Harmony Session 23: How Heroes Die

General Summary

Having made their way through Ferrous Forest, The Suckhole Six found themselves at the entrance to the fabled "Buried Temple" -- the excavation of which claimed dozens of lives during the First Echwink Expedition. The Six were here to recover the remains of an adventurer named Volthen Arkkaradson, who had also allegedly met a grisly end in the sunken Varduran ruin. Somewhere down these dark twisting stairs they would find the answers they sought.

In the Footsteps of Failure

The stairs descended a few very uneven turns before spilling out into a dark entry. The marble tile beneath the fallen rock had been beautiful once, but now was broken and battered. This building had likely once been massive, easily the size of an Alerki Tabernacle. The Six carefully stepped over the massive wood and iron door that had been busted inward at some point, likely by the previous Windblown adventurers. The torn-apart camp in an alcove supported this hypothesis, especially with all the adventuring gear left behind, and in a hurry at that.
Resident archaeologist Malachai then started checking out the locked door at the north end of the hall. It was very similar in design to the Varduran architecture they had seen in Ferrous Forest. Malachai was able to identify the Varduran symbol for the Conjuration school of magic, the symbol of the Evervoice, the common phrase of "By Her Voice We Sing", and the word "DISTRIBUTION" in large letters across the top.
The good doctor decided to try his hand at picking the complex mechanism. His compatriots eagerly aided him: Azarki provided guidance, Enoch examined the flows of time to nudge things a little more favorably their way, and Zoran pulled out his bone flute to score the experience. A feeling of calm confidence came over the maizegrown and, before he even knew he had done it, the great door quietly clicked open. It slid open a hair before stopping again, pushing against something heavy. Incongruent with the outside-in barricade above, this door had been barricaded from the inside and would require a concentrated heave to overcome. Before that happened though, Gorr turned himself into a regular-sized ant and scouted it out.

A Bug's Life

Gorr found a teeming infestation on the other side. Giant centipedes clung to the ceilings and walls, still and silent in the darkness. Down the hall, Gorr could make out the shapes of much larger creatures as well, but the light was too dim for specifics. Gorr considered the finer points of testing his disguise out in the middle of the nest but decided he had learned enough about the threat. He returned unscathed and reported the guarding phalanx of centipede soldiers that awaited them.
The Suckhole Six eagerly got to planning their attack. They tossed around a number of ideas, but before the more level-headed of the group could nail anything down, a very frustrated Zoran finished his countdown from 5 and burst through the doors in an explosion of violence. Remember: Zoran is not a barbarian, so any combat "rage" he may feel is basically his choice. Granted, The Panoptic Legion's Engagement Protocols (Legionnaire's Handbook, pg. 84) dictate a hard cutoff on the number of monsters one can tolerate before murder must begin and Zoran really couldn't afford another demerit.
The fight was tough all tucked away in the little hallway. The centipedes seemed to pour forward without end, slamming their chitinous bodies against the invaders in a near suicidal frenzy. Two massive megapedes and the arrival of Scuttle Thousandstep, the centipede-mutated former adventurer Soddle Lightstep, made things considerably more difficult. Still, the Six prevailed and overcame the stationed guard, but missed the chance to end Scuttle. Instead, the halfling mutant scampered off into the darkness, giggling a lethal promise.

A Goo Death

This chamber was much like the previous -- buried beneath stone and soil but with a large ornate door at the opposite end. The difference was in the decorations. Littered with shed shells and nests, the centipedes had apparently been living here. A small opening lay to the west, barricaded with centipede husks and discarded furniture. Zoran and Azarki cleared the obstacle and landed square in an ankle-deep puddle of sticky goo. The centipedes hiding here launched their ambush, but, when the goo didn't work as planned and Enoch threw a fireball at everyone, it was quickly ended. Still, Scuttle was nowhere to be found. Instead, the Six discovered the sign of a brave adventurer's last stand. Based on what was left behind, sans body, the Six deduced that this was where the brave Juut Jeskari met his unfortunate end.
After a short rest, our heroes realized they had options. They could traverse the hidden tunnel through which Scuttle had undoubtedly escaped or try to unlock another complex door. Pilgrim, with his patron-empowered darkest vision, could see something weird and gooey farther down the tunnel. Hesitant to get closer, all the team could do was speculate what it might be. Ultimately, this indecision pulled them back toward the large door and the promise of repeated success.
Unfortunately, Malachai could not find the ease that had guided his work on the previous door. Azarki's very handy knock spell worked just fine though and the large doors swung open to reveal the next chamber.

Bug Finish

A thin haze hung in the air of this massive circular room. Through it, the Six could see three huge doors set into the curved wall, each ornately decorated in a familiar way. Between them and the doors was a huge pit emanating the haze surrounded by three familiar figures: Scuttle Thousandstep, Yarg the Unbodied, and a scarred and battered monstrous centipede. Scuttle said something about "more adventurers to join the 1000 Legged Queen" or something jerky like that and battle began. This tough fight was made tougher when two necropedes (young) burst from the side doors. Things began to look grim when Malachai rushed forward to take on Scuttle himself, only to fall instantly to the onslaught of centipedinous violence. Zoran rushed to his aid, but even bigged up and furious, he could not withstand the focused fire of the centipedes united.
Azarki healed what he could, but he was a bit tied up with a necropede of his own. Gorr summoned a bestial spirit for the first time and helped turn the tables on the battle. This would be vital, especially as the advancing centipedes rolled over Pilgrim and continued their lethal press forward.
Enoch had enough of Scuttle's bullshit at this point and put him on his giggly ass with a brutal hideous laughter. Somehow, the spell held as the still-standing soldiers of the Suckhole Six beat the living shit out of him. This key cast was enough for our heroes to beat back the remaining centipedes, end Yarg, and put down Scuttle. Malachai ended the last necropede with a judicious thrust from his rapier, but nearly died in the shower of necrotic blood that poured from the lethal wound.
Battered and beat, the Suckhole Six took a moment to get their friends back on their feet and take stock of the situation. The three doors were a much greater scale, but were nearly identical to the doors found in the ruins above the acid ant nest. These huge rooms once held massive amounts of wheat, wood, and stone, apparently for distribution. It was this third door that caught their attention now. They could see black growth sticking to the frame and spilling out into the main chamber. A strange hacking vocalization came from the depths as a figure slowly crawled into the dim light.
The overgrown head of a human child wobbled back and forth on the end of a long chitinous centipede body. It opened its twisted mouth and let out a choked call, challenging the intruders. This northernmost chamber, where the stone had been kept, had since been converted into a centipede mutant nest. Apparently, the Suckhole Six arrived just in time for The Children of 1,000 Legs to begin hatching.

Rewards Granted

The Suckhole Six recovered the some of deceased adventurers' gear and loot:

• 27 edible rations 

• 3 bolts

• Grorjinax “Ken” Fenkenkabranixar’s monogrammed cloak

• A spell scroll of tongues for Enoch

• 186 gold, 96 silver, and 300 copper

• An empty contingent applicator for Zoran

• Amulet of the Ill Tide for Azarki

Character(s) interacted with

• Scuttle Thousandstep FKA Soddle Lightstep

• Yarg the Unbodied

Created Content

• Enoch cast light on Zoran's greatsword for teamwork

Notes

• When Pilgrim went down to the necropede, he came close to death. He would have lost himself to the darkness if he had not seen the light, had not felt the pulse. A red, beating heart of suppressed power whispered "not yet" to the faithwrought. Pilgrim awoke to find himself alive and the battle won. He had a lot to think about.

Report Date

03 Apr 2025

Primary Location

Vardura

Secondary Location

Ferrous Forest

Related Plots

• The Exploration of Vardura

Related Characters

• Azarki Kevin-Kevin