Session 17 Recap (part 2)

Brindol seemed somewhat less lively since the heroes had last seen it. There were fewer people on the streets. Rumors told of abductions in the night among the outlying villages. People of Brindol were packing up & moving. With goblinoid attacks, talk of orc armies, midnight abductions and rumors of werewolves, the people were uncomfortable. Surely life elsewhere would be safer than the vale.

Councilman Troyas was happy to see the adventurers. News of their feats in the west had spread all the way to Brindol. He chatted briefly with them concerning recent events and suggested that Reed might stay on with them in Toradin’s absence. He never mentioned the silver haired woman, and expressed genuine ignorance when asked. The museum curator though… It was time they paid him a visit.

Sertanian was busy cleaning the museum pieces when the group arrived. He tried to smooth is apron & hair when he saw his saviors, but he still looked old & dirty. The group was led to a back room, where he had moved one of the Silver Sentinal replica pieces, a platinum longsword with a red crystal in the pommel.

The voice from the dream spoke to them. The woman was trapped in the sword and needs their help to be released. A specific ritual was required, in a specific place. She could provide the ritual and directions, but the Githzerai monastery is now inhabited by Gnolls. Evil is at work in the vale and it has woken her from a long slumber.

The journey was somewhat uneventful. It took the adventurers to Red Rock and into the Giantshield Mountains. Her directions were sketchy at times, and her communications became increasingly shorter and weaker. The party found its way though, and found a number of hazards along the way. The Gnolls had a good hideout and did not want company.

Several days out of Brindol, the heroes finally came to the fortress. A huge stone stairway led up the side of a mountain to double doors. Githzerai carvings and statues gave no doubt this was their destination. Gnolls guarded the stairs with a ghost. The ghost “possessed” the statues to attack. All were vanquished, though the gnolls hit notably harder than most foes. The gnoll weaponry was noteworthy. Two of the guards were sporting weapons made of Shadowfell steel, and Shadar-kai style. The weaponry is strange and difficult to use, even for Kava.