Session 8: A Querulous Homecoming Report

General Summary

The party was fighting for their lives in a strange realm against gigantic insect creatures. Having survived, only just, the first group, and sealed their rear by collapsing a tunnel entrance, they had little choice but to move forward. Boris, still affected by magic, rushed ahead, with the others striving to keep up. They passed through a connecting tunnel headed downward, and continued through two more subchambers before approaching a bridge across a chasm with odd protrusions extending downward from the ceiling into the center of the chasm. Rounding the corner Boris was attacked and dodged back. The strange scream sounded again and the insect creatures surged forward, firing spikes at Roy and Roisin. The party fought back, but boris and Kaalam both fell to the spikes and after the creatures rushed forward to surround Roisin, Roisin fell as well. Boris's body was dragged off by the insectoid young to be consumed, but a random magical surge enabled Roy to recover Boris and destroy a couple of the creatures. Jeeves sought to save Roisin, and somewhat succeeded, but another random surge of magic from Roy created a blast of magical fire that brought Jeeves low, nearly destroyed Roisin (leaving her finery in scorched tatters), and destroyed a few more of the insect creatures. Boris awoke and crushed two of the young insect creatures, which enraged a much larger one beyond. Soon Boris was facing this very large creature alone while the others rushed forward and began assaulting it from a distance. Boris was struck again and again and finally fell to a massive strike through the chest. The others, including a recovered Kaalam, managed to fell the beast, partly with help from Trysor who arrived from behind the creatures, and when they found their friend Quirico , their vision faded again and they found themselves back where they started, in the mountain citadel, Boris recovered, but exhausted from the ordeal.

Those present looked about at the sudden wavering, and the change in Roisin's clothing, then turned again to Quirico . The inquiry continued and Quirico 's evasiveness brought upon him extra questions. These quickly uncovered that Quirico thought himself to have committed a heinous crime and to have been convicted and judged a decade earlier. This was not the case and he was informed he had left on his own after actions that suggested he was mind-touched, damaged in some way by chaotic magic, and had acted out an imagined trial. He was encouraged to seek clerical assistance for whatever had twisted his mind, and permitted to continue after a confirmation that he would obey the laws. The party was permitted to proceed, and they headed into the citadel to find a clothing store. Quirico led them to a place called "The Dump", an area of the citadel filled with a confusing welter of shops intermingled with hallway vendors and open areas with many small booths and blanket stores. Roisin found a very nice shop where she obtained two fine sets of clothing and a more basic backup outfit. Trysor asked Quirico to read his handkerchief, and Quirico did so, finding it was embroidered with a riddle in the language of the darkest creatures. Quirico unfolded the fine cloth into a large circle and stood upon it, then spoke a word in this horrific deep speech, whereupon he promptly fell into a pit filled, at the bottom, with diseased spikes. Injured and infected, Quirico used his magic to emerge from the pit, and Jeeves moved forward to apply powerful herbs to draw out the disease, which formed into a lump of troll-flesh that Roy burned to ash. Trysor quickly obtained a ladder for his pit, repeated the foul word to recover his handkerchief, and the party moved on to the Steelworks, a forge and smithy where all manner of weapons and armor could be purchased. While there Quirico learned the very high cost of enchanted weaponry, but still purchased three standard swords. Jeeves purchased a new rapier, and Kaalam purchased both a rapier and a dagger. Roy tried to sell the scimitars and crossbows the party picked up a while back, but discovered something about those weapons caused the foreman of the Steelworks (a halfling named "CORG!") to react with considerable fear and quickly urge them to come back some other day, preferably without those items. The party moved on to a place called Corlin's Curiosities, where they found themselves purchasing quite a few strange and odd items. Roisin purchased a silver rose (which later turned out to be silver-coated cloth). Trysor purchased a brass cat (which was but wood plated in brass) and later purchased an exquisitely carved fly made of some black gemstone; later to discover it could, in some way, be brought to a semblance of life and fly about under his control. Jeeves purchased a pirate's hat and finely detailed wooden strap-on shoulder parrot (costume items, to be sure), and found that when both were donned he lost sight in one eye, but the parrot came alive and repeated his words. Quirico accidentally destroyed one fragile shield, and bought the one next to it. Roy purchased an embroidered eye patch, a book, and a rolled up parchment, unable to examine them for some reason while in the shop. While in the shop all the purchases seemed reasonable, fine even, but after leaving all of the items turned out to be very overpriced and mostly not of the value or quality thought. Roy , however, learned his book was a small spellbook, the parchment a clerical scroll, and the eyepatch a magical item capable of restoring sight to his lost eye while worn. Somewhat confused and disconcerted, the party chose to head to a fine inn, The Raynite's Rest, On arrival they obtained rooms and chose to eat a simple lunch onsite rather than seek out a Tavern. The day half done, they considered what to see next in this deep citadel in the heart of the Korth Wall.