Session 08
General Summary
The next morning, April 13th, dawned and the after effects of the mummy rot began to be felt.
Argus, Dash and Mika all seemed perfectly fine. Shinobi had been ill all night but felt better by
breakfast. Valun and Riya, however, were in a very bad way. Even worse, they realised that
mummy rot could be swiftly fatal. A cure was needed and time was of the essence.
If they�d been back in Londinium they could have easily visited Sister Florens in the infirmary.
Riya suggested they try visiting the cyclops they�d recently collected alchemical reagents from.
With no time to waste they headed for his shop. He seemed somewhat taken aback to see them
again so soon, as he�d expected them to be returning to the surface by now.
The situation was explained to him and fortunately he was able to provide some assistance, though
not for free. He demanded a payment in kind, a favour for a favour. In return for curing the
mummy rot, Nex Pervenio would owe his order a task in the future. It was suggested they should
look up a Seared One who made his home in Erelhei-Cinclu when they wished to repay their debt.
The deal was agreed and a curative ritual commenced. A short time later, Valun and Riya were
restored to full health.
It was now time to seek out Lareth�s base, on the lowest tier of Maelbrathyr. The tremors and
instability seemed much worse, even just since the day before. Surely this place could plunge into
the crevasse any time soon. The group headed for a tall clocktower they�d been told marked the
location of Lareth�s base. They arrived in a large open plaza. Its once-fine architecture was now
ruined and it contained many heaps of rubble and large bonfires. On the far side of the plaza, just
emerging from a large gateway, was a group of humans struggling to carry a hot, fuming cauldron.
These were immediately identifiable as cultists of Elemental Evil. They seemed to be heading
away from their base.
Shinobi and Argus casually approached and engaged in guarded banter. It seemed these cultists
were deserting, terrified by the tremors. They believed the cauldron to be valuable in some way,
suggesting they could trade it to the cyclops and use the proceeds to make good their escape from
the city. They then realised Shinobi and Argus did not have honourable intentions and all hell
broke loose. The cauldron fell to the floor, the lid came off and out poured some abyssal fire
which seared all in the vicinity while emitting noxious fumes. The cultists dropped back from the
choking cauldron and desperately defended themselves. Shinobi bore the brunt of their frustration,
badly burned after being shoved into a bonfire. But help was on hand as the rest of Nex Pervenio
arrived on the scene.
The poor cultists were soon overwhelmed. Riya braved the heat and fumes to reseal the cauldron
and it was stashed for later retrieval. Attention now turned to the gateway. With Shinobi and Dash
at the fore, the gladiators crept into Lareth�s base. The tremors were even worse here and it
seemed pretty evident that this was the epicentre of all the instability.
Ahead was a huge chamber containing neat piles of crates and barrels. Cultists and trolls moved
among them, packing and sorting. It seemed the cult were moving out due to the threat of
imminent collapse. Shinobi crept forward and then Dash unleashed a hail of arrows at a cultist. A
normal foe should have been dead twice over but this cultist somehow survived, though it turned
out not to be human, at the shock of the grievous wounds it changed into a horrific slaad, a
creature of pure chaos. The cultists and trolls charged forward, bored of menial labouring and now
confronted with something far more exciting. They eagerly ripped into their foes, flailing wildly
no matter whether their comrades could be caught in the attack or not. Focus fire from Nex
Pervenio took out a slaad and then a troll, though upon death the troll�s body exploded in a
violent fashion. The fight raged in the entranceway, with Argus and Shinobi taking most of the
punishment. One by one the cultists dropped and soon the gladiators stood victorious.
A cursory search of the area revealed that most of the crates and barrels contained mundane items
of equipment and supplies. However there was a bundle of papers and books which proved very
interesting indeed� Of most immediate relevance were a series of maps and plans of locations in
Londinium � the city defences, the temple of Erathis, the sewers and more. The other material
seemed to be mystical research performed by someone named Callindrill. The main topic was far
realm aberrants, such as aboleths and mind flayers, with the hypothesis that they were somehow
related to Tharizdun. This would clearly require a lot more time to decipher and digest later.
This main hall led on to three inhabited areas. A cursory scout revealed them to be a workshop, a
prison and a room with a portal. The workshop contained a workmaster attempting to calm some
azer slaves. The prison contained jailers guarding chained captives. The portal seemed to be the
source of all the energy shaking the city, as it pulsed and rumbled violently. A lieutenant stood by
the portal conversing with someone barely visible through its shimmering outline �
Lareth!
Report Date
11 Apr 2024
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