14 Eleasis 2993

It’s cloudy and windy at 6am as Fenpenny Copperleaf, Axle, Huzzah!, and Grexes head out of Gosterwick, past the ruined watchtower, and up along the Long Stair. Traveling at a comfortable pace the group is able to reach the top of the plateau at 9:30 and make their way cautiously towards the Sign of the Broken Head on the other side of Arden Vul.

As they reach the towers marking the city limits, a figure appears in one of the ruined towers and calls down. It’s Ephelred, a guard employed by the inn, and his colleague Jimson. After a brief conversation, Fen offers the group’s thanks in the form of a drink at the inn when Ephelred gets done with his shift, a token readily accepted.

At the inn, the group encounters Kronos Kettle-Belly and Estelle. Based purely on his accent, Kronos appears to be Thorcin, whereas Estelle is Archontean – and a cleric of Lucreon at that. The group lets a room for the night and, while making idle talk, learns:

• Craastonistorex can usually be found in the southwest tower along the cliff’s edge.
• More typical dangers that the guards watch for include a variety of giant creatures (wasps, etc.) and beastmen.
• When asked, Estelle hadn’t considered the possibility that Kerbog Khan could be related to either of the latter, but she had heard the legends of the Forge of Zhorak

Eager to find out about the graffiti they’d read about in the previous tenday’s Gosterwick Gazette, the party heads to the Pyramid of Thoth. After opening the top entrance in the way prescribed by the outside steps, they descend the rough granite block staircase, its well-worn path leading past walls that had once been plastered.

After about 50 feet the group encounters a first small room, about 25 foot square. The walls are covered in graffiti, and everywhere takes time to see if there’s anything of note or of use.

• Pornographic drawings
• Biped with huge thighs and amphibian heads
• “The rooms below belong to Dalton.”
• “Roger the Rapier would kick Dalton’s ass in a fight.”
• “Gregor was brave but the dust took him.”
• “I hate halflings…” (written in Thorcin)
• “Dear Jotin, ‘ware the fungal forest and the crazy priest who rules it.”
• “I told Robin not to touch the eyes, now his picks are mine.” – a reference to the statue atop the pyramid?
• “Plumthorn rules these halls! Obey him!” – written at halfling height
• “The Darlings were here, hide your loved ones!”
• “Hugo, I found the obsidian gates – Gog helped me!”
• “Set is waiting and watching!”
• “Watch your back near the well of light, Niko. Those damn monkeys got Freb.”
• “The goblins hate the beastmen more than we do!”
• “KK is watching all the time – don’t trust the dragon flies.” – could this be a reference to Kerbog Khan?

Fifty feet further down the stairs the group finds another room, this time 20 feet square with 10 foot ceilings illuminated by the continual light spell.

The party descends another 350 feet, arriving around noon at a large, 70’ x 70’ room, 30’ tall, lit by 3 torches, with a 15’ tall Ibis-headed Thoth statue in the center of the room standing atop a 3ft pedestal. Facing north, a passage continues out of the room directly opposite the entrance via which the party arrived. Two passages lead west, another each. On the north and south walls are doors in each corner of the room. There is dust and debris everywhere, but clear paths leading to the northwest passage, the north passage, the east passage, and the southeast door.

Just then, six halflings enter via the northwest passage, led by a woman with viking-like braids. She introduces herself as Rakelly Winterleaf and demands payment to enter the Halls via this room: 25gp plus 10% of loot, with a reduced rate of 10gp plus 10% in the future. Fen correctly works out that these halflings work for Plumthorn and diplomatically tests the legitimacy of the demand, but all signs indicate that, at least for the time being, the halflings do control this entrance.

Rather than immediately part with more of what little coin they have, the party regroups atop the pyramid. After some discussion, they discover that raising the statue’s arms straight up reveals a second staircase. These stairs are obviously less well traveled but also not fully unknown, as evidenced by the bodies on the stairs and at the landings. The stairs are also different in that after the first few steps the risers depict animals, the first of which is a scorpion labeled “safety.”

These stairs are also different in that there is no way to open the slab from them. Despite Axel’s efforts, the attachment of a handle to this slide of the slab does nothing to help, and its only thanks to Huzzah! waiting topside that the group is able to open the slab again. Huzzah! waits topside some more while the group explores further down the stairs in search of some means of opening the slab from below, lest a longer excursion below bring the group to the same fate as the bodies they discover.

Graffiti in the room at the stair’s first landing provides some clues, but few answers:

• “Frumiosus ever not green!” (In Thorcin)
• “We’re doomed unless we find the scorpion.”
• “Durko fell here, we hope he won’t join the dead ones.” (In Dwarvish)
• “Durko was lucky, but we are not, we waited too long and now the way is blocked.” (Also Dwarvish.)
• “Jerin was taken by the last onslaught.”
• “The lid is closed and we cannot open it…”
• “KK sees all. The dragonflies are everywhere.”
• “Ha! So long, suckers! The tail is the way out!”

The next landing is 10’x10’ with hastily painted scorpion graffiti. But when the dead begin to arise, the group heads back to the surface and brings the loot taken from the bodies back to the inn to sell to the traveling peddler they encountered there.

Later the same day, Vincent arrives at the Sign of the Broken Head along with the latest member of the Reconstituted 3rd Cohort – Tippletoe Tarkelby! While the others rest, Fen and Grexes head out with Vincent and Tippletoe to reconnoiter more of the lost city.

They start by heading back to the Forum and the tree Vincent provoked the previous ten-day. Despite Vincent’s best efforts, the tree remains silent, but eventually Fen is able to wake the sentient tree who introduces itself as Tuftwillig. Tuftwillig arrived in the city after its destruction but before the (original) 3rd Cohort arrived. As Tuftwillig recalls, the 3rd Cohort was wiped out during an assault on the troll thegn’s court. Tuftwillig also mentions the “Cave of Blood” as well as the baboons in the east by “a well.” (the Well of Light?)

Tuftwillig further indicates that the tower on the eastern side of the plaza could have an entrance to the Halls of Arden Vul below, so the group turns their attention there. The 40’ x 40’ tower is about 45’ tall, with no windows save for the top 10’. Large, locked bronze doors with symbols of Thoth prevent entry, but Grexes easily scales the tower and drops a rope to his fellow party members.

The windows here are 8ft wide, and the top roof appears to originally be of red tile. Two narrow staircases descend into magical darkness. In the center stands a massive 8ft tall Ibis-headed statue of Thoth with silver eyes (18”). It appears able to rotate. Grexes also discovers three recent human corpses, all having died with a visage of terror and appearing drained. They appear to be dressed similarly to the guards employed by the inn. In addition to other loot, one is in possession of a Letter from Uriel Basileon to Kel Bormol. The party brings the loot back to the inn before continuing investigation.

Vincent throws the bodies down into the magical darkness to judge the distance down and test their strength. Howls sound from below, ravenous and hungry, and begin to come closer. The party scrambles down from the tower, but even as they do they notice the sound stops coming closer just within the magical darkness, then abates.

Deciding they had better leave the tower for another time, the party investigates the ruins of a compound that had been visible from the pyramid. They discover a chimney that appears to lead underground, but while they find loot strewn amongst the rubble – including a map that Tippletoe uncovers – they are unable to find the way below that they all know must be there somewhere.