The Twenty-Sixth Session

June 27, 2020, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

Last session

Dirius dispatched us to look at the lower levels of the city; we went up to the upper levels, found some twins, found a temple, entered the temple, found a lot of reanimated dwarf-like creatures, and explored the temple.

Temple Exploration

Salris and Ryltar follow a corridor around a curve, and open some doors to expose an art gallery. In the center of the room is an Elven man with an outstretched hand, holding out a (carved stone) crystal ball, depicting his taste for opulence. There are other statues in the area, each a depiction of this elf's achievements. This is probably a representation of the Ice Lord.

But there is nothing worth looting in there.

Salris and Ryltar return from their short side trip, and the Party returns to the ice-floored section of the catacombs, where the floor slops down a bit and the floor becomes covered in ice. The passage winds its way around, and the Party proceeds carefully on the icy floor.

Salris and Jerry round a corner and see a small white rat with piercing blue eyes appear out of the wall.

As people advance, through the twisty corridor, we see even more of these rats.

1. Round 1: The ice rats have a breath weapon! Three rats die. Bugfood takes the form of a giant snake. Jerry sees more rats.
   1. Ryltar casts Slow on the three rats he can see; two are slowed and receive -2 AC, halved move speed, and other effects.
   2. The foremost rat has Ice Walk and strolls up to Ryltar, and it attacks Ryltar, but can't pierce his armor.
   3. A slowed rat advances and uses an ice breath weapon on Jerry, dealing a halved 3 damage to her.
   4. The final rat advances to bite Jerry, but fails.
   5. Vurguron advances to attack a rat with his longsword, wielding it one-handed with a torch in his other hand. He cuts it in half, then advances on a second and misses his attack.
   6. Bugfood takes Form of Giant Poisonous Snake and he slithers towards the action.
   7. Zelrathi moves up to where the action is, and Eldritch Blasts the rats for max damage, popping the one rat he can see. Then he advances to the next curve in the corridor, and severely wounds the remaining ice rat.
   8. Jerry pops that rat, and then advances 25 feet, maintaining her footing on the ice, and rounds a few corners until she sees another rat.
2. Round 2: Four rats die.
   1. Salris moves forward somewhat, unsheathing his sword.
   2. Ryltar catches up with Jerry.
   3. The rat that Jerry saw runs up and uses an ice breath weapon, getting Jerry, Salris, and Ryltar for 2 damage.
   4. Another rat runs up and bites Jerry for 4.
   5. A fourth rat advances, breath weaponing Jerry and Ryltar for 2 and Salris for 5 on a failed Dex save.
   6. Vurguron advances and pops one rat.
   7. Bugfood slithers forwards for twice his move; he's still way behind the attacking front edge of the Party.
   8. Zelrathi advances and pops the rat in front of Jerry.
   9. Jerry pops the remaining rat, and advances down the tunnel. She looks at the walls, but sees no signs.
3. Round 3: The Party advances to catch up with Jerry, who kills a rat.
   1. Jerry turns the corner, kills a rat, and sees another rat's nose.
4. Round 4: The Party advances and takes damage from two rats, one of whom Jerry kills.
   1. Salris advances past Jerry, and sees two rats around the corner.
   2. Ryltar double moves past Jerry and Salris, to the corner.
   3. The first rat breath-weapons Jerry and Salris for the full 4 damage.
   4. The second rat bites Ryltar for a chunk of his health.
   5. Vurguron fire-bolts the rats, but can't get a good angle on them from behind Jerry.
   6. Bugfood advances.
   7. Zelrathi advances.
   8. Jerry uses Horde Breaker to kill one rat and grievously wound the second.
5. Round 5:
   1. Salris kills the remaining rat

The party cautiously advances, continuing along the winding passages.

The Mysterious Pedestal

Eventually the ice ends, and we come to a room with a pedestal holding a blue crystal sphere, surrounded by four small rods that keep it from being removed.

Bugfood the snake boops the orb with his snek snoot. The orb and containing pillars drop down into the pedestal, and the pedestal's top closes over with a smooth stone surface.

We remember that, in the oval room, there were iron bars embedded in the northern ice wall.

We make our way back to that room, avoiding the atrium full of sleeping ice dwarves, and discover that one of the three iron bars has disappeared. Jerry thinks someone might be able to fit through the gap; Ryltar thinks no one's slim enough.

We check one unexplored area of the map and find a dead end; we take a different path and return to a frozen door. Through Salris' and Zelrathi's Prestidigitation and Ryltar's Shape Water, we break through the ice in one hot minute.

Inside we see: two more ice doors.

We repeat the process on the right-hand door. That door opens to reveal a worked-stone tunnel that changes to earthworks, and a rat!

1. Round 1: More rats appear, two rats die.
   1. Jerry advances to the rat, tries to stab it twice, and steps out of the way.
   2. Vurguron advances a little into the ice door room, but can't see anything down the hall.
   3. Jerry is attacked by the first rat, for 3 piercing.
   4. Two more rats appear.
   5. Salris advances and attacks a rat, killing it.
   6. Zelrathi kills one rat and heals Jerry for 9.
   7. Bugfood the snake slithers forward and bites the rat, which passes the poison check but takes 3 piercing. He learns of this CR 1/4 beast.
   8. Ryltar moves 30 feet forward, pulls out his dagger, and stabs the ice rat with a natural 24 for 7 damage. It's the first time he's used that dagger in a long while.
2. Round 2: The last rat dies, Bugfood makes a joke.
   1. Jerry kills one rat, and then advances
   2. Vurguron starts to work on the unopened door.
   3. The rat advances and breath-weapons everyone for 2 cold damage.
   4. Salris attacks the rat twice with his sword, killing it.
   5. Bugfood, still in snake form, eats the three rats, which feel like freeze-dried food. His snake body shows three lumps. He gets stomach-freeze. He drops the shape of snake, says, "You are what you eat," and takes Form of Ice Rat.

We advance along the tunnel to find a nest where the rats lived, discovering some jackets, a few chewed candles, and 5 gold.

Vurguron succeeds in opening his door, and we find a passage back to near the start of the temple. We go through it, and those leading the party hear voices coming from near where we entered the catacombs. Bugfood runs ahead to listen.

Bugfood's spying

Bugfood sees Dirius and her accompanying two attendants exit the other fork of the temple, saying, that they finished exploring that side of the temple, and would try to get something translated that evening, before returning to the catacombs the next day.

It's late in the day; there's probably another hour of exploring before we'll need to take a long rest.

Vurguron's crowbar

We decide to check more of the southwest side of the catacombs.

There's a chained-shut stone door; Vurguron smashes the lock with his crowbar. The room has three tiny ice dragons!

1. Round 1.
   1. Bugfood enters the room in the form of an ice rat, and uses that rat's Frost Breath against all three ice dragons. All pass, taking 1 damage each.
   2. The baby dragons flinch back.
   3. Vurguron enters, takes a swipe at the drake of the bunch, hits with his sword, and kills it and the second dragon.
   4. Ryltar Ray of Frosts the remaining dragon, killing it.

Those baby ice drakes had 2 HP apiece.

Jerry shoves all three of them into her bag of holding, to sell later.

More exploring!

We return to the iced-over stairs in the first room off the temple, and clear the ice. There's a hallway that loops back to a hallway we'd find before.

The Embalming Suite

There's a locked door; Vurguron smashes through it.

We find a room with three ice dwarves in it!

1. Round 1.
   1. Jerry advances into the room and with two critical hits, kills the first of four ice dwarves.
   2. Salris enters the room, whiffs two attacks on a dwarf, and prepares shield.
   3. Ryltar Ray of Frosts one dwarf, dealing 3 damage.
   4. The dwarves attack, dealing a bit of damage to Salris and none to Jerry.
   5. Bugfood uses Balm of the Summer Court to heal Salris for 2, then ice-breaths the three and Salris for a little damage to each. Salris nets -1 HP from this turn.
   6. Vurguron advances to where he can swipe at the dwarves, and cuts clean through two.
   7. Zelrathi uses a twinned Cure Wounds on Salris and Jerry for 9 apiece.
   8. Jerry kills the remaining dwarf.

This room is the staging area where dwarves are prepared to be put to sleep.

Gold gold gold gold 🎜

We move to another room, open its door, and find two wooden chests and one iron chest. There's not writing on any chest, but the iron one has snowflake-shaped rivets. Zelrathi casts Detect Magic and finds that the wooden chests are mundane, and the iron chest has conjuration magic.

Jerry opens the two wooden chests to reveal a scattering of personal possessions: baubles, trinkets, and 50 gold.

Ryltar and Salris investigate the chest to try to figure out a way to open it without setting off the chest's spell. One of the handles has an indentation under it; Ryltar presses the indentation and the chest clicks open. In the chest are 250 gold. We split it among the Party.

The Second Pedestal

We do more exploration, and find a new pedestal, and touch it, and it triggers.

We return to the oval room and indeed the second iron bar has melted.

The Third Pedestal

We try the southern exit to the oval room, melting another ice wall. There's a short passage which leads to a door, which reveals a passageway sloping down to a pit full of bones. And another door, leading to another pedestal.

Bugfood boops the pedestal.

Since we're so close to the oval room, less than a hundred feet away, we can hear the last iron bar sink into the ground.

Ryltar, Zelrathi and Salris go to melt through the formerly-barred ice wall as much as possible.

Bugfood, Vurguron and Jerry explore the passageway beyond the pillar, finding a rubble wall where we've seen the other side of it already.

Beyond the Oval Room

Back in the oval room, Bugfood un-Wildshapes, and tells the party what Dirius said about exploring the catacombs tomorrow. He suggests that we set a trap there and try to hide the wall we broke through. With Shape Water and Prestidigitation, we rebuild the ice wall from some of the water that we had removed.

Beyond this wall is a room with a grand sculpture of the Ice Lord on a throne, like Abe Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial with his hands gripping the arms of the throne. In the corners of the room, empty braziers sit cold; Salris lights them. Art and offerings are laid out on the steps under the throne.

Ryltar climbs the steps of the Ice Lord's throne. On his lap there is an orb, carved from the same stone.

Zelrathi examines the orb; it's stone. The whole statue is nonmagical.

On the far side of the throne room, there's a room where the tunnel curves in and down, funneling towards a deeper tunnel.

Off of the funnel room is another long tunnel; at the end is a rat.

Jerry sprints up to the rat and kills it, then continues into a room with two more rats. She misses an attack on one, then hits the other for 8. The rats bite at Jerry but miss. Ryltar runs up the hallway, trying to catch up, and hits one rat with a Ray of Frost that's halved to 4. Jerry kills the remaining two, and after some discussion of whether we should save them for Ockoh, puts them in her bag for the Party's use later.

Map of the Catacombs of the Cold Legion

Notable locations in this map:

• 29: the entrance room
• 21: the ice rat nest
• 19: the pillars room
• 25, 4, 5: the pedestals with the orbs
• 7: the sleeping legion
• 22: preparation room for the sleepers
• 6: statue of the Ice Lord
• 1: the tunnel down

Downwards and cold-wards

We discuss whether it would be good to press onwards; it's getting late.

Bugfood coats the floor before the throne room with a vial of slick Boggle oil, and then a vial of sticky Boggle oil. It's a slip-and-slide trap into glue, if anyone follows after us.

Then we go down the passageway, in order: Jerry, Ryltar, Salris, Bugfood, Zelrathi, Vurguron.

The orb room

The corridor gets somewhat cold, snaking on for a mile or more. We come at last to a room, 25x25, with a pedestal in the center, coming to a small bowl with a solid blue stone orb floating in the center of the bowl, floating and turning. The stone is darkly striated.

On the far side of the room is a solid stone door, closed.

The walls of the room are carved in a memorial to blowing snow, blizzards, snows, and winter.

Ryltar recalls the book says, "His heart is on his breast," so this is probably not what we're looking for. He thinks the Ice Lord's tomb will be through the door. He suggests that we pick up the orb on the way out.

Zelrathi looks at the pillar and orb, and says they're magical.

Bugfood pulls up a giant boar and tells it to get the orb. We're all in the passage outside the room, and so when our door into the room slams shut, we're unable to see what happens in the room. The door reopens a minute later, and then the boar is gone.

We go in. The boar's footprints walk up to the orb, circle it a few times, and then exit through the far door.

Bugfood taps the orb. Twenty orbs around the top edge of the room light up; one blinks out. The next blinks out. The door on the far side doesn't move.

Jerry touches the orb; the countdown resets.

We spend some time arguing. About it. Bugfood doesn't want anyone to touch the orb or the door.

When the countdown is down to 10, the room darkens. Vurguron's torch goes out. The orbs turn yellow.

At 6 orbs, the temperature in the room drops.

5, the light changes from yellow to orange. B

4,

3,

2, Jerry touches the orb. The room resets. Bugfood again says, "Don't touch the orb," and goes to the corner to take a short rest. Ryltar says that we should wait for the timer to run out.

At 10, Bugfood tries Produce Flame but it is immediately snuffed out. Yet Bugfood's magic snake staff remains a snake as he had turned it; it's not an antimagic field.

At 2, the lights go red and start flashing.

1,

0, The darkness abates; the door forward opens. The passage continues.

Bugfood tells Jerry, "Don't touch the orb!"

Vurguron, Ryltar, Salris, Zelrathi, Bugfood, Jerry.

The tunnel is cold, like a wind tunnel of freezing air. Salris' cold-weather survival boots keep him warm; Jerry takes a point of exhaustion and gains disadvantage on ability checks.

Bugfood asks Jerry for one of those ice rats, saying he wants to hold it. She pulls one out; he eats it. She sighs.

The stone walls give way to snow, and we follow the boar's footprints for a ways.

The Maze of Hoth

We enter a maze of twisty packed-snow passages, like the Rebel base on Hoth, and advance through it, led by Ryltar.

We hear a loud cry, and Zelrathi is pulled/pushed/smushed into the snow wall by the wall of snow itself. The snow is suffocating him!

The rules of suffocation are that Zelrathi can hold his breath for 1 + Con mod minutes. When he runs out of breath he can survive for a number of rounds equal to his Con mod. Run out of that reserve, he drops to 0 HP and can't be stabilized or revived until he can breathe again. We have only a few rounds to save his life.

Bugfood and Jerry are closest.

Next session

Loot: 305 gold.

• Get Zelrathi out of the wall! He's got a couple rounds.
• What the hell is up with all the sleeping dwarves? Why is this big chamber full of suspended dwarves who predate the current calendar by almost a thousand years? What relation have they to the Divergence of the Gods?
• What was that distant glowing tower with the people walking around it? How do we get there?
• Who are the twins?
• What does Red-Finned Shark taste like?
• Why is Moon part of the expedition, disguised as an Orc?