We have no moral compass!

Session 22

The group is finally able to defeat the cave guardian skeletons. We check out the gravestones for names and dates. “Herein lie the ones who walk the path of pain and torment”. Maltheo remembers this phrase “path of pain” from conversations with someone named Stern. The Path of Pain is something he was running away from. However, when Kra’naelen reads it, it temporarily says his name. Then it disappears.

We open non-magical door into a hallway with scary frescos and drafts. One brazier isn’t lit; there are etchings on the stones at the end of the hallway before another door. We get Welter to read the runes on the floor to see what they are. They’re some sort of lightning trap; it hits Welter and Briya, but we don’t know what the effects are yet.

We discover a secret room behind an unlit brazier that contains a skeleton, a black velvet-lined box with four vials of some sort of sparkling red liquid, and decide to take a short rest here. It’s protected and Prophet uses identify on Briya, and the vials. First we discover that Briya and Welter have been Baned. The vials are 2d4+2 healing potions! But, after this much identifying, it’s been 20 minutes and Bane has faded. The last identify is for the amulet around the neck of the skeleton. It’s a rune of protection “keyed” to the trap in front of the door.

We use that knowledge to make it to a room with sarcophaguses and a ritual altar that has been used in some sort of ritual. There’s a bowl of blood that as approached, shoots out a wave of energy. We perceive that, as Welter dies, the blood bowl had a bit of an increase in activity, but it stays consistent after that.

The "High Arcanum" language is what’s in one of Welter’s notebooks. It’s a shorthand that high society magic users would use mostly within the Empire. We knock over the bowl of blood with a dispel magic, and it seems to have canceled its effect. There are a series of small bells there that Maltheo takes. We wrap up Welter and put his body into the bag of holding. Kra’naelen checks the bowl to see if he gets a vibe; it seems to be a long-ago placed enchantment that, had it drained enough vitality, something would have been conjured. (Worth 50 gp; Bowl in the bag)

We move into a room with a non-magical chandelier and statues. The door to the west is regular and we open it to find skeletons doing very scary blood magic stuff.

We're able to defeat the blood priest and minions. However, we find nothing but another prayer book. Maltheo realizes historically there’s a story about Xalicas (a Solar during the Calamity) who was wounded and “crashed” onto Exandria. Basically, an angel with clipped wings unable to get back. There are stories of her walking the world trying to heal and help as best they can. And pick up followers along the way.