Stonehell: Blacksun Curse

Session 59 was played on 1/23

Eiric, wizard 6 (Kat)
- men at arms (Koltic)
- linkmen (Lomax)
- Neon (dog)
A-A-Ron, Thief 6 (Henchman)
Daryll, Cleric 6 (Henchman)
Orpheus, Human Fighter 5 (Henchman)
Karl, Dwarf 6 (Julia)
- Hobart (dog)
- men at arms (Scar the Useless, GoMat)
Lex the Cheeseman, Fighter 3
Brie, wizard 2 (Apprentice to Eiric)
Borumar, ½ Orc Thief 5 (Josh)


Carefully the party makes its way into the chamber of the Black Sun. The large empty room dominated by a glossy black sun covering most of the north wall, and ceiling. Black rays shoot along the walls, and between them, figures carved into the wall cower from it. Finding nothing, the party continues through the opposite door. Everyone feels a wave of general unpleasantness as they pass through the doorway, but GoMat seems to startle at every little thing, and Lex has every hair on his body fall out.

The hallway is constructed almost exactly to the opposite one, and Karl and A-A-Ron disable the traps. The next room contains a pair of sunken washing stations. Once they figured out how to operate the lever without standing in the showers, they discovered the southern shower sprays water, while the northern one sprays sand. Karl decided to check both. Sticking his hand in the water, he felt the same sensation as when he passed from the Chamber of the Black Sun, and his vision blurred until it was clearly doubled. He then strips off his clothing and armor, and walks into the sand spray. It stings, but he feels more energized by it.

The party returns to the Chamber of the Black Sun, and then takes the southern door, again feeling the wave of discomfort as they pass through the doorway out of the room. Lex feels particularly unlucky, while Koltic begins to itch all over. Darryl is wracked by stomach cramps that keep him mostly bent double.

The next chamber has 2 sets of stairs going down, one in either corner. The steps to the east are slightly less dusty, and show more wear overall. In the corner of the room is an old dry body, covered with green fur. Long limbed, and humanoid it clutches a large jeweled box. They opt to leave the box for now, as it would be an awkward thing to carry. Taking the less used stairs, A-A-Ron goes first, and finds a trapped step right at the top. Everyone steps over it, and they continue down.

After a long descent, the stairs end, and the passage turns into a hallway. A-A-Ron and Karl note that there are odd spots in the ceiling, but aren’t sure what they are until Karl and Orpheus trigger the trap. At either end of the hallway, and just past the T-intersection, massive blocks drop, trapping them between the 3 of them. A small gap around the side of the blocks allows them to talk with the rest of the party, but A-A-Ron can’t figure a way to reset the stones… And a voice calls out from the branching hallway. Dry, old, and difficult to understand. It identifies itself as Zunbar, who thinks the party is a hallucination. Karl and Orphius use Karl’s tools to begin hacking away at the stone block dividing them from the rest of the party. During a break, Karl notices the stonework on the wall hides a secret door that opens into a long dark stairwell… Rather than head off on their own, they continue their demolition.

Many hours of loud work, which annoys Zunbar pass before they can make their escape. Meanwhile Zunbar has its own way of getting past the blocks. It slowly, painfully, and with a fantastic amount of blood and gore, pushes itself into the gap, slowly squeezing its way out. The party was long gone before the troll flopped its way out of the gap and regenerated.

The trip back to town is uneventful. Darryl uses his divine magics to remove the curses from the party, but the rituals take days… And while the party is away, an old evil is allowed to reenter Stonehell.

Gains: Reliquary
Kills:
Losses: