Argent disappeared in a flash of flame and smoke. His empty armor, weapons, and equipment fell to the floor in a heap.
The shadim commander directed her minions to return to the mural from which they emerged. She waved at the surviving members of the expedition mounted on the statue of the war mastodon and followed her underlings. The flames on the floor subsided.
Bramble, Apparently, and Orvex climbed down from the statue of the war-mastodon and examined the empty paraphernalia that remained of Argent.
Smoke began to coalesce before them. The smoke resolved into a humanoid form - a mighty Chultan warrior wearing a horned head-dress and clad in armor of thunder-beast hide. Orvex reverently whispered, "Ch'kagare."
The ghostly form of Ch'kagare held out his hand. It held a chalice made from a human skull. The chalice became solid - real. The ghost of Ch'kagare nodded silently and proffered the chalice to the survivors.
Apparently took the chalice. The ghostly form stood at attention, looking away into the distance, and faded into smoke and fog.
Orvex was the first to break the contemplative silence, "Sho, uh, dibsh on his shtuff."
CHAPTER 40
"THE GREAT MECHANISM"
"THE GREAT MECHANISM"
THE EXPEDITION
- Bramble Wolf - a theran barbarian wise-man (Wildhunt Shifter Druid) searching for the legendary origin of his tribe, recently transformed into a woman by a magic fountain, slowly becoming a goat due to a curse from a bronze staff. Current bearer of the spirit of the trustworthy god Moa.
- Apparently Jones - a blue-skinned demijin caravan guide and animal trainer (Air Genasi Ranger) from Akasa, the land of sky mountains. Having failed to find work in Port Nyanzaru as an animal handler, she has joined the expedition to the interior as a scout. Current bearer of the spirit of the foolhardy god of froghemoths named Kubazan.
- Xoc-Wik - a b'alam warrior (Tabaxi Fighter) from the jungles of Bres, searching for those responsible for the destruction of his tribe.
- Zeynap Shiravadakar - a Eusebean smuggler (Human Warlock) bearing the spirit of a celestial unicorn. Current bearer of the spirit of the nimble god I'Jin.
- Orvex Ocrammas - archaeologist and historian; rescued from the Fane of the Night Serpent.
- Zorai - vyth (grey-skinned alien) explorer sent to Omu to investigate the massive seismic event that coincided with its destruction; trapped within a magic mirror soon after the destruction of Omu more than 150 years ago.
DM Comment-
I gave Argent's player the opportunity to make a new character. I thought of a couple of ways I could introduce them to the party. Since there are maybe only two sessions left in this campaign, he decided to promote Orvex from NPC to PC - so he made Orvex as a ninth level rogue.
Sweet Dreams
Xoc-Wik and Zeynap, both back in the control room with Vythi-Zorai, finally shook off their Brain Fever and regained their bearings. Xoc-Wik unsuccessfully attempted telepathic communication with Argent. He was dismayed to learn of his passing from Apparently. Apparently guided him through the process of reorienting the cogs to the proper position and the remaining survivors made their way back to the control room.
They sealed the control room and decided to rest and recover.
As they slept, Xoc-Wik was visited by a strange dream. It was the drowned girl standing on the still water of a dark lake. The girl wore a long shift. She had long wet hair and dark voids where one would normally expect to see eyes. She held a red ball and asked Xoc-Wik if he would play with her. Xoc-Wik agreed.
The girl giggled and they two threw the ball back and forth. Xoc-Wik asked her questions. He learned that the girl's name was Ringu and that she lived in the lake. She was very lonely. No one ever came to speak with her. No one but Gorra, leader of the caretakers, and he just used her to make the slime which he used in his experiments.
He learned that she was not alone. A "bad person" named G'lyh'rul lived with her in the lake. She told Xoc-Wik that they'd never find the Soulmonger because they didn't have all the keys. She said she knew where the final key was but she couldn't tell him, she had to show him. Xoc-Wik would have to meet her in the lake so she could show him the way.
Xoc-Wik woke up rested but dripping wet. In his hands was a red ball. He told the others what had he experienced.
DM Comment-
I had meant to use Google translate to give the little girl a meaningful Easter Egg name like Oboreta Shojo or something, but I forgot. Xoc-Wik's player suggested "Ringu" so we went with that.
The Lake
Xoc-Wik and Zeynap, both back in the control room with Vythi-Zorai, finally shook off their Brain Fever and regained their bearings. Xoc-Wik unsuccessfully attempted telepathic communication with Argent. He was dismayed to learn of his passing from Apparently. Apparently guided him through the process of reorienting the cogs to the proper position and the remaining survivors made their way back to the control room.
They sealed the control room and decided to rest and recover.
As they slept, Xoc-Wik was visited by a strange dream. It was the drowned girl standing on the still water of a dark lake. The girl wore a long shift. She had long wet hair and dark voids where one would normally expect to see eyes. She held a red ball and asked Xoc-Wik if he would play with her. Xoc-Wik agreed.
The girl giggled and they two threw the ball back and forth. Xoc-Wik asked her questions. He learned that the girl's name was Ringu and that she lived in the lake. She was very lonely. No one ever came to speak with her. No one but Gorra, leader of the caretakers, and he just used her to make the slime which he used in his experiments.
He learned that she was not alone. A "bad person" named G'lyh'rul lived with her in the lake. She told Xoc-Wik that they'd never find the Soulmonger because they didn't have all the keys. She said she knew where the final key was but she couldn't tell him, she had to show him. Xoc-Wik would have to meet her in the lake so she could show him the way.
Xoc-Wik woke up rested but dripping wet. In his hands was a red ball. He told the others what had he experienced.
DM Comment-
I had meant to use Google translate to give the little girl a meaningful Easter Egg name like Oboreta Shojo or something, but I forgot. Xoc-Wik's player suggested "Ringu" so we went with that.
The Lake
After sleeping, the party took some additional time to relax and prepare for the stress of the coming day. Bramble practiced juggling. Orvex practiced with Xoc-Wik's magical rapier. Zeynap recounted his adventures in a journal. Apparently performed the ritual to summon a new spirit animal - another bird-lizard which she promptly named "Archie". Xoc-Wik made plans for the day.
The party assigned Vythi-Zorai to the controls of the gears of hate. They oriented the gears and retraced their steps to the access corridor and spiral staircase. They opened the metal hatch and walked out onto the short dock in the subterranean lake.
The water was dark but small blurry pin-points of bio-luminescent light could be seen on the lake's bottom. The water was viscous like slime.
The party climbed aboard the two rowboats and rowed underneath the two elevated walkways that connected the chambers to the giant cogs in the center of the lake. They were soon met by some ripples in the slimy water. Tentacles rose from under the surface. A large aquatic creature breached. It looked ancient and alien, with multiple eyes and wrinkled flesh around its head. Many tentacles writhed and flailed about.
The Thing in the Deep
The party assigned Vythi-Zorai to the controls of the gears of hate. They oriented the gears and retraced their steps to the access corridor and spiral staircase. They opened the metal hatch and walked out onto the short dock in the subterranean lake.
The water was dark but small blurry pin-points of bio-luminescent light could be seen on the lake's bottom. The water was viscous like slime.
The party climbed aboard the two rowboats and rowed underneath the two elevated walkways that connected the chambers to the giant cogs in the center of the lake. They were soon met by some ripples in the slimy water. Tentacles rose from under the surface. A large aquatic creature breached. It looked ancient and alien, with multiple eyes and wrinkled flesh around its head. Many tentacles writhed and flailed about.
The Thing in the Deep
DM Comment-
The aboleth had two personalities. It could have been the malevolent G'lyh'rul or the friendly Ringu. I asked the players to call High or Low. Xoc-Wik's player called "High". I rolled a d6 and got a high result. They got Ringu.
Bramble, Apparently, and Orvex warily prepared for a battle.
The friendly voice of Ringu telepathically greeted them. The tentacles playfully motioned for Xoc-Wik to throw the ball. Xoc-Wik obliged and the two played catch for a moment and established their good intentions.
Xoc-Wik eventually asked about the hidden key. Ringu turned and led them to a small niche in the back of the subterranean lake. She told them that water poured into the lake from a higher chamber. She said she remembered Gorra thinking about the skeleton key being located there and that the intruders would never look for it there.
Xoc-Wik thanked Ringu who swam away pleased. Xoc-Wik then told the others he'd climb up the shaft, scout ahead, and either telepathically call for help if he needed it or return with the key.
Hydra Fight!
Xoc-Wik struggled against the spray of the constantly falling water as he scaled the vertical shaft. When he reached the top he found a chamber about fifty feet wide. The chamber was a pool of water drawn from two large underground streams that drained down the shaft which he just climbed. He carefully looked around, his cat-eyes adjusting to the total darkness. On the far side of the chamber he saw a ledge about fifteen feet above the pool. On the ledge he saw a large chest or strong-box. Sitting next to the chest was a skeleton - the back of its skull formed a large key.
As he scanned the rest of the chamber he saw a large serpentine form sleeping in the pool. The form had five snake-like heads. Four of the heads were sleeping. A fifth was busy devouring some piece of meat. It was the hydra from the grotto under the palace! One of the two streams that fed this pool must connect somehow to the grotto.
He ducked down behind the cascading water. He was confident that he wasn't spotted. He telepathically communicated the situation to the rest of the party three hundred feet below. He wanted some consultation on his options - Should he try to get the skeleton without waking the hydra or should he wait for the others to climb the shaft and deal with the hydra as a group?
Bramble - addled as she was by the spirit of Unkh - could not decide. Xoc-Wik was finally forced to make the call. He would wait for their help.
Xoc-Wik struggled against the spray of the constantly falling water as he scaled the vertical shaft. When he reached the top he found a chamber about fifty feet wide. The chamber was a pool of water drawn from two large underground streams that drained down the shaft which he just climbed. He carefully looked around, his cat-eyes adjusting to the total darkness. On the far side of the chamber he saw a ledge about fifteen feet above the pool. On the ledge he saw a large chest or strong-box. Sitting next to the chest was a skeleton - the back of its skull formed a large key.
As he scanned the rest of the chamber he saw a large serpentine form sleeping in the pool. The form had five snake-like heads. Four of the heads were sleeping. A fifth was busy devouring some piece of meat. It was the hydra from the grotto under the palace! One of the two streams that fed this pool must connect somehow to the grotto.
He ducked down behind the cascading water. He was confident that he wasn't spotted. He telepathically communicated the situation to the rest of the party three hundred feet below. He wanted some consultation on his options - Should he try to get the skeleton without waking the hydra or should he wait for the others to climb the shaft and deal with the hydra as a group?
Bramble - addled as she was by the spirit of Unkh - could not decide. Xoc-Wik was finally forced to make the call. He would wait for their help.
Bramble jumped out of the boat and transformed herself into a giant gorilla. Apparently, Zeynap, and Orvex climbed onto her back and she began scaling the vertical shaft. Xoc-Wik readied a tangle-foot arrow.
The sound of the giant ape climbing the waterfall alerted the hydra. Xoc-Wik loosed the arrow. The arrow exploded into a giant net of vines and thorns, pinning the hydra. Xoc-Wik then loosed several magically charged arrows into the hydra, killing one of its five heads. Bramble crested the edge of the waterfall and began slamming her giant simian fists into the hydra. Zeynap, riding on Bramble's shoulder, sent the continuous bolt of lightning from his Witch Bolt into the hydra.
The massive barrage overwhelmed the hydra. It fell into the water. Apparently leaped into the pool with her flaming sword, stabbing the hydra before it could grow a new head! The hydra was dead!
DM Comment -
This entire scene was built to make up for the hydra fight I didn't get way back in Chapter 25! They cheated me then, so I placed the same hydra guarding the last skeleton key. Well, I rolled really bad for the hydra's initiative. It went last. Everyone went nuclear on the poor thing. I was dead before the round was half over! Orvex didn't even get to go! I may have got my hydra fight but I definitely got no satisfaction.
Mimic!
The skeleton held aloft an ancient axe and leaped off the ledge. It charged Orvex. Orvex cut it down. The skeleton fell apart and the skull began to float towards the edge of the falls, forcing the party scramble after it. Apparently was finally able to grab the skull before it plunged over the side.
Bramble lifted Orvex to the ledge. As he went to open the treasure chest, it opened wide, revealing a huge maw filled with sharp teeth and a large sticky tongue! The chest was a mimic!
Orvex immediately stabbed the shape-changer with Xoc-Wik's rapier, killing it. The polymorphous beast shifted through several forms as it expired. One of its forms was that of Biff Longsteel. As its dying act, Biff Longsteel reached out an arm and pointed at Xoc-Wik. The beast died, melting into fleshy goo.
Everyone eyed Xoc-Wik suspiciously.
DM Comment -
I really didn't feel like doing anything with the unresolved doppelganger situation so I used this opportunity to wrap that loose thread up. The final pointing was just meant to add some final suspicion.
Bramble lifted Orvex to the ledge. As he went to open the treasure chest, it opened wide, revealing a huge maw filled with sharp teeth and a large sticky tongue! The chest was a mimic!
Orvex immediately stabbed the shape-changer with Xoc-Wik's rapier, killing it. The polymorphous beast shifted through several forms as it expired. One of its forms was that of Biff Longsteel. As its dying act, Biff Longsteel reached out an arm and pointed at Xoc-Wik. The beast died, melting into fleshy goo.
Everyone eyed Xoc-Wik suspiciously.
DM Comment -
I really didn't feel like doing anything with the unresolved doppelganger situation so I used this opportunity to wrap that loose thread up. The final pointing was just meant to add some final suspicion.
The Door of Devouring
They climbed back onto Bramble's shoulders and descended the waterfall. They regained their boats and once more encountered the aboleth Ringu.
DM Comment -
Again, I rolled in their favor.
They climbed back onto Bramble's shoulders and descended the waterfall. They regained their boats and once more encountered the aboleth Ringu.
DM Comment -
Again, I rolled in their favor.
They approached the metal hatch that led to the stairs. The outside of the hatch was shaped to look like the green devil face motif found throughout the Tomb of the Nine Gods. Small bio-luminescent crabs crawled off the dock and slipped into the water at their approach. When they neared the hatch, the devil-face spoke, "“I’m so hungry I could eat you alive, but I’ll settle for somethin’ else. Somethin’ livin’. Somethin’ light!"
Bramble, still a giant ape, reached under the water and produced several glowing crabs. They fed the crabs to the door. The hatch unlocked and swung open as it devoured its crunchy meal.
The Hall of Decay
The party made its way back around to the central cog. Xoc-Wik sent a telepathic message to Vythi-Zorai to reorient the cogs to allow access to the Cog of Blood, then reorient it again to exit through the north passage.
The passage turned left, widened, and descended a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a long hallway strewn with debris. There was a side passage halfway down the hall to the left. The hall ended at a large archway. A bull's head adorned the keystone of the arch. A brass ring hung from the bull's nose. A room strangely lit by flashing energy lay beyond. The sound of turning machinery was deafening.
"Trap?" inquired Apparently.
"Trap." confirmed Orvex. "Wait here, I'll go exshamine that archway."
Orvex advanced slowly into the room. He made it fifteen feet in when all his equipment and clothing began to simply disassemble. Orvex soon stood naked save for a magic rapier.
Apparently winced. Orvex called back, "Get a good look, why dontcha!"
Orvex continued, naked, down the hall until he was standing under the bull's head. He pulled the brass ring. There was a sound like steam escaping. "Okay, give it a try!"
Xoc-Wik tossed an arrow into the room. When it failed to disassemble, the party reluctantly moved into the hall. Orvex had disabled the trap. Bramble gave Orvex the magical scintillating cape of Unkh to wear.
The passage turned left, widened, and descended a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a long hallway strewn with debris. There was a side passage halfway down the hall to the left. The hall ended at a large archway. A bull's head adorned the keystone of the arch. A brass ring hung from the bull's nose. A room strangely lit by flashing energy lay beyond. The sound of turning machinery was deafening.
"Trap?" inquired Apparently.
"Trap." confirmed Orvex. "Wait here, I'll go exshamine that archway."
Orvex advanced slowly into the room. He made it fifteen feet in when all his equipment and clothing began to simply disassemble. Orvex soon stood naked save for a magic rapier.
Apparently winced. Orvex called back, "Get a good look, why dontcha!"
Orvex continued, naked, down the hall until he was standing under the bull's head. He pulled the brass ring. There was a sound like steam escaping. "Okay, give it a try!"
Xoc-Wik tossed an arrow into the room. When it failed to disassemble, the party reluctantly moved into the hall. Orvex had disabled the trap. Bramble gave Orvex the magical scintillating cape of Unkh to wear.
The Great Mechanism
Orvex and Apparently moved into the next room. They stood on a balcony in a wide vertical shaft. The shaft rose two hundred feet up and two hundred feet down. Another balcony was extended from the opposite side but was fifteen feet higher than the balcony on which they stood. Two giant gear chains ran vertically up and down the shaft. One chain constantly ascended while the other chain constantly descended. Both chains emerged from and disappeared from swirling vortices of energy, one in the ceiling and one in the floor.
"Wait, what's that?" inquired Apparently.
There was a flash of light. From it emerged nine cube-shaped mechanical entities, like the spherical being they encountered the previous day. These cube-things possessed four gossamer mechanical wings that beat like grasshopper wings. Four auto-loading dart-firing machine guns were mounted in front of each cube. Each cube wore what appeared to be square goggles over glowing glass eyes and leather flight caps on their squared "heads". They flew in triangular formations of three.
Behind them emerged a strange starfish creature, likewise made of cogs and machinery, piloting a crystal vehicle like a ten-sided polyhedron.
The nine flying cube-things made a dive-bombing noise as they flew towards Orvex and Apparently. They opened fire on the pair as they flew past, peppering the balcony with a shower of metal darts!
Apparently counter-attacked with her bow while Orvex surreptitiously lifted Apparently's unstrung short-bow without asking. Apparently noticed and shouted an objection. Orvex explained he was just borrowing it as he strung the bow and nocked an arrow.
Xoc-Wik ran onto the balcony and loosed a barrage of arrows at the crystal vehicle, causing it to veer into the wall and crash. The starfish-thing fell but managed to grab some pipes on the wall and halt its descent. Xoc-Wik, Apparently, and Orvex retreated from the balcony and sought cover in the hallway.
Zeynap ran out onto the balcony and pulled a ruby bead from his magic necklace. It exploded!
DM Comment -
Record scratch!!
I told Zeynap's player that all of the fireballs on the necklace just exploded. He blanched! I asked him how many beads there were. He said eight. We did some quick math. Eight fireballs at 8d6 is 64d6, or 224 points of damage on a failed save!
Bramble, Xoc-Wik, and Apparently were dead outright. Orvex has made his save and on top of that took half damage for being a rogue. He survived. Zeynap took the damage and was dying but was remarkably not dead outright. Orvex stabilized him.
We started talking about what to do next. Did they want to make new characters and continue for what was probably only one more week? There was some serious discussion. I even said, "I want to show you something that might help you decide. This was meant to be a surprise for next week, but I want you to see why it's important we continue and not give up."
I went upstairs and brought down my terrain piece I built for the cradle of the death god as well as my custom sculpted Atropol. They were impressed but I had ruined the surprise. We decided to continue.
We were packing up and I decided to double-check the entry for the cursed necklace to see if I missed anything else.
Oh, look at that! The cursed necklace only does 15d6 damage total! NOT 64d6! Well, that makes a HUGE difference!
Suddenly, everyone had survived! Sure, some people were dying but a quick healing spirit fixed that!
Xoc-Wik, Zeynap, and Apparently were unconscious from the blast. Bramble summoned forth a healing spirit wolf and quickly brought them back from the brink. All of the flying mechanical creatures had been destroyed in the blast.
"Wait, what's that?" inquired Apparently.
There was a flash of light. From it emerged nine cube-shaped mechanical entities, like the spherical being they encountered the previous day. These cube-things possessed four gossamer mechanical wings that beat like grasshopper wings. Four auto-loading dart-firing machine guns were mounted in front of each cube. Each cube wore what appeared to be square goggles over glowing glass eyes and leather flight caps on their squared "heads". They flew in triangular formations of three.
Behind them emerged a strange starfish creature, likewise made of cogs and machinery, piloting a crystal vehicle like a ten-sided polyhedron.
The nine flying cube-things made a dive-bombing noise as they flew towards Orvex and Apparently. They opened fire on the pair as they flew past, peppering the balcony with a shower of metal darts!
Apparently counter-attacked with her bow while Orvex surreptitiously lifted Apparently's unstrung short-bow without asking. Apparently noticed and shouted an objection. Orvex explained he was just borrowing it as he strung the bow and nocked an arrow.
Xoc-Wik ran onto the balcony and loosed a barrage of arrows at the crystal vehicle, causing it to veer into the wall and crash. The starfish-thing fell but managed to grab some pipes on the wall and halt its descent. Xoc-Wik, Apparently, and Orvex retreated from the balcony and sought cover in the hallway.
Zeynap ran out onto the balcony and pulled a ruby bead from his magic necklace. It exploded!
DM Comment -
Record scratch!!
I told Zeynap's player that all of the fireballs on the necklace just exploded. He blanched! I asked him how many beads there were. He said eight. We did some quick math. Eight fireballs at 8d6 is 64d6, or 224 points of damage on a failed save!
Bramble, Xoc-Wik, and Apparently were dead outright. Orvex has made his save and on top of that took half damage for being a rogue. He survived. Zeynap took the damage and was dying but was remarkably not dead outright. Orvex stabilized him.
We started talking about what to do next. Did they want to make new characters and continue for what was probably only one more week? There was some serious discussion. I even said, "I want to show you something that might help you decide. This was meant to be a surprise for next week, but I want you to see why it's important we continue and not give up."
I went upstairs and brought down my terrain piece I built for the cradle of the death god as well as my custom sculpted Atropol. They were impressed but I had ruined the surprise. We decided to continue.
We were packing up and I decided to double-check the entry for the cursed necklace to see if I missed anything else.
Oh, look at that! The cursed necklace only does 15d6 damage total! NOT 64d6! Well, that makes a HUGE difference!
Suddenly, everyone had survived! Sure, some people were dying but a quick healing spirit fixed that!
Xoc-Wik, Zeynap, and Apparently were unconscious from the blast. Bramble summoned forth a healing spirit wolf and quickly brought them back from the brink. All of the flying mechanical creatures had been destroyed in the blast.
The Orderer
Xoc-Wik climbed around the cylindrical shaft carrying a rope and the party was eventually able to make it across to the other side.
A passageway so narrow that everyone has to turn sideways and shimmy connected the far balcony to large dome-shaped room painted to resemble the night sky. Occupying the room was a massive clockwork device - a combination orrery and armillary. A central metal sphere, roughly ten feet in diameter, was surrounded by concentric brass rings. Arms ending in smaller spheres, each five feet in diameter, radiated from the central axis.
Zeynap approached the central sphere. A mechanism automatically opened a hatch and extended metal steps. Zeynap crawled inside and found a padded seat equipped with levers and dials. As he sat in the seat the inside of the sphere became transparent, allowing him to see the room outside.
Zeynap manipulated the levers and the rings began to spin and the smaller spheres began to revolve around the central sphere.
One of the outer spheres clicked into place and opened up like a metal lotus flower. Inside was a strange green creature with horns and wings, curled up in a fetal position. The opening of the sphere allowed the creature to unfurl its arms, legs, and wings and burst forth. A flaming energy coalesced into a large double-bladed battle-axe in its hands. It flapped its wings and became invisible!
Bramble transformed into a giant ape. Despite the creature's invisibility, it could be located by the sound of its flapping wings. Bramble charged the area and smashed the invisible creature with her massive simian fists. Apparently likewise attacked the empty space with her flaming sword.
DM Comment -
I rolled a stealth check for the nycaloth with advantage and got a 2 and a 3. The others could track him using only their passive perception. It was sad.
The creature abandoned its visibility and attacked Apparently with its axe. It then teleported to the other side of the armillary sphere. Bramble, Apparently, and Orvex gave chase and closed around the winged monster. The monster was surrounded and outnumbered and went down swinging. As it died it melted into a puddle of acidic goo.
Zeynap, able to witness the battle through the transparent inner sphere, was unable to assist. However, once the battle was over, he was able to master the controls that governed the movements of the concentric rings and spheres. He brought them into alignment.
The sphere disappeared from the room!
Zeynap was momentarily blinded by a flash of light. When his vision returned, he saw that the armillary sphere was now sitting on a paved road surrounded by a canyon of towering structures. Strange magical conveyances blared loudly at him while people sitting within the conveyances shouted unintelligible slurs at his direction. He seemed to be blocking some kind of traffic!
A uniformed guardian brandishing a billy club began to approach. Zeynap hurriedly reversed the levers and set the spheres and rings in motion. The armillary sphere disappeared and reappeared in the dome-shaped room he had left.
DM Comment-
As fun as it would be to transport Zeynap to another plane of existence, I didn't want to end the campaign for him or his player, so I left the plot thread open and dangling. I wanted them to one day use the sphere to return Nova Scotia Blackman to his home plane!
Zeynap tried another arrangement. Once more the rings and spheres came into alignment but in a different configuration. One of the spheres opened and thousands of gold coins poured out.
Bramble rolled her goat-like eyes. "Useless." she bleated.
Zeynap tried again. The compartment filled with poison gas. He coughed and wheezed and nearly passed out but survived. He tried once more. This time a shining prismatic jewel the size of a plum to fall from a hatch in the ceiling of the interior. It landed in Zeynap's lap. "Nice!" he said. "But I think I'm done!"
DM Comment-
Ordinarily, you're only allowed one random result from the armillary sphere. I thought the results that Zeynap got were lame so I allowed him to keep going until he got something nice. My players were wary of the sphere because they remember the same device from Out of the Abyss. I even got to use the same prop I made! Technically, the first was an orrery while the newer one is an armillary sphere. I decided to combine them and make them both the same kind of device - a machine of modron invention that allows its user to control reality.
In Out of the Abyss, the Orderer had gone awry, thus creating the twisted labyrinth of the Maze Engine. In Tomb of Annihilation, it had been co-opted by Acererak and Whithers to reset time within the some of the rooms within the tomb.
Xoc-Wik climbed around the cylindrical shaft carrying a rope and the party was eventually able to make it across to the other side.
A passageway so narrow that everyone has to turn sideways and shimmy connected the far balcony to large dome-shaped room painted to resemble the night sky. Occupying the room was a massive clockwork device - a combination orrery and armillary. A central metal sphere, roughly ten feet in diameter, was surrounded by concentric brass rings. Arms ending in smaller spheres, each five feet in diameter, radiated from the central axis.
Zeynap approached the central sphere. A mechanism automatically opened a hatch and extended metal steps. Zeynap crawled inside and found a padded seat equipped with levers and dials. As he sat in the seat the inside of the sphere became transparent, allowing him to see the room outside.
Zeynap manipulated the levers and the rings began to spin and the smaller spheres began to revolve around the central sphere.
One of the outer spheres clicked into place and opened up like a metal lotus flower. Inside was a strange green creature with horns and wings, curled up in a fetal position. The opening of the sphere allowed the creature to unfurl its arms, legs, and wings and burst forth. A flaming energy coalesced into a large double-bladed battle-axe in its hands. It flapped its wings and became invisible!
Bramble transformed into a giant ape. Despite the creature's invisibility, it could be located by the sound of its flapping wings. Bramble charged the area and smashed the invisible creature with her massive simian fists. Apparently likewise attacked the empty space with her flaming sword.
DM Comment -
I rolled a stealth check for the nycaloth with advantage and got a 2 and a 3. The others could track him using only their passive perception. It was sad.
The creature abandoned its visibility and attacked Apparently with its axe. It then teleported to the other side of the armillary sphere. Bramble, Apparently, and Orvex gave chase and closed around the winged monster. The monster was surrounded and outnumbered and went down swinging. As it died it melted into a puddle of acidic goo.
Zeynap, able to witness the battle through the transparent inner sphere, was unable to assist. However, once the battle was over, he was able to master the controls that governed the movements of the concentric rings and spheres. He brought them into alignment.
The sphere disappeared from the room!
Zeynap was momentarily blinded by a flash of light. When his vision returned, he saw that the armillary sphere was now sitting on a paved road surrounded by a canyon of towering structures. Strange magical conveyances blared loudly at him while people sitting within the conveyances shouted unintelligible slurs at his direction. He seemed to be blocking some kind of traffic!
A uniformed guardian brandishing a billy club began to approach. Zeynap hurriedly reversed the levers and set the spheres and rings in motion. The armillary sphere disappeared and reappeared in the dome-shaped room he had left.
DM Comment-
As fun as it would be to transport Zeynap to another plane of existence, I didn't want to end the campaign for him or his player, so I left the plot thread open and dangling. I wanted them to one day use the sphere to return Nova Scotia Blackman to his home plane!
Zeynap tried another arrangement. Once more the rings and spheres came into alignment but in a different configuration. One of the spheres opened and thousands of gold coins poured out.
Bramble rolled her goat-like eyes. "Useless." she bleated.
Zeynap tried again. The compartment filled with poison gas. He coughed and wheezed and nearly passed out but survived. He tried once more. This time a shining prismatic jewel the size of a plum to fall from a hatch in the ceiling of the interior. It landed in Zeynap's lap. "Nice!" he said. "But I think I'm done!"
DM Comment-
Ordinarily, you're only allowed one random result from the armillary sphere. I thought the results that Zeynap got were lame so I allowed him to keep going until he got something nice. My players were wary of the sphere because they remember the same device from Out of the Abyss. I even got to use the same prop I made! Technically, the first was an orrery while the newer one is an armillary sphere. I decided to combine them and make them both the same kind of device - a machine of modron invention that allows its user to control reality.
In Out of the Abyss, the Orderer had gone awry, thus creating the twisted labyrinth of the Maze Engine. In Tomb of Annihilation, it had been co-opted by Acererak and Whithers to reset time within the some of the rooms within the tomb.
NEXT WEEK - THE THRILLING FINALE! MAYBE? POSSIBLY? WE'LL SEE!!
