015. A Demonic Encounter and History Unearthed
General Summary
The party continued along the natural path down the ravine. Meneer de Uil returned from the north, and relayed that the ravine ended in a waterfall there that spilled forth from a channel too low for him to fly through.
In the south, the water dissapeared down a whirlpool. The walls here had misteriously straight transitions between different types of rock faces, and even a section of constructed rock with a gargoyle fountain mounted sideways.
A set of stairs led into a strangely fractured hallway, where different types of walls suceeded each other. Another set of rising stairs ended up 30 ft above the floor of a tall room. Interestingly, the room had roofbeams on the floor, and a low table, two cupboards and a hearth with a kettle on the ceiling. The area in the hearth was strangely in shadow, even though there was no light anywhere in the room.
Gram Crackers promply lit up the hearth using Create Bonfire, expelling an angry Shadow Demon in the process. The bonfire appeared upside down, and the flames showered downwards.
A quick fight followed, in which the Shadow Demon was alternatingly put in the spotlight by a bonfire, scorched by a Moonbeam, or shot at with arrows. Near the end of the fight, Gimdalf jumped into the room, and discovered that gravity worked upwards, landed on his head and lost concentration in the process. A quick second casting of Moonbeam later, and the foe was dealt with.
Macca Ni and Gram Crackers navigated the reverse gravity room a little more carefully, using a bunch of rope and a piton. A horn was found by Macca Ni in the hearth where the demon had been hiding, and the drow head on his belt identified it as the horn of a Balor.
A few more sliced-up corridors, and one sliced-up Tal'Nadir skeleton later, and the party arrived at a thick circular stone door. It was slightly ajar, but barred with a thick plank on the inside. Nothing a generous helping of Mage Hand could not fix though.
Inside the party discovered the scene of an ancient battle. Many skeletons lay on the floor and on the stone seating areas that lined the walls. Half-decayed weapons and armor were littered everywhere. A willow had grown on the central pedestal, around which flitted small purple Dragonflys. Blue glowing mushrooms growed in and around a small stream which formed a puddle around the roots of the tree. The south door lay loose on the ground, with a pile of stone protruding through the doorway. The north door was still intact.
Gimdalf tried to talk with the tree, taking some of the herbs he had taken last time to see if that would help. He had an interesting conversation with the willow, but strangely enough, everything the willow said was something Gimdalf already knew.
The book glowed again, showing multiple circles this time. All but one were fuzzy. The clear one turned out to be a glowing slab of Asterium nestled in the roots of the tree, the rest had been broken, and lay on the ground in larger and smaller pieces. It had no distincting features, except for a few symbols on one end. Some poking around on the book revealed that the slab could play recordings made in ancient times. Most were corrupted, but three were still viewable.
A partial Retriever was found behind the rubble in the south entrance. It was mostly rusted, but the party wisely left it alone, lest it still have some life in it.
One thorough search through the chamber later, and several magic items were picked from the corpses, along with a few more Aster Stones. After casting Identify, and learning that the stones could be implanted to comunicate with ACMs (of which the green slab was one), Gimdalf was eager to try this. He restrained himself though, because the info from Identify mentioned a special ritual that was needed to complete the procedure successfully.
The party then took a short rest, both to identify the magic items, and to recover their energies and be ready for whatever they would encounter next.
10 Speedcaps, along with notes on their growth conditions.
6 Aster Stones
A horn of a Balor
2 Plain daggers +1
Returning Shield
Ring of Sudden Daggers
Ring of Dolphin's Grace
A masterfully crafted Bow Of Slaying Demons +1
2 plain golden rings
Tiara of Fake Jewelry
ACM of AdioVisual Storage. Containing 3 intact recordings:
- A burning city in the location of current-day Jafone, under siege by Demons. A huge monstrosity walks towards the city. When it reaches the city, a white flash eminates from the city center, and space shatters.
- Someone running through red-stone corridors, chased by a Balor, the recording ends when the two engage.
- A circular amphiteather-like room, the one recording is handing out weapons. This recording has sound, and the assembled Tal'Nadir can be heard arguing. The thick stone door to the south is burst open by a Retriever. Which then moves out of the way. The recording ends as a Balor becomes visible behind the Retriever.
Items
Gained
Looted
All these items are of Tal'Nadir make, and ancient.- Someone running through red-stone corridors, chased by a Balor, the recording ends when the two engage.
- A circular amphiteather-like room, the one recording is handing out weapons. This recording has sound, and the assembled Tal'Nadir can be heard arguing. The thick stone door to the south is burst open by a Retriever. Which then moves out of the way. The recording ends as a Balor becomes visible behind the Retriever.
Character(s) interacted with
Report Date
11 Dec 2020
Secondary Location
Related Characters
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