Ashe C2 Episode 79 - The Vom Fass Museum of Antiquities
Previously On Liters of Tomorrow...
After arriving in the city of Stoneport you found yourselves trapped in the Golsten Stein. A massive building in the middle of the city. The evil doppelganger known as Dark Wess left you trapped in the building with hundreds of mimics rising up from the lower floors. A strange energy field surrounded the building preventing your escape. Kavax used dispel magic to allow you all to pass through the barrier and watch it close up behind you as toothy mimics began to fill in the space you just left.
You gave chase to Dark Wess but he split himself into five different versions who all took off down different alleyways. The team split up to follow each one. Kavax took to the air and summoned a couple of vultures, Bon Vee and his bear took off to the west, and Rango and Remy took off north to follow two more. You were soon joined by a strange woman named Sybill who joined in the hunt. All of this was observed by an older Gnome man who found it all rather amusing.
Catching up to all of the variant Wess' you determined that the westernmost version was the correct one. Once cornered he grew to twice his size and fired off powerful arrows as big as quaterstaves. You pinned him down in a nearby park and began to wear him down. The strange Gnome created a massive hand out of rocks and began pummeling the copycat. After a few rounds of furious fighting the team was victorious. The evil version of Wess was finally felled after a murderous rampage lasting almost a year.
After Remy invited all of you to the Nallix Dragon Taile and Ale tavern for music and drinks. Needing a place to stay now that the Golsten Stein is filled with mimics you all got rooms in the tavern. Soon you were approached by a strange hooded figure. He offered you information on your current objective. Finding the strange statue that should be the phylactery for Lord Darkhorse. Once it's destroyed, Darkhorse will be mortal again and killable. The real obstacle is retrieving it out of the horde of the Great Dragon Vom Fass, said to live underneath the city in the area called Underwharf.
The hooded figure introduced himself as Insidious Beguiling, a mind flayer who has lived in the city for half a century. He claims that he is an independent contractor who had marooned himself in Stoneport. No longer part of any evil collective of Illithids, not even an eater of brains anymore. He told you stories of Vom Fass and the dragon's rather checkered history. In fact the dragon is a fake, Beguiling insists that he is but a lowly kobold. A thief and a charlatan who will never deal fairly with you.
He offers another path. Place a crystal shard into the massive crystal that floats in the Dark Crystal Tavern. The crystal is a relic from two ages ago and floats there benignly and inactive. He insists that using his crystal shard device you can remove Vom Fass's great power and just walk into his lair and take the statue. Mission would be complete and you can fly away to the next one.
Left with this choice the team retired to their rooms to think about the two paths placed in front of them. Remy spent the next couple of hours discussing life with the illithid. They found they had much in common and the conversation and drinks were quite pleasant.
After arriving in the city of Stoneport you found yourselves trapped in the Golsten Stein. A massive building in the middle of the city. The evil doppelganger known as Dark Wess left you trapped in the building with hundreds of mimics rising up from the lower floors. A strange energy field surrounded the building preventing your escape. Kavax used dispel magic to allow you all to pass through the barrier and watch it close up behind you as toothy mimics began to fill in the space you just left.
You gave chase to Dark Wess but he split himself into five different versions who all took off down different alleyways. The team split up to follow each one. Kavax took to the air and summoned a couple of vultures, Bon Vee and his bear took off to the west, and Rango and Remy took off north to follow two more. You were soon joined by a strange woman named Sybill who joined in the hunt. All of this was observed by an older Gnome man who found it all rather amusing.
Catching up to all of the variant Wess' you determined that the westernmost version was the correct one. Once cornered he grew to twice his size and fired off powerful arrows as big as quaterstaves. You pinned him down in a nearby park and began to wear him down. The strange Gnome created a massive hand out of rocks and began pummeling the copycat. After a few rounds of furious fighting the team was victorious. The evil version of Wess was finally felled after a murderous rampage lasting almost a year.
After Remy invited all of you to the Nallix Dragon Taile and Ale tavern for music and drinks. Needing a place to stay now that the Golsten Stein is filled with mimics you all got rooms in the tavern. Soon you were approached by a strange hooded figure. He offered you information on your current objective. Finding the strange statue that should be the phylactery for Lord Darkhorse. Once it's destroyed, Darkhorse will be mortal again and killable. The real obstacle is retrieving it out of the horde of the Great Dragon Vom Fass, said to live underneath the city in the area called Underwharf.
The hooded figure introduced himself as Insidious Beguiling, a mind flayer who has lived in the city for half a century. He claims that he is an independent contractor who had marooned himself in Stoneport. No longer part of any evil collective of Illithids, not even an eater of brains anymore. He told you stories of Vom Fass and the dragon's rather checkered history. In fact the dragon is a fake, Beguiling insists that he is but a lowly kobold. A thief and a charlatan who will never deal fairly with you.
He offers another path. Place a crystal shard into the massive crystal that floats in the Dark Crystal Tavern. The crystal is a relic from two ages ago and floats there benignly and inactive. He insists that using his crystal shard device you can remove Vom Fass's great power and just walk into his lair and take the statue. Mission would be complete and you can fly away to the next one.
Left with this choice the team retired to their rooms to think about the two paths placed in front of them. Remy spent the next couple of hours discussing life with the illithid. They found they had much in common and the conversation and drinks were quite pleasant.
Plot points/Scenes
Decision Time
Waking up in the morning at the Taile and Ale you all amble down to the common room in search of a small breakfast and some coffee. Outside the windows you see a hard driving rain falling over the city. The temperature remains warm though being late summer but it wraps around you in a wet embrace of humidity. Despite all that the common room smells of bacon and sausage as well as fried eggs. After a long chase through the city streets and battle with Dark Wess your hunger is strong this morning. A green elven woman with dark green braids brings over a tray of food and the clear scent of spiced fried potatoes and you all dig in.
Now though decisions have to be made.
Your main objective is to obtain the strange magical statue said to be in the possession of the great dragon Vom Fass. The statue was described by Virgil as coppery red in color with veins of gold. About 16 inches tall a male humanoid figure grasps a gold plated disc in front of him. The features on the figure are plain and unclear but the disc is finely detailed with dozens of symbols etched into with gold leaf and indentations in the stone itself. It is said to be another arcane focus much like the horse head statue that Wes and Crashe found a year and half ago. Virgil theorizes that it is the phylactery given to Lord Darkhorse by the Dark One himself to maintain Lord Darkhorse's immortality and great power. Darkhorse has already survived being killed by the team once back in Westinox. Would destroying this statue make him vulnerable?
Two paths are laid in front of you.
Head into the Underwharf and look for Vom Fass yourselves and negotiate with the dragon to get the statue. Or if you are feeling strong you could fight the dragon or try to steal from him yourselves.
The other path is to accept the aid of the strange Illithid known as Insidious Beguiling. He offers you a crystal shard that he claims will remove all of the Dragon's powers for one hour. With the danger of the dragon gone you can just walk in and take the statue and then fly away on your airship. He asks nothing in return other than staying out of his way as he "takes care" of someone in Underwharf. What would you like to do?
Nallix’s Dragon Taile and Ale -
The Owner Ovel Nallix, a large firbolg man runs one of the more popular taverns in the forging horne. It is a favorite of the steel mill workers and skilled laborers of the city.
The bartenders are a green elven woman named Vilia Mannc, and a dwarven man named Grutch. The outside of the building has a huge metal dragon tail that descends from the second floor down to the front steps.
Bureacracy of Stoneport
Working for the ministry of the Interior is a human man in his 30's named Ribbentrop Molotov. He has quickly been promoted to second in command under Dulis De Dregeer - A human woman who is the Minister of City defense and the interior.
He is accompanied by a dwarven guard and a robed seneschal that he has hired as his personal assistant.
The dwarven man is a member of the Stila Guard. Pauldron Mercuron, a well respected guard who has been stationed at the South Gate for 15 years. His dirty blonde beard is streaked with grey but his shoulders and stout legs say that he is not to be messed with.
The Robed man is Gerhard Maxim a member of the Assembly of the weave who is trying to gain access to the levers of power in Stoneport. They have yet to secure a chapterhouse or tower in the city but due to the actions of Adventure team Grimm, and everything that has happened since, many in Stoneport are starting to open up to the idea. Gerhard will monitor any spellcasters and cast Dispel on anyone who tries enchantment magic. If they do it is more fines and a possible light jail sentence.
Molotov will accost the party wherever he can demanding that they pay a fine for disobeying city ordnances. They were told to park their airship at the South Gate Tower and they landed at the docks. They owe extra for taking up dock space that was supposed to go to a Ventenheim freighter costing the city and local refinery several hundred gold. The local blacksmith guild is furious about the lost revenue
Themes
Insidious Beguiling
[DM Note: need to have some magic items on offer, have some mana potions and other odds and ends ready.] When the players tell him of their need to find Vom Fass he will respond with some options. "Ha! the great dragon himself. Would you like to know what he really is? I know, for I was there. When he first came to Underwharf with his friends, his team."
He makes a noise that you assume is like a chuckle but sounds more like wheezing balloon. "The great pretender, the great fraud that is the great dragon Vom Fass." As the players question him he recalls the day over thirty years ago where Vom Fass and his friends ventured into Underwharf. The team were looking for a way into the Grey Compound at the time. They were searching for the Gem of Amara, a powerful tesseract, a way to combat the threat of Anaxis. He explains that Vom Fass was no creature of great importance, not a powerful draconic sorceror. He was blue kobold and could barely contain the magicks that he wielded. He was a fool who acted quickly and often got his friends hurt in the process. After they found the Gem of Amara Vom Fass was stupid enough to get pulled inside and his friends had to go in and rescue him. Insidious Beguiling offers to help them find Vom Fass and negotiate with him. He says that they have little chance of taking one of his prize possessions. For the statue is an arcane focus as well. A powerful artifiact that helps Vom Fass maintain his dragon form. He will not part with it. "But! I offer you a solution. A simple one as well..." He produces a shard of crystal that is dark purple and has smaller splinters of shard rock embedded within. It has a small handle on the bottom wrapped in black leather. "This shard is the solution to your problem. In the Dark Crystal tavern not far from here resides an ancient crystal obelisk. It floats there unchanged for 7000 years. The only time it was ever disrupted was when Vom Fass touched it all those years ago. It moved one inch but that was enough to terrify underwharf for years. At the top of the crystal is an indentation in the shape of this shard. Drive this shard into the crystal and it will remove Vom Fass's powers for one hour. That should be enough time for you to take the item you need and get to your airship. Do it stealthily enough and Vom Fass will never know you were there." "What do I get out of this? Almost nothing to you, but there is a magic user in the underwharf that I have been unable to eliminate. In that one hour period I will be able to ... remove him from the board, permanently. You get what you want and you help me complete a business transaction. We never have to see each other again." [DM Note: If they players attack Insidious Beguiling he will summon his Draegoloth. A Drow creature from the underdark that he has kept as a pet for decades. Upgrade the stats give it 3X attacks and +9 to hit.]
Structure
Exposition
The Vom Fass Museum of Magical Antiquities
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As you descend the grand staircase onto the floor of the museum you are stunned by it's grandeur. It opens into a large room with a domed ceiling that is decorated with thousands of geometric shapes set in incredibly intricate patterns all in gold and silver. Beyond the main room are dozens of chambers each with meticulously placed items on shelves and chests down below.
The chests are from all over the world all decorated in different color ways and styles from their various places of origin. In yet more cases and displays are all manner of items from gems to gloves to weapons. Each labeled with plaques in though the language is not common.
[DM Note: Allow Dave to tell us what language the plaques are read in. Also he can determine the traps and alarms that guard these incredible displays. If anyone attempts to steal or touch any of the items he can determine the penalty.]
Items in the collection are: - The Gem of Amara
- Darothus Glove
- Dragon Scale Mail
- Bracers of Illusion
- Canaith Mandolin
- Cloak of the Mimic
- Cloak of Invisibility
- Exlposive Pot
- H'reth Cloak of Shielding
- Iron Bands of Cyttorak
- Anti Magic Manacles
- PACT item Bracer of Mapping
- The Rook's Eye
- Skyglider shield
- Vaconto's Icosahedron
- Blade of BUTLR
- Glaive of the Forest Guardian
- Mirrorlight Stinger Bow
- Pentathet's Hammer (replica)
- The Black Jack Hammer
- The Wren and The Nightingale Daggers
This sect is called the Obsidian Order and they have been tasked to kill the Great Dragon Vom Fass. When the team is found with him the Dark One himself will reach out. Speaking through one of the drow he will profess a slight surprise at seeing Mausim and his team there. The female Drow's expression changes from focus and anger to a lilt of a smile as her voice changes to a dark echoing deep voice. "Mausim and the strange wizard Nuth, how interesting to find you here. New friends? Have Finn and Wess finally been slain? No, not Finn I still feel his prescence. Wess though is gone and now you have slain his ... twin brother. We have drawn even on that affair. It's always interesting where you show up. Nice chatting with you but these Drow have orders to kill, if you survive we will meet again soon." The Dark One's voice fades out and the Drow shakes her head.
[DM Note see the drow stats on the sheets.]
During the exchange of the statue no matter which path they choose the Drow from the Obsidian Order will attack. They have also made a deal with Insidious Beguiling and are the instrument he is using to remove Vom Fass as a competitor. If the team shuts off all magic in the Underwharf he will telepathically call to them and tell them to get out of the way of the Drow.
They are doing what's necessary and the team promised not to interfere. Don't make an enemy of the illithid and the Drow he warns.
Crew of the Prometheus:
- Navigator - Mevi Flashfoot, halfling woman
- Pilot - Mike's Character Halo, Half elven man with the mark of the Dragon.
- Cook - Pelly Portnut, half orc man with a large belly and a topknot of black hair.
- Engineer - Gnome man by the name of Zumf "Tumtum" Brushnickel
- Assistant engineer - Firbolg woman named Sippi Cashelhorne
- Squabbie - Halfling man by the name of Nock "Gaffer" Littlefoot. recruited
- Ground Crew - Alexi Brighthammer, Dwarven artificer *Note still technically employed by Anak Kovara
- Ground Crew - Casilium Bex - Half elven woman with a half shaved head.
Current Date : The Year SF3, 3029 the month of Archolos (August)
Completion Date
8/29/24
8/29/24
Plot type
Main Story
Related Characters
Related Locations
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