Review 04/18/2015 (The Impossible Tripod, Vael Turog and the Leviathan)

Our game begins in the Tomb of Koraz as we near the object of our search: the Book of Vael Turog. Protected from undead we enter a round chamber together and were greeted by a deep charismatic voice hailing us asking if we are among the living. Upon entering there was an immediate reaction by a black sphere upon an impossible tripod. After some tense moments we discovered the owner of the voice is Vael Turog, or at least his consciousness and personality in book form advising us to put the black sphere away in the glowing chest.  It was Elisa who commanded control of the sphere and put it away in the glowing box after experimenting on an undead shadow.

The book/Vael Turog was over joyed at his rescue and was very helpful in answering our queries and explaining some of his history. It was the book’s suggestion to investigate the well in the chamber and after sending Zoltan down to investigate, we lowered ourselves to a cave and a fresh water pool, some of us finding valuables, potions or as in Elisa’s case- a magical item. The twisting and turning tunnels lead us to a red-brown beach on the far side of the fallen titan- sans clerics, and were once silence ruled now was full of the clamor of undead troops marching upon us.

Vael Turog assured us as long as we read from his page 111 and the last page. Protected again with a protection from undead we patiently wait for the effects of the last spell to reveal itself. It was a deep magic spell and ancient summoning magic.

The shore recedes and waves boil as the Leviathan arrives destroying much of the docks. The great Leviathan, a creature that can traverse the void, measures some three miles long and featured typography as well as alien flora and creatures.

While the Leviathan was a welcome sight, we soon learn that it is set upon a predetermined course: due west into open waters gaining velocity along its path. Vael Turog wanted a means of escape, while many of us believe the gods are at work once again.

Learning what we can from Vael Turog as we make our way inland as we find that the book/Vael Turog can cast spells if it chooses and can supply one casting from the book once a day. It started as a blessed book, is ten pounds and comes with its own box. It is written in Deep Magic and is able to translate much of the text save for complex formulations and language of the void, space and time in to the trade tongue; containing also spells from the Illumination School.

After some time we encounter what seems to be in indigenous humanoids on the island the mongrel-men. These mongrels seem to take it upon themselves to defend or at least hold sacred a Grove and bayed us to eat the flesh of the swimming god. The flesh proved vile so we thanked them and skirted around the mongrel-grove. Along our path we were monitored by several mongrel-men, they seemed to pique Elisa’s interest.

After a few hours we began to ascend to the stone tower when the Leviathan dove into the light-less depths under the ocean. We began to notice the animal life and strange plant life before ultimately arriving to a thirty foot wide and twenty foot tall circular stone tower that was open to the sky as well as open to the flesh of the Leviathan. Odd furniture stood here and there providing a good lookout and place to rest, which was a good thing because we were attacked early that night my six ambitious mongrel-men.

They poised no challenge failing to surprise us but it did further Elisa’s curiosity. Over the next few days Orathian crafts a leather satchel for Elisa in which to carry Vael Turog and we begin to forage for food as not to rely too heavily on our rations. This leads us to a surprise encounter with a solitary mongrel-man leading us to ask the question: do we hunt the mongrels or not? We also gain an understating into the life and death cycle of the strange, intelligent and carnivorous moon flowers.

Orathian sends Zoltan to the air, to see what appears to be a clearing in the middle of their Grove where a large section of the Leviathan’s flesh is exposed as it is being cut and prepared in slashes and strips. That solidified it for Elisa who partook in the swimming god’s flesh.

Upon eating the flesh Elisa is somehow able to commune with the Leviathan who is happy and cheerful. Arnum experiences a vision of how Thor envisions the void and realizes the universe it bigger than he ever imagined.

Without the passage of day, it was impossible to know how many days had passed before the Leviathan came to a scaly wall that was the world serpent to eventually emerge from the ocean and finally into the vastness of the void and our second mythic tier.