The party:
Hector, a 14th level Archontean fighter
Coco, a 14th level Archontean magic-user
Grist the Hammer, a 4th level dwarf
Batengis, a 13th level Khumus acolyte
Susarra, a 10th level Archontean fighter (retainer)
Scylla, a 10th level Archontean ranger (retainer)
Geleg, a 5th level Archontean magic-user (retainer)
Helena, a 1st level Archontean bard (retainer)
With almost half their number still recovering from being Raised from the Dead the party decided to spend some time exploring the Halls while they recovered. Bjorn and Melnax suggested that an investigation of the floating island that they had found while ascending the Great Chasm a few weeks prior might be interesting. Arising on the morning of Toternios 13th the party descended to the Nether Reaches where Coco ritually cast Fly on Hector, who then ferried the rest of the party up to the floating island.
The party marveled at the sight before them, as the floating island was overgrown with exotic flora. Vines and other plants overgrew three large symmetrical hills and a scattering of larger plants dotted the area. Batengis examined one of the broken exotic fruits on the ground and found it to be sticky and have a stankful odor. Climbing the nearest hill they procured s hovel from Larel’s Sack and dug into the soil, finding that it was a thin layer of humus overlaying what appeared to be artificial stone.
Continuing up and over the hill they found a Rudishva iris door on the northwest side, facing the central hill. The yellow Rudishva identity plaque allowed access and revealed an interior filled with trash, numerous scraps of metal, piles of rotted vegetal matter, and two Rudishva skeletons. The stone walls matched the artificial observed on the exterior. A control panel of plasteel, with knobs, dials and panes of dark glass, had been badly damaged by fire and corrosive substances. A search of the area turned up only a copper identity plate.
Exiting the chamber the party made their way west around the central hill. Their previous experience with two assassin vines allowed them to identify one on the central hill, which they easily dispatched with missile weapons before proceeding. A narrow T shaped corridor led to two Rudishva teleportation circles. Exiting the central oil they entered a southeast facing iris door on the third hill. This led to a chamber almost identical to the southeastern hill, albeit in a better state of preservation. Two dead Rudishva in tattered orange jumpsuits were slumped against the console and five orange Heqeti corpses were scattered around the area. As Hector entered the room the Heqeti corpses, which were covered in an orange slime, stood and began to shamble towards him. Hector stepped out as Coco cast a Fireball into the room, killing the Heqeti corpses and slimes, as well as two additional unseen slimes which dropped dead from the ceiling.
Searching the Rudishva corpses produced a sky blue identity card as well as a bag containing fifty moonstones. Coco activated the viewscreen which produced an image of a large ziggurat in an eerily lit cavern with dozens of different types of Heqeti visible throughout. Rudishva glyphs at the bottom screen translated to “200 feet SSW”. After a discussion about whether to share this information with Varumani Coco again ritually cast Fly on Hector, who flew across the chasm to the Varumani lift landing. A large True Varumani, accompanied by six ogres and two bestial Varumani, gruffly demanded that Hector declare his intentions. After a brief conversation the Varumani, who introduced himself as Trijax, agreed to let the party enter due to their obvious ability to take care of themselves as well as their possession of three Varumani Thegn’s Passports. Hector then ferried the rest of the party across the chasm.
Trijax tasked one of the ogres with showing the party to the Court of the Varumani Thegn and they followed their escort west down a twenty foot tall, broad hallway, brightly lit via Continual Light spells cast on the ceiling. Three niches held statues of the first three Varumani thegns: Druva, Rudiga, and Vanara. The statues were ten feet tall and marble, dressed in bright, loose clothing with painted eyes, noses, and ears. Offerings had been left at the feet of Vanara’s statue, including bits of hair and bone, fragments of plasteel, and other small objects.
The hallway zigzagged before entering a spectacular hall. The twenty five foot tall ceiling was barrel vaulted and supported by two rows of granite columns. Over a dozen Rudishva light globes hung from the ceiling, and noise from the scores of courtiers and visitors was substantial. The east and west walls featured enormous frescoes, showing famous Varumani. The majority of these were ring-mail clad true Varumani but some lesser Varumani and even one bestial Varumani were also depicted. Amongst the many Varumani courtiers the party also saw a couple of unfamiliar adventuring parties, a few large groups of goblins, and a contingent of lizardfolk. Their ogre guide gestured to a large cavern to the southwest and told them it was the Varumani market before leaving them.
The party browsed the market and various stalls including Chaudri the Echophont’s Relics and Curios, Cold Jordan’s Jewelry and Gems, Skalla Ironmonger’s Weapons and Armor, Hallar Ellagelsson’s Scribery and Scrolls, Coelrith the Mixer’s Alchemy Shop, Lyssandra of Newmarket’s General Outfitting, and Fat Yeskim’s Hot Food. The party traded the bag of moonstones they found on the floating island to Chandra for one silver and one gold Sortian eye and a platinum Token of Arden. A silver hunting horn was on sale for the exorbitant price of 20,000 gold pieces which Helena begged for the party to buy for her but they declined. The alchemist had a variety of magical potions for sale but the party did not purchase any.
After returning to the Court of the Thegn the party was greeted by a well-dressed Lesser Varumani who, after confirming their identity as Thoth Patrol, bade them follow him to a meeting with Thegn Varboka. He led them to a room that clearly served as the thegn’s office. A Tripod of Heating stood in the center of the room with four battered benches arranged around it. A sand-filled bag hung from the ceiling in the northeast corner. In the northwest corner was a simple wooden desk, a battered wooden chair, and a wooden chest. Each wall featured a brightly-painted fresco; on the north wall Thegn Vanara leading the Varumani through a cavern, on the east wall Thegn Girvala beheading Adrienic while Varumani celebrated, on the south wall Thegn Priyala standing over kneeling Archonteans, and on the east wall a blood-streaked Varumani skewering a Heqeti with a spear.
After. Few moments Thegn Varboka arrived with us guards and attendant. While servants brought platters of hors d’oeuvres the Thegn asked the party what brought them to his court. After talking of their war with the Settites and what they had seen on the floating island, the party began to talk plainly and said they wished an alliance with the Varumani in their war against the Set Cult and were willing to trade goods and services to cement a deal.
Thegn Varboka appreciated their plain talk, and told the party that the area of the Halls that the Varumani occupied were not their ancestral halls and that they wished help in finding and possibly retaking them. All he knew of the location is that they were near the Midnight Road behind the Obsidian Gates. He promised the party “significant support” if they could find the Ancestral Varumani Halls and “overwhelming support” if they helped in reclaiming them.
Turning to the matter of the Heqeti ziggurat they had seen on the viewscreen on the floating island the party said that the distance and bearing on the screen indicated that it was somewhere in the vicinity of the Varumani quarters. Varboka said they had no knowledge of such an area but that he would allow them in the private quarters if they were able to prove the innocence of Gog, who had been accused of treason and exiled by Muq (who later fled when public sentiment turned against him). Varboka had come to believe that the charges against Gog were false and wanted the arty to clear his name. In parting Varboka gave the party a special pass that when oriented would allow them to come directly to speak to him in the future. As he left he asked the party to remain in the room as “another party” wished to converse with them.
Shortly thereafter a Sun-Scarred Knight and his squire entered the room, introducing himself as Sir Prudence and his varlet Beuvon. Getting right to the point he told the party that the Sun-Scarred Knight was worried about the party’s war against the Settites not from any great love of the Set Cult but because the Forum of Set was one of the cornerstones (along with the Goblin and Varumani markets) of the Halls’ economy and major pipeline of outside food into the dungeon. An agreement was reached whereby the party would formulate and present a plan for the continued operation of the Forum after they eliminated the Set Cult and in return the Sun-Scarred would take no part in the conflict. During these conversations the Acolyte Batengis was able to determine that Varboka and Beuvon were lawful neutral but could not get a bead on Sir Prudence. Feeling pleased by their progress on the day the party discussed their next course of action.
R.I.P.:
None
Foes defeated:
Five Heqeti slime zombies
Two Heqeti slimes