Session 34

Gossamer woke up early to try to talk to Travis without Caeli overhearing.

Thomas offered everyone chilli for breakfast and Mavka practiced on the dulcimer that Caeli bought her with Karaa's help. The group decided to leave without Travis to go to the Black Pyramid.

When they were about two hours away, Caeli started seeing shadows. Helio didn't think they were aggressive, just pursuing.

Gossamer asked Caeli about the dream she'd had while they were still stuck in the time loop.

The forest seemed to come more alive as the sun rose, but the forest was uncanningly still. Even though there was daylight, there were still lit torches on the black pillars marking the line into the black pyramid.

The party decided to sneak in the back way. Helio cast pass without trace and the group began making their way back. The people in the crowd were just as depressed as last time, and the smell of death was very strong.

Helio felt the pyramid and could sense that it was from the other side of the rift. Caeli found the door and tried to kick it down. She actually managed to budge it a little bit, and Helio tried to help, but since it was an entrance and not an exit, they were unable to do so. Helio was able to dig his hands into the wall, with the exception of his metal finger, and pull the wall open.

There was a dimly lit path in front, lit by some kind of stream of glowing green liquid on either side, stretching out into darkness. There were echoes of arguing somewhere inside. Helio closed the door behind them, with Gossamer's silence spell stopping it from echoing.

Giant black pillars divided the inside of the hollow pyramid, which was lit by glowing green liquid and some kind of yellow-green firefly-looking lights up top.

Helio and Zeema accidentally stepped in one of the green puddles, and the splash echoed through the cavern. Caeli could sense that arguing was coming from ahead and to the right, and she could also tell that there were more beings in the building other than the two they'd heard. Eventually, they got to an intersection where there was a path that veered off to the left, the right, and the center. The arguing was to the right.

They decided to go down the left, and the green liquid on either side bubbled up into fountains. Mavka carefully took a single vial of it to keep. There was writing all over the walls on the inside, some kind of magical symbols or incantations. After feeling a greedy presence that drained some of their life force, they turned back. Helio felt the presence that had been watching them lose their trail.

They decided to take the opportunity to go back to the fork and to the right, where the voices were from. They emerged behind a giant throne, and heard voices arguing in abyssal. It sounded like Niperro and Karyan.

The party turned back to the intersection to head down the center path. On the way, Mavka noticed Karaa looking at the symbols on the pyramid. Karaa said they were her earliest memory, and that she felt like her family was here somehow...

There were a couple triangular domes on either side of the path, as well as two staircases, one going up and the other down. Gossamer and Mavka noticed a raised brick.

Caeli leapt across a moat to one of the doors on one of the domes. She opened the door to find the stench of decay. There were corpses absolutely drained of everything. Gossamer tried to guide Zeema up the staircase, but Zeema accidentally stepped directly onto it. There was a gurgling noise. The party ran up the staircase to avoid what they assumed was a trap.

Up the staircase, there were many chairs, which appeared to be a seating area for the throne room.

There was a woman carrying an infant in her arms, who was escorted by two undead humanoids. She was afraid, but carried it up to the throne. She bowed, for a considerable amount of time, before Karyan motioned to the escort, who nudged her. She said she couldn't raise the child on her own because her husband got sick and died and they'd be enslaved if he couldn't pay off their debt. She offered an arm, a fresh arm, to Karyan.

He accepted it, then sent a crackle of green lightning into a nearby pool, making an arch to go through. She took the baby in her arms, warily, and walked through the murky green gas arch. Screams echoed out after her.

Karaa was frozen in shock and horror, staring at her surroundings and just frozen in shock. As Mavka tried to lead her away, she accidentally nudged a loose rock off of the side of the platform. It fell and splashed into the green river below.

For a moment, Mavka thought nobody had noticed... but then, one of the undead pointed up at her. Karyan demanded they come and be introduced, and some shadows began ushering them toward the throne. Mavka was able to sense two shadows, a giant zombie and *thousands* of other presences.

Helio and Karyan had a chat. Zeema seemed interested in bringing people back from the dead.

Karaa asked if he recognized her. He leaned forward, his face still obscured in his mask, and his head tilted, as if something clicked. He said her family had paid a huge price to bring her back from the dead. Karyan said he could restore her memories, and Karaa didn't want to make the decision on her own.

Zeema was quiet, too. She said she found Carter on the verge of death, and transfered some draconic blood into him to keep him alive until they could get medical attention. It could have killed him, but he was already basically dead, and it worked. That draconic blood let him use magic, once he learned it.

Karaa led them back and said she wanted to know. Karyan extended his hand, and Karaa took it. The green electric energy zapped into her, turning her veins a glowing green, and there was a horrible moment where her jaws opened in a silent scream.

Mavka panicked and tried to grab her hand, but when she did, she was shocked by the electricity and couldn't let go.

After a few excruciating moments, Karaa and Mavka both fell to the ground. Karaa didn't have a pulse. Mavka started chest compressions, and some of Karaa's ribs cracked under the pressure. Finally, Karaa took a gasp of air, crying black-blood tears, and let out an agonized scream that echoed through the pyramid. Mavka practically sobbed with relief as Karaa fell back, unconscious but alive.