View source for Chapter 10: The Battle of the Cyphergate

[[Category: Second Darkness Campaign]]
[[Category:Second Darkness Sagas]]
[[Category:Pathfinder]]

==What Has Come Before==
The heroes ventured back into the tunnels beneath the Gold Goblin and defeated a small tribe of troglodytes as well as their mutant cricket pet. They are now planning to delve deeper into the caverns, seeking the dark elf that Saul claims to have been dealing with.

==The Adventure==
After clearing the trog lair, the heroes begin working their way through a treacherous set of switchbacks leading underneath Riddleport's Velashu River. They encounter two dretches, demonic creatures in service to the dark elf.  They managed to kill one of the creatures, but the other retreated down the twisting passageways, summoning another of its kind for help, and erecting ''stinking clouds'' to cover their retreat.

At the bottom of the switchbacks they discovered a large cavern illuminated by strange rocks that radiated a weird orange-purple light and dominated by a large pool filled with deep, black water. This self-same light seemed to dim the radiance of their own glowrods and light spells. As they explored the room they were attacked by three aquatic gricks which emerged from the pool. They defeated the creatures and made two discoveries. First, a passage way off of the cavern led to a small chamber containing a stone ledge containing a white fur blanket, a platinum-plated coffer, and a pair of finely-crafted boots. Clearly this was the lair of ... someone ... perhaps even the elf.  

The dwarf Tholyr dove into the pool, and made a second discovery: a passageway leading out that soon branched a "T" junction. In the murky water he found another threat: a hungry scrag!

The dirtside heroes continued their exploration of the sleeping quarters and overheard a female voice speaking in common with two creatures conversing in Abyssal. "Go find the intruders!" she said, "I must gather up my research, and leave this place."  The dretches entered the sleeping quarters, and were surprised by the heroes they found there.

An epic melee followed. The elven ranger Kwava pinned one of the dretches to the wall with an arrow, but the other fled into the drow's research chamber. The monk Jheru and the dwarf Jorm followed it, discovering a large cave filled with the huge, curving wall of the Cyphergate! The drow had apparently managed to extract a few samples from the gate -- a task previously thought to be impossible -- and was in the process of putting a few smaller chunks of these into a purse. Seeing the heroes she fired her hand crossbow, and began running up the Cyphergate using her ''slippers of spider climbing''. Much to her surprise the monk Jheru was able to follow her, and they traded blows as they raced up the arch. As they neared the ceiling, where a small passage way paralleled the gate to the surface, Jheru tackled the elf, knocking her from the gate. 

They drifted to the floor, the elf using her ''ring of feather falling'', the monk gracefully guiding his fall with a soft touch on the gate. At the floor the drow fought off the monk with the bayonets mounted on her hand crossbow, then raced back up the arch. Exhausted, this time the monk choose not to follow, instead joining Jorm in his fight with the surviving dretch.

Meanwhile in the adjoining room the scrag emerged from the black pool and began lashing out at the other heroes. After a brutal fight, in which Thoylr nearly died, the band was finally able to bring down the troll.

After the fight, Jheru climbed up the Cyphergate after the dark elf. At the surface he caught a glimpse of a ship making its way out of the harbor. In it's topmost crows nest, he caught sight of the elf, her white hair brilliant in the sunlight. She had escaped the city.

===The Journal===
Meanwhile, the adventurers examined the drow's workbench. They found several chunks of the gate, an adamantine drill, and a journal. The book was written in Undercommon and was clearly the dark elf '''[[Depora Azrinae]]'s''' journal. Some of the book seems to be a ledger of sorts that lists all of the money Saul had been funneling to her, along with several notes of what that money was spent on (mostly alchemical supplies, spell components, and exotic food to be shipped to to an unspecificied location).

These shipments were always made at night and by different ships. Most of the book seems to be a list of all of the strange and exotic weather effects and other unusual phenomena that have occurred in Riddleport over the past several months. All of these, including the Blot itself, are indicated in the journal as "strange and eldritch sideeffects from the charging of the glyphs on Devil’s Elbow," and that "It would do to further refine the glyphs to minimize such blatant displays lest the enemy receive further warning of the impending apocalypse than we wish to reveal." 

The journal goes on to theorize that as soon as the "glyphs are activated and the star is plucked," the strange side effects such as the shadow in the sky should vanish immediately. The last journal entry confirms that this is exactly what did happen when the sky metal fell.

==Treasure==
'''Depora's treasure'''
* A platinum coffer. The coffer has a strong lock (DC 25 Disable Device) and is itself worth 1,200 gp.
* 12 pp
* black onyx worth 100 gp
* a small bag of diamond dust worth 200 gp
* a small bottle of mundane glue
* brass perfume vial (worth 5 gp) that holds a strange-smelling, slightly unpleasant aroma.
* "Elven" Boots
* White Mink Fur Blanket (100 gp)
'''Troll Treasure'''
* Wax-sealed steel scroll case
** Arcane Scroll, Reduce person, mass {4th/7th} : 700gp
* Potion of Resist energy, acid {2nd/3rd} : 300gp
* Potion of Delay poison {2nd/3rd} : 300gp
* Feather token: anchor
** The token is finely-crafted from ornate silver. 
* 210 gold pieces

==Experience==
'''Active XP'''
* Jheru: 1300
* Skender: 1300
* Korlandril: 1300
* Tholyr: 1300	
* Jorm: 1300	
* Emeryon Star-seeker: 1300	

'''Passive XP'''
* Maturin: 700
* Phil: 700