Loose threads A tent occupied by a hostile serpentfolk ghost, the dwarven key, a locked tower (needs a second key?)
Participants Lysandros, Cinder Egopop, Yimtakk Drivvnel Gartunk, Faine Doom.
Locations Greyspine Mountains, Goblin Caves, Crystal Cavern, Sealed Tower, Undead Tents
Short summary:
The four members of the party made good initial progress towards the Greyspine Mountains; happening upon a pair of goblins (perhaps the same as encountered by the last group), they supplied these with a deer carcass in exchange for directions to the Serpentfolk. Negotiations with a pair of Serpentfolk quickly broke down as the party realised they were after the dwarven key; both were slain in the ensuing combat. The party then headed towards the tower, and after luring a trio of skilled skeletal Serpentfolk fighters into a combat, and winning narrowly, they realised that a second key seemed to be needed to enter the tower. Exploring the tent that the Serpentfolk skeletons had been guarded revealed a Serpentfolk ghost, and just before a hasty recall was made by the party, a host of complex plans concerning failed attempts to enter the tower was discovered.
Full Report
I, Lysandros Agisteides of Karinthos, faithful servant of Arqueros, do here recount to the Golden Bulwark, Defender of Heaven's Gates, Protector of Good, the Shield of Righteousness, an exhaustive account of the first quest undertaken in your name to restore to the Empyreal Lords the golden icon of Ragathiel, thieved under my shameful, failed watch.
My first encounter with the party members of our quest was hopeful; they seemed competent individuals and certainly more worldly than myself. The Goblin Cinder in particular has a cunning mind for witticisms; I found myself at the receiving end of these throughout our journey, but I assure you, Arqueros, that my defense did not fail despite these troubles.
Yimtakk, a dwarf most skilled in the arts of mundane healing, and saviour of myself on at least one occasion on this venture, introduced himself next. He is a solid sort, and seems wise and measured. Reliable, my lord, and I hope you continue to guard him in his efforts.
Finally we come to Faine; I am not sure what to think of this young girl, except she has, to my uneducated perspective, a singular mastery with magic of the mind. I saw feats I was not sure how to explain, conjured through the powers of only her cognition. She was quieter than the rest, and certainly quieter than Cinder, but seemed a keen artist.
Enough on our cast; our journey was made easier by riding on the contraptions of Cinder; these too, much like the acts of Faine, are well beyond my ken. While they caused much noise, they saved a long march from being wearisome. Our first encounter, with a pair of goblins, blessedly ended peacefully for us and them; not so for the psychic deer they had us dispatch in exchange for directions. I considered briefly some minor moral qualms of killing a creature so evidently intelligent, but these were dismissed after careful consideration. If I have erred in this way, Oh Defender, then your forgiveness I beg. A trophy to our victory I established here.
The goblins lead us to their tribe, with the carcass in tow; a feast for their community, which has seemingly been experiencing some difficulty in a few departments. One can hope that our dispatching the Serpentfolk, creatures I now realise are singularly vicious and likely unredeemable, will help them. After a feast, we were lead to the first of our true foes.
Oh Guardian Lord, the way these creatures exploited the goblins, it was all I could do not to lay your divine justice upon them with utmost immediacy; that said, negotiations were attempted. I am almost glad to say they failed, and the wrath of my spear was keenly felt by this pair of Serpentfolk fighters, even as they attempted to flee in cowardice with the dwarven key after we showed it to them. Your divine blessings surely guarded me and mine from the danger they posed. Another trophy to victory I established here.
Our journey to the tower was of little difficulty after this; but upon our arrival, the lighthouse tower was surrounded by tents, and guarding one of these was a trio of skeletons, undead Serpentfolk. I insisted upon their demise, Oh Auric Shield, and after a quick planning session, the enactment of a scheme against them was demised that surely saw their destruction inevitable.
The combat, however, was fraught with danger nonetheless, and I was felled at a point. Nonetheless, the rest were protected by your divine blessings and my meagre skill-at-arms, and soon the skeletons too had been dispatched. A tough combat, and one requiring a significant period of rest afterwards, but won fairly. I established to this mighty victory a trophy.
Finally, Oh Golden Bulwark, I relate an encounter which chills my spine to even remember. The grandest of tents, upon our entrance, was revealed to harbour a ghost and a vicious trap of electricity. Between the two foes, I believe, it is lucky we all escaped through use of our recallers. Nonetheless, valuable knowledge was gained, and for this we can be thankful.
By these actions I hope to have taken the first step on my slow path towards true atonement in the eyes of the Empyreal. Ever Protect Your Faithful, So We May Guard The Good.