Session 20 - "Consumed by Shadow, Ruins of Gauntlight - Part 7"
General Summary
Toliday, 4th of Desnus, 4721 AR
Gauntlight Keep
Level 2 - Servants' Quarters
Zozzlarin's Room
3.42p
During the conversation, Kaliff attends to Zozzlarin. The party leaves the the zebub's room and visits the southern room, within in which are two hulking stone humanoids covered with dust. Tristan examines the floor and finds the dust there quite disturbed, but the "golems" are unmolested. Kaliff asked Zozzlarin what they are and he replies that they were once assistances to Belcorra, but they have long since lost their life energy. Tristan continues to investigate the room and Kalitos assists, but they find nothing of interest. Kaliff admires the craftsmanship with wonder, realizing such clockwork is rare, originating from the nation of Azlant. Their creation, an amalgamation of magic and mechanics, is now extremely rare and is only done now at a guild school in Absalom.
Punishment Room
4.02p
The door opens into a long room resembling a torture chamber. Broken and ruined instruments of pain rust and decay lay about the room, showing long disuse. Zor'ahn comments, "Reminds me of home - this is exactly the sort of things up the Velstracs' alley."
"Did someone not get enough hugs as a child?" Kaliff asks.
"If only the Kytons hugged gently," he replies.
The eastern door is found to open into the processional hall.
Secret Room
4.12p
The party investigates the room further and finds a secret door in the southern wall. Turning a rusty iron ring nailed into the wall causes a section to swing open, revealing a short passage with a branch to the west. An old sconce is mounted in the wall here. The entire area appears dusty and disused. Entering, Tristan spies another secret door in the southern wall as well. The door to the west is a large, ironbound door, a stark contrast to the rest of the keep. Kaliff indicates the sconce. Ehrn turns it, producing a click, and the hidden door creaks open. Ahead is a circular room with a moss-caked skull adorning the eastern wall. Another sconce is seen as well. Zor'ahn tries to turn it with his shadow hand, but to no effect. Zor'ahn enters the room. Feeling drawn to the skull, the dark ranger reaches out and touches it. He feels an ever so slight give, but there is no observable reaction. There is no obvious magic within the area as well.
Basement
4.22p
Examining the western door, Tristan finds that it shows no rust and that it appears similar to the door that the party used to gain access to the lighthouse. With a quick realization, they understand that they are most likely below the structure now. The door opens into a large, 30 x 30 ft. circular room with a column of pale blue lighting swirling from the floor to the 15 ft. ceiling. At the ceiling, the energy whirls and writhes like a whirlpool. Also slumped around the light is a huge purple, desiccated worm that is partially buried in the ground. Further still there are various old bones sticking into the ground all around it as well. There is another iron door to the south.
Crypt
4.32p
Tristan moves into the room, skirting as close to the wall as possible. He immediately feels the hair on his skin begin to stand up as from an electrical charge. From this new vantage point, it does appear the worm is actually buried into the ground, the bones quite old and dried. Inspecting the bones they all appear humanoid, but do not belong to a particular race. Opening the next door reveals a cobwebbed hallway with several alcoves. Within each is a standing stone sarcophagus. Inspecting them shows them to be quite plain, except for one that has an engraved four-pointed star, the symbol of Nmbaloth. At the end of the hallway is another hidden door. Zor'ahn magically enhances his senses. The circular room is an obvious source. He begins to feel a sudden kinship, seemingly from his shadow, but realizes with a start it is from a different source. A wraith-like form suffused with necromantic energy begins to seep from the sarcophagus.
Kitchen Shrine
4.42p
Tristan opens the hidden door into what appears to have been kitchen, but has been rearranged into some sort of makeshift shrine. There is the fresh body of a man lying in a pool of sticky blood. A crude idol of a mossy, feminine figure stands on the table. There are double doors in the eastern end and another door to the northwest. Zor'ahn reaches out and senses magic. Inspecting the body shows that it appears to be of a man wearing local garb who seems familiar to the ranger, possible conversing with Yinyasmera. Ehrn notices cuts and abrasions on the body that makes it apparent he was tightly tied up and some point, as well as being beaten. Zor'ahn continues to search the body for some identifying mark. No teeth remain in his mouth, but on his right shoulder is a small tattoo of an osprey . Tristan stands in the middle of the room, vigilant to the possible return of the shadow.
Pantry
Opening the single door reveals a pantry with two doors coming off of it and the brothers move in to investigate. Ehrn pays closer attention to the shrine, but does not see any identifiable iconography. On the stove around the shrine are a collection of small offerings, which include a few gems and a softly glowing runestone (Weapon Potency +1, a Fear Gem and a bloodstone). Also noticed above the hidden door is a crude drawing of a feminine shape in blood.
The door off the pantry to the west gives the sound of muted sloshing water, behind which are a set of stairs leading in the direction of the swamp. The other door shows a set of stairs going to another level below.
The Exterminators decide to leave the keep, taking the tiger painting on the way out.
5.22p
Wrin and Olli are found to be waiting outside. The party beings to recount their encounters to the seer on the way back into Otari.
Report Date
29 Sep 2024
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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