Session 08
General Summary
7th January, Nex Pervenio returned to the tunnels. All seemed quiet and as they'd left it. They
followed the one tunnel remaining unexplored. Around a corner they spotted light ahead and the
sound of voices. They paused and listened. There were complaints about being bored, cooped up
in the tomb, but aware of the danger of being so close to the city. There was a hope that Xavier
would hurry up figuring out locks and traps. Wonder if Heironymous OK, though anyone crazy
enough to sleep in a room of zombies was not worth worrying about, if his tunneling got anywhere
no doubt he'd be here to boast. It seems they'd found the Xavier referred to by previously
discovered letters. It was guessed that Heironymous was the recently deceased necromancer.
Time for action. Charged right in. Three humans and a gnoll. Wait, make that four humans, as one
sneaked out of a shadowy corner and stabbed Valun. The gnoll had a bow and knew how to use it.
But Nex Pervenio were a well oiled gladiator team and quickly destroyed the opposition. The
sneaky one tried to escape but was hunted down immediately.
Time to examine the room. It was part of Hadrian's tomb, the way in had been over a pile of
rubble. Three other exits, a stone door in each. Two showed signs of the lock being picked, the
other remained sealed. A large pile of supplies in one corner. Two sprung pit traps, nasty poison
spikes at the bottom, planks as makeshift lids. Dead bandits thrown in a pit.
Selected the door to the east which was unlocked. Corridor led ahead while a hitherto secret door
hung open to the left. Follow the revealed "secret" tunnel. Led to a room celebrating Hadrian's
gladiatorial past. Room dominated by a huge stone chariot statue. Racks of ceremonial display
weapons along the walls. More worryingly, blackened scorch marks on the floor and a regular grid
of holes, each carefully bunged with a wad of cloth. It seems the tomb is riddled with traps and
someone has been painstakingly locating and disabling them.
Secret tunnel continued on to a door. Opened onto a huge, surprisingly bare, room. Lit by
campfire, humans were clustered around a doorway in the far corner, fiddling with something. The
leader, who turned out to be Xavier, said "I thought I told you not to disturb me ... wait, who are
you and what are you doing here?" Nex Pervenio moved in. Two of their foes charged towards
them, one of them shapechanging into a wolf! Their boss hung back, hurling magical blasts from
afar. Scuttling to the side to get a clear line of sight, Dash heard a clunk, a click and a whirr as he
stood on something. Four flaps opened in the ceiling and turrets descended. Crossbows began
blasting randomly at anyone in range! A stealthy figure emerged from a different shadowy
doorway. Battle was joined, with Nex Pervenio suffering the most and things looking bleak. Valun
pulled out some crazy heals, the bandit lackeys dropped and suddenly Xavier was surrounded.
Which meant his evil blast took in even more targets and the tables were turned. Not for long
though as arrows flew over from Dash and took Xavier out.
The crossbows were still blasting with full force however. Safe spots in distant corners were
sought. Aha a control panel. Shinobi began tweaking while Dash did his best to destroy the
crossbows. It took some effort but the controls were disabled and the hail of bolts ended.
Time to bring Xavier round and ask him some harsh questions...
When you bring Xavier round he starts ranting, raving and frothing at the mouth. You don't think
you'll be able to negotiate with him. However you are able to goad and provoke him into
responding to your jibes and you get some snippets of info out of him.
Anything you threaten him with is as nothing compared to what his masters (Lareth and others)
will do to him (and you). He was here to retrieve a powerful magic item "stolen" by Hadrian from
the Temple of Elemental Evil. You are all blind, fools, lackeys who know nothing and that "real
power is below. The defeat of 500 years ago will be avenged one hundred fold. One day the chains
will break, the sticky strands will fail, escape will finally occur.
From Xavier you get a few more snippets about the magic item, though you get the impression
he's not entirely sure himself what it is. It's some kind of chaotic relic, though he implies chaos in
the sense of randomness, fortune & luck rather than anarchy, entropy & destruction.
Lareth's base of operations is an abandoned moathouse. The remains of the former temple are a
few miles away. It seems the temple was destroyed and razed to the ground by Hadrian. The
cultists are currently excavating isolated pockets of underground ruins, like an archaeological dig.
You also get confirmation that the Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye worship a god named
Tharizdun, who is currently imprisoned, and ultimately seek to free him, which will likely have
dire consequences for the universe...
Report Date
10 Apr 2024
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