AD&D Session 76 - A not so Cinder Rest

14th of Duscar, 835 PD

Following the lead from Uthodurn, the party reached the Cinderrest Valley to pursue answers about the stolen mithril dagger at the famed mountain forge. A welcoming dwarf helped them stable their pack-goat and pointed them to beds and a tavern, noting that midday was the best time for visitors to approach the smithy. After sorting food and lodging, they registered at the checkpoint and hiked up to the Sanctum to meet Master Smeltborne.

The master proved tight-lipped. Questions about vestiges and notable artifacts yielded little more than commonplace cautions; on the dagger, he admitted to dispatching agents to find it and to bury any trace that it had ever existed, but he offered nothing the party could act on. With the trail effectively stonewalled, the group prepared to leave the forge, their investigation seemingly stalled.

On the way out, Koro cast a spell to test how warded the smithy really is and—by sheer luck—pinged an invisible undead presence ahead. Marcus’s detection confirmed an illusion effect consistent with invisibility. Koro alerted the gate via Sending, but as the party neared the entrance, the posted guard suddenly slumped into sleep. They attempted to intercept the unseen intruder, yet it evaded them, rising into the air and vanishing. The guard, once roused, proved merely asleep rather than harmed.