Day 22.3: Kathu-who?? (Gesundheit)

Mutu find symbols on the armor left behind by the servants to the king(?) and confirmed they are in deed part of Kath’uhlzha. He purifies them and destroys them with a weird passion. HIM, Diana & Charles try to liberate the souls, but something malevolent holds them back, confirming once more there are more that just the 4 souls we recently dispatched. The magic is old and runs deep. Conclude they don’t have the power to yank them free just yet.

On the far side of the throne room another passage is found. This too has a rune, except this one isn’t lit, yet is definitely active. I search my memories for forgotten knowledge.

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The rune is known as “Eiwaz-Krengyr” in the tongue of the old gods, a composite symbol combining elements from both the Seelie and Unseelie courts’ arcane script. Its meaning is multifaceted, blending themes of life, death, and eternal return.
Binding the Soul: The rune serves as a mystical anchor, binding the soul of any creature slain within the barrow to the place itself. It traps the spirit, preventing it from moving on to the afterlife or finding peace. This ensures that those buried here, willingly or not, are forever tethered to this realm, lingering as restless spirits or risen corpses.

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Not sure we want to unleash what this rune binds, but need to find a way to free those other souls to their eternal rest (including Agatha). I can sense “beings in the next room – 1 to the near right and 1 straight ahead, further in the room. I decide if I am going to become a secondary pincushion to Mutu, I need some more protection and grab the winged helm we found earlier. No sooner than the helm is in place, Mutu and HIM charge into the room (will these people never learn stealth?)

The 2 beings I sensed immediate move forward to engage, along with 3 of their buddies I didn’t sense (am I losing my touch? – note to self, need to go stealthing for practice). A pervasive aura of despair surrounds Mutu/HIM/myself. Thankfully it doesn’t seem to effect Mutu & I and only does minor damage to HIM. Mutu’s aura of courage seems to stave it off. In our usual barrage, the party systematically takes out the undead, vine creatures one by one. Was most amusing to watch Charles throw the bones of the fallen creatures at the still standing one. I’d say he made a “bone”-ified impression as Mutu quickly dispatched him DEAD thereafter.

Searching the room (grandmother’s tenant – get paid for you work) we find several more items including a fiery sword on a nearby alter. Smoldering, the sward calls to Kiren. More symbols of the kath’u something creature (What? That’s for the religious types to remember) and a shallow grave in a small antechamber. Diana immediately starts digging it up (ummm, ok?) but wasn’t the source like we hoped. Through discussions between Charles/Diana/Kiren, Kiren realizes the she knows this entity.

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Kath’uhlzha, known as the Silence in the Abyss, is an ancient and malevolent entity that hails from the outer reaches of the cosmos, far beyond the known realms of reality. This being is not bound by the physical laws or limitations that govern the universe. It emerged from the depths of the void before time began, during a period when the cosmos was still forming from the chaotic energy of the early universe. Kath’uhlzha exists outside of three-dimensional reality, and its true form is impossible for mortal minds to comprehend. When it manifests in the material world, it appears as a vast, shadowy figure with countless tendrils that writhe and twist like living darkness, a representation of its essence rather than its actual form.

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Diana called it Entropy personified. Definitely don’t want to let that loose.