Enter the Moon Vault
The Party Descends to Awaken the Void's Sleeping Terrors
General Summary
It is February 19th, 1000 PCE.
After exploring Allodee refuge, the Party ventured into the swamps of the Rift Delta in search of the Moon Vault. To better orient themselves on the guidestone maps, the PCs climbed Jaguar Hill to get a reckoning and encountered a wave transmitter receiving radio messages from Anzar Cerdan. In response, they sent out a radio beacon asking for assistance in assaulting the Vril occupiers guarding the Moon Vault.
Encountering refugees and other victims of the Vril occupation, the Party traveled west through the delta to the protanium mines of Malakat and enlisted Anzar Cerdan’s aid as an interpreter and archaeological guide. He helped them find the Moon Vault ruins, where they joined forces with a band of Chimalli warriors led by Locard and Fulbeard (accompanied by Tashtego, Orphea Chastain’s bodyguard).
While their Chimalli allies assaulted the Vril’s defensive positions (centered on the sealed upper entrance of the Moon Vault), the PCs solved the Lunar Shrine puzzle and entered the vault’s lower levels.
The Party explored the vault and encountered a variety of Empyrean beings, including , Admenoth, Xennixi, and Ogdramaun. The Party slew Admenoth and used the name of Golan Trevize to ward off Xennixi. While battling the giant slug-like Ogdramaun, Jayne shattered a glass bulb containing a vapour cursed with the sleep of aeons, which had no effect on the Empyrean, but sent Anzar Cerdan into an ageless slumber.
When the Party woke a pair of Exilium cultists (Husani and Tryphenia) from suspended animation, they assumed a friendly guise and helped the PCs survive the radiation suffusing the area. The cooperation ended when the Exilia learned of how the Party had destroyed their master, Admenoth.
The cultists set an ambush for the Party amidst a regal tomb guarded by animated terracotta warriors armed with late-Precursor weapons. After a pitched battle that almost resulted in the deaths of Adelle and Zen, the Party defeated the Exilium cultists and forced them to negotiate surrender.
After exploring Allodee refuge, the Party ventured into the swamps of the Rift Delta in search of the Moon Vault. To better orient themselves on the guidestone maps, the PCs climbed Jaguar Hill to get a reckoning and encountered a wave transmitter receiving radio messages from Anzar Cerdan. In response, they sent out a radio beacon asking for assistance in assaulting the Vril occupiers guarding the Moon Vault.
Encountering refugees and other victims of the Vril occupation, the Party traveled west through the delta to the protanium mines of Malakat and enlisted Anzar Cerdan’s aid as an interpreter and archaeological guide. He helped them find the Moon Vault ruins, where they joined forces with a band of Chimalli warriors led by Locard and Fulbeard (accompanied by Tashtego, Orphea Chastain’s bodyguard).
While their Chimalli allies assaulted the Vril’s defensive positions (centered on the sealed upper entrance of the Moon Vault), the PCs solved the Lunar Shrine puzzle and entered the vault’s lower levels.
The Party explored the vault and encountered a variety of Empyrean beings, including , Admenoth, Xennixi, and Ogdramaun. The Party slew Admenoth and used the name of Golan Trevize to ward off Xennixi. While battling the giant slug-like Ogdramaun, Jayne shattered a glass bulb containing a vapour cursed with the sleep of aeons, which had no effect on the Empyrean, but sent Anzar Cerdan into an ageless slumber.
When the Party woke a pair of Exilium cultists (Husani and Tryphenia) from suspended animation, they assumed a friendly guise and helped the PCs survive the radiation suffusing the area. The cooperation ended when the Exilia learned of how the Party had destroyed their master, Admenoth.
The cultists set an ambush for the Party amidst a regal tomb guarded by animated terracotta warriors armed with late-Precursor weapons. After a pitched battle that almost resulted in the deaths of Adelle and Zen, the Party defeated the Exilium cultists and forced them to negotiate surrender.
Jaguar Hill
The PCs set out from Allodee Refuge for Jaguar Hill in canoes on February 16th. Here the PCs found an ancient wave transmitter and used it to broadcast a radio message notifying anyone listening that they were headed for the Moon Vault and requesting support against the Vril troops occupying the area. (They set the date of the attack for February 18th.) They also received a series of looped messages sent by a doomed Moon Vault archaeological mission asking for assistance from someone named “Fulbeard.” The speaker declared he was pulling out of the Moon Vault ruins and relocating to the Mines of Malakat due to the arrival of Vril scouts.
Mines of Malakat
After resting for a night on Jaguar Hill, the Party skirted the northern edge of the Rift Marshes and encountered fishermen from Enderwilde. They also saw signs of Vril atrocities, including mass executions near the hamlet of Hydrus. The PCs were attacked by stirges, will-o'-wisps, and even a black pudding on the way to the Mines of Malakat. Once there, they met with Anzar Cerdan, who wasn’t thrilled about returning to face the Vril war parties he had fled, but he considered Orphea Chastain a benefactor and understood the importance of the PCs’ mission. Begrudgingly joining the Party, Cerdan warned that the Vril were being led by a Merikan traveler, a supposed sorcerer that the Vril called “the Prophet.” The PCs presumed this to be Oliver Chastain.
Moon Vault Assault
On the way to the Moon Vault (February 18th), the Party was ambushed by a group of Void-touched skin walkers (faceless stalkers) capable of chameleon-like disguises. One of these creatures adopted the face and voice of Edmund’s brother, Antony, and attempted to coax the PCs into a trap, but the Party fought through the deception. The skin walkers taunted the PCs and promised them that “the Prophet” was waiting for them at the Moon Vault. This disturbing episode was a foreshadowing of future developments.
The PCs reached the Moon Vault ruins to find a battle already in progress. Reinforcements had answered their call. The main entrance of the vault was on an elevated bluff looming above the rest of the marshy lowlands of the region. The Vril had established their camp and defences upon this hill and were being harassed by Chimalli skirmishers. These jungle warriors had set up their own base on a smaller ridge across a small lake to the south of the main Vril position. From here, a battery of three Merikan carronades was blasting away at the Vril camp and drawing out their attackers.
The Party entered the battlefield from the west and routed a Vril war band attempting to to turn the western flank of the Chimalli firing line. They then marched up to the battery and presented themselves to the Chimalli fighters. They were surprised to find some familiar faces: Locard, the Chimalli warden the PCs had met back at the Farport plantations; Fulbeard, the father of Orphea Chastain’s majordomo (Albeard); and Tashtego, Orphea’s bodyguard.
Fulbeard was the Chastain family representative in Farport Outpost. He had fled to Pachuco City when Farport was overrun by the first wave of Vril invaders and moved on to Tabazan after learning of the Arcadia shipwreck. Tashtego had rendezvoused with Fulbeard after escaping from captivity in Tabazan, where the rest of the shipwrecked Arcadia crew were still being detained as “guests” of the local lord, Prince Romrama. Orphea had instructed Tashtego to get word to the PCs who would, hopefully, plan a rescue for the crew. Locard was a close friend of Fulbeard, and, when they received the Party’s radio transmission about an attack on the Moon Vault, they made haste to join the assault with all the men and weapons they could muster from the Chimalli base at Fort Kanto.
The discussion turned to tactics, and it was decided that Locard and his men would perform a fighting retreat to distract the Vril and draw their forces away from the Moon Vault. Meanwhile, under the cover of cannon smoke, the PCs would cross the lake and make for an archaeological site called the Lunar Shrine. Anzar Cerdan believed the shrine concealed an alternate entrance to the Moon Vault complex, and he was right. Following clues left behind for them by Golan Trevize decades earlier, the Party solved the shrine puzzle and began descending a winding set of stairs. Midway down, however, the vertical passage suddenly collapsed, sending the Party tumbling down into the lowest levels of the vault with no way to return back the way they came.
The PCs reached the Moon Vault ruins to find a battle already in progress. Reinforcements had answered their call. The main entrance of the vault was on an elevated bluff looming above the rest of the marshy lowlands of the region. The Vril had established their camp and defences upon this hill and were being harassed by Chimalli skirmishers. These jungle warriors had set up their own base on a smaller ridge across a small lake to the south of the main Vril position. From here, a battery of three Merikan carronades was blasting away at the Vril camp and drawing out their attackers.
The Party entered the battlefield from the west and routed a Vril war band attempting to to turn the western flank of the Chimalli firing line. They then marched up to the battery and presented themselves to the Chimalli fighters. They were surprised to find some familiar faces: Locard, the Chimalli warden the PCs had met back at the Farport plantations; Fulbeard, the father of Orphea Chastain’s majordomo (Albeard); and Tashtego, Orphea’s bodyguard.
Fulbeard was the Chastain family representative in Farport Outpost. He had fled to Pachuco City when Farport was overrun by the first wave of Vril invaders and moved on to Tabazan after learning of the Arcadia shipwreck. Tashtego had rendezvoused with Fulbeard after escaping from captivity in Tabazan, where the rest of the shipwrecked Arcadia crew were still being detained as “guests” of the local lord, Prince Romrama. Orphea had instructed Tashtego to get word to the PCs who would, hopefully, plan a rescue for the crew. Locard was a close friend of Fulbeard, and, when they received the Party’s radio transmission about an attack on the Moon Vault, they made haste to join the assault with all the men and weapons they could muster from the Chimalli base at Fort Kanto.
The discussion turned to tactics, and it was decided that Locard and his men would perform a fighting retreat to distract the Vril and draw their forces away from the Moon Vault. Meanwhile, under the cover of cannon smoke, the PCs would cross the lake and make for an archaeological site called the Lunar Shrine. Anzar Cerdan believed the shrine concealed an alternate entrance to the Moon Vault complex, and he was right. Following clues left behind for them by Golan Trevize decades earlier, the Party solved the shrine puzzle and began descending a winding set of stairs. Midway down, however, the vertical passage suddenly collapsed, sending the Party tumbling down into the lowest levels of the vault with no way to return back the way they came.
Awakening Admenoth
Groping in the rubble-strewn darkness, the Party squinted by firelight to take in their new surroundings. They found the air was so thick that it dimmed the light of their torches and kinetic charms and made the air difficult to breath. The PCs soon realized that the vault’s environment was toxic and that they could not survive in it for long.
Their first major obstacle was the Tomb of Admenoth. The doors were inscribed with the following warning:
Their first major obstacle was the Tomb of Admenoth. The doors were inscribed with the following warning:
Here lies Admenoth, master of the outsiders, who is like the wind and the night! Woe and pain to those who follow his left hand path of darkness!
In order to enter this chamber, the Party successfully bypassed a gas trap composed of fragile glass bulbs containing a chartreuse liquid. Jayne grabbed one of these containers of unidentified liquid for future use. Finding the tomb within to be locked by a variety of cunning mechanisms, the PCs obviously decided that they had to open it, which they did. Inside, they found a crumbling skeleton adorned in rich priestly vestments.
When they removed the jade mask and necklace from the corpse, the decayed remains began to vivify: flesh and bone spontaneously regenerating to reform the body of a living man. After regaining the quickness of life, the man sprung out of the tomb, grabbed an axe from the wall, and attacked the Party. His powers of invisibility proved a great challenge, but the PCs eventually defeated him.
When they removed the jade mask and necklace from the corpse, the decayed remains began to vivify: flesh and bone spontaneously regenerating to reform the body of a living man. After regaining the quickness of life, the man sprung out of the tomb, grabbed an axe from the wall, and attacked the Party. His powers of invisibility proved a great challenge, but the PCs eventually defeated him.
The Court of Ogdramaun
The PCs soon realized that they were moving through a partially flooded underground complex that had once served as a laboratory for genetic experimentation. They encountered oversized and gene-spliced hybrid versions of animals such as crayfish and other crustaceans. Some of these were semi-intelligent; all were dangerous.
A flooded hallway proved to be a treacherous obstacle when PCs started losing their footing on the uneven floor. While some of the armour-clad adventurers were struggling to swim around the hall’s sunken perimeter, a monstrously huge slug creature named Ogdramaun emerged from the waters to attack.
While the Party were struggling to escape Ogdramaun’s clutches and save their allies from drowning, Jayne saw his chance to shine. He tossed his glass ball of unidentified green stuff at the slug. It shattered to release an expanding cloud of green vapour that cursed anyone who breathed it with sleep. (Except for Ogdramaun: he was immune.) Miraculously, everyone held their breath long enough to vacate the room and seal the hallway door against the spreading gas.
Unfortunately, when the Party forced open the next door, it released a sudden torrent of water that swept many of the characters (including Anzar Cerdan) back into Ogrdamaun’s lair and back into the vapour cloud. This time, Cerdan breathed in a lungful of the gas and fell to the 5000-year sleep curse. This was no restful nap, however. As Cerdan muttered and grimaced in somnambulant pantomime, the Party could tell he was experiencing a terrifying sleep of neverending nightmares. The PCs tried to wake him to no avail.
A flooded hallway proved to be a treacherous obstacle when PCs started losing their footing on the uneven floor. While some of the armour-clad adventurers were struggling to swim around the hall’s sunken perimeter, a monstrously huge slug creature named Ogdramaun emerged from the waters to attack.
While the Party were struggling to escape Ogdramaun’s clutches and save their allies from drowning, Jayne saw his chance to shine. He tossed his glass ball of unidentified green stuff at the slug. It shattered to release an expanding cloud of green vapour that cursed anyone who breathed it with sleep. (Except for Ogdramaun: he was immune.) Miraculously, everyone held their breath long enough to vacate the room and seal the hallway door against the spreading gas.
Unfortunately, when the Party forced open the next door, it released a sudden torrent of water that swept many of the characters (including Anzar Cerdan) back into Ogrdamaun’s lair and back into the vapour cloud. This time, Cerdan breathed in a lungful of the gas and fell to the 5000-year sleep curse. This was no restful nap, however. As Cerdan muttered and grimaced in somnambulant pantomime, the Party could tell he was experiencing a terrifying sleep of neverending nightmares. The PCs tried to wake him to no avail.
In the Name of the Archon
Amidst the murky hazards of the vault, the Party then stumbled upon a nymph-like female of exceeding grace and beauty. Her name was Xennixi and she proudly proclaimed herself to be the daughter of a Void Empyrean called Lex Tetrax. She declared that she had been mesmerized years earlier by a powerful psion, who had commanded her to guard the way against any future intruders that might breach the Moon Vault. He had told her to only permit passage to those who could utter his name as a command word. When they spoke the name of Golan Trevize, the creature unloosed a piercing shriek and momentarily revealed her true, grotesque form. She allowed the Party to pass.
Chamber of Exiles
Rising up from the flooded bottom level of the vault, the Party came upon a room occupied by two sleeping people. A man and a woman dressed in priestly robes were laying serenely upon stone tables. When woken, these sleepers were immediately apprehensive of the Party, but Zen and Edmund managed to allay their suspicions and get the characters cooperating.
The characters introduced themselves as Tryphenia and Husani, members of an ancient order of Ornish kineticists devoted to an order known as the Exilium. Tryphenia, a kineticist with earth-based powers, helped the Party by detoxifying a room for the PCs to rest in. Later, Husani, a Void elementalist, revealed that he and his partner needed to attend to the leader of their order, Master Admenoth. The PCs said nothing and let the Void acolytes walk away unaware that the Party had already defiled Admenoth’s tomb and destroyed him.
The characters introduced themselves as Tryphenia and Husani, members of an ancient order of Ornish kineticists devoted to an order known as the Exilium. Tryphenia, a kineticist with earth-based powers, helped the Party by detoxifying a room for the PCs to rest in. Later, Husani, a Void elementalist, revealed that he and his partner needed to attend to the leader of their order, Master Admenoth. The PCs said nothing and let the Void acolytes walk away unaware that the Party had already defiled Admenoth’s tomb and destroyed him.
Terracotta Warriors
After their much-needed rest, the Party decided to save Anzar Cerdan from the sleep curse and set out to find the Void acolytes to get them to reveal how to safely venture into the Dreamscape and retrieve their friend.
The Party stalked the Void acolytes back to Admenoth’s crypt, but they heard the PCs coming and retreated with a dimension door escape. The party searched Admenoth’s tomb and found a terracotta statue laid within the grave, stuffed with fleshy pieces of corpse parts, and covered in arcane symbols.
The Party then went to the room of terracotta statues and continued their search around Madu’s tomb. Tryphenia was melded into stone and hiding among the statues. When she reverted to her own shape and appearance, Jayne noticed her and started chasing her while she activated a psychic charm that caused some of the statues to come to life and attack the Party.
So the encounter began with the Party already surrounded by animated terracotta warriors. Math ran past the statues and chased after Tryphenia, who activated another wave of animated soldiers. This second wave cut Rob off from the party, and he remained stuck in melee combat with a mob of statues.
Breaking free of the mob, Jayne started charging towards Tryphenia as well. Before Math could attack Tryphenia, he was ambushed by Husani, who had been hiding invisible and readying an attack to intercept him. Math resisted his stunning fist effect and attacked Tryphenia with a sundering attack that broke her electrum wand.
Tryphenia responded by smashing Math with an earth blast critical hit that dropped him in one shot. Husani, blurring from his supernatural quickness, moved on to join the terracotta soldiers, while Jayne went one-on-one with Tryphenia. Based in melee, Tryphenia drew out the Slayer Sword and started to duel with Jayne. The rest of the party either escaped from the terracotta soldiers or became overrun.
Surrounded by stone warriors, Zen was defeated after suffering three rounds of attacks. Rob fell afterwards, just as Adelle and Marsala moved into the room to help the Party. When Adelle and William started using energy attacks, the ranks of terracotta soldiers finally started to thin. Marsala used his healing magic to keep William and Jayne in the fight. Jayne struggled to overcome Tryphenia’s stone skin damage reduction until Edmund broke free from the melee to fire from above and bring her down.
Husani singled out Adelle and charged at her. Everest used his nanomites to enhance his senses with True Strike and overcome Husani’s bullet-time reflexes. Similarly, Adelle momentarily stunned Husani to give William the chance to land a clean fire blast on him.
Husani then dropped Adelle and prepared to finish her off. He offered mercy in exchange for the life of Tryphenia. Everest kept attacking and Jayne charged at Husani as well. Only Marsala’s use of healing charm allowed Adelle to revive long enough to survive what would have been a coup de grace from Husani.
Jayne used a two-weapon feint to bypass Husani’s dodge bonuses and land a sneak attack that finally brought the Void monk down for the count.
The Party stalked the Void acolytes back to Admenoth’s crypt, but they heard the PCs coming and retreated with a dimension door escape. The party searched Admenoth’s tomb and found a terracotta statue laid within the grave, stuffed with fleshy pieces of corpse parts, and covered in arcane symbols.
The Party then went to the room of terracotta statues and continued their search around Madu’s tomb. Tryphenia was melded into stone and hiding among the statues. When she reverted to her own shape and appearance, Jayne noticed her and started chasing her while she activated a psychic charm that caused some of the statues to come to life and attack the Party.
So the encounter began with the Party already surrounded by animated terracotta warriors. Math ran past the statues and chased after Tryphenia, who activated another wave of animated soldiers. This second wave cut Rob off from the party, and he remained stuck in melee combat with a mob of statues.
Breaking free of the mob, Jayne started charging towards Tryphenia as well. Before Math could attack Tryphenia, he was ambushed by Husani, who had been hiding invisible and readying an attack to intercept him. Math resisted his stunning fist effect and attacked Tryphenia with a sundering attack that broke her electrum wand.
Tryphenia responded by smashing Math with an earth blast critical hit that dropped him in one shot. Husani, blurring from his supernatural quickness, moved on to join the terracotta soldiers, while Jayne went one-on-one with Tryphenia. Based in melee, Tryphenia drew out the Slayer Sword and started to duel with Jayne. The rest of the party either escaped from the terracotta soldiers or became overrun.
Surrounded by stone warriors, Zen was defeated after suffering three rounds of attacks. Rob fell afterwards, just as Adelle and Marsala moved into the room to help the Party. When Adelle and William started using energy attacks, the ranks of terracotta soldiers finally started to thin. Marsala used his healing magic to keep William and Jayne in the fight. Jayne struggled to overcome Tryphenia’s stone skin damage reduction until Edmund broke free from the melee to fire from above and bring her down.
Husani singled out Adelle and charged at her. Everest used his nanomites to enhance his senses with True Strike and overcome Husani’s bullet-time reflexes. Similarly, Adelle momentarily stunned Husani to give William the chance to land a clean fire blast on him.
Husani then dropped Adelle and prepared to finish her off. He offered mercy in exchange for the life of Tryphenia. Everest kept attacking and Jayne charged at Husani as well. Only Marsala’s use of healing charm allowed Adelle to revive long enough to survive what would have been a coup de grace from Husani.
Jayne used a two-weapon feint to bypass Husani’s dodge bonuses and land a sneak attack that finally brought the Void monk down for the count.
Comments
Author's Notes
The Moon Vault adventure was adapted from the classic C1 AD&D dungeon module, The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. I drew influence from the original module as well as the 3rd (unofficial), 4th, and 5th edition adaptations to create this part of my campaign. I had always wanted to run a classic AD&D adventure, and this one always stood out as a really great mix of the deadliness and strangeness that characterizes so many memorable old school modules for me. Plus the Mesoamerican aesthetic really fit well with the atmosphere of the Forbidden City campaign.