Session 97: Battling in Graywall
General Summary
- The battle started off extremely poorly for the Crypt Crew. Both Bagan and N'nchyk were immediately turned to stone by a gorgon. At this sight, Colonel Dane sent two of his men to retrieve medusa packs, but they would not return for the duration of the battle. Colonel Dane's wand called down a strike of thunder and lightning, and electrified both his armor and weapon in h is duel.
- Viribus received the brunt of the frontline aggression, particularly from the dire troll, but he was the first to successfully distract it from the prey of the Brelish battalion. Ashpin teleported himself and Sylvain past the monster to the pinned down battalion, and helped protect them as they retreated to Brelish territory.
- Dooturr made good use of his Arachnid Bow, trapping one of the trolls in webbing for the entire fight until the brawling Brelish warforged beat it to a pulp, with Beelum helped finish it off. The force damage inflicted by Viribus allowed the dire troll to be finished off without regeneration.
- Atop the teleportation facility, a Brelish arcane cannon was firing shots upon the battlefield. It was dealing consistent damage through the battle, until a stone golem came flying through the darkness, obliterating it on contact. However, the combined Crew and Brelish forces were able to pin it down and slay it succinctly.
- One of the medusas managed to retreat, but the other was knocked unconscious for questioning.
- One limb at a time, Bagan and N'nchyk had the medusa packs applied to them, slowly restoring them to their fleshy selves.
- First, the Crew inspected Toali's Aetherdash, and determined that a potion could be used to power it. The Crew was also given two locks that Toali left behind, one of which the Colonel warned the Crew not to speak to, and was happy to get it off his hands.
- The Colonel discussed what would happen with the Brelish going forward. They would not immediately launch the attack on the city center, but he was unsure how long he could delay direct orders. Viribus asked how he felt about the POW executions, and the Colonel was opposed from a moral standpoint. He was able to be convinced to change this practice, starting with their medusa prisoner.
- Returning to this medusa, three of Ashpin's spell resources were used in the interrogation. The medusa refused to speak if addressed by N'nchyk, and did not wish to speak much at all - she was happy to lay down her life for Droaam.
- She was not happy, however, to endure the torments inflicted by Brock the Lock - a heavy, brass, sentient lock that had a passion for telling a variety of jokes. Frisian expressed a particular enjoyment for Brock, who securely latched on to this connection. Brock was happy to share his best material, and the fact that he was in an existentially terrifying situation - conscious, but unable to see or move.
- Under this duress, the medusa spoke. She denied any knowledge of senseless destruction of Brelish farms or convoys. She said her former boss was, in fact, a medusa warlord. Her current boss was Xor'chylic, the illithid mayor of Graywall, and said he would know the current location of the Codex fragment. By her best estimate, the Codex was already in the Great Crag.
- With that, the Crew departed Graywall, and set off along the abandoned path to the Great Crag. Along the way, using the expert survival and expert investigation of Dooturr, the Crew discovered many things of interest.
- First, following a path of singed grass and tattered fabric, the Crew found within a murky bog and depressed crater a circle of seared humanoid bodies. From the neck down, they were skeletons, with the bones of their feet fused to the ground with stone. Their heads, however, still held their flesh, and their expressions were paralyzed in awe and terror. Four were humans, and one was a half-elf. In the center of this circle, completely turned to stone, was a large reptilian creature, from which an arcanely sealed black bag was draped.
- The Crew, using the knowledge they obtained from the Ebon Ledger, identified the reptilian creature not only as a yugoloth, but specifically as a hydroloth - amphibious yugoloths known to filch the memories of creatures they attack, stealing away thoughts for delivery to whatever master they happen to serve. They also savored finding lost things.
- The Crew was able to determine that this petrification was not the messy, brutish work of a gorgon, but the careful, thorough work of an especially powerful medusa.
- Beelum was unsuccessful in opening the bag.
- Additionally, along the path, the Crew found Notes on the Workings, Functions, and Designs of Arcane Locks — Toali’s journal. Using this journal, when they recovered arcane locks and gear, they were able to identify the items - an iron mind seal, a spiral cipher dial, and a lockpicker's paradox.
- Scattered throughout the path were more than a dozen various bodies of other Korranberg researchers, all horribly wounded or disfigured in some way. One was missing its head. From these bodies, the Crew recovered five total Restricted access library cards, and Ashpin was able to gather identities from four other bodies, noting down the names of each.
- From these Korranberg bodies, the Crew found an Arcane Ink Vial, capable of casting Illusory Script three times, a Runescribed Magnifying Lens, which grants advantage on Investigation checks involving fine writing, runes, or illusions and has a minor enchantment that lets you “zoom” up to 10x, a House Kundarak signet ring worth 100gp, and 216 loose galifars.
- After about a day and a half of travel, the Crew discovered a small clearing within a maze of gnarled trees and muddy streams, where an individual was assembling loose branches and sticks into three vague shapes. This individual was a wiry gnome with a half-obscured dragonmark tattoo, with tattered black and gold robes mixed with Zilargo and Droaamic insignia. One of this individual's arms was replaced by a large, shifting clockwork key - it was Toali d'Kundarak.
Report Date
30 Jun 2025
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