Session 70: A Pilgrimage, Part 2

 Session 70: A Pilgrimage, Part 2

5/6/24-5/17/24, rest 5/18, active 5/19

PC: Gwendolyn, Alex, Legany, Aldric

Hench: Madrof, Mahin, Amadayo, Godfrey, Steve

#ACKS

Continuing from last session at the entrance of a dark stairwell, the group formed up and descended. They found a very large room with intricate latticework walls of varied nature scenes. There were also large contraptions with big discs suspended from them. Eventually, Gwendolyn would learn through Loremastery that Laras Crofticus told tales of other devices like this that used smoke, sun, and other environmental factors to open secret passages or reveal treasure.

Having played a video game or two, the players quickly solved the puzzle, angling various mirrors to receive light and dissolving the northern wall of the chamber. They had to kill a spider and narrowly avoided combat with a stone giant statue during the solving, but otherwise it was pretty simple.

The northern wall of the room beyond was a very wide window into another place, a dark, elder forest. This scene shifted to a pastoral prairie when the party entered the room, clearly indicating magic of some kind. Two of the four columns were unbroken, depicting stylized versions of bears on their hind quarters. There was a dry pool in the center of the room with a large altar at one end.

Aldric immediately advanced and touched the magical scene on the wall. I knew the wall was a one-way portal but all these questions popped up. 2d6 determined that he was sucked into the scene and deposited thousands(?) of miles to the west. When they tossed a rope to him to pull him back another 2d6 determined that it was sheared off when they held one end. Aldric’s player immediately began rolling another PC.

Meanwhile, Legany and Godfrey inspected the altar devoted to Ehlonna, the goddess of woodland creatures and nature and such. Godfrey was a Crusader that followed Ehlonna, but Legany was not, and he triggered a defensive trap that animated the bears on the columns. Amadayo was nearly killed in one brutal attack routine, but otherwise the party defeated the creatures and carried on.

Glyphs in a language no one could read but were illuminated by Godfrey’s faith revealed that the portal on the wall was a one-way teleportation to scenes of natural significance to the Oerth. They also revealed that a significant sacrifice on the altar would allow the supplicant to shave years off of their life. This was a big find indeed and the target of their mission.

The group chilled until Redcorn’s troops arrived to secure the area, then bailed, traveling to Millon to get paid and then on to Bellport where they paid big money to get Aldric recovered through magic. The last stop was Tyring’s northern holding of Arete to position themselves for the Crimson Masquerade and the Trials of the Scourge, hosted by Halifax of Hextor, Lord Eros Tyring’s right hand man. The rest of the session the players did some admin work on Team B.