12/11/13

Montporte Dungeon Campaign Session 22 Notes

The Cast
Adzeer Mattiu, Hunter of the Second Circle (Half Orc, Hunter): +Tim Shorts (Gothridge Manor)
Duncan Kern (Gnome, Wizard/Thief): +Daniel McEntee
Dante Rathburn (Human, Warlock): +Chris C. (The Clash of Spear on Shield)
Luven Lightfinger (Human, Thief): +Rob Conley (Bat in the Attic)
Larramore “Little Larry” (Kobold, Marksman): NPC
Ansarkhan ("Mushroom Man", Fighter): NPC
Diana (Human, Torch Bearer, Goat Driver): NPC
Crystal Golem (Crystal Golem)
5 cave goats
Map A (1 square = 5 feet)
The Session
Session 21 ended with the brave adventurers bedding down in Room 1 (Map A above). The party was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the start of Session 22, ready for another round of exploration and adventure.

Map B: Room 2
The party headed out of the narrow corridor from Room 1 and found a secret door at the end of the passage, which led them into Room 2 (Map A above). Room 2 had a roughly drawn pentagram on the floor, with five small piles of black wax at each corner of the star (See Map B to the left). There was a human skeleton lying on the floor in the northeast corner of the room. There was a deep reddish brown stain next to the skeleton. There was no blood splatters in the room, so it looked like the victim (skeleton) just bled out in place.

There were also some large chicken feathers in the room. The party concluded that these feathers came from the demon chicken encountered in a nearby room in the last session (Session 21).

As the party was trying to decipher the meaning of the pentagram, skeleton, dried blood, and giant chicken feathers, Luven decided to open the door on the east wall. This opened into a small 10' x 10' space (Room 3), with a another door to the east that led to the room where the chicken demon battle took place in the last session. Luven found another skeleton on the floor. This one had the tattered remnants of clothing (rotting, torn, and blood-stained), a dagger, and a scroll. Oh, there were more giant chicken feathers.

The scroll described a killing with a knife, a possible summoning, and the a vague description of gardens and treasure. The author was apparently barely literate (the scroll can be read here). Luven shared his findings and rejoined the group.

The party found another secret door in the northwestern corner of the room and moved north. The narrow corridor went north for quite a ways and then opened up into a large natural cavern. The room contained two demons--a tusked hairy demon (armed with a club) and a smaller winged scaly demon.

Melee was in the air and the party got the worst of it at the start. The large hairy demon struck the crystal golem with a particularly vicious blow. Ansarshan took two quick hits from the smaller demon. The party did very little damage in return.

Dante yelled something about retreating back to the safety of the corridor but Duncan's color spray managed to stun the larger demon for one round. This was enough to turn the tide, but not before Ansarkhan went down in a heap of mushroom. Dante's burning hands spells finally brought down the smaller demon while ten or so blows to the larger demon, culminating in a timely shot by Little Larry, took out the larger demon.

What started out as a possible rout by the demons, ended up as a quick four-round victory by the party. The party found a some valuable gems, a small amount of gold, and a magic ring for their troubles. More importantly, the demons also had two of the strange glass pane magic items that defied the party's previous investigations. The had found a similar item in Session 6. They found out a bit more about it from Nevin and Pavel in Session 9. Allidrihl gave them more information in Session 10.

The party then moved west into Room 5. This area was clearly made by dwarves. The stonework was simple, with no ornamentation, but it is spectacular. Clearly, a lot of time and energy went into the construction of this area.

The group moved south into Room 6. They were puzzled by this area, as there was a whisper of air when they opened the iron door. Inside, the room was spotless. No dust. This made everyone a bit nervous until Adzeer, using the power of the Belt of Dwarvenkind, concluded that the room was so well made that it had created hermetic seal.

The party then continued to move south into Room 7 (Mapy A above). The iron doors were very cold, so the party entered the area carefully. The room had two pools near the door and, at the far end, a statue, altar, and stone block platform (about 2' tall and 5' on a side). The party heard a white noise as soon as they entered, but it had a vague musical quality to it. Adzeer could hear a bit more. In the dwarven tongue, he heard a female voice say "revenge...recall...redeem" over and over.

The group tried to move south but only Adzeer could move past the pools. There was some sort of invisible barrier that prevented the rest of the group from entering. Adzeer could feel the cold coming from the low stone platform and he could sense the presence of divine power and an overwhelming sense of sadness. The statue was an abstract form of a dwarven woman, garbed in a robe. Adzeer was almost certain it was Doluth, the lost goddess of the dwarves, no longer an active part of the religion of contemporary dwarves.

Adzeer heard a female voice in his head:
Voice: Why have you come?
Adzeer: To find glory and riches.
Voice: I have no need of such.
Voice: Revenge...recall...redeem…
Voice: Revenge my people...recall my warriors...redeem their honor.
Adzeer: How do I do this?
Voice: Recall my warriors' spirits...I have hidden them deep within the land of the enemy.
Adzeer: Where?
Voice:  I have saved a portion of each of their souls in the vials…find the pool that matches them.
Adzeer: And then?
Voice: Destroy the flesh eaters as they have destroyed us. I have hidden my warriors in the midst of the enemy, beyond where they bury their dead. You will find answers to that which puzzles you as well.

The stone platform had thirty small holes in it. Each contained a glass vial. Each was incredibly cold. Adzeer carefully gathered the vials and placed them in the party's dwarven chest of holding.

This is where the session ended for the night.

The Dungeon So Far
Level 1 (1 square = 5 feet)
Level 2 (1 square = 5 feet)