(Following: The Druid, a Dragon, and a Unicorn)
Beneath the standing stone menhirs called the Circle of Thunder by the Cult of Talos - a sacred site whose origin is lost to memory.
Perils of the Ancient Tomb
The caves used to gain entry to the tomb, land the party in a room with the first of many puzzles and traps, where keys must be correctly placed in a statue to open the door inward. Though ancient, and clearly previously raided by past treasure-seekers (including whoever stole the Cursed Emerald that led to the Night Hag Gertrude’s horrific haunting of the Montarthas Manor ), the protective magics of this place seem to still restore and reset their tricks and traps for the next who might seek to explore their mysteries.
A smelly gas that darkens the light and fire of torches slowly causes injury to the lungs of the party throughout the exploration - while also making their senses more susceptible to illusions and their sense of balance and aim less than it would be in fresher air.
There are pits and secret doors, passages that shift, flooded areas, shrines, statues of honor guards, chambers of long-dead nobles, machinery of piercing, slicing and smashing and yet a cold silence broken only by the echoes of the party’s activities or occasional dripping of water or bubbling of earth-heated mud. The sole inhabitant encountered before the end - what appeared to be another floating eye monstrosity, barely noted the party as they avoided it.
The party managed to find its way to the great tomb at the heart of the mound - after several perilous encounters with the various protections and hazards of the maze of tunnels - mainly dealing harm only when the party diverged from its mission, drawn by temptations of possible treasures, or when confidence outweighed due caution or patience.
Tear in Space Itself
To reach the center, the tear in the fabric of space itself required mending. The absence of anything acting as a rift between planes, and for over a thousand years exploited by visitors to the stones above to summon forth strange and foul beings from the outer planes.
With heavy reluctance, Mon-Kei came to realize the one place where he could shut out the world - to meditate and focus - his magical tent - would not merely allow passage, but could fully restore this wound in the multiverse. The mentor of Mon-Kei and Ujio, the great Adept called Askelon, had long instructed the Defenders of Limbo stand with the restoration of each plane’s sovereignty and coherence. This rift being precisely the sort of thing the great enemies - demons and devils, the machines of order or the wild spirits of chaos, the conquering Unknown of the Astral, or millions of other foes - the weakening that leads to the evils of conquest and plundering and wars that last centuries - even millennia.
But true to these duties, knowing his own meditations had greatly improved through his gaining of abilities, and a simple prayer rug would suffice - the tent was unfolded, its demi-plane drawing naturally toward the edges and corners of the tear, seamlessly restoring this place in this world to be whole again. There is no doubt Askelon would be proud of the sacrifice. And perhaps he is still out there and may hear of this deed one day.
King Beneath the Hill
Passing through the repaired entry and into the tomb, the emerald leaps from where it had been packed, and flies through the air to be caught in a ghostly hand rising from the sarcophagus at the room’s center. The room itself is very strange, with complex triangular columns shining with soft-lit symbols and diagrams, so old they resemble nothing in the worlds the party knows. Whoever stole the emerald must have deciphered codes and overpowered this being… so long ago.
He rises from the place of his burial, shining a light from the shape of his form - more the opposite of a ghost than as a comparison. The being’s presence, like that of the unicorn, is humbling, and the party finds itself watching and listening in quiet wonder - feeling in their hearts and minds an absence of fear or greed or jealousy - only peace and gratitude and honor.
When he speaks, all understand his words, though afterward none agree on what he looked like or what language he spoke. He has waited a long time for the return of his heart, the emerald, which slowly beats now, sending a gentle ripple across his shape. He thanks the group for its return, then calmly explains that all objects in these halls and rooms are deeply cursed, and in some cases he can remove those curses, while in others he can only free the possessor of the item from its effects and take it from them.
This being was perhaps once a demigod, or a hero who had transcended the powers of mortals, and in his thanks, he draws forth from his personal treasures rewards for the party members for their courage and service and sacrifices. Last, with the return of the emerald heart and the repairing of the rift - he places a symbol on the forehead of each of the party: the Mark of the Yuir. This will allow the group to employ various menhir as waypoints between which they may mystically travel, as these had been devised long, long ago by the Masters of the Yuirwood, wood elf and half-elf rangers, now mainly in the lands of Aglarond.
Once these gifts are taken, the curses resolved, the marks bestowed and each of the party signals their readiness, the being under the hill lifts his arms - transporting the party to the surface above: the top of the burial mound open to the midday sky, surrounded by the menhirs - the great stones that make the place sacred - the place the anchorites of Talos have made the Circle of Thunder.
The half-orc secretive priests - these anchorites - are taken by complete surprise at the party’s sudden appearance and their defeat is swift and complete.
- Tallon’s barbarian rage and storm nature strikes confusion and fear into even their leader’s heart, thinking that Talos himself has turned against them.
- The demon-beast Gorthak is slain in a single shot from the proud half-elf Willow, expertly sending the Arrow of Demonslaying given to her by the being into its throat, to rip the creature from this world and return it once more to the abyss from whence it came - and should stay!
- Mon-Kei employs his speed and the staff of the earth spirit as never before, maneuvering among the tallest of the half-orcs and even an ogre - landing a flurry of elbows and kicks.
- Ujio and Yeet, in a now-practiced battle-dance with the whirlwind monk, exploit the confusion and openings to strike with deadly blows and pinpoint shots.
- Belcoria stands at the center of it all, calm and confident, drawing to her the enemies who have somehow gathered enough wits for the hope of advantage, only to find an impervious pillar and soon themselves burning through Novastrike’s blows or impaled from one of Yeet’s bolts or Willow’s arrows, split by Tallon’s now-greataxe Hew, eviscerated in Ujio’s web of swift slashes, or drawn low in Mon-Kei’s blurring body strikes.
The corpses of beasts and fairykind and other forest dwellers make plain the cruelty of these half-orc, were-boar whatevers that make up this bizarre priesthood and fanatics of Talos. This is not a day for mercy, and none escape the attack.
The green dragon’s egg is located, having been attacked and even perhaps scored with lightning, but it bears yet the warmth of life and its hard surface remains closed. The bodies are stacked and burned (where the ogre fell) and burned before nightfall. The foul smell is mercifully driven from the place by a steady wind too well placed to be by chance - the god of the mound has blessed the party as the sanctity of the sacred place begins to be restored.
Emerald Enclave
Dreaming that night, each of the party receives images that can be best explained as the locations of other menhir - places to which the party may one day travel and explore - or perhaps escape. The following day is a beautiful opposite of the stormy overcast brought with the followers of Talos.
At lunch time, the site receives a surprise visit from a delegation of four Wood Elves, accompanied by a dozen forest fairies. They bring a delicious meal, drinks and set up a small feast of thanks for dinner - followed by a delightful evening of music, songs and storytelling. These newcomers identify themselves as the first arrivals for a meeting of great import to follow the next day - a gathering of the Emerald Enclave.
Over the course of the night, awash in the pale glow of a full moon, others begin to arrive. Some of the tales told note some believe the moon itself is the ever-watching face of the goddess Selûne, always watchful over the lands. Those arriving wear many shapes and forms, as Druids so easily wear the forms of animals, or travel through the earth, the rushing stream, the air or the trees themselves.
This second night - perhaps from the stories, perhaps from the wine and mead, perhaps from full bellies, perhaps from the sense of security in numbers - the party sleeps deeply and in this rest gains in one night much of the advance in powers and capabilities won in advancing levels. There are no dreams, and even those who normally wake early, or do not sleep at all, find themselves suddenly awakening - wholly rested and restored - but realizing this special meeting has already begun.
The circle of figures includes three long-bearded druids. The one leading the discussion stands taller than Tallon the Tall even before counting the great antlers that extend from his head. All can feel the power of this figure, overshadowing even the other prominent members. There is a Unknown (Ent) - a humanoid tree, and a creature formed of swirling air currents. There is a High Elf, wearing armor that appears made from the shifting colors of rainbows. A Gnome sits upon an enormous frog between the shimmering Unknown from the forest glade and a strikingly handsome bard wearing clothes that appear woven from the night sky. Last, as she promised in returning after 3 days, is Venomfang - and surprisingly not disguised as Reidoth, but sitting regally, her tail winding back into the forest.
The party pulls together as best it may to be “presentable” and at least listen in if not join the discussion. What is overheard at first is the topic of Venomfang herself. It seems she is being accepted as she is, and she seems pleased by this - perhaps even surprised. The good she has done in concert with the party has been noted - along with her departure from some of the more disagreeable dragon behaviors. She indicates thanks and pledges to support the Emerald Enclave, as did her teacher Reidoth, as have these been good to her.
She shares that she can feel deep things happening inside of her - this is partly the transformation underway as she is reaching adulthood, but it is more than that. Something is happening to the dragons of Faerun right now. And it has accelerated her changes - even as the recovered egg is now preparing to hatch far sooner than it should. The Cult of the Dragon, who had almost worshipped her in Thundertree has become bold - no longer secretive, they seem to be joining with others in some great dark deed.
The Horned One welcomes all from Our Party to join the discussion. He has Venomfang introduce each of you, which she does recalling a surprising amount of detail you would never have expected her to know about. He then addresses Willow Wolf-friend as a member of the Emerald Enclave, raising her rank to be recognized as Summerstrider.
Following this, the bard of the night sky performs a similar ceremony for Yeet Longshade, on behalf of The Harpers, raising his rank to Harpshadow.
The Horned One then expresses the thanks of the forest for repairing this world’s wound beneath the hill. Returning to the concerns of the dragon, he motions to the High Elf, who steps into the center of the circle and spreads her arms - from which a vivid image grows - at first of this sacred stone circle itself, but then rising to the sky - out and out - until - like a map - the world itself hovers before you, as if you were like the moon goddess looking down on the tiny mountains, cities, forests, rivers and swamps.
The Horned One begins to identify certain people, creatures, objects and places. There will be no record of this, and your minds spin trying to remember bits and pieces of the wealth of information that is shared before your eyes. The pace of the discussion seems to accelerate - or your own perception slows - bits and pieces may be recalled later, but for now, you must be content with what you can remember from the passing moments.
- Followers of a God of Death are building an undead army out of the Mere of Dead Men to attack the town of Leilon and then likely northward to Neverwinter.
- The followers of Talos are not yet done, despite what happened here in the stone circle and what (apparently) Venomfang has done to them somewhere else in the forest in the past day. A strong leader is gathering forces from an enormous ghost ship off the Sword Coast.
- The Cult of the Dragon has for centuries tried to bring Unknownes - undead dragons to be, following some prophesy, but has always failed and the cult is hated by nearly every other faction and power in the land. But they have a new leader named Severin Silrajin, who has begun an entirely new plan - to summon the dragon goddess Tiamat herself into this world. They are collecting items to summon her and treasure as a tempting reward for her.
- The Unknown are more watchful than in many years - of all these things, but also as a power struggle between themselves seems to have begun.
Where to go and what to do? Having been given the Mark of Yuir by the King Beneath the Hill, the party is able to swiftly travel to many places, including The Place of the Unicorn, lying between Phandalin and Leilon, where the omens described would indicate important things will soon happen. The Horned One places a magic - a geas - upon the party, which will speed up training and experience over the next week. He will show you how to travel to this other place, to learn what is happening in those towns - sending along a swift messenger bird to observe and report.
To the Moonsea and Home to Phandalin
Before you depart, however, Venomfang wishes to meet with you. She has brought with her a striking black suit of scale mail which she gives to Belcoria, pleased with herself. She is delighted with the success of the team and grateful for the egg having been saved. The egg seems on the verge of hatching - just like she feels she will soon be growing into the adult form - and so she must take the egg to her brother off to the east. She does not know how long this will take, but she plans to return to Neverwinter Wood, continuing as Reidoth and as a new form she is trying out - a playful wood Sprite teen named Jennie.
She tells you all of the things the circle talked about are important - and there are others who will stand up to these threats, but that everyone should play their part - the group must find its own destiny, choosing a path carefully.
Attending to the matter of the dragon egg, Djennie grasps the leathery mass gently and flies off to the east - seeking out her brother Vorgansharax's lair by the Moonsea.
The group themselves await the moonlit evening, when the Place of the Unicorn's Moongate will be open - and travel through, returning to the small town where things started: Phandalin.
(Transition from here to: Phandalin in Flames)