The Age of Worms / The Champion's Belt pt. 10 / Von the 16th, 3593 CE / 4-24-22

In their chamber of the Coenoby, underneath the Free City Arena, Not by Choice plans their next move. Having survived that day's harrowing gladiator match, they now seek to fulfill their true purpose for enrolling in the Games; to investigate the Arena Master, Loris Raknian, and his plot to use the games as a ritual to raise an undead engine of destruction. Their companion River, a holy warrior of Ciril, had just returned from investigating the water ways that run beneath the arena, and now the party, minus Moth, who has chosen to forego adventure for sleep, prepare to retrace the halfling's steps. Nari uses her sorcerous powers to cast a sphere of invisibility over the group, and they easily sneak past the bored and distracted arena guards. Following a tunnel out of the Coenoby, the party arrives at the Titan's House, an ancient and abandoned temple area dedicated to long-forgotten titan named Adimarchus. Lulu reads an ominous warning in Ancient at the base of an idol dedicated to the titan, one that implies Adimarchus is imprisoned and might once more be freed. Seeing a sign from her own dark goddess, Lulu concludes that this is a meaningful clue and informs the others. Their next stop is to locate the ghouls who River encountered on her last expedition in order to either destroy them or glean information. Nari offers to destroy the stone plug that blocks the waterway leading directly to the ghouls' warren, but the others advise against it, instead following River into an underground stream which leads to a cave River tells them that the ghouls feared to enter. Unfortunately, the only way through is to submerge themselves completely in the tight passage, and at one point Hush finds his coat snagged, separating Lulu and himself from the others. Acting quickly, he cuts the coat free, while Nari's companion Idra returns to the water to locate their wayward friends. After a close call in the water, the entire party is once more on dry land, as Lulu notes the cave into which they have emerged is covered in runes which may be warding it against the ghouls. Hush uses a boar call to alert the ghouls to their presence, and soon glowing eyes can be seen from the dark passage leading to the ghouls' warren. Nari lies and tells the ghouls they are there on behalf of Bozal, a name River overheard in her last encounter with the undead monsters, and that they seek information on Adimarchus on his behalf. Though the ghouls seem to believe the lie, they balk at giving any information without first being fed. At an impasse for the moment, Hush moves down another corridor, hoping a new clue will emerge. Lulu discovers a secret door which seems to lead back into the habited parts of the Coenoby, a long circular hallway which the party has not yet seen.