Session 169 September 20, 2017
3:50 pm 24th of Masrilden
AD Clock 00.00.03.21
As we settle to rest, Prixilthalmis asks Bavmorda to retrieve an information reliquary. Prix plans to save a copy of her virus to be used against Xeno Tel if she is not present to render aid. When asked, Edan gives one over and watches Prix clear the memory of a reliquary and begin the process of programming the virus. Prix states the overall process will take several sleep sessions but once completed, will allow Edan, Kalgunn or Serithas to use the virus against Xeno Tel and possibly cause the orbital palace to crash upon her ex-husband! She explains how her original delivery was via the Crystal Tower which is no longer attached to the orbital palace. Now she wonders how to deliver the virus. She hopes it can be done from someplace within the orbital palace.
After the spell casters have rested, Nash decides to talk with the now dead Thorfus. Nash asks:
1. What do you want us to do now that you are dead? “Save my mother, save the world… I failed… keep your shield up… make sure my mother is taken care of, give her all of my wealth…I fear for her safety
2. Is there anything you want to tell us? – more of the same as before – “get back to the skiff… we need the cure, kill Jardin for me!… save Em!… Kill Marchmain & the Dark King… give the map maker my share of the estate…
Next the party collects themselves to return to the Gnome tunnels. At the vertical shaft they meet Ralion, a ranger sent by druids to investigate stories and reports of Canis a former associate of the Starchie Boyz. Ralion has disturbing news of the surface world. He asks to join our cause, in as much for the Druids of the Verdant Fellowship as for the sake of friendly company. Realizing our gnomish allies suffer from a lack of protein, it is decided Thorfus’ body would be left in behind the incineration room so that it might not be on the dinner menu tonight.
At the giga worm tunnel, Harasib gets in line with the party and escorts us back to Vilim’s. Eventually the party has an audience with Vilim after turning over the beetlemen eggs and egg remnants to Majilis who shares stories of the underdark with Edan after a jeweled tip is offered. Majilis hints that resurrection might be found in Negron which is corroborated by Vilim later. Seems there are ancient dwarven machines that might return the dead to the living.
Vilim’s tongue is more loose than Majilis’. In exchange for most of our jeweled treasure, the hefty gnome chief tells what she claims are all her secrets of the under dark. She admits to luring the hulks to cull the goblins tribes which we then tidied up for her at the exorbitant price of Thorfus Ironhand’s life. She tells ancient stories of her ancestors that slaved for the hidden ones in places that made them sick. Her brighter ancestors deduced a cure for stone sickness which they keep secret to this day. Ancient dwarves took the essence of what made someone a dwarf out her gnomish ancestors to make a race of servants. As a people, they have move past this ethnic slight.
Of the brain eating Silence, she states the gnomes trade with them none too often. Yet the Silence will readily trade for ancient dwarven technology, because they worship it as a living thing with spirits trapped within that must be liberated. Once freed, the spirits roam freely within their city. Their closest settlement is Zavphrom, where the Righteous Halberd is known to haunt The Righteous Halberd is an escaped slave from the Necropolis, a geurrilla subversive operating in the Silence’s territory. He is an upsider like us.
Vilsnarg, the largest settlement of the gnomes can be found east about 8.5 lanterns from here. It is bridged by an ancient dwarven aqueduct, ruled by clan Vilsnarg, their king and his court. Above Vlisnarg is an entrance to a mine, nearby is the dark water river and a chasm. All converge three converge at Vilsnarg, anyone can follow the darkwater directly into the gnome territory. Beyond Vilsnarg is Malgrom a truly mixed society comparted to Vilsnarg.
To the southeast is the hidden city of the dead attended by slaves brought below by raids on surface populations. It is a hive of industry just since the last few years. Rumors say that one of the lords might have been killed or exiled. The hidden ones are preparing for war against the Silence.
Majilis is tasked with providing a map of the Necropolis for us. There is a ring city around the Necropolis populated by elves and slaves. The dead part of the city is column of stone, a spire with bridges where the hidden ones that are not awake roam, attended by pedestals that magically move around. There are guardians that take care of the dead, their lair lies above a stockpiles of nano carbon, where weapons of war are being made. There is a teleportation device. The top of the spire is where the lords sit on their thrones, they are undead that an ancient dwarven device keeps alive. 12 or 11 lords are all connected to a phylactory that keeps them alive forever.
Villam suggests how to get close to the Lords to do harm. She suggest travelling via the mines to the gigaworm or darkwater to negropolis past shadow elf outposts. An alternate: through silence territory past Zayphrom taking the dark water river to Vilsnarg or the gigaworm tunnel to its end near the necropolis. She thinks an alliance with the Righteous Halberd would be successful against the Silver Throne Lords.