This was a week of achievement for the party. After weeks of wrecking balling their way through two levels of dungeon, they finally found themselves above ground! A true achievement, especially considering that they survived with numerous casualties but no fatalities. In fact, I think I may hear 4th level calling for our party. They definitely know what fighting above their weight feels like.
The session started out as peacefully enough. The party slept in the relative comfort of the ancient, secret Tomb of Mitra. But the lure of the grand copper coffin sitting across from them was eventually too much. Poundfoolish (or was it þordis?) opened the unlocked, unsealed coffin, sliding its lid to reveal (at least initially) a magical effect. A will save with a DC 17 was required for everyone within 10 feet of the coffin, which included most of the party. Those that failed wandered in a fugue state towards the double doors that led to a chamber beyond. That included the Mr. Stonemason himself, Calvert, who began removing pitons from the tiles with ease.
Poundfoolish, uncertain the source of this magic, tossed the only item in the coffin: a hip joint bone. There was an osteological debate that followed about what a hip joint bone really was, but I mostly just zoned out of that conversation.
The enchanted party members were subdued, narrowly avoiding a dangerously rushed entry into the unknown chamber beyond. Stacia nailed a spell check for Detect Evil resulting in a range that included most of the known universe. Or a 150′, give or take. Regardless, she detected no evil from the chamber beyond. And her teeth were telling her that the hip joint bone that had been tossed out of the coffin had divine origins. It belonged to Mitra himself! And also it belonged back at that copper coffin, ffs.
Once the remains were returned to their proper place, the party exited through the two doors, now in an organized manner. What they found beyond the doors was a floor covered in tiles with runes on them. In the center of the domed chamber was the statue of a Naga. Nicklaus cast Comprehend Languages with a roll high enough to be fluent in what they meant. He realized quickly they denoted different kinds of traps.
But before the party do anything rash the naga statue started talking. She recognized the divine connection that Stacia had with Mitra. Being a sentinel in league with Mitra herself, the naga offered the party two paths: they could journey deep into the Tower of Mitra or they could return back to the village. Since the Fang of Set was still possessed by Merth the Sheriff of Mitra’s Fist (and perhaps some dungeon fatigue) the party opted to head back to the village.
They passed the secret door to the Tower of Mitra and rounded a long curving hall to find themselves in a room that had what appeared to be a 6″, perfectly round diamond. It floated above the ground, spinning like it was on a carousel. At first Poundfoolish considered grabbing the gem. Ultimately it was Stacia, who soon found that gem embedded into her forehead like The Vision. That triggered another will save for the party. For those who failed, they saw only a flash. For the others, a beautiful maiden appeared when Stacia touched the gem and kissed her on the forehead.🌶️
þordis found the secret door in the ceiling that led up a dark shaft. At the top was a trap door that had a black ooze on the other end of it. The party quickly dispatched it, and found themselves in a pit designed with the purpose of disposing bodies. Above that pit, they found something perhaps equally as disgusting- the guards bunk room.
Before we ended the evening, the party determined they were in the Manor of Avvakris, grandest building in the village. While this was not the Constabulary which contained their prized swords, it was a step in the right direction. The party was finding their way back to where this adventure began, and where things went sideways fast…
