Session 0017 - Redhearth

Roster

List of characters who's player was in attendance

Player characters who's player is attending the game start with 1 Hero Point, and can get more during the session.

Absent

List of characters who's player was absent

Player characters for missing players do not start the session with a hero point, and can not get any more during the session.

Session Log

After having explored two branches of the research facility from the circular room with the control panel, the group now decide to check out the hallway that had the line of blood on the floor.
They use the blue key to open the door and begin to move down the hallway cautiously. After getting about half-way they make some noise and seem to alert creatures up ahead. A very large figure appears in the steel doorway up ahead - a massive wolf that stands taller than anyone in the party. Its massive frame fills the doorway as it peers down at the party.
Instead of growling or making a threatening move, the massive wolf speaks to the party in the common tongue!
It says "Who are you? I have not seen any humans here for a very long time."
Confused by this, the party nudge Alicia to the front to do the talking. She moves up and greets the wolf, introducing herself and asking who she is talking to. The wolf replied "I am Rorsa."
Alicia notices that Rorsa is wearing a collar that has three small items dangling from it - a three-inch long metal rod that looks like the one they have, another three-inch long metal rod of tinted green metal and an green gem on it, and another slender rod she does not recognize. She also notices that the closed iron door to the right has an orange enamel socket next to the lock.
At this point she and Rorsa begin a conversation. Rorsa explains that she has been here for a long time and that all the humans in the place died a long time ago. There are a few other wolves with her, that Alicia spots peering through the archway and next to Rorsa. These are normal sized wolves, significantly smaller than Rorsa. They seem cautious but clearly deferring to the massive wolf.
Rorsa tells them that she is the only one that can speak. When the humans died something happened to her that made her more aware (interpreted as smarter by the party), and she found that she could speak the language the humans spoke to her. She has not had any use for it until the party showed up just now.
She is very interested as to what brought the party here, and she seems unaware about what happened on the surface above. Rorsa also has learned how to operate the keys with her mouth, which she demonstrates to Alicia.
The party is curious how they managed to survive down here and Rorsa tells them there is food and water available that has sustained them. Sarroxtíoð notices the blood smear on the hallway looks recent, like it could have been made in the last few days.
Alicia offers to help get the wolves out of the complex, which surprises Rorsa; "You can do that? You would be willing to help us?", to which she responds "Yes, I think so. We would be willing to do so if you can help us."
Rorsa is quick to respond "Maybe you can help free the others first?" She then goes on to explain that down one of the passages is a room with other wolves that are being kept in kennels but are guarded by a dangerous creature. She would like to free the other wolves, so if the party could remove the creature and help free the wolves Rorsa will lend them the green key to give them access.
Realizing they need more keys to further explore the complex, the party agree. Rorsa moves up to Alicia and allows her to remove the key from her collar. They agree that once the creature is defeated they will retrieve Rorsa to help calm the captive wolves when they are freed so they do not attack the party.
They also ask that if something happens to them would Rorsa be willing to use her blue key to let Failin leave the complex, and the wolf agrees.
It also occurs to the party that the other wolves must somehow be sustained in the kennels if they are still alive. Rorsa seems to be convinced they are still alive and that this creature is guarding them and will not let her near them.
The party ask Rorsa to show them which socket opens the path to the creature and the wolves it guards. She agrees and goes back with the party into the main circular room. Her big frame is difficult to avoid as she moves to the room and touches the panel with her nose to indicate which panel opens the right door - a green enamel socket facing the south west on the panel.
Looking around the chamber, Rorsa warns them of the door that opens to the north east. She says there is terrible fire on the other side. "Be careful. Very dangerous."
She then heads back to her pack and tells Failin to bang loudly on the wall to the hall if he needs her and she will open the door from the other side user her blue key.
When Rorsa leaves, Alicia places the green key in the socket the wolf indicated. After a minute of the room rotating a new door to the south west opens.
This leads to a passage sloping down along a 50-foot long hallway lit by a dim everlight lantern. It ends in an opening into a circular room that looks like the main room they entered in this complex.
Leaving Failin in the main circular room, the party walk down the hall and examine the room. It looks exactly like the main circular room with no visible exits other than the doorway they enter by. Another pedestal sits in the center of the room similar to the first one they found but with a different configuration.

This pedestal shows a blue socket corresponding to the archway they entered by in addition to a green, yellow and orange socket.
Everyone moves inside and Alicia puts the key in the green socket. As with the other room, this causes the archway to disappear and the room slowly rotates until a doorway opens on the opposite wall they entered.
It leads to a hallway that also slopes downwards for a distance of roughly 30-feet before turning to the south. The party form into their standard marching order and cautiously head down the hallway.
At the point where it turns south, the passage goes for about 25 feet before opening up into a larger chamber. From here they can see closed metal grated doors. On such a door directly ahead of them on the far wall in the room they spot a wolf that moves up to the door to peer at them.
They also notice a steel door to their left, on the east wall right after the bend in the hallway. This door has a green enamel socket next to the lock and handle.
Before they can decide what to do next they hear a strange noise and see an odd creature move into view from the room to the south. This creature has the shape of a wolf, but plates of black marble have been fused to its flesh. In addition to the stone armor that shields its flanks, its muzzle has been replaced by an elongated maw filled with row upon row of obsidian teeth.
Upon spotting the party it charges towards them. It moves quickly and rushes up to attack Sarroxtíoð. As it approaches the party a terrible odour exudes from it and makes everyone in the party ill. Only Ferdinand manages to resist the stench that overwhelms everyone else.
The creature bites at the barbarian and misses but slashes him with its claws.
A general melee starts as everyone in the party move to attack the creature. The odor has the debilitating effect of slowing those affected as they fight off nausea. Alicia and Sarroxtíoð manage to fight it off, but it persists with everyone else.
The beast is quickly surrounded by the two swashbucklers moving to flank it from the south side with Sarroxtíoð and Alicia to the north. Its body is very tough, clearly resisting damage from all the weapons used against it.
Its bite looks terrible, but it fails for the first few rounds of combat to connect. Instead, it rakes people with its claws hitting both Sarroxtíoð and Eriana.
The creature seems to ignore poison thrown from the volatile vials of Saferous, but fire has a particularly impressive effect when it gets critically hit by an ignition cantrip cast by Rocinante.
Saferous has better success later in combat throwing an acid vial at it, hitting squarely.
Eventually the creature is killed by the persistent fire and acid damage resulting from magic fire and the acid vial it was hit by. Before being destroyed it finally hits with its bite, delivering a particularly vicious wound on Sarroxtíoð. Both he and Eriana do not like the looks of the claws and bite and are worried about potential disease.
This beast is covered with festering wounds that attract flies. Looking at the body it looks like some freakish monstrosity composed of multiple creatures stitched together. It's strange maw has obsidian teel sewn into place to serve as teeth.
Alicia tries to treat wounds on Sarroxtíoð before the barbarian heads into the room to the south to search it. She has better luck patching up Eriana with the aid of magic.
In the kennel, Sarroxtíoð finds multiple cells with seven wolves locked up. They all appear healthy and clearly well fed despite their captivity. He also spots a pile of garbage in the south east corner of the room so he begins searching through it. He finds shredded clothing but in the pile recovers a three-inch long orange-tinted metal rod with an orange gem on the end. Perhaps this is another key? It is similar to the others but orange in color.
He also finds an old book, a signet ring with the familiar House Cannith symbol, and a small metal brooch with a red stone in the shape of a crescent moon. All of these items are taken and the party decide to head back to Rorsa to get her help in freeing the wolves.
Tracing their way back they meet up with Failin again then get Rorsa. They take her back with her and she helps to free the other wolves and ushers them back to the rest of her pack.
Afterwards, the party decide to rest up in the linen closet. They all head there, including Failin to patch themselves up and decide on where to go next.