Olkedo Session 10

General Summary

Our adventurers make it to Bismuth. They discover hordes of majimonsters have been attacking the town and some have even made it inside town by way of the mines. The Gem Council hires the adventurers to find the souce of the majimonsters and stop them. They explore the mines and find a few tunnels that lead to the other side of the mountain, providing a way for majimonsters to get into town from outside. They explore another mine tunnel and discover it leads to the room of a building with a crystal that spawns majimonsters in it.

Detailed Summary

Brick reads the note that he pickpocketed from Bakl-vah.

Ravi,
It seems so strange that we have come to this. In our younger days we were inseparable. Thick as thieves, as the saying goes. I would never have foreseen the way in which our paths have diverged so violently. I keep wondering if there was something that I could have said or done that could have changed the course that we are on now. So that we could still have our friendship. But, in the end I know you will do what you have to do, and I will do what I have to do.
— B

They speculate that Ravi must be the other person that is looking for The Black Stones that Bakl-vah mentioned. They also suspect that he is the one who found the stone on the top of Vultheryol Peak, who was mentioned in Sangey's journal. Brick, Nieve Powell, Rasputia, Toshi Ryoko, and Jebedaiah Bateman then fly back to Vultheryol Peak to check the mine that they missed before. The mine is defunct and all the tunnels inward are caved in. They pry some precious gems from the walls. They also find an old decaying wine skin with a deep red stain on the inside. It smells coppery. They also find a long black strand of hair snagged on a beam. Having explored all there is to explore here, they exit the mine and outside they see a woman with a white dress and long black hair facing away from them and looking off the mountain side. As they approach, she turns around and tries to touch them with a purple noodly appendage. It’s not a woman at all but a Majimonster. They battle and defeat Yukionna. They take flight toward Bismuth. Jebedaiah really wants to stop at a river but Nieve ignores his request. Jebedaiah pours out all their water when no one is looking hoping to force the party to stop at a river. Eventually they do land and restock on food and water. Jebedaiah sticks his head in the river looking for something, but finds nothing. They fly the rest of the way to Bismuth. Just outside the city Brick spots a group of Stone Helms battling some Majimonsters. Another group of Majimonsters is approaching their position and is about to outnumber them. They decide to land and help. The monsters look like human corpses with tattered green skirts and tattered gray cloaks. Toshi recognizes them as Mortis. As they defeat the last one it doesn’t poof like the others but forms a ball of light and travels away to the east, as if traveling back to a drajule. After defeating the Mortis they speak to the Helms. Brick recognizes Rantha Helia among the Helms. Rantha thanks them for their help and asks Brick what brings him back to Bismuth. Brick is evasive and dodges the question by asking how things have been in Bismuth. Rantha explains that things haven't been very good, one of their problems being the corpse monsters that they just fought keep coming toward town. Rantha explains she thinks they are coming from an old castle outside of town. The castle is sealed up though, and they haven’t found a way in. She mentions that there are also monsters coming out of the mines in town. Resources have been stretched thin just trying to repel the monsters on both fronts. They head into town and join Rantha in the Blitzwolf Bunker Bar. Brick informs Rantha that Sangey is dead. She is shocked to learn that her old friend passed away. They give her the bracelet they found on him. She asks for Brick’s help. She explains that she and Sangey parted ways over a disagreement about gods. He believed in them and she didn’t. She would like to perform funerary rites for him now in the tradition of the god Ventus, the god he had the most affinity with, as a way to make amends, but she doesn't know how to do that. She asks if they could keep an eye out and see if they can find any old book about the funerary rites of the Maji. Brick agrees to help her. Brick then asks how the Gem Council is doing. Rantha says they’ve been trying to solve the problem of all the monsters. As they are talking, a very official, stuffy looking man named Torcuil Rona comes over to their table and delivers a letter. It has the seal of the Gem Council on it. Brick is hesitant to open it because his dad is on the Council, but eventually he does. The letter just says that the Council could use their help and to report to the Gem Council at their earliest convenience. After the courier leaves they ask Rantha about the monsters from outside. Jebedaiah wants to know if they always look like they are traveling back to a drajule. Rantha says that they always do that, so another Binder must be controlling them. Toshi asks if any disgruntled binders have left town recently and Rantha says, “No, not since...” and glances at Brick and trails off. She says the monsters seem to be coming from the castle outside of town. It’s an old castle from the Maji days, but it is completely sealed up with a magical barrier, with no obvious way in or out. Jebedaiah asks if the same type of Majimonsters are coming through the mines she says occasionally a Mortis comes through there, must mostly other types of monsters come from the mines. They then leave the bar. Brick heads over to Demetra Selearc’s place. The others head to the general store to pawn off some of their items. At Demetra’s house Brick asks for more info about what the letter was all about. He also gives her a gift of cow beans. Demetra explains that the town has been in real trouble since all these Majimonsters have been trying to get into the city. She says one even made its way into the Gem Council and tried to steal her logbook, and the binders in town have had trouble keeping up with the horde. Demetra mentions that Alec Tularian had heard rumors about their deeds in the world and thought they might be able to help. Brick is surprised by this and wonders where Alec heard these rumors from. Demetra says he heard these things from their guild master Iscyra Oxblood. Brick promises he will come to the Council tomorrow morning and bids Demetra good night. In the morning, they head over to the Gem Council. On the way Brick informs the group that one of the Council members is his dad and they aren’t on the best of terms. He explains the structure of the Council to the group. The Council consists of 5 members: Alec Tularian the Ruby Representative, Demetra Selearc the Emerald Representative, Soren Cashius the Topaz Representative, Erith Ashthorn the Diamond Representative, and Brick’s father Brett Dorand the Sapphire Representative. Torcuil, the courier from the day before, greets them at the entrance and escorts them into the Council chamber where they find the 5 members of the Council. The Council wants help finding the source of the Majimonsters and stopping them for good. Erith says that they suspect that the mines have connected with some old tunnels of mines used in the Maji days and that has opened up a path to the outside. If they collapse the tunnels that lead outside, then that would prevent monsters from getting into the city. They would also like them to find the source of the corpse monsters and stop them. At this point Brick’s dad, Brett, interrupts saying, “Do you really think these children are going to solve our problems? Brick ran away! He is clearly not the responsible type. I can’t believe you are going along with this!” Alec chimes in to mention that these children have been making waves in Rathana. He heard from Iscyra Oxblood that they saved another town from a blight and a terrible monster. He thinks they are perfectly capable. Demetra adds that they don’t have a lot of other options, adding a barb directed at Brett that he’s not charging in to find the source of the monsters. Brick agrees to help and says to his dad that if they succeed he wants him to know that a bunch of children solved their problem. Then he starts to walk out. Brett calls out after him, “Good luck with your broken Majimonsters!” Erith tells the rest of the group that her man Arbor at the mines will give them some dynamite to collapse the tunnels. Demetra says if they prevent monsters from getting into the city and find the source of the corpse monsters and stop them the Council will give each of them 300 suls. They haggle up to 300 suls and a drajule apiece. After leaving the Gem Council they go to the barber shop where they meet the old barber Chalky. He looks kind of dusty for some reason. Jebedaiah purchases a cut, a powdering, and a kiss on the cheek for 3 suls. Then they go find Arbor to get the dynamite. Arbor gives them 2 bundles. They head into the mines. A little way into the tunnel it opens into a large cavern with a pit and a spiral staircase leading down. Around the other side of the pit there is another tunnel leading further in. Toshi and Jebedaiah search for gemstones and find a few. Brick makes Jebedaiah put his back, but is unable to get Toshi to do so. They go down the tunnels on the other side of the pit and run into some Majimonsters. Brick recognizes them as Cragmatik because his dad has one. After they defeat the monsters they continue down the tunnel and find that it leads to 2 tunnels that open outside to the other side of the mountain. They decide to go back and check out what’s down the staircase before collapsing the tunnels. Down on the lower level of the mine, they look for more gems and this time Brick does not try to stop them. There is another corridor down here that leads away from the pit. It eventually opens into a room. It definitely looks built and not like a mine tunnel anymore. There are two doors in this room, one in the wall across from the tunnel where they entered, and one in the wall to their left. In the room are more corpse monsters and a large crystal. They battle the Mortis and eventually realize that more are spawning out of the crystal. They destroy the crystal and are able to defeat the remaining Mortis.