Session 6: Return from the Dark City Report

General Summary

The group traveled far, using the northern exit from the Mithril Mantle.   After traveling about 30 minutes from their home base they came upon the animal den of the Bullet whose shell now served as one of their tunnel doors. No new animals had moved in yet, so they were able to continue on their journey without immediate peril. Their journey led them on a winding path for hours until they arrived at the distinct fork in the road where one path led steadily upwards and the other led sharply down, almost at the angle of a cliff. Here the Red Mage pulled out his climbing kit and made good use of it to allow the party to descend the path safely, after traversing 100 feet they found themselves at the edge of a subterranean lake. They could see the glow of blue flame on a pedestal that illuminated a small island in the center of the oval-shaped lake and immediately they set about how they should cross the lake.   The first idea proposed by the red mage was that the Barbarian act as a sled down the cliffside, which he would turn to ice with magic. Then he would create a ramp using his ice magic in tandem with the skills of the Paladin while they both sat atop his back and launched themselves through the air and over the murky water of the lake. After much reluctance, this plan was put into motion but during its execution but the Red Mage and the Paladin were not able to build up a strong enough ice ramp in time. Seeing that he was sliding rapidly towards certain doom, the Barbarian dug his claws into the icy clay and dirt of the hill and slowly brought himself to a halt. After this unsavory decision, they decided to walk around the bank of the lake and look for a possible bridge of some sort.   On their way around the lake, they were beset with magical darkness, creatures fell from the ceiling that resembled large squids that enveloped them in darkness and tried to crush their heads and suffocate them. The group quickly dispatched these creatures and marched forward with weapons held high overhead so they could fend off more of the creatures if they fell. They circled around the lake to the opposite side of where they entered the cavern and found another tunnel leading away from the water but they ignored it. They opted to try and cross at a shallow area where they could just make out the thick, clay mud of the lake bed. The Red Mage and the Paladin took turns casting Ice Magic as the group ran across to the island some 100 feet away. They took a moment to examine the island.   The island was muddy, and their feet sunk deep into the clay. The blue flame sat in a wide, copper bowl that was balanced on a stone slab near a set of stairs cut into the earth with a rough stone that led down. The group descended warily into the depths as the mist swirled around them and obscured their vision. Two flights of stairs down they found a large, double stone door that held the symbol of a turned crescent moon. They immediately entered and began puzzling their way through the area, believing it to be a vault or a stronghold of some sort. The first room they tried was that of a hidden door in the hallway, they pulled at the seam they found and were met with a chorus of horrifying whispers and screaming which caused them to let the hidden door slam shut abruptly and they continued their roaming.   During their exploits, they found a room where skeletons rose from the ground, under the control of some undead priest that emerged from the clay floor as if it were a gravesite. This battle ended with them surrounded by a growing hoard of skeletons that kept reanimating to the call of the priest. Though when the priest attempted to cast a spell to shatter them all as a final explosion attack the Red Mage broke free of the crowd and imitated the spell of the priest. This caused the skeletons to explode twice, nearly fatally wounding the group but shattering their bones to dust and bringing an end to the encounter. The Red Mage was revived from near-death and claimed the casting focus of the priest, it appeared to be highly magical but needed to be identified by a skilled arcane caster to learn more about its function.   The group continued on, bypassing some doors and branching hallways to take a straight path, looking for the end of the supposed stronghold. They found a room that led them to a drop off over a great abyss, though they saw an illuminating light far out of reach on a lone pillar. The light was too bright to allow them to identify the object, so the Barbarian hefted the Paladin and threw them sailing over to the top of the pillar. There she found a grand book that was golden, shining, inscribed with several celestial symbols of the gods and it appeared to be the source of the great light. The Paladin used Misty Step to return to the original ledge and stowed the book away, well aware that it fit the description of a highly rare artifact called the Book of Exalted Deeds.   They turned back to the hallways, content that they had found one end of the stronghold. They turned and sought to know the width of the area. They came to a door that led to a broken hallway that was separated by a ravine with flowing water below them. The Paladin hefted her crossbow and shot a bolt to the other side with a rope fastened to it where she spied another doorway that was once connected to the main hallway. The group crossed by tying off the rope and flipping upside down to navigate the gap. Luckily the door on the other side was unlocked, it led to a room with an altar and 4 statues with 7 stone plaques. Each of the statues showed some sort of monster native or related to the Underdark and the tiles each bore some writing. After deciphering a message about how these related to the exploits of a hero they logically reasoned which statue went with which stone slabs. Upon arranging all of these items correctly the altar opened to reveal a secret compartment and another doorway opened in the stonework of the room.   In the Altar, they found a large, Key-like device that was so large that it needed to be hefted with two hands. It was made of silver and exhibited a purple glow. The doorway that opened led into a room with large crystal, though spirits could be seen to visibly float and wander about the crystal. The Paladin sensed a great presence of undead souls, numbering over 10,000 that resided in the crystal. The group tested its response to force and came to find that it was incredibly cold, shattering any weapon or object they touched it with save for the black steel pedestal that it resided upon. The Paladin used Moonbeam to cleanse the crystal and caused it to melt into nothingness while agonizing screams filled the air and eventually subsided, the temperature rose and returned to normal as soon as the crystal vanished.

Rewards Granted

Key of Dreadfall
Rod of Absorption
Book of Exalted Deeds

Missions/Quests Completed

Halfway through the Tomb