Latherin and the Jade Sarcophagus

Game Master

Ross

Party Leader

Ty Trident (Zane)

Party Scribe

Tulip

Military Scientist

Tulip

Other Party Members

Turf (Terry)

Date: 05/07/08

Turf finds a card in his pocket saying "Opps opps opps", it is from Baccarat and has Rank 20 counterspells for Mind special, Celestial special and general, Fire special and general. Turf gets us all together and we talk to Baccarat. An animated magical sentient object/artefact (NOT daemonic) has got loose (it was provoked and attacked and is now retaliating) and is burning/destroying cities on Kanlaoise. It produces lots of flashing light, perhaps is solar item (re solar elves) and Baccarat has had a nasty premonition of it kicking his butt.

We go to the graveyard where the "portal" tree that young Varenthia Simbelyn gave us has been planted and go through to Kanlaoise. Tulip takes a nice big sack of leaf mould for the ents who look after the forest where the portal trees reside. We take a tree to the forest near Baccarat's manor. He provides us with an "avoid fate" card each and Delerium gives us each an "true form" invested.

Background

The four key fractions of the Kijaand Empire are upping the anti. Regent's party holds the throne and the regent wants to be empress. The Church party supports the imperial family. The Emperor is or is-not dead but is very well hidden, the family is weakened and in hiding. The Non-aligned are hedging their bets and supporting whoever appears to be weakest to try and support the balance of power. There is general unrest, the economy is running down and there is a low level civil war running between the Church and the Regent, and an all out war on the horizon. Artefacts are appearing, there are two other powerful artefacts that have appeared recently, the goddess Shardad interfered directly to take one, the others whereabouts is unknown.

Lasilae

We find out the artefact is celestial, produces white fire (it is nuking the city) and can change the local gravity around it. Scrying breaks down in its vicinity. We travel by maze to Lasilae. We see a continual blue-white light and as we approach the wind is gale force and the temperature is 45º. Death aspect is working but in a perverted way, it seems souls are being trapped and not passing on as they should. Aura's are warped, and the ground has tainted earth mana. A white sphere heads straight for us and then stops we talk to it, it doesn't converse but says "step into my world".

The Inbetween

We determine it is not an avatar, but it is a portal (destination "between worlds") and we all step in to find ourselves standing in a square and on black and white tiles. There is a perfect image of turf which we do DA as an avatar of the plane, origin Kanloaise and its purpose is "liberation, deactivation and entrapment". We ask what it is trying to do? It replies "Destroy what holds life to death, enter if you wish", and two door appear. It says "You will face that which destroys, the white door leads back and the black door leads forward."

And back?

We go through the black door and arrive in a featureless stone courtyard, with stairs up to a wooden door on the right. The light is grey and all pervading (there are no shadows). We battle 3 wraiths which are tough, Tulip is hamstrung. We make it to the doors, which are of petrified wood and have base relief worked into them, there is an imperial like sigil but it is not identical to the one we know from Kanleash.

Inside is a palace we first come upon a man in black armour with red glowing eyes sits who commands the wraiths. We kill him and take his armour (it is in pieces). We then navigate through various rooms to arrive at a long ball room with a throne at one end, on which sits a pallid middle aged elf in mitheral chain and winged helm. We all drool over the armour. The elf is undead necromancer named Latherin. He tells us we need to find the vaults and that we will have to fight him for the key. We go at him but magic seems to bounce off him so Turf is doing the most damage. Things are all a bit fishy as he is being helpful, and seems to be directing the fight in a certain direction. He appears to be geased (and wants to be free)? playing with us? He tells us we must take the key from his cold dead hand and "directs" us toward a study and down some spiral stairs to a crypt with a sarcophagus. Each time Turf manages a spec greiv on Lathering there are flashes of light and the light becomes more intense in general. In the end, they play act a fight and Turf taking the key. We are not sure if we should use the key or not, if we don't he remains trapped and white sphere / artefact will just continue to rampage. If we do use the key he can raise and lead an army of undead, but the sphere will be stopped.

We decide to use the key, it makes part of one wall opaque and we can see into a room of white marble with a finely crafted jade sarcophagus with delicate detail and elven writing on it. Latherin walks through and he disappears leaving his armour and clothing in a pile, we gather them up! There is a magical helm (thaumaturgy), mitheral shirt, with armoured shoes and grieves (partial plate) his weapons are main gauche, and scimitar and we are also left with the key as well as some fine elven robes. We go into the room to investigate the jade coffin. The writing states "Those who rest here shall rest alone", inside is Latherin's body. The light is now blinding and all of the walls become transparent. This is an earth place of power. After half an hour the light disappears and the darkness of a natural evening envelops us. We are sitting in the ruins of the city. We ask Baccerat what he has seen.

Loot

• "avoid fate" card from Baccarat each (expired)
• "true form" invested from Delerium each (expired)
• pieces of the black armour from man in palace (worthless)
• Latherin's magical helm (thaumaturgy)
• mithril chain shirt, with armoured shoes and grieves (partial plate)
• main gauche and scimitar
• fine elven robes
• Total value 275,000 sp - 10% tax = 247500 = 82500 sp each

Game time

	Start	Finish	Time
In-game time	05/07/08	12/07/08	1 day
Real time	3pm 05/07/08	10.30pm 05/07/08	2 sessions

Experience

Turf

5000

Tulip

5600 (5000 + 100 hosting + 500 scribe notes)

Ty

6000 (5000 + 100 hosting + 400 food + 500 party leader)