36. Taruuzh Kraat Report
General Summary
13th Nymm
- They discuss their plan if they are refused entry to the ruins. They can't fight, so they'll just have to offer their services in exchange.
- Tzaryan accepts their request, providing they have dinner with him afterwards.
- Medala raises her concern that she won't be able to resist Dah'mir if he appears.
- Possibly, neither will Dandra or Kalshana , he is particularly effective with kalashtar.
- Ashi, Natrac, Dandra and Medala will remain in the keep due to the risk, while the others go spelunking.
- Singe suggests they speak to Ekhaas after they visit the ruins, so she can provide context on what they find. The party agrees with this.
- They head out to the ruins of the chimneys, and Warden manages to find what seems to be the top of a ramp, but whatever tunnel it led into had collapsed.
- There were also footprints around the indent, human sized and made by good quality boots. Dax' Athla deduced that this must've been Ekhaas.
- They followed the footprints to a small hollow filled with thorny bushes, which concealed a sheet of leather. This sheet of leather, in turn, was hiding a hole in the ground.
- Dax descended into the hole, and found herself in a dark hallway. The walls were covered in a strange, angular script reminiscent of goblin. She determined it was safe enough, and called the others down.
- Terfel pulled the leather sheet over the hole on his way down.
- The writing seemed to be gibberish to Terfel. Warden used comprehend languages and determined it was indeed gibberish, but in goblin. They determined it wasn't encoded.
- As they proceeded, the writing continued. It seemed to become more coherent as they went, revealing the author cursing those who abandoned and doubted him. The curses got very specific.
- Eventually they found themselves in a large chamber carved into a natural cavern. The remains of a forge, also covered in the strange writing, and in the centre, a marble sculpture of a tree.
- Terfel read the writing on the wall, and determined they were research notes. It seems that someone named Marg was trying to recreate something to imprison aberrations.
- In the shadow of the tree, dubbed the "Grieving Tree", was a strange device. It reminded Kalshana of the device Dah'mir used to shatter Medala, and swap Dandra and Tetkashtai.
- There is another statue in the far corner, of a hobgoblin man dressed like a smith. It's been defaced, the face is no longer recognisable and part of an inscription on the sword has been scratched out.
- The legible inscription states "The father of the Grieving Tree. The time will come again. Three great works stand together as allies: treasure, key, guardian, disciple, and lord."
- The inscriptions continues in a different font, stating ""Keep your secrets, old master. Marg has surpassed you! I have created a new-" before ending suddenly.
- There was a bugbear skeleton on the ground, seems to have died from blunt trauma to the head.
- Warden identifies that the tree is magical, as is the device. He is unable to identify what the tree is, but the device seems to be an apparatus for attuning a Khyber shard to a specific energy.
- There is a fair bit of discussion about what this all means and how Dah'mir fits into it. They decide to go and speak to Ekhaas, and they'll leave someone behind to watch the ruins.
- On their way out, Dax went up the hole first and saw that the leather sheet had moved. She dropped back down and told the others.
- Warden sent Breek up the hole, and he was killed by something.
- Terfel went up the hole, and got caught in a snare. He heard the familiar, annoying voice of Kelarth Velderan d'Tharashk.
- Kelarth said he was just here for Dandra, and that he knows the Kalashtar can teleport. Send them up, and nobody dies!
- Dandra isn't even fucking here.
- Terfel summons his echo next to Kelarth, but then The General arrived, flanked by Braazug.
- There is a tense exchange, and Kelarth tries to shoot the General. He's Deneith, bitch! The general deflects the bolt, and then Terfel and Braazug take Kelarth down.
- He was warned, his life his forfeit. Tzaryan is going to kill him regardless, but the General thinks he can be "persuaded" to end the bounty on Dandra.
- Braazug takes Kelarth back to the keep, to be imprisoned.
- The General states he came out to look for the party, to ask when they're going to speak to Ekhaas. Tzaryan is getting impatient.
- They head back to the keep, Dax stays behind to watch the ruins.
Resources
Tzaryan's Reply
Master Glas,
Your request is granted. You'll find the ruins to the northeast of Tzaryan Keep. You and your companions may explore them as you wish, provided you join me for dinner afterwards and share your discoveries.
You may speak to the hobgoblin before or after you leave, she will not be tortured until you have had a chance to do so.
I will see you all this evening, I regret that my stargazing has left me with a nocturnal schedule that is not conducive to entertaining guests. Please don't hesitate to ask the General if you need anything.
With respect,
Tzaryan
Eventually the corridor comes to an end, opening into a huge chamber that must have been a natural cavern once. The lower walls and floor are the same worked stone as the corridor, but after about 10 feet the walls become rough, and the only worked stone above that point are vaulted arches that hold up the rough, unworked ceiling.
Spaced out along the wall to your left are deep alcoves containing the husks of what were once forges. Some of them still have the remains of ancient bellows attached to them, and all of the alcoves have anvils, wheelbarrows and other tools crammed into the space.
Every smooth section of the walls is covered in more of the goblin script, though in here it is interspersed with diagrams.
In the center of the chamber, standing atop a broad platform, a strange sculpture of white stone reaches up towards the ceiling. A thick base rises from the platform, narrows, and then spreads and splits into dozens of curved segments. The entire sculpture is cut with grooves across and along its surface. In places, sharp ridges and thorny spikes jut out from it. It has an unpleasant, sinister look to it that for a few seconds masks what it's supposed to be. It's a marble sculpture of a tree.
In the shadow of the tree, still on the platform, is a heap of metal tubes and wires, interspered with pieces of glass and crystal. It's strangely reminiscent of the device that held the Khyber shard in the Bonetree Mound, which Dah'mir used to shatter Medala and swap Dandra and Tetkashtai. There is a metal niche in the device, just big enough to hold the shard that you shattered at the mound.
Writing on the Walls
In the HallwaysMost of the writing is gibberish, but most coherent is cursing against those who abandoned the forge. Some of these included "May your milk always spoil before you drink it" and "May the answers you seek always be on the tip of your tongue, but out of reach"
- Some of the notes talk about illithids, and the alignment of crystals that would attune the binding stone to their aura.
- One of the passages is cursing the workers who abandoned the kraat.
- One of the passages attempts to work breakfast into the equation for trapping aberrations.
- My name is Marg. My name is Marg. My name is Marg. My name is Marg.
- "Too large! The first stones were smaller. The matrix can be made larger to compensate but focus will be a problem. How did he do it!?"
- It seems like Marg was trying to recreate something that already existed.
