The Broken Moon Monastery

Broken Moon Monastery 

The Resting Moon Observatory

Broken Moon Necklace worn by Monks

Temple of Hades

Malta Session 50: Filfla, Gold Medallion, and Broken Moon Monastery

Filfla as seen from Dingli

Our characters arrive at Dingli in the early afternoon from Nogammon's grove; when in the outskirts of Dingli our characters begin to sense an uneasiness, like we are being watched. Our characters pass a horse farm on the left, and a wainwright on right. Names from both locations share the same name.

We get to a point where we see two individuals haggling over a wagon; it seems the ‘customer’ was looking for a reason to be interested in wagons. Jabari’s cloak quickly identifies the ‘customer’ as a tengu! After some brief conversation between ourselves, our characters do not trouble with dealing with tengu and pass by unceremoniously.

We get to Dingli and go to the Barn. Here we soon learn the Nomad merchant had recently passed through with a buying and selling from a wagon train that promoted amazing items from all over the world. As our characters make our way, many people seem surprised to see us.

We receive a message from Lermang giving his location and eventually catch up with him. Lermang is certain that there is someone spying on the ship; in fact Lermang gives Jabari the names of two individuals from the Bonded Mind to keep an eye on.

Marco retires to his room to find a few messages from Evagara: starting four days ago… notes that she is trying to find him. The last message, left two days ago, says she has a good lead and says she is going to Filfla to find her love. There were also other messages were also left for us from crew members reporting in.

The messages from Evagara seems suspicious so our characters all decide to fly over to Filfla along with Lermang.

Our approach is noticed by the Sky Knight and the Knight of Gates as we travel over the ocean to the small island. Filfla rises almost 50’ above sea level, its Cliffside covered with green vegetation. Indeed farms can be seen as well as tall buildings that prove to be weather observatories and while two others being lighthouses, one in obvious disuse. 

We fly down to the unused lighthouse, on the satellite rock of Filfla. When we arrive our characters find evidence of lighting strike damage but our characters were able to see into the structure. Our characters eventually enter the tower to find a well-equipped dead orc with an energy burn in its chest as well as other indicators of battle. All the gear he has bears the same Egyptian symbol of a far off family. The orc has been dead a few days.

Filfla

From the top of the lighthouse we travel down calling out to Evagara along the way. On the third floor our characters find a buckler shield, it too has the Egyptian symbol. The next level down we find more evidence of a battle as well as three other bodies. One of the cadavers looks troubling, a bled body with no facial features.

On the other side of the island Lete sees a ship anchored out to sea, the large ship bears the same Egyptian house symbol. Carlo jumps into the water using his cloak of the manta ray to investigate. About 15 minutes later Carlo reaches the ship and notices the ship sits heavy in the water and also has some netting under its hull- a tactic used for smuggling.

Carlo breaks from his stingray form and climbs up the anchor chain, surfaces to hear excited activity, and sees about a dozen row boats in the water. In each row boat are at least two restrained prisoners or more likely, slaves. The merchant family name is Imol.

Our characters spell up and teleport to the Egyptian galleon: the Gold Medallion. Tariush Imol owns the galleon and is one of our opponents. We surprise the crew and begin to cause general chaos. In in the midst of combat our characters hear these individuals on the Gold Medallion 'are taking prisoners and not slaves.' Carlo asks a random crew member about Evagara and the response given is that she is at the monastery.

Not long after our characters search the hold and the prisoner’s items. We find, tied up and drugged  men are from Dingli who claim to have been shanghaied. Below, Lete finds 5,000 gp of pirated trinkets among the legit goods in the cargo hold, while Lex browses the items stolen off the slaves.

Our characters decide to sail the Gold Medallion to Dingli and notify the Knights about the slaves both on and off the ship. The Knights assume control of the ship . Then our characters turn our attention back to Evagara and eventually teleport to the other lighthouse- the Broken Moon Monastery and encounter an old acquaintance- Stewart.

After our battle aboard the Gold Medallion characters find: Wand of 3rd level spell 5 CL; Wand of 4th level 7 CL; Wand of 1st level 1 CL; Wand of 2nd level 3 CL; Wand of 2nd level 3 CL; then...

Belt of Incredible Dex +2 (trade), Goggles of Night (Carlo), Ring of Blinking (Lex), Ring of Energy Resistance, Minor Cold (Lete), Metamagic Rod Minor (+1 spell adjustment), Eagle Cape (Lex). 

We pick up with at the Broken Moon Monastery.

Stewart 

Time to reconnect

Lex glanced down to see the final spasm of the Drider. Lete’s blow had partially crushed the creature’s chest cavity; it would be dead soon if it wasn’t already. Marco had already taken position standing toe to toe with the giant Drow. This creature was more than a match for anyone of his friends and he knew a team effort was needed for them to see victory this day. Lex’s best chance was to get in behind the large fiend unseen. The evil aura radiating from the dark elf was chilling. Clearly, this unholy champion had embraced a darkness rarely seen in the realm of men. The shadows seemed to bend to his will as if commanded by evil to combat the light. As Lex began to move into position a shadow crossed his path momentarily obscuring his vision, losing focus his movement took him closer to the intended target then he planned. By the time his attention returned to the giant it was too late. The large blade of the Drow’s scimitar slashed across Lex’s face and neck!

Lex jumped out of bed remembering the strike that had cleaved his head in two. The reoccurring visions of the end of his life had haunted him every night. Pain shot through his head and neck where the dark elf’s blade would have struck him. He struggled to breathe as a burning crept over his face and throat. He didn’t understand why he could still feel the pain from a wound his new body had never received.  The infliction always lingered well after his nightmares, sometimes ruining his breakfast. Looking for the blood he wiped his face and saw nothing. No blood, no calluses from years of swordplay, no scars from countless combats, nothing. His hands were new, like custom made gloves worn for the first time. The fit was perfect but they looked foreign to him. Like they belonged to someone else but somehow, he had control.  

He was more familiar with pieces of his equipment then he was his own body. He laid his hands upon his father’s breastplate. It had become his second skin ever since he left home. The familiarity of the mithril provided comfort and allowed the fear from the visions to pass. The armor was now his only remaining link to his family. Growing up everyone had always complimented that he looked like his father. He knew none of them would recognize him now. Even if he were to save them would his family even accept him? His once sun-bronzed skin had turned ashen grey almost void of color. His strong Greek features were gone replaced by the cloying darkness of the shadow plane. The lethal strike from the giant drow did more than end his life, it marked his soul. The darkness had clung to him beyond his death even though his reincarnation. Every shadow he cast was a little darker and lingered a little longer than it used to.

Still clutching his armor, he recalled his past life. It had been a lifetime ago since his father’s church sent him here. It was pure luck he wasn’t taken when the Egyptians raided his family home.  The Egyptians he paused a moment remembering the events of the previous day. He killed that Egyptian first mate in cold blood! He hated them for what they did to his family, but he had never murdered an unarmed man. He never would have done that…before. A shiver ran down his spine, did he enjoy the kill, would he seek to murder again, he paused? No, it was pure indifference, it was an obstacle to be overcome nothing more. The shadow seemed to have affected more than his appearance. The darkness that marked his soul had changed his perspective on right and wrong, good and evil. That explained why he had trouble reconciling certain memories. His perception of some past events was now askew. Twisted by this new morality, another gift from the darkness that was now integrated into his very being.  He would have to rely more on his friends for moral guidance in the days to come. Waving his hand, he stepped into the shadow plane “time to reconnect”.     

Malta Session 49: Lex's New Bod, Back to the Underdark Cave and Gargantuan Spiders

We begin this week’s session days after Lex’s reincarnation in Nogammon’s druid grove on the morning of the fifth day. It takes Lex a few days for him to acclimate to his new Fetchling form as well as memory recall as memories of his past and future (soul) experiences flood his consciousness. For Nogammon, the ceremony taxes the ancient centaur after his already exhausting restoring of his grove.

In that time our characters send out a few messages: Jabari notifies Lermang that all is well and that we will come to him in Dingli: Marco sends a message to Evagara much the same information- but with love. Lete finishes his hit-point downtime.

For Lex as he receives a collection of future and past memories as well as a realization that there is a group or individual working opposite our group. He has a clearer understanding of what the Age of Dragons is and that there are many ‘ages’; a future age, bronze age: as for the Age of Dragons, it is a short age in the relative history of mankind. Furthermore Lex’s restoration was in fact noticed by others more powerful.

After the five days our characters decide to return to Dingli (on communal mounts) and the cave where we encountered the drow for round two…

When we arrive to the cliff cave it is about mid-morning when our characters see 6 duergar exiting said cave, Jabari dismisses the horses when we are at about 100 yards from the cave opening before we close the distance. Then, as our characters approach, four more duergar emerge with a grey render in chains, each dwarf holding a chain attached to the underdark creature. After a short discussion to act, just as one of the duergar notices our characters, combat ensues.

After the battle that included pursuing the dwarves into the cave our characters eventually follow subtle, but noticed movement into a web choked chamber with three gargantuan mother spiders that were birthing all manner of hybrid spiders including a couple of undead spiders as well as manufacturing spider poison. This was likely the drow alchemist’s laboratory. Our character’s back track to the alchemist’s storage room after killing the mothering spiders to find it full of alchemist items prepped and ready for sale each with a symbol of the Davos merchant house from Hagar Qim.

We each get 4 anti-toxins, 4 tanglefoot bags plus a number of potions (each character choses one potion of each level, one of any ability score enhancement potion, fly potion, d4 lesser restoration potions, and 12 master work vial belts that hold 10 vials).

A short time later Jabari finds a couple of secret doors and soon discovers how to open it. It required a chess piece, but not an indication of the Archetics but someone equally powerful: the Artificer. The door leads to a under hall and many catwalks and scaffolding made from an array of strange metals. Nearby a 40' shaft descended to an iron wheel that's function escaped us at first; it seemed to be a remnant of the old Evening Isles. Carlo believes this is an ancient sewer that could reprocess nearly everything. We find writing and maps regarding the Isles and finally discover that Malta was once a part of Kriet Oppenshire. We suspect this wheel covered storage for these strange metals and that the drow are not aware of this underhall.

From here we intend to head back to Dingli to report our success of the giant drow and the underdark to surface highway to the Masters ofDingli.