Session 12: Scuttling in the Dark

The day after they left the grave-city a sudden cave-in results in Zalia, Ki’tor and Geneviève being separated not only from Jane and Volodomyr, but from the main road itself. In an attempt to find their way back they follow the cavernous tunnels down into the roots of the mountain itself. After many hours of heading downwards, into the chilly depths, they come face to face with a webbed tunnel. Thick spiderwebs covered the walls and roof of the small tunnel. They tried to set fire to the webs, but the swift movements among the sticky masses put the embers out quicker than they could spread. Realising that their only option was to head through the tunnel, Ki’tor created a light for them to follow and they pressed on.

Inside the tunnel, swarms of small spiders began to crawl their way under the clothes of the party, even making their way inside Geneviève's armour. This proved to be little more than an annoyance, for all but Ki’tor, who had never been forced to endure such filth before in his life. He did find a solution though. By chilling the air by his skin to an uncomfortable cold, he managed to get the spiders off of him. Although it left him a bit chilly. 

When they finally made it through the tunnel, they found themselves in a large chamber completely covered in thick, sticky webbing. Among the webs they also saw bones of different creatures unfortunate enough to come across the chamber’s inhabitant. They soon noticed who that was, as a raspy voice began to mumble incoherently. The voice belonged to a Drider. A creature with the upper body of a slender Drow and the lower half of a large spider. This particular drider seemed to have lost its mind, and its eyes as the sockets were merely that, bloody, red, empty sockets. Still its other senses seemed unnaturally sharp, and as Zalia picked up a rock and threw it to the other corner of the room. As impact was made, the drider leapt with a frightening speed and accuracy towards the rock. 

Discussions ensued on how they were to handle this threat. Geneviève advocated for slaying it, whilst Ki’tor and Zalia were more sceptical. In the end, as the drider feared intruders and casted a magical darkness into being, they decided to try and slay it. With the drider leaping in and out of the darkness, they could only land glancing hits. And all attempts to muddle its mind seemed futile as it turned out to have already lost it. But then Ki’tor, who called upon his heavenly bloodline, blasted the darkness with celestial light and dispersed it. At the same time he also dispersed the webs on the floor, creating a path for them to escape into another tunnel. Zalia, who had backed into the tunnel they came from and was under attack from swarms of spiderlings, gladly took this opportunity to reposition herself. Geneviève on the other hand seized the chance to go on the offensive and charged the drider. As she was bitten and poisoned, she was also blasted with web that immobilised her. But she stood her ground, and with a well-placed thrust of her spear she pierced right into the drider’s torso, critically wounding it. Fearing for its life the creature tried to escape, but as it did the golden legionnaire managed to cut two of its chitinous legs off. 

Thus they managed to get past the chamber and deeper into the caverns. Until they finally came upon a large crevice which led straight down into unfathomable depths. Not even as they dropped a torch into it could they see the bottom. Zalia even sent her book flying down into it, but as it approached a light deep down it was suddenly ended by an unknown force. Together they surmised that this was most likely an entrance to the deep realms of the Underdark. They moved on and finally began to ascend again. After many hours they finally managed to find the dwarven road, and later on even Jane and Volodomyr.

Together the party trekked for two more days, along deep caverns, on bridges overlooking vast valleys, and even passing gargantuan mines. On the third day they finally came out on the other side of the Allerdale Mountains and the kingdom of Dhil Ahldur. Before them was a wide, open plain that stretched out over rolling hills and into distant woods. Bustling farms and vineyards stretched out over the plains and around a massive spired castle. After they had beheld the views for a while and began to walk down the mountainside, a knight upon a galloping steed approached them. Geneviève, who had studied these lands long ago, managed to bring to mind the name of that particular heraldry, although it was incredibly obscure. It was a knight bearing the colours of House Paramont. 

When the knight reached them he hailed them and introduced himself as Sir Melwin de Paramont, a knight errant in the service of the Duke Harold de Pompedeux who ruled in Castle Orvallée, as well as the betrothed to the duke’s third daughter. As per his oath as a protector of Helonia’s borders he asked them three questions. The first was to be given the name of the group before him. The party answered that they were the Venture Knights of Elysium. The second question was if there was anyone of noble blood among them, to which Geneviève and Ki’tor named themselves. Sir Melwin pledged himself as their protector before he asked the final question. He asked what their business was in Helonia, to which Geneviève answered directly. She told the knight that they were looking for a lost artifact by Lake Medainne. 

Upon answering the knights questions he pledged that he would be their guard as he brought them down to Castle Orvallée and his liege lord. Along the way the group talked about the lands they came from, and the similarities that Helonia shared with the Golden Republic of Frankonia. They also found out that Sir Melwin was now the head of his house, as his older brother’s had died during their errantry and his father had left to pursue the honour of becoming a Kingsguard. A Kingsguard in the eyes of the Helonians and their Church of the Ancient King is a living saint. A paladin of immense power and the highest honour a Helonian can achieve. Sir Melwin also invited them to his house, should they pass it on their way to find the planestone. 

When they arrived at Castle Orvallée, they were swiftly taken to the Duke. It turned out that the Duke was truly ostentatious and according to himself an incredibly humble man. They were given rooms and were invited to a feast with him and his nine daughters later that night. During the feast Duke de Pompedeux unveiled that they had been facing a problem with undead in his lands. During the full moon, the dead rose from their graves. Thus he asked them to check up on the situation by travelling to the biggest graveyard in the region, down by the edge of Lake Medainne. Realising that the next full moon was in three days time, the group accepted to great fanfare.