Marpenoth 17th – 19th, 1372 DR The Year of Wild Magic

Day 8 – 10

Winterhaven

While taking a few days rest in Winterhaven things take a turn for the worse as Grumpy begins to get extremely ill. Valthrun and the local healers are at a loss as to what might be causing it and as each hour passes Grumpy’s condition worsens. You watch over him for several days but his strength fades quickly and he ultimately dies. Perhaps it has something to do with the portal’s closure or the beast which was trying to get out, either way Grumpy has passed on and the brother’s mourn his loss.

To make matters worse Doc also has a close brush with death but thankfully comes away alive, though no longer quite the same. While walking alone outside Winterhaven trying to cope with the death of his brother and wondering if he was really cut out to be a healer given his failure to cure Grumpy, Doc became lost in the woods with a fierce storm fast approaching. Confused by the wind lashed trees and the hard rain Doc wanders about becoming more and more frantic. Spying a rocky outcrop he climbs to its peak hoping to see a way back to the keep. Battered and bruised he finally gains the summit and stands up to get a view of the land. Unfortunately this proves to be his undoing – as a dwarf who has spent most of his life underground he is not used to being out in this weather and does not know that it is a bad thing to stand on the summit of a large rocky hill while wearing a spike topped metal helm.

In a flash a bolt of lightning blasts down from the storm clouds above and transfixes Doc, whether it was caused by the storm or if it came from his God Doc did not know but either way the result was the same. The current ran throughout his body like a living thing for several seconds before throwing him a full 50 feet through the air to land singed, but still whole, under the shelter of a nearby fir tree. It is there that the other dwarves finally find him the next morning after having searched through the night when he did not return to the keep. Doc does not remember much of what happened or why his body seems to virtually crackle with electrical power. Perhaps it was some property of the rock or maybe it was intervention from Kord, but instead of killing Doc the blast has stripped him of his priestly powers and transformed him into a sorcerer capable of casting mighty bolts of lightning and thunder at his foes – it is almost like the very power of the storm has been drawn into his body. His brothers consider this better than the power of thunder which once used to emanate from Doc’s body in his more youthful days.

The sundering of the rift has also affected ‘Sure Thing’ who now seems more aware of her surroundings and far less inclined towards playing ‘hide the bratwurst’. She is more able to manage her bardic powers and can care for herself without the constant need to be accompanied by one of the Dwarven brothers. Deciding that she does not care to be treated as a “thing” anymore she asks that she be called ‘Snow’ – she does not know why but it just somehow feels right.

For their part the Dwarves still find themselves unable to be away from Snow’s presence for very long without falling ill. While breaking the summoning ritual has brought Snow partway back to her rightful self, the curse upon the Dwarves has not yet lessened in any way.

While you come to grips with these unsettling changes Lord Padriag mentions that the Mages of Saruun in the Seven Pillared Hall under Mount Thunderspire may be able to help with the curse and give some explanation as to what happened to Doc and Grumpy. That location seems familiar and as you go over your notes and items you collected during your forays into Shadowfell keep you come across a note written to the Hobgoblin Warchief from the “Blood Reavers” indicating that they would be interested in buying any slaves the Hobgoblins might capture and deliver them to Thunderspire Mountain.

Loot
Happy : Bag of Holding
Snow : 2 x Potions of Healing

Party :
+1 Blackiron Scale Armor (840gp)
+1 Aecris Longsword (1000gp)
+1 Viscious Short Sword (520gp)
Medallion (250 gp)
Necklace (200 gp)
8 Bahamut Statues (60 gp each)
5 x Gems (50gp) each 2786gp