The Golden Skull (3rd September 2014)
The
Adventurers
Bow
– Ranger
Cormac
– Fighter
Johan
– Cleric
Maximillian
– Thief
Tarquin
- Fighter
Theoderic
– Fighter
Vox
– Magic User
Return to Nulb – Freyasday 26th
Hextember (day 87) – late evening
The
darkness of the underground warrens pushed down heavily upon the exhausted minds
and bodies of the adventurers. Their feelings of foreboding eventually got the better
of them and rather than head towards the tower for safety decided that it might
be best in their beaten state to return to Nulb and rest up before tackling
whatever may have ripped their horses to pieces.
The
evening had drawn in but the darkness above ground was less foreboding than the
catacombs from which they had just emerged. The overgrown path that returned the
party to Nulb was full of many noises in the darkness that made the adventurers
nervous but nothing emerged from the undergrowth to waylay their retreat.
The
party emerged from the Gnarley and upon entering the village requested board
and lodgings from the Thuringian soldiers based in the newly built
fortification. They were given the best quarters available and were fed as well
as could be on the strength of their badges of office that had been presented
to them by the Prince himself.
Whilst
the spell casters rapidly made their way to a private space in order to
replenish their magical strength, the fighters and thief decided to carouse
with the soldiers. In the confusion, Bow slipped out and paid a visit on Mother
Screng at her herb shop.
An Audience with Y’Dey and Otis – an
hour of Bow’s time
Bow
rapped upon the door lintel and was greeted by the wizened old face of Mother
Screng. He asked if she would talk to him about the latest developments in
their adventure, but the miserable old hag responded that it was far too late
at night and that he should return in the morning. Bow realised desperate
measures were called for so he showed her the Skull and three amulets that he
and the party had already gathered. A brief look of fear and then panic crossed
her face as she ushered him straight in to her parlour. She then sent her daughter
out to gather another person from the village with whom to share this moment.
Mother
Screng placed a kettle of water back on the fire to brew a pot of tea which was
ready at just the same time as the burly smith entered. After a few words had
passed between the three villagers, the old hag muttered a spell and cast off
their magical disguises to reveal the Canoness Y’Dey, Otis the head ranger, and
Murfles a goodly spy.
The
four of them sat down around the table in the small back room and Y’Dey cast a
few protective spells to hide whatever they were going to discuss next from any
scrying eyes. Bow then removed the items again from his pack and placed the
Skull and the three amulets upon the table to whispers of awe. He then drew the
Sword and laid it alongside the other artefacts which drew more sharp intakes
of breath. Y’Dey then used her magical abilities to determine which amulet went
where upon the Skull and as the amulets were placed into the recesses available
for them they moulded themselves seamlessly into their allotted positions.
After
the artefacts had been fitted together Y’Dey then told Bow how, when and where
to use the completed Skull and Sword to destroy the demoness Zuggtmoy. She then
cast many spells upon the Skull which made it shrink and take on the form of an
innocuous necklace and trinket to hang around his neck in a small leather pouch,
whilst the magical protection would also guard it from all but the most
powerful of scrying magics until it was ready to be used again. She then gave Bow
the command word to make it large again so he could add the final amulet when it
was found.
The
three villagers then gave Bow directions on how to get to the Interdicted
dungeon level that Zuggtmoy was imprisoned within and also to the third door
which they told him the Temple had the final amulet for. If the Temple acted true
to form they would blow the door off its hinges at New Moon in a couple of days’
time and then leave the amulet behind thinking it had served its purpose. Bow would
then be able to recover the final amulet and advance upon the demoness’ realm
in order to banish her.
Finally,
after sipping the last dregs of their tea, Otis mentioned that the baron would be
leading a force into the dungeon to act as a diversion for when they re-entered
the evil Temple. Bow thanked them for all their help and cheekily asked whether
the canoness would Heal the wounds he
had picked up in the last fight – she agreed to this and fully healed him.
Then,
after a quick look to make sure he had not been tailed he slunk back to the
party in the Thuringian fortification and fell asleep on his cot without
telling his fellow adventurers anything of his side adventure.
A Third Earthquake – Godsday 27th
Hextember to Moonday 1st September (days 88-90)
The
party returned to Castleford the following day on horses leant to them by the
Thuringian soldiers, but they asked that they be returned to the next patrol
that would be headed back in their direction.
Upon
arrival, the party handed over the horses as requested and returned to their
usual lodgings in the Talehangers’ Inn where they set about Identifying and evaluating their
treasure. Johan recouped all his spells after a long bout of Healing his companions and then set
about making enquiries about where and how he might be able to set up a temple
to the Old Faith once his adventuring days were over. After they had spent a
couple of days getting this resolved, they then spent a large amount of it carousing.
On their daily travels they noticed that military activity had picked up in the
town, much like it had done before the raid on Nulb several weeks ago –
something big was about to kick off again but only Bow was party to the
knowledge.
During
their stay in the Talehanger’s Inn, on the night of the New Moon, a third and
more powerful earthquake was felt by all the townsfolk. Again, lightning
brightened the sky and thunder rebounded off the distant hills. The town’s residents
were set to panicking and wondered again what was happening in the world. They
reasoned that although it was the stormy season earthquakes were generally unknown
in this part of the world, so they passed the night washing away their fears with
cups of ale and wine.
A
couple of days later, all of the treasure had been identified and evaluated and
a variety of equipment had been bought and sold; Bow also collected the Ring of Protection that was ordered a
week before from a travelling merchant. The following morning, the party headed
back towards the Temple; this time they made the journey on foot.
Return to the Temple – Thunorsday 4th
September (Day 91) – mid-morning
The
road via Nulb back to the Temple was deserted and the grounds around were
pretty much as they had left them. It seemed that the Temple had gone to ground
after so many of their number had been slain by the party and the third door-sundering
ritual had been completed.
Johan
was determined to find the first amulet that he presumed was still hidden
amongst the rubble at the main Temple entrance doors, so he cast a Detect Object spell and looked about for
traces of the amulet that had once been his. However, because the amulet had
been magically disguised by Y’Dey he could not detect it even though it was
only a few feet distant on a chain around Bow’s neck; Bow smiled wryly but said
nothing to his companion. After he had failed to find anything within the rubble
outside the upper Temple building, he called for the party to enter the Temple
and search about inside – only Bow and Vox knew that their search would be in
vain, but they chose to say nothing.
Bow,
his mind full of the details that Y’Dey had given him decided to wander off in
search of the third amulet. The rest of the party were split on whether to
follow him, much to Johan’s annoyance for wanting things wrapped up neatly.
However, he decided to follow the ranger as he could always come back after the
third amulet had been found to look again for the first amulet which he still
thought was lying around in the rubble close by the main entrance doors.
As
Bow reached the main stairwell down to the elemental room of the first dungeon
level, he felt an irresistible urge from the disguised Skull to investigate the
throne and dais at the end of the nave. He was unsure what the feelings meant
but he had become aware that the throne was important somehow. As he walked up
the dais the feelings became stronger but he still could not put the feelings
into words. He decided to sit upon the throne much to the insistence of his
companions that he should not, but he still got no more than the nagging
feeling that it was important but he was unsure why.
The Secret is Out – late morning
Bow
strode ahead and took the steps downwards two at a time, whilst the rest of the
party lit torches and lanterns and struggled to keep up with him. He walked
with purpose and retraced his steps back down through the Elemental room,
through the left hand curtain and down the side corridor past the rat room that
Max had been ambushed within.
They
then passed the prison cells and advanced along the long, dark back corridor
until it led them down the spiral stairwell. Bow then led them past all of the
decaying Temple guard and bugbear bodies to the angled corridor beside the
water room within which Tarquin had nearly drowned.
At
the next junction the party asked Bow what he was doing because rather than
head eastwards, as expected, along the main processional and down the next set
of stairs that was guarded by an antipathy
ward of some kind, he instead led them off south down a wide corridor that
ended with two sets of double valves. He replied he was acting on a hunch, as
he still did not want to give away the secrets he had learned from Y’Dey. They
decided to believe him and humoured him in the hope that he either achieved the
goal of finding the amulet or ran out of steam and returned the search back into
Johan’s methodical hands.
At
this point, Vox cast a Strength spell
upon his warrior companions just in case they blundered into something or
someone unexpectedly and fortuitously this also allowed them to push open the
huge double doors that were positioned on either side a little more easily.
Cormac opened the western set to reveal a south-westerly angled corridor whilst
Bow opened the eastern set. However, Cormac was ignored when Bow descended the
stairs and shouted that he had found the remnants of the third wrecked door.
The
rest of the party filed into the large octagonal room and saw the carnage
within. They also spotted the old rag that they had lit and dropped into the
hole in the Temple floor eighty or so feet above several days previously. The
party then spread out and began to search for the third amulet, which Bow was
fortuitous enough to find.
He
then led them back to the wide processional corridor towards the warded
stairwell. Everyone was able to descend the stairs towards the bound and sealed
double valves except for Bow, Max and Theo; the magical dweomer was far too powerful
for them to overcome and they could progress no further than a few steps
downwards before they had to retreat. Bow tried every which way to descend the
stairs but he just could not overcome the nauseating feelings he got when he
approached the stairs.
Finally,
he pulled out the disguised Skull from its protective pouch around his neck and
said the command word to return it to its normal shape and size. He then placed
the final amulet in position and watched as it too sealed itself in place.
Johan gasped in surprise that he had been hoodwinked by the ranger and felt
misgivings alongside a newfound lack of trust in his companion. However, the
mission to destroy the demoness in her lair took precedence, so he kept his
thoughts to himself.
As
soon as the amulet locked in place, Bow was rewarded with the feeling that he now
knew how the Skull worked, even down to the point that he also now knew the
other way into the Interdicted part of the Temple complex via the throne on the
dais in the main Temple building above ground.
He
told his friends what he had discovered, and rather than split the party and be
without some of their companions when they faced Zuggtmoy, all agreed they
would take the same route as him to enter her realm.
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