Session One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 137, May 10 2023

Introduction

We continue at 10:00PM on the 26th of Denrilden (00.000.09.05 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party having rested and recharged their spells from a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire after negotiating a deal with a group of Azer mining raw mercury in the abandoned ancient dwarven mine tunnels somewhere near Malgrim. Additionally, the group was able to trade Jax's nanocarbon breastplate for enough mercury to refine into the liquid necessary to create the artifact described in Jaegger's book for finding the "thin spots" between dimensions. Now the party continues their journey upward towards the surface and, they hope, away from their DVL pursuers ...

Spells and god stone are all re-charged. Azer and fire giant left, portal closed.

Going to passageway the Azer indicated we were looking for.

Slightly narrower tunnel to a 20' passage 20' tall, with straight nanocarbon rails.

It seems to be East West maybe a bit tilted.

No immediate signs to differentiate right from left.

Kauri suggests that Sorel look for ranger marks left by Rallion the last time we came this way.

There are no marks this way. It does look more worn than others, and is obviously carved out.

We elect to go to the right since we think we were heading North.

Kauri, Druul, Velkin, Lambertus, and Felix, who all traveled from Malgrim to the surface passage will look for anything familiar.

Velkin is invisible and scouts up ahead so he can use his 90 foot infravision.

Velkin is moving along and while invisible and catches site of a solitary member of the Silence who is consulting a piece of parchment and does seem to be looking in the direction where the party is.

He notices the parchment to put his back up against the wall.

By this time the Silence could see the first few ranks of the party.

Velkin goes back to warn the others.

The Silence does glance where Velkin is moving, but seeing nothing.

Velkin says, "He has a map or something."

Dealbators and hirelings

Dragons are indifferent, but say surely we can handle a single Silence.

Thorfus, "Velkin, you sneak up there and drop a continual light coin behind him, stab him with you want, Kauri, shoot him with magic missile."

Velkin sees that the Silence has moved further down the tunnel having noticed they stopped, and is looking back, but not moving quickly. Seems to be going down the tunnel somewhere at a strolling pace.

Velkin shadow steps behind him and drops a continual light coin and backstab him. The Silence resists the sleep poison.

The Silence isn't happy. He turns to Velkin. Velkin resists.

Velkin misses. Kauri cast Magic Missile.

Silence is still standing and sees other charging, and he sends a blast of mental energy.

Thorfus uses Tower of Iron will to protect he and Renthark, who resist with the added bonus, but Velkin is stunned.

Missile fire from Sorel, Peronelle, and Druul. Sorel hits the Silence, Druul misses, Peronell also hits the Silence, who is now swaying.

The Silence sees the Dwarf and other running up on him, all he does is fold his hands together like praying or cracking his knuckles.

Thorfus shields he and Renthark from whatever the Silence tried.

Thorfus takes the head of the Silence at the end of his charge.

Rest of the party moves up.

The Silence has a Silence Robe that we know to shield the mind and Kauri sees that it has some power. There is a ring on one finger giving off DVL transpatial energy. He has a pouch/satchel across the shoulders under the robe.

In the pouch is the piece of parchment and 50 gp, 2 purple gems, in addition to the ring on his hand and piece of parchment. Kauri mentions that the glow on the ring has disappeared while rifling through his stuff. The ring is gold. We can have Caspar value the gems while we figure out what to do.

120 GP ring, the purple gems are amethyst, 1 is 90 gp, the other is 50 gp. 310 total GP loot. Plus Robe of Silence. Gave the robe to Lambertus, since it may be that Kauri has one already.

We check out the parchment. It is a map that looks like much more focused, and seems to be the Malgrim area and the tunnels around it. There is a mark on it not far from the mark we have for the surface exit that indicates an intersection. It possibly includes us on the map.

Kauri asks Tik Tok what the DVL on the ring knows. TikTok isn't sure, it depends on the type of enchantment and the DVL. It is possible, but maybe not, there is no way to tell. And did it even know who or what we were.

It is unclear which way it was going as it had already stopped. Not sure if walking ahead of the party was its original direction, or just trying to keep ahead of line of site of the party.

Sorel hasn't seen any marks yet, and no other indication of which way to go.

Ithirialma can only do invisibility once, so he will have to be sneaky.

He disapers ahead of the party and we follow along soon thereafter.

About ten minutes later Sorel moves over to a wall to inspect and has found a ranger's mark on the wall here. What does it tell us?

It looks like the ranger was headed the way we just came from.

So we are going the wrong way?

It depends, was the ranger heading to Malgrim or away from Malgrim?

Lambertus pipes us, we only left Malgim in this direction. So if that is Rallion's mark saying the direction of travel, then that is the way we were going.

So we appear to be heading the wrong way, and we turn around.

Ten minutes back to the Silence and some things were chewing on it.

Then back to the Azer room and past it.

About a 20 minutes past that, we continue along and eventually, the tunnel on the right hand side, the break itself is rather large about 15 feet across and 10 feet tall and a good amount of non-mobile slime coated all over the edges of the opening. Also an indication that something was dragged along the ground into this tunnel. It slopes down a bit and a funky smell coming up from it.

This slime has a yellowish tinge and perhaps a bit stickier than the tomb, which was clear.

But the passage we were on is straight.

We avoid the sticky slime on the far side of the tunnel and pass it. Smell is strong and fades as we pass it.

After another ten minutes, Velkin stops before he walks into a group gathered at a three-way intersection that looks like a branching of the mine tunnels with a track switch.

Gathered at the intersection is a very tall looking insectoid creature with a spear and ice hanging off of him, with two bony creatures, and one Silence.

The icy creature is a bit impatient, and barks something at the Silence, and points spear down in our direction.

Velkin makes way back to us to warn us and we hide our lights. There is a bit of a glow from the icy creature shouting and the Silence. The bone DVLs just wandering around the intersection.

Eventually the icy one turns in a huff and crouches down next to the wall with a spear in front of him and the Silence makes his way across from that.

Kauri points out that this looks like the intersection indicated on the map.

Is there a way around that we can see?

The two most recent side passages was the sticky slimy one, and one the other direction a couple hundred yards before it.

If we get past this intersection, it should lead us straight to surface in a couple hours of walking.

We elect to go back past the slimy passage and the normal passage prior and take it to find a place to hide and wait for the DVLs to leave.

Passage slopes down is narrower, more like a crack, that we can scramble into it.

About 20 feet in it curves in to lose sight of main tunnel and appears to curve, looping down, possibly looping back around below the mine tunnel.

Velkin checks 120 feet into the passage and it clear with enough room to get the entire party past the 20 feet of curve.

Velkin and Thorfus scout ahead a bit further to

It continues to curve for almost a 360. When it straightens it may be parallel to the mine tunnel above, and goes about 120 feet to a circular chamber 30 feet in diameter. 20 feet of that is a dark hole that looks like a vertical shaft going down and we can't see down past our infravision. The only exit is the hole.

It is more than 90 feet down.

So we report back and Caspar suggests that Holmeda takes Cas and Calla further in so nothing gets them. If out lives depend on silence I don't want him near where his voice would carry to the main tunnel. Felix volunteers to sit the the Dealbators to make sure nothing gets them.

Kauri asks TikTok as we try to decide how long to wait. DVLs don't really need to eat or sleep, but the larger ones don't have much in the way of patience.

Ithirialma may not move if they had reason to think we were going that way, they might not move. Do we think we were waiting for us.

Thorfus, I would assume they were.

Ithirialma, then we should wait for how long ever we think we need to wait.

Kauri asks TikTok and agrees with Ithirialma, if they has some knowledge of our plans, then they might stay quite a while.

So we aren't sure if we can out wait them, if they are waiting for us, what are our options.

The intersection does seem familiar to those that went this way before.

1.) Wait. (How long do we wait?) 2.) Look for a different path/a way around them. (Avoid the passage with the sticky, yellow slime.)

     - Go back and catch a side passage hoping for a way around. Our map from Aubrey Grotecop combined with the one from the Silence do not make it clear if there is such a way.

3.) Fight. (We can leave non-combatants here to keep them safe.) - Intersection is perfect for a fireball.

Just after midnight on the 27th.

--- Then Chris showed up at 9:50 PM, just as John and I were ready to call it.

We kept playing.

---

We decide to wait for a day.

We've been up a bit over two hours.

We decide to explore the pit to check it out.

Velkin will go down after making him invisible. Thorfus and Druul each give part of the blood needed.

We pass Cas, Calla, and Holmeda, and Caspar while Felix is watching them.

Thorfus says to Cas that we are going to see a man about a duck. There's a duck? I want to see a duck.

Druul says, "Nah, you gotta quack", and Cas starts quacking loudly.

Druul tries to play "The Silence of Prixithalma." Druul wraps the lute to mute it and jsut plays the strings for a muted tone. Cas stops quacking because he gets interested in what Druul is doing, Calla joins him.

Druul assumes it is a Silence effect. It goes well for about 5 minutes, but it is a difficult song. He doesn't feel strong, but like he can endure a lot, but then when his fingers fail, it falls apart and that feeling goes away. But Cas has calmed down quite a bit.

Druul looks around the group and says, "We'll be back and we head out."

Cas just continues to sit there.

We lower Velkin with a rope for 50 feet since he can see in the dark to ensure there is nothing to hear us drive in a spike. Still can't see the bottom

We join in another 50 feet of rope to keep lowering him down another 50 feet. He can see the floor in another 50 - 80 feet.

There does not seem to be anything there and we cover a spike and drive it in and tied a third length of rope.

Velkin is 10 feet above the floor with passages opposite each other, 5 feet at most across, less than ten feet tall. It is completely silent down there.

Velkin thinks they were dug out.

Velkin lowers himself to the floor and checks out one passage,

Just as he is making his way to let go, the ground starts to rumble, not just down there, but also where we are too. Starts barely perceptible, then kind of grows, then a shockwave hits where we are.

A few chunks of rock are knocked loose from the ceiling, nothing to serious, with a few screams from the Dealbators.

Thorfus stays with the rope with Velkin below, and sends Druul to check on the Dealbators.

They look to Druul, asking what was that.

Druul reaches the rest of the group and they have questions too.

Alician says, did you guys do something?

Druul - No we were just exploring the opening for a possible exit.

Did it seem strong this way?

Yeah, I thought the ceiling was going to come down.

Kauri asks TikTok what he thinks. TikTok is like, Wow, I'm really popular today. Kauri has a one-sided conversation and says TikTok doesn't know anything. Any DVLs that can do that. Maybe, it would have to be one of the Lords.

Druul asks, a portal or breaking open a realm. He doesn't think just arriving would cause that, but some can cause the ground to quake like that.

It would be about two hours back to Malgrim from here.

Druul asks Kauri, you wouldn't think that guy with the contract was saying his lord was coming and pretty quickly, could it have been something to do with that?

Do you think it was an attack on Malgrim we felt?

Maybe.

I'll check on Thorfus and Velkin to make sure they're OK, then have Velkin go peek at the DVLs at the intersection.

While Druul is gone, Velkin drops down and checks the passages seem to be OK. They are not collapsed. 1 or 2? The passages are perpendicular to the passages up there, so I guess this is North.

So try the North one. How far should I go? Go 100 feet and see if the passages are OK and how far you can see beyond that.

Ten minutes later, Velkin says it goes 100 feet and infravision view, 90 feet beyond and seems regular, a bit rounded.

Then he checks out the other one. Ten minutes later, 100 feet that way too. It winds a bit and keeps the same size.

Velkin calls up that there are no signs of bracing or mining equipment, so we lean towards it is a creature's tunnel.

Druul lets us know all others are safe.

Druul suggests we join the others and that Velkin scout to see if the DVLs are still there.

We retrieve the 3 lengths of rope and the spike.

Kauri reports all are OK, no injuries.

Between ten and twenty minutes back to intersection.

Renthark, Thorfus, Druul all join Velkin since we all have infravision and go in the dark.

The passage looks similar and the passages are not blocked by what little rock fell.

It is about 20 minutes, we stop 240 feet out which is about 6 minutes from the intersection.

Velkin continues on for about ten minutes. There doesn't seem to be anyone there.

Druul, are there any markings on the ground or anything odd?

We'd need Sorel to look for tracks.

We move up to intersection and Velkin goes a bit past that and comes back in about ten minutes.

We go back to get the others and resume our marching order and lead everyone back down the main passage. This takes about an hour, and Velkin says no one has shown up.

Kauri asks TikTok if there is anyone else besides Velkin.

Sorel finds their tracks and sees their tracks just walking around.

Big one (ice DVL) walked back to center and looked that way, towards Malgrim, and then it is gone, no other tracks. Somebody humanoid was standing here. He went that way and pointed to the South Branch of the Tunnel. Not to Malgrim, and not to Surface.

Sorel does not see the DVL's tracks leaving here.

So we proceed to the surface.

After about a half hour it starts to wind upwards. It continues to wind for an hour after that.

About 3:30 AM we feel a breeze.

20 minutes later we see the mouth of the exit.

We stop, still dark, and Velkin can scout ahead to ensure nothing is waiting to eat our heads.

Velkin returns and says, it's the surface, kind of a wasteland out there. I can see a campfire maybe ten minutes away.

It is pretty cloudy, threatening to storm.

Most of the group looks relieved, Renthark is indifferent.

We can see the fire Renthark mentioned. The ground looks like badlands and slopes down to the East.

Renthark, Druul, Thorfus, and Velkin go to check out the fire, with Renthark, Druul, and Thorfus waiting back for Velkin to figure out who/what they are.

It starts raining and turns muddy and takes about 20 minutes to get there.

It is a large camp fire, and at least two humanoid figures moving around.

Velkin moves closer to discern who/what they are.

Velkin is back in ten minutes. It is the guy from the embassy. The red hat? Mephistopheles, the one with the watch. He is there with a yellow hat with balls hanging from the brim.

Felix says it sounds like the first one I ever saw, back when we were headed towards Montoa, when I first met up with you guys.

So we decide to skirt the campfire. To the East is towards Jager's tower and the jungle, so the mountains should be behind us. Greybeard should be behind us.

So the question is, so we just skip it, or as Velkin suggests telling Mephisopheles he can help with no strings.

Mephistopheles I don't think we should go to old Greybeard.

Nixomanthus says, I think we should go to Serpent's Tooth any survivors from would go there, and there is a lab, so I can do research. Roheis wants to go with them.

Ithirialma says I want to go back to the underdark to make the thin spot detector, and get to the Silence and then the Forbidden Dimension.

Alician said, well, we kind of have all our eggs in one basket.

Caspar says, if we are talking of going our separate ways, I'm happy continuing with the inscription work. It is dangerous to work with us.

Sorel clears his throat, well as long as everyone is bringing stuff up, well I was here to find Rallion, I'm thinking of heading to Vargen to see if any of the Verdant Fellowship and Canis Mallory is still alive.

Able Brix and David Boger say that heading to Vargen sounds good to them, and maybe a boat and somewhere safe. They are like, it's been interesting, but I'm with Caspar, traveling with you guys is dangerous.

Druul, says, but we paid for your way, yeah, but I don't think it covers this, you said we were free.

Renthark now has the Spider Box since Sorel is leaving.

Whip goes back to Druul, and Druul has the ice horn.

Yellow is a safe place (perhaps Greybeard?)

Green is Vargen or the Coast

Pink is Serpent's Tooth

Red is underdark/elemental planes

They all point out that they will be happy to have any of us join them.

She could go to Serpent's Tooth since it has a lab.

Not sure if mercury can be refined without a lab. No one is sure.

Philomanthraxus thinks he will go with Ithirialma and Alician.

• • Party**

- Thing on flower map - in between Curasor and Feldmark. So worried about giant undead. - Possible other shard at mountain with harpies that we never went to. - Myrientaxus' lair where the meeting is supposed to occur. - Piece from the statue. - Prixithalma

• Need the Blood of three dragons plus a part of the one to raise, and 20 sentient beings sacrificed.

* Need a vial from Philomanthraxus, one from Ithirialma, and Nixomanthus for each dragon we want to raise of Prix and Myrientaxus. * Plus a vial extra to be able to raise the other three.

• Jardin??

Ithirialma will stay with us for a bit, but if we don't go back to the underdark

This whole idea to have a group meet at Myrientaxus' lair is something to forget.

Lambertus says, it's not like we can trust the Winter King, and we've spent the most time with him.

Nixomanthus says that is Azriel, the Emperor escaped, he would be at Serpent's Tooth. If I find him, perhaps I can get word back to you.

There are still the birds.

In the morning, it is possible for Ajax to look for other birds to start passing word.

Perhaps a new round of messages not to meet for the council, since the DVLs know when and where.

What about a thin spot elsewhere than the city of the Silence.

Did Jager ever ask the mothers.

Nixomanthus knows how to refine the mercury and rights down the instructions.

If we go to Old Greybeard since there is a thin spot we might find more than one thin spot. Then we would need two containers one for the stone realm and one with Nanocarbon for a general thin spot detector.

Next week Philomanthraxus can peek back down to get a section of nanocarbon track to use.