Session 37: YMCA!!
General Summary
Session 15 JAN 2020: So to recap: The Blackstaff was talking about some monks that had a monastery that was basically where Castle Waterdeep is now. Many people reported seeing spirits and that some relics had been put under the monks guard for safekeeping. Some have seen The Weeping Monk near the southern wall of Castle Waterdeep, and that this ghost might be able to shed some light on the missing cards. Lily has about a day left on her curse before she is turned into a Tiefling, and we’re not any closer to solving that. The seer told us that the holder of her contract is in the Eighth Circle of Hell. Lorin seems to be more or less all right, but isn’t sharing any insights from her recent memory misadventure. We confer, and reiterate the possible infernal connection with House Cassalanter. Our courses of action: 1. Seek the Weeping Monk, 2. Meet with Silverhand Lorin remembers an old legend about an old abandoned Elven city, pre-Spellplague, that might be these Ruins of Ilitharn. The old ruins are rumored to contain a portal that leads to another plane, but which one is unknown. Since the distance is large, we choose to visit the ghost in the city first. WE come down from Mount Waterdeep and head to the south wall of Castle Waterdeep. There is a shallow lake and a wooded area, accessible to the public. It is a nice day, with many people carrying on with their personal business, but we are “off the beaten path,” so to speak. We task Det with finding our ghost. Det casts Fox’s Cunning on me, to help look around. Det is going for a swim in the lake, to look for, well, anything. We find nothing (due to shit rolls, perhaps?). Lorin starts wandering around, talking to people who might know about the area. I keep looking, and just as the spell ends, I find something: At the side of the lake, close to the Keep wall, I find some loose masonry stone and some burnt wood. We are approached by two guards, who are concerned at our pointed investigations of the area. Lorin tells them that she is interested in learning about Waterdeep history, and that the ghost story is today’s adventure. One of the guards gets excited and tells us about how a relative saw the ghost at night during the full moon. Further conversation reveals that the guard has not personally seen the ghost; she seems quite young and eager to chat. The ghost has been seen mainly at night, and the full moon seems to be a factor. Lorin asks her the best place to see the ghost might be, but we don’t get much more than what we already know: right here. Lorin and the guard continue to chat quite amicably. Det chats up the other guard, who is an elf, about the silver chair. ( Det says there are representatives at the accounting house we should check up to see if fang dropped the chair off he says) We investigate my loose masonry and burned wood. IT seems to be the remains of a really old building, and is consistent with the old monastery that used to be here. Closer to the shore, Lorin finds an old iron grate that covers a hole. The grate has been moved recently and some effort has been made to conceal its presence. Det goes to open it while I perform a distracting performance (guards are present). After some hilarity, Det manages to open the grate and slip inside a tunnel. He finds some bones and a skull, and, quite uncharacteristically, takes the skull. A detect Undead check pings back with some possibility in the distance. Further travel yields an old banquet hall, with a lot of dead bodies, some old and some new. He finds the body of a well-dressed old man, frozen in the act of eating. Detect Undead checks keep coming back nebulous, but positive. We choose to wait until dark for a full expedition into the tunnel, which leaves everyone but Det some shopping time! I buy some fancy chalks for my new Teleportation Circle. After we leave, Det takes the skull and fires up his Speak with the Dead spell. 1.) How long have you been dead? “We died in the year of the waving wheat,” 2.)Why did you die? “We were protecting a dangerous item.” 3.)Is the item still here? “Yes, I think so.” 4.)What were your safety precautions to stop it from being taken? “The Earthmother blessed this abbey, and we angered her by not protecting it as well as we should have.” 5.) Do you know how to stop this item? “Keeping it out of the hands of those who would use it for evil deeds.” We enter the tunnel once the day wanes to darkness. Upon gaining the first room, we find an elderly monk sitting at the table and eating. As we approach, he greets us, “Please sit! Tell me if you can, what is placed on the table but never eaten?” Lorin answers, ‘a deck of cards!’ The man nods, flips a hidden switch, and a secret entrance opens on the far side of the room. We pass through. In the next room, we find four stone pedestals with intricate tablets inscribed into them, with a word and a simple picture. The floor is littered with old remains and the smell of decay is not unnoticeable. To the NW, the image is a forked truss in a mineshaft, and the Dwarven word Yoth (Strength). To the NE, the image is a willowy fountain with two streams of liquid, and the Elvish symbol of Miril (Grace). To the SW, the image is a figure knifing another in the back, and the symbol is Croff (Treachery). To the SW, the image is a long road laid out before a traveler, and the word is in Common and is Alfard (Beginnings). Lorin starts dancing and singing, “Y-M-C-A!” A new door opens! [DM: When the party does the action of YMCA in front of each tablet, in the correct order, the tablet begins to glow. When all four have become activated, a collection of stones in the wall fold away from the wall and reveal an exit hallway with lit braziers on the wall, leading 30’ to a massive iron door. There is an engraving on the door of a depiction of several heroes brandishing swords, a bow and a quarterstaff that are circled around what looks like a three headed wolf, standing on its hind legs and holding small box which appears to be ornately designed scrimshaw within the box] Det opens the box, and inside are three cards whose symbols have been burned beyond recognition. When Det puts the box, with cards, in his Bag of Holding (an extra-planar dimension), nothing seems to happen. On exiting, we recover the grate to restore it to its former state, and we head back to TST. Down an alley, Det and Lily hears a scream. They charge in, and see a spellcaster, a blobby figure, and a human male standing by a makeshift altar and they are attacking a man. There are five golden candles around the area. Det casts Sacred Flame on the ‘caster. Roll for initiative! After combat, we question the dead spellcaster: 1.) what was the ritual? “To open a gate to the Abyss.” 2.) What was our goal? “To aid the coming of Asmodeus.” He was trying to send out a large amount of Maw Demons to cause chaos. 3.) Who was the person who sent us on this errand? “Well, Lady Cassalanter is the leader of our cult.” 4.) How many teams doing our same mission? “I don’t know how many more, but this was a great honor.” 5.) What was the timeframe for all of this? “As soon as possible, for repayment of a debt. You know, he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” With that, the spellcaster falls to perma-death. Back at TST, I Identify the spoils: a Potion of Greater Healing, a Flask of Giant Growth, and a magical cloak (a Hellhound Cloak). Det attempts a scrying on Silverhand, with all sorts of advantages, yet it fails! Zounds!
