02 - 1/5 : Laws End, New Beginnings

In-game date: 1st of Oeros, 3518   After collecting their breath following the flight from the undead horde above, the group decided to continue exploring the sewers beneath the docks ward and search for Laws End. Ahead the party noticed the flickering of torchlight, Raeziel went forward to eavesdrop and find out who else lie in the sewers.   A trio of commoners seemed to be following a member of the guard, and deciding now was not the best time to get wrapped up in their affairs, Raeziel returned to the group and everyone decided it best to avoid them for now.   In another passage that went north, Raeziel stopped upon hearing the sound of bones crunching and scraping on the stone floor. She looked around the corner to see a Hooked Horror gnawing on a gigantic rat. She noted its location, and guided the group around the corridor to evade the beast.   Despite the darkness, Pascal spotted something strange on a sewer grate and a valve connected to a pipe in a northern passage. Unsure if this was what the group was searching for, Carmen took a chance and turned it to see what happened. The sound of pressure building in the walls built up, until the stone wall began to slide open, opened the way to Laws End.  

Laws End

In the entrance the party was slowed by a mysterious magic circle seemingly protecting the entrance. It highlighted their magic items, and the group was greeted by a large Goliath. Karl Hammerfist gave the party the once-over, but in the presence of Wheatly he allowed the group to continue on.   The party wound their way through the gigantic underground city, and made their way to meet with Dreetz Greazly.  

Dreetz Greazly

  The infamous goblin crime lord greeted the group, and was happy to officially make their acquaintance. He questioned the party on what events had transpired above, and was obviously concerned about the undead invasion, but seem convinced their home would remain safe from the undead.   Unfortunately there were three passages out, and two of them had suffered cave-ins after the large earthquake rattled the city. One led deep into the Dustmoon Hills, while the other went deep into the Upperdark. Both were currently being dug out, but it could take months depending on how far the cave-ins went.   In the meantime, Greazly said many of the usual jobs were on hold while people figured out the situation. He said the work would return to normal as things opened up, but in the meantime would offer the party a job while things settled down. First he wished the group to head to the one route out into the Dock Ward sewers and head west. The group would be under Gallow Way and should discover the Undergallows, an outpost ran by his lackey Gorek. He wanted to find out what the status was there, and to make sure his lackey still knew who was boss.   Secondly he wished the group to investigate to the west. There was no further passages there, yet a few from Laws End had claimed they heard chatter in a language they did not understand, and wanted to know who dwelt there.   In return the party would be allowed in Laws End and be able to accept work from all those who would offer, on top of an initial sum of gold. Deciding this scouting trip was worth the reward, the party agreed and departed.   Before heading to the inn, the group decided to introduce themselves to some of the merchants that inhabited Laws End. To the north a gigantic elemental made of rock loomed high over the heads of the group. From behind, a lithe dragonborn climbed up and introduced himself. It was Xthisthrisis, a traveling trader who had just arrived from the underdark! He claimed he was somehow immortal, and though others had succeeded he somehow always came back. He was still setting up his stall, but would soon have lots of wares to offer to the group.   Nearby was Krakle Fossilface, a rough looking svirfneblin who was hammering away at some ore. He explained he could make near anything, but there was a shortage of iron and without it was forced to increase his prices. If he could get his hands on more ore, he would be able to make whatever the party wished and would offer better deals.   Nearby was dwarf named Bjorken, who was cooking some exotic beast from the underdark on a gigantic grill. While food was currently plentiful, he was concerned that without their underdark connection, and with the perils on the streets above, it would begin to lower. He would offer a reward for any exotic creatures and foodstuff the party could provide, and special payment for a giant octopus that had plagued the coastal waters.   Nearby the group spotted the Noticeboard, though for now it was boarded up while people evaluated what kind of work they wished to offer until things settled down, the group was intrigued at the prospect of the work available here.     Having seen the local sites and gleamed some possible work for the future, as well as the local shopkeeps, the group decided to retire to the inn and find some rooms for a much needed rest.  

Gnix's Grog Grotto

Upon entering the inn, the party was greeted by its excited Goblin owner. Gnix, daughter of Greazly himself, happily took their orders and offered rooms to the party. She talked at length about all manner of subject, her past as the daughter of the crime lord, and her recent venture in creating this inn. Glint of the Stars introduced herself as the "The Great Beast" to Gnix, who thought it was cute! This upset Glint, and Gnix apologized profusely, though still seemed to find the Tabaxi endearing. Raeziel in particular took interest in Gnix, sharing some of her past and recanting tales of her home and kind words with the moblords daughter.   In the corner a dark figure brooded while puffing on a pipe, her eyes panned over the group for some time before she decided to come forward. A tall and formidable person of elvish descent, he introduced himself as Agrimnor Oweland, son of the infamous Morrigan Oweland. He was hunting the creatures of the night, and wished to know if the undead invasion above was in any way related. The group believed that the events were not vampiric, and Carmen thought that perhaps the severed head was his doing. He thanked the group and provided rounds for returning his bounty. He knew there was a vampire problem in the city, and believed it his mothers doing. Though unsure how, in other cities he had discovered that vampires had served Morrigan for centuries. This mystery perplexed him, but it mattered not, for his life was devoted to undoing the deeds she had wrought.   After Agrimnor departed, the party settled in to their rooms and got a much needed rest.  

Scouting

Energized and recuperated from the trying night, the party headed towards the exit of Laws End. Before leaving, a mysterious tiefling was spotted heading in to a nearby building. Karl Hammerfist said that she was Sayuri, a priestess of Hel and local healer. The group took note, and Karl gave them the once over before bidding them farewell on their adventure.   Back in the sewers, the party happened upon the civilians once more who had decided to rest for the night in a safe hovel they had found. This time, the party decided to ask them if they knew about the strange voices they had heard and Raeziel approached.   The group had actually encountered the strange creatures to the east. Out of the darkness they spoke some language unknown to any of them, while waving spears, but did not push hostilities. Each party retreated as they were unable to communicate.   The guard was named Gregory, and was willing to divulge some information he had found of the surface above. He knew that Captain Bragger of the guard had organized the defense at the Government district. When it was secure, he sent soldiers and guard into Gallow Way to strike back against the undead. He also mentioned that Cosconia Island was mostly secure, but attacks persisted at the Gaspar and Quinchino estates. Knowing that the surface was not a complete loss was good news, as they wished to use the sewer passages to head inland before surfacing.   The halfling was recognized by Carmen as Treebok, owner of a rather rough tavern on the southwest side of town called The Ramshackle. He claimed he was here buying the cheapest slop in town, and thankfully had escaped the undeads grasp. The woman was Aisha, a weaver selling new years themed blankets. She had lost her wedding ring and offered a reward should the group find it. Lastly the man was Arthur Brown, a man who barely escaped with his life as he was working the night ship unloading ships on the docks.   The information about the spear-wielding creatures seemed to be one of the things that Greazly wanted to know about, so the party continued east in pursuit of this. A hole had formed in the eastern wall, leading to a natural fissure that had recently opened up and descended into the darkness below.  

The Forgotten Citadel

At the base the fissure opened up to a landing that went to seemingly nowhere. Stairs descended down, and the group was greeted with a citadel that did not look like it had seen the sun in a millennia. A large insignia was seen above the entrance, and it was recognized as that of the Lost City of Barakus.   The entrance had a cleverly disguised pit trap dug out in the entrance, but once alerted of it the party easily jumped over. Glint noticed some strange mystical markings to the sides of the citadels entrance, and determined they were teleportation circles, though their destination was a mystery.   Inside the party found the circular base of a tower. Passages were investigated, first to the southwest. Inside was a relief of a dragon that barred the way, with an intricate lock and a clear keyhole. A strange rock jutted out from the tower itself, and the group decided to check it out before venturing forth.   Carmen was surprised when a needle trap sprung out, but was still able to open the door to a small room. Three skeletons of a bygone age rose from their slumber, locked shields and marched forth in formation. Unlike the normally mindless undead, these ones spoke to one another in a mysterious language that seemed to be regarding their battle tactics.   The fight provided far more difficult than the group had thought. Unlike normal skeletons, these worked in unison, were tough and fought with surprising coordination and skill. They tried to push out of their tomb, but Carmen kept them barricaded in as long as she could.   Finally she retreated a bit, hoping to draw them out and provide flanking opportunities so the group could get around their shield wall. Little by little the party landed blows on the fearsome skeletons, but the phalanx managed to land many of their own. After a long battle, the Raeziel struck the killing blow on the last skeleton and the terrible foe crumbled to dust before them.   With the last one defeated, the party took a short rest to recuperate, and prepared to continue their venture further into the mysterious underground citadel.