Shadowdark – 07/03/2025 – General Adventuring Guild – Online

Summary

Last session, you began in the city of Skaal, where you welcomed a new companion, the orc fighter Danos. After hearing tales of other adventurers striking gold, you decided to return to the barrow on the northern island to retrieve the silver treasure you had left behind. Purchasing a pushcart for the anticipated haul, you set sail once again with the greedy Captain Brodo.

The journey north under the maddening, perpetual daylight was interrupted by a chilling sight: a translucent ghost ship, crewed by skeletal figures, scudding silently across the waves. Against your better judgment, you decided to follow it. As a wave crashed against your vessel, Ondar heard a clear warning in the Primordial tongue to turn back. Despite this supernatural plea, Brodo, egged on by Valtor, refused to alter course, hungry for potential riches. Your pursuit was cut short when your own ship was mysteriously held fast in the water, unable to move forward, while the ghost ship vanished toward a distant island. Forced to retreat, you lost two days on your journey.

Upon finally reaching the barrow, you discovered you were not alone. A rival party of five adventurers was already there, hauling sacks of what was surely your silver from the tomb. When Valtor approached them, their red-robed mage leader first paralyzed him and then ensnared him, Tuck, and Ondar in a sticky web. After a brief, tense standoff, the rival party mockingly bid you farewell and departed with their ill-gotten gains, leaving you to contend with the aftermath.

Once free, you descended into the now-looted barrow. The tombs you had previously left untouched were plundered and empty. Only one sarcophagus remained sealed, though it bore the marks of a failed attempt to open it. Prying the lead-sealed lid open, you discovered the emaciated corpse of a woman in ancient finery, wearing a magnificent blackened mithril diadem set with tanzanite gems. Tuck recognized the style of the gown as being from the same era as the figures on the ghost ship.

As Valtor reached out and took the diadem, a terrifying, silent-screaming wraith rose from the corpse. The spectral horror proved immune to normal weapons, and its chilling touch drained the very life force from Valtor, leaving him on the brink of death. Your attempts to turn or placate the creature failed utterly. Realizing the fight was hopeless, you staged a desperate retreat, with Tuck heroically carrying Ondar to safety. You escaped the tomb with the diadem, but the silver was lost, and you had made a new, cunning enemy.

OUTLINE:

Preparations in Skull

• The party purchased cure disease and healing potions.
• The group welcomed a new member, the fighter Danos.
• They decided to return to the northern barrow to retrieve a silver treasure hoard.
• They bought a pushcart in anticipation of hauling the silver.

A Haunted Voyage

• Tuck inquired with Captain Brodo about the location of the wereboar, Gazak.
• The party encountered a translucent ghost ship sailing across their path.
• Despite Ondar hearing a Primordial warning from the sea to turn back, the group chose to follow the ship.
• Their vessel was mysteriously stopped in the water, forcing them to abandon the chase and lose two days of travel.

Confrontation with Rivals

• The party arrived at the barrow to find a group of five rival adventurers already looting it.
• Valtor approached the group despite their warnings, prompting their mage to paralyze him.
• After a brief standoff, the mage cast a web spell, trapping Valtor, Tuck, and Ondar.
• The rival party escaped with the silver, heading north.

The Wraith’s Tomb

• The party explored the plundered barrow, finding all but one tomb emptied.
• They pried open the final, lead-sealed sarcophagus.
• Inside, they found a corpse wearing a black mithril diadem with tanzanite gems.
• When Valtor took the diadem, a spectral wraith rose from the corpse and attacked.

Desperate Escape and Aftermath

• The wraith proved invulnerable to normal attacks and drained Valtor’s constitution, nearly killing him.
• The party fled the barrow, with Tuck carrying Ondar to safety.
• They returned to Skaal and had the diadem identified; it was not magical but worth 300 gold.
• The rival adventurers reported the party to the authorities, resulting in Danos and Andy being put in the stocks and fined.

NPCs:

• Adjish the Honey Mage: The red-robed female mage leading the rival adventuring party. She cast spells to disable the party and later framed them to the Skaal constabulary.
• Brodo: The captain of the schooner the party hired. An ally made through carousing, he is greedy and constantly looking for his next payout, but can be reasoned with.
• Gazak: A wereboar orc and an old enemy of Tuck’s. Last heard leading a group of orcs and goblins into the northern mountains to find a lost ritual site.
• The Wraith: A silent, screaming spectral guardian that rose from the final sarcophagus in the barrow. Its touch drains life force and it is immune to non-magical attacks.
• Wrinkled Old Wizard: A wizard-for-hire in Skaal who identified the diadem for 10 gold and a dead chicken.

LOCATIONS:

• Adjish’s Tea House: A tea house and candy shop in Skull where the rival mage Adjish is known to frequent. She is expected back in two weeks.
• Skaal: A northern port city where the party started, ended, and conducted business.
• The Barrow Island: A barren, rocky island in the far north, home to the Thane’s barrow. The weather is perpetually cold and drizzly.
• The Barrow of the Thane: An ancient tomb complex built into a mound, containing the sarcophagi of several honored dead. It was recently looted by a rival party.
• The Ghost Ship: An ethereal, translucent sailing ship crewed by skeletal figures that appeared on the water and seemed unaffected by wind or waves.

ITEMS:

• Black Diadem: A circlet made of blackened mithril, inset with nine large tanzanite gems. Found on a corpse in the barrow. Not magical, but worth 300 gold.
• Cure Disease Potion: A magical potion that cures diseases, purchased by Tuck in Skull for 25 gold.
• Golden Idol of Fionn: A non-magical golden idol that Valtor was carrying. He sold it for 40 gold.
• Pushcart: A simple two-wheeled cart purchased in Skaal to transport the expected silver from the barrow.
• Silver Knuckles: A set of knuckles made of solid silver, commissioned by Tuck in Skaal for 10 gold.