Session 44 recap
The party:
Hector, a 13th level Archontean fighter
Coco, a 13th level Archontean magic-user
Julia, a 14th level Archontean cleric of Lucreon Thoth
Melnax, a 7th level elf
Bjorn, a 9th level Wiskin assassin
Susarra, a 10th level Archontean fighter (retainer)
Scylla, a 9th level Archontean ranger (retainer)
Kormak the Snake, an 8th level Wiskin fighter (retainer)
The creatures in the darkness attacked Hector and even though their ghostly hands passed through him he felt himself weaken. Hector ran back up the stairs out of the darkness while Melnax cast Fireball and Coco cast Lightning Bolt into the room which was accompanied buy the sounds of the undead minsters screaming and then falling silent. Bjorn poked his head into the darkness with his Helm of Infravision but remained unable to see so he activated True Seeing from the Djed Amulet. He walked into the now-penetrable darkness and saw many frescos in the Archontean style that portrayed laborers shaping stone on the west wall, a field of bright flowers growing amid stones on the north wall, open and closed sarcophagi on the east wall, and Varumani and Heqeti on the south wall along with an inscription in Mithric which he could not read. At the base of the stairs to the west was a nine foot tall obsidian statue of Anubis depicted in jackal-headed form with star ruby eyes, holding an ebony traveler’s staff in his left hand and an upraised gold torch in his right. Yellow light streamed from the torch, pushing back the darkness twenty feet around the statue.
Seeing that six undead shadows were approaching from the south he retreated back up the stairs and reported what he had seen. Julia cast Continual Light, banishing the darkness in the stairwell and revealing the shadows which had followed Bjorn up it. Coco called upon the power of Thoth and destroyed one of the creatures while Melnax and Coco followed up with another fireball/Lightning Bolt combo which killed two more. Coco found to her chagrin that the shadows seemed loath to enter the sunlight streaming from the Bliss Flower chamber but had no problem remaining in the area affected by Julia’s Continual Light spell. Scylla covered her retreat and managed to avoid the attacks of the creatures while Coco and Melnax cast Magic Missiles, killing more of the shadows.
Their elation at having reduced their opponents to a single combatant was short lived as four leathery one eyed round creatures two feet in diameter with giant needle toothed maws rolled to the bottom of the stairs and then began climbing them on spindly legs, followed shortly by a fifth that was more than twice as big as the others. The last shadow landed a blow on Scylla, wounding her and sapping her strength while Coco cast Confusion on the leathery ball creatures. Another group of shadows soon appeared, with one that looked larger, tougher, and more intelligent which stayed in the back while the others began ascending the stairs.
Melnax cast Black tentacles, restraining and damaging the leathery balls. The shadows took damage from the magical tentacles but could not be restrained due to their incorporeal nature. As Hector vanquished the last of the first group of shadows the Shadow Lord waved his hand and dispelled the Continual Light, Black Tentacles, and Confusion spells. Julia cast Continual Light again and revealed that the creatures had retreated.
Proceeding cautiously into the chamber, Bjorn approached the statue of Anubis and removed the golden torch from its grasp. As he did so a new golden torch appeared in the statues hand and the light emitted by the one in Bjorns grasp turned to a shadowy grey, and he found himself unable to put it down. Julia cast Remove Curse which allowed him drop the item and the party remembered a story that Chert and Capdoffer had told of a similar golden torch they had found soon after arriving at the Halls. The party then used Phocion’s Dividers to take a well earned rest for the night.
Arising on the morning of Deuterios 28th the party began exploring the area with Julia and Coco casting Continual Light to dispel the magical darkness. Exploring a southern passage from the main room they found a three way intersection. Bjorn used True Seeing to look own the passages and saw two corpses in the southwest room. He retrieved one of the corpses and found a clerical scroll on it.
A ritual Continual Light from Coco illuminated the southern room, revealing bright frescoes depicting an Archontean official dispensing justice, commanding laborers, and reclining in a throne-like chair. The remains of a once grand four-poster bed laycollapsed in the southwest corner while an intact teak writing desk carved with Khumus iconography occupied the north wall. Searching the desk revealed a jade ink well, a crystal-encrusted golden statuette of a large-bellied, smiling woman, and a parchment bifolium entitled “The Honey Project”.
Returning to the room that Bjorn had briefly visited Coco cast Continual Light ritually and the party searched it more thoroughly, finding a magic morning star, a statuette of Besa, and a tattered copy of The Twelve Labors of Arden.
Another ritual Continual Light from Coco revealed the southeast room, showing a two foot tall dais made of blue granite along the east wall, on top of which was a large stone throne made of the same material. The part searched the room and Melnax found a hidden compartment in the throne which contained a piece of folded oilskin cloth, tied up with string and a red wax seal depicting a hoplite helmet with the words “Valens proedros”. Inside the cloth were tokens of office, including a gold signet ring, a platinum scepter, and a set of silver writing tools.
Another ritual Continual Light revealed another room to the south filled with rubble that had been mostly pushed to the periphery. A beautiful silk rug depicting dragons, sea serpents, kraken, and other legendary monsters occupied the center of the chamber. A tall, heavy, and empty bookcase stood in the southwest corner. While searching the room the party discovered a two foot wide hole near the ceiling behind the bookcase. Bjorn moved through the hole and attempted to quietly crawl down the tunnel beyond. After about thirty feet he came to a fifteen foot high ledge overlooking a larger chamber. He didn’t have much time to observe the chamber however, as he was presently attacked by three previously invisible six legged beings with long, sinuous, relatively thin bodies and spade shaped heads. After being wounded by a flurry of blows he was able to retreat back down the tunnel and through the hole to the rest of the party. After the creatures did not follow Bjorn the party moved the bookcase back in front of the hole and continued exploring.
Returning north and the east the party found a room with flecks of sky blue paint on the wall. To the south was a well, four feet in diameter and rising four feet from the floor. To the north was a now familiar Thothian teleportation ring. Exploration of the well shows that it dropped sixty feet to a small water filled cavern that contains nothing of interest. Exiting the room and continuing north they entered a roomed with metal clips and wooden racks containing a few weapons including pole arms, a footman’s flail, and a mace. In the center of the chamber was a sand filled pit lying two feet below the stone of the main floor. Proceeding east led to an oddly shaped hall with four thick columns with splashes of cerulean blue paint supporting the ceiling. A huge oak throne sat against the south wall. A patch of Living Mosaic that portrayed the nearby Bliss Pollen room covered the east wall. A pile of treasure was pushed against the wall next to the throne and the corpse of a human male wearing white painted banded mail lay amongst the columns.
Coco cast Detect Magic as a ritual which revealed the banded mail and longsword on the corpse was magical. Julia attempted to cast Raise Dead on the corpse but at the culmination of the spell when the soul should have returned to the body the spell failed. As the party made to start looking through the treasure pile they were interrupted by a chilling voice from behind them and found themselves confronted by the Shadow Lord and more of his shadow minions, one of which resembled the corpse on the floor, and eight of the leathery ball creatures with another of the larger ones. Bjorn threw a spear at the Shadow Lord while Coco cast Magic Missile at him. Their attacks wounded him but then Julia cast Dispel Evil on him, destroying him utterly. Melnax cast Fireball on the leathery ball creatures while Hector used his Solar Ring to produce a bright ball of pure sunlight, destroying the remaining shadows. Coco dropped another fireball on the leathery ball creatures while Kormac and Hector slew the larger one, at which point the two remaining small ones fled.
The party took time to removed the valuables from the body including th magic armor and weapon as well as a pair of silver armbands chased with gold, a gold ring with a ruby, and a purse with silver and gold coins. They also found a simple iron key featuring a whirlwind motif on the bow. The treasure pile contained over four thousand gold coins and nine gems including three pieces of chalcedony, three amethysts, and three black pearls.
Heading north the party entered a room containing a large oak table with the desiccated corpses of two human men-at-arms underneath. The unfortunate retainers carried only mundane equipment and a small ament of coinage. Proceeding to the west the party entered a room with a series of sixteen stone busts built into the walls depicting Archontean functionaries. The busts were carved in high realism, showing wrinkles, warts, and scars. While searching the room Melnax found a scroll case tucked into the space between one bust and the wall containing three various protection scrolls.
Returning to the main chamber with the statue of Anubis the party explored to the northwest, finding a room crammed with debris and broken furniture. The party took time to clean out theorem and search it thoroughly, finding a pouch with a small amount of ancient gold solidi, as scroll with the Limited Wish spell, a solid silver feline ushabti figurine, two magical crossbow bolts, a gold and platinum torc inscribed with the name “Paratus the Logothete”, and a plain iron key. While searching the room for treasure two secret doors, one in the southwest corner and one in the northeast.
Exploring the northeast secret door led down some stairs to a room with a decrepit wooden table standing against the north wall, while two wall mounted racks on the south wall had collapsed in a pile of rotted wood. A dozen potions sat on the table and amid the debris of the fallen racks was a magical rod of blackened steel.
Returning to the previous room and exploring the southwest secret door revealed a small ten foot square closet containing the corpse of a human female adventurer slumped on the floor wearing leather armor and an ankh with a broken crossbow nearby. The body was covered in multiple sharp tooth marks that he party recognized as having been caused by the leathery ball creatures. Written on the wall in blood was a message in Archontean that read “The shadows seem to be controlled by some evil intelligence, but we could not locate it. We pushed south but encountered the strange rollers. Then more shadows ... everywhere! Kallion ran to the east, but Jadon and the bearers fled north towards the light. I was overcome but managed to crawl to this closet. Perhaps I can make it to the light.”
Julia cast Raise Dead on the corpse and the woman was shocked to be alive. While conversing with her they noticed that she grew apprehensive when they mentioned that they were the Thoth Patrol. Over the course of their conversation they learned that the key corpse with the white banded mail was that of Kallion, mentioned in the message in the wall. When asked about the key found on his corpse they woman said that it was to a lockbox in the Vaults of Set. The woman was quick to reassure the party that she was not a Settite, and after assuring the party that she would cause them no trouble they agreed to let her rest at the villa while she recuperated from the effects of having been Raised from the Dead. The party returned with her to the villa and went to town to have their magic items identified while they discussed their next moves.
R.I.P.:
None
Foes defeated:
16 leathery ball monsters
2 large leathery ball monsters
3 skeletal wights
9 greater shadows
1 Shadow Lord