Legacy of Death Part V: Dead-eye of the storm
- Thread starter TerraDave
- Start date
Flaming Bob
First Post
*Urk*
TerraDave
5ever, or until 2024
The last serf, while not brought down, is at least chased off. Lucian is stabilized, but doesn’t really seem like himself in the following days.
They enter the bunker, and with some searching, find a great treasure: food! Wrapped in strange packets (which they will eventually know is made of “plastic”) and requiring odd means of preparation, add water!, they are hungry enough to feast on the semi-synthetic edibles. They also find a cold ceramic ring, and a “grenade” that may be designed to be used in wate. And lots of practically identical clothes, also made of not-entirely natural materials.
They head out, and journey for more days. Eventually they encounter a strange creature with glowing red eyes. Yex the Yexil flies down to them, and alternates between menacing and disappointed. Eventually it is confirmed that its hunger, and interest in them, is primarily for clothes, especially the kind they found in the serf bunker. Its off, promising its gratitude if the clothes are actually there.
They continue on the main road which they believe leads to Burlin. On it, they encounter a group of mounted men, some of large horses with unusually intelligent eyes, others on strange horse-insect hybrids. They have a kind of plate-armor that, like so much here, is somewhat strange in its nature, and a mix of familiar weapons and things that the party realizes might be (more powerful) weapons. They are not friendly, pouring scorn and insults on the “mutants” that make up the party. The party responds with surprising restraint, and a less surprising amount of confusion (mutant?). Forge, particularly sharp eyed, notices a red square decorating some of their apparel.
A caravan arrives from the other direction, and an exchange of words between its leader and the most belligerent knight—Sir Dept—seems to diffuse the situation. For now. It is revealed that Sir Dept is the brother of the Lord of the settlement they seek.
With the caravan, they finally reach it. Over two weeks after appearing in the strange oasis of the Lil.
Most of Burlin is taken up by a single, huge, building…
See attached pictures…
…that seems to have been built by a more advanced civilization. Hundreds if not thousands live in this one building, which also houses many of the merchants and shops of this place. It is connected to the Inn run by the Holiday family, around which are found the “lots”, more recent and ramshackle dwellings and stalls, which includes the Food Court selling a range of freshly butchered meet and gathered and grown produce and the stable of Mr Ford.
They investigate the settlement. Gold is changed for Burlin credits at the bank, “stim shots” for quick healing are purchased at Mr Body’s Apothecary, and information is sought…on finding a transport of some kind to another dimension…
The two sages are sought out, the reputable Mr Dalton, and the more mis-trusted Mr. Wald. Gold and information is given to Mr Wald, who replies with promises of finding something…The blue skinned Mr. Dalton replies with many questions of his own, and eventually produces Dar Tenibor. The main contribution of these local sages is to encourage Nar to review his own findings with the rest of the party. As they are perused, it is realized that this world may have been foreshadowed in the notes of Simon Amber and the strange lore of the Book.
[sblock]
1. In Old Deamorria none paralleled the city Moil for the erudition of its scholars or its wealth of lore. Then it fell under the sway of necromancers and the shadow Aether swallowed the city, forever cursed.
2. Most modrons will not accept a bribe.
3. The firmament that separates the mortal worlds from the immortal ones is not a wall or sphere, but a lattice with many strange twists and distortions.
4. From deep in the Cosmos a great source of darkness and necrotic power has emerged, touching many worlds. In coming years, no land will be immune.
5. Some mortal worlds are more isolated by the firmament then others.
6. With the breath of the dread god Zorrath did He imbue Orcus and Vecna with immortality and the incarnates of undeath and dark lore did they become.
7. Vecna once walked Thraeya, to the great cities of Karnakos , strange temples of and tombs of Khembia, dark holds of Kazduaen, of course, ruins of once great Deamorria.
8. Vecna is said to disguise himself as a beggar to walk among others both amassing and dispensing dark lore.
9. These followers of Orcus and Vecna, those that dare whisper the name of Zorrath, how many such death cultist may there be?
10. In Moil they were said to summon forth the great Codex, that which could only be born on the back of mighty beasts and none could read and maintain a grasp of their immediate reality; and from this Codex did they take much dark lore before others took the Codex in turn.
11. In Moil they were said to travel to a throne carved for the gods. They held dark rites there.
12. Ours may not be the only mortal world. This is practically a fact among the learned. Ours may not be the only Cosmos. This is heresy.
13. The power of a god must both be given and taken.
14. The thesis there are angels, not fallen angels that are devils, but just angels, that are evil, is untrue, or at least exaggerated.
15. Where the darkest remnants of Kron and the Beast arose the Abyss, from the nether regions of Chaos. But is this the true realm of slaads?
16. A mortal world barely connected to and unknown to ours saw great and horrible death that still reverberates.
17. The diseases of ghouls, vampires, and mummies are “natural” manifestations of their nature, a bit of the shadow Aether brought into the living.
18. The first demons were said to come from the dead body of Kron like maggots from rotting meat. But what of what was spawned from the offal of the Beast slain by Kron and Yavara?
19. Negotiations with a Slaad are unlikely to be fruitful.
20. Height, length, width, even time may not be limit of dimensionality. Strange tales tale of the tesseract, a “cube” that extends into one of these other dimensions.
21. Nothing would be better then delivering the Hive directly into Lolths lair.
22. …and this creature became the lich Acererak. Over the scores of years which followed, the lich dwelled with hordes of ghastly servants in the gloomy stone halls of the very hill where the Tomb is. Eventually even the undead life force of Acererak began to wane, so for the next 8 decades, the lich’s servants labored to create the Tomb of Horrors. Then Acererak destroyed all of his slaves and servitors, magically hid the entrance to his halls, and went to his final haunt…
23. Whence this so called Sigil? The deep lore makes no mention of it. It is not the making of Ordos, or Chaos, or angel or fiend. Yet they say it is there. Even if it always was not.
24. Tiefling racial appearance may be much wider ranging then most Thraeyans imagine.
25. The Aether, strange and fragmented as any part of the Cosmos, courses with eldritch energies. The elements called on by arcane formula, the dark shadows that lead souls ever deeper to the beyond and the warping touch of true gods and risen incarnates.
26. The Aether, its domains of dread and feywilds entice, its mists dazzle and daze. It leads to all lands, but its paths may never end. The depths that can be plunged, greater than anything under Kazduaen.
27. No avatar of good could bring back the mercy chalice. It took a Queen of Thieves.
28. Mortal worlds may range as widely as any distant Astral realm.
29. The dark Aether may bring one to the level of the Styx, and the layer of Pluton. This is obvious.
30. To satisfy the dread god, is it merely a question of spreading the shadow and its influence?
31. It is well known that Gith made dark bargains to free her people from the Illithid and lead them to Astral Realms. As it is well known that these races battle still.
32. The mistress of the Githyanki, greater then Vecna?
33. The Cant is an atrocity. As to be expected.
34. The need for the sacrifice of sentient humanoids is undisputed. But one should not underestimate the appeal of eating them, especially for greater hags and slaads.
35. This book seems to want things.
36. Cosmic rifts, also heresy?
37. Some dwarves are said to make smoke powder, and alchemist other things, but the idea that great weapons as powerful as any magic seems both ludicrous and compelling.
38. The Amber family is largely deranged.
39. The portals between planes may be slowly vanishing. Or at least faster than they can be made.
40. No on associated with Melkar house can be trusted.
41. Some ancient liches maintain their form, others seem to revert to pure dust. The demi-lich is a deadly hybrid, a minimal physical presence while its soul roamed strange planes and worlds unknown to even the wisest of sages.
42. If one could map the dark places of the Aether…a tracing from which undying power would be unlimited. But to create a rift. That would also be interesting.
[/sblock]
The significance of all this and the links to the demilich are not entirely clear. The scholars also restore Robot1s databanks (in return for access to them), and the robot confirms that the unliving may have been used as servitors in this place. (Tenibor however still maintains that the zombie part of apocalypse is largely an urban legend).
They also note that a nearby “base” (the kind of place they find Robot1) might offer some clues. Or more accurately, its all they can come up with as Dalton and Tenibor investigate more.
The base is travelled to and entered after Buckthorn jimmies the lock. It contains strange, flickering, unnatural light and other features familiar from where Robot1 was found. A small bio-construct lizard that stands on Nar’s shoulder is also found.
But most of the base is still to be explored.
(I am linking to the map on roll20. Launch the campaign to see it. But say what your character is doing by posting in this thread. If you can’t access the map, let me know and I will send you the code or invite).
http://app.roll20.net/campaigns/details/40732/legacy-of-death
They enter the bunker, and with some searching, find a great treasure: food! Wrapped in strange packets (which they will eventually know is made of “plastic”) and requiring odd means of preparation, add water!, they are hungry enough to feast on the semi-synthetic edibles. They also find a cold ceramic ring, and a “grenade” that may be designed to be used in wate. And lots of practically identical clothes, also made of not-entirely natural materials.
They head out, and journey for more days. Eventually they encounter a strange creature with glowing red eyes. Yex the Yexil flies down to them, and alternates between menacing and disappointed. Eventually it is confirmed that its hunger, and interest in them, is primarily for clothes, especially the kind they found in the serf bunker. Its off, promising its gratitude if the clothes are actually there.
They continue on the main road which they believe leads to Burlin. On it, they encounter a group of mounted men, some of large horses with unusually intelligent eyes, others on strange horse-insect hybrids. They have a kind of plate-armor that, like so much here, is somewhat strange in its nature, and a mix of familiar weapons and things that the party realizes might be (more powerful) weapons. They are not friendly, pouring scorn and insults on the “mutants” that make up the party. The party responds with surprising restraint, and a less surprising amount of confusion (mutant?). Forge, particularly sharp eyed, notices a red square decorating some of their apparel.
A caravan arrives from the other direction, and an exchange of words between its leader and the most belligerent knight—Sir Dept—seems to diffuse the situation. For now. It is revealed that Sir Dept is the brother of the Lord of the settlement they seek.
With the caravan, they finally reach it. Over two weeks after appearing in the strange oasis of the Lil.
Most of Burlin is taken up by a single, huge, building…
See attached pictures…
…that seems to have been built by a more advanced civilization. Hundreds if not thousands live in this one building, which also houses many of the merchants and shops of this place. It is connected to the Inn run by the Holiday family, around which are found the “lots”, more recent and ramshackle dwellings and stalls, which includes the Food Court selling a range of freshly butchered meet and gathered and grown produce and the stable of Mr Ford.
They investigate the settlement. Gold is changed for Burlin credits at the bank, “stim shots” for quick healing are purchased at Mr Body’s Apothecary, and information is sought…on finding a transport of some kind to another dimension…
The two sages are sought out, the reputable Mr Dalton, and the more mis-trusted Mr. Wald. Gold and information is given to Mr Wald, who replies with promises of finding something…The blue skinned Mr. Dalton replies with many questions of his own, and eventually produces Dar Tenibor. The main contribution of these local sages is to encourage Nar to review his own findings with the rest of the party. As they are perused, it is realized that this world may have been foreshadowed in the notes of Simon Amber and the strange lore of the Book.
[sblock]
1. In Old Deamorria none paralleled the city Moil for the erudition of its scholars or its wealth of lore. Then it fell under the sway of necromancers and the shadow Aether swallowed the city, forever cursed.
2. Most modrons will not accept a bribe.
3. The firmament that separates the mortal worlds from the immortal ones is not a wall or sphere, but a lattice with many strange twists and distortions.
4. From deep in the Cosmos a great source of darkness and necrotic power has emerged, touching many worlds. In coming years, no land will be immune.
5. Some mortal worlds are more isolated by the firmament then others.
6. With the breath of the dread god Zorrath did He imbue Orcus and Vecna with immortality and the incarnates of undeath and dark lore did they become.
7. Vecna once walked Thraeya, to the great cities of Karnakos , strange temples of and tombs of Khembia, dark holds of Kazduaen, of course, ruins of once great Deamorria.
8. Vecna is said to disguise himself as a beggar to walk among others both amassing and dispensing dark lore.
9. These followers of Orcus and Vecna, those that dare whisper the name of Zorrath, how many such death cultist may there be?
10. In Moil they were said to summon forth the great Codex, that which could only be born on the back of mighty beasts and none could read and maintain a grasp of their immediate reality; and from this Codex did they take much dark lore before others took the Codex in turn.
11. In Moil they were said to travel to a throne carved for the gods. They held dark rites there.
12. Ours may not be the only mortal world. This is practically a fact among the learned. Ours may not be the only Cosmos. This is heresy.
13. The power of a god must both be given and taken.
14. The thesis there are angels, not fallen angels that are devils, but just angels, that are evil, is untrue, or at least exaggerated.
15. Where the darkest remnants of Kron and the Beast arose the Abyss, from the nether regions of Chaos. But is this the true realm of slaads?
16. A mortal world barely connected to and unknown to ours saw great and horrible death that still reverberates.
17. The diseases of ghouls, vampires, and mummies are “natural” manifestations of their nature, a bit of the shadow Aether brought into the living.
18. The first demons were said to come from the dead body of Kron like maggots from rotting meat. But what of what was spawned from the offal of the Beast slain by Kron and Yavara?
19. Negotiations with a Slaad are unlikely to be fruitful.
20. Height, length, width, even time may not be limit of dimensionality. Strange tales tale of the tesseract, a “cube” that extends into one of these other dimensions.
21. Nothing would be better then delivering the Hive directly into Lolths lair.
22. …and this creature became the lich Acererak. Over the scores of years which followed, the lich dwelled with hordes of ghastly servants in the gloomy stone halls of the very hill where the Tomb is. Eventually even the undead life force of Acererak began to wane, so for the next 8 decades, the lich’s servants labored to create the Tomb of Horrors. Then Acererak destroyed all of his slaves and servitors, magically hid the entrance to his halls, and went to his final haunt…
23. Whence this so called Sigil? The deep lore makes no mention of it. It is not the making of Ordos, or Chaos, or angel or fiend. Yet they say it is there. Even if it always was not.
24. Tiefling racial appearance may be much wider ranging then most Thraeyans imagine.
25. The Aether, strange and fragmented as any part of the Cosmos, courses with eldritch energies. The elements called on by arcane formula, the dark shadows that lead souls ever deeper to the beyond and the warping touch of true gods and risen incarnates.
26. The Aether, its domains of dread and feywilds entice, its mists dazzle and daze. It leads to all lands, but its paths may never end. The depths that can be plunged, greater than anything under Kazduaen.
27. No avatar of good could bring back the mercy chalice. It took a Queen of Thieves.
28. Mortal worlds may range as widely as any distant Astral realm.
29. The dark Aether may bring one to the level of the Styx, and the layer of Pluton. This is obvious.
30. To satisfy the dread god, is it merely a question of spreading the shadow and its influence?
31. It is well known that Gith made dark bargains to free her people from the Illithid and lead them to Astral Realms. As it is well known that these races battle still.
32. The mistress of the Githyanki, greater then Vecna?
33. The Cant is an atrocity. As to be expected.
34. The need for the sacrifice of sentient humanoids is undisputed. But one should not underestimate the appeal of eating them, especially for greater hags and slaads.
35. This book seems to want things.
36. Cosmic rifts, also heresy?
37. Some dwarves are said to make smoke powder, and alchemist other things, but the idea that great weapons as powerful as any magic seems both ludicrous and compelling.
38. The Amber family is largely deranged.
39. The portals between planes may be slowly vanishing. Or at least faster than they can be made.
40. No on associated with Melkar house can be trusted.
41. Some ancient liches maintain their form, others seem to revert to pure dust. The demi-lich is a deadly hybrid, a minimal physical presence while its soul roamed strange planes and worlds unknown to even the wisest of sages.
42. If one could map the dark places of the Aether…a tracing from which undying power would be unlimited. But to create a rift. That would also be interesting.
[/sblock]
The significance of all this and the links to the demilich are not entirely clear. The scholars also restore Robot1s databanks (in return for access to them), and the robot confirms that the unliving may have been used as servitors in this place. (Tenibor however still maintains that the zombie part of apocalypse is largely an urban legend).
They also note that a nearby “base” (the kind of place they find Robot1) might offer some clues. Or more accurately, its all they can come up with as Dalton and Tenibor investigate more.
The base is travelled to and entered after Buckthorn jimmies the lock. It contains strange, flickering, unnatural light and other features familiar from where Robot1 was found. A small bio-construct lizard that stands on Nar’s shoulder is also found.
But most of the base is still to be explored.
(I am linking to the map on roll20. Launch the campaign to see it. But say what your character is doing by posting in this thread. If you can’t access the map, let me know and I will send you the code or invite).
http://app.roll20.net/campaigns/details/40732/legacy-of-death
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TerraDave
5ever, or until 2024
(and I don't have access to the map...will update tomorow.)
Each leads to an identical room. Each contains what could be described as stalls. Many have a sort of door, but Forge notes a chair of some kind in each. Accept for damage, etc, each stall and chair is the same.
Forge notes no other exit from either chamber.
Each leads to an identical room. Each contains what could be described as stalls. Many have a sort of door, but Forge notes a chair of some kind in each. Accept for damage, etc, each stall and chair is the same.
Forge notes no other exit from either chamber.
There are three more doors in this main room, one just a few feet above the bathroom stalls (I'm sure he could figure it out). He'll check them out clockwise, checking the doors first entering rooms and rummaging etc. until something comes up or companions finish messing around in the offices.
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