Stairs and Statues
January 18th, 2025
GM: Evil Tables
Players:
Grimm (Big_Pun) (Dwarf)
Brunwolf* (Torchbearer)
Salvatore (Jdsull) (Cleric)
Meric (Sahdowfax) (Thief)
Gemitos (Luminace) (Magic-User)
Mikeleos (Saracor) (Druid)
Syagria* (Safira) (Fighter)
Region: The upper city, one deeper level and a basement.
Rumors:
Wizard Tarmis – Secret Tomb in a forest of magic mushrooms
Thoth was represented by a white Ibis but that he also had a symbol of baboon. That ferocity was his desire to protect secrets. Priests cultivated these species in giant form.
Adventure Log:
The party heads off from the Broken Head Inn to search more areas in the city. They decide to try the staircase found the day before to see where it goes.
We arrive and descend into the cellar, just the dead body of a giant centipede is new. We open the wall panel and head down the long staircase. After some time, we come to a door that leads into a large room.
This room seems to be some sort of laboratory. Many items are strewn around the room, with shelves and tables all around. On one wall is a face of a baboon that seems to be some sort of device. Components to create potions are nearby but we have no idea how to get it to work.
Against the south wall is a large stature, guarding a passageway south. It stands about 8′ tall, made of stone and carries a black spear. It appears as if it can move and radiates magic. We avoid it as we search the room and then find a compartment on the back of the statue. We’re able to open that up, without causing any reaction from the statue, and find a pair of wands, an Ankh and two scrolls. We hand those over to Gemitos to inspect.
After gathering as many of the components we can, we decided to try our luck at the door. We use our rope to tie up the statue and most of us stayed behind as the door was opened, revealing a corridor beyond. However, as that happens, the statue begins to animate!
Deciding that we didn’t want to find out what the statue would do, we ran back out the northern door and back up the stairs and find other places to investigate.
We return to the surface and set off towards the lake to see what lies across the bridge. As we get closer, we hear some shouting from behind us. The guards at the city walls are shouting to us. Not knowing what they want, we head to them. They warn us to stay away from the island as it’s too dangerous. They let us know that there is a well nearby that may hold an entrance to the dungeons. Also, in that direction is heard baboon sounds. We’ve heard that before in that direction. They also warn us again about the halfling gang that would demand a cut of anything we find in the dungeon. We want to avoid them if possible.
Moving around to the buildings near that pyramid, we search through another building ruin. We find a chimney with a narrow passageway down. Grimm manages to work his way down to the room underneath and smells bat guano everywhere. He also notices heat sources on the ceiling. Coming back up, we decide to search of another way down, which we find in a partially blocked staircase.
We descend this set of stairs, it only goes 60′ or so down into a large chamber. A number of thick pillars are set around the room. Double doors are just north of the stairway and 2 bodies, recently deceased are near the stairs. They seem to have been killed by something with poison and a stinger. One has chainmail and is clutching a reddish potion vial. The double doors are stuck shut, swollen by age and moisture. A door to the west is much the same. A small passageway leads north near this door. We head into that room and find a pedestal and an anvil. On the pedestal is a silver chalice. We take that and find nothing else. Checking the door behind us, it opens into a store room full of webs and what appears to be many spiders waiting but not aggressive. We close that to avoid them for now.
Moving around the corridor, we enter another room. Large with mosaics on the walls and floor. An altar stands in the north east side. Sleeping in a corner is an old man in rags and what appears to be old armor. We wake him and he says his name is Lankious and has been searching for his friend, Guvrel who was taken by Kay. He mutters a number of things and appears to be rather mad. He also has a necklace of rotting vegetables that he says protects him.
We search the altar and find a token, which Lankious thinks he remembers, and a pouch of rubies. As it was getting late, we decided to head back to the inn for the day and account for what we found.
Adventure ends. Saving game.
Gold & XP: 1315 gp total. 939 xp each.
Special or Magic Items:
5 Arcanum fistfulls – Magic
Diamond Chip – 50gp
Silver Chalice – 50gp
Rubies (20) – 50gp each (1000gp)
Marble Left Leg – about same size (100gp)
Locket / Token – Magic
Red Liquid – Magic
Ankh Key – Magic (100gp)
Chain Mail (sold)
Written by: Saracor