Campaign Chronicles-16-Keep on the Shadowfell
View the previous chapter of the chronicles: Campaign Chronicles-15-Conquest of Kobold Hall
Chapter 16. Keep on the Shadowfell Synopsis and Unique Ending
The group battled through groups of Kobolds, before finally arriving at the lair. For reasons unknown, Astronom and Arjan (a Dragonborn Paladin the group met in the city of Winterhaven) remained outside, while the rest of the group forged forward. The battle that followed was long and intense- wave after wave of Kobold rushed to greet the adventurers, culminating in the appearance of a particularly nasty Goblin. The group fought valiantly... but in the end, they all fell to the monster's blades.
The battle was not yet finished, however- overhearing the noise, another group of adventurers investigated, following Arjan and Astronom into the cave. These adventurers- including a Bugbear named Ogmog, a Drow named Aiden, and a halfling named Dorina- were enough to turn the tide against the Kobolds, and when the last blow was struck, it was the Kobolds who lay dying on the floor. The cave was quickly looted, and the gear of the fallen party members were recovered. Arjan led the new adventurers back to Winterhaven, where they were met by the town guard. Aiden hung back out of sight, but Ogmog and Dorina approached the guards, carrying the chest recovered from the Kobold's cave. The guards were suspicious at first, but when Ogmog offered the chest as a gift, they were all allowed into the town. The group went seperate ways from there- Arjan carried the body of Sabi to the temple, to have her revived, while Ogmog and the rest headed for the inn to get food. Ogmog ordered a 'goat on a stick', stating the need to 'Eat many people', and returned back to the woods outside of town, were he and Aiden shared a meal. Afterwards, the pair returned into town, with the Drow wearing a makeshift disguise and claiming to be 'ugly like goat'.
The group retired after a night in the bar, and the next morning awoke to a town subtly different. Most of the people seemed distracted- as if they hadn't slept well, or were listening to a radio just out of focus. After some investigating, both of the town and of a goblin's archeological dig nearby, and a return visit to the town wizard, the party determined the source of the problem to be Shadowfell Keep- an ancient outpost, built to guard the world against an evil rift to the Undead plane. The wizard had come to the conclusion that someone was trying to reopen the portal... most likely the cultists for Orcus. After restocking, the party set forth to the ancient bastion, soon arriving at the ruined entrance.
The party battled through numerous foes- ranging from goblins, to giant rats, to gelatinous cubes, to ancient traps built to thwart intruders. They spoke with ancient spirits, and lost clerics. They returned to the town, and fought off more of the Orcus cultists and their undead minions. They found many treasures- gold, magic relics, jewels, ancient carvings- and witnessed the hatching of Sabi's Spiretop Drake. They fell down holes and climbed out of them (and fell back in them), fighting their way deeper into the Keep, as the ambiance grew gradually more and more disturbing- darkened rooms smelling more and more of blood and death, corpses (both dead and reanimated) strewn about rooms, and the dragonic architecture taking on a more and more vicious feel. Finally the team arrived to the lowest room in the Keep, reaching it by climbing down a deep pit. There they faced Kalarel, a Human Scion of Orcus, who led the cult. He was determined to open the portal and unleash the Undead on the world. The party fought valiantly in the shadow of the portal, and eventually defeated the cultist. As the wizard died, a ghastly hand reached from the portal and grasped his body, pulling him into the world of the Undead.
The wizard's energy seemed to be too much for the portal to contain, and the room began shaking violently. The adventurer's panicked, seeking any way out of the quickly collapsing chamber, but there was nothing to be done. Pillars collapsed, and with a thundering crash the ceiling descended...
...only to be halted just inches above the party's heads. An angelic figure appeared in front of the team, explaining that they had arrived too late to close the portal safely, and that the energy in the portal would be released, destroying all life within a hundred miles. While such an outcome was sadly unavoidable at this point, the team of adventurers had found favor with the watching deities, and the angel had been sent to save them. With a flash of light, the room vanished.
The team of adventurers had mixed feelings about their efforts. They had found many treasures, and stopped an Undead army from emerging... but their efforts weren't enough to save the people and creatures living in Winterhaven. The people they had met- the mayor, the wizard, even the guards- were all dead now. These thoughts faded, along with the angel's light, as the team suddenly found themselves in a very different environment- they were under the canopy of a deep jungle, with heavy rainfall descending from the sky.
Continue on to the next chapter of the chronicles: Campaign Chronicles-17-Welcome to the Jungle
