The Call of Atropus: Lost Kingdom (King of the Golden Hall: Chapter 6)

Several hours into their journey on the second day, the party came to a clearing at the edge of the mountains, that opened to reveal the vast surface-level ruins of Tethyamar. Odom could smell that smoke was pouring out of the old mines. They travelled into the ruins, and located three primary paths, one to the old castle, one to the Black Tower, and one to the mine entrance. They found that many of the other roads were obstructed by rubble. In the rubble, Rai’Zyn found a rapier, forged with Dwarven expertise, that bore the symbol of Moradin upon its hilt. The weapon, Stonemaker, proved to be capable of formidable magic. After a while, the party came to a strange, viscous substance. After realizing that it was, in fact, a creature, they attempted to dispatch it with magic. Unfortunately, that proved to be rather ineffective, and they realized that it was actually composed of magic. Blades and staffs were drawn, and with much effort, and a carefully placed Dispel Magic by Odom, the creature was vanquished. 45 minutes or so later, the group finally found themselves at the edge of the Black Tower. A barrier of arcane origin prevented them from going further, but Odom managed to create a doorway, albeit a temporary one. After crossing through the veil, they quickly found themselves ambushed by strange, otherworldly creatures. The creatures had claws as sharp as razors, and teeth like icepicks. Saheila had encountered such horrors before, and in an overwhelmed state, she screamed, but not a normal scream. An ethereal, primordial wail. This caused not only these creatures great distress, but also distressed many of her companions as well. A few moments later, when many of the party had fallen, new, armored individuals arrived, and announced their intention to detain the party, and take them to meet “Her Maliciousness of the High Tower.” Saheila’s eyes blazed with Silver Fire, and she awoke from her premature slumber. Around her, fire flared, helping to aid her allies and keep away her foes. Anya’s ability to connect to the Elemental Plane of Water seemed to misbehave, and in a sudden burst of fate, the portal she conjured earlier expanded rapidly, until an abomination of the drowned realm burst forth, destroying the otherworldly creatures, and frightening many of the armored guards, though one managed to escape. Odom and Anya, together sealed the portal, and the party quickly sought shelter before nightfall. After resting in a cavern, they realized that they had stumbled upon a sanctuary of the legendary Silver Dragon Dersir. During his known lifetime, he helped to safeguard the mortal realms of Eastern Faerun, especially the Dalelands. He even made peace and became friendly with the Dwarves of Tethyamar, helping to protect their kingdom. In -88 DR, he assisted the dwarves in pushing back against the orc forces that had overwhelmed and temporarily seized the mines. It is unknown how Dersir died, but stories say that he was mortally wounded while in his human form, and retreated to one of his caves, where it is presumed that he died from the injury. Odom searched around the cavern for clues, and he found a chest, forged of solid silver. Upon opening it, he found himself in a dreamscape, and spoke with the spirit of Dersir. Dersir examined Odom, and judged him worthy of bearing the burden that all guardians bear: the burden of protecting others, and giving fully and freely of oneself, and the pain of knowing that when others die, you could have prevented it. Odom was blessed by Dersir, having been chosen as his heir in this world. Odom’s path is one of protection, one of selflessness, and Dersir determined that finally someone had come with the right heart and intention. Someone worthy of taking up his mantle. When Odom awoke, others saw that his appearance had transformed, albeit slightly, to reflect his new role as the new Silver Guardian. The party headed back to Daggerdale, and reported what they had found to Maren, who promised to call again for them soon, once he had gathered additional information.