Demonskar Legacy – Chapter 3
OOC Notes:
Experience revision from last session: Revised figures are 3500 for 8th level characters, 4669 exp for 7th level. For those wondering why the revision, Wizardru has been looking ahead and looking at the material for coming adventures. Shackled City is full of great material but is not always totally clear on their expectations of where the characters will be level-wise at each adventure. So Wizardru is making occasional adjustments to help make sure we’re not underpowered for some coming encounters.
Exp for this session TBD later.
This Week’s Adventure:
As promised, everything was arranged for us. Two boats were set up and waiting, complete with a tow-behind raft to accommodate Glyph’s menagerie which wouldn’t fit in the boats. We were also given some basic instructions and a map. The river was slow and lazy here, but it would get brisk and deep at some points, and the girls decided that removing the plate armor would probably be a safe thing to do, even knowing they’d probably regret it later.
The girls were split between the boats and took primary rowing duty but at points everyone needed to pitch in just to get through some of the swifter currents. Maris did her level best but managed to exhaust herself the unaccustomed physical labor.
They weren’t lying when they said it was wild country, either. Not far out of Redgorge, the jungle closed in hard and fast and the was no sign of civilization. Life teemed everywhere in the jungle and the river. Fish jumped out of the water, chasing prey, and occasionally a clawed hand would reach up and snatch a fish. Fortunately the owner of the hand showed no interest in us. The intense effort of rowing the boats made the time pass quickly and before long, someone in the lead boat made out a large statue of a headless demon on the left bank. It took some hard pulling at the oars, but the girls managed to bring both boats up on shore in a smooth landing.
Just as we pulled up, I noticed most of the birds in the area startle and fly away. But after they had left, there were still birds calling back and forth. So if the birds had flown away, what was making bird calls?
The answer came with a volley of poisoned arrows from the jungle edge. Everyone dove down and got behind the boats as best they could, except Bellsin who slipped into the jungle’s cover. Peering over the boat’s edge we could make out gnolls in the jungle. They were wearing scraps and hides as armor, but their marksmanship was certainly refined.
Even though the beach was small and the jungle only a few paces away, Elizabeth and Astrid did not relish the idea of charging the gnolls without any armor on. Kris used a prayer to destroy one of the gnoll bows, but for the most part the Blue Tygers waited hoping to draw the gnolls out.
The gnolls weren’t coming through. Maris had started a long incantation and when it was clear the gnolls wouldn’t come, she let it fly. A massive gout of fire spread out in the middle of the line of gnolls. Jungle and flesh burned away with equal speed and the entire field stopped in a stunned moment.
The problem with indiscriminate fire is that it’s indiscriminate. Bellsin had been slipping in behind the gnoll leader when the fiery discharge washed over the gnolls, and over him. He fared better in that he survived where the gnolls were killed outright, but his flesh was burned black where any was left on his body.
Astrid and Elizabeth took advantage of the confusion to charge the gnolls. One went left, the other right, and started cutting down what was left of the gnoll line. Once the girls engaged, Kris moved in and did what he could to help Bellsin before he died outright.
The girls were able to finish the gnolls and Maris made sure the one who tried to flee didn’t make it far. I’m not sure that was any comfort to Bellsin though. Kris had used a lot of prayers to get Bellsin back on his feet.
Once the beach was safe, the girls got their armor on.
“Ok, we need some ground rules here,” Astrid started. “First off, we do not do the enemy’s work for them,” she said to Maris. “I thought we had gotten through this with Glyph.”
“More power is more dangerous to us than it is to them if you can’t control it Maris,” Elizabeth added.
“If you don’t know where everyone is, then you shouldn’t be laying down that kind of magic in that area,” Astrid agreed. “Second,” now Astrid turned to Bellsin “you need to at least give some idea of where you’re heading if you’re going out of sight. Otherwise you negate a powerful weapon. Something as small as ‘I’m going to hit the right flank’ can make all the difference.”
Maris didn’t say anything but she nodded with her head down. Bellsin also agreed quietly.
I said nothing, but I was beginning to worry about Maris. She was getting powerful now, and there were consequences she seemed to be ignoring. She seemed to do something just because she could, rather than if it was a good idea to do. I’m hoping that nearly killing Bellsin will give her a new perspective, but I’m still nervous.
Once the boats were hidden, the party set out down a crude trail that lead northwest from the statue. The jungle was thick on all sides save for the tiny trail, and every manner of creature seemed to lurk in the foliage. A tiger caught sight of us, but after reflection it seemed to decide that we weren’t prey, and moved on.
The trail lead not so much to a clearing but to an area where the brush was more trampled down. In the center was a large dirt mound with a hole in it leading downward. This would certainly be the cave marked “home” on the crude map on the silver plate. The cave itself was a landmark and only of interest because of that. But in the event something was in there, better to find it now than have it sneak up on us, so we entered the cave.
At the first bend we saw the half-eaten corpse of a baboon. “Whatever this thing is, it’s ok in my book,” commented Astrid. The baboon had been rotting for some time, and the bites that had been taken meant that this thing had a substantial mouth. A small room had the body of an ogre. It too was long-dead, but the ogre was quite old before it was killed. Beyond that was another room with a large, hairy creature eating another baboon. It was some kind of sloth with arms almost as long as its entire body, and it sniffed the air realizing we were close.
Bellsin was out in front and a prime target. With an arcane word he pulled the colors off his body and flung them at the sloth. It made the sloth blink and lose track of the now colorless Bellsin. Maris released a sickly purple ray at the sloth. “I took away some of its life energy,” she said as Elizabeth closed in, dodging carefully around the long arms. The sloth charged at her and rushed Kris, who had just fired one of the poisoned arrows at it. Elizabeth debated trying to stop the creature but the size and weight prompted her to step aside. The girls moved in, and Elizabeth cut deeply into the sloth’s back, which sent her reeling with a massive fist, and then grabbed her. Elizabeth only smiled slightly, watching Astrid behind the creature preparing to rain blows on the sloth. The sloth howled in anger at the assault, and tried to bite at Elizabeth, but before it could, Bellsin plunged his spear into one of the open wounds and the sloth shook and fell.
The mound was empty, save for half-eaten bodies in various stages of decay. Then Bellsin found a slender wand tossed in a corner. Kris immediately noticed the markings of St. Cuthbert on it. It’s magic was spent but it had been a wand of healing.
The last room in the cave was different from the rest. It was covered with a rambling sprawl written in giant. It was a long monologue about Gorg, self-proclaimed lord of this area after the tribe was separated. Gorg came here with the greatest treasure, the silver plate – the last vestige of treasure from the ancient masters and symbol of his leadership. The others in the tribe rejected him and his leadership and went some other direction.
“Sir Alek had the plate,” Bellsin commented. “I’ll wager Alek found the ogre, and killed him and took the plate. He used up his healing wand in the process.” It was logical – the sloth probably moved in after the ogre was dead.
The day was getting late, so we made camp here. The reputation of the sloth might help make for an uneventful night, and we moved out enough of the carrion so that the place was less revolting.
The night was quiet, except for a visitor during the first watch. Bellsin and Kris were up when we heard the flapping of large wings. “Oh no, it’s the dragon,” I thought. Fortunately I was wrong.
Silence filled the jungle as a creature with large feathered wings descended in front of the cave entrance. She had pale white skin and silvery eyes and wore light robes. She bore a sword that looked like a starry night.
She said in a quiet but clear voice “May I speak to Bellsin please?”
“An angel?” Bellsin said quietly to Kris.
“Technically, a movanic deva, a powerful astral being,” Kris replied.
I moved closer – she was either unaware or unconcerned about me. Bellsin stepped closer too, and she spoke quickly.
“Greetings. I cannot stay long. I’ve come to speak to both of you. Your memories will soon return Bellsin and soon you will understand the mark you bear.” She waved her hand and the mark of Carceri, the prison plane, appeared on Bellsin’s face. “Powerful forces of chaos and evil are on the move. I dare not remain here long lest my presence attract the attention of those forces or of the Judges. But I could not let you march into danger without warning. The Lord of the Demonskar knows of your approach and he and his minions prepare for your arrival. Just as they will with you, they did with Alek before you. You must remain resolute. Alek Tercival must be saved or Redgorge and perhaps even Cauldron are doomed. In the past invited danger by violating certain restrictions. Would that I could help you again this time but recently my shield has been removed. I have no aid to offer you but knowledge now.”
“In past ages, I provided Surabar Spellmason a powerful weapon to assist him in his conflict with the Lord of the Demonskar. This was Alakast, a quarterstaff infused with an undying hatred of the fiends of the outer rifts. It is a weapon of great power. Unfortunately Alakast was stolen centuries ago, ripped from the Spellmason’s tomb by graverobbers. From there it fell into hands of unspeakable forces. But do not despair – it is fated that Alakast will be wielded again against the Lord of the Demonskar. It has found its way to you, but you must claim it. Seek it in the lair of my false sisters, beyond the watchful eyes of the north. That is all I’m at liberty to say. I promise your memories will begin to return to you soon but this is in part because I cannot shield you from those who hunt you much longer.”
“I will try to aid you in the future as best I can but my time is almost done. If you save Sir Alek, you will know what to do next. I wish you well. Never lose sight of your goals and beware the Cages, for they seek to put you in one. If they succeed in that, Cauldron dies.”
With that, she sheathed her sword and flapped her wings once. She shot into the air, and the in a shimmer, disappeared.
Bellsin and Kris looked at each other, unsure of what to say next.
“Should we wake the others?” Kris finally said.
“Hm. No, let ‘em sleep. We can tell them in the morning.”
In the morning the reactions were much the same as the night before – stunned silence. So we set off into the jungle again.
After some more travel, the jungle ended abruptly. To the north we could see clouds roiling above the horizon, and a jagged scar of a chasm opened in the ground, surrounded by razor sharp volcanic glass and stone.
“The Demonskar,” Maris said in a whisper.
“I didn’t realize we were going to the Demonskar,” Glyph said.
“I didn’t realize there actually was a ‘Demonskar’” Elizabeth noted.
There were ruined structures around and in the Demonskar, protruding like broken fingers from a shattered grave. Nearby one large structure pushed out of the black earth – a large pipe. Since the map lead into the pipe, that’s where we went.
The pipe itself was remarkable and made from a metal Elizabeth didn’t recognize. Everyone put their heads together and concluded the pipe was made of isometril – an exotic metal that comes from some other plane. Intact it would be priceless, but the metal was somehow… corrupted.
We entered the pipe and promptly got lost. The map on the silver artifact was simplistic, and suggested there were only a few turns to be made. But the interior of the pipe had many more options than that, and it wasn’t long before we were lost and had to backtrack.
“Maybe we need to think more like an ogre,” Bellsin noted. “If we only look at turns that are large enough for an ogre to consider, it might work.”
Bellsin was right, and with that frame of reference he lead us flawlessly until we emerged out of the miles of pipework. As we emerged we saw a wide pit littered with jagged rocks and puddles of caustic fluids. A crudely carved wide stairway descended into the pit and curved around out of sight. But stranger was the humming sound – an odd low noise that would start and stop at irregular intervals. The noise increased substantially once we exited the pipe, and it was so loud as to make metal and crystal vibrate with the intensity. The noise seemed to come from the two giant metal tubes protruding straight up from the far side of the pit – two chimneys but unlike any conventional chimney.
We descended the crude stairs. They were clearly built for creatures larger than us, and we used a series of ropes to help keep from sliding off the edge. The toxic fumes became overpowering at times, and Glyph and Maris had to stop climbing occasionally due to the nausea.
The passage out of the pit was blocked by a large iron portcullis. Above was a small cave hardly big enough for a gnome that might lead to the other side. The portcullis itself looked old but cared for and likely operational.
“If we can find the mechanism maybe we can open it?” Glyph said. “If not I might be able to rust it apart.”
“Hm. I’ll see if I can’t find the mechanism first,” Elizabeth said. Elizabeth focused for a moment, and there was a sound on the wind like fresh rain. Elizabeth faded and became wispy and ghost like, and with a grin walked through the portcullis and floated upward.
And then stopped suddenly. There’s an ogre up there. No make that a giant. He’s hefting rocks waiting for us. I relayed to Astrid. I could try to take him out but I’m not sure that’s a good idea by myself. He’s sitting right at the opening mechanism.[i/]
The giant knew someone was down there, but from where he was he couldn’t see who and was wondering what was taking so long.
“Kaismo, did you whistle?” the giant yelled out.
Astrid understood him and figured there was little to lose by trying. “Yes, me whistled.”
“You not Muggo!” the giant yelled. “You intruders!”
Astrid shrugged and stepped into view. “Muggo sent me.”
“Me not believe you,” the giant said.
“Fine, not believe me, but when boss hears, you be in big trouble like you never seen before.”
The giant thought for a moment then made a painful show of trying to be clever. “What boss’ name then? Who send you?”
Astrid went for broke. “Nabthateron,” she said calmly.
The giant was immediately cowed. “Me open gate.”
Once the gate was open, the giant tried to be helpful. “Me haven’t seen the paladin.”
“And when did you last see him?” Astrid asked quickly.
“Hm. Um. Me let him through… not seen him since the last time.” The giant clearly had been left orders about the paladin – to allow him through.
“And when was that?” Astrid drove her point home hard by assuming the form of a skulven. Elizabeth was close enough to hear the giant under his breath trying to understand the party “Ghosty, demon, eyrines… me hate eyrines…”
The giant snapped up at the question. “Not see him for several days. Go in, not come out.”
“Then we will go find him,” Astrid declared.
“You want me to tell the hags?” the giant said, clearly dreading the task.
“No. I will tell them.” Astrid said, to the giant’s relief.
As we walked deeper into the fortress, the gate closed behind us with resounding finality.
