Second Ptolus Campaign Journal, #34
24th of Harvest
Our foes all slain here in the Halls of Cordaris, we emerge into a broad chamber lit from below with bluish illumination. A wide ledge hugs the walls; the center of the room is a vast pit. There is a light mist swirling around a gigantic statue of a blue angel. The statue is so large, the walls of the room bump out to accommodate her outstretched wings. Surrounding the edges of the room are more orcs, siege engines, whitish humanoid forms, and the naga we were warned about. The whitish, shimmering figures are absorbing energy from the statue, gaining solidity as they do. The naga directs the other creatures against us.
A well-aimed ballista bolt strikes down our dwarf ally Keld. The Spiremen cast a confusion spell on half our group while the naga emits disintegration beams from her eyes. Archinemus, Tharn, and I make short work of her, but meanwhile, Jenna fights a losing battle against three orcs. Calista has a war of her own going on, when one of the whitish energy creatures somehow jumps into her body and begins eating her magical power. By the time she manages to eject him, Jenna is dead, sadly, but so is the naga. We seem to be gaining the upper hand, as the whitish energy creatures depart.
Ultimately we prevail, thanks to continued winning blows and Calista’s fireballs. After we regroup, we decide the next step is to investigate the interior of the statue. After all, we still don’t know what the Legacy actually is, but we think the magical creatures were soaking up its energy from the statue. We find quite a lot of loot on the dead orcs and the naga, but it’s poor consolation for our fallen companion, Jenna. Keld seems fine again thanks to the efforts of Gregoran.
Before advancing into the statue’s interior, we move back into the antechamber, where we discover that our fallen Fallen foe has become undead (or is he?). We dispatch him quickly, but not before he drains vitality from Archinemus. This necromancer (Eishmal of the Licheloved) carries a note from someone called Shigmaa Cynric telling him that he should wait till the orc leaders (Fekkisicol and Shalikyastham) get the Legacy, then figure out what it is and whether it’s worth taking — in the process betraying their Toruk-Rul orc allies. It ends with instructions to retreat to the sewers and the ratmen to find Lilith’s Womb.
The door into the statue is impervious — I can’t find a way in or make a dent in it. We believe we need Zelambrast, guardian sword of the Legacy, to access it. According to our research, Zelambrast can be found in the keystone of an archway somewhere down here.
We think perhaps we had better return to the city and have Archinemus and Jenna attended to. But first, we locate two bodies the orcs had strung up: now-dead members of the Order of the Legacy. We ought to take them out of here, not leave their desiccated forms here to rot, poor wretches. But first, Gregoran suggests that he can commune with their absent spirits in the morning, seeking information from them about the location of the sword we need. Near the corpses is a mural showing a woman we suspect to be Cordaris with Zelambrast and the blue angel. This area, at least, has not been defaced by the orcs.
Exploring our surroundings a bit more, we locate a hidden room that contains a statue of the mural woman looking regal on horseback. The statue carries a jeweled sword in one hand and a large book in the other. This room also has an archway and an iron-bound door leading out. Behind the door is a tomb holding the remains of many Order members and a hall that leads to preparation rooms and a woman’s sarcophagus. It is carved with identifying runes: It is indeed Sister Darinn Cordaris. Gregoran goes over to kneel beside the burial and pray. We are shocked to see the ghostly form of a woman rise up from the sarcophagus and say to our cleric friend, “What be your name?” When he announces he is a cleric of Asche, she wonders “What kin is he to the Nine Secret Sons?”
Gregoran cannily replies, “Much time has passed since Oread revealed the secret of the Legacy to you, and in that time, even the gods have changed. Asche is a god of the new era, much younger than Alatom and his secret siblings.” She is dismayed to learn that so many enemies strive to get their hands on the Legacy and suggests that it be removed.
“Who has my sword?” she asks. We don’t know — all we know is that it’s still down here (Diethan’s sword, Insight, told us that much.) It lies in the secret chamber now, but she tells us we must find the combination (because Timerian changed it). She said the only way to get the Legacy is with the sword, but then we explained that the evil skulks have Power, a sword that can emulate Zelambrast.
She tells us that access to the secret chamber lies within the temple of Alatom to the west. “But without the combination, that will do you little good.” We recall that we did once find a combination on a wax candle, but we didn’t think that was the right one. Perhaps that was only because we didn’t know how to apply the combination properly. That combination was 24-B-13. We could give it a try.
When we ask how the evildoers might misuse the Legacy, the ghostly sister replies, “The ways are countless, limited only by one’s wit. But so too are its potential uses for good. I am saddened that Oread’s Blessing has not been used in some time.”
She adds that Oread (the angel) is gone to the Beyond, where she walks, judging. We recall learning that the orcs of long ago, led by one called Urulu, thought the Legacy was a false teaching. Cordaris supposes he was deceived or else a fool. “One can hardly expect better from an orc.”
“I grow weary,” she says at last. “I cannot help you further in your strange future. If you do make your way into the chamber and find the Legacy, treat him well.” Gregoran promises to do all he can to ensure that the Legacy will not fall into the wrong hands, and she fades away.
The Legacy’s a “him“…?
Session LXVI – 24th of Harvest
As we make our way back through the vast chamber where we had our most recent battle on our way to the temple of Alatom, we note some vague shapes skulking about. We move to attack, but they cry out, “Wait! We must talk!” Are these the keu or the harr? Harr, we determine: those who feed on magic. “Neither of us alone will be strong enough to fight those chaos cultists and the demons up there!” Hmmm. The orc we found in the sewers yesterday did mention something about the forces of chaos.
They propose that we work together to get the Legacy and remove it to a mutually agreed-upon location to learn from it, and together keep the chaos cultists away from it (for they wish to destroy it, as a mighty tool of Law). We don’t trust these harr, but they don’t seem to be lying. After a lengthy discussion, we agree to seek the Legacy together and, if it clearly seems to be a threat to us, to them, or to the city at large, destroy it. If not, we agree to take it to a safe place — Castle Shard — to study it. Our mandate from the Sisterhood of Silence was to learn its nature, keep it safe, and bring it to them (in that order). We feel that Castle Shard will keep it safe. (After we ask Lord Zavere via a sending whether this idea is acceptable, he replies that he has a solution for us and asks us to meet him at the gates to Castle Shard in six hours.) I am a little worried about this reply. Can we trust Zavere to let us in?
The harr approach the enormous statue of the angel and use their Sword of Ptolus to try to open the door that I couldn’t manage to open. But although there is a great show of sparks and magical effects, their “key” fails. Diethan tries it and it also fails. Perhaps one of the figures from Spyncer Coil’s prophecy poem needs to try it, the harr suggest (“daughters native but not from here, second-born of their fathers but none held dear”). When I try, the sword in my hands, Power, suddenly changes into a jeweled one that looks just like those images of the sword that the statue of Cordaris held. Suddenly a path into the angel statue appears! At the same moment, the sword goes inert in my hands.
Inside the statue is a circular chamber with a spiral staircase going up and down. We head up through a shaft to a bedchamber containing a months-dead corpse. We continue up through a stone door and into a round room filled with shelves holding books and scrolls. Two bronze pillars rise up from the floor five feet. When Gregoran places his hands between them, a plane of shimmering blue light comes to life there. Extending out from it is a human face five feet tall. It shifts to take on skulkish features, then assumes the look of the statue’s face. “Hello,” the face says in Celestial.
“Are you a guardian of the Legacy?” we ask.
“What’s the Legacy?” he replies.
We change our tack, asking instead if he is the secret given to mortals by Oread the angel. “I suppose so,” he says. “I come from Oread, after a fashion.” We try to explain that it’s no longer safe for him here, due to the many factions warring to get to him. He has quite the naivete about him.
“What are you?” interrupts the speaker for the harr.
“I am not really sure,” the face answers. “No one has ever been able to come up with an answer to that question, but I’d like to.” He says he has no name. “But I’m not a demon. Don’t be afraid of me.”
When we suggest it’s time to go, the face brings out a book from the shelves and dives into it. A good disguise! We pry up the pillars to use as a decoy and head out.
Sadly, it’s not long before we encounter the chaos cultists and their demon allies. When we reach the organ room again, they are waiting for us. “By the power of Demogorgon, you will fall!” cries a red-cloaked cultist. When a demon of chaos attacks me, the swirling clouds surrounding it almost disrupt my Hu-Charad starsword. I can see my weapon waver dangerously.
“It’s the Chaos Well protecting them!” cries Tharn.
“Oh, the Chaos Well,” says a quiet voice. “I remember that.” The blue face of the Legacy peers out of the book Tharn is carrying and it says, “Shhh….” With that, the shimmering fields around all our adversaries dissipate, to their incensed cries. The face disappears again.
Archinemus’ forcehammer rod knocks the red-robed spellcaster back into the water after he nailed half of our party with a chaos blast. It’s a tough fight, and valiant Keld falls while assailing a demon. That damnable red-cloaked caster withers my leg and sends me splashing into the water (with a heavy bronze pillar strapped to my back, no less). I hit bottom to the sound of his loathsome cackles. As I levitate up to the surface again to attack him, I catch sight of the hideous writhing tattoos covering his skin — or are they his skin?
The harr gang up on the last demon with Archinemus’ help, while Calista’s spells rip into the red-cloaked cultist. Gregoran falls to demon claws, but we manage to fish him out of the water in the nick of time. Meanwhile, with a final lick of the forcehammer rod, Archinemus takes out the red-cloaked wizard cultist once and for all.
And we all take a much-needed rest.
