Category: Graveyard of Empires: The Islands of Curabel: Session Summaries

SESSION 221 – October 3, 2018

The End Of Magic As We Know It

We manage to delay the beholder bot and other bots long enough to get suited up properly. Laris finds an indication of a heavy blast door and orders the spider bot to activate the mechanism. Spider Bot is crushed and the last allied bot of the party is no more.

This was just in time to prevent the automatons from getting us, as the outer door was breached.

We then have time to suit up and get Nash’s body suited up. Lysander’s eye is unmistakably glaring at Bavmorda.

Rallion gifts Bavmorda all his gems and all his money in the bag of holding if he will use the probability sword to finish off Xenotel. Bavmorda also extracts from Rallion to seek a way to bring back Nash, when Rallion refuses to help her take the ship that took us to Lonely Isle. Piracy is a line Rallion won’t cross.

We all link up to a rope and Laris’ geni servant, Vikram, will guide us the rest of the way, as he is not impeded by zero gravity.

Laris casts knock on the opposit iris door. The explosive decompression propels us all out, as we were all close to the door. The blast door closes behind us. We needed this blast door closed, and could not see a way to activate it without potentially doing so in a way that would trap us. The Automatons had opened a pinprick of a breach in the center of the first blast door.

We let our momentum carry us and would have arrived quite soon. Through the Vikram as intermediary, hie telepathic communication for those without mind blocking rings and those that could be convinced to remove them, we stopped.

We agreed to resurrect Nash. It failed and failed so badly that he is permanently dead. We had a resurrection scroll, but the new Nash would not have a suit when he appeared nearby, so we elected to continue on.

A minute out from the final location, Vikram scouted ahead. He soon returned and could not sense past the door.

We arrayed ouselves and opened the door to see an even more impressive number of autamatons surrounding Xenotel and the rings encircling him.

Rallion fired and one of his shots hit Xenotel, he felt a small bit of recompense for the giant glowing eye that imposed itself on him when he put on the scrying mask for the last time.

Others acted to great effect. Kauri cast haste on nearly the entire party. Bavmorda tossed a large bauble from the magic bracelet and destroyed all the bouncing betty type machines between us and Xenotel. Prixithalma rushed the guns inside the door electing to make physical attacks and act as a shield. About half the electrical orbs facing us rammed her and a large number of shooting machines shot her. She was dead for the third time. Others of the party did their part in shooting.

Prix was dead and Oskar badly wounded.

Next Rallion Kicked off and got close to Xenotel and hit him again, with even more satisfaction. Bavmorda shadowstepped and was lost until a DVL oointed out that she was heading towards the bright light of the gate instead of Xenotel.

Bavmorda then appeared next to Xenoteal and activated the probability sword. A huge amount of damage and an eletrical feedback set off the other two charges in the battery and the shock removed Xenotel from the central pillar. An old man appeared and thanked us and was gone. All of our ancient dwarven artifacts no longer emitted Transpatial Energy as the DVLs that powered them were set free. Those powering automatons devoured them. We then saw bright lights emitting from the ebony inky blackness in the center of the gate, falling to the planet.

We learn from Vikram that all DVLs across all the multiverse were now free to exact their revenge on the dwarven empire, who now had all this technology without a power source and would be nearly helpless. The dwarves used a shortcut to access transpatial energy by enslaving DVLs. True practitioners learned from a CODEX how to access it without needing to be a slaver. The items we have from The Mothers, and before the arrival of either the Dragons or the Dwarves indicated someone on Medeia had access to a codex.

Too late, we learn of the poor bargain we made, not even guaranteeing that Media and it’s environs would be off limits to the DVLs. Small encouragement is the thought that we are the greatest liberators of enslaved ever as we freed untold numbers across all the multiverse, and led to the fall of the greatest star empire across all the known galaxies of the multiverse.

Alys shadow stepped away with Nash’s pack and Lysander’s eye. She landed in the arctic and asked Lysander to trust her as she did Nash, and the eye agreed swarming her face. Alys now roams the land proclaiming the greatness of Lysander.

The rest of the party shadow stepped to the mountain range near Greybeard to seek audience with The Mothers and petition them for training in how to use magic the right way so they could deal with all the DVLs they set loose on Medeia and try to clean up the many messes unleashed by Baldric’s boys, AKA The Starchy Boyz.

[Whew! I think that’s all the high points. I didn’t mean to gloss over anyone’s shining moments. What a ride this has been! Thank you all for making this a truly epic and memorable campaign! I said Wed. that I thought we were done, and that I was ready to be done. Give it time, and I may be interested in the continuing adventures. However, I can’t go past 11 PM Eastern and won’t start before 8 PM. We can do a lot in 3 hours if we don’t add rules discussions/disputes to the bargaining over what the next party more should be.]

SESSION 220 – September 26, 2018

We defeated the remaining orbs, but Lambertus was blasted since he cast Prayer.

We reached the tunnel and they had an anti-magic effect from the beholder automaton. Rallion and two others, Tree and Peronell, attempted to shadow step and they all failed.

Rallion made a deal with a DVL, see below, to get back invisibly near the door. We learned of 2 small objects that duplicate by doing damage to their opponents.

Oskar was feared and fled. Others shadowstepped. Kauri and Laris failed and made deals with the same DVL but Kauri argued for all in our party to have free passage and to remove the fear on Oskar.

Nash shadowstepped behind the mecha beholder and tried to cast blade barrier from a scroll and it failed. Nash then fled, pursued by the little flitting bots that replicated by taking away one point of damage permanently. Nash managed to get past Bavmorda.

Tree was dominated and attempted to assassinate Rallion, and Rallion put him down with his laser pistol. Rallion took his shear rifle, extra ammo and shield. And was using Tree as a shield when he was reminded that “dead” ninja assassins explode.

Rallion and Peronell were unable to hit the things afflicting Nash.

Prix made ready to open the door, when Nash shot her from behind. He had been dominated.

The flitting bots attacked Lambertus and there were 5 of them. Oskar also stepped in.

Kauri and Laris appeared. Kauri used Magic Missile to knock out 4 of them and Peronel hit one with her bow, but not before one of them hit Lambertus and duplicated, leaving 1. The next round Kauri took care of the last one with Magic missile.

Lambertus prepared to stop Nash with a hold person, and Prix was attacking to subdue, when Bavmorda called Axelbot to take the box and shard and Bav assassinated Nash, just as Lysander’s eye saved Nash from the domination.

We all fled through the door that Laris had knocked. Pris dragged Nash’s lifeless body.

Axelbot put the shard in its sheath and launched through the door and was killed by the automatons and smashed into the wall into many pieces.

We closed the door and rush to put on spacesuits, Laris try to cast hold portal, and try to find a way to block the door long enough we can go face Xenotel.

Rallion’s Contract

It is agreed that in exchange for ensuring Rallion and his companions reach their intended destination safely from their attempted shadow stepping. That is, near the door to Xenotel.

That Beelzebul and his companions and associate will do all in their power to prevent the automatons in the spindle from interfering with our mission to assault and destroy Xenotel.

That Beelzebuland his companions and associate will do all in their power to ensure that the cube constructed by Prixithalma takes Xenotel’s place.

We are agreed that the following conditions will be sought by Rallion by all means in his power:

1.) Defeat Xenotel

2.) Prevent the Dwarven armada from arriving.

3.) Ensure that the Probability sword strikes the killing blow to defeat Xenotel.

Provided Rallion lives long enough to see the final battle to have an impact on the final blow.

Kauri and Laris’ contracts: similar to Rallion’s but added verbiage that all members of the party, by name will have free passage, and the Oskar would be freed from the fear cast on him.

Rallion, Peronell, Nash, Kauri, Prixithalma, Tree, Lambertus, Axelbot, Spiderbot, Bavmorda, Alys, Laris, Oskar

Help Oskar and free passage for all.

SESSION 219 – September 19, 2018

We make our way towards the life nearest the gateward end of the station where the door to the last leg of the path to Xenotel lies.

We see automatons enter the tube with the floating eye automaton, several are berserkers. One is more decorated, and has a monkey’s head (automata) on a necklace. Rallion suggests that it is Brice with a trophy of what is left of Marchmain. Bavmorda thinks it is Marchmain now in charge….

The overseers suddenly change their movement patterns, as if they are now looking for something.

We heard inaudible whispers, Bavmorda explains that she hears them speaking Ancient Dwarven. Rallion moves near, and relays to the others that they are all trying to discourage us telling us to kill ourselves, surrender, or run and hide, etc.

About halfway between the elevator we rode up and the lift Nash and Laris set timed charges with their explosives, using candles as timers.

About 20 minutes to one explosion and 15 to the second.

Laris uses his new friend, Vikram, as a scout so we avoid encounters with the groups of overseers.

We finally get close to the life, and Vikram warns that there are 30 overseers around it.

We decide to wait for the explosions to see if it draws any away.

The first explosion draws away about 10. A short time later the other explosions draws away all but 4.

Bavmorda moves in with the shard and begins the fight. Others help with missile weapons, and Axel, the spiderbot, and Oskar charge in. We quickly kill the 4 overseers.

Some of the party get the engine for the lift started and we are out of range before the overseers return. Since they can’t hit us, they use their lightning attacks to take out the life motor.

With Bavmorda in the lead with the shard out, Zxel/spiderbot, and Oskar close behind, with the rest outside the effect of the shard.

5 floating electric orbs fly down and their attacks are not doing anything, they keep testing the limits of the sphere.

Rallion and the others open fire. We destroy one sphere and damage another.

Lambertus is casting prayer, which will be ready in time for us to roll initiative.

We are left 2/3 of the way to the central tube, with about 880 feet of climb in low and decreasing gravity to go.

SESSION 218 – September 12, 2018

We join the Bacchanal feast with the centaurs and others, eating the last of the food. They want to know if we know that Sylvanus is not really divine, and are we really able to stop the Dark One?

We reassure them that yes, we can. We ask final questions, and learn that there is a passage beneath the altar in the temple.

We talk to Sylvanus and ask and learn that it is blocked by choke points in each direction. We devise a plan to have a two phased diversion. While we go get Axelbot, after an hour, they will do a surface diversion. We will then flee. They will pull back that diversion, then do a subsurface diversion.

We see the fruit of of our plan. Kauri cast invisibility 10″ radius on two of us, so we moved in two groups past the patrols. Rallion went last to obscure out tracks. Kauri made Axelbot invisible and carried spiderbot in a sack. Rallion continued to obscure tracks until we heard the baying of the mechanical hounds Axel managed to avoid during the week. We get to the gate, and Laris thought about opening the gate, like he did to get wood and leather to make our wooden mud shoes. (How did he do that? – The ring with a demon)

We close and lock the gate behind us.

We get past a door and the turrets open but can’t see us. We spike and disable the door behind us. A tram car shows up with a ninja bot looking out the window on our side. We manage to get on and squeeze together. As it starts to turn around, Bavmorda has positioned herself behind it and strikes it down like a true assassin.

The tram takes us to elevators. As we move, the turrets pop up but can’t get a lock on us. We get on the elevator that is labelled Research and Library of the Dead, and hit the button for the penthouse.

A short time later, the doors open up in the mile long, mile wide sideways cylinder with rows upon rows of labelled cubes with the dead dwarves. A clear tube runs the length of the library with single person elevators leading to it. We see pairs of overseers working in the stacks.

Within the central tube we see a large floating sphere that appears to have a large eye with stalks with more eyes on the ends of the stalks “walking a picket” along the central tube. The end of the tube opposite us, leads to Xenotel. The sphere seems to fill the tube and be too large for the smaller elevators.

We have arrived at 3:15 AM on the 1st of Tenrelden, the first anniversary of the original party sailing into port at Midmark. The apocalypse clock reads 00.000.00.14, a fortnight remains until time runs out!

SESSION 217 – September 5, 2018

We do our training, get new skills, and receive many gifts.

Acid rain destroys crops and the undying field workers and disfigures the statues of the “gods”. On the second day after training, we take advantage of the 30 minute respite in the rain to check on Axel and he and the spider are fine.

Sylvanus makes each of us a nanocarbon shield, and gifts each of us with a healing potion, and a total of 60 rounds for our beam weapons.

Kauri and Laris get their second most wanted spell and are promised their most wanted spells if they make sure their owl teacher survives.

We all study the theory of shadow stepping, and are cautioned against its use, as there are many DVLs and Daemons waiting to follow someone out. The Silence were working to free them as part of their religious movement that hoped for a Savior to set them free, who one of their number called Bavmorda.

Bavmorda asks Xentellar to sharpen the probability sword.

Prixithalma is checking the code in the cube and determines that Serithaz transmitted it faithfully, and it disappears. Sylvanus erased it. Only when we suggest a balanced council does he restore all but the part that will destroy this place. A product of the corrupted version of Prix’s virus sent by her husband, as he wanted to ensure magic persisted for everyone.

Eventually, we settle on a council of 3 – Prix, who made a copy of herself, Kalgun, and Serithaz. Kauri used two lightning bolts to transfer first Kalgun, and then Serithaz into the cube. Prix checked and all three are there complaining about personal space. So we went with the prophecy that requires the consort, liar, and mad king.

The helm is now free of Serithaz and most likely any copies he made.

Midway through training, scouts report in that we are surrounded by hundreds of automaton. Sylvanus calls upon the citizens of Elysium to create a diversion, so we can escape, get Axel and head toward our goal. About 50 or 60 indicate they will give their lives for the diversion. The automatons cannot pass the ring of standing stones, so within we are safe, but prevented from reaching our goal.

Nash weeps as he wants to finish his training, but the others point out that time is short.

Tomorrow marks one year since Thorfus Ironhand, Axel Rhomkul, Galron the paladin, Ir’Alle the Human cleric of Xenteller, Sthorm the thief, and Uthruk the half-orc first sailed into Midmark. Perhaps Galron, Sthorm, adn uthruk yet live….

SESSION 216 – August 29, 2018

We built a shelter for Axelbot and the spider bot to hide in the forest until we finish training.

Tree is bound and held by centaurs and survives the ordeal of passing the stone circles around the town.

We are lead to a shrine and first we meet Lysander, and then all the others. Lysander healed us all with a snap of her fingers.

We met the following “deities:”

Xen Telr

Merendur

Marakin

Vas Kindrek

Evenkeel

Dagon

Lysander

Sylvanus

We discuss plans. Nash and Laris make a deal to swap their level limits between their two classes. While they meditate in the chapel overnight and the rest of us rest.

We learned that Serithaz lied and Prix was not raised in the empire. We keep Serithaz under wraps.

Before we begin training, we give them the blood of Prix and the other vials of dragon blood and volunteers are sacrificed. She is back and stunned. We fill her in and her “children” are glad to have “mother” with them.

Prix reviews the virus code to verify that the copy of Prix from Serithaz is the real deal.

We all gain new abilities from our trainers from increased proficiency with beam weapons, to additional magical ability, or thief ability.

“Acid” rain started at the beginning of the week and lasts all week(?) It is an attack from Xenotel on the stronghold of the gods.

We learn of the most direct route there.

The debate is whether to stay and train for another week, so Nash gets another level of cleric. Nash offers to stay behind and catch up later….

This date is now 30th Nonrelden, or 000.00.00.15! Another week will leave us 8 days!

SESSION 215 – August 22, 2018

We jump in and help the centaurs kill and drive off the wasps. A few wasps got away. The centaurs couldn’t wake their companions and left them to die, as there was no way to carry them.

They speak a dialect with a bit of Ancient Dwarven, that Rallion adn other ancient draven speakers can sort of communicate. The centraurs indicate we can’t take the mechanical ones, Axelbot, Tree, and the spider bot.

Nash prays and Lysander rises from a pool in the swamp and we all see it. Lysander relays that the place, Elysium, is warded against mechanical types and that we need to tie our friends.

We journey and stop when we hear buzzing that are wasps. We get near our destination and in the trees there is a fluttering/buzzing of a small creature in rapid flight. Nash uses Serithaz to communicate. It used the Name “Jolly” but said all names are a lie. It said that Sylvanus is a lie and he broke apart into the other gods. Jolly traveled in the station from another star 10,000 years ago. Jolly urged us not to go to the village of Elysium. Jolly tried to get us to go with it. We are the most interesting thing it has seen in a long time.

We reach and area where the beam of light is that Nash can see with Lysander’s eye. We tied Axelbot, Tree, and the spiderbot. Axel and Tree hear a buzzing that is unpleasant. We debate whether or not to continue…..

SESSION 214 – August 15, 2018

The robot ninja turned out to be a druid convert of Sylvanus, and he joined us and showed us the way.

We reached the terminal and had to fight 2 turrets, and 4 robot ninjas, and the Thunder Cannon.

Lambertus cast silence in front of the Thunder Cannon and prevented it from affecting us.

We defeated the guns and the robot ninjas and some were hurt badly.

Rallion used his adamantine spear to stop the gate closing over the ramp, and Axelbot helped it so we could go down after the fight.

Next we found two dwarven warriors and two turrets. The turrets were around opposite corners. Axel took out the turret tot he north, and we fought the dwarven warriors and eventually beat them. We won just in time to be out of the way of the Thunder Gun when the silence wore off.

We used our last healing spells, and Bavmorda down her potion of extra healing.

We opened the doors labelled biome and saw the long habitat with bodies of water to the left and right, and above us.

The sight of 20 centaurs with laser rifles righting 17 mecha wasps greeted us.

Nash looked in with the Eye of Lysander and saw a glow of energy that “looks like heaven”.

SESSION 213 – August 8, 2018

After nearly a full complement of rest and healing magic, our breather is interrupted by a loud crash, banging and unearthly “screams.”

Rallion takes a peek and it appears that a noncarbon golem, like the one Thorfus couldn’t best, that later housed Kalgun and was smashed by undying fire giants, was fighting itself and unable to maintain its form.

Nash uses the ESP helm and Serithaz asks if we are torturing the creature, if so, we are doing an admirable job.

Nash attempts ESP but detects nothing. He asks Serithaz to take a closer look. Serithaz is reluctant and soon reports that two intelligences are fighting for control of it. Kauri looks on and sees a large dwarf with flowing beard (Xenotel) and a woman (Lysander) locked in a strubble to control the nanocarbon golem.

Occasionally it lurches forward, and suddenly bursts through the wall to the hallway where the last of the pair of dwarven engineers, Angus, was hiding and he is killed as the golem senlessly barrels forth in the titanic struggle between divine AIs.

As the struggle continues, and with the information from Kauri that it is Lysander and Xenotel, Rallion hopes that hitting the golem with his ESP blocking ring will allow Lysander to take control. Rallion has not used his sling since his last hunting foray before the druids sent him on his mission to learn the secret behind the Dark King, and misses.

Nash tries to do what he can and the others stay out of the way.

Rallion and Nash work together with the help of Serithaz to time dropping the ring on the roiling mass of nanocarbon. The timing is not quite right, and as the ring falls, there stands Xenotel. Before Xenotel can smash us to nothingness, we snatch away the ring, and the struggle resumes.

Rallion and Nash do better timing their efforts and this time the ring falls and the golem rises fully formed, but immobile. Serithaz relays that both are striving to reach the golem, but are cut off from it.

We finish searching the level, and find two more overseers and 3 more spiders. We all stay back as Bavmorda goes after them. The spiders are not stopped, and their poison still works. We pull Bavmorda out and Nash finds her cure poison. Rallion fights the spiders, using the adamantine spear he’s carried since the deep gnomes. He and others defeat the spiders, and Rallion finished off the helpless overseers, freeing them from their ancient prisons.

We find more weapons. The weapons appear to be in working order, but the rounds are dark. So the shard of the mothers defeats the magic in the laser weapons, and also prevents laser weapon fire from affecting it.

We rest and heal, then proceed upward. We find some of the giant beavers crucified, and Written in blood at base of crucified beavers and pentagrams.

“Death to the False Gods and their Servants! Make Way for the Master of the World Between Worlds and His Mortal Instrument!”

This reminds us that last session, Last session Bavmorda was told: ” That is not the master; you must weild the master against XenoTel2 to free us. You are the savior.”

A ten minute journey by elevator takes us nearer our goal of the biome. We find some more weapons, and a hologram of who we thought was the last Lord Marshal, whose sword Thorfus carried until he fell. Now Bavmorda carries it.

We find out way, with a divine vision given to Nash, and find a sign pointing us in the way of the Biome. Rallion has adopted the urgency of Nash, let’s get to the Biome. While Rallion stands near the tracks of the station ready to head towards the Biome, the rest of the party, following Nash’s lead, find and activate another Robot Nano Ninja….

*ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE!!!!*

SESSION 212 – August 1, 2018

Survive the fight, “demons” come and take out the giant beavers who seemed to be on our side. Demons communicate that we are servants of the master who have come to free them from Xenotel. the “demons” have clay/mudmen things with them and raise a wall of fire so we can’t follow.

We pull back to rest and are gravely injured by two overseers but take them out. Bavmorda uses the shard.

We end up with more laser weapons.

We rest and heal up and get some repairs on Axelbot.