Session Ninety-Nine Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)
Session 99, July 13 2022
Introduction
We continue at 8:30PM on the 15th of Denrilden (00.000.09.16 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party still cut-off from the surface after the attack on the Winter Elves' conscription lottery. After repelling the Silence's attack on the embassy, the party is resting to give Lambertus a chance to raise Kauri and Bili from the dead (and give themselves a chance to plan an escape back to the surface). Meanwhile, the convoy of imperial and pirate ships continues its trek across the ocean towards Armada ...
Larry's Summary
Billi is raised and has a massive sneeze and something is in his nostril. Velkin tries to pull it out.
Lambertus asks Cybil for tongs and Velkin ties twine around the thing.
Lungmold says that the only consciousness is Billi.
Pretty soon Billi is screaming when pulling it. Nostril on that side is deformed.
Velkin slices the nostril to make the opening bigger. The thing is all rubbery and goes into sinuses. Inflates a bit once nostril slit open. Gentle pulling, it comes out and flops. Inert on the floor is a small squid, fist sized. It has the same general shape as the head of a squid face silence. Carry it in a jar from the kitchen.
Lambertus suggests using the baby squidface to prove that the Silence were behind the attack.
Billi said that the Silence knew our names and that there was supposed to be a distraction.
Billi reminds of the other Winter Elf encampment with a portal and the Bogfunk running away path might allow access to it.
Ask Jaxx to teleport us, but he’d have to go with us. What about a scroll? Jaxx is concerned about taking time to scribe a scroll as it will interrupt his research, the Silence is now a problem, and the gnomes will probably try to arrest everyone and he’ll have to kill them.
Try to scout the citadel where Firthold was that may have a portal.
Billi said that the Silence were worried about the drow, they thought they might be coming to contact Velkin.
Lungmold stays behind at the embassy.
Prixithalma and Ithirialma go with the party.
Azra sad to see us go. Cybil thanks Lambertus profusely for brining Billi back.
Jaxx is like so uh, you’ll be back in a bit to compare notes? Velkin says, Yes, we’ll try. Jaxx 2 says to make sure we take care of Ithrialma and gives her a wink.
Rotbreath and Dirtcrust lower us down.
Lambertus and Velkin grab their shear rifles. The other two go to Druul, and Prixithalma.
Velkin gives his to Alician.
We make it to the alleyway where the bridge used to be. The piles of bones/burnt remains have been carefully gathered on the side of the road.
Lots of gnomes working to try and clear the rubble leading into the main citadel. It will be a matter of days depending on how far back it collapsed.
There are some shouts and the work crew halts their working. From the direction of the grand market is a column of soldiers, accompanied by large earth elementals.
The earth elementals begin scooping the rocks out much faster. Probably half a day to clear it even if the entire thing collapsed.
Druul goes forward to the supervisor to give information to make sure they are safe, we’ve been attacked. I’m with clan Nanchak, I’m the Marshall of the house, I’m pretty high up. If it’s worthy enough, I’ll pass it along to the Sizek Ygna.
I’m assuming it was rebels unhappy with current management.
Druul mentions one of the party influenced by the Silence, and we found this up its nose. Well I’m convinced, as he swears. Has an underling take the jar.
Druul says, danger, it’s still alive.
Do you want to present it to the Sizek Ygna yourself? They’re not Winter Elves right?
The Marshall shouts back to the rest of the party, you can come out now.
Druul points towards the citadel, you’ve got a lot of clean up. I’d say three lanterns. It’s a priority to open an entrance so we’re not trapped in here.
There is a crew on another citadel, clan Kharst has the lead over there.
The marshall, Deoord Mailcon, delegates to someone else and leads us up to the Sizek Ygna Marbelle Nanchuk.
Clan Nanchak is on this side. As we are going, there is a sound suspiscously like a meow from Borthan’s pack. Lucifer sticks his head up. Velkin relays “Need a vacation.”
Khelratha opens the bag to check and Oscar says their’s a whole bunch of Winter Elves here and looked at the tunnel to Malgrim and asked a bunch of questions.
One of the one’s with tattoos I could understand him.
Khelratha has Jardin keep an eye. There is a whole encampment of Winter Elves. Mostly just milling around, and look at a loss.
Khelratha seeks out one with tattoos and ask questions. Says in common. So you’re one of the companions of Sir Lungmold.
It seems that the portalS to Malgrim are gone. It seems they burned. Do you know where Sir Lungmold is? We don’t know what happened, but the portals are gone.
Citadel portal and are looks like it is burnt away, Blackened and gone. What did this, what happened? We haven’t been able to get any good answers. We questioned the Winter Elf who said something about fire.
There was some kind of attack. It coincided with a strategic retreat when the Silence made a push.
I have orders to withdraw to the new front lines if we can’t reach Malgrim. It is close the territory of the Silence before they controlled more territory. They are having some good luck at the moment. The close affinity of the Silence and the DVLs was unexpected. We didn’t expect the willingness of the DVLs to cooperate since the DVLs powering them have complete free will.
I’m sure Lungmold will make contact.
How far are the front lines from Malgrim, about a week’s travel. Which passageway lead to that portal, there is an open portal. See more Winter Elves beyond. The Winter King is in his own realm. There are communication devices. Not sure if Lungmold has one. Trying to get in touch with Sir Firthold.
Khelratha asks that a message be delivered to the Winter King that we need a way to Malgrim.
Oskar I need you to stay here and keep an eye on thigs, I’ve gotta go back to the ship, things don’t look good. Khelratha heads back to the portal and folds it up.
--- The Marshall leads the party higher, and see very few people and much less damage. Reach the clan hall and the Marshall is waved through, and issues orders and has important news for the Sizek Ygna with important information about the attacks.
Marbelle Nanchak one of the least corpulent Sizek Ygnas and her eyes get big when she sees who the marshall is leading in. He goes to a knee and explains why we have come and evidence that it is the Silence and gestures to Druul.
I supposed this isn’t some convoluted to kidnap me, Druul says, just as we hope the rugs don’t start to dance around.
Knowing the one of our own that we trusted has been infected, it is possible others were infected. Cizek Ygna tells the Marshall to implement the Drow protocols at the front gate immediately.
Druul says that we are looking for security to leave as soon as possible. She gladly agrees to letting the party leave sooner.
As soon as it’s done, I will personally see that you are excorted out and not allowed back in. Druul says that you may need us to communicate with the Winter Elves at the embassy, so we may need to come back. I will bring it up with the other Cizek Ygnas. It makes sense to leave the embassy alone. The plan was to attack the embassy and kill you all once we had things under control.
Not all of us are on the Winter Elves side. The occupation is over and will not be controlled by them anymore.
I find it distasteful. This is the second time I have had to argue on behalf of your group’s cause.
Velkin puts an invitation to the conclave scrolls from the Wardens of Medeia. Druul grabs it and opens it, and says that our mission is more important than just the situation in Malgrim. She has the marshall bring it to here and she reads it. Do you wish me to present this to my sisters. We are trying to do our best as Wardens of the world from the borrom to the top. Most in the city assume you are agents of the Winter King given your actions these past weeks.
I think bad enough being reminded of past traumas and prefer you and your friends leave now. I suppose you’ll learn the answer when we either kill you or expell you from the city.
The Marshall leads you out and looks red in the face, mumbling about not knowing who you were and directs us to leave.
Druul still has the jar with the squid, and slinks back towards Ceres as they walk out the gates, well, that’s why I didn’t want to come down here, let’s get out of here ASAP.
Druul goes to Ranarth, is there any way you can contact these Winter Elves. He pulls out his necklace and taps it, and it should get a message to the Winter King, but Lungmold already tried it and there’s been no response.
Velkin asks Prixithalma to look at it. It is some kind of scrying device. The tapping I don’t believe turns it on, just calls attention to it, it is always listening. I’d suggest destroying it.
Heading back to embassy. Both in front and behind us, the sludgelike liquid flows and quickly forms into 3 sludge like creatures behind the party and two in front of it.
Velkin Scrolls 63 - Session 99
8:30pm, Denrilden 15
00.00000.09.16 Apocalypse Clock
Malgrim:
Being dead wasn’t bad. I don’t remember anything after that thump in the back. Waking up from it was rough however… but I feel better now. These people I’m running with are different from anything I’ve ever known. I doubt many of those I’ve known from before this would have taken the trouble to revive me…
Lambertus raises Bili, he’s in pretty rough shape, he coughs and pukes and there’s something in his nose… After a few ineffectual tries to pull it out without hurting him, being practical and efficient, I cut his nose open and we get the thing out. It’s a small squid head thing… We’re pretty sure that’s what the Silence uses to control those they get their hands on. Kauri puts it in a jar to use as proof of the Silence being behind the attack on Malgrim.
Bili tells us the Silence were in the tunnels as they were looking for the Nanocarbon. They asked many questions of us, the Embassy. They know of the Pylons. They know who we all are.
The Silence timed their attack on the Embassy with the distraction of the attack on Malgrim.
Jax, Phil, Lungmold and Tyriol are planning on staying at the Embassy to continue the work.
The Silence were worried about the Drow. They think they’re coming to contact us. They wanted to get to us first. We’d followed them and found Bogfunk’s stash of Dogfroth.
We copy the nanocarbon book, Velkin and Kauri working together gets it done, also copy the pylon creation notes.
The deep gnomes use their earth elementals to clear the Higeki citadels entrance, probably in about half a day.
Clan Nanchak Marshal Deoord Mailcon is the foreman working with the Earth Elementals. Druul talks with him and gets an audience with Czizek-Ygna Marbelle Nanchak to show her the squidface from Bili’s nose. Clan Karst is leading the recovery on the other side of Malgrim.
Clan Nanchak’s citadel – we enter with the Marshall’s escort without challenge.
Within moments we’re taken to the doors to the Marbelle Nanchak. Her eyes widen as she recognizes some of the visible ones in our party.
Druul talks with Marbelle and she’s going to vouch for us that the Silence attacked Malgrim. We give her one of the Wardens of Medeia letters.
We’re attacked heading back and sludgelike liquid forms into 3 sludge creatures 2 in front 1 in back attack the party.
The Ship:
About Midnight Khelratha checks the portal and Oskar’s there and reports there’s a bunch of elves here and they’re headed toward Malgrim. One has tattoos Oskar could understand. They’re on the other side near the Malgrim tunnel.
Khelratha goes in and sees a whole encampment of winter elves on the other side of the center of the web. They look like they’re milling around. Kind of at a loss. A mage comes to meet him part way there. Greets him as a companion of Sir Lungmold. The portals to Malgrim are gone. It looks like they may have burned.
The Silence made a push and the winter elves made a strategic retreat about the same time as the Malgrim event. The mage have orders that if connection to malgrim cannot be made in the next lantern to withdraw and consider the city lost. Go to the new front lines – a different portal. Close to the territory that used to be controlled by the Silence. The silence is having good luck at the moment. He’s confident that in the end they will lose. The DVL cooperation with the Silence is making things difficult. The free will powering of magic items makes things harder. They have communication devices, but no one is answering…
It’s unfortunate that Ser Ferthold is presumed dead. He was well liked. With the front lines in the shape they are in, he doesn’t think that there will be much interest in sending anyone to Malgrim anytime soon. Khelratha gives a ‘what for’ message to the Winter King to get him a message that he needs to go save Malgrim.