The Old Lands - Session 19 - 9/22/2025
Hot Cross Buns & The Singing Pumps
Location: The Ruins of Canip / Delverhm
The Descent into Delverhm
The party began their spelunking journey down from Canip into the sunken city of Delverhm. Once a pinnacle of dwarven and gnomish science dedicated to studying the soul, the city has become a rusted, brine-soaked ruin.
As they descended, the environment grew hostile. The air smelled of rust and the underground ocean draining into the city. Veins of Void Glass—meteorite-like ore pulsing with faint blue light—lined the walls. Ghostly ripples appeared in stagnant water puddles, echoing the thousands of souls trapped within the city’s machinery.
Basil made a grim discovery early on: the crushed gear of his former party members, Himbo and Grampuff, confirming they had fallen to the city's ruler, Thaddeus Revile.
The Singing Pumps
To progress deeper, the party encountered "The Singing Pumps," a massive, organ-like machinery system used to distribute steam and energy throughout the city.
The Puzzle: Basil identified that the machinery required musical input to function.
The Performance: Tim Patty, utilizing his bardic talents (and a massive Performance roll of 29), deciphered the rhythm needed to align the pipes.
The Song: In a moment of high-stakes tension, Tim played "Hot Cross Buns" to activate the mechanism.
The Result: The song successfully aligned the tubes, frying a swarm of Flying Horrors in steam and opening a path forward.
The Mirror Room Ambush
The party took the newly opened "water slide" pipe down into a flooded grotto filled with mirrors reflecting fragmented memories and lies. Here, they were ambushed by Thaddeus's security: an Android and a Fellforged.
Combat Highlights:
Basil unleashed a Lightning Bolt transmuted into Acid, melting through the constructs.
Oberyn, enhanced by a Potion of Cloud Giant Strength, performed a legendary cannonball maneuver to enter the fray, crushing the Fellforged.
Grim utilized his Hunter’s Mark and sneak attacks to dismantle the Android.
Stevia utilized Warding Wind to protect the group from gas vents filling the room.
Tim Patty cast Slow on the Fellforged, severely hampering its ability to fight back.
The Escape & The Reveal
With the security systems alerted and chanting "God tubers blights remove," the party was forced to flee. They sprinted through confusing transit tunnels, pursued by endless waves of Modrons.
In a final act of denial, Tim Patty used Thaumaturgy to collapse the tunnel behind them, taking damage from the falling debris but successfully sealing off their pursuers.
After navigating a treacherous Void Glass chasm, the group arrived at a half-flooded amphitheater. A projector sparked to life, revealing Thaddeus Revile—a gaunt, cybernetically enhanced figure. He taunted the party, calling them "walking lies of the Source" and specifically mocking Basil before the transmission cut, leaving the party in the dark near the prison of Ebrietas.
Notable Loot & Items
Void Glass Pebble: Picked up by Stevia.
Himbo’s Gauntlet: Found by Basil (Lore Item).
Quote of the Night
"Why are you hitting yourself?" — The DM, after Tim Patty collapsed the tunnel on his own head to save the party.
