Wanted: capable individuals to assist a would-be pilgrim in honouring a family tradition. Experience in mountain travel a plus, but all offers considered. Payment of 27 Riel on successful completion
Alonso di Benedetti - Vicky H
Marissa Terrec - Ellie H
Victor Darrish - Matthew A
Rafe White - James I
Gerhart Molter hires the party to assist him on a 'family pilgrimage' up to a remote Builder Temple in the Bluepeaks thought lost to the flux.
The group is waylaid as soon as they leave the city by a group of thugs who express an interest in looting the fabulous treasures of the lost temple before the party make short work of them.
Travelling South the party make their way through foothills still infused with the powerful magics that once blasted an battlefield in the war against the Serradics. Gaping maws emerge from the earth to menace them but the adventurers win through.
At the base of the mountain they speak with villagers about the path leading to the temple above, and having sworn to plunder no treasures and to safely return what they take, they are entrusted with the sacred Turnimabob, the crucial component of the the mechanism allowing swift ascension to the temple.
At the elevator they find the remains of a Caulish party, bodies and broken golems seemingly torn asunder by some wild creatures that burst forth from the cliff face. Rafe takes precaution against the beasts returning and the party ascends, only to be assailed by the shattered pieces of the golems. They beat the constructs down and make their way to the summit. There they are met by grand set of gates, locked by an elaborate puzzle mechanism which Rafe solves in around 20 seconds using his extensive knowledge of security mechanisms from across the universe.
Inside the Temple the party overcome a series of elaborate and murderous traps, eventually making their way to an inner sanctum where they are warmly greeted by flux-priests of the Builder. The heavily armoured priests are friendly but insistent that the treasure vault where Gerhart wishes to give thank is not available for the inspection of outsiders. At Marissa's suggestion Victor offers the priests mugs of poisoned wine, and finishes off the teetotaler with a warm handshake bearing the Traitor's gift. The party make their way past the slumbering flux-folk and descend to the vault.
There they give their employer some space to make his prayers to the builder. Sadly, their trust proves ill placed as Gerhart snatches three massive gems from the alters and begins his escape up a concealed stairway. As the temple rumbles and shakes with divine protest the party make their way after the thief, dodging boulders and traps and eliminating a number of sentinels produced from a Scribing Tome before finally running him down outside the temple grounds.
As they are about to make their way back down they are accosted by a group of tough looking vagabonds who appear to have just scaled the mountain. With Molter unconscious at the party's feet, the conversation is a rather awkward one, as the group keeps Gerhart's mouth shut with more alchemy and Rafe keeps the jewels away from their search of Victor with some well timed light fingers. Alonso further disrupts the search with his willingness to undergo a thorough patdown. Before things go any further both parties are interrupted by an enormous mole bursting forth from the ground and starting to wreak havoc. Rather than attack the sacred beast, they rush back down to the treasure vault and start trying to correctly replace the gems. This is momentarily halted by the toughs' leader snatching one and making a dash for freedom, but the group beats him and his flunky down and once the gems are returned to their proper place the rumbling subsides and the moles return to their burrows.
The party head back down using the mechanical lift and catch the other thieves, recovering Gerhart who they had spirited away. Victor purposefully turns the Turnimabob the wrong way at the bottom, resulting in an ominous clonk.
Returning the sacred Turnimabob to the village at the foot of the mountain they rent a wagon and head back to Acryn, taking their prisoner to the Builder Church. They explain the situation and the attendant priest is well pleased to learn of the fate of the temple. After a consultation of the Church records Gerhard's previous attempt to break into the temple is revealed. The church offers 40R in expertise and assistance to any future construction project the party members might embark upon, and suggests that the ne'erdowells be escorted to the Watch.
They then take their prisoners to the Watch and they find that the thug leader, Penrose the Throttler, is worth 20R in bounty, covering the costs of their wagon hire. Gerhart, a known minor criminal is kept in custody whilst the rest of the toughs are eventually released. Alonso tries to persuade the three released thugs to put their efforts towards more worthy causes but only one seems willing to listen.
Merrisa commends ???, the invisible junior Wayfinder to the guild. Hoping to begin a beautiful (cost saving) friendship.
Victor's nights are thereafter haunted by the sound of grating gears and ominous clonking.