- Session 10 Graulgust’s Demise (19/7/4726) We return to Gauntlight to continue exploring the Morlocks’ domain where Kyra, Grognar and Crocus had previously discovered a ghostly toilet (amongst other things…) After listening the Crocus describe a trapped room containing various dioramas depicting a range of hazards threatening Korvosa, we decide to start there. Keshani is able to defuse the various traps and at the end of the chamber we encounter an Ettercap along with 5 Dream spiders. Crocus attacks them with a Horizon Thundersphere, while Keshani and Valeros deal with the survivors – despite Valeros getting caught by one of the Ettercap’s hidden noose traps. Afterwards we return to confront the remaining Morlocks, planning to fight them where we find them so they are unable to gather their numbers and swarm us in a fight. Using the same logic we decide to deal with the two Grothluts first, thus removing one of Graulgust’s potential reinforcements.
- We defeat the Grothluts but discover that when they are killed they explode in a wash of acidic bile – perhaps something to bear in mind should we encounter more such creatures. It turned out that Graulgust had heard us fighting the Grothluts and was on his way to join the fight, but he arrived just as the last Grothlut had been killed. The Morlock King’s sole remaining minion proved little support, and we are easily able to defeat the last of the Morlocks. Now able to explore the Morlocks’ domain at our leisure we find a room covered with runes that Crocus determines are related to teleportation magic. Their shrine to the Ghost Queen contains a crude statue depicting Belcorra, at whose feet lie the corpse of one of the thieves from the Otari guild. Finally we find the door that Graulgust had warned us about during our first meeting. It’s the crypt of Belcorra’s Major Domo who has since become a Shadow. Calling on Sarenrae’s power Kyra blasts it to oblivion with holy light. After that the 5 skeletons that rise from the other crypts are easily defeated. With this level of the ruins cleared, we return to Otari to rest and recuperate.
20/08/2026, 14:46
Session 11 The Cult of the Canker (26/7/4726) Using a map found in the Morlocks’ treasure we descend to the next level where we previously encountered the Ghoouls of the Cult of the Canker. Last time we had found ourselves in a large corridor where we were forced to fight numerous ghouls, but this time we hoped to avoid fighting them in large groups, instead aiming to pick them off a few at a time. On our way we stop to chat with Tassletop who tells us that Volluk Azrinae has been moving about and says he now all “slimy and wormy”. At the very least that shoukd make him easy to identify… Our first encounter is with an odd, but very chatty, Morlock Ghoul called Azreal. He seems quite friendly, but lacking his two favourite things: fresh reading matter and ghoul flesh to snack on. We promise to try to help him out with both. Descending to the ghoul level, we carefully cross the main central corridor where we had the fight on our last foray, and start to explore the smaller passages opposite finding two doors. Behind one we can hear the sounds of pen on parchment; behind the other the sounds of noisy eating. The latter door opens and ghouls emerge. A fight ensues as the warriors force their way into the room. An annoyed voice in Necril orders us to keep the noise down, but Crocus tries to bluff him by pretending to be a ghoul explaining away an argument over the food.- Two of the ghouls have been killed when the other door opens and the ghoul Scrivener intervenes and immediately paralyses Kyra. Keshani tumbles into the room to divert his attacks from Kyra, while Valeros quickly deals with the last remaining ghoul before joining us to kill the Scrivener. We pick up some books and chunks of dead ghoul as we wait for Kyra to throw off the paralysis, and then return to Agreal to give him his snack and the new reading matter.
After resting for a short time with Agreal we restart our explorations and almost immediately encounter three more ghouls. The first is quickly killed, but when Valeros charges in after the other two he is paralysed. Fortunately he is able to quickly shake off the paralysis and the other two ghouls are swiftly dealt with. Nearby we locate a circular room marked with the skull symbol of Nhimbaloth that we conclude links with the identical room upstairs and is an elevator between the two levels. Before once more returning to Agreal to rest for awhile, we destroy two violet fungi, and two more ghouls. - Beyond the room where we found the fungi is a large chamber that seems sacred to the Cult of the Canker. It contains about 24 effigies which we believe represent the canker cultists. The object of their veneration appears to be the decayed remnants of a Gibbering Mouther. Back towards the main Reading Room we find several more rare books to join our collection which we will sell to Morlibint, the bookseller in Otari. We also find a secret door behind which is another portal chamber similar to the one upstairs. It appears to be inactive. Another room which is particularly well appointed is labelled as Belcorra’s office. Wary of what we might find within – and weary from several fights already – we decide to leave it for the time being. Another tunnel leads to mine working where, amongst the rusting tools, we find a magical pick. Further down, the tunnel ends at a door behind which Kyra has a sense of something malevolent and ghostly, so we leave it undisturbed. On the way back towards the main corridor we open the door of a large room containing a sculpture of Korvosa. It also contains a wood golem which attacks us. It resists many of our attacks, but Valeros’ Smoking Sword proves effective against it. In another room off the main Reading Room we encounter the ghost of a bookbinder called Jarelle. She doesn’t appear innately hostile, and with Kyra’s urging and prayers her ghost is released to move on. Being by this point heavily laden with books for Morlibint, we return to Otari.
- Session 12 Expurging the Canker (2/8/4726) Back in Otari we meet a travelling half-elf Ranger called Elfis who asks to join us for our next expedition to the Gauntlight. Now we are rested, we decide to recommence our exploration of the ghoul domain by returning to Belcorra’s office. It’s a small suite of finely decorated rooms, but in an armchair we find a 2’ high creature giggling at pictures in a book called “The Pathways of the Worm”. Crocus identifies it as a Lurker in Light. It blasts Valeros, but we are able to surround it and defeat it. Behind the office is a flight of stairs going down to a lower level. In one of the largest chambers we have found on this level we are greeted by a finely dressed ghoul lord with a few lesser minions who invites us to offer supplication to their priestess Nakazarim. We decline and instead attack. The noise alerts Nakazarim who is in the adjacent room. She attacks Grognar with Necromantic magic but to no avail. Valeros kills the ghoul lord, Nakazarim’s chamberlain, and he, Grognar and Keshani combine their attacks to defeat the ghoul priestess. Unfortunately during the fight Crocus and Grognar were afflicted with Ghoul Fever, so when we desecrated the statue and shrine of Nhimbaloth, the backlash from the action caused the effects of the fever to accelerate and intensify. Off the antechamber we find a flight of stairs going down. In a secret chamber off the shrine we find Belcorra’s journal detailing her hatred of Korvosa and many books on teleportation magics as well as the construction of the Gauntlight. We also find the Ritual to Awaken the teleportation portals, and a large book about Nhimbaloth called “The Whispering Reeds”.
- After once more resting with Agreal (who now has a good selection of books as well as a substantial amount of dead ghoul to feast on) we return to the Secret Library. In a room off it we encounter a ghost whom we manage to defeat. In her belongings we find a portrait of Volluk Azrinae which Kyra takes custody of.
Beyond we find a cave leading to a cavern where we fight a Gibbering Mouther. A tunnel off this cavern descends to a lower level where we see a pavilion in the centre of an underground lake, the dim light of a campfire flickering from within. Without investigating further we retrace our steps. With the Ghoul Fever affecting Crocus and Grognar we decide we need to return to Otari so that they can be treated for the affliction before it becomes too severe. Session 13 A Wormy Problem (9/8/4726)
After our defeat of the Cult of the Canker we decide it’s time to venture down to the next level. The only part of this lower level we had so far visited was the pavilion in the lake, but as that appears to be quite a significant feature – and probably the base for several creatures – we instead descend via the stairs behind Belcorra’s office. The stairs end in a door behind which Kyra has the strong suspicion she can sense the presence of undead. Cautiously we enter. The room beyond is laid out like an opulent banqueting room with a long central table surrounded by chairs, and numerous doors off to the sides. Four finely dressed skeletons lie sprawled near the table, and we are unsurprised when they start to move as Grognar enters. However our fight against the skeletons does not go as expected: as each skeleton is defeated, it fragments and a glowing skull-shaped orb emerges from the debris. The orb tries to attack Grognar – some kind of mental attack, perhaps an attempt at possession – but he fights it off. Kyra identifies them as Corpselights.- As we check the doors leading off the banqueting room we find a wine cellar, another teleportation room, a scullery, and a waste chute which is haunted by a poltergeist. Crocus uses Force Barrage against it to great effect, and Kyra promises to collect up the remains and bury them on hallowed ground. We go to listen at the next door, but instead we hear an urbane voice inviting us to enter. We do so and encounter the Worm that Walks – Volluk Azrinae – whose form is now a broadly humanoid agglomeration of writhing worms. He tries to talk with us, but Kyra is uninterested believing he is now a creature of irredeemable evil. Recalling the suggestion shared by the spirit of Borbo the goblin, Volluk’s former servant, that he could not bear the sight of his former appearance, Kyra brandishes the portrait taken from the ghost in the library. Volluk recoils, but still moves to the attack. He uses the worms that make up his body as his weapons, directing them to eat into the flesh of his enemies. Kyra is the primary target of his ire and despite our efforts to surround him, he proves resistant to many of our attacks, instead causing Kyra grievous wounds as the worms engulf her.
- She collapses unconscious to the ground even as the worms continue their attacks while our weapons prove less effective than usual against his worm form. Leaving Kyra to be devoured by his worms, he moves to focus on Keshani who rpoves more adept than the priestess at evading the worst of his attacks. Eventually we wear him down and whatever unholy power was holding Volluk’s form together is finally dispelled. Perhaps due to the might of Sarenrae Kyra is able to survive the worms and with the help of a few healing potions along with a great deal of bandaging she starts to recover. However while we were treating Kyra, Grognar had heard cries of pain and fear from the next room and gone to investigate. Inside he finds his brother Lasda chained to an platform, surrounded by coils of malevolent energy such as we had seen elsewhere within the Gauntlight. Grognar, who even on his best days is not known for patience or restraint, immediately rushes into the room to try to free him, but is injured by the dark, necrotic enegy that swirls around him. When a Will o’ the Wisp also emerges to confront Grognar, we have to pause in helping Kyra and instead go to back up Grognar.
- The Wisp is eventually destroyed, then hasted by Crocus’ magic Keshani and Elfis are able to pick the locks and release Lasda. As Grognar lifts him from the platform the swirling energy dulls and then fades. It appeared that Lasda was somehow being used to feed power into the Gauntlight. As by this point none of us are too healthy, we decide to retreat. On our way out we recall a shrine within the surface ruins of the Gauntlight which we had avoided at the time as being too dangerous. This time we are able to defeat the moss-covered skeletons within the shrine with relative ease. Kyra determines it is sacred to Nhimbaloth and attempts to deconsecrate it. Unfortunately she had clearly not recovered from the horrors of fighting Volluk Azrinae, and she is cursed by Nhimbaloth. Wearily we head back to Otari. Grognar’s family at the Rowdy Rockfish celebrate Lasda’s return and gift him with a magically sturdy shield (which he gives to Valeros). Kyra spends many days in prayer at the Church of Sarenrae to free herself from Nhimbaloth’s curse.
Above the village the malevolent pulsing of the Gauntlight has stopped for the first time in months, and we know that in rescuing Lasda we have managed to buy ourselves some time… - Session 14 A Ghostly Encounter (16/8/4726) While in Otari preparing for our next foray into the Gauntlight Ruins, Keeleno Lathenar reminds us that he believes the werewolf who murdered his wife Ayla is still in the area despite more than twenty years having passed. Whether in response to this, or mindful that devils are vulnerable to silver, Valeros and Grognar both spend some of their loot getting their primary weapons silver-plated. Keshani had done likewise a few weeks earlier. On our return to the Gauntlight we decide to start at the banqueting room as there were two more doors leading off that room which we had not yet explored. One is a storage room; the other is a kitchen, but behind one of the worktables in the kitche is a secret panel leading to a substantial cave where we are attacked by a pair of scalathraxes who prove vulnerable to Valeros’ Smoking Sword. The tunnel continues into a torture chamber, its walls festooned with chains and three cages hanging from the ceiling. At the far end a blue skinned woman draped with dozens of chairs greets us in a bored voice, advising us to leave.
- We disoblige her and soon are in combat with a Chain Devil. Her lassitude must have slowed her down as we are able to defeat her with relative ease. Examining the room we find a magic whip bearing the Ghost Touch rune, and Crocus notes that the floor of one of the cages has been etched with the same, now familiar, teleportation sigils. Beyond is a large octagonal room which we are able to identify as another shrine to Nhimbaloth. It’s at the head of a long, wide corridor ending in stairs leading downwards which is blocked by a shimmering magical barrier. In the centre of the octagonal room is a large stone with seven indents as if they were made by a gigantic seven fingered hand.
Valeros enters first and is immediately stricken by nausea and fails to notice the giant crawling hands skittering across the floor towards him. They latch onto him and start scoring great gouges from his flesh. At the same time four Flickerwisps rise up and move to attack. The Flickerwisps attempt to confuse us. Valeros and Keshani prove resistant to their attempts, but Grognar is less fortunate and starts wilding slashing about himself with his axe. He strikes Kyra twice, seriously injuring the priestess, before he snaps out of it. We are ultimately successful but most of us have been badly injured so Kyra calls on both her healing skills and magical power to heal us. - Crocus determines that the force barrier at the top of the stairs is linked with the indents on the stone altar, and surmises that offerings have to be placed there for the barrier to be opened, but we have no clue as to what offerings might be appropriate. As we quickly realis it will take some time for us to fully recover from our injuries, we retreat to Agreal’s room on the level above. About an hour later we venture downstairs again, this time taking the winding tunnel that leads to the underground lake and pavilion. We approach cautiously, but from within the pavilion an angry voice challenges us, ordering us to leave. It seems we have found Jaul Mezmin, the werewolf… We attempt to talk with him but he’s angry and defensive, warning us against trying to confront him. He orders us to go, but does mention a ghost off to the south. Rather than hazard an encounter with an angry werewolf, we try the tunnel to the south off from the underground lake where Jaul had warned of a ghost. This leads to a partially flooded cave with an island at its centre. On the island we can see a long dead corpse.
- Using her bo staff to check the water depth in front of her Keshani crosses first while Valeros follows close behind, holding on to the back of her belt in case something tries to drag her under. From the corpse rises a ghost who introduces himself as Otari Ilvashti, but before he can continue a Will o’ the Wisp and two Flickerwisps move to attack us. We manage to defeat them more easily than those we encountered in the shrine of Nhimbaloth, and settle down to talk with Otari’s ghost. Aside from some bitterness at being abandoned by the rest of the Roseguard when the floor collapsed beneath him during their last battle with Belcorra, he does seem quite touched that the village was named after him. He goes on to advise us that we need to defeat Belcorra’s ghost as he fears she’s planning some new atrocity that would draw in and destroy his soul even as she wreaked havoc across the region.
He confirms that certain items need to be placed on the stone in Nhimbaloth’s shrine to open the barrier. He names them as the Icons of the Roseguard: Otari’s Thives Tools; the Brooch of Aesephna Menhemes; the Spellbook of Zarmavdian; and the Sword of Vol Rajani. He also warns us that while Belcorra’s ghost is currently still anchored deep with the vaults, she is gaining power and may be able to break free. We head back to Otari (the village, not the ghost) and plan to try to gather the Icons of the Roseguard so we can continue deeper into the ruins.
