NB: In this session the players experienced the Black Shuck and ventured through Xanadu
In the previous session the characters:
- Battled through the Goblin Grinder.
- Defeated The Bastard, the goblin in charge of the Grinder.
- Activated the Grinder to birth two new goblin comrades; Gobbo and Giblon.
- Were killed – Kvetin, Runt.
The characters are:
Urm: a wise herbalist proficient with hermitage and potion brewing. Tows a cart behind and searches for increasingly rare ingredients to make increasingly rare potions
Gritter: a backstabbing thief, looking for found family (but will never admit it). All the jewels and wealth of the world lie on the surface. This is what Gritter wants.
Vagal: a fallen noble who seeks the wealth an coin hidden through the world. Once had a squire and the family sword – an heirloom – now both are dead and broken.
The group trudges down the winding road through the dark forest. Whispers of evil creatures float through the falling leaves as the water rises to lap at their knees. Soon all will be underwater.
The two fresh goblins, Gobbo and Giblon pull the cart through the sloshing water. Together they walk for hours until the silhouette of the Fallen City crests the ‘horizon’.
They approach and find it a broken and gloomy place. The towers are gothic and loom over the mossy, cobbled streets. Stone houses are squashed together in such a manner that it seems like that have been squeezed by a giant’s hand.
There are only three sources of light the can be seen from the entrance. To the right, nearby, is a church, windowless with one door at the entrance, open. Handfuls of twisted humans stagger inside. Their bodies are contorted and snapped, pulled apart only to have been glued back together by black-magic. Ropes and climbing apparatus hang around their bodies, dragging on their flesh. They have empty eyes utter no words.
Down the left, far away, is the second source. A vine-covered facade hides a stone entrance. The stone is flat and a fading image of men offering themselves to the sun rests on its surface. Standing at the entrance is a figure, perplexed. Straight ahead, lies the third source of light. Down the end of the city is the towering Old Palace, home to the gilgamesh, the rotten creature that rules this city. Only once defeated does he allow passage beyond.
The sky cracks and blinding lightning illuminates the street. For Urm, Gritter and Vagal this is the brightest light they’ve ever seen. It is followed by a thunderous tear and a torrential downpour. Urm, Gritter and Vagal tuck the cart in an alleyway and enter the church.
Inside incense burns, a smell of esoterica washes over them. The gnarled humans gather on their pews as a priest takes place on they dais which holds the lectern. He sees Urm, Gritter and Vagal and urges them to close the door. The church is the only refuge from the Black Shuck! The group mishear him and after asking him to repeat himself they notice that he has no teeth. In the coming minutes they further perceive the church and its inhabitants they see they are all likewise toothless.
The group takes a seat on a pew as the priest reassures everyone that the church door is locked. Booming thunder shakes the church and the priest begins his sermon. The church is quiet and all eyes are affixed forwards.
There are minutes of silence bar the priests chanting and the lashing rain until a bolt of lightning ruptures the ceiling and strikes the priest dead. He is ruptured into flame and ash. The door explodes open and standing at the door is a over-sized muscular beast-dog. Its canines drip with fresh blood and its red eyes dart across the room. The sky flashes behind it and it launches into a frenzy. It rips apart a church-goer with ease. The beast’s jaw cleaves through bone like it was paper and limbs are torn from bodies. Blood flies across the room and swirls with the knee-high water.
Urm, Gritter and Vagal flee.
They leap atop the pews and make for the door. As they do Gritter calls upon the powers of the storm and holds his dagger to the sky. A bolt seeks true and jumps to his outstretched metal. The power courses into him and he attempts to discharge it but it backfires with a puff of energy he is washed over by dizziness. Together, they reach the church door and duck past the Black Shuck, but not before is spins and tears Gobbo in two.
The group hurry into the rain and see the figure that was examining the vine-covered facade rushing towards them. Cautious, they keep their weapons draw and fan out.
Out of the darkness come a well-equipped woman. She wears deep blue robes and a pointed hat, covered in little yellow stars. Clipped around her belt are various tomes, a xinthiaci laser-rifle is slung over her right shoulder and a sack over her left. She claims that she seeks no harm and gestures to one of the terraces homes, explaining that they will find salvation within.
Gritter hurls Death’s Horseshoe at the wizard but it bounces off a glimmering shield that appears before her. Luckily the wizard is kind and continues to offer salvation.
Urm flashes his eyes back to the church and see the Black Shuck drag a body outside and slam it against a wall before ripping it to shreds.
The group agrees to follow the wizard.
She hurries over to a house and pushes open the door. Urm, Gritter and Vagal scuttle inside, out of the rain and she follows. The house is abandoned and the wizard leads them upstairs. There she stars a small fire and takes off her hat so that it can dry. She unclips her tomes and lays the laser-rifle beside the fire. Gritter eyes the rifle – it would make a nice addition to his collection.
Her name is Zostrum and she hails from the town of Avgruund, south of here. There is only so much of magic that one can learn in such a small tower and so she sought the city, Prostejevic, not knowing it had fallen to a gilgamesh and had been abandoned. Now she seeks Suir Tormond of Tambor in the hopes that he can teach her further. Although he is just a lord she hopes that there is a magic-user in his employ or an ancient library housing such knowledge.
Since the goals of the group and Zostrum align, they agree to assist each other. Zostrum offers each of the group an item from her sack, the nature of which is magical and is known to produce a random effect. Vagal goes first and produces a small stone, which when placed under the tongue produces a harmless green gas. Urm produces a small clay ball, which forms a random shape when hidden from supervision. Finally Gritter produces a small pebble which transforms into whatever inorganic substance it last touched – currently burlap. Dismayed with his arcane oddity Gritter offers to trade. Zostrum accepts – two items from the sack in exchange with Death’s Horseshoe. They both agree and the trade is performed. Gritter produces a fist-sized bag of exploding pellets and a stick of charcoal that magically translates any written word into a language you speak.
Once done Zostrum explains that she has been here a few days and knows of only one way by which to travel beyond Prostejevic. Behind the city is The Schism, a never-ending drop into the eternal dark the reaches as far as the eye can see in both directions – Prostejevic is perched atop a cliff. Only the Old Lord’s Bridge stretches across it. There is a problem, however. The bridge is accessible only through a secret passageway under the gilgamesh’s throne in the Old Palace. Fools amongst men would dare to take on the gilgamesh in battle, and whilst it is possible to defeat, it would be overly-difficult.
Zostrum lays out two options. The priest of the church held on his person a magic mirror, that when exposed to a specific set of perfect conditions opened a portal to The Three Mirror Realms – a dangerous place – but across which lies the Horde of Zmaja, house of a tired, yet ancient dragon which guards wealth beyond compare. Wealth that transcends mere currency. Magic items from ages forgot lie within the coins. In the horde there would be items by which the battle with the gilgamesh could be made trivial. Alternatively, the Cult of the Sun has been abandoned for some time and rumours claim there is one of Nechubrel’s bells within. Tolling it in the presence of the gilgamesh would drive him mad and allow the group to pass with ease. Of course, tolling such a bell would bring forth a doom on the world; the 6th of 7. Whilst easier, a dangerous ploy. A ploy made more dangerous by the Tooth Fairy. Zostrum highlights that the group may have noticed that no city-folk possess teeth. The Tooth Fairy has taken residence in the old Cult of the Sun building and to celebrate has become overactive in her duties. It would be a deadly encounter should they not be able to flee her.
The group decides to get some rest and decide in the morning. They wake to silence. No bell tolled overnight and Zostrum packs her things. The group prepares and together they set out towards the Cult of the Sun.
The water is higher now, roiling above the knee. When the group arrived the rain has halted somewhat. The entrance to the Cult of the sun is a swirling portal of orange and black. Zostrum assures the group that it’s safe and steps through. The group follows and they emerge in a large stone room, lit by ambient green light. There is a crunch and one mundane item in their packs breaks forever. The items are of little consequence.
As they look around they see glowing lanterns that hang in the air like floating brains. Drooping down are long tendrils, each with sharp thorns at the end. The lanterns slowly approach the group, swelling gently as they do. Zostrum pulls out a map and hands it to the group. Examining it, they decide to head south, towards what looks like a large private chamber. They strike out, keeping a safe distance from the lanterns.
A door beacons and Gritter opens it. Inside is a lush, overflowing tropical garden. Thousands of butterflies swamp the air, the walls are crusted with mud splashed upwards. The smell of spring dances through the air. On the southern end of the room is an altar, atop which a palm-sized idol carved from alexandrite that depicts a faceless female, pregnant but with a ruptured belly. Out of the stomach emerges wings. Gritter, unable to resist the temptation advances into the room quickly and snatches the idol from the altar. His yellow-teethed smile reflects in the polished stone. Behind him daggered vines peel off the wall and rise from the ground, arcing like a snake ready to strike.
Urm and Vagal see this and shout a warning. It’s too late. The vines lash out at Gritter. He dodges and runs to the exit. As he does Zostrum unleashes a series of laser blasts at the vines. The blasts rend the vines inert, catching them alight in a flash of purple flame. Though she doesn’t fire quick enough. As Urm and Vagal help Gritter through the door three vines shoot out and grab Zostrum. She’s slammed against the ground and dragged towards the altar. The xinthiaci laser rifle tumbles from her hands and lands equidistantly between her and Gritter. It spins as though inviting theft.
Gritter’s eyes lock on the rifle for a moment but a spark of heroism overtakes him. Urm and Vagal take each other’s hand and flee as vines continue to encroach. Gritter lungs forwards and draws his dagger from his belt. Summoning the power of Nine Violet Signs Unknot the Storm two lightning bolts crack forth from his dagger. They strike true and two of the vines shrivel. He grabs Zostrum and slashes at the third, severing it’s connection. Together they hobble out of the room. Zostrum snatches up the rifle on the way out.
They slam the door shut and make a quick vow to never return. Zostrum thanks Gritter for his help and offers him the rifle for saving her life. Gritter happily accepts.
Meanwhile Urm and Vagal have found another path to the southern room. They lead the way. As they approach they pass what looks like once a grand bathhouse room. Now it is overflowing with putrid water covered in pulpy scum. Scratches cover the walls and the rank water continuously bubbles though no heat is exuding the pool. The group continues on.
The arrive an an antechamber where the floor is covered in blue moss. With deft movements, they step around it and arrive at the private chambers, now revealed to be some kind of art studio. Paintings cover the walls but in the centre of the room an incomplete landscape sits atop an easel. The painting shows a magical portal with a cadre of people walking through, all with their arms raised to the sun. The group find a wooden box and pry it open to find a Ring of Influence.
From the current location to the east they find a small bedchamber. It is well enough appointed and clearly been used recently but nothing as grand as they expected. To the west Urm finds a crack in the wall. Together, the group plans to hack it open. Vagal tries first and realises that the wall is fleshy and pliable. She pushes both side of the crack apart and they tear open like a plastic bag rips. She sees a small, dark room. The dark is as though welt felt as been pulled over he eyes. Whilst she doesn’t see, she hears and feels. A warm breath, old, feral and rancid stagnates the room. She pulls back and the crack snaps shut. There is a dull moan from the otherside that, over the course of a minute, rises to a crescendo of pained screams. The wall explodes outwards as a gaunt, yet muscular man tumbles out. He glares at the group and it is instantly clear that whatever humanity remains has been quashed. His face has all the elements of a human face, but wrong. Where eyes once rested are two hollow cavities, perfectly circular, below which a perfectly circular mouth rests agape. A crusted tongue covered in boils and blisters reaches from the mouth to the creatures knees.
It raises its face to the group and screams a guttural roar of pain. Urm shouts at the group to run and they do. Gritter finds bravery once more and fires a shot with his new xinthiaci laser rifle. The rifle jams and explodes in his hands. He too flees albeit a good ten paces behind everyone else.
The group sprints north as the creature, which Zostrum claims is ‘The Filth’, stumbles after them, its long arms dragging across the ground.
They duck into a room and slam shut the door. Gritter and Zostrum push up against the inside door whilst Urm and Vagal glance around. Statues sit in each corner surrounding a silver bowl holding a few bloody teeth. An ornate tapestry fills the eastern wall, showing a 6foot tall winged figure descending from the sun surrounded by rings of teeth. The entire room smells like gums and mint.
The door cracks as thunderous strength is applied from outside. The Filth is here. There is no other way out of the room. Gritter and Zostrum back peddle and prepare to attack. The door bursts inwards and The Filth shrieks. Gritter flings his exploding pellets at the horror and in a shower of sparks the group splits past and legs it northward, back towards the exit.
Zostrum shouts that they still need the bell to defeat the gilgamesh. Urm, Vagal, Gritter and Zostrum tumble into another room and slam shut the door. Is the bell worth getting if they all die getting it? They’re in a library. In the centre of the room is a pressure plate with an arrow pointing towards the door engraved atop it. At once the group has an idea.
They wait.
The door rattles and after a few more shudderings splinters to reveal The Filth. It screams. Urm, Vagal and Gritter slam their feet on the pressure plate. A stream of fire pours from the ceiling, engulfing The Filth. Its shrieks intensify and it charges.
It swings widly, clearing in pain and as its flesh melts from the searing flame the outline of bell in its chest becomes clear. The group attack together with all the ferocity they can muster. The Filth strikes back but not hard enough to send anyone to the grave. After a series of quick, well placed strikes it falls, melting away and revealing Nechubrel’s Bell. The group snatches it and flees.
Together they spill back through the portal, another mundane item breaks and they fall back onto the dark streets of Prostejevic in a tumbling mess.
The storm rages.
Zostrum hurries them inside an abandoned townhouse lest another evil cadre of creatures descend upon them. Urm, Vagal and Gritter prepare for rest, knowing the huge undertaking that stands before them. Tomorrow their assault on the Old Palace begins, and if all goes to plan the gilgamesh will be sent mad and the path to the Sunned Realms will become clear.
In the dark of the underground night a flash of lightning illuminates the Old Palace, atop the city of Protejevic as though reaching over it, looking down across all those living below. Zostrum pulls the blind down over the rain-washed window. Enough of that place will be seen tomorrow.
Will they wake to find another doom conferred on the world? Find out next time in…
~ Lair of the Gilgamesh ~
DEATHS: N/A
LEVEL UPS: Urm, Vagal, Gritter
NEW CHARACTERS: N/A
GRUNGE DUNGEON 