Adventure #7: Cragmaw Castle

 2023/10/22 Session 7: Cragmaw Castle (Campbell, Doug, Gryffon, Ronn, Zak)

5 Winterwane 5023

The members of The Order of Righteous Peregrination, having escaped the captivity of the Redbrands and recovered in relative comfort and security of the Stonehill Inn, awake late in the morning to a buzz of commotion running through the camp. In a move to counter any actions by the Heroes of Eureka the Redbrands have dragged some aberration from the ruins and staked it out in front of the town hall. The creature is monstrous with bony spikes protruding from its mottled back, terrible talons, and a single great eye above a maw of sharp fangs. Both the mayor, Harbin Wester, and the real leader of the town, Vilarno Albrek, gave rousing speeches about the mind altering powers of this creature and blamed the rash of bad behavior by the Redbrands on the creature's influence. Assurances were made that with this creature slain, the corrupting influence of its magic on the camp would end, the Redbrands and the people can return to addressing the threat of the dragon and establishing a foothold against the violent incursions by the scro raiders. Civilization and commerce would conquer this land once again.

foul aberration  | Vilarno Albrek

Even as the heroes talked with Sildar Hallwinter about this most recent swing in events, a trio of Redbrands dragged a hoblin warrior through the crowd. Vrandon Charoz had been captured and the Redbrands were proclaiming him a spy and scout for the gobel tribes that had been driven from the town and the civilized spaces of the region. Surely, he and his kind were set to take advantage of the camps misfortunes. Perhaps, they had set this aberration upon the town in a failed attempt to drive off or destroy the coming civilization. move to counter the PCs by blaming the bad behavior of the Redbrands on a monster living in the crypts of Tresendar Manor. This allie of the Order was locked in one of the two cells under the townhall and even the disinterested influence of Sildar Hallwinter was not enough to arrange for his release.

Still needing to find Cragmaw Castle and their friend Gundren Rockseeker, but unwilling to leave their hoblin ally to the whims of a hostile camp, the members of TOoRP sought the aid of the camps true master, Albrek Vilarno, at the Sleeping Giant Saloon.

The Order found that the interior of the saloon most frequented by the Redbrands was unsurprisingly rundown, dirty, and the patrons potentially dangerous, none of which was particularly surprising.  Behind the bar, acting as both server and bodyguard, they found a surly female dwarf named Grista. Upstairs they found the most important man in Weaverville sitting behind a fine desk, his signature glass staff leaned against the wall behind him, and a burly but silent guard on the deck just outside the office. The discussion between the two parties was crisp and unambiguous while lacking any admission of Vilarno’s true role in the camp. He let it be known that he had collected the belongings of the Order as a consequence of their failed assault on his property, but returned the spellbook of Horatio Helkat as a token of goodwill and cooperation. After a bit of negotiation the party was able to extract the general location of the gobel stronghold known as Cragmaw Castle and an agreement that Vrandon Charoz would find an opportunity to escape the prison and meet them at the outskirts of the camp in an exchange of goodwill and future cooperation.

After their rendezvous with their hoblin companion, Vrandon brought the heroes to the disheveled campsite of the Rockseeker brothers.  The campsite is just north of Weaverville in the ruins of an old stone house, but it is less a campsite and more the site of a small tornado. Sacks of provisions emptied without care on the ground, sleeping blankets torn assunder, equipment strewn about, and signs that a violent exchange commenced at this location. The two brothers have been extracted from their hidden camp and an enthusiastic search of the place was made, most likely looking for the map that Gundren Rockseeker was traveling with. 

This is distressing and only adds to the urgency of the party finding Cragmaw Castle.

6 Winterwane 5023

The Order of Righteous Peregrination traveled 30 miles north of Weaverville on the Trinity Lake Tradeway to visit a thorp on the northern shore of Trinity Lake, Trinity Center (pop. 21). This tiny settlement is home to a mixed population of homen and gobel residents seemed like as good a place to ask about the gobel stronghold as any they could find.

The locals decided that sending the Order towards the castle ruins would be safer than claiming ignorance of the place. A mile south from the thorp of Trinity Center and a mile west of the Trinity Lake Tradeway, they found Preacher Meadow, a quiet and serene place of mature cedar, ponderosa pine, and some deciduous trees. A looping footpath brought them from the trail into an overgrown clearing where the ruin of Cragmaw Castle’s seven towers jutted from the earth like broken teeth. The place was dark and only the occasional goblin voice, unidentifiable growl, and the song of the nights creatures broke the quiet of the place.

The group followed the trail around the castle and found a concealed and unguarded entrance along the north side of the building. Slipping into the ruins they encountered several barred doors and heard the sound of iron shod feet rushing away. A bad choice resulted in tragedy. The group threw the bar on a door and were rewarded with the release of an enormous and agitated owlbear smashing into the group with raking claws and snapping beak. The Order dispatched the beast quickly, but not before its talons had eviscerated Vandren Charoz. Even as the hoblin fell lifeless from his wounds, the beast was slain, the two were left entangled in eternal struggle and their bodies blocked the entrance to the barracks most thoroughly.

Vranden Charoz

4996/10/19 – 5023/03/05

Having chose well and having fate on their side, the next door swung into the royal chambers of King Grol. The king was prepared for his visitors, having been warned by two hard looking hoblin warriors. The king, his bodyguards, and his wolf stood with weapons drawn and fangs barred. With them was the still, fallen body of the dwarf, Gundren Rockseeker, and an unknown elven woman. The fight was quick and deadly. The king’s forces were overwhelmed and surrender was neither asked nor given. The elf escaped during the fight and Gundren was found to be unconscious but alive. 

Making haste, the band gathered up the dwarf, who refused to leave without his map, prompting a quick search of the chamber, which uncovered the kings pathetic horde of coins and the precious map to Wave Echo Cave. The party deftly made their way back out of the castle without any further disturbance of the gobel stronghold. Their friend saved and the map recovered, the future of The Order of Righteous Peregrination is sure to be one of wealth and leisure.

King Grol  | Gundren Rockseeker

TREASURE

220 sp

160 ep

MAGIC ITEMS

Potion of Healing (x3)

ITEMS OF NOTE

Gundren’s map to Wave Echo Cave