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

Session 23, December 9 2020

Introduction

We continue at 11AM on the 17th of Tenrilden with the party in their rooms at House Herig after the abortive attempt on Jherlana Thule's life. They are waiting for Aquil Herig to return with guidance on how they can flee Vilgrim without being caught and executed ...

Session Summary

The tea allows Rallion, Brendil, Oskar, and Borthun to travel via Astral Projection to the drow temple area.

The rooms of Jarlana are unoccupied. We follow a drow patrol down.

In the area where the drow had the spider box we observer and see the Dark King, a human wearing a platinum mask with the face of a dwarf.

We think to go to where Jarlana and Vikram are now and appear in a new set of rooms with a lot of drow guards from house Thule (purple). An older female is talking with Jarlana. The older drow holds up a book. Jarlana summons Vikram who reads in common, so we realize it is Laris' journal. Thus they know all that we know from the time of Laris joining the party, our activities on the Xeno Tel station and our role in the end of magic in freeing the demons & devils from the ancient space dwarves.

Brendil tries to chop off Jarlana's hand, but his sword just passes through her. Vikram looks in the direction of Brendil and either chose to hold his silence, or merely sensed something but did not see what it was.

We begin to feel nauseous and think to return to our rooms and when we do, we find Borthan already there, as he was not with us in Jarlana's new rooms. Rallion, Oskar, and Brendil all vomit. We later learn from Borthum that this is common the first time. We also learn, thanks to the half orc Druul who can speak deep gnome, that the tea is made from the dung of a creature from Borthan's home world. It lasts about 30 minutes and when it wears off you end up back in your body. He has enough to make two more pots of tea, enough for 6 each time. The tea does not keep.

Borthun is anxious for revenge for his fallen comrade, even if it means death.

Aquil Herig frees the half orc bard Druul to escort us through the upper catacombs, and sends a representative of the Magisters, Velkin, to explore the condition of magic's change and lead us through the lower catacombs since he has read about them. Velkin has a pech servant, Forcus. Velkin tells us that we are looking for the tomb of the Winter King's Seneschal. Aquil will tell the rest of the drow, when they come looking for us, that we were deluded agents of The Silence (mind flayers), as one of us mentioned that we didn't recognize our face in a mirror. The information from the member of The Silence we slew were also on Laris, so it is even more believable that we were under the influence of The Silence.

We know that there will be guards at a locked gate, and Aquil gives us papers to let us through.

We avoid drow in the catacombs and meet a fungus person, Lungmold. Rallion re-traces Lungmold's steps as he was lost, and it is in the direction we wish to go. Lungmold says he was sent to get us after we passed his people's territory without drawing our weapons. He knows of a crack formed by water.

We surface dwellers and Lungmold hide in a side passage, while Velkin and Druul send the guards after the giant mushroom they said burst in. Velkin outranks them so it was easy to do. The guards gave Velkin the key. We then met up. Lungmold takes care of the guard he injured entering the upper catacombs. Velkin opens the door and hangs up the key with a note, since we can't lock the door behind us.

Velkin's note says:

    Fungus guy came back, following him down, lock up behind us we’ll report in when we’re able.

    Signed Druul

We then see some statues up ahead and a spider appears. Borthun senses it phasing and is ready.

Two spiders appear among us and one bites Druul who falls frothing at the mouth. Lambertus uses an alchemist potion to treat his poison and saves him.

We kill one spider and drive off the other seriously wounded. Lungmold tied a bell to it, so we can hear it coming. We do not hear it after it gets far enough away from us.

The statues are of elves on horseback and we assume they are of Peronelle's people. Between the statues are stairs going down and cold billowing up. This is the way Lungmold came and his feet burned. Rallion gives him two large sacks to use as shoes as there must be ice on the floor. The belts of the elven statues have intricate designs that Azra tell us are snowflakes.

We go down the stairs and find a large room, but it is filled with mist with ten feet of visibility.