07/31/2025 – General Adventuring Guild – Online

Summary

Last session, the General Adventuring Guild sailed up a murky, reddish-black river to a desolate island in the Bay of Khardruz, a place rumored to be haunted by demons. Their attention was immediately captured by a massive, ruined city, from the center of which a relentless, unmoving beam of white light shot into the heavens. Opting for adventure, they decided to investigate. Eldara took to the sky, performing a swift aerial survey that revealed the beam originated from an ornate, white stone palace. The scout also spotted a market square, a temple-lined road called the Street of the Gods, and a strange statue of an animal-headed man.

The party chose to first explore the Street of the Gods, making their way to the most well-preserved building: a large temple with a sun carved above its lintel and two imposing bull statues at its entrance. Inside, they found tile mosaics showing people parading with stars and suns. Another fresco chillingly depicted four figures, identifiable as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, fleeing from a building that was emitting a great beam of light. Amidst piles of bones and rubble, they found hundreds of tiny, ancient gold coins. While his companions gathered the gold, Bruggen’s wandering eye caught a glint on a nearby skeleton; it was a golden amulet depicting the starry constellation of the bull, which he quickly secured.

Their curiosity and greed piqued, the adventurers then turned their sights to the palace. The approach was a spiraling path up a hill, littered with sun-bleached skeletons. The main entrance was impassable, blocked by a horrifying, chest-high mound of rotting animal carcasses that had been bitten and torn. The stench was so foul it caused Eldarin to vomit violently. The party scouted the perimeter and found another way in: a high stained-glass window that had been carefully removed from its frame. Climbing up and dropping a rope, they entered the palace proper.

They found themselves behind an altar that had a curious, spherical depression, as if an orb like the one depicted on the stained glass was missing. Moving on, they entered a chamber with pools of crystal-clear water, a stark contrast to the grime covering every other surface. A low buzzing filled the air. As Tuck dipped a flask into the pure water, the buzzing intensified, and swarms of bloated black locusts erupted from the pockmarked walls. The creatures swarmed the party, their bites draining their vitality. After a brief but terrifying exchange, the group fled through the chamber to a door on the far side. In the next room, a library, they discovered a swollen purple pustule on the ceiling, which Andy promptly shot with an arrow, bursting it open. A thorough search of the library yielded books, a silver dagger, religious icons, mirrors, and two heavy stone tablets, one of which was covered in magical script. With their inventory full and the dangers of the palace apparent, the party decided to retreat and return to civilization.

OUTLINE:

Arrival at the Ruined City

• The party arrived at a desolate island in the Bay of Cardrews.
• They spotted a massive ruined city with a mysterious beam of light shooting into the sky.
• Eldara cast Fly to perform an aerial reconnaissance of the city.
• Key locations were identified: a palace (the source of the light), a temple district, and a market square.

The Temple of the Sun

• The party entered the city and made for the ‘Street of the Gods’.
• They explored the most intact temple, which had bull and sun iconography.
• Inside, they discovered frescoes depicting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse fleeing from a beam of light.
• The party gathered 234 ancient gold coins scattered amongst the rubble and bones.
• Bruggen found a golden amulet depicting the constellation of the bull on a skeleton.

Infiltrating the Palace

• The party proceeded to the white marble palace emitting the beam of light.
• They found the main entrance blocked by a chest-high pile of rotting animal carcasses.
• They scouted the perimeter and discovered an alternate entrance through a high, removed stained-glass window.
• The party climbed up and lowered a rope to enter the palace.

The Locust Swarm

• Inside, they found a room with an altar that had a spherical indentation.
• They entered a new chamber with pools of crystal-clear water and a buzzing sound.
• When Tuck collected some water, swarms of bloated black locusts attacked the party.
• The locust bites inflicted damage and drained Constitution.
• The party fought briefly before deciding to flee through a door on the far side of the room.

The Library’s Trove

• The party gathered all the treasure and decided to leave the city to head back to civilization.
• Escaping the locusts, the party entered a library.
• They discovered and burst a large, purple, pustulent bulge on the ceiling.
• A search of the room uncovered salvageable books, two stone tablets in locked cases, and crates.
• The crates contained mirrors, empty flasks, a silver dagger, and six silver religious icons.

NPCs:

• Ajish the Honey Mage: A honey mage who had a very bad date with Valtor, leaving him in a pit of monsters. She is now the subject of an infamous, chart-topping song written by the party’s new bard ally.
• Famous Bard Ally: An unnamed bard who, after a night of carousing with the party, wrote a hit song titled ‘Ajish, She Ain’t So Sweet’ about Valtor’s romantic misfortune.

LOCATIONS:

• Bay of Khardruz: The large bay where the desolate, demon-haunted island is located.
• Street of the Gods: A long road within the Ruined City that is lined with the remains of numerous temples.
• Temple of the Sun: The most intact temple on the Street of the Gods, featuring bull statues and frescoes of the Four Horsemen fleeing a great light.
• The Lit Palace: An elevated palace of white marble, which is the source of the mysterious, constant beam of light shooting into the sky.
• The Ruined City: A massive, ancient city on the island, fallen into ruin and rumored to be haunted by demons. A giant beam of light emanates from its central palace.
• The White Tower: A tower mentioned to be on a nearby island, covered in fog and inhabited by Fae.

ITEMS:

• Ancient Gold Coins: A hoard of 234 small, ancient gold coins found scattered across the floor of the Temple of the Sun.
• Flask of Purified Water: Water taken from the palace pools. It is cool and refreshing, removes nausea and sickness, and causes damage to locusts and demons.
• Golden Amulet of the Bull: A gold amulet found by Bruggen, depicting the starry constellation of the bull. Once a day, it can be used to summon a bull for one hour.
• Mirrors: Four mirrors of decent quality found inside a crate in the palace library.
• Silver Dagger: A well-made silver dagger found within a crate in the palace library.
• Silver Religious Icons: A collection of six valuable silver icons depicting a sun, bulls, and a woman holding an orb.
• Stained Glass Pane: A large, valuable, human-sized pane of stained glass depicting a woman holding a silver orb with a halo of light. It was found set aside near an empty window frame in the palace.
• Stone Tablet (Scroll of Bless): A heavy marble tablet etched with the words for the priest spell ‘Bless’. Can be used once.
• Stone Tablet (Undecipherable Script): A heavy marble tablet etched with an ancient, undecipherable script that will require downtime and an intelligence check to translate.