Session One Hundred and Fifty-Eight Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)
Session 158, November 1 2023
Introduction
We continue at 6:00AM on the 15th of Anurilden (00.000.08.15 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party breaking camp after the second night of their journey up the Khelrun river toward an ancient dwarven fortress that may in fact be called Gharaz'Khel according to Prixithalma. During the rebellion she helped lead against the ancient dwarven empire, this place was supposed to sabotaged in tandem with the destruction of the Silver Tower its generators helped power; however, she cannot say definitively if that happened. Besides more horrors like those found in the abandoned water mill, what can the group expect to find at Gharaz'Khel? Will it prove useful in dealing with the monstrosity in Feldmark? Is Buzz safe on the ship? Find out next time; or not.
Larry's Summary
We were uninterrupted overnight.
Prix is feeling strong enough to walk.
We see the tunnel opening and reach it by mid day.
Thorfus suggests tying the boat to something so it doesn't move from where we leave it. Glompus suggests hiding it with bushes. It is less than 50 yards from the river where there are bushes.
Glompus and Thorfus suggest leaving the boat closer to the river. We lash it to a tree 10-15 yards from the river and cover it with branches, etc.
All with a spyglass we scan the opening and Kauri looks with his mask.
The river moves swiftly out from the tunnel. It has perfect symmetry so no way it's natural. It is about 40 feet in diameter. Half of it is underwater. It is warm. The water is giving off vapors, so it is rather steamy.
Velkin moves around to the top side and looks in. He tells Thorfus to watch/listen to the top of the circle.
Velkin confirms what we suspect, there is no walkway evident, it is just water rushing out, so we probably will need our boat to enter the tunnel.
Thorfus asked Glompus is they are sure that this tunnel opening is the only place they come to the surface? It's the only place that he and the other gnomish rangers suggest they were from as it was the only abnormal spot around so they were fairly certain this must be the place.
We discuss whether we should go in the tunnel via boat or scout for another entrance.
Glompus, Kauri, and Peronelle go around looking for anything unusual around the opening. Thorfus joins in and uses the gold control circlet to see if he detects anything. Velkin joins along with Thorfus.
Lambertus and Felix are in charge of getting the camp setup with the others.
Thorfus and Glompus detect that there is a slope with just enough slope to cause water to move. Thorfus detects no automata in range.
Peronelle and Velkin do not sense any hidden doors.
Velkin asks Kauri to cast blood magic fly on him.
Velkin flies in to the right side of the tunnel halfway between water and ceiling.
Thorfus watches that area with his blessed spyglass as we continue our way around.
Kauri has a sense of something in the direction of where Lambertus and Felix set up the camp, like something is watching us. Kauri tells us he has a feeling. Kauri looks in that general direction for a glow. It is almost like a flash. He expected to see something but didn't. The expectation that there should have been a flash from a glow. None of the rest of us see anything.
Glompus throws his cloak over Snuffles and has him sit. Then he heads off in that direction.
Velkin goes for 30 minutes and sees no real variation in the tunnel. He goes another ten minutes before he plans to turn around.
Glompus suddenly sees a light blue almost glow in the trees as he comes around and is surprised as he didn't know he had the ability to see magic.
He comes upon a group of creatures that area shocking hue of blue and are amphibian looking and are hunched over with a grumbly noise from their throats. If they stood up they'd be giants 9 or 10 feet tall. There are 7 of them having a weird, guttural conversation. They seem to be bipedal with wicked claws on their forearms. They are slightly humanoid but must have a weird gate.
When one of them makes their guttural sound, there is a blue glow from their forehead between their eyes, like something under the skin is glowing.
Glompus looks for kindling and works on using his tinderbox to start a fire.
The fire catches and Glompus returns to the group.
About this time, Velkin prepares to turn around.
Glompus comes back and tells us about some frog-like creatures about 9 feet tall and their foreheads glow blue when they talk.
The good news is that we outnumber them slightly and I started a forest fire.
Thorfus asked how does Glompus knows they are hostile....
Thorfus asks what Prixithalma thinks. I don't think we should leave them out there. Maybe they're waiting for attack.
Glompus hooks around and the rest of us go with open hands to attempt to talk to the creatures and attempt to speak with them.
The fire is out and the blue creatures are no longer in sight.
Glompus looks for prints to track them. He easily tracks them, and is ready to follow them as the rest of us show up.
The fire may have backfired, but I can follow them. We agree to follow them.
The trail heads West and our camp is Northwest. The sun is setting.
Velkin reaches the end of the tunnel and starts to feel heavier. He reaches out and grabs the edge of the pipe as gravity resumes, hanging on by his fingernails. He swings up a leg and rolls over the top.
Velkin hears Lambertus saying, Where'd they go? Hello? Velkin goes to see what's going on in camp. Do you think they went back to the boat? Should we wait at camp? They should know where the camp is, I think. Velkin says to wait at the camp. Lambertus says we could just leave.
The trail starts to curve West Northwest. It feels like we are almost circling the camp. They don't seem to be hiding their movement. Heading further into the hills. It is getting dark and Kauri can't see in the dark.
We come out of the woods just as Velkin is meeting up with Lambertus.
Glompus asks Thorfus about Lambertus if he's OK or sane. It seems he took there are no gods thing pretty hard. Should we do something about it? Well, I did have a platinum holy symbol for him.
Currently the only thing he's doing about it is wine. Well that'll solve itself then.
Kauri says, well maybe when we're done saving the world we could re-instate the gods?
Velkin whispers to Lambertus don't tell them I'm back.
Lambertus asks where we've been. Kauri says a group of things is watching or following us. I always assume we are being followed by people who mean to kill us.
So did you find them and kill them? So you're luring them back here so we can kill them here?
Are we really laying a trap?
Kauri says they may be as curious about us as we are about them, so maybe we can get them to help us. Alright, if you want to try that again....
Velkin says I came back and no one was there. Thorfus says, ah we knew you'd be alright.
When we mention it to Renthark he says what kind of blue? Renthark nods and takes out his sword. Yes, we call them Slaad. The stone holds their souls in it. When we kill them we pry them from their skin. I had a necklace of them back home. They are hard to kill. They come from the same elsewhere I do. With their minds they can cause trouble, they have many powers. We cannot go into this tunnel? Can we take them, there are 7 of them. We will need to fight.
Why do we need to fight. They are hunting us.
Renthark asks if they don't know that we know they are here? They will come to kill us tonight, definitely.
Velkin tells us it goes a long ways. We decide to abandon camp, get the boat, then go up the tunnel. The zombies can hang off the side.
Lambertus looks around the beautiful campsite but says if Renthark is afraid of them, I guess we should go.
We find the boat and get it uncovered and down to the water line.
We get in the boat and the zombies hang onto the boat.
We all scout the horizon. Renthark is on edge standing in the center of the boat with his sword out.
We make progress against the current and soon disappear in the darkness of the tunnel.
We maintain darkness until we are well away from the entrance to use light.
We do half watches with rowing. Renthark is muttering under his breath, but not in deep gnome.
It is tough going for Thorfus. The constant rowing is tiring, never ending and monotonous. Speed drops off with the current. Very frustrating.
It is now 10 PM and Velkin and Peronelle row.
Midnight still just tunnel, no apparent changes.
Lambertus and Kauri take up rowing on Lambertus and Glompus watch.
After an hour passes, Glompus notices a change on the right-hand side. There is a slight difference in the temperature in the side wall and the rest of it. A separate piece of metal deformed and crushed and pushed into the river with darkness behind it.
Glompus can tell that whatever is heating the water is coming from the side passage.
Kauri and Lambertus under direction from Glompus make their way into the opening.
There is definitely a current flowing into the tunnel, but we are in a huge open area beyond what infravision except the roof at the edge of the infravision. It is a lake or something.
Off to the right and left about 20 feet above the water line is a catwalk suspended form the side walls and some sort of panel or workstation that stretch off into the distance.
The water here is toasty. The zombies may be a touch boiled.
Kauri and Lamberus pull out their continual light coins and can see the catwalk and the pedestals.
The door is 20 feet across. It looks like something slammed into it from this side.
Catwalk is about 20 feet above the waterline.
There are more catwalks straight ahead with a ladder that comes down that either stops just above the surface of the water or even goes into it.
Somewhere in this large chamber, water is falling into it.
They row towards the ladder and there are actual structures. There is a section that is like metal grillwork. The part we are heading towards, the underside is solid with a structure connected to the ceiling.
They prepare to tie off the the ladder.
There is suddenly splashing behind us and all 5 zombies disappear beneath the water. One's fingernails remain in the boat.
They wake the other party members.
Kauri feels the zombies winking out one by one.
Glompus ties a rope quickly and ensures Snuffles is secured to a rope.
Kauri and Lambertus start climbing the ladder as they wake us on the way to the ladder.
Druul is next up the ladder.
Thorfus does not detect any automata in the area. Thorfus knows that this is definitely the place it is ancient dwarven, no doubt about it.
Velkin shadow steps and drops a rope over the side.
There is a surge of water as five tentacles try to wrap around the boat. No suckers on them. Like octopus tentacles without suckers, but scaly like snakes.
There is splintering of wood and water starts leaking in, the hull is definitely compromised.
Kauri casts Levitate onto Prixithalma since she is strongest and she can grab two others.
Druul makes his way up the ladder. Lambertus pulls up Snuffles and Glompus moves to the rope Velkin lowered.
Thorfus does psionic blast but it has no effect.
Tentacles flex and the boat shatters.
Thorfus grabs the ladder. Prix is levitated and grabs Felix, Peronelle, and Renthark and she levitates up.
We all make it up to the catwalk.
Kauri looks for a door off the catwalk as the tentacles seem long enough they could reach us.
The entire wall is a window but it is dark inside with tables and chairs.
There is an alcove across from catwalks crossing the the catwalks either side of the big broken door we entered this area.
We make it up to the catwalk.
Kari runs towards the alcove and there is a double door that is closed. 3 feet up the wall on the right-hand side is a plate with a green light.
Kauri pushes the button to open it and the doors slide open like pocket doors. There is a 20x 20 chamber with metallic lockers.
Kauri shouts This way, quick!
Tentacles slap at the catwalk and a huge body like a frog with a huge mouth.
The creature propels itself into the catwalk but it holds fast. The creature falls back into the water except for the tops of the tentacles.
Thorfus pushes everyone in front of him and closes the door behind him. There is more crashing a breaking and we don't think the catwalk survived.