The session begins on the 17th of Ready'reat in the dungeon that is Jzadirune. The first new room we encounter is damp. The rotting body of an eight legged crawler lies in one corner. A pile of armor sits nearby. Kyrin tells us to be careful of the body as it is a carrion crawler and it might not actually be dead. After a poke by Rassi we are convinced it is dead and search the room. In the corpse we find two small coffers. Among the pile of armor we find 10 small chain shirts and 10 small metal bucklers. In the coffers is 140cp, 225sp, 178gp, a silver framed hand mirror (given to Verana to aid in looking around corners), a healer's kit (given to Aidan to aid in us not dieing, a plugged copper scroll tube, and a silver dragon pendant with moonstone eyes. In the tube are two scrolls.
Returning to the entrance room, we begin using the keys we have been collecting. Opening the door labled with a J here we find another barracks; this one exists as it was left by the original occupants of this city. There are 15 cots and an equal number of chests. In each chest we find a rotting blanket and a tabbard marked with a depiction of a wooden gear with an eight pointed star in the middle. Leaving the barracks via it's only entrance, my sister spots a secret door in the entrance room. Marking it with chalk we explore down another skulk made tunnel.
The tunnel is fairly long and has a noticable downward and upward slope in it. It ends in a T junction at which we go left. Verana steps into a seemingly empty room and disappears. Charging into the room at the her squeak for help, Rassi splits the Hulk in twain (225xp per person). I notice a glittering deep blue spinel attached with copper wires inside the remains of the creature. With confirmation from Tarik that it should be safe, I remove the gem, spotting the A key in the rubble as well. While exploring the walls, my darling sister stumbles across a skulk. Rassi eviscerates it (50xp per person).
Following the only exit we could use we find a forest, complete with sunlight streaming down through the canopy. The next room was clearly a dinning hall at one point. Two iron chandeliers hang from the ceiling, a third is on the ground amid the rubble that was once tables, benchs, and chairs. Looking back through the doorway to the forest room, Kyrin points out that it was clearly wider at one point and magic was used to narrow this passage. He surmises that the goal was to close of the path entirely, but that doing that can take several days of spells for a acaster.
In the kitchen we find stone hearths, preperation tables and a rickity cabinet. In the corner are the shriveled husks of three ginormous spiders. Once again the person who enters rooms first is attacked. The two creepers are dispatched by head removal courtesy of Rassi and a frozen face administered by Kyrin. Searching the room, the cabinet collapses on me (3hp). I do find in the rubble that was once a cabinet a Z key.
Exploring a skulk made tunnel, Rassi encounters a calmly sitting skulk. It speaks with her, introducing himself as Yuathyb. Apparently Rassi didn't like the direction the conversation turned as the next thing we heard was her charging him. Yuathyb takes Verana down in a single blow as his first attack, an act Rassi takes great offense to and subsequently perferates his needed internal organs with her greatsword. After Aidan adminsters to Verana, a quick search of the room finds a D key, two potions, four little crocks with green fluid in them, a shortword, a less peed upon cloak, and a malachite rod about the length (but not the width) of the GM's forearm. Returning to Ghelve's shop, we find that the city guard has posted a sign on the shop indicating the shop is closed by order of the guard. Noting that there are no actual guards watching the shop, we sleep.
The 18th of Ready'reat
Dawn breaks on the 18th of Ready'reat.
He's not sexist he simply views woman as toys. --GM describing his hero Ed "fucking" Greenwood. |
Returning to where we stopped the previous night we encounter a room with a lever in a metal plate. We flip it to the "off" position after some inspection by the rogue.
I'm all for naked lady illusions-- -Jeff |
We next enter a carpenters shop. Two workbenchs with rusting tools are one wall, misc stuff line the others; having been pushed there to make room for the cots in middle of the room. Before stepping further into the room, Verana tells me in elvish that there is a skulk hiding in the corner. Charging forth, I kill it (150xp each). Searching the room we find, four engraved copper cups, a silver cloak pin set with a bloodstone, three zircons, a gold comb set with citrines, 26sp, and 4pp.
Leaving the room we find a corridor with a wooden blockade in it. With the plan to come back later, we find a room with four soot blackened hearths, in front of each are implements of the blacksmith. The middle of the room has a pair of empty weapon racks. Suprising the party, it is my elven abilities that find an I key and a secret door. The secret door leads to a hall with a small room off of it and another secret door. The small room appears to have empty display column in it. The 10 ft. into the small room has trapped spears which skewer me. Verana sucesfully disengages the floor triggers and we find nothing in the room.
Listening at the secret door, Tarik hears a repititous noise. Entering, we find the noise is coming from underneath three sheets drapped over things. Those things are spinning wheels that are spinning on their won. In the middle of the room is a loom that has certainly seen better days. I stop each of the wheels by wedging a sheet into each of them. There is a door out of the room labeled N, though which Verana hears Verana hears gears, flame, and something like human flesh rubbing against stone.
Examining the map we figure this leads into the same room as the one that is boarded up via another hallway. Figuring we can get the surprise on whoever is in the room, we charge in to a room with a ceiling that reaches 45 foot in places. Ther are two sprial staircases leading to balconies. An eight foot wooden gear is suspended from chains on one wall. The room is cast in ligt eminating from the center of the gear. In front of me is a Grell. Ever the brave one, Rassi charges in and is shortly paralyzed. Several hits from various party members end with me killing the creature with an arrow from my shortbow (200xp per person).
Greyhawking the room we find the bones and robe of a dark creeper, a small extremely fine dagger (with a small compartment filled with green goo), two potions, 4gp, 32sp, and 1pp. One end of the room has a set of wooden double doors which swing open to reveal another door and a secret door. The secret door leads us back to the entrance room.
Our explorations lead us to a room filled with chemical aparatus. As Verana steps in to explore a pile of rags on the floor start to animate. I make the first, and get grappled by the rags. Controlled by the rags, I begin to attack my own party, including knocking my sister unconcious. Thinking quickly Aidan casts something which hinders the rags control over. Rassi then sucessfully rips the rags to pieces (150xp per person).
Even after healing, Verana is still out cold. And with the beating I took while wrapped in the rags we pull back to Keygan Ghelve's shop. While Tarik works out which bits of our lewt is magical, Rassi, myself, and Verana (being carried by me) head for the Church of the Righteous Cudgel. While Jenya is busy with a service, we are administered to by a lower cleric. We "donate" 30gp each for 3 cure light spells. Deciding to wait to speak with Jenya, we enjoy some tea while I attempt to apologize to my sister for my lack of willpower. Shortly after the noon meal (an hour and half after we arrived), Jenya is able to speak with us. Explaining that we are not dealing with a simple band of brigands (attempting to restrain Rassi from making a scene while we speak) we point out that we are in need of still more healing. She grudgingly provides us with further healing and a cure light potiion. We return to Ghelve's Locks, stopping in route for some beer for Rassi, and sleep.
the 19th of Ready'Reat
On the morning of the 19th of Ready'reat we returned to the room where I unfortunately knocked Verana unconcious. Exploring a skulk dug tunnel, we find a room filled with metal wreckage and a half buit Pulverizer Automaton. Once again, as my sister entered the room a skulk leaps from behind a pile of rubbish. It was rapid in rags.
It's got the vanishing. Or as I like to call it gone-ereha" -Joe |
Even though Rassi knocks the skulk down quickly, we stay in rounds. Aidan attempts to burn the remainder of the rags that were controlling the creature. Approaching to finish off the rags, they envelope me, this time I break free. Rassi gets the honor of slicing them to pieces (200xp per pereson).
We explore many boring rooms. We find vacant and dusty living quarters. Some tossed, some not. In one room we find three chests, each marked with an anthropomorphic figure. The chest with a fox figure on it has a secret compartment containing a silver bracelet, s small pouch with three citrines, and a tiny glass vial full of what appears to be dust. The chest with a rabbit figure has an old gray pouch, in which there is a smal fuzzy ball. Kyrin thinks the bag is a bag of tricks. The chest with a badger symbol does not have anything in it. On the wall is a lever, which we leave in the "off" position.
In our exhaustive search hwe find what was clearly an amrmory/store room. It has many dusty shelves, freestanding weapon racks (mostly empty), hooks on the wall for suits of armor, and a chest. The armor that is left is marked with the gear symbol of Jzadirune. The dexterious one finds a secret compartment in the chest as she is picking the lock. Including the chest, we find in the room, 16 crossbow bolts, two smokesticks, a thunderstone, a tanglefoot bag, a wand, three gnome hooked hammers, two small light picks, a small heavy pick, small half plate, three small steel shields.
Another room is filled with gears and other spare parts for mechanized creations. Under a sheet, we find a Pulverizer Automaton, which we had carefully surrounded. Removing the sheet awakens it attacks me, sort of. It brings it's arm up to swing at me multiple times, but only actually swung one. Aidan gets the privlege of killing it (150xp per person). The machine has another deep blue spinel in its chest.
Verana enters a room, a skulk attacks, and Rassi does a number on the creature (50xp per person). We next encounter a room which was clearly scroll storage at one time. An illusion of Emirystul appears and speaks.
I am Emirystul, librarian of Jzadirune. The scrolls you seek have been destroyed to keep you and others from fading into nothingness. The curse of the Vanishing began here, in these mystic halls, and here it will remain. Be careful what you find, and mind whatever magic was wrought here." |
While exploring what appears to be a classroom we gain 200xp (from the mimic we "defeated" several days ago). In an adjacent office we find an R key. A secret door leads us to a room completely free of dust and cobwebs. The walls are covered in bright murlas, in the corner is a gnome sized set of full plate and a large urn. Klutzy Aidan nudges the full plate and it collapses, spilling gold across the floor. Collecting it what was in the urn, we find 450gp, 958sp 622cp, 75gp, 3 silver rings, tiny silver locket, two plain gold rings, a platinum bracelet with the engraving "To Sondor, my deepest love. Lorthan.", masterwork thieves tools, a potion, and a wooden wand with a cloud carving on the end.
A secret door in this room leads us to another room with lewt. In it is a set of gnomish banded mail, which animates and attacks Verana. We attempt to crowd into the room and fight (200xp per person). In the room is an iron chest (on which is a lock that Verana easily opens. We find three shrew statues carved from smokey quartz, a mother of pearl inlaid board with matching wooden game pieces (chess), a tiny silk pouch containing three white pearls (valued at 100gp each by Kyrin). In another room we find what was clearly once a stately room decorated in fine goods, it now sits in molding ruin. We find a toilet room.
We finally enter the room we believe to be the last room to be explored, we finally found the way down. It is an octagonal room with an impressive pully system making the entire room an elevator. On the platform is a pair of very surprised looking hobgoblins. Aidan cleaves one in two, and the second one wets himself and surrenders (50xp per person). Tarik interrogates him.
This is indeed the elevator to the Malachite Fortress. The elevator is controlled by a malachite rod or from below. Every four bongs (believed to be about 30 minutes) the guards change. The gonging is controlled by a waterclock. There have been "lots" of people taken through here to be sold as slaves. He is part of an elite crack squad of hobgoblins whose job is to guard the elevator. There are always two guards at the top and two at the bottom. The hobgoblins were led to here by Kazmojen is a big guy with red skin, pointy teeth, four tails (which he sometimes takes off), and wings (which he hangs on the wall when not using them). Looting the two hobgoblin's I find two pairs of studded leather (smells like hobgoblin), two wooden light shields, two shortswords, 20gp, and 50sp.
TANGENT In the alchemy lab we found a U key, two flasks of acid, 20 tindertwigs, three flasks of alchemists fire, 4 vials of antitoxin, two smokesticks, eight sunrods, a thunderstone, two small vials labeled in universal solvent.