Date: January 26, 2012
DM: Quendalon
PCs: Audrey Carcasonne, Charlie Darrowkin, Martin, Pigshit Pat, Richard Loubeau, Robert Hazart, Roland Zanzibar
Summary
Lady Camellia,
My comrades-in-arms and I ventured again into the depths beneath the Chateau d'Ambreville, and you will, I think, be pleased to hear of some victories for Law in our expedition, both great and small.You doubtless remember Martin, the swordsman Bishop Sommelinde guided back into the light of Trianoma's grace. He has become increasingly concerned for the outcast band of Lawful orcs residing in the ruins of the Chateau: They are stalwart in their adherence, albeit primitive, to Law, but are preyed upon by all manner of Chaotic degeneracies bubbling up from the depths below. Their most recent calamity has been more and more bold incursions by the cannibalistic Night Goblins. In hopes of stemming the tide against a rare bulwark of Law in that blighted place, Martin has enlisted an armorsmith to fortify them. He houses the smith and his apprentices in a tower on the chateau grounds at his own expense.
We meanwhile offered up to the ruling house of New Averoigne a veritable treasury of spellbooks rescued from the clutches of a foul, undead presence below. While they had likely been put into the service of Chaos, they nonetheless detailed rare examples of the Thrice-Blessed Lady's arcane gifts, and I am sure the Marais will wield them wisely.
Finishing this business, we turned our attentions again to the dungeons beneath the chateau, and the tasks that Bishop Sommelinde set before us: The repatriation of artifacts of Law, the repossession and destruction of artifacts of Chaos, and the security of the lone chapel to the Gods of Law on the Ambreville estates. It is in this last endeavor that I have much to report.
We returned to face what we suspected may be the home of another bound demon on the third floor beneath the chateau, but instead found the Baths- twisted and wicked, even the bathing fountains of the Ambrevilles spill over with the shambling corpses of servants, and Chaos animated the very waters against us! A tremendous combat ensued, in which we fought off wave after wave of attacker: The water creature and zombies, then the icy shadows of men, and finally a quartet of man-eating trolls. I am not sure we would have survived, but for the appearance of the scion of House Hazart, and his fiery channeling of Trianoma's fury.
Upon dispatch of the trolls, we discovered a doorway emblazoned with the sigil of Law, and effigies of the Builder, Theia of the Many Names, and the Thrice-Blessed Lady within. Theia's idol was below an inscription in the ancient tongue of Law which, as you know, I am still studying. I will decipher it tomorrow, but I attach a reproduction of the inscription below in the interest of expediency.
Hidden in the shrine we discovered two secret portals: One we left sealed- it is the resting place of the Lawful dead of the Ambreville family. The other was inhabited by a being of pure Law that identified itself as Theril the Guide. Theril explained that he- or she, it frankly defied such categories- was summoned over 200 years prior by the Matriarch Alaundra. I know nothing of the matriarchy prior to Matriarch Josephine; perhaps you can illuminate the circumstances of Theril's summoning? Theril further indicated that she was last visited by Lizette d'Ambreville and her children some twenty years ago. I presume that these children are the Ambrevilles residing in Glantri City today.
Theril took an interest in Audrey Carcasonne, a righteous spearmaiden of Seff, and made a gift to her of a device to better aid the champions of Law wounded in their struggles against Chaos. Theril also guards a sword that emanated a powerful sense of Law, and named it a Blade of Light. She suggested that it would be won by a champion of Law, but the trial she described to claim it… forgive my impertinence, but it seemed like the test of cruelest Chaos. Might you pass along to the Matriarch a question about these blades? I fear what its presence might portend.
Nonetheless, Theril seems a formidable defender of that Lawful sanctuary, and I can happily report that both the idols and the tomb appear undisturbed by the forces of Chaos below. I believe this to be precisely the news Sommelinde hoped for; please advise the Bishop that we could not have succeeded in this discovery without the unshakeable support of Roland Zanzibar. He will be of great service to Our Lady and the Law, I am sure.
Finally, I am sad to report that the mercenaries Lord Sylaire dispatched from Darokin to rescue his missing wife seem entirely uninterested in their task. Their leader, Randall, seemed interested in our advice concerning his mission, but we subsequently discovered him marshalling his forces for little besides the plunder of the Ambreville cemetary. We have written both Lord Sylaire, that he may know of their disobedience, and Lady Blanchfleur de Marais, that she may know of the mercenary activities conducted within the purview of her House.
May the Arcane Mysteries sustain you,
Richard Loubeau
- Hiring a blacksmith to outfit the orcs
- Trading the books to Blanchfleur for an awesome Bag of Holding (!), offering the Manual of Golems to Marvolo in exchange for Pritchard's freedom
- Discovering that Randall's Vandals have been contracted by Marvolo to retrieve Evangelista. They have been plundering the Ambreville tombs instead! Several indignant letters are penned and sent to the Marais and Sylaire's via Silver Raven.
- The water room: Fighting a water elemental and a passel of waterlogged zombies, then being attacked by shadows, and then fortifying the door against the quartet of trolls (first encountered in G106) trying to eat the fireball-roasted zombie corpses. Escaping to the surface.
- Actually fighting the trolls.
- Discovering the Shrine of Law: Statues of the Builder, Trianoma, and Theia of the Many Names
- Taking rubbings of the script over Theia
- Opening Theril the Guide's chamber
- Summoned over 200 years ago by Matriarch Alaundra, last visited 20 years ago by Lizette d'Ambreville and her children
- Receiving the staff of healing
- The puzzle of the Blades of Light
Losses and Loot
Audrey received a staff of healing from Theril the Guide, but there was no other loot. Each member of the party received 488xp for foes defeated.