Write up follows:
Icemonth the 1st, almost 8 PM, and we left the Terror Dungeon swiftly. From there we went back to the Barrack’s Hall where we saw the wounded dwarf was now along with his own adventuring group. Friendly waves were given back and forth and their leader, a half-orc with a red and grey set of leather clothing identified himself as Duragond, leader of Duragond and company. They were about 9 of them, a mix between orcish, dwarven, and humans.
There was much talking about our foray and theirs (they had been in 4 days) and the revealed they had picked up a second Chime some time ago – to be used for any party member that is badly wounded and needs to leave, they can get out of the dungeon and the rest of the party can stay. Good to know!
We talked about bugbears, lower levels, and the Vault of Lathandar and getting a weapon there – supposedly real important. We thanked them for being so open and eventually we rested. The next day Darius talked about the charter, what our goals in the dungeon should be, getting to the Glyph gate by Entrance one and then eventually mapping out where and how all the entrances touch each other. The thought was NOT to go through Grue Alley unless we had no choice – and if so to press on with lights blazing next time.
If we’re going to find treasure, we will need to eventually get off the beaten bath and/or risk going deeper – but that led us back to not going deeper until we know roughly how the upper level plays out. We studied and prayed, Sybil bartered for more food for the group and we all got back together heading back to the entrance by 8:30 in the morning; Duragond and Company commenting they would be entering about 10:30 or so and wished us well.
At the gate, Kara Farmer took our names again, and at some prompting from Sybil, flirted with Darius who was surprised and flirted back. From there we made our way down into the gloom and eventually came to the bottom of the steps in a large room with a “1” by the entrance. Two torches lit we looked around. Times were scratched on the wall with chalk, echoing the period that Darius had been tracking. There were some other small helpful hints and a door to the south and east (with the lock drilled out).
We assumed South the way we wanted to go and made our way there, checking to portal briefly before daring to open it. It showed a long passage heading south with a slow burn torch on the west wall. It seemed similar to what we had the Lizardman run through when we summoned him yesterday. Confident we made our way through until we arrived @ the corner which indeed did lead us to the room just outside the Bugbear lair.
Alright!
We travelled west to the slope, and Connal took the run up there where he once again set grapple and had the rope run down slope. He guarded the corner while we shuttled our way up slope until we were all outside the door with the dents along the bottom. Listening, we heard nothing, and then opened the door – revealing the same 20’x10’ room with the glyph gate at the far end – but only 2 bodies in here dried and dead! One missing since yesterday.
Hmm. Only a few of us entered as we made our way to the door here. After listening and confident that there are not enemies nearby, most everyone hid around the corner and Connal held aloft a vial of pig’s blood and touched the glyph. Red light flared out, crushed the vial and absorbed the blood, went out past the door and into the hall – and then all swooped back in to the gem – pulling along with it loose stones, gravel, and grit from the floor which hit the door with a heavy staccato beat. Aha, that explains the dents.
We followed Connal back and the gem above was red, but light was leaking out the op slowly. Two doors beyond here, right and left. The right door had written in chalk upon it. “This door. No joke, Open this door first.” We debated only a few seconds and then Connal touched the door to open it – and it flew open to reveal a mid-sized chamber with 5 animated dead ogrish sized zombies and 3 gossamer clad decaying women beyond who were beginning to keen loudly. Shrill and loud.
Fuck shit fuck damn it.
The party ran back, sliding out of the chamber and cutting around the corner while Asher, Sybil, and Connal held off last, Connal getting clubbed terribly for the effort by the closest zombie. But we backed up and turned the corner, door slammed closed behind us until after the glyph gate gem finished bleeding its color free – and the door slammed closed and the one lone Ogrish zombie fell over.
Ok…we took a moment to regroup and decided that whoever wrote on the door is a dick, and we should go left. Taking another vial of pig’s blood, we once again enacted the glyph and then enmasse made our way westward through the door to what could be best described as a Seraglio. Reddish curtains, gauze, pillows, harp music coming from somewhere, door on the north wall closed, large central column going up 15’, symbols of Lathandar, elvish god of sunshine and life quite prevalent. The door on the north wall had a series of wheeled tumblers face out to the group, all set to “0”. Hjalgrim and Percy gave Sybil a leg up to look them over and she was convinced they turn and would unlock the door – but need a 3 digit code to do it.
Asher let us know what he could about Lathandar while the group looked around for secret doors as well as listening where they could. Although nice, nothing really jumped out until we gave the central column a once over. It had depictions of elves carved from the bottom to the top, all of them cavorting happily. But they had had chiseled marks over their eyes, blinding them.
It was after some time that the group discovered that near the top of the column, about 8’ off the ground was an elf without his eyes gouged. Hoisting Shim on his shoulders he looked through the eyes and saw the number “1”. Alright. We looked over the column and found 2 more elves without eyes gouged, getting two other numbers. But what order? Looked at the elves that had the eyes whole, we did note that one had 7 fingers up, one had 8, and the last had 9.
But on further contemplation, instead of running up the total 7, 8, 9 as the order – we looked instead at fingers down, getting a reverse order or 1, 2, and 3. Sybil adjusted the dial and the tumblers slid into place, the door opening towards us.
We looked around and through, and Sybil was sure he saw a cotton tailed rabbit just at the edge of her vision, amidst the skeletal feet, but it hopped away. No one else saw it. So we decided to sneak our way through, the larger people forced to drop shields and backpacks off their shoulders in order to get through. There was a door on the right hand side past the room of skeletons with a metal locking bar down across it on our side to keep whatever was within…in.
Beyond that the passage eventually turned to the left and showed 2 doors and a painted area of the wall indicating this way to the Sun Vault of Lathandar, Key of Light needed, see Priest Alorn. The last door was fancifully carved and showed a depiction of the elven god amidst a pastoral forest scene with a number of reverse carved animals…except for the rabbit – that carving was smooth.
We listened to the doors and the middle door we felt was cool, almost cold to the touch. So we began discussing our options on which way to go – cold door or latched door and we noticed that we heard faint noises behind the latched door and sparking lights that faded – except when we tries talking in elvish – then the light stayed. But nothing on the other side replied.
We were getting closer to just opening it when Sybil saw the rabbit again, this time hopping into the Seraglio. So she went in and was moving pillows around, hoping to find in when the party noticed she was gone, again. So we corralled her back and the group decided to go to the cold door instead.
We opened the door and it was COLD – like 40 degrees cooler than the rest of the place – there was a round table with 12 chairs about it, 11 of them empty the last one had a beautiful elven woman sitting there just staring, her hands on the table top. One by one we all sat down and relaxed, looking at her and then she spoke saying we can each ask her a question once and only once, and then we were free to go.
So we sat and looked about and then Shim started the questioning off, where is the Key of Light. We went through everyone, eventually learning the Key of Light is with Priest Alorn who was here and cursed eternal for the crime of murder, locked behind the barred door and the key is around his neck but you would need to be unseen by the dead and or the living to get in and remove the key without issue.
As she answered the questions she became more drawn and wane, skin paling and eyes sinking in, seeming more like a Banshee than not. So once the last question was asked we got up from our chairs and left the room with a thank you and Lathandar’s Blessing on our lips. Ok, so we went to the barred door and it was going to be Asher and Shim going in – Asher can cast Invisibility to Undead and Shim was small, light, and the light inside responded to him already.
The entered the room – 8 steamer sized trunks, 3 had light flittering in between the cracks, a dwarf chained to the back wall of the chamber his guts torn open and roped around his lap, various desks and office furnishings jammed in the corners. The two of them entered and a trunk popped open…and a Ghoul appeared, sniffing the air and looking around.
The hid against the north wall as it sniffed about, and then set up by the open door in order to snatch someone coming in. Then another trunk popped open, and a zombie staggered out and the ghoul and zombie looked each other up and down and then went back to watching the open door. Asher and Shim went to the wrecked furnishings and then around the room to the dead dwarf. The key was on his neck, faintly glowing, on a thin gold chain.
Another zombie appeared and milled about, but nothing more happened. Asher carefully picked the key off the figure’s chest…and yanked – the chain broke and he had the key in his hand. Another ghoul appeared and the ghouls seemed happy to see one another, literally hugging and licking one another. Ugh. We snuck, around the room while a ghoul lunged forward at the door and snatched what seemed to be a rabbit from the ground and ate it.
Not wanting to be caught here any longer, they made it to the door, and then slammed it closed and latched it, trapping the undead inside. Hooray!
From there we went to the vault door, inserted the key and entered the Sun Vault of Lathandar. It was cool and red and blues, a few weapon racks and armor stands that look like it had been picked over, some shields, helms, spears, hammers and the like. Looking them over, we decided to take a spear first for Asher, the half elf taking one when there was a loud buzzing and we all then found ourselves outside the glyph gate in the narrow room with the 3 dead dried out bodies.
From outside the door we heard some echoing voices and laughter and carefully stepped out, hearing to the south, the voices of Duragond and Company. We went down to see them and they saw us, wishing us well and congratulations on the Glyph Gate and Vault of Lathandar. They did let us know that any item left on the racks would be silver blessed by Lathandar the next time we went in. Good to know! They were taking advantage of the ogre woodcutting tribe who had left yesterday to sell/barter their cuttings to make their way right to the stairs down. Where? Not too far, 3 or 4 rooms away.
We were talking about the 3rd glyph gate and thinking it was by Entrance 3 when they laughed and said nope…not too far from here and the stairs down…maybe 5 or so rooms away.
We wished them well and it was about noon when we were discussing either going on to the Glyph Gate again, or somewhere else.
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