The Dungeon of Graves: Session 34
General Summary
A Court of Death and Web
Report Date
30 May 2021
With the Shrike’s aethrin resources assembled in the larger cavern, the battle with the large spiders continued. Halxion had been the only one to see and hear the larger mechanical spider and the female voice that accompanied it but as they readied themselves for more combat they had lost the gigantic spider altogether. In a move that was more flare than substance, Vai’len placed one of her silvered bolts and targeted the wererats that had just nailed her with an arrow. “You should have kept running,” the rogue explained before dealing minimal damage to two of the creatures. Echoing the sentiment, Kaertas targeted the wererats and nearly killed the injured one.
Meanwhile Mogg’s spikes down the side tunnel claimed more victims as some of the massive creatures attempted to push through them and failed, horribly. The only other exit into the cavern that the party had assembled themselves involved moving through both of the clerics’ spiritual guardians. Showing more intelligence than some might give them credit for, they did not move through the dangerous spells, instead the spiders moved up and tried to web the Shrike’s resources. One of them managed to restrain Orilo. As the spiders shifted around each other in the tight tunnel, the light of the spells illuminated their multiple eyes. It was obvious that they were waiting for something or someone, as they cautiously moved past each other to hit the adventurers from a distance.
Still hidden in plain sight, Mogg attempted to help slay the wererats. Unfortunately the wererats were able to deftly dodge his arrows. Lord Thevius was able to injure the wererats with two well placed eldritch blasts. Flexing his muscles the huge fighter, Orilo, easily escaped the webs. The fighter remained diligent and held his ground, waiting for the onslaught of spiders to push themselves through the tunnel. Lothar, who was still perched atop of Orilo, moved Lupus and commanded him to bite the wererats, slaying the creature. The cleric of Tlombi moved from the tunnel’s entrance, encompassing the wererats within his dangerous twilight aura.
From behind the group, the giant mechanical spider appeared above them. Hidden just above the spider was a figure none of them could see. Focusing on Kaertas, the mechanical spider blasted the stone near the wizard’s feet. The wererat near Halxion had noticed the feminine figure attached to the wall by her cloak. They closed their eyes as the woman hurled pitch blackness upon the group. At first glance she looked to be a drow but when the adventurers withstood the circle of death she flung at them they could notice that her lower jaw split, showing multiple rows of teeth. As the spell was released, the last words were yelled in abyssal followed by “die.” The woman was shrouded in frost and surrounded by multiple images of her terrible beauty. The retriever, the mechanical spider, then turned their attention to Mogg and after nailing the rogue with one of their legs, the spider turned back to the wizard. Once again the aim was off and the laser carved another gash into the stone.
The only wererats still standing were hiding in the tunnels. Every once in a while they would poke their head out and try to bite or hit Orilo. Unfortunately for one wererat they were smacked dead as they retreated from the large man. With their focus switched from the large spiders to the gigantic one, the slightly smaller ones moved past Lothar, crawling rather close to the cleric of Vrokíva. Mogg falls back from the retriever and focuses his attacks on the lady on the wall. However, the expert marksman eliminated two mirror images. Though he didn’t draw blood on her, the woman commands her retriever to find and kill Mogg. In a rather clever move, Lord Thevius targets the retriever and the stalactites above both the giant mechanical spider and the queen with a shatter. The falling stones were unable to penetrate the retriever’s armor but his spell did hurt the lady.
With the tunnel nearly empty of spiders, the large fighter turned his fists to the spiders around his companions. The rogue thanks Orilo as his fists slammed and killed the spider threatening her. Lothar moved Lupus to bite another spider, slaying the creature as he was able to finish off another with a spell. The cleric of Tlombi deftly dodged spiders as he moved out of the center of the cavern and dropped a Moonbeam on them. Surveying the battlefield, the queen dropped a large stinking cloud on the squishier folk. With the instructions to find and kill, the retriever moved to the area in which the arrows flew from. As they approached the spider’s blindsight targeted Mogg, allowing them to hit the rogue with a leg attack and a laser to the face. Unfortunately Mogg had retreated from the party and they were unable to see the Xhogumal fall.
Sinestra, who had kept a safe distance from the party, moved to her companions and dropped her spirit totem, giving them all a boost. Able to withstand the stinking cloud, Vai’len moved and nailed the woman who called her retriever for Vai’len’s death. Kaertas wasn’t as successful with the cloud and spent some time retching. The spiders, feeling bolstered by their queen, moved to attack the group. Two hit Halxion who was able to maintain their spell concentration. One managed to hit the rogue who was rather thankful for Sinestra’s totem or she would have joined Mogg on the stone floor. The remaining spiders in the tunnel slowly moved past each other to hit Orilo, causing the fighter to call out for them to fall back. Lothar finally climbs off the fighter and moves into the tunnel releasing his pack of spiritual wolves on the spiders. From his hidden spot, Halxion healed himself and channeled his twilight to help his companions.
Once again surveying the battlefield, the woman casts and holds her spell. She offers them to leave their dead and retreat. Her retriever moved near the rogue but held their actions until the queen directed. Taking a step forward, Vai’len scanned her friends and noticed Mogg was missing. Figuring that he was the “dead” the queen was referring to, she tried to negotiate but failed. The rogue ended up moving away from the cavern, staying in the tunnel waiting for her companions. Lothar had heard the queen but maintained his concentration on the pack of wolves. Many spiders died in the tunnel and yet the queen only called for them to back down. Reluctantly, Lothar moves into the cavern. The cleric grabs the bodies of his skeletons and starts to drag them off to the tunnel. Halxion tried to approach Mogg’s body but the queen hissed. She turned her attention to Lothar and dispelled the magic that had killed her children.
Laying on the ground, Mogg got glimpses of the Xhogumal’s migration across Gylidd. His lovely final images were tainted by a seeping dread as he exhaled his final breath. Before leaving, Lothar asks the woman’s name. “You are in the presence of Aldeth the Spider Queen,” she further explains that if they had come to her court with reverence that she was due then perhaps they wouldn’t be leaving behind one of their own. The cleric just responds with what sounded like a threat. As they climbed up back through the tight rat tunnel, they could sense the building fear that the level radiated. They pressed past Max, their otyugh friend, who noticed the skeletons and the general mood of the group. With concern in his telepathic voice he asked if they were alright. They explain that they lost someone to the queen. Max’s big heart showed as he offered his precious garbage and a spot for rest. Thevius was rather glad not to take the creature up on his offer as they did not feel like this level was safe for them. They pressed up through the tunnels once again, feeling the fear fade as they left the area.
As they climbed out of the rat tunnel on the second level, someone was climbing out of the rat tunnel from the surface. Loose pebbles announced his arrival as a figure clad in heavy armor emerged. Upon his back he had a kite shield adorned with a sea bird in gray, blue and black and in his exposed blackened hands was a magical two handed maul. As they started to greet the figure, hoping they were not an enemy, Kaertas heard the familiar tones of Inako, “Loss someone did you? I am sending someone to you...they should be with you soon, don’t attack.” The wizard who might have once jumped at the chance to talk with the powerful necromancer, did not respond to the voice in his head. Lothar asks the newcomer if they were here to judge them. The paladin responded in Gylidder sign that they were here to do a job. They learn that his name is Emil as they all fall back to the room which once had an animated broom.
They chat a bit with the tensions still high from the forced retreat. Vai’len thanks Sinestra for the well timed and placed totem and the druid explains they like to see which one of us would have the strength to survive the dungeon. A quick rap at the door announces Snaggletooth’s return after delivering Vai’len’s letter to the Odo Bristleback. Not one her companions asked about the letter but the rogue thanks the small faerie dragon. As they rested, Vai’len had Snaggletooth in her lap. With each gentle pet, both fell asleep and as the faerie dragon breathed on the rogue the mist crackled and numbed the rogue’s skin. Vai’len goes into a euphoric stupor and had the best sleep she had since becoming attached to the Shrike.
During the night they could hear wolves, Lothar understood that Vrokíva was gaining ground in this desecrated dungeon. In the morning Snaggletooth asks if they should stay but they all agree that it would be a terrible loss for them to fall victim to the dungeon. Instead they jump into the air and poof, spending the day above the ground. They were split in which way to continue. Some wanted to return to Aldeth before they could gain more resources while others wanted to try to clear the Upper Temple of the Master. Eventually they landed on the temple. Meanwhile Lothar and Kaertas were using their higher level spells to ask the skeletal forms they had kept in their bags if it would alright for the necromancer to raise them. With the dead's agreement, he created two more companions to join their battle with the clerics of the Master. Muttering in a slightly off-tone manner, Emil focuses for a second and then releases a spell of Aid on himself, Lothar, and Orilo.
Moving back down the rat tunnel, most of them were caught in the fear and dread until Halxion channeled Tlombi and cleared them from the debilitating condition. Vai’len scouted the area and found nothing different, even the abjuration magic had returned to the door and behind it. Noting the Alarms, the others were called into the watery antechamber while Halxion opened the door and alerted the clerics that someone had breached their temple. They move through the area quickly. The massive statue of the Master still glowed and loomed over them but they pressed through the side door. Once again the area behind the door, the small tunnel, was thick with alarm spells. Standing outside the door that had caused many of them to become feeble minded, Halxion focused and dispelled the enchantment. With the door now cleared, Vai’len unlocked the door and stepped back. Behind the door it revealed an antechamber that was covered in etchings of demons pouring out of the earth. The demons looked to be grabbing aethrin and eating them.
On one of the walls was a carving of the Master holding mist and bellowing into the sky. Across from them they could hear the sounds of something bubbling past the second door. They all move into the antechamber. As the door creaks open, a blast of warm air goes through the area. It smells like burning earth and a familiar voice rings out “You have had many chances to convert or flee, now you will die.” Standing atop a central edifice, stands the cleric who had killed Nam and had trapped them in the tomb for three weeks. Flying around the cleric was a demon and surrounding the central structure were small clusters of acolytes, skeletons and undead ogres.
