AD&D Session 84 - A-maze-ing Riddles
20th of Duscar, 835 PD
With caution prevailing over ambition, the party withdrew from the deeper civic district of Molaesmyr and chose a different route through the ruined city. Rather than returning directly to the library, they moved through districts of collapsed storefronts and gutted warehouses, hoping to locate the barracks they had previously noted on their approach.
The everburning flames had advanced significantly. Smoke and drifting embers now pressed close to the repaired bridge at the river crossing. The group judged that by the following day, their makeshift reinforcements would likely be consumed or rendered unstable. Nevertheless, they managed to navigate the broken streets without major incident and returned to their defensible resting spot beyond the densest flames, aware that their window for exploration was narrowing.
21st of Duscar, 835 PD
At first light, they retraced their path toward the city. The damage to their crossing was immediately apparent: the ropes they had rigged across the broken span had burned away during the night. Fortunately, the remaining gap was still small enough to clear with a careful jump, allowing them to re-enter the ruins without rebuilding the bridge under worsening conditions.
This time, their search bore fruit. In a neighbouring district, they located the long-sought barracks. The approach road had clearly served as an improvised triage zone during the city’s final days—makeshift stations, overturned furniture, and the remnants of hurried medical efforts lining the path.
After a methodical search, they uncovered what appeared to be the final written report of the local commander, addressed to the now-king of Uthodurn. The letter described the decision to abandon Molaesmyr as increasingly powerful and unknown creatures began to emerge within the city. It stated that key artefacts and vital materials had been secured beneath a place named Caes Mosor, where a guardian would remain to protect them.
Taking this as their next lead, the party followed the directions in the report to a marked stairwell leading down into what was described as a secured area. Whisper scouted ahead, as was by now routine, into what quickly proved to be no simple vault.
Below the surface lay a sprawling labyrinth of corridors and chambers, interspersed with barred grates and mechanisms that bore an almost theatrical quality. Riddles marked several junctions, as though whoever had designed the vault had layered its security not only with physical and arcane safeguards, but with tests of wit. The combination—ancient fortifications, wild-magic distortion from centuries of arcane fallout, and an explicitly mentioned guardian—made it clear that this descent would not be a straightforward retrieval.