The Mouth of Doom: Session 23

General Summary

Hands of Luck

A Wrenjer’s Sendoff:

At the base of a hill, just outside the dead zone around the Mouth of Doom, the Wrenjers assembled to help Gelver pass on. The sun was just dipping behind the Northern Racchis Range, the rays being split among the mountain peaks, illuminating the banks of fog or Brume. It was getting darker by the second but it wasn’t limiting any of their visions. Jarvis’ bag laid upon the ground, ready for the artificer to release his hold on the infusion. They had already built the pyre and each of them understood what their task was going to be during the ceremony. Because, really it was a ceremony, more than most Wrenjers ever would receive.
Only one of them had averted their eyes, as Jarvis released his bag. Gelver’s twisted visage crawled out, as their bones scattered on the ground, and engaged the group immediately. Their goal was to not use hostility until it was necessary. Vadim, the dragonborn bard, started with a gentle and calming dirge for the dead to help the deceased on their path. The ghost pushed through it but Vadim’s music and voice was able to soothe some of Gelver’s torment. It was Leofric and Enya’s task to assemble the bones quickly and properly on the pyre, the pink mohawked cleric moved in and was able to grab most of the skeleton. The paladin step closer, extending her hand out to the fallen Wrenjer, in the over position. Her voice soothing “You’ve done great services to the Wrenjers [...] you’re free now.” Zetwuzadi’s lovely speech, unfortunately, passed over Gelver without them hearing it as it was at this same point that the ghost opened their mouth and wailed a terrible and tragic scream.
Gelver’s eyes melted in their sockets, the corpse’s body starting to rapidly decompose; their form becoming more of a desiccated corpse. Everyone can feel the bone chilling scream, making their faces loose color and a chill threatens to take over everyone except Enya, who had averted her eyes. The wizard was the only aethrin who couldn’t shake the fear off. Ansible reiterates what the paladin had tried to say before they were drowned out. Some humanity returns with the one eye that reforms. The wizard, Te’Leyuura runs away, her role had been backup and now she could only think of the visage and the wail.
Tucked farther away, Artem fashioned an arrow to light the pyre when the skeleton is resting upon it. As she opens her eyes to help gather the skeleton, Enya has a moment when the fear tries to take over, but the druid is able to brush off the feeling. With the body assembled, they now just needed to reach Gelver. Leofric starts the rites as the pyre takes flame and Zetwuzadi, with assistance of Jarvis, continues talking to Gelver. They explain that their rage was justified but it’s time to let it go. Her voice rings over Gelver’s screaming and the corpse starts to reconstitute.
Slumping to the ground, Gelver’s form shrinks. The paladin and artificer join them, kneeling on the ground. With a last feeble attempt to cause pain, the entity holding Gelver reaches out to touch Zetwuzadi but Gelver fights it, holding the hand back. The pyre was set ablaze by Artem, started by Leofirc and added to by Enya. Meanwhile, Te’Leyuura was finally able to shake the fear, joining the group just as Gelver’s face returns. Tears streaming down Gelver’s face, their scream turning into a therapeutic wail. The ghost dissipates. They all stare at the fire, Vadim continuing their song, Artem saying their own prayer as they take a position to keep watch.
As they talk about how it was good that they could give Gelver this send off, they go and gather some of the other corpses they had stumbled upon. The skeletons in the oddly nutting smelling room and the Wrenjer corpse they found in a pit trap, these are all added to the pyre. They find a safe spot near the dungeon for a night’s rest, tucked into the treeline, secluded and still able to keep an eye on the skull entrance. They all rest for the night.

Hands of Luck:

The rain that had lingered yesterday stopped through the night and the Wrenjers woke to a warm 3rd day of Asha. They all feel a bit stronger, having had an epiphany overnight. The warm winds help send them back to the dungeon. Passing down the familiar steps, with Artem and Jarvis leading the way and Te’Leyuura and Enya concentrating on spells. Enya helped keep them quieter, while the wizard focused on detecting auras. They move down the southern door, but instead of heading south they turn east, past the pit trap in the stone floor and north to an area they hadn’t explored yet. They discover a room with a pile of various aethrin skulls. Nearly fifty of them and all of them with an inch wide hole on the top. Jarvis believes it could be done by a Mind Flayer which makes Artem a bit afraid. Each of the skulls are no more than fifty years old but they seemed to range in age, also looked to be well taken care of but no signs of anything else in the room. Next door, they find an outpost recently used and they assume this is where Jackrat fell back to before moving deeper into the dungeon.
Still shaken up, Artem and Jarvis continue investigating the dungeon. As they approach the next door, farther down the hall, they can all hear a faint buzzing sound that intensifies as Jarvis opens the door. The room is generally shaped like a triangle with five pools of water flush with the floor. When Te’Leyuura stepped a bit closer, she was able to detect magical auras on the pools; each radiating a different school of magic. Near the door in a hole in the wall, they could hear the buzzing. After talking about who and how, Zetwuzadi and Enya move in to block the small hole and as they approach, they can see a nest of stirges stir as they sense the Wrenjers’ presence. Leofric sends a Moonbeam into the room when the paladin lifted her shield a bit. Quickly the stirges die and the group moves in to investigate.
The stirge room was scouted by Sindragosa first, the wizard’s familiar and accessed by Artem and Jarvis through the only door in the room. Stirges make their nests out of corpses and don’t bother with the items the corpses once possessed. Each of the perfectly round, ten foot deep pools had a different magical aura. The central pool radiated divination, the southern pool evocation, the two on the far wall radiated necromancy and abjuration, while the northern pool radiated transmutation. As Jarvis and Artem walked closer, they could tell that it was a very good illusion. Breaking the illusion with a copper piece, Sindragosa, moves into the tunnel. Heading down 30-40 feet, they find another hallway with doors, stairs off to the south and turning out of view north. Calling her back up, they move on from this room with at least two of them making a note to come back for a thorough investigation.
Artem and Jarvis continue down the hall, more doors are found and investigated. One room was empty except for the trap just on the inside and the holes in the ceiling that looked to be a way a poison or gas could be pumped in. The next door down seemed to be stuck but Artem determined it was trapped on the inside and if fully pushed opened, the trap would trigger. Turning a corner they find another room. It was a perfectly square room with a chest built into the floor. The ceiling had a thin seam in the middle, placed just above the area someone would stand if they were to open the chest. Artem and Jarvis move in, staying out of the seamed area. They unlock the chest and Artem steps out. Jarvis opens the chest from behind it and as they did so, the seamed area dropped to the group. If anyone had been standing there they would have died. One magical dagger and a bunch of coins were found.
At the end of the hallway, as it turned east, there was another door. After investigating, unlocking and opening, they reveal a rectangle shaped room. The room had 11 alcoves, 10 of which have statues of inaethri that all represent luck. The room is pantheistic, with all alignments of inaethri varying. Most of the ineathri are recognizable, with only three of them lost to the ages. An altar sits right in front of the empty alcove directly across from the doorway. There are three hand impressions in the alcove and on the outside. The altar radiates necromancy, conjuration and transmutation magic. The altar bowl seems like it's meant for coins. They dump a bunch of copper in and three approach the wall, placing their corresponding hands on the impressions. All of them take turns gambling, well all except Zetwuzadi, they now stand with a copper problem on the floor.

Report Date

20 Mar 2021