Session 12 (Online)

Recap

​ Ten days ago, you arrived at the gates of Theos' capital building. Seeking an easy payment from its God-Queen Deborhai, you accepted jobs as security patrol along the northern portion of the temple. There you uncovered an assassination attempt against Deborhai utilizing an unknown canine creature. As the dominos continued to fall and more was uncovered, it was discovered that the people or person behind this conspiracy had the terrifying power to alter fate—something that even the god of fate himself, Savras, is unable to alter.
​ You explored the Cilian Forest in Northern Theos, and eliminated the presumed assassins—cultists wearing black and red robes. There you first heard a title, "The Progenitor", the person at the top of this terrorist organization. Content for the moment with this knowledge, Queen Deborhai sent you northeastward to investigate further in Cathanna. She surmises that the one most likely to do such a thing, would of course be the God-King with a life pledged to war.
​ So, you collectively began the journey to its capital in North-Central Cathanna. Along the path you encountered an ominous corpse that seems to have followed Jazmine from beyond its resting place. You made enemies of the rat-loving citizens of Surrey, and then became its begrudging heroes after exorcising the Witch's Curse that plagued its cattle. You splurged in the small trading town of Cantus, buying magical items, armor, and local curiosities like suspiciously good lemonade, a violently powerful bread starter, and rare elven textiles. You befriended locals like Joblin the Goblin, Bhalnam the Fisherman, Greg and Gerg of Cantus Lodging, and entertained the whole town with your Battle of the Bards event. In Cantus you befriended the Eladrin Musician—Ambrosia, lost Alton to the incredible might of an abnormally large gorilla, and later recruited that same gorilla as well thanks to Jazmine befriending it.
​ As you were about to leave the town, a gentleman that Amber had previously encountered named Anwir approached the party. He asked to take the gorilla with him—explaining that it had escaped from one of his coworkers. After y'all vehemently rejected any attempts to take the gorilla, Anwir conceded and strolled ahead on the path northward to Herriston. Shortly thereafter, the party was ambushed by the same cultists clad in black and red—this time led by a more decorated member later referred to as "The Hierophant".
​ You slayed all but one of the members, restraining him with rope and interrogating him for info. He confirmed that "The Progenitor" was the first and head of the organization, though he was a newer member and could not recall the man's real name. He vaguely outlined the structure of the organization, having Acolytes like himself at the bottom, serving under the direction of a Hierophant, and that Hierophant serving under the direction of an Exarch like Anwir. Beyond that he doesn't remember, but he thinks Anwir's superior may have started with an A too, or maybe it was a C...Mirdis, grown tired of the captives forgetfulness and constant pleas for mercy, stabs him in the jugular—ending his life quickly. To Joblin's horror and disgust, the party continues northward as well, leaving the numerous bloodied corpses in Joblin's front yard.
​ You continued on down the path for some time, the rain beginning to fall harder and harder. Far off in the distance behind you, the blurry image of what looked like a chariot or wagon pulled by invisible creatures came over the horizon. Many of you took to hiding behind the tree-line for fear of the large, fast-moving object; Mirdis cast invisibility on himself and continued walking. As the object neared closer and closer, it became apparent that the object was not a chariot, but a sleigh pulled by 8 muscular rats—and the one holding the reigns was Darius—the blacksmith from Surrey. He halted the sleigh as you stepped out of the tree-line, explaining his new Rat-Taxi service that he's piloting. He offered you a ride to Herriston, and so you all (minus Mirdis) pile into the back of the roofed sleigh to get out of the rain.
​ You speed by an invisible and unaware Mirdis, unable to locate him in the heavy rain. Further down the road, the rats begin acting strangely. A chittering suddenly starts from a few of them, spreading to all of them, and then the 8 scatter from their positions in an uncoordinated attempt to turn the sleigh around. However, the rats are not fast enough, and the unknown cause behind their distress reveals itself: A loud crashing sound erupts and the ground around you appears to rise, swallowing you and the sleigh as you fall down the sinkhole that's been violently opened by the storm...

Treasure Hoard

• Moist Bag of Holding (Fisher Wizard)
• Rat Talisman (Fisher Wizard)
• Monocle of Detect True Evil (Fisher Wizard)
• Fierna's Emblem (Fisher Wizard)
• Baatorian Fishing Rod (Fisher Wizard)
• Mysterious Bread Starter (Ambrosia)
• Mysterious Rock x2 (Mirdis)

Dungeon Layout

Rotunda

This is the room the party falls into. The busted up sleigh lies on top of a now shattered marble statue that seemed to stand in the center of the rotunda; it seemed to be a Horned Devil of some sort. Above them, remnants of dim sunlight shines through the sinkhole, dimly illuminating their surroundings. A hill of dirt and stone covers the north-west corner of the room, with two corridors to the South and East that stretch off into the darkness.
East South

Messaged Halls

On these halls are seemingly indecipherable inscriptions—but readable to those who know Infernal. It seems to call these halls "The Vessels of Glasya", boasting of its strong fortification and the cunning minds that operate it. It ends its sort of creed by reemphasizing its creators supremacy, referring to slaves or perhaps soldiers who it likens to cattle being fattened for the slaughter.
North South

Infirmary

A dusty, decrepit, sterile room that houses an array of old equipment for emergency medical assistance. Crutches, a wheelchair, old bandages, a manual drill, and a handsaw among other things. In the center of the room is what seems to be an examination chair bolted to the ground. In the chair lies a clothed skeleton with a crossbow bolt sticking out of its mouth that pierces its skull into the chair's headrest.
If the party checks the skeleton's coat pocket, then they will find a pseudo-living key made of bone.
West

Statue Room

On either side at the end of the hall, a marble statue of vaguely-human form is stood on a pedestal overlooking the party—halberd in hand. The moment someone breaches the region between the two, the construct-statues will click to life and swing down on both sides at the intruder.
North South

Hub Room

Beyond the statues is a disorganized lounging room with tables and chairs flipped and damaged. In the north-east corner of the room a mummified body is tucked into a ball and wedged between a chest and the surrounding stone walls.
In the middle of the room a table lays on its side—as well as several chairs that look to have been thrown. Amidst this chaotic scene, a lone journal lies open on the ground with its pages sprawled across the dusty stone floor.
(This is where I'd put what's in the journal).
North East West South

War Room

Double doors open up to a long table and a dozen and a half chairs sat around it; only a few of these chairs are toppled, with most positioned relatively orderly around the table. On the western wall hangs a ripped tapestry of how these people depicted the region—only recognizable by Cathanna's distinctive coast.
East

Stockpile

A sliding wooden door reveals a small storage room with weapon racks, tubs of coal, lamp oil, flint, crossbow bolts, common spell ingredients, and some sticky empty bottles. There's a rack for 3 shortswords, for 3 crossbows, and for 5 daggers. Two short swords are still on the rack, one dagger remains on its rack, and two smashed crossbows lie in pieces on the floor with the third one missing.
West

Hidden Staircase

Investigating the southern wall will reveal a stone brick that bears a very faintly inscribed magical circle. Touching this particular brick, you can feel a strange sensation—sort of as if it's attempting to gently suck your very soul from you through your fingertips. You're unsure of why or how, but deep inside you know that this peculiar stone is asking you for something...
By presenting it with the insignia of Fierna, the wall's center will begin sliding and rearranging to reveal a wide staircase that descends several stories.
North South

Three-Key Door

Past the staircase is a large reinforced door made of a sinister looking matte black metal. Inlaid within its center are three keyholes matching the shape and size of the bone keys. At the base of the door sits a bone key—its strange ribcage-like teeth dragging it repeatedly against the metal door and creating a pattern of scratch marks as well as a pile of dust from the worn bone collecting at its base.
After inserting the three keys, they will slowly claw their way deeper into the keyhole before fully unlocking the door and allowing the party to push open the door.
North South

Cavern

The black door opens into a massive natural cavern that houses a huge, green, Troll-Ogre creature who stands before you braced for battle as if it's been waiting for this precise moment. Behind the creature is a rough and narrow stone staircase ascending to a room just above its eye-level. The cavern's ceiling is covered in stalactites of varying lengths that sit just a short reach away from the creature.
North South

Treasure Room

Ascending the treacherous back staircase of the large cavern reveals a modest, somewhat unfinished display room of treasures.
(This is where I'd list the magic items that it holds)
Beside the treasures is a curious scene: Most apparent is the deeply complex magic circle written in now-dried blood of about 8 feet in diameter. In its center sits an unsuspecting ring, and directly above it a skull with a crossbow bolt nailing it to the ceiling through the top of its head. In the room's back corner lies a bloodstained dagger, and directly in front of the doorway is a fired hand-crossbow.
North

Journal

It's sloppily written Infernal, hastily penned with a piece of charcoal.

Entry 1:

• It's written from the perspective of a certain "General Sathos". It recounts an event in which their secret location was discovered and attacked during the proceedings of a standard wartime meeting. All of the officers present were killed in combat, aside from General Akmenus, General Sathos, and General Rhaegar. They escaped their deaths by collapsing the rest of the structure on the invading combatants—destroying their adversaries but sealing themselves inside at the same time.

Entry 2:

• General Sathos details that the food supply was much shallower than expected. A mere few bottles of honey and a couple of canteens. Akmenus has isolated himself and rarely moves. Rhaegar constantly prowls like a trapped predator, and Sathos is beginning to lose hope of any escape from this tomb.

Entry 3:

• General Sathos sorrowfully regrets the fact that the strongest of combatants are often the ones who lack emotional restraint or empathy. He then explains that Rhaegar has murdered Akmenus and taken to eating his flesh to continue sustaining himself. Sathos is unsure if he will likewise partake or allow himself to simply perish.

Entry 4:

• This entry is the final and most hastily looking entry of the four. General Sathos describes that Rhaegar has been shouting manically from the halls, insisting that he's discovered the path to escape. Sathos explains that there's a hidden storage room in this facility for the army's treasures, which he believes to be what Rhaegar is talking about. The final door's keys were spread between the three generals for security, but the passageway to that door was only unlockable through the unique-signature of infernal magic. The three of them apparently used to have items that contained this signature, but it's not explained how they lost them. Rather, Sathos laments that he is weaker than Rhaegar now, and writes as though he's convinced that a horrible end will come to him in Rhaegar's delusions of salvation.

Magic Items

Silver Amulet

• This Silver Amulet lies in the center of the bloody sigil. It's ornately embossed with whirling streaks that coalesce into screaming faces, against a background of engraved fire and sharp unnerving scenery. In its center sits a smooth, red, circular stone, and inside the stone there's periodically a subtle dark swirling motion that appears.
• If the wearer dies while wearing this amulet, they will briefly vanish and reappear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet. They gain hit points equal to 3d6 + their Constitution modifier. Once the amulet is used, a ghastly groaning is heard, and the stone loses its brilliant hue.
• Identifying this magic item will reveal it to be an amulet of Temporal Salvation.

Ring of Jumping

• This bronze-colored ring is engraved to have four pairs of footprints interspaced by several coiling spring designs around its sides.
• While wearing this ring, you can cast the jump spell from it as a bonus action at will, but can target only yourself when you do so.

Guide Rings of the Pact Keeper (Owen)

• A set of magical rings made from an alloy of Adamantine and Infernal Iron. It can be equipped to a fishing rod to grant +1 to spell attack rolls and spell DC

Ear Cuff of Mind Shielding (Stanley)

• A silver ear cuff with a thin transparent band of voidglass in the middle. While wearing this cuff, you're immune to magic that allows other creatures to read your thoughts, determine if you're lying, know your alignment, or know your creature type. Creatures can telepathically communicate with you only if you allow it.
• If you die while wearing the cuff, your soul enters it (unless it already houses a soul). You can remain in the cuff or depart for the afterlife. As long as your soul is in the cuff, you can telepathically communicate with any creature wearing it. A wearer can't prevent this telepathic communication.

Clawed Hairpin (Timmy)

• An elegant clawed hairpin resembling a tree branch with freshly blossoming flowers. The petals of its flowers flare with purple light when you enter combat. While wearing the hairpin, you gain a +1 to attack rolls and damage rolls made with unarmed strikes and natural weapons while wild-shaped. Such attacks gain the magical property.

Rhythm Maker's Bongos (Éva)

• While holding these bongos, you gain +1 to spell attack rolls and to the saving throw DCs of your bard spells. As an action, you can play the bongos to regain one use of your Bardic Inspiration feature. This property of the bongos can't be used again until the next dawn.

Pot of Awakening (Jasmine)

• If you plant an ordinary shrub in this 10-pound clay pot and let it grow for 30 days, the shrub magically transforms into an awakened shrub at the end of that time. When the shrub awakens, its roots break the pot, destroying it.

Marble Guard Statblock

Troll-Ogre Statblock