View source for Session Three Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

== Session 3, July 15 2020 ==
[[File:Mountain Dawn.jpg|left|200px]]
=== Introduction ===
''The party backtracks through the Caverns of the Dead after losing their shard weapon to a demon and discovering hidden murals in the Matriarchs' tomb ...
''

=== Session Summary ===
==== Rallion's Summary ====
[7AM on the 3rd of Tenrilden; 1 flask of oil used completely; one hour and fifty minutes used of second flask]

Laris and Braadlur go check out the peak and the now empty roc nest to see the terrain to the NE that is not in the line of site from the cloister of the shrine of the Matriarchs.

We went down the stairs and could not exit the way we came in as the "elevator" trap at the lever only works from the lever end. We then exited the way we exited before and found that the collapse was in our way. After attempting to find other ways out, we carved our way out through the rubble and got back to the entrance to the trial area.

We then went to the pools of healing and were both healed and refreshed. Rallion traded a week of iron rations for a flask of oil.

The clock DVL told us that it sensed a shifting of power in the City of Brass as if something was drawing power to itself. Vikram concurred with this assessment. We assumed it is in reference to what happened to the shard. Vikrum created food and we had 3 extra days worth.

After a night's sleep, vikram created more food and we had another 3 days worth and traded 6 days of food for another flask of oil.

We then met with Keliha the new shaman, formerly the junior shaman of Montoa. She asked after Druetta and was glad to know that Druetta fought well. She was sad, as Druetta would be their new leader, as Druetta's mother was killed.

As the Daughters of the Matriarchs they have passed down stories. Rallion relayed the vision we had in the temple and she had stories for two of the visions.

In reference to the vision about Cerida on the mountain we believe to be two days Northwest of Old Greybeard, she shared the tale of the

''Grey Wanderers'' 7 warriors of Cerida - Tales passed down by the Daughters of the Matriarchs relayed by Kalia the shaman of Montoa.
 <nowiki>
Seven chosen by the Old Mothers, Matriarchs of the Ancients
Defended Hdrasta’s Halls [one of matriarch's halls] from the Outsiders, Slaying Oghma the Awful [outside, breathed poison - a dragon]
In his passing, though, Oghma’s Poisoned Blood Burnt His Enemies
Birthing Sorrow within Joy, Sowing Doom within Victory.

Seven Dead, Heroes of the Old Mothers, Martyrs for the Matriarchs
They were carried to their cairns, nestled within the arms of Cerida
Mother of Reason, She Weighed their Souls in Her Sacred Scales
Their blessed bodies stand vigil still, Watching their Home from Afar
 </nowiki>

In response to sharing the vision of those who sailed past the horizon, she relayed the 
Story of ''those who fled the war with the outsiders'' the ''Chosen of Oswitha'' fled....

 <nowiki>
In the Waning Days of the Ancients, When the Outsiders Triumphed
The Mothers Spoke to their Shamans, Calling Each Ancient to His Fate
Those Dedicate to Cerida, Feldma, and Brita Stayed to Fight
But the Chosen of Oswitha Fled to the Seas, Sailing to New Shores

Oswitha’s People Settled Far Beyond the lands of their Mothers
They Put their Trust in their Patron and her Promise of a Home
They launched their ships towards the Horizon, holds full of hope
Knowing they would never see Oswitha’s Bounteous Blooms again
 </nowiki>

These people went South and have not been heard from since. No one knows exactly where this is.

In response to the last about the snake/dragon headeded people leading captives on a plateau with a waterfall [we believe it might be Zen Khel] she knew of no tales.

She asked our help in getting the remnants of her people back to their village. The people of Shem hired mercenaries (pirates) under Captain Elchior to attack Montoa. Keliha did not think that Shem could afford them for long.

Montoa is now only the shaman Keliha, 7 female warriors, 20 men, and 17 children. We agreed to make preparations to leave in the morning.

Montoa is about a week from Old Greybeard to the West, so we will pass close to the mountain we knew we want to visit. The stream from the blessed pool flows to Montoa and their people have blessed containers so that the waters keep their potency. That seems to be the only magic that the Montoans have. Keliha no longer has magic.

'''[Rallion is reminded of the jaguar god that long gone former members of the party meet when they traveled the road as guards with a wagon train from Midmark to Vargen. Perhaps they need to seek it out, as its waters had some sort of affect. It may know of the Matriarchs or be allied with them.]'''

Rallion traded  his broken (disenchanted) sword that shattered with a solid blow to the demon (?) on the stairs for Timon's old sword (never magic.) Rallion also got 24 arrows from Azra (who makes her own arrows), Laris got an extra bow from Azra.

When we leave, it will just be Timon and Azra. 

Rallion says to leave the disenchanted stuff we can't carry or is no use. That way, we know where it is and can get it if we are able to make them magical again. 

Rallion also argues to never discuss things of the Matriarchs in front of the clock DVL. He confides that if he still had the Shard, he would end that DVL. Keep it in the chest that once housed the Shard and Kauri can keep an eye on it to see if it can leave the chest.

Well away from the chest, we can talk to Vikram about what he can know and a general idea of what he can't talk about so we avoid it, and if the City of Brass powers can eavesdrop on him, and what he can tell us about the clock DVL.



===='''Laris' Journal'''====

'''The Rocky Road to Recovery.  Braad is “Swimming in the Dark”.  And yet another good deed lined up to, theoretically, go unpunished.'''

Tenrilden 3 Summit of Greybeard
About 7am

After discussing our thoughts on the tableaux, and Rallion verifying his bearings on the peaks depicted in the Cerida Tableau, Braad and I decide to go check out a roc nest.  When will we ever have another chance to do that?!  And take a gander from that vantage point as it’s outside of the magical vision enhancement area toward the NE which isn’t viewable from said area.  We get up there, poke around a minute, look at the uninteresting vistas and head back down.  

After those who have been here before discuss our current location and try and spy with their little eyes other points of interest.  It ends up we’ve seen all we can see from here that we know of.  So we move ahead with the plan to return to the cavern, Rallion and Bavmorda plan to drink from a healing pool to regain their strength and vitality once we make it back.  Should be easy.  We head down the stairs at a far faster clip than the ascent.  Admire the evidence of the creature we encountered and it’s departure from our plane of existence as we pass and make it back to the antechamber next to the Spiked ceiling room with the lever.

We search in vain for any release, or control mechanism from this end.  Nope, nothing.  Figures.  Again, challenges.  Yippee.  We backtrack and go through the eastern door outside the anteroom we’re in, cross a pit with some ropes and make our way to a bridge with funny shaped rooms north and south.   The door in the northern room has an inscription:
''Beware Cerida’s numbers beyond measure, choose instead Oswelda’s wisdom.'' 

We heed the Beware part and go Wisely south through the open passageway into a room with a well…..  about 20’ down water starts and there are handholds going down.  We decide to pass it by and continue on what we think is the way out.  Well, it probably is, but it’s a multilevel maze.  This maze has totems at intersections.  Each totem has 4 bowls one with flowers, one with sheaves of grain, one with coins, and one with candles.  If one follows the bowl direction that has the highest number of offerings, the path will lead one back to this room.  The floors generally slope upward toward this end of the maze and generally slope downward away from this room with some ups and downs along the way.  We meander a bit and find a caved in area which we’re thinking corresponds with the areas we noted when we entered the Caverns in the first place.  We decide to try and find an alternate route out…  This proves unsuccessful.  Braad went swimming in the dark, down the well in the first room to come up in another well room with a door N and S.  

This room has an inscription on the well:
''Brita urges action''
''Feldma Recommends Caution''
''Cerida would work at a remove''
''while Oswitha would give her hand''

It turns out that after exiting this room and hoping for a fresh start… we get right back to the First well room where we started and after a few hours are no further solving the riddle of exiting than we were before.  Rallion marks our trail so we don’t backtrack… however we’re not getting anywhere fast.

So it’s decided to try a different tact.  We’ll see if we can dig our way out.  Not very glamorous or imaginative, but in the end it turns out to be effective and we dig out into the collapse.  Braad supervising, Fisher hauling and the rest of us who aren’t mostly dead taking turns removing fallen rock from the top western side of the pile following the westernmost finished wall making a tunnel large enough to wriggle our way through.  We end up just beyond the eastern door in the entrance cavern to this mountain abode of the Mothers.  All in all it takes us most of the day to get our collective selves back to the refugee camp.  On our return, slightly damp, a little muddy and worn plum out, we talk with Timon and request that Keliha waits until AM to talk with us and let us recover from our foray to the Matriarchs.  Rallion and Bavmorda partake of the healing waters and we head back to rest.  Rallion makes (What I’d consider a poor trade, but he didn’t ask me) a trade of a weeks iron rations for an oil flask refill.  Braad starts to trade some pretty nice gemstones for torches…  I stopped him from doing that as our friend Vikram can create all of those we want and then some.  We then go back to our ‘quarters’ to rest and recuperate.

Vikram and Tick Tock, I can’t call him the Clock DVL anymore, felt a ripple in the skein of power originating in the City of Brass.  They believe there has been a power shift of some sort there.  There was a drawing of power to the City.  Their feeling coincides with our encounter with the creature and the loss of the shard.  Rallion is cagey about talking about such things within earshot of Ticktock and Vikram.  I think Ticktock could be a security risk… however I do trust Vikram.  He has some constraints, but we don’t have a clear picture of what those are.  Nor whether his connection to the City of Brass can be exploited by others inhabiting the City. 

Braad overhears us talking about Shadowstepping.  It is a skill that can be taught, but using it is risky with the denizens of that ‘in-between’ able to sense it, and possibly intercept or follow us into this world.  So we feel it’s unwise to use.  BUT we can teach him the basic theory and maybe he can use it in an emergency.

After dinner provided by Vikram and some light conversation, we rest.  

Tenrilden 4<br>
AM<br>

Vikram provides our sustenance and about the time we’re done, Keliha and Timon arrive.   We agree to meet her in just a little while to talk about our experience in the mountain and tell her of Drueta.  Rallion trades another 6 days of food (a good trade this time, it was Vikram’s creations) to fill another of his oil flasks we used.

Keliha is the Montoan shaman, she was the junior shaman and is now is the defacto leader for now.  Turns out Drueta was 2nd in line for leader.  Her mother the chieftan, and the Elder shaman were killed in the Shemite raid that destroyed their village.
Rallion gives a rousing account of Drueta’s heroism and accomplishments in battle.  Keliha is happy.  Well, not happy, but satisfied she died in the service of the Matriarch’s cause.

Rallion describes the Tableaux we saw.  Keliha has a story that aligns with two of the tableux.

•    Seven warriors who have laid down their arms atop a mountain; behind them is a woman with too many eyes holding scales; seven hearts on one side of the scale are lighter than a feather on the other side  (Northwest side)
Kahila’s story:  
 <nowiki>Seven chosen (Grey Wanderers) by the Old Mothers, Matriarchs of the Ancients
Defended Hdrasta’s Halls from the Outsiders, Slaying Oghma the Awful
In his passing, though, Oghma’s Poisoned Blood Burnt His Enemies
Birthing Sorrow within Joy, Sowing Doom within Victory.

Seven Dead, Heroes of the Old Mothers, Martyrs for the Matriarchs
They were carried to their cairns, nestled within the arms of Cerida
Mother of Reason, She Weighed their Souls in Her Sacred Scales
Their blessed bodies stand vigil still, Watching their Home from Afar
</nowiki>


Oghma was a dragon that breathed poison.

•    Three ships setting sail toward the horizon, where the figure of a woman (Oswitha) whose arms are full of flowers smiles benevolently  (West side)
Kahila’s story:  
 <nowiki>In the Waning Days of the Ancients, When the Outsiders Triumphed
The Mothers Spoke to their Shamans, Calling Each Ancient to His Fate
Those Dedicate to Cerida, Feldma, and Brita Stayed to Fight
But the Chosen of Oswitha Fled to the Seas, Sailing to New Shores

Oswitha’s People Settled Far Beyond the lands of their Mothers
They Put their Trust in their Patron and her Promise of a Home
They launched their ships towards the Horizon, holds full of hope
Knowing they would never see Oswitha’s Bounteous Blooms again
</nowiki>
They sailed south according to her.
No one knows what happened to them after they left.
They went south to a land without flowers, or without Oswitha.

•    Human prisoners chained together are led down into the earth by dragon/snake-headed captors (they seem to be on a plateau with a huge waterfall); a young woman with birds on her shoulders (Brita) and finger sheds a tear watching them descend  (Southwest side)
Kahlia’s story:<br>
Snake headed ones are like or related to the dragons, she doesn’t have a story for this one.

Lambertus has already identified this tableau a most likely being Xen Khel.

Rallion and Keliha talk for a while.  She relays the above, and asks for our help in relocating the Montoans (They consider themselves the Matriarch’s Daughters) back to their village.  Clear Shemite hostiles if present. In return she says that there is a lake fed by the healing pool here that with properly blessed containers, will carry the healing waters without spoiling.  We desperately need expedient ways to heal until such time as we can get Lambertus back to his healing ways.

We discuss with her the old ways of their shamen, but get little useful knowledge as her magics are neutralized as well.

Their village is about 4 days to the west.  The Cerida peaks we’re looking to go to are about 2 days to the NW.  It’s not that far out of the way so Rallion agrees and Braadlur seems to be keen on helping. She tells us the Shemites hired Elchior, a pirate Captain that Bavmorda has heard of.  Keliha believes that the Shemites don’t have the funds to hire them for an extended period of time.  So it should be a walk in the park for mighty warriors such as ourselves.  Sounds pretty straightforward and simple.  Right?  Right.

We talk about equipment and:
Timon gives Rallion a sturdy sword to use in trade for his shattered one.
Azra gives me a bow.
They give us some arrows.  Azra is a bowyer, who until recently, has had plenty of time on her hands.

Plans are made to leave out in the morning toward the razed Montoan village.  It should take about 4 days or so with the group we’re traveling with.