Ep007: The One Who Sort of Remembers

<<< Ep006 New Companions | Ep008 From Dusk till Don >>>

Session Synopsis
In the caverns beneath Altinova the group fight their way through the fish-folk that live there and living mushrooms with hallucinogenic effects. Searching through the cave network Walther is drawn into a trance and confronted in a vision-realm by the being that has summoned him, Seren, but the unexpected appearance of Hum in the vision leads to the two companions entering a dark bargain in exchange for Seren ending the war between Tramere and Altinova.

Spelunking
Continuing on deeper into the underground caverns the Adventurers™ discovered a shrine or place of worship for the fish-folk, a small chamber filled with candles, fish hanging from hooks, parchments with more undercommon text, and a magic sword with a ruby socketed into the hilt. At Hum's request Walther kindly cut one of the spines from the kuo-toa corpses, a delicate procedure due to the acidic blood natural to these creatures, which was washed and given to Sir Sandor to keep him occupied at the cave entrance whilst the rest went deeper.

Spying two passageways underwater leading into unknown areas, Frederica was keen to explore them in search of treasure, but Walther held her back unwilling to let her go. Hum decided to head out and Frederica quickly followed, with Orlyg soon after, leaving Walther alone. In an effort to spook Walther into joining them Hum used his prestidigitation to snuff out the lit candles, plunging Walther into darkness; defiant the doctor slipped on his ring of invisibility, lit a match, and headed into the darkness looking for another way into the cave complex.

Taking a passageway under the water the explorers stumbled across a strange looking octopus-like creature that looked extremely dangerous; catching it asleep the group took no chances and headed back the way they came to investigate a different tunnel. Emerging in another area of the caverns Hum sent his spider familiar to explore, uncovering a room that appeared to be some sort of makeshift kitchen for the caverns inhabitants; worried they had left Walther alone for too long the group headed back leaving the spider to search a little further where it found another room with dozens of fish-folk dining. Returning back to the worship chamber the group were unable to find Walther where they had left him and so went in search of their missing physician.

Magic Mushrooms
Separated the doctor quickly found himself in a spot of bother with some sentient mushrooms (mychonids) that attacked Walther and sprayed him with some hallucinogenic spores that made him see a giant goat head coming out of the cave walls, as well as overcoming his senses and freezing him in place whilst he was invisible.

Meanwhile Hum, Frederica and Orlyg followed the route they believed the doctor to have taken, coming across a sparkling pool, Hum went in to investigate whilst Orlyg discovered the same mushrooms and some "pillar of flesh", but was unable to notice the frozen Walther in his invisible state. In a sparkling pool of water, that seemed to teem with magic and soothing warmth when he entered, Hum discovered an obsidian lockbox that he was able to pick and found inside some "force grenades".

One by one the group became embroiled in the battle against the mychonids, the creatures only engaging on the Adventurers™ if they attacked, otherwise leaving them alone. During the battle Hum discovered that by entering the magical waters his wounds were healed, prompting everyone to take samples, as well as Walther taking samples of the spore sacs from the mychonids once they were destroyed. After a brief search there was no sign of the "pillar of flesh" that Orlyg had seen.

The Bit With The Trap...
Heading a further into the cavern the group encountered a tunnel with a circle of chalk symbols that covered the wall, floor and ceiling in an unbroken circle. Though the group were unable to identify the meaning of the symbols, they concluded it was some type of trap or ward for the cavern beyond. After much deliberation of whether they should try and head this way, find another way around, whether the trap would stop people entering, or a ward to stop whatever was inside leaving, the debate became more heated, particularly between Walther and Hum. The frustrated Goblin then encouraged his all too eager companion to go ahead if he wanted to, and pushed Walther through the circle, prompting half a dozen arcs of lightning to electrify the doctor in a thunderous boom.

Barely standing on the other side Walther he started to sound off at Hum calling him a "treacherous, murderous green little fuck" (or something along those lines) and was rightfully displeased about what had happened. To prove he didn't intend to murder him Hum deliberately stepped through the portal and nearly killed himself in the process, putting his life in the doctors hands if he wanted vengeance (though Walther said he had taken a Hippocratic oath and wouldn't kill him). Meanwhile seeing the destructive force of the trap Fredricka and Orlyg found another route into the cavern through another water filled tunnel.

Seren or "The One Who Sort Of Remembers"
In the cave Walther was suddenly drawn into a trance and found himself in complete darkness, a fifteen foot obsidian throne filled with shadows being the only thing visible, and a mysterious voice that filled his mind. To the others they found themselves to still be in the cave, with Walther being in a complete catatonic state. Using his Detect Thoughts to see what Walther was thinking Hum found absolutely nothing in the man's surface thoughts, but when he successfully managed to delve deeper he too was drawn into the same trance that Walther found himself in, leaving a scared and weeping Frederica and silent Orlyg.

In the trance the males voice introduced itself as Seren, though it went by many names including The Lord of the Unknown and, at Walther's continued pushing, The One Who Remembers. The voice also identified itself as "a record keeper" some would call him, "able to see what everyone else doesn't". It had been the one calling to Walther, giving him his visions, and said that the doctor was the first he had managed to actually contact "in a seemingly endless span of time". It had called Walther to make a bargain, insisting that he "had no contracts" and that his "word itself is a bond". At Walther's questions it was clear the being wished to reveal as little as possible, but it informed the two of them that it had been banished eons ago from the realm of mortals and forced to live in "this shell of existence" and that his grasp on the realm was not as strong as it once was.He also took responsibility for "creating the heavens" and said that he enjoyed watching the Elves, describing them as "silly, thoughtless creatures".

Seren told Walther that he believed "the path of fate has set us on the same road, and I believe you are meant to greater things", a vision of the shadowy figure on the throne was a construction of Walther's own mind, and is apparently what he subconsciously chose to construct when he arrived here. Seren had plans for Walther, but had not expected the goblin, Hum, to appear alongside him.

Walther was offered the chance to become Seren's "messenger", though the details were vague and Seren would say little else other than Walther would be granted more power than he could imagine. With Hum in tow he asked if he wished this power to be shared with Hum, with Hum quickly jumping at the chance to share this gift, or burden and that they would be "granted strength in equal parts". In exchange Walther asked that Seren ended the war between Altionva and Tramere. Seren agreed to "end the war", but Hum quickly added in a primary condition that the war end peacefully, and not simply one side defeating the other; Seren laughed and commended Hum on his cunning, implying that was what Seren's initial intention had been.

The two quickly emerged from the trance and instantly felt noticeably different, but they did not know why. Walther suddenly found an amulet around his neck, the lock to the rift seals that the Queen had sent them in search of. The group began to leave the cavern, Hum being the last to leave waded over to a small island in the water and deep in the water below saw a fading purple light. Alone he asked that if the voice could still hear him, he hadn't had the chance to ask for anything in return for his help, and asked for Seren to help the girl Frederica find her family.

Upon leaving Hum informed the group that his spider familiar in the room filled with kua-toa could now see they had all left, presuming they had come to investigate the booming noise from the trap. The Adventurers™ fled on their magic carpet, but left the body of the gnome wizard Olokul behind.

<<< Ep006 New Companions | Ep008 From Dusk till Don &gt;&gt;&gt;