Session One Hundred and Forty-Two Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 142, June 14 2023

Introduction

We continue at 11:00AM on the 30th of Denrilden (00.000.09.01 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party having encountered an owl named Ozymandius who recognized the group from the Parliament of Birds. Upon questioning by Velkin, Ozymanius revealed that Old Greybeard has been partially razed by DVLs, its healing waters polluted, and a huge demonic creature left atop its peak as a sentry. Perhaps even more worrisome, the sarcophagi of the Matriarchs were carted away by the DVLs for unknown reasons. It's not all bad news, though, as Ozymandius confirms that the harpy lair is undisturbed and that he knows a hidden path that should avoid the gaze of Old Greybeard's new denizen -- assuming it's actually suitable for non-avian travellers. Will the party find anything of use near the harpies nests and avoid the DVL's attention? Just how badly was Ozzy's secret path damaged by what the party assumes is a piece of XenoTel fallen to Meidia? Is there safe refuge for the party anywhere? Find out next time ...

Larry's Summary

Myteles is the Keeper of Memories and lives near there. He figured out a date for us. Off to the West.

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White stones and little statues with the bowls until the crevasse. He will get us on the path then go get Myteles. So we let Ozymandius lead us up to the path. He constantly comes back with swooping turns. Within an hour, we reach a place where there was an attempt to level off a little path and the outer down slope edge is lined with white stones. NW of where we are, a few minutes walk is a totem with an offering bowl. Ozymandius tells Velkin he will leave us for a while and that we should follow the path to the East. Harpies don't really come to the path. The end of the path with the burial mounds, they don't go to at all. They can see the path. Within a half hour reach the first totem, and path does a switchback. Totem at the switchback. It is badly weathered. It might have had humanoid figures, maybe female, long hair. The bowl has a small collection of wilted flower petals, empty shells of nuts, grass. 12 gold coins left from the barrel full of gold, one for each of the party members. Some petals/herbs Druul grew with music. Higher up the slope is another statue probably at another switchback uphill to NW. Maybe another one higher up in line with where we are now. Another half hour passes uneventfully and reach next totem, even more worn. Looks like something hit it and broke off a chunk, but bowl is there are scraps of flower petals, seeds. We leave another 12 gold and more herbs. Another totem at about the same distance. c. 1:30 PM still quiet and nothing else in the sky. We see two birds that land on the statue up ahead. Two owls, Ozymandius, and another owl, much smaller. Seems older. Feathers look rougher. Ozymandius hoots and Velkin translates. Myteles was happy to come. He witnessed the attack on Greybeard and definitely remembers us and helped us calculated the date of the apocalypse from our vision. Myteles is dismayed Ajax is missing, and they will spread word. Ozymandius filled us in and backs up Ozymandius' tale of the DVLs wrecking everything. The Wanderer's Mounds - burial mounds are at the end of this path, is that what you seek?

Druul - we seek knowledge and perhaps refuges. 7 champions who died fighting the sky lizards (dragons). They fought here on this peak after drawing them away from a fortress of their people South of here. The graves (mounds) and marker stones. There is writing on the stones. I suppose there is something buried there. There is the old fortress the champions died to protect, Hydrasta was the name of it. South of Old Greybeard. If you are looking for a place with a spiritual connection to the Matriarch's the Wanderer's Mounds is the best bet. He suggests camping and sleeping at the mounds, perhaps there will be another vision. We let them know that Myrientaxus's lair is occupied by a DVL that can turn to stone. We write a note to survivor's of Midmark that the meeting place has been compromised. We'll send word of any new developments. Mytellus will take it and see to it that a young fellow will carry it across the mountains. Mytellus will wait for us where the bridge used to be. We ask how many statues are between here and the bridge? We know it takes about 30 minutes between statues. 12 gold and pinch herbs at 3rd statue. Velkin puts a drop of blood. Other than wind getting more brisk and strong. Half hour to another totem and leave 12 gold, herbs, and drop of blood. c. 2:30 PM reach totem above where Ozymandius and Mytellus were speaking to us, and Ozymandius is preening. This time the path is not a full switchback and can see from end to end, and another statue much higher up the slope in line with us. Ozymandius counted the statues and there are 4 more between here and the bridge. We don't have to worry about the harpies. He saw them, it appears they are sticking to the higher slopes. Shouldn't have to deal with them til we're past the bridge that's not there. We asked Ozymandius how many harpies he saw, about 20, since the DVLs came to Greybeard.

If the harpies are coming, he will warn us. He goes up to wait for us. Thorfus recommends tying off. We tie off the zombies too. We also tie off the zombies and leave the two travois and plan to come back this way. We leave the two zombies carrying gear to guard the stuff on the travois. The four bearing Caspar and the decease Dealbator's come with us. Philomanthraxus carries the gems from the travois and we get enough gold to fill all the bowls. Strap a shield on the 4 zombies. Due to steepness takes about an hour to the next totem. c. 3:45 PM We leave 12 gold, herbs, & drop of Velkin's blood. At 4:40 PM with sun low in sky to West, we reach the lip at the top. There is an offering totem here. It is like a cut through where walls either side block view except straight ahead. It is flatter here. Totem offering again. Velkin searches the statue for hidden compartments. The stone is well weathered, very smooth. It takes another half hour and see the next offering totem off to side of cut through. There is a figure sitting in front of it cross-legged in ragged clothing. Looks like head bowed. Druul pulls his lute out to play, anti-charm. The figure doesn't move at all. The figure is facing the totem. Velkin goes to check them out, and sneaks up, to see if they are alive. Velkin looks to see if it is breathing. Some of the things blowing in the wind is long stringy hair. They appear to have mummified. Velkin relays this to the party, then goes back to look for items on the mummy. Will attempt to pick pocket to not disturb it. There is a pack leaning up against it, and a spear on the ground. Around the neck, there is some kind of medallion on a chain around its neck. Kauri sees no signs of magic. Velkin fails and the head tumbles down and the whole body slumps.

The medallion is beaten silver and image of either a rising or setting sun. Carved into the back in Ancient Common it says, "Praise the Mothers/Matriarchs." Velkin checks out the pack with highly inedible rations, empty water skin, and some rope, and traveling supplies. No treasure. Leave 12 gold, pinch herbs, and drop of Velkin's blood. It is about 5:20 PM. It is pretty much dark and can just make out ahead that the cut through opens up with the outline of the totem statue with the owl and two posts and rope with a drop off. Druul had the knowledge that harpies are not particularly capable of night vision. Velkin suggests Thorfus flying over. Thorfus give blood to fly. Thorfus flies over to see how far it is and carries Velkin. Thorfus drops off Velkin and goes right back to get Renthark. Druul looks in the bowl and concentrates on the Mothers and starts playing thinking about the bridge being back together. Stuff starts to sprout almost immediately. Some sort of grass. It grows and keeps growing and follows the bit of bridge hanging down, but not growing across the crevasse. Thorfus keeps ferrying the party across. Velkin sees that the cut through continues. c. 7:00 PM all on the other side of the crevasse. There are three more totems, but is pretty straight going until come out on flat area where the mounds are. Ozymandius doesn't think he should fly. He doesn't see them up there, but he doesn't know how they sleep. Druul offers his shoulder for Ozymandius. Ozymandius said that the same people who said that we are smart also said that we can be a muse, and Velkin suggests he sing, and he begins to hoot, quietly because of the harpies. Druul tries to accompany Ozymandius. c. 7:30 reach the next totem, and leave the same 12 gold offering, pinch of herbs and drop of Velkin's blood.

8:00 pm reach another totem, and leave same 12 gold offering, pinch of herbs and drop of Velkin's blood. 8:30 pm one last totem and the walls of the cut through taper off and there is a flat spot and beyond our vision. Ozymandius tells Velkin that we're here, the 7 mounds. The Harpies won't come here. All over the slopes all their scat everywhere and bones, the leave alone the mounds. Velkin asked Ozymandius if he's ever seen people approach the mounds. We leave the magic items in the cut through along with the dragons and the zombies and Tik Tok. We bring Caspar and his deceased family with us. The dragons are cool with us sleeping and they keep watch. They can see some of the mounds from there. We feel emptiness to one side and the side of the mountain to the other, and squat obelisks at one end of each mound. They are low earthen mounds, earth and grass is covering the entire plateau. The first obelisk has a name that we think is Fahmi He died a hero in the defense of Hdrasta fighting the sky lizard Azrael and his allies. Other sides of the stone are perhaps stylized images of this fight on top of this peak vs. dragons circling in the sky. Old Greybeard and dragons circling there, and another peak on the fourth side with a bunch of people, but not being attacked, and labeled Hdrasta. Each of the other obelisks has a name. Druul recognized the name Fahmi as a popular native islander name. 2nd Eztli was following Fami slightly different images but same subject matter. 3rd Nelli also died following Fami. Similar images. 4th Edarrnonn also died following Fami. Similar images. 5th Dongail also died following Fami. Similar images. 6th Alpia also died following Fami. Similar images. 7th Derelei also died following Fami. Similar images.

In a wedge formation with Fami at the front. Perhaps buried where they fell. Ozymandius leaves Druul's shoulder and lands on Fami's obelisk. Velkin asks him if he knows anything about Fami and he does not. Velkin puts his hand on an obelisk and it feels like a rock. Druul pulls out the lute with the initials from his father. We all lay down to sleep. We do all dream and have similar dreams. Normal dreams usually have, then vision of a city with Onion shaped domes, brass colored skies, sulferous. Suddenly diving through the dome of an onion tower and passing through doors and locks and in a room, vault, or dungeon deep below with treasure all around. The light is focused in the center with a pedestal with two stone blades with impossibly thing edged and a bracer and beyond the pedestal is a worktable bench made of stone with a horned red skinned figure with flowing robes. Lifted a dusty skull out of it and looking at it. The red skinned demon, pulverising a skull and grinding down in a motar and pestel and putting it in a glass sphere with liquid. In the shadows flashes of numbers and symbols and equations and the sound of sloshing water, and a pillar of bones inside netting and are draconic. End of hallway a sealed door with a lock with 3 insets from stone bracer. Then deep underground intersection with many passages, two dwarven mine tunnels, a gigaworm tunnel, and deep crack is a globe of stone that spins slowly with several tunnels and longer than possible given the stone sphere in mid air. Finally an image of the ledge in full daylight with the lead mound of Fami dug out and each of us sees our own body in repose, then we wake. We find that all of us are resting against Fami's barrow with Ozymandius hooting contentedly in his sleep, still night time. Renthark said, we traveled as with the tea. Lambertus said red skin, I saw him on Xenotel. It is Azmodeus. It is now a new year, technically the 5 day holiday between the years. Ithirialma asked if everything is OK. She saw us get up and go lay on the mound. She agrees that the sphere of stone leads to the plane of time and pulls out the book and makes notes about the intersection of tunnels.

Azmodeus made up a detector. We work together with what we have to dig up Fami's grave. It takes two hours to dig down, c. 3:30 AM and hit a box. We clear it off. It is a simple coffin. Well preserved. Nailed shut, we wedge it open. There is a skeletal body wrapped in cloth and the whole body is wound tightly together except for face and lower jaw. Resting inside the cavity is the glint of gold, a coin probably from the mouth. A star shaped pendant from the necklace and a circular stone of green. Next to the body is a great sword made of stone with an impossibly thin edge. Also in between sword and body is a bracer with three insets and a red stone in it. Velkin checks for traps. Velkin grabs the hilt and pulls it out. It is heavy. Stone on pendant looks to be same size and shape as slots on the bracer. Great sword, slow weapon, always attacks last no matter the initiative. The image on Fami's obelisk appears to be a sword. The others appear to be wielding spears or similar. 6 of us give the blood to enable Kauri to cast move earth and in 30 minutes he uncovers the other 6 graves at 4:20 am. All wooden coffins. We each pop a coffin. Each wrapped the same as Fami each with a spear, no jewelry or bracers. The spears do not look special. Put the lids back on and let Kauri cover them back up. It is now c. 4:50 am. We can see the figure on Old Greybeard and the point of light of its eyes turning this way and that.

The longer we look the crisper and clearer is looks. It is sitting in a ring of stone on top of a shorter mountain than it used to be. We head back to the cut through. We all basically recall the formulas and they seem familiar.