Report: November 10, 2012
Mission: Investigate the ancient lighthouse.
Details: The lighthouse has been there forever, a glowing beacon 30 miles to the south of our fair island of Valchasm. Sharp rocks and shifting treacherous tides have made it impossible to approach by ship. Likewise, walking from the shore for 300 feet was deadly, due to the waves, tides and rocks. Any flying attempts have ended in failure, usually due to Razorbeak attacks. No mages of sufficient power are willing to take such a suicide trip in recent memory.
Due to some odd weather anomalies, low tides this winter have been lower than ever, and have exposed the top portions of the treacherous rocks leading from shore to the lighthouse. The closest beach point is approximately one mile from the 300 foot peninsula of sharp rocks.
This posed a golden opportunity for an investigation. Landing close to low tide on the island, four brave adventurers took on the mission of crossing a mile of forest, braving the rocks, and trying to find a way into the lighthouse. Three made it back.
Brave Adventurers:
Finrir/Specialist/1st (Blood
Island/LOTFP (Craig Brasco)
Dwarf Fighter/Cleric 1/1, LL AEC
(Erik Tenkar)
Halfling Knave, 2nd , A&A
(David Przybyla)
Viking, 1st, Blood
Island/LOTFP, (Greg Christopher) R.I.P
After-action Report:
The approach to the beach went well. On
the shore they encountered a giant sea turtle, apparently burying its
eggs. Naturally, knowing the value of said eggs, combat ensued and
the turtle was soon slain. The four returned to the ship to rest from
their ordeal, as the brave Viking warrior nearly died from a vicious
bite. Much stew, casseroles, and sandwiches were made on board the
ship from the flesh of the turtle.
The next day they once again landed on
shore, and were set upon by a group of sea zombies. As we know, they
try to strangle you underwater with their seaweed tentacle arms, so
as to turn you into a bloated corpse like themselves. Apparently the
cleric of the foreign lands was able to use some ability to turn back
the attack. This must be investigated further, as none of our Shamans
have such an ability.
Travel through the forest was
uneventful, and the approach over the rocks, while providing some
injury to the four, resulted in no deaths. They managed to fight off
an assault of jumping crabs, as well as giant sea rats, quite easily.
They were quite disappointed that sea rats, unlike their land based
cousins, did not hoard copper, nor any implements of feminine
grooming.
It was apparent to the dwarf that the
stone was ancient, due to the wear of weather and storm over some of
the hardest rock he'd ever seen. Incredulous as it seems, he
estimated the age of the tower to be well over 100,000 years old.
Apparently Dwarves of his land possess much knowledge as to rock. As
he is only the third dwarf we've seen, we can't confirm or deny that
claim. However, all three Dwarves we've encountered won every
drinking contest they've entered, much to the shame of some of our
Berzerkers. With such a propensity for drunkenness, we view his
claim that the lighthouse is well over 100,000 yrs old with much
skepticism.
Upon entering the doorless lighthouse,
they were struck by an odd sight. Apparently any wooden walls had
long since deteriorated, leaving one large room with a spiral
staircase in the center. Also, there was a table, tub, and some sort
of sink inside, none of which could possibly have fit outside the
building, as if the building itself were made around these items.
They were made of no known material---not stone, metal, gem, wood,
nor anything else in the knowledge and experience of the party.
Also in the room, running from wall to
ceiling, as well as across the ceiling, was a clear tube of hard
substance, within which was a copper tube, within which was a crystal
wire. The clear tube was unbreakable by the party, and the only
reason they were able to ascertain the interior was because at one
point the tube was broken off, just above the floor, above a square
discoloration on the floor. Apparently the tube used to enter
something, a box presumably, which formerly sat on the floor.
Investigating the staircase, the party
found that the bottom knob was missing, and there was debris stuffed
into the hole where it must have been. Also, there was a floor plate
of some sort, unopenable by any mundane means.
Heading upstairs they discovered a
bedroom, only known as such because of the bedframe made from the
same substance as the stair. Upon further investigation, the dwarf
noticed that the knob at the top of one of the posts of the bedframe
came off, and fit the hole at the base of the stairs. Avoiding the
roof for now, the party went downstairs and inserted the stump of the
bedknob into the hole, and the floorplate opened up. Descending
bravely, they entered an airtight chamber, which was at one point a
storage area for food. The foodstuffs were in the same weird
material as the stairs, but alas they had spoiled. They had strange
markings and inscriptions on the outside, but since the party did not
write them down, and left the containers behind, we have no way of
knowing what they were.
There was also a large keg on the
floor, completely sealed, which contained liquid of some sort.
Near the keg was an obvious floorplate
in the stone, made of the same substance as the stairs. After much
prying they were able to lift it up, and saw a room below. In that
room they discovered a large box, as well as some tools and supplies,
clothing, and some very odd and powerful artifacts.
Apparently one artifact, using gold
bars as a source, transmuted the gold bar into whatever was in the
mind of the person using the device, but made from the same substance
as the stairs.
One device, powered by some unknown
source, acted as a saw powerful enough to cut the strange substances
in the lighthouse.
The third device, powered by some
combination of gems and crystals, performed some unknown function.
(Note, after deciphering the book, below, we discovered it acted as a
device that joined materials together, like bits of tubing for
example.)
(If the ancients used gold and gems to
make stairs and cut weird substances, it is even more imperative that
we enter the pyramid, as it must contain a massive hoard of the
stuff. They treated gold and gems as we treat wood and saws.)
Also in the box was a book, which was
not able to be deciphered at the time, but which since has been by
our scholars. Apparently it explains how to do mundane work around
the lighthouse, and the uses of the tools. Unfortunately, it does
not describe how to charge the tools, and they no longer have any
charge left except for the joiner, which has a very low charge. Such
knowledge was so mundane that it apparently wasn't written down.
Alas....
The book explained that the machinery
of the lighthouse was powered by a crystal dome, still intact, which
provided energy for the light crystal which has guided our ships for
centuries, as well as for lighting the lighthouse itself, and
providing a source of clean water from salt water, and heating said
water to provide the bath and sink with hot running water as well as
cold. It also heated the lighthouse.
The party left the sub basement and
entered the top of the lighthouse at this point. They were attacked
by a Razorbeak, and our Viking warrior died. The rest retreated
quickly, and after throwing burning oil at the Razorbeak, it flew
away. They took its eggs, worth a fair amount, and cut open the case
holding the strange crystal that has provided light since time
immemorial, and took the crystal.
The lighthouse is now dark.
Oh yes, they also cut open the keg and
sipped the wine within. They said it was the most exquisite wine they
had ever tasted. We'll never know, because they left it behind,
sealing both basements, taking only the eggs, the materials in the
box, and the now dark crystal with them.
There is a ferocious ongoing debate
over what we should do with this knowledge. Some amongst our guild
want to return to the lighthouse and return the crystal to its proper
place, and the lighthouse itself to its former glory. We certainly
have the tools and knowledge now to do so. Others like it dim, as a
show of power to the other races of what we can do, and also to
hopefully have some of their ships get lost or wrecked on the rocks.
The debate will continue for some time most likely.
XP:
Mission completion 1000 xp
Kills: 1000 xp
Eggs: 1800 gp
Gold Bars: 400 gp
Bag of Gems and Crystals: 1500 gp
Turtle Shell: 300 gp
Total 6000 xp, 2000 xp each character.
Total gold: 1334 each surviving
character.
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