Nellu Valley

When they arrive at the valley the next morning it is quite clear no people have lived here for a long time. There once was a road next to the stream but now it is all but gone. Nature has had a free reign and trees and bushes grow haphazardly. Animals are quite abundant and hardly afraid of the party on their horses. During the short trip down the valley, they spot jackals, wolves, even boars, which are quite rare in the rest of the country.

After a short time, they reach the village of Adleren, or what’s left of it. Time has destroyed most buildings to their foundations, only some of the larger and more important buildings like the inn, the school, and the church are still around, if in ruined form. From the village a path leads to the rock wall that makes up the western edge of the valley. Fresh horse dung shows that someone used the path recently so our friends decide to check it out.

The path ends at the entrance of what was probably a mine of some sort. From what they can tell, a long time ago a large number of large rocks were dropped down to close of the entrance. The recent earthquake shook these rocks loose and someone used their horse to pull the last few rocks away.

Speaking of said horse; it is laying on the ground, huge chunks of it have been taken out by something with a large mouth, many claw marks are also visible on the poor creature. It was, and still is, tied to a rock, leaving it with nowhere to go when attacked, the rope is quite frayed but did not break. The saddle and saddlebags are on the ground, they were taken off before the attack.

Boldrek searches the saddlebags and finds some mundane items like a bedroll, clothes, etc. But also in there is an ornate and very interesting looking lantern.

A large, heavy metal door once closed the mine but it is all twisted now and easy to bypass. Inside are some signs that this used to be a coal mine at some point; there are a few minecarts, a few tracks still in the floor, and a number of mining picks and coal dust.

But clearly the place was adapted to serve a different purpose; new, straight floors were laid, continual flames attached to the ceiling light everything up. Signs were placed, the first one reads, in archaic common: “Restricted Area, no admittance. Ott Special Research Division.” This is preceded by a symbol of a red hand and followed by a symbol of a lightning bolt in front of a pentagram. Things seems to be in a reasonable state even after the recent earthquake, though the place looks ancient.

Beyond is another sign: “Visitors report to the duty sergeant.” The desk beyond is unmanned but a very old security log lays on it, time has nearly destroyed but maybe a page could still be rescued. Izzy manages to retrieve a page and while it shows nothing very interesting, just a log of supplies and people arriving, the dates are quite remarkable; about eight hundred years ago.

A door with a sign saying “Level 1” leads to a large space where a wagon stands, laden with barrels, two lay on the floor. They are filled with mead that has definitely gone off. A note must once have lain there as leaking mead has transferred some words to the wood: “Any tampering with the content will have you reassigned to the western border.”

A corridor leads on with a door to a break-room halfway down; everything is covered in dust and the little food that was there has turned to mold and the mold has then turned into something unidentifiable. Around the corner of the corridor there is a whole lot of blood and two dead bodies; they look like soldiers but their grey-yellow uniforms don’t look familiar, the Ott these days wears something completely different. Just like the horse there are claw marks all over them and huge chunks taken out of them.

More stairs and a new sign: “Level 2”. This leads to a huge cavern where mining has created a pit tens of meters across and almost as many meters deep. A ramp runs along the inner edge to the bottom but a set of switch backing stairs have been built for quicker access.

Down on the floor our friends see two soldiers in the same uniform as before being attacked by a strange creature. It is a tall and thin humanoid creature with elongated limbs and a slimy skin. It seems to be able to walk on both two and four feet, claws on all of them. Its head appears to lack facial features until it unfurls the flesh like a flower to reveal "petals" lined with many sharp teeth, and a large open mouth. The soldiers stand no chance and then the creature looks up before it lopes off down the only corridor.

In front of the corridor downstairs is another sign: “Level 3”. There is a door to the left that leads to a security station. Inside are some desks, lockers, chests, and a row of crystal balls, all broken.

Drei

Suddenly a voice of what sounds to be an old female gnome talks in all four heads. “You, why are you here? No matter, you are here, you can help. We need to close the gate to the Shadow Place before it takes over this world.” Her common is quite archaic.

No one ever asks her her name, if they had she would have told them that she is called Drei. “There is a gate deeper inside this complex to another dimension, I can guide you there and show you how to close it.” She explains that she is also inside the complex but the earthquake caused a cave-in that has trapped her on the other side of where the party is. She tried to remove the rocks but they are too large and too many.

When the soldiers are mentioned she tells them that since the earthquake some soldiers have woken up and are now roaming the complex looking for enemies. She has tried to talk to them but it seems the long sleep has not been good for their minds. She isn’t sure if the soldiers were left behind on purpose. Interestingly the party don’t ask her about Rudi, at all.

The party asks her how long she has been here and she tells them she doesn't know exactly, she sort of lost track of time. "Give your best guess", Zayn tells her and she is only about sixty years off. The party has more questions; what is so dangerous about this Shadow Place, etc. She does her best to answer them. When asked about Rudi she tells them that a boy from outside was taken to the Shadow Place by the Verschlinger.

Our friends search the room and find that the lockers and chests are mostly empty, a few ancient leather armors and short swords remain, none in good condition. There’s a letter inside one of the desks that miraculously survived the onslaught of time. Someone named Nella wrote to Euger that she has been here only a month but is already so sick of this assignment, having to spend day and night underground. She misses Euger and the kids and hopes that she will be able to visit soon.

A painted sign next to the door holds instructions:

HOSTILE PRESENCE PROTOCOL

• Sound alarm
• Lock down all exits
• Lock down gate room
• Ensure you are armed
• Observe fellow soldiers
• Kill any hostiles on sight
• Ensure hostiles are fully deceased
• Collect remains for examination
• Reconvene in war room
• Await further instructions

Following the corridor there are more stairs down and a sign: “Level 4”. Sounds of talking, in archaic common, can be heard, “we need to find the intruders”. Izzy tries a stealthy approach but fails quite badly. Combat breaks out and the three enemy soldiers prove to be quite tough. But in the end the party prevails.

They find a kitchen and beyond it a mess hall. There is not much of interest here, whatever was left has fallen to the ravages of time. From there they go to another room and find a map on the wall. It is of the immediate area, showing Adleren and the valley, certain places have been marked. Suprisingly, Boldrek comes up with a theory about the differently colored markers.

The next corridor has an open doorway to a nicely appointed office with a large desk and some cabinets. On a side table sits a silvered tray with crystal glasses and decanter containing an amber liquid. The dwarves immediately test the liquid and conclude that it is peach brandy, Boldrek takes it with him. The papers in the cabinets have all turned to almost dust. The desk drawers hold a box of what was once tobacco and a piece of vellum that can still be read:

TOP SECRET

From: Ott Special Research Division, High Command

To: Colonel Brenner

Order: Assume command of Project Keyhole, immediate relocation to test site designated RB7.

Period: Indefinite

Mandate: Resume suspended research previously assigned to Lieutenant Colonel Teulieb. Utilize any subject to continue cross-planar communication tests, mapping, and study of exposed organisms. Use any equipment and methods to reactivate the Shadow Gate.

At the end of the corridor is a door and then more stairs and at the bottom a sign: “Level 5”. There is only one way to go from here, to a small room with lead lined walls. The closest door stands open, slid into the wall but the further door is closed. A transparent yellow-green chrysoberyl gem is set into the side wall. Drei tells them that she has seen people cast a spell into it to activate the room.

When done so the open door slides shut and the room fills up with a yellowish gas that slowly fades away. Fart jokes are made. Then the door leading on slides open. Beyond it is a small lab area but it is almost completely empty, just a few pieces of equipment remain.

The next lab holds some soldiers as they can be heard talking. A tactic is devised and the party breaks a beaker to lure the soldiers over to the small lab. This works pretty well but then one of the soldiers uses a burning hands like attack, damaging everyone and then later repeating this trick before succumbing to the party.

Considering the damage they took the party wants to rest for an hour but first they check out what’s in the lab; there’s quite a few things there. On a table there is a large metal tray with on it some kind of black-brownish biological matter that hasn’t completely rotted away, it looks quite nasty. A report lays next to it but Izzy can't save a page of it this time.

There are a number of beds in the middle of the lab, all covered with a transparent concave cover. In the beds lay the remains of human adults, still recognizable as such, so much better preserved than most things here. At the far wall there are two large tanks filled with a dirty yellow-brownish liquid, suspended inside are two strange organisms. One looks like a large tendril, the other like a large brain or shriveled potato.

Our friends use some of the lab equipment to build a defensive wall before resting. After an hour they continue on, coming to another lab. This one has seen much more destruction. There are hoses lying around, a large metal construction with broken glass stands at the end of the room. Drei tells them to search the cabinets for fuel for the device that opens the gate further if they want to go and rescue Rudi. Inside one of the cabinets there are many destroyed vials but also a single large vial filled with a glowing green liquid.

A doorway leads to a short corridor and it looks like this part of the complex was really damaged by the earthquake. A large metal door and the stone frame around it have come down, opening a path into the room beyond. Inside are a large number of wooden ‘pods’. They are all damaged and open, Drei explains that this is where the soldiers were sleeping. At the end of the room is another metal door but this one is intact and there doesn’t seem to be a way to open it.

The other end of the short corridor leads to a small room with stairs down. Unfortunately the party wasn’t particularly silent so the two soldiers at the bottom of the stairs heard them, turning around to see Odrik walking up. However, they are no match for the fury of four adventurers.

At the lower lever of the room is another sign: “Level 6”. There is a doorway straight ahead but next to the stairs is another doorway with a sign next to it:

PROJECT KEYHOLE

SUBJECT 3 – EMERGENCY PROTOCOL

If Subject 3 escapes confinement/operates outside of orders:

• Do not approach unless authorized.
• Do not release the Subject from confinement.
• Sound the alarm if the Subject is missing.
• If you must engage with Subject 3, maintain distance and remember your mantra for mental defense.
• Report any objects missing or moved without explanation.

Cells

Beyond the doorway is an area with a number of cells on either side and a dead soldier on the floor. At the end is a desk and a cabinet. Zayn goes inside and checks things out. All the cells are empty, just some debris and dirt left in them. He searches the cabinet and finds many files; most have decayed but two are still legible:

PROJECT KEYHOLE

PROFILE: SUBJECT 3

Abilities:

• Telekinesis – moves object up to about 110 kg, short range.
• Teleportation – transports inanimate objects up to 2 km. Failure to teleport living organisms successfully.
• Telepathy – communication range: 25 km.

Behavior:

History of defying authority, theft, manipulation, failure to comply with instruction. Attempted escape. Injured handlers via telekinesis. Threatened to kill officer via teleportation. Repeated demands to shut down project.

PROJECT KEYHOLE

TRANSCRIPT 274-4-11-1

Teleportation test 7098 – life specimen.

“Are you ready, Three?”

“Uncle, please, I do not want to do this. You saw what happened the last time.”

“You were so very close. It almost survived the transfer. But we need to try again. The more we explore the Shadow Place, the more we need you and your abilities.”

“I do not like that world. We should not be there. It does not like us.”

“What does not like us? This Kalkazehrer? That is just a story to frighten children.”

“It frightens me. It even frightens you. I can feel it.”

“Three, stay out of my mind. I will not warn you again.”

“I cannot help it. Your fear, it is so strong. We must stop, people are destroyed.”

“Get over there, if you’re no good you’ll get no food, no water, no nothing. You are a tool, Three. And a tool cannot speak back.”

Test aborted.

Having read these, someone in the party now ask the voice if she happens to be this Subject 3 and she confirms this. This leads to some discussion if she can be trusted, considering what the profile said.

They continue on, and come to a heavy, metal door, opened via a pulley system. Beyond is a room with a view of a lower-level cavern, the far rock wall of it is covered with all kinds of weird red/brown growths coming from a central, glowing white point.

Inside the room are broken crystal balls and all kinds of lenses and other items on benches against either wall. A large, metal device sits mostly under this room and sticks out into the cavern but the control surface for it is in here. At the end of the room there is a door and beyond it are stairs that go down to the cavern.

Drei explains that she can sense Rudi's presence in the Shadow Place, he is still alive. If the party wants to rescue him they better go quickly; every minute the gate remains open the world is at risk, she tells them. Zayn and Izzy now wonder if trying to rescue the boy is the best course of action if the fate of the world is in the balance, as Drei claims.

Before deciding anything our friends go down the stairs into the cavern to check things out. There is a painted sign there:

EXPEDITION PROTOCOL

• No unauthorized entry into the Shadow Place is permitted.
• Protective spells must be kept up at all times.
• All expedition members must be armed.
• Do not engage with the Puppe.
• Report all Kalkazehrer activity.
• Complete medical assessment and decontamination upon return from the Shadow Place.

NOTE: IF YOU HEAR VOICES, FEEL ILL OR OVERHEATED, CONFUSED, LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR BODY, HAVE SUDDEN VIOLENT THOUGHTS, HAVE A STRONG DESIRE TO RETURN TO THE SHADOW PLACE – INFORM YOUR SUPERIOR AND REPORT TO THE MED BAY IMMEDIATELY.

A velvet lined box next to the sign is mostly empty but holds two rings made of a dark, rubbery, slightly sticky material, it looks like the same stuff that was in the lab. Drei tells them that the rings were given to the soldiers with the weakest mental resolve, she suggests the dwarves might want to wear the rings.

Two strange looking backpacks are set against the wall; they can’t really be opened. Drei tells them that they contain specially prepared canvas that can be unfolded to create a dome that will keep out the effects of the Shadow Place for a short time.

Drei tells them that there are some things in the armory that will be useful to them. The air shimmers as she teleports in a large, green Ott crate and a small box. The latter holds four greater healing potions. She explains that the large crate contains vials of an experimental compound called WaffFlamm. A weapon can be coated with this and it will then do fire damage to anyone hit. It can even be used to coat the hands of spellcasters for the same effect but with spells. There is a slight drawback; there’s a small chance of doing fire damage to the wielder.

The Shadow Place

Our friends decide to use the WaffFlamm and then step through the membrane. It’s not a pleasant experience, slimy things stick to everyone but eventually they are through. And… back in the cavern they just left. However, everything is a little off; it looks a lot like where they came from but not quite. The growths cover a lot more of the room, for starters.

“The Shadow Place. It is a dark reflection of our world; I often call it the Inside Out.” Drei speaks inside their heads, “I don’t feel the boy nearby, they have taken him outside of the complex, hurry.” It all feels quite Unheimisch and our friends have to really fight the oppressive feeling of this place.

Now they have to go six levels back up to the surface, groans all around. It turns out though that the complex isn’t empty. In the room next to the cells there is an Ott soldier and he attacks immediately with a burning hands spell.

The complex walls are almost all covered in growths here and another is found, and dispatched, in the lab. When they near the lead lined room they here sounds of sobbing. The lead door is closed but through the small window in the door they can see a human woman from the back, head bent, sobbing. She is wearing a peasant's outfit though not one in a style they recognize. She doesn’t respond in any way to the party’s calls or their banging on the door.

They cast a cantrip on the gem set next to the door and it opens, the far door closing at the same time. Now the woman turns around and lifts her head. Bright blue energy shines from her eyes as she comes at them and attacks, slamming them with great strength.

“They aren’t human, they are Puppe. Puppets, controlled by invisible strings. Lost forever to the Shadow Place. Sages found they are hard to kill, but react badly to fire,” Drei tells them after it has been taken care of. The party encounter a few more of them before they reach the entrance.

The earthquake didn’t happen in the Shadow Place so the very large and heavy door is intact and open. In their world it’s still daytime but here it is quite dark outside. There are no stars visible but there is a reddish glow in the sky and occasional lightning bolts in different colors.

Much more concerning is the enormous creature in the sky, if that’s what it is. It is the size of a castle and numerous massive legs hold it in place. The only good news is that it seems to be quite a long way away. “We call it Kalkazehrer. It is what makes the Puppe and controls them. But ignore it, you must find the boy. Look in the school, across the stream,” Drei tells them.

Just outside the entrance the Ott seem to have built some defensive positions. There are walls of sandbags and a small platform has been built with on it a device with a long barrel on a tripod. Another of those is standing a little further to the front behind another sandbag wall.

Right next to the entrance are a number of Ott crates, some stacked on top of each other. A quick check of one of them shows they hold more vials of WaffFlamm. Drei tells them that the two devices can shoot flames when filled with the substance.

There is one crate that looks different from the others, smaller and of better construction. When opened there’s a large maul laying on a velvet lining. The oaken shaft of this weapon is covered in tendril-like growths that once in a while seem to pulse under your hands as you hold it. The massive stone head is covered in runes that make your head hurt when you look at them for more than a second. Boldrek wastes no time and takes it.

On the path back to the village two Puppe are found digging into the ground with a pickaxe and a shovel, they are soon taken care of. Arriving at the village it turns out that it is in ruins in the Shadow Place just as it is in the ‘real’ world. The school’s stone outer walls are still mostly intact. Drei speaks: “careful, there are many Puppe nearby. Too many and you will be in big trouble.”

Our friends manage to sneak inside without being noticed. The inside walls of the building have mostly collapsed but a few still stand, at least partially, giving some cover. There are definitely Puppe around, sounds of coughing and digging can be heard. And not only that, very faintly there’s the sound of a child calling for help.

They now have a path to sneak to the sound of the voice, coming from an area where two walls form a small L-shape. When they get there, they see a mouth on the wall; it’s the source of the voice.

Unfortunately this is also when the Puppe come rushing in; there’s the sound of many feet running towards them. Unfortunately this is too much for Boldrek's mind and he wants to run away from the enemies who cause him this fear. Since the walls block his path he can't go anywhere and when he gets attack he is still able to fight back, if not as skilled as normal.

A protracted fight between three party members and eight puppe turns out to be quite tricky but once Odrik manages to get close to Izzy and protect her from attacks the fight turns and the enemies soon lay dead on the floor. Afterwards Odrik uses some cloth from the clothes of a Puppe to light a vial of WaffFlamm and pushes it into the mouth on the wall, shutting up and making it belch smoke. Then they search the place.

The first thing they find is a small lean-to in one of the corners. Inside is the corpse of an Ott soldier still in a recognizable state. He carries a wand; a dark, rubbery, slightly sticky tendril of about twenty centimeters but stiffer than most, and a piece of vellum:

PROJECT KEYHOLE

Research Station III Report:

• All 14 members of Unit 9 killed in action
• Kalkazehrer resistant to low level necrotic and psychic damage
• Puppe activity becoming more aggressive

Field Notes:

We are not winning this battle. I saw troopers disemboweled, torn to shreds. This is not a fair fight – it is a slaughter. Especially in their world. I am, once again, recommending we abandon this project. Only more will die, 3 was right.

Reading this report is what breaks Izzy's mind, and she immediately keels over, falling unconscious to the floor. Fortunately the effect is temporary, just as Boldrek's fear is, it takes a number of minutes but then they have recoved enough to continue the search.

Elsewhere in the building they come across a backpack that looks very new. Inside are some personal belongings, most likely belonging to Rudi. Drei tells them that this must have been the source of the echo. She checks again now and finds another echo, at the inn.

Going there they find that the building is quite big, especially for a town of this size. It is a square building with an inner garden, visible because the western walls have completely collapsed, and full of Puppe. The other outer and inner walls are still in reasonable condition but the roof and first floor are just about completely gone.

The two enemies outside on of the sides of the building are taken out simultaneously when Izzy casts an invisibility spell on herself and Boldrek uses his new lantern to the same to himself. The barbarian then uses the lantern again and scouts the inner garden whilst invisible. He manages to distract the Puppe with some thrown pebbles and looks all around, even in the well.

He eventually returns and tells them that he wasn't able to find anything but the bushes have grown quite large so maybe something could still be there. They hit upon a plan and decide to create a large bonfire on one of the sides of the building in the hopes that the enemies inside will all go to check it out, Boldrek proved they could be distracted pretty easily.

The plan works well and when all the Puppe have moved away they quickly search the place and come across a piece of vellum:

PROJECT KEYHOLE

Report: Development of Cross Planar Communications System

Goal: Reduce reliance on Subject 3 for cross-planar communication.

Process: Manipulation of auditory vestibular nerve in team member 062 (healthy control) through bio-magical means using prototype ADW-084-1, “Wandril”. Device was used cross-planar.

Result: Failure to manipulate nerve and send communication; no messages received.

They also find a diary that belongs to Rudi Garsunkel. Drei tells them; “I don’t understand, I can still feel him. But it is faint. In a deep, dark, cold place. There is a cave not too far from here.”

The party quickly leaves the inn and finds somewhere quiet to have a short rest, using the backpack tents they brought from the Gate room. Somewhat refreshed now, they are able to continue on. Drei leads them to the cave and they enter after observing it closely. The cave isn’t very large but it runs deep. And soon the walls are covered with many growths like they have seen before.

After a few minutes they come to an area where the cave widens. Growths and tendrils encapsulate many bodies, most long since dead. But towards the front they see a young man, only his face still visible, who looks to be still alive, if barely. It’s Rudi!

Odrik and Boldrek cut Rudi free, lowering his body to the floor. The boy is far from ok, his skin very pale and his heartbeat slow, he is quite near death. Drei offers to teleport him back to the complex and keep him safe so the party won’t need to carry him and get slowed down. The party agrees, his body fades away and a very happy Drei reports she managed to teleport him back alive!

The party immediately sets to leave for the complex when the Verschlinger appears, coming from deeper in the cavern. It bellows loudly, its fetid breath on their skins. Something breaks in Boldrek's mind, again, the situation is just too strange and all he can do is stand around and laugh real hard.

Odrik grabs the barbarian and pulls him along as everyone runs away as best they can, Izzy using the new wand to slow the creature down, not using a charge but her health. Puppe are outside the cavern but there are not enough to block them, though in trying to bypass them some get in a swipe at the fighter, all of them missing though.

There are more enemies to avoid and in the village a number of the ancient Ott soldiers have appeared, using burning hands spells as they do combat with the Puppe. The Verschlinger can be heard bellowing behind them. The party ignores all this and makes their way to the mine entrance at best possible speed. Slowly they leave the combat behind them and as they reach the complex things go very quiet, the sounds of combat and the bellowing dying away, though the glow of fire can still be seen in the sky.

As they come to the entrance, they see the last thing they wanted to see; the massive metal door has closed in front of the entrance! There doesn’t seem to be a way to open it from the outside but Drei tells them; “I can open it from inside, it will take time though. And I sense more Puppe coming”.