Session One Hundred and Twenty-Three Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)
Session 123, January 18 2023
Introduction
We continue at 3:50PM on the 23rd of Denrilden (00.000.09.08 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party in a torture chamber somewhere in the dungeons beneath the Inquisitorial Citadel. With just over two hours left on their protective blessing/sigil from Beelzebub, the prepares to sneak into the fortress's upper levels in search of the hidden lift that will take them down into the secret archives. Unfortunately, it seems the arrival of Jardin and Itherialma has triggered some kind of alarm and cut-off their route back through the sewers. Will the group's luck continue to hold now that the DVLs are on alert? How effective will the Imperial Resistance's diversion prove to be?
2 hours and about 15 minutes left on our sigils from Beelzebul.
Torture Chamber is 20x20 with all the expected accoutrements.
Kauri completes levitating Jardin and Ithirialma to the room.
Khelratha asks if they know how to get where we're going from her?
Jardin said he never went there directly, but I know where to go.
Khelratha asks if we're going to put them out of their misery of take 'em with us.
We prepare our marching order and prepare to leave the room.
Velkin tried to open the door and it unlatches and opens.
A dark hallway and sounds of running echoing around corners. Acoustics carry the sound to us.
Door directly across. To the right about 10 feet a grate with iron bars that swings open that crosses the hallway. Door to the left with a door.
Other way (left) is a 4 way intersection and an iron gate and a door in shadows beyond that.
Door directly across is slightly ajar. Velkin peeks in and equipment arranged differently and is a torture chamber. A man is tied up on the rack. He's been through a lot. He does not react.
It looks like he's not been taken well care of. Dirt encrusted and under nourished.
Khelratha steps in to see if he recognizes him. Middle aged, scraggly beard, doesn't look familiar.
Velkin asks Jardin if he knows him. He says, Uh, hmm. Yes, I do. Save him or no?
I uh, he's one of the commanders of the dervishes. And he also shouldn't be here.
Velkin, so save him or no? Jardin steps in and pokes the man. The man reacts, and has a gurgled chuckled and closes his eyes, nice try, your illusions won't work on me.
VElkin says to tell him what he knows to verify.
There's nothing left to tell anyway, it's done.
He looks and sees Khelratha and says, What's with the dwarf.
You're not an illusion, are you? Jardin, yes, answer the questions of my companion, last I knew you were nowhere near Gharmarost.
OK, can you, untie me at least. Velkin unshackles him and he doesn't even notice an invisible person unties him.
It's all over, they know. They know exactly where he is. Azrael is doomed. I didn't tell, they already knew.
Velkin
He asks to be put out of his misery.
Khelratha steps over and draws his sword and stands looking at him and there is no reaction.
Khelratha runs him through the heart and he is dead.
Khelratha, Velkin, and Jardin are in the room.
Borthan calls out from the rear. He shouts, "Devil, in Deep Gnome."
We win the first initiative. Oskar's magic sword fills light in the hallway, at first appears to be spiky armor, but it is their skin. It isn't 10 feet tall, and spikes all over it. Prominent bow ridge, looks pretty shocked to see us. It's eyes flick to Oskar.
Khelratha charges and sparks go flying and does not appear to do any damage, not even cold.
Jardin steps into the hallway and removes a toothpick from his pocket.
Borthan also charges up to attack and knocks off a spike.
The creature stands there and opens its mouth and it sounds like metal and is so loud that it is just shy of deafening. Then it makes a gesture with its arms in the air and is baffled again, and looks to his sides expecting to see something, but nothing happened.
We won initiative again.
Oskar charges up and misses, Khelratha does a solid hit, Borthan misses.
The DVL waves his hand and a sound of gravel and screeching metal that affect Oskar, Khelratha, and Borthan. Oskar and Borthan save and Khelratha fails and is held.
We win initiative again.
Aliceaon helps Velkin pass Khelratha back. Jardin takes Khelratha's place.
Borthan and Oskar swing. Both do not cause damage.
The DVL does another scraping metal sound letting out a roar, and looks nervous like "why isn't anyone coming?"
It swings his tale and hits Oskar missing Jardin and Borthan.
We win initiative again. Borthan misses, Jardin's Toothpick breaks, Oskar also misses and the creature starts laughing with a sound like gravel.
During the fight, Druul is searching and finds a whip, not sure what it is made of with a black handle and red tongue and looks fleshy. Druul picks it up.
It is odd, it pulsates slightly.
The creature attacks and concentrates on Borthan. A claw and a tail hit. Borthan fails save from the first hit.
Velkin fails to get Khelratha's sword and Druul steps out of the room.
We lose initiative and the DVL goes at Jardin and hits with both claws. Jardin saves vs. both.
Borthan flees and hits the metal gate at the end and smashes straight through it and disappears around the corner.
Velkin takes off after Borthan to shoot with a sleep bolt.
Aliceon picks up Borthan's sword and moves into position for next round.
Jardin missed. Oskar attacks and misses.
Kauri's magic missile fails to pass it's magic resistance.
Druul runs up to use the whip and can stand behind the other combatants with a charge attack and misses.
We win initiative.
Borthan runs off and is hit by Velkin's bolt and Borthan saves and two bull headed creatures are shocked to see Borthan and Velkin, who is now visible. They are surprised so do not act.
Oskar hits with a 20 and the creature tries to disguise it, but we are sure is badly hurt.
Aliceon strikes with Borthan's sword and misses.
Jardin casts a spell but there does not seem to be any effect.
Lambertus tries again and pulls Khelratha's sword.
The creature goes for Jardin and two strikes and Jardin makes both saves.
We lose initiative.
DVL changes focus to Aliceon. She is hit twice and fails save vs. one of them. Aliceon collapses and balls up in the fetal position.
Lambertus hands sword to Jardin.
Velkin tries to shoot
The two bull creatures are waiting for Borthan. Velkiin changes target to on of the bulls and hits, and the minotaur and fails its save and collapses.
Borthan tries to jump over the fallen one but the other Minotaur hits Borthan who disappears around the corner.
Jardin hits with Khelratha's sword, killing it.
We hear Velkin call out about bulls.
We lose initiative. Something is happening around the corner.
We hear noise from the sound of a heavy blow, snarling like a wolf or something and tearing flesh around the corner.
Minotaur charges Velkin and it hits with a head but.
Oskar and Druul move up to engage the minotaur. Druul hits with the whip and the minotaur makes its save, and takes severe damage.
Khelratha begins to feel his muscles easing up and can act next round.
Borthan does something around the corner. We don't know that he is down.
Aliceon is no longer afraid. Lambertus casts cure light wounds on Aliceon and Khelratha moves to get his sword back from Jardin.
The minotaur goes for Oskar and misses. Two pieces of Borthan come around the corner and slam in to the wall and the head rolls. A very large muscular man with a wolf's head comes around the corner. He is not surprise at seeing some of us.
RIP Borthan.
Druul misses the Minotaur and Oskar hits hard.
Velkin stabs at the minotaur and misses.
Velkin and Khelratha switch places but Velkin still takes a bit of damage.
Felix casts cure serious on Jardin.
We win initiative.
Khelratha hits hard and doesn't quite drop him, Druul and Oskar both miss.
The wolf headed DVL is Amon, Geryon's lieutenant but isn't very bright.
Amon whistles and points and a huge wolf comes from around the corner and runs at us.
The wolf charges down the hallway and tries to bite Khelratha and connects.
Amon walks down the hallway and is standing behind the minotaur and wolf.
We win initiative.
Velkin moves and tosses a vial of Jardin acid at Amon and misses. It is short by 5 feet and hits the minotaur. There is a terrible bellowing as it claws at its face and falls dead.
Druul attempts fairie fire on Amon and the wolf. It gets them both. Khelratha hits the wolf and so does Oskar.
The wolf breathes affecting Oskar, Khelratha, Druul, and Velkin.
Khelratha, Oskar, and Druul save. It is cold.
Amon looks down the hall at you and says, I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart. Brings his hand up then down. No save. Wall of ice over our heads. Druul goes down.
Jardin offers to hold off Amon so we can run the other way since the library is the other way.