Session 5: Trek to Ten-Towns

"Last five minutes? Not much, why you ask?" the man looks surprised with the question at first but then... "Oh yes. There was this creature I saw. Difficult to tell as it was easy to loose in all this snow. Some sort of bird... but big like a bear. The feather were... wait a moment!" The man looks around in panic "Why was there blood on its feathers?" slowly he recognizes his own corpse. "Is that... is that?"

As Izuhn shares what he heard from the tiger, Agna remembers some old rumors and speculations about some sorcerous monstrosities of unknown origin said to live in the tundra. She has never seen such thing and, until now assumed it was just non-sense to scare the children. As dangerous as a Yeti, but with an insatiable hunger for flesh. A bear with feathers can only mean... and owlbear! A creature common in the south, but unseen this far north. If rumors are true, the the artic owlbear will be nearly invisible in such a snow storm.

Despite Izhun's and Adaia's reticence about going out in the storm, Agna insists that they can't rest until whatever is out there is stopped. That beast is venturing way to close to the group for anyone to be safe. She walks into the storm ignoring the freezing winds and wonders around for a moment, but it seems that all traces of the creature have been erased by new layers of snow.

Agna remembers the tracks left by some large creature during the night. Those tracks would match the beast described by Ibrahim, which in turn would mean that thing has been pursuing them for some time. If it is anything like their well known forest cousins from the south, either the caravan made the mistake of entering its territory, or worse, it is hungry.

Whichever is the case, the orc knows the cave entrance cannot be left unguarded...

---

Izuhn decides Agna will need backup for her task and goes deeper in the cave, looking for Beorne to update him on the outside dangers. The caravan master agrees to have some extra guards work with Agna, but he is worried about Nass' findings. Of course an artificiallly dug tunnel would tingle the curiosity of most dwarves in the caravan, so Helda was send with a group of dwarves to explore what he is calling "the ruins".

Izuhn follows the short tunnel Nass pointed out, which transitions from unworked stone to a corridor of hewn stone ending in a grand chamber. The chamber would be in complete darkness if it were not for a the torches carried by three members of the caravan:
- Ezahne stands in front of an ice-covered door made of white marble with streaks of gray and blue, fascinated with the Draconic writings and diagrams on it.
- Nass is looking around the chamber, currently staring at the ornate ceiling overhead
- Godric appears to be searching a long-cold remnants of a camp.

You her the echo of steps and whispers from the darkness, but you can't tell from where...

Nass turns back to illuminate Adaia as she ask her about the cave. "Ah yes, very impressive. Come, look at all of this" Nass takes the elf around the cave showly moving her torch to illuminate the walls around the door, revealing the detailed bas-relief carvings, depicting numerous humanoids casting spells which appear to alter entire landscapes. Leading to the ceiling, you can see depictions of floating cities as grand as Neverwinter or Waterdeep, and above them the drawings of ancient gods who are somewhat familiar, yet distinctly different from the ones revered today.As you discuss the nature the deities represented, you both notice a symbol that was similar, but not exactly, that of Mystra. This could point to the humanoids being clerics of the deity of magic. You both heard the legends of the floating cities of the ancient magocracy of Netheril, a powerful civilization that has been gone for more than a millennia now. Some within the Arcane Brotherhood even claim to be the successors (at least spiritually) of such a mighty empire, studying and trying to recreate some of their long lost spells. "The floating cities were from the Second Age as it requires the magic of the Nether Scrolls, so this must represent events from about 4 or 5 thousands years ago. I'm guessing the cave itself is from a latter time, perhaps a wizard copied it from some book?" as Nass turns to show more of the carvings, you notice some particularly terrifying pictograms. The humanoids and their servants appear to be dead, with the central figure seemingly a emaciated humanoid giving a sermon or lecture of a group of rotting corpses. Nass doesn't seem to pay attention to the carvings at all and continues "Well Ezahne was the one who came looking for ruins so she might know more about this"

The symbols and pictograms catch Adaia's curiosity as she tries to put it all together. Who, and why, would anyone build this place? She can't tell for sure, but it does looks like it was build into the mountain, like a Dwarven stronghold... though the references to Netheril probably mean this is human made.

Nass turns her torch towards the door in the wall "She's been staring at the door for awhile now". Adaia can see the other's woman's shape moving in the darkness just out of the light's reach.