The Outpost Beneath the Aetherstone Tree

This expedition began badly by any lawful measure. The party met in Niðaróss, stole a longship, destroyed all but one other longship in the harbor, and fled northwest through storm and pursuit. Their destination was not chosen by charts. Chad Darrelson's patron had drawn him toward a specific tree on a rocky island far north, among the Aetherstone Islands.

On the island, the party found sleek stone-scaled dragons digging up and eating charged Aetherstone. The rocks resisted ordinary gravity, and the party began to understand why such a place mattered. When Chad entered a fugue state and recognized the tree from his vision, the party dug among its roots and found a cave descending thousands of feet into a great cavern.

Below the tree stood an Atlantean outpost. Its halls showed tile murals of old glory and war darts, and an Atlantean Guardian Construct guarded the way into an armory. The fight knocked Chad unconscious before Thordak revived him, and beyond the guardian the party recovered relics that would echo through later adventures: the Orb of Crafting, the Infernal Orb, a flame-tongue spear, explosive darts, and gravity darts.

The expedition nearly trapped itself. Chad, Bartholomew, and Amelia left the cave, cut the rope, boarded the longship, and fled, while others remained below. Netheril studied the Orb of Crafting and learned how to empower Aetherstone into true anti-gravity items. By attaching an empowered crystal to the rope, the remaining party escaped.

From there, the expedition became the first rough beginning of Aetherstone flight. The party gathered wood and stone from island to island and worked toward a levitating longship that Skythor could pull. The outpost also left deeper questions: why Chad's patron wanted it, what Atlantean knowledge remained hidden, and what old powers had once shaped the barriers between worlds.