Session 49

Date: 9/20/2015

Attending: Jake, Aaron, Dave, Justin, Joey

Absent: None

Start Time: 7:15 pm

End Time: 10:20 pm

XP awarded: 4,000

Game time elapsed: 9 days

Enemies Defeated:  4 alien figures, 2 steeltoes, 2 mistwalkers, 1 doppler

Notes:

Deciding to pass on further investigation of the blood trail, the Knights returned to the main passage and continued out. They walked for 2 days. On the third day they came to an intersection which had crude signs scratched into the wall. The left one showed what appeared to be a sun over land, and the right one appeared to be a tree. They continued down the left passage. After another day they finally feel fresh air. They exit the mine on the side of a mountain overlooking a vast section of moors. They camp for the night and debate what to do next, slaughtering Frumious’ goat for a hot meal. The group decides to head back into the mine and explore the branch of tunnel marked with a tree.

After traveling a day they rest at the fork with the scratched signs. Then they take the right passage marked with a tree. They travel for two days and on the third find a underground river of lava with a floating stone slab tethered to the tunnel. The knights take the raft which races along the lava river through the night and into the morning at a fantastic speed. Along the way they pass another raft being towed against current by 4 beings seemingly made of fire and lava. On the raft are a few redcaps, but the two rafts pass so far that the occupants can do little more than register the passing. In the morning their raft stops at the mouth of another tunnel. The party exits the raft and enters this new tunnel. After traveling for ½ a day they find a massive root system made of titanic roots, which has a double door set in the side (the tunnel continues on). The doors are made of the same pitted corroded iron used in the Tainted One rituals. The Knights rest and then enter the tree.

Inside the tree the very air feels wrong, and Feydor is driven to the floor sobbing and clutching his head when he tries to Detect Evil. Immediately inside is a large room with several passageways and a stair. Also there is a figure who turns to the party. This figure is about man height, but almost impossibly skinny. It is bald and its features are alien and otherworldy, far too angular and stretched. The party attacks and kills it fairly quickly although Fyn notes that it was readying fairly powerful magic. They also notice that while a red substance does pour out of its wounds, it is actually thousands of little red mites instead of liquid blood. One at a time they examine the hallways. Each one leads to a roomo that seems to be set up to create Tainted Ones. In one of them they disturb a horrific ritual.

Two steeltoes are holding Halfling up against a vertical board, while two mistwalkers look on. The halfling’s face has been cut off from scalp to chin, the now loose flesh hanging down his neck and blood drenching his chest. One of the alien creatures is hammering a pitted corroded metal mask into place on the still living halfling’s skull and facial musculature, using long iron nails. The party immediately attacks. During the fight the tainted Halfling changes its shape and grapples with Feydor as an exact duplicate of Feydor. It is a hard fight but the Knights prevail. Realizing that tainted Halflings are shapeshifters, the party speculates on who could have been one in their previous adventures. One of the mistwalkers escaped, so they chased it into another room where 2 more of the alien figures are. One casts a spell that makes Bajol permanently insane, but Frumious is able to restore him. The Knights resolve to go upstairs. End Session