Session Nineteen Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)
Session 19, November 11 2020
Introduction
We continue at 10PM on the 15th of Tenrilden with the party having finished their business at the trading post and ready to begin the eight hour trip to Vilgrim itself ...
Session Summary
We receive our letters from Ghermain's clerk and get information about the drow law to avoid breaking it.
The clerk called it the Lattice of Law.
We are equal to the lowest members of House Herig.
We must show complete deference to higher members of the house. The highest members of the house have the right to kill anyone of lower status.
If we are insulted by lower members of another house, a house will defend brothers & sisters. Might pay a blood price to avoid a feud.
When we get to Vilgram, a guide will lead us to House Herig.
In property disputes, the judges are the ruling council. Their judgement is final, but you can challenge the opposing house or the house of the members of council. Not a good idea to do this as won't receive backing.
House Herig is focused on expanding trade. House Thule is interested in territorial expansion by conquest. The two houses on on generally cordial terms.
Herid is a lower house, and Thule is currently the top house and also have the Box of Infinite Spiders, and Azra & Timon.
We asked about not attacking the spiders we passed on way to trading post and were told that was a good choice. Other critters are fair game.
We pick through the gear from the dwarven merchants AFTER cleaning it off. We get chainmail for Peronelle, and extra shields, plus axes and javelins for Gath.
We request a translator to speak with Gath. The trog agrees to answer to Gath and will follow the instructions we gave him about Drow rules. We also get commands in trodlodyte for come, follow, go, stop, attack, carry this, defend/protect (guard), and run as in flee.
The translator is of House Herig, which uses the color green. Lower members might wear a green sash or belt, and higher members a green gem.
We meet a new human, Xandor, who was hired by the village of Sea Breeze to collect Ezra and Timon to take them back to "answer for what they did" in their adventuring days. Xandor doesn't know what that is.
When Xandor got to the mountain he noticed tracks and round an entrance near there. WE brought him into our company, and asked him all sorts of questions.
We met a patrol of Drow and they have purple, which we leaned is House Thule. Peronelle tells us that one of them wanted to kill us, but our sponsorship papers saved us.
When we stopped in a side cave to rest, Braadlur showed one of the Githyanki Shadow Stepping, and the DVL (Dedicated Virtual Lifeform) in the yellow hat followed them and was hoping we were ready to sign up. We declined, but some asked to see the contract. [John will provide the exact text next week] The gist of it is that we sign on to fight Asmodeus and our patron will choose the manner of attack.
Yellow hat tells us that Asmodeus has the shard and is using it to attack the surface.
During his watch Rallion holds the feather of the chosen and concentrates on the shard, willing it, and only it to come to him. It has no effect.
After resting we make good time and Rallion notices signs that something large was dragged across the tunnel from one side passage to another. It looks like it was hot and deformed the noncarbon rails for the mine cart tracks. We were curious to see what it might be, and found it to be a strange black pudding. It had no ill effect from our weapons, but Kauri's magic missile and lots of oil did it in.
We plan to go up to the exit in the ceiling and see if there is any loot before continuing our journey to Vilgram.