Date:
Demmasday, 11th of Masporios, 2993 AE
Weather:
Hot, dry
Player Characters:
Ioannes Grammatikos Byzantios, Archontean cleric of Demma (Demented Avenger)
Michael J. Dundee, Thorcin barbarian (Adam)
Uvash Edzuson, Dwarven cleric of Zodarrim (Cosmo)
Vael Sunshadow, Half-Elven mage (Kyle)
Significant NPCs:
Several large albino baboons
Yrsko, giant 4-armed intelligent baboon cook
Brokenneck and 2 other goblin prisoner / cooks
Marco, one-armed beastman prisoner
Ketil, Wiskin ranger prisoner
Egrk, caveman prisoner
Shrieker mushroom
2 small spotted mushroom people
Stamelis, enchanted head of a Thothian librarian
Undead librarian
Vael returned from Newmarket, after doing some shopping and failing to meet the wizard in the Tower of the Ape. He rounded up Michael, Uvash, and Ioannes for a trip back to the ruins of Arden Vul. After ascending the Long Stair (with 3 of them roped together and Vael Levitating) they decided to go down the Well of Light. Vael first cast Darkness above the Well to make the mirrored shaft less blindingly bright inside, then cast Flight on Michael, who carried each of the others down the Well in turn.
The mirror at the bottom of the well was once again covered in debris and baboon feces. The group spent a few minutes cleaning it off, then went east then southwest and explored a small room with some benches and and inscription on the wall that said "Let the Faithful Render Honor and Glory to the Light Which Reveals All” in Mithric. Ioannes poked at a magical-looking marble circle on the floor with his axe, then stood on it, but nothing interesting happened.
The group continued southwest, then went east down a narrow passage that ended in two doors. They listened at both doors, and heard low mumbling behind one and hooting behind the other. Vael and Ioannes cast Blur and Shield on Michael, and they opened the northern door. Behind it was a large room containing 4 of the large albino baboons, who immediately charged at the intruders. Michael and Uvash fought them in the doorway, while Vael cast Grease and Smoke in front of the other door.
While Michael crippled both arms of a baboon, the other door opened and a giant 4-armed baboon came running out, then slipped and fell on the grease. Michael backed up to fight the big one while it was down, while Uvash and Ioannes continued fighting the smaller baboons. Michael landed several solid blows on the huge one while it struggled to get up, while Uvash killed one of the smaller baboons. Two of the baboons ran away, but not before one of them landed a crippling blow on Ioannes' right arm. The big one, almost dead, tried to surrender, but then passed out. After waiting a few minutes for him to get up, the group decided to just kill him, along with another unconscious baboon. Uvash cast Major Healing on Ioannes, and his arm fortunately started working again.
Worried the fleeing baboons might bring friends, they explored the northern room, which appeared to be a dining room with only one table. They spotted a goblin peeking though a doorway to the east. Continuing to the east, they found a kitchen, with 3 scared goblins who appeared to be cooks. Chained to the walls were two humans and a one-armed dog-headed beastman. One of the goblins spoke a bit of Archontean, and said that his name was Brokenneck and he and his companions had been captured and enslaved by the baboons. One of the humans chained to the wall was Ketil, a ranger with a strong Wiskin accent. The other was Egrk, who didn't speak any Archontean. The beastman was Marco, whose missing arm had been used as an ingredient in one of Yrsko the giant 4-armed baboon chef's meals. Ioannes cast Gift of Tongues to enable communication with Egrk, and ascertained that he lived in a cave west of the waterfall and had been taken by a nocturnal raiding party of baboons. The others had similar stories. Also in the kitchen were a fireplace with a chimney heading up, and a large magical cauldron. Ioannes asked the goblins about the cauldron, and they explained that if you said one word it got hot and if you said a different word it got cold.
Michael tried breaking Ketil's chains, but they were too strong to snap without heavy tools. Vael asked Brokenneck if he had the keys, and the goblin replied that Yrsko the big baboon cook had them.
The group went into the room to the south, which appeared to be the big baboon's bedroom, and contained a makeshift bed, a chest, and a bookshelf. Vael cautiously Apportated the chest open, and inside were a few chef's hats, a dirty apron, a nice quality knife, and some keys. There were also a couple of cookbooks on a bookshelf, one focused on mushroom dishes, the other on general Archontean cuisine. Vael grabbed the knife, books, and keys. Returning to the kitchen, they unlocked all the prisoners. They told them they would get them all out, and asked the goblins to carry the cauldron.
Continuing south from Yrsko's room, they saw closed doors to the south and east. They listened to both and didn't hear anything. They first went south, and found a room with paintings of a jungle scene with baboons on the wall. To the south was a mulch pit full of mushrooms. As they approached, one of the mushrooms started shrieking. Ioannes stepped forward to silence it. This was effective, but offended a couple of small mushroom people who were hiding in the mulch pit. Both attacked Ioannes, the first ineffectively, the second landing a pretty good punch. This drew the attention of Michael and Uvash, who finished off both of the mushroom men.
On the east side of the room was a large bust of a middle-aged Archontean man, which appeared magical. Vael tried talking to the statue, and he surprisingly responded. He said his name was Stamelis and he had been a Librarian of Thoth. Vael and Ioannes asked Stamelis a lot of questions, and he verified that the Library of Thoth was just to the west of here, that this had been Gerrilad's room, that Gerrilad hasn't been here for a couple of weeks, and that Gerrilad was not an adherent of Thoth, but followed some odd nature religion and seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with baboons. Vael wanted to take the statue with them, but it was hundreds of pounds, so they left it for now, but told Stamelis that they would return.
They checked the door to the north, and found a bedroom, with nobody home. There was a chest, which Vael again used Apportation to open. Inside was a small silver mirror and some platinum coins, which Vael took.
Heading west, the large group went through a door, saw some double doors to the south, but continued west through a single door into a cobwebby corridor. Vael was suspicious of spiders, but didn't see any. Michael eventually bravely walked right through the webs toward a door on the north wall, but as he approached it a previously unseen glyph on the floor glowed purple, and Michael ran away to the east. Vael gave Michael a few minutes to get it together, then Levitated over to the glyph. It went off even though he didn't touch it, but Vael was able to override the magical fear and open the door.
The room beyond the door contained an old rotted bed with a rotted corpse in it, and a pedestal holding a large ball of arcanum. There were also some shelves, but Vael was drawn to the arcanum and started investigating it. He decided to cast Analyze Magic, but when he touched the globe of arcanum, the body rose from the best and ran over to stop him. Vael dropped his backpack and retreated while yelling for help. Michael responded, and this time managed to pass the fear glyph. Michael, Uvash, and Ioannes chopped up the undead creature. Once it was down, Ioannes went back in the hallway and gathered up their rescued prisoners and cast Bravery on all of them, then herded them all past the glyph into the room.
Vael resumed casting the Analyze Magic spell that had been interrupted, but after about ten minutes the thoroughly dismembered corpse of an undead librarian started twitching again. Vael again suspended his spell and cast Create Fire on the corpse, incinerating it. That problem eliminated, he went back to analyzing the globe. After about an hour, he noted that the arcanum could be used to recharge magic items, and had other powers.
Not wanting to spend all day analyzing the arcanum in this dangerous environment, the group decided to escape from the Halls and analyze the globe back at the Arcane Practitioners' Club. First Vael mentioned using the small pyramid to teleport back to the other small pyramid and then take the goblins down to Gog, but Ioannes reminded him that they had never teleported in that direction and didn't know if it was possible. They then decided to just fly everyone back up the Well of Light to the surface. Vael asked Ketil to carry the arcanum globe, and the goblins to take the cauldron again, and they all went north back to the bottom of the Well. Vael cast Flight on Michael again, and he flew up and down the well many times, carrying either somebody or some heavy piece of loot on each trip. After ten trips up and down, everyone was at the top. The three goblins had run off in the commotion, but they left the magic cauldron.
The group and their remaining followers headed south through the ruins then west to the dam, where they had a wheelbarrow stashed. They put the arcanum and cauldron in the wheelbarrow, then continued south to the Long Stair. About a third of the way down, Marco the Beastmen said goodbye and went into the secret door into the Great Cavern. At the bottom of the cliff, Egrk waved goodbye and headed west. Ketil the Wiskin ranger went back to Gosterwick with the party, and helped push the wheelbarrow.
GM's Comments:
I was surprised the PCs chose the Well of Light, as the line of retreat relies heavily on magical flight, but they managed to get in, kill some baboons and an undead librarian, find a big honking globe of arcanum, and get out.
Achievements:
- The Rescuers: 1 XP for rescuing 3 goblins, Egrk, Ketil, and Marco
XP:
- Exploration: 7 new locations, 1 XP
- Loot: Magic cauldron, a few coins and gems, and a big ball of arcanum. 2 XP if they sell the arcanum.
- Achievements: 1 XP
- Total: 4 XP
Next Week:
Ioannes expressed interest in finding the Library of Thoth and moving Stamelis there. So there's a chance they will attempt that. There was also continued griping about Plumthorn's Halflings being in the way of wherever they want to go, so maybe they'll try removing them.
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