Into the Dungeon Report

General Summary

The scene opened on Our Adventurers tooling around in the aftermath of the underpowered pirate assault. In no particular order, things the group accomplished as evening fell included: Robin successfully cast "read magic" on the book found amongst the captains things. The book turns out to be a unique item indeed, and is in the process of scribbling the history of the Adventurers ever since they first looked back and saw their home village get swallowed by the ice. Clever use of the book allowed Saji to realize that his egg actually LIKES being super cold, and Saji has been icing it assiduously ever since. The egg is growing more blue by the minute.   Elkhazel and Vrmsk figured out that the pile of treasure heaped in the aft end of the ship's hold isn't really treasure and doesn't seem good for a person's health. They also, along with the help of Robin, Klaus, and Mark -- I'm pretty sure -- got the yeti's permission to take one of the caravan-sleds onto the deck of the pirate ship along with a set of hounds and a spare runt hound for Skayma to keep as a pet. While Elkhazel was negotiating this with Stanis & Co she overheard a disturbing discussion: seems like someone in the yeti city is in cahoots with the slavers, because the repair supplies clearly came from the yeti stronghold.   Vrmsk & Elkhazel also worked together to open a door that leads under the hold. Turns out that Elkhazel was the only member who was able to descend the 12 polished wooden steps this revealed. At least, until Robin used his affinity with the ship to discover that the silver tubes were key to getting belowdecks. Our Adventurers promptly blew through their tubes ,found a nicely appointed bunkroom with eight beds, and have now moved in.   The room is appointed in rich, polished wood and polished bronze fittings. There are 8 bunks with sets of cabinets for each one.   The party was concerned about the news of yeti collaboration with slavers. After dinner, Stanis, Sasha (one of the original two yeti assigned to the party) and Yanna (who trained Mark) came aboard the ship to talk. The yeti were concerned about the evidence of betrayal by their own kind and planned to send the children along with a small guard contingent into the wilderness while the remaining yeti traveled to their city and sorted things out. Our Adventurers offered assistance which the yeti, after a token demurral, accepted gratefully. The plan was to depart on the morrow.   The party settled snug in their new bunks -- except Saji, who bundled up on the ground below the ship to keep his egg company while it nestled in the snow. Next thing they knew, they woke in a great stone room with all their supplies, no animal companions, and a sentient katana that had gone dumb.   Robin led the group in opening the cathedral doors, which required following a set of visual instructions and making a blood offering, and Mark boldly led the way through a series of passages and rooms. The first real room brought tragedy and no loot at all: Robin picked up a book and read it, opening himself to attack by a sleeping spell and taking a fatal fall. Saji made heroic efforts to staunch Robin's head wound and to heal him, but to no avail: he did not respond to healing.   Sobered, the group found a room with 1400 gold pieces and a sword. They split the treasure amongst themselves, insisting that the halfling Orond take a share, and gave the sword to Skayma.   Our Adventurers crossed back over a corridor and opened a room full of spider webs and oversized spider eggs. Mark prudently skewered two eggs before setting foot into the space, one with a burning crossbolt and the other with a crossbolt unlit, which had no result other than letting a puddle of black ooze out onto the floor. Mark and Klaus carefully entered the room and made their way toward the far end, where a pile of glimmering silver cloth lay beneath a cluster of eggs. Skayma followed them just far enough to begin collecting a bit of the goo as a keepsake when the eggs seemed to come to life. They began wobbling, and cracks are spreading across them.   Mark turned and made a dash for the door, Klaus moved even closer to the pile of treasure-y cloth, and Skayma got very concerned that the spiders would hatch before he could get on the other side of a door from them. Elkhazel readied a displacement spell but has yet to cast it.

Rewards Granted

1400 gp treasure from treasure room. Caravan, 6 dogs + one runt pup. Sword from treasure room to Skayma. StoryBook that is writing Adventures down, and is up to Saji's egg beginning to develop when it touched ice during rescue mission travel from campsite to caravan.

Missions/Quests Completed

EGG HATCHING: egg at 20% blue (beginning of night). 50-100% by end.   CURSED STORYBOOK: in possession of Robin; has not yet caught up to current time. "A completely blank book whose pages begin to fill as the party continues to adventure, eventually the books pages begin to fill ahead of their current position in time, foretelling events that will come to pass and showing final destination style deaths for their friends/loved ones. Once the future has been written by the book the party can intervene but they cannot stop whatever is going to happen. Party must find a way to destroy the book to prevent further catastrophe."  When it overtakes the current time, some balance btw. useful and worrying or damaging information + it becomes clear that the book forces events to happen. ? how to not-railroad players with this?

Character(s) interacted with

Stanis, Sasha (one of two yeti who guarded/helped Our Adventurers), Yanna (trained Mark): 1. Yeti origin of repair supplies (crates, supplies) indicates yeti complicit in the sale of children 2. Y. system of rule is monarchy; historic examples of failures of the line or rebellions + new sovereigns. 3. Y. children to be sent [inland] with a caravan and caretakers [who? Olga +__?] 4. Accepted Adventurers offer of help. Will travel alongside ship.

Created Content

Yeti monarch (Ivan) and heir (Prince Alexi). Yeti "village"/city:Insara

Notes

Need: * Overland arctic speeds for caravan/yeti and for ship. Ideas for snow, ice, rough frozen ground, hills/mountainous regions, tundra. * Which yet accompany 12 children and with what major supplies. * Composition of yeti contingent on way to city * Plan of the city and of the events within it. *** Spy amongst yeti? ***