Sundered Faith

Notable for the recovery of multiple magic items that the Companions used for many later adventures, and also for the most amazingly bad choice of words from a player character, ever.

The Letter

It all started with a letter .

Perrin's summer fling, Rachel was - uninvited - coming to live with him in the Blue City, and would he pick her up? Panicking, Perrin turned to the Companions, who agreed to help convince her to go back home.

Then, of course, she didn't show. And the boat she was supposed to be on? Also didn't show.

This? This was bad.

Journey Upriver

A quick consultation with the Moradin Spice Trading Concern netted the Companions of the Rising Sun a contract to go upriver and find the missing boat, rescue anyone needing rescue and recover any cargo possible.

A couple days ride south of the city, the Companions discovered the wreckage of the boat, and tracks leading into the hills nearby. From the filth and stench surrounding the tracks, Perrin determined that they were following undead, and the Companions girded themselves for battle.

A Tunnel in the Hill

The Companions shortly followed the tracks to an old, abandoned, but beautiful tunnel in the side of a hill. Cautiously entering, they quickly encountered several groups of undead, some apparently stationed and others simply wandering. Defeating them, the Companions discovered a number of corpses wearing the livery of Moradin Spices, presumably the crew of the boat.

Though disappointed, they proceeded inwards, hoping to find some other survivors, until a rotting floor gave way beneath them, dumping them into a roaring chute of water. Though Kimo was quick enough to avoid it, the rest of the Companions fell in, and he elected to jump in and join them in their fate. A long water slide later, it unceremoniously dumped them into a vast underground lake.

While most of the Companions wore light or no armor, and had no trouble swimming to shore, Nigel was not so lucky. With dwarven bone density, and wearing a heavy steel breastplate, he sank like a stone. It was then that the Companions discovered something about their comrade, and dwarves in general.

Dwarves can hold their breath basically forever.

Nigel, with some assistance from Kimo, walked out of the lake, on the bottom. Along they way, they noticed a lump on the bottom that turned out to be a moss-covered set of plate mail.

That's when the lake worm attacked. A gargantuan, undead, poison-fanged lake worm.

After a pitched battle, they defeated it, leaving its disgusting carcass floating in the lake. Kimo, using the Breath of the Four Winds as an air source, recovered the armor, which Jericho later confirmed was magical. This armor, once cleaned up and fitted, became Nigel's signature armor, and he returned the borrowed breastplate he wore to his uncle, Brother Denehan ClearStone.

Entrance to the Temple

Just off the sandy shore of the underground lake, the Companions discovered the entrance to a temple of some sort. The hallway had, set into the floor, a great bronze seal, covered in mystical runes. Crossing it, they discovered that all their light sources blazed out, and Jericho reported that his connection to Pelor was reduced to a mere thread. A dark curse hung over this place, and the undead seemed to thrive, right at home amongst the evil mojo.

Left Wing

Exploration led to a magical workshop, curiously left untouched by the undead otherwise permeating this place. In the middle of a magical circle on the floor lay a rapier, glowing with energy. Notes on the work table indicated it was incomplete, awaiting only a name, and the casting into it of a spell, which it would then be able to effect once/day. After some consideration, Regina cast true strike into it, and named it Finepointe. It became her signature weapon.

Also in this workroom, the Companions found a thick, heavy tome, Every Light Casts a Shadow, by Landor Caladon. Filled with dense, detailed, complex magical theory and notations, this book was way over the heads of the Companions.

Right Wing

The party chose not to investigate this area, as the doors to this wing - visibly bowed outward from pressure and leaking water - looked ominous enough to leave alone.

Central Wing

This wing was the largest, and contained a number of different rooms: A small small prayer chapel, some former living quarters, a set of meditation chambers, and a larger chapel.

The prayer chapel contained broken pews and other religious trappings, once dedicated to Pelor and now sullied by the presence of a number of undead, who attacked the Companions immediately. Defeating them, they discovered an offering box with a few potions hidden inside.

The living quarters were empty, save for the rotting remains of what appeared to be a double bed and wardrobe. A secret compartment in the floor contained some gold and a few divine scrolls, which Jericho claimed.

In the meditation chambers, the party encountered a curious sight: an undead creature, armored and armed, kneeling in apparent supplication to an ikon of Pelor. They did not get the chance to question him, though, as he leapt to the attack as soon as they approached. Defeating him, they realized that, though filthy, the armor he wore was actually radiating magic. Cleaned up, it was revealed as magical studded leather, which Perrin claimed and wore for many adventures afterwards.

Finally, in the final chamber, the main chapel, the Companions made their final and most surprising discoveries. This chamber consisted of a large room, mostly made of marble and other stone, with a high dais in the middle. Stairs led up to the top of the dais, where there was a large black onyx altar. A dessicated corpse, lay prone at the base of the steps.

Hearing a sob, they discovered Rachel, filthy, terrified, and shaking, huddled in a corner. As they rushed to her, a cold wind began to howl through the room from nowhere, and the image of a young girl appeared at the top of the stairs, obviously pregnant. Clutching her swollen belly, she suddenly fell down the stairs, landing precisely where the corpse lay. She screamed, an unearthly sound of fear and despair that set the hairs of the Companions on end.

A pool of blood began to appear from beneath the girl, and she moaned and cried - it seemed as though she was in the process of losing the baby, or perhaps giving birth. With this, the wind picked up to a frenzy, and the room filled briefly with darkness. When the party relit their torches, they discovered that in place of the image of the girl stood a wight, which immediately launched itself at the nearest party member - Nigel - who cut it down without hesitation, sword flickering in the feeble light.

Finally able to comfort Rachel, the Companions asked what had happened, and what she was doing here.

With shaking breath, she related her story. The boat had been attacked by monsters, and she was dragged here and left with the ghost. About every hour or so, the scene replayed, and a new undead was born. She had never been hurt, and in fact one of them had brought her some food and a smelly old blanket.

While Regina and Perrin comforted her, the rest of the party elected to search the room, and discuss what the ghost required, in order to rest at peace. This process took a while, and the scene played out again. Jericho, watching closely, realized that she indeed lost the baby, and probably died herself in the process.

Putting 2 and 2 together, Regina took this information, and the presence of Rachel, and realized that the ghost had caused the young woman to be brought to this place for a reason.

In gentle terms, Regina asked, "Rachel, are you with child?"

She quietly nodded, embarrassed, and then tried to explain that she believed that the ghost wanted her baby.

Unfortunately, Perrin didn't even let her get through the explanation, before interjecting, "Are you sure it's mine?"

It got very quiet, for the space of a few heartbeats.

Then shock and rage overcame Rachel's embarrassment, and she strode up to Perrin, whispered "How dare you?!?" and smacked him solidly across the face.

At that, she turned, and before the Companions could stop her, strode over to the dais, opened her arms, and said, "Well, then, join me!"

While the party members dove for cover, the wind again whipped to a frenzy, lifting Rachel into the air as she and the ghost girl merged. She was set down again almost gently, and a voice that was and was not Rachel's began to sob.

After that, it was all over except for the introductions.

Ghost of a Lady

In the voice that was and was not Rachel's, the ghost introduced herself as Lelani Caladon - late wife of Landor Caladon, author of the book they had found and creator of Finepointe. She had indeed died in a fall, and lost her baby, and been trapped for several hundred years in an unending cycle reliving those last few minutes.

The Companions also found an opening in the altar, and discovered a journal, written in the same handwriting as Every Light Casts a Shadow. It was Landor's journal , and chronicled his days as a young acolyte and his marriage to Lelani. The last entry seemed to confirm Lelani's story, and indeed he claimed to have pushed her. It left no clue, however, as to what became of him, though they speculated that perhaps he was the undead in the meditation chamber.

Wrap up

The party spent a few hours cleaning up the defiled chapel, and decided to tell a few key people about this place, in the hopes that it would come to be used as a spiritual retreat for the clergy and faithful of Luminaux. They also donated a great portion of the treasure recovered to the Church, to aid in this effort.

Returning to the City of Music with Rachel in tow, the party gave her the best room in their flat, realizing that it was likely she might be there for a while.

And Jericho refused on principle to heal the hand-shaped welt on Perrin's face.

Credits

This adventure was loosely based on the module of the same name, published by AEG. [More Info]