Session One Hundred and Forty-One Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)
Session 141, June 7 2023
Introduction
We continue at 10:00AM on the 29th of Denrilden (00.000.09.02 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party having defeated the Winter Elves and wolves sent to intercept them and take the books that Itherialma is carrying. Druul's musical charm again proved useful, letting the group learn that Lungmold brought word of those books to the Winter King. It also seems that the wintry monarch now intends to stand aside and allow the DVLs to kill everyone on Meidia so that he can waltz in afterward to occupy the empty lands. With the intention of taking a moment to confuse their trail and frustrate future hunters, the party still intends to continue back eastwards to make their way around the mountains and back onto the familiar trail to Old Greybeard. Will there be more hunters? Is that large spider still hangry? What other dangers await the party? Find out next time ...
Larry's Summary
Use up the blood in 2 winter elves to heal up Ithirialma and Philomantrhaxus to about 75%. 1 more to heal up the party and 1 to raise up the three leaders as skeletons and 4 as zombies.
1 moon is full and the other is waxing half. Dwarves call the moons Falthil and Fatha (Dark Hunter &Dark Huntress) & Elves call them Mithilin & Kithilin (Silver Lady & Dark Lady). One goes through its phases quicker and is full more often.
Thorfus suggests Ithirialma could take a different human form since they seem to know what she looks like.
We decide to head back to the West then South towards the harpy lair, since that is a shorter trip than East and South. It involves backtracking the two hours we went East prior to the Winter Elves finding us.
7 winter elves are raised, the mage and 2 leaders as skeletons since they were burnt and 4 as zombies, one group to NE and one to SE.
The 6 zombie orcs carry the two unconscious orcs and Caspar Dealbator. We have the zombie orcs carry the bodies of the Dealbators.
It is about Noon when we finally get under way.
We cut more to the South to avoid the stairs.
Velkin looks for birds, especially crows, hoping to find Ajax.
There is an odd lack of animals and birds.
As evening starts to fall, the slopes are more manageable, and we can see green ahead on lower elevations. We feel we are coming out of the mountains, in the highlands looking down.
We find a slight depression to set camp for the night.
We are awoken by shouts from Philomanthraxus and Lambertus on last watch. They have been set upon by humanoid creatures that do not look healthy. 4 are on Philomanthraxus. One rakes claws and draws blood from Philomanthraxus. Lambertus is holding his own.
Lambertus casts cure disease on the one on him and it collapses and it begins to hiss and bubble.
Felix also casts cure disease on the one on him and it collapses and begins to hiss and bubble.
Philomanthraxus and Alician hit the last one on Philomanthraxus but do not drop him. The zombies come forward and swarm it.
Thorfus runs up to Lambertus and holds forth his arm for Lambertus to heal Philomanthraxus and he looks better, but still sickly.
Felix gives Philomanthraxus the last does of lake water and hands back the jug. I'm fine, it stung in the beginning, but it doesn't hurt now, I'm just feeling a little tired.
Velkin and Felix and Lambertus and Thorfus run forth and the two not hacked to pieces explode and it stinks. It put out the fire and is everywhere.
Velkin gives blood for Felix to do cure disease on each of them, for a lot of damage.
Rake the one hacked to bits into a pile and scrape off the yuck in the pile and Lambertus casts cure disease on it.
One of the hands has an ornate wrought gold ring on it. Velkin asks Kauri if it is glowing, it is not.
Those who read modern dwarven recognize the character 'R'.
Lambertus sacrifices his blood to cure disease on the pile of infected stuff, and we retrieve the ring.
The inside of the ring has a dwarven inscription of "Rhomkhul."
We move away from the campsite.
We tie up the two orcs to cure disease on Druul and that orc dies, and the other for Caspar which kills that orc.
Thorfus give up blood to cure disease on the others and the dead orcs used to cure others of disease. Then used the scepter to heal up and then gave blood one last time to cure Ranthark.
Velkin set a new record at 9th level. (highest level PC for 1st and 2nd campaign)
Ithirialma changes her appearance to look younger and more martial.
She makes Velkin invisible.
We head along and the sun is shining.
We keep an eye skyward.
Velkin keeps calling and eventually gets a hoot back from a very large owl. It glides over and circles the party and it blinks when Velkin says hello.
Greetings, you speak the language of the sky?
What brings you in this direction? I live in this hills. You seem familiar, were you at the parliament? Velkin stands near Kauri. Yes, we were at the Parliament, how are things.
They are well here, but not so much where you are going.
The Owl swoops down and lands uphill from the party.
Well, the meeting place has been destroyed, the top of the mountain in fact, the whole mountain, blasted right off.
The singing monstrosities still live on their mountain.
Things came, outsiders, they seemed methodical. I watched them for a bit. They seemed like they were looking for something. When they climbed the slope they seemed to find it. There was a particularly large one and brought the nest down and the musty place under it.
They took some things with them when they left. Stone boxes (the matriarchs).
There is still one there, of course, they poisoned the whole place. Don't drink any of the water, it is all bad on both sides.
What happened to the king? Are you speaking of Timorere? He was not home when the outsiders came. I warned him off and told him not to go back. He listened. Not many birds are near here.
Where is he now? I think he flew North to where the King (Summer Lord) and his army are.
The place with the harpies is still intact. They only attacked Old Greybeard. I stayed, hunting is not as good, but not much competition.
There is another one nearby, off to the North.
Velkin asks if he has seen Ajax? Ajax, the counselor to the former king? Was he on Old Greybeard?
Velkin asks if he could help us out a bit? It depends what you are doing?
We want to visit the place with the harpies, but you don't have to go. OK, I know a path for those who walk and can show you.
Any other DVLs? Only the one on top of the mountain?
Big with bat wings, fire, and lives in a house with walls with openings and no roof.
Velkin asks his name, Ozymandius.
There is another way, less close to Greybeard.
It isn't easy, but maybe some of you die, but that's what you get for walking.
Or I can lead you around, but it kind of creeps me out that he is up there always looking.
There are little statues.
Are you afraid of big metal things on fire? Did it fall out of the sky? Did it mash things when it came down? You wouldn't have wanted to use that bridge anyway.
You can fly a little bit right?
How long a bridge is it?
A couple seconds of flying.
It was shortly before the Parliament of Birds.
Velkin relays this to us and we discuss what to do.