Adventure 1: Rhotas Barav

For various reasons, a number of young heroes arrived in Rhotas Barav to investigate the mysterious closing of its cistern. This part of adventurers included the monk Failn Shalandalan and druid Elaria of the wood-elf kingdom of Tahirah, the itinerant paladin Ardeshir Rouhani, a cocky young sorcerer named Anden, and a gruff barbarian from the north called Steiger.

Via talking to the townspeople, the group discovered that the cistern had strangely dried up and its dwarven overseer, Mord, had disappeared. Rhotas sent its local trapper, Theovane, to investigate, and he discovered goblin traps and did not wish to venture further. He closed the cistern, locked the doors, and sent calls out for help.

The group traveled north along the mountain lowlands to Theovane's cabin. After briefly fending off hungry wolves, they reached the cabin at dusk. Theovane gave them the key to unlocked the cistern and allowed the group to rest for the night. Despite prodding from Elaria and Anden, Theovane did not give up his inherited ash long bow.

The following day the group returned to Rhotas and went into the cistern. They discovered a number of minor traps which Anden deftly disarmed via magic, and encountered goblins within the main well. They took care of this threat and ventured into the main aquifer, finding the mountain stream that fed the well had been blocked by boulders and one of the walls had been broken down, a tunnel leading deeper into the earth. They began to remove this obstruction, using a boulder to prevent goblins from entering the cistern, but had to fend off a swarm of enraged beetles. They then freed the stream and continued investigating the goblin tunnels.

Further encounters with goblins posed no real threat, but the group decided to take a short rest and search the goblin's tunnels. They found the collapsed remains of a tunnel that appeared to be how the goblins had originally entered--and been trapped--in the Rhotas cistern, as well as a number of coins and sundries. A tunneled stairway continued down, and the group stealthily entered the goblin boss's lair.

Through the use of surprise and quick martial prowess on behalf of Failn, the goblin boss and his thugs proved no danger.  The only real item of interest was a bag of mysterious coins on the goblin boss's person, and the group found Mord prisoner in a cage. They freed him and he explained that the goblins had begun digging for something, entering a strange, old ruins beneath the earth.

The heroes allowed Mord to recover and rested a spell before venturing deeper into the strange hall. It appeared to be the remains of a fort or castle, long buried beneath the earth. Mord explained that dwarven legends once told of a battle between the dragon gods that shifted the landscape of the earth.

A small passage ended at a treasure chest and an old suit of armor, but before Ardeshir could open he the chest he was attacked by the magically-animated armor. The heroes--dampened by close-quarters--struggled to overcome the armor, which knocked out the hopeful paladin. Luckily, Elaria was quick with healing magic and brought him back to his feet. The heroes eventually thwarted their foe, and found within the chest a number of old tomes and other books, some in an unknown language. There was also a red patterned box, which was locked, and although Anden tried weakly to pick the lock, the heroes did not discover its contents.

While delving further the group encountered a darkmantle, those strange cavern-dwelling cephalapods, which took a liking to Steiger and was eventually bested by the enraged barbarian. Having been tired and low on resources, the group decided that their main job of freeing the cistern had been completed, and they returned to the surface with Mord. They rested the night while considering their options: go north through the Dengari Mountains and talk to the dwarves of Garm about the goblins, or head to one of the great sages, who occupied a temple to the west across the Mashid Heights.

The group decided to see the sage and inquire about the mysterious tomes and the box, hoping Mord would return to Garm and have the dwarves further investigate beneath Rhotas.

RECAP:

• The goblins were carrying a purse of silver coins with an unknown mint.
• Two tomes were discovered in the ruins beneath the Cistern. These tomes were written in an known language.
• The old ruins of a city were below Rhotas Barav, hinting at the ancient empires that predate the modern age.
• Mord, a dwarf from Garm, went back to his people to have them investigate the ruins.