Traversing the upstairs reveals it to be the realm of the gatehouse guards – most of which were just slain in the pitched battle just minutes earlier. There is some light looting and a bit of partial pillaging…but the talk keeps coming back to the book that slew Kiko. What is it if not a decoy? Could this actually be the thing they sought? Hmm. Well, for now it is time to go up rope for a few days, until the druid regains his full measure of health.
When they resume moving about, it doesn’t look like there has been any action in their absence. Bodies and bits of bodies still litter the courtyard, so they resume exploring and eventually descend a set of stairs that leads to an armory/barracks and a locked door leads to a row of prison cells beyond.
The cells are filled with rust monsters and one cell door is a mimic, but these cheap attempts at surprise are dealt with swiftly.
A secret door is discovered and beyond it lies a horrific torture chamber. Nothing much of interest exists within, but an illusionary wall conceals a pair of cells The cell doors are opened and explored, and Malchor finds a magic ring in one. When scooped up, a gentle voice caresses his mind. “You seem like a nice person. Hi, my name is Erick”.
This – of course – prompts a healthy paranoid response, but Malchor is willing to take a more nuanced view. Why not talk to the voices in your head? You might learn something. Indeed they do teach Malchor many things – like the ring was worn by a wizard. The wizard was part of a larger group. The wizard was subjected to tortures but by virtue of the ring being invisible it was left on his finger. As he died, he used it as a magic jar and transferred his soul within.He will richly reward any who help him to his floating castle where he has a replacement body stored. Well, OK, but first Malchor’s Malcontents want to finish looting this place and decide what to do with the book.
Mr T and his carpet will ferry a rope to the audience hall and the group will ascend to plunder and explore the remaining areas and the last few locked doors. As they float gently ahead of the rest of the group a terrible event unfolds. Elulyn explodes as though squeezed by a giant first, and an instant later a fiery whip slashes the flying carpet into a tattered, flaming ruin. As Malschor gasps in surprise, Mr. T tumbles towards the courtyard floor. As he revolves end over end, he sees the massive demon straddling the courtyard, observing him with sadistic glee. A group of snake-monks are charging out of a space that the group had sealed off days before with a wall of stone. Looks like the place has been busy after all. When Ivan tries to bolt for the safety of the interior, the demon squishes him with a thought, and he explodes in a shower of viscera.
The quick thinking druid uses his telekinesis ring to pull Elulyn’s backpack to the group and the luckblade is used to move the restored party to Erick’s courtyard. There, the ring voice tells Malchor what to say and whom to say it to. Before long, the group is fed and comfortably seated in the study. Erick/Malchor leave the group behind and descend through a series of trapped and hidden passages before arriving in the laboratory space. There, a body floats in a vat of nutrient goo. Malchor settles the ring into a sand-filled ashtray and slides it near the tank. Erick attempts to merge his spirit with the shell. It may take a while, so Malchor returns to the group and they enjoy fine foods, spirits and cigars.
Eventually, the reincorporated host appears. He seems quite jovial. Being without a body for an extended period of time is quite annoying and he seems to be relishing the sensations of being fleshy again. Some talk, some banter, some strange revelations regarding Melcherek’s early days in the academy they shared and a plan for returning to the book are all discussed. Erick is full of righteous fury and is determined to annex the monastery if the book cannot be removed. He agrees to accompany the group on their return and to cleanse the place. He provides rewards for all the group, giving them whatever he has that seems appealing. He further provides some salves to help insulate the group as they move across the pocket dimension of raging elemental chaos. As they draw near, they see a line of four snake-monks stretched across the entranceway. The group is in no mood and fireballs from Erick and lightning bolts from Malchor destroy the monks in the space of seconds. The group rushes onwards.
They storm the place and immediately rush to the summoning room. While Malchor erases glyphs from the summoning circle, Erick disintegrates a chunk of the floor upon which the runes are engraved. That should keep the demon summoning to a minimum. Off they go. They quickly move to open and explored a set of rooms behind the throne – a private study and an unoccupied barrack’s room. Might be where the reserves came from?
Onward to the remaining two doors they’ve found. One is opened to reveal a hatchery. It is warm and full of nests in which rest large, leathery-skinned eggs. Mr. T deploys his multiple dancing blades and destroys the room’s contents. Infanticide completed, the group doubles back to explore the strangely magical throne. It is explored and there is a narrow ventilation shaft behind the throne that looks like it might be accessed by a vaporous being. When Malchor unleashes an arcane eye, the statues behind the throne begin spewing venomous snakes. A hastily erected wall of fire separates the cascade of serpents from the group and they await Malchor’s report…
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