Session 23 - Skull Cave
General Summary
10 Quickening
The morning broke cloudless and bright and the party finished off breakfast and broke camp. Janora took the lead with map in hand. Within an hour or so they identified the old road that should lead them to Skull Cave. It was now little more than a dirt track winding it's way between unplowed farm fields and tall, lush grassy meadows. Just before noon Janora pointed out the off-white hill visible ahead through the tree line. The party stopped and found a hidden spot for the horses. While the others were securing the mounts, Janora dismissed the St. Bernard and called up a large mountain goat. Approaching the cave quietly, the group spotted two jackal- and one hyena-form monsters. Moving quickly the team were able to quickly dispatch the guards and snuck into the cave itself. Finding a half dozen sleeping demonspawn, the party team struck vicious blows killing half of them before they even had the chance to wake up. After all of the enemies were eliminated, the party released the two captive farmers and warned them to run. One of them, an older dwarf looked down at his broken leg and cursed. Denye laid a claw on his arm and cast Cure Wounds. Several cuts and bruises receded, but unfortunately it was not enough to heal the leg. The other man, a human in his 50-60's, promised that he would be able to carry the dwarf but warned that another captive, a young woman, had been taken downstairs last night. Unfortunately he wasn't able to provide much other information about what the adventurers might find down there. After seeing the farmers off, the party turned to the stone staircase at the back of the room and began heading deeper into this cave system. Eventually the path leveled out and the group came to an carved archway that spanned the passage. A phrase was written over the doorway in a strange pictographic writing. Ell was able to translate it as ancient Sylvan, reading ‘Hall of Heroes Past.’ What followed was a collection of alcoves and side passages, some of which held ancient minotaur bones. The dust in several of the alcoves looked disturbed, as if there had been a skeleton at rest but it had been moved. Eventually the path led to a second short flight of stairs before opening up into a round room. This room was empty save for a pedestal in the center with statues of three animals. There was a passageway to the right, but it was blocked 10ft down by a stone slab. There was also the suggestion of a door directly across from the stairs. The same ornate cravings framed the arch of a doorway, but the stone appeared to be solid. On the ceiling, was a faded triptych showing each of the animals. In the first panel a snake bites the heel of a minotaur, the second showed a dog running with minotaur hunters, and the third was of a vulture attacking the flocks. Ell tried to pick up the dog statue and the lever underneath caused the door at the end of the hall to open. Peeking in they saw a large minotaur statue in a small room. Before anyone could investigate it however, Janora pulled the snake statue and a cloud of poisonous gas filled the room. Coughing and stumbling the party made their way into the statue room. As they did so, the spirit of Kar-jel, an ancient minotaur hero, appeared and offered them the use of his sword, Lightbringer, if they had come to slay the demon. Remembering the words of the old priestess, the team quickly agreed and after some discussion of who should wield it Janora took it, promising to return it when they were done. Vanishing once more, the spirit promised to open the door to the temple. Returning to the round room, the party found the temple room beyond filled with a magical darkness and the sound of low guttural chanting audible from somewhere in the room. Before anyone could move forward, Jilken got a Sending from Wayfinder Shalana requesting the party return to Wexwood for an urgent mission. The elf tensely replied that they would do so soon, but that they were kinda in the middle demon huntin. Janora stepped forward and kindled Lightbringer, dispelling the magical darkness. As the darkness parted in the light of the blade it revealed 6 large minotaur skeletons and a human man chanting before a stone altar. A tendril of black mist emerged from a small rent in the fabric of space, coalescing and swirling over a humanoid body laid out on the stone altar. Several of the minotaurs turned at the team’s approach and moved to engage. Jilken swung wide and peppered the chanting man with arrows as the others placed themselves around the room. Janora attempted to cast Dispel Magic at the altar and the entity forming there. When it didn’t work the witch ran forward with the sword toward the man. The incubus attempted to charm Janora, when that didn’t work he turned invisible and turned his charms on Ell. Commanding the warlock to stop Janora, the demon turned its attention back to the summoning. Without warning, Ell releases several Eldritch Blasts and knocks the witch unconscious. The incubus directed him to recover the sword, but Denye got to it first. Jilken took a break from smashing skeletons and pulled Janora back behind a pillar before feeding them a healing potion as Denye evaded Ell and ran forward to stab the sword into the swirling darkness. With an ear-splitting screech the shadows dissipated as the tendril retreated back through the Abyssal rift revealing a young woman with the sword piecing her heart. Several of the minotaur demonspawn attempted to attack Denye, but Janora held them off with Spike Growth. Ell went unconscious trying to run through spiked vines to retrieve the sword as the incubus reappeared in a far corner near the ceiling. The demon tried to escape but Janora pinned it in place with a moonbeam revealing its full demonic form. Denye, never one to waste an opportunity, blasted the thing with magic missiles and it crumpled to the ground. After mopping up the last of the skeletons, the arcanists spent some time examining the rift. But beyond confirming that it let to some portion of the Abyssal plane they weren't sure how to go about it closing it. Janora knew Dispel Magic, but needed to sleep again to regain energy. Deciding that it would be best to not leave this rift open any longer than necessary, the team decided to take a long rest here in the temple. Janora cast Tiny Hut and the party settled in to sleep, keeping a watch on the rift in case anything tried to come through. Nothing did and Janroa closed the rift without issue using Dispel Magic. Janora picked up the sword as Jilken went and collected the body so that they could bring her back to Englemarket. Janora, now thoroughly tired of being underground, returned the sword to the guardian and started back upstairs. Ell decided he wanted to pull the final statue. Both Denye and Jilken heard the hiss of crossbow bolts in time to drop to the floor, but the warlock got hit with two. Once back on the surface it was pitch black and Denye reckoned that it just after midnight. Having just rested, the party decided to start for Englemarket immediately. Getting back to the horses, there was some discussion about whether Dancing Lights would attract attention. In the end it was decided to keep them low to the ground, particularly once it was clear it calmed the horses and made it easier for them to pick out a path.
Report Date
21 May 2021
Primary Location
