Session 5 Report - The Hall of Moss

OOC DATE: 10th July 2026
IC DATE: 9th Jadewind 1500 AF
PLAYERS:

• CALTHAL (MALE ELF BARD)

• GNURL (MALE ORC RANGER)

• RATHAL (FEMALE ELF PRIEST)

The party set out from Fort Red Rock toward the Hall of Moss, an ancient crumbling stone building where a group of religious settlers were attempting to found a new community. They had heard that the settlers had recently come under attack from jungle creatures and were seeking help from anyone willing to assist them.

During the journey through the jungle, the party smelled bacon cooking nearby and followed the scent to a small clearing. There they found Aldred the Hermit, a ragged old man cooking strips of jungle pig outside a crude stone hut. He explained that he had once stowed away on a ship from Roheline, wanting to escape the constant bustle and greed of civilisation, and had settled in what he believed to be an old tomb. The party shared food with him and inspected the tomb, finding a simple sarcophagus inside. Despite several attempts by Calthal and Gnurl to pry it open, even with a crowbar, the stone lid would not move. The party eventually left the sarcophagus undisturbed and continued toward the Hall of Moss.

After another half-day of travel, the party reached the Hall of Moss. They found a crowd of peasants and settlers gathered around an elderly white-bearded priest named Einar Sigurdson. Einar explained that he followed Freya and hoped to create a settlement welcoming to people of all faiths. He did not consider himself the leader, only a spiritual guide, and said that the settlers were trying to work together according to their skills.

While Rathal and Calthal spoke with Einar, Gnurl heard an orcish voice nearby and went to investigate. He found an orc storyteller named Thrag, who was explaining the four kindreds of orcs to a group of settlers: common orcs, pig-orcs, iron orcs and savage orcs. Thrag described the pig-orcs as survivors of the Reign of Blue Fire who may have made a pact with a many-eyed wolf demon, while the iron orcs were said by some to have been bred by the Vampire King before conquering Kurush. Gnurl told Thrag the story of how his former companions died fighting pig-orcs, though he insisted he was not traumatised by it.

Meanwhile, Einar led the others inside the Hall of Moss. A group of peasants had just broken open a huge circular dwarven seal set into the floor. Calthal read the ancient dwarven inscription around it, learning that the dwarf lords had built a refuge against the coming apocalypse and the Reign of Fire. As soon as the seal was breached, a huge steam-hissing clockwork guardian burst out, killing one of the settlers instantly.

The party fought the ancient automaton. Gnurl climbed onto the roof and fired down through the creature’s exposed joints, damaging its mechanisms and causing black oil to leak from its leg. Calthal stabbed at its weak points with a spear, and Rathal finished it with a crossbow bolt through a gap in its breastplate. The machine collapsed, but began making a rising internal noise. Realising it might self-destruct, the party warned the settlers to flee. Moments later, it exploded, blasting apart part of the Hall of Moss.

With the automaton destroyed and the hidden stairway exposed, the party agreed to investigate the underground complex to determine whether the Hall of Moss was safe for settlement. Descending the spiral staircase, they entered vast ancient dwarven tunnels. Dwarven signs pointed toward the Gate District and the Habitation Area. The party chose the Habitation Area.

The tunnels opened into a vast underground city: streets, houses, workshops, public squares and dry fountains, all eerily intact but completely deserted. While searching the ruins, the party found a cracked emerald, a finely made dwarven crossbow with bolts, and other scattered remnants. They also saw small hovering metal discs attempting to burn away patches of strange green fungal growth. The discs responded to simple dwarven commands but did not understand more complex requests.

The party encountered the ghost of a dwarf, who revealed that the refuge had been built when blue fire fell from the sky. The dwarves gathered food and supplies underground, but some of the stores were contaminated by fungus. As the food supply failed, the dwarf lords began experimenting with something called the Black Vault, hoping it might provide a way out. Instead, horrifying amorphous things emerged from the vault and took everyone. The ghost vanished after remembering that it, too, had been caught by the creatures.

A second dwarven ghost directed the party deeper into the refuge, warning them that death and madness waited near the Black Vault. The party pressed on through the old market, where they fought off giant rats and recovered an ivory chalice. They found the Great Storehouse, opened it using an ancient key-card recovered from a dwarven skeleton, and explored vast shelves of ruined survival supplies, rotten food, tools, parts, and fungus-contaminated stock. A dwarven inventory log confirmed that the refuge’s food reserves had failed far faster than expected, leaving the population facing starvation despite surviving the apocalypse outside.

Following one of the hovering maintenance discs, the party reached the Engineering Stores. After finding a second key-card, they entered a huge industrial warehouse full of tools, gears, cables, construction materials and active mechanical spiders. The spiders seemed to be maintaining and moving supplies rather than attacking. Deeper inside, the party discovered a row of stasis coffins. Most were empty, but one still contained a frozen dwarf.

After pressing buttons on the stasis unit, the party revived the dwarf, who introduced himself as Alamdan Leadshield. He had been sealed in the unit by his master during the attack thousands of years earlier. Alamdan explained that the dwarf lords had found the Black Vault while digging the refuge, recognised it as evil, and originally sealed it. In desperation, they later began experimenting on it. He confirmed that the things that destroyed the refuge must have come from the Black Vault.

Alamdan helped the party search the Engineering Stores for a control bracelet linked to a large guardian automaton. They found one, and Calthal used it to command a second clockwork guardian to protect the party. Alamdan then guided them to the Deep Shelter, the innermost part of the refuge where the ruling clans, scholars and essential specialists had once taken shelter. He refused to go any closer to the Black Vault, but wished the party luck.

Inside the Deep Shelter, reality itself seemed warped. Streets twisted and flowed as though semi-liquid. The party suffered nausea and pressure inside their skulls. They saw faceless dwarves, dogs with dwarven faces, and a hostile undead shadow that tore itself free from a corpse. Rathal successfully turned the shadow, forcing it back to its corpse. The party pressed on through increasing numbers of ancient dwarven skeletons, all with skulls broken open.

At last, they reached a huge smooth black stone door covered in dwarven warnings not to enter the vault beyond. The door had no keyhole, but when Rathal spoke in Draconic, the stone rippled like liquid. By keeping someone speaking Draconic, the party could pass through.

Beyond the Black Vault was not another chamber, but a bleak alien realm under an unfamiliar sky. A dull red sun hung overhead, strange ruined castles stood in the distance, and a crowd of dwarves stared silently upward. One dwarf spoke only of “the red sun,” while something moved beneath the skin of his forehead. Moments later, a dwarf’s skull burst open and a giant purple centipede-like creature crawled out, leaving the corpse empty of brain matter.

The party fought briefly, using their automaton against the centipede. In the distance, they heard horns and saw brain-hounds with exposed brains and tentacled muzzles led by tall purple humanoids with exposed brains and tentacles where their mouths should have been. Realising they were badly outmatched, the party ordered the automaton to self-destruct once the creatures came close, then fled back through the portal.

Rathal passed through first, but time moved strangely. To her, Calthal and Gnurl were gone for ten to fifteen minutes, while to them only a few seconds passed. Gnurl tripped while fleeing the brain-hounds, and Calthal dragged him through the portal just before they were caught. As the portal solidified, it severed the reaching arm of one of the purple creatures.

Back in the refuge, the party decided that whatever lay beyond the Black Vault had to remain sealed. They found another control bracelet, assigned a second automaton to guard the vault, and ordered it to self-destruct if anything attempted to come through.

Returning to the surface, the party discovered that, from the settlers’ perspective, they had been gone for days. They warned Einar and Alamdan that the Hall of Moss was unsafe and should not be settled. Alamdan agreed that the refuge and vault had to be buried forever. Over the next few days, he helped the party place explosives throughout the underground complex, targeting the load-bearing structures. The refuge was then collapsed, burying the Black Vault beneath a vast mass of stone.

The settlers abandoned the Hall of Moss and set out to find a safer place to build their community, with Alamdan agreeing to help them using his engineering knowledge. The party returned to Fort Red Rock, sold their recovered treasure, completed downtime, and chose the Vale of God’s Tears as their next destination.

• Ragged old man living in a small stone tomb-hut in the jungle.

• Originally came from Roheline after stowing away on a ship.

• Wanted to escape the hectic, greedy bustle of civilisation.

• Cooks jungle pig over a campfire.

• Respects the dead and avoids disturbing the sarcophagus inside his hut.

• Shared food and conversation with the party.

• Elderly white-bearded priest of Freya.

• Originally from Valkonnen.

• Guided by visions from his goddess to the Hall of Moss.

• Hoped to found a settlement welcoming to people of all faiths.

• Saw himself as a guide rather than a ruler.

• Asked the party to investigate the underground refuge.

• Later agreed the Hall of Moss was too dangerous to settle.

• Orc storyteller and lorekeeper.

• Collects stories and knowledge to preserve them against future catastrophe.

• Explained the four kindreds of orcs:

  • Common orcs.

  • Pig-orcs.

  • Iron orcs.

  • Savage orcs.

• Heard Gnurl’s account of the pig-orc disaster.

• Began recording the events at the Hall of Moss as they unfolded.

• Mixed group of peasants and refugees attempting to found a new settlement.

• Had recently come under attack from jungle denizens.

• Broke open the ancient dwarven seal beneath the Hall of Moss.

• Several were killed or injured by the clockwork guardian.

• Eventually abandoned the site after learning of the danger below.

• Spirits of ancient dwarves trapped in the underground refuge.

• Remembered the Reign of Blue Fire, the failing food supplies, and the horrors from the Black Vault.

• Warned the party that the vault had claimed the refuge.

• Directed the party toward the Great Storehouse, Gate District and Black Vault.

• Ancient dwarven engineer preserved in a stasis unit for around 5,000 years.

• Was pushed into stasis by his master during the attack from the Black Vault.

• Explained the purpose of the refuge, the food crisis, the stasis units and the Black Vault.

• Helped the party find a control bracelet and command automaton.

• Refused to enter the Black Vault.

• Helped collapse the underground refuge after the party returned.

• Agreed to help the settlers establish a safer community elsewhere.

• Huge ancient dwarven automaton that burst from the sealed stair.

• Killed settlers before the party destroyed it.

• Self-destructed after being defeated, damaging the Hall of Moss.

• Larger humanoid dwarven machines controlled by bracelets.

• One was used by the party during the Black Vault expedition.

• A second was ordered to guard the Black Vault and self-destruct if anything tried to escape.

• Small hovering dwarven machines.

• Used torch-like arms to burn away fungal growth.

• Responded to basic dwarven commands.

• Seemed focused on maintenance rather than combat.

• Dwarven engineering automata found in the Engineering Stores.

• Moved around shelves and organised parts.

• One broken spider contained two rations in built-in packs.

• Active spiders did not attack the party.

• Tall purple humanoids encountered beyond the Black Vault.

• Had exposed brains and tentacles where mouths should be.

• Led packs of brain-hounds.

• Appeared to command or belong to the alien red-sun realm.

• Hound-like creatures with exposed brains and tentacled muzzles.

• Chased the party as they fled the red-sun realm.

• Nearly caught Gnurl before Calthal dragged him through the portal.

• Purple centipede-like creatures that burst from dwarven skulls.

• Left no brain matter inside their victims.

• One was crushed by the party’s automaton.

• Another was killed by a crossbow shot.

• Starting and ending point for the session.

• The party returned here after the Hall of Moss expedition.

• Downtime was resolved here.

• Small stone tomb used as a home by Aldred the Hermit.

• Contains a bedroll, meagre possessions and a heavy stone sarcophagus.

• The sarcophagus could not be opened despite several attempts.

• Ancient crumbling stone structure being converted into a settlement.

• Site chosen by Einar Sigurdson and his followers.

• Built over a hidden ancient dwarven refuge.

• Damaged by the exploding clockwork guardian.

• Ultimately abandoned as a settlement site.

• Central chamber beneath the Hall of Moss.

• Contained a circular dwarven seal set into the floor.

• Inscription described a refuge built against the coming apocalypse.

• Breaching the seal released the clockwork guardian.

• Vast underground complex beneath the Hall of Moss.

• Built around 5,000 years ago to survive the Reign of Blue Fire.

• Contained tunnels, districts, homes, markets, storehouses, engineering works and deep shelters.

• Destroyed when Alamdan Leadshield collapsed the structure to bury the Black Vault.

• Underground dwarven city district.

• Contained houses, streets, workshops, squares and dry fountains.

• Eerily intact but deserted.

• Haunted by dwarven ghosts.

• Contained scattered treasure and supplies.

• Large open market area within the refuge.

• Filled with abandoned stalls, rotten goods, threadbare clothing and ancient wares.

• The party found an ivory chalice here.

• Giant rats emerged from the ruined market goods.

• Colossal warehouse full of survival supplies.

• Contained food, blankets, tools, parts, torches and other stores.

• Much of the food had rotted or been contaminated by fungus.

• Required a dwarven key-card to enter.

• Secure industrial warehouse full of tools, gears, cables, crystals, metal parts and automata.

• Contained mechanical spiders, stasis units and command bracelets.

• Where Alamdan Leadshield was found and revived.

• Innermost shelter of the dwarven refuge.

• Reserved for ruling clans, scholars and essential specialists.

• Reality was distorted here by proximity to the Black Vault.

• Contained faceless figures, warped creatures, undead shadows and many dwarven skeletons with broken skulls.

• Ancient evil structure discovered when the dwarves first dug the refuge.

• Originally sealed by order of the dwarf lords.

• Later experimented on during the food crisis.

• Opened into an alien red-sun realm.

• Ultimately buried beneath the collapsed refuge.

• Alien landscape beyond the Black Vault.

• Had grey ground, unfamiliar stars, a dull red sun and distant ruined castles.

• Contained entranced dwarves, brain-centipedes, brain-hounds and purple tentacled humanoids.

• Time passed strangely there compared with the refuge.

• Jungle vale where a divine visitation is said to have occurred.

• Chosen as the next destination.

• Small cracked emerald:

  • Worth 60 gp.

• Fine dwarven crossbow:

  • Same game statistics as a normal crossbow.

  • Better craftsmanship and ornamentation.

• 40 crossbow bolts.

• Ivory chalice:

  • Worth approximately 20 gp.

  • Takes 1 inventory slot.

• Four torches recovered from the Great Storehouse.

• Two rations recovered from a broken mechanical spider.

• Pair of dwarf-forged shortswords:

  • Worth 40 gp total.

• Dagger:

  • Worth 1 gp.

• Obsidian statue of a dwarven ancestor:

  • Worth 15 gp.

• 100 gp reward scraped together by the Hall of Moss settlers.

• Total treasure pool after sales and reward: 332 gp.

• Final split: 111 gp each.

• Rathal donated 30 gp of her share back to the displaced settlers.

• Gnurl received 20 arrows from the group instead of selling them.

• No additional control bracelets were recovered for permanent use.

• The party helped Alamdan Leadshield collapse the refuge and bury the Black Vault.

• The Hall of Moss settlers abandoned the site and set out to find a new settlement location.

• Alamdan agreed to help the settlers with his ancient engineering knowledge.

• The party travelled back to Fort Red Rock, taking about one day.

• Recovered valuables and the settlers’ reward were pooled.

• After sales and calculations, the party split 332 gp three ways.

• Each character received 111 gp.

• Rathal gave 30 gp of her cut back to the displaced settlers.

• Rathal spent 50 gp on spiritual activity.

• Chose to gain favour with her local church.

• Succeeded on the Wisdom check.

• Renown increased by 1.

• Calthal and Gnurl caroused together.

• They spent 100 gp between them.

• The spending gave +1 on the carousing table.

• Calthal’s bardic presence gave an additional +1.

• Both rolled with +2 total.

• Gained 4 XP from carousing.

• Rolled a strong benefit.

• During drunken debauchery, he ended up praying at a blessed tomb.

• Gained Wraith Sight:

  • Can see invisible and hidden creatures.

• Gained 3 XP from carousing.

• Initially rolled a friendly raven benefit but spent luck to reroll.

• Final result: saved a mage’s pet.

• The grateful mage will identify one magic item for Gnurl in the future.

• Each character gained 5 XP from the adventure.

• Calthal gained an additional 4 XP from carousing.

• Gnurl gained an additional 3 XP from carousing.

• Rathal did not gain carousing XP because she chose spiritual downtime instead.

• At least one character reached level 2.

• A levelled priest gained an additional level 1 spell.

• The group agreed that XP carries over after levelling.

• A character can still only gain one level per session.

• What exactly is the Black Vault?

• Who built or discovered the Black Vault before the dwarves found it?

• What are the purple brain-creatures beyond the vault?

• Are the brain-creatures able to escape through other portals?

• Did the second automaton successfully prevent anything coming through?

• Was collapsing the refuge enough to contain the Black Vault permanently?

• What caused time to pass differently beyond the vault?

• Why did Draconic speech open the Black Vault?

• What is the connection between the Black Vault and dragons or ancient draconic magic?

• Were the dwarves right that the vault was evil, or was it something stranger?

• What happened to the dwarf lords who experimented on it?

• Could any other stasis units still contain survivors?

• What will Alamdan Leadshield do in the modern world?

• Where will Einar Sigurdson and the displaced settlers found their new home?

• Will Thrag spread the story of Gnurl, Calthal and Rathal’s expedition?

• What was inside Aldred the Hermit’s sarcophagus?

• Was the green fungus merely mundane contamination or something connected to the vault?

• Are there other ancient dwarven refuges beneath Xerkassa?

• What divine event occurred at the Vale of God’s Tears?

• The Vale of God’s Tears

• Hall of Moss investigated.

• Ancient dwarven refuge discovered.

• Clockwork guardian destroyed.

• Underground city explored.

• Black Vault located.

• Alien red-sun realm briefly entered.

• Party escaped the brain-creatures.

• Black Vault sealed behind a collapsed refuge.

• Hall of Moss settlement abandoned.

• Alamdan Leadshield rescued.

• Treasure sold and split.

• Downtime completed.

• Calthal gained Wraith Sight.

• Gnurl gained a future magic item identification favour.

• Rathal gained +1 renown through spiritual activity.

• Travel to the Vale of God’s Tears.

• Investigate the site of the reputed divine visitation.

• Determine whether the Vale is holy, dangerous, corrupted or contested.

• Watch for pig-orc activity, as the route lies near hostile territory.

• Continue gathering treasure, lore and stories from the jungle.