Our local Silver Flame Zealot of a Paladin, Caruvial, having received a summons to the southern coast of Korthos by a Bishop of her Silver Flame, has drawn us into a new adventure. Our handy dandy shopkeeper friend, damnit I forgot his name, introduced us to a new ally, a Valenar Elf looking for some adventure… Some kind of priest, who knows... We set out with all due haste to requisition a ship to sail to Korthos as quickly as we could.
Kevlamin, Aerdric, Carivial, Thondran and I set out for Korthos; our first day travelling, we were set upon by a school... or Troop (not sure what to call it) sahuagin. Some of us got a little wet and slimy in the struggles, but easily defeated the creatures. Kevlamin and Thondran leapt off the ship and engaged the fish-men. I first had to push Aerdric onto the deck as he was petrified of the water.
Everything worked out okay, and we bested the fishy men in the end.
When we were near the Harbor, we were hailed by a small craft, and informed that the harbor was in quarantine, and if we didn't want to be caught in it, we'd need to sail to the northern coast and travel the rest of the way by foot.
Reaching the northern coast of the island without event, we disembarked and headed south towards the town.
That night we made the unfortunate choice of camping where a swarm of shocking lizards could find us. The lizards surrounded our camp, and we got away by making an opening in their surrounding ring and tossing food so they would leave us alone.
The rest of our travel was mostly uneventful. We encountered some of the local malitia travelling in the opposite direction from us.
We reached Korthos Village, and sought out to have audience with some half-baked wizard named Franklyn, Maklin... er Heyton, or something like that. He had little to say, as he was called away by some unseen (or heard) person. What little we were able to get out of him, he told us of the trouble in Korthos Village where a necromancer, Mardrathil Andrioch, has set up shop, digging up dead townsfolk and causing a lot of trouble.
So the next day we were off to visit the local cemetery to investigate. Heyton would be joining us, seven days after we reached town. We went to investigate at the Inn where Heyton directed us. We made contact with an ally in the town and learned a little about the happenings, meeting with Captain Mason Andersen, and the town constable.
The necromancer, claiming to be a "True Necromancer", has taken over the cemetery. And over the past 3 months, 30 undead have walked through town and into the sea. Attempts to start cremating the dead, met with a warning from the necromancer that if the town adopted a policy of cremation the town would be destroyed.
15 people from town have also gone missing, with as many as 100 from neighboring Stormreach missing as well.
The Silver Flame suspects the involvement of the Emerald Claw.
The town has some historical catacombs underneath it, with several secret doors, one definitely in the cemetery, that lead to a very old series of chambers or some such thing, underground.
Investigating the cemetery, against advice from our informant in the town, we found the unusual tomb of a powerful shipping family from a few hundred years ago. The mausoleum is in perfect shape, gated, with a statue and the title of the family ( the ir'droversons ), as well as symbols of olladra of the host, adorning the building. No clues as to how to get in though. The door seems magically locked, with a 3 inch triangular slot by the door that puzzles me still. The necromancer must have some way of coming and going through it though, though we have not seen any undead except the one that walked through town on the first day.
The town has an agreement with the local Sea Devils, through one named Sagrigin-Girk-Ach, but bargaining with him would require a heavy bribe, something on the order of 3,000 sharp steel tridents.
Its been sixteen days since we arrived in town and initially spoke with Heyton, and he has yet to return. We've exhausted our own leads, exploring the temple of the Sovereign Host for its library and clues, looking around town for secret passages, looking in the caretaker's house in the cemetery. Left with nowhere else to turn, I fear we must focus our efforts on exploring the cemetery in full. Finding some way into the Andrioch's lair is needed; especially as every day dawdling around town gives him more time exploring powerfully protected ancient tombs and chambers, as well as amassing a force of more than 300 undead, and more necromancers working for the Blood of Vol or the Emerald Claw. Dark days lie ahead for Korthos if Andrioch can't be stopped.
