Chapter 1: In Search of the Unknown, Part 1

About the Saga

A young group of adventurers comes to the settlement on Obsidian Bay. They set out for adventure after hearing the tale from a drunk man named Kor, who tells them about a lost fortress two days out from the city.

Timeframe

• Greyhawk Date: Readying 13-16, CY 515
• Real World Date: Nov. 16, 2014
• Read other Obsidian Frontier Sagas

Cast of Characters

• Burgell Nackle, a gnome bard with dubious ethics.
• Carac de Cudgel, Acolyte of St. Cuthbert and a ranger from Gryrax.
• Erdan, an elven sorcerer from Irongate seeking his fame and fortune.
• Tänévir Calywyn, a young elven ranger who has come to apprentice with Súlimëtasar of the Griffins Guild.

Notable Quotes

None.

What Has Come Before

The year is CY 515, and the small settlement of Griffins Landing is growing faster than it's leaders can handle. In fact, despite their best efforts the name of the settlement has changed among the populace to Obsidian Bay. The growth is in large part thanks to the discovery of the Obsidian Maze, a labyrinth which has the potential for untold riches. Now a simple mission to tame the wild lands of the Poor March has become over run with adventurers, mercenaries, and merchants seeking their cut of the treasure.

Among those drawn to the settlement are several young adventurers, including a familiar face, who are about to write a new chapter in the tales of Obsidian Bay.

The Saga

Readying 13, CY 515

New Arrivials

Carac, Erdan, and Tanevir come to town on various boats. As they make their way into town all three are propositioned by various groups of Obsidian Bay looking to expand their numbers. Tanevir is then greeted by Lossëlen, aka Star Blossom, another follower of Súlimëtasar. She tells Tanevir the lord is out of town... but should be back in a few days.

Meanwhile Burgell, already in town for a bit, is plotting out some sort of "questionable" plan at the Bloody Orc. There he overhears a drunk by the name of Kor drowning his sorrows into the bottom of his mug. Burgell takes this opportunity to learn a bit more about what Kor is wallowing about. Turns out that Kor was part of a group of adventurers who called themselves "Hells Huntsmen". While out in the field looking for adventure they captured a goblin. That goblin traded his life for some information: the whereabouts of the lost fortress of Roghan the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown.

Sometime during his tale Carac, Erdan, and Tanevir all wander into the Bloody Orc. They overhear pieces of the tale. However, the part that really brings it all together is the fact that Kor and his group made an assault on the fortress; and that Kor was the only one to get away from that failed attempt. The others of his group are missing, and at this point their fate is unknown.

Burgell and Tanevir remember hearing of these two. Legend says that these two built a fortress somewhere on the Pomarj out of which they conducted their research and adventuring. Their last stand was at a mountain pass in the Drachengrabs where they and their men allegedly killed thousands of humanoids before they died. It also says that their fortress was never uncovered and has been lost for ages, leaving all of their treasures locked up.

The four new adventurers size each other up and decide this may be a worthwhile endeavor. They purchase the map from Kor, and tell him they will set out in the morning as a group. After leaving the group all agrees they should leave at first light without Kor as he'll be a liability; except for Carac who feels this may cheat Kor a bit. The others convince him it's for the best, and they depart ways to prepare for traveling.

Readying 14-15, CY 515

Overland Travel

A few hours later, just before dawn, the group meets at the gate. They investigate the map and find it indicates dangers in what looks like a crudely drawn plans cat, and some sort of monster near the forest. Confident they can handle what the map indicates, they head out overland following the map. The group moves quickly with the two rangers leading the way. Suddenly they hear a squeal from the back. Seems Burgell is under attack by a plains cat. The rangers and Erdan quickly move into action, with arrows and spells flying. Before Burgell takes too much damage, the cat is dead. The group presses on until dark. They set up a suitable spot for a camp and take turns resting up.

In the middle of the night they are awakened by Tanevir. While on watch he heard something stirring nearby. As they prepare for battle, Kor pops through the weeds. Seems hes been following far behind all day trying to catch up. Kor starts complaining that they were trying to leave him behind. Erdan quickly injects that Kor never showed up at the meeting spot, and that the group couldn't find him. Kor thinks about it for a second, and states that yes, that's likely true. The group then catches some rest for the remainder of the night.

The next day they travel for several hours. They approach the forest where a crudely marked beast is on the map. Kor indicates it is a harpy. The rangers guide the party around this area and closer to the fortress. As it gets late the party decides to rest the night, and to approach the fortress in the morning.

Reading 16, CY 515

Ambush at the Fortress

In the morning the group heads out. An uneventful half day later they come upon a tower. Kor confirms that this is the place. As the group questions him further he reveals that he never got past the gate. His group was defeated by the goblins outside. He also reveals that his only weapon is an empty sword scabbard. The group all sighs, and Erdan gives Kor a knife.

So with that the group comes up with an ambush plan. A few minutes later spells and arrows are flying, quickly leaving a hobgoblin and five goblin guards dead. The group searches bodies and the tower. After grabbing a few pieces of loot, and equipping Kor with goblin weapons and armor, they head into the sub-floors.

Entering the Sub-floors

The party enters into a long hallway with many alcoves. They cautiously head down the hall, searching the alcoves as they go. Eventually they make their way to the end of the hall which leads to a set of steps. At the top of the steps they can see what seems to be the remnants of a skirmish of some sort. They hesitantly move up, careful not to set off any traps, and investigate the bodies. Suddenly a tentacle appears from around the corner of a nearby hallway. Seems this is the home of a carrion crawler. They fight back the crawler, eventually killing it. As a few of them heal up from the fight the others investigate further. They find the remains of several adventurers, but Kor doesn't think any of these belong to his companions.

The party then chooses the left most hallway and heads down. They hear some noises in a nearby room, and sneak up to the door. There they find a pair of goblins working in a kitchen of sorts. They ambush the goblins, making short work of one, but the other manages to get away. As they hear him talking to someone else they prepare for further combat.

Five goblins lead by another hobgoblin come rushing down the hallway as reinforcements. Burgell takes this opportunity to encourage Kor into fighting by casting a cantrip on him. Kor aids the two rangers in the front, while Erdan flings spells from the back and Burgell continues to aid his companions. They make short work of the goblin reinforcements, and decide to take a short rest before moving on.

To Be Continued...

Experience & Loot

• Ambush at the tower: 9 Keoland GP
• On dead adventurers: 5 GP
• On carrion crawler: 10 electrum
• Goblin reinforcements: 27 SP

References

• This adventure uses module B1: In Search of the Unknown - by Mike Carr, 1979