Run Date: January 31st, 2023
PCs
Richard: Lv2 Fighter
Rebel: Lv2 Monk
Malak: Lv2 Cultist of Laurenia
Pushing Back
Rebel was sick today so we phoned her in for play. The group was weighing whether or not they wanted to play the Graveyard Crew today, and despite being sick, Rebel made a very astute observation: "We don't know what's going to happen if we leave this thing untouched for a week." Time pressure, whether or not it truly exists, is quite the motivator.
The first part of the session was planning. Rebel revealed some of the information and tools she'd recovered in her downtime. The group then brainstormed what exactly it was they wanted to do and off they went through the familiar path: through the old gates, past James's lantern, and up to the central mausoleum. As I described the familiar sights, the group arrived at the first chamber. This is where things halted.
The party wanted to try and find Lazarus. They still had the weird crystal, but didn't understand what it was or how to use it (save some ideas garnered from Rebel's downtime). They knew it opened the jello doors, but... Let's just say I had some fun. You see, the players were in a state of abject confusion. It was one thing that they didn't know exactly what the crystal did, it was another that they kept making obviously incorrect statements. They also weren't mapping the areas correctly. They were familiar with things like the Jello Door and the Fish Room, but not the actual direction. We sidetracked for what felt like 40 minutes, and I pulled back the curtain for a bit to review information, clues, and details with them. The main points I wanted to get through was "Boneheart=Bad" and "Don't Give Crystal Back To Black Death." The party wanted to rush into the center of Blackwall and shove the thing right in. Maybe my narration was way off. Oh well.
With a new set of paper ready and the party having a direction (explore and find Lazarus), they set out. The Fish Room has nearly returned to normal since their last forays. They even spotted the silver fish happily splashing about. As the group crossed the bridge, however, something from the shadows ambushed them. It seems that, due to the party's long argument and confusion, the Black Death had a chance to send out some feelers. The man-sized sludge-monsters slammed against the party's front rank; and thanks to a timely rescue by Rebel, didn't leave much but chip damage.
Richard lead the follow-up by shattering the party's new weapon and splashing the creatures (Slimekiller Solvent: noted later). The solution dissolved a good chunk of the sludge-monsters and the rest of the party made quick work of what was left; making sure to shatter the small bone hearts.
With that encounter out of the way, the party picked their next path: South. As a reminder, the group knew these rooms by description, but not necessarily location. The next room was the Pond Room. The party was happy to see that the sludge had receded from this room as well, though the scum on the pond still left it opaque. They moved through here and into the southern exit. The tunnel had a small sitting table and "garden" area break off shortly after they entered, then pressed onward. At the end of the tunnel was another chamber and a fork.
The Chapel Room, called such because of the vaulted ceiling and great pillars, was as far as the group had explored in previous forays. This room had several exits, and as the party remembered, completed a loop to the Fish Room. The players decided to spend some time searching this room and checking the nearby tunnels. Rebel asked about Priest Holes, and explained what they were to me. Given the age of the room and the shifting over the centuries, I had her throw a Luck check. Success. Despite everything, Rebel found a camouflaged section of wall that survived the centuries. Within it was a rotting, but still intact box. Within that was a set of surgical tools complete with bone saw worth 100gp (master crafted with Lazarus's symbols). Educate your game master and you just might be rewarded!
Richard, meanwhile, checked the other tunnels. He discovered that one was far more decorated than the other: the arched ceiling having reliefs depicting the story of Blackwall and Lazarus. Seeing this as good a clue as any, the party worked their way down the hall and found a Jello Door. Rebel's crystal buzzed and it opened. A short walk later the group found themselves in an old bathhouse; clean and showing almost no age. It also contained servants of Lazarus. For simplicity, imagine a mix of the critters that surround a Disney princess with Pet Sematary and Puppet Master. These abominations were peaceful and merely pointed toward a path to the south.
The party didn't question it, and did as they were told. As they moved through a final, well-decorated hall, the party found themselves standing in front of a spiraling tower. Each level of the tower had a landing that lead into a chamber, and all of the chambers were connected by the same set of stairs. Atop this tower was Thorin, who offered a wave and a smile.
Since it's been some time: Thorin was the first Magic User in this game, and part of the original Graveyard Crew. He died horribly to a wraith while trying to save his party, but the group never found his body (or his soul, I think). Just before he died, he had started teaching a Nüra child how to wield magic. Neeka, the child, has continued to interact with the party from time to time, though not exactly as Neeka. It is through him that they discovered that Thorin "wasn't dead." As time passed, it was discovered that Lazarus had possessed both of them.
After some greetings and Rebel being extremely cautious given the circumstances, the party followed Thorin into the ground level chamber. Like the Bathhouse Chamber, this room was also immaculate. It was adorned with soft and well-crafted chairs, the cushions as new as they'd ever been. One of the players joked about not sitting because she was nearly eaten by a chair in another game. Alas, no such bait and switches here.
As the party rested, they discussed with Thorin the details of the crystals and history of Lazarus. He explained that he fractured himself and his power when he sealed the Black Death. However, as people became healthier and the village grew, they began to demand too much from him. Their prayers and worship stretched him out so thin that the energy warped. "They started living longer and longer, having more and more children. They eventually stopped dying altogether, and became not unlike the vessels you've slain."
By the end of the conversation, Rebel had agreed to a truce of sorts. She was quite pointed with her questioning, by the way, even going so far as to ask, "Once this Black Death thing is gone, what are you going to do?" I'm glad she bought my attempt at a counter-argument because I legit hadn't thought about "what happens after" yet. Thorin revealed the locations of the Shards, albeit things may have changed in the centuries. He gave the party a key to a vault in Blackwall that was supposed to contain one, and explained a bit of history regarding the other two (Total: 4).
With a clear goal set forward, the party headed back out to the Bathhouse Chamber and used the north exit to continue their exploration. It was a short walk down yet another tunnel and into a crumbling chamber. Old stones and rubble were piled everywhere with narrow pathways swinging around them. As the group navigated the rough terrain, they discovered two more exits and a large, dark passage. The choice to check the large passage was unanimous.
As light spilled forward, it revealed crystals of varying sizes and colors. The ceiling was high and the entire passageway glittered. At the end of it, they discovered a large clear block of crystal, and inside it was a large Boneheart. As soon as it sensed their presence, tendrils of sludge and ooze animated a massive crystal beast and the fight was on.
It's been a while since I'd run a Boss, but you can bet I remembered my Off Turn Attacks this time. As the group moved to engage, several members threw their Slimekiller Solvents. This volley did quite a bit in weakening the constitution of the crystal beast. Then the weapons laid into it. However, the beast was plenty tough in its own right and began crushing and smashing its adversaries. Through a series of rescues and shield splinters, the party avoided falling during the initial wave.
As the fight went on and the group continued to chip away and surround the beast, it became enraged. Its lashing brought down sections of stone and rock from the ceiling that not only harmed those nearby but made it harder and harder for them to maneuver. In the meantime, its powerful strikes continued to wear down the party's defenses. It eventually broke through. Malak rushed to heal Richard, who was about to fall, but took a crushing blow that left his body buried under rubble. The others desperately smashed away and chipped the crystal shell until the heart was finally freed. At this point, half the party was knocked out and the other half on their last legs. Thankfully, the Boneheart cannot attack.
Vance, the ever loyal and tough henchmen, charged at the heart and started trying to break the shell with his Ghosteel hammer. He, too, was near death and only kept up by his blind rage. Rebel channeled her energies and managed to land a critical strike, and the follow up was enough to shatter the shell. Inside this Boneheart was another, earth-toned, crystal. With a well-fought victory, the group checked their friends and started recovering bodies (RIP Fred).
While the group was deciding what to do next, they spotted a nearby room that had been revealed when the crystal beast was lashing out. It was, as of yet, untouched and contained a mix of burial urns and the bulbous plants used to decorate other parts of the area. The party had to make a choice, however, as they heard heavy sloshing footsteps coming their way from one of the northern tunnels. "Graverobbing isn't worth it."
The group hauled their fallen and rushed through the rubble with every ounce of adrenaline they head. As they reached the safety of the Jello Door, they could hear the creatures in the darkness smashing pottery and clay. "Let them have it." Wouldn't you know it, the one time the party hits a random encounter all session and it is so far they just evade it. There is always next time.
The party used the safety of Lazarus's tower to rest and discuss their future goals. They also gave Lazarus the earth-toned crystal for a partial payment. It was floated that they just stay in the sanctuary until next week, but they didn't have enough food or drink. So it was that the party tried to leave. Admittedly, I got catty again. I wanted to test their new maps and navigation, and asked which direction they were going. I don't think they were necessarily happy about it, but I deserve a chance to frustrate them from time to time.
Rewards
8xp
125gp/ea
Downtime
Malak and Richard are both spending their week recruiting some henchmen. I haven't received updates on the others.
As noted earlier, Rebel had investment some money and downtime into a few different leads. Today they all came together in both information and a new item:
Slimekiller Solvent (50gp)
This solvent is tough on stains, especially the sentient sorts. You may spend an action to hurl a glass container up to 40ft, splashing a radius of 10ft for 2d4 damage vs amoebas, slimes, or similar creatures (no save). Damage dice that roll a 4 are rolled again and accumulate. If the multiple containers are combined into a single trap, each additional glass alternates between adding 1d4 damage or increasing the splash radius by 5ft (max 20ft).
The glass containing the solvent is formulated to shatter and burst when interacting with the enzymes in slime-like creatures.
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