Session 26

The party: 

• Ploikal, orange MU5 (TM)
• Gorakal, orange T4 (JH)
• Faruk, orange non-combatant
• Zayn, orange light foot
• Umut, brown rider
• Deniz, Elif, and Mina, orange riders

Treasure: 

• Ornate silver shield inset with five pearls held by beetles (3,247 SP)
• 76 GP in coin
• Five malachite gems (160 SP each)
• Five primitive gold necklaces (880 SP each)
• Machine parts (1,116 SP)

XP: 11,273

Casualties: 

Several retainers, the details lost in the fray.

• Elif’s morale broke during a fight, and they fled.
• One was killed by centipedes.
• One paralyzed by centipedes and abandoned.
• One drained of their life force by a shadow.

Report: 

The party heads to The Balok. They pass ten giant white ants but ignore them. Upon reaching The Balok, they enter their usual way. Rats guard a door to the room with cabinets—the party rewards them with food. More rats appear in the next room, receive rations, and let the party pass.

A single boogieman ambushes them in the large room with the caveman corpse and opened chest. Gorakal drops it with one arrow. The party descends to level 2. The reception area stands empty. In the next room, an indoor garden, they spot green slime just in time. They pass through an empty shrine and hear insect noises behind the door to the study.

Magic reveals angry centipedes and treasure inside. They ready a sleep spell, throw open the door, and knock out many centipedes—but one paralyzes a retainer with its poison, and another is killed. The party prevails and recovers an ornate shield before entering the first library.

Four bone crusher dogs confront them here. The party distracts them with rations, puts one to sleep, and dispatches the rest. The next library is empty. Wet noises and caveman speech emanate from the eastern door.

Inside, ten cavemen make offerings to three statues. The party strikes with surprise—some fall asleep, the rest die by the sword. They collect gold from around the statues and loot corpses in wicker caskets. Gorakal’s x-ray vision reveals nothing more.

The next room appears to be a workshop with mechanical devices. They enter as pigs arrive behind them, but the animals care only for the offerings. The party explores the study and discovers a secret door behind a tall machine. This leads to a machine room where they extract platinum parts from cabinets.

A shadow enters as they try to leave. The two remaining retainers cover the retreat—one dies as the shadow drains him dry, but Ploikal destroys it with magic. They decide they’ve had enough and flee.

Back in town, Ploikal pours resources into rebuilding the farmers’ guild hall. Two discoveries disturb him: the leader’s clear insanity and a strange hatch where the harvest goddess statue once stood.