Adventure in Allodee
Into the Crypts of the Last Ornish Kings
General Summary
The Forbidden City of the Phoenix: Chapter VII
Report DateFebruary 12th-15th, 1000 PCE
Report CreatedJune 13th, 2020
LocationsPrevious Session
Areas & Encounters
Location & Objective
The Party ventured into the interior of Lowdown Island and explored the ruins of the Old Allodee Refuge. They were searching for the second Ornish guidestone, a map said to reveal the location of an ancient Ornish outpost commonly known as the Moon Vault.
Synopsis
Before discovering the crypts of the Great Necropolis in the lower levels of the Refuge, the Party explored Allodee's notable surface landmarks, including the Sacrificial Pyramid, the Shrine of the Twin Suns, the Fallen Communications Tower, the Hall of Records, Toktamish's Garrison Fort, and the Aqueduct Access Reservoir.
During these explorations, the Party met new allies, such as the forgotten subterranean tribe of the Ornish Subo and the cursed spirit of Vance, the last survivor of Old Allodee. Even as Mindfire plague corrupted his mind and lamed his body, Vance had maintained his post in the Communications Tower until his last dying breath. He was waiting for a message that never came: a communications transmission from the moon.
After accessing the lower levels of the Refuge, the Party discovered that the Great Necropolis was more than just a mass crypt. Allodee had originally served as a medical research station. The Ornish Gene Takers who had established the "LoD Medical Facility" were trying to develop a cure for the Mindfire plague that had ravaged the Old Precursor Empires (Orad and Urzen). The Orad sages discovered that the disease had been caused by aberrant extra-planar creatures from a nightmare realm known as "The Void."
In spite of interference from diabolic Void aberrations, the Party eventually discovered Allodee's royal tombs and recovered the second Orad Guidestone as well as an Ornish artifact called the Caduceus Rod.
Important Developments
- Realized that the beast(s) of Lowdown Island were allied with Margrave Toktamish
- Befriended the Subo leader (Karak) and learned more about the legacy of Ornish biotechnology (genetically engineered mutants bred to live in the Post-Cataclysmic world)
- Learned about three ancient weapons, a scepter and two swords (one of these the "Moon Blade" sealed within the Lunar Research Facility)
- Everest acquired Nanomite technology and began practicing nanomancy (alchemy).
- First Spear Aradus, Toktamish's war chief, tried to lead the Party into a trap and was killed by Jayne for his trouble.
- Emissaries of the Void made contact with the Party and tried to persuade them to join forces.
- A mysterious spirit known as the Ancient of Stone helped the Party unlock the Caduceus Vault pocket dimension
- Marsala communed with the spirit after it asked for and received the Ambektar stone the Party took from the sacrificial pyramid
- Recovered an Ornish calendar indicating an auspicious solar eclipse event upcoming within the current calendar year
- Learned that Noirlan was founded by noble refugees who fled the fall of the Second Ornish Kingdom
- Noticed Captain Thorpe's resemblance to the royal Vitalish refugees (ancestors of Noirlan's House Vidal)
Player Characters
Edmund Andrew
Everest Bell
Jayne
Marsala
Matthaeus "Math" Mannheim
Rob
William Benjamin
Zyatok "Zen" Hangi
Edmund Andrew
Everest Bell
Jayne
Marsala
Matthaeus "Math" Mannheim
Rob
William Benjamin
Zyatok "Zen" Hangi
Missions Completed
- Acquired 4 Discovery Points towards locating the Moon Vault (The Party accessed the map archives of the Hall of Records and Communications Tower[1] and recovered the second Ornish Guidestone [3])
- Moon Vault Mission: 12/12 Discovery Points (accumulated total)
- Learned the purpose of Allodee Refuge as well as the Moon Vault
- Lifted Vance's curse
Notable Treasure
- Protanium Blades (bastard sword, rapier [psionic], dagger)
- Protanium Shield
- Plasma Rifle
- Slice Kit
- Nanomites and Nanomancy Manuals
- Caduceus Rod
- Power Stones
- Memory Stones
Characters Interacted With
Ancient of Stone
Aradus
D (fire elemental)
Kai (Subo warrior)
Karak (Subo chief)
Vance (haunted spirit)
Void Emissaries
Ancient of Stone
Aradus
D (fire elemental)
Kai (Subo warrior)
Karak (Subo chief)
Vance (haunted spirit)
Void Emissaries
Click here for the up-to-date timeline of major campaign developments:
Detailed Summary
Pyramid Beast Battle
The party arrived at the ruins of Allodee refuge at midday morning on February 12th. Their escort, Aradus, went off alone to the camp of Toktamish's local garrison. He said he would meet the party at the step pyramid looming to the north. The party went to the pyramid and was attacked by a mob of thoughteaters and a monster resembling the beast they saw in Lucho Xirau's memories (a Phthisic). After defeating the beast, they found a royal inscription bearing the name "Vitalish" along with the triple-moon crest of Noirlan's "Vidal" family.
The party used the Memory Mirror to gain a fleeting glimpse at the history of the mysterious pyramid and learned that this was once a place of human sacrifice. They also learned that Margrave Toktamish had recently been sacrificing his subjects to the beasts of Lowdown Island and that Aradus had participated in these horrible offerings. The party did not wait for Aradus's return and instead started moving towards another intact pyramid visible to the west. On the way they stopped to inspect a shrine bearing references to an artifact called the "Eye of the Serpent." Their investigation disturbed a nearby Owlbear.
The party used the Memory Mirror to gain a fleeting glimpse at the history of the mysterious pyramid and learned that this was once a place of human sacrifice. They also learned that Margrave Toktamish had recently been sacrificing his subjects to the beasts of Lowdown Island and that Aradus had participated in these horrible offerings. The party did not wait for Aradus's return and instead started moving towards another intact pyramid visible to the west. On the way they stopped to inspect a shrine bearing references to an artifact called the "Eye of the Serpent." Their investigation disturbed a nearby Owlbear.
Into the Fallen Tower
Exploring further to the west of the ruined city, the party discovered a fallen tower. Its base was intact, but the pinnacle had collapsed and lay intact upon its side. The party approached it and had a brief clash with a band of shabbily-dressed warriors with shrouded faces. The masked fighters retreated in terror when Zen revealed his psionic abilities.
Inside the fallen tower, the PCs encountered swarms of snakes and discovered Ornish weapons of exceptional quality. These weapons were noted for their remarkable silvery sheen and lightness. Moving laterally through the ruined structures skewed interior, the party also recovered an array of psionic memory stones from a group of Stone Idol guardians. After promising to take the memory stones to the Allodee Hall of Records, William convinced one of these constructs to become his elemental familiar and "D" has followed the party as a loyal companion ever since.
Within the fallen tower's highest chamber, the party encountered the haunted remains of Allodee's last survivor, Vance, a communications technician who had remained alone at his post inside the Allodee communications tower until he finally succumbed to the Mindfire plague. The trauma and horror of his demise had left his spirit chained to this mortal realm and unable to find rest.
After steeling themselves against the terrifying traces of Vance's haunting, the party was attacked by a trio of extradimensional creatures clad in razor sharp chains. After fending off the Chain Demons, the party recovered a crystal shard from Vance's corpse and received a spectral message from Vance through Marsala.
The spirit explained that the demonic beings were creatures from an extradimensional realm known to the ancient Ornish as "The Void." These Void creatures had tethered Vance's consciousness to this place and tormented him for their own delight for centuries. Vance requested that the party return his soul shard to the Vance family crypt in the lower levels of Allodee in order to give his spirit final rest.
At this point the PCs used the Memory Mirror once more and learned that the communications tower had been sending messages received from the moon to a nearby location called the Lunar Research Facility. Among the images revealed in the mirror, the party saw plans for a silver sword called the Moon Blade as well as a golden mace called the Star Rod.
Inside the fallen tower, the PCs encountered swarms of snakes and discovered Ornish weapons of exceptional quality. These weapons were noted for their remarkable silvery sheen and lightness. Moving laterally through the ruined structures skewed interior, the party also recovered an array of psionic memory stones from a group of Stone Idol guardians. After promising to take the memory stones to the Allodee Hall of Records, William convinced one of these constructs to become his elemental familiar and "D" has followed the party as a loyal companion ever since.
Within the fallen tower's highest chamber, the party encountered the haunted remains of Allodee's last survivor, Vance, a communications technician who had remained alone at his post inside the Allodee communications tower until he finally succumbed to the Mindfire plague. The trauma and horror of his demise had left his spirit chained to this mortal realm and unable to find rest.
After steeling themselves against the terrifying traces of Vance's haunting, the party was attacked by a trio of extradimensional creatures clad in razor sharp chains. After fending off the Chain Demons, the party recovered a crystal shard from Vance's corpse and received a spectral message from Vance through Marsala.
The spirit explained that the demonic beings were creatures from an extradimensional realm known to the ancient Ornish as "The Void." These Void creatures had tethered Vance's consciousness to this place and tormented him for their own delight for centuries. Vance requested that the party return his soul shard to the Vance family crypt in the lower levels of Allodee in order to give his spirit final rest.
At this point the PCs used the Memory Mirror once more and learned that the communications tower had been sending messages received from the moon to a nearby location called the Lunar Research Facility. Among the images revealed in the mirror, the party saw plans for a silver sword called the Moon Blade as well as a golden mace called the Star Rod.
Subo Alliance
After leaving the communications tower, the party met with the masked warriors once more. They were speaking the Old Ornish language, carrying a wounded fighter upon a makeshift litter, and nursing grievous wounds. These tribesmen had faced one of the rampaging Phthisic beasts and barely escaped with their lives. Approaching to parlay with the retreating warriors, the party noticed they were carrying gleaming Ornish weapons and wearing Ornish armour under their clothing. Their leader, Kerak, expressed surprise that the PCs had survived the "tower of snakes" and responded in a conciliatory fashion when the party declared they were in Allodee to hunt the beasts.
Kerak revealed that he and his people were Subos: a subterranean race of biologically engineered humanoids created by the Ornish "Gene Takers" to serve as menial serviles. Kerak further explained that he was mistrustful of "Skylanders," because Margrave Toktamish had defiled the Allodee Necropolis and made offerings to the Void creatures that haunted these lands. Through human sacrifice and other morbid acts, Toktamish had gained power from the Void but in the process he had unleashed the Void's horrors into the mortal world. Kerak gave the PCs some supplies to aid in their quest and promised to take care of Marsala, who remained in a stupor after channeling the spirit of Vance.
Kerak revealed that he and his people were Subos: a subterranean race of biologically engineered humanoids created by the Ornish "Gene Takers" to serve as menial serviles. Kerak further explained that he was mistrustful of "Skylanders," because Margrave Toktamish had defiled the Allodee Necropolis and made offerings to the Void creatures that haunted these lands. Through human sacrifice and other morbid acts, Toktamish had gained power from the Void but in the process he had unleashed the Void's horrors into the mortal world. Kerak gave the PCs some supplies to aid in their quest and promised to take care of Marsala, who remained in a stupor after channeling the spirit of Vance.
The Hall of Records
The Party took a Subo guide named Kai and advanced to the Hall of Records at the western edge of the Allodee ruins. While exploring the pyramid and its surrounding area, the PCs were attacked by a small mob of Skin Walkers led by a monstrous, tentacled Decapus. After overcoming these threats (and burning the retreating brain worms) the party figured out how to unlock the archive room and accessed the thinking machines of the Allodee Word Keepers. Here they acquired more information about the Lunar Research Facility and learned how to access Allodee's underground levels.
The Fate of Aradus
While travelling towards the subterrannean entry point of the Allodee Aqueduct, the party came upon the remnant of Toktamish's local stockade. All of the Lowdown garrison troops had been corrupted by skin walking brain worms, and Aradus was now their captive. Sneaking into an advantageous position, Jayne took aim with his longbow and loosed a fusilade of arrows through the gaps of a wooden sentry tower and into Aradus's body. Aradus slumped lifelessly to the tower floor, and the Skin Walkers shambled after the party, but the PCs retreated from the scene and rendezvoused at the aqueduct.
Entering the Old Aqueduct
After discovering that the aqueduct fed through a tidal river, the party waited for low tide to reveal the feed pipe and entered it to descend into the underground. In the underground ,the Party relied upon Everest to activate a series of mechanical gates in order to advance. Activating these gate mechanisms awakened a gauntlet of automated defences, and the PCs fought through a variety of traps and combat encounters with gene-spliced, Ornish cyborgs, deathless guardians that had stood sentinel in these tunnels for centuries.
The Great Necropolis of Allodee
The necropolis itself was adorned in solar motifs and iconography depicting the cosmic battle between the sun God, Mazta, and his fell counterpart, Ahriman of the Dark Sun. Within, the Party discovered halls of windowed, lead-encased tombs containing thousands of perfectly preserved corpses: a mass grave for an entire civilization. The PCs found that these corpses instantly mortified when exposed to the open air.
Among the morbid implements of this living tomb, the Party discovered manuals detailing Ornish psionic meditations and advanced genetic medicine. These manuals described some of the various classifying labels affixed to most of the windowed tombs:
Among the morbid implements of this living tomb, the Party discovered manuals detailing Ornish psionic meditations and advanced genetic medicine. These manuals described some of the various classifying labels affixed to most of the windowed tombs:
- Catatonic Fugue
- Psychotic Mania
- Metabolic Atrophy
- Temporal Misalignment
Examination of one solar shrine decorated with bull motifs revealed a journal inscribed with the following:
“Our science avails us little. Should the Lunar Research Team fail, we know that our last remaining hope lies in the return of the Visitors. The Visitor known as Knight, who unveiled the mysteries of the sacred sun many generations ago, is said to have raised a Mithraeum in the Wastes of Eloy. Perhaps he still dwells there in the keeping of the holy bull’s seven sisters, where the horns of the Sun point the way to the Well of Titans. This is the path of the highest mystery.”
“Seven Sisters, Seven SEAs: Seven is a ubiquitous number in Visitor lore. Where sevens are grouped together, the hand of the Visitors often seems behind it. Perhaps this is related to the Seven Chakras of our own Firewalking dogma…”
After fighting or evading a menagerie of gene-spliced cyborg sentinels, the Party realized that Void-touched skin walkers and other Empyrean horrors were following them into the necropolis. Trying to stay ahead of the Void-intruders, the PCs found a secret passage into the lower levels. Here they confronted an Ornish sentry probe and a trio of gene-spliced hounds and successfully bluffed past them. The probe declared it was defending an artifact known as the Caduceus Rod and moved on with its hounds to defend the lower sanctum against the gathering swarm of Void creatures.
The Party's local guide, the Subo warrior known as Kai, was showing signs of sickness, and the PCs discovered he was infected with Void parasites. They tried everything they could to heal him but nothing worked and so the Party told him to stay out of the lower Necropolis sanctum and locked him out of the sentry point. (The door they broke to get in would not close, however.)
The Party then came upon a meditation chamber containing sarcophaguses entombing four Ornish sages. Here they were assaulted by an unseen attacker. The encounter began when William removed a memory crystal from one of the sarcophagus tombs. After this unwise act triggered a burst of damaging cold, William behaved as though he was being chased around the room by an invisible opponent and became increasingly erratic, responding to wounds and attacks that no one else could perceive. At one point he even behaved as though he was possessed.
After William unexpectedly stabbed Jayne, a giant spectre wearing a robe and mask emerged from one of the sarcophagus tombs and removed the predatory spirit from William’s body temporarily revealing it to the whole party (it looked like a floating blue spectral skull with an exposed cerebrum). Free of the spirit’s control William proceeded to attack and kill his invisible assailant.
This room now cleared, the Party applied the psionic energies of its members to enact the kundalini chakra ritual. This being successfully concluded, Zen was teleported to a pocket dimension where he recovered the Caduceus Rod artifact after a harrowing encounter with the pharmakon enigma.
In the adjoining the rooms, the Party passed by a non-functional cyborg (they failed to reactivate it) and a medical fabrication device. They also recovered manuals on Ur-Zen Nanomancy and Firewalking Chakras. Beyond these chambers lay the lower crypts, containing the Tombs of the Patricians.
It was here that the Party discovered the Ornish Calendar Wheel revealing the cycle of eclipses ending with the numerical designation 31670511 (representing the date May 11th, 3167 AD. Examining the historical clues recorded on the various concentric circles of the wheel, the PCs discerned that the year 3167 AD corresponded to the current year of their own Post-Cataclysmic Era (3167 AD = 1000 PCE, which means the Post-Cataclysmic Era begins right around 2167 AD).
Behind the triple-moon crest of house Vidal/Vitalish, the Party discovered the hidden crypt of the Vitalish Patriarchs, the last kings of the ill-fated Second Ornish Empire. The tombs were decorated with ornate marble busts. The likeness of these Vidal/Vitalish progenitors bore a stark resemblance to Captain Zachary Thorpe. Examining a Vitalish lineage, the Party found indisputable evidence that Margrave Toktamish's claims of Ornish ancestry were fraudulent, his own supposed record of lineage, a forgery. Inscriptions on a pair of empty tombs indicated that two of last sons of Vitalish had evaded the fate of the Mindfire Pestilence that had destroyed their people and instead ventured eastward in search of the Lifebringer artifact. In order to advance further into the necropolis, however, the PCs had to break the psionic seal protecting the lowest levels of the sanctuary from Void incursions.
Beyond the tomb of King Vergand Vitalish, the PCs found a concealed passage leading to a broad and richly appointed royal burial chamber. Here the darkening forces of the Void (gathering as swarms of vermin) finally incarnated to animate the remains of an ancient, mummified Ornish monarch. Now risen as a dread king of the undead, this mummy lord emerged from his grave to attack the Party, which defended itself with unexpected assistance from Adelle Mirodar, who launched a series of concussive attacks while hiding behind a stone pillar.
Victorious in battle, the PCs searched the mummy's tomb and found its lid inscribed with the second Ornish Guidestone. They compared this map with their rubbing of the first Guidestone to discern the location of the lost Lunar Vault.
The Party's local guide, the Subo warrior known as Kai, was showing signs of sickness, and the PCs discovered he was infected with Void parasites. They tried everything they could to heal him but nothing worked and so the Party told him to stay out of the lower Necropolis sanctum and locked him out of the sentry point. (The door they broke to get in would not close, however.)
The Party then came upon a meditation chamber containing sarcophaguses entombing four Ornish sages. Here they were assaulted by an unseen attacker. The encounter began when William removed a memory crystal from one of the sarcophagus tombs. After this unwise act triggered a burst of damaging cold, William behaved as though he was being chased around the room by an invisible opponent and became increasingly erratic, responding to wounds and attacks that no one else could perceive. At one point he even behaved as though he was possessed.
After William unexpectedly stabbed Jayne, a giant spectre wearing a robe and mask emerged from one of the sarcophagus tombs and removed the predatory spirit from William’s body temporarily revealing it to the whole party (it looked like a floating blue spectral skull with an exposed cerebrum). Free of the spirit’s control William proceeded to attack and kill his invisible assailant.
This room now cleared, the Party applied the psionic energies of its members to enact the kundalini chakra ritual. This being successfully concluded, Zen was teleported to a pocket dimension where he recovered the Caduceus Rod artifact after a harrowing encounter with the pharmakon enigma.
In the adjoining the rooms, the Party passed by a non-functional cyborg (they failed to reactivate it) and a medical fabrication device. They also recovered manuals on Ur-Zen Nanomancy and Firewalking Chakras. Beyond these chambers lay the lower crypts, containing the Tombs of the Patricians.
It was here that the Party discovered the Ornish Calendar Wheel revealing the cycle of eclipses ending with the numerical designation 31670511 (representing the date May 11th, 3167 AD. Examining the historical clues recorded on the various concentric circles of the wheel, the PCs discerned that the year 3167 AD corresponded to the current year of their own Post-Cataclysmic Era (3167 AD = 1000 PCE, which means the Post-Cataclysmic Era begins right around 2167 AD).
Behind the triple-moon crest of house Vidal/Vitalish, the Party discovered the hidden crypt of the Vitalish Patriarchs, the last kings of the ill-fated Second Ornish Empire. The tombs were decorated with ornate marble busts. The likeness of these Vidal/Vitalish progenitors bore a stark resemblance to Captain Zachary Thorpe. Examining a Vitalish lineage, the Party found indisputable evidence that Margrave Toktamish's claims of Ornish ancestry were fraudulent, his own supposed record of lineage, a forgery. Inscriptions on a pair of empty tombs indicated that two of last sons of Vitalish had evaded the fate of the Mindfire Pestilence that had destroyed their people and instead ventured eastward in search of the Lifebringer artifact. In order to advance further into the necropolis, however, the PCs had to break the psionic seal protecting the lowest levels of the sanctuary from Void incursions.
Beyond the tomb of King Vergand Vitalish, the PCs found a concealed passage leading to a broad and richly appointed royal burial chamber. Here the darkening forces of the Void (gathering as swarms of vermin) finally incarnated to animate the remains of an ancient, mummified Ornish monarch. Now risen as a dread king of the undead, this mummy lord emerged from his grave to attack the Party, which defended itself with unexpected assistance from Adelle Mirodar, who launched a series of concussive attacks while hiding behind a stone pillar.
Victorious in battle, the PCs searched the mummy's tomb and found its lid inscribed with the second Ornish Guidestone. They compared this map with their rubbing of the first Guidestone to discern the location of the lost Lunar Vault.
Report Date
22 Apr 2020
Comments