Session 35: Into Aldinach's Lair Report

General Summary

Our heroes started this session in front of a portcullis leading into Aldinach's lair. The next chamber has a huge stone cyclops statue, that animates as soon as Aziel takes a step past it. There's a big fight and it almost turns James and Aziel into stone, but they're good. They defeat it and head down the right sided stairway quickly to escape the whipping vines.
In the room down the stairs is a flooded corridor to the right, iron bars splitting the room in half and black slate triangle shards on separate plinths. The PCs pick one up and pass it through to unseen servant on the other side of the bars to place it on the rubble but it doesn't do much. Zadaar has enough and kicks a door that blinds him, Nisak and Uril. Oops.
They attempt to pick up some more shards. One lets out a wail that deafens Aziel, James, Drakix and Zadaar. Urgh. With some real difficulty in communicating, each of the PCs head to the other side of the room and unseen servant passes another shard through the bars. As James holds it the wail goes off again and Joe and Uril are deafened. Not a good plan. US gets the final shard on the other side that ignites as it's brought closer to the door. The final shard on this side makes the water boil.
They realise they need two more triangle shards and it looks like they need to go into the water to find them. James wades into the water and feels a pull to drop to his knees, then lies down. Zadaar wades in and does the same. Both of them accept their fate and are sucked into the layer of infinite torture for eternity. And that's the end of James and Zadaar's story.
Our heroes have a moment of reflection then find a way to drain the water. They pull up some tiles and dig a trench, allowing the water to run out. A few hours later and it works! In the next corridor are two doors, but they're unable to open either. Nisak casts shatter on a fence blocking the way and they get through, then enter a room that seems to be some kind of operating theatre with many tools and instruments in here.
In the next room they make some new friends - Sargent Frank, the half man half human, is overlooking Jim, the mixed colour dragonborn, who's on the table. Both of their minds have gone to mush being in constant torture and experimentation. They think this is a test and agree to help the PCs find the poison.
In the next room is Shady Bones, their tormentor. He's hacking something into pieces, and turns to face our heroes when they enter. FIIIIGHT. They eventually manage to defeat him, before he rises again, then dies once more. Phew.
We leave it there at around 5pm.

Missions/Quests Completed

Our heroes are in Aldinach's Egg...

Character(s) interacted with

New frieds! Sargent Frank and Jim.

Campaign

Guardians of the Last Age

Protagonists

James Grom Jr.

Aziel Ak'ak

Joe Smith

Nisak Eaton

Jim

Frank Ittarius

Report Date

04 Oct 2020