Session One Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall): Difference between revisions

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==== Bavmorda/Ray's Account ====
==== Bavmorda/Ray's Account ====
1st of Tenrilden at 12:00 pm noon. 1 year and 12 hours since the beginning of Graveyards of Empires
Session 1 July 1st, 2020


The party shadow steps to the southern foothills of Old Greybeard in the vicinity of the cockatrice lair. The survivors, Bavmorda, Kauri, Lambertus, Oxkhar, Peronnel and Rallion find themselves nearer the cavern of the dead than the peaks of Old Greybeard. They are accompanied by Vikram the DVL and the tacit Apocalypse Clock DVL. The day is warm, the air crips. Above the horizon, gouts of linear flame in the atmosphere herald Media’s newest immigrants. Grimnly reminding the terrestrial natives the latest calamity to fall upon their home.
1st of Tenrilden at 12:00 pm noon. 1 year and 12 hours since the beginning of Graveyards of Empires.


Vikram voices his consent when the party decides to ascend northwesterly. Apparently, he is eager to visit the Matriarchs as much as Rallion and Bavmorda.  
The party shadow steps to the southern foothills of Old Greybeard in the vicinity of the cockatrice lair. The survivors, Bavmorda, Kauri, Lambertus, Oxkhar, Peronnel and Rallion find themselves nearer the cavern of the dead than the peaks of Old Greybeard. They are accompanied by Vikram the DVL and the tacit Apocalypse Clock DVL. The day is warm, the air crisp. Above the horizon, gouts of linear flame in the atmosphere herald Media’s newest immigrants. Grimnly reminding the terrestrial natives the latest calamity to fall upon their home. Vikram voices his consent when the party decides to ascend northwesterly. Apparently, he is eager to visit the Matriarchs as much as Rallion and Bavmorda.  


* Trekking for hours, mem
The northwest trek to Old Greybeard is uneventful for hours. While everyone scans the terrain for familiar totems, individuals examine their possessions for residual enchantments. All the nano carbon items are depowered, Kauri confirms their DVLs are absent. Those with Drow items are disappointed to discover the adamantine has decohered to a sand like silt that crumbles away when jostled. Moans, groans and expressions of disappointment or resolve are shared among the adventurers. After hours of ascent, an encampment is established in a hidden depression in the foothills.
* Looking for totems
* Nano carbon items depowered, adamantine decohered to sand
* Ascent takes hours
* Camp in the foothills
* Oskar, Laris, Bavmorda, Rallion
* Kauri notices apocalypse clock DVL stays with clock because he has done it for so long
* Clock - Azreal was running magic when dwarves arrived offers to count down the next apocalypse for Kauri
* Constant star still in the night sky
* Continue up further into the foothill next morning, 2nd of Tenrilden
* Rallion dumps the dust of his adamantine spear head, drow cloak and drow boots turned to grey green sludged when wet by the rain, close to a tropical down pour
* Resembles quicksilver to Laris, goopier than quicksilver
* Ascent trail to maidens, turn about totem to a straight path 60’ party surprises a Sphynx
* Wants a gift
* Kauri bargains golden torque pretty for answer
* Can not answer how the matrons power worked
* Rallion asks vikram for another fruit offering
* Sphynx plays with torque in hidey hole
* Tells Rallion it is unwise to hand out names these days. Wishes him goodluck and says a friend is just ahead.
* Rallion decides to leave an offering on at every totem
* Next totem is about 20 minutes ahead, rain is now a downpour.  
* 15 minutes later, we can see the next totem. Glowing in the rain is a large bird birched on the next totem, might be an eagle, rallion recognizes the bird of the feather
* Eagle hops a totem ahead of our progress guiding the party through the heavy rain
* Eventually wall rock as path levels
* See two streams of water falling before hitting a outcrop of stone that resembles an eagle over a cavern entrance over the path
* 2:00 pm, at cave entrance
* Alot of lights in the cavern and movement
* An older women is looking at us, bow notched not aimed at us
* Bav waves, she waves and invites us in
* “Come in, Timone is inside, good to have you back”
* “Weird stuff out there.”
* Timone is helping the new arrivals
* Wait by the large totem
* Two pools fed by streams from above
* Shelf of rock, new graves of the earthquake victims
* Lots of people, native islanders, wailing children, cooking, many repaired caves
* Little old man happy to see us, shakes our hands
* Azra and he now have refugees from Montoa which was razed, refugees lead by shaman, warriors called the Matriarchs Daughters, left village to live on mountain
* Kahlea the shaman wants to talk to her
* We are offered a place to stay
* Deep Gnome, and a crab like creature (Cave Fisher) with pack saddles.
* Click THump sent him there is grave danger and he needed to find, there is a danger, he noticed the fire balls. People that may know of such things. Why the magic is gone. His name is Braadlur Quartzwarper is a cleric Tizer Jagthar they heal people and communicate with stone people of told to come here and meat people he thinks thats us
* Click Thump, he thinks is a leader of the Stone People
* Stone People protect their communities
* He says the Drow still have magical abilities
* His people stay away from Drow and the Silence they


Those who Pass Beyond these Doors<br>
A watch is manned overnight. Oskar, Laris, Bavmorda and Rallion sentinel the camp. As he sups, Kauri notices the apocalypse clock DVL is still present. When asked, the clock DVL explains he has stayed with the clock for so many eons, he doesn’t know where else he should be. Jovially he volunteers to mark time for an unnamed expectant heretofore unknown apocalypse. In the night sky the Constant Star still sits though the party knows the Crystal Palace is no more. This night, the Constant Star twinkles not, its shine constant and somewhat brighter than before. It must be the star gate, irised open by the will of Azreal. The rain of fire has abated greatly but the night sky is occasionally pierced by other spits of flame.
Shall Face Tests to Prove whether they are Worthy<br>
To Enter the Presence of those Matriarchs<br>
Who Stood Against the Outsiders<br>


Cerida (North), with Logic as Cold as the Northern Ice<br>
Laris confers with Vikram during his vigil. Their conversation was their own. Perhaps the discourse was about the weather, the party’s ambition or Vikram’s purpose? Whatever it was, Laris kept their conference in confidence.
Brita (East), As Vigorous as the Dawn’s Symphony of Bird-calls<br>
Feldma (West), Protector of Wisdom’s Dying Light<br>
Oswitha (South), Warm Bloom of Southern Isles’ Compassion<br>


When Those from Beyond Threaten the World<br>
The 2nd of Tenrilden begins clear but true to the tropics, the sky turns overcast and leaden with little warning. The change in the weather intensifies when Rallion discovers the first Totem. Before proceeding past the Totem, Rallion dumps his adamantine dust onto the ground. Upon contact with the falling the rain, the decohered adamantine dissolves into a grey green sludge ‘more goopier than quicksilver’. Though the downpour has increased, the adamantine sludge doesn’t flow away but rests where Rallion poured it.
The Way shall be Revealed in Cataclysm<br>
For New Guardians of our Inheritance and Home<br>
To Claim the Shard of the Mother from its Resting Place<br>


* Door to the east - collapsed cavern - Braadlur investigates for ten minutes, he determines there is 10’ of debris before encountering a cavern
Next Rallion polls the party for a suitable offering to no avail. Vikram volunteers to create fresh fruit as an offering. Rallion drops the DVL offering into the plate at the foot of the totem. Rallion leads the party to the next totem. A sphinx guards this totem. Rallion negotiates passage unsuccessfully until Kauri offers a golden torgue. The torgue delights the Sphynx who retreats to a shallow cave. Rallion beseeches Vikram once again for an offering. As we depart, the Sphynx admonishes Rallion. It explains that it is unwise these days to hand out names. Doing so can give power to others. Then it reassures Rallion that a friend is just ahead.
* Door to the north reveals a passage to the north
 
* 20’ later - east west t intersection
To keep up our paces, Rallion enlists Vikram to create an offering of fruit for every totem offering plate along the trail. After ascending for 20 minutes, another totem is passed, then another 15 minutes later. That is when we see a glowing avian perched on the next totem. Now the rain is a torrent. Rallion announces with glee that he knows this bird as the bird of his glowing feather. As the party ascends, the glowing avian alights to the next totem, then the next. Doing so, it heralds and escorts simultaneously.
* West - 10’ to a door with inscription “Cerida’s Gifts, / Reason Incalculable, / Will not be Divided”
 
* East - 40’ collapsed floor to passage below - cavern collapsed further east
The path levels. Cascading water from above diverts to the left and right of an outcropping of rock that wreaths a cave entrance. The water pools on either side of the entrance before draining away. The sun has moved two hours past its zenith. Bavmorda waves to an archer observing the party. The archer, an older woman, waves in reply.
* N-S passage, south ends in obstruction, north dead end
 
* Braad determines the north was constructed and the south is loose debris
The archer is Azra, she stands watch over lots of native islanders. There are wailing children,adults cooking and others industriously repairing and furnishing caves for residence.  On a shelf of rock there are numerous fresh graves.  Azra invites the party within and explains Timone is helping new arrivals to the Gray Beard refuge. She is happy to see the party has returned. A stooped wizened man happily greets us, effusly shaking hands with some of the party. Azra tells the story of refugees fleeing razed Montoa. How they followed their shaman for the promised safety on Grey Beard, their trek escorted by warriors calling themselves the Matriarch's Daughters. Azra is summoned to speak with Kahlea the shaman. Before leaving, she offers accommodations for the party and introduces the party to a physically disfigured deep gnome.
* North - looks like eastern door collapse from another direction
 
* Laris finds a door to the north with an inscription “First Brita’s Courage and then Feldma’s Wisdom, Look then to Cerida and Oswitha’s Sacrifice is Unnecessary”
The deep gnome introduces himself as Braadlur Quartzwarper, a Servant of the Prism. His saga began in the underdark of Media where he had some sort of relationship with an earthen entity he calls ClickThump. He says ClickThump is a leader of the Stone People, a race of elementals that defend deep gnome communities. ClickThump prophesied the loss of clerical magic then commissioned Braad to find people with answers on the surface. Despite ClickThump’s accurate prophecy, Braadlur is nonetheless alarmed by the flashes of flame in the sky and dismayed by his loss of clerical power to heal. Though unclear as to how long he means, Braadlur implies it has been years since Czizek-Jagartha, the First of the Prism, trained his nascent clerical talents. Somehow convinced we are the people ClickThump sent him to find, he offers his help and that of his insect pet. A pet the size of a large dog, covered front to back in chitinous armor and seemingly well trained to respond to Braad’s whistles with a variety of behaviors. During the interview, Braad insists Drow magic still functions though he admits his people avoid Drow and the Silence when they have a choice.
* North door - circular room 30’ diameter, lever in center in compass right left up and down, above the letter 20’ above 10’ x 10’ higher by 10’
 
* It is 5:10 pm 1 hour of oil burned
After Braadlur’s introduction, the party stows the remaining DVL items in the tent allocated for their use. During our deliberations, Vikram enquires about our destination. He is confused that we continue to discuss ascending the mountain though from his point of view we are not at the foot of a mountain but a level plain stretching to the north west. When asked to validate the existence of the cavern entrance or the diverted waterfall, he denies them. Then his tone shifts to uncertainty. Saving face, he suggests standing guard over the DVL items. We enthusiastically accept his offer and surrender those items to his care. The apocalypse clock is also left with Vikram.
 
Sans Vikram, the apocalypse clock and many DVL and non DVL items, the party passes through the ascetic chamber into the entrance chamber where the following inscription is found:
 
*''Those who Pass Beyond these Doors''
*''Shall Face Tests to Prove whether they are Worthy''
*''To Enter the Presence of those Matriarchs''
*''Who Stood Against the Outsiders''
 
 
*''Cerida (North), with Logic as Cold as the Northern Ice''
*''Brita (East), As Vigorous as the Dawn’s Symphony of Bird-calls''
*''Feldma (West), Protector of Wisdom’s Dying Light''
*''Oswitha (South), Warm Bloom of Southern Isles’ Compassion''
 
 
*''When Those from Beyond Threaten the World''
*''The Way shall be Revealed in Cataclysm''
*''For New Guardians of our Inheritance and Home''
*''To Claim the Shard of the Mother from its Resting Place''
 
 
After the entrance our pathfinder is unsure of his path. Faced with a door to the north and another to the east, Braadlur volunteers to investigate alone. Impressed by his bravery (foolhardy or not) we watch as he disappears down the eastern cavern for ten minutes. He reports the cavern collapsed and suggests we take the northern door. Brilliantly Braad leads the party successfully to another intersection 20 feet beyond the northern door.
The next intersection heads either east or west. Ten feet to the west there is a door with the following inscription: “''Cerida’s Gifts, / Reason Incalculable, / Will not be Divided''”. Forty feet to the east the cavern has collapsed exposing a cavern below the level we are on. Heeding the Western door warning, we suggest Braad investigate the cavern below via rappelling since the hole gapes without any sides. There he discovers a cavern running north to south, its southern end obstructed by loose debris whereas the northern end is finished construction capped with another closed door. After joining Braad below, Laris reads it’s inscription: “''First Brita’s (East) Courage and then Feldma’s (West) Wisdom, Look then to Cerida (North) and Oswitha’s (South) Sacrifice is Unnecessary''”
 
Laris opens the northern door and discovers a thirty foot diameter circular room decorated by a lone central lever jutting from the floor. The lever sits evenly between cardinal points on the periphery. The ceiling is mostly ten feet above the floor, however there is ten foot to the side square cut out looming above the lever another 10 feet higher. Quite the stage for a suspenseful act.
 
The time is 5:10 pm, an hour after Rallion lit his lantern.

Revision as of 17:27, 7 July 2020

Session 1, July 1 2020

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Introduction

As the space station XenoTel2 plummets toward the atmosphere, the party shadow steps down to Meidia on their quest to close the portal linking their world to Hell and defeat the devils raining down on their homeworld ...

Session Summary

Rallion/Larry's Account

1st of Tenrilden (October) at 12:00 pm noon. 1 year and 12 hours since the beginning of Graveyards of Empires

Clear Day, c. 80 degrees/27 C, in rough terrain near Old Greybeard, home of the four matriarchs.

We worked our way to the path up the mountain. We traveled all day and set camp in a gully with a lookout near the top. The DVL in the countdown clock is still there and says he is waiting until we find out about the next apocalypse so he can count down once again.

The next day we continued and finally came to the bottom of the trail and left an offering of food via Vikram.

At the next totem, there was a sphinx resting under a rock outcropping out of the rain. Rallion greeted her, but did not have an offering she liked. Kauri gave her a golden torc and told Kauri that she can't help restore magic to the de-magicked items. the rest of the party was ready for combat, but we avoided a fight.

The next totem we left another food offering from Vikram and then saw the golden shiny eagle on the next totem. The eagle kept one totem ahead of us, and settled on the rock outcropping that is eagle shaped over the cavern entrance where the stream tonight.

Azra was keeping watch and lowered her bow when she recognized us. She was glad we returned. She told Timon we were there, he greeted us. He told us that the village of Montoa was razed and the survivors came here. Not sure if Shem or Hizou did it. Kaliha is the shaman and in charge. Druetta was a Montoan and came with us, but was lost to the undead infection.

Timon introduced us to the deep gnome Braadler and his cave fisher pack animal. Braadler was sent by someone or something he called "Clickthump" to find us. We are not sure what that is. We have welcomed Braadler into our group.

We went to one of the now many repaired buildings to drop off our extra gear and the dwarven make stuff to avoid offending the Matriarchs before going to visit them. Vikram stays behind to watch out stuff.

We go into the maze and have many disagreements about which way to go, and only made it part way in. We left off with a puzzle of a lever that could release death if we don't interpret it correctly.

Bavmorda/Ray's Account

Session 1 July 1st, 2020

1st of Tenrilden at 12:00 pm noon. 1 year and 12 hours since the beginning of Graveyards of Empires.

The party shadow steps to the southern foothills of Old Greybeard in the vicinity of the cockatrice lair. The survivors, Bavmorda, Kauri, Lambertus, Oxkhar, Peronnel and Rallion find themselves nearer the cavern of the dead than the peaks of Old Greybeard. They are accompanied by Vikram the DVL and the tacit Apocalypse Clock DVL. The day is warm, the air crisp. Above the horizon, gouts of linear flame in the atmosphere herald Media’s newest immigrants. Grimnly reminding the terrestrial natives the latest calamity to fall upon their home. Vikram voices his consent when the party decides to ascend northwesterly. Apparently, he is eager to visit the Matriarchs as much as Rallion and Bavmorda.

The northwest trek to Old Greybeard is uneventful for hours. While everyone scans the terrain for familiar totems, individuals examine their possessions for residual enchantments. All the nano carbon items are depowered, Kauri confirms their DVLs are absent. Those with Drow items are disappointed to discover the adamantine has decohered to a sand like silt that crumbles away when jostled. Moans, groans and expressions of disappointment or resolve are shared among the adventurers. After hours of ascent, an encampment is established in a hidden depression in the foothills.

A watch is manned overnight. Oskar, Laris, Bavmorda and Rallion sentinel the camp. As he sups, Kauri notices the apocalypse clock DVL is still present. When asked, the clock DVL explains he has stayed with the clock for so many eons, he doesn’t know where else he should be. Jovially he volunteers to mark time for an unnamed expectant heretofore unknown apocalypse. In the night sky the Constant Star still sits though the party knows the Crystal Palace is no more. This night, the Constant Star twinkles not, its shine constant and somewhat brighter than before. It must be the star gate, irised open by the will of Azreal. The rain of fire has abated greatly but the night sky is occasionally pierced by other spits of flame.

Laris confers with Vikram during his vigil. Their conversation was their own. Perhaps the discourse was about the weather, the party’s ambition or Vikram’s purpose? Whatever it was, Laris kept their conference in confidence.

The 2nd of Tenrilden begins clear but true to the tropics, the sky turns overcast and leaden with little warning. The change in the weather intensifies when Rallion discovers the first Totem. Before proceeding past the Totem, Rallion dumps his adamantine dust onto the ground. Upon contact with the falling the rain, the decohered adamantine dissolves into a grey green sludge ‘more goopier than quicksilver’. Though the downpour has increased, the adamantine sludge doesn’t flow away but rests where Rallion poured it.

Next Rallion polls the party for a suitable offering to no avail. Vikram volunteers to create fresh fruit as an offering. Rallion drops the DVL offering into the plate at the foot of the totem. Rallion leads the party to the next totem. A sphinx guards this totem. Rallion negotiates passage unsuccessfully until Kauri offers a golden torgue. The torgue delights the Sphynx who retreats to a shallow cave. Rallion beseeches Vikram once again for an offering. As we depart, the Sphynx admonishes Rallion. It explains that it is unwise these days to hand out names. Doing so can give power to others. Then it reassures Rallion that a friend is just ahead.

To keep up our paces, Rallion enlists Vikram to create an offering of fruit for every totem offering plate along the trail. After ascending for 20 minutes, another totem is passed, then another 15 minutes later. That is when we see a glowing avian perched on the next totem. Now the rain is a torrent. Rallion announces with glee that he knows this bird as the bird of his glowing feather. As the party ascends, the glowing avian alights to the next totem, then the next. Doing so, it heralds and escorts simultaneously.

The path levels. Cascading water from above diverts to the left and right of an outcropping of rock that wreaths a cave entrance. The water pools on either side of the entrance before draining away. The sun has moved two hours past its zenith. Bavmorda waves to an archer observing the party. The archer, an older woman, waves in reply.

The archer is Azra, she stands watch over lots of native islanders. There are wailing children,adults cooking and others industriously repairing and furnishing caves for residence. On a shelf of rock there are numerous fresh graves. Azra invites the party within and explains Timone is helping new arrivals to the Gray Beard refuge. She is happy to see the party has returned. A stooped wizened man happily greets us, effusly shaking hands with some of the party. Azra tells the story of refugees fleeing razed Montoa. How they followed their shaman for the promised safety on Grey Beard, their trek escorted by warriors calling themselves the Matriarch's Daughters. Azra is summoned to speak with Kahlea the shaman. Before leaving, she offers accommodations for the party and introduces the party to a physically disfigured deep gnome.

The deep gnome introduces himself as Braadlur Quartzwarper, a Servant of the Prism. His saga began in the underdark of Media where he had some sort of relationship with an earthen entity he calls ClickThump. He says ClickThump is a leader of the Stone People, a race of elementals that defend deep gnome communities. ClickThump prophesied the loss of clerical magic then commissioned Braad to find people with answers on the surface. Despite ClickThump’s accurate prophecy, Braadlur is nonetheless alarmed by the flashes of flame in the sky and dismayed by his loss of clerical power to heal. Though unclear as to how long he means, Braadlur implies it has been years since Czizek-Jagartha, the First of the Prism, trained his nascent clerical talents. Somehow convinced we are the people ClickThump sent him to find, he offers his help and that of his insect pet. A pet the size of a large dog, covered front to back in chitinous armor and seemingly well trained to respond to Braad’s whistles with a variety of behaviors. During the interview, Braad insists Drow magic still functions though he admits his people avoid Drow and the Silence when they have a choice.

After Braadlur’s introduction, the party stows the remaining DVL items in the tent allocated for their use. During our deliberations, Vikram enquires about our destination. He is confused that we continue to discuss ascending the mountain though from his point of view we are not at the foot of a mountain but a level plain stretching to the north west. When asked to validate the existence of the cavern entrance or the diverted waterfall, he denies them. Then his tone shifts to uncertainty. Saving face, he suggests standing guard over the DVL items. We enthusiastically accept his offer and surrender those items to his care. The apocalypse clock is also left with Vikram.

Sans Vikram, the apocalypse clock and many DVL and non DVL items, the party passes through the ascetic chamber into the entrance chamber where the following inscription is found:

  • Those who Pass Beyond these Doors
  • Shall Face Tests to Prove whether they are Worthy
  • To Enter the Presence of those Matriarchs
  • Who Stood Against the Outsiders


  • Cerida (North), with Logic as Cold as the Northern Ice
  • Brita (East), As Vigorous as the Dawn’s Symphony of Bird-calls
  • Feldma (West), Protector of Wisdom’s Dying Light
  • Oswitha (South), Warm Bloom of Southern Isles’ Compassion


  • When Those from Beyond Threaten the World
  • The Way shall be Revealed in Cataclysm
  • For New Guardians of our Inheritance and Home
  • To Claim the Shard of the Mother from its Resting Place


After the entrance our pathfinder is unsure of his path. Faced with a door to the north and another to the east, Braadlur volunteers to investigate alone. Impressed by his bravery (foolhardy or not) we watch as he disappears down the eastern cavern for ten minutes. He reports the cavern collapsed and suggests we take the northern door. Brilliantly Braad leads the party successfully to another intersection 20 feet beyond the northern door.

The next intersection heads either east or west. Ten feet to the west there is a door with the following inscription: “Cerida’s Gifts, / Reason Incalculable, / Will not be Divided”. Forty feet to the east the cavern has collapsed exposing a cavern below the level we are on. Heeding the Western door warning, we suggest Braad investigate the cavern below via rappelling since the hole gapes without any sides. There he discovers a cavern running north to south, its southern end obstructed by loose debris whereas the northern end is finished construction capped with another closed door. After joining Braad below, Laris reads it’s inscription: “First Brita’s (East) Courage and then Feldma’s (West) Wisdom, Look then to Cerida (North) and Oswitha’s (South) Sacrifice is Unnecessary

Laris opens the northern door and discovers a thirty foot diameter circular room decorated by a lone central lever jutting from the floor. The lever sits evenly between cardinal points on the periphery. The ceiling is mostly ten feet above the floor, however there is ten foot to the side square cut out looming above the lever another 10 feet higher. Quite the stage for a suspenseful act.

The time is 5:10 pm, an hour after Rallion lit his lantern.