RPG Campaigns

Giraine Summaries

Hi,

In Aria's Well, you learned that Baron Ron was away on some trip to Pithdaros but would soon hear of your faceoff with the Rokari– as would Rokari on the mainland, Jett added. But peace held for the time being. Off to the south, the Aeropod continued its voyage gliding on the air currents, somehow piloted by Syrr Kogag who was in a trance. Some of you felt uncomfortable in the unnatural shadows of the main compartment/gondola of the Aeropod, as if something was watching you and poised to pounce. So you were glad to finally catch sight of land. Syrr Kogag whistled in surprise and you saw what he spotted, as thunder rolled: there was a dun cloud rising from Aria's Well. As you drifted closer, you saw it was emanating from near the Aria's Rest inn.

Meanwhile Boamund and Maugis had investigated, with four guards, what happened at this location. The dust lingered, as if some explosion had happened, around old ruins to the northwest of the inn. There you found a dark hole in the ground, and a light spell cast on a rock tossed into it revealed brownish stone steps descending into the hill. You left guards to keep the entrance off limits and spread the word to the Dronari to stay away, but this time they were not curious and rushed to their homes. Enough odd things had happened in this town by now that the local people knew to avoid them.

Soon enough you were all reunited. Syrr Kogag moored the Aeropod and Brobard helped lower Jim and Curly to the ground so that they could hobble off to spend time recovering from their injuries. Miguel still had some weeks to go. You exchanged a few quick words, Ahappi pledging that you must take the fight to the Rokari now, but then turned your attention to the dark staircase. Expecting trouble, you threw magics on.

Ahappi led the way down the narrow, cylindrical passage, which was short enough (~2m diameter) to force most humans to hunch down. The walls were strange: smooth, surprisingly intact, with no toolmarks or other obvious workmanship, except the stairs. The passage descended maybe 100m into the hill at a sharp angle, then the stairs ended at a long, level passageway. Maugis spotted magical essence everywhere, with some runes carved faintly into the walls. He thought it looked like Mostalli work and runes, and this made sense to others of you, recalling your several trips to the “sunken castle” of the Mostali stone warship.

Boamund heard clicking noises and soon spotted the little figurine scampering across the passage ahead, lit by his Glow spell. It was the same thing that had been seen in the farmhouse that fell into a sinkhole and in the tavern more recently. You'd thought it was Vadeli in origin but it did also make sense as a Mostali construct. Before you could act more, it snuck into a little hole in the wall. The hole sealed and there was an ominous click that echoed through the passage.

Ahappi walked ahead, and soon two crossbow bolts whooshed past him to hit Boamund. As you advanced, more bolts kept coming quickly, with faint noises of machinery in between shots (reloading), but Boamund held his kite shield up and most of them bounced off. You saw two crossbows on pedestals in the centre of the passage and rushed them. Ahappi tried to get around them but stumbled in the cramped conditions, eventually managing to throw his weight against one crossbow and push it down so that it could only shoot the ground. Boamund bashed the other with his shield until he broke it, and then finished this second one off.

There was then a louder clicking noise and vibration, and studs popped up along the floorway of the passage ahead. Anticipating more traps, Ahappi strode ahead by spreading his legs to straddle the studs and thus avoid them. This worked for all of you, and you came to a Y-junction where the right passage was sealed shut by solid grey stone. The studs ended at this junction, and the left passage had a thin crack surrounding it, which you were sure housed some deadly trap. You were right; Maugis used his holdfast spell on it, then Ahappi leapt through. A great blade descended from the ceiling, cutting the passage in half, and then withdrew, but he evaded it. Another holdfast spell and that blade was disabled.

The passage continued to an arched doorway which lacked any handles or other clear features on the slab-like door. Ahappi noted small depressions in the stonework that housed runes (Fire, Stone, Darkness, Law, Magic, Death) and you immediately concluded that there must be some combination to open this door. Experimenting, you found that the runes each vibrated slightly when touched, then there was a pause, then Bad Things tended to happen. Maugis ended up with half of his body paralyzed and also was blinded; Ahappi too was blinded, and both of them were affected by a tingling feeling that made them unable to use magic (or some of it). Boamund was struck by a lance of flame. You even pushed the Death rune and it caused the passage to thrum, jarring your bones and causing internal damage- and by this point none of you were able to heal others.

[Party Luck points now down to 1!]

Ahappi and Maugis lay about, disabled, while you talked over your predicament. Boamund took a look around for any clues how to open this door and spied a recurrent pattern of Law, Stone and Fire runes (Maugis had seen Law, Stone and Magic runes elsewhere but had not given you these details). Quickly trying this sequence of rune-pressing, he made the door slide gracefully open!

Past the door was a larger circular room made of brickwork rather than the smooth, magically-hewn stone you'd seen elsewhere. Charcoal scribblings were on most surfaces, in an unfamilar tongue. There was a central fountain, some machinery, some tools hanging on the walls, two distant passageways blocked by rubble, and a metal stool surrounded by junk strewn on the floor. Standing up from that stool, surprised and glinting eyes peeking out from a thick brownish beard and shaggy hair, was a Mostali. He was clad in thick studded leather armour and strange tools hung from his belt. He held some odd cube that he fiddled with.

Boamund tried greeting the dwarf in Seshnegi and got a “No good” answer, then limited success communicating. Darktongue (the language of Uz enemies of the dwarves!) did not get a good response, but the conversation continued, with the dwarf showing curiosity and awkwardness. Boamund then cast his Versatility magic to allow him to speak Earthspeech and this helped move the conversation along. You learned a few things: <UL><LI>The dwarf had been here for a long “time” and it was not clear if it even understood time, or was disdainful of it or something.</LI><LI>It was a Clay Mostali named Unit N3880 or “Nebbo” as it later told Boamund.</LI><LI>You were not welcome here, as “foreign meat units”, and it was concerned about its defenses. Later it showed sadness (repeatedly declaring “Emotion!”) as it sensed how much damage had been done down the hallway.</LI><LI>It thought Maugis was dead and wanted to buy his body (for 43 coppers!) for food.</LI><LI>It had not invited you in; maybe the figurine had opened the entrance? Anyway it wanted you to leave.</LI><LI>It was concerned about damage to the World Machine, as most Mostali are, but its mission/job here was unclear.</LI></UL>

By the end of the conversation you were convinced that there was no more you could do here and it was indeed best to retreat with your disabled friends, so you safely did. Nebbo followed you down the hallway at a distance, muttering to himself. Reaching the top of the stairs with some effort, you called to your guards to help get Maugis and Ahappi back to safety. They still had not recovered- the magic that had blasted you was indeed strong.

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