The Mouth of Doom: Session 19
General Summary
Absorbed
Report Date
20 Feb 2021
Over the last three weeks, the adventurers had been working on various equipment upgrades, an increase in Castle Calaelen’s defenses, and repelling minor attacks from skeletal forces coming from the woods. They were easily squashed but it is obvious that the locals know that the Castle has been taken.
A contingent of Wrenjers with Ansible and Te’Leyuura head west from Gylidd Syn Aethri on the 25th of Senka. The castle immediately gets updated with the new arrivals resources; magical defenses, protection from Scrying, laborers etc. There are even trainers among them offering instruction in various fighting styles. Everyone is leaving the adventurers alone to do as they are on a clandestine task. The farmers appreciated what Enya had done for the grounds and area. Over the next few days, they watch and help get the castle fixed up and with the new Wrenjer’s, they are able to fully restore the castle.
1st Asha, the group is finally ready to venture to the Mouth of Doom as all of their preparations have finished. The day is warm for winter, 61 degrees; however, there is still quite a bit of breeze but it’s getting warmer during the day and night. Some can smell that rain is coming at some point. Arddan had just finished singing their morning song and the group was assembled in the courtyard, bright and shiny out, the sun was just cresting over the horizon. They talk about getting started. The wildlife on the trek from Calaelen to the Mouth of Doom is copious, banks of roving Brume off in the distance. But nothing assaults them. It smells like spring is coming into focus, it seems like winter has taken a turn...buds and new leaves have formed and all of that ends as they approached the ridgeline of the area. Nature is being siphoned away from some unknown force, even the conifers have lost their needles. When brushed, the leaves fall off, the dirt itself looks dead and dry...like it wouldn’t support any life. They find themselves back at the unholy carving, gray stone skull that they had seen weeks ago. The trees look a breath away from shatters. A single entrance into the rock.
Artem stops at the black staircase, it smells of rot. As they start to walk down, the staircase opens up into a larger room. Black stone stairs led down, 40 feet underground, the room at the bottom has 6 doors, each set into the far end of a 10x10 room. Smells like a graveyard, uniform 12 feet above them is the ceiling.. Iron reinforced wood, well maintained doors. Above most of the doors there are carvings above them; a wolf, a hand, a pentacle, a skull, a goat's face. Blue circles painted on the ground with the door with a wolf. The goat’s face and hand door: Jarvis notices a section of the floor that has seams on the floor indicating a trapdoor. Beyond the circles on the ground, there seemed to be a pressure plate. Artem moves up, asking the group to stay at the stairs, then they will have Jarvis move forward when called for. As they approach the only door without a picture, text appears above the door. The voice sounds like it comes out of the abyss and a demonic mouth pops out “You stand at the threshold of the Rappan Athuk, turn back trespassers”. They motion for Javis, but Uzadi calls back to get Guidance pat from Leofric.
They move around the room, the element of surprise is probably gone so they investigate the rest and dismantle the first trap. The door is fake...it’s painted to look like wood. Next door seems stuck, like possible water damage. Uzadi doesn’t sense any Hallowed spell, celestial, fiend or undead around them. Another trap dismantled in front of another fake door. A series of holes in the ground, pretty obvious that the pressure plate triggers a portcullis to get them trapped, near the door. They tried to disable it that but are unable and the portcullis slams, the boom is carried off through the doors. They hold for a couple of seconds, nothing happens and it seems like no one comes to investigate. Te’Leyuura notes all the doors and items they find in her journal to compile a map with Artem later on. As they had been relying on darkvision and the element of surprise is most likely gone with the slamming of the trap, they look at the room with light and notice a lot of dry blood and a lot of battle. As they unlock the northern door, the southern one is slightly opened and Jarvis calls Artem about it .
Leofric’s eyes go pink as they cast See Invisibility. Artem moves up to look at the door, sees nothing, their nerves get the better of them...but they decide to make a trap with a bell, a rope and some tree resin. They look rather happy with themselves about the trap. The room is large, as Jarvis walks in they see a seam in the wall. They move past it, all wanting to explore the open areas before the closed ones.
Looking down a hall off to the right of the large room they all just entered, Artem can see a pair of boots just sitting down. There is something crusty on the soles of those boots...white and crusty. Artem also notices a metal gauntlet and the palm of it has crusty white substance on it and a door between the two articles of clothing. If Artem had to guess, it looks like some sort of adhesive was on them, dried and now inert. They scuttle back with the left boot, and go back to the party. They talk about what it could be, but they don’t know. The person must have abandoned it.
As they move, Artem can’t move their foot, just 5 feet outside the door, one of their boots got stuck in the adhesive. Jarvis notices that the glue is very potent but non magical...potency for an hour once it applies...the adhesion gets brittle then it can be broken. The door and the handle all have it. They want to test if light helps it. Only Jarvis can tell where it is, Artem places their other boot to the glue and takes out their cold weather boots and Te’Leyuura notes on her map where Artem’s boots are located.
Artem moves down the hall wearing winter boots, it looks like the room mirrors the other. The scout calls for Jarvis and there is a hint of seam running up the wall. Looking down they see a larger room. It’s spick and span, like it has been scrubbed clean. A room beyond it, where some doors and sticking out of the wall fossilized aethrin skeletons...like the wall got made around them. The air is shimmery and possibly jelly like. A clear gelatinous cube approaches the two forward scouts, Jarivs moves Artem out of the way after yelling “hey, gelatinous cube in the room.”
The two are able to get out of the way; however, the group down the hallway were not as lucky as Enya, Uzadi, and Leofric are absorbed. Te’Leyuura was face-face with the creature but is able to deal some damage and just stay an arm’s length in front of it. Those absorbed take damage as well as deal some damage from within. Artem runs so fast down the hall...then shoots the creature and it falls apart in a wave of hissing acid as if a souffle deflated. Leofric calls them to him and they heal up. Te’Leyuura calls out if anyone had a jar they should pack some up. Artem examines if the glue was affected by the cube, but it was not. They move into the next room, it’s spick and span as if cleaned by a cube. In the next room they investigate bodies, they were so shocked they died as they got transmuted into the stone. Investigating the room, they also discover a really old sword and helmet that show the passage of time but still are worth money as they are from the inaethric area and worn by worshipers of Tholmbi.
They talk about leaving the dungeon for the day and coming back more prepared for the shenanigans that keep happening. Jarvis keeps noticing doors opening and when they go to investigate it they are closed. Luckily, they are able to exit the Mouth of Doom to return the next day, more prepared.
