The Owlbear Adventurers returned to the ominous Lantern Fort, determined to deal with the corrupted priest, Foraz. After descending into the depths beneath the ruined tower, they found their rope still in place. The flickering torchlight cast a strange, sulfuric blue glow, a sure sign of the Shadowdark’s influence. They first revisited the psychopomps, the moth-masked, hovering guardians of the dead. After vowing to avenge their slain sister, who fell to cultist alchemists, the party was granted a boon, feeling their very beings realigned for the task ahead.
Passing through a strange hallway filled with iridescent, floating bubbles of chaos, they reached a vast cavern. From a collapsed ledge twenty feet above the cavern floor, they heard a maddening chant of ‘Tekeli-li’. A torch cast into the darkness revealed the source: a Shoggoth, a massive, roiling puddle of black ooze bulging with faces and limbs. A fierce battle ensued as the creature of Chaos slid up the cavern wall to engulf the party. Brother Kaarl landed a devastating blow with his warhammer in Ord’s name, and after a harrowing fight where Izzy was nearly consumed, the adventurers vanquished the primordial horror.
Pressing onward, they discovered an alchemist’s laboratory occupied by two pale, bug-eyed cultists. An attempt to bluff their way past as new recruits quickly devolved into violence. The alchemists hurled flasks of fire and acid, setting heroes ablaze, while Puck, blinded by the sudden light, retaliated by smashing their volatile equipment, causing chemical reactions. The party fought through the chaos, cutting down the mad alchemists and collecting their unholy symbols.
Finally, they descended a spiraling, disorienting staircase to the next level. There, they encountered Nidorast, a giant, psychic worm waiting for the end times. Through a tense telepathic conversation, Ashla cleverly convinced the creature that its masters had new orders, persuading it to stand down and reveal the path to Foraz. The party now stands at the precipice of their enemy’s domain, the heart of Yogg-Sothoth’s corruption.
OUTLINE:
Return to the Lantern Fort
- The party decided to return to the Lantern Fort to deal with the corrupted priest, Foraz.
- They traveled by boat and descended into the dungeon beneath the ruined tower.
- They spoke with the two remaining psychopomps, learning their third sister was killed by cultist alchemists.
- The party swore an oath to avenge the slain psychopomp and received a boon, with one character gaining a permanent dexterity increase.
The Hall of Chaos Bubbles
- The party entered a long hallway filled with large, iridescent, floating bubbles.
- They identified the bubbles as manifestations of chaos.
- A character threw a rock, popping one bubble, only to watch it silently reform from its own liquid.
- The party successfully navigated the hallway without touching any of the bubbles.
Battle with the Shoggoth
- The party emerged onto a ledge overlooking a 20-foot drop into a large cavern.
- They discovered the source of a maddening chant: a Shoggoth, a giant, roiling puddle of flesh and faces.
- Izzy threw a flask of oil, setting the creature on fire, which then climbed the wall to attack the party.
- Izzy was engulfed by the creature and nearly died before the party, led by a critical hit from Brother Carl, destroyed the Shoggoth.
The Cultist Alchemists’ Lab
- The adventurers found a laboratory where two pale, bug-eyed cultists were working.
- An attempt to bluff the cultists failed, initiating combat.
- The alchemists attacked by throwing flasks of alchemist’s fire and other concoctions.
- Puck, blinded by the light, retaliated by smashing lab equipment, causing chaotic chemical splashes.
- The party defeated the cultists and recovered their unholy symbols of Yogg-Sothoth.
Encounter with the Psychic Worm
- The party descended a disorienting, spiral staircase to a lower level.
- They found a chamber occupied by Nidorast, a giant, purplish-black psychic worm.
- The worm communicated telepathically, stating its mission to spread the will of its master, Azathoth.
- Ashla successfully bluffed the creature, convincing it that its masters had new orders for it to wait.
- Nidorast pointed the party toward Foraz’s location before they continued on.
NPCs:
- Cultist Alchemists: Pale, bug-eyed, and mutated human followers of Yogg-Sothoth. They conduct foul experiments in a subterranean laboratory, fighting intruders with unstable chemical concoctions and sharp razors.
- Foraz: A corrupted priest of Ord who turned to the worship of dark gods. He is responsible for the curse of undeath laid upon the Knights of Ord and is the party’s primary antagonist within the Lantern Fort.
- Korgoo: An undead Knight of Ord who resides within the Lantern Fort. He advised the party on the dangers within the dungeon and tasked them with defeating his corrupted brother, Foraz.
- Nidorast: A giant, 30-foot-long, purplish-black worm with powerful psychic abilities. It serves the elder evil Azathoth and has been waiting for an opportunity to emerge and spread its master’s influence across the world.
- Psychopomps: Ethereal, hovering women wearing silver dresses and lunar moth masks. They are servants of the god of the dead, tasked with escorting spirits to the afterlife. They consider the undead an abomination and seek vengeance for their slain sister.
- Shoggoth: A primordial essence of chaos, appearing as a massive, roiling puddle of black ooze filled with a multitude of faces, mouths, and limbs. It serves the elder evils and constantly sings a maddening chant of ‘Tekeli-li’.
ITEMS:
- Adamantine Morningstar: A morningstar forged from the super-hard metal adamantine, making it particularly effective against certain types of enemies. The unholy symbol on it was replaced with one for Yama.
- Flask of Alchemist’s Fire: A flask containing a volatile, self-igniting liquid that bursts into flame upon exposure to air, clinging to its target and burning for several rounds.
- Hag Spit Poison: A black paste made from a puffball fungus from the ‘utter below’. When applied to a weapon, it can blind the target and cause wisdom damage.
- Lantern: A source of bright, steady light that burns for an hour per flask of oil. Within the Shadowdark, its flame burns with a strange, blue, sulfuric glow.
- Spiral of Yogg-Sothoth: An unholy symbol resembling a spiral made of black wrought iron. It is worn by the cultists operating beneath the Lantern Fort.
LOCATIONS:
- Alchemist’s Laboratory: A subterranean room filled with tables bearing laboratory equipment made of metal and crystal. It is used by cultists to create volatile chemical weapons.
- Cavern of the Shoggoth: An enormous natural cavern deep beneath the Lantern Fort. It features a wide ledge, much of which has collapsed, ringing the cavern 20 feet above the floor, which is filled with stalagmites and stalactites.
- Fort Albert: The party’s current base of operations, where they can rest and resupply between adventures.
- Lantern Fort: A ruined, multi-story circular tower on an island. A cracked and unsealed stone in its base leads to a deep, multi-level dungeon corrupted by the Shadowdark and servants of chaos.
FACTIONS:
- Cult of the Old Ones: A chaotic cult that worships elder evils such as Yogg-Sothoth and its ‘big pappy’ Azathoth. Its members, including Foraz and his alchemists, operate in the depths of the Lantern Fort.
- Knights of Ord: An order of knights dedicated to Ord, the god of justice. They were cursed with undeath by the corrupted priest Foraz and now act as guardians within the Lantern Fort.
QUESTS:
- Defeat Foraz: The party has been tasked by the undead knight Korgoo to find and defeat his brother, Foraz, a corrupted priest of Ord who has turned to the worship of dark gods and cursed the knights with undeath.
PLAYER CHARACTERS
- Ashla: An Azamar fighter and a former guard. A capable warrior who wields a sword and shield, she is proving to be a cunning strategist and diplomat, successfully deceiving a powerful psychic creature with a bold lie.
- Brother Carl: A devout human cleric. He is a stalwart companion and a powerful force against the unholy, wielding a warhammer in the name of his god, Ord. His faith allows him to land mighty blows against creatures of chaos.
- Frank Lee: A human ‘karate man’ from a faraway land. He single-handedly rescued his companions from captivity and brought them to safety on his boat. He is a practitioner of martial arts, preferring to use his fists and feet in combat, often with acrobatic flair.
- Izzy: An Oriad priest and a cleric of Ord who was formerly a prisoner. Now freed, he is a dedicated member of the party, though he seems to be a magnet for trouble, having been set on fire twice and nearly devoured by a Shoggoth in this single excursion.
- Puck: A Manavari cleric who once served as a field medic. Hailing from the deep, he has white hair, white skin, and is not accustomed to the surface, being blinded by bright light. He recently touched a symbol of Azathoth, gaining wisdom at the cost of his sanity, becoming a perpetual gossip.
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