Cruising back through the now empty tunnels, the group investigates the remaining doors and finds storage closets, a painter’s workshop and a few interesting bits of trivia about the late occupants. In addition, they discover a cult fanatic that wants to kill the upstart cultitits over some beef involving inter-cult politics. Though the group is interested in using their services at first, the combative attitude combined with a certain arrogance leads them to release the person on their own reconnaissance to go and do anti-cult stuff. They do learn that there are other avenues of access to the Insanity Pit, so it probably won’t be long before some other group of deranged cultists sets up shop and threatens the fabric of reality…but not today!.
They want to investigate the lift out of the place and send the stealthy Fingers to check it out. Fingers sees guards and a plan is hatched. Minutes later, the guards are dead and the party is loose in the basement of some other dwelling in the district. They exit onto the street and make note of the neighborhood for a possible report to the powers that be…or not. Let them figure it out.
After a few days back in the manor house (still un-arsoned) the group decides that they aren’t interested in the strands of political and other intrigue swirling around. In fact, they are still coming to grips with the changes their bodies are manifesting as a result of exposure to pure chaos. Maybe it is time to get out of Ptolus and back into the wide open spaces that let them roam without encountering other people they can’t immediately attack. Curse societal restrictions! Many in the party are on edge as a result of their transformation and are looking for someone upon which to unleash their rage.
They latch onto a thread of adventure out of Trolone that is now at least a month old, but what the hell – as the nouveau riche, they have nothing more pressing to do so they magically steal a bunch of horses (just temporary, most assuredly) and set off into the wilds on an uneventful journey. They arrive at their destination in a few days. There, the remains of a tower and compound overlook a place where two rivers combine and roar over the side of the cliffs.
They scout and when the reports come back, it is clear that the place has seen recent action. A large pile of mostly charred gnoll bodies are clearly the result of a combat and cleanup that took place within the past few weeks. A death card marks the bodies, showing a bluebell flower on one side an a pair of stylized blue ship’s bells on the other. “Death by Bluebells” is the motto. Another adventuring group? A hired mercenary band? A wizard named Bluebells? Who knows. What matters is that the loot is gone. Bah. Sniffles and Bayga raise a bunch of the corpses as zombies. Waste not, want not.
They investigate the barracks area and what looks like a temple. Both show signs of having been sacked in the distant past, but were clearly repopulated more recently by the gnoll band – which included females and pups, so there are signs that this was intended to be a long-term habitation. Interesting…very interesting.
Finally, the group turns attention to the four-story structure and the observation tower on the very top. They airlift to the tippity top and break in. As they descend into the interior there are signs that corroborate the bits of evidence they’ve assembled so far. The tower was inhabited at some point, sacked by an attacking force that plundered the interior and tried to destroy the furnishings, to varying degrees of success. The group looks for overlooked items and eventually finds a hidden passage that connects to a stairwell that is made from different stone and constructed with a different level of skill. Kegdrain is of the opinion it is more Stonelost dwarven work, but the stair must have predated the tower.
Down they go – defeating an ooze that tries to eat them and discovering a body that is clearly been used as ooze food. Some light plunder and looting ensues before they arrive at a door that is locked, barred and chained…all on their side. Whenever confronted by a door that is most clearly designed to be closed, it must be opened! Kael is used to bash the lock off the chains and they open the door. The air is stale and not terribly appealing, but not toxic.
They tour and find a room with a well, full of magical clean water that triggers a religious experience with Kael – who begins speaking in crow – and reaffirms the cleric’s link to their particular gods. A sleeping chamber lies beyond, complete with a stone table that cools items placed upon its surface. A set of theater doors opens onto an amphitheater, but the place is warded against evil, which makes everyone very uncomfortable and leads to a bit of back and forth about how to proceed. Finally, kael is given an alignment masking item and he traverses the amphitheater to stand before another locked, barred and chained door.
This one is also muscled open, and a sarcophagus is revealed. The room is plain, with candelabras at the corners and an array of mirrors facing the closed lid. One by one, the rest of the group joins Kael and they spend some time in idle speculation before arranging themselves and trying to shove the lid off the stone coffin. The lid slides and reveals an ancient withered specimen that is not quite human. Moisture starts to be wicked out of the party and into the body, causing the tissues to swell noticeably. When the eyelids flicker open, Kael tries to bury the axe into the body and succeeds in triggering an explosion of spres/dust that causes several of the party members to being hallucinating. It ends up being a near thing, but they overcome the creature and return it to death. Sliding the sarcophagus reveals a warded bundle of items that the party promptly steals.
As they prepare to leave the area, they realize there are new visitors. A band of twelve, orces, hobgoblins and a few gnolls are carefully scouting the area. They are obviously on high alert, given the battle signs in the main yard and are spread out, stymieing the mages attempts to have them all within a single fireball spell. Zombies are deployed as lures and that does the trick. Bingity bangity boom, they’re dead. Bayga harvests a bit of brain and the group decides to retreat to the basement and sort things out.
Sifting through brain memories and a bit of tracking gives them a direction. Apparently the “green wizard” was once a druid and they live “in the castle on the hill” within three days travel and they are assembling an army of various humanoids for “reasons unknown”. The group deploys heir rangers and starts tracking the scouting party. There are signs of campfires spread out across the landscape as they travel, and there are surely watchers about, so the group tries for slow and stealthy travel. After some time and travel they finally discern a vine covered structure that just has to be their target, but the interior is collapsed. What the hell?
Oh – wait. At the bottom of the tower, in the rubble pile, it looks as though someone has fashioned a cave – or at least a hollowed-out area, and within that area is a large wooden trapdoor that covers a shaft, descending to a stair that loops back and forth, dropping them 80 to 100 feet below the surface. They’re probably below the level of the river at this point, though the waterway is at least a mile from here. Descending into a large worked-stone chamber they are beset by a many headed pyrohydra, which precipitates a savage fight. Once victorious, the group looks around.some more. Shall they travel the tunnel the hydra emerged from, or shall they examine a door on the opposite side of the room?