Freeing The Broken

We’ve had a chance to review the book I’ve taken from the ruins.  The book appears to have been written by Issara who was trying to stop the coming of the Dream Walker.  The book describes the rituals used to take the essence of people and it transfers it to the Dream Walker.  The creature is unable to feed on people in our world and needs followers to preform this ritual to feed him. Once in our world he’s able to feed off those who are sleeping.

She was able to stop the cultists with the Spear of Issara which was enchanted, but the book does not describe if there was anything special about the spear which allowed it to help defeat them.  The book also describes a group of people called the Skulls (Skulde?) who were immune to the control of the Dream Walker and how Issara gathered these people as a fighting force against this evil.

Her tomb is in the Barrier Islands and is located on a “dry mountain island”. Thorlin will be closing up some lose ends here in the area of Stoneford and will then be venturing down to the Barrier Islands to search for the resting place of Issara.

The book has a series of 24 runes which can be used to help focus the magic of the user and these runes have multiple uses.  Some of the uses described are not only for bringing the Dream Walker into the world, but to communicate over long distances, transportation and adding magic to weapons.

It appears as if Issara wrote this book to help others fight off the Dream Walker if others ever tried to bring him back.  However, there is such great detail in the book that it has given the cultists the information they need to make it so.

As there are still broken at the settlement to the North, I’ve decided to return there and destroy any runes there and to see if the Broken may be able to help us in our fight.  Upon arriving, I see that there is more activity here and that there are 3 Dream Masters here directing people around.  

I’m able to sneak into the settlement the same way I had previously and I venture into a small tunnel just to the north of the pillars I had seen last time.  As I enter the tunnel I encounter a Broken, but I recognize him as the Broken from the Hall of Deep Corruption, Asbjorn.  

In game mechanics for Delve, I rolled a strong hit on Delve the Depths.  I then roll twice on the Find an Advantage table and I select the advantage I want.  In this case both die roles came up with “find one willing to help you”.  As it was a double, I thought connecting this Broken with the one I encountered earlier was appropriate.

Asbjorn says, “The Skulde returns to finish the job.  Yes this is good.  This is what Issara would want.  A spirit to help fight the coming darkness.”  Asbjorn is also a Skulde and has been working against the Dream Masters as he knows the history of the Dream Walker.  Once I took the book the head Dream Master retreated but sent his men here to finish construction of three rune archways to use as portals to this part of the Ironlands. 

We need to stop this progress and return the broken to Stoneford.  The town is in danger as the Dream Master sent the creature (Nightspawn) to find and return the book.  We are able to defeat the Dream Masters and the Broken who are supporting them.  We return to Stoneford with the Broken (32, a significant number) and of these 22 are pure blood Skulde.

We spend the rest of the time preparing for the inevitable attack of the Nightspawn.