Session 24 recap

The party:

Chert, a 6th level dwarf

Coco, a 6th level Archontean magic user

Melnax, a 6th level Elf

Batengis, a 6th level Khumus acolyte of Tingri

Susarra, a 6th level Archontean fighter (retainer)

Scylla, a 5th level Archontean ranger

With a few members still nursing wounds from the battle with Nicetas’ gang of robbers the party decided to spend a couple of days in Gosterwick to recuperate and oversee the transfer of their possessions to their new villa west of town. The cool rainy weather had turned colder and blustery, and a heavy snow began to fall. By the time the party was ready to venture forth there was more than half a foot of snow on the ground.

Returning by rug to Lankios’ basement, the party travelled down the long tunnel to the room where they fight the sand worms. After making their way to the Temple of Bastet, Coco entered and presented the priestesses with the Statuette of Feline Friendship. The high priestess Oubaste was very pleased to receive it and told Coco her and her companions should return after the next full moon when the priestess had had a chance to commune with Bastet.

Returning to the room where the battle with Nicetas’ gang had taken place the party proceeded south into the next room where Melnax detected a secret door. Leaving this for later the party proceeded west to a room with walls covered in graffiti. The party took the time to read what graffiti they could and transcribed the rest for later translation. Continuing to the south they found themselves in a room overlooking the Great Chasm. A set of ropes that descended from far above looped around pulleys set into the floor, and a Varumani was seated in a chair across the room. He introduced himself as Each the “apprentice overseer of the Varumani Lifts” and said the fee for riding the lift was five silver piece per leg. When Batengis asked why the lift didn’t go all the way to the bottom of the chaos Each said that going further down was "problematic" in ancient times, possibly due to the hoppers. He also said that the areas sheathed in hexagonal granite tiles with no right angles were built by the ancient ones who brought the Varumanl to the Halls. He also mentioned that the ancient ones were nearly wiped out by one of their servitor races who allied with the hoppers. The ancient Archonteans came in some time later and helped the Varumanis defeat the hoppers. Ecath also described the appearance of the ancient ones as Varumani-

like but with horns, matching the description of the giant skeleton in the glass coffin from many days previous. As the party was chatting with Each, the ropes began to move and a lift from above started to descend. The occupant turned out to be a lobe sheep-headed beastman, but when the party greeted him and said they were friends of the beastmen, he turned and ran to the east, disappearing before Batengis could cast Hold Person from the Was Stick. Each chuckled at this and said that the lone beastman would have problems dealing with the undead shadows in that area. When the party asked him what else lay in that direction he informed them of some giant beehives in the area of the bliss pollen.

Taking their leave of Ecath, the party returned to the secret door that Melnax had discovered earlier. It was locked, but a key that Nicetas had held opened it. Inside was a Sortian face. Chert put the sapphire Sortian Eye in the left socket. A magic mouth opened and said "I cannot see the path. Help me to see clearly.” It repeated the message with the eye in the other socket. A cloak on a hook was determined to be magical by Coco and was collected. A further search of the room revealed nothing. Feeling that further exploration of the Nether Reaches was getting a bit dangerous, the party decided to return to the Minotaur Level.

After climbing up the passage, the party headed back north, then northwest, west, and southeast, eventually finding a narrow crack that opened into a one hundred foot square room filled with hundreds of stone sarcophagi and ten larger mausoleums. Melnax used the Wand of Enemy Detection and determine there were dozens of potential enemies occupying some of the sarcophagi and mausoleums. Deciding to wait until their cleric had rejoined them, the party took their leave.

The party retraced their steps and went northeast at the previous intersection.

This lead to a dead end where they saw three large boring beetles eating a minotaur corpse. Coco Webbed them and the party dispatched them at range. As they were finishing off the beetles a huge spider dropped onto Melnax and attempted to bite him. The party turned and saw that en more spiders were following behind. Coco and Melnax slept all but one of the spiders which Susurra easily dispatched.

After killing the sleeping siders, the party went back to the southwest, then going west, north, and west, eventually making their way to the five way intersection, where it was noted that sunlight was visible to the west. Coco used the Ring of Friendly Defense to turn Melnax invisible, who scouted forward

to find a sleeping cave bear.

Deciding to leave the bear alone. The party went back to the five way intersection, heading north. Hear they found some crates being gone over by three boring beetles which were easily dispatched. Two minotaurs surprised the party while sorting through the treasure in the crates, but a couple of Hold Monsters from Coco paralyzed them and they were easily taken care of. Returning to town via the magic rugs, the party slept for the night.

Arising to slightly warmer weather on the 26th of Fidios that was beginning to melt the snow, the party had the cloak identified at the Rarities Factor. This was found to be a Cloak of Poisonessness, which Bjorn expressed an interest in.

Returning to the Minotaur Level, the party explored a ledge leading off a passageway in the northwestern part of the tunnels, heading northeast. There they found three skeletons guarded by three shadows, who Batengis failed to turn. After dispatching the shadows with some difficulty (including some moderate constitution damage suffered by Chert), they looted the skeletons and found some ancient coinage and a magical periapt.

At this point they declared that this network of tunnels had been fully explored, and decided to return to the erstwhile Halfling level and visit the goblins who they heard had taken control of the halflings’ former territory. Before reaching the debouche room they encountered a goblin patrol who, upon hearing that this was the Thoth Patrol, led them to a lieutenant Killik, who encouraged them to make plans to visit Weskenim, Grand King of the United Goblins. Killick mentioned that the goblins were not on good terms, but also not at war with the Settites, and had an uneasy peace with the Beastmen. He also state that the goblin fee for exploring the Halls was much lower than the half kings’ had been, and furthermore that the Thoth Patrol was exempted from paying at all due to the service they had unknowingly rendered by dispatching of the halflings.

The party stopped to procure a Feather of Maat and began exploring the catacombs, this being made easier by goblins inhabiting the portcullis room. While filling in their map of the catacombs, Chert found a secret door in the back of one of the burial niches. The door was able to be opened with the stub of Batengis' once-ten foot pole, which had to be carved to fit. Stairs were found leading down about two hundred feet. Halfway down a corpse was seen to be laying in the middle of the stairs. Melnax shot it with an arrow, with no reaction. Chert went to check it out and was attacked by a wraith which flew down from its hiding space in the shadows of the ceiling of the tunnel. Susarra tried multiple times to charge past the wraith. Scylla shot lt with a magic arrow and Melnax leapt over it with his Boots of Striding and Springing after casting Mirror Image on himself. Teamwork took the foul creature down as Chert got the final blow.

Image courtesy of Kim Diaz Holm

Examination of the corpse showed that was that of a magic user named Asrotelion, this being ascertained by the name on the spellbook and on a writ which proclaimed that it authorizes Asrotelian to bring “the rogue wizard, Cerbactos, also known as Kerbog Khan” alive or dead to Narsileon to face charges of theft and treason. The seals on the writ were those of the Collegium of Cinder and of Keko, thesmothete of the House of Sight and leader of the Drome. I addition to these items some scrolls and magic beads were also recovered.

At the bottom of the stairs was a room with a large collection of various strange

items, several of which looked very similar to other items the party had found

Previously. In the middle of the room was large metal cycler with a conical drill bit at the front. The machine came to life and shouted “INTRUDERS” as the party entered the room. After the party fled up the stairs Chert returned invisibly to find the room crowded with more of Kerbog Khan’s automotons. After a long discussion of possible courses of actions it was decided to leave the area. With a short amount of time left in the day the party returned back up the stairs and finished exploring the catacombs. After completing this they returned to the natural cavern they had discovered via a hole in the ceiling in the western part of the catacombs. Climbing up a ledge in the western part of the large cavern they returned to a sarcophagus which they knew to contain a mummy, and despite many of the party being initially struck with fear at the sight of the creature were able to dispatch it and loot the tomb, finding a magical torc, two handed sword, and three potions, along with ancient coinage and some non magical jewelry. Returning to Gosterwick the party had their magical loot identified as a Torc of Protection and the sword being of least enchantment but having moderate effect against heqeti, a word that neither the party nor sage were immediately familiar with. Returning to their house in town to oversee the transfer of the last of their items to the villa, they discussed their next plan of attack on the Halls.

RIP:

None

Foes defeated:

Six boring beetles

Eleven huge spiders

One mummy