Chapter 09 - The Wasteland of Thanor

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The stalwart adventurers awake from perhaps the worst night of sleep they can remember and nurse the wounds delivered by the hellish hounds of the wasteland. To the south are the foothills of the Rost Mountains. This is a broken scrubland; the site of a vast battle that destroyed the Kingdom of Thenor 8000 years ago. The devastation of the land has forbidden people from resettling all this time. It is now turning into prairie (and marsh to the north).

The road seems to follow the border of the foothills and the marsh.

The day is calm, sunny, and humid.

After several miles of travel on the road, Bat sees a large creature up ahead heading rapidly toward the group. The group splits in two and hides on either side of the road. A land wyvern is trucking down the road, probably very hungry. Bat flies up and abandons his mount, which the wyvern summarily crunches with its massive jaws. The battle for the road is on. Tasher’s bola bounces off. Regin misses with a shock bolt. Taelvis hits the raging creature with an arrow, which bounces off its tough hide. Tasher hits the wyvern in the leg with a thrown dagger, and Bat slashes at the head of the wyvern with his knife. The creature is not entertained, and bites Bat in the chest. A wall of flame appears between Taelvis and the wyvern. Tasher gets hit in the thigh by a spike of the monster’s tail, and then bobbles his quarterstaff. Bat throws a dagger that nicks the mighty creature and then curiously returns to his hand. A green light glows around the wyvern. Kellis hits wyvern with an arrow. Regin casts shock bolt at the thrashing beast. Emmett turns the tide with a mighty blow of his _________ to which the wyvern responds with a slash to Emmett’s face. Our heroes then continue to rain down a rapid series of shock bolts, arrows, daggers, and quarterstaff whacks and the Wyvern drops to the ground. The besieged wyvern is further wailed upon and is quite dead.
Kellis scouts out a camping spot to rest for the day.

Two horses are missing, so Bat and Kellas go on the hunt, finding one of the scared beasts quickly. Bat takes to the air again in search of the second and sees a door in a nearby hill. The hill is especially tall, and looking sort of artificial, with a rounded top. The adventurers explore further and see that the doorway is made of very old oak and has a latch on the door. The gang settles down for the night. During his watch, Emmett is mentally contacted by Theodoric the Mad who is at the Tower of the Five Moons. Theodoric’s colleague Univ, a follower of Valris, has information about the Thenorian legend of “The Three”: “Here is the three: The three weren’t the mightiest in the Thenorian pantheon, but they were the patrons of warriors and warrior priests. They were two brothers (Aripo – physical body/sweat; Arikel, heart/blood) and a sister (Apata, mind/tears) and together they embodied the mind, body, and soul of the warrior. Of their followers, they required absolute faith and devotion. Later followers started human sacrifices in which the victims’ hearts and brains were removed.”

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In the morning, Bat knocks on the door and darts fly from the surrounding hillside. He is remarkably lucky in that only a few darts connect. Even so, he’s in rough shape and passes out. Ingman heals Bat, and in doing so (the lay healer passes out as a consequence of his healing job) the party learns that Ingman has been cutting himself intentionally. The group sees fit to remove his evilly enchanted red armor, the Skin of Moralis, in an effort to curb his addictive pursuit of pleasure through pain.
Emmett tries to smash the door in a feat of skill and might, and gives way to Regin, who burns the door down to find a metal back. Regin then turns the earth next to the door to plowed earth, to reveal a stone wall. He determinedly then encourages cracks to grow, and Emmett and Tasher break down the weakened wall with brutish force. Regin casts a light on the staff of Tasher who leads the way into an octagonal room. On one side there is a black rock altar holding an enchained skeleton. Taelvis and Regin examine the altar, and suddenly Regin is unable to move. Tasher drags his friend away, and with distance, Regin regains control. Taelvis determines a curse is emanating from the altar.

Bat picks the lock to the next door, and a pile of rocks falls down from a trap door in the ceiling, pummeling Bat and Taelvis. Ingman, now awake and cranky without his masochistic armor, heals both.

The new room has three doors on either side, each with legends.

1. Sacaluda, Lord of 1000 men
2. Akalazor, Champion of downfallen
3. Dimilkor, Lord of dark Learning
4. Emrason, Lord of Spies, Assassin
5. Zimtarek, Master of Arms
6. Volsathoor, Standard Bearer.

The double doors at the opposite end of the room have large ornate handles and when opened, they reveal a gloomy corridor. Point man Tasher advances carelessly and after several steps a pit opens up – Tasher falls in and rubble falls on top him.

The party recovers the foolish light bearer and continues. Bat goes across, but is spellbound by a rune on the far door. Regin dispels essence and the spell is broken.
Regin magically expands the cracks in the stone surrounding the door, and Emmett, Tasher and Bat push the door down. The room they find themselves in now is round with a dais at the center holding a sarcophagus. Regin steps on the dais, the sarcophagus lid opens, and a crowned skeletal head rises from the stone coffin. Fear overcomes Regin and Bat and they run from the room. Tasher and Taelvis both strike the skeleton causing it to fall back into the sarcophagus. The undead king is disarmed by Emmett, and eventually de-shielded. The skeleton manages to rise from his coffin and blasts Tasher with a fire bolt. Mayhem and confusion ensue, as a fierce battle rages. Our heroes prevail and the undead skeleton is finally laid to rest again, this time in a few more pieces than before.

Tasher, Kellis, Emmett and Taelvis are somehow fundamentally weakened by the harrowing encounter. (-16 constitution)

The adventurers collect treasure from the sarcophagus and leave the way they came.

• Crown (silver metal with diamonds in it). – No attunement
• Left Gauntlets – Black with black stones 1/wk – steals a spell list from a target for a period of minutes depending on resistance roll (the stealee can’t use it).
• Right Gauntlet – Black with steel studs. – can use to throw a melee weapon as a thrown weapon, it can extend throwing ranges.
• Chain Mail – Red – nothing observed.
• Shield –+10 -map on the back of it (Silaar with diff. regions of Thenor), wield shield without any hands, 3 rounds per day. (Regin can’t use)
• Broadsword -allows to trade power points for OB – lasts 1 hour. Essence
• Ring (gold with big red gem and writing) Fire bolt +20, 1/day (max range 60’)