Lanal 14-17, 652 DR: Dwurn Nildroon’s acquisition benefits Dammon and Jak. The two are sent to retrieve items from a Circle vault buried in the Lower Streets. Dammon’s familiar escapes warding by killing Eldran apprentices. The two are escorted to the subterranean city by the Melàdra, where denizens, Yrūn-mercenaries, and Skallog are met. Lady Malazra is imprisoned inside the Butterfly Vault. A lecturer is murdered within the Eldran Hall and the two “escape”.

Continued from Kry Ōddon.

Palídor, 14 Lanal 652

A day of rest in the Eldran Halls

Alídor, 15 Lanal 652

A day of rest in the Eldran Halls.

Kændor, 16 Lanal 652

After a day or more of resting within the Hall, the two were asked to return the favor of their rescue from the Black Tome. Jak agreed to this and invited Dammon to the task as well. That same morning Dammon was told that the “demon” captive had escaped and left five dead apprentices in its wake. The two were accompanied by two of the Melàdra, Timius and Atanee, to a lower level of the Hall. Once they reached the place of departure their blindfolds were removed and a plug was removed from one of four “exits” from the chamber. One by one they were lowered into an abandoned subterranean house, in some other-worldly city buried beneath Oð.

Wandering through the Lower Streets they came across a strange race of partially scaled half-lizard half-men that attacked the newcomers on sight. Their numbers were great and the group retreated from that area of the streets. Dammon and Atanee, both injured in the fray returned to the abandoned house to await Jak and Timius. Jak and Timius would soon return to Dammon after finding a dark tavern. Together the four wandered to the tavern where they met a drunken Werrid Gul, vomiting into the street. Inside the tavern, they spoke with the proprietor, Mister Eye, and learned some small things about the Lower Streets, including where other stone butterflies might be found. The Eldra had told them that the stone butterflies would lead to the vault where their mission could be completed with the return of a four-locked chest. Leaving the tavern, the group was greeted by two mercenaries, Dul’Teth and Tramask who had overheard their talk with Mister Eye, and offered themselves as swords-for-hire, for a cut of treasure found. Jak agreed to this, and the group wandered toward Trogtown. In the first encounter with the Skallog, Atanee was beaten to the ground. Before continuing, the group returned to their starting house and sent her “upstairs”. Returning to Trogtown the group winded deeper and deeper into the Skallog warrens, fighting dozens of the creatures the deeper they explored. They finally found a noteworthy building marked with the butterfly symbol. Inside they were greeted by a Skallog chieftain and his guards. The battle that ensued saw Tramask crumple to the floor, and Dul’Teth thrown back into the street. Tramask was too injured to continue, but Dul’Teth managed to poison his assailant. While resting amid the bodies of the defeated, an attractive dark spectacled woman arrived in the building, crouching over the stinking bodies of the Skallog dead. She introduced herself as Lady Malazra, ruler of this region of the Lower Streets. Dammon identified her as a Medusa. She explained that she too was interested in the Butterfly Vault and would “like” for the group to open it for her, as she had been unable to break its seal. In a lower corridor beneath the hallway, Timius explained to Lady Malazra that the items within the vault were the property of the Circle of Eldra. Malazra tipped her glasses and the Melàdran escort was transformed into stone, much like the two petrified Skallog in the room above. Once within the vault Dammon and Jak collected two chests and a coffer and upon leaving, sealed the Medusa inside. Returning to the abandoned house, Dammon and the chests were sent upstairs on the rickety automatic lift while Jak waited for the rope to return. While he waited two more Skallog attacked. The last followed him up the rope, only to plummet down the shaft as Jak cut the rope behind him. Back in the Eldran Hall the two explained what had happened and were thanked for the retrieval of the chests and coffer, though an unhappy Dammon had made other plans for the long chest.

Malídor, 17 Lanal 652

The next day, Dammon was invited to a meeting of the Circle of Eldra where a magician was giving a lecture about his findings regarding Dammon himself. During this meeting an apprentice stabbed the lecturer, killing him. The apprentice himself collapsed dead thereafter, apparently an animated corpse with its head bored hollow. Dammon, reunited with his familiar left the meeting hall, retrieved Jak, and together left the Hall. Upon exiting the hall, much of their memories of the past few days evaporated from their minds. Together the two wandered the streets of the Sulyard, stopping briefly at the Open Door Inn, before settling at a more reasonably priced place, Silver Harp.

Continued in An Unfinished Task.

Characters

• Dammon Shroudson
• Jak of Cænden
• Sr. Atanee of the Melàdra
• Athlatha
• Bathasar
• Cordonol
• Dul’Teth
• Lady Malazra
• Mister Eye
• Syrra
• Terown Ner
• Terribus
• Br. Timius of the Melàdra
• Tramask

Played: 26 Nov 1997