C2 Session 9: The Observatory Report
General Summary
28th of Haelynir 1545 Continued
Jamal has left the guild to go and see Ubek and bring him back to join them when they return to the necropolis in the morning. Brin with the help of Margaret and Ana, go through what they've found. They identify the items and price them. They split up some of the items that would be helpful for the moment with the idea that they could become part of that person's permanent split from this adventure once the peril is over. Margaret also arranges for the Unwrapped Harmony to come by tonight to talk with Aoike. The Unwrapped Harmony will stop by at nightfall unless she hears otherwise.
At 2:30pm Jamal returns with Ubek. He's looking a lot better. He had spoken to Mistress Everhand about some of the things they learned. She was interested in the resident of the Shiny Bauble and the possible changes at the observatory. She shared there were records that a man named Nefru Shepses is meant to be there but many details weren't available.
The group discusses their actions moving forward. They would stay here overnight to rest and host their pending guests. They will have the meeting between the Unwrapped Harmony and Aoike on the balcony. Ana heads up for a nap before relaxing in the courtyard, Margaret goes to find Sehhosep and Brin takes care of some house keeping before taking a short walk with his axe.
Sehhosep is found on the roof. Margaret enquires about her magical experience and if she would be interested in a job. She wishes to return to the Hall of Blessed and her job there, just not today. She's happy to help out here for a few days in the arcane study or the library, but will not be staying. After they strike a deal, Margaret goes to spend some time with Oryn until dinner.
Brin doesn't run into any trouble on his walk. The axe is normal throughout the walk. When he arrives back the axe also doesn't change as he walks around the common spaces. He speaks with Aoike and they have no need of any special set up. Then he retires back to his room to wait for evening.
At 6pm the group has dinner on the balcony. Jamal sits with them while they eat and Margaret talks to him about some things she knows about him. She reveals to him that her community were likely the ones responsible for summoning him. Jamal is confused why he woke up in a mass grave and not with her group. No one has the answer to that at the moment. Jamal only know he's here to correct an injustice and avenge those who have been hurt by the Khirdai temple in the area. He doesn't know what this means for how he should treat Margaret now.
They decide this is not a normal summoning. The moon sent Jamal here and Margaret's group opened the way. Though Margaret cannot say if everyone in her group would feel that way. They eat in peace while Jamal digests this new information. After dinner Ana and Margaret wait on the balcony to watch the sunset and moonrise while Brin will relax until the meeting.
At 8:30pm the sun is setting. Margaret stays on the balcony to wait while Ana and Brin wait by the front door. Margaret doesn't see the Unwrapped Harmony until she has snuck up on her. Margaret using the Message spell to notify Ana of the Unwrapped Harmony's arrival. They get Aoike from the courtyard on the way up. With everyone up on the balcony, the group sits down to allow their visitors to talk with the party to mediate.
They discuss:
- Broadly the recent issue of the Unwrapped Harmony and her apprentice causing some issues.
- The peril the city is currently experiencing.
- The Xotl believe in absolutes when it comes to death as they do not leave a body behind which makes reviving someone impossible once they have died. Nor do their records show any encounters with spirits of their people.
- The Xotl historians have traced their origins to a calamity on the surface 1500 years ago which lines up with the death of the gods.
- The Battle of Deismaar is explained and Aoike would like to take this information back with him.
Aoike is directed to Unbrau to find a library where they can find such a book for their clan. Ana goes to borrow a map from Jamal to help Aoike. She finds him stock taking the kitchen while Selene is eating with Date Palm nowhere in sight. Ana watches Selene for Jamal while he goes to get the map. Ana and Selene talk about the dragon in the necropolis until he returns. Then Ana heads back upstairs when Jamal gives her the map.
Aoike will leave the city to head to Unbrau tonight and stop in on the way back to finalise his report to take back. The pair head off and go their separate ways. Afterwards the party heads to bed with the goal of getting up at 5am.
29th of Haelynir 1545
The group is up for 5am and ready for the day. Jamal and Ubek are waiting by the front door with Selene swinging on Ubek's outstretched arm. She talks with the group and ends up being invited to play a game of darts with Brin at some point in the future with a chance that she can win some darts. As she hurries off to tell Date Palm/Jafar about this as the group makes their escape. They go the way they came back the previous night to get to the observatory.
At 7am they arrive. The building consisting of a single floor with a three-story tower in the centre. There are double doors in the centre of the building to go inside. Luna scouts for more entrances and does not find any. She does see parts of the tower is trashed and likely no longer usable for its purpose. Margaret sees evidence in the ground that a lot of people have come through here at some point.
Brin helps the group to move stealthily as they approach the building and go through the front door. The interior of the observatory's main floor is decorated in blue tiles and murals of major constellations and celestial events. There are subtle motifs to Masela around the interior and lots of opened sarcophagi. As they look around Brin are Ana are distracted with the fact there are clearly spaces for dead but no dead or undead to be found. Margaret notices inside the starscape on the walls is a repeating pattern of hieroglyphs. Also a section of floor that seems strange.
Margaret taps the strange floor with the bottom of her staff. They discuss what they have noticed while Margaret copies down the hieroglyphs from the walls. Ana notices scratch marks inside the sarcophagi and believes they woke up and left. The group tries to force open the stairs to gain access to whatever is down there but fails. It is too big.
Not sure what to do next Ana and Brin look around some more while Margaret uses magic to translate the phrase that was hidden on the walls. Brin accidently heads upstairs to find the space in ruins with dates and the like on the walls. Margaret translates the words to say "All who live must pass through the doorway of death to face her judgment." Margaret says this out loud and the stone floor moves to reveal a spiral staircase heading down. Brin looks it over for recent travel, but there is no dust or anything to help him with this.
Brin takes point to search for traps and the like on the way down as they stealth. They reach the bottom of the stairs with 10 minutes left of his Pass without A Trace ability active. The spiraling stairway from above terminates in this vaulted chamber. Looming jackal-headed statuary, oversized pillars, and along reflecting pool lend a grandiose scale to the room.
Margaret goes over to look at the pool. There is sand at the bottom of it. Brin goes over to the far end of the room while the others look around the room. Margaret ritually detects magic to see something in the pool is magical. She uses mage hand to fish out a magical set of bracers. They decide to continue moving forward and open up one of the doors on the other side of the room. Brin opens the door to see 36 zombies inside the next room. Some are chained and some are free roaming. The arched ceiling of this chamber towers overhead, rising to a height of sixty feet above the tiled floor. Hundreds of small alcoves cover the walls, hidden behind neglected silk curtains in blue and gold. A small altar sits in the center, caked in unsightly stains. A heavy scent of camphor and pitch hang in the air.
As he opens the door, people have crept down the stairs behind the party. A female figure calls out "You fools! The mask belongs to us! We are the true heirs to the Sky Pharaoh's legacy! When he rises again to reclaim his throne, we will receive Hakotep's blessings, not the likes of you!"
Standing at the front of the group is a familiar figure. This one had been at the Silver Chain hideout they got Ptemenib from. This had been the body guard to the leader. With his is 3 masked cultists.
A fight breaks out between the groups between the cultists, party and undead. Margaret blesses herself, Ana and Brin while Ubek and Brin attacks the zombie at the door. The zombies swarm the door to attack them which stops the door from being able to closed. The Cultists coming down the stairs attack Ana and Jamal. Jamal is hurt by the attack and Banes the Cultist who hurt him. The woman tries to cast Hynotic Pattern but Margaret counterspells it. Seeing the annoying spell casters, the man casts silence on the space as he believes the party should know their place. Ana tries to shove the cultist away from her but fails as Ana runs to get out of the silence area, avoiding a hit from the cultist's blade. Having some distance she uses Eldritch Blast.
The cultists focus on Jamal, hitting him with acid and hurting him. Margaret kills one of the cultists with a Mind Whip and Jamal runs out of the silence area to takes a moment to heal himself a little before using his scimitar to attack a cultist. Ubek destroys one of the zombies. The woman pulls out a wand, taps herself with it and disappears from the space and is nowhere to be seen. The zombies continue to try and get through the door, only hurting Brin. The man uses Hunter's Mark to name Margaret as his quarry, dropping Silence as he attacks Margaret. She prevents a critical hit with moon magic, but is still hit.
Brin brings down one of the zombies at the door and Ubek continues to help with this the best he can. One of the zombies is able to hurt Brin back. Ana protects herself with Armor of Agathys. The Cultist in front of Jamal tries and fails to hit him, however Jamal doesn't fail to hit him back. Margaret causes the man to struggle with his actions due to a Mind Whip as she runs away from him. The woman reappears as she tries to bast Hideous laughter on Margaret, backing it up with Silvery Barbs to ensure she fails. Margaret is incapacitated with laughter. While this happens the man moves up to Margaret as he cannot attack due to the spell him currently.
Brin leaves Ubek to deal with the zombie problem while cutting through the space with his axe and reappearing next to the man, hitting him twice with his axe and stunning the man. One of the cultists gets a critical hit on Ana, but kills himself as Armor of Agathys goes off. Ana fires off some Eldritch blasts at the man, bringing him down. The last Cultist uses Burning hands to hit Jamal, Brin and Margaret as they clump together. Margaret breaks free of the spell and uses her twin spell ability to hit the woman and last cultist. It is successful against the woman.
Ubek will hold the door! He swells in size to block the space and continue to attack the zombies. The zombies attack Ubek but he stays strong. He almost destroys one as he attacks. Ana backs him up with magical blasts to try and take down some zombies after climbing onto Ubek's shoulders. Jamal continues to attack the remaining cultist that just burnt him, but the stubborn fool continues to stand. The woman tries to use the wand but Margaret counterspells. Brin helps out and kills the remaining cultist before moving to attack the woman. Sadly he can't stun her.
Margaret focuses her magic and regains a spellslot before trying to attack the mind of the woman, but fails. Ubek destorys two zombies. The man's body bursts into flames, as a blood burst happens. Jamal is first to absorb some, clutching his heart as it goes through him. The blast continues past him to Brin and then to Margaret before Ana absorbs the last of it. Jamal moves up to attack the woman, his eyes flashing white as his sword glowers after he empowers it. Sadly he misses. The woman uses her wand and disappears. Luna has a rough idea about where she is. Ubek holds the zombies off, suffering one attack. Brin guards one of the doors to try and stop the invisible woman going deeper into the structure, telling her she has lost. Ana continues to help Ubek and kills one zombie.
Margaret casts Detect Thoughts. She can detect the thoughts of the woman. She is pissed. Margaret asks Ubek to leave the zombies be and to help them find the invisible woman to stop her from escaping alive. He does as asked, taking Ana with him. He fires his crossbow at the woman, hitting her. Jamal attacks the zombies, since it is something he can do. The zombies all shamble into the room. The woman casts hypnotic pattern, but only catches Jamal. Brin all out attacks the woman as she becomes visible after he runs over. He hurts her very badly. Ana finishes the woman off for the group. Inky black tendrils explode out of the body in a blood burst. Hitting Brin before Margaret absorbing the last of it.
The group now turns it's attention towards the zombie threat in the room. Margaret hits them with magical flames and Ubek destroys one with his dagger. Jamal joins the effort with the hypnotic pattern gone, destroying one. The zombies attack but miss as Brin destorys one and damages another. Ana destorys one as well.
Margaret calls down more light on zombies to damage them as Ubek also damages one. Jamal destroys one and one of the zombies hurts Ubek. Brin destorys another. Their numbers are dwindling and Ana badly damages one of the few remaining. Margaret's light isn't having the same effect sadly. Ubek focuses his energy to heal a little before destroying the last zombie.
With the danger gone, they go around to make sure everyone is actually dead. They also start to strip the bodies of any valuables. While this happens the woman has a blood burst. Ubek and Brin find golden rods in the pool and starting pulling them out. There are 30 in total.
- The cultists x3 - face mask, spell book. thieves tools, component pouch, short sword, 5 darts, coin pouch (4g 3 gems)
- bodyguard - studded leather, shortbow (20 arrows), kukri, *Khopesh (pink), gold mask, 21 gp
- leader - potion, scroll, wand, *studded leather, *shield, sickle, book, gold mask, lapis lazuli bracelets, 17 gp
* = magic
The group now takes a moment to have a short rest. Margaret and Ana do one ritual before starting their short rest. Ana detect magic and Margaret identifies the bracers. The braces are Bracers of Defence. They are instantly given to Brin as they would benefit him. He will attune to them over the short rest. They finish their short rest at 9:10am.
