Session 32 - Song, sweet, song.

The game begins with the PCs stepping away from the "elevator" the seemed poised to use at the end of the last session. Having explored most of the North part of the Ziggurat level, the party begins to range South.

They find and defeat 4 grell in a damp, mush-room rich environment. Knack is carried off by one of the floating beak-brains but is rescued before becoming the abhoritions lunch (however he did get to experince Lane's moon beam - he knocked his grappler backwards, through it).

The party finds a river of water that spill out from a crack in the South and proceeds to the north where it plunges into a well of sorts. There are steps going down. The also spot a narrow crevase that Knack squirms thorugh and spies a Lizard folk tribe. They decide they may want to speak to this group so the move away to find a different way to get to them.

Certain of a more accesible way to reach the Lizard folk the find stairs going up (to far up to lead too the Lizard folk). It looks to be of differnt construction (human) there is a door at the top of the stairs. The party moves on from these stairs.

The party back-tracks to the mushroom cave and explores a path going south. where the encounter a west branch and another of the vile elemental liquid door things. The begin to ritual cast the Tiny hut to derive passage through the vile door. However, a few minitues into the casting, sweet melodic voices echo down from the west passage. Olivine is charmed by the heavenly tones and moves to find the source of such sweet melodies.

The "chorus" of sweet voices turns out to be a nest of 5 Harpys. Battle ensues.

Infuriated due to no targets in reach, Thanatos eventually decides to climb.

Knack and Luke do assorted pew-pew shooty stuff. The death of one causes the others to disappear from view (but not stop singing).

Lane flies up to try and spot them and when he does most of them fly out to engage him (triggering attacks from Knack and Luke). Thanatos was so close to reaching his prey, which just left the ledge he reached. However, he uleashes a Shatter from Iron Fang and kills one Harpy and severely wounds another.

Meanwhile, Olive has climbed the 100 foot rocky wall (originally trying to reach his charmer). Witch his senses regained, his new goal is combat - which he finds. After exchangeing blows with a Harpy she eventually pushes him off her ledge! Olive begins his 80 ft freefall only to be saved by his ready companion Luke who snags him with a Levitate spell and puts him back in the fight! The fleeing harpy draws an attack of opportunity, but manages to flit 30 feet away. Determined not to loose his quary, Olive drags himself along the cliff wall (Levitated), and catches her. He seends her wheeling to the ground in death.

Treasure:

• The harpies have collected loot in their nests, including
• 560 sp
• 220 gp
• a gold bracelet (50 gp)
• a silver ewer (10 gp)
• a pair of silver earrings shaped like skulls (each worth 10 gp)
• and a potion of superior healing

Players: John Owen Mark Dan David

The group asked for some meta-game advice concerning where to go next and how all this fits into the Apocalypse II campaign. The DM commented that, based on last session, the players seemed to indicate they wanted to keep the pressure on the cults and stop them at the source. To do that they'd likely want to:

• Stay at the current level (where the Ziggurat was) and finish exploring
• Go "down" a level (The party is unaware of what lies "down")

Going "up" a level (to the areas directly below the "surface forts", would be "too easy for their current level" (the essential genesis of the Apocalypse II campaign along with the desire to try out the new D&D rules).

But the party was also urged to "not feel constrained" and to "go where the adventure takes them".

The group made some short and long term reasoning (right or wrong, the DM shall not say):

• Don't open the Drow sarchphagus until they have all the "elemental weapons" (because they saw all 4 symbols on it)
• They have the Earth and Fire weapons, maybe its time to go get the "water" weapon.
• They started looking for water on the current "Ziggurat" level.
• They don't want to go to the surface because they are searching for the Delegation members
• "We should kill less to get some answers"
• the Apocalypse II group will "handle the surface stuff"