The stairs are trapped, but Justicar sniffs it out and the magic crown wipes it out. Some arbitrary directions are chosen and the investigation ends in a battle with a trio of hags and their spore-laden exploding undead. Their dens are ultra-creepy and after a quick pillage and the removal of some eyelashes then they’re off again.
Upon reaching the double doors, they use magic to open them and behold a large jail and torture chamber. Gratings in the floor look down into holding cells below, and the far end of the room shows three doors set into the wall. As the party investigates further, the room and party are split by a wall of ice. On the heels of the ice wall, a bone devil exits the middle door and launches an attack at the mage in the scout party. When Elulyn takes to the air, he is dismayed that not only can the devil fly – it is faster then he is. A quick fireball from Malchor opens the ice wall and Elulyn is able to escape and lure the creature into range. Meanwhile, a horde of lemures has spilled out of one of the remaining doorways, but the caustic Cosmic monkmage hurls himself bodily against them and liquifies them in large numbers. Mr. T lays about and soon that threat is vanquished as well. The druid summons an earth elemental and after examining the occupants of the cells below, they rescue four very thin farmers and one extremely fat merchant who has been force fed for a future role as pate. One of the cells contains bones of a large and unusual nature. One of the cell occupants is ‘off’ and the sheer amount of magic she radiates is strange. The magic is dispelled and the monocle reveals the taint of evil on the soul. After slaying the captive, they turn to the last iron door on the far wall. Fully expecting to be attacked, they are surprised to find a heavily tortured and abused elf mage. A bit of questioning and she joins the rescued humans.
Spending a few days up the ropes, they ensure everyone is in tip top shape and resume exploration. They find what has got to be a trap involving a devil pinned to the floor by a magical talking blade. Moving onward, they find another room – a book that is chained to a lectern (trapped) and a door (also trapped). As they are preparing to investigate, Malchor announces that everyone is leaving. This place is no place for farmers and busted up mages.
Once they’ve gathered outside, the elven mage removes herself home via teleportation spell she was allowed to memorize from the wizard’s spellbooks. If the group needs a favor from the wood elves of Cormanthy, they need but to ask, and she writes a personal rune on a parchment that they can show to be put in contact with her. The fat merchant offers a button from his threadbare and frayed trousers – it is stamped with the symbol of the trading family to which he belongs. He is indebted and will do what he can to help them if they need it. The four farmers are offered the chance to work in the vineyards at the manor house on the Moonsea shore. With few other options, they agree.
Malchor and Elulyn teleport the group to the manor house, see some upgrades have been made and take a moment to examine the place before they march in. They find their major-domo hard at work and he welcomes them back, asks for some more money and helps plan the revitalization of the grape vines. They spend a month in place, making upgrades and using magic to transform the vineyards. While they wait, they divvy loot and reminisce about various near-death experiences and generally relax. The large bones turn out to be celestial in origin and are eventually delivered to Kormier, as it is likely this was the individual that was to be sacrificed to the Mace of Faiths before the al took on that role.
They were hunting an airship lich in the first place, and that seems to be a thing that they can all get behind so off they go – trying to locate the threads of information that will allow them to hunt another of the powerful undead.
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