Session 23: Finding the Artefact Report

General Summary

The game begins with the group finishing a short rest in the buried house's kitchen. There, they work to open a locked door, where Astara had previously heard some scritching. Nina's heat metal on hinges a moment later (given no one is really strong) and a crowbar pry and the door is broken hopen. Within is a set of giant spiders with a swarm of little spiders. Rushing back to the kichen, they slam the door for protection. There, Twig makes use of ritual casting speak with animal (magewright) and Astara turns into a small spider. The beast tag-team twins then go in to 'handle' the spiders. Having heard rats in the kitchen before going to the spiders, they gather a few rats, acknowledging the savagery of nature after Eavaan points out that the spiders don't deserver to starve and live any less than the rats (but the spiders are a danger to the group). So Twig feeds the rats to the spiders, which they accept but at first, only temporarily, tell the two to leave. Astara then brings in a series of offers, including clearing the other threats in the house for them to roam free and they accept. In addition, one of the little spiders accepts to go on an adventure with them and is now a party pet.   The group then goes to the other non locked room and find a simple broken down office and gather a few of the books that aren't beyond repair. Nina also searches the desk and find a hidden spot above the drawer that has a note hinting to a hidden door in the spider room (living room / dining room combo) with a fireplace. They go back and easily find the hidden door, sliding down with a grinding noise. Behind, is an elevator room, free of traps and threat. Below, as it goes down, they find a long hallway with a large metal vault door covered in symbols in a circle with a crank, a large metal plate with 2 lines of numbers and 3 buttons (red, green, blue) and a small box with no signs of openings except a glass pane showing the scroll case inside, and the inscription "ALL" on it. There is a simple door to the other end of the hall.  

  GAME BREAK   After a lot of debate and tries with the group, including Spider-stara following wires into the tiny space into the floor that could have electrocuted her (and crush her once she regained normal form) - hinted by the crispy spider corpses below, the group decided that additional clues could be behind the other door. This didn't help as it turned out to be a supply closet (but it gave out a lot of items for the group!). After trying everything, from crushing chalk and print checking the buttons, Nina getting electrocuted on the Vault door (wrong button combo meant the door was 'active'), the group realized that the numbers didn't mean Math, and was a cypher. That knowledge in mind, both Eavaan and Astara pointed to numbers perhaps matching the alphabet. The continued to try things while Eavaan deciphered that the numbers meant 'push green'. There was still the box. After a moment, someone (forgot who) suggested trying all the buttons. First tried in sequences, they eventually pushed all 3 at once and the box opened, releasing the scroll case. The scroll inside gave which symbol the vault door was valid. They placed the cranked on the symbol, and then pushed green and the vault door opened.   Inside, was the Artefact. Much bigger than they expected, they ignored the 80lbs golden, engraved sphere to check out the room, holding tables of scribbles and notes, an alchemy table with colored liquids and vials.  
  A chest, locked, was against a wall, with colorful handprints on it (4 colors).  
  It took no time at all for the group to solve this one, and they combines powders and liquids to make colorful pastes, cover their hands in matching colors and place all of them on the chest, which opened without releasing its poisonous trap. Inside were some small magic items ready for looting (see list below). One such item was the living gloves of identification (homebrew tool set) which would allow identifying magic items with a roll, without having access to the identify spell. The group took a short rest while Astara attuned to these gloves (which now can only be removed with a Remove Curse spell) and checked the Artefact. The giant orb has the ability to change and control the weather on a 50 miles radius. It is also 95% complete and needs a few finishing touches. Tehre is debate about keeping the Artefact, or selling it to the highest bidder, but it is reminded that you all agreed to a contract for the Mme Pomerleau about this Artefact and its documents. It was decided the group wasn't ready to face the pitfall of a contract breach for such an item, but agreed to make a copy of all the notes to keep and perhaps sell.   END GAME

Rewards Granted

Artefact (Eavaan) & Notes

Supply Close Material:

Eavaan:

• Abacus - 2sp
• Alembic x3 - 4cp/each
• Hourglass - 5sp
• Parchment x500 - 1cp/each
• Paper x500 - 2cp/each
• Flask x5 - 2cp/each
• Vial x5 - 1sp/each
• Pure crystal powder in a pouch - 1cp

Astara:

• Ladder - 10ft - 5cp
• Little bag of sand - 1cp
• Mortar and Pestle - 2sp
• Block of incense x2 - 5cp/each
• Bottle - 2cp
• Calligrapher's Supplies (empty) - 5gp
• Chalk x17 (3 pieces used by Twig, 20x was looted) - 1cp/each
• Candle x20 - 1cp/each
• Charcoal Pencil - 3cp
• Rusty Crowbar (will break on a double nat 1) - 1cp
• Merchant's scale - 5gp
• Tinderbox - 5sp
• Bucket - 5cp
• Hammer - 1sp
• Empty poisoner's kit - 15gp
• Ink bottle x15 - 1sp/each

  Nina: Magnifying Glass - 10gp

Chest Content

• Living Identificator's Gloves (Astara) - 5gp
• Candle (Astara) - 1cp
• Garnet, Emerald, Aquamarine (10gp each worth) (Astara)
• Dragonshard Powder x20 (Astara) - 1gp/each
• Sack of Preserving (Twig) - 50gp
• Fancy Wand Focus (Eavaan) - 10gp
• Cloak of Billowing (Eavaan) - 50gp
• Alembic (Eavaan) - 4cp
• Abacus (Eavaan) - 2sp
• Autofill Pen (Eavaan) - 1gp

Book Titles

• Here lies the King (Astara) - 1cp
• Blank Journal (Eavaan) - 1sp
• Basic Guide to Alchemy (Eavaan) - 1gp
• The Flower and the dragon that got too greedy (Twig) - 2cp

Coins (Split 5 ways):

100CP 5 EP

Missions/Quests Completed

After the Cogs (Needs turn in)

Notes

New Pet Spider (Name to be determined)