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

Session 12, September 23 2020

Introduction

The party has made a deal with Hesfyx -- in exchange for eliminating the troublesome troglodytes that attack caravans approaching the trading post, the deep gnome Czizek-Tirgma will send out scouts and spies to find the dark elves who kidnapped Vikram. The party bursts into the troglodytes' lair at 9AM on the 11th of Tenrilden, firing crossbow bolts at the lizard men before Rallion steps forward with his magic scepter ...

Session Summary

Rallion attempted to communicate with the charmed trogs but to no avail. We eventually tried all the languages we knew, but we could only communicate with hand signals and scrawlings on the ground.

Braadlur attempted to use the magic that the "last mage" used and managed to animate 8 of the statues in the large area with the troglodytes. One of them was a stone dragon head. The friendly trogs urged us to go back the way we came.

The heads attacked the trogs near them.

We backed up and there was a burst of fire and 8 of the 13 charmed trogs were killed. We continued to back up and the trogs led Rallion (they seemed less interested in the rest of the party). They led us through passages and a natural chimney but the opening was too small, so they were working at it with their claws. Rallion game them his hammer and spikes and sped up the process.

Braadlur stayed behind and tried to talk to one of the statues that appeared to be following us, but it attacked. Braadlur fled and out gnome guide asked what was going on as Braadlur ran past shouting "Run!"

The guide took Braadlur back towards the settlement but went past it to an area where things widened out. The guide managed to hide. Braadlur used his grappling hook to try and trip the statue, but it didn't work, and it turned to chase Braadlur. Braadlu coupldn't hide, so he ran.

Braadlur notices Ralion's hurried mark of the tunnel we went down. Braadlur found the hole in the ceiling at the end of the tunnel and once up there, he decided to light and toss down his bomb. He lit the fuze near the device and dropped it down the hole. It caused the ceiling of the cavern Braadlur was in, and the floor to collapse. It killed the statue, but Braadlur was trapped.

This was close enough to where the rest of the party was that half of us were caught in the collapse, and the other half made it to a tunnel that leads to some bad creature. Some of the gnomes died, and one of the trogs died and one was unconscious. The three remaining trogs ran, motioning for Rallion to follow. Rallion went up and secured a spike with a rope so the others could climb up and haul up the unconscious.

Rallion and Laris followed and found the edge of the trog's lair. We went back and found the rest of the party who came to find us due to rumblings that sounded like more collapse. The rumbling followed us, but it was Braadlur and his earth elemental friend Click Thump.

Click Thump explained to Braadlur that these creatures took on the properties of the stone they inhabit, plus take on characteristics of the figures they inhabit. He can detect them from a distance and knows that the trogs have killed some in addition to the one Braadlur took out.

We go back to the fork Rallion & Laris found and Click Thump guides us.

We come to a bridge over an opening with 8 trogs one of whom is poised to lever a boulder over the edge. Rallion attempts to convert them to our side, but Braadlur fires his crossbow and they attack. We take out 7 of them and one runs away.

We prepare to go towards the evil statues, who are preparing/doing "something" as per Click Thump.