S23. Lighting the Way Out - Trial of the Titan Report

General Summary

Raiya waited for her moment, her chains weakened, for the transfer to be completed. She caught the eye of Myrna and signalled the weeping woman that everything was going to be OK.   "Let's go Tsuki!" she called out as she flexed and broke the bands around her mouth. Out from under the wagon came the opalescent drake, leaping into one of the Cragmaw goblins, and tearing into its throat. One of the bugbears turned, first surprised and then angered, and pulled up his huge maul to prepare the attack.   Raiya snapped the old chains around her arms, and turned to a handstand, looping her leg irons up and around the bugbear's neck. She twisted around and cinched the chains tight. Tsuki, seeing the opportunity, sent a bolt of electricity into the chains setting the matted fur of the creature to smoking. The bugbear swung its maul in a weak attempt to hit anything, and Raiya tightened the chains now choking the bugbear desperately.   The bugbear dropped its maul and now spent all its effort to try to remove the chains. It was strong enough to drag Raiya off her hands and break her leg chains in two. Raiya flopped to the ground, but now she was fully mobile. Not fast enough, though. Five other goblins with swords ran toward her. With a glint in her eye and a wisp of frost forming on her tongue, she breathed a cone of cold that sent all but one to an early, frozen grave.   The one who ducked aside found himself face to face with 4 rows of drake teeth and barely had time to swear before it turned to a gurgling heap of dead goblin mess. For good measure Tsuki shook the body violently as the last of its life left it.   A few moments later, and Raiya was freeing the others, and digging into stuff on the wagon, and then loading everyone else into it and headed back to Phandalin. Back into town, she got everyone settled and learned that her friends had been busy without her, clearing out dwarven fortresses and so forth. Maybe that is why they didn't try to come after her. Hm.   She heard that her friends were last seen heading into the trees south of Tresendar, so she assumed they were going to back into hideout under it, so she trekked in after them.   Panic started up as she found them all at the bottom of the crevasse, unconscious. There were two tiefling she did not recognize. No wounds or anything just all laying there like they were dead. She bounded down to the bottom and tossed aside the tiefling aside. She was checking on Wolfaen, Keth and Flicker, finding a gnome among them as well. In the center of them was a small sarcophagus-like box about 2 feet long, with the stone it was made of cracked and chipped. It was open, and within was a nearly footlong green crystal of some sort, glowing and pulsing, and seemingly leaking the green mist that was swirling around it. It appears to be as if it were leaking from a small crack in the crystal   One of the tiefling made a sound as they tried to awaken.   She roused them both, and they described a creepy temple above a city of tombs, shadows and a desire to no longer be a part of that. She dismissed them both, swooning a little, beginning to feel the effects of the mist. She tried to get her friends out of the mist, but struggled to shrug off the deep sleep that was pulling her down...and in to the green mist...down into a tall, round shaft with a rope in it...so she climbed down...   Making her way out of the Temple above, she found herself at the top of a long descending path with stairs. It seemed to go for at least a quarter to half mile ahead.   Then she saw her friends, running upward toward her. And a flying what? A fiery Angel? Out came her bow and she started the run down the path toward them. She watched as the angel attacked some old man on what looked like a giant badger. Yeah, things have gone all lobsided, haven't they?   Finally, they got inside the temple at the top and slammed the door and barred it behind them.   When the ghostly candles obtained from the other puzzles are presented does the giant stone titan speak in a deep, rumbly voice.

I Am Sol Rune The Titan Of The Way...
Sentinel Absolute...
Many Have Offered All Manner Of Treasure...
None Pass But Those Who Measure...
Present to me some gems or jewels…
But first seek to figure and learn the rules…
If Now YOU Seek To Pass This Way...
Your Soul To Keep And End Your Stay...
These Gems All Count One Thing in Common...
Their Sylvan Worth Is None But Mammon...
Balance Your Offer Both Left And Right...
Your Egress Then Shall Be In Sight...

— Sol Rune the Titan

  The party hurried to solve the puzzle as a wraith entered the room and started to taunt and attack Keth and Eethyl, and anyone that he could get close to. So Keth and Sef kept it busy while the others tried to work out the solution.   They determined that there is something important about the number of each kind of gem. and that the name or type of each gem is also key.   They knew there were rules they had to follow that they still had to figure out which would define how to present the gems to the statue. They decided the word "Figure: might also refer to numbers or quantities, and it might also refer to the reference of a specific number in relation to something else, so the number means something else.   The decided that the word Common might refer to a Language or alphabet, not a reference to a shared attribute. Eventually they thought that the number of gems might represent the letter of the alphabet, and even that the order the gems by name alphabetically was important.   In alphabetical order by the name of the gem, the quantity of gems corresponds to the letter of the alphabet. So, with those values in that order, the "rule" they needed to figure out was "ONLY BLACK". So only the 12 Onyx gems should be presented to the Titan, 6 on the left side and 6 on the right. This will open the way. And it did.   Raiya led the way, so was the first out.   And getting out, they each awoke, no longer under the necrotic influence of the green mist that was now gone. But then Raiya spat insults at them and scolded them for being so stupid and taking so long getting out of there. She said she thought they would never get her out. This sobered everyone up rather quickly as this was not like Raiya to talk like this.   Immediately they worried that Raiya had been possessed. And their fears were realized when suddenly the evil entity's voice was now heard and it declared with the Chardandsearivitriol, also known as Ebondeath, the dracolich. I lept up out of the crevasse and gave some parting words and and left.   Sef dropped to her knees and wept now remembering that she was meant to keep that evil within the shard and she had failed. Then the celestial appeared declaring that now his mission was complete. He was to keep people out and Ebondeath is, but now that it was free, he too was free of his charge and would be returning to his native plane. The angel also explained that the Keeper WAS Ebondeath which is why he attacked him and tried to keep him from leaving, but Ebondeath was able to possess a handy draconic-blooded creature that happened to be nearby. Crucigrievasperiel, the angel answered a few questions, then vanished in a flash of light.   Very upset about Raiya, they all went back to the Stonehill Inn, and Flicker and Wolf went to their rooms. The others went to the taproom where Sister Garaele recognized Sef and quickly shuffled them back to the Shrine of Tymore to discuss away from prying ears and gossiping mouths in the Inn.   The three that talked with her learned that indeed Ularan Mortis learned the secret while researching…that Lord Tresendar was part of the Harpers and was keeping the shard safe from the Cult of the Dragon. Ularan planned to wheel and deal with Glasstaff and free Ebondeath to aid him in his own nefarious purposes.   Lord Tresendar was a keeper of the Shard. After his death, the shard barely kept the dracolich trapped, but his dark influence was able to reach out, perhaps strengthened from the life it was stealing from Sef. The chasm also helped cause a hairline fracture in the shard that would allow him to realize he was trapped, and try to reach out.   Perhaps even at that point the Nothic traded secrets with it to tell it things it needed to know.

Rewards Granted

The shard transformed into the gems that were required to initially create it. The value of the gems (which seem to match those used in the Titan puzzle) has yet to be determined.

Missions/Quests Completed

Escape from the Necropolis Shard.