Session One Hundred and Eighteen Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)
Session 118, December 14 2022
Introduction
We continue at 6:10PM on the 21st of Denrilden (00.000.09.10 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party rapidly leaving Armada behind aboard the Lady of Fire, an imperial ship being carried on the back of the Dragon-god Lysander. According to Grissel, Lysander's Seer and spokesperson, the group should arrive in Gharmarost just before dusk the next day. Having secured an agreement with Beelzebub, the DVL ruling the occupied city, the party hopes that arrival will be peaceful; they also hope to take advantage of the antagonism between Beelzebub and Geryon to gain access to the Inquisitorial Citadel's library where they anticipate finding some new information on Inter-Dimensional spaces like the City of Brass or some means of meddling with time itself. There are many unknowns, though: what is a city under DVL occupation look like? How will the party infiltrate the citadel without facing a horde of demonic foes? Can the terms of the contract with Beelzebub be twisted to nefarious ends? Time will tell ...
Larry's Summary
New Hirelings get new gear situated and
Nanocarbon tools is at the Dwarven Embassy.
Velkin takes some of the new hirelings to get Caspar and his family.
Prix prefers we take the new hirelings back to the ship to avoid distraction.
Ask Azrael for food when he checks in tomorrow.
We fill in Prix and the others in the web what we learned.
If there is ever a lull for Kauri to be in the portal to oversee TikTok to have him review the book as he could see his name. OR down time review the original that Kauri has. Kauri can turn the page.
Velkin shows up with the Dealbater family and their luggage in tow. Kids holding their mother's skirts. Casper taking it a bit better, stopping to study the busted canon and it's metalwork.
Casper says greetings and to those I don't know. Engraver, jeweler, metalworker. Khelratha intruduces Prixithalma who shakes his hands. So what am I to be doing? Your job is to engrave this, and he reluctantly hands over the shard. What is is made of? "Original Stone." Khelratha tells him.
What am I to be engraving? PROVISIONALLY, we are leaving the original book to avoid the chance of error. Which part? The whole thing? He asks if we know how many characters their are?
Probably about as small as this - show him the sword. We hand him the sword and he looks it over.
Oh, I just need to do work as skilled as the ancient dwarven smiths.
If I could have regular stones of regular dimensions to plot it out on. Khelratha says, maybe you can ask "What's his name tomorrow?" Prix - maybe we can get measurements so we don't have to show it to him.
Perhaps more powerful magnifying lenses. I should be able to tell in a day or two after practicing a couple sigils to know how long it takes to inscribe it. Druul asks if he could train others to do this? Who, someone with a background in engraving? Maybe give you other tools or give assistance.
I would have to actually test them. Not to say I would refuse an assistant to hold the piece steady. It depends on how the other person is and how steady their hand.
Someone to hold it steady and make adjustments, the book I'll be working from. And just to verify again how long do I have to do this? Someone who can tally the characters. There are some equations I can do if I knew the total number of characters.
Prix suggested taking off the hilt to see if the tang is or isn't engraved. Will get the smiths we acquired to do so.
David Boger is a weapon smith, Ivan Fleming and Abel Brix (lice issue) are metal workers from the shipyards. David and Abel stay in the portal to assist Caspar.
Prix asks what to tell Azrael. Lysander and Dagon were on neutral terms with Azrael. Jardin thinks it makes sense that Lysander would seek out Dagon.
We task Caspar to valuate the gems & jewelry (so we can get XP for them).
Druul checks out the lute from his mother that was his father's. He finds a signet ring with C.S. on it. Druul puts it on his necklace.
Druul goes to Forcas and says put your hands behind your back, ties them tightly and heals him. Druul goes down the tunnel and tells Khelratha what is going on. Before he can flee in fear, Druul plays his new lute and keeps him busy for 30 minutes to work through the fear.
Prix suggests a phrase to cue that they should prepare for enemies to come. Prix suggests "Monkey Business."
Kauri cannot see TikTok's true name, maybe since DVLs know about the power of true names, do something to obscure them.
What can Jardin and Gunterius tell us about the Citadel? The North end of Gharmarost - the city itself, it is the largest port on the mainland and the Empire, and divided in have by the river Garzhalruen - North Edge of city in line with the walls there is a large mount a cliff at the edge of the ocean, citadel built on the edge. Road winds up to it. Jardin was mostly in the administrative offices and knows the passageways. Gunterius knows the passages used by the servants. Jardin can get around the offices and the main library. The main library is two stories, main level is same level as exercise yard. What we want is the secret library that he hopes the DVLs haven't found at all. The only way to the secret library is a lift from the upper level (2nd level) that plunges well below the surface and that's where any books we want would be kept. There are balconies on the upper levels for dragons to land.
Gunterius says there's a smaller door around the corner off the exercise yard.
Alician says she might know a few places Jardin doesn't. Probably between the three of us, we could come up with something.
Jardin goes over what the Inquisitor's did and the Inquisitor Masks and replacing Lord Thornton.
Grissel adds that Lysander said that she'd be able to get you to the city unseen, if that's what you want.
How unseen would that be? Where would we end up? There is something else she can offer to you to enter the city unseen? Her agreement was to bring you here undetected. I'll tell her you're interested to find out what it is.
Aliceon decides it is time for her to come out since she is an inquisitor. Ithirialma just wants to be consulted when we get to the library.
Ithirialma is not an Inquisitor so even though she's been there has nothing more to add than Jardin and Aliceon who actually lived there.
- Review of what we are seeking in the Secret Archives of the Inquisitorial Library:**
1. Control Eruption of Medean Geography into the Dragon Homeworld (get dragons back home) 2. Time travel with multiple medial dimensions that there might be a realm where time travels backwards. Secret archives with information about medial dimensions. (Jardin's thing.) 3. Sealing off or destroying interdimensional spaces (Ithirialma's thing.) Either lock passages or destroy those places. 4. Virology - Alteration of infectious diseases to turn against the DVLs from work of the dwarves and use Prixithalma's tech virus. 5. Information on True Names and Such.
We wrap things up in the portal and then party leaves and closes it up.
Get food for us and people.
Druul does a memorial for Ceres. Pulls out old lute and grows more material for Kauri to make more healing potions. 4 more doses worth of materials.
Grissel goes to consult with Lysander to let her know we are interested in the secret way into the city.
Captain Birklen comes and checks on us and we tell her to find accommodations for all our people.
Cesario and Madge are happy to work on the ship and happy to stay there when we do whatever we're doing there.
Gurum the only other time I was on a boat was when I was captured, and directs him to ship's cooks. Flemming, Walls, and Rentzel are tough guys.
Jardin teaches several of them how to sew sailcloth.
Kauri can sit down with Tik Tok and go over the copy of the book.
We discuss using the Astral Tea for Jardin and Aliceon and show one of us the entrance to secret library.
Have to know a person, thing, or place. One us us could follow the astral Jardin. Lambertus was possibly here when the party came to the naval college.
Jardin, Druul, and Khelratha discuss doing this.
Grissel come over and says that some of her children are following to, it is a ship from Lonely Island that's under the water. Lysander said when Alys first came from station, she went to Lonely Island and recovered dragon parts to bring back Lysander and the submersible was left where Lysander's original body was killed and plan to hand over to get into city unobserved.
We will get the sub and Grissel will see if any of the devilfish will
1. Lift inside Citadel - Jardin, Druul, and Khelratha.
- Jardin -**
1. Secret Archives - ensure still secret. 1st point Druul to upper Library. 2. Try to find the right locations for the information we seek.
- Druul -**
1. Look for a secret way in. 2. Pop into Malgrim to see how things are going.
- Khelratha -**
1. Look for the sewers. 2. Follow sewers to see if a way out. (If none look for a way in.)
Borthan brews the tea for Khelratha, Druul, and Jardin. In the morning.
Jardin drinks his cup and Khelratha and Druul drink theirs a couple moment later.
Druul clinks Khelratha's cup.
We soon find ourselves near Jardin in a hallway. Jardin and we are there a stone hallway a stone interior. He taps on the wall and motions to one of the pieces of stonework indicating emphatically and points to himself and puts his head through the wall. Small 10x 10 with a panel and buttons. Jardin points at Druul and the opposite wall of lift and mouths "Main Library" and disappears.
Druul goes to main library through the wall on a balcony overlooking a truly huge library 80 feet forward and much more side to side and shelves and workdesks and two stories worth of truly amazing windows. Through them morning light on the ocean.
Also sees on the balcony marching by two large heavily muscled guards with bulls heads. One stops and seems to be sniffing the air. 360 spin in middle of room to orient in the room. The one who stopped and sniffing but says in badly accented common. "Smell dragon, very faint." Looking in direction of secret lift.
Below balcony are double doors and 4 staircases. No other ways out of room on lower level. Heads to double doors. Bookshelves have a lot of empty space. Scattered pages on ground and trampled. A lot of books are gone. Someone took books recently, no dust on shelves.
Flies through double doors. On the other side a group of DVLs covered in icicles leading a bunch like animated bones 3 way intersection E, W, N. The ice devil looks back in his direction but ignores and goes his way.
To East doors to N and doors to E and same to S. Druul goes N and 30 feet to passage to E or can go N. Passage to E actually carpets on floor and sconces and stuff it is very fancy looking. To N is utilitarian hallway. Sticks E and follows passage. 40 feet 4 way intersection. To N 20 feet turn east. East lots of doors, S similar to N. Reaches end of hallway turns to N and small antechamber and thick wooden door to East. Through door in a conference room, table and chairs, dead end
Goes N through wall in someone's office. N though wall again, suddenly behind a row of statues in large wooden hall, screams entrance hall. Goes East. Ranks of statues on both levels. Last statue on the left is of Jardin. Pops head through main door above a city it is shrouded in fog/mist can see rooftops can't see the streets. To N (right) To S (left) narrows to large yard with a curtain wall and outbuildings with fires burning in the yard. Pyres made of hundreds if not thousands of books, some piles have burnt to ashes. Many many more bullheaded creatures wandering. A winding path ahead goes to the city. No way to sneak in or out on that path.
A shadow passes over Druul right before he leaves.
Druul concentrates on the Embassy and a wizard with 2 heads. and before goes looks up and sees a humanoid figure with wings swooping down in his direction, appears pretty purposeful.
--- Druul finds himself in the main hall of the embassy and Jaxx is here. One head working on the papers, the other looks sad or lonely, bowl of soup not touched.
Goes to the balcony. See Mudfoot with the broken down automaton. Balcony still hiding the balcony and Lungmold is there and is messing with the forge and working on something.
Lungmold looks in his direction. He thinks at Druul and Lungmold hears him. We're good, are you back have you finished the mission.
Checking on the pillars and the embassy. Jaxx seems to know what he's doing. Philomanthraxis is here. We're not completely done. Malgim though, things not good. Winter King's forces completely kicked out. No word from the Winter King. The gnomes won't mess with us and we can get food and stuff, but they don't like us. The city is dug out so connected to outside. Only Winter Elves are prisoners. Any more involvement with the Silence? Not here, we are kind of cut off, they have guards watching us in the street, and guards follow to get food and no one will talk to us. Billi has seen his aunt and she filled us in a bit. The clans are back in charge and don't know what to do with us. I'm just waiting for them to come. It's feeling kinda like a trap now. Hostiles all around us, these things we're building might help against DVLS but won't do any good against a bunch of angry gnomes.
Druul heads back and loses his stomach.
Khelratha heads down seeking the sewers. Lower level of citadel, and past the hallway Druul goes through. Lower hallway, danker sconces further apart.
Below that keep going down and just stone and dirt.
Goes back up goes a bit West and then down comes into a low ceilinged tunnel with a channel and water going SE. Follows water and side passages appear to join this channel, at one point this tunnel empties to a large tunnel more Southerly. There is constant downward slope as travel.
Side passages end and angle much more extreme. Slippery and tricky but not impossible.
Speed down tunnel for a good long time no side passages and levels out a bit and side passages pick up and signs of people being here recently, feels nearer the rest of the city.
A group comes out of one of the tunnels, looking around wearing cloaks looking around. Trying to be stealthy. Humans. Look in my direction then turn to more confluence of side passages. Constantly looking over shoulders and carrying weapons. About 6 of them. Only 4 on outside have weapons and don't know what they're going and others being herded along and pat on the shoulder to calm or remind to be quiet.
Ladder rungs up to a grate. On a foggy street, basically only see less than 10 yards and buildings all around. Looking up above the fog barely make out the outline of Citadel NNW of where you are. A little ways down the street opens to a square and light like a fire.
Quick view to square, all building appear abandoned, windows broken, in square a fire and around the fire are DVLs covered with barbs and horns and roasting a human. Several more humans off to the side under watch of more DVLs.
Back to sewers follow main channel and zip past sneaking group and went down side passage. Slopes then a giant grate about 3 feet between the bars, flows out into a large river and a bridge crossing the river. This is the river that bisects the city that Jardin described.
Follow river downstream come out to where river empties to ocean and can see docks to both sides and see citadel to N and to S lights on a spit of land, a large structure with another wall lit of quite brightly.
Khelratha shoots back with only a belch.
Jardin appears and loses his lunch. A scramble as the acid eats through the floor
The archive is safe, the books are there, no DVLs.