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Rolling Bones

by Steel Claw

The Vanguard of Veradin now meet the Boneclaw, in the final chamber of Adaralmus' tower of Varunmund.

"I have you now."

Everyone but Steel pulled out potions, Murg a potion of growth[/i[ to double his size.

The boneclaw disappeared as a myriad of animated armors, small shadow elementals (mephits) and undead all made for us. The beings of darkness immediately cloaked our group with magical darkness... which the boneclaw used to leap directly into us and wreak havok. It slashed at Murg and Izol, dragging the warlock with it. Izol was... not happy with that development. Calling Embryieon to him, a white flame surrounded the two as Izol pummeled the boneclaw. Its invisibility fell as burning chains held it (relatively) in place (lance of lethargy + spirit shroud).

Our cleric called for a wall of light to illuminate this place, dispelling the darkness, but two crystals near the icy throne glittered with a counterspell to stop it. Murg voiced to himself: "In this dark and evil place / Have we been truly abandoned?" Steel looked on quizzically.

The boneclaw then took Izol with it, phased between shadows -- and Izol was unsure of where he was.

The shadow elementals called more darkness, choosing our items: the Claw, Argus' axe, and a pillar nearby.

Steel simply dropped the Claw and approached the two crystals. With a whistle a bolt of ice and a bolt of force destroyed both. "Let's go, Theo."

Offscreen, Izol made taken unconscious.

Murg made his lumbering way into the darkness, enduring its attacks to destroy one of the animated armors.

Yrna was next to be dragged into the darkness by the boneclaw. And we could hear Argus slump to the floor in the darkness. And the Claw jammed.

As it attacked Murg, the light of his mace erupted to blind the creature (but not before eviscerating Murg). Steel also took to the offensive, decimating half of the mephits. We regrouped a bit, Theo bringing Izol back from the brink. Yrna surprised us all with a flame blade to both shed light and protect herself. And Izol surged up from the darkness, alive.

We each cried a bit.

Murg obliterated the last animated armor with Abbadar's gavel. Steel moved north, clearing out some of the boneclaw's undead minions as he escaped the supreme undead's nasty claws. Theo pulled ice from the ground in a cold earthen grasp to join the fray. Yrna valiantly engaged the boneclaw as it nearly ripped her spine out, the elemental weapon striking true.

Back in the fight Izol wasted no time, his fires burning bright to call a flame strike upon the boneclaw. Almost immediately it took down Yrna in revenge.

We fear it is killin Yrna to make her one of its own.
Its next target was the downed Argus, sending the adventurer on to the next life.

Finding Steel alone, the boneclaw made for the tabaxi. The first attack hit, but it was too much: Steel threw up the Claw to block, before weaving the abjuration energy into a disengaging thunderwave. The boneclaw crashed into the pillar behind him, and Steel took a few shots before dropping the Claw to draw Oviduin's dagger and advance. Theo meanwhile willed his earthen hand across the floor of ice. Reaching for the boneclaw Steel kicked the creature into Theo's grasp for good measure.

But the fight was not over. The boneclaw wheeled about, first ripping Steel's flesh to send him reeling (dropping haste), then plunging into Izol to tear the life from him. Turning to Murg it reached for his life in turn, but by the will of Abbadar the cleric held onto the material plane.

It was over.

Steel simply stepped forward, grabbing the boneclaw and sinking Oviduin's Talon between its would-be ribs. He threw it to the side and leapt to Izol, lifeless on the ground. Theo confirmed what Steel did not -- his earthen grasp wrapped around the lifeless (?) boneclaw and squeezed until bones snapped and a skull rocketed into oblivion. The wizard was pleased: "Maximum Crunch."

The Vanguard was not out of the woods (or the tower). With Izol, Yrna, and Argus dead Murg pulled several bags of powdered diamond from his religious ornaments. First he pulled Yrna back, her soul entering her body. Roughly, Murg helped her resurrect Izol, the warlock sputtering to life from the druid's touch. In Steel's arms he came to life, grinning: "Not even close baby."

Steel slapped him across the face between tears.

Murg tried to bring back Argus, but to no avail. It dawned on us that he had no will to return to live; instead he passed on to his afterlife, the ever-warring halls of Valhalla. For a moment we felt the lingering essence of his spirit, and a voice spoke to us.
"I found them. My friends in the lands beyond. I'm going to them now. It was fun to travel with you. Thank you for bringing me to my senses. Know I died as myself."

Theo pointed to the few skeletons that still clomped down the stairs towards us. Steel wiped his eyes and picked up the Claw: "I'll handle it." Izol struggled to rise, to help, and together they eliminated the last of the undead.

To the future

Theo brought the alive-and-well party to the south of the room, to examine a mural on the wall. Depicting the creation of Varunmund, it began with Adaralmus in his full regalia speaking to giants as a preacher would. Then the giants were shown to haul bricks -- of ice? -- through Ibrithil to where Varunmund is now, built piece by piece. Next on the mural was a future perhaps, a shining light atop of Varunmund that assumed would provide a near-limitless supply of energy to the continent. The final scene was Varunmund devolving, descending downward into an eye. Dissipating, the tower unwound into energy that flowed downwards to what can only be described as both a machine and a cradle -- the source of the weave. From it, a single mechanical hand reached out of the arcane source upwards.

Theo and Steel debated the next steps. Unsure, the group moved towards the room's only exit behind the throne.

The core

The next room, and hopefully last, was small and unassuming. A small workshop, set before concentric rings that held a THING. The intelligence of Varunmund and its core.

Trove:

We found much in the room:

Show spoiler

Adaralmus' savings: 10k sp, 2k gp, 180 plat

A handful of Adaralmus' mementos: a coral ring (250gp), scroll case (250gp), ceremonial longsword (500gp), a pair of dress shoes (250gp)

A platinum-framed painting of Adaralmus (in his youth, 1k gp)

A figurine of power (ebony fly)

Potions, of:

Superior healing

Invulnerability

Clairvoyance

An elixir of health

The intelligence laid out our next decision fair and simple: either take it with us, and its ability to generate mythicite (and forego Adaralmus' tomb or sacrifice it to get us to the late wizard's tomb and the spellbook there.

We talked. And talked. And talked. Murg prayed for divine intervention, to no avail.

Moved, Theo approached the intelligence of Varunmund. "How do you want [us] to do this?" Place an item, and transfer the intelligence's "essence" to an item of our choosing. Theo chose his signet ring, bearing the Hornraven family crest.

Steel stepped in: giving up the mythicite crossbow body, he instructed the intelligence to form it into an arcane focus, on a necklace, for Theo to carry. For safety.

The intelligence started its systems. It would form itself, teleport us out, destroy the tower, Adaralmus' soul set free, and the boneclaw finally destroyed. The core around us split open into rings, of a dynamo, and we were given glimpses into the weave itself as the intelligence wove itself into the arcane focus Steel described. Far off we could see parts of the tower disassembling, crumbling. Steel and Theo together took the intelligence's focus as the world around them became nothing, the tower exploding. We felt nothing as we teleported out.

But we were now atop Varunmund, looking out over Ibrithil as the tower collapsed beneath us. Now, truly, it was forgotten by time.

Far off, we could not help but notice traces of red across the sky. In the woods beyond all of us spotted red bursts of something in the woods beyond. Crystals sprouting. Something. And off into the sea, a gigantic tentacle reaching out of the depths.

A gleaming portal sits open above Ibrithil. We have been gone far longer than any of use could imagine.

The Living Gate has already opened.

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Rolling Bones

To the future

The core

Trove:

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