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A trip to the Vault.

DM: Justenrules

Players: Gromm, Arkose, Tanathra, Chemist 5, Akita, Tar, and Pokey

Answering the call to recover the bodies of three brave adventures who had fallen in a near dungeon known as the vault, we set out from the town of Ruined Oak.  The vault was not a terrible distance from the town and we made good time, especially since Akita brought a wagon with he faithful draft horse.  I took the time we had and studied the fine beast and learn its qualities. Along the way we did come across three dead bodies and were not able to really identify who their attackers may have been or how they died, except that it appeared to me at least that something may have strangled them from how their neck were constricted with bulging veins. At least that how it looked to me as I really did not want to examine the bodies further. We did load them into the wagon so that they could be properly put to rest or other uses later.

Once we arrived at the vault, which looked very ominous from the start, we found that it was surrounded by strange pulsing flowers.  I studied it a little but since it was not kelp, coral, algae, phytoplankton, macchie, maquis or qarigue, I didn’t have a clue about what it was but warn the others not to mess with it, which was the first thing one of them did. Once they pick it the pattern of the plants changed and I feared that whatever amount of surprise we had was now lost.

We pressed forward into the vault expecting the worst as more experience adventures had perished there and found our selves in a very well-kept series of chambers and tight hallways.  Blocking one of our paths was a strange glowing wall forcing us to travel the western side passageway.  The first one lead to a room with many pits filled with Tar, not I mind you just the regular tar, and then lead to a chamber with seemed to be an alter room with a sword fixed to it.  We continued onward as I believe Chemist was seeking a back route which might lead us pass the golden wall but soon came across a room with some strange worm creatures which seem to be grazing on the flowers that were growing there and which grew back as fast as they were mowed down. Akita attempted to blast them, but it seemed that they either disrupted the weave or just ate his magic.  We decided it was best not to stick around and find out if it was the former or the ladder.  

One thing of note was that Chemist indicated that there had been some children in the area before, possibly during his last foray to this place as he was able to mimic a conversation that they had.  I kept a look out for them but the closest sign we found was a hidden bag of candy a little later.

Returning to the beginning of the vault we then proceeded down the eastern passageway, it seems that was the way that the original party had traveled as indicated by Chemist who did his best to form the word and it was not to long after we encounter the creatures that had done in the three previous adventures.  The first thing I noticed was the loud commotion made by Gromm as I saw him being yanked into a nearby room by large whip like vines. What I saw in the room were strange plant creatures dress in armor and Gromm laying limp on the floor.  The party made short work of the plant creatures and we soon had Gromm back on his feet.  It was soon after we made the discovery of the bodies of the adventures we were looking for in a nearby room.  I was glad that Chemist and Akita were able to identify them as Tanathra was having a field day blowing their heads off and I had never seen them before.  We took the bodies back to the wagon and then proceed to explore the vault a little more and soon found a room with a strange sigil on the floor.  I heard Arkose shouting something from ahead about finding a room with buttons and levers.  I stayed were I was expecting nothing good to come of it while watching to make sure no one came up from behind us when one of the party members noticed that the sigil was a little incomplete and proceeded to complete it.  This caused the glowing wall to vanish allowing us access to a strange portal.  On the other side I was surprised to see a now greatly enlarged Arkose, however Arkose seem to be taking it in stride. At this point we began searching the passageways and discovered many suits of armor powered by the arcane. We prudently avoided them, and they luckily did not give chase as we proceeded to follow a strange trail of glowing liquid which lead us to another room with a pool of glowing liquid with what appeared to have been the imprint of a body occupying it at one time.  Compounding matters currently was the fact that Tanathra had forayed in to a room containing a large floating gem and had became mad, muttering something about too much knowledge.  While we were dealing with his condition we discovered in the next chamber that there was a large pool of water with a woman, which they told me was Rose. 

I had remembered that name from an adventure with Ama where she was telling about goblins that were turning blue, and not from the cold.

A large faceless construct named Tyreal was continuously healing Rose and the water in the pool was visibly boiling and I felt things were getting a tense, until a Goblin named Rasz Silversword with a top hat and monocle appeared and began reassuring us that they were taking care of Rose and then offered a strange liquid to cure Tanathra of his madness.

He explained the following to us.

  1. Rose had been badly injured, and it was her blood that was creating the plant creature.
  2. Tyreal was having to continuously heal her and that they tried potions, magic slugs, and other means with no success.
  3. The vines were eating the enchanted Armor creatures, which were guards.
  4. The vault was a prison.  however, I never saw a prisoner, and something make me glad I didn’t (I later found out from the logs that the prison contained the Deep Mother and her kin).

We discussed various remedy to heal Rose, but it seems that Rasz and Tyrael had already tried everything we suggest, so we asked if we could rest the night before heading back.  It was during this time that we discovered the head from the three adventures we had come to recover had grown back and this sent Tanathra into a tirade and he demanded that we burn the bodies despite the pleas from Akita.  He claimed that bringing them back would threaten the town, however after observing how gleefully he blasted their heads off earlier I suspected that maybe he just didn’t like them, or they had slighted him somehow when they were alive.  

Just before Rose Exploded and turned into an Egg

While the aurgument continued sudden there was a strange hissing sound and we could tell it was coming from the pool that rose was in as steam began filling room. Someone shouted to make our way back to the teleported and it was a good thing we did as there was a terrible explosion and I believe most of us if not all were rendered momentary unconscious.  Afterwards we discovered that Rose had turned into an egg and Tyrael was crumpled over with a golden circle etched into his chest.

Things moved fast at this points and we took the egg and the bodies back to Ruined Oak, whereas I drank my fill of Rum as the party continued their auguring. I did find out the Golden Circle represent the Sun from the one named Wander while I was there.