The sound of a loud blast startled Endrin, his companions still asleep in the dome around him. With baited breath, the gnome sat in silence until the sound of nearby footfalls somewhere in the darkness persuaded him to rouse the others. Groggy, they too waited, but the footfalls faded, and the night was silent once more. Triple J was especially spooked considering that there should be no one else around for miles. The next morning, Soren summoned a steed of her own, a frozen horse named Aquis, and Triple J enticed the elk from the day prior to accompany the party for a while.
Not long into their journey toward Bladegarden, Soren spotted a great deal of debris, churned up snow and dirt. FCG decided to investigate. Upon their arrival, they discovered a gargantuan hole extending hundreds of feet down into the ground. Endrin pondered the implications of such a cavern, deducing that the blast likely originated from below, while Conan discovered a trail of many footprints leading away from the site. Wary of the last time they left a strange occurrence unchecked, FCG decided to deviate from their course and pursue the trail of footprints.
Over the course of the next few hours, Conan tracked their quarry to a small patch of snowy forest in the middle of the valley. Having come too far to turn back yet, Triple J concealed their cart, put their wolf pups to rest for a while, and the group, with trepidation, headed into the tree line. After a short while, the trail went cold. It wasn’t until the group allowed Endrin to investigate the nearby trees thoroughly, that they discovered the one of the trees had a series of broken branches. FCG approached the tree, and as they began to examine, a chunk of snow plopped down right beside them. Immediately they all looked up and found their gaze was met by two red eyes, their hooded owner obscured by black leather armor.
Immediately, the shrouded figure made a break for it, but their speed was no match for the hasted Conan. They were quickly overcome, grappled, and interrogated. The figure’s struggle seemed to lessen at the subtle acknowledgement of Endrin’s strange magic and at the recognition of Triple J’s physical characteristics. They requested a word in private with Triple J to which the bard obliged, much to Conan’s displeasure.
The two sat by a nearby tree and discussion ensued. The figure mistook Triple J for a fellow drow of Xhorhas and quickly grew callous upon the realization the Triple J did not share their cause. The figure refused to disclose any information regarding their purpose and denied any knowledge of the vast cavern. They demanded to be released immediately or put to the sword, their cause outweighing their life. Conan cast a stone for decapitation, but his vote was outweighed by the will of Triple J. Slyly, the bard let the shrouded figure walk away until she was just at the edge of vision. Triple J then proceeded to turn invisible and begin the pursuit of the figure anew.
The figure quickly became aware of Triple J’s presence and took off into a full sprint. Endrin’s curiosity got the best of him, and he took to the skies, quickly catching up. The wizard amplified the gravity around the figure, drawing great ire. They cursed Endrin, furious that a dunamancer, a term unfamiliar to both Triple J and Endrin, and a drow would be working for the Empire. Now understanding the figure’s plight slightly better, Endrin and Triple J sought to de-escalate the situation. Conan and Soren watched with mixed emotion as both Endrin and Triple J renounced their assumed ties to the Empire, and parlayed the tense situation into a potential meeting with more of the figure’s party. The figure introduced herself as El and instructed FCG to wait in this spot until nightfall. Trust still very thin, FCG agreed. El departed into the woods.
Soren and Conan shared some awkward tension alone in the woods as they went to retrieve their wolves, while Triple J and Endrin exchanged stories of their past at the campsite. Triple J manifested the dome, and the party took an uneasy rest. Late in the darkness of night, Soren was taking watch just beyond the dome’s walls when she heard to sets of feet land in unison on either side of her. Two shrouded figures flanked her, while two more armor clad figures approached from the front. Finally a fifth figure in black flowing robes strode up from the shadows, long white hair framing their face. They stopped right before Soren, staring down at the startled paladin.
