Session Thirty-Six Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 36, March 17 2021

Introduction

We continue at 6:40AM on the 23rd of Tenrilden with the party having infiltrated the Silver Throne embassy in Malgrim via astral projection and shadow-stepping before neutralizing the emergency security protocols. Before resting to improve Velkin's chances of disarming the trap guarding the Silver Throne's secret papers, the group arrives at a deal with Jax to share information and strategies for restoring magic ...

Larry's Summary

Kauri reads the book on DVLs and Rallion reads the book on the Fall of the Dwarves due to Prixathalma while resting. Jax claims the high priests room.

The next morning, Jax uses DVL magic to identify Brendil's mace - a mace of disruption.

All the spellcasters top of their magic and Lambertus and Felix heal up the party.

Rallion is finally able to learn a spell. However, crossing the threshold causes the loss of that spell. Lambertus uses the cloaking ring and shadow steps and all of his remaining spells are gone. However, the effects of casting cure light wounds on himself remains.

Jax tries darkness 15 foot radius and casts it just inside the entryway and the sphere is cut short and is like a wall of darkness. So the full effects of the spell happens inside this place, but cannot cross.

Velkin uses all his skill and expertly opens the trapped chest and packs away the bomb to be used later.

There is a map to the Dragon Emperor's (DE) secret lab and a letter to and from Marchmain. There is also schematics of the generator and pylons for trapping DVLS. This embassy is the prototype/proof of concept built by Suttung the fire giant.

MAP:
Anotations on map.

• D.E.’s secret research laboratory? Send word to Marchmain
• Exit to temple of Naga [Naga's guarded entrance to Xen Khel....]

Copies of fragmentary notes in Ancient Dwarven.

Seems like ancient research on binding and controlling DVLs without Xenotel.

Full sentence commentary.

Belief that ancients were working from fragmentary knowledge stolen from Azrael, but abandoned

Only capable of warding a fixed location.

Original research of dragon emperor may lead to a way to do this.

Letter From Marchmain to Ambassador:
Dear Ambassador Yrmir,
I send you my greetings and sincerest well wishes from our temporary headquarters at Xen’Khel. The research you forwarded on was of great interest, although there are other matters delaying any search for Azrael’s hidden laboratory too delicate to detail in this missive. In the meantime, I have shared those fragmentary notes with Suttung (our gifted Fire Giant friend) and he has drafted the attached schematics. If you could please implement these and report back on the results, that would be greatly appreciated by the Silver Throne Company. Please be discreet in your work – if assistance from the gnomes is required, be sure to work with Clan Karst as they are the most in alignment with our interests.
May Xen’Teler watch over you,
Marchmain Sivis.

Notes:
Copied fragments of ancient research on binding and controlling DVLs without Xeno’Tel; copy of modern research notes indicates a belief that the ancients were working from fragmentary knowledge stolen from Azrael that was meant to counter Prixithalma’s virus – the ancient abandoned it, though, when Azrael betrayed Prixithalma (not needed); currently only capable of warding a fixed location, although there is suspicion that the Dragon Emperor’s original research, if found, could lead to a better version.

Technical specifications for installing pylons in the walls of the embassy engraved with the circuitry and glyphs that would ward the location against DVLs (binding their spirits to the power turbine for later extraction)

We send Bili to order 5 pairs of "sunglasses" for those of the underdark going to the surface. Bili brings news that something riding a fire breathing horse stepped out of the shadows in the undermarket and told yellow hat that he was needed by Belial due to an attack by elves. Yellow Hat left with the other outsider.

We suspect that the Dragon Emperor's lab is under Xen Khel. We plan to use Commune and Divination to determine if this is the case.

We will go to the temple on Old Greybeard to retrieve our ancient dwarven gear before going to Xen Khel.

Then we will go to the mountain North of Old Greybeard.

We rest more and Lambertus heals the party to full health.

We wait for Jax to identify the spider box.

We then plan to head to the surface and leave Billi as a spy for us to keep an eye on Jax.

Velkin's Scrolls

Velkin Scrolls 13

Tenrilden 23

6:40am We rest

About 3pm:

During our rest period I spent some time contemplating and reviewing the sketches made of the mechanism inside the chest from Kauri and Rallion’s description. Disarming the explosive trap and unlocking the chest was easy… it was almost as if it unlocked and disarmed itself! I was able to save the trap mechanism to potentially be able to be used later.

Jax identifies Brendil’s mace as a Mace of Disruption. Very effective against outsiders and undead. How handy that will be I would wager.

He did cast the spell the old fashioned way. It appears that his and the other caster’s powers are the same as they were before the fall here in the Embassy. With some experimentation, it’s determined that the effect ends at the edge of the doorway to the outside.

Papers from the chest:

• Map of an underground City, Xen’Khel. It has an exit to the Temple of the Naga. Notes are made on the presence of the Dragon Emporer Azreal’s secret lab referencing Suttung, a fire giant technical genius. Marchmain Sivis was the author, someone the party has run across before in their adventures leading to the fall of Xen’Tel.
• Copies of fragmentary notes in ancient dwarven.
  • research on binding DVL’s without Xeno’tel. Belief that ancients were working on fragmentary knowledge stolen from Azreal. Currently able to be done only by warding a specific area. The ancients abandoned the research after Azreal betrayed Prixithalma. If the Dragon Emporer’s original research could be found, it could lead to a better version…
• Technical specs and drawings made by Suttung.
  • The drawings and plans for this Embassy.

We have a set of rituals to recharge magic items given proper time, and access to magic. Although it’s not a guarantee of success.

Jax shares his knowledge of Blood Runes:

• Identify, Wizard Lock, Teleport, Sleep, Invisibility, Enchant Automaton (Expensive) used first then, Animate Automaton (Expensive)

Kauri scans the three books we found in the library and all the stuff from the chest into one of the cubes he’s activated while inside the Embassy.

Necromancy is another avenue of magic akin to blood magic, but using the spirits of the dead.

We decide to leave the message from the Silver Throne Bunker in the Necropolis alone and not respond.

We study carefully a secluded area outside the Embassy to be able to teleport with less error back and exchange information with Jax.

Bili goes and commissions 5 sets of sunglasses for those of us who are sensitive to sunlight. This is something that I’m intrigued by. Sunlight.

Druul finds a suit of dwarven chainmail that was likely once magical. Not now…

We’re going to rest again and take advantage of spells available while inside the Embassy. In particular Commune and Divination by Felix and Lambertus on things. Identify the Spider Box and then head down below and explore the caverns toward Lungmold and Dirtcrust’s settlement.

After that, on to reviving magic… Likely going to Jager’s tower and the mountain North of Greybeard.

Bili will be a set of eyes and ears down below while we explore the….. surface. I’m both excited and apprehensive of going above for an extended period. The Dark is a safe place….