Expedition 71: Return to the Sunken City

### Summary

We enter the lightning dome in the center of the Sunken City, and find a dry, thin-aired town square with a still living, but deeply asleep Emervox in the center. We explore some buildings and Nexrin speaks with Bahamut.

### Detailed Writeup

The group sets out from Port Vrall in a light rain, having paid Mother Dalxar for a casting of Water Breathing. Yezra pilots the boat as Nexrin directs her to pilot towards the location of the Sunken City.

Calliope attempts to scout ahead as Uzmir tells everyone what to expect of the city. Unfortunately, Calliope didn't put points in Perception, so it was an automatic failure.

The group reaches the dome, and Calliope notices that the barrier has shrunk slightly in the four months since the Compact has last visited. It cuts perfectly through buildings and furniture, but seems to hurt the algae growing on the buildings. Tolyr speculates that the barrier once encompassed a much larger radius, possibly the entire city.

Calliope pushes through the barrier, taking lightning damage. She discovers that the other side has a thin atmosphere of air similar to high mountain environments, along with some plant life struggling to survive. Yezra and Nexrin attempt to follow, but are rebuffed by the dome. Seeing the difficulties, Tolyr and Uzmir take them through via Dimension Door. However, the sudden transition to air causes Nexrin, Tolyr, and Yezra to fall unconscious. Calliope and Uzmir are able to rouse them.

Calliope and Tolyr look out a window, viewing a broad thoroughfare with old buildings, covered in vines and crumbling with age. The ground is strewn with fine silt and rubble. In the center of the dome lies a Golden Dragon, its size indicating a being older than Kazreme. The dragon appears asleep, and the dirt and moss covering its scales indicates it has been asleep for a long time. The dragon doesn't respond to greetings in Common or Draconic. Uzmir speculates that this dragon is Emervox, the dragon that founded Refuge about a thousand years ago. Tolyr attempts to Message the dragon to greet him, but finds great difficulty in doing so, getting a response back equivalent to someone turning over and mumbling in his sleep. Tolyr is unable to determine the cause of his slumber.

The group investigates a Cathedral-looking building first. Large stained glass windows are set in the walls, with niches for many deities. In particular, a niche to Bahamut contains a silver flame, burning without fuel. Uzmir notes that the Cathedral does not favor any particular deities. Additionally, the moon iconography in a niche to Luun is familiar to Uzmir, although the associated religion is unfamiliar to him. There is also text:

"A Prayer to the mother above, the first of her kind, and, should we be hopeful, the last."

Calliope and Tolyr manage to locate a trap door that potentially connects to an underground structure.

Nexrin sticks his hand in the silver flame, seeking to speak with Bahamut. He manages to speak with him, and learns the location of the last two intact Chains. The fourth one seems to be guarded by a lock that Bahamut doesn't know how to open. Over the course of this damage, Nexrin's hand burns, taking a total of 59 damage, and necessitating a Greater Restoration to repair.

The group decides to investigate the Ziggurat next. A riddle is written in Common on the door. Once the group solves the riddle the door opens, revealing a small chamber containing stairs and furniture, as well as a doorway into a much bigger chamber. Calliope finds some Empire money. The large chamber is fairly desolate, although it contains a small tree living in some dirt. There appears to be an amphitheater constructed in the chamber. A number of platforms appear on the walls, probably connecting to exterior balconies.

The group investigates the chamber. The room seems to be some kind of convening space. Uzmir notices one of the speaking platforms contains a magical rod driven into it, about staff sized. Each of the platforms contains a hole that appears to match the rod.

Up the stairs in the foyer, the group finds a clerk's office containing a number of documents in Common, which the group collects. It identifies the Ziggurat as The Hall of the Peoples of Refuge.

The group decides to investigate the Mage Tower last. The door is stone, though enchanted to look like wood. Tolyr uses the knocker, and an image appears of an older Mousefolk mage in a rather garish outfit. The image says:

"Though I am currently, and perhaps permanently, away, seeking to find a solution to our current, well, issues, Note that my tower remains a dangerous place, and my place. If I do not return within a decade, let it be known that Emervox shall inherit my materials, since he knows best how to keep them safely."

The group decides to leave, and discovers that leaving the dome doesn't induce an electric shock. Upon exiting, Nexrin detects a Merrow ambush sitting where the group entered the dome. Calliope turns herself and Uzmir invisible, and Tolyr turns himself and Yezra into octopodes. Nexrin casts Pass Without Trace, and the group attempts to sneak past, but Nexrin is discovered and attempts to escape. The Merrow group fires on him, and only Uzmir's Gift of the Protectors saves him from falling unconscious. Calliope drags Nexrin down some streets towards the boat, and Nexrin flees some more. The Merrow do not pursue in confusion, and the group escapes back to the boat.