Live streamed and uploaded every week on YouTube. Join us live on Sundays around 8pm Pacific/11pm Eastern!
Original character art by Jimmy McClure
Music by Kevin MacLeod.
Chat with us in the Official Discord Server.
Support the channel via Patreon!
Keys from the Golden Vault Session 50
Starring
Chéri Powder, level 9 human Illusionist WizardElowen Fernwhisper, level 9 wood elf Circle of the Moon Druid
Stayzie Diamondz, level 9 orc Champion Fighter
Taveen, level 9 aasimar Warrior of Mercy Monk
Varrow, level 9 gnome Thief Rogue/Gloomstalker Ranger
With directions to a more permanent Shadow Crossing, the party returns to the Neverdeath Cemetery (though they bring up a good point — why is there a graveyard in a city of undead!?).
They realize they’re being followed, and when Chéri pulls out a torch, an imposing, red-eyed figure leaps down from a nearby wall (B1.).
The vampire spawn had tracked them from the market. He smelled meat, but they look undead (Chéri’s Seeming spell). He asks a few pointed question, but the party basically dismissed him, and he sullenly leaves with his group (or does he?).
The party creep into the tomb marked Dolindar, finding a darks spiral staircase. Chéri uses a spell scroll of glyph of warding to put an alarm on the door, in case those guys try to come after them again.
(This mission is taken from Chapter 1 of Vecna: Eve of Ruin. The alternate dungeon map is from Tessa Presents 56 Maps for Vecna: Eve of Ruin.)
Shop for tabletop games, CCGs, miniatures, RPG supplies and more at our sponsor!
Varrow is first down the stairs and into the underground hallway, followed by Stayzie (B2). The walls are lined with stone slabs representing past Dolindars, though one is blank with a written note, and lies slightly ajar.
A screaming voice screams for them to GO AWAY, and Stayzie stops in her tracks.
While the others gingerly creep down (an injured Taveen being carried by Chonk, Chéri’s new pet ogre zombie!), Varrow peeks near the open slab, seeing the written name as ‘Newmy.’
A ghostly elf flies out, staff in hand!
Except it’s not a staff, it’s a broom. The short elf apologies for the warning, and introduces herself as Newmy. It’s easier to scare people away, as they make messes, though one one has been in here for a long time.
With a brief chat, she reveals that the Dolindars haven’t been resting well lately, and she fears going deeper into the tomb. She remarks how they were a sad, lonely, bitter folk, who longed to return home, but never could.
The party opens the eastern door, and enters a chamber with three more doors (B5). The door to the east doesn’t have any way of opening, and is engraved with the message: DOLINDARS, NO WORLD TO RETURN.
Upon closer inspection, each letter is on a separate, raised tile. Some kind of coded puzzle!
With no clues in sight, they check out the north room first. Stayzie waltzes in, notes the two open coffins, and asks around. She finds a horrifying misshapen humanoid with too many arms that end in pointed spikes.
The lost sorrowsworn has been bitterly transformed into a monster, and attacks. Stayzie avoids its grappling embrace, and the party rushes forward, swiftly dispatching it within a single round.
At the same time, a second sorrowsworn vaults up out of the second coffin and also attacks. But it’s almost an exact repeat, as it misses with the embrace, and the party puts it down before it gets a second round. Stayze and Taveen both enjoy several critical hits.
The nameplates identify the Dolindar siblings, Nolan and Evisha. The walls reveal scratches that form crude words: ‘HOME’ ‘NEVER’ ‘ALONE’ ‘LEAVE’, etc.
They try the southern room next, finding a small vault with several treasures resting on pedestals (B4). This definitely smells like a trap!
But Varrow inspects the pedestals, and uses his wand of detect magic, clearing the room of any danger. The rogue is convinced these items have something to do with the puzzle as he carefully inspects each one.
Stayzie simply puts on the magic necklace, though she’ll need to attune to it to gain any potential benefits.
The party suddenly hears Chéri magical alarm going off from upstairs!
Varrow shuts the door back to the hallway and places his immovable rod to block the opening. They call for Newmy and she materializes through the door, saying she heard the alarm as well, though no one has come down yet.
With a greater sense of urgency, Chéri inspects the door puzzle and enters the name ‘NOLAN,’ discovering that each letter also presses in the full word.
‘NOLAN’ actually fits, and the DM considers allowing it. But they also destroyed the lost sorrowsworn a little too easily. Instead, the door resets, and waves of despair and loneliness wash over them for 20 psychic damage, though Stayzie and Varrow make the nasty DC 16 CHA save.
Stayzie remembers the words back in the sibling room, and quickly presses ‘ALONE,’ just as the door behind them begins to rattle and shake.
The puzzle door clicks open, revealing another chamber. This one is filled with sharp metal blades. A coffin lies on the far side, though which violet light is seen spilling out.
Eldon cries out that it’s a Shadow Crossing!
But on top is another nasty sorrowsworn, the matriarch of the Dolindars, and she isn’t happy!
Live post-session discussion:
Next session: Out of the Shadowfell!
Live streamed and uploaded every week on YouTube. Join us live on Sunday around 8pm Pacific/11pm Eastern!
Support my channel via Patreon!
Shop for tabletop games, CCGs, miniatures, RPG supplies and more at our sponsor!
