Wait for it...
Mirtul 29, Mysterious Tower, continued
Having nothing left to burn in the courtyard, we turned our attention to the tower. It stood four stories high, and some of the windows appeared lit from within. Seren flew past a few windows and determined that there was some sort of burning man walking around in charred rooms— I’m sure it will appreciate our handiwork in the garden! Mishklo seems hesitant to explore; Kor’tac decided he would scale the outside of the tower to see the roof, where Seren had also discovered a trapdoor. Windy and I decided to try the double doors on the front— and— surprise! — They were not locked. They opened into a 40’ by 40’ room with a staircase leading to a balcony that wrapped around the perimeter of the chamber. The floor was littered with humanoid bones and rusty metal, and, more importantly, there was a large iron statue standing in front of the stairs. I think maybe it looked at me. We quickly shut those doors!
Next we decided to climb up the wall and see how Seren and Kor’tac were progressing with the trap door. Mishklo waited on the ground; he did not want to leave his wolf alone, and apparently, the wolf has not mastered rope climbing. We got to the top pretty quickly— in time to see our huge orc friend jumping up and down on emptiness. He’d managed to get the trapdoor open, but some sort of force was preventing him from entering through it. We told him about the iron man, while I tossed a blanket over the side of the building to Mishklo, figuring we might be able to make a wolf harness (because Mishklo refused to even try Seren’s suggestions on how to get the wolf to the roof). Kor’tac descended the rope before Mishklo could get Moonlight to cooperate anyway.
Kor’tac decided to attempt to attack the iron statue, which did move forward to meet him in melee. The orc walked backwards through the doors, hoping to lure the statue out into the open, but as he passed over the threshold, the construct reached out and closed the doors! While he pondered what to do next, Seren and I attempted to smash some windows with blunt weapons, but had absolutely no luck doing so.
Soon the five of us (and the wolf) were back at the front entrance, and seeing as it was the only way in we could find (Seren having determined that the house was on a precipice and would not have a back way in), we opted to go in and face the creature head on.
I must confess that, even though I managed to hit the creature every time I attacked, I never did a bit of damage that I could see. I tried singing to boost Kor’tac’s attacks, as he seemed to be doing some damage, and Windy took over there with a story when I moved to try magic attacks (also apparently ineffective), while Seren attempted to shoot it from above. Mishklo did a good job keeping the orc healed up, as the statue chose to consider him the only real threat. Kor’tac did eventually defeat the iron statue, and though fully healed, decided his arm was a bit tired.
We checked the area for anything useful, as there were so many remains of others that had arrived here before us, and we found some neat things! Windy cast a spell to detect magic, and picked up some magic arrows, potions, a dagger (with the symbol of Tymora on it), and a plain (but magic) steel ring. When I came over to see the ring, he dropped down on one knee and acted like people do when they are proposing— he’s such a joker sometimes! I think I have a scroll to identify the magic, but I doubt I have time right now to cast that kind of spell. I imagine we’ll be heading up the stairs in a moment.
Together, we stood on the steps of the tower. They looked... blasted, scorched by some great heat long before we came along to burn the garden below. The stone itself was cracked and blackened. The windows above were still whole, however, and I was willing to fly up and check them out.
We threw things into the air and over the garden walls first, however, to be sure that my other flights weren’t just luck and some barrier existed to limit our movements. Having decided that it was safe enough, Roywyn and Kor’tac walked over to inspect the fountain for clues in the form of coins while I took off to check the upper levels of the tower. (Kor’tac called out to me to bring a rope along for the rest to climb).
I picked an unlit window, first, peeping over the edge of the sill as best I could without exposing myself to attack from inside. I couldn’t see a thing. I gave up and flew to the lit window, making out a large burning humanoid shape through the grime on the pane. I managed to wipe the pane cleaner, and after flying up to the parapet of the roof, shouted to the others that it looked like a burning human shape walking around a well-scorched room.
I tied the rope to the stonework, then looked over the rest of the roof. It was flat, and had a trap door. I shouted that down to the others, and walked to the other side of the roof. There wasn’t much. This side had no garden, just a steep dropoff. More mountains could be seen, but the tower seemed to be built on a plateau that will be nearly impossible to get down from - not just for the folks who would have to climb; even my wings would get tired!
I walked back to where Kor’tac was climbing over the parapet, and watched him put his armor back on. Wondering what the others were up to, I leapt into space, catching myself halfway down to land neatly by the gnomes. Kor’tac called down to tell me to tie a knot in the rope about seven feet off the ground. I wondered why, but he kept chuckling in a way that kept me from asking. Meanwhile, Rowind and ‘Wyn had opened - and slammed shut - the front door.
Apparently the first floor was a large room, full of bones, rusted armor, weapons, and a large iron statue that turned toward them when the doors opened! I quickly flew back up to tell Kor’tac what they’d found. He was trying to open the trap door in the roof, and having no luck. Finally, he smashed it to bits, setting off a flash of light. We could see a ladder below, and a room with a door to exit by, but no window. Kor’tac asked me to tell the others, so I jumped off the roof a second time.
Downstairs, I was relieved to hear that the statue had not come out of the doors. I told the others that we could get inside from the roof, but this set off an argument with the druid. Mishklo refused to leave the now ash-grey wolf, but we had no good way to get it onto the roof. He didn’t think it was funny when I offered various ways to tie it with a rope and lift it up, either. I left them messing around with a blanket and calling to Moonlight (who was wisely staying away), and flew back to Kor’tac.
Kor’tac was standing on thin air. The trap door had some magical field over it, so we couldn’t get in even with the door gone! I leaned over the parapet and told ‘Wyn and ‘Wind about it, since they were climbing the rope to the roof. Mishklo and Moonlight were wandering the scorched garden - just as well, with the trapdoor not working. It didn’t even yield to a serious bashing from Kor’tac, so he climbed back down the rope while the gnomes gave the spell a once-over.
They asked me to try and open one of the windows, but I quickly discovered that they were all flush with the tower walls. I didn’t have the leverage to bash on one while flying, but tied my sword to a rope and the rope to the roof, and tried flying out and dropping it to crash into the window. I managed to hit the window, but it didn’t break. I borrowed a mace from ‘Wyn (the gnomes were climbing back down again), and tried holding the rope while bashing the window directly. No luck, and shouts from below distracted me, anyway.
Kor’tac and Mishklo had been waving and throwing things at the iron statue. Sure enough, it woke up and headed across the room at them, so they were shouting at _us_ to stay out of danger! Kor’tac backed up, trying to lure it into the open, while Mishklo narrowly ducked a huge swing from the thing’s long arm. ‘Wyn was singing above the battle, but there was no battle all of a sudden: when the golem reached the doorway, it simply slammed the doors shut in their faces!
Well, it seemed suicidal, but what other option did we have? We set ourselves up in front of the doors, and prepared to attack together. I got to shove the doors open, while the druid cast something, Kor’tac charged in, and ‘Wyn sent a magic missile into the iron giant. ‘Wyn sang, and ‘Wind shot it, while Kor’tac waded in with his glaive. The bullet stuck in the thing and seemed to be absorbed, but Kor’tac’s weapon did not. He and the thing began to trade mighty blows, while the rest of us got out of the way!
I managed to fly over the battle (and not be hit by the golem, whew!), and landed on a balcony which afforded me a good view to shoot arrows at the thing. (I was hoping to find an “off” button to it, but no luck). ‘Wyn wrapped a blanket around its head, but it didn’t seem to care. ‘Wind and I kept shooting (my arrows stuck and absorbed, too), between Kor’tac’s attacks, and Mishklo healed Kor’tac repeatedly. ‘Wyn tried to trip the thing up, using a grease spell and her whip, but it was just too big.
Thankfully, Kor’tac was able to destroy the golem. It took forever!
Rowind cast a spell to find any magical items in the tangle of bones and metal, discovering some magical arrows, a dagger, some vials, and a ring. He gave the ring to Roywyn on bended knee, which made me applaud him from the balcony - but she just laughed and brushed him off. I booed.
There’s a hallway on the second floor, and doors. Time to explore!
Since entering this accursed tower I have been fighting toe to toe with vile creatures. The golem like thing took a long time to defeat. Then we found the cold room with the impy creatures and of course the fire elemental. All in all I have been near death almost since I came in this damned building. I can only thank Tempus for giving me the ability to fight these creatures and for allowing this Druid to have joined the party. If not for him I would have died a vile death. And I suppose most of if not all of the rest of the party would have followed me to the next world.
I have begun to worry for them greatly. If we are ever surrounded by a large group of fighters, I may not be able to keep them all alive. As of this far they have proven not to be close quarters fighters, and yet they have not proven to be great fighters from afar either. The little burnt butterfly girl is good with a bow, but a bow does not help if we get surounded. I must admit I am gaining respect for the Gnome and his spells though.
I am very tired and need some rest. I just hope that the others don’t try something foolish while we are in this state. I also hope the Druid doesn’t figure out that I have been wondering how his pet would taste, turned slow over a small fire, with a bit of seasoning an some potatos.
There were two sets of steps to the balcony, and two more to the hallway on the next floor. When Kor’tac took the other set of steps, I saw him appear at the opposite end of the hall. After the rest arrived, we talked over which door was most likely to match the fire elemental’s room. There were two doors on one side and only one on the other, so the others gathered around the single door. Kor’tac put his shield up, and Rowind turned the handle and shoved open the door.
It turned out that they’d found the kitchen. As I began to walk down the hallway, I heard someone muttering about how cold it was in there. I also suddenly thought I remembered which door on the other side matched the fire elemental’s room. Since it was at the other end of the hall, I popped open the closer door for a quick look as I walked by.
This was a mistake. The fire elemental reached right out and smacked me before I pulled the door shut! I dimly heard shouting from down the hall as I created a shower of water over my head to put out the flames. It didn’t work, but I was hoping that I hadn’t broken whatever spell kept the thing in its room.
The shouting in the kitchen had turned to the sounds of fighting. Still, Roywyn, bless her, came to my aid, rolling me in the water on the floor to smother the flames. Mishklo even came over to heal me up! This meant that we were all right next to the door when it exploded into the hallway. I need to apologize later for putting them in danger. I’m used to being the only one who pays for my mistakes!
I got up and backed up to Kor’tac, pulling out my bow, and found that he was killing things with wings in the kitchen. Mishklo was healing me a second time when the fire elemental reached down the hall and knocked me down...
....I woke up on the floor - third healing from Mishklo in as many minutes, I fear! Someone had created a wall of ice between us and the fire elemental, so Kor’tac could concentrate on one threat at a time. There was also a fire on the ceiling, moving toward the creatures, and the others were right - that room was *cold*. I found out why an instant later, when one of the creatures unleashed a blast of icy shards at us. I expressed my opinions rather creatively and began shooting.
Mishklo was healing, I was shooting, ‘Wind was keeping the ice wall up, ‘Wyn was directing the flames on the ceiling, and Kor’tac was mowing the things down with his glaive. I managed to kill - one. Argh! Finally, we finished them all off and Mishklo tried to get us healed back up while we talked over our options. It turned out that the wall of ice was one of ‘Wind’s illusions, so ‘Wyn sang for us, and we lined up to send a volley of shots through the wall at the elemental.
It seemed to work - the thing left the doorway and headed off down the hall. In fact, it was moving down the steps, too, which didn’t bother me until Mishklo freaked out. His wolf had been told to “stay” out in the scorched garden, and Mishklo didn’t want to see his friend hurt or killed. He took off down the hall, while Kor’tac was looking in the other doors of the kitchen and ‘Wyn and I found out that I wasn’t exactly wrong about which room the elemental came from (there were two doors, but one room. I just hadn’t seen it move from one end to the other, before).
It didn’t take long for the maniac druid to lure the fire elemental back up the steps to save his wolf. Although I am very grateful for his help, I was ready to kill him or his wolf, myself, at that moment! In fact, I tried to call the wolf, too, in the vain hope that the thing would give up on its “stay” command in the face of obvious trouble. ‘Wind now made his ice wall move to the end of the hall to block the elemental’s progress (he even let Mishklo get by, first) - and when the elemental charged down the steps to come up the other way, he moved it to that end.
‘Wyn took a chance that the thing could be distracted, and set herself at the top of the steps to sing and juggle. Amazingly, it worked! The fire elemental stood still to watch her, and allowed Mishklo to sneak by to find his wolf. Even more amazing, they both made it back to us. We gathered in the kitchen, again, and ‘Wind moved the ice wall one last time. Kor’tac had found more steps, so we left ‘Wind holding the spell and went up the stairs for a quick look.
The door at the top opened to show another hallway with three more doors. We found a dusty living room, which gave ‘Wyn lots of furniture to check underneath and then jump up and down on. She was hollering for ‘Wind to come take a look upstairs, while Mishklo was hollering for his wolf - it was staying in the kitchen and failing to listen to him, yet again. Kor’tac opened another door and found a plush bedroom, also dusty, with many cabinets to open and search.
‘Wind, at least, had come upstairs (the elemental had wandered off and not been back in a while), and cast detect magic to find anything of interest. I’m not sure where the wolf was but - bash! Here was the fire elemental, and our party blocked in a bedroom with no exits. After trying to block out the smoke coming under the door, we gave up and decided an all-out attack was our only hope.
‘Wyn cast a “wave” of water at it, which not only knocked it back a few steps but knocked Kor’tac over. I shot wildy, hitting Mishklo, sorry! Between spells, arrows from my magical bow, and Kor’tac’s glaive, we surprised the thing into retreat. This led to a chase from room to room, with Mishklo healing us periodically and occasionally putting out Kor’tac when the thing set him on fire (the rest of us were able to stand back and shoot it from a distance).
It took forever, but Kor’tac finally damaged the thing to the point that an arrow of mine finished it off. Thank Shaundakul that bed is large, as I think we’re all climbing onto it for a nap!
Well we finally started up the stairs of this old house and I have one thing on my mind, “is it time to go home yet!!!” On the second floor of this hour of fun, this is incidentally the third story of the building. Not that, that was too important other than the fact that if we planned this a little better and thought about it we would have known that two of the three doors would have contained a fire elemental, but I digress. The orc and I opened the single door on the one side and began to investigate it. It turns out that the room was an old kitchen and contains what looked like imps that were shooting ice at us. As we began to fight them off everyone else from our party barreled into the room, it seems that in their infinite wisdom they had released the fire elemental from its room. So we found ourselves flanked on both sides, being attacked by ice monsters on one side and fire on the other, ironic huh. So I cast and illusion of an ice wall to keep the elemental at bay, whilst the remainder of the party dealt with the imps. After what seemed like an eternity they completed the task and we were safe. One problem remained, where’s the wolf. Apparently it was sitting outside enjoying itself. My plan was to let the thing fend for itself, but that wasn’t good enough, the selective druid had to go get his master. So it was up to Roywyn and me to keep the fire elemental at bay, while the idiot went to retrieve it. Once that was accomplished we were free to head up to the next room. Unfortunately my gamble that the fire elemental wouldn’t follow didn’t work out so well and we were forced to fight it. After a while we managed to defeat it and are safe to rest awhile before continuing. As I sit here starring at Roywyn as she sleeps, I again think of one thing, “is it time to go home yet!!! No it’s not what she wants, so it’s not what I want.”
Mirtul 30, Mysterious Tower
I decided to go ahead and wear that magic ring, though I can’t tell if it does anything yet. We all headed up the steps (accept for the wolf, who continued to sit outside the main doors). We found three doors— what fun! I could tell my companions were excited about seeing what lie behind them, as Windy and Kor’tac opened one at nearly the same moment that Seren opened another. Cold blasted out through the one Windy and Kor’tac opened, and Seren caught on fire as she hastily closed her door! I ran over to Seren, who was casting a water spell over herself, but not managing to get the fire put out. I rolled her around in the resulting puddle as Mishklo healed her quickly. She was upset that she’d let out a fire elemental, and I was about to congratulate her on her quick thinking by closing the door, when the door exploded in a shower of burning splinters. The three of us ran across the hall to where Windy and the orc were.
Not much better— they were fighting a bunch of ice mephits in a kitchen area flanked by more doors. The mephits stayed up around the ceiling of this (very cold!) room, blasting us with shards of ice. Windy and I assessed the entire situation— he put up the illusion of a block of ice in the door to keep the fire elemental out, while I made fire appear to crawl across the ceiling toward the mephits. It worked well enough too— the fire elemental was obviously frustrated by the apparent icy barricade, and I was able to herd all the mephits to one corner, where Kor’tac did a great deal of damage to them. It was hard to concentrate; their attacks were bitterly cold, but we were all able to shake that off once the last one was defeated. After that, Windy kept up the wall of ice while the rest of us shot the fire creature though it. It decided it had enough and wandered off towards the stairs down, at which point Mishklo remembered he’d left his wolf unprotected!
The panicked druid ran out of the room and lured the fire elemental back towards us! Windy created another wall of ice, though with the druid running back and forth, it was amazing that the fire elemental didn’t realize it was an illusion. I begged Seren, who has some gift with animals, to call the wolf up the other set of steps, but either it didn’t hear her, or didn’t care.
I did the only thing I could think of to help— I attempted to fascinate the fire creature by juggling balls of “fire” while Mishklo ran past it to retrieve the wolf. The wolf didn’t want to budge, so he had to drag it past the elemental on the return trip. The entire time, the fire elemental just stood there, entranced. That was fun! When the druid was safely out of harm’s way, I dropped the act and made a mad dash for the chilly kitchen. When we were all safe, Windy put an ice illusion in front of the door. The rest of us swarmed through a door leading up to the top floor. We found ourselves in an ornate (but dusty) living room full of neat furniture. I called to Windy to come up and see as I started to poke around. When he thought the fire elemental was no longer bothering with us, he ran up to join us— and then we realized the wolf was still down in the kitchen. We got him back with the group and closed the door to the living room, turning to a door leading to a very nice bedroom, also apparently long unused. As we looked around in this room, we noticed a glow from the living room— the fire elemental decided to bother with us after all! We were trapped in a room with no other exits—if the fire elemental didn’t burn us alive, the resulting smoke from burning furnishings would kill us. I made an illusion of wave of water flow out of the bedroom— it was effective in keeping the elemental out in the other room, but, even though I thought Kor’tac was concentrating on fighting the creature and facing away from me, the wave managed to knock him over. My illusions must be better than I thought! He got up, grumbling, and continued to beat on the fire creature while Mishklo healed any and all return fire. We all shot at the thing, hoping that our bolts weren’t providing it with fuel. Eventually, we defeated the elemental, but it took a lot of effort!
Now, I was going to identify some of these magic items while some of my friends took turns sleeping in this bedroom, but I guess I nodded off right after pulling out the scroll I was going to use. I wonder why Windy didn’t wake me up to take a shift watching? I had a very weird dream: I was me, but I was much smaller, and flying, and I could see myself walking a dozen or so feet below. The “me” below put an arm out, and I was flying towards it when I woke up, slightly disoriented. Now, where did that scroll get to?
We did take the time to set up watches, but our rest was quiet. Quiet enough that Roywyn spent her watch identifying some of the potions we’d found. When I woke up, she gave me one for fire resistance - hah, funny! There was also a fancy dagger, which she gave to Kor’tac. He threw it at things (like the door) while I prayed. She was encouraging him to try knife-throwing stunts, while talking about her and Rowind’s “act” and if his performance would be an asset. Kor’tac eventally tucked the daggers away for later use. He also put all of the clothes from the wardobes into his haversack, although none of us can wear them! Mishklo healed me up the rest of the way, and we searched some more.
The library had not survived the fire elemental’s passage - too bad! The bedroom had (now empty) wardrobes, and a nightstand with candles, tindertwigs, and a book on botany. We learned some more about the vampire roses, and I tucked the candles and tindertwigs away for future use. We then opened another door... and found the study. The double-bladed sword mounted above the desk caught my eye right away, and I walked over for a closer look. ‘Wind was checking for magic, and I had hopped onto the desk for a closer look at the sword when - “Don’t touch that!” - came a voice out of nowhere!
It sounded like it was coming from the left, although when I looked, nothing was there. I asked out loud, “The desk, or the sword?”, but lost any answer in the barrage of questions that everyone asked at once. Whatever the voice was, it was left there by its master, Illic, and told to guard the room - not let anyone touch anything. It wouldn’t shake Kor’tac’s hand, or tell him its own name, but we did find out that Illic was human and the sword was a trophy of some battle. Unfortunately, it had no information about where we were, or how long it had been since it had seen its “master”. When ‘Wyn puffed some ash from the other room into the corner, a humanoid shape was revealed.
We did find out from the being that its master was most likely to be in his workshop - plus, directions to it. ‘Wyn left dust in front of the study, in case it followed us out, and we walked to yet another door. I knocked - no answer; I turned the handle - it was locked. Kor’tac offered to fix that, so I stepped back and waited for him to crack it open with his axe. We were at the bottom of a set of steps, and ‘Wyn and I headed up first. I made it about halfway before I sensed a portal in the wall next to me! I grabbed ‘Wyn, whispered what I’d found, and she handed me a coin to toss at it. No luck - the portal wasn’t active. In fact, Kor’tac proved it by putting his hand on the wall when he came up to see why we’d stopped.
Still trying to think of ways to open the portal, I checked out the top of the steps, but found another locked door. This one also yielded to Kor’tac’s axe, and we finally rediscovered the trap-door room. Although we were inside, the spell held; we couldn’t exit to the roof. The room itself was empty, so we headed back to check the portal again. It must lead to the workshop... While I undertook a most careful search of the stonework of the wall, ‘Wyn and Kor’tac headed back to the study. Apparently, they got around the invisible guardian’s orders not to touch anything by using magic: they returned with ‘Wyn concentrating on floating a stone in front of her, which proved to be the key. When she brought it up to the portal, glowing lines appeared.
We all went inside - even the wolf followed. The workshop proved to be a chamber some forty feet square, with benches and tables dedicated to chemical and alchemical experiments. A humanoid metal shape was in one corner, not moving, and a large throne stood opposite the door. A dusty withered figure sat in the chair, one hand on a glowing blue orb. ‘Wind quickly began to chant, while Kor’tac stepped forward and greeted Master Illic. A voice answered, “Begone, leave me!” Kor’tac asked if we could have permission to touch the things in the other rooms, while I realized that the figure hadn’t moved when the words were spoken. I crept nearer the throne to see behind it - nothing - and, when he snarled at me for “sneaking” I saw clearly that the dead thing in the chair was not animated at all. So, I asked him, “What happened to you?”
I heard a muttered word, and two skeletons appeared out of nowhere to attack me. Ow! Kor’tac immediately charged the figure on the throne, cleaving it with his axe and quickly turning to smash a skeleton to bits. I waved my holy symbol, but the skeletons ignored me. In fact, more appeared. Kor’tac smashed another, then hit the blue orb with all his might. He was the one to collapse, however, while the orb remained intact and flashed a brighter blue! I tried to turn the skeletons again, and was ignored a second time. Mishklo dashed forward, trying to pull Kor’tac to safety, but collapsed before he got close - and the orb flashed again. Worse yet, ‘Wind shot at the orb from a distance, and the same thing happened. ‘Wyn and I were the only two still fighting, and more skeletons arrived every moment!
I gave up on trying to turn the things, pulled my sword, and suggested to ‘Wyn that she “float” the orb over the wall of the castle. A big enough drop ought to smash it! She gave it a magical shove, but it didn’t move. We were dodging and fighting skeletons, and getting desperate, when she thought of the handy haversacks that we all carry. She made a dash for Mishklo’s bag, dodged forward between skeletons, and swept it over the orb in one swift movement.
I have no idea what happened next. An explosion? Not exactly. A flash? Sort of. The next thing I could see was - nothingness, a void all around; no orb, and the skeletons disappearing *poof*poof*. No Mishklo or wolf or Rowind, but ‘Wyn and Kor’tac floating nearby. When I tried to step or fly, I didn’t move at all, which helped me figure out that we’d been transported to another plane of existence. I tried to tell Roywyn how to move, while willing myself over to Kor’tac - when she tumbled into me! We got straightened out and headed over to Kor’tac, and discovered that he was dead. That’s when ‘Wyn figured out that the orb had been a “magic jar” capturing our friends’ souls. We’d destroyed the jar, and our friends, with the best of intentions.
May Shaundakul forgive us!
I prayed over Kor’tac, grieved for our friends’ bodies left in Illic’s workshop, and prepared to search for a portal off this plane. We can’t get anything out of our magical haversacks, but we took Kor’tac’s shield to sit on, and as much of his other things as we could as well. Who knows what may come in useful after this? We then picked a random direction, and willed ourselves into the unknown.
After an unknown period of time, we saw a ship sailing through the void...
Mirtul 30, Astral Plane
While the story may now be irrelevant, there is not a lot to do here, so I will write it down anyway. As my friends woke up this morning, we looked around the room we’d spent our “night” in, finding little of interest other than a book on roses. The room beside us, previously known as the living room, was ash. We explored the remainder of the hall beyond, coming to what appeared to be a study, complete with a desk lit by two glowing orbs and an unusual-looking sword hanging on the wall above it. Seren went to inspect it closer and was greeted with “Don’t touch that!” for her trouble.
A lot of arguing with the mysterious (and invisible) voice revealed that we were in the study of one Master Illic, and the unseen guardian was simply following instructions left by his master, oblivious to the obvious long-absence of said master. I did not like talking to a disembodied voice, so I threw some of the ever-present ash on the area I suspected the voice to be coming from— this revealed a pair of humanoid legs, at least. Further discussion revealed that the master was in his “workshop” elsewhere in the tower. There was only one little room we had not visited. Kor’tac negated the need to pick the lock, and we soon stood in front of an opening with stairs leading up. I went up to discover (as we suspected) that the trapdoor to the roof had previously occupied the square hole above the steps. Seren began to climb up the steps as well, but stopped halfway up, saying she sensed a portal in the wall beside her. I couldn’t see it, but that made more sense than a rooftop workshop!
We went back to the study and asked for a way to get to the master’s workshop. The unseen voice (ash coating having disappeared while we were gone) said that the key was in the top drawer of the desk. I went to open the drawer and was reminded not to touch the master’s things. So, I asked if I could use a spell to lift the key; the invisible servant had no problem with that, so using mage hand, I obtained the key and moved it back to where Seren indicated. The key lit up briefly and suddenly there was a glowing door in the wall!
We all scrambled through the opening and found ourselves in a large chamber. There was some sort of iron statue or inactive golem in one corner, and alchemist’s equipment on a large table. There was also a throne, upon which was the withered husk of what looked like a human, it’s skeletal hand resting on a glowing blue orb on a pedestal beside it. Its eyes looked dead and its robes were coated in dust.
Things went downhill from here. The figure (at least, we thought it was the figure) told us to begone, and made some vague threats, though its lips never moved, nor did it stir from the throne. All of a sudden, skeletons were simply appearing in groups around Seren! Kor’tac attempted to attack the figure and the orb, but slumped over as his axe hit the blue globe. It briefly flashed a brighter blue. Mishklo, always stepping in to heal, rushed to the orc’s aid; he too fell lifeless as the orb flashed. Even his wolf followed suit! More skeletons were appearing every few seconds. I attempted what I hoped was a song that would frighten them away, as I feared they would completely fill the room; Windy shot the orb. It did not shatter, and Windy slumped over, apparently lifeless— and the orb flashed brighter again. Seren and I were the only two left standing, and the room was so full of skeletons that I could barely make her out 15’ away! She shouted to smash it, which I tried to do with mage hand, but I met with too much resistance. I did the only thing I could think of— I grabbed the druid’s backpack, tumbled through a horde of skeletons, and tossed the bag over the orb.
Well, the backpack was an inter-dimensional space, and the orb did not react as I had anticipated. There was a flash, I think. I may have blacked out, or just lost track of time, but I found myself floating in apparent nothingness moments later. Seren, thank gods, was alive and nearby. I made my way over to her somehow. The skeletons were disappearing one by one. Kor’tac was nearby; sadly, he is dead. Windy and the druid are just... gone. I saw them both fall, and in my heart I know they are dead too.
Kor’tac was always so concerned about our safety, so it’s ironic that we are now using his tower shield as a makeshift raft— it is the most substantial thing we could find other than the orc himself. I’m not sure how long we’ve been drifting (if we’re even moving), but Seren has a knack for seeing portals, so we hope to eventually find someplace with sky and ground. We seem to be moving towards something large— it looks like a ship!
Rebirth
As I piece together the egg that will bring about my rebirth I meditate on my life, a life that will soon be over with the birth of another.
I was born Soveliss Siannodel, an elf, to a merchant family. We sold many valuable things: jewelry, clothing, even some types of rare and expensive armor. Sometimes my father would go on trips to uncover a hidden stash of treasure. When I was around my 98th year, I went on my first trip with him. It was great and I learned a lot from one of the other elves that came with us. Himo Liadon was rather skilled at getting us past different traps and unlocking doors. I was so impressed I decided I wanted to learn how he did it. With my father’s blessing I studied under him for several years.
It was during this time I meet Anastrinna Xiloscient. She was the most beautiful elven woman I have ever and probably will ever meet. We spent a lot of time together, I got to know her family and she became familiar with mine. I’d have done anything for her.
I was 125 when I decided I would get her parents’ blessing to ask for her hand in marriage, but first I had to establish myself, so I went on an expedition to explore some ruins. It took almost two months to get there. It was a successful trip and I knew I was ready to go ahead with my plans, but when I got home I discovered Anastrinna had gone off on her own adventure and hadn’t returned. Three months went by before we got any word at all. One of the group she went out with had returned half dead, dehydrated and starved. The clerics helped him and we heard a chilling tale.
Not two weeks out they were attacked by some dragon-like creatures. They seemed to be a mixture if dragons and wolves. The group was scattered. He claimed to have been wandering aimlessly for the past several months. Three others and I went on what we called a rescue mission to find the remains of the party, but we all knew that they were probably already dead.
After a month of searching we found the den of these beasts, It was extremely difficult, but we were able to defeat the abominations. We found the remains of several humanoid bones, and enough gear to determine that these were the missing party. There was a funeral, and after everyone else went home I sat alone at her grave, wishing I had the strength to change what had happened, wishing I could destroy all these vile abominations. As the sun rose over the trees, I heard a voice in my head, “It was the spawn of Tiamat.”
“Who’s there?” I answered aloud, thinking someone had come to check up on me.
“There are more of her spawn in this world and others.” The voice replied. Looking around I couldn’t see anyone, and it didn’t so much as speak but place these thought into my head.
“How do you know this.” I said aloud again, part of me thinking I was going insane.
“I am Bahamut, if you will join my cause and be reborn as my child, I will give you the strength to fight her spawn.”
Looking at the grave and feeling rage at what had happened I asked, “What do I have to do?”
I was given a list of instructions, and was told I could have a week to decide, it wasn’t to be taken lightly. Leaving behind your family, friends, and all you worked for to become the child of a god for the purpose of destroying the evil spawn Tiamat creates. I took most of the week to think about it, I then sold everything I didn’t need, gathered the ingredients for the rebirth and headed out to a quiet and serene place.
As I place the last piece of the shell together from the inside, I can feel the changes start to take place. My old self is slowly fading away, My hair has completely fallen out. In the utter darkness I can begin to see. I’ve never been able to see in complete dark before. I feel Bahamut close to me and I embrace him and his family.
“Please give me guidance as I embrace my new life.” I say as I hatch from my shell and am reborn. I can see the sun rising on a new day. Fitting for a rebirth, I think as I clean myself and don my armor.
“I an now Soveliss Tibur Vaecaesin, for I was born an elf and am now reborn a child of Bahamut.”
I go north. Not fully knowing why, but it seems to be the direction I should go. So I gather my things, and start walking.
Character sheet: Soveliss Tibur Vaecaesin [Dragonborn Rogue]
My name is Flin, do not forget it.
I am a man of few words, so listen to what I say for it will not be repeated. The place I call home is the Chondalwood. It is a place most sentient creatures would avoid for it is filled with death and danger. In this place I was raised by my Hin family, I call them my family even though I have no blood tie to any of them. If you ever cross one of them, I will hunt you to the day you die.
My job, well lets just say I work with a team that removes threats from our homeland. Sometimes threats can be redirected, sometimes pushed back, and sometimes …. they must be removed. It was on one of these such occasions that led me to where I am today. I would tell you how long it has been, but in this infernal place there is not time. Instead I will tell you of the events that lead to me being trapped in this void.
One day a scout returned to us with a sighting of red clothed wizards and a band of warriors near our home. As usual, the first thing we did was to trick the elves into getting red of the threat, but the wizards proved too powerful. A messenger was sent to find some of the wild druids, but the events happened to quick for us to wait for their intervention.
The red wizards seemed guided by some device that lead them directly towards our home, and an assault was ordered. Unlike the elves, we understand the ability to fight a slow battle. First we waited in thickly covered area, as the intruders passed we broke from the underbrush and cut down the fighters in one quick attack, then retreated to the shadows. This made the wizards pause, but soon they gathered the nerve to continue, only after creating a huge creature to protect them first. I still do not know what this beast was, but it had to go next. Sadly it took two of my Hin brothers with it.
This made the wizards think about how they would protect themselves in this place, but once again they gained their courage. They tried to continue only to find a note pinned to a tree explaining that we have been very gentle this far, and if they did not leave now, they would be killed. In truth they where only a stones throw from our home. It appears this really made them angry, they began burning everything with great fireballs. We could not let this continue, our party attacked. What happened next is a fever pitched battle that was to horrible to describe with any accuracy. Six wizards versus our party of nine (One had left to find the druids), two wizards dropped quickly as did five or my brothers.
Seems these wizards are willing to drop fireballs on themselves, they are beyond reason. I will not describe the next few minutes of blood and screams, I will just say I found myself face to face with two wizards. We where all that survived, and it was a miracle even to call us alive at that point.
I launched what I knew would be my final attack when a druid attacked from behind my foe. Again, the violence and speed of this part is indescribable. At the end, I found myself laying on the body of one of the red figures, my blade deeply imbedded and having done its duty. I was nearly unconscious, but I did see the druid fall with my Hin brother that had brought him. The last standing wizard was badly beaten but still standing, he looked at me with a look of disgust. Then he walked over to me and knelt down to my side to look in my eyes. He then rubbed the top of my head and said he would let me live to know that he would return with ten fold his original party. He told me to tell the others to stay out of his way when he returned.
Then he opened a great portal and walked through. I took a potion of healing and followed him through. My plan was to find some shadows to hide in and kill this man when I the chance. But only after finding out what brought him to my home. There was a strange feeling as I passed through the portal, and now I am here. In this lost place of nothing.
Character sheet: Flin [Halfling Rogue/Sorcerer]
Companion sheet: Totem [Mouse Familiar of Flin]
If you ask an orc, dwarf, or even most humans how to win a war and they will tell it is through strength in arms. However anyone in my trade will tell you differently, I am a scout and I can be the difference between your victory and defeat. I can determine the strengths and weaknesses of a force. I can determine the best location to fight your army and what troops would be most effective to use against you. I can make your army think that mine is just around the bend or miles and miles away. I can cause great fear in your ranks or make them feel calm when they are about to be ambushed.
I wasn’t always like this. My name is Noath and I was born long ago in a small village. I had had no real talent for performance and went into an art that truly seemed like my calling. I had an almost unnatural sense for all aspects of scouting. As a whisper gnome I had natural talents for stealth and quietness. But when I was very young, a mere 19, I joined my first human army; a small force tasked with defending a village from band of orcs. We prepared and ambush and I pretended that a small group of us saw the orcs and fled. The orcs pursued and were crushed utterly in the well laid out attack. From that point on I knew that was my calling in life. Or at least that was what I thought; I have helped armies destroy others for 70 years and have nothing to show for it. Sure I have gained some things and some new skills. However I have no place to call mine, I haven’t found love and I have lost all taste for battle.
So now I have taken a different path, I set out to find a new life. I am out for myself now. I would like to find friends; I would like to find love. Most of all I would like to find a place to call my own. And hey if I can make a fortune along the way that would be nice too.
Character sheet: Noath Falath [Whisper Gnome Rogue]
Cause of death: big-ass githyanki sword.