This quest primarily took place in the Pilgrim's Tomb, a frost giant holy site that has been abandoned. There was a conflict between some followers of Weaver and some not--the site was originally a protective temple guarding the seal below but was co-opted by Weaver worshipers as a holy site.
The party found 2 of the 3 keys needed to activate an elevator that would take them to a hunk of amber containing an aspect of weaver--a hunk that is visible from a holy room above via a system of mirrors. The temple was loosely inspired by Petra and is carved into the mountain side. There is no map of the temple, but the basic layout is a giant-sized building containing a large defensive foyer, a holy worship hall on level 1, a vault with a lift leading to below on level 1, a staircase up to level 2, an exit to an upper mountain ridge on level 2, a dormitory for giants on level 2, and a secret vault in one of the dorm rooms.
There is a stone box containing the 3rd key in the worship hall, and it is guarded by a Severe ghost encounter. (or was planned to be, do whatever if you take this over).
Loose threads cute dog seems to be trapped there and wants out, locking mechanism with slots for 3 "keys" (2/3 appear to be found)
Participants Khirl Galesinger Ultima Aabria Hildegard Hakuto
Locations The Frozen North
Short summary:
Intent on going through the newly opened portal, we went to Elemental Portal Shrine, where me met a person who seemed intent on having his lost dog found, but there wa something weird about the way he was speaking.
After reaching the Frozen North, we moved from one landmark to another, doing our best to create an accurate map of the area. During that time we have discovered territory occupied by Lagofir, which we chose to avoid for the time being.
Eventually we reached frozen steppes, but as the night caught up with us in the middle of it, using some magic we created a shelter there. In the middle of the night, our shelter was approached by a dog, which we took in.
The following day, kind of blindly, kind of following the dog, we found an entrance to some kind of stronghold. Judging by the size and language, it likely belonged to the Jotunn, the Giants. In this temple we discovered some kind of locking mechanism, as well as an amber that appears to be holding some kind of creature. Investigating this stronghold further we found a box containing a spiral carving made of ruby within a box guarded by highly religious ghosts. Not without issues we took care of them.
Eventually we also found a hidden stock of scrolls and books, as well as a chest that contained another crystalline key.
Oh, and a lot of ants.
So many in fact that we had to have Ultima recall, and the rest of us followed soon after, taking a bit of extra time to gather some of the scrolls.
We wanted to take the dog with us, but it had to remain behind. It will have to wait for us there.
Full Report
A new portal has opened.
A new land awaits discovery.
The frozen forests and tundra of the north has appeared on the horizon.
Our group comprised of Khirl Galesinger, Ultima, Aabria Hildegard and Hakuto, we have made our way to the Elemental Portal Shrine to explore this new land.
Right before we entered the Shrine, we were stopped by one Dendy, a person who was apparently following one of us since First Landing. He requested us to rescue his dog. Or rather a very cute the sweetest his dog to which we agreed, noting a possibilty that this person might be under the effect of some curse.
In the Frozen North we moved from one landmark to another, drawing the map as we moved along while having a philosophical discussion about the importance of feeling pain, self preservation and motivations, stemed from the fact that the Automaton Ultima seemed to be unequipped with pain receptors.
As we moved along, we stumbled upon a tree marked with a quite particular type of sticky gunk, which lead us to believe there are Lagofir in the area, which was enough for us to avoid them.
We did however stumble upon some particularly territorial elks. We have acquired fresh meat for a stew.
In the afternoon we reached open steppes, with naught but some hills to protect us from the weather or prying eyes. We have made it barely halfway across it before the fatigue started to set in, so using the Cozy Cabin spell we have made a perfect shelter.
In the middle of the night, however, we were woken up by a surprise visitor. Hearing scratching at the doors, we equipped our armors and weapons before opening the door and letting the dog in. Despite Ultima's concerns regarding its energetic attitude and beatifully shining coat, we continued to sleep.
In the morning we set out to get out of the steppes, which during the night has grown much colder due to snowstorm, but we eventually reached what appears to be some kind of stronghold, in front of which we found a corpse. Snowy, as we dubbed our new companion, was very curious about it, sniffing it intently. The walls hold scorch marks, and the stonework is damaged, as there appears to have been a battle of some kind once.
Once more light was brought, the corpse turned out to be a large bear, its skin peeled and bones exposed, with meat seemingly melted away by some acid. Quite the gruesome sight.
The entrance to the stronghold is a large set of doors, too heavy and thick to break through, but potting some elbow grease to push the edge of one wing opens the way as well.
Within the stronghold we found some points of interest:
- Living chambers, abandoned and cleared out of just about anything useful or informative;
- Staircase leading up to another entrance, currently open;
- A hatch/lift of some kind, its exact purpose unknown. While one might be able to climb the chains, the locking mechanism connected to it seems more interesting, but requires three keys. We seem to have found two of them;
- What appears to be a sanctum, with an arrangement of mirrors, an altar and a very dreadful box atop this altar. Opening it feels like it will bring severe consequences;
Our first significant discovery, the lift and lock connected to it, was at the time insignificant, as it only provided us some clues what to look for as we investigated further.
That investigation, which the doggo seemed unhappy with when we left the lock behind, but perked back up when we found the sanctum. The walls of this room were decorated in insectoid imagery. After some messing around, avoiding the box of course, Khirl found an arrangement of mirrors that showed us what is trapped below that room:
A large chunk of amber, with something suspended within it, and strangely enough still moving?
Intent on not triggering whatever is inside the box just yet, we moved out and followed the staircase. Atop it we found another entrance, or exit depending how you look at it, and another box. This one seemed less dangerous, so to get an idea on what we're dealing with, we opened it.
Turns out it contained a pair of ghosts that called Hakuto a "betrayer" via telepathy, and according to Aabria's later translation said they need to protect the box.
Within the box we found an item made of ruby, which likely fits the lock we have found earlier, so it would appear they were guarding whatever is locked behind this mechanism.
Further investigation lead us to a hidden lever we missed earlier, though before we opened it, we had some snuggle time with the dog, which everyone joined without hesitation. Hallway the lever opened lead us to a library holding scrolls and books, and another box. A repository of knowledge like this is rare, especially in the New World, but Hakuto seemed to be the only one more focused on books than the box.
The box turned out to contain a swarm of hungry ants, which while easy enough to take care of, swarmed Ultima enough to force us to recall before we could investigate further.
Dog remained in the temple, and while Hakuto was saying their farewells to it, it seemed like it really wants to gor for walkies soon.
Aabria's added note:
"PLEASE, WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LET THE..." The ink turns into gibberish until the next line. "...MAGNIFICIENT BEAST GET CLOSE. IT WILL..." The text becomes intelligible.