They are Grok, Cartivel, Sain, Gento, Stross, Matthias, and Tontra. The survivors of a sunken ship, would be mercenaries who seek the fill their hand with treasure.
The seven approach the zigurrat and note a dead man by the doors, a hole in his skull leaking blood. They search the corpse and find his intestines pulled out from his stomach. Undisturbed by the death they remove a trio of torches from the man an enter into the complex hiding from the storm.
They search the complex finding a room with a jeweled idol and a pool of water from which four skeletons rise. The seven engage in melee and a before the skeletons are slain they rip out one of Sain's eyes from his head. They loot the stone idol of a snarling monstrous figure that has two jade ingots for eyes and holds a a fist sized topaz within it's grasp. They leave Sain out in the rain and return to the depths of the complex.
They encounter a lever which they pull to open a to reveal a room of worship. A basalt altar stands before a massive pit. In the southeastern and southwestern corners of the room stand a pair of frog-headed statues which hold massive goblets of flame. Beyond the pit, on the southern wall is a mosaic of a a dark spiral.
They enter and suddenly both of the pools of flame extinguish themselves. From behind the altar arise two skeletons clad in rotted robes, their eyes burn two pinpoints of fire. They enter melee but Stross is slain, a skeleton sinking it's teeth in his neck and ripping out his throat.
They investigate the pit and Gento climbs into the pit secured by a rope. The rope descends half-way into the pit and Gento's torch illuminates hundreds of broken skeletons line the bottom of this massive pit. Then suddenly they hear foot steps behind them and see four pairs of red eyes in the distance past the altar.
Gento scrambles out of the pit as the others confront the eyes. A torch reveals four cloaked figures and one of them rushes forward. Grok thrusts his spear and Tontra tosses an axe but the figure makes it to lever. A green arm emerge from the cloak as an arrow reveals the figures head. A frog's head sits where a man's would be, a thin gray beard hanging form it's lips. It's mouth opens to unleash a cackle as it pulls on the lever and the stone door begins to descend.
They rush forward but the stone door is closed trapping them within the room of the altar and the pit. They search the room, and hear numerous foot-steps from within the pit below. Then numerous howls echo upwards that sound like those of men who have had their families slain. Along the southern wall they notice a small gap along the wall and tapping on it they find that there is a portion of the wall which is hollow. They open the secret door and find another room, finding a stile of a horned man wielding a shield is flanked by a pair of mummified men.
They explore further and find a rusted key with a triangular end and continue onward until they find a room with a pool in which a disemboweled corpse floats, it's intestines spreading outward. Continuing their search they find another entrance into the complex and then travel deeper. They reach a room a room filled with fog where a corpse of a man in a ruined leather jerkin hanging from his neck on a rope. His face bloated and his eyes almost bulging out of his face.
Unfazed they continue and find a room with a pool 10' covered by algae. Slumped nearby is skeleton around which white vapors float. Suddenly Gento dives into the pool and extinguishes their torch. The party struggles to light another torch and when they do they find a trepanted skeleton standing pointing a finger at Gento who is now attempting to drown himself. They engage in melee again and are able to slay the skeleton and keep Gento from drowning himself.
They continue searching the complex and upon finding two statues of frog-headed men facing each other, on opposite sides of a stair well choose to return from whence they came. They continue onwards until encountering Stross' corpse in their path. Stross' corpse attacks and Gento's face is ripped off and he dies. The remaining five dismember Stross' corpse and exit the complex finding the storm dissipated and a ship at the cove of the island. They speak with a man at it's helm and learn he ferried others here to search through the complex. He offers to take them to safety and they take him up on the offer.
They travel north, hours later passing by a wide stretch of swamps. They follow the shore and by nightfall they arrive before a sprawling city. They see concentric walls extend outwards engulfing countless wooden homes and deeper still wooden battlements that surround the center of the city where a single stone castle stands. They exit ontu the rocky shores of the Giants Drown and find themselves in the city of Lestryhonia.
Session 1 Downtime Events
The night after they arrive in Lestryhonia, rain began to fall. The few days grew progressively warmer and warmer. The sky has been covered in black clouds and torrential rain repeats in spurts. Lightning flashed across the sky, as the humidity worsened with each passing moment. Thus a waterlogged and muggy week passes since they arrived in Lestryhonia.
On the third day, Matthias was approached by a hairsuit red-haired man with scars on all of his fingers. Matthias was told that he seemed a capable man and an offer of employment was extended. 100 silver would find itself in his hands if he tracked a pair of students of the Sorcerer Ebon Pirithus as they traveled northward and reported on their goals.
On the 5th day, Cartivel was approached by a veiled woman followed by a half-dozen muscle bound men. The woman approached him and placing her hand on his chest she spoke "Your eyes hold countless tragedy past and yet many more to come. Here keep this." as she pressed a protection charm into his hand.
They learn the following information about the Giant's Drown:
1) Within the battlements and concentric walls of the city stands Castle Ettin. A stone fortification of ages past, methods of its construction now lost to masons, looms over the city. Inside King Huhalyn sits upon the Throne of Ribs. The castle is fortified against siege and men travel away from Castle Ettin to serve as his eyes and ears. He is attended by a Cabal of Sages "Annointed of Tepes" who possess means of laying curses and divining the future.2) King Huhalyn is not the only man to wield power and influence within the city. He bears distant blood relation to Soot-Faced Lahar, whose forged iron find it's way into the hands of those who would shed blood.
3) Three temples stand at the heart of Lestryhonia consecrated to the gods Hodim, Veud, and Vo, the Ymirist trinity. Incense flows from the censers of the priests of Ymir as they emerge from their temples, a vertical scar across their faces, only a single eye remaining.
4) In the northeastern portion of the city rises a stone tower and within the sorcerer Ebon Pirithus remains. Bands of armed men escort the pupils of Ebon Pirithus, the lips of each stitched tight to keep his secrets, as they work towards his machinations.
5) Numerous cults are known to be within the city but the greatest are those to Nor-Volsuth and Dyspatur.
6) Traveling west from Lestryhonia one would encounter swamps and further still, the Tower of Arkad, the domain of another sorcerer.
7) Off the northwestern coast of the Giant's Drown is the village of Thain, rules by Kalu-wolf toothed.
8) The northern reaches of the Giant's Drown are left uninhabited save for a terrible monster.
They gained the following rumors:
1) North of Lestryhonia is an island covered in mists and crumbling statues. Hidden beneath the island is means to gain the wisdom of the ancients.2) Among the hills, past the weeping men, are a series of standing stones. Beneath them are the ruins of the ancient jotun who made this island their home.
3) North of the swamps, a cult meets under the cover of darkness to worship an ancient tree which grows above the grave of a cyclops.
4) At the bottom of the Burial Temple of the Tridobatrakus, an ancient king lies buried alongside his enchanted sword.
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