Game Session Nineteen

Game session Nineteen: Saturday July 27, 2002

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The game session started the morning of Goodmonth 16, 3080 YE. With the party safely resting in Greenswabs.

There was a lot of time spent dividing up booty and running around town spending all their gains. Several party members got new magic weapons and armor to replace their existing stuff. Along with buying some various magic items the party stocked up on potions.

Discussion next turned to what to do next. The group had heard rumors about the fabled Dungeon of Graves, Rappan Athuk, which was said to lie just inside the Mistwall at the Valley of the Ancients. They luckily found someone willing to sell them a map to the Dungeon. After scouting about for as much information as they could about this place they started off, following the banks of the River of the Ancients towards the Mistwall. There was a track that they were planning on following at least to Fransk.

The first night on the trail they stopped at the Robin's Breast Inn, a well fortified Inn along the trail to Fransk. Spending the night at the Inn they quizzed the tavern folk, and what few merchants that were there, about the road ahead. They were told that there has been bandit activity lately and that the folk of Fransk were hard folk and not to be trusted, most trade with Fransk was in furs and skins of animals that the people of Fransk trapped in the Dark Crag Marshes. About Rappan Athuk and the Valley of the Ancients they heard nothing more than they already had known.

In the morning they were up early and headed off, reaching a great stone bridge that crossed the Olokon River near evening. There they met up with a small merchant train that was headed to Fransk. This bridge was obviously of dwarven make and it's ends stretched well beyond the banks of the river, spanning the marshy area where the river pooled before entering the vast River of the Ancients. After spending the night in a small shelter near the bridge they took off the next morning hanging with the small merchant.

At midday the merchant took a side trail to a small hamlet, called Waycombe, and the party went on towards Fransk alone.

Arriving at Fransk near nightfall, they saw a large wooden bridge that crossed the Dark Crag River. In stark contrast to the great stone bridge they crossed the day before, this bridge was ill maintained and the Dark Crag River was dark, sluggish and smelled of swamp and decay. Beyond the bridge stood the village of Fransk.

Fransk was surrounded by a tall wooden palisade wall, and they could see a single stout wooden gate. As it was near dark the gate was shut tight. Banging on the door, Rhino demanded entrance. A small window opened and a gruff, seedy looking man told them it was 5 sp each to enter. After having Moss pay the man they entered the town. The scruffy gate guard told them that the best place to stay was the Skinned Cat Inn, and to tell them that Bodo sent them.

Entering the Skinned Cat, they could see that this was not the quality of Inn they were used to. Most of the clients seemed to be either trappers or lowlifes. Rhino tried to ask around about bandit activity in the area and got a very cold shoulder from everyone. They had better luck when asking about Rappan Athuk, the Innkeeper told them all they had to do was head towards the Mistwall along the River of the Ancients, and follow the signs. Rhino expressed surprise at that fact there were signs pointing to the Dungeon, but the Innkeeper assured him it was so.

The next morning, after spending a night crammed into a too small room, the party stared off. This close to the Mistwall, the morning sun did not show until almost noon. It was near noon that the adventurers, following a little used track alongside the rocky banks of the River of the Ancients, came to the Mistwall. Towering over a mile high above them, the black mist of the Mistwall finally lay before them. At the Mistwall the faint trail they had been following turned northward at an old weathered sign that read "Rappan Athuk" with an arrow pointing northward. Seeing no reason not to, the party followed the sign along the edge of the Mistwall.

Just a few miles further north they came up to the edge of the Dark Crag Marsh and another sign to Rappan Athuk, this time pointing directly into the Mistwall. Now the map they had bought in Greenswabs showed Rappan Athuk to be several miles further north on the other side of the Mistwall. Rhino argued for trudging through the marshes until they were closer to where the map showed the Dungeon before entering the Mistwall, everyone else wanted to just enter the mist here at the road sign. After much discussion, and worry about entering the mists, the group entered the Mistwall. Inside the Mistwall it was near total darkness, as the swirling black mist seemed to suck up light. After about 100 paces the came to the other side of the Mistwall and stepped for the first time into the shadowy lands of the Valley of the Ancients under the Mistwall.

Under the Mistwall, what had been a sunny noonday light turned into shadowy twilight. Little light shown through from the black mist over a mile overhead. Even the vegetation under the Mistwall was a deep dark green, adding to the dimness. Seeing no signs on this side, the party started heading slowly north towards where their map showed Rappan Athuk.

As night approached the party made camp. They decided to have no fire, even though the light turned to total blackness as the sun went down. During the darkness of first watch, with the humans Rhino and Cebo on guard, they were surprised by a strange beast that spit a stream of acid at the watching figures. Yelling a warning Rhino and Cebo attacked. As the engaged the beast the rest of the party struggled awake. Flairian released a charge from his new fireball wand, narrowly missing the engaged fighters. As the rest of the party got to their feet the beast was quickly dispatched.

After a restless night they awoke to dim twilight as the sun rose above the Mistwall. The followed their map onward to the Dungeon of Graves. As they came over a hill they could see a great depression in the form of a cross before them. Rather than towering above ground, the graves have settled into depressions, and the main mausoleum, a building of strange green stone, rested in the deepest depression, some 40 feet below the ground. The cross shaped depression was dotted with old grave markers, including two other, smaller, mausoleums of green stone. Opposite the largest mausoleum they could see what appeared to be a large stone well. There were no gravestones near the well.

They approached one of the smaller mausoleums and looked it over. The building was devoid of features and had a locked iron door. Rhino decided to try his luck at unlocking it and managed to get lucky, unlocking it in no time at all. Inside was numerous stone sarcophagi, all destroyed and stripped of ornaments. They could see where decorative trim had been peeled away from sarcophagi. After a quick look around they decided to see what was in the main mausoleum.

As they approached the depression that held the large building, they could see carved steps that led downward to a set of large iron doors. The huge stone building had it's outer side carved with a grisly bas-relief of demons, devils and other creatures of the underworld. Hundreds of skulls had been carved into the outer stone. The building was fully 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. Ringing the top of the building were numerous demonic statues made of the same strange gemstone as the building.

Rhino figuring he could open any lock after his earlier success, approached the ornately worked iron doors. After several attempts he finally gave up trying to unlock them, Ulfgar (the only other with the skill) also tried and failed.

Looking around on top Flairian noticed a large tombstone of a dwarf with footprints about it. The life-sized statue was atop a 4 ft x 4ft stone block. Dwarven runes adorning the front of the pedestal read "Blessed is he who spares these stones / And cursed be the man who moves my bones". Searching about the statue they found a secret compartment in it's base. Inside was a large iron key. Figuring that the key would open the lock Rhino took it and the party moved back towards the mausoleum.

With the rest of the party waiting atop the stairs, Rhino approached the huge iron doors with the key. As he started down the stairs four of the many stone gargoyles atop the wall launched themselves at the party. What followed next was a furious fight. Rhino tried to quickly get the huge iron doors unlocked and open as the rest of the party tried to rush down the stairs while under attack. During the fight both Flairian and Moss were magically held by the touch of the gargoyles claws. Flairian was also rendered unconscious during the fight. Rhino bravely was pulling the stiff bodies of his friends through the open doors as Cebo fought off, and managed to finally kill the gargoyles (with Rhino's help). After digging out the gemstone eyes of the gargoyles and distributing them , the party finally managed to get everyone inside and the door shut.

Now that they were all inside they managed to get a good look at the inside of the mausoleum. The mausoleum was filled with damp, musty air. Dust covered the barren stone room. Several broken and crushed weapons littered the floor along with the butt-ends of several spent torches. The room's sole feature was a large stone sarcophagus, on top of which were two black candelabras, each of which held a black burning candle. While looking about this evil setting, they quickly downed potions and cast cure spells, trying to get people as healthy as possible.

The game ended here on Goodmonth 28, 3080 YE. With the party inside the mausoleum in Rappan Athuk.
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Current character health/status
Cebo 44 of 85 hit points
Moss 40 of 54 hit points
Flairian 31 of 45 hit points
Rhino 39 of 49 hit points
Ulfgar 36 of 46 hit points

Unanswered Questions:

• Well, you have finally found Rappan Athuk, the Dungeon of Graves. You still haven't found anyway down and have used up most of your healing potions/spells. Remember that you still have to *get out* of both Rappan Athuk and under the Mistwall
• You have a broken wand that you have yet to identify. Ulfgar detected magic as strong as any magic he had ever seen before on it. What is it? What does it do? It is obviously broken, what/where are the other pieces?
• What are you planning on doing next?

Session Nineteen Experience

Page Last Updated Tuesday, September 24, 2002