Session 12: The Ladder
General Summary
The session began Mid-day on Solis 22, 2597. The party searched the Southern quadrant of Jil’nan where they found 49 gold pieces, but nothing else. It was so barren there were not even birds around according to Tork. At camp for the night, Tork made a sandcastle... in the desert... bodily fluids that were used are up to speculation (piss and spit)?
The morning of Solis 23, 2597, Rodan Spice found a craggy opening underneath a demolished stairway in the Western quadrant of the city that smelled "Of Ancient Library". They made their way down into it and decided to go up first. After about 10 minutes this section of tunnel caved in, so they ventured deeper underground instead. After nearly two hours of twisting and branching passages and more cave in's than they could count, they ended up in front of a large black stone door that said "Rcan" above it. They were unable to get the door open, even when referencing the Explorer's Journal from Jil'nan until Kale sacraficed his Edible Hat into a slot in the door, opening it.
Beyond this they came to a large room with four alters covered in soot and a sort of sandstone creation that roamed the room once they got close to it. The walls had the names of people lining them and there was a faint scent of smoke on the air. They continued through this room to a room that was essentially a void. Tork fell headfirst 20 feet down into the base of this room, and the party made their way across it to the other side by following the wall (a roughly 200 foot circular diameter void). This door opened to reveal a greenhouse illuminated by magical daylight and full of dead plants. The party proceeded through this room to another large room. This one however had streaks of real daylight filtering through the domed ceiling onto the roughly 120 foot circular dark stone floor that was littered with two dozen diamonds. Opposite the door the party entered through was a silver metal door which above it featured the words "Treasure Here, Treasure Gone. Equal Only Twice. Be Quick, Be Nimble, Or Be Lost." After a large amount of investigation and sluething, they determined four of the diamonds in the floor corresponded to stars in constellations in the sky, namely the Hourglass, The Diamond, Rhythm and Rhyme, and The Dead Tree. Using mirror like objects or mirrors in their possesion (per the Explorer's Journal from Jil'nan), they redirected starlight into them gems, causing them to glow, connect, then shoot a bead of energy at the silver door which turned it into a portal. The party rushed through the portal.
They next found themselves in a small sandstone room, roughly 10 foot by 10 foot. On a pedestal in the middle of the room was a large book while on the other side of the room was a wooden door. There was no trace of how they entered the room. After some investigations to make certain the book was safe, Rodan Spice opened it and read what ammounted to
Upon leaving the room, each person's mural changed. Alena Birch's became the party's first fight together, with the demon poisoning the well. Rodan Spice's became a ship among the clouds. Kale's became a tree with a handprint burned into it. Tork's became him holding hands with Zirk. The final time the party exited the room one at a time, Alena Birch saw herself on fire, Rodan Spice saw himself without hands, Kale saw a whole forest on fire (including Uncle Barkly), and Tork saw himself in a graveyard without either horns and in chains by a figure in purple.
When the party left this room again, they found themselves in a different long standstone hallway. This time at the Left they were lead to a door that opened to a vast sandy expanse. They decided to not go this way and head right instead. This way they found a hallway full of vines with a silver rod 60 feet away. After some attempts to get through, fight, or disable them, Kale used tidal wave which washed the rod into their grasp (and which Rodan Spice now holds). Opting to not cross the vines, they decided to head back to the desert (but not before Tork etched a "t" into the intersection through which they passed.
Entering into the desert, after about an hour and a half of travel, they arrived at a Colossal Tower made of dark stone. At its base it appeared to be 100 foot diameter. Inside was a sand floor and a ladder in middle of room going up out of sight. Tork took the lead on the ladder, followed by Alena Birch, Rodan Spice, and Kale respectively. They climbed for 2 Hours, nearly to the point of exhaustion, before deciding to go down (even though Rodan Spice had dropped a piton before and never heard it land). Kale stepped down one rung and found himself back on the sand. The party was frustrated and made camp for the night inside the tower's base.
The next morning on Solis 24, 2597, Kale dispelled some Illusion magic and revealed three large gems on brass arms that appear to be creating the ladder out of the ceiling some 25 feet overhead. Rodan Spice discovered a trap door leading to a 10 foot by 10 foot room below which featured a similar contraption. Upon inspection it seemed like an arcane machine to teleport the ladder and continually keep it moving while also putting out minor illusions of height. Other than this the room featured a silvered rod in a glass case which they left behind.
In another sandstone passage that eventually came to a "T" they decided to go left. The passage slowly expanded outward and voices and firelight were heard ahead as they approached a cavelike area. Here they are welcomed to the home of the Banished. An older man with a peppered beard welcomed them and told them he has been here for 25 years, though some in this makeshift community have been here as long as 80 years. He confirms for the party that the rooms which hallways and other rooms they are connected to once doors are closed and that The Banished's hallway leads to three rooms: the Ladder/Desert Room, the Rat Pit, and the Djinn Den (or the Gin Den maybe). He also tells them that there are things to be scared of though they do have elections coming up soon in the Banished and are welcome to stay if they would like. Beyond this he says he no longer believes in the Treasure of the Doresak Desert and finds this place to be a purgatory punishment. He says the only person to have ever had a chance of getting out was an elven gentleman with a journal who had acquired 7 rods. After some conversation they manage to confirm this is the explorer who's journal they've been reading. He invites them to have rats with them and this ended the session.The Obvious Way
Video Game Situation
Treasure Here, Treasure Gone
You Can't Spell Funeral Without Fun
I Steel Cast Iron
I Don't Care What the Stars Are, I Care What They Mean!
I'm All About Touching
Jacked Everyday
The Last Instruction We Got Was to Be Quick
You've Been Climbing the Ladder for 2 Hours
We Just Have to Keep Going, We're Close
Not as Hostile... Yet
The morning of Solis 23, 2597, Rodan Spice found a craggy opening underneath a demolished stairway in the Western quadrant of the city that smelled "Of Ancient Library". They made their way down into it and decided to go up first. After about 10 minutes this section of tunnel caved in, so they ventured deeper underground instead. After nearly two hours of twisting and branching passages and more cave in's than they could count, they ended up in front of a large black stone door that said "Rcan" above it. They were unable to get the door open, even when referencing the Explorer's Journal from Jil'nan until Kale sacraficed his Edible Hat into a slot in the door, opening it.
Beyond this they came to a large room with four alters covered in soot and a sort of sandstone creation that roamed the room once they got close to it. The walls had the names of people lining them and there was a faint scent of smoke on the air. They continued through this room to a room that was essentially a void. Tork fell headfirst 20 feet down into the base of this room, and the party made their way across it to the other side by following the wall (a roughly 200 foot circular diameter void). This door opened to reveal a greenhouse illuminated by magical daylight and full of dead plants. The party proceeded through this room to another large room. This one however had streaks of real daylight filtering through the domed ceiling onto the roughly 120 foot circular dark stone floor that was littered with two dozen diamonds. Opposite the door the party entered through was a silver metal door which above it featured the words "Treasure Here, Treasure Gone. Equal Only Twice. Be Quick, Be Nimble, Or Be Lost." After a large amount of investigation and sluething, they determined four of the diamonds in the floor corresponded to stars in constellations in the sky, namely the Hourglass, The Diamond, Rhythm and Rhyme, and The Dead Tree. Using mirror like objects or mirrors in their possesion (per the Explorer's Journal from Jil'nan), they redirected starlight into them gems, causing them to glow, connect, then shoot a bead of energy at the silver door which turned it into a portal. The party rushed through the portal.
They next found themselves in a small sandstone room, roughly 10 foot by 10 foot. On a pedestal in the middle of the room was a large book while on the other side of the room was a wooden door. There was no trace of how they entered the room. After some investigations to make certain the book was safe, Rodan Spice opened it and read what ammounted to
This is a plane of reality where the mages of Jil'nan and Jil'tar, wishing to hide their wealth from the gods, decided to place their treasure. It is unreachable by divine beings and it is unknown to them. It is impenetrable by all by the most cunning, clever, and strong.The last page is handscrawled as
Upon the fall of Jil'nan and Jil'tar as well as the Departure, the Treasure is now under management of the Sand Druids.The party then left the room and went down a long sandstone corridor that arrived at a "T". The went left and arrived in an identical 10 foot by 10 foot sandstone room, however this room had a door opposite of them that said
Mischief will not be tolerated, be patient.Once it has been 10 minutes since they entered the room the door opened and they found another long sandstone hallway that ended at a "T". This time the party decided to go right where they arrived at a room of murals. The first set of murals were about each of the party: Rodan Spice's showed a young human hand reaching into another person's pocket, Kale's showed a firbolg in the center of a star, Alena Birch's showed a tribe of happy elves in the forest, and Tork's showed a number of minotaurs standing should to shoulder.
Upon leaving the room, each person's mural changed. Alena Birch's became the party's first fight together, with the demon poisoning the well. Rodan Spice's became a ship among the clouds. Kale's became a tree with a handprint burned into it. Tork's became him holding hands with Zirk. The final time the party exited the room one at a time, Alena Birch saw herself on fire, Rodan Spice saw himself without hands, Kale saw a whole forest on fire (including Uncle Barkly), and Tork saw himself in a graveyard without either horns and in chains by a figure in purple.
When the party left this room again, they found themselves in a different long standstone hallway. This time at the Left they were lead to a door that opened to a vast sandy expanse. They decided to not go this way and head right instead. This way they found a hallway full of vines with a silver rod 60 feet away. After some attempts to get through, fight, or disable them, Kale used tidal wave which washed the rod into their grasp (and which Rodan Spice now holds). Opting to not cross the vines, they decided to head back to the desert (but not before Tork etched a "t" into the intersection through which they passed.
Entering into the desert, after about an hour and a half of travel, they arrived at a Colossal Tower made of dark stone. At its base it appeared to be 100 foot diameter. Inside was a sand floor and a ladder in middle of room going up out of sight. Tork took the lead on the ladder, followed by Alena Birch, Rodan Spice, and Kale respectively. They climbed for 2 Hours, nearly to the point of exhaustion, before deciding to go down (even though Rodan Spice had dropped a piton before and never heard it land). Kale stepped down one rung and found himself back on the sand. The party was frustrated and made camp for the night inside the tower's base.
The next morning on Solis 24, 2597, Kale dispelled some Illusion magic and revealed three large gems on brass arms that appear to be creating the ladder out of the ceiling some 25 feet overhead. Rodan Spice discovered a trap door leading to a 10 foot by 10 foot room below which featured a similar contraption. Upon inspection it seemed like an arcane machine to teleport the ladder and continually keep it moving while also putting out minor illusions of height. Other than this the room featured a silvered rod in a glass case which they left behind.
In another sandstone passage that eventually came to a "T" they decided to go left. The passage slowly expanded outward and voices and firelight were heard ahead as they approached a cavelike area. Here they are welcomed to the home of the Banished. An older man with a peppered beard welcomed them and told them he has been here for 25 years, though some in this makeshift community have been here as long as 80 years. He confirms for the party that the rooms which hallways and other rooms they are connected to once doors are closed and that The Banished's hallway leads to three rooms: the Ladder/Desert Room, the Rat Pit, and the Djinn Den (or the Gin Den maybe). He also tells them that there are things to be scared of though they do have elections coming up soon in the Banished and are welcome to stay if they would like. Beyond this he says he no longer believes in the Treasure of the Doresak Desert and finds this place to be a purgatory punishment. He says the only person to have ever had a chance of getting out was an elven gentleman with a journal who had acquired 7 rods. After some conversation they manage to confirm this is the explorer who's journal they've been reading. He invites them to have rats with them and this ended the session.
Rejected Session Names
Report Date
09 Mar 2023
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