Session 21 recap
The party:
Chert, a 5th level dwarf
Coco, a 6th level Archontean magic user
Thalia, a 5th level Archontean thief
Melnax, a 5th level Elf
Batengis, a 5th level Khumus acolyte of Tingri
Susarra, a 6th level Archontean fighter (retainer)
Scylla, a 3rd level Archontean ranger
Aethel, a Thorcin hireling
Having recovered from the previous days’ adventuring, the party decided to try and cross one more location off their list of places to investigate in the surface ruins of Arden Vul. Arising to a chilly misty morning on the 18th of Fidios they made their way back to the donjon to investigate the last tower, colloquially known as the Ghost Tower by the guards stationed at the Northgate because of the random wails and moans known to emanate from within. Although collapsed rubbles prevented access to the ground floor entrance as with the other tower, the four story structure was in otherwise almost pristine condition with a conical slate covered roof. Five ten foot wide windows led into the top story provided access to the tower. Careful exploration by an invisible Melnax showed that behind the windows were the charred ruins of ballistae and a half barrel of oil. Making his way cautiously down the steps to the third floor a barracks, with the cots, chests, and equipment destroyed. As Melnax investigated this level, a chilling moaning began down the stairs and drew closer. Retreating until reinforcements could arrive, the party returned to deal with the undead creature whose attacks sapped the very strength from those unlucky enough to be struck in combat.
Continuing down the stairs it was discovered that half of the second story had collapsed, although the other half still contained three desks containing only some blank archonal rescripts with the ‘signature’ of Uriel Basileon The basement contains supplies, including ancient spears, gladii, iron shields, grappling hooks, crossbows, and crossbow bolts. A trap door led to a sub-basement, a forty foot diameter chamber with a relatively low ceiling packed with crates and barrels. While taking stock of the chamber the party discovered a five foot diameter space near the east side that had been cleared of clutter where the corpses of two Archontean military officials lie on the floor either daggers imbedded in their necks. Approaching this scene, another spirit rose up and as they fought this one, the first, which had rematerialized, joined the fray and the pair were dispatched with a little difficulty. The party decided to take both sets of remains, burn them and bury them outside.
After dealing with the remains, the party began to take stock of the supplies. Most of these were spoiled foodstuffs, but quantities of thread, twine, copper wire, iron and steel ingots, bullseye lanterns, wax candles, coils of silk rope, cords of firewood, and a set of surveyor’s tools were also found. Melnax found a secret door in the east wall near where the remains had been located. Still licking their wounds from the fight with the spirits, the party retreated to rest, recover, and plan their next day of adventuring.
The 19th of Fidios dawned cloudy and cold. The party had initially planned to explore beyond the secret door they had discovered the previous day, but the sounds of screaming and wailing coming from the Ghost Tower informed them that their attempt to lay the vengeful spirits to rest had been successful, and they decided to return to the sprawling tunnel complex they had found underneath the Westgate tower where they had defeated the contingent of Settites. Descending into the tunnels they proceed south to the room where they had fought the minotaurs and then proceeded through the only exit. This tunnel led east before turning north and sloping down to an intersection, where the party went left, to the west. Chert was able to easily see some crude pit traps, covered by tarps, and the party bypassed these after ascertaining they were empty. Finding another intersect the party went left again, which led to a tunnel leading south. Passing an alcove to the east from which sounds of rodent activity issued, they continued south until the passageway narrowed to only two feet wide and four feet tall, at which point the rough hewn tunnel entered a large worked chamber, some one hundred feet east to west and fifty feet north to south, with fifteen foot tall ceiling. Evenly spaced throughout the room were eighteen storage cubes, each ten feet wide, twenty feet deep, and ten feet tall.
As the party moved into the room to examine these, a large animated statue made of clay began to approach with obvious hostile intent, but the presentation of the bones of Jaken the Proud kept it at bay and allowed the party to continue their examination of the chamber. Twelve of the vaults were found to be open and empty, their contents having been plundered in antiquity based on the amount of dust in the place. With a bit of trial and error the party was able to open the remaining six vaults, finding three ancient woven carpets, a teak and ivory desk and chair, two floor length candlesticks made of enormous ivory tusks, a fifteen inch diameter pendant of a sunburst, made of bronze with gold accents, six rare books, ten marble statues of Archontean subjects, fifty silver bars, fifty gold bars, ten platinum bars, a chest with 15,000 ancient silver pennies; a suit of imperial field plate and a two handed sword (both of which were magical), a chest filled with family papers relating to the Xenarcheon clan, and a collection of fifty mixed volumes of erotica and children’s tales. After taking time to return this vast hoard to their house (all the while under the watchful eye of the clay golem) the party returned to the previous intersection and turned left, heading to the northwest. This led to a slightly larger chamber with large red letters painted next to all of the egresses. The passage that the party had entered from, which went southeast from the room had a “W” painted next to it, the northern passage had an “E”, and the southwest passage had an “N”. Confused by this, the party look the left, or southwestern passage.
This soon led to another intersection where the party turned left again. A second intersection was soon reached where the party turned right, as the left passageway led to the chamber under the Westgate tower. This passage led to yet another intersection where the party turned left let again because dwarves are creatures of rote and habit. This passageway sloped up to the south and narrowed, eventually leading to a hole in a worked stone floor. Cautious investigation showed this to be another basement, this one with a large stone ramp leading up to daylight. Three large subterranean lizards laired in this chamber, and the party executed plan that dispatched the creatures with little harm done to themselves. The basement led up the ruins of a gladiatorial school some 450 feet west of the the walls of Arden Vul. Returning to the basement, a search revealed a fantastic cache of treasure containing 6,161 ancient gold solidi and a collection of exquisite jewelry including a gold collar set with garnets, a platinum necklace with depending emeralds, a pair of matching platinum and emerald earrings, and a silver brooch set with topaz, all of which were worth 24,000 gold pieces together. After transporting this hoard to their house, the party returned to the tunnels to see what other forgotten wealth awaited within.
Returning to the previous intersection the party turned left, proceeding generally north in a tunnel that continued for some 700 feet before entering a large cavern from which four tunnels led, not counting the one the party had entered by from the south: a tunnel to the northwest was twenty five feet up the wall and a tunnel to the southwest was twenty feet up the wall; both of these had carved hand and foot holds leading up to them. The remaining passageways, including the one the party had entered by, were at floor level. The party chose the leftmost, southwest, passage and exited the chamber.
This passage only led southwest for a short distance before turning, first to the east and then south before leading to another fifty foot square basement. This chamber had three exits leading from it, including the one the party had entered from, with red painted letters next to them similar to the chamber they had seen earlier; E’ by the northern tunnel which they had entered from, ‘W’ by the eastern tunnel, and ‘S’ by the southern tunnel. In addition they found a locked chest, much newer than most items the party had discovered in the tunnels. Thalia was able to bypass both the lock and the trap inside it, and the party found a bedroll, three weeks of iron rations, a packet of mistletoe and holly, a silver sickle, two blocks of incense, a set of robes, and a pouch with 200 sp and two pieces of amber. Assuming that this was a cache of gear for an adventurer and mot wanting to steal from the living, the party took nothing and left a noted stating “Greetings from the Thoth Patrol” and took their leave.
Breaking with tradition, the party took the rightmost, southern passage, which led about a hundred feet before entering a very large chamber that was astounding to behold. A broad lake surrounded by a lichen encrusted shelf stood at the heart of the huge seventy foot tall cave. The lichen emits a low green phosphorescence amplified by the crystals that stud the walls. In the center of the lake lay an island about fifty feet in diameter. On the island the party saw the broken stump of a slender, marble circular staircase that once led to a hole in the ceiling of the cave. The last twenty feet of the staircase had been smashed, and the hole itself was clogged with debris. Also on the island was a fifty foot tall white barked tree growing in the exact center. Dozens of cave crickets perched in the tree branches, emitting a beautiful and harmonious chirping. Three men in exotic chain mail and turbans had their backs to the tree and are brandishing large scimitars towards an eighteen foot tall magical being floating in midair above the lake. The huge creature was shooting in an unknown language at the three turbaned men.
After attempting to diffuse the situation and overcoming the language barrier, the party was able to ascertain the basic facts of the situation from the various parties involved. The large blue magical being was a marid named Asim. He had been sent by his master, Fadil the Clear, to recover a magical were in the possession of… something… that was in the tree. This creature, who referred to herself only as Pharynx, claimed rightful ownership of the item based on possession, and had used the item to summon the three jannee who were defending her. Both sides found themselves in somewhat of a stalemate and promised favors and riches to the party in exchange for their help in dispatching the other. Th party asked for and received an hour to deliberate amongst themselves to determine their best course of action.
R.I.P.
None
Foes defeated:
Two vengeful spirits (one of them twice)
Three subterranean lizards