Returning to the ship with 6 new crew members in tow, the group found Eddie was there and doing just fine. Rayleena and Eddie let them know that they needed to go back to Havenshore for a new crystal. One of the 4 used to help power the ship had exploded and Strahld was the only one they knew of who had one.
The ship was slowed drastically as it was one crystal short, but it still moved faster than they could by walking to Havenshore, so they departed the next morning.
Eddie had calculated when they should leave based on their available speed in order to come into Havenshore at night, allowing them to remain somewhat hidden while they sought out Strahld and his workshop. It didn’t take them long to find him in his workshop, but it appeared as though it had been ransacked, robbed and even burned in some areas. He confirmed as much as he relayed the story of Red Mask paying him a visit recently.
The conversation was interrupted by a scream outside, and when the players investigated they discovered 3 bodies near the front of a building. The women who discovered them had screamed and was lead away. After some investigating, it was discovered that in the last few days, bodies had been appearing at random locations throughout the city. The Watchers had recently claimed that some bodies were identified as people who were missing when a portion of the city disappeared a week before.
Strahld seemed to not be surprised by these events, and interrupted to tell them that his brother Stroben provided crystals to him (which Red Mask had taken), so they needed to speak with… and he was coming with them. After all, he claimed, there was nothing left for him here.
They departed immediately for the Baronies of Ruin one day travel to the East. His brother owned a territory called the “Barony of Midstone”, a 3×3 mile area (smallest of the territories there) that had been in the family since before the time humans came. It was once much larger, but maintaining its borders over the years was never a priority of the family.
When they arrived, they found Stroben’s cabin to be abandoned and after investigating his paperwork discovered he had moved his workshop into the hills farther up – into a small series of caves where he would have more room. When they arrived here, they found the caves had been expanded at some point and had run into an ancient “vault” built around 1,000 years before. They immediately found Stroben here, but he was no longer living… nor dead. He had a harpoon pierced through his chest that was chained to a spike in the floor nearby. Barely coherent, he did not say much, but mostly stared off into the distance. They were immediately attacked by now undead former workers of Strobens, but put them down without too much strain.
After exploring the 5-6 rooms of this new workshop they discovered a number of things…
1. A large 5×5 foot sphere made of Dark Iron, from the Zayn Desert. It’s weight was estimated at 4-6 tons
2. A lot of paperwork about “arcane displacement” and sea vessels.
3. A scrying device (telescope of some kind) sticking halfway into a very small portal. In the view piece only darkness could be seen and after pulling it out, it exploded in light.
4. An ancient Airship
The airship in particular was an enormous discovery. The group investigated it thoroughly and found that it dated from a time around when humans arrived in the Last Lands. It was also equipped with Radian sails, draws and everything else needed to operate it as an airship. This was odd as there are only 9 airships now, and the technology is considered brand new… yet here it was, at least 1,000 years old.
Finally, markings on the ship indicated it originated in a kingdom from the Old World. The only kingdom from the old world ever named in mankind’s historical records…
…The Kingdom of Karameikos.
(Did I mention my previous 4e campaign took place on Mystara?)
