TGAT: Session 21

Using several mirrors to direct sunlight into a key slot in the Vault of Dragons gigantic adamantine vault door.

### Participants

Gorog Un-Fallas, Einrik Stürmkarst, Lia Saevia, Bushy, Richard Dickens, Rynnas Rubyfoot (DM)

## Progression

### Next →

TGAT: Session 20
TGAT: Session 22

## **Chapter 4: Dragon Season**

### Scene 23: Trollskull Manor

The entire party has re-grouped at Trollskull Manor to plan their next steps...

Richard Dickens gathers the party members in the bar and informs them that he is no longer willing to allow the needless killing of their enemies and demands that they all start behaving in a way that better benefits the group. Reminding them that they are not all out for themselves and by working together more they can achieve more. Bushy is the only member of the group who does not unanimously agree with the decision, claiming that when he enters *"war mode"* he cannot help himself from applying wartime tactics and discipline to every situation.

Richard Dickens called upon the revered sister and daughter of Berronar, Rynnas Rubyfoot to join them at the tavern to descend down into the Brandath Family Mausoleum to hopefully enter the Vault of Dragons.

### Scene 24: Trollskull Alley

Rynnas Rubyfoot arrives at dawn accompanied by Einrik Stürmkarst, a male Shield Dwarf. After a brief round of introductions the party make a last minute visit to the local shops. Gorog Un-Fallas sold his extra +1 Greataxe to the inhabitants of Steam and Steel and also replaced his rusted armour and weaponry. Finally the group resupplied their dwindling healing potions, salves, and ten polished mirrors during a last minute visit to Corellon's Crown.

### Scene 25: Brandath Family Mausoleum *(Subterranean Levels)*

##### First Key

The party return to the City of the Dead, finding the Brandath Family Mausoleum and venture inside after being allowed to pass by the Treant who remembered them from a couple days ago. Underground the party make their way to the vault door and placed Sylgar's bowl on the first of the key slot pedestals, with Ott Steeltoes guarding the goldfish and refusing to leave its side.

##### Second Key

Rynnas Rubyfoot and Einrik Stürmkarst sat on the second key slot pedestal and awaited the third key.

##### Third Key

Meanwhile the party began the painstaking task of setting up and aligning the polished mirrors to direct *natural* sunlight onto the final key slot pedestal. After six hours of arranging them in various places and at the proper angles a beam of *natural* sunlight from outside is reflected underground but they fall short just one corner before reaching the vault entrance hall. Cubone lodges his "round the corner" mirror into the wall to shine the light around the last corner into the vault entrance hall. Now the party lack one final mirror to direct the light from the entrance tunnel onto the final key slot pedestal.

Gorog Un-Fallas, Lia Saevia and Bushy are hanging around back at the fifth mirror and hear a loud groan sounding eerily like a dying breath. Bushy spots a Bodak run past the tunnel in front of him (and passed the creatures Death Gaze).

Gorog Un-Fallas removes the fifth mirror which casts light past him and onward into the Bodak causing minor burning damage to the creature. (Unfortunately he fails the creatures Death Gaze and drops to 0 hit points). Lia Saevia and Bushy (both pass their Death Gaze saves) continue attacking the creature.

Richard Dickens notices the light beam at his mirror has gone and can hear combat down one of the tunnels where they had placed mirrors. He runs at max speed as Lia Saevia and Bushy fight and when he finally gets around the corner to enter combat he fails the Death Gaze save and drops to 0 hit points.

Over the last three rounds Gorog Un-Fallas has retreated, grabbed a potion of cure light wounds from his backpack and drunk the potion restoring a small amount of hit points.

Lia Saevia and Bushy land the final killing blow to the Bodak and discover that it is wearing armour and livery matching that worn by the City Guard, although now appears corrupt and decayed. Lia Saevia believes this is one of the City Guard she brought to Yellowspire before he was obliterated by The Shadow's first appearance.

Richard Dickens drinks a potion of cure light wounds restoring a small amount of hit points. He then instructs the party to replace the removed mirrors so they can open the vault.

Einrik Stürmkarst who has spent the last couple hours polishing his Half-Plate armour. Once the party have shone the *natural* sunlight back into the vault entrance hall, he dons his armour and places his chest into the beam and directs the light onto the third key slot pedestal.

## **Chapter 4: Dragon Season**

### Scene 26: The Vault of Dragons

#### V1. Vault Door

The 20-foot-high, 20-foot-wide adamantine double doors part, sliding back into the walls and remain open.

#### V2. Entrance Foyer

> *Three age-worn columns support crumbling stone bridges 60 feet overhead, with the ceiling rising another 20 feet beyond that. Set into alcoves are twelve sets of double doors made of iron. Each door is 10 feet wide, 10 feet high, and embossed with images of dwarf warriors in plate armor.*
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##### Crumbling Bridges.

The bridges connect area V4 to adamantine doors that seal off areas V6, V7, and V8. The eastern half of the northern bridge and the western half of the southern bridge are unstable. The middle bridge has a 15-foot-wide gap in it.

##### Iron Doors.

Ten of the double doors are false and refuse to budge. Gorog Un-Fallas and Richard Dickens find the two sets of doors at the northern end of the west wall and push them open to reveal area V3 beyond.

#### V3. Stairs and Fresco

> *At the south end of this chamber, expertly carved stairs climb 70 feet to area V4. The north wall bears a 20-foot-square fresco that depicts dwarves battling goblins.*
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##### Enthralling Fresco.

Any creature within 30 feet of the fresco that can see it must succeed on a Will saving throw or be charmed by it for 24 hours. While charmed in this way, the creature can't willingly move out of sight of the fresco and defends it to the death. If forcibly moved away from the fresco, the creature tries to find its way back. The creature can't rest while under this effect. After 24 hours, the creature suffers the effects of Starvation and Thirst and can repeat the saving throw if it can still see the fresco, ending the effect on a success. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the effect of the fresco for 24 hours.

Richard Dickens, Rynnas Rubyfoot and Einrik Stürmkarst are enthralled by the fresco.

Either not seeing or deciding to leave Richard Dickens, Rynnas Rubyfoot and Einrik Stürmkarst to their fates, Lia Saevia, Gorog Un-Fallas and Bushy continue up the staircase to area V4.

#### V4. Hall of Moradin

> *Three pillars running the length of the hall are carved to resemble warhammers, with their square heads pressed against the floor.*
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> *The west wall bears a cracked mosaic that depicts a dwarf smith at a forge, crafting dwarves out of black metal and diamonds. (In the south end of the wall is a secret door.)*
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> *Three archways in the east wall lead to crumbling bridges that span the entrance foyer (area V2) and end in front of adamantine doors (leading to areas V6, V7, and V8).*
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Gorog Un-Fallas, closely followed by Lia Saevia and Bushy walk a little more than halfway down the hall, and inspects a section of the western mural that has broken off, forming a heap of shattered tile on the floor.

A crack in the wall conceals a black pudding that gushes out and attacks characters inspecting the damage. Gorog Un-Fallas already on low hit points is instantly consumed and digested by the ooze. Lia Saevia and Bushy both lose any equipped armour (including the Warforged Composite Plating) and weaponry but successfully escape its grasp and escape.

The black pudding returns to its crack to continue feeding on the dissolved remains of Gorog Un-Fallas.