quartz/content/Journal/Day066.md

2023-05-21

• ../Characters/Belorin Forechaser gives an inspiring speech
• ../Characters/Luka Votsk has dysentary
• ../Characters/Corrin Grosbeak leaves Shithead outside
• we go near the anthill and apply pheremones
• there are 13 entrances
  • most disturbed ground is at entrance 13
• we go through entrance 13 into a cave
• find loot from a different party
• find 2 mystery bottles from area 2 of ants and men
• scroll tube contains a map to the stone vault
• we have been traveling for about half an hour, but think we are close from the map
• arrive at a large constructed room with a stone staircase
• go down staircase and see a hall with crushed ant carcasses
• can't see the end of the hall
• Corrin tosses ball bearings, but nothing happens
• Corrin launches a torch to try to see what's at the other end of the hall
• Corrin does speak with animals on an ant which seems busy
• ant says "busy busy busy must attend to queen"
• we follow ant to queen's chamber
• 6 large soldier ants defend the queen
• worker ant is carrying message from ants guarding "monster" to the queen
• we convince soldiers that we are tending to eggs
• ../Characters/Belorin Forechaser drops egg and it cracks
• tell us we must go see the queen
• area 7 - constructed stone chamber has been commandeered by the queen
• there are 25 ants in this chamber
• queen says that ../Characters/Belorin Forechaser must be punished by guarding the monster
• soldiers export us to area 10 which supposedly contains the monster
• there are several worker ants in here
• ground appears disturbed, may be one of
  • Ankheg - insect but monster
  • Boulet - land shark
• Wrelen blows the horn of fog
• We make it 20 feet and the ground starts shaking
• We dash another 50 feet
• Explosion of rocks behind us
• Hear heavy footprints and a grinding of stone
  • it's a boulet that hunts based on tremors
  • strong and massive, but probably not agile
• ../Characters/Bayden vanquishes
• Fog begins to dissapate
• Ants spray all of us with pheremones

2023-06-01

• Ants watching the monster leave to do other things
• We grab 3 more eggs
• Belorin drops one but ../Characters/Bayden catches it
• Go back to the hallway
• Corrin runs across, sliding on ball bearings
• Corrin explores room and end of hallway
• double doors need an odd cup shaped key
• wrelen makes it across staying on smaller stones with rope tied
• anchor slack line for other to cross
• Bayden raises stone tile and we see many scarabs underneath
• Drops tile
• Luca comes over
• Bayden picks it up hard this time and it shatters against the wall
• Luca uses Zumordias's false life
• and uses it again
• remaining bugs divide into 3 groups
• Corrin pours a potion of potion on one and kills it
• Wrelen chill touches and barely does anything to another
• Bayden takes Corrin's torch and holds it on another group
• Belorin chill touches
• scarabs crawl all over Corrin and Luca
• Luca absorbs all of their life
• Skeleton underneath is holding a golden rod
• It fits in the strange lock on the double doors
• But releases a poison cloud
• Everyone holds their breath except Corrin who is poisoned
• Bayden has to revive
• door opens
• 50 ft long hallway that ends in a blank wall
• brick in the wall that doesn't have mortar
• behind is another keyhole
• looks like the scepter fits it also
• Belorin inserts the scepter and turns
• floor starts moving upwards
• everyone scrambles out
• underneath the corridor we see a vault
• brass or copper staff with diamond heads on both ends and runes
• Corrin picks up the staff
• it's surprisingly light and feels magical
• but is taking something from him
• feels draining to both Wrelen and Belorin also
• Bayden doesn't feel anything, takes the staff
• we make our way to the surface
• we think have about 15 days before the eggs hatch
• short rest
• go back to stoneheart bridge
• we pay 50G to ship giant ant eggs
• rest for the night