The party spent a full day on the ascent into the Ki-Rin ridge, led by their companion Orfko, joined by a shared desire to reach Wukeiwang safely. But it was only the next morning before they encountered their first obstacle: an enormous rockfall blocking the narrow north pass into the valley below. Danai found that the face of the pass was scalable within reason, but the descent down the other side would be extremely dangerous.
Orfko offered an alternative: if his estimations were correct, a mountainhome whose entrance had been charted on the inside of the valley should be near enough to the edge of the ridge that another entrance may be present on this side of the pass.
A few hours later, Orfko turned out to be right, but the party’s concerns mounted. Standing guard at the entrance of the mountainhome was a pair of ghostly dwarven guards whom Orfko could not see. The party discovered that their feathery companion, Horwendell, could see them. But Orfko could not see or hear Horwendell, either.
Strange indeed.
The party delved into the mountainhome, navigating a magical/mechanical ice shard trap and a trio of ambushing gricks with careful strategizing and a dash of bravado. Then, the party entered the main plaza, ringed by buildings, several stories top to bottom. After dispatching another lurking grick, they met Algot the Shield, a ghostly lieutenant from a truly ancient time. Algot explained that the ghosts here restlessly stand guard by the imprisoned soul of their captain Urrenhada, who betrayed them and led them to their deaths here. Algot promised that they would faithfully carry out their duties indefinitely, but he hoped that the party might relieve them of their duty by freeing and then vanquishing Urrenhada forever.
The party struck a deal with Algot. They would help—the noble thing to do—but as thanks for their risk, Algot would tell them about Durad-Om, the ancient birthplace of the dwarves and halflings.
The party followed through on their deal with Algot. Algot directed his ghostly platoon to create a perimeter in the plaza of the mountainhome, and the party shattered Urrenhada’s prison. With a shudder and a release, the shadows of the plaza congealed into a small band of rancid demons… and dancing in their shadows was Urrenhada, formless and malevolent.
The party slew the demons, and Algot and his men and women were released from their long millenia of duty.
Algot, before passing, had followed through on his end of the deal, too, describing Durad-Om as both the Forge that Made the Dwarves and a sacred, sturdy fortress against the legions of Hell.
Before leaving the mountainhome, the party cleared it out, locating a valuable amethyst geode, a unique hammer and a strange necklace that the gricks had hoarded in that geode, and finally, a basilisk and what they believe to be one of its victims.
Finally, the party left the mountainome through the winding tunnels to the south, stepping out onto an overlook above the lush Dibang Valley.