Session 20 | “Eret’zel”

The House of Questions

  • Waylon and Izi find the deep gnome in the reception area (that Atticus had previously talked with) and decide to assassinate him while he is distracted with his paperwork. They quickly kill him, then Izi buries him in the sacred sand.
  • Atticus then sees (2) Graetor guards run through the hall. The (1) Graetor at his door tells him to stay in the room and apparently leaves to join the other (2) Graetors. Atticus then hears a thunderous storm for a moment as a door is opened further away
  • Shortly thereafter (3) Graetors enter the room to investigate, (2) of them immediately attack Waylon and Izi bringing them to near death, Vonris begins to run toward the balcony and is met by the last (1) Graetor who defensively positions himself to keep Vonris from entering deeper into the structure.
  • Vonris casts Detect Good and Evil and learns the Graetor’s alignment and race/being
  • Waylon places the Ring of Shadows on his fingers and slips between planes, seeing the Graetor before him as a blinding light
  • Atticus leaves his room and approaches the Graetor at the end of the hall and presents the Hyldan’s Infernal Contract, threatening to burn it if he is not taken to Jakob.
  • The Graetor inspects the contract, but does not seem to leave his post. Atticus begins to yell that he demands to see Jakob immediately prompting an iron door at the end of the hall to creep open.

Jakob’s Lament

  • Enter Jakob Ellur. An older human man stands in the door, he is worn and weathered from what is obviously years of injury and healing. He walks with a limp and appears to have lost faculty of one of his arms. His eyes hint at being the witness to countless terrors.
  • Jakob looks to Atticus and beckons him to enter his study, asking what all the comotion is about. Atticus proceeds to explain that he has a contract to be fulfilled with Jakob and Hyldan. Jakob asks where Hyldan is, and of what interest does Hyldan have for his interests.
  • Atticus says that he is working for Hyldan and that he is here to deliver “The Inquisitor” blade to Jakob. Jakob asks where the blade is and Atticus explains it is with his Kobold companion, probably in the other room. Jakob asks the Graetor to fetch the Kobold and bring him to the study as well.
  • Waylon and Izi struggle against the Graetor’s and narrowly avoid being knocked unconscious. Vonris aids his companions and quickly heals Izi during the fighting. Eventually the Izi, Waylon and Vonris overcome the (3) Graetor guards with bated breath and staggered stance. Waylon tries to take off the Ring of Shadows, but is shifted completely into the plans of Eret’zel (Nat 1 on WIS saving throw)
  • Waylon falls into Eret’zel, and is onslaught by a seemingly endless barrage of undead approaching his position from all directions. The freezing environment and shock of the planar transition gives him 1 exhaustion level.
  • The Graetor that left Jakob enters the room to see the aftermath in the sand/reception room. The Graetor returns to Jakob’s study and informs Jakob what has occured in the main room. Jakob asks for Atticus to assist in retrieving his companion. Jakob mentions that the carnage was quite unnecessary and suggested using the main entrance next time. Nevertheless, he invites Izi to his study, Izi then proceeds to walk across the once hallowed sand reservoir in an act of disrespect to whatever was once held sacred in this area.
  • Vonris stays behind and begins to stifle through the items that the Graetor’s had, learning that their forms are unfamiliar to him and appear to be dark/charred humanoids with a distinct lack of features.

Deliverance

  • Vonris feels a breeze in the room and gets a chill, then looks up and notices the door back to where Jakob, Izi and Atticus went suddenly opens by itself
  • Atticus, Izi and Jakob proceed to discuss the contract. Atticus requests the Inquisitor blade from Izi and tries to hand it to Jakob. Jakob refuses to accept the blade, still confused why Hyldan is trying to assist him. He explains that he and Hyldan have been at odds for years and requests to know how the party came to know him, and who Trillian was.
  • The drunkard from the Red Inn walks into the room and knocks out the Graetor Guard that was at the door. The drunkard slowly transforms to reveal himself as Hyldan the Rakshasa. Jakob seems terrified at the sudden turn of events and fumbles back into his chair.
  • Hyldan asks Atticus to give him the blade, when Hyldan has the blade in hand he coldly shoves it into Jakob’s chest with the explanation, “Delivered”. Jakob slowly bleeds out in the chair.
  • Hyldan expresses his appreciation to Izi, Atticus and now Vonris for assisting in infiltrating the House of Questions, taking out the guard and gaining audience with Jakob. The party explains what has happened to Waylon and Hyldan seems hurried to lead the party to the open portal to Eret’zel deeper in the structure and leaves the room.
  • Atticus retrieves the Inquisitor blade from the lifeless Jakob, makes a deep cut into his hand along his scar of Venin, and passes his blood over Jakob’s face leaving him to his final rest.

The Deep

  • Hyldan leads the party through a large circular chamber, that has recessed alcoves cut into the wall filled with what looks to be unconscious/dead/sleeping citizens of Bilnarak. Each alcove has a stream of energy flowing from it to the center of the room, which has a stone table with miscellaneous alchemical and enchanting items scattered about. The streams of energy appear to coalesce into a pool and be charging a sigil at the table.
  • Atticus casts a healing on (6) random citizens, their eyes open and take a gasp of air. Sudden surges of energy are sent through the streams coming from the alcoves of those people and they seem to be still paralized, but conscious.
  • Hyldan continues to the portal room, where a large pool of non-reflective black liquid stagnates. Atticus follows and asks if this is where Trillian is, Hyldan instructs Atticus to enter and he does.
  • Izi (with the assistance of Udzala) and Vonris to a quick look in the next room and find two other circular rooms with alcoves, each seem to be mostly filled with unconcious citizens, each charging a different sigil at the center of the rooms.
  • Izi and Vonris meet Hyldan in the portal room, Izi jumps into the pool and as Vonris jumps in Hyldan attempts to scratch Vonris and infect him, however Vonris’ natural immunity is too high to cause any lasting damage.
  • Izi, Atticus and Vonris meet Waylon in Eret’zel and begin to assist him in his struggle against the undead. Atticus casts locate object, trying to find Trillian by locking on to the keys she kept on her belt. He sense her in their general area.
  • The party slowly deals with all of the undead and gains a moment of respite to take in their surroundings.
  • Atticus is still searching for Trillian and senses her just in the distance. Then begins to see the shadow of a young girl approach through the mists. Her features are darkened, face tear strewn and is subdued with an expression full of despair and sorrow.