8/8/2009

Chris: DM
Kathi: Tanji & Krysylys
JC: Neysa & Ana

As we go about settling back in Loudwater, we discuss the future. Krys needs to return to Silverymoon to train with a real Bladesinger. We're unsure of what Rumblekin will want to do next, but the journey to Silverymoon is long and we may need to get started soon in order to reach our hometown before winter claims the North.

We stable the horses and return to our apartments to drop off the surplus before reporting in to the Lord Mayor later in the evening. We live at Hogan's Hostel where we have long term private rooms. Not Ana's ideal but it is what it is in this backwater town. At least the bath house is nice with a staff of nothing but elves not including the gnome proprietress.

Rumblekin wants to go adventuring about the town but Neysa says he should come to visit the Lord Mayor and convey any news he feels needs be said. On the way, we pass several inns that Rumblekin may consider staying at.

We arrive at the Lord Mayor's mansion and are shown into a waiting area while the guard goes to announce our presence. As we enter the chamber, there are three men seated at a table, a chancellor, the lord and one other. We impart the news of the orcs, our travels, news of the destruction of the Night Hunt, and the lack of travelers on the road to the east.

The Lord asks if we intend to investigate the tower and upon hearing we do, he offers us a scroll that will show the guards that we have permission to do so. Neysa asks about the timing of the explosion and the orc attack but they're not obviously related.

After we've left the Lord Mayor's, Rumblekin says he wants to go check out one of the inns he saw on the way.

Krys says she wants some real food and Neysa agrees whole-heartedly. We decide on the Smiling Satyr near our home. The food is good and Neysa suggests that she and Krys sing with Lew the Bard who's playing that evening. Even Ana brightens at that thought.

The group decides on partridge with pear and walnut stuffing served on a bed of rice, and apple pie for dessert. During a break in the bards set, Neysa approaches him and asks if he knows one of the several songs that she and Krys have sung together before. The man replies not but Krys offers to play as well, and he assents gladly. They perform several songs with Krys carrying the performance. Afterward we return to our home for an evening's sleep in real beds. There's a note on Tanji's door from Rumblekin saying he'll see us at breakfast.

In the morning we break our fast at the Bottomless Keg. We try to ask Hogan if he'll let Rumblekin know where we'll be but he gives us flack causing us to wonder (not for the first time) why we're staying there in the first place. Instead we put a note on Tanji's door letting Rumblekin know where we'll be and he joins us just as we're about to sit and eat.

Rumblekin has cleaned up tremendously and has a nice colorful new outfit. He's also discovered the bath house. He wonders why we were not at services this morning and Neysa replies we didn't know he was going to officiate at a service.

After breakfast, we go to investigate the tower. We encounter the guard and present the parchment from the Lord Mayor. The guard reports there has been no activity from within.

We knock on the door but get no response. Ana opens it and the group goes in. The entire first floor has no ceiling and is open to the sky above. There are crossbow bolts imbedded in the table that appear to have been shot from the doorway.

Neysa casts Detect Magic. The two rooms that are in pristine shape radiate magic as does the area around a Glyph on the floor of the kitchen which has suffered the most damage with large sections of the outer wall blown out. Ana investigates the areas that appear undamaged and senses a hidden secret door behind the tapestry.

Tanji finds a trap door on the floor but is unable to open it on her own. With Ana's help, they force it open to find the underside covered in a sticky hardened fibrous substance that must have been meant to keep the door closed from below. Tanji calls down into the dark but hears only a skittering sound and then smells a horrible decaying odor from below.

Neysa continues to focus on her Detect Magic and the strongest emanation comes from the trap door. The aura is conjuration magic and a strong one. As Neysa continues to concentrate, Ana returns to the secret door, pushes aside the tapestry and opens the large secret door he finds there.

Within is a huge room lit with many continual light globes. The high ceiling is undamaged. He calls to the others and they all come to see. Ana takes Neysass hand and the two of them go through the entryway.

There is a large table laden with alchemical supplies. There are several shelves containing vials, jars and other containers. Ana advances to a point where he can see into most of the room.

The group investigates discovering a library area, a privy, and the alchemical supplies and work area. There is also an area of scroll storage and a bed chamber.

Neysa casts another Detect Magic but gets no emanations. In the bedroom there is a tankard of ale, not moldy but definitely stale. The bed is not made. Neysa picks out a book that catches her eye. It is a light fiction entitled Dirk Dashing and the Dastardly Devils.

Tanji decides to leave a note for Illandar in case he's still here somewhere. After a brief discussion on where to leave it, she cuts a small bit of fishing twine and hangs it from the bedroom door knob.

The group goes to check out the remaining stone door. Ana knocks loudly at but there is no response. Tanji examines the door and determines that there is a mechanical trap but cannot determine what it does. There is also a glyph on the door warning of a magical trap as well.

We decide to return to the trapdoor and cellar to investigate further. Neysa casts Magic Circle against Evil on herself and then Light on her holy symbol and on Ana's Shield.

Ana descends first and the first stair he steps upon breaks beneath his weight. He falls roughly fifteen feet taking a minor amount of damage. Looking about him, Ana spies wine racks as well as racks of beer. There are signs of recent activity as several bottles of beer have recently been removed.

Krys uses the rope of climbing to descend and is followed by Tanji. They discover a hole in the floor. Ana shines his light below and finds it reflected and amplified back at him. He hears skittering and screaming below in intermittent occurrences. He estimates it is about twenty feet down. The sides of the hole quiver at the touch as though they are made of a gelatinous substance instead of earth.

He also spots a scroll on the floor, something obviously out of place. He picks it up and places it in the satchel of holding. There appears to be nothing else of notable interest and the three return to the blasted kitchen where Neysa waits.

Ana relays everything they've found to Neysa who is disturbed by the mystery of it all. Ana decides to investigate the upper edge of the remaining walls and can tell that the force that removed the top two floors was not flat. Rather the shear is curved slightly inward. Additionally when he says this and that he believes the top two floors are simply gone, Neysa guesses that the rubble surrounding the keep is from the first floor only.

When he produces the scroll from below, it looks like gibberish to him. He hands it to Krys who confirms it is magical script. She casts Read Magic upon it and informs the others that the scroll is a massive dimension door of immense power. It also appears that the end of it has been deliberately smeared such that if someone did try to read it, it might be horribly miscast.

The group discusses what they have found. Krys is thoughtful and then speaks.

"The strongest magic Neysa detected was coming from the trap door which had been held closed from inside the cellar with an unknown substance. It is obvious that Illandar could not have climbed down the stairs but he might have teleported to the cellar then cast a spell that created the substance that held the trap door closed preventing his attackers from coming down after him. He might have at that point blown the top two floors through the dimensional portal once he was safe in the cellar. I think we need to go back to the cellar and double check the decayed smell - make certain that isn't Illandar buried somewhere or chopped up and put in some of the barrels."

As the others consider her words, she continues. "And why was it so easy for us to find the hidden dimensional room? Could the attackers have been so stupid as to not look for secret doors? If they had looked, they certainly would have found it, too, but from the looks of the rooms, it doesn't appear that they did. Or if they did, that they left no easily discernible trace of their presence."

Neysa nods in agreement. "There is too much we don't know." the lady elf says, "But the thought of the whole thing being staged, or being deliberate on Illandar's part seems farfetched. Of course, humans do some stupidly odd and irrational things so you may be correct. If we follow that line of thought he may have wished for the attackers to find the large dimensional room, perhaps in the hope that they would open the large stone door we didn't and have to deal with whatever is beyond. This will certainly be one of my Augury questions when we do investigate. The other obvious one is in regards to descending into the 'hole' in the basement. Ana's description of the opening, and the sounds you heard coming from within certainly speak to a considerable mystery but given that the Drow may be involved we would need to be well prepared before doing so, perhaps even bringing a small contingent of the city guard with us or at least having them maintain watch at the opening."

Ana chimes in. "I do not think the substance used to hold the trapdoor was of Illandar's doing. We opened it too easily and if he did (or does if he's still alive somewhere) have the power to affect the towers destruction, and he wanted the trapdoor held closed, we would not have been able to open it."

"Perhaps that also is part of a deception." Neysa replies.

Tanji holds her head dramatically. "Oooh!" she cries, "You're making my head whirl with all this supposition. Obviously we're going to need to do some more detailed searching and if we still don't find anything, we should consider waiting here for a time to see if either Illandar or his attackers return."

Neysa agrees saying someone will need to send word to the Lord Mayor regarding what we found and that we're staying on. Tanji concurs and says they should probably let Rumblekin know as well. Neysa begins considering her Augury spell wording as Tanji prepares to head back into town for any further supplies and to deliver messages to the Lord Mayor and Rumblekin.

Noon of Day 10 from the monastery.

End of session.

Next Session 10/3/2009