Abomination Vaults – Session 20: Into the Arena

Sunday, 13th of Neth, 4722 AR

• The party returned to the Upper Temple of Nhimbaloth (D13) and completed the ritual. The barrier to the lower levels of the Abomination Vault was lowered but the four icons were destroyed. Oops! Well, at least Konnor mentally prepared some of the people in Otari for that possibility.
• At the bottom of the stairs, the PCs found a shaft (E1) descending lower into the vaults with doors to the west and south. The way was blocked by a pair of grothlut (like the one they had found in the morlock’s throne room above) and a gibbering mouther (like they found at the bottom of the well). Each member of the party had grown in strength since they last faced these creatures and their teamwork had improved as well. The monsters never stood a chance.

• The PCs could see the bottom of the shaft but nothing lingered there.
• Going west through the door, they entered an unused holding pen (E2) filled with broken cells and rusty chains. A second velstrac named Cratonys waited there, this one even more full of apathy than her sister above. She showed no aggression towards the party and even seemed “happy” to have someone to talk to. She explained she had been bound by Belcorra’s magic to this level of the vault and it had been some time since the flesh warpers had brought her any monsters to train. She had no desire to seek out the flesh warper’s company, so she waited. One of the PCs let slip the group intended to face Belcorra. They meant it as a means to free Cratonys, but they did not realize the velstrac was also bound to attack anyone who intended to threaten her mistress. Cratonys did not want to fight the adventurers; she had no choice. In her lair, Cratonys was more powerful than her sister but was overcome by good tactics. Ultimately, the party freed her from her bondage.
• Through a door to the north, they found a monster holding (E3) with three cells, with a copper key on the floor in one of them. RaspuXen sent his raven familiar, Eddie, to retrieve the key and this awakened three shanrigol heaps, awful mounds of animated flesh and bones. The creatures attacked the party and were quickly destroyed.

• Konnor asked Angrael if he knew anything about the level they were exploring. The undead morlock told the party there was a large arena that filled part of this level and the one below it. He knew the area well as this used to be morlock territory. He also mentioned a flesh warper bar on the next level. A “nice lady” managed the bar and allowed the morlocks to eat and drink there.
• They then went south through the room where they fought Cratonys and found a long hallway stretching off to the south. There were two sets of double doors not far from where they entered the hallway and they chose to explore the western doors first.
• Through the doors, they found what looked like a surgical suite (E4) with three metal tables with chains hanging next to them. On one of the tables was a mutilated morlock with its arms and legs removed. The creature was dead. Angrael said he recognized the morlock. He called him Steve.
• As Jorne approached the table with the deceased morlock, a spirit rose from the corpse and attacked!

END OF SESSION