A Broken Fort on a Shattered Shore

"A Broken Fort on a Shattered Shore" is the first chapter in the Cursed Contracts campaign.

Part 1
Whispers, murmurs, and rumors of the strange contract offering 25,000 gold for a simple retrieval have weaved its way into the ears of a few individuals who decided to take a chance on this mysterious job. They all followed the instructions to meet someone at the Shattered Shore in Setlin. The shore itself is extremely dark and foreboding, much like the rest of the state. The sand on the beach itself is actually a mixture of black, grey, and blue. One of the roads leading from the city of Setlin itself leads right to a small pier on the shore, where a lone hooded figure is standing alone, potentially awaiting visitors. Eventually, these visitors begin to arrive as in the distance a vessel begins to break through the fog on the dark waters. The Ravenscrest, while not being the size of the average galleon or frigate, is still a decent size possibly similar to the size of a caravel. The ship comes to a stop at a much larger dock further away from the pier and the only man on board, one Captain Gareth de Monte ties the ship off and anchors her climbing down to greet the individual at the smaller pier. Gareth greets himself to the hooded man and asks if this is where he was meant to get more information about the contract. The figure only nods his head, and does not yet reveal his own name. One by one, the rest of the individuals arrive. After Gareth, a wood elf called Applejack saunters to the pier and offers a handful of candy to the pirate, and of course not informing him that the candy is filled with pins and tacks. Luckily though, Gareth doesn't think to try any of it. After Applejack comes an almost equally strange person. Perhaps not so much strange as much more intimidating. A shadowy form of Drakath calmly follows the road to the pier, letting the others introduce themselves to him and quietly taking in everyone's demeanor. Following him a pair of bright red eyes begin to fade in from the fog beyond, another undead individual steps forward, cloaked and clothed similarly to Drakath. No one thinks to ask his name, and thus the stranger does not reveal his identity. Gareth assumes that the other mysterious hooded figure might have a connection with them, to which he only responds by shaking his head.

By now though, the group begins to realize to themselves that there was not mention that this would be a job intended for multiple people. Each of them assumed that this would be their own contract to take up, but clearly this won't be the case. The original hooded figure reveals his name to be Varpus and he proves to be a man of very few words. "You retrieve book. You return with book. You will be paid." When Varpus was asked where they were meant to find this book, he points down the shore where the group sees in the faint distance a shipwreck on the rocks of the shore and even further beyond that a stone tower. Without another word the group ventures forward, getting acquainted with one another as they walked.

The group begins to step closer to the shipwreck, pieces of debris and potential evidence of someone looting this area litters the shore in front of it. Looking closer at it now, the ship is actually pushed up onto a few large sharp and jagged rocks. Upon looking over the ship, Drakath subtly begins a incantation behind everyone. With each step he takes, he leaves behind a purplish mist that slowly coalesces into blue flame. The flames eventually shape themselves into the shape of a teleportation circle and the sigil suddenly erupts into bright blue flame. The rest of the group jumps back, partially unsheathing their weapons while Drakath calmly turns to face the flame. They all watch as a silhouette begins to form in the flame, and stepping forward is yet another undead being this time wearing heavier plate armor and seems to not fully be decayed yet. Before he introduces himself, he bows to Drakath showing respect to his master. The armored individual reveals his name is Koltira Deathweaver and he then joins the group as they search for the book Varpus speaks of. From there they all began to investigate the shipwreck and difficulties began when the group has a significantly hard time climbing a rope to get aboard said shipwreck. Eventually they all manage to step aboard and after searching the captain's cabin they find a case with a elegantly crafted double bladed sword inside. Gareth who had immediately found the sword steps back, assuming it could potentially be trapped, and he leaves the nameless stranger to take a look at it. The stranger swiftly breaks the glass the blade was encased in and takes the large weapon in his hand. As he does, a voice begins the crest his hearing and his hearing alone then says, “Ye who holds this mighty blade of death… will you be my wielder?” and without hesitation the stranger replies, "Yes." The blade however continues, “Becoming my wielder has a responsibility to uphold. The power I hold is not for the faint of heart. You must prove yourself in battle to harness my full potential. Do you have the courage and tenacity to accept my power?” Again, the stranger accepted and was met with another reply, “As my new wielder, you must give me a new name for me to serve you under. What will you call me?” After short deliberation, the stranger decides to call the weapon "Kel'thuzad." The blade accepts its new name and pledges its service to its new wielder.

After this a voice calls out from outside that claims the group is trespassing on their turf. Upon meeting the voice, they see three humanoids standing at the shoreline, a dwarven man, a human woman, and an aarakocran man. The three continued to threaten that if they didn't leave there was going to be bloodshed, it all fell on deaf ears though and their antagonizing of this group proved to be their greatest mistake. What resulted was an absolute slaughter as all three enemies fell before they could even act. Immediately Applejack loosed an arrow that ricocheted off the shoulder of the dwarf's armor, distracting him while Drakath released the spell Sonic Implosion which got all three enemies within range. They each fell to ground clutching the sides of their heads as a piercing sound rang in their ears alone. Meanwhile Koltira expended 2 Runes to cast Howling Blast, a frost based magic spell which latched itself to the human and shot powerful ice shards into the other two. One of which struck true and fell the aarakocra as it pierced his heart, the others watched as their leader was the first to fall. The human then looked up to see Gareth aiming at her with a crossbow, from which two balls of Eldritch Blast collided with her torso leaving a gaping hole immediately cauterized by the magic and she too fell in the sand. The dwarf being the only one to remain watched as a large skeletal bear leaped from the bow of the ship, landing flat on its stomach in the shallow water. He was scared for his life and was preparing to flee before he felt to lingering cold of the knight's spell take him. The shards of ice that pierced him before began to connect and imbed themselves into the gaps of his armor, and with the last breath being a cold one the dwarf collapsed. All the thieves killed before they could even think to defend themselves.

Part 2
Once the thieves were killed the group made their way up the shore and eventually came upon the ruins of a fort. Making a bit of a difficult climb up fallen stones and bricks, they all stepped through an opening in the wall that took them into a large courtyard. Each member split up and searched the area, and while there was nothing much to see outside they all eventually made their way inside. The fort looked like it hadn't been used in years. Unbeknownst to them all, this place was called Fort Brinestone and it seemed, upon first glance, to simply be the home of soldiers of some kind. But cobwebs and dust had completely taken the fort, and there was not a single noteworthy thing inside.

Eventually, Gareth and Drakath came across a short staircase leading down seemingly straight to a solid brick wall. Luckily with them both being arcanely gifted, they were able to get a clue as to what to do... They both saw a vision of four adjacent stones suddenly bearing symbols on them. Going clockwise, the stones had the following symbols: a dragon's talon, a lion's eye, a griffin's feather, and a snake's fangs. In their vision, the symbols lit up in the exact order listed before. As both Gareth and Drakath pressed the stones in the correct order, Koltira and the stranger soon found them just as the solid wall opened like a door on hinges into a completely different part of the fort.

Where before the fort seemed to be strictly designed for utility and hardly looked unique in the slightest to other ruined fortifications, now there was nothing but ornate carpets lining hardwood floors and golden candelabras lighting the way further in. All the candles seemed to burn bright as if people still resided inside. However no one had stepped foot inside here in many years, and at the end of the beautiful hallway candle wax pooled together into a solid mask over the floor. Because of this it was a little bit difficult to walk on as the cooled wax was a little slick.

The group continued their search, and eventually the feeling of everything looking the same was setting in. Halls looked like they had been repeated, and rooms all looked identical. Once again, the group split up exactly as they had before Koltira and the stranger heading one way while Drakath and Gareth explored the other. Eventually, they both ended up coming across rooms that finally seemed to be unique and different.

Drakath and Gareth had seemed to have finally found a chamber completely different from the other living quarters they had seen before. While the others seemed to be pristine, almost preserved in a way, this one was a cluttered mess. Not a single candle was lit in the room and loose parchments were scattered all over the floor, bed, and desk. Looking at the pages they appear to be detailed sketches of various items claimed to be magical. A few notable examples include a magical orb that grants sight into the future, schematics for a magic bow that uses multiple bowstrings, and a compass that points to things the holder desires most. There are hundreds of pages just like those, potentially an entire book's worth. On the desk was a scroll bound tightly by a little leather strap and a scribbled note evidently left behind by someone who might've lived and worked in this room. The handwriting is rushed compared to the others which looked more careful and considerate. The note read the following:

"Sometimes the burden of forbidden knowledge takes a toll on me, some of the things I know makes me sick to my stomach. Wands that dismembers a man with a mere thought? It’s unsettling… but it was part of the oath I had to take. I’m still uncertain about the entity that I have seen at the altar. I know it was something I was not meant to know of, especially during the times I discussed it privately with the headmaster. He tells me the same thing, it’s none of my concern. Members of our order have disappeared down there… and it is none of my concern? Am I not the one whose sole purpose is to document the existence of countless items in this world? My judgement does not trust this order anymore… and I fear that in the coming days, someone will make a mistake and our order will become known to the rest of Relalia..."

Meanwhile Koltira and the stranger come across what appears to be an armory. Inside they find an enchanted whip and saber, and a large steel box at the end of the room. After a brief debacle with said box, the two opened it and found an enchanted staff inside.

Eventually the group was reunited in one of the living quarters containing multiple lavish beds and chests. As they discussed their findings though, a spiritual presence passed by the open door. They all looked to see a large skull enveloped in purple spiritual flame. Each of them were able to assess the creature to be a sufergad, an undead being that creates a suffering aura around itself. With the knowledge of this entity the group decided to rest up a bit before continuing onward. They soon came across a large set of doors that are unique to the others they had come across thus far. The group immediately suspecting something dark lurked inside due to the nature of the note they found before, immediately took the precautions necessary for a fight to break out.

Their plan was for Koltira and Gareth to open the doors and let the wizard Drakath cast a fireball into the room, removing any potential threat inside. It was put into action, and the fireball hurled through the basement and impacted the stone wall at the back. The fabric hanging down the wall immediately being set abalze as the room was lit up with an orange glow. They all watched as the room appeared to be empty... until they saw two tall armored figures step out from behind the pillars at the end of the room. Their silhouettes contrasting with the roaring flame behind them.

Combat began, as the party engaged the two Blackguards, undead beings that were sworn to protect the Deepest Altar. Despite it being a battle against two extremely strong individuals, the group managed to avoid any casualties and utilized a puddle of ice to their advantage as they slayed one of the Blackguards. Drakath however it seemed... had different plans in mind for the remaining one. As it met the wizards gaze, its armor clanked and shook as it slowly began to fall under new command. The others watched on as the terrifying figure lowered its weapon and soon bowed to Drakath, completely under his command.

With the end of the combat that closes this chapter of the story... but the group still had a task to complete. There was still a book to be found, and a book to be returned.