Upon arrival at the cave ....
Apologies to all for a long time with no updates. Things get busy, eh?
So here we go...
Since we last heard from out party of adventurers, they have been busy! The rescue attempt at the drow cave was dire, Ghaz and Frederick not escaping with their lives. The remaining party members, after smiting the drow cleric that had caused them such anguish, joined with their new aquaintances, the dwarf fighter Urunt, the elven archer Aeflen, and the elven wizard Luthen Kai. The new adventures set out to complete their quest to rescue the lost son of the mayor. They traveled north, encountering many animals, plants, and evil creatures, but eventually reached the southern shores of the Great North Sea. Unable to find a boat for hire in the small port town of -----, the adventurers traveled east until they reached Cape Celdorn, a much larger and industrious port. There, working on the streets to scrape together the necessary fee, our adventurers hired a ship to take them north, where the map given them by the crazed forest woman told of a mystical cave holding great wealth, and also a adventurer lusting mayors son. Plans were falling into place when Cape Celdorn was savagely attacked by a band of vikings. The adventurers narrowly escaped with their skins, Leon Garret dying from a brutal swing of a barbaric viking axe after a botched attempt at leaping through the melee unscathed. Leon was resurrected by Nydgk and a spell scroll found in the drow cavern. During their voyage, the hired ship was attacked by pirating Sahuagin. Without the adventurers' help the captain was surely lost. Shortly after, a mighty Sea Drake demanded its ocean toll, and after the party had grudgingly paid, protected them for the remainder of their journey. In the frozen port north of the Great Sea, Ceylonna, the adventurers bought supplies for their cold journey through the icy northern waste. Again, evils were met and smote, the party nearly dying of cold, and narrowly surviving a frightening battle with a wandering frost giant.
Upon finally reaching the rumored treasure cave, they found it to instead be filled with magical traps and constructs, carefully constructed to protect a cache of cursed items by worshippers of Corellon Laretheon. After their share of puzzles, close calls and unsuspected curses, our heroes reached a the cave's final unexplored chamber to find an unconscious mayor's son. From him they gained a magic ring and belt, one of the two apparently causing him to faint. Unfortunately, no explanation could be gained immediately, for the young man conveniently suffered from amnesia. Urunt, who boldly put on the magic ring, discovered that it had powers linked to traveling, and later examination showed that the ring was able to teleport the party weekly and summon a horse daily. Due to another effect Urunt experience when first wearing the ring, the party also suspected a third function to the Ring of Traveling. The grateful mayor graciously allowed the party to keep both the belt and the ring, and they decided to travel further East along the Forest Road, in the direction of their original travels.
On the road, they met a quiet young elven girl. She left early in the morning, carrying the magic belt! The party pursued her, but she moved with incredible speed. After the use of a few spells, they managed to catch her up, but decided it unwise to combat such an adventure who might have other unseen abilities. Returning to their humble roadside camp, a map was discovered, and after some debate, the party settled on going to the marked location, supposedly the residence of the young elf girl, to do their best to recover their magical prize.