Dragonbane Session 12- To the... Underworld?
After finishing up his last mission successfully, the next leg of Aleric's journey is ready to begin!
Aleric climbs the stairs up into the Chapel basement. He walks into the common
room, placing the calling stones on the table in front of Stone-Gaze before
slumping down into a chair himself. Stone-Gaze stares down at the table,
glancing up towards Aleric and back down. “I was worried you would finally
meet your end on this journey… A Mage’s tower is no trifle to scoff at!”
Stone-gaze reaches across the table, patting Aleric on the shoulder. “I only
jest, I knew you would do it. Now get some rest. The path ahead is unclear to
me. I will need some time to meditate on the Breach to see if I might divine
our next steps.” Aleric nods, before stumbling off to his room to strip
off his armor, unburden himself of his gear, and rest.
Over the next several weeks, Stone-Gaze spent much of his time in solitude. His meditations were deep and Aleric did not want to disturb him. After feeling restless and cooped up waiting on Stone-Gaze, he journeys back to Outskirt to restock their supplies. Realizing that he was sorely lacking in medical gear, he stocked himself up on bandages for his inevitable next journey into the Breach. Spending the evening in the inn with the lively chatter and drink was a well deserved and well needed respite from his delves below. After several days enjoying the company of the townsfolk, Aleric journeys back to Stone-Gaze’s Chapel hoping that the old warrior sage had found something in his thoughts that would point them towards their next direction.
Arriving at the Chapel, Aleric stows the supplies and seeks out Stone-Gaze. He finds Stone-Gaze not in his usual place of meditation, but at his desk furiously writing on a piece of paper. “Ah, seems like I’ve returned at the perfect moment have I?” Stone-Gaze waves him off and continues his writing. Aleric retreats to wait for the old wolfkin to finish his work. After what feels like quite a long time, Stone-gaze enters the common room with a stack of several sheets of paper. “I have the answer to your question, you damn young pup. Yes. You’ve returned just in time. I’ve seen what must be done! And here I have it. Our next steps to reforge the worldbreaker…”
Aleric leans in and looks over the papers as Stone-Gaze begins to inform him of his next task.
The Fourth Delve: The Soul Tree
Mission Three:
Recover sap from the soul tree needed for reforging the worldbreaker!
Threat: Tortured spirits follow the same path into the underworld. One of those spirits is hunting Aleric!
1. Streaming Stairs: To descend into the underworld, Aleric must traverse a spiraling stairwell. The river of life runs down the stairs, making the journey treacherous for the living.
Over the next several weeks, Stone-Gaze spent much of his time in solitude. His meditations were deep and Aleric did not want to disturb him. After feeling restless and cooped up waiting on Stone-Gaze, he journeys back to Outskirt to restock their supplies. Realizing that he was sorely lacking in medical gear, he stocked himself up on bandages for his inevitable next journey into the Breach. Spending the evening in the inn with the lively chatter and drink was a well deserved and well needed respite from his delves below. After several days enjoying the company of the townsfolk, Aleric journeys back to Stone-Gaze’s Chapel hoping that the old warrior sage had found something in his thoughts that would point them towards their next direction.
Arriving at the Chapel, Aleric stows the supplies and seeks out Stone-Gaze. He finds Stone-Gaze not in his usual place of meditation, but at his desk furiously writing on a piece of paper. “Ah, seems like I’ve returned at the perfect moment have I?” Stone-Gaze waves him off and continues his writing. Aleric retreats to wait for the old wolfkin to finish his work. After what feels like quite a long time, Stone-gaze enters the common room with a stack of several sheets of paper. “I have the answer to your question, you damn young pup. Yes. You’ve returned just in time. I’ve seen what must be done! And here I have it. Our next steps to reforge the worldbreaker…”
Aleric leans in and looks over the papers as Stone-Gaze begins to inform him of his next task.
The Fourth Delve: The Soul Tree
Mission Three:
Recover sap from the soul tree needed for reforging the worldbreaker!Threat: Tortured spirits follow the same path into the underworld. One of those spirits is hunting Aleric!
1. Streaming Stairs: To descend into the underworld, Aleric must traverse a spiraling stairwell. The river of life runs down the stairs, making the journey treacherous for the living.
2. Flooding Chambers: The chambers below are flooded. Only by finding a hidden mechanism to release a trap door will Aleric be able to make it past. There is an unknown danger lurking in the chambers.
3. Unknown: The way is hidden to Stone-Gaze. There is no aid to be offered here.
4. Unknown: The way is hidden to Stone-Gaze. There is no aid to be offered here.
5. Maze of Lost Souls: Aleric must navigate the maze of lost souls while evading or defeating the many living skeletons that refuse to pass onto the afterlife. An enraged minotaur also roams the maze, a dangerous foe even for Aleric!
6. Wailing Shore: The ferryman will take Aleric across the river of souls, but a price must be paid.
7. Acheron Isle: Aleric must gather the blood-red sap from the heart of the soul tree. Two undead harpies protect the tree.
After finishing his review of his visions, Stone-Gaze sits back in his chair. “See, simple enough. You just journey through the Breach, down into the underworld. Find a tree and gather some sap. Then pull out your calling stone and poof, back here with not a care in the world.” Stone-Gaze nervously laughs as Aleric’s stony face and silence are enough of a response by themselves. “Look, this one seems to be a bit far-fetched. But this will be no more dangerous than your last endeavors. And with the calling stones now, you won’t even need to make the return journey! See, only half as long!” Aleric remains silently sitting, staring down at Stone-Gaze’s notes. A heavy moment of silence passes between the two before Aleric finally speaks. “Now this seems crazy… But I’ve come this far and you’ve not steered me wrong yet. I’ll follow, but know this. Once we’ve reforged this worldbreaker, I am certainly done with all of this. No more delving into the breach, no more errands into the underworld! I think I’ve learned all I need from you already. Now to finish the task at hand.” Stone-Gaze slowly nods in agreement at Aleric’s point, acquiescing to Aleric’s demand. “That seems wise my friend. Once we’ve seen this job through, I have a feeling the Breach will be in a much safer state than when you first stepped foot below. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’ll prepare a meal this evening and if you are ready, I will see you off in the morning.” And with that Stone-Gaze leaves Aleric alone to his thoughts. The two share a solemn meal together that evening before Aleric retreats to his room to prepare for disembarking in the morning. His dreams are filled with images of lost souls and undead harpies… And a massive tree at the center of an isle that seems to be glowing with life energy. He awakens feeling wary of his task. But still he prepares his pack, pulls on his armor, and runs a honing stone over the edge of his longsword. He examines the hilt of the ancient blade, thinking back to the first trip down into the breach where he recovered it. “We’ve been through quite the few journeys since I took you off that long dead champion, haven’t we? Ahh well, I suppose a few more trips home for you won’t hurt us will they?” The blade gleams in the early morning light as Aleric studies the blade. With a strange confidence in his skills and path ahead, Aleric sheathes the blade and straps it to his back. At the top of the stairs down into the breach, Aleric and Stone-Gaze share a solemn moment. With no words but a comforting hand on Aleric’s shoulder, Stone-Gaze sees the warrior off as Aleric departs into the Breach yet again.
1. Streaming Stairway
As he was accustomed to
at this point, Aleric descended the stairs into the depths of the breach
finding himself in an unfamiliar location. A large cavern opened up in front
of him as he left the stairway. A gently flowing river cut through the floor
of the cavern, seemingly disappearing into the floor at the opposite end of
the room. From his vantage point, Aleric could not make out where the river
flowed. He approaches the outlet of the river and sees that the water flows
down into a turning stairwell. “Well, as Stone-Gaze said, the streaming
stairwell will be treacherous to navigate… Hopefully the water doesn’t wash me
all the way down to the underworld.” He ensures that his gear is secured well
before he slowly wades into the river heading for the stairwell. Though the
river is moving gently, the slick stones underfoot prove to Aleric that he
will need to traverse the stairs with utmost caution. Reaching the top of the
stairwell, he prepares himself for his descent down further into the depths
towards the underworld. After a moment of hesitation, Aleric pulls out his old
broadsword. Keeping the blade sheathed, he grabs the pommel of the blade and
presses the covered tip down to reach the ground. “Well a staff would
certainly do the job better, but this is as good as I’ve got…” With his
improvised walking stick, he slowly begins the descent down the
stairway. GM Note: Aleric will need to make a few acrobatics
checks as he makes his way down the stairs. Since he is using his old
broadsword an an improvised walking stick to steady himself, I will give him a
boon on each of the checks. But if he fails, he will fall and lose his sword
in the rush of water. If this happens he’ll also lose his boon on the
following checks. Failures after that means he loses his footing and will be
washed down the stairs in a rather painful manner. The damage will depend on
how many saves he has left after his second failure. 2 saves will be moderate
damage (2D6), 1 save will be slight damage (1D6). Let's hope he makes it
down without too many bumps and bruises!
Roll 1: Acrobatics (7,
Boon): 11, Failure!
Aleric slowly makes his way down the stairs.
Feeling confident in his ability to stabilize himself with his broadsword, he
begins to pick up his pace. Just as he is feeling at the peak of his
confidence, he finds a particularly slick step underfoot. Aleric tries to
catch himself with his broadsword as he feels himself slipping, but the tip of
the sheathe finds no purchase to catch him before he falls. Before he plunges
down into the water, he reflexively lets go of his improvised walking stick as
he reaches out for the wall next to him. He is able to steady himself enough
that he does not fall into the water. As he takes a moment to breathe, he
curses quietly to himself as he realizes that his broadsword has disappeared
under the water, likely being carried down to the bottom of the spiralling
stairway. Losing his only tool to steady himself, Aleric continues on feeling
much less confident that he’ll be able to make it to the bottom safely.
Roll
1: Acrobatics (7): 9; Failure!
Even with his slow and cautious
steps, the flowing water combined with the slick steps prove to be far too
challenging for Aleric. Shortly after losing his broadsword to the flowing
waters, he finds himself slipping on yet another slick step. This time he is
unable to catch himself from falling into the water. As his head plunges under
the water, Aleric quickly curls up as tightly as he can, covering his head
with his arms and letting the flow of the water take him. It is not a pleasant
journey. The water’s speed picks up the farther down the stairs he is carried,
and with that speed comes harder and harder bumps against the stairs walls.
After what feels like several hours, but likely only a few moments, Aleric
washes out of the stairs onto a damp ground at the base of the stairs. He
takes a moment, gasping for air as he checks over himself for any serious
injuries.
Moderate Damage (2D6): 6; Armor will not reduce!
Aleric winces
as he sits up, feeling where he was smashed into the walls by the water’s
current. “Well, that could have been a much smoother journey.” He gasps a
sharp breath of air as he feels the sharp pain in his shoulder and hip where
the brunt of the wall impacts took place. After a moment he looks around the
ground where he finds himself, hoping that he might at least be able to
recover his broadsword at the base of the stairs before continuing
on.
Oracle: Does Aleric find his sword?; 6, Extreme yes!
After
a moment of glancing around the room from where he is sitting, Aleric realizes
there is an odd feeling to the ground he is sitting upon. Surely enough
placing his hand on the ground he finds his broadsword resting underneath him.
The sheathe remains covering the blade and if not for a few new scrapes on the
leather of the sheathe, the blade is in practically the same condition as
before he began the journey down the stairs. Letting out a long sigh, Aleric
quickly straps the blade to his pack before checking over the remainder of his
gear. “Looks like I haven’t lost anything important. I guess its time to
press onward before those bruises really start to hurt.” He stands up from the
ground and presses onward.
2. Flooding Chamber
The water
from the stairway flows by as Aleric looks out into the vast chamber that he
was dumped into. The floor slants away from the stairs and just a few feet
away from him the water line begins. The remainder of the chamber appears to
be some sort of lake. Aleric knows that the way forward is below, a trap door
that leads out from this flooded room. He begins to pull a torch out, hoping
that it will still be able to be lit when Aleric remembers Stone-Gaze’s
warning “Beware of the dangers that lurk below.” He stows his torch, not
wanting to attract attention to himself. Wading into the dark pool of water
seems foolish, but it seems like the only way forward. He thinks for a moment
before hastily pulling his pack off and retrieving a small wooden figurine. A
toy that he received as a child, the figure is of a wolfkin warrior charging
into battle. He carries it with him as a token of good luck. “Well my friend,
I hope you have enough luck left to show me the way I’m supposed to go…” He
gently places the figure in the water. It floats at the surface, buoying up
and down as the barely noticeable current of the water begins to pull the
figure out from the shore. “Ah yes! I had a feeling there would be some sort
of pull in the water. Hopefully it leads towards that trap door! Lead the way
my little soldier, lead to the underworld!” Aleric wades out into the water,
following the small floating figurine as it drifts out into the strange lake,
pulled along the current.
2. Flooding Chamber
The water
from the stairway flows by as Aleric looks out into the vast chamber that he
was dumped into. The floor slants away from the stairs and just a few feet
away from him the water line begins. The remainder of the chamber appears to
be some sort of lake. Aleric knows that the way forward is below, a trap door
that leads out from this flooded room. He begins to pull a torch out, hoping
that it will still be able to be lit when Aleric remembers Stone-Gaze’s
warning “Beware of the dangers that lurk below.” He stows his torch, not
wanting to attract attention to himself. Wading into the dark pool of water
seems foolish, but it seems like the only way forward. He thinks for a moment
before hastily pulling his pack off and retrieving a small wooden figurine. A
toy that he received as a child, the figure is of a wolfkin warrior charging
into battle. He carries it with him as a token of good luck. “Well my friend,
I hope you have enough luck left to show me the way I’m supposed to go…” He
gently places the figure in the water. It floats at the surface, buoying up
and down as the barely noticeable current of the water begins to pull the
figure out from the shore. “Ah yes! I had a feeling there would be some sort
of pull in the water. Hopefully it leads towards that trap door! Lead the way
my little soldier, lead to the underworld!” Aleric wades out into the water,
following the small floating figurine as it drifts out into the strange lake,
pulled along the current. GM Note: There is something in the
water that Aleric has been warned of. He chose not to light a torch in the
hopes that whatever it is wouldn’t notice him. But swimming out onto the lake,
he certainly will be. Stone-Gaze said there were dangers but not outright
hostile, so these are probably some kind of aquatic animal. I’m going to roll
a reaction roll to see if they are hostile to Aleric
Oracle-
Reaction roll: 4, Open.
The creatures are not hostile to
Aleric. As long as he doesn’t take any hostile actions against them, he’ll get
through the water unharmed.
Aleric continues swimming along
slowly behind the figurine. Occasionally he spots ominous looking fins poking
out of the water a distance away. They don’t appear to be getting closer to
him at the moment, so he just continues to keep his eyes on them for now. “No
reason to go pissing off the locals if they aren’t interested in me right now.
Just hope this trap door ain’t too much farther now.” After some time, the
figure has picked up speed. At this point even Aleric can feel the tug of the
water as the current begins to pick up. He quickly snatches the figure out of
the water and stows it in a pocket. Following the current further, Aleric sees
a disturbance in the water ahead. A large whirlpool has formed as water is
pulled downward into the depths. “I suppose that must be the trap door exit
then? Well, if I drown at least I’ll be done with this.” He swims
towards the nexus of the strange current until he is sucked down into the
depths of the water. He passes through the floor of the room, sliding along a
tunnel that finally opens up into a massive waterfall into yet another body of
water. Falling from the strange spout in the top of the room into the water,
Aleric quickly swims to shore. Looking around he spots a large archway leading
out of the room. Shrugging, he wrings out his clothes as best he can and
continues on.
Aleric has set out to find the underworld and so far he's found bumps and bruises and lots of water. I suppose if he's trying to find the ferryman to take him across the river of souls, he'll have to follow the water down! Next time we'll see what challenges are ahead of Aleric that Stone-Gaze couldn't foretell.
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