Sx15 — Lost In the Labyrinth

***Lost in the Labyrith*** is the 15th session of the campaign. It is preceded by Sx14 — Familiars and Foes, and followed by Sx16 - Don't Split the Party. Too Late.

This the time in this session is complex due to the nature of the Labyrinth. Notable moments in this session are the discovery of the labyrinth.

## The Road to Artemis Cove and the Battle of the Pond

Before setting off the group begins to plan how they will get into Artemis Cove undetected and later into the Zeus District, Theobald tells the group that he knows a smuggler that might be able. We begin to question Theobald and how he found us. He says he wants revenge on someone (the person who cut off his hands) and also something about dealing with The Cult of Nemesis.

On the road to Artemis Cove we see a man on a cart who appears to be drowning, and then we see the water move to drag him down. We also hear the sound of a wagon coming down the hill to our right. \*(Initiative roll: 5)\* The man in the water is being attacked by water spirits named *Weirds* (AC 13). However they can be infected when the "cauldron" of water they come from becomes contaminated. We also notice that this water comes from the mountains - does this connect to \*\*Snowbrook Facility\*\* in the mountains. An investigation of the water finds that the water is filled with a metallic poison of some kind - this poison is too diluted to do anything. From the side of the road came a man on a chariot being pulled by large wolves. The man sent a grappling hook into the wagon in the water and began to pull it out in an attempt to steal it - we deduced that the two events were unrelated. Oto sent a *Fire Bolt* into the chariot, putting it up in flames and Leoven broke the tether between the Chariot and the merchant's wagon, the man in the chariot then escaped into the woods. The group didn't pursue.

As a reward for saving his life as well as saving his horse he gave Theobald a bag of magic beans (look back to bean-gate) However the group was unaware when the merchant snook away into the woods, seemingly looking for revenge of some-kind.

After resolving the issue in on the road (or being satisfied with the result), the group headed back on the road to Artemis Cove, heading through Furtherton.

## A Murder in Furtherton

As the group travelled through Furtherton, their attention was drawn to a crowd gathered at the end of an alley. We pushed through the crowd to see it blocked off by guards who were standing in front of the dead bodies of *seven people*. Lying to get onto the scene, Oto pushed past the guards and led the group into the crime scene. From there we were able to get a better look at the seven bodies: - The first body appeared to be the richest of the bunch and was a gnome. He was killed via beheading, and most notably in a single swing, this is evident by the scratch that was left in the wall; it was a single mark not multiple. - The second body had nothing of note. His chest had been caved in. - The third, an elf, had been thrown into the wall at such an impact that they had been embedded into the wall. - The fourth had been sliced through his waist, separating his legs from the rest of his body. - The fifth had his throat slit. - The final two had been skewered through the stomach, seemingly on the same weapon. They were slumped together against the wall with identical holes where the weapon pierced. We also noted there were no weapons on the scene or anywhere nearby, presumably the attacker took the weapon with them. We also noted that all of the bodies appeared to be thieves, they had items on them indicative of thieves - from this we assumed that this is not a targeted attack, simply that they attempted to rob the killer and had chosen the wrong man. The detective on the scene told us that the bodies had been found by a woman out shopping the following morning.

Adrasteia also found on the scene a set of shoe-prints leading away from the bodies; they are large so likely masculine - this is also where we figured out that the thieves attacked one man and were all killed. Leoven, using her divine sense, feels some kind of magic around, though it is not any she recognises (we would later learn this to likely be the magic of Daedalus), and there is no obvious school of magic.

The footsteps lead to an unnatural shadow (and it is only small, not big enough for a person to walk through), which Oto sends Oni through. While Oni is in the shadow, I cannot contact him meaning he is more than 100 ft away - it is a portal. Oni describes an alleyway full of the smell of exotic spices and lots of food cooking outside - a bazaar - he also notes that it was sandy, leading us to assume it's in the Bantheen Desert, probably Pomegranate Gardens

Theobald talks to some rats in the alleyway and asks if they saw anything. The rats say they saw a man and Theobald asks for a description. *"He had green eyes and a scar over his left eye [...] He had strings in his ears. [...] He wore an odd cloak not from around here and carried a wooden weapon"* - The Rats

Tracing the footsteps the other way it reaches a wall, on which is a glowing symbol that only Khantos can see. He touches the symbol and the wall opens to create a doorway, behind which are basement steps. (We don't figure this out yet but this is the door the to Labyrinth) The group steps through and begins walking.

We walk for a time before reaching a crossroad with three options. These are: - A Cave - Temple Steps - Sewers We go up the temple steps and reach a door, Theobald, Oto and Khantos step through the door and the room begins to fill with water and the door slide close. Noticing this Theobald casts *Misty Step* and escapes, leaving Oto and Khantos behind.

## Oto and Khantos' Adventure in the Labyrinth

Seeing the iconography of Hermes, Oto quickly throws down a copper piece into the room filling with water, which allows the water to drain out of the room. However, when they look back they notice that the door has not re-opened and that they are completely cut off from the rest of the room. As such they begin to walk forward, continuing deeper into the labyrinth.

At the end of a long corridor they saw a door, which they opened to see a hell-scape-like land. It was fill of lava and fire, making it near impossible to to pass. So they closed the door (good choice) and when it opened again it was a snowy forest. This was locked and when they closed and opened the door again it did not change.

When Khantos entered he fell through the snow, and instead of pulling him out, Oto pulled out a scruffy ginger cat. Oni helped to identify this cat as called Thanatos, God of Death, however Oni assured Oto that he was not actually a god, just a cat with an inflated sense of self-importance. Thanatos would join the group for the rest of the adventure as a party pet. Also in this room is an ancient dryad that helps Khantos out of the snow. The Dryad tells them that they have been down here a long time and longs to see the sun. Oto related due to his inability to feel and they have a nice moment together before the Dryad directs them to the exit from the room.

The next room they encounter is a giant pit filled with dirt. As they enter they see a giant skeletal hand emerge followed by a torso and then a head, wearing a crown. Thinking quickly, Khantos bows to the skeletal giant and it holds out it's hand for them to climb into it's palm. The hand closes and pulls them both under the dirt. Seconds later it emerges and places them on a ledge on the other side.

The final room they entered appeared as a lake of oil with a giant dripping in oil sat in the middle. The giant offers them a challenge and pulls up some stepping stones that they must jump across. Oto goes first, jumping across the stones successfully but, having to chose a path, choses one lined with white crystals, which begins a wind, pushing him back and into the oil. Khantos went next, making a deal with the giant to rescue Oto if he completes the challenge. He gets across the stones again, but choses the amber path which begins to melt and warp eventually causing Khantos to also fall into the oil. While Oto, struggled and made saving throws in the oil (failing one automatically at the start of each turn due to the oil and using both the guidance and Death ward gift from Brother Leviticus). Using his axe as a grappling hook he tried multiple times and pulled himself out of the oil, saving him and, at the last second, Oto in the process.

## Adrasteia, Leoven and Theobald's Adventure in the Labyrinth

After being separated from the rest of the group, Leoven, Adrasteia and Theobald, think to use the paper bird gifted to them by Leviticus to help guide them out of the Labyrinth.

It first brings them to a large pit with stairs made of roots going all the way down. Failing dexterity checks, Leoven and Cat-Dresteia fall off the stairway as one of the roots breaks under their feet. Theobald grabs the paper bird, preventing it from tearing and continues walking down the pathway alone. Recovering from their fall, Leoven and Adrasteia run down the passageway, using Adrasteia's cat smell to follow Theobald's scent. They come across another Harengon, an older one, who begins to follow them, hoping they know the way out. They re-join with Theobald at a door.

The door is locked with a number lock on it. Feeling like they are at the end of the road, Theobald prayed to his god (which was unknown at the time but was later learnt to be Erebus and Aether) which caused the light in Leoven's sword to shine brighter and the light around to dim and when the effect ended it illuminated a doorway. Behind this door were six busts of the past kings and queens of Artemis Cove, dating back three generations. Each bust had under it a plaque with the name and date of coronation. They eventually figured out that the way to open the door was to insert the number of years between the oldest and the newest monarch.

In the next room was a treasure room, guarded by a bust of Janis, God of Decisions. The room was quickly locked and the air began to become thinner in the room. However this puzzle was quickly resolved when they found the symbol of Fortuna, The Goddess of Luck, and a chest under it, when opened revealed an escape out of the room.

The next room appeared as a swamp and was filled with mud mephits who Theobald chose to charm (do not remember the context if there was any?), causing them to want to take Theobald into the group - essentially killing him. As a way to assuage them Theobald gives them his Luckstone.

On the path to the next room, the Harengon (who had run ahead from the group) is found, killed by a spike that seemed to have emerged from the ground, skewering him through the foot and through his body until it came out of his mouth. The group decides to go a different direction.

In the other room, there are a number of mushrooms gently swaying together. Some of the mushrooms emerge from the ground and walk over to the group, herding them on top of a point where another, large mushroom begins to emerge and push them up into the air. Leoven simultaneously fails a WIS save and becomes charmed by the mushrooms, joining in with the swaying. Theobald escapes alone using misty step to get down from the mushroom and escapes out of the other side of the room (this seems to be a patten of his character?) Adrasteia (no longer a cat) polymorphs Leoven into a fly as a way to help them escape, but this fails very quickly. They climb off the growing mushroom and Leoven finally succeeds on a WIS saving throw. They make a dead sprint for the exit and escape.

They come out in a cave on a beach at night. In the distance they see the lights of a village. They decide to make camp for the night.