Down Comes the Rain, Part 3 (Thursday, Kuthona (XII) 5th, 4707 AR)
Tsela walked along the dam's edge, where the rock along the edges was particularly slippery with algae and water. He fell off the south side to a rough tumble down the steeply sloped surface into the water far below. He survived and joined the others, after which they continued their exploration of Skull's Crossing.
Skull Tower. The two northern sets of double doors that lead into this structure looked like they had been repeatedly smashed and hastily put back together. The two sets of southern doors were intact and barred from the inside. The "windows" into the structure were in fact the eye sockets of the skull-shaped facade; they were 5 feet in diameter and 10 feet off the ground. The heroes flew or scrambled up to one of them, since entry through any of these windows was perhaps the simplest way into this tower.
Battlefield. Piles of rubble dominated this large room, along with bits of flesh, broken weapons, splashes of blood, and a few dead ogres that had been torn limb from limb. Wind and rain howled through circular openings to the north that looked out over the Storval Deep, and puddles of water had collected on the floor. Thick sheets of ropy green fungus grew along the walls, winding in through the windows and through numerous cracks in the domed ceiling thirty feet above; behind the fungal vines, the walls were decorated with hundreds of skull-shaped carvings.
All that remained in this room were four trolls. They'd taken the time to hide among the fungus hanging down along the walls, and they reacted to the heroes' intrusion with anger and shrieking wrath. The heroes killed them.
Skulltaker Dens. The walls of these rooms were thick with green ropy fungus that hung down over several windows, almost like curtains. Several large nests made of the stuff covered the floor. These rooms had been all but abandoned.
The heroes revealed a loose stone near the base of the southern wall in one of these rooms that hid a small cache of treasure. The cache consisted of a cracked emerald worth 400 gp, a bent gold comb that looked like a behir (with its legs comprising the comb's teeth) with tiny pearls for eyes worth 850 gp, and a pair of lacy pink gloves of swimming and climbing (that never grew dirty and always smelled faintly of lilacs).
Observation Deck. Three round windows in this room looked out over the southern view from Skull's Crossing. Additional skull carvings decorated the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. In the middle of the north wall stood massive stone double doors, their smooth surfaces smeared with graffiti written in dried blood.
Though unlocked, the double doors were exceptionally heavy, and their hinges were old and gritty. The heroes pushed to open them. The graffiti, written in Giant, read: "BELOW DWELLS WET PAPA GRAZUUL! ALL HAIL WET PAPA GRAZUUL!" Beyond the doors, a flight of stone steps led down into the darkness, descending 150 feet to the observation pool.
Storeroom. This room was nearly clogged with thick coils of the strange, vinelike fungal growths, transforming the chamber into a miniature jungle that reeked of damp mold and rot. Although all of this fungus was harmless, the thickness with which the stuff grew intrigued the heroes.
Collapsed Room. The southeastern section of this ancient room had collapsed away, leaving a treacherous-looking gap in the wall overlooking the lake far below.
Although the collapse looked dangerous, the room itself remained stable. This unofficial entrance to the tower could be used by flying heroes.
Observation Pool. This cold, damp room featured a large pool in the floor, the edges of which were caked with pale yellow slime and fungus. The surface of the pool bore a similar film. Additional carvings of skulls decorated the walls. To the south, an impressive mound of skulls - mostly from humanoids - lay heaped against the wall, where they partially blocked a large stone double door.
The film of algae on top of the pool of water was foul-smelling but harmless. The pool itself was 15 feet deep. Two submerged tunnels started from the bottom of this pool. The heroes cleared away the mound of hundreds of skulls to the south (a task that took them a few minutes to accomplish) before they could open the door to the infernal chamber.
This room was the lair of an aquatic troll. He remained in the water throughout the entire combat so he could continue to enjoy the effects of his regeneration; once the heroes sufficiently injured him, he dropped his trident and switched over to using his claws. He fought to the death.
Model Chamber. A pool of water sat against the wall to the west of this chamber, with a set of steps leading down into it along the pool's east side. Opposite the steps was an alcove in which rose a fantastically detailed scale model of Skull's Crossing. The five skulls along its face seemed to be actual human skulls, the bone polished to a gleaming sheen.
The scale model itself radiated strong magic. The heroes noticed a pale lavender ellipsoid ioun stone (capable of absorbing up to six more spell levels) wedged in a crack in the model of Skull's Crossing.
A remnant of the ancient past lingered on in this room - a lumbering, scorpionlike construct called a skull ripper. It lurched to life as soon as the heroes entered the room, and it gave the heroes a hard time.
Any hero who seemed to be making a move towards the scale model earned the full attention of the scorpionlike construct. The skull ripper fought until it was destroyed.
Infernal Chamber. This narrow chamber ended at two curved alcoves, one to the east and one to the west. Each alcove was enclosed by a dull iron portcullis. A winch next to each provided a way to raise or lower the gates. Beyond each portcullis a circle of runes glowed with a faint orange light on the floor. Inside the circle to the west was a pile of crimson ash, while inside the circle to the east was curled what appeared to be a long-dead devil, its flesh taut and dry on its bones.
The "dead" devil in the eastern magic circle was not actually dead. Named Avaxial, his body was feeble; the devil had spent thousands of years in a comatose fugue, barely able to move. When the heroes entered this area, Avaxial rose from his torpor to feebly reach for one of them, gasping in a raw whisper for freedom. The devil could still communicate. He begged the heroes to dispel the magic of the circle that trapped him, or barring that, to destroy the runes so he may escape.
The heroes instead tried to take advantage of the devil's plight to learn more information. Avaxial tried to bargain with the heroes, hoping to extract promises of release in exchange for what he knew, but he did not press the deal too far. He knew nothing of Thassilon (as he was conjured into this trap from Hell itself) and remembered his captor only as a vague hatred and a name - Runelord Karzoug.
Battlefield. Piles of rubble dominated this large room, along with bits of flesh, broken weapons, splashes of blood, and a few dead ogres that had been torn limb from limb. Wind and rain howled through circular openings to the north that looked out over the Storval Deep, and puddles of water had collected on the floor. Thick sheets of ropy green fungus grew along the walls, winding in through the windows and through numerous cracks in the domed ceiling thirty feet above; behind the fungal vines, the walls were decorated with hundreds of skull-shaped carvings.
All that remained in this room were four trolls. They'd taken the time to hide among the fungus hanging down along the walls, and they reacted to the heroes' intrusion with anger and shrieking wrath. The heroes killed them.
Skulltaker Dens. The walls of these rooms were thick with green ropy fungus that hung down over several windows, almost like curtains. Several large nests made of the stuff covered the floor. These rooms had been all but abandoned.
The heroes revealed a loose stone near the base of the southern wall in one of these rooms that hid a small cache of treasure. The cache consisted of a cracked emerald worth 400 gp, a bent gold comb that looked like a behir (with its legs comprising the comb's teeth) with tiny pearls for eyes worth 850 gp, and a pair of lacy pink gloves of swimming and climbing (that never grew dirty and always smelled faintly of lilacs).
Observation Deck. Three round windows in this room looked out over the southern view from Skull's Crossing. Additional skull carvings decorated the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. In the middle of the north wall stood massive stone double doors, their smooth surfaces smeared with graffiti written in dried blood.
Though unlocked, the double doors were exceptionally heavy, and their hinges were old and gritty. The heroes pushed to open them. The graffiti, written in Giant, read: "BELOW DWELLS WET PAPA GRAZUUL! ALL HAIL WET PAPA GRAZUUL!" Beyond the doors, a flight of stone steps led down into the darkness, descending 150 feet to the observation pool.
Storeroom. This room was nearly clogged with thick coils of the strange, vinelike fungal growths, transforming the chamber into a miniature jungle that reeked of damp mold and rot. Although all of this fungus was harmless, the thickness with which the stuff grew intrigued the heroes.
Collapsed Room. The southeastern section of this ancient room had collapsed away, leaving a treacherous-looking gap in the wall overlooking the lake far below.
Although the collapse looked dangerous, the room itself remained stable. This unofficial entrance to the tower could be used by flying heroes.
Observation Pool. This cold, damp room featured a large pool in the floor, the edges of which were caked with pale yellow slime and fungus. The surface of the pool bore a similar film. Additional carvings of skulls decorated the walls. To the south, an impressive mound of skulls - mostly from humanoids - lay heaped against the wall, where they partially blocked a large stone double door.
The film of algae on top of the pool of water was foul-smelling but harmless. The pool itself was 15 feet deep. Two submerged tunnels started from the bottom of this pool. The heroes cleared away the mound of hundreds of skulls to the south (a task that took them a few minutes to accomplish) before they could open the door to the infernal chamber.
Model Chamber. A pool of water sat against the wall to the west of this chamber, with a set of steps leading down into it along the pool's east side. Opposite the steps was an alcove in which rose a fantastically detailed scale model of Skull's Crossing. The five skulls along its face seemed to be actual human skulls, the bone polished to a gleaming sheen.
The scale model itself radiated strong magic. The heroes noticed a pale lavender ellipsoid ioun stone (capable of absorbing up to six more spell levels) wedged in a crack in the model of Skull's Crossing.
Any hero who seemed to be making a move towards the scale model earned the full attention of the scorpionlike construct. The skull ripper fought until it was destroyed.
The "dead" devil in the eastern magic circle was not actually dead. Named Avaxial, his body was feeble; the devil had spent thousands of years in a comatose fugue, barely able to move. When the heroes entered this area, Avaxial rose from his torpor to feebly reach for one of them, gasping in a raw whisper for freedom. The devil could still communicate. He begged the heroes to dispel the magic of the circle that trapped him, or barring that, to destroy the runes so he may escape.
The heroes instead tried to take advantage of the devil's plight to learn more information. Avaxial tried to bargain with the heroes, hoping to extract promises of release in exchange for what he knew, but he did not press the deal too far. He knew nothing of Thassilon (as he was conjured into this trap from Hell itself) and remembered his captor only as a vague hatred and a name - Runelord Karzoug.
Comments
Post a Comment