October 27, 2026

Into the Caves

It is the year 1356 of the Third Age. Our heroes are members of the Redmark Expeditionary Guild. Princess Thalia, founder of the Guild, has asked that any chaos artifacts (or items suspected to be so) be ushered to her post-haste at the city-state of Redmark. All other treasure can be divided amongst the heroes as they see fit. The Guild has established a base in Brandonsford (Hex 2512), a quiet village 60 miles northeast of Lanador.

Three adventurers set out from the frontier settlement of Brandonsford toward a recently discovered cave near the Dragon Ridge Mountains.

Their expedition began at a waterfall spilling into a beautiful underground pool. Strange, web-footed, monkey-like creatures played along the sandy shore, diving into submerged passages. The explorers wisely left them undisturbed.

Beyond the pool, Demetrios led the party into tunnels lined with extraordinary crystals that pulsed with purple and orange light. Looking into them produced unsettling distortions of space and time. The party collected a crystal shard before continuing deeper.

Through a small grated opening, the adventurers discovered kobolds harvesting glowing purple moss and brewing something in a large cauldron. Rather than confront them immediately, the party pressed onward.

The Kobolds and the Black-Robed Stranger

The explorers encountered a sinister black-robed figure accompanied by five armed guards. The mysterious stranger seemed wary of the nearby kobolds. The party avoided confrontation and continued exploring.

They soon discovered an ancient statue bearing the inscription “The Most Elevated One.” Local rumors suggested that the caves had once been used for human sacrifices and that devils might still lurk within.

When a group of armed kobolds approached, the adventurers managed to avoid bloodshed through negotiation. The creatures spoke of a dangerous water dragon deeper underground and warned that the black-robed stranger was extremely dangerous. They also cautioned the party against rival kobolds selling purple moss.

The party bartered for two bags of the unusual purple moss, gaining a potentially useful commodity.

Having gathered some useful intelligence, the adventurers descended a long staircase into the dungeon’s lower chambers.

The Chamber of Bones

Below, the adventurers discovered disturbing, pale slugs with human infant faces feeding on foul-smelling incense. Their unnatural appearance suggested ancient dark magic.

The next chamber was worse: walls mortared together from human skulls and bones, with a rusty iron-grate floor suspended above a pool of corrosive acid.

Careful investigation by Theodosius revealed that sections of the floor could collapse, dropping intruders into the acid. Rather than risk a fatal crossing, the adventurers used iron spikes to jam the ancient mechanisms and secure a path across.

Beyond the trapped floor, grotesque carved faces concealed another mechanism. The party shut their mouths before forcing open a locked stone door. This triggered a poison-gas trap, but the ancient machinery operated slowly enough for the adventurers to retreat and escape the fumes.

Inside the secret chamber, they recovered valuable treasure, magical scrolls, and an ebony-framed mirror with a disturbing property: it revealed the face of someone the viewer had killed.

The Restless Dead

After some healing by Demetrios, the heroes continued into a series of ancient burial chambers where they discovered sarcophagi containing crowned corpses.

The dead proved unwilling to surrender their treasures. At least one corpse animated when disturbed, leading to a brief fight. A sword blow brought one attacker down, while the explorers used their ten-foot pole to retrieve crowns from other sarcophagi and push their lids back into place.

With treasure secured and several restless dead temporarily contained, the adventurers decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

They retraced their route through the dungeon, avoided another encounter with the mysterious black-robed figure, and returned safely to Brandonsford.

The guild’s first expedition was a success, but the water dragon, rival kobolds, and the identity of the Most Elevated One remain mysteries for future expeditions.

Adventurers Present

  • Demetrios, Human Paladin
  • Eridános, Human Cleric
  • Theodosius, Human Magic-User

Treasure and Rewards

Coins and Valuables

  • Electrum octagons worth 960 gp
  • Four jeweled silver crowns
  • +1 Sling bullets

Magic Items and Curiosities

  • Divine scroll: Cure Light Wounds
  • Divine scroll: Cure Disease
  • Arcane scroll: Blacklight
  • Arcane scroll: Wraithform
  • Ebony-framed magical hand mirror, showing the face of someone the viewer has killed
  • Strange glowing crystal shard
  • Two bags of purple kobold moss, obtained through barter

Experience Points

  • Demetrios: TBD
  • Eridános: TBD
  • Theodosius: TBD

Unresolved Mysteries

Who is the mysterious black-robed figure, and what is his connection to the dungeon? What lurks beneath the caves, and is the rumored water dragon real? Most importantly, who was the ancient figure remembered as the Most Elevated One?