24 Jan 2016 06:00
by: Lance for The Golden Sun
Through the notes found in the necromancer's tent, the group found a clue leading to a magic user located in Neverwinter that might have a clue as to how to change Phrex back into a living creature. Ara Argadi leads a group of necromancers called The Spirit Walkers who give people one last chance to speak to a recently deceased loved one. The group's headquarters is located in Neverwinter.
On the way to Neverwinter, the party encountered a halfling who looked a bit too much like a goblin, squatting over the fresh corpses of four goblins. Though uncertain of these travelers, Dogboy decided to go along with them in the hopes of killing lots of goblins.
In Neverwinter, it was discovered, that Ara was currently living east of the Mere of Dead Men where he was doing field research.
The party made their way through the town of Leilon to the house that Ara is residing in. There the found a dwarf in robes with a raven named Vinny on his shoulder. The dwarf explained that in order to help with Phrex's stench…um undeadness. Vinny mentioned that they were all going to die but no one paid him any heed. Ara informed everyone that he was in search of a magical item that came in two parts called The Goldensun that could be used to help cure Phrex. The first part was located in a keep known as Savina Hall in the possession of an adult black dragon named Vakos.
Through the swamp, the party trudged for several days, being spooked by bizarre happenings and sounds and apparently haunted locations. During these travels, they came across a mangy dog who befriended Adran in exchange for some dried meat. Eventually, they were intercepted by a strange looking gnome who introduced himself as Umi and explained that he and his people had become under the claw of Vakos and wanted help escaping. In exchange, they would show the party a secret door into the keep where they could avoid a direct encounter with the dragon. Naturally, everyone except Adran was wholeheartedly on board with avoiding the dragon. But even Adran had to admit that facing an adult black dragon was suicidal and relented.
The party made their way through mud tunnels created by Umi's people and came out of them in the dungeon of the keep where they had made their home since the keep was overtaken by Vakos and his undead army. A long hallway of clean cut stone was shown to the party as the direction they should head to find their treasure. Immediately upon separating from the party, Umi's people began their escape. Working their way through the dangers of this underground building, the party eventually made their way to the bottom of a tall tower where a chest was guarded by two skeleton minotaurs. Through a harrowing battle, they were victorious and took possession of a great deal of treasure including the center of The Goldensun.
Making a hasty retreat, the party saw Vakos atop the tower from a vantage point nearly a mile away roaring in anger. Their return journey through the swamps was, for the most part, uneventful.
Upon returning to Ara's home, he quickly took the Goldensun and set about experimenting, ultimately concluding that he could stop the rotting of Phrex but without the other half, he could not reverse it. He said that his best clue to the whereabouts of the other half were that they may be at Vakos' old home on Moonshale Isles.