Heatmonth 18th, 2:05 PM. We checked the wall of Thorns, verified it was going to hold for a while, and then started doling out healing. The thought was we were NOT going to leave here today, but instead set up camp and eventually rest.
A few of us went to look over the Feeder, noting that Asmodeus was hanging back and watching. We asked why and he let us know that the creature was not of this earth, not of this plane. And parts of it were sieving back to the Astral plane through micro-cracks in the foundation. It will eventually get dry and calcify in 2 to 3 weeks, but as long as it is “wet”, it is a possible beacon or conduit for other extra dimensional things.
Ok, we left it alone.
We shared food, drink, smoke, peyote, pipe, songs, stories, and tales. Ghostbear admitted he wanted to count coup against Nate but he showed such bravery and focus, that he was no longer a concern for the medicine man. Asmodeus let us know about the native American heroes, and in some worlds the most heroic deeds and magics they had done, earning their reward in the happy hunting grounds. So it is sad for them on some level to be in heaven and then no longer there. There was not a way for them to get back home, but they have a new chance at another life now and who knows what the stories that will come out from their actions now.
Asmodeus did talk at length, offering us answers to questions about the cosmology of the planes and our place in it. He identified the primodial dagger as belonging to the first race of mortals – the Melnibone. After the dragons were fashioned and sent out to seed the worlds with magic, the Melnibone were crafted by a consortium of the greater gods to catalog the magic in place and report back to the gods on the order of the planes. They established large cities and eventually were supplanted by the rise of elves, dwarves, and goblinoid races – most of them have faded over time, jaded and weary of long lives and unable to seek new joys. Nate’s heterogenesis to a higher life form no longer places him as a person, but one of the original pure bloods who existed before even elves. What he does with his life from this point on is his own, but Asmodeus finds it comforting and interesting that a Melnibonian has arisen after millennia of their absence here.
As for our fight against Dagon – he informed us that besides the ritual he would be providing for us, as far as weaponry was concerned, the Lord of Nightmares would need to be struck with weapons of pure silver. Not specifically magic – but silver weaponry. He then pointed to Nate’s Dagger- and that as well. The dragon would need magic to be defeated, but once it was slain, Dagon would need silver.
We discussed options. Silver dipping a weapon is a possibility, but the silvering would only last 1 to 8 solid blows before flaking free. A weapon forged in and of silver would be better. We would look at options at town/Bork Keep.
We spelt well and awoke the next day, doling out healing and getting ready to move on. Ghostbear blighted the Wall of Thorns and we walked up the stairs and into the Labyrinth. It was quiet here, no one was around. We strode through the stone halls following our path back to the surface. The salt column was missing and we got through there without issue. Eventually we arrived at the stairs and we took them slowly up and with care. It was quiet. So quiet. No one was around.
At the 3rd level we walked the goblin history hall until we arrived at the 3rd Warren. And it was empty. Not a single goblin nor their belongings could be seen or found. Apartments emptied. Belongings taken. The Buffalo skin was still here, mounted on the ceiling, We took it down and rolled it up, taking it with us. As we walked along we came to the 2nd Warren. The Overwatch was still there but everyone was missing. The streets were dim, the doors opened. Everyone was gone. We walked to the stairs up to the 1st Warren and looked. The Hwa’cha’s were missing as well as the people. The water still fell from above to the cistern.
We looked around for the water babies, told earlier that if they could be reintroduced to the water, they would come back to life. In the cathedral we found them there, along with other goblin grisly trophies. Taking the dried squidlike forms back to the water we tossed them in and they filled back up and were whole again. The Cree Nageshi were called and they too joined us. Looking over the statue of Maglubiyat, Asher left a small set of edicts for future goblin tribes that might settle here on how to behave and what Maglubiyat wants from them.
The mass of us headed west up and out of the Warren to the far passage. We set up the block and tackle and spent a few hours hoisting people out as well as Stoneribs walking them up the wall. At the top of the last floor we came upon 5 spectral animal spirits standing here. Raven, Coyote, Owl, Wolf, and Bear. Bear informed us that he made sure to gorge the hell out of the actual bear first so it would sleep off the big meal and give us safe passage.
We walked past the sleeping cave bear to the top of Donnegarten and looked out over the setting sun and land beyond. Each of the 5 spirit animals gave up a bit of their divine energy to fill Buffalo’s hide, returning the powerful spirit animal to life again. The 6 animal spirits then all bowed to us, stepped out of the cave into the sun and then off into the greater world.
We rested the night in the Wyvern’s old cave and the next day, all of us leftthe cave, went down the mountain, across the valley, to the rise of hills and then south to the Captain Twilick and Zephyr’s Windshade. He had gone back to refuel and get supplies a week and a half ago but was waiting for us. The party, Stoneribs, Ghostbear, and Asmodeus all boarded and we headed the 5 hours to Bork Keep arriving on Heatmonth the 20th at 8:30, about 20 days after we had gone into the cave.
We knew we had some weeks of training ahead of us and figured we’d be done and ready to adventure on Firemonth the 5th. We did learn that the Speaker of the Moon, The Most Blessed of Frey, reported that through their great magic, the Life Tree was reborn and was growing once more in Tilani. Not the Kaiser’s machinations, the evil of dwarves, or those who tried and killed the Speaker of the Sun could extinguish the might of the elven people. With the Lifetree growing again, there is much discussion and excitement in the councils regarding the elven nation.
Which gives us 2 months and 29 days exactly to face off and finish Sanctodragodon and seal the last gate before our time is over and we are forced return to our time with Ragnarok unstopped. We had 3 weeks to study, train, and outfit ourselves before figuring out the next and last bit of our adventure.
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