Past Meet Present - A Circle of Stones

Last night we played our second night in the recent Forgotten Realms campaign using the RPGTonight website.  At times the pace seemed to slow a bit but despite not having any combat the entire evening there was some good roleplaying and the evening ended at a great spot to pick up from next week.  Below is a recap of the evenings events...

We left off last week with the party having just been attacked by bandits.  This week they picked up right there.  After searching the bandits over they continued down the road.  They traveled the next couple of days the remainder of the distance back to Ashabenford where they delivered the wagon to their employer.  Upon arrival at Bastion's residence he invited them inside, introduced them to a woman named Daisy who appeared a warrior of sorts, though young and regularly commenting on her lost brother.  While they sat inside resting and getting to know this woman they caught a bit of an argument between Bastion and the guards, but soon the guards were on their way and it was down to business. 

After the party told him their tale of the orcs and bandits they had encountered on their journeys and mentioned how the Prince of Lies, Cyric, had a priest within the bandit group, Bastion offered them further employment.  He asked the group if they would seek out a man named Jhaeman for him, last seen in the city of Phlan.  He also offered to sponsor their group should they not wish to do that, supplying potions and scrolls and doing identifications for them as well as research on anything they asked instead of paying them gold.  In exchange he just asked for 10% of their treasure findings and a chance to purchase any magic from them that they come across before others.  The party agreed to his sponsorship, and asked if there was an urgency in finding the man he sought.  Given that there really wasn't the party agreed to look for him at a later time but first they wished to investigate a "treasure map" that Temeris had acquired.  The party also decided to take a name for themselves and after throwing out a few choices one had suggested "Bastion's Hand" and at that point Bastion suggested the "Karameikan Hand" and it was agreed upon.  Our adventuring party, now 5, was to be the Karameikan Hand.

They set to studying the map which showed an area West of Ashabenford in the foothills of the mountains and mentioned crypts and shrines upon it.  They decided their best course of action would be to go Northwest to Shadowdale where they could restock and where Temeris could seek out a weaver, and then they would travel west into the mountains from there and begin searching for the area on the map.

On their second day of the trip they crossed path's with another group heading West.  They stopped and what was likely the leader of the other group told them without mincing words that if they "left them be they would leave the party be".  The party agreed and continued on as the other group watched, though as they passed a number of the players noticed that the party, which contained a rather robust half-orc at their front, appeared to be under the lead of a priest or follower of Cyric as well, proudly letting his symbol hang from his neck for all to see.  The party continued on cautiously but the priest kept his word and soon they disappeared into the trees on their way west.

As that day passed the party began to seek out a place to rest when they came upon a small clearing a few hundred yards from the road that held a circle of standing stones.  Shadow had heard of these stones before but was absolutely certain that while many knew of their existence there was neither bad nor good associated with them and that they had stood for as long as anyone could remember but no one knew their purpose.

They approached the circle and noticed that one of the stones had fallen recently.  From the hole in the ground the occasional warm breeze came, and from time to time on that breeze a couple of the players could swear they heard muffled whispers on that wind.  Peering into the hole they noticed stairs descending into the earth.  They followed them down perhaps 100 feet before entering into a short hall before a room filled with a blue haze.  The haze sat in that room and was so think that a person could barely see their own had if they held it out at arm's length.

Deciding he would enter the room Temeris began forward and just avoided falling into a pit.  The rest of the party decided that they should tie him off and a lucky throw by Crispin put the rope in a place where Temeris could find it.  He tied himself off and set out again trying to examine the room one step at a time.  He edged around the pit to the left but upon reaching the wall began right again, this time unable to avoid the pit that he had nearly stepped in the first time.  After the party helped him climb out he continued left, again edging his way around.  Soon he found himself at a stone door.  Upon the door was carved a dragon's head and the blue mist seemed to be coming from the carving's nostrils.  Jhaeman stopped the flow of mists with some spare clothing from his pack, though it appeared the pressure of the mists still pushed against the clothing.  He then began to examine the door and lock for traps, however some of the mist got in his eyes at just the wrong time and he triggered a needle trap which struck his finger.  Fortunately the poison was not very potent. 

Having heard his yelp of pain, and then having Temeris announce that he had been bitten, Daisy decided that she needed to pull him out of the room.  As she did so Temeris decided to join them, but as he walked along a pit opened up below his feet.  He may have been able to jump back but a firm tug on the rope just then by Daisy ensured that he was going forward.  He fell, swinging to the other side and striking the wall just above the floor.  He was pulled out and soon was at the room entrance once again with the rest of the party, but now badly beaten from a pair of falls into shallow pits and a prick from a needle trap.

The night ended as the party stood there and the blue mists disappated.  They could now see into a square room with four doors in it including the one with the dragon head with nostrils full of clothing.  The pit traps had reset once again and while there might be an idea of where they had been no one is completely certain as they had closed prior to the mists thinning enough to see.