The downtime thread:
The downtime thread:
Last session, after paying her paltry debt to the Guild of the Horoscops, the party was chagrined to learn that Leonasha had been claimed as a tender for the Temporal Maenads, and imprisoned in their Sanctorum. The party, determined to fulfill their promise to the shade, and scenting the possibility of opening up a rich dungeon that had sat right under their nose for pretty much the entire campaign, returned from Zyan Above on a merchant vessel. They went down the Great Sewer River in Zyan Between to the Temple of the Archons, where they opened the portal (it had been opened all along, actually) at the shrine to Thovis. This led them into the Sanctorum of the Maenads.
They found themselves in a strange carved space of green rock, flowing geometrical forms, and screaming heads. They were seen by someone or something down the corridor and pursued quickly fleeing lights, but fell into a teleporter trap. Later they were beguiled by the song of one of the Maenads, Esdoreth, and only Cletus was able to free them. They then fought against her, and were able to overcome her, slaying one of the enlightened sages or, perhaps, mad gods of the Horoscops.
She wore a breastplate worked with platinum, and filigreed with gold, too long and thin for a human to wear. Her ornamental mask is terrible to look on, with three silver faces ("the three faces of Vo", Cletus tells you) framed by green copper, and surrounded by an elaborately worked headress, now party broken in the struggle, but still splendid to look upon. Pulling these items from the creature, you are hit by a heavy wave of spices, and an almost sickening body odor. Beneath the mask, you are horrified to see that she has, in fact three faces, all wizened. The faces on the side seem vestigial, and the central face bears a mouth filled with razor teeth and a third eye, all black, which is the only open eye.
Her strange withered arms are covered in bracelets, encrusted with gems, mostly emerald and jade.
The party is not safe for now, so there is no XP or GP total at present. You can take any actions before the next session you want to take here. I will eventually post a current map, although it's really pretty simple so far. There are three rooms on this level, and two ways up to the next level that you know of. There is the central, shaped like a diamond with some raised pool of still green liquid. There is a ladder in this room leading up to a floating diamond shaped platform (15" up), and perhaps another one (or two, or more) more platforms higher up. You cannot see the ceiling, but have the vague sense that there might be an upper level accessible above.
From this room there were two passages, one that led to a mirrored egg, and the other that led to a room with stairs leading up about 20" to doorway. There were three levers in this room.
By the way, Ernis' head is still spinning from looking in the egg. When you stared at the seemingly endless depths of the mirrored egg, you felt space and time bending, and felt that you looked upon vistas of fractured moments spread before you in some kind of recursive iterations. You felt that you touched the face of wisdom and then turned away, for it was too much for you to bear. It is hard for you to get your thoughts to sit still.
Last session, after paying her paltry debt to the Guild of the Horoscops, the party was chagrined to learn that Leonasha had been claimed as a tender for the Temporal Maenads, and imprisoned in their Sanctorum. The party, determined to fulfill their promise to the shade, and scenting the possibility of opening up a rich dungeon that had sat right under their nose for pretty much the entire campaign, returned from Zyan Above on a merchant vessel. They went down the Great Sewer River in Zyan Between to the Temple of the Archons, where they opened the portal (it had been opened all along, actually) at the shrine to Thovis. This led them into the Sanctorum of the Maenads.
They found themselves in a strange carved space of green rock, flowing geometrical forms, and screaming heads. They were seen by someone or something down the corridor and pursued quickly fleeing lights, but fell into a teleporter trap. Later they were beguiled by the song of one of the Maenads, Esdoreth, and only Cletus was able to free them. They then fought against her, and were able to overcome her, slaying one of the enlightened sages or, perhaps, mad gods of the Horoscops.
She wore a breastplate worked with platinum, and filigreed with gold, too long and thin for a human to wear. Her ornamental mask is terrible to look on, with three silver faces ("the three faces of Vo", Cletus tells you) framed by green copper, and surrounded by an elaborately worked headress, now party broken in the struggle, but still splendid to look upon. Pulling these items from the creature, you are hit by a heavy wave of spices, and an almost sickening body odor. Beneath the mask, you are horrified to see that she has, in fact three faces, all wizened. The faces on the side seem vestigial, and the central face bears a mouth filled with razor teeth and a third eye, all black, which is the only open eye.
Her strange withered arms are covered in bracelets, encrusted with gems, mostly emerald and jade.
The party is not safe for now, so there is no XP or GP total at present. You can take any actions before the next session you want to take here. I will eventually post a current map, although it's really pretty simple so far. There are three rooms on this level, and two ways up to the next level that you know of. There is the central, shaped like a diamond with some raised pool of still green liquid. There is a ladder in this room leading up to a floating diamond shaped platform (15" up), and perhaps another one (or two, or more) more platforms higher up. You cannot see the ceiling, but have the vague sense that there might be an upper level accessible above.
From this room there were two passages, one that led to a mirrored egg, and the other that led to a room with stairs leading up about 20" to doorway. There were three levers in this room.
By the way, Ernis' head is still spinning from looking in the egg. When you stared at the seemingly endless depths of the mirrored egg, you felt space and time bending, and felt that you looked upon vistas of fractured moments spread before you in some kind of recursive iterations. You felt that you touched the face of wisdom and then turned away, for it was too much for you to bear. It is hard for you to get your thoughts to sit still.
Can we tell if the still green liquid is green slime?
ReplyDeleteSalinger will cut off a few inches of silk rope and run it through the green liquid like dipping a madeleine into coffee or perhaps a nacho into guacamole.
ReplyDeleteThose both sound pretty good right now.
ReplyDelete