Mark's Campaign

Part 5: Journey to the Gate

Many years ago, Arinna met a traveling drow merchant and struck up an unusual friendship. Although she was not so impressed by the oppressively evil cities of the Darklands, she nevertheless travels there at least once every few years to trade surface treasures with those of the dark dwellers. On her first journey to the Darklands, the drow merchant introduced her to the proper officials and impressed them enough that she was given access to the secret Dark Gate that resides in some old ruins on the outskirts of the Ashwood Forest (known to harbor ghosts and werewolves, so most sensible creatures stay away). 

The three week journey from Korvosa to the Dark Gate will be fairly routine with the following highlights:

•    7 days to Crystalrock (cavern, not really a city)
•    Stay for rest of day, then leave following morning
•    4 days to Janderhoff (aka a dwarven ‘sky citadel’, largest pop of dwarves – 10,000)
•    Stay 2 days, leave following morning
•    4 days to Sirathu (Small hamlet)
•    Stay overnight, leave next morning
•    2 days to Kaer Maga (skipping this spot since it’s on top of the plateau although there will be a 1 day stop at a trading post at floor level. 
•    One more day to campsite where they will meet Giseil Voslil – gray elf necromancer)
•    1 days to reach forest edge

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At some point during the journey (or just after they have met Giseil for example), Arinna will educate the group about the drow and suggest that they have their cover stories very well planned.

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When the party leaves the gates of Korvosa, they are preceded and followed by several other groups of wagons ranging from 2 to 20 vehicles. Someone will explain that this route is very well used and popular for trading with Janderhoff and areas farther north. Because of this, the roads are mostly safe and incident-free. After a pleasant week of travelling the river valley between the Jeggare River and the Mindspin Mountains, their troupe will cross the Falcon River and on the far bank approach the Dwarven cavern known as Crystalrock. 

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As you approach closer to the foot of the mountains, your wagons are struck by a single, rocking vibration. Some of the nearby trees drop their leaves as the pulse reverberates through them as well and the horses snort in agitation. You wait a few minutes, but nothing else happens so you continue on your way.  About 30 minutes later, you spot the side of a steep cliff-face with a huge gaping cavern in the side; its opening at least 100’ high and just as wide. Several other wagons have made camp near the cavern entrance and a large contingent of armed and armored dwarves man defensive positions in the immediate area. 

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Whatever you were expecting to see here is undoubtedly trifling compared to what you now find.  A nearby dwarf winks at your gawking faces and says “Welcome to the Heart of the World.” Walking through the wide opening, a cavern stretches hundreds of feet into the distance. In the center of the cavern, suspended by thousands of crystal-formed threads is a gargantuan crystal formation, at least 100 feet in diameter. A shimmering spectrum of colors shine on the cavern walls, bathing everyone and everything in a psychedelic rainbow. Other than visitors like yourselves and a few dozen armed dwarves, there is not much else in the cavern except for a round stone table with 8 stone chairs around it. Engraved on the surface of the table is the Treaty of Crystalrock, signed in 4472 AR by representatives of Janderhoff and Fort Korvosa, a Chelish outpost at the time. 

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During their visit to Crystalrock, the group may befriend a dwarf who is travelling back to Janderhoff from Korvosa. He is a very skilled architect and engineer called Murdock Greysilver who carries around a large wooden toolchest (2’x2’x3’) filled with all sorts of analytic and measuring equipment. He is friendly and inquisitive, has a rather large family (wife, 13 sons, 16 daughters, over 100 grandchildren) and will be a great guide around Janderhoff if the party wishes his services. He has a shop in a lower level of the city and he has spent the past 45 years helping Korvosa build up from a palisaded settlement in his father’s time to the grand independent city it has grown into.

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Arinna’s group will only stay here for the night and leaves the next morning. In addition to the typical other caravans, they will see several columns of dwarves travelling to and from Janderhoff. In four days’ time, through increasingly higher elevations and eventually into a wide ravine at the base of the tall Mindspin range, the group will arrive at the dwarven ‘sky citidel’ known as Janderhoff. 

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Built by the dwarves at the end of their Quest for Sky during the Age of Darkness, Janderhoff was one of the few strongholds not to fall to the orcs during their wars of conquest that followed. It has served as a center for dwarven culture for millennia. In 4423 AR, a delegation from the city first made contact with the fledgling Chelaxian outpost of what was then known as Fort Korvosa, and a permanent mutual-protection agreement, the Treaty of Crystalrock, was signed in 4472 AR. An agreement opening trade between the two cities was finally penned in 4532 AR. It’s known that  the dwarves had no reason to expect the surface world would be a civilized place and centuries of experience taught them that a strong defense will thwart the most brilliant offense. In times of invasion, a force of 6000 can be mustered in a matter of minutes.

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Approaching Janderhoff, it’s obvious that it was built foremost with defense in mind. A single arched bridge of stone joins the western part of Varisia to a mountain wall, nearly 3000 feet above a gaping gorge. You notice that at least 200 armed dwarves guard the main gate area and you can spot numerous slits in the high wall where many more defenders can be hidden within the fortress. A steady stream of visitors, residents and military cross the bridge in both directions under the careful scrutiny of several grey-robed dwarves (clerics of Torag – inverted hammer). Arinna waits her turn and then you all pass across the bridge to the massive courtyard where more wagons are settling in. 

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The caravan will stay for two days and leave the following morning. It takes 4 days to reach Sirathu and most of the trip is in a light rian, which makes travel a little slower. A group of 6 Shoanti warriors mounted on tall roan horses travel near the group, obviously curious about their wagons and flamboyant passengers. The only one who appears to speak common well enough is called Chochok, a 7’ tall wall of muscle with a large hawk tattoo across his chest. He carries a great stone hammer across his back and spiked bolas at his hip.

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* See HeroLab sheet

Shriikirri-Quah (Hawk Clan)
Far-Ranging Traders and Beast Masters
Tattoos: This quah favors symbols suggestive of travel, the wilds, and animals—particularly hawks and horses. The symbols Rotomo (Headwind), Ingir (Beast Heart), and Iyavak (The Pack) are among the most desirable.