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resources:adventure:debt_of_bones

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A Debt of Bones

Initial Brief

Around the market posters appear advertising for those of a curious disposition to go on an archeological expedition payment upon results.

PCs

Summary

The party are briefed by the priest of Zosimos and set out following the feeling Rashida has about the location of her dark masters bones. After some adventures on the road they eventually come to the village of Bonehaven. Here they are told about a nearby Necropolis, the home of the Ivory prince.

They find the entrance to the ancient structure hidden in the side of the mountain and guarded by three somewhat broken down automata and a deadly riddle-door. After several severe incinerations the party manage to confuse their way passed the guardians and enter the grand tomb. Stumbling through the darkness within they are beset by the walking dead and eventually all of them bar Batts (who slithers away as an ooze) fall victim to the skeletal assailants and are dragged away into the dark.

When they awaken they find themselves seated in a great banquet hall and surrounded by curiously garbed people of exceptional vitality. It eventually becomes clear that they are within the memories of the citizens of ancient Junnes, celebrating the unification of their city via Dragongate with its twin on the far continent. Speaking with the assembled personages they learn that the so-called ivory prince is a great philanthropist who has dedicated to preserving the bodies and memories of the citizens of the Empire within a great necropolis standing above the hidden city of Chull. Eventually the party leave the banquet and the memories fade leaving them back in the silent dark of the tomb. Worse they find that all flesh is gone from their bodies, leaving them as nothing but animate bones.

Proceeding through a maze of deadly traps they stumble across the lost child from the village, also reduced to a skeleton and understandably distraught. They take him with them as they follow Rashida's compass further into the structure. A treasure room of gravegoods provokes some argument over whether they should be disturbed, but since things can't get much worse they get to looting and swiftly deal with the dead that attempt to stop them.

Eventually they arrive at the chamber of the Ivory Prince. Whilst most of the party beseech the Prince to restore them and listen to his demands for service, Rashida performs a ritual to summon her Dark Master's power into his bones. Just as it seems that negotiation with the ancient god may succeed, Silvio's frustration at their predicament leads to a burst of violence and soon the party is torn apart as some flee with Darrish' bones and others are trapped fighting the god; only Rowan's personal aura preventing the party from being wiped out due to the links of the Splintered Man. Eventually some fast talking gets the whole party back on its feet and they cheese it for the exit, the Ivory Prince lumbering slowly after them.

Escaping the necropolis Rowan's power is able to fully surge into his mortal remains, but even as it does so, a swarm of horrible flies spills out of Rashida's mouth and the Rampant's mocking voice echoes over the valley as he attempts to consume the young god. Fortunately the party are able to defeat the swarm and drive out his influence, though Batts unwisely eats some of the flies without protective measures in place and a fragment of the Rampant's power transforms his memories.

Rowan then leads the group in a ritual to restore their flesh by cutting away what remained of Batts'. After several hours of agonising torture/surgery the group is once again looking more or less healthy and human.

Debrief

Consequences

All

  • Paid 50 Riel (I think can't quite remember)
  • Divine Favour of Rowan Darrish

Batts

  • All his flesh is gone he is now a skeleton surrounded by a shell of bone.
  • When he sleeps his body falls under the control of either Dammerung or the Ivory Prince who have graciously negotiated their differences and set up a time share for now, so flip a coin.

Rashida

  • Has gained the undead quirk
  • When she sleeps her body fights itself as her ritually empowered flesh attempts to stop the bones leaving. This tends to leave her tired upon waking as true rest is now difficult.

Simone

  • When she sleeps her bones leave her body and to the bidding of the Ivory Prince but always return before Dawn.

Simon

Peter

Silvio

resources/adventure/debt_of_bones.1462896520.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/05/10 16:08 by matthewa