Session 14 Recap (Days 06−07)

Observing that the mechanical/biological hybrid creature they're fighting appears to bolster itself before each attack, the party decides to retreat eastward into the southern tunnel. After an hour, they locate another node via one of the hexagonal rooms containing another silver inlaid pentagram circle, which Roondar determines to be one of containment rather than transport.

Accessing the central hallway of this node, the party finds another room with the transportation system's schema painted as a mural on the wall, which shows that the party is, as they suspected, now just one node east of the system's western terminal station. They climb the stairs beyond the room with the mural but find that they are completely blocked by a cave-in about 200 feet up. The party takes a long rest while they ponder their next move.

Returning to the western terminal via the windy northern tunnel, the party searches for a door hidden in the southern wall, which leads to a circular glowing rod room and a stairway leading up. The party follows this until the sharply angled tunnel of the stairway ends abruptly to be replaced by the night sky. They find themselves standing high above the ground in the ruins of another ancient city.

The sun, as dim as ever, still hangs directly overhead in one of its gibbous phases. To the west, a wide bay of calm water leads into a vast ocean. Behind them, the Typhon Mountains continue their impassable journey northeast. To the north they see a narrow desert valley wedged between these two colossal forces of nature that widens ever outward. Looking down into this valley they see a distant, weird structure--apparently constructed of metal rather than stone--nestled in the dunes about two miles away.

Far below, at the foot of the ruins in which they stand, the party spies several small creatures rummaging around in the ancient buildings. Roondar turns Carric invisible, who sneaks down to get a closer look. He sees a few dozen of these creatures, about 2 ½ feet tall, dressed in ratty, stitched-together robes and brass faceplates scavenging ancient remnants of metallic building materials from the ravaged city and placing them in little wooden carts stationed at the edge of the valley. The party considers their options: attempt to sneak past the creatures (a possibility made more difficult by the geography of the mountainous terrain on either side of them) or engage in conversation....