Session 449 – A God’s Weapon

19^thof Nolus (Summer) 729TR

The story so far

A group of heroes battles the evils haunting the beleaguered Kingdom of Kanday.

Sir Odin, a former Erkan of the Order of the Checkered Shield, has been raised to knighthood.

Remy, a former master thief and gambler, has won and lost fortunes.

Abaddon has traveled the wilderness, wielding a weapon of the gods, perfecting his impressive martial skills.

Edelina, a scholarly priestess of the god of Knowledge Save K’Nor, joins them on their adventures.

This is the continuation of Session 447 – The Devouring Bog.

A massive earthquake has struck the Barony of Sarkum, and the mighty Crab-Titan Obsidapor has been resurrected. Although this colossal Ivashu caused chaos, it is weakened and driven mad with two souls fighting for control over the body; it is only a matter of time before it regains its full strength.

Abaddon wields the Spear of Manaclir, which, according to legends, was used by the demigod of storms in mythic times to kill Obsidapor. This spear has housing for three gemstones; one is missing. For the spear to function at full strength, the gemstone needs to be found.

The final gem is thought to be hidden in an ancient Earthmaster ruin deep within the notorious Tesien Moor, also known as the Devouring Bog. The heroes have found the ruin and are descending an ominous spiral staircase underground into darkness.

Location: Ternu Heath and Tesien Moor, in the North of the Kingdom of Kanday.

Part 1 – Cloakers

The heroes enter a large, circular chamber with a floor covered in broken hexagonal tiles and walls made of smooth, black stone. There are five simple doorways, and the eastern part of the room opens onto a cavern. The rough-hewn roof hides two predators.

Suddenly, the black, sinister manta ray-like creatures emit an ultrasonic moan, and the heroes feel their insides twist and become unsteady on their feet. Then the Cloakers fly forward and attack the nauseated, dazzled party with bites and stingers. The party fights back; unfortunately, Abaddon is enveloped by one of the fiends, making it hard to target without harming the ensnared elf. Nevertheless, Abaddon wiggles free, and the flying foes are shredded.

Part 2 – The Orbs

The party exits through one of the doors and notices a blue light. The broken tiles give way to a cavern with a starting sight, a spherical, transparent crystal floating 4 feet above the ground and glowing blue. Edelina detects strong psionic energy emanating from it, which causes Abaddon, as an elf, to experience a mild headache.

Odin sneaks forward, unaware of a far more dangerous threat lurking on the roof. A truly vile and bizarre creature hides there. It is another floating orb, this one only 6 inches in diameter, with a collection of organs, eyes, and a brain encased in a thick transparent skin. Two 5-foot-long disembodied tentacles float around it. They lash out at Edelina, who is focused on studying the glowing ball. She is hurt, retreats, and begins casting a spell when her mind is invaded by a massive flicker of thousands of images from the distant past, some extraordinary, but most mundane. As much as she finds this fascinating, she is quickly overwhelmed, and the orb sneaks into her psyche, taking control. She obeys its commands and attacks the party with Shadow Blasts.

The orb surrounds itself with an aura of mental static, which can cause confusion and insanity, but the rest of the party resists its malevolent influence. Odin attacks, appearing and disappearing from the shadows, but his weapons seem to bounce off the aberration’s thick, transparent skin. Worse, the fiend uses its tentacle to block incoming attacks and strike back with uncanny accuracy. Nevertheless, the experienced adventurers quickly realize that bludgeoning damage seems to compress its shape, damaging the monster’s internal structure and organs. Ignoring Edelina’s magical attacks, they focus on the orb with blunt weapons until it bursts open and the monster’s brains spill across the floor. The mind-controlled healer recovers her sanity shortly afterward.

Part 3 – Focusing the Minds

Edelina now has time to examine the floating, glowing orb at her leisure; she is convinced it is an Earthmaster Mechanism and a very powerful one at that. Its function remains unknown; the only way to discover it is to attune with it, which is no easy task. Odin volunteers to try, focusing intensely, and he touches the orb, attempting to mentally connect with it. However, the connection remains elusive, although he almost succeeds. Luckily, Edelina is paying close attention and, with a subtle ritual, guides his mind just enough to succeed. Odin’s mind becomes open and more focused, acquiring innovative new talents.

Abaddon and Edelina repeat the process with similar effects; however, the light in the orb has started to fade. Although it requires some effort, Remy eventually succeeds as well, but only after multiple tries, and even then, only by the slimmest of margins.

Part 4 – Kelari’s Bones

The party continues their search and soon notices an unusually smooth section of the otherwise rough cavern walls, revealing a hidden door. This door leads to a small chamber containing an ancient skeleton, some old, rotted clothing, gold, gems, and an exquisite, enchanted brooch of undoubtedly dwarven manufacture. The skeleton is that of a dwarf, and the heroes recall the tale told by the hermit Tomys of Elyat, about a dwarven expedition from the underground city of Kiraz thousands of years ago, sent to study the architecture of the Earthmaster ruins at Tesin. Their most revered mason, Kelari, disappeared, and his ghost still haunts the ruins. The coins are dwarven, and the scholar Edelina believes they are very ancient, likely from the lost city of Kiraz. Everything demonstrates that these are Kelari’s remains.

Tomys, art by Perchance

Edelina performs a ceremony to lay the dwarf to rest, but not entirely confident in her execution of the ritual, she pledges to Kelari's bones that she will do everything possible to return the extremely valuable brooch to his living kin.

Part 5 – A Colourful Mass of Slime

The next day, the party continued exploring the ruins. They encounter a strange ooze creature that changes color and appears to be able to absorb the elemental properties of the heroes’ weapons. Although it hits hard, once the heroes figure out the monster’s weakness, they quickly defeat it.

Part 6 – The Spear of a God

Shortly after, they discover stairs leading down to a foggy, final cavern filled with water. Abaddon’s spear starts to vibrate; the missing gem is close by. He dives in after it as the fog begins to solidify, forming a set of talons that slash at him; however, whatever the foggy wraith is, it is soon defeated.

Abaddon finds the last gem and places it into the empty slot. The spear ignites, complete, and the wielder appears touched by the divine. Abaddon’s speed, dexterity, and acrobatic skills are now legendary. He has the weapon necessary to destroy Obsidapor, but do he and his friends have the skills?

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Tomys of Elyat - Mysterious Hermit.

Related Content

Earthmaster Sites.

Earthmaster Mechanisms.

Created Content

Nothing this week.

Player Characters

Odin - Human - L17 Ranger

Background - Martial Disciple.

Archetype - Shadowdancer, Investigator, and Fighter.

Abaddon - Elf - L17Monk

Background - Martial Disciple.

Archetypes - Druid and Familiar Master.

Remy - Human - L17 Aerokineticist (with Metal second gate)

Background - Acrobat.

Archetypes - Wizard, Acrobat, and Thief.

NPC Companion

Edelina - Human - L17 Holy Sage Sorcerer

Background - Astrologer.

Archetypes - Psychic and Time Mage.

Next Session

Session 449 – A God’s Weapon.