10/24/2009

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

We assemble outside the city gate to head back to the tower of Illandar. There are 12 guards accompanying us. Four are women, and all are human. A female elf named Isi (enter Jeanne's character) wants to join us. She and Tanji get into a bit of an argument because Tanji doesn't trust her and her answers to all questions are evasive. (In Ana's words, they get into a snit.)

Guard members come up to Ana (who has taken the obvious leadership role) and want to know what exactly they are in for. Larissa introduces herself as the team leader for the guards. Ana and Krys explain what we know and Larissa orders the group to have axes ready.

Neysa studies Isi, looking for indications of magic use, but sees none, at least nothing obvious.

Ana leads the group to the keep and goes in. He heads towards the trap door. He orders two of the guard to secure the rope and is the first to descend into the basement. The group gets down successfully. All hold ropes before investigating, then split up to check out the four different exits from this first room.

Ana and Neysa find a slippery slope corridor that defeats even Ana's sense of balance. Isi finds a room with a desk and a bed. Krys finds herself looking down into a cavern where a vortex of some kind is swirling and the little snout-dog creatures are scurrying both into and out of it as though it were a portal of some kind. Tanji takes a guard with her and finds an opening in the floor from which far below comes the sound of rushing water.

Ana and Neysa join Krys to examine the vortex chamber. Isi investigates the papers on the desk.

The rooms remain stationary as long as we are in them, changing once we leave them.

Isi finds parchment and ink. One parchment does contain scrawled writing of some type. She finishes examining the drawers.

Tanji passes the well and looks beyond into a room filled with webs and spiders.

Ana and Neysa find the room with the drow. He speaks legibly and responds to questions. He is very attached to the creature and accuses Ana several times of wanting to take it. When he gets a little agitated the creature reacts and gets very still.

Krys and Tanji find a room with figures embedded in the walls. They call out to the others. All the bodies we free in this room are dead. We drag them out into the common room planning to carry them to the surface for identification and proper burial.

Isi uncovers a room with many of the creatures which smells really bad and they've started to attack. She and the guards are in battle and call to the others for help. We have them pinned down in a narrow corridor so they can not attack en masse so many are killed before they begin to run away. They are obviously not battle creatures. During the battle, Tanji absconds with the parchment, ink and written scroll that Isi found in the desk.

We finally find a room with living people and are able to rescue eight. We help these eight to the surface, bringing along the bodies of the dead as well. We killed 22 creatures during the battle and two more on the way out.

• How long have the missing people been gone?
• How can we move through the slick tube room?
• Why is the vortex growing? How do we close it? (Perhaps the scroll Tanji has may hold a key.
• We know a Sorcerer/Sage at the Enchanters Ecstasy that might help with portal questions.
• Krys date at the Bottomless Keg.

It is early evening.

End of session.

Next Session 12/5/2009