Wodin follows after Johan, head held high, but lockstep behind him. "Is not worst job have had," the Stonelord quips.
"Chief sa'd, done be." says the shaman.
==//==
The village treasury is kept here in this hut, scattered among the many skins and bunches of grass and leaves. The “treasury” is a collection of large bones, broken weapons and armor, crocodile and snake skins and shiny rocks that have impressed Kumanda over the years. Among this worthless junk however, there are a few legitimate treasures. There are two large chunks of flawed but valuable amethyst worth 150 gp and 220 gp respectively ; a fossilized mammoth ivory tusk worth 500 gp ; and a helm of comprehend languages and read magic .
I think some of you better teach me the final points of appraisal
Agrippa inspects the items
Agrippa notes the worth of the gemstones, but he fails to recognize the true worth of the Tusk. The helm he recognizes as very valuable.
Impressive work. Give me some tips on gemstones later.
The helm is a fearsome‐looking one, winged and red‐plumed, decorated with grinning goblin faces.
Agrippa notices the helmet and puts it on. Does this spoil the image? he asks Eldred
Then he asks Eldred would you like to fully explore our new...home?
Nahhh - all the evil overlords have their own fashion statements, he says absolutely dead pan while looking Agrippa over.
As for exploring Eldred shows his lazy streak and insists that the toads do the security work. Whats the point of subjugation if I end up walking around and into some sort of tunnel nasty? Let them keep us safe - I can take first watch if you want to get some shut eye.
Unlike Eldred, Johan cannot keep a smirk from his face as he appraises Agrippa. The cavern muck slowly creeping up his fine robes and the regal red plumed helm flattening his princely coifed hair certainly did make a statement.
Eldred, rest sounds good. We can each take a turn standing guard outside the door. Lets bring in the mule and our provisions and set this up as our base camp.
Johan pokes his head out the hut and roars out to Zikomo. This hut will do. Now Chief and his companions will rest and commune with Dagon. At sunrise have a feast ready. We will celebrate and share Dagon's wisdom with the tribe.
To Grumblejack: Go bring back the dead chief's body. We may have left behind useful gear or valuables. Then give the frogmen the body - they may need it for the, uh, feast. Then meet us back here for some rest. Oh, and don't let my ...bride... in.
Wodin chuckles at Johan's request of Grumblejack. "Hear tell that life of married has many up and down," the dwarf jests. "Though most is down, yes?" Earthbreaker snickers as his removes his helmet.
Sidious also chuckles at the appearance of the helm but only after Agrippa asks. It is useful Agrippa. Do not be so concerned about how it looks. he advises, almost sure that the wizard will not heed the advise.
My magical abilities are indeed taxed, but I am unwounded. I shall stand first watch. He then addresses the dwarf. I have heard that dwarves are hardy folk. If you do not need sleep immediately I invite you to watch with me. I would hear the story of how you came to follow our Father.
Agrippa scowls and removes the helmet.
I'm going explore. You there! he calls out to one of the frog men You will show me this cavern structure. thinking twice, he jams the helmet on his head.
Wodin nods at Sidious. "Is fine. Will tell, gladly."
Eldred flops down on the floor, closes his eyes as if to sleep and prepares to listen.
Better him than me flapping my lips and I can learn more about the good father as well, he thinks.
Johan settles in to listen to Wodin's story, curious about this newest member of their knot... and promptly falls asleep, his two near death experiences of the day catching up with him. He dreams wicked dreams and snores wicked snores while the others talk.
Eldred grunts for the dwarf to continue so as to keep the story flowing.
Wodin sits himself down on the floor, setting his helmet beside him. "Is not very interesting story. Had not lived it, would think foolish," the Stonelord begins, crossing his arms.
He begins to tell the story of his humble beginnings, in his halting Taldane tongue. The son of a knight of Thanehelm, and successor to the Brotherhood of Stone's ancient fighting style, he had become a squire of that order. How he had been on the front lines during the Siege of Thanehelm, destroying accursed undead in the name of the Father of Creation. How, even in the darkest moments of Thanehelm, when the defenders were being overrun and slain by all manners of creatures, he had stood tall and defeated as many as he could.
With the destruction of his home, he spent days pondering his faith and his duty. Was he truly willing to simply start over again, somewhere else? Serving gods that were more than happy to leave him and his people to their deaths? The same gods who had allowed his entire family, and all of his friends and companions, to be slain and eaten? No. Not for a single moment.
Long had Wodin been aware of the Church of Asmodeus, and had even dealt with some Asmodean clergy in the past. Their dedication to law, at least, was truly impressive, though their darker interpretation had struck the young dwarven knight as somewhat sacrilegious. But now, with his faith wavering, Earthbreaker found solace in that interpretation. If the forces of Good would not assist, then maybe the Dark Prince and his ilk would be more useful. Maybe even willing to help him strike down the pithy fools who would sooner sit and watch their people die, rather than help them.
And so Wodin came to the Church of Asmodeus in Cheliax. There, he proved himself a mighty warrior, one of the few remaining Stonelords, and a fiendishly devoted servant of the First. And it was this devotion that had earned him a trip to travel the Inner Sea as a missionary, in order to earn his Lord's favor. But it seemed Asmodeus had already turned his eyes upon the dwarf, for his ship was wrecked, and he found himself upon the beaches of Talingarde. The Lord of the Pit had brought him here to do his work - to destroy this country, and rebuild it in his unholy name.
"Welcomed task. Is start of journey. Will make new Talingarde, land of order, ironclad," he finishes, nodding deeply.
Hmmmm, says Eldred while thinking If I have any say in this ironclad world, I'll ensure both rust AND grease, else how will an honest crim get by?
All the others, tired of their traveling and death experience day, settle down to share history and rest.
However, Agrippa the being of great mind and intellect could not be more bored at that sort of useless thing, so using the new found helm and some tries he is able to establish contact with one of the lesser minions of Johan's. As a mental note, he did found out that his official minions, the Knot, was far more useful and easy to manipulate than those lowly frog-scum.
Therefore, off he went, to explore and discover the wonders of the smelly, dump and dark caverns.
The floor of this cavern, save for a walkway around the edge is covered in a mix of mud and boggard manure.
This large and high-vaulted cave drips with water so constantly it seems as if it is perpetually raining. Fetid pools and luminescent algae combine to give the chamber an ominous greenish glow and a lingering stench. The chamber is dominated by a large and impressive mud and stick hut that is surprisingly sturdy. This is Zikomo’s Temple to Father (who is in truth the demon-lord Dagon). The entrance is decorated with bones and leather strips cut from dozens of creatures (many sentient).
The temple itself is a single room almost thirty feet across. Inside, countless bones from those who have died upon Dagon’s altar decorate the place. A crude stone block is encrusted with old dried blood. Above the block, drawn in vibrant luminescent paint distilled from rare marsh plants, is the mad spiral rune of Dagon himself surrounded by countless scribbles of daemonic iconography copied from the Horn’s exterior. A fire pit burns in the center of the temple.
As Agrippa approaches, he sees the shaman lost in some drug haze, Zikomo is in a trance when the mage passes in front of the temple doors, the shaman emerges from his trance long enough to stare at them glass-eyed directly at the mage, inside his invisibility protection and pronounces “The cave of the blue slime conceals your future. Learns its secret or fail at ye master’s charge.” Suddenly the drug-induced fatigue seems to lift from him in one manic burst of energy. He leaps to his feet and starts dancing and screaming his terrifying croaks about blue slime and the fury of the master. The fire that burns at the center of the temple changes color to blue in response to his frenzied abyss-born prayer. Zikomo laughs like a mad fiend.
The boggards have constructed a crude holding pen here. This is where victims captured in the swamp are dragged and held until the proper moment for them to be sacrificed to Dagon and then eaten. Currently it is empty save for a few scattered bones from an unlucky Iraen trapper the boggards captured weeks ago.
This is another boggard fungus farm, exactly as 1 above.
An empty nondescript wet cavern. The southern pool used to have cave fish in it, but the boggards long ago ate these tasty little creatures.
The next generation of boggards swims about and grows in this murky pool. The little boggard tadpoles are noncombatant and confined to the water. They actually look like strange little fish at this stage. Most of these tadpoles are the descendants of Kumanda Slays-Nine-Men and his consorts.
A crude stone statue of a great bloated tentacle boggard watches the pool. This is of course a statue of Father as the bane-wogs perceive him. A successful Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (the planes) skill check (DC 20) reveals this as merely a variation of the demon-lord Dagon.
Beautiful diamonds sparkle along the far wall. Not that Agrippa could do, convinced the boggard to enter the place, when threatened, the boggar fled, leaving the mage alone in the cavern entrance.
The floor is a frozen patch of ice.
A closer inspection reveals a faint transmutation magic aura in the place.
Agrippa returns to his more, useful, minions. He will alert the Knot to the possible danger in the frozen floor room.
After his walking, Agrippa returns to encounters the Ogre keeping the ‘wifes’, yes, there’s more than one now, outside, while the others are sound asleep inside.
After a brief calculation, he reckon’s that the news can wait until the next day and then he goes to sleep too, only to be waked some time later by his alarm spell, that proved to be nothing more than a boggard returning from the woods.
Morning comes and as the chief ordered, a feast was made!
Countless off seemly rotten slime and fungus, roots and fish. Leaves and what appears to be raw meat from some sort of beast, was laid down at the hut entrance, the feast for the new Chief.
Agrippa shudders at the proffered "food". He then goes to study his spellbook.
Eldred will take the less strange looking meats and the fish and try roasting them over a fire. He makes sure the ogre gets enough to eat as well. Nothing ruins a day like a hungry ogre.
He'll then go looking for the Shaman.
Oy! Talks-to-Toads says Chief want you to tell him all about this place so now to talk talk savvy? Hoppity hop!! An bring this' other one that speaks a civilised f++%ing tongue as well. Tell ya what, yer can share in some of the feast stuff too.
Johan partakes of the feast with gusto - he's eaten worse - and makes a show of being well pleased with the celebration.
Grumblejack loot at the raw meat and takes a big chunck of it before saying ”You un’s go do what un’s do. Grumblejack will sleep now.” he says, entering the hut.
After eating , or not. Timeon Talks-to-Toad go looking for the shaman, only to find him at the dagon temple.
He demands some answers, but the shaman seems lost in some drug induced haze and no answer was forthcoming.
Wodin eats from the feast with little care for the presentation. "Is no Gutwash," he remarks as he eats without regard for the others, appearing as if his stomach is lined with stone.
Sidious wakes and preys, as he does every morning. That ritual complete he breaks his fast with the proffered feast. He picks at food he does not trust and smells things before tasting them. But in the end he eats a full meal's worth. Johan, What is first for today?
After feasting and eating, the party decides to go exploring the rest of the cave.
This wet cavern is full of bones of both animals and sentients. This collection was largely cobbled together from everyone the boggards have ever murdered plus dozens of bodies found scattered about dating from the destruction of the Sons of the Pale Horseman eighty years ago.
This large wet cavern is dominated by two murky pools on either side of a comparatively wet walkway. The muck and slime that coats the floor makes the entire chamber count as difficult terrain (boggard swamp stride ignores this difficult terrain). This room also has strategic importance. It is a bottleneck that leads to the back entrance of the boggard village.
In the north side of the room, there is a particularly large and beautiful cave formation that emerges from the pool. Delicate crystals stud its exterior.
An empty nondescript wet cavern.
This is seemingly yet another wet empty cavern notable only for its very distinctive blue slime mold that covers the western wall. The vibrant blue slime is neither poisonous nor dangerous but is visually striking.
Johan notices, in this room, there’s a tiny crack in the wall, leading to what appears to be a hidden corridor.
No one medium or small sized is able to enter the crack in the wall.
An empty nondescript wet cavern.
This is another wet cavern with a pool of water at its rear. This pool however has a faint glow to it and is surprisingly clear. This pool contains weird pale blue blind cave fish with delicate thread-like spines on their forefins.
A successful Knowledge (dungeoneering) skill check (DC 25) will recognize these fish as death-angel cave tetras. Their spines are a powerful paralytic poison that the fish use to stun their preferred prey – the tiny white shrimp that share their cave pools and feed on the luminous algae.
This pool and its nearby side chambers that disappear under the rock actually support a breeding population. The fish could be all harvested for twenty doses of the poison immediately or this pool could be harvested sustainably for four doses of poison a month.
Death-Angel Spine Venom
Type poison, injury; Save Fortitude DC 15
Frequency 1/round for 2 rounds
Initial Effect 1d3 Con damage; Secondary Effect unconsciousness for 1d3 hours; Cure 1 save
Cost: 150 gp/dose.
This small wet cave, through a bizarre natural process, sweats acid from its northern wall. The acid has pooled and anyone touching the seemingly clear water takes 1d6 acid damage. Double this damage if anyone foolishly drinks from pool. This pool is surprisingly deep and contains roughly 100 vials worth of acid (1000 gp worth). Better, the pool replenishes completely every month. That means that every week the PCs control the horn, they can harvest 250 gp worth of potent acid from this pool.
Selling the acid in Farholde is folly. The lone alchemist in town has nowhere near the demand to keep up with the rate this pool produces. You can sell at most 10 vials a month in Farholde. After that, there is simply no further demand.
What this pool excels at is the production of truly horrid and horrendous traps. The value of this acid may be directly applied to the construction cost of any trap that involves an acid component. This pool may never supply more than half the cost of any mechanical trap.
This non-descript cavern is empty and mostly dry.
The southern passage into this chamber is very narrow. Medium sized creatures can still enter here, but this square counts as difficult terrain. Anything larger cannot pass here. Smaller creatures can pass through here without penalty.
This time, Sidious is the one to notice a secret passage in the room.
Another relatively dry cavern.
Geothermal activity below the Horn of Abaddon has created a natural cauldron of boiling mud here. The hot mud is obvious and not particularly dangerous (though anyone who wades in does take 1d6 fire damage per round). If anyone casts detect magic here, the mud is actually faintly magical. The slow erosion of the magically-created Horn of Abaddon has made this pool so.
Across the mud pool there is a natural shelf and upon that shelf is an old mud-splattered metal chest. Currently the chest is empty and open, its lock ruined.
The villans should take a closer look in the descriptions of the room: 7, 11, 16 and 19
Well Johan responds to Sidious between wet slurping mouthfuls of boggard stew, I think our first priority should be finding a way into the rest of the horn - this cave system hardly seems grand enough for the seat of a deamon lord.
After they explore the caves, Johan suggests that they send Abraxus to explore the secret passages they found
Abraxas venture into the crack. It’s small even to a tiny creature, but that don’t stop the imp.
The passage gets larger and larger as the imp continues, ending up in a sealed room.
A lime encrusted human skeleton leans against the south wall clutching a heavy leather bound book.
And besides that, still glittering amongst the muck, a huge exquisite emerald.
Knowing that he’ll not be able to go back in the same way he came with the book and the emerald, the imp simply teleport near the party, and drop the items in the group.
The book is named “The Dirges of Apollyon” a knowledge History/Local DC 20. This is perhaps the last surviving copy of it upon this mortal plane. It details the long history of the “Sons of the Pale Horseman” and recounts their efforts to transform this world into a daemon’s playground.
This rarest of tomes is made utterly unique by the last page of text within.
Behold our shame that we, the Sons of the Pale Horseman, failed in our darkest hour to defend our prince the undying and ever malevolent Vetra-Kali Eats-the-Eyes. But I have seen it! I have seen the road to repentenance! 666 prayers. Three per day will break the hated Seal. With each prayer bathe the seal in unholy water and intone the dirge.
At the stroke of midnight each day call forth the Supplication to Darkness. Pray to the darkness so that we shall be forgiven. Upon the first midnight make the first sacrifice -- one of our own blood – so that Vetra-Kali will know we are repentant.
At the first light of each dawn call forth the Cursing of the Light. Answer the spread of the shining lord’s light with our unyielding defiance.
Upon the 111 th Curse make the second sacrifice -- a true believer of Mitra -- so that the cursed god of the invaders will know that we fear him not and that his power to hold our master at bay is ending.
At dusk as darkness returns each day cry forth the Call Across the Void. Recite the name of Ve-tra-Kali so that he may hear us and return. With the final Call offer the third sacrifice -- one of the Victor’s own blood. By the same blood that caged him so shall our master be freed.
Let ye with wisdom understand. Once the final prayer is uttered upon the 222nd dusk, Vetra-Kali will begin his long traverse across the great wheel.
At the stroke of midnight on that day he will emerge into his Sanctum and the Seal shall shatter.
Blessed day! Be ready, my brothers. His eyes have been stolen from him. Return them and the Prince will honor ye with one task for each.
For the Eye of Vigilance ask only for his mercy upon we mortals and plead that he do ye and yours no harm. For his wroth will be great.
For the Eye of Hatred ask for his greatest gift -- the Tears of Achlys so that once more every corner of the world may know his mercy.
For the Eye of Withering ask what ye will for in his gratitude he must answer your charge.
And then behold, the Prince restored. All shall know his blessings of pestilence and despair.
-R.Kappelbrenner
Agrippa practically salivates over the book. This seems to be an account of a ritual. One that will restore Vetra-Kali to this plane.
Agrippa takes care to clean the book and will take several hours doing so unless interrupted.
Wodin grins as the huge emerald tumbles to the floor. "In days under mountain, never see such gem," he says, very obviously impressed. "Это красиво... как на глазах у женщины любви," he says, reverting to a whisper in his native tongue.
Sidious finds common cause for once with Agrippa and throws himself into studying it with the wizard.
I'm impressed master dwarf but not that impressed, says Eldred responding in common. What of the blue stuff? Doesn't it hide some sort of quest?
Does this mean we need a s!*# tonne of very expensive holy water?
And three sacrifices it seems. Shall we explore this other hidden passage that Sidious spotted?[/b]
Sure
He armours up and moves out.
Wodin drops the emerald into his satchel and follows Johan and Eldred. "Will take care of gem," he states to the other members of the knot, patting his bag.
As the group prepares Sidious asks Do you think I should raise up some of the dead frog men?
Meh... do as you will. Pity the chief is headless and legless.
The imp once again goes ahead, in the stair scouting the path.
The spiral stairs climbs for about 150ft until it ends in a wall. Abraxas know there’s a door there at each 50ft, but he is unable to open it.
After reporting this, the party decides to follow the imp and Eldred works his tool and open the first secret passage.
The door opens to a massive open hall with its vaulted ceilings. At the west wall, a single open archway feeds into this place of gathering and worship. Six huge columns support the place. Upon every surface are carved baroque scenes of daemons and their humanoid allies marching together to conquer in the name of the daemon prince Vetra-Kali.
To your right sits a large stone throne decorated with scenes of daemonic victory over angels. It radiates a moderate conjuration aura. Eldred, Johan, and Sidious notices at its base in small script are the nonsense word ‘Yah’ in Abyssal.
Near it, the open archways, leading to two adjacent rooms is covered by a ragged silk tapestry. The tapestry is so soiled, it is difficult to make out the great white horse skull that adorns it surrounded by a ring of jagged daemonic iconography that loosely translates, ‘All must ride with the Horsemen’.
The door you stepped through you now see it’s made in a massive stone column, that is hollow behind two feet of stone. Inside, the stairs that connect the Lower caverns to more upper levels. From the outside, it takes a careful inspection to notice the column is hollow.
Move up?
Agrippa casts Darkvision on Eldred and himself Indeed Master Crofter and he also casts the Message cantrip so that Eldred can speak to him in whispers.
Wodin nods, his eyes taking in all the carvings and tapestry. "Can finish explore lower level, later," he states, interested mostly in the ornately carved stone throne.
Deciding to explore the upper levels before the lower ones, the group of villain’s retreats into the secret spiral stair and continue climbing it.
The narrow spiral staircase that runs from the hidden chamber in the lower caverns terminates here into a landing. This room is empty and bare. There are two badly deteriorated skeletons inside broken worthless suits of what was once masterwork full-plate. The ruined armored in covered in symbols similar to those that adorn the Horn itself. These are all that remains of the guards who stood in the way of the Victor as he fought his way towards the sanctum.
Wodin meanders over towards the skeletons, curious about them. "Wonder what meaning sigils?" he asks, though the dwarf doesn't sound like he expects an answer.
Ask our scholar with the significant hat I think, Eldred says turning to Agrippa.
As the Knot arrives on the second level Agrippa casts Alarm on the stairwell, guarding against anyone attacking them from behind. He also casts Mage Armor, to ensure his own personal protection.
I believe the siguls are written in some Daemonic tongue, the Daemons are a weaker breed than the outsiders whom serve our Lord
to decipher the runes.
The glyph usually means describe some sort of prayer or exaltation to daemons, or tell about some evil deed done.
Hear that?
Hear I did.
That puny human, called us weaker breed.
Called us indeed he did.
You hear, voices directly in your mind.