Session 13: Grombrin Sets the World on Fire

Ahrm, Arran and Vojta are startled by Vica’s abduction, but they aren’t too upset about it, as her demonic nature made her a liability. They return to the flesh room to inspect the altar, which triggers a vision showing an ancient battle between giant dragonborn and tabaxi. They are led by a silver-scaled general and a white-scaled beast master, but they are being overrun. The beastmaster stabs himself in the chest with a cross-shaped amulet and performs a prayer, transforming himself into a tentacled monster that slaughters many tabaxi. When he pulls the cross from his chest, it crystallizes into the altar. He dies, but the fleshy growths live on and infest the surrounding rooms, creating the tentacle monster that nearly killed the group.

The spirit of the beastmaster, Zahlak, is still trapped in a crystal attached to the altar. At his request, the group takes the crystal and brings it to the other ghosts in the weapon room. The ghosts speak to each other, and Arran gradually convinces them both that all their people died thousands of years ago. The sword-wielding ghost begins a chant that attracts thirty other dragonborn ghosts, and together they pray to be relieved from their oath. They all disappear, and the wall they were guarding opens up. Behind it is the silver dragonborn general, as a corporeal undead.

The group speaks to the general, Nahlot, who confirms that Zahlak turned himself into a monster through a partially-botched divine blessing from the god Mereteth. He helps them destroy the undead tabaxi, who was blocking this very room from the other side, and gives them some pointers about the traps and passages of the dungeon. When he too is convinced that the war is over, his body begins to crumble, and he asks them to check if Duke Arech is still alive, before disappearing. Zahlak asks to be released as well by breaking the crystal. Ahrm crushes it, dissipating the ghost and revealing the cross amulet inside.

The group returns to the control room and puts the amulet into the cross-shaped slot on the panel. This activates magical communication crystals in several rooms. Arran touches one and becomes aware of all the other rooms with such crystals in them. He can speak through them telepathically, but there is no one around to receive it. The group uses their new knowledge to seek out the craftsman’s quarters, but along the way they run into a dwarf who yells at them from behind a door. When they open the door, a magical rune explodes in their face. The dwarf apologizes once he realizes that they aren’t undead, and introduces himself as Grombrin the forge cleric. He has been down here for several days, living in an alcove molded from the rock while scavenging for smithing tools and materials. The group explains their situation to him, and he agrees to join them in exploring the dungeon.

Exploring more of the craftsman’s quarters, Vojta finds some unidentified magic chainmail, and the group encounters a dragonborn blacksmith called Thilio. His life is magically preserved, but he can’t exit this room. He is friendly once Zahlak and Nahlot are mentioned, and gives the group several magical trinkets in return for new crafting materials. The group tells him that he’ll be able to trade with the rockbacks once this place is safe, and Grombrin makes a deal for an exchange of knowledge between Thilio and the Moradin dwarves.

Advancing further, the group is attacked by undead tabaxi. They bottleneck the attackers in the hallway while Grombrin roasts them with a wall of fire, and Vojta washes them away with a tidal wave. The group rests before continuing further.