Date:
Demmasday 12th of Toternios, 2994 AE
Weather:
Hot, overcast
Player Characters:
Ioannes Grammatikos Byzantios, Archontean cleric of Demma (Demented Avenger)
Vallium Halcyon, Archontean fighter (Greybrown)
Vael Sunshadow, Half-Elven mage (Kyle)
Uvash Edzuson, Dwarven cleric of Zodarrim (Cosmo)
Lacrymosa, Elven mercenary archer (Archon Shiva)
Significant NPCs:
Asrotelian, formerly a wizard, now a wraith
Nalfeshnee demon
Rudishva dust ionizer
Basil, Right for Riches employee
Akla-Chah, Rudishva AI psychologist
Remagis, priest of Thoth
Ichthelon, mummy priest of Thoth
Stamelis, head Librarian of Thoth
Paratus, Head of Thoth, former logothete
Many goblins
Many baboons
Yamki, 3-armed intelligent giant baboon
Small Fire Elemental
2 Child constructs of Kerbog Khan
The Plan:
- Feed the baboons
- Find and kill Kerbog Khan
What Happened:
Kerbog Khan's eastern storage room had some stairs up to the south and a suspiciously perfect 6' diameter circular tunnel down to the north. The Right for Riches company headed up the stairs. At some point they were surprised by an eerie chill, and then a wraith that had been hiding on the ceiling dropped toward Lacrymosa while attempting to drink her life force. She was badly drained, but her yell gave the rest of the group time to react. Ioannes cast Affect Spirits on Vallium's sword, and Vallium ran up and bisected the wraith with his sword before it managed to kill anyone. Ioannes healed Lacrymosa and the group continued up the stairs.
A bit further up the stairs from the wraith was the corpse of an older man who appeared to have died from blunt trauma. He had a magical staff, a platinum signet ring with the letter "A", and some magical beads strung around his neck. A thorough search revealed a paper in his boot, with seals from both the College of Cinders and the Imperial House of Sight in Narsileon. Vael wanted to read the paper without opening the seals, so he used Glass Wall to look through the paper. This worked well enough to confirm that this was Asrotelian (who they had met before, but who wasn't recognizable after death and decay) was charged with bringing back "the rogue wizard Cerbactos otherwise known as Kerbog Khan alive or dead to Narsileon to face charges".
They continued up the stairs until they reached a dead end. Searching found a secret door, which led into a burial niche in the Catacombs of Thoth, northwest of the Glory of Weskenim. They had actually found this secret door before from the other side, but never opened it.
Not having pressing business with the goblins, they closed the secret door and went back downstairs to Kerbog Khan's domain. They then took the perfectly bored tunnel down. It led into a small cell with a cot, with no occupant, walls, or door. There was a similar cell across a narrow hall, which led north to a large room. The room featured Rudishva-style architecture with rounded corners, and what looked like a destroyed Rudishva console and some smashed lockers. It also featured a large angry ugly demon with hooves and impractically tiny wings, which tried and failed to ambush the group.
Vallium waited in place while Lacrymosa put arrows into both of the demon's eyes and one of its hoofed feet. This didn't put it down because it flapped its tiny wings to stay upright, but did seem to affect its vision. Vallium and Uvash then ran forward to engage the demon, while Lacrymosa shot one of its wings. Having both a foot and a wing crippled caused it to fall, and then Vallium and Uvash started pounding on it. Eventually the demon stopped moving. There was nothing particularly interesting in the room, as everything was smashed. However there were a lot of mangled bodies to the east, some with treasure. There were also some more cells to the north. Searching all the cells revealed a couple of bodies, a female elf with magical elven mail, and a Rudishva in an orange jumpsuit with a bronze Rudishva identity in her boot.
After looting the area, the group continued east and spotted some natural caverns further east, and a Rudishva iris door to the south. The door was locked, but opened to their yellow Rudishva identity plaque. Beyond the door was a small room with two Rudishva teleportation discs. Vael used Scry Gate on one, but it was closed. He touched the panel on the wall to activate it, without standing on it, and then scried it again, to reveal that it led to the Rudishva Bastion, right next to two other teleporters and a fire trap. Remembering that they wanted the Rudishva Dust Ionizer from the Bastion, they went through that teleporter. Uvash put on a Salamander Amulet to make sure he was immune to the fire trap, then walked through. The Dust Ionizer immediately came over to clean up the mess he was leaving behind him, and he picked it up (despite its beeped protests) and took it back through the fire trap into the teleporter vestibule. Vael used the yellow ID to open the force field to the other teleporter to the Beacon, and they all went through. Uvash put the Dust Ionizer down, and it immediately started cleaning the floors.
Basil came out to greet them and seemed happy that someone other than him was cleaning the floor. He said he had written down all the names on Kerbog Khan's blood samples, and presented the list to Vael. Names they recognized included Kerbog Khan himself, Wicktrimmer, Balthazar, Gog, and Killik. There were a lot of other names they didn't know.
Everyone went down the null-grav shaft to the lower level to see Akla-Chah. They gave her and Basil an update, then said they were going back to find Kerbog Khan. They took the Rudishva teleporter to the Cloister, then went through the secret passage toward the shaft up. The ones who could Levitate went up the shaft to the cave north of the Temple of Set, then brought the others through the Rug.
They walked through the Temple of Set to the Temple of Thoth, where they took out the head of Paratus and left it next to the head of Stamelis. Stamelis was not impressed. They said they were heading for the Chamber of Painful Knowledge. Remagis said he had wanted to visit the Chamber to ask Thoth a question and asked if he could come with them. They agreed to take Remagis, hoping he might know something helpful. They walked through goblin territory, where many of the goblins were friendly with Remagis, down past the sludgy pool to the Chamber of Painful Knowledge. Vallium grabbed the magical pillar and asked Thoth where Kerbog Khan was. He received a shock, but no answer. Ioannes and Remagis healed him. Ioannes asked the pillar the same question, and Thoth answered him. "Kerbog Khan is now Castellan of the Tower of Pol, near the the Drowned Canyon." He also received a shock, so Remagis healed him too. Remagis grasped the pillar and asked what Thoth would like him to do. Thoth's answer boomed out "Ichthelon is now the High Priest of Thoth in Arden Vul and should seek out the Mask of Ptoh-Ristus. You are now Assistant to the High Priest and should aid him." Remagis also got a shock, but didn't seem to mind. Vael also tried asking Thoth a question, but got no answer, just the shock.
On the way out, Remagis poured some holy water into the nearby dirty, sludgy pool. It cleared up a bit but still looked pretty gross. He took a drink, and said that its healing properties appeared to be restored. A couple of the others also took a drink, and were somewhat healed from their shocks.
Vallium said they should feed the baboons. They went back to the Glory of Weskenim. Remagis excused himself and went back to the Temple of Thoth. Vael asked the goblin guards to give them some privacy in the room with the Thothian Teleportation Ring, then they used their glass activation squares to teleport northeast of the Well of Light. They went through the secret door, past the Ruby Chair, past the Well of Light, then over toward the Howling Caves. They stopped to put down a Teleport Rug and went through to the Beacon to grab a wheelbarrow full of food for the baboons. As they approached the baboons, a guard baboon noticed them and ran to get Yamki. Yamki walked up and thanked them for bringing the food. They asked Yamki if he knew anything about the Drowned Canyon. He did not, but said he had some news. One of the other baboons had seen some elves using the hand of the huge statue of a human woman by the waterfall to go up the cliff! Yamki said that he hadn't seen it himself but this baboon was usually reliable, and they could talk to him themselves if they spoke baboon.
They didn't have a druid who would speak to animals with them, so they declined to interview the baboon, and headed back to Kerbog Khan's lair. They took another pass over the area, taking some items they had missed on the first pass, and looking harder for secret doors using a Wand of See Secrets. Vael used Analyze Magic on Kerbog Khan's forge, which revealed that the heat source was an imprisoned small fire elemental. Vael used Dispel Magic on the forge, which freed the elemental, which immediately fled while they tried to talk to it. The two child constructs that they had spared were still hiding in the privy. They grabbed the destroyed automata and took them back to the Beacon for more thorough destruction. They decided to take a day to analyze treasure, then go back after Kerbog Khan.
GM's Comments:
Using the Chamber of Painful Knowledge to find where Kerbog Khan was hiding was a nice idea. And while taking Remagis along didn't seem to give them any help with Thoth, it did give him a chance to ask Thoth for guidance, and a chance to repair the healing fountain.
Achievements:
None
XP:
- Exploration: 24 locations, 2 XP
- Loot: Kerbog Khan had a lot of stuff. 1-2 XP depending on what they sell.
- Achievements: 0 XP
- Total: 3-4 XP
Next Time:
The Right for Riches company plans to head for the Drowned Canyon and look for the Tower of Pol, so they can finish Kerbog Khan.
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