Session Forty-Eight Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 48, June 9 2021

Introduction

We continue at 6PM on the 13th of Laurilden with the party having arrived back at the Caverns of the Dead just as the sun sets. After quickly checking on their stashed equipment, the group gathers in the large cavern. There is talk of breaking into the bottom of the spider box to recover the items Brendil found as well as plans to attend the Parlement of Birds starting the next morning atop Old Greybeard. Will trying to break open a deadly artifact or insert themselves into a otherworldly council turn out to be the bigger disaster for the party?

Larry's Summary

We leave Raynarth, Cesario, Alfredus, Will Grissel, Folgard, & Hermengart back in the cave to guard it while the main party goes to the Parliament of Birds.

Will works to remove the image of Lolth that desecrated the totem in the cavern.

The party goes to the doors and on the North door in Drow is the word SAFE. We erase it and go in the East door through the maze and to the room with the bridge and use ropes to go down and a rope with a grapple tossed from the bridge, then up the stairs to the cloister and around the cloister to the Tomb of the Matriarchs.

We leave all the stuff that is otherwordly, or that we are not sure of, guarded by Borthan and Forcus outside the tomb.

Rallion places his feather on the pedestal and we all float up and commune before the tombs of each of the mothers.

Rallion kneels before the East/Brita and offers his Roc Feather Cloak. Lungmold offer to her the feather from the hawk we met at Brita's fountain East of Old Greybeard.

Velkin put his hand on the North/Cerida's tomb and the spider box.

Kauri lit a candle to the West/Feldma.

Oskar went South/Oswitha.

Some slept and those who attempted an all night vigil were overcome with sleep. We all had the same vision.

First of Brita as a young woman, and then scenes of her aging. She fought dragons and drove them back.

Next West fighting dragons and dragons seem to be winning.

Finally, North/Oswitha is being prepared for burial and her eyes open and she gives this message:

Time runs short; you must choose your allies from amongst the foes of times past, either singly or united in common cause. Dead Mothers, Tyrant Lizards, Stone Gods, or Opposed Seasons. Choices that are divergent paths to restore what was lost, paths that in turn lead to divergent futures – some fractious, some serene. Otherwise, the City of Brass triumphs and there will be only one common future for this reality like so many before it: death.

Then the final scene:

A scene of a crushed city with a tower being built and a plain full of DVL’s with human slaves being put to work carrying materials to continue to create the tower. On top of the tower at the peak. There’s a shard of stone encased in a crystal globe which grows brighter and brighter in power with power shooting across the planes where all humans and slaves are destroyed while their spirits are sucked into the shard while the DVL’s watch on in rapture.

When we awake we each find something to take with us.

To the East/Brita - Lungmold's feather now has a glow like Rallion's feather, and Rallion's Roc Feather Cloak is different and his vision seems to slid off of it.

To the North/Cerida Velkin hears the spiders saying to Let us out, it will be OK, really.

To the West/Feldma Kauri's candle is still burning.

To the South/Oswitha Oskar's cup of tea is still warm and is always full, and Druul has a new upbeat song of Spring/Summer and growth in his head.

We descend and Rallion retrieves his feather. Then we go to the walkway and retrieve our things. Rallion pours oil on a piece of parchment and lights it and throws it over the edge. (Some seem to think it was some sort of contract.)

We then climb up to the Parliament of Birds and are allowed to address them.

The golden eagle from whom Rallion received his feather is their King. Long ago they swore allegiance to the Summer Lord and the hawk whose feather Lungmold has argued that their first responsibility was to their ancient oath to the Summer Lord.

We argue to getting all factions to work together to fight a common enemy.

When we share our vision via Lungmold to the Parliament of Birds, the owls know the place as the capital of the Dragon Empire and the date the space station hit was the first of Tenrilden and the tower with the Shard will be complete on the 1st of Tenrilden, in ten and a half months.

We manage to convince all factions of the Parliament of Birds to agree to contact all the factions we can think of, those mentioned in the dream, and others like Lord Thornton's rebels, the Floating City of Armada of the half orcs, the golden cat, the people of the Mother's who went South (there are humans living to the South), and others we can think of.

The Parliament of Birds traditionally lasts 3 days, and this was the first.

Rallion suggests using his Starchy Badge as a bona fide to take to the dragons at Xen Khel, and we can possibly get a message to the Winter King. The hawk, Vermillion, is sent as the head of the embassy to the Summer Lord, and Ajax the raven is to go with us when we leave.

We have to decide on a place to meet and a date and time. Both a place they can reach and enough time to do it.