AD&D Session 21 - The Dilemmas of the Deep
28th of Brussendar 835 PD
Serra and her companions navigated a series of cryptic encounters beneath Rexxentrum. The day continued with the party carefully negotiating the presence of an automaton in a secluded chamber. Employing a combination of caution and ingenuity, Rico used a rope and bolt to retrieve a body from the room, revealing it to belong to one of Koro’s associates who had possession of the recently stolen artifact. Despite the initial apprehension, the automaton proved to be non-functional, a relic rather than a threat, allowing the group to explore the room further.
The room's inspection revealed its intricacies, suggesting the creation of the automaton required significant craftsmanship and equipment, which this room clearly didn't have. After a thorough investigation, the party moved on, encountering a shrine dedicated to Bane, which notably lacked any sign of the missing children the group was desperately seeking. Their journey continued, looping back past familiar dangers including a gelatinous cube, to discover a distillery room scattered with the remnants of a violent skirmish. Among the debris, Rico unearthed a blueprint for a crossbow mechanism, and Koro found a letter that hinted at the owner's cautious cooperation with local authorities or other nearby organisations, possibly concerning the safeguarding of children within nearby prison cells.
The session's climax unfolded as the party pieced together clues from the letter and a cryptic interaction with a shadowy figure from the previous night, leading to a somber realization that their quest to rescue the children might be in vain. Overwhelmed and disheartened, especially Serra, who had been grappling with her alignment with the party's methods and goals, decided to part ways with the group. Her departure marked a poignant turn in the campaign, driven by a deep-seated conflict between her personal ethics and the group’s actions.
As the group emerged from the sewers, the narrative painted a vivid picture of the conflicts and moral dilemmas that adventurers in Wildemount must navigate, leaving the remaining members to reflect on their next moves without Serra's guiding moral compass.