Session 27 - Old One Eye

General Summary

Looking at the Visitor’s book again we can see that the last entry, 14/01/2875 is about a month ago and there is no corresponding sign-out date so the person is probably still around somewhere. Note that the years are made of 10 months of 35 days each.
In the lounge area someone has been making arrows, and 12 are fully made, so Tripp takes them. We decide to rest up and with the barrier spell still in place do not have to set a watch, so sleep very well. We also help ourselves to some of the food for breakfast before preparing to go down the trap door.
We descend the ladder from the trap door into a small room with a door in the corner. Tripp lights a lantern and opens the door to reveal a corridor and we start moving down it. By the direction and distance that we are moving in, we believe that we are coming out under the dome. Finding a spiral staircase, we climb it and find another door at which Lilrie casts Presence to detect if there is anyone close. She tells us that there is no-one there so Tripp opens it and finds himself inside the dome. Initially there seems to be nothing there to harm us! There are no mosaics on these walls, they seem completely featureless. In the centre, there is a large statue of a dragon and anchored into it and rising up from a pulley system hanging from the ceiling are four chains which descend into stone shafts in the floor. There is another spiral staircase in the floor on the opposite side. We suspect that the chains can be used to lift the statue.
Tripp leads the men down the staircase leaving the women up top. After 100 feet they emerge into a room the same size as the one above with chains coming down from the ceiling. Each chain terminates in elaborate gearing mechanisms like a windlass with a handle which presumably allows the chains to lift the statue. Each gearing mechanism stands in front of a door, and in the middle of the room is a chest and lying next to it are a couple of what appear to be scrap pieces of rusty metal.
Digby goes to the door at the North and opens it and he can see a small room 15 foot in diameter with a table on which there is a small metal cube, 3 inches square with something sticking out of it. Brovar goes to the door to the left of the one opened by Digby. Inscription “I may only have one, but I see you”. Oh no, that could be a Cyclops! We check the door to the South which does not have an inscription and open that door, finding a room with a floor extending 10 feet beyond which is a void. As our eyes get accustomed to the darkness, we can make out a faint illumination in the distance. There is a ledge about 100 feet away with another table and possibly a cube. The last door has an inscription “two heads are better than one”.
Going back to the chest we can see that it is quite unremarkable and could be lifted easily. There does not appear to be a keyhole, but there is a hinge and a distinct lid. Looking more closely we can see a curious design on the lid which we assume is part of the locking mechanism. Tripp picks it up and it rattles – there may be something valuable inside! Sai Kyo runs up to call Baka and Lilrie down as we are thinking of opening the door with the Cyclops. Tripp tries to grab the cube in the room with the table with his grappling hook and he hooks the table. Pulling it, the rope tightens and the table does not move; it seems to be fixed to the floor.
Tripp ties the rope around himself and Sai Kyo holds it as he goes into the room. Nothing dangerous happens. This time. The cube is of a silvery-white metal and sticking out of it are two flat rusty pieces of metal which seems to be similar to the other pieces by the chest. Lilrie casts Heat Metal on the cube and as it heats the tin melts quickly into a pool on the floor and two new pieces are revealed.
We go back to the room with the void and use a 10-foot pole to see if there is a floor, but we cannot feel a floor. We throw a torch in but it just goes down and down and disappears. The walls are polished smooth so climbing is also out of the question.
Preparing to open the door with the inscription about one eye, Digby and Baka cast Shield on themselves. Upon opening the door, we see that there is a small alcove with four pairs of footprints as if 4 people should stand there. Going to the last door, there is another small alcove with two pairs of footprints and again there is another door on the far side. This door also has an inscription - “three are stronger”.
Puzzled, we decide that Brovar and Sai Kyo should stand in the room with two sets of footprints. As soon as they stand in them the outer door slams shut, and the inner door opens. They find themselves in a room with a two-headed dog which immediately sprouts a third head. At least we now know what the inscription meant! Sai Kyo attacks with a martial arts sweep doing a 27D critical for 2 hits per round and 5 more damage. Next, he attacks with his quarterstaff and hits for 9 damage. Brovar attacks with his long-sword for a 26C slash critical, +5 hits and another 2 hits per round. He also hits with his mace for a 10A crush critical, which does 8 more damage. The dog attacks Sai Kyo with all three heads doing 48 damage and putting him on 2 hits per round. Luckily he made a saving throw against poison, but this is going to be a short fight, at least for Sai Kyo.
The room with the windlasses starts filling with water and the other four can only wait helplessly for Brovar and Sai Kyo to return.
Next round we both win initiative and Brovar hits the dog with his long-sword for 14B crush critical, for 12 more hits. His mace hits for 4 damage. Sai Kyo hits it again for 27D and a critical which does 6 more hits, killing it. That’s a relief. We cut up the carcass and find two more of those strange rusty metal pieces. The door back to the others opens and Sai Kyo staggers out, feeling much the worse for wear. Baka casts Clot 3 on him and stops the bleeding. Lilrie then heals him so that he is no longer has a penalty to his OB. Thank you ladies!
Preparing for the next fight Digby casts Attack and Shield on himself. Then Digby, Lilrie, Brovar and Tripp go into the room with four sets of footprints and the same thing happens, but this time they are facing off against a 20-foot-tall Cyclops. Sai Kyo and Baka made the right choice to stay behind!
Brovar attacks it with his long-sword doing 16 damage and a critical which does 4 more damage. His mace also lands solidly doing 19 damage and a critical for 4 more damage. The Cyclops aims for Brovar with his club doing 24 damage and a crush critical for 5 more damage. Tripp’s first arrow hits but bounces off its skin, but the second arrow is shot so cleanly that a master elven archer would be proud. He does 40 damage and two criticals for 12 more hits. Digby attacks, but fumbles badly and falls down in an apparent attempt to commit suicide. He would have been stunned for four rounds, but bites down on one of the berries that we took from the bodies of the Serpents of Amnos, which removes the stun. Lilrie attacks but misses.
Brovar attacks with his long-sword doing 10 damage and a critical for 15 additional damage. His mace also hits for 14 damage and a critical, for 8 more damage. Lilrie attacks, but misses again. Tripp fires his first arrow for 9 damage and a critical, for 7 more damage, his second arrow does 13 damage and a critical, for 15 more damage. Showing he can go from zero to hero in no time at all, Digby hits doing 44 damage and a critical, for 5 more hits. The Cyclops swings for Digby doing 12 damage. It then tries to grab Digby doing 30 damage, but failing to hold on to him.
Next round Tripp fires his first arrow doing 7 damage and a critical for 6 more damage. His second arrow does 19 damage and a critical for 2 more hits. Brovar swings with his long-sword doing 14 damage and a critical, which does 9 more damage. His mace lands also for 10 damage and a critical which does 4 more damage. Digby swings once more, doing 40 damage and a critical, which does 10 more damage. Lilrie swings her morning star doing 8 damage and a critical which is 4 more damage. The Cyclops goes for Brovar doing 21 damage. It then tries to grab him and grips him by the middle doing 21 more damage, and for the next 6 rounds he is at -50.
Taking aim again, Tripp’s first arrow does 3 damage, and he fumbles as the second arrow, dropping his bow and arrows making him unable to attack for 2 rounds. This fumbling must be contagious. Brovar does 10 damage and a critical for 4 more hits with his long-sword, but his mace hits for 2 damage. Lilrie swings and does 3 damage. Digby hits for 19 damage and a critical which does 10 more damage. The Cyclops attacks Digby with his club but misses! He then crushes Brovar for 39 damage – he is barely alive. He is now on -80 for his OB.
Tripp scrambles around for his bow and arrows, while Brovar hits the Cyclops with his long-sword for 3 damage, but his mace misses. Lilrie hits with her morning star for 13 damage and a critical which does 15 more damage. Nice one Lilrie. Digby lashes out with his battle axe for 11 damage and a critical for 3 more hits. The Cyclops targets Digby again with his club doing 9 damage, and it drops Brovar and tries to grab Digby but fails.
Tripp is still picking up his bow and arrows, and has the decency to look embarrassed as he does so. Brovar, on his last legs, misses with his long-sword and his mace. Digby smashes his mace into the Cyclops doing 30 damage and a critical for 6 more damage which finally takes it out. Thank goodness as the party couldn’t take much more of that. Lilrie inspects Brovar and finds that he has 9 broken ribs. No wonder he is pulling faces that would make an Ogre proud.
Going back to the main room we find that the water in the room is over our knees. Time is running out and we need to get all the pieces and solve the puzzle quickly. Going back to the room with the void Baka casts Telekinesis to pull back the cube from across the void. Melting the tin again reveals two more pieces.
Lilrie takes Brovar up the spiral staircase to heal him as the others try the windlasses and handles to raise the statue. However, they soon realize that there is a key cogwheel missing from each and it seems reasonable to think that they are probably in the chest. So, with the water steadily rising, we have to solve the puzzle quickly, before it rises above the mechanisms.

Kitty

• Session start – minus 80 gold!
• Income – none
• Expenses – none
• Session end – minus 80 gold!

Report Date

03 Feb 2022