August 7, 2019 Session
- Daniel Bove
Setup
As the party gathered at the base of the shaft that they would climb to the laboratory at the top of the tower, they took the opportunity to recount some of their back stories.
Corliss told of his last encounter with his patron. Hurodash recounted a recent dream that seemed apropos. Ser Shadow told of a recent encounter at Castle Rend. Yornan spoke of a recurring vision. Rhagal has recurring visions also. Namaria shared her backstory.
Then the party headed up the shaft.
The Laboratory
The party emerged in the laboratory of the Polonian sorcerer and experimenter that they had dubbed “Santa Claus”. The main room was filled with glass tanks filled with various monsters with missing or additional limbs. In one corner, there was three glass cylinders wrapped with brass bands covered with magical engravings. Each tank contained a blond-haired Polonian, each with tentacles of various types grafted to their bodies.
A search of the remainder of the remainder of the floor turned up: two safes that were quickly opened by Rhagal, a sleeping quarters in which Namaria found papers and another room in which she found a Elvish teleporting mirror and associated marbles, and a room full of plants that Hurodash wisely decided not the enter.
Hurodash and Corliss decided to guard the top of a staircase while Ser Shadow entered the room of plants. He suspected something nefarious within and he was not disappointed. A carnivorous plant slammed the door shut and grabbed hold of Ser Shadow, pulling him close enough to bite at him with its huge mouth. With a small assist from Hurodash, Ser Shadow managed to extricate himself from the situation.
Nonetheless, the noise was enough to attract Santa Claus from the floor below. He quickly cast Shatter, injuring Rhagal but only managing to break open one glass case that held an Octopus. The party quickly responded with a furious assault.
A sneak attack arrow fired by Rhagal from the Bow of Alluria, followed up by punishing blows from Hurodash quickly forced Santa Claus to retreat down the stairs. A last ditch effort to summon infernal allies was squashed by a Corliss Counterspell. And then the fun began. Ser Shadow chased Santa Claus down the stairs into the barracks level, killing him with a blow from the Flame Tongue Dagger. Not to be outdone, Corliss descended and cast Fireball, targeting the first flood of guards attempting to counterattack. The few survivors of the spell, and a fair portion of the second wave were subsequently pummeled by a Cone of Cold cast by Nameria.
Even as subsequent waves of guards encircled the party, they were afraid to attack for fear of encountering another spell. As the Polonian guards yelled for the party to surrender, the party searched for an escape. The shaft had been cut off by a failsafe mechanism and by the time that Yornan tripped the switch to open the shaft and send the Octopus to its death, the party was already gathering in the room with the mirror. Hurodash did what barbarians do and wailed on the ensorcelled glass windows with his axe, failing to break them open. Corliss and Ser Shadow - rendered invisible - snuck through the room and joined to rest of the party.
As overwhelming numbers of guards closed in, Namaria used the blue marble to activate the mirror. The party cried out and Namaria froze. Hurodash quickly swapped the blue marble for the red one before leaping through the mirror. The party followed and escaped into what appeared to be a rain forest that had grown over the remains of a crumbled city within a steep river valley.
Aftermath
The party took a few moments after the escaping into the Rain Forest to allow Corliss to use Identify to examine each of the items that they had retrieved from the laboratory. As Corliss ritually cast the spells, the party reexamined some of the papers and books they had found.
Paperwork from the desk of Santa Claus:
Experiments progressing satisfactorily. All objectives should be reached within the established time period. Super soldiers should be ready in time for Convergence Ceremony.
Paperwork from the desk of Santa Claus:
Advise against attempting to retake Highbridge, even in the wake of the defeat of the Lathander Heresy Cult. Holding the city did not help us discover the intended location of the Ceremony. All reconnaissance can be conducted from the Laboratory here outside of Hornsferry.
Books from the safe:
A journal recording attempts to decipher the elvish ruins surrounding the mirrors.
A journal recording reconnaissance attempts to find and kill dragons in the mountains and forest surrounding The Riding.
A journal recording details with preparations to send a squad of Polonians through the mirror in an attempt to neutralize some aspect of the Element of Fire.
Items ritually identified by Corliss:
From the body of Santa Claus:
From the Safe:
A split mahogany haft and broken blade of an axe. They glow with the remnants of a magical aura but the aura is weak and strangely hollow. No more can be determined.