Session 31 - The Black Cabin

 The Party head out of Lonlywood early to find the black cabin. 

Arriving they see a deserted cabin built on the edge of a cliff, the shutters appear to be swinging around in the wind unsecured. 

They circle around the house peeking in windows to see various parts, they send in snowy owl and find that the only inhabitant appears to be a charred skeleton in the main living area. Mochi decides to go to the door and investigate and as he walks up the narrow walkway to the building it collapses, parts of it falling down the 120ft drop to the valley below. Mochi narrowly jumps clear.

Mochi goes to the closest door now he is treading carefully and opens it to find a workshop, he calls in Nogok and they place a set of tinkerers and blacksmith tools in the bag of holding. 

As they are doing this the others climb into the cabin using a window, and start to investigate. They find a stash of wine barrels, a couple of bedrooms, and a workshop through the doors off the main part of the cabin. 

The cabin floor in the main room seems somewhat unreliable, so the party minimize their movements around the room. Throt finds an item near the corpse, a ball with two rings and a lump of rock in the center, he picks it up using a torn strip of his tunic and takes it outside to show the others. 

Etch decides to try and get to the wine barrels and as he does the floor collapses, he managers to not fall to his death. 

Nogok searches the bedroom and finds a letter in the ashes of the hearth, the text reads

Macreadus,

I’ve had enough of this damned, relentless cold. I feel it creep into my bones, my head, my heart. I’m heading back to Ten-Towns for a decent meal and a warm bed. I fear this endless winter has numbed your mind, and any tinkerer worth their chains can see the Summer Star is a fool’s errand. Maybe without me here to incessantly complain to, you’ll finally snap out of your obsession.

If you truly insist on dedicating your remaining days to this doomed project, might I suggest that three is better than two. I considered telling you before, but you were particularly rude about the dinner I made last night.

May the light of the Morninglord protect you,

Copper

They gather around Throt and examine the object, as they do it is mysteriously knocked from his hand into the snow. Picking it up Throt accidentally touches the item with a part of his hand and the rock in the center begins to glow. The party feel the warmth and as they watch in awe the light crescendos and they are enveloped by it.

Blinded for a short time their vision recovers and they see spectral images of themselves floating in the border etherial plane. A huge head floats and laughs at them, "Ha so you died, I am Macreadus, I see you found my Summer Star"

They chat with Macreadus and determine as per Coppers letter that they need to find a way to add a third ring, and that if they can achieve this his god Lathander will return them to their mortal coils. 

The party work out they can exert about 5 lbs of pressure on objects in the material plane and move freely but are contained to the cabin. 

Etch appears to check out the wine and ends up with a verbal scalding from Macreadus who is very protective of his stash. 

Macreadus explains that he is expecting a visitor any day, a Werebear comes by to check no evil is dwelling in this cabin from time to time, and she is about due. 

The party prepare for this by getting the calligraphy items they found in Macreadus bedroom getting the smiths and tinkerers tools from the Bag of Holding on Nogoks steaming corpse and moving the star to the workshop. 

Surely enough the Wearbear arrives a short time later to the devastated corpses of the party laying in the snow, seeing the note attached to the door the Wearbear changes into its Goliath form and investigates. 

The party are able to get the blueprints required from the workshop along with the items needed and direct the Wearbear to fix the design. Throughout the work Throt is randomly slapping the wearbear. 

The wearbear speaks to the invisible party and explains that her name is Oyaminartok and that she acts as a protector of icewind dale. They communicate through writing on parchment and explain to Oyaminartok that she will need to attune to the object to activate it. She does this and as its activated the see the third ring contains the pulsing magic. 

A glowing portal opens in the Border Etherial plane and Macreadus' floating head moves towards it. He is very satisifed that his design worked and as he passes through a disembodied voice tells the party that they will be returned to their bodies and healed. They have the blessing if Lathander.

The light grows and encompasses their spectral forms, and once it fades they feel the cold snow pressing against their bodies, standing up and brushing off they feel refreshed and fully recovered. The blessing they got will grant them 10 temporary HP every dawn. 

Throt speaks with Oyaminartok, who explains that she is the one that many seek out to test their mettle against, she finds this tedious especially when the challengers insist on fighting to the death. They also discover that she has no interest in keeping the Summer Star and willingly un-attunes to it and hands it to Nogok who puts in in the Bag of Holding. 

Throt asks if he can challenge her and while she reluctantly agrees as they prepare Throt realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. They agree no weapons, and face off exchanging blows to the head and challenging banter.

A short time later Oyaminartok falls and calls Throt the winner then she heads out into the wilds to check on more potential nests of evil. 

As the party regroup and work out what to do next, a glowing white light appears on the horizon, an unfriendly evil hue of light, the part ready themselves for combat, as several ice elementals appear and a hooded figure which is the source of the light challenges them.

Layton gets off the first blow of the combat hitting one of the elementals with his laser pistol......

To Be Continued