Session 16 - Cats outta da Bag

General Summary

Date: 11th & 12th Day of Kythorn 1491 DR

---

The Party:
Aether – Level 5 Human, Circle of the Moon Druid
Duncun – Level 5 Human, Battle Master Fighter
Barack'O - Level 4 Half-Orc, Bear Totem Barbarian

Report:

After defeating the earth elementals, the party investigates the temple statue, a hand with its index finger extended in the air, and determine that the temple was dedicated to Azuth, a lesser god of magic. They then go about the task of exploring what lies behind the six other doors that lead out of the large chamber of worship. Exploring the other side of the doors they find, an empty bedchamber, a communal sleeping area, where a large panther-like creature was sleeping awoken by Barack'O slamming open the door. The oversized panther moves to attack and the party notice that it has six, instead of four legs and two tentacles on its back. Despite the cat being hard to hit the party manages to slay the unnatural beast. Curious as what it could be, Arqwyn tells the party its called a displacer beast. The group decides to skin the pelt, hoping to use it to perhaps make a cloak that would share in the displacement properties of the beast. The group continues its exploration, this time being a bit more careful with opening doors. They find a hallway to the northeast, a meeting room, and a storage room. The storage room had a shelf of books and scrolls and Aether goes about searching for anything that may be in a salvageable condition. She finds an old scroll with a part still legible the words - “...can be taken below to its vault, where they will receive the power of its presence. The second tomb on the south side conceals the...” She also manages to find an amulet bearing the symbol of Azuth, and a ruby ring. The southern portal is the only one with double doors, and Duncun opens them a crack and takes a peek inside - seeing a long hallway with a displacer beast lounging at the end of it. He quickly and quietly shuts the doors and tells the rest of the party how they feel about getting another displacer beast pelt. Barack'O after having scouted the northeast hallway which opens unto a staircase leading down, says its a good idea to clear this level of the temple before progressing down. Aether transforms into a lion forces her head through the door, catching the attention of the beast, foiling her plan to sneak up to it. The party engages in combat and soon finds out that not one but three of the large monstrous cats lie at the end of the hallway. After a long arduous battle, the goons defeat the beasts. At the end of the hallway, they find what must have been the main entrance to the temple, faded murals showing the weave of magic can be seen in the soft glow of the walls. The door has several cracks through which sand has flowed over time leaving a pile about three quarters up the door. The party goes about skinning the three large cats, botching one of them and harvesting two more pelts. Duncun takes one of the tentacles of the botched skinning, puts it up to his crotch and starts swinging it around. The party takes a long rest and call it a night before heading downstairs.

After resting up the party heads down the staircase to the lower level where they find a crypt, with ten sarcophagi in alcoves. Aether deduces from the scroll she found earlier that the second sarcophagus from the east on the south side of the room is what the old text was talking about. Despite this, she decides to go to all the other sarcophagi and place the amulet and then the ring on top of the lid, waiting for something to happen - and each time nothing, she moves on to the next one down the line. As she does that Barack'O goes back upstairs and takes a leg off one of the displacer beasts and makes his way back downstairs. When he returns he throws the meat on top of the noted sarcophagus and needles erupt from small holes around the lip of the lid. The party very carefully removes the lid and as they do so the wall behind it begins to slide into the ground and reveals a passage winding further beneath the temple. They make their way down a long windy tunnel until they finally come upon a doorway. As the party make their way to the door Barack'O steps on a pressure plate and triggers a trap of rocks falling from the ceiling. After the rubble subsides and the gang collects themselves Barack opens the door and makes his way past the portal. As he walks in two figures down the hallway to his left in green robes see him and immediately draw their scimitars from their scabbards and rush to attack. As the battle ensues two more green robe figures run from around a corner as well as two figures with snake-like heads and a woman who from below the torso appears to have the body of a snake. A long and demanding battle then ensues between the two groups in the hallway.

Character(s) interacted with

Arqwyn Raptis’triskal - Dragonborn Wizard
Xavien - Young Elf Necromancer

Report Date

17 Feb 2020

Primary Location

Rasilith

Secondary Location

Anauroch