Category: Graveyard of Empires: The Islands of Curabel

Session 99 March 16, 2016

8:30 am, 2nd of Jourilden, Pathogen Facility

Thorfus directs the surviving grapplers to rest at their charging stations before we set off to explore the living quarters in the East wing. We tour the observation ring to assess the surviving population of infected. The numbers are daunting. Instead of East to loot, we decide on the fly to inspect the reliquary library in the West wing.

Our first look at the West wing is rather dim. The automatic lighting is not working. We all hear banging to the west and squeaking to the south. There are trapped infected here.

To the south we surprise a lone fungal infected occupied with a single reliquary-less info pedestal.

Chuq’s initial charge reveals more fungal infected lurking in this room. Several minutes later, the hall is choked with fungal spore clouds and we have lost three monkey automatons. Surmising these infected were likely dwarven staff, we seal and lock this room before exploring the other computational room to the north.

We are blasted by a burst of cold air when the northern door is opened. The cold air is blowing from a vent in the ceiling. This empty room has not only two reliquary cubes but also several mysterious devices. Coping with the familiar first, Thorfus plays with a cubed pedestal that deals with animal surveys of the Curabel islands. Curious about Dragons, learns which infected afflictions the dragons are immune. The report concludes infected are useless against Dragons. Notable that whether Dwarves are at risk is omitted/missing. The other cube appears to have duplicate information.

Kalgunn explains to Edan that the mysterious devices are used to view very small things not visible to the naked eye. Small things that the dwarven researchers were using to make the infected undying. His ancient dwarven word translates to something that sounds like mihcro scope, whatever that means….

Realizing their uniqueness = value, we decide to leave all but the cubes behind? The door to the west opens to a large North to South chamber occupied by many infected. More than we can handle. Retreating eastward, Thorfus seals and locks the door. Chuq sprints to the Chief Pathologist’s office, snatching out of the air the broachie talkie tossed to him by Thorfus.

Undeterred by the situation, we devise a complex trap to funnel the horde into an ambush of grapplers. Attempting to meter the deluge by controlling the only door remotely from the Chief Pathologist’s office. The goal would be for the grapplers to secure the infected in the pen below the main floor via a lift.

20 minutes later, our plan is ready to commence. Our first two dance partners take the bait and charge the grapplers. Wait – they’re not intimidated by the grapplers. These two aren’t millennium old patients but free roaming research staff! After securing these two, a monkey is tasked to dash within to give us a view of the going ons beyond the closed door.

Those damned infected used platinum tools to jam the door open as we begin again. Thorfus commands the monkey to retrieve the tools. It doesn’t survive the fusillade of infected fists. More autonotoms are lost as Derick tries to turn the tide by holding several infected. A nimble monkey slips past the infected successfully removing the platinum tools jamming the door open. More punching, jabbing, grappling and charging ensue. The clerically held Infected giving us a measure of confidence against the hoard. Monkeys spank then are spanked while grapplers are bashed as a few successfully overwhelm infected. Judging the time is just right, Thorfus tasks Chuq with closing the door from the office. He also has a grappler toss grappled infected into a disinfection chamber to be cindered.

We are now down two grapplers. The monkeys strip a wreck to fix another. Then we try to meter the remaining infected through the door again. This time a grappler will lunge through the doorway to snatch an infected. We tidy up a bit by tossing the bodies littering the floor into a disinfection chamber for flash frying. Turning our attention to the platinum wedges, we learn they are solid primary shapes with a very respectful heft. Hoping to avoid more losses, we now turn our attention to exploring the eastern wing for “easier booty”.

Our rummaging yields some rather interesting gems and a few coins. A lone rubbery infected gives us some sport. Two monkeys grapple it allowing Thorfus to put it out of its’ misery. Until next time….

Session 106

Journal entry for the 13th of Jourelden (dawn)

After our night-time encounter with the spider apes our morning is busy and uneventful as we load our equipment and carts onto the barge.

Gifforde would love our company on the rest of his journey, but Thorfus makes it clear that we have pressing business elsewhere.

The barge master, Whyschardus tells me that we’ll make Vargen just after nightfall – should give me plenty of time to work on my ship plans. Better feed Boris and myself.

A few hours have passed since my last entry. It seems that we had a shadow, a pair of dwarven riders were spotted by Thorfus questioning Gifforde and then pointing towards us as we made the first bend of the river, about two hours later we see them on one of the other barges – their intent was to follow us and keep us under watch.

How do we know this? Devilfish (see rough sketch). It seems they inhabit the river and extort a fee from passing barges, or rather they’re offered money for a promise of safe passage, a promise not always kept by the sounds of our barge master. They’re intelligent and have prodigious mental abilities – luckily one of their number, Gronsk, knows Thorfus and the Company- save for myself and Cannis our newest travelling companion.

He (it?) warned Thorfus and all of us using group telepathy (prodigious indeed!) that our barge’s offering wasn’t as large as that of the barge following and we’d be sunk unless Thorfus was able provide him information about Araquelle – a former member who left with Derrich’s group and Prix’ body through the permanently open gate inside the Bioforge facility.To my surpise, Araquelle was actually a Devilfish who’s essense was transfered to a human’s body.

Thorfus agreed only after Gronsk would delve the minds of the pursuing dwarves and let him know their intentions. Gronsk did so and then asked for an update before letting Thorfus know.

Now – Lord Thorfus is capable of many things, but he often times can be be over cautious. He danced around Araquelle’s fate – likely worried that should he reveal too much the devilfish may just sink us. This went on for a little while, clearly Gornsk wasn’t impressed with what he was being told about Araquelle’s current location – so I stepped in and explained that Araquelle stepped through a portal and is now on the other side of the island. That seemed to do the trick – though I’m not sure Thorfus was too happy to have me jump in like that.

That done – we found out that the riders were tasked with following us and reporting back to Marchmain about our whereabouts and doings.

With that Gronsk made to leave, but Thorfus asked it if he would help with find Grel. Gronsk laughed (or I think it laughed) and cryptically said that if we survive our welcome to meet him in the harbour where he’ll do what he can to help.

He then promptly left to destroy the other barge – leaving us to wonder about what awaits in Varden. Needless to say, that made concentrating on my work difficult, mind you watching Boris try to steal fish from Thorfus and Chuck’s fishing while chatting with the crew to glean information about Vargen was quite entertaining. No useful information came from the questioning.

Night has fallen I best get ready for what comes next. They say we’ll be mooring at the East Harbour and off load there. Shame that we arrived after nightfall – I wonder how large the city is.

EV.

Late evening – about an hour after our arrival.

I scrawl this quickly as we wait for news regarding Thorell – the local bargeman guild leader.

Gronsk was right – we did indeed have a welcome waiting for us – though not us specifically.

Grell, a pirate who has a grudge against the company and is likely working for the Empire, launched a flaming captured warship toward another docked warship – likely causing two large explosions. There was someone alive strapped to the bow of the ship on fire – someone Thorfus knows.

We intervened. Chuck, Thorfus, Cannis and I shadow walked to the docked warship (Bitter Horse – odd name) and while they spoke with the ship’s captain I rushed to the aft of the ship facing the flaming warship bearing down on us. There I used a scroll to summon a water elemental dowsing us with water. While Thorfus and Chuck “stepped” to the ship in an attempt to save the admiral. I commanded the elemental to push the flaming ship back into the bay and try to put out the fire.

Thorfus and chuck managed to save the Admiral, but the ship exploded.

They “stepped” to where they left me on the other ship and explained to us and the other admiral that they spotted the culprits heading up river – if we hurried we could catch them.

We took two longboats of men and caught them with the help of the water elemental.

Cannis easily destroyed one ship and it’s occupants with lightning, but was almost immediately felled by a salvo of arrows from the remaining ships.  

Battle ensued and we found that there were two leaders – both “dervishes” (cit. Chuck) – agents of the Empire apparently. They too were able to step into shadow and got away.

We captured three and found that they were working for Grell and missioned to kill Thorell by setting up diversions while the agents did the deed.

We send the wounded (incl. Cannis) and captives back to the Bitter horse, while we sped to Thorell’s base further up river with help from the water elemental T’Suna (can’t pronounce real name) to warn him about the attempt.

That’s where we are now, waiting to find out if we arrived in time.

IEV.