Session Twenty-Eight Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 28, January 20 2020

Introduction

We continue at 4:40PM on the 18th of Tenrilden with the party camping in a tunnel after escaping Vilgrim. It is two hours into an eight-hour rest and a lone myconoid has stumbled upon the group during Rallion's watch ...

[RALLION'S RECOLLECTION]

Rallion stands with empty hands in as non-threatening way as possible. The myconoid is Dirtcrust and is from Lungmold's village. Some creature, possibly a squidface of The Silence. The villagers were massacreing each other and Dirtcrust severed his conection to the communal mind and fled. He found us and urges us to return with Lungmold to save them.

We continue our rest, but a giant brain-like creature with four legs with large sharp claws knocked down Borthen and did something to influence Azra and Brendil to not attack. Timon came to Azra's defense. The creature severly hurt timon, many of us charged in and hurt it, then it knocked down Timon, shrank and jumped in his mouth. It ate whatever was left of Timon's self and possessed him. Rallion tried to charm it, Timon hacked it up, but fell dead. The creature then attacked Rallion, but working together, we defeated it. Brendil dealt the killing blow.

Borthan told us that we can make a concoction that will bring an enemy to our side, so Lambertus and others gathered up 6 vials of it that Lambertus carries. (It has to break down before making this concoction.)

Rallion suggested building a cairn over Timon in the upper cave where we fought the black pudding. After laying Timon to rest, Rallion waited above and used the scepter to heal himself. Lambertus healed Borthen so that Borthen could journey with us.

Dirtcrust knows a long way round via side tunnel to avoid the drow trading post.

We made good time in the narrow passage, but something on Brendil's watch saw us and both Lungmold and Dirtcrust detected it's thoughts of "We've found them."

It fled and Rallion led Gath and Brendil to chase after it. It was pushing off the walls.

Finally it came to a roughly circular room with a flue-like exit in the ceiling. Gath lifted Rallion up and Rallion shimmied up the flue and to the point where it started to flatten out, with Brendil behind.

One of the cloakers from the trading post must have been seeking us, and it wrapped up Rallion. Brendil took a swing at it, and Rallion managed to avoid knocking Brendil down the hole and flung his cloaker wrapped body down the hole to the ground below where Gath dealt a solid blow to the Cloaker.

Gath dealt another blow and Brendil dove at it for another blow. Rallion tried to break free, but it held tight and bit him.

There was another exchange of blows, and this time the cloaker lashed out with its tail at Brendil and Gath. they both missed and Rallion struggled with no luck.

Finally, Rallion broke free and helped Gath and Brendil kill it. Again, Brendil dealt the killing blow.

Rallion had Gath roll up the cloaker and bring it back to camp so we all know what is now after us. Some death cult of assassins whose entire "tribe" will work to see us dead.

Gath continues to carry the rolled up body and we break camp and travel without further complications and make it back to the mine tunnel somewhere on the far side of the drow trading post, perhaps a day or two from Lungmold's and Dirtcrust's village.