boots make hardly any sound on the smooth stone and those who wondered at the obsessive neatness of his pack and kit now understand its purpose as he makes his way silently downwards. Berith starts down shortly after the stealthy Goblin, a torch held out in front, pushing the darkness away while the rest of the group comes down after her. No one can match Borgo's furtive movements, but Elspaeth's mail shatters the silence with its soft chinking and rubbing against her gambeson and the leather of her pack. Perhaps, if heard by others, it will hide Borgo's featherlight steps.

As Borgo reaches the bottom step, the dancing crescent of torchlight expands outwards, allowing him an almost full 30' view into the room. Gesturing slowly for the party to halt where they are, he studies the way ahead.

There are a few leaves and twigs that have made their way in, but the surface seems largely clean and clear except for two piles of bones, one close by and the other just visible at the edge of the torchlight. The air's musty humidity is cut by a slight, acrid tang that teases your nose. The stone floor extends out from the steps in all directions, but 10' in front of the stair begins a massive, angular pattern of inlaid silvery metal and stone. The light of the torch only reveals the closest portion of it, revealing about 20' past where the regular flooring stopped and showing it to be at least 20' from side to side. It appears to be some kind of geometric focal point of the room. The outer 5' is formed from blocky, interwoven Dwarven runes. The central area appears to have a symbol carved or etched into it. No walls can be seen, and the light only extends about 5' or so to the left and right of the edge of the entrance.

Silence greets you. What do you do?

As the party gathers near the bottom of the stair...

Lattremond studies what he can see of the pattern and while unsure of the specific purpose it serves it is obviously a focal point for the room. Is it purely decorative? Though given the arrangement of the runes, some religious significance is likely. Perhaps when more of the room is visible a definitive purpose will become clear, though given that the stairway entrance opens into this room, it's more than likely....

Bringing up the rear, Albrecht can see the runes graven in the floor and can plainly make out the larger ones, "Great Ord, Giver of Law..." There are smaller runes as well, but they aren't clear under the torchlight from this distance.

As Berith and Borgo move into the room, the torchlight brings more of the pattern and the rest of the room into view. The pattern is large, at least 30' wide, taking up most of the middle of the room and you guess it to be a hexagon or parallelogon. The design in the center resolves into a stylized anvil emblazoned with the symbol of Ord, an eye encircled by runes. Both Borgo and Berith can see the room is 60' wide at this end, with two sturdy carved columns to the left and right of the stairs. The walls are smooth, with cornices of geometric carvings in bas relief.

Borgo heads toward his main interest, the skeleton about 10’ away, just in front of where the pattern begins. The torchlight reveals that there are three to be seen besides Borgo’s current target. One is loosely scattered on the pattern about 20’ away from the stair. The third is about 30’ away to the right, near the column there. As Borgo moves up to the bones, he can tell by the length and thickness of the bones, it seems to be a full skeleton, that these are likely the remains of Dwarves. They rest amidst a low pile of dust and debris, perhaps all that remains of their flesh and clothing. There are no artifacts or weapons nearby.

Some of the dust swirls in a small gust but it isn’t until the bones start to vibrate that Borgo realizes he feels no breeze upon his cheek. Stepping back as the bones link and attach with a hollow clatter, Borgo shouts a warning as the bones rise up from the ground. Three skeletons stand before you, their sockets filled with a baleful red light. They are quickly joined by a fourth pair of burning coals that appear in the far darkness before another skeleton steps into the light.

Even Albrecht, the farthest in back, can feel the malign intent in those burning eyes.

Light Sources:
Berith - Torch (10)

Initiative Order:
Borgo
Thak
Lattremond
Bereth
Elspeath
Albrecht
Skeletons