Searching for another snake or snakes found nothing, the wicker cage could have housed the snake. Seglun decided to explore the bedroom to the north, since she was interrupted previously by the incorporeal spirit. The room was dusty and empty, except when the spirit flitted back into the room, whence Seglun exited quickly.
Of course the spirit followed directly into the hall but didn't seem to follow anyone into the foyer area. No one could recall seeing a mirror anywhere, so Baru suggested heading down to the main keep. Ralom suggested taking the staircase down that hadn't been used previously. Varrid and Seglun led the troop downward three levels to a landing and a doorway into the tower. Seglun tried the final small key on the lock but that didn't work. Neither did any of the small keys. Finding no traps Varrid attempted to pick the lock, unsuccessfully. Arvien suggested using knock but Drovic talked her out of using it yet, there was another landing to the west of where the party stood, on another stairway.
So the party headed up two floors, crossed the interior of level 8 and back down their original stairway, down two floors to the locked door. Seglun and Varrid had the same results here, no way in. Down they party headed to the balcony on floor 4. Trying the first door way in on this level, they encountered the incorporeal spirit, which chased them away again. So Seglun headed for the western balcony where they had spotted a door before. There were some windows on this level, Ralom peeked into a bedroom area that looked abandoned. Seglun opened the door in from the west. This led into a hallway that led in fifty feet to an larger open area in the center of the tower. Doors to the north and south lined the hall. At this point the party started a dungeon crawl through the tower, opening doors, exploring the rooms, checking for magic, sensing evil. Of course the whole floor shone with evil so that didn't help much. Doors led to bedrooms, storage areas. work rooms and a privy. Off the central foyer was a door leading to a stairway down and a locked door. Again no key worked on this door, neither did the abilities of Varrid trying to open it. The group sensed that the door probably led to a stairway leading up. In the northern area bedroom they again were chased away by a incorporeal spirit. Arvien tried to convince the rest of the party that there were several of these spirits. Grunyar was not sure yet but certainly kept his distance from the creatures. As the party was searching for mirrors and magic Seglun and Ralom were surprised to see a creature move out of the shadows toward them. The impish looking creature was about four feet tall with pointed ears, long ponytail and wide eyes. She talked in a hissing whisper, "Are you seeking Lord Soth?" As they moved back away from the small form they indicated that they were looking for Lord Soth. "I am Ticklemop, a Kender from Kendralind. I have an item that may be of interest to Lord Soth," she hissed. Ralom wondered how long she had been in Nedregaard. Ticklemop answered that she had been here a day and had explored the ground level and this level. As Ralom looked closer at Ticklemop he could see that her skin was very pale, almost withered. She was quite gaunt and her bones were visible beneath her skin. Ticklemop always tried to back up into the shadows, apparently a slight bit shy. She offered her services as a guide and as she talked the clank of armor and the thud of heavy bootsteps echoed in the halls. There was a faint odor of rot.
Striding into the foyer came three skeletal warriors, the party moved away drawing weapons and preparing for battle. When the guard demanded "Who goes there?" Ticklemop answered "A seeker of the Rose." At this the guards moved to the stairway headed down and left the party alone. Now the party recognized that Ticklemop could be of help. Discussion took place wherein the Kender explained that her village, Kendralind had been yanked out of Krynn 15 or so years ago and they had become the slaves of Lord Soth here in Sithicus. She showed them a iron pendant, two inches wide and circular in shape. "I believe Lord Soth is looking for this," she explained. There was the emblem of a rose embossed on one side. At the center of the rose was a hole where a gem could be mounted. Two loops at the top of the pendant were twisted and broken. Arvien queried about the incorporeal spirits, to which Ticklemop explained that they were elven banshees, thirteen of them, "Try and avoid them at all costs," she suggested.
Seglun now suggested heading down the stairs to the third level and she led the way with Baru close at hand. The stairs led to another open foyer, surrounded with doors and a spiral staircase in the center heading down. Again the dungeon crawl began revealing sitting rooms, storage rooms, changing rooms, and a bedroom. One door led to a bath area where again a banshee was lurking. Another led to a library, with walls lined with books of every size and shape; the air smelling of wet paper and mildew. AS Seglun entered, several blackbirds took flight and exited through empty frames of three broken windows in a flurry of wings and hoarse cries. The carpet beneath each window bore a dark water stain. Some books had tumbled form the shelves and lay in an untidy heap on the floor. No mirrors were seen here either but Ralom detected magic amongst the books. Seglun found another door here that led to a chamber with a large desk with papers scattered across it. The papers were of no interest, but in one drawer she found three small keys. Meanwhile Ralom and Arvien were attempting to find the magic books. They found seven books only one of which appeared evil. Based of her previous experience, Arvien left the evil book behind without attempt to identify it. The other six were, Manual and Tomes of improvement which they party gathered up. Arvien declared that they would be of help but they took time to work their magic.
In two other areas Seglun encountered other banshees avoiding them quickly. To the west was a room that once must have been beautiful. But now its stained glass windows hung in twisted fragments and its colorful frescoes were crumbling. A dais between two doors was littered with the remains of a statue carved from white marble veined with gold. The statue was broken into large pieces, but it apparently depicted a beautiful woman holding a torch. Her head lay in a corner, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. As Ralom divined for magic or evil he heard a voice in his head "Heal me," it pleaded. He attempted a healing spell on the statue with no effect. Again the voice softly whispered "Heal me." Ralom picked up the head and moved it together on the dais with the other pieces. He suggested that Baru help try and put the statue back together. Baru joined in but as he hoisted a piece of the statue he felt a sharp pain and noticed that something had been smeared on the pieces. Assuming some sort of poison the group reluctantly left the chamber.
On the opposite eastern side another chamber was found. The wood floor of the room was gouged and splintered, as if it had been rent by gigantic claws. Long scorch marks had seared the walls and ceiling.
On a dais between two doors stood a statue of a dragon. From nose to tail it was about ten feet long. It seemed to have been wrought from silver, but the tarnished metal was now a mottle of blacks and purples. Ralom climbed the dais to examine the statue. As he approached he could feel heat radiating from the statue, the metal looked searingly hot. As Baru entered the chamber he heard a voice that rang like an gong. "Free me!" it cried. Baru let the party know of this voice. Ralom had determined that there was something of magic, possibly inside the statue.
Grunyar, immune to poison had started to put the pieces of the female statue together in the western chamber. When all the pieces were lined up correctly the statue fused itself together and stood up, with torch raised, on the dais. An aura of good radiated from the statue.
In the dragon room the party attacked the statue which soon crumbled from the damage. Inside was a sword laying on an anvil, its blade glowing red. Seglun sped up the dais and grabbed the hilt. Immediately she let go and yelped in pain. Baru heard a voice saying "Take me, I am Oathmaker." After waiting a few rounds, during which the blade of the sword cooled, he then picked it up. The two bonded as the sword declared its purpose, "Defeating knights who have broken their Solamnic oaths." Baru strapped the sheathe to his waist and strode forward out of the chamber. Meanwhile Grunyar explained what he had accomplished and led the party to the statue, where Ralom detected healing powers. Baru and Seglun stepped into the aura and were healed, even of the poison damage.
Taking the central staircase down the party headed to the second floor, into a large chamber. It was a indoor garden, filled with a wild tangle of plants. The floor was covered in soil, and the ceiling glowed with bright light like full sunlight. The garden was overgrown and obviously had not been tended in weeks. Weeds had sprouted everywhere, flowers had dead and mottled blossoms, and clinging vines choked the bushes. The air was heavy with the smell of rotten vegetation and dampness. Still, a few plants seemed to have survived. The hardiest were some rose bushes, their thorned stems bore white rosebuds.
Ralom found the ceiling covered with magic, as a flock of birds took flight from the southwestern corner of the garden. Ticklemop flipped a hood over her pale looking head but not before Drovic noticed long pointed teeth. Seglun again headed for the door on the northwest corner. Crawling through another set of rooms the party found three additional banshees. Many sitting rooms and bed rooms. In the north there were workshops, for metal works, cloth works, china works, woodworking and more. No mirrors or magic was evident. There were two staircases headed down south of the garden.
DM's Notes: No XP were gained tonight during the dungeon crawl.
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