Sorry for the delay here. Busy couple of weeks for me, but the nice thing is that the 4th session is this afternoon so I should have the next update in a couple days
I also apologize that the combat isn't quite as detailed as it has been previously. It was a pretty massive fight, and I was too busy tracking hitpoints and the like to take very good notes.
Third Session
March 10, 2013
As the party paused at the foot of the stone steps to let their eyes adjust to the blackness of the cavern they began to hear a steady arrhythmic beat of drums from across the underground lake. They also saw a dim red glow in the distance. A 20 foot high meheir was also visible at the waters edge.
Approaching the shore the sight of a dragon prowed longship came into view, silhouetted against the glow. Expecting an attack the party waited for a horde of beastmen, but none came. Coming closer to the stone it became clear that it was covered in strange, twisting runes, and sigils, and there was a narrow set of stone steps carved into its sides winding towards the top.
Valin approached the stone and began to study it. He was suddenly possessed with an overwhelming urge to murder Chuck and carve his heart out. Drawing his dagger he fell upon his unsuspecting victim, and with a single vicious thrust smashed through his breastbone and began to tear his heart out.
Reacting with the stunning speed his people are known for Chuckles turned on Valin and stabbed him in the spine as he tried to complete his foul work.
After the excitement died down and Chuck and Valin’s bodies were looted (with Chuckles claiming Valin’s glowing skull) the party climbed to the top of the menheir where they found a puddle of wax in a shallow carved bowl with a wick inside. After some debate they lit the candle and the dragon ship moved to the shore allowing them to board.
A few moments after everyone was aboard the strange ship, some strange sorcery caused the ship to pull away from the shore and begin sailing across the lake towards the glow that they had seen earlier. After what felt like an eternity sailing through the dark the boat suddenly shuddered as though struck from below and suddenly two great tentacles emerged from the black water some distance ahead of the ship. Thinking quickly Jarbosh threw Valin’s body into the water and the beast disappeared.
Eventually the boat was close enough to the light that it became clear that it was a 3 tiered zigguratt with an angry red glow from the top. Suddenly the boat was violently rocked as the tentacles reappeared, clearly disappointed with the parties previous offering and attacked the adventurers. The tentacles began wrapping around the adventurers as they desperately hacked at them while at the same time trying to free their ensnared comrades. Amazingly enough, after a frantic and desperate battle they managed to drive the beast off without suffering any casualties.
The ship ran aground at the foot of the ramp circling the ziggurat and the party disembarked. They counted nearly 20 beastmen on the ramp and after some debate it was determined that a frontal assault would be the only chance of success.
A brutal melee ensued on the sides of the zuggurat, the blood of both beastmen and the adventures running in rivulets down the sides of the dark temple. Packed along the narrow path, there was little room for tactics, just a slow, painful grind up the side of the temple, stepping over the bodies of the fallen. Chuckles, Stavros and Stark both met their ends skewered on the tips of beastmen spears. Just as all seemed lost the leader of the beastmen shouted that the adventurers would make good sacrifices, and to take them alive. Jarbosh and Marcus were both grappled and dragged up the ramp towards certain doom. Toki took up the van and began the grim work of hacking through the press of beastmen between him and his comrades while Marcus and Jarbosh fought like demons stabbing, punching, and kicking the beastmen that had the surrounded.
Upon reaching the top of the alter Jarbosh saw a beastmen shaman and his acoloytes push a strange coffin like device made out of a silvery material with a hinged door into a hole at the top where the light was emanating from. The two acolytes moved to engaged him while the shaman began drawing something up from the pit by means of a rope and pulley. He also saw a small fortune in gold and silver scattered about, as well as a strange, dessicated looking corpse with a silvery object on the ground beside it.
When the object was pulled from the hole it became obvious that it was a lava covered human figure. As the party slaughtered the shaman the lava cooled, cracked, and then burst apart revealing a black armoured figure wielding a massive two handed flail. The party fell upon the monster and after a short battle struck it down. Its body melted into magma, leaving a suit of scale armour, and a flail behind. After catching their breath, Rothgar approached the mummified corpse while Marcus bent to pick up the flail and armour.
Rothgar saw that the corpse looked vaguely like a Starborn, but with even more exaggerated features. The silver object turned out to be a pistol, but of a form Rothgar couldn’t recognize. It didn’t even seem to have a bore down the barrel.
At the same time Marcus reached down to examine the flail and armour. Suddenly the magma that made up the dark beings corpse animated into a pillar of flame which lashed out at him. Dodging back just in time Marcus escaped with nothing worse than badly blistered skin. Rothgar then turned, pointed the pistol device at the pillar and pulled the trigger. There was a crack of electricity, the stink of ozone and everyone’s hair stood on end for a moment as a bolt of energy flew from the mouth of the gun striking the pillar of flame causing it to collapse back in on itself and disappear. A small display on the back of the gun then lit up and changed from 9 to 8 before going dark again. Clearly this was a great and powerful artifact of the starfarers.
The party scarcely had time to realize what had just happened when the ground began to shake with a low bass rumble filling the air. Pieces of rock began falling from the ceiling smashing into the ziggurat and the lake. Deciding that the time had come to leave Marcus recovered the scale armour and flail while Jarbosh retrieved the body of the Starfarer. Rothgar, Toki, Yonolind, Carlos, and Eli scraped as much gold and silver from the ground as they could before retreating down the ziggurat towards the ship.
As the cavern collapsed around them the boat was picked up by a massive wave and pressed towards a narrow opening at the far end of the lake. A wild ride through a narrow cave followed the boat repeatedly smashing into the walls and ceiling breaking up as it went. After what felt like an eternity the boat was ejected from a hole in the side of a canyon and smashed into pieces on the ground.
Most of the party had survived with little more than cuts and bruises, but a portion of the mast had smashed into Toki’s head when it broke off and he was beyond saving, even if they hadn’t lost the medi-kit along with Stavros’ body during the battle with the beastmen.
Upon examining the scale armour Marcus realized that under the black lacquer the armour itself was made from star metal, meaning that he could comfortably wear it.
Taking stock of their situation the party realized that although they were battered, lost, and exhausted they were also wealthy, and perhaps more importantly they were now, truly adventurers.
Rothgar the Cultist, 1st level Chaotic Wizard, and possessor of the Star Man’s pistol.
Jarbosh the Squire, 1st level Lawful Warrior.
Marcus the Wanderer, 1st level Lawful Starborn.
Eli the Begger, 1st level Neutral Thief.
Carlos the Wilding, 1st level Neutral Warrior.
Yorland the Astrologist, 1st level Neutral Wizard.