OSRealms -- Session 102
Session map
The grinding noise came from the two statues in the hallway. An expected they had animated.
As we heard their footsteps stomping towards us, I gave Morin my large sacks and a torch,
telling her to stuff anything valuable from the secret room into the sacks as
fast as she could while u-Heury and I tried to deal with the statues. u-Heury
set himself up by the door, planning to hold it closed as long as possible.
That would buy me some time to try other things. The most obvious, just closing
the secret door, did not work. Carefully
reviewing my instruction on Denara’s blessing of Hold Person suggested that
living iron statues
would not count as people. I expressed a certain doubt as to whether non-magical weapons
could even damage such creatures, but was interrupted by a smash as the door
broke down.
OSRealms -- Session 101
Session map
The last two rats fell or fled as we tore apart their nest, finding a few gold
coins in the process, but with that Denara’s blessing faded away. We deferred
searching the rest of the nest immediately, though we did make an effort to
block the hole to the outside to prevent (or at least delay) reentry.
We chose to investigate the secret door in the back of the chamber. Turning the
brazier affixed to the wall did nothing, but Ygnas stuffed it with cloth and
lit it; this allowed a firm push to open the door itself, leading to a small
chamber with an obvious trapdoor. We set that aside for the moment and focused
on opening the coffer.
OSRealms -- Session 78
Session map
Our testing of the valve configurations proved fruitful. We rapidly discovered that turning both valves to the right (east) raised the porticullis leading to the shrine, which is located just south of the valve room, and turning the left valve up and the right valve right raises a dam that allows the shrine to drain. Within the shrine of a statue, along with writing.
If a hero you would be and see my foe’s filth, vermin and plague destroyed, grant me a weapon and I will grant you the means to see it through.
OSRealms -- Session 77
Session map
Rowen opened the east door, but it was empty this time. At least empty of wererats. It did have some kind of sewage channel, and evidence that filthy creatures had camped there until recently. After a quick search we moved to the south door. This one was also empty of rats, but did have a closet, a staircase leaeding to the surface, and some creepy construction methods that made the moaning noises we had noted previously when the wind blew. The final door to the north led to a larger room, containing a pool of sewer water and a giant snapping turtle. Just one, not four, and no ninja rats. The turtle talked, and in fact had a lot to say.
OSRealms -- Session 76
Session map
I had a plan. It was a good plan.
We would hire a group of mercenaries. Two groups, really. All of them would be armed with missile weapons. One group would take the new entrance into the sewers, and set up on the west side of the pool room where a small platform offered space for three or four archers or slingers. The other group would take the canoes to the east side of the pool room, where a larger platform could support up to six. It’s not entirely clear, but the map suggests the pool itself is about 50 feet across. Even slings have a range of about that much. If we have lanterns on both sides, both groups of mercenaries can fire on the creature whichever group it chooses to attack. When it gets within melee range of either group, they can retreat, forcing it to either leave the water to follow or attack the other group. I suspect it can’t leave the water at all, and we can safely run the creature from one side to the other while slowly whittling it down to size.
OSRealms -- Session 75
Session map
We put together a small group to explore the sewers, looking for the missing children. I engaged two bodyguards, Stria brought herself and her two favorite daggers as usual, and u-Heury recruited the young Thomas, a street urchin and apparently the first member of the Ice Skulls, a new tribe of urban barbarians. I’m looking forward to watching u-Huery explain this to his ancestors or shamans or foster fathers or whoever is theoretically in charge of him.
OSRealms -- Session 61
Through rain, through mist, through flood and foul weather, we finally made our way to Threshold. U-heary and I camped outside while Stria went to find Basil, and we arranged to meet at the gate in case the guards had awkward questions about our exotic zoo animal. They did, but after taking our names (I gave my real name, and my companions did not) and paying taxes, they let the creature into the city and into Basil’s hands. I was very careful to describe it only as an exotic beast, so I was completely truthful. If the guards wrote down that we brought in a panther, well, that’s not on me. And if a gibbering mouther escapes into the sewers, I won’t be blamed, because I brought in a panther according to the official records. Bureaucracy is a wonderful thing when you know how to use it.
OSRealms -- Session 60
Session map
With the gibbering mouther not where we had expected it, and not visible in the darkness, I had to retreat without attempting to neutralize it’s magical powers. Luckily not all of our group had fallen to the creature’s unholy powers. I hurried back towards the group, swapping places with u-Heury. While the brave boy held off the creature, I called upon Denara, and silenced it’s gibbering. The creature failed to resist. Our first step was complete.
OSRealms -- Session 59
Session map
I spent most of the last year in a sanitorium. They thought my obsession with black sand was unhealthy. Fools. They only taught me to shut up about it. I see a bright new future in carbon trading! By regulating the burning of fuel, the church can tax absolutely everything! Transportation, farming, even lighting your home at night! Ahem. Where was I?
After they let me out, I took a role with the church running a small gambling operation in partnership with the temple of Crom. The deal was simple: Crom runs the fights, I hold the bets and set the odds. I did very well for myself. The rest of the group split up to tend to their various activities and industries. We agreed to meet in Eastdale after I retrieved the device intended to trap the gibbering mouther. (And what a pain that was – it required the whole wagon, when the roads could even support a wagon, and once we left the roads for the forest we were reduced to a rope sling between two mules and a LOT of porters.)
OSRealms -- Session 58
Before we could use the entrance we found, a crazed halfling called to us from the other side of the moat wanting a boat ride. We brought him over to the island once we realized it was Sanfire, a fellow member of the Glorious Blades And Hammer. We descended into the area below the floating tower.
Within, a large room with several wall sconces holding candles on top of skull pyramids. The large room had smaller rooms off to one side, and a floor covered with black sand that seemed to be magically (?) drawn into pits. One of the rooms had similar sconces holding skeletal men in fetal position. One of them seemed to still live, asking for water, but was not helped when he got it. Then, a sigil of some kind flashed, and he returned to the fetal position and said no more.
