Session 04
General Summary
Once the mercenaries had been dealt with and the party were back on their way they soon spotted
a lone blue robed figure, sat upon a small rock overlooking the road north. He was staring up at
the group as they flew overhead. He waved in a friendly manner. Getting closer they saw it was
Myrddin. As they landed he greeted them and then he told them that he had some important
information for them and that they should listen well for he wouldn't be hanging around to answer
questions afterwards.
�I estimate you will reach the entrance to the Lost City in slightly less than a day. Embril reached
there yesterday. She has been busily releasing the 6 elder elementals trapped in the Cube of
Xarthus and has got on well with that. I estimate she will complete their release later today.
However she will almost certainly need to take a proper rest once completing that task before she
takes on the ritual to release Larin Karr.
You will also need to be fully rested before you enter Barakus because it seems Embril has placed
the six elementals (and their attendants) directly in your path, and you will need to get past all the
elementals before you can reach Embril.
So in other words, come tomorrow morning you should be waking up outside the Lost City ready
to take on the world, and she will have released all 6 guardians and will be fully rested and ready
to begin releasing Larin Karr. At that stage it will be a race.
Now, listen carefully. There is not necessarily the need to kill all and everything in your path,
merely to get past them. This is very important. In some cases, getting past an area guarded by an
elemental will require something in that elemental�s possession, so it will sometimes be
necessary just to kill them. Other times merely crossing the area protected by the elemental is all
you need to achieve. Half the battle for you will be trying to determine exact how to get out of the
given area. You must use all your wits, skill and intelligence to achieve this.
Once you have passed the 6 guardian elementals you will reach the central temple of the Lost
City. This was where Larin Karr was originally imprisoned and where Embril will attempt to
release him. Embril will be casting the ritual to release Larin Karr all the while that you are
battling to reach her. So there really won�t be any time to rest, other than perhaps a few minutes
to grab your breath when past each guardian. This will be a serious test of your power,
commitment, skill, teamwork and your luck.
You should remember that you do not need to die in this city. You can choose to retreat and live to
fight another day if you are overwhelmed. Embril will probably succeed if you do this and Larin
Karr will be released from his prison. This would be terrible news, but the death of six of the most
powerful agents for good in the world, would be far worse. So if you have to give up and fail to
stop her, so be it. It is not the end of the world � although it might bring that event a bit closer to
happening�
Remember, not every guardian must be killed.�
With that he disappeared in a flash of magical smoke � a cheap trick but one he liked to use.
The party flew on and landed right on the door step of Barakus, a disappointing broken down old
door. During the night, Camero had another vision from Orcus. This time he appeared to Camero
where he was then, outside the city of Barakus. He floated aloft, above the campsite and taunted
him, telling him that he does not have the will power to resist. Even the great Marlek fell to his
dominion and Camero is nothing compared to that worthy. In time Orcus would have his soul.
With that he disappeared, not waiting for a response.
The next day dawned bright and clear, the 21st August 670AR. Laird headed home, wishing them
luck and they stepped into the City of Barakus proper for the first time. Roughhewn stairs led up
into the darkness. At the top of the stairs they could see candle light flickering, then around the
corner appeared a familiar figure from their long careers: Embril. She smiled as she saw them
below.
�Well met Magma Force. I see you have found your way to the City of Barakus. Welcome. Here,
long ago, the ritual was performed which bound Larin Karr to his prison in Carceri, and here, that
ritual will be undone. You have chased me half way across the globe, only to fail now. I have
already solved the six riddles which held the six Elder Elementals trapped. These I have released
from their imprisonment and bound to my service and they now stand between you and the final
chamber where I am, even as you listen to this programmed illusion, undertaking the final ritual to
release Larin Karr. You have tallied too long and now you have failed. Even before you have
reached the final chamber - if you are able to get past the Elder Elementals - I will have completed
the ritual and Larin Karr will be free. You are too late. You have failed. My master, the Demon
Prince will raise me up to his side after this success�.
The PCs ignored her baiting and pushed into the city but as soon as Gotrek stepped across the
threshold his vision swam.
His vision darkened and then suddenly he was in a different place. He was aware of ice-capped
mountains and snowy battle fields with snow-capped pine forests below him. Around him the
same battle continued to rage. After cutting down the ogre that threatened him, he took a moment
to look around. For the first time he noticed an additional feature that he had not seen before:
behind him was a dwarven fortress. It was clear that he and the other dwarves were defending it
from the orcs and goblins they faced. In the distance behind the orc lines could be seen a hulking
giant with a skull topped mace. He began to make his way into the battle, easily crushing any
dwarf who stood in his way - until he reached Gotrek. Looking up into his face Gotrek was
momentarily blinded by the sun behind the giant. He blinked and suddenly he was back in the City
of Barakus.
Sure this was another vision about the threat to the dwarven afterlife Gotrek was renewed in his
desire to find out more about what these visions meant.
The group pushed on and soon found themselves at the edge of a goblin city. The strode in,
Braken addressing the goblins (he was the only one to speak their language) and demanding that
they take him to their leader. The goblins attacked but the heroes held them off effortlessly, not
even breaking a sweat and being sure not to harm any of them. Soon enough the goblin king
arrived and explained that an evil woman had passed through the day before and had killed many
goblins. She had headed deeper into the caverns and the goblins had locked the doors behind her.
Taking the heroes to these doors the goblins appeared pleased that they said they would deal with
the evil woman.
They easily broke through the "locked" doors and found themselves entering an icy scene. Huge
blocks of ice formed platforms which were linked by ice slides, leading up to a high platform
which a passage lead out of. In the middle of the huge chamber was a hulk frost giant jarl and
around him were his attendants. The party guessed the passage was the way out to Camero
conjoured an arcane portal to teleport the group up to it. The giant strode forward and his
attendants swarmed the heroes. It turned out the passage was a dummy and lead nowhere, but
from up there they could see what looked like the other way out but they had to fight their way
there. However no matter how dangerous this frost giant was it was no match for Gotrek the
Slayer.
Moving on the party found a long dark staircase which eventually came out into a huge cavern a
few miles across. This cavern was full of tiny fairies lighting the air. At the far side was a massive
palace, big enough for our heroes to enter - with the doors battered down. They approached and
entered, finding the whole palace in ruins. Someone or something nasty had been through here.
Eventually they found their way to the throne room which was also in ruins. A pair of golden
doors lay ajar leading out and opening them they came into another large chamber lit by magical
lights everywhere. This chamber also contained many platforms and rope bridges between them
and flying around the platforms were angels. They told the party to retreat but the party ignored
them and battle was joined. The smaller angels were easily taken out but their leader took more
killing, but as soon as the group stopped trying to cross the rope bridges and just focussed their
fire on the two main angels they were soon dispatched. Heading out the far side the group found a
stairway leading down again.
This staircase lead down and down into darkness. The further they descended the worse condition
the stairs were in until they were almost ruined. The magical light the group were using to see by
seemed somehow dimmed down here. The stairs ended at a door. Pushing this open revealed a
long dark vaulted corriodor full of side passages and doors. As they stepped in a hideous rotting
figure burst out of a side door and attacked. The zombie was instantly dispatched but each step
they took more zombies, ghouls and skeletons poured out of the doors and rooms around them. It
was a fight for every step.
Sometime later the group had fought their way to a central plazza. This plazza looked like a
graveyard. There were a few mausoleums and a ruined church in the graveyard and four
shadowclaw panthers roamed it. Riding one as a giant spectre in a black cloak and carrying a huge
scythe. Camero's vision told him that the door of the church was some sort of portal and that it
would require two keys to open it. He sensed the presence of one of the keys on the huge spectre.
The undead spotted the heroes and battle began!
Report Date
11 Apr 2024
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