Session 08: The White Skull Fortress

Battle Aftermath & White Skull Fortress

After our intense battle with the orcs, we took a short rest and then retraced our steps back up the mountain. Radovan stayed with the prisoners while the rest of the party repentered the fortree. We discovered that goblins looted knickknacks from the corpses of the orcs after we left. Pressing on, we discovered strong mead in the kitchen and ventured into the cave’s village square.

We discovered the prison in the back corner from which Radovan Rytir likely escaped. A goblin guard was knocked out at the table and there were several imprisoned goblins.

Barrick questioned [[Mukumak]], the imprisoned half-orc teenager, who revealed vital information about the cave system and the Laguna-kin. Mukamak told us about the small bridge on the other side of the village cavern, a large bridge further past it, and a spire in between where the Laguna-kin live. Mukamak knows that the Laguna-kin follow [[Luthic]], but believes they have some “weird thing” going on top of that: They are obsessed with finding something here in the temple and they’re using slaved to dig here.

Mother Laguna is in charge here.

Kira helped Mukamak by healing some of his injuries. Mukamak sketched a map of the cave system and the surrounding spaces.

On the other side of the village cave, we discovered some goblin housing and the goblins that had looted the orc corpses. We struck a deal with the goblins, exchanging copper and the kitchen’s keg of mead for information about the secret entrance to an ancient Order of Hospitalers temple.

Collapsed Temple Basement

The temple greeted us with a pleasant breeze and noticeable signs of past battles. As we explored, Gavin found a chest with some minor treasures. Gavin claimed any worthwhile treasure from the now abandoned goblin hoard. (Contents to be decided at a later time).

Near the southern end of the ramp in the hallway, a barricade was long ago erected to defend the southern temple hall from an incursion where we entered the template.

Through the large double doors at the end of the ramp, we discovered a large fountain chamber.

Fountain Chamber

The fountain in this chamber was similar to the fountain at the Order of Hospitalers Temple in Bad Doric. There were a series of 8 crypts arranged around the fountain with items laid on them: 2 shields, 2 lutes, 1 sword, and 1 book. Two of the crypts had nothing lying on top of them, clearly missing a sword and a book.

Kira’s ritually revealed the temple’s enchantment, and we were drawn to the fountain at its center. The corrupted water and feelings of apathy hinted at a deeper connection to [[Shadowfell]]. Kira’s vision, after drinking the fountain water, showed the temple under assault and ritual suicides by the Hospitalers.

Our subsequent experiences mirrored Kira’s, revealing the incomplete protective circle requiring restoration. We recovered the missing sword from the front chamber, but the book wasn’t there. We sought out the book elsewhere in the fortress.

The Mountain Path

With the goblin guards gone, the mountain path was clear. We climbed up and encountered a wrecked religious building occupied by orcs. After swiftly defeating them, we used the chime of opening to access a locked door, finding a desiccated corpse and the missing book.

We returned these to the crypt with the sword and its corpse to cleanse the fountain and restore the temple’s protective enchantments.

The Fountain Chamber

We returned the book, sword, and elder corpses to their respective crypts, cleansing the fountain and completing the protective circle. We saw the spirits of the elders rise briefly, then disppear. As the spirits vanished, we felt a deep rumble within the mountain.

We collected all eight artifacts from the crypts, then returned to the mountain path.

The Mountain Path

We ambushed and defeated orcs and an ogre that were trying to break into the temple’s front door, securing the area. During the fight, we also saw strange ethereal forces, presumably the Elder spectres, damaging and destroying some of the goblins.

When the fight was complete, we met [[Nadia]], a half orc who was more interested in sabotaging the Laguna-kin effort to penetrate the temple. We started talking with her noticed her [[Waterdeep]] accent. Nadia told us they had enslaved her friend [[Pocket]] and that she was pretending to join the White Skull while working on a plan to free herself and her friend.

With the temple’s enchantments restored and the spirits’ protective ritual completed, we prepared to delve deeper into the cave system to uncover the mysteries of the Laguna-kin.

Key Points

• The temple’s enchantments and our visions revealed a connection between the order of Hospitalers and shadowy forces.
• We counted 7 orc scalps, 3 goblin scalps, and 1 ogre scalp during this session’s adventure
• We discovered eight potentially powerful artifacts in the fountain chamber: 2 swords, 2 shields, 2 lutes, and 2 swords. Barrick and Bikke have claimed the swords and shields. Gavin is carrying the lutes and books. Bikke in particular seems quite attached to the new weapon.
• We discovered a goblin hoard and looted what we found of value there
• We cleansed the hospitaler temple.
• Our next step is to explore deeper into the cave system, possibly crossing the small bridge to the spire where the Laguna-kin reside.

• Notes
• Session