Campaigns

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Of Sound Mind, Parts 2 and 3

Players/Characters Present:
John Sikking - Basil Amantes (Ftr1)
Bruce Barnett - Bonzimir Amantes (Rog1)
Barbara Muth - Nereida Amantes (Clr1)
Brian Houghton - Demetrios Amantes (Ftr1)
Chris Wood - Felix Amantes (Psi1)

Part II - After defeating the troglodytic zombies, the Amantes then sought out rest. Once cured of their hurts, they advanced to the locked and barred door they had found, where they were assaulted by the horrid stench of a living troglodyte. "You have come to finish me off, eh?" it hissed in broken Low Conorrian. "Do your worst!" After they failed to shatter the door or drive it open, the Amantes siblings parlayed with the beast beyond the door and swore that all they wanted was to find and kill the goblins it so hated. So it unbarred the door and retreated.

Entering the complex of maze-like tunnels beyond the door, they explored, finding several dead-ends and confusing passages. In one place, they found a large chamber in which the roof had collapsed, leaving a gigantic pile of rubble. Close observation of the rubble revealed that it -moved- at predictable intervals. Disturbed the possible causes of this phenomenon, they left this chamber alone.

After much further wandering (mapped by Basil), the party came to a huge chamber lit by a great fire. The walls were covered in intricate mosaics depicting a fatherly green-blue dragon presiding over faithful hordes of workers, miners and worshipers. At one end of the room stood a 30' tall stone statue of the dragon, it's outspread wings covering the entire wall. The dragon's eyes were enormous sapphires each as large as a baby's head. Before the dragon statue stood a large pedestal upon which stood a great copper offering bowl, 8' high and 10' across. This was the source of the ever-burning fire that lit the room. The troglodyte was here, accompanied by a grotesque, animated mass of bones. It warned them not to follow it, and retreated into some rude tunnels.

Close examination of the room revealed that the fiery bowl was full of centuries' worth of offerings, including some apparently valuable pieces. These the Amantes refused to touch, fearing to invoke the wrath of the dragon. They also discovered a rhyme inscribed below a picture of two dragons which spoke of "looking on Him without your eyes". Against the far wall was a blank space, as if some framed picture had hung there and below that many slivers of silvered glass. Deciding that the rhyme was a clue telling them to look at the statue through a mirror, Bonzimir polished up his copper mirror and held it in front of the dragon. Immediately, an eerie light built up between the mirror and the sapphire eyes, and the great statue began to move! It moved forward and folded its wings, revealing a passage behind it. The statue paused just seconds before returning to it's location, and the Amantes had to hustle to get into the passageway beyond.

After examining the room beyond, which was bare except for a scoured copper bathtub and a spot on the floor rubbed bare by the dragon's body, the group continued on. They found a shaft leading up, and climbed up, arriving eventually at an underground grotto into which fell a thundering waterfall. Walking around the waterfall at the edge of the grotto's wide pool, they spied a beautiful woman clad only in her own hair and the mist rising from the waterfall. The ground was slick, however, and the entire family fell into the water, except for Demetrios. As his family began to drown or be rushed along toward the next cascade the underground river's course, Demetrios managed to overcome the compulsion of the beautiful woman's song, which seemed to draw him towards her.

Nereida and Basil were forced to abandon much of their gear to the waterfall. While Bonzimir, Felix and Nereida eventually managed to rescue themselves, Demetrios managed to throw a rope to Basil. Although Basil went over the falls, he miraculously managed to hold onto the rope and was eventually pulled to safety, absent all his gear.

The beautiful fey woman, named Valmea, then told the Amantes that she was Copperdeath's prisoner and that he had not come to visit her in decades. He kept her here by force of will, and loved to hear her singing. She asked that they send him to her, so that she might plead for release.

A slippery but dragon-sized ramp ascended the waterfall's great shaft, winding around and around for hundreds of feet. The Amantes began to climb it slowly and carefully. At several places, they found that giant spiders had built webs across the abyss to catch the fish that occasionally fell from above. These beasts shied away from attacking so many armed opponents. Once, Nereida slipped, but she was roped to the party, and her slide was stopped before it could become disastrous.

During the whole climb, the voice of Copperdeath the dragons rang in their minds. "I can taste your thought...so delicious." "You're coming for my treasure, I know you are." "Why not give up now? You will be defeated. Unless you've come to worship me?"

Reaching the top, they found that the water spat out of a carved dragon's head, and that a large balcony awaited them beside it. Climbing onto the balcony, the soaked adventurers were instantly and thoroughly dried by an unique magical field. This, it seems, was where Copperdeath would lay and listen to the plaintive songs of the fey Valmea. The area contained a copper chess set with pieces 4' tall and a passage leading out lined by copper statues. A small copper dragon's head on the wall grinned at them. Demetrios decided to rub this ornament and it instantly animated and spoke to them a strange riddle:

"This garden is a lonely place
where many came, and yet remain
the plants grow strong on fertile ground
watered by legacies of pain
and should I plow, my plow would break
on cast-off husks of iron grain
now buried where they fell like wheat.
What am I? Speak! Or face thy bane."

Felix immediately guessed "death". At this, a copper pawn from the chess set animated and began to pursue him. His sibling destroyed it while Felix led it around the room in a desperate chase.

Demetrios rubbed the dragon ornament again, and again it repeated the riddle. When no one spoke for a full minute, another pawn animated and chased Demetrios until his siblings destroyed it.

The third time, Nereida had the answer. "A Battlefield", she said. At this, the dragon smiled and retracted into the wall, which itself slid into the floor revealing a hidden chamber beyond. This chamber must have been a part of the dragon's hoard that it's slayers missed, for it was heaped high with treasure. Tens of thousands of copper coins, minted with the image of the dragon's head mingled with hundreds of silver and many gold coins. In addition, There were two matching bronze statues of Vendarius' founders Irene Enkylades and her son Gnaeus. Missing for decades, these important statues are prized works of public art back in Vendarius. There were also a dragon-sized set of books on the subject of mining, and a locked chest.

Bonzimir set to unlocking the chest. He quickly found that it was trapped. He set off the trap (twice) when trying to disarm it, spraying himself and the contents of the chest with acid. Healed by Nereida, he eventually opened the chest, revealing several badly acid-burned scrolls, a beautiful carved crystal and copper sword. This sword was magically (actually psionically) hardened and from its pommel depended a rabbit's foot on a chain. High Conorrian runes dubbed the blade "Luckbringer". Basil took the sword and Felix the crystal, while the group divided the gold coins while leaving the silver and copper behind (as well as the statues and books).

After resting, they moved on, finding a room around which flowed a swift stream in a stone channel, flowing out throuth a hole in one wall. They surmised that this led to the dragon's mouth and waterfall they had passed earlier. This room was elegantly decorated in enormous stained glass and gold-leaf images of Copperdeath the dragon and with grisly copper statues of humans in horrible agony. Against one wall, Nereida and Bonzimir discovered a 15' tall workbench. Before they could investigate it or the many crystals and dragon-sized tools that lay on it, Felix discovered a ramp that led up to an illusory wall.

Looking down from the ramp, they could see many goblins moving amid strange equipment. The swift stream flowed here, too. Two human children were locked in a suspended cage while a third was lashed to a table in the room. In the open room beyond, they could see the desiccated corpse of Copperdeath, its jaws wide open. All the while, they could hear the dragon's thoughts. "Come to steal my teeth, have you? My teeth! I will tear you apart with them!" "You are puny and weak, but who knows? You could become the greatest of my servants. Serve me and find out!"

PART THREE - As the Amantes watched, a goblin with a large and distended skull and blue skin emerged from the mouth of the dead dragon and approached the child on the table. "Congratulation," the swollen-headed goblin hissed to the captive boy, using loud and slow Low Conorrian, as if the child were an idiot. "Today is your lucky day! Soon you'll have power...or you'll be dead. Either way, human, your life will be better." The goblin looked at the guards with him and raised a hammer and what looked like a piece of blue glass, preparing to drive it into the boy's head.

Demetrios reacted first, shooting the blue goblin from the high perch. All hell then broke loose. In a fusillade of arrows, sling stones and crossbow bolts, the Amantes clan began to decimate the goblins. One who wore a copper crown was quickly killed, along with a few others. Felix managed to Charm one named Guzzum, and convince him to go protect the dragon. One of the human children in the cage turned out to be a successful psionics experiment, and with a thought convinced Felix, Demetrios and Basil that he had wounded them so severely that they were close to death. A moment later, the blue goblin struck Nereida and Demetrios with a current of lightning. This real damage snapped Demetrios out of his delusion, and Basil's decision to fight despite his condition did likewise. Felix was thus convinced that his own injuries were illusory.

With most of the goblins killed, Basil leapt down into the room to finish off the last few. One ran, and was tackled by Guzzum, at Felix's suggestion. Then a new factor entered the fight. The voice of the dragon curled around seductively in Demetrios's head and locked out the higher functions of his brain. Demetrios could defend himself, but not move or attack. Guzzum overcame Felix's charm and ferociously struck down the psion. The melee then began to go sour for our heroes, when the goblin soldiers who had been guarding the front gate finally managed to respond to the sounds of melee and entered the room from the far end.

Although Bonzimir was killing nearly one goblin a round from his high perch, it wasn't enough. Copperdeath convinced Nereida to push Demetrios off the ledge and later to jump off herself. The great press of goblins swarmed over the siblings, mortally wounding all those in the room. Only Bonzimir remained unharmed and when the goblins began to swarm up the ramp in numbers, and Copperdeath offered him the chance to save his siblings's lives, he surrendered. All the goblin leaders had been slain, and only a half-dozen soldiers remained, but the battle had been lost.

Some time later, each of the siblings awoke, tied to a table. Felix was appeared above them, a dark blue bruise on his forehead. "Don't worry," he told them. "It will all be over soon. Then you'll understand how glorious it is to serve and love our lord." With that, he slammed a blue crystal into each of their foreheads with the hammer they had seen before.

A while later, all were untied and allowed up. Basil, Bonzimir and Felix truly loved Copperdeath, and worshiped him (and had become chaotic evil). Demetrios and Nereida tried to lie and claim that they, too, loved the dragon, but Felix's sharp intuition spotted their lies and ordered the goblins and his brothers to attack. Copperdeath admonished them to take Demetrios and Nereida alive, if possible. The fight was short and brutal. Nereida was laid low by Bonzimir and Felix while Demetrios fought with the goblins (Basil had run to get his sword). Seeing he was losing badly, Demetrios jumped into the stream and was swiftly carried into the next room. Brothers and goblins swarmed up the wall to follow him.

Carried along in the swift waters, Demetrios was unable to get out and was soon shot through the dragon's mouth and over the waterfall. He fell for more than a hundred feet, but was snagged by the webs of the giant spider which dwelled there. As the spider eyed him warily (and as his brothers pursued down the ramp), Demetrios disentangled himself and made it to the great spiral ramp. He tried to move back up, but when he encountered Bonzimir (equipped with throwing stones) and Basil (armed with a sword), he was defeated. He tried to disarm his stronger brother, but was badly cut. Demetrios surrendered to Basil. "Who were you kidding?" Basil asked him. "You never were the warrior I am and you know it."

[Interlude: While Nereida and Demetrios were out, Copperdeath informed the others that the next day, they would go into Vendarius, where he, Copperdeath, would take his revenge for his own death. Felix and Basil were charged with burning down the Temple of Earth Resplendent, while Bonzimir was to silence the Wyrmcall, the great bell in the Belltower. "We hate loud sounds", it told them.]

The next day, Nereida and Demetrios awoke, battered and bruised, in the iron cage in Copperdeath's chambers. The children were nowhere to be seen. Although either Basil or Bonzimir watched them continually, a strange thing happened. One of the goblins surreptitiously slipped them Nereida's holy symbol. Sometime later, this same goblin "accidentally" dropped a lot of Copperdeaths' tools. The ensuing loud clangor seemed to bring pain to Bonzimir, Felix and Basil.

When the brothers at last came for them, Felix held the key to the cage, Bonzimir the blue crytsals and Basil held the hammer. When Demetrios refused to come with them, Basil shattered a nearby table and used one of it's palnks as an improvised club to shove Nereida back and threaten Demetrios. Demetrios managed nevertheless to seize Basil and draw him into the cage, where Nereida tried to cast "Protection from Evil" on him. Basil resisted the spell and a fight ensued. Bonzimir slung stones at his sister while Demetrios once again tried to disarm Basil. Felix simply retreated out of harm's way and tried to charm Nereida. At last Nereida successfully cast "Protection from Evil" on Basil, just as he chopped down Demetrios.

Momentarily released from the crystal's evil urgings, Basil tried to fool Bonzimir that he was unaffected, but both brothers knew when the other was lying. They both went for their weapons, but Basil was faster. He cut down both Bonzimir and Felix in a single move. Running to get the final healing potion, he gave it to Demetrios. As Nereida and Demetrios armed themselves, Basil (realizing his "Protection from Evil" was very temporary), nobly stripped off his armor and weapons, as well as those of Bonzimir and Felix. He stopped Felix's bleeding and dragged both brothers into the cage with him, locking the door and giving the key to Nereida.

Demetrios and Nereida ambushed the goblins. Bonzimir, however, was still conscious and had hidden his lockpicks in his belt. He began to unlock the cage door as Demetrios and Nereida (both critically injured by the previous fight) fought for their lives. Copperdeath continued to assault them psionically. A final surprise was the return of the goblin who had helped them before. His crossbow killed two goblins and took several unsuccessful shots at Bonzimir and Basil. Nereida ran to Demetrios's aid just as Bonzimir and Basil came out of the cage. Bonzimir's single shot proved too great an exertion and he slipped into unconsciousness. Basil charged across the room, knocking Nereida out cold.

Now at last the two brothers faced each other alone. Demetrios was armed with Luckbringer and fully armored, but barely able to keep to his feet. Basil was unhurt, but without armor. The two traded blows, both injuring each other slightly. The fate of Vendarius and the Amantes family hung in the balance. As the swords rang beside the swift-flowing stream, Demetrios summoned all his strength, all his love of family...and ran his brother Basil through.

[GM's Note - Demetrios finished this fight with 1 hp]

Demetrios quickly went about the room binding wounds and taking away his family's weapons (stripping Basil, Bonzimir and Felix naked and locking them back into the cage), then slipped into Copperdeath's mouth and down into the corpse's stomach (hey, how many adventurers can say they've been into a dragon's gullet and lived?). Demetrios found a huge carbuncle of greyish-blue crystal growing in the desiccated skin. This was the Dragonstone, which claimed to be the soul of the dragon and demanded Demetrios's worship. He cut it loose and tried to destroy it with a hammer, and with Copperdeath's giant tools, all to no avail.

At this point, the lone goblin returned. "How you humans get so numerous and you so stupid?" he asked. "Sound. Sound is what you need." Then he fled out of the caverns and out of this story...

Demetrios tried everything to make a very loud noise. At last, he dragged his family's unconscious bodies over to an iron wall he'd found leaning against the stone wall in Copperdeath's "tomb" (this was a relic of the battle that killed the beast) and slammed it with a hammer. The very loud ringing of this caused the crystals in their foreheads to shatter, but did nothing at all to the Dragonstone.

Demetrios pulled their bodies into a safe room (the goblins' bedchamber), left them food and water, and hurried off towards Vendarius with the Dragonstone. He knew he had one day to ring the Wyrmcall before the Dragonstone regained its exhausted powers.

[Here ends the Third Part of "Of Sound Mind"]

[GM's Note: There is no log for the next few of the Company's adventures.  Demetrios managed to ring the Wyrmcall and rescue Vendarius from the clutches of Copperdeath.  They later went on the adventure The Sunless Citadel.]

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