What's in the Box?? (Age of Iron - DoD Online Campaign - Session 4)

 PCs:

• Belsun
• Goetic lvl 2
• played by: Jack
• Fintna'al
• Geometer Wizard lvl 2
• played by: Wingnut

++Session Notes++

• After reconvening in the hunting lodge, the party decides to set out cautiously now that they know the dead walk these lands. Fin and Belsun scout ahead in the yoal, taking along Robert (Fin's young apprentice), Terbil (the bartender from Carrowmore) and Uri (one of Terbil's companions).
• They barely get 2 miles north before encountering a strange sight: two finely dressed figures apparently standing atop the water, arguing incessantly as a canoe full of books floats nearby.
• It turns out there is a barely submerged bridge they are standing on, and these fellows are wizards seeking the observatory to prove right their academic theories. One is short and plump and somewhat red in the face from yelling, the other tall, anaemic, and wearing a hat "like a collapsed flan"
• Our brave mages decide to let these two blowhards duke it out, and withdraw a ways to watch the fireworks
• The two wizards assume formal dueling stances, and the short one lets loose a respectable magic missile barrage of streaking light, which dashes harmlessly against a reactionary force shield from the tall wizard. The tall wizard attacks back with a sleep spell, and is rewarded as the plump one fails to counterspell and slouches forward into the muddy water, fast asleep
• The party approaches and the victorious wizard introduces themself as Ruskin Behaviour, and apologizes for the antics of his "churlish would be companion of little renown and less manners". He flips the plump wizard (apparently named Rem) over to avoid him drowning, while suggesting that the party take Rem's spellbooks so Ruskin can have plausible deniability and reduce the risk of Rem attempting to harass him on the rest of his (now solo) quest for academic vindication. All he asks in return is some rations.
• Fin and Belsun exchange glances, both realizing Ruskin wasted all his mana on that stupid duel and would be straining himself to cast now. He is practically defenseless. They lowball him on an offer of food and he happily accepts anyway, glad that the party didn't decide to double their windfall of spellbooks at his expense.
• The party grab Rem's spellbooks off his person and from the canoe, numbering six in total: Magic Missile, Fly, Mirror Image, Silent Illusion, Enlarge, and a second copy of Magic Missile (this Rem fellow liked to stay strapped apparently)
• A way further up the river, the party encounter two children (looking about 16 and 9) lying atop what appears to be a large log stuck at an angle in the mud. The older child introduces himself as Egot Brosen and his sibling as Igot, and pleads for food as they are starving.
• The party decides their remaining rations are too precious to spare, but resolves to help them get unstuck and continue to Carrowmore. The men hop into the water and prepare to get extremely muddy. Fin rolls up his robes to reveal an impressive physique, proving that some wizards do, in fact, lift.
• The four men (Fin, Belsun, Terbil, and Uri) push on the "log" and quickly realize it is actually made of old stone, covered in carvings hidden beneath all the moss and dead plant matter. It comes free with a squelch, and Belsun sets to cleaning it off and examining it while Fin leads an effort to MacGyver together a raft for the boys out of tree branches floating in the area.
• Belsun realizes the large stone thing is actually a sarcophagus, crafted in such a way that it manages to float. He examines the stoic and regal visage of the sword wielding nobleman depicted in a relief on the lid, and notes the pointed ears. This likely holds a very old corpse indeed, a Martoi noble.
• Given the Martoi people's legendary lust for immortality and many doomed experiments in acheiving that, the party reasonably worries there is some horrible undead creature within and decides to hold off on opening the sarcophagus despite the high probability of treasure. Belsun sits atop the lid and begins to draw sigils with chalk. Time to solve this problem like a Goetic and summon a very old ghost (he can make out a name amid the carvings on the lid, so is able to call out to that particular spirit).

• The ghost of the ancient king Ambatoharanana manifests atop the sarcophagus in front of Belsun, arrayed in his regalia as he was in life. The process of colloquy is initiated, and Belsun obligates the spirit to be truthful in all responses. The spirit obligates Belsun to escort its body back to its proper resting place within the Dam.
• The party dialogues with the ancient king and learn quite a bit of useful intel. A brief summary:
• The Dam was created towards the end of the Martoi civil war in order to create a lake to seal away and deny access to the "Deep Carbon Observatory", so it could not be used by rival factions of Martoi (or anyone else)
• The purpose of the Observatory was to house the vast tektite lens, capable of peering through solid stone over vast distances. The Martoi used it to spy on the cultures of the underworld, and also as a site to receive their ambassadors and engage in diplomacy and trade with them to gain an edge over other Martoi
• The great golems are "winding down", dying as the mechanisms in the dam that powers and restored them are now failing since the water pressure is too low after the rupture
• The sarcophagus contains Ambatoharanana's ritually mummified body, his death mask, his longsword Varistor, and a large branching key as he is the "Sealer of the Way"
• The raft is completed and the party sends Egot and Igot on their way, with the recommendation to interact with nobody until they reach Carrowmore and pretend they do not speak the common tongue. Robert asks for permission tom give them "his ration for the day" and Fin agrees, but takes the opportunity to impress upon Robert the importance of honestly, pragmatism, and trust.
• The party decides that they need to bring the sarcophagus with them even though it will slow them down, as Belsun is currently bound to its occupant. They decide against opening it at present even though they desire the contents, as they reason Ambatoharanana is easier to control and presents less risk in spirit form.
• The party show Ambatoharanana their crude map, and he says nothing south of the Dam is a construction from his time, though the point of interest someone has marked "Lifesaving Library" resonates with him and he feels something rightfully his is there.
• The party reasons this means treasure, and they plot a course to cut across the river bend via the shallows then turn east across the deep river, aiming to avoid points of interest and encounters as much as possible. It is about 14:00 now, and with the added drag of the sarcophagus this route will take them until about 22:00 to complete, several hours after nightfall
• The party rows across the drowned terrain mostly in silence, punctured by eerie exchanges between their summoner and the looming shade of an ancient king in the strange language all learn to speak once their souls pass to the Pale land all mortal roads lead to in the end
• The route is mostly uneventful, but as darkness falls and the party turns east to cross the deep water, their boat is rocked by something large striking it from below. Then again, and again, threatening to capsize them.
• They cast about with lanterns and see the culprit: a massive, three meter long pike, bold enough to view them as prey.
• Fin grabs the spellbook of Silent Illusion, and though he is unfamiliar with this spell, displays his penchant for decisively resolving situations with a liberal application of mana. He invests 2 Magic Dice to project the illusion of a massive bear to scare off the pike, unfortunately expending both MD and triggering minor flux.
• Instead of being visible only to the pike, the terrifying bear is visible to all not very silent. It lets out a blood curdling roar frightening the hirelings. While it does indeed scare off the pike, it also attracts the attention of a giant eagle, possibly protecting a nest nearby. It announces its presence with a screech of warning.
• The dark form of the eagle swoops overhead as it drops a massive, car sized crab on the bear as a living projectile. The huge crab passes through the illusion and splashes into the river, deciding to GTFO rather than have anything to do with the weird intangible bear or boat full of squishy humans. No need to give the eagle another chance to catch it!
• The party decides to also GTFO and let the eagle realize the bear is an illusion while they get to safety.
• The hull of the yoal begins to scrape on rocks as they reach the shallowest extend they are capable of navigating. In the distance they can make out an outcropping with a copse of trees, and the light of a campfire. Shadows pass in front of it: the camp is occupied.
• The wind shifts and the party catches the sent of the smoke: oddly sweet. Fin thinks it is some sort of meat and Belsun concurs, though they can't place it. Belsun grimly jests that it might be human flesh.
• "No, human flesh smells completely different" Terbil blurts out. The mages stare at the strange bartender as he backpedals. "Not that I'm an expert! But the smell never leaves you. There was a horrible fire in Carrowmore several years back during a dry spell."
• "Yeah... anyway..." The mages suspicion of Terbil spikes. Fin suggests they wait until dawn to make contact with the camp, and they withdraw slightly to rest in the boat, dousing all lights so as not to draw attention.
• Encounter checks for the night are made, and something finds the party during the last watch of the night, just before dawn...

Which we'll lead with next time! End of session!