It seems that the Aasimar paladin was out late drinking and the Dragonborn fighter had been training well into the night. When the rest of us gathered for breakfast earlier this morning, they were nowhere to be seen.
A lady approached our table not long after, introducing herself as Yselm Bloodfang, a wilderness guide. She told us that giants had hidden treasure at a place called Jarlmoot and requested our assistance in getting there, offering to split whatever we found. She said she was too weak to do it alone, something which I found suspicious. We accepted regardless.
She led us to a place known locally as the Cackling Chasm, a deep rift in the ice nearby.
. . .Corren manifested a tiny spectral object before we went down, explaining that whatever it saw and heard would be shared with him telepathically. He sent it ahead while we waited above.
It reported back through Corren. A gnoll shrine in one cavern, a crude stone altar with a mountain goat’s bloody head resting atop it, bones scattered across the floor. A caged prisoner on a ledge across the way, who immediately tried to attack the object upon seeing it.
. . .Upon our descent, we came across a floor strewn with bones and skulls. The remains of the gnolls’ meals, by the look of it. Each skull had been marked with a blood symbol. I recognised it. The three-headed flail of Yeenoghu, demon lord of gnolls. I informed the party of the fact.
It seems like unfortunate timing, but a group of gnolls walked in, likely heading to the shrine. They were thankfully not hostile. They wanted us to kill their own leader, Chyzka, a gnoll fang of Yeenoghu. They explained that he was a bully, and their lives would be much better without him, but he was too strong for them to challenge directly. They offered to take the rest of the pack on a hunting trip, leaving Chyzka alone for us. We agreed.
. . .Chyzka emerged from one of the side passages as we moved through. Combat began immediately.
Three skeletons were summoned. They shoved Corren and the Tortle wizard toward the edge, and tried the same with the shield guardian, which did not go as they had planned. Corren and the Tortle wizard seemed to have a means of controlling their descent, drifting down slowly rather than falling.
Up on the ledge, Kylma took point and rushed toward Chyzka. I raised my shield, channelled my divine power into the emblem on it, and censured the skeletons. They burned and scattered. With nothing left for me to really do in the fight, I turned my attention to Kylma and sent my divine power to ward them from further attacks. The injured Chyzka raged and struck at them repeatedly, and every blow seemed to slide past them as though guided away by something unseen. It was, I will admit, rather funny to watch.
The Tortle wizard managed to climb back up, which was not something I had anticipated. Both of them finished Chyzka off together.
. . .Once the combat was over, I went to check on the caged prisoner.
The prisoner was in a poor state. Full and prolonged contact with chardalyn had driven him entirely mad. I asked the Tortle wizard to retreat into its shell to block any incoming strikes while the shield guardian moved in to restrain the man. As far as I am aware, no known cure for chardalyn madness exists. Which means it is time to research and experiment.
I put Zglarrd to work on the man, and the chardalyn madness afflicting him ended. Progress of a kind, if a grim one. I noted that Zglarrd showed no signs of being affected by the chardalyn. Two conclusions present themselves. Either aberrations are immune to chardalyn, or the disease cannot be transmitted through consumption. I do not yet know which. Further experiment is needed.
I retrieved the chardalyn spear from the man’s body for future study. Given its nature, the shield guardian carries it.
The party had no comment on my methodology.
We looted the chasm after. Among the remains we found four fishing poles, each fitted with an enchanted hook. Kylma was very pleased.
. . .We descended further and found ourselves standing before seven enormous stone thrones arranged in a ring. Black ravens circled overhead under a full moon.
Stepping inside the ring summoned them. Seven frost giant apparitions, one to each throne. The largest introduced himself as Reggaryarva. He would grant us access to his vault if we could prove ourselves worthy. As part of his challenge, he summoned three frost giant skeletons.
I raised my shield, channelled my divine power into the emblem, and censured them. They burned and collapsed. The encounter was over before it had properly begun.
Reggaryarva seemed satisfied and opened the vault beneath his throne.
. . .Yselm betrayed us the moment we entered. She announced herself plainly, something to the effect that we would never see the treasure, and called upon Auril. Three winter wolves materialised around her.
I asked the party to spare one if they could. A winter wolf would not be without its uses. They agreed. Kylma produced a Potion of Animal Friendship and tried to befriend one. It had no effect.
The Tortle wizard fireballed the largest cluster he could reach. It unfortunately included the wolf we had marked.
I moved to incapacitate another. It dissolved into ice shards the moment it fell.
They were summons, as it turned out, drawn from Auril’s own power. There was no taming them regardless.
Yselm herself was not much of a fight.
We looted Yselm’s body after. She was carrying a map to a treasure hoard. A good find.
. . .With that resolved, we explored the vault. Six braziers lined the walls, each with a rune carved above it. A nearby inscription in Dwarvish read:
I stayed behind to study the runes while the rest of the party explored further. The runes read: death, mountain, war, life, wind, and wyrm. A puzzle. I attempted to light the life brazier first using Yselm’s blood, which seemed logical enough. It did not work.
The others found a gate that required all six braziers to be lit, and a door that opened freely. Beyond the door were four chests. I have some familiarity with locks. All four opened without much trouble.
Inside: an elven arrow, a dead snowy owl frozen stiff, a gleaming scale from a young white dragon, and a fist-sized stone.
I placed the arrow above the war brazier. The scale above the wyrm. The stone above the mountain. The owl above death. That left wind and life. I tried Corren’s blood for life this time. A single drop did nothing. More blood did the trick. Wind I could not work out at all, until Kylma simply leaned forward and blew into the brazier. That was, apparently, the obvious answer.
The gate opened.
. . .Beyond it was a large oak chest with a golden key already set in the lock. Turning the key conjured a portal out. Through it I could see the swarm of black ravens outside. I removed the key and opened the chest with my tools instead. Inside was a horn, which Corren identified as a Horn of Blasting.
The vault was considerably safer than the chasm above. We camped inside for the night. We will use the golden key to leave tomorrow.