Adventure #06 - Open the Floodgates

General Summary

Adventure #6 - Open the Floodgates 2/23/24
Players: Aaron: Uzor Mikey: Ragnar Eldenwood, with companion Berformet
Synopsis: As the construction crew resurrects new homes from the foundational remains of the homes that once were, human artificer Dusty Copperheart makes an amazing discovery: beneath the city is a dormant but complex series of pipeworks, suggesting that Aberystwyth not only had running water, but also a dedicated waste management system. Such a thing is almost unheard of; most towns and cities use well water or hauling water from natural sources, and a manual means of removing waste, with a few exceptions of the more wealthy and advanced cities. Dusty has already explored and mapped out the pipe system from above ground, and found that all the pipes lead to what he believes is a dried up forgotten canal, which is currently overgrown with tall grass and easy to overlook. From what Dusty knows about such pipe systems, he surmises that the old canal leads to a water source in the mountains, and if they're lucky they might be able to get water flowing again, which would mean running water and irrigation opportunities for Aberystwyth. The job is to follow the canal to the mountains and, if possible, figure out if it's possible to get water running again!
After some tavern shenanigans, including pickle juice chugging and vomiting said pickle juice (Uzor), and Ragnar's bear companion the slurping up the regurgitated pickle juice from the table and floor, the party is joined by Dusty, and he leads them to the overgrown canal. Ragnar takes a closer inspection at the pipes the stick out from the canal walls, and discovers that the pipes are made from mithril, which reveals that Aberystwyth was once a very wealthy and advanced city. The party then follows the canal towards the mountains. After miles of travel, they follow the canal through the forest and eventually reach the foot of the mountain, where the canal abrupt ends at a large stone archway over what the party assumed could be an entrance into the mountain, but the wall is completely covered with thick brambles with water trickling from beneath. Ragnar, being a Druid, felt conflicted about the destroying the brambles, and the party decides to prune the brambles and re-routed them to grow away from the entrance. Once clear, the party follow the canal into the dark opening in the mountain.
Once inside, the party is surprised to find a large open stone room, the main floor being a wide basin with chest-high walls for water collection, and a series of large open pipes that emerge from the walls above them. After investigating and finding a group of valves, the party figures that the pipes had been closed at some point, and that they may be able to turn the valves to open again. They begin to turn valves, and with each valve they open, water begins to flow from each pipe, but not without a danger or surprise from each pipe. The first pipe flushes out the nest of a pair of giant centipedes, which attack the party in defense and the party dispatches them, but Berformet gets poisoned in the process. The second pipe flushed out choking spores that had grown within them over the years of dormancy, which burst and choked Uzor, and had no effect on Ragnar, and it's revealed that Ragnar not only has an immunity to choking spores, but also that he once has a near fatal experience with them in his past that led to his present immunity. On the third pipe, the water pressure built up and fired out a huge blob of clay, mud, and stone that had plugged the pipe, and directly nailed Berformet, slamming him into the basin wall. Fearing for Berformet's condition, Ragnar has him wait by the entrance to rest and recover. The fourth pipe leaked out sewer gas build-up with the water flow and ignited on a nearby lit torch, exploding in a fiery blast, which the party was able to mostly avoid. By this time, the party was weak and ready to be done with the series of dangerous pipes, and decided to just turn the last two valves at the same time, one of which yielded nothing but strong water flow, and the other dumping out two skeletons. A giant barred pipe remained to have its water released and had promise of the strongest water supply, but the valve wheel was missing; upon investigating, a nearby rat had it in its teeth, and looking down at the party from a high wall. The party wastes no time in destroying the rat, collecting the wheel, attaching it to the valve, and turning the valve with great struggle. Eventually, a power gush of water bursts forth, washing away Ragnar out of the room, and the rest of the party eagerly follows. The result of their work is palpable, and a powerful current of water begins to fill and flow down the canal for the first time in ages. The current eventually reaches Aberystwyth, and town now has a source of fresh water and a means of irrigation, and work can begin to re-establish the towns dormant water pipes.

Report Date

23 Feb 2024