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
Rallion's 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.
Braadlur's Summary
After we made some trades gatherd healing and oil, we were able to secure a sponsor from House (Hasic?). making it easier for us to travel the underdark. we did encounter our first party of drow from a higher house, and our sponsorship seemed to work well. rallion talked to fisher. (i want that sceptor) and fisher found a place for us to rest. it has been a long journey so far. but the rest helped out.and hiering on the githyankee was a good move i think. i even showed (Renthark?) how to shadow step. and well it brought a surprise guest still trying to get us into a fiddle show down. but i think most of the guys are very hesitent in doing so. but we have that contract as well to look over..after the long rest we found something strange. a creature that melted nano carbon. apparently it can only be melted by dragon fire. either way we followed it to a hole in the cavern celling, and drew it out and burned it up. it seemed to be very dangerous so i think all these guy are doing the underdark some good. we also met another human down here,i dont know how he made it so far into the underdark with no light, but he is here and just blended with the group.he seeps trustworthy so far and Bonus! were looking for the same people. so we are off to that V town to get our selves in trouble. so untill then this is Braadlur signing out......X