Session 57: Some People Clearly Need Killing

The party learns about "The Collector" and finds clues to what happened to Sarthoggus, the High Priest of Frigga.

This write up is based on our Sunday, September 7, 2025 session and was written by our scribe Carl with a few additions from myself. Thanks to our mapper Jimmy for the screen shots.  Since we are scattered around the country, we use Discord for voice communications and the Roll20 online tabletop to connect with each other.

Continued from: Into the Temple of Frigga

Date: May 19, 4433
Location: Beneath the Temple of Frigga

We were down below the Temple of Frigga, just warming up on some people and things that - CLEARLY - need killing.  Happy to be of service.

Shortly after it began, the fight was over.  The torture victim survived but was in bad shape. He said that the group of cultists had been looking for something down below the temple, but isn't sure how long and of course had no idea what the search was aimed at.

We heard trickling water, and found a sneering face bowl in an alcove down the way.

We noticed that the architecture of the place changed a lot after we passed through the illusionary wall. This area is clearly newer construction. It might be Deep Gnome, but that was just an educated guess.  Probably only a few months old. No secret panels or doors here, we keep moving on.

Up from the fountain was a door that we clearly heard someone behind it.

We saw a demonic creature with a big book in front of it, and a quill its hand. It looked at us as a welcome break from its work, and asked how we came to be a'knocking. Three Drow warriors readied themselves for battle. They were clearly acting as his bodyguards.

Aefir asked what it was doing, and we learned that this was where the transformation results were tallied and recorded. Counting the eyeballs of the dead. MANY jars of eyeballs.... Some decisions are easier than others.

It told us to go and do whatever we were doing, but it had work to do so just leave.  Go downstairs and ask Sarthoggus.  We didn't go, so the Drow came toward us and that was that...

Soon the Drow were down and the "accountant" thing was charmed by Beneddar. Questioning, as a friend, proceeded.

Treasure???  Bad folks??? What is where???

The silver greatsword on the wall was trophy that it could not wield, but we ID'd it as a +3 weapon, so we pried it off the display plaque. He had some gold and a scroll of lightning bolt in a box in his desk.

He spoke of a "collector" that collected eyes and other tissue samples from the prisoners who died during the "transformation". There were about 100 successful transformed creatures down below the temple according to his journal.


We executed him after the discussion. Dying in his sleep was kinder than he deserved, but it was simple for us.

Moving on, we came to a library area. There was a door sign with 'High Priest of Frigga' scratched out.  Reebo used mage hand to try and disarm a Necrotic damage trap, while Arkhelm determined that there were no magic books in the library area.

Behind the trapped door (some kind of explosive rune) we found an office/living quarters type area.

Inside we found Sarthogguss' journal which detailed temple events, interesting regional meetings and gatherings, and the high priest’s daily musings. However, the last two pages have the ramblings of a mad man, as Tsathoggus took hold of the priest’s mind. A read of the pages reveals that Sarthoggus struggled for weeks to fight the frog-god’s return, but failed in the end. His final message, scribbled in a shaky hand, acknowledges his need to confront the evil deity’s simulacrum at the ruins and drive him out of the mortal plane as his predecessors did before.

The priest had struggled to fight off the return of the Frog God, but failed. Sarthoggus was trying to repel evil but went down swinging.

Taidhikh, the boy that we had rescued from the demons, found a letter:  

Sarthoggus,
 
I have found no sign of the book you have been seeking in the village. Some adventurers have recently returned from sacking the old temple tombs. I don’t think they found the book there, they would have tried to sell it at Halaf Fec’s and he has been on the lookout for any old books.

Ternelmor

There was some discussion as to whether the Mayor was "in on it" or not. We tabled the manor until later.

Moving the bed revealed a panel behind the headboard. Opening the relatively complex lock, we discovered four small chests: gold bars, two vials of red and silver liquid, a solid gold spear head (Someone recognized it as the Spear of Frigga, a holy artifact), and a rod of some kind.

This seemed a safe room, and had not been used for some time. We left the boy here, presumably safe til we return.  

Ready to move on in our search for the evil-doers, we headed out. One door was ajar, with someone ransacking the place. A Drow thief. Searching her turned up an amulet and normal thief stuff. When asked how she got it, she said she had plane-shifted in from the Abyss. She agreed to help the prisoners escape in return for her life.

She is (we heard this before) looking for a book... The Book of Madness. We gave her her stuff back and wished her well and to take the prisoners to the village safely, including the kid that was with us.

Now on to the search... door by door...

Jars of human and other body parts filled one room  Ewwwwwww.  

The room also held a small cot and some old tomes, many candles. Anatomy books galore, perhaps for medicine studying.  More a research project than just a collection of gore. This could also be the room of... The Collector.

We found a small chest under the cot with a lot of gold pieces, 1250. A hidden compartment held a parchment detailing an arrangement between the high priest and The Collector. .

The parchment promised that the former undertaker would be spared from the mandatory trials
the frog-god for his service to the high priest. A special clause in the “contract” states that the Collector may keep any parts of the test subjects after their examination.

We moved on and found some bullywogs carrying dismembered bodies... another pretty easy choice.

Four more for justice, and the Tegel Village way...


Continued in Session 58 - Will this Madness Never End?