Session Seventy-Four Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 74, December 8 2021

Introduction

We continue at 8:00PM on the 29th of Laurilden (00.000.10.02 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party having finished various tasks while at rest in the Dragon Emperor's hideout beneath Xen'Khel. Mistrust is brewing after the Winter King's servants meet with him privately, though, especially after Ranarth's inept lying. Still, the group is almost ready for their assault on Hdrasta ...

Alician shows up with whiskey and the party passes around a few bottles and enjoys Druul's playing and Alician is amazed at the growth of the flowers. Watches? Ceres & Ajax in the hallway. Brendil asks Terathial when is her watch and if she's interested in continuing her watch. Lungmold has the orc prisoner Druug join the drinking and we get information on siege engines, timing, etc. Elevator goes down to where the bones start. (Bones of dragons.) Elevator is loud, can't sneak in using it. It was broken down when we got there, we fixed it up a bit. We've only had a few orcs die on it. One time a dozen were killed. Elevator means outside duty. We drove off the eagle lions. The ballista was pretty good about driving them off. Ask Druug to draw a map, and looks around and makes hand motions in the air. Velkin gives him pen & paper. Down elevator one level with weapons, next level no watch, then bones, then giants building a dragon out of bones. Druug talks about things while drawing a very crude map, and mentions area with cells, rooms w/ writing on the wall, some they vandalized, stairs, throne and statues, pool that is fresh water, dug a tunnel, door he can't open. Lungmold tries reading his mind. Writing resembles that in the secret room under Montoa and flashes of the door. Lungmold asks Druug if he knows any other way into this place? There are smaller tunnels of the kobolds, a deep pit that the giants say doesn't go anywhere, and the pool. So he says, "No?" It's so dumb as we were fine before One Horn, and he's building a dragon and it's just bones, but he says it'll do something. "We never went anywhere before One Horn came. We fought the kobolds and the kobolds fought us and we were happy, goddammit! Now they're gone and we've gotta do watches...."" Tyrial is overseeing Druug, and realizes he is more valuable, but don't speak the language to know what he's saying. Raynarth excuses himself after Alician and goes to his room. Ronan sleeps next to the door. First thing in the morning, Lungmold has a knock at his door. It is a couple of dervishes with a cloak of fresh dirt. We go looking for Azrael to chat and find Jardin who takes us to the dining hall for food and to meet with Azrael. Jardin leads us through the throne room to table with all the papers, the re-purposed dining room. I'll get Azrael and get some rations. Jardin asks not to touch the papers, as Azrael has some sort of system. It looks like the different research he is following up. We're not sure, but annotations on drawings have to do with making the DVLs sick, with a virus to attack them, and drawings to re-open tunnels to the pathogen lab. Top paper - "How many infected = Prixithalma?" Map of world covering Curabel to coast of mainland, with lines and possible routes to Gharmarost and a ? out in ocean "Armada?" Maybe a schematic for Inquisitorial Library. Azrael comes in. "There's an order to that...." He takes a seat. Jardin mentioned breakfast and you wanted to talk about something. Velkin mentions Jax and is researching. Jax, they were geniuses, obviously not good team players, they were their own team. If can help, that will be great. Lungmold mentions he's not coming here, you have to go to him. Azrael doesn't plan to leave Xen Khel. "I can send someone to him, where is he?" Malgim - Underground. It's under control of the Winter King. "Is that so, it's good thing we have an in with him." Azrael will determine which of his kin is the best one to send. Velkin says, that the embassy is a working DVL trap. Maybe Itherrialma who's researching ways to seal off transdimensional spaces, may be best to go. DE - "I don't know where that is."" Lungmold asks, "Do you plan on them going back and forth, or just leave them there?"" DE - "I don't know, are we talking a week or a month." "How far of a distance and how long it takes to get there." Velkin mentions transporting. and that it is a portal of the workings of Lolth's web, and we will have to coordinate it. This works out, as Itherrialma's work involves the Inquisitorial Library, so she can be working with Jax, you do Hdrasta, then she can accompany you with Jardin to the Inquisitorial Library. Kauri asks if the dragons flew in invisibly, how did they detect you? - Their mages. They kept is warded and guarded. We mention the dragon made of bone and it disturbs Azrael who assumed that dragons were immune to being undead, but the ancient humans did something so they can't be resurrected, so perhaps there is something to it. Dragons didn't take Hdrasta by force, but starved them out. They could not open the vault either. Jardin comes in with 6 dervishes, 4 male, 2 female, light skinned with armor with dragon emblem and red cloaks. Azrael stands up, these are children in the general sense: Maerthrumax, Prystilia - female, Brastimachus, Kharatilia - female, Jargathus, & Philomanthraxus. We plan to use one pot of Borthan's tea for 3 of us to scout the place.

Velkin will gather images of locations from Druug

It is decided that Velkin, Kauri, and Philomanthraxus

1. Locked Door - Kauri (Mask) 2. Throne Room (One Horn) - Kauri (Mask) 3. Dragon Bones - Philomanthraxus 4. Level Above - Central Areas Find way around to throne room/vault - Philomanthraxus 5. Layout around top - Velkin 6. First Level Down - Velkin (Druug's memory?) 7. Pool - (Properties of the lake? Druug says it's just water.) - Philomanthraxus 8. Pit with wooden ladders of the giants then busted and fall and die if go too far. - Velkin (underdark??) Potential exit? 9. Kobold Area (goes around the pit) - Kauri

c. 3 or 4 days from Malgim to Hdrasta.

Borthan gets tea ready. Azrael and Jardin watch in fascination, sniffing the tea.

"And this allows you to travel through a medial dimension?"

Lungmold, "It only comes from Borthan's world."

Azrael, "And this is all you have?" Yes

• • Kauri:**

1. **Throne Room** - Physical location

   Large Hall. Not always a throneroom. A T-shape slmost like a church of Baldric Evenkeel (anchor). A Large throne of bone (dragons) is only furniture. Sits to one side, N. Wall. Large Mural of 4 women the matriarchs, but defaced. South door is used more often. Path through the dust. 2 doors to North, and 1 set of double doors to South.
   Kauri peeks through Western door on the North wall. Wide room, very spartan. on North end, had been an altar of 4 statues, maybe the matriarchs, smashed to pieces. Above doorway ledge 15 feet up on wall, one horn is there crouched down, sleeping like a gargoyle. Glowing brightly. Stone on necklace is exact shape and size of one on gauntlet. NOT the same color as the one on Brendil's gauntlet.
   Kauri runs around room with head in walls and all solid stone.
   Through South door, 30 foot space to another door, with 6 statues, NOT the matriarchs. Not smashed and not seen before. 
   Left side they look like warriors, all with similar clothing, insignias maybe siege engines. Something like devices in Xeno Tel (laser rifles). With nameplates: Abigail Pritchard, Thomas Cromwell, Jonathan Turner
   Right side, long coats with various instruments, like stuff in Xeno Tel and Edan's notes and technomagical equipment, with nameplates: General Dorn, Corporal Tanner, General Fields

2. **Vault** - In front of a large door with double doors behind and tools to try to pick away. Large double door panel chest high. Three depressions the size of the gem One Horn is wearing. No handle or obvious way to open it.

   Entire door is glowing with Transpatial Energy. Where the walls are excavated also shows Transpatial Energy. Kauri tries pushing his hand through, it is solid. He tries from underneath but can't pass through. The only thing he finds is about 40 feet in, there is a bulge in the floor kind of bowl shaped. 
   Kauri gets rough dimensions of area, room beyond is about 80 x 80 N, S, E, W diamond shapes with points on cardinal points. Door on West, depression in exact center. About 30 feet tall. No bulge in the top.

• • Ran out of time here. End of Session will resume in two weeks on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at normal time.**

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We will finish Kauri's 3rd item and then the three items for Velkin and Philomanthraxus.

3. x

• • Velkin:**

1. x 2. x 3. x

• • Philomanthraxus:**

1. x 2. x 3. x