Session Seventy Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 70, November 10 2021

Introduction

We continue at 7:00AM on the 28th of Laurilden (00.000.10.03 on the Apocalypse Clock) with most of the party at the nexus of Llolth's web seeking a guide to the Winter King's court to trade battle trophies for healing. Meanwhile, Velkin prepares to shadow step across the wilderness to avoid a giant automaton and bring the party to the base of the Xen'Khel peaks. What awaits them in the ruined dwarven city remains to be seen ...

Larry's Summary

Sir Firthold is not available. Lungmold gives Sir Gharmond one of the giant heads to take us to the Winter King to present our trophies for healing. He agrees to return us just after we left. Gharmond presents the head Lungmold gave him fist. Then Lungmold presents the other three heads and the bone snapper head for healing. Khelratha presents the head of the giant he fought and asks that if the Winter King's forces find the Dark King that Khelratha be the one to take his head. Gharmond then takes us back to the portal. At the portal we rest and Lambertus recharges his spells. 3 minutes into the process and 30 minutes before the end the portal flickers and gets the attention of the Winter Elves. At first they think it a fluke, then when it happens again they are more concerned. If it fails they will have to open a new portal, but it won't be in the same place. This reduces the efficacy of Lolth's web to coordinate their attacks. Lungmold suggests Lolth could be behind it. Lambertus suspects it is because he drew power from it and it may be at its limit.

Kauri ends up in the roc nest atop Old Greybeard and talks to Temeraire. Kauri explains that he can't trust Asmodeus. Kauri brings out Tik Tok and talks to him. Temaraire seems to look straight at Tik Tok. Tik Tok mentions ASmodeus is the "Father of Lies." It may be that he's telling the truth, but only because he doesn't need all the power from the birds. More likely he is lying. It then occurs to Kauri and Tik Tok that perhaps Asmodeus is trying to free the DVLs in the dimensions where they are not free. Why else would he need that much power, since he seems to be able to travel back to the City of Brass, if he wanted.

Kauri then convinces Temeraire to return him to the group, so Kauri is dropped off near where Velkin is waiting for nightfall.

Kauri and Velkin decide to walk to the path to avoid the chance of DVLs following them. Kauri turns Velkin invisible, then himself.

Things went well until about two hours into their journey when the giant automaton hit them with a bridge. Velkin is bleeding out and Kauri is knocked senseless.

The rest of the party is at the end of the strand and knows it is past time for Velkin to open it. Druul reaches into his pocket for a portal to Velkin and crawls out of one of Velkin's pockets. Druul binds Velkin, but does not notice Kauri.

Druul finds the portal and opens it and pushes Velkin in. Khelratha comes out and puts on the gold control circlet, but he and Druul and smashed by the bridge. Lungmold activates his snowflake pendant and an ice dome appears. Lambertus casts cure light wounds on Velkin, then cure serious on Khelratha. Kehlratha thinks towards the automaton to stop and steps into the portal. The ice dome is smashed and the bridge comes down a few more times. Felix casts cure light wounds to make Velkin conscious and he alerts us to Kauri. Druul is also healed, as is Kauri, so all are conscious.

We elect to wait. Velkin will step outside, still invisible and fold up the portal and stow it. Then at first light, he will shadow step to the path.

Velkin's Scrolls

Velkin Scrolls 37 - Session 70

Laurilden 28, 7am Apocalypse Clock 00:000:10:03

The party led by Sir Gharmond takes the party to the Winter King’s Hall.

It’s not feast time. The Winter King is hanging out going over some papers and maps of a diverse range of places, including some surface maps.

Lungmold presents the giant heads and the bonesnapper’s head for tribute to him as Sir Gharmond gives him one that we gave Gharmold.

Khelratha asks the Winter King the favor of taking the Dark King’s head if he’s found.

Brendil considers Cryotheurgy, one aspect of them. Natural energies as they are, or Transmutation pulling out the energies from the natural world. Summer Lord uses Heliotheurgy.

Sir Furthold has taken over a higeki citadel for the Winter King’s HQ, the Embassy is Lungmold’s to use for now.

Winter King Comments: Military campaign takes precedence over Lungmold’s machinations so he’s not going to give us access to more Web portals. Kill Traitors, and something about Time….

Sir Gaurmold leads the party out from the winter king’s area and bids us farewell. And he’s checking on maps.

Xhen Khel – the pathogen library was blown up by Starchy Boys and Marchmain dug down looking for a key from Prixithalma and let out the pathogen. Marchmain used a bridge automaton to go to Vargen… There may be a bioweapon problem here.

The winter realm portal flickers a bit. This excites the Winter Elves, the Cryotheurge mages come look at it. Losing the connection??? They’re going to post a watch over the portal and see if they can catch what happens and see if they can figure it out.

A few hours later, the portal flickers and fizzes again, he puts his hand through it and it steadies out. Something is breaking the connection. He doesn’t understand. There shouldn’t be anything pulling the Eternal Storm’s power away from the portal. Could it be Lloth (Lungmold suggests). Maybe they should put some protective magics around the area. Rathmere is the Mage, one of the King’s Cryothuerges. He goes to consult with his group. Possibly a retaliation by Lloth.

The web portals deteriorate over time away from the underdark and loci such as Lloth’s web.

The winter realm portal may have to be moved. If it gets closed, it’ll have to be opened in new spaces and may make using the central hub for the strategic advantage.

—- At Greybeard, Kauri and TikTok have a chat. The Machine absorbs the dead to maybe send DVL’s to a higher plane.

Stacked realities, that differ in some aspects, there could be some where it didn’t work out for him.

If Asmodeous is telling the truth about not needing every life, then maybe the birds will survive.

Kauri – we don’t know the whole picture of what’s going on. Temorere is watching Kauri.

Asmodeus isn’t telling the complete truth… not sure why he’s trying to gather so much power. We have theories. Either moving further up the planar chain, or win in instances of reality.

Kauri convinces Temorere to take him back to the party.

I’m waiting alone and hidden for some shadows to appear on Xhen Khel watching the giant statue/automaton move a little occasionally, smashing the ground with a piece of bridge occasionally. Watching away from the plateau. A rat scurries around and I chitchat with that peabrain a few minutes and it notices Temorere coming back. I keep hidden and invisible. The Roc brings back Kauri and deposits him, then goes up very high, probably just watching. Kauri tells me of his conversation with Tictok and we discuss the option of attempting to sneak by the automaton or risk shadowstepping when the time is right. We decide to deal with the devil we know… so to speak, and take off walking, both of us invisible to cross the plain leading to Xhen Khel. It doesn’t go so well…. The automaton smashes the bridge near us, attracted by our movement, and knocks us both out. After we don’t open the portal timely, Druul reaches into his pocket and the web portal opens up in my pocket and he scrambles out, stabilizing me… Kauri’s still invisible. Khelratha runs out and challenges the automaton using his gold circlet to attempt to control it… He really isn’t right…. And when I’m revived, I grab Kauri and drag him back, Lunmgold taps his snowflake creating an icedome over the crater while we retreat into the portal. The automaton smashes and smashes the ice dome and crushes it.

After some recovery, I slip back through and close the portal inside the crater to carry out plan A properly.