Session Thirty-Five Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)
Session 35, March 10 2021
Introduction
We continue at 4:10AM on the 23rd of Tenrilden with the party having encountered Jax, former arch-mage, in front of the broken doors of the Silver Throne embassy in Malgrim. Inexplicably, the dwarven technology beyond the threshold appears to be functioning normally ...
Larry's Summary
There is a flash that Kauri notices. We wonder about the effect this place has on DVLs and Kauri finds that Tik Tok is gone. Lungmold's ring, that Velkin is currently wearing speaks to Velkin warning to leave as this place is a "prison". A singularity/gravity well. Tik Tok was not good enough at hiding, like the ring. It won't give its name. It is most likely a DVL in hiding, or some powerful entity that needs to hide.
Rallion uses the platinum biconvex key and the door mechanism goes from red to green. Beyond is a room with a Berserker Dwarven Automaton and 4 arrow slits with a locked door on the opposite side. There is a message that we must leave and the Berserker looks poised to attack. Kauri's silver circlet does not control the construct. Jax is seen putting on a Platinum control circlet, but it too has no effect.
We close the door and think about how to proceed.
After much deliberation on whether to fight or try something else, Velkin suggests using Borthan's tea that allows Astral Travel. Both Rallion and Kauri drink the tea and learn the secrets of this place. We find the Ambassador's office and the desk with controls and options for Security, Files, and Comms. We also find 5 electrical orb automatons, 2 smaller ape automatons, 2 spider automatons, and a round roaming automaton, and a gas trap above the room with the Beserker. Also 6 stun sticks.
Under the ambassador's office is an enormous generator that is powering this place.
Lungmold tries to shadow step through Rallion's view of the chest after trying regular shadow stepping to figure it out and gets lost.
Rallion and Kauri return to their bodies and vomit.
Rallion shares his plan to shadowstep past the Beserker and step across the conference room and into the office of the ambassador and disable the security.
On the way, Rallion sees Lungmold in the shadow realm and rescues him.
The files option on the desk indicates all the files are wiped. The Comms option has 34 messages that repeat each of the past 34 days, which is prior to our going to the orbiting station.
All the messages say:
From: ST Em. Bunker;
To: Malgrim Ambassador; Subject: Assistance Required; Message: If any ambassadorial staff remain in Malgrim, please acknowledge this message. Necropolis systems compromised and Lords require assistance immediately.
Rallion and Lungmold search for a way to open the door to the chest with the desired information.
The book Principles of DVL Manipulation did not open anything.
We had to take the book On Dragons off the shelf of the ambassador's office to open that door.
We left the book On the Fall of The Empire on the shelf figuring it would release the lightning orbs.
Meanwhile the party prepares to come and Brendil suggest Jax stay put and Jax reveals that he now has control of the Beserker as it taps Brendil on the shoulder.
Velkin talks with Jax and comes to an accommodation.
Jax goes with the party and meets Rallion and Lungmold in the ambassador's office.
The party comes to agreement to work with Jax, Jax claims this place, and we will share information with each other.
We take down the book about the Fall of the Empire and the lightning orbs come out and Jax takes control of them.
Jax had long ago studied blood magic, but didn't get far with it as he never expected to use it.
He says he has no like or dislike for the Silverthrone, but his research suggests that they are liches.
The other places he was planning to explore, he suggested we do so. Such as Old Greybeard has a temple (we know about that but didn't let on.). Jager the gnome illusionist's tower, he was rumored to have a lot of books. Xen Khel is another place he would look.
Brendil and others pick up the 6 stun sticks, each with batteries with 3 charges.
Brendil makes a deal with Jax to identify his mace using blood magic.
We all agree to rest so that Velkin has a better chance to open the chest with the desired information so the information and Velkin aren't blown up.
Velkin's Scrolls
Velkin Scrolls 12
Tenrilden 23
4:10am
The conjoined twin depowered archmage Jax animated a metal automaton using blood magic with a combination of ancient dwarven and ancient common runes. He had also closed the front gate using the same magic. I scribe the runes from both castings for documentation.
It’s discovered that upon entering the Embassy, DVL’s are ‘sucked’ into a ‘gravity well’. The ring has a hidden entity in it that doesn’t care much for this place and urges us to leave this dangerous place. Kauri discovers that a DVL associated with an apocalypse clock is gone. He did see a blue flash when he entered the receiving chamber here. We suppose that’s when something happened to that DVL. The added benefit is that the unfortunate side effect of dragging something out of the Veil is negated here, we think, because of this ‘gravity well’ for outer planar creatures.
Rallion, Jax and Kauri discuss why their headbands aren’t working, Jax has a platinum one, and Kauri used one made of silver. Control devices for the machines here. It’s assumed there’s an Emergency Protocol enabled that has to be deactivated before the circlet’s will work again.
Since the box that Kauri has is not the spiderbox, I ask to examine the one that Gath carries. I touch and speak in spider to it. The box heats up and the sounds coming from within sounded more frantic. I’m not certain that this is a gift of Lloth. It very well could be a weapon against her if it’s hostile to one of her Children. I am only guessing. The interaction may be very different if a Priestess presents herself. I do not know.
Rallion and Kauri drink the astral projection tea of Borthan’s people and explore the Embassy discovering it’s secrets and layout. They examine the trapped chest behind the Ambassador’s offices and give me a good look at the trap and the makeup of the chest.
Lungmold tries to shadowstep to Rallion using his telepathic connection and gets lost in the Veil.
Rallion shadowsteps to the control desk in the Ambassador’s chambers through a series of steps and was fortunate enough to find Lungmold and pull him out during one of his steps.
There is a recurrent message for the past 34 days:
From: ST Em. Bunker;
To: Malgrim Ambassador;
Subject: Assistance Required;
Message: If any ambassadorial staff remain in Malgrim, please acknowledge this message. Necropolis systems compromised and Lords require assistance immediately.
Jax wears a Platinum circlet and has control of all the automatons here. He’s claiming this place as his own sanctum. Brendil attempts to stop Jax from coming further into the embassy, however it seems he’s got the upper hand with his automaton control and after I talk them down, we come to an agreement that we’ll be unharmed by Jax and he’ll allow us use of this space now and in the future. We also agree to share information on returning magic to Medeia. His requirement is that we share the information in the box. Pending we can open the thing without destroying the contents with the explosive gas canister attached to the locking mechanism. I get the feeling Jax is primarily interested only in increasing his magical knowledge and power along with restoring magic. I think we can work with him. Lungmold’s reading on Jax is not hostile, more dumbfounded that he’s run across Rallion’s party again, and the connection with both the fall and (hopefully) rise of magic. He’s as distrustful of us as they/we are of him.
He says Greybeard, Jager the gnome illusionist’s tower and Xen Khel are places he would explore. He also tells us that the Lords of the Necropolis he believes are Liches.
We take some of the books from the ambassador’s office which open the doors to his secret rooms. The party picks up 6 stun sticks with 3 charges each Kauri says. There is a question on whether they’ll work outside this place.
I draw some diagrams from what Rallion and Kauri showed me of the inside workings of the chest and after resting, plan on trying to open it.
Jax – What blood magic theory does he know. Is there a system of putting runes together that he can guide us in? What blood magic runes does he know? Are there other magical avenues that he’s got information on? Is there something that can protect the contents of the chest and myself if I set the trap off?
Do any of the automatons have something safe to bore a hole or cut the sides out of the chest so as to not disturb the lock?
Those of us who are Underdark dwellers are going to need goggles or something that shades our eyes if our next step is to set foot on the surface world.
During Velkin’s rest, besides studying the chest trap and lock mechanism, he’s going to chat Jax up and put word in for House Herig to be welcomed as his primary supplier in the Underdark. Due to their network and tolerance, he believes that his House, through Ambassador Thylimon Herig at the Vilgram Embassy or one of his representatives, for a fair price would be willing to help him with any needs that he may have. He would ask that he be willing to speak to Master Enrilden, or a House Herig representative of the Magister’s guild with an open mind and be willing to trade information on what he knows of magic. In addition, House Herig may also be able to get messages to him from us during our travels.
Brendil will have Jax identify his mace after the rest.