Prior to the start of the game, each character was eking out a poor living in the miserable town of Rastingdrung. This changed when a group of adventurers came to town. These were not just any adventurers, they had the look of real big shots. The richly dressed trio called themselves the "Seekers from Tula." They spent time frequenting Rastingdrung’s various taverns, and word of their exploits quickly spread to all corners of town. The confident heroes from Tula told tales of hard-won battles on their journey to Rastingdrung, and spoke openly of their intention to explore the long-abandoned Stirgenest Cairn on the north shore of Wooling Lake.
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Soon after the arrival of the "Seekers," each character was approached by an acquaintance named Celeste, who had the following to say:
Celeste wrote:Everyone in town knows there’s nothing of interest in the Stirgenest Cairn. The town’s youth constantly explore the ancient site, and have always found it completely empty of marvel and harmless to say the least. Lots of folk must be having a laugh behind those adventurers’ backs! To come all this way expecting to find some great treasure in a place where children play! This talk about the Stirgenest Cairn reminds me of a local story. There’s another, lesser-known ancient tomb about a day’s walk outside of town, in the opposite direction from the Stirgenest Cairn. The children in town speak of the place, called the Whispering Cairn, only in hushed voices. It’s near an old iron mine that went dry about fifty years ago, and was abandoned a few years later when the mine owner, Ulgo Fant, mysteriously died.
The story is this: about six years ago, a local teenage girl took a dare to spend a night in the place and was never heard from again. Children have visited since then, but most found the place too scary, for when the wind was just right, haunting and almost magical tones would emanate from the depths of the forgotten tomb. If there’s treasure to be had in these parts, it’s the Whispering Cairn that would have it, not the Stirgenest Cairn.
Although Celeste claimed to be "too busy" to do any exploring herself, she suggested that the characters band together to investigate the Whispering Cairn. Furthermore, she suggested that, if they found anything of arcane or historical significance, they consult with Master Allustan Penkawr, a local wizard known as “the smartest man in town.”
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So that's exactly what the party did. They found the Whispering Cairn, entered it, fought some monsters, found some loot, and solved a puzzle involving colored lanterns. They've now agreed to help bury the bones of a child-ghost named Allastor Land. In return, this ghost will open a door allowing them to go deeper into the tomb.
OUT OF CHARACTER |
Pretty much, the party's adventures followed the story of the first 8 or so thread in this forum -- the ones marked "{Modern Setting}" in the title. If you feel the need to read through them to catch up, just try to imagine them as if they were played as a D&D adventure, instead of a d20 Modern adventure |
But before helping out the ghost Allastor Land, the party has gathered at Master Penkawr's house. He's agreed to provide some information on some of the things they've found and also to help them identify their loot...