Session 13: In the Heat of Battle
General Summary
In the face of sheer defeat, House Cassalanter surrenders. The Vault remains uneplored, however.
The Dust Settles
After the Raid
- The Cassalanters are taken to jail/orphanage
- The party is offered a deal for their co-operation (nothing is agreed on)
- Mirt does warn the party that the Vault is most likely trapped and protected by magic.
- But they say they will call on The Harpers if they need help (Maisie crossed her fingers behind her back tho oop)
- Also, the dog that was with the Cassalanthers is taken by Gaerreak Facan as it turns out it was being held as collateral.
Dragondown Festivities
- After a job well done, the party goes home to celebrate; making sure to grab some treats from the various stalls.
- Gaerreak shares that the dog is his, Kendrick had been taken as collateral for a debt.
- Maisie, in turn, shares that the money is a means to an end while she finds her missing half-sister that got seperated from her when they came to Faerûn.
- Masie also asks the Stone some questions about the Vault (how to get in, what they can expect, etc).
A Night with Lordling Neverember
- Madame H takes the time to buy Thieves Tools and a forgery kit, for reasons I'm not sure of but I'm sure they're well founded.
- Renaer had invited her to crash at his noble villa in the Sea Ward, a minimalist dwelling that seems to not be used frequently.
- She then gets to enjoy a nice roast dinner before being shown a quaint guestroom where she spends the night.
Into the Vault
The Party
- After making final preperations, the party makes their way to a delapetated tower in the South Ward.
- They decide the best course of action is to pretend to be tradies which works, until the tower's owner recognises them.
- She introduces herself as Esvele Rosznar, asking if they were Gwen's friends.
- She claims to be The Black Viper and aware of Gwen's infactuations with her; though claiming she's too young for her.
- She'd last seen Gwen when she was taken by the cult. She was attempting another theft to impress Esvele (who Gwen does not know is the real identity of the black viper).
- She offers the party a deal, where she will allow them passage in the tower to find the Vault and she'll even buy them time with The Harpers; she just want's an equal share of whatever they get (as though she's a 5th party member).
- With that the party is led to the cellar, past the body of a dead grell and a disarmed trap (already dealt with by Esvele).
First Area
- After stepping on a teleporting circle, the party is faced with the Vault door.
- Keys in hand, they enter the Vault; with Maisie speaking the command word to shut the doors behind them.
- They find themeselves in a grand hall, with crumbling stone bridges above them. Along the walls are numerous iron doors that have dwarves in plate armour embossed on them.
- After trialing several doors, the party is able to find the actual way forward among the fake doors.
- They find a generic room with some miscelanous crates and a fresco depicting a battle between dwarves and goblins.
- While investigating the fresco for secret buttons and the like; Maisie and Gaerreak feel an enchantment take hold. Maisie is able to shake it off, Gaerreak isn't.
- Gaerreak becomes charmed, unwilling to move away from the fresco and willing to defend it to the death.
- After trying other methods, Maisie touches the fresco and when nothing happens. She kisses Gaerreak hoping to shock him out of the charm, as her lips make contact he stabs her.
- In the chaos Kerberos makes his way over to see what's happening, and is also charmed by the fresco.
- Seeing this, Maisie gets as far away from the others as she can before she starts stabbing the fresco (Gaerreak attemps to shoot her but misses)
- In the end the party is safe from the vile cluthces of the fresco, with nowhere else to go they go upstairs.
Second Area
- In this 20-foot-high hall the party encounters:
- Three pillars running the length of the hall are carved to resemble warhammers, with their square heads pressed against the floor.
- The west wall bears a cracked mosaic that depicts a dwarf smith at a forge, crafting dwarves out of black metal and diamonds.
- Three archways in the east wall lead to crumbling bridges that span the entrance foyer bellow and end in front of adamantine doors.
- The party starts to investigating...
- In the south portion of the fresco, they find a hidden door (that Kerberos breaks down and gets the following treasure)
- Five copper urns (worth 25 gp each).
- Urn 1 contains five tourmalines (worth 100 gp each) mixed in with 200 cp.
- Urn 2 contains a ring of warmth mixed in with ten ordinary gold rings (worth 25 gp each) and 650 sp.
- Urn 3 is piled high with 250 gp.
- Urn 4 holds 33 blue quartz gemstones (worth 10 gp each).
- Urn 5 holds a 9-inch-tall silver statuette of a dwarf priest with amethyst eyes (worth 250 gp and weighing 10 pounds).
- Kerberos attempts to throw a javelin at one of the adamantine doors to knock it off the hinges (he misses). Maise wildshapes as a giant elk and takes charge, and is able to bust the door open.
- Inside the gang finds that the north, east, and south walls of this 20-foot-high room are adorned with dust-covered frescoes depicting dwarf smiths at work in their forges.
- Also an iron anvil that sits atop a raised stone block in the middle of the floor. Both fixtures are draped in cobwebs.
- A hidden hammer is spoted on one of the walls, when lifted, Gaerreak translates the runes; “Let hearts be lifted and battles won.”
- He also translates the text on the anvil; “Let the hammer fall and the anvil ring.”
- When the anvil is struck, everyone in the room (Maisie, Kerberos, Gaerreak and Roach) all recieve 10 temporary hp for the next 24hrs.
The Harpers Follow
- Renaer and Madame H (still disguised as a Harper nurse) tail the party.
- Upon seeing them enter the tower, Renaer calls for renforcements and they plan on how to follow the party into the vault.
- Renaer and Esvele have a tense conversation, basically threatening her with obstruction of justice and pointing out that he knows she's the Black Viper.
- Madame H uses Charm Person to make Esvele more compliant. She reveals that the party went down the cellar.
- They also come across the Vault Door, though now shut. While investigating, Renaer pricks his finger.
- Masie is allerted by the Stone that they have company and that the protector of the Vault has been alerted.
- When asked who that is, she is told the golden one (and realises this might be a dragon).
- The Harpers get past the fresco with no issues, and just as they get to where the party is...it all comes together.
- Renaer and Maisie go back and forth about the Harpers kinda going against their deal.
- Renaer mentions hearing a voice, looking very distressed while saying it greating.
- As the back and forth continues, a black substance begins to leak out the west wall, coalescing into a black ooze.
Session ended 21/6/1492 at 3:30pm; 21st of Kythorn (The Time of Flowers) 1492 DR, the Year of Three Ships Sailing
Rewards Granted
The party found a hidden room with the following treasure:
- Five copper urns (worth 25 gp each).
- Urn 1 contains five tourmalines (worth 100 gp each) mixed in with 200 cp.
- Urn 2 contains a ring of warmth mixed in with ten ordinary gold rings (worth 25 gp each) and 650 sp.
- Urn 3 is piled high with 250 gp.
- Urn 4 holds 33 blue quartz gemstones (worth 10 gp each).
- Urn 5 holds a 9-inch-tall silver statuette of a dwarf priest with amethyst eyes (worth 250 gp and weighing 10 pounds).
Maisie
Chaotic Good Shadar-kai (Orphaned noble (urchin )
Druid 1
Druid 1
10 / 10 HP
STR
14
14
DEX
17
17
CON
15
15
INT
14
14
WIS
20
20
CHA
12
12
Kerberos
Madame Hallelujah
Neutral Evil Variant Human (Charlatan)
Cleric 2
Cleric 2
15 / 15 HP
STR
10
10
DEX
16
16
CON
12
12
INT
12
12
WIS
18
18
CHA
14
14
Gaerreak Facan
()
8 / 8 HP
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Report Date
05 Oct 2024
Primary Location