Redcap Description

A figure stepped out of the shadows of the dark woods. It was small and twisted of stature with simian arms that hung low, clutching a black pitted cleaver.  Thin lips pulled back from vicious needle teeth in a face of bloodless pale skin did little to distract from dark eyes filled with madness. On its head was a small tight cap of a deep brownish red color, and running from under that cap in rivulets down its forehead were tiny beads of blood. It never blinked, never ceased to smile, and at all times had an air of a coil spring just waiting to strike.

Game Break 2/1/2015

No session was held on 2/1/2015 on account of it being Superbowl Sunday.

Session 20

Date: 1/25/2015

Attending: Jake, Justin, Dave, Chris, Aaron

Absent: Joey – ill after backpacking

Start Time: 7:31 p.m.

End Time: 10:45 p.m.

XP awarded: 565

Game time elapsed:  4 days

Enemies Defeated: 14 redcaps, 1 elder redcap, 1 wispwalker

Notes:

The party stops on the outskirts of town to discuss whether or not to confront the Marquis. The vote is against so Grigor goes back into town to have Ellicor remove the brands in his palms. Ellicor seems a little disappointed but complies.

The party then rides out, seeking to forge a path to the Southwest, off the road. They camp that evening on a hill and set watches. On Feydor’s watch seven crows fly up and form into a humanoid figure dressed in tattered black cloth and carrying a scythe. He floats a foot or so off the ground, and the grass withers and dies underneath him.

Gesturing towards Bajol the figure says to Feydor, “Your friend is wearing my brother’s armor. Tell him it is too late to enter the game.” Responding, Feydor says, “What is your name?” Instead of answering the figure swoops close to Feydor and whispers, “I was once divine.” He then shatters into a flock of crows that fly off in different directions.

The next morning Feydor fills in the party and the Knights decide to return to Shadowmount to speak with Ellicor. Packing up they ride the full day back to town only to find that evening that Ellicor is gone, his shop is closed with a sign indicating that he has left on a purchasing trip. The Knights then go to Ellard’s and try to pump Ellard for info about Ellicor. Ellard flat out refuses to talk about Ellicor and throws the party out when they continue to press him, but he does refer to Ellicor as “The Betrayer”.

Giving up, the party heads over to the Gutted Candle to stay the night. On arriving they find Helga in a nervous state. She informs them that the Maquis is coming to town for the first time in years and will be staying at her inn; the Doorwarden is upstairs preparing the rooms. The Knights immediately flee into the night riding out along the road towards Waymeet. They camp late and sleep into the morning, and then continue along the road. Rather than camp another night they decide to press on. On the second night an old redcap and a figure made of smoke stop them, accuse them of being kinslayers, and then ambush them along with 14 other redcaps. The smoke figure seems wispy and insubstantial, and his sword moves through armor as if it was not there. None-the-less the Knights are victorious, and continue to ride on through the night.

They reach Waymeet in the wee hours of the morning and the town is still locked up. A band of reavers leaves the woods but is slain by the wall archers before they can attack the party. The Knights camp outside the walls until daybreak and the opening of the town.

Heading in they take rooms at the Stag and Chalice, and then go to Marcus (the dwarven smelter) to touch base. When Grigor lets slip in idle conversation redcaps are really altered gnomes, Marcus asks if the party will accompany him to Northcross to tell that story to a dwarven sage he knows there. The Knights, mindful of events back in Halvenspring, relunctantly agree. End Session

XP Correction

At Session 19 on 1/18/2015 we discovered that there were XP discrepancies between my records and what each player had recorded. Deciding to be magnanimous, I chose to adjust my records upward. Each player received 200 XP (in my records) on 1/24/2015 (Session 20) to reflect this.

Order of Brulorian Sentinels: Combat, Chivalry, and Prayers

These are the secrets of the Brulorian Order, the Sentinels who follow Brulor the Just and honor Omnos the Creator. None outside our Order must ever be taught these techniques on pain of death and everlasting damnation.

While mounted combat is common among the various martial orders and private armies, only the holy monks of Brulor have perfected the art; we are unparalleled and unmatched, save for perhaps the Cavaliers of Blue Mount. When a Sentinel is on his horse and prepared, he is an unstoppable mechanism of retribution.

One of the greatest secrets of the Order however is that the techniques for riding can, with some contemplation, prayer, and practice be applied to footed melee as well. When you have mastered a particular skill of mounted combat, seclude yourself from others and meditate on you and your horse as one being rather than two. Absorb the movement of this unity, and pray to Brulor or Omnos for understanding. Maintain this meditation in footed combat to your success.

Additionally the experienced knights in the Order are able to call their steeds from realms beyond, but it is said that some of the Cavaliers of Blue Mount chose instead to form bonds with their horses of this world and those horses gained extraordinary abilities thereby. Be not discouraged as the greatest of us know techniques of summoning to place our otherworldly mount in use in any battle.  Once you have grown in faith to the point where Omnos or Brulor grants you the ability to cure disease, seek out the Book of Mounts from the seniors of our order or travel to the Citadel to receive training on these penultimate techniques.

Session 19

Date: 1/18/2015

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:30 p.m.

End Time: 10:40 p.m.

XP awarded: 500

Game time elapsed:  two days

Enemies Defeated: 10 Skeleton Warriors, Nabu, something in a Guardian box

Notes:

The party wakes up the next morning and has breakfast with Euhle and Marnar. They find the adventuring duo to be friendly and have several conversations with them about motivation for adventuring. Euhle also trades an ancient book called Combat, Chivalry, and Prayers which is a manual for an First World group called the Brulorian Sentinels. The Knights are able to enlist their aid in exploring the tomb of Nabu and the whole group sets off to explore.

They gather that afternoon and descend into the tomb. Marnar and Ehule seem un-interested in the lore aspects of the area, and have a driving pace that the party finds unsettling. Marnar attacks the thing in the guardian box by stabbing his greatsword through the box; the party then falls on it and destroys it quickly. Heading into the tomb, a trap floor falls away sending Marnar and Euhle down into a pit and leaving the Knights to fight skeleton warriors alone. The undead are defeated and the group heads down a stair hidden in a sarcophagus.

Below they find and fight the undead Nabu. Marnar and Euhle decline a share in the treasure. Heading back up to the Gutted Candle, Marnar and Euhle decline an invitation to take on the Marquis and indicate that they plan to leave town that evening. The groups leave on good terms.

That evening Bajol, Fyn, and Grigor head to Ellicor’s to pick up Bajol’s armor. Bajol finds  that the armor is incredibly well crafted, and though it is not enchanted it is prepared to be so should he find someone to do it. Ellicor offers to fix Grigor’s hands but hints that the proper heroic course of action would be to confront the Marquis. Fyn buys a rapier. Grigor takes his leave. The party heads to bed and resolves to leave town in the morning. End Session

Journal Entry #14

Well Osgood, it seems my cowardice is still fully in tact.  I let the party talk me out of facing off the Marquis with or without them.  That is all I will say about that.

We left Shadowmount, headed toward Waymeet, and then on to home.  As we were camping one night we were visited by the fabled crow man.  A ghastly figure who appreared to Feydor and looked at Bajol's armor informing us that Bajol was wearing his brother's armor, and that it was too late for him to get in the game.  Oh, and that he used to be divine.  There was that.

So, apparently there is some cosmic game that we are in the middle of.  We need more information on these figures, and what they were in the first world.  Because I have a feeling they lost that status in the second world, and are trying to regain it.  That would be bad.  Also, if we are going to get drafted to fight for a player in this . . . whatever the hell it is, I'd like to know all of the teams.

To that end, we went back to Shadowmount looking for Ellicor.  He was gone buying trip.  We then stopped in to talk to Ellard, who referred to Ellicor as the Betrayer, and then basically kicked us out of his shop when we pressed for more information.

We thought about getting a room only to find that the Marquis was on his way to pay the town a visit (of course he was), and we fled in the night.  We then got ambushed by a group of redcaps, and a tainted one who looked like a smoke monster of some sort.  It was a tough fight, but we made it through.  Curious thing; they knew about what we had done to redcaps in the Firnokt.  Something else to look in to.

We are in Waymeet now, and Marcus, upon hearing of our adventures, asked us to escort him to see a Dwarven Sage in a city to the south.  I know it is keeping me from my ultimate destination, but how often does one get to talk with a sage in these parts.  I will keep you posted.  Until next time. 

Journal Entry #13

Osgood,

I have just a few brief minutes to fill you in on events before we leave Shadowmount, with the intention of heading home.  After the events of my last post, we awoke the next morning and had breakfast with the two gentlemen we met in The Gutted Candle the night before.  A cleric named Uhule, and a fighter of sorts named Marnar.  Both fine men with very interesting views on their role in the world. 

We talked for quite a while and we told them what we found below this inn.  Uhule is quite fond of exploring old tombs, and crypts and destroying evil.  That seems to be his life goal.  As for his partner, it is about finding treasure.  Not even keeping it, but finding it and viewing the results of his search.  But what really resonated with me, Osgood, was their respective views on heroism and death.

Uhule openly stated that his mission on this earth was to destroy evil, and he was not afraid to die in service of that goal.  As he was an Omnian he viewed that as an honorable action, and the action of a hero.  In the spirit of fairness, I should tell you that when I went in to explicit detail regarding the Marquis' actions in his "laboratory", he seemed to back track on his death holds no sting rhetoric and hid behind the legitimacy of the Marquis' position in regional politics as a reason to not defeat that specific evil.  A little disappointing, but a very human argument.

Marnar stated that, while he had all the wealth he would ever need, he still intended to die in a dungeon.  Whether it is being devoured by some awful beast, or at the hands of a clever trap maker, or well armed foe, Marnar had no intentions of dying with boots off.

I could tell, listening to these men talk, that I had a lot to learn about being heroic, and battling evil.  The argument that being cautious now might allow me to save many more people later is valid, but how many souls am I comfortable carrying on my conscience before I decide to look death head on and accept whatever may come.  That seems,to me, to be true service to "good".  If that had been the end of it, I might have been able to put it out of my mind, but something else happened that moved this issue into the forefront of my consciousness.

After talking with the two adventurers and agreeing to accompany them into the tomb below, Bajol and I headed off to Ellacor to retrieve his new armor.  First off, let me say that Ellacor is quite the smith.  The armor is durable, amazingly well crafted, and quite beautiful to look at.  Bajol got quite the steal, indeed.  While we were talking Bajol brought up the Marquis and the apparent bad blood between the two of them.  Ellacor hinted that they new each other in "another life" and that the Marquis steered clear of him on purpose.  The more I learn about this Marquis, he doesn't seem to be this all powerful embodiment of evil we might have pegged him for, but more a viscous, opportunistic, bureaucrat who is only interested in maintaining his hunting ground.  .  I mean, I'm sure he is not an easy mark, but maybe our assumptions that have equated him with someone like the necromancer are way off base.

I told Ellacor about my hands, or he noticed, rather.  He said he could fix them for me if I wanted him to, or I could get out of town remove the protective necklace, and face the Marquis once and for all.  His words fell on me like a ton of bricks.  I could very well take the easy way out.  Being able to move freely from town to town without drawing attention to myself, or expending an inordinate amount of party resources to keep the problem hidden would be a fantastic thing, no doubt.  Granted I would be looking over my shoulder from now until the time I actually witness his demise.  And who knows how many more people he will have tortured in the meantime.  If I face him I may die, but I will die protecting those who could not protect themselves.  I will die with honor, and not live in cowardice.

You know, Osgood, we never really talked about who I was a decade ago, but as many can verify -  I was a coward.  I tried to desert the army when I was conscripted, tried to sneak off in the middle of the night and leave my friends to face danger for me.  I was comfortable with allowing them to face possible injury and death while I was lying back in my bed at home.  When faced with battle, I hid.  I hid behind those who were willing to protect me.  Those people valued my life when I, apparently, did not value theirs enough to help in the battle.  The first time I took a life was to extract revenge for the destruction of a book.  A book, Osgood.  Not someone's life, no higher principle than this creature destroyed something I wanted.  I am ashamed to write that, but it is true.  Even when facing down the Necromancer,  I did not stand against him.  No, I pilfered his repositories, and that, luckily, seemed to aid in his demise.  Had it not, I would have run and hid as soon as I had the Archana I was looking for.  Even upon my return, my goals were motivated solely by fear.  Not heroism, or a sense of obligation to our creator, but staying alive and becoming powerful.  Powerful enough to keep myself alive. 

Why do we seek knowledge and power?  Why do we go looking for adventure and glory?  For Marnar it was treasure, for Uhle it was to destroy evil.  I think for me it is to keep safe and protect those who cannot protect themselves.  What if my unit had left me to fend for myself that night?  What would have become of me?  Isn't it my responsibility to fight for those who were once like me, eminent death be dammed?  I have come to the decision that it is.   

We have just returned from defeating the things that were in that tomb with relative ease, and have just parted ways with Uhule and Marnar.  Our next stop is to the stables to gear up our horses and head back to Halvenspring.  Once we get out of town, Osgood, I am going return Feydor's necklace, and let the Marquis come and find me.  I cannot ask the party to stay and fight this . . . abomination, but I cannot live while carrying the lives of all those my cowardice allows him to torture.

If this is goodbye, then I trust that you will keep our work safe and continue our research.  The tower and all of its contents will pass to you, but if you do not hear from me in 4 days, destroy the bookcase, as the Marquis will be in possession of the box to which it is tied.  In addition, I will ask Kyros if he will return to you and aid you however the two of you see fit.

Osgood, this means that you will become chiefly responsible for providing Frumious, Bajol, Feydor, and Fyn with the information and magical support they will need to fight Vespacious when he returns.  I trust that you will not falter in this duty.

Well, Fyn is coming with the horses, so this is where I need to end this entry.  Say nothing of this until the 4th day has passed.  Except in prayer.  Prayer is appreciated.  Greatly.

May Omnos guide and protect us.

Magical Weapon Theory

A study by Phineas Wooperill

…and thus I have determined that I can be of most use to my comrades in arms by endeavoring to see that they are more effective vis-à-vis their weaponry.  Recorded herein are spells that temporarily affect weaponry in various ways. That being said the pinnacle (which I have of course reached) is to make permanently magical arms. By which I mean weapons of course. Blades and clubs and such. Making magical limbs will have to wait for later exploration and then only to empower combat. Do you hear me Robleon? If you’re reading this quit those disgusting dalliances with tavern wenches and apply your “magical enhancements” to a more proper use. What you’re doing is just obscene.

It should be noted that while the studies outlined in this book will allow me (and those who follow me) to create enchanted weapons it is by far not the only way to make such things. The Firstborn have crafting techniques that yield weapons of a magical nature, and various materials produce enchanted effects when worked into weaponry. I have taken the liberty to describe them here.

Dwarven Forged – Dwarven craftsmanship with metal is such that they produce a weapon that is either extremely sharp or weighted in such a way to land devastating blows. The Mountainborn understand combat.

Elvencrafted – the Skyborn weave “starlight” into their weapons, which sounds like the kind of superstitious malarkey that only a drooling imbecile would believe (still reading Robleon?). In any case weapons made by the Skyborn glow faintly when wielded which looks rather dramatic and is an excellent way to tell all enemies “here I am! I am clearly the biggest threat, my stuff glows! Kill me first!”

Halfling Made – the Meadowborn have a knack for throwing everything from rocks and stones to their lives away. Every weapon the Meadowborn make is balanced in such a way that it can be thrown accurately. Not understanding that there is already a whole class of weapons devoted to throwing (see my earlier book Classification and Types of Weapons – an Academic Reference) the Meadowborn decided that everything should and can be thrown, from dart to halberd. If they made siege engines they would probably devise a way for a whole village to unite and throw the trebuchet instead of just loading and firing the damn thing.

Gnome Carved – The Forestborn are miracle workers when it comes to wood and have developed techniques to create wooden weapons that are as durable and as sharp as steel. While their products are extremely serviceable and effective, I personally see their craft as mere novelty. We have steel. Why run off and make something as good as steel when steel is sitting right there? It’s like someone looking at a fork – that was given to them - and saying “Hey this could be handy to eat food with! I’m going to set it down and cut tines into a spoon, making it almost as good as the fork I was given and completely useless as a spoon with the added bonus of making me look like a damn fool!” (But don’t take my word for it Robleon… go ahead and market your “Foroon”, I’m looking forward to seeing you try).

Materials:

Lava Smelt – this is metal that was forged completely out of and submerged in lava. It produces something that looks like opaque black glass veined with red. When wielded the weapon bursts into flame and burns its victims as well as cuts/crushes/stabs. I'm saying the weapon still functions as a weapon, but while on fire. Thus burning and hurting. And yes I am aware fire hurts. Grasp the concept or abandon it; either way move on.

Perma Ice – this is actually ice harvested from the far north – some say (fools) from Eternal Ice itself. The ice is so dense and compacted that it does not melt if worked correctly and adds a deeply cold touch to the wounds it inflicts. Which I guess also burns. But it burns with cold not with fire. See it gets so cold that your nerves report pain, but the sensation is similar to the pain experienced from heat and oh just go to the next entry already.

Pitted Iron – pitted iron is only found in special mines throughout the world. It is a dark ash grey iron that is porous and constantly weeps a caustic acid. The combat benefits should be obvious to anyone of even passing intellegence (acid chemically burns flesh Robleon, making the owies hurt more).

Skymetal – falls from the sky as meteorites and can be worked about as easily as steel. It retains an electrical charge (Matry wrote that it acquires the charge as it passes through the sky dome where the clouds rub up against each other in his book Skymetal – Evidence of Worlds Beyond?; don’t bother reading it I just quoted the only piece that doesn’t read like a rabid dog chewing on its own gonads).

Adamantine – this extremely hard metal is difficult to work with but produces a weapon that can pierce the toughest of natural hide. Indeed reputably there are creatures that can only be effectively hurt by such stuff. Matry's ego is still impervious though.

Cold Iron – the bane of the fey, this softer metal must be forged underground at low temperatures, and is often finished in the dark, with the smith operating by sound and touch alone. Somewhat impractical for repeated use, against the right creature even its touch is devastating.

Mithril – the lightest and the prettiest of the mystical metals, mithril can be forged into hard weapons, or armor that bends almost like cloth. The Mountainborn know its rarity and are loath to part with it, while the Skyborn greedily covet every scrap they can get. More than one local war has been fought over possession of mithril.

Alchemical Silver – unlike the rest of the materials discussed here, Alchemical Silver is not found naturally. Instead it is created through a chemical process that involves bonding silver with another metal – usually steel or cold iron. Creatures of the night are said to fear this substance which makes it a good choice for weaponry. That is if you're fighting creatures of the night. I wouldn't take it into a desert during midday. Not going to be as cool.

Dragonbone – to my knowledge no one today makes weapons out of dragonbone. I mention it here because of rumored dragonbone weapons found in local ruins and in far off lands. Having never seen such a weapon I do not have any inkling as to what properties it might possess, if it exists at all.

NPC Profile: the Marquis Daedalus

Home: The Marque of Dalus

Public Lore: The Marquis is viewed by some as a source of favor and power and by many with fear. All are cautious of him. The common people know him to be a dark and distant lord, almost never seen. His rule is largely indifferent to his people although when he does choose to enact laws or take action it is usually harsh and draconian. The nobility of the Seven Vales have a different perspective. It seems the Marquis has been active for at least two hundred years, and though he is rarely in court he is behind many of the various intrigues and power plays in the Kingdom. A well-known tale tells of a Baron of Mossreach that aided the Marquis politically, and was rewarded with a vial that enabled the Baron to live until 150, all the while healthy and hale. He is viewed with distrust by the High King, largely because the Marquis seems to act against any who do not dance to his tune regardless of rank in peerage.

Physical Description: The Marquis is a medium sized man dressed in faded finery that fell out of fashion decades ago. He has something of a weak chin and thinning hair brushed away from a drastically receding hairline. His eyes seem sunken a little deeper in his head than is normal or comfortable. He has a slight potbelly but is not what one would call fat. He wears gloves and is dressed head to toe at all times. His face is coated with a heavy layer of makeup that is obvious to any observer. He speaks seldom, but when he does it is a soft growl that does not open his mouth or jaw. A careful observer will get the impression that his mouth goes impossibly wide, and that his makeup is intended to hide that fact. Indeed it seems that he has applied make up directly on his teeth to suggest a small mouth.

Journal Entry #12

Osgood,

No response is needed to this entry.  I am just keeping a running list of the things we need to spend some time with.  If you think of other things, please add them to the list:


Arglos - A person, or place?
What/who destroyed Arglos?
Any prophecy regarding Golden Boats, or Ships
Old lore regarding shadows, wicker, and crows. These might be referencing awakened . . . something's as well.
Xiannian race?
Locations claiming seemingly advanced pieces of technology
Various folk traditions regarding sleep, dreams, and the concept of being awake vs. asleep
Locations of early second world, firstborn settlements
The Void
Location of The Silent Lady
Location of The Edge of the World
The role of the mirror in magical practices
Locations of notable first world tombs or crypts
Variations of Tainted Ones
Controversial theories regarding the Chronosi 
If the number of Firstborn is finite, then due to tainting (gnomes=redcaps), are we facing a demi-human extinction?
Are there any relics from the "arks"
"Loreists" who have access to oral traditions close to the birth of Omniism.

Excerpts from the Journal of the Marquis Daedalus

I am having difficulty collecting my thoughts. What few memories I retain prior to my “awakening” are fragmented. There is a pressure on my mental facilities. Even though I was not fully sentient, I still had an awareness. It is enough to know that this is not my world. Why can I not think straight?

………………………………….

After much trial and error I have succeeded in magically shifting my shape into that of the local prey. It is imperfect, particularly in my face, but once out of my true form the pressure on my mind vanished. It is time to define my territory, create a lair, and then ponder my new circumstances.

…………………………………..

I must confess the elf I ate for dinner is much less substantial than what I remember. It is curious to me how this world can be so similar to the last, yet so different. This new prey, these humans, are the main difference. Physically they are very similar to the Xianni but not as indifferent to the world. As of yet they have not encroached on my territory but I imagine they will in just a few centuries.

……………………………………

It seems I am not the only survivor. I must see to my hunting range’s defenses. Also it seems these humans are a threat. They are crafty, aggressive, and powerful. And worse, where they go the so called “Firstborn” become the same. I have modified my alternate shape to reflect a human, as best as I can. My magical studies are difficult; it seems there are limits to what magic I can aspire to.

……………………………………

I am NOT the only survivor. Shadows, wicker, and crows! I will ally myself with humanity! I will set wards and magics throughout my territory! I will create an army! And I will have the means to end myself or flee. Shadows, wicker, and crows! They walk as men!

……………………………………

A necromancer from Nath has set up a tower in the Hidden Hills. His probing into the Void triggered one of my wards. I flew to his tower and confronted him but he was far more powerful than I anticipated. I was forced to flee. More and more I am finding that guile and intrigue are more effective for me. I will leave this necromancer be for now. Let him pursue madness in Void. I need not act unless he contacts something there. And then, well perhaps being a “human” lord will work against mighty wizards too.

Session 18

Date: 1/11/2015

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:30 p.m.

End Time: 10:40 p.m.

XP awarded: 400

Game time elapsed:  the better part of a day and into the night

Enemies Defeated: none

Notes:

The Session picked up with the Knights deciding to explore the staircase found in the basement of the Gutted Candle. Grigor notices that the Book Box is heavier indicating that Osgood has sent a book. It is the journal and Grigor reads aloud to the party Communique #4. Discussion is had, reaffirming that the Knights will be returning to Halvenspring ASAP. They resolve to wait for Bajol’s armor to be completed first.

Heading down the staircase they realize that they are in a fallen tower of some sort, and exit into an underground cavern. It seems that a settlement of some sort was buried here, and they are standing in an old courtyard or street. A sign (large, like that of a neighborhood) is found that reads “Valley of Nabu’s Tomb.” The remains of the front of a building has a sign made of a strange material which is labeled “Xiannian Pilgrimage House.” Fyn takes the sign.

Moving down a tunnel they find a shallow grave mound, but choose not to investigate. Continuing, the tunnel dead ends at the entrance to a vast buried building. There is an ornate entrance that was once flanked by two large boxes, similar to sarcophagi, one of which is intact and one that has been destroyed. Examining the intact one they see that a monstrous face is carved in relief on the lid. The destroyed one seems to be destroyed by a large clawed being – the marks similar to the claws seem on the suspected Marquis’ true form.

Next to the grand entrance is a smaller building that is built out of immense stones – and seems extremely sturdy and durable. On top is a symbol that is a shepherd’s crook on a shield. Entering the small building they find that it is filled with the remains of shelving. The back wall has a poem engraved on it that reads:

ARGLOS HAS FALLEN TO OUR ETERNAL GRIEF

THE END COMES

THE DESTROYER IS TRIUMPHANT

HERE WE LAY KNOWLEDGE

AGAINST THE COMING OF A NEW WORLD

ALL WILL BE DREAM AND MEMORY

UNTIL THE GOLDEN SHIPS

The Knights return to the shallow grave and dig up its occupant. A humanoid skeleton is buried there, with a chain around its neck that has a pendant of the symbol on top of the smaller building (shepherd’s crook and shield) which Frumious takes. In the skeleton’s hands is a metal box that holds some scraps of paper that say:

I have failed to place this repository inside the tomb. I dare not enter and awake the guardians. Instead I have built a structure outside the tomb to last the ages.

Returning to the large building, Grigor examines the door. It is covered in protection symbols and says “Here the Tyrant Nabu was entombed.” Grigor is fairly convinced that opening the door will release whatever is in the box. Bajol had detected evil and what is in the box radiated strong evil, and there was fainter evil from inside the building. With all of this information the Knights decided to leave well enough alone and return to the Gutted Candle, which they do.

They resurface and return to the taproom late afternoon. From there the group splits up. Fyn heads upstairs to examine the Halfling sized construct, Grigor goes to his room to study Daedalus’ spellbook, Feydor and Bajol head to Ellard’s, and Frumious goes in search of a local baker. A whole bunch of roleplaying, question asking, and discussion occurs which is summarized as:

*Frumious is rebuffed by the first baker, then hired by the 2^nd whose name is Theos. Frumious converts Theos to Omniism.

*Frumious bakes the box containing the mirror (received from Daedalus) into a loaf of bread to conceal it.

*Ellard’s Oddities apparently coexists or travels between several cities; but he was either unable or unwilling to transport the group by these means.

*A cult from south across the sea named something like the Golden Boat has tried to infiltrate Shadowmount, and was driven off by the Redsashes. Apparently they are zealous racial purists of some kind.

*Thomas arrived in town 2 ½ years ago as part of a martial order called the Azure Guard. His group attempted to establish a chapterhouse in Shadowmount, which was eventually destroyed by the Redsashes. This is how Thomas was captured by the Marquis.

*Shortly after Grigor reads the Marquis’ spellbook, the word “Thief” is magically cut into each palm of his hands. These wounds resist healing and bleed a magical glowing blood that leaves a clear trail where ever Grigor goes.

*The armorer who is making Bajol’s armor is named Ellicor. Ellicor apparently does not make armor anymore. When Bajol asks Ellicor mentions that the Knights are safe in the Center of Shadowmount as the Marquis will not come in it. Bajol asks why and Ellicor says to avoid a confrontation. Further inquiry reveals that Ellicor came to Shadowmount 3 years ago, and the Marquis has not entered the city since.

Eventually Feydor, Fyn, and Bajol wind up drinking with a table full of Redsashes (who still seem to have a high opinion of the Knights) in the Gutted Candle. They notice a duo of adventurers named Ehule and Marnar. As intimidating as Bajol can be, the adventurers don’t seem particularly affected; this leads Bajol to believe they are very seasoned. Finding out from Helga that Ehule and Marnar have been asking about the basement Frumious cast detect magic and knock on the door of their room. Ehule answers and, recognizing Frumious as a fellow cleric of Omnos, invites Frumious to breakfast in the morning. Frumious agrees and sees that both Ehule and Marnar are decked out in magical gear. End Session.

Frumious' Half-Baked Plan

Where evil may slumber, is it better to stay the course and not disturb it (as wickedness is a trait that depends heavily on being active, alert, and to an extent, ambulatory), or should heroes risk the incursion of evil's wrath in an effort to destroy it? That was the question before Frumious and his friends as they stood before the door to the Tomb of Naboo, a potential horror that was yet unknown to them. They had learned so much in one simple trip down to Helga's basement in the Gutted Candle - about the previous age, about Dalus - but the pursuit of knowledge usually leads to more questions as one discovers the answers. This present excursion, then, could be considered prototypical of such pursuits.

Ultimately, the "knights" decided to let this one sleep for the time being, hopefully to return with more power and information that could be used to destroy whatever dark forces lay within. Something about the recent arrival of that cleric and his friend told Frumious that they might be returning to the tomb sooner than originally anticipated.

In between, however, the pious gnome found himself in Shadowmount with two days to spare and little to occupy his time. He was not inclined towards idleness, and so took it upon himself to make himself useful vis a vis his family profession, and to get a sense of the spiritual nature of the town's compelled secular citizenry. Fortunately, there were two bakeries in town. The first one was disinterested in Frumious' assistance (even suspicious, sadly), but Theos, the second baker, was more receptive, and bestowed upon the cleric the gift of servitude. Frumious made himself useful over the next several hours, only asking for himself a single loaf of bread, which was itself a surreptitious carrying case for Dalus' talisman.

After the workday was completed, Theos became interested in what creed brought Frumious to his door that day, and thus presented the gnome with a second gift - the opportunity to bring another Omnian into the fold. Having given him so much, Frumious wanted to return the favor, and so presented Theos with his Valecommon edition of the Libram (he could make do well enough for the time being with his Gnomish translation).

Upon returning to his friends, he discovered that they had experienced an eventful few hours, and had been concerned with the cleric's disappearance. Frumious resolved to be more mindful of this in the future, and to make the rest of the group aware of his whereabouts if he were to stray for any length of time.

Journal Entry #11

Osgood,

First, I am terribly sorry to learn of the tragic events of the last several days.  I cannot imagine the pain that the village is feeling over the loss of our citizens.  Please do whatever is needed to keep the town safe until our return.  Which will be as soon as possible.  We were headed in your direction anyway, however recent events will undoubtedly double our pace.  A word to the wise.  Keep clear of this toymaker until you and I can talk in person.  Please.  For both our sakes.  In addition, please inform Klaus that I would love to meet with him upon my return to town.  I have a feeling he could be quite an ally if his character is truly as you have said.

I suppose I should fill you in on what is happening here in Shadowmount.  I'm not even sure where to start.  Osgood, what is about to follow is going to seem disjointed, and hard to follow.  That is because, at this time, that is the only way I know how to relay the information. 

The morning after my last entry, we went into the cellar of the Gutted Candle, and found an entrance into the ruins at the center of town.  It wasn't long before we realized we were in a structure that had been toppled, and were on a staircase leading down.  After taking time to get our bearings, we ended up exiting this structure into an underground . . . city?

The first thing we realized was that we were in a courtyard.  There was just a small piece of the area visible.  The rest was collapsed earth and rubble.  And the structure we had just exited was the remains of a tower that had been uprooted.  By the Marquis I am guessing.  A very long time ago.

Sidenote:  I need to research a magical means of dating things.  It would be tremendously helpful in my explorations.  Perhaps I could create a divination spell that can give the creation date of an item? 

In this "courtyard", for lack of a better word was a sign marking the area, the remains of a business with a sign hanging from it, and a narrow tunnel of rock that led away from this site.  All of the script was first world script.  The sign in the middle of the courtyard stated that this area was once called The Valley of Nabu's Tomb.  The sign post on the business said "Xiannian Pilgrim's Guest House".  I know I don't have to tell you that we will have a whole lot to research upon my return. 

Upon moving down the tunnel we came across an unmarked grave in the middle of the path.  Bajol sensed a powerful evil ahead and we decided to come back to the grave after the evil had been dealt with.  This tunnel led to another open area that found us in the presence of, what at one time must have been, a massive tomb, or crypt.  Next to the tomb was a building sort of like a guard house?  On either side of the tomb entrance was a large box.  Well to be more specific, on one side was a large box, still sealed from whence a strong evil emanated.  Carved into the box was the figure of a pig/walrus/monster/thing.  Hideous to say the least.  The other side was what used to be a box.  It had been smashed and all we found was a piece of stone relief depicting a horrible set of teeth. 

The building next to the entrance was well built.  Better built than anything I have seen in this world.  Apparently the technology level in the first world was far more advanced than what we have now.  (Ask Fyn to show you the strange sign he found on the Xiannian building)  We saw a symbol, or heraldic marking of a shield with a shepard's crook on the face of the shield.  Inside the building were the remnants of bookshelves that had been destroyed, and nothing else.  Behind one of the bookshelves was a poem, in the ancient script, carved into the wall.  It identified this place as an Argloian repository of knowledge that was alluded to in the ancient scraps of paper we have.  I am attaching the full poem, as well as detailed sketches of the entire area.

We debated going into the tomb, but decided to check the grave first.  We found the remains of an Argloian priest (?) who had a small box with a note asking for forgiveness for not placing this repository in the tomb, but he didn't want to wake the guardians.  However,  he did build a building to last the ages.  Himself?  Because this was a pretty impressive building for one man to have constructed.

At this point we started putting pieces together.  That was when I called for the Marquis' journal.  This is what we have deduced:

The Marquis, pre Awakening was a dumb animal that was compelled to stay in a box and protect the entry to the tomb of Nabu.  Once he was Awakened, he became awakened by the spell.  He eventually went to destroy the box, which is why the town square on his model had a note about the box being destroyed.

We decided to go into the tomb, but found magical writing on the door that claimed Nabu "The Tyrant" (new title) was entombed (not buried) here.  That made us re-think things a bit, and we decided to come back at another time to deal with this issue.

As we were leaving, a new problem occurred.  As we were inquiring about Thomas in the town (good call Bajol) my hands started burning and cramping as the word "Thief" was carved into both of them magically, then they began to pour a glowing blood.  After doing a little research on the matter, this is a spell the Marquis can use to hunt me.  Hunt me.  Hunt. Me.  (For the record, I regret nothing, and if he finds out what happened to instruction manual, he would do a lot worse than bleedy hands). While continual healing will mitigate the bleeding, I have yet to find a way to keep him from re casting the damn spell.  Perhaps a conversation with Fr. Theodore would be in order on this issue.  I'll take any help I can get.  Good news is that it is not hurting me, but it does draw a bit of attention.  Fydor was gracious enough to lend me an enchanted necklace that is controlling the spell enough for me to write this entry, but the effects will return.

Needless to say as this was happening, Fyn took me back to our room at the Gutted Candle to hide out.  So the rest of the information I have is second hand (no pun intended):

Thomas was here 2 1/2 years ago with a martial order called the Azure Guard or something.

His men were slain, and he was taken to the Marquis.

They came up from the south.  I am curious to see if he is working for Mario, and if that is how Mario ended up on the Marquis' radar.

There was a cult in town a few months back from across the sea to the South called the Golden Boat.  This is obviously a reference to the Argloian poem.

The person making Bajol's armor supposedly doesn't make armor for people anymore.

The Marquis doesn't come to the center of town due to fear of a confrontation.

He hasn't for the last 3 years or so.

Ellicor has been in town for 3 years or so.

There is a highly seasoned duo staying here who are looking for tombs in the area, and know of the one below this inn.

Bajol considered beating this duo into submission to keep them from the tomb.

Frumious doesn't like to tell people where the hell he is going.

So apparently The Marquis is scared of Ellicor beating the shit out of him.  Also, I have a feeling Ellicor knows who we are.  Once everyone is awake, I am hoping that we can discuss taking this duo, and Ellicor and exploring the tomb, as well as taking a trip to the keep and getting rid of this awakened fucker for good.  (I swear, you steal a few critical pieces of information, and this is what you get).

Well, that must be it for now, my hands can't take much more use today.  Again, I implore you to stay away from the toy maker at all costs, and if you have any suggestions for the bleeding, I would love to get my hands on them. (pun intended)

May Omnos guide, and protect us all.

Communique #4

Grigor,

I have executed the emergency protocols as you requested. Please be aware the shelving is vacant save this journal.

I am surprised there is a shop called Ellard’s Oddities in Shadowmount. I have it on good authority that there is a shop of curiosities in Carrageen called Ellard’s Oddities.

I will begin researching a “Crow-man” at once.

You describe a truly horrific experience and my prayersd are with you and our friends. I am thankful for your survival.

Two nights ago Halvenspring was attacked by Redcaps. It was the first such attack in decades. They came out of the Firnockt in the dead of the night and I am sorry to say that the Springwell family was slain in their home before the alarm was raised. We counted perhaps two dozen Redcaps in all. A group of us met them in front of the Sleeping Dragon and drove them off, slaying half of them. The battle was viscous and they seemed maddened. I confess the stories do not do them justice and I was beside myself with fear. None the less I joined our impromptu militia which consisted of: your father Pharun, Bajol’s father Marc Risus, Mark Bellows, your brother Dorian, Father Theodore (who as it turns out can swing a mean mace and can be quite frightening when enraged), Fyn’s uncle Styren, my brothers Calverson and Porter, Klaus Steelpick, Bruno Allade, and Shivatha Goatsman. We lost Shivatha and Bruno. The rest survived with no major injuries.

Observations about and from the battle:

1) Marc Risus has a bow that is clearly enchanted, and is an obviously experienced fighter. When moved to melee he used a longsword.

2) Mark Bellows the quiet unassuming turnip farmer can beat the living shit out of someone with a gardening hoe.

3) Father Theodore can kill with a mace like other people breathe and has a focused icy rage that I never want to see again. Marc Risus and Pharun had to stop him from chasing the retreating Redcaps into the woods.

4) Dorian is still quite young. While he was helpful, if he had squared off with a Redcap alone he might not be alive today.

5) Styren has an enchanted rapier and a fighting style unlike anything I have seen before. It looks like he is dancing instead of fighting.

6) Calverson, Porter, Bruno, and Shivatha should be applauded for coming out to defend their friends and family, but clearly had no idea what they were doing and were running on adrenaline.

7) Klaus Steelpick fights with magic. He threw a ball of flame into the midst of the Redcaps which exploded like an old naptha can.

8) The Redcaps fight with cleavers that leave infected wounds. Bruno might have pulled through otherwise and Theodore had difficulty patching the rest of us up.

9) The redcaps did not flee, but retreated.

10) I am useless in a fight, but Redcaps do not like bright light, especially in their face, so my small spells lent some aid.

After the fight Klaus retreated to his tower, and in the morning Marc Risus, Pharun, Father Theodore, and Styren had a long meeting at the church. They talked the day away and would not allow anyone to enter.

Oh, I know I told you about Klaus in my last missive, but there is one other new addition to the village. An odd little fellow came in with the last round of merchants, a Halfling by the name of Salavic. He built a small shop/residence about a mile outside of town in the Firnockt where he weaves baskets and makes simple toys. He is not very sociable but seems harmless enough. There was something else about him I wanted to mention, but it escapes me at the moment.

Anyway he apparently was not attacked, even though his dwelling is alone in the Firnockt. It’s almost like the Redcaps purposely went around him!

Speaking of Klaus, he politely asked the other day about any books we might have in our tower. I as gently as I could told him I was not at liberty to say, and that he might inquire with you when you return. He immediately acquiesced and turned the conversation onto more idle things. I didn’t feel threatened, in fact I dare say I like old Klaus, but in light of your entry I felt you should know. Through his, ah, influence I find that I enjoy smoking a pipe – much to my mother’s disgust.

After the meeting in the church I was rudely not invited to, we have begun the construction of a wall of logs around Halvensprings proper. Marc Risus calls it a “palisade.” We also sent for Slignigh and asked that he come have a more stable presence in Halvenspring for the time being. Yesterday evening our runner returned; apparently Halvenstomb was also attacked the same night, and Slignigh was there and was wounded (and thus would not be coming).

This morning Styren left for Templemount to have an audience with the Baron. The Grey Circle has empowered Marc Risus and Pharun to handle the defense of Halvenspring incase another attack should occur. They have asked all able bodied men to gather two hours before sunset each day for simple arms training. I am not thrilled as this takes away valuable study time from my day.

I researched banshees for you. What I found is not good. Apparently they are a higher form of undead that is often created with a curse. Most recorded instances (of which there are few) involve them being release from old tombs or crypts. Their keen or cry can slay instantly and they are impervious to most weapons. I advise avoidance or barring that, extreme caution.

I gave your father the message you asked me to, but he did not seem overly concerned (in light of recent village events I’m sure).

Last time the Redcaps attacked, only 6 came. But it has now been decades as I said. Many villagers seem to believe that we will now be safe for another few decades, but one look at Pharun or Marc Risus tells a different story.

Respectfully yours,

Osgood Hawthorne

Session 17

Date: 1/4/2015

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:02 p.m.

End Time: 10:18 p.m.

XP awarded: 225

Game time elapsed: 1 day

Enemies Defeated: none

Notes:

The Knights rode hard out of Dalus Keep.  They stopped at the Stone Table on the road back to Shadowmount, and used the horses to topple it over. After discussing where to go, they decided to return to Shadowmount, which they did. Riding in before dusk they headed straight to the Gutted Candle.

Upon reaching the gutted candle Master Shake indicated that he was going to separate from the group – as he had 10 years to catch up on. Bajol wished to ask him some questions before he went, questions about his being captured. Master Shake described the events leading to his imprisonment and Bajol was noplussed to find out that Master Shake had not been tortured and had given the Marquis information after merely being threatened (and by subtext instead of a direct threat). The party gave Master Shake 150 gp and he left into the night.

The Knights booked the same rooms in the Gutted Candle as before and turned in for the night. Here we broke out of game to have a player conversation about character goals and conflict resolution.

Aaron’s stated goals for Feydor – Advance as a Paladin, survive, find out about his family history

Justin’s stated goals for Bajol – Destroy all evil in the world, be the party protector (keep his buddies alive), bend the will of the party in support of his goal to destroy all evil

Dave’s state goals for Fyn – Understand what happened to his dad, maintain the health of the party

Joey’s stated goals for Frumious – be helpful, find a way to attune his abilities in order to be the best tool for Omnianism, bring modern Omnianism closer to lost Omnianism

Chris’ stated goals for Grigor – give the party the best info to prepare for when Vespatius returns, explore the history of the world, acquire power to combat the evil of the world

Conflict resolution: all players are to remember to always allow for compromise, if needed a party vote will be the final resolution on disputes, always have the option to “let the die decide”. Also player who find themselves emotionally worked up or “hot” are encouraged to take a break and step away from the table (game will pause in such an instance). The DM also may call a group break if he feels emotions are riding too high.

Game resumed, with a conversation between characters about threats, action items, and things of interest to the party. The following list was compiled:

Puppet King

Vespatius

Crow Man

Daedalus

Redcap “God”

Toymaker in Halvenspring

Mirror given by Daedalus

Mario, displaced Illmar claimant

Agloians

Cavliers of the Blue mount

Chronosi

Nolan

Jester

As a side note Chris asked when recorded history began and was told with the advent of humanity, roughly 3,000 years ago.

The next morning the Knights went shopping – re-provisioning rations, rope, etc… They also stopped in Ellard’s Oddities to find that the shop looked completely different than before. Finally they stopped by a local armorer where Bajol commissioned tailored full plate.

Noticing that the Gutted Candle was the oldest building in the Center, Grigor asked Helga if he could look in her basement. There the party found an opening behind a stone in the wall, revealing a stair case leading down. Since Bajol’s armor would not be ready for 2 days the party resolved to explore under the Gutted Candle. End Session

Session 16.1

Date: 1/4/2015

Attending: Jake & Chris

Game time elapsed: Hours (occurs during Session 16)

Notes:

Chris and I met briefly prior to the regular Sunday Session (#17) to detail what happens to Grigor during Session 16.

The Doorwarden triggered the floor trap at the Keep entrance, sending the Knights down one chute, and Grigor and Kyros down another. Grigor and Kyros land in a dark dungeon cell, where they wait for an undeterminable amount of time.

Suddenly there is a knock on the door. Grigor peers through the small cell window in the door and sees a diminutive figure that appears to be dressed as a jester. This jester offers to release Grigor and point him to an exit if Grigor hands over any one of the 3 books stolen from the Marquis’ laboratory. Grigor agrees and hands over the book of experiment notes, retaining the journal and spellbook. Conversation implies that the jester works for someone who is not the Marquis, and that neither Grigor nor the jester would want a wicker doll present at this exchange. The jester tells Grigor how to get out and disappears. Grigor follows the instructions and then ends up at a sewer grate, where he notices his party riding by on horses. Calling out he alerts them and they retrieve him. End Session

Journal Entry #10

Osgood,

I am quite surprised to be writing this; in truth, I expected to be quite deceased by now. First and foremost, I need you to execute the emergency protocols until further notice.  People will be looking for things.  Maybe even looking for me.  Hide everything, Osgood, and prepare the upper room for demolition - should I give the word.  Also, keep an eye on our families.  Tell my father that he needs to stay close to town, and be on alert.  I suppose I should explain.

After my last entry, we went to buy some winter gear and begin the ascent to the Marquis' keep.  On our shopping trip I found a shop called Ellard's Oddities, of which Ellard was one.  Ellard was a strange broken form of a dwarf, and had a mental status that matched his broken and bent body.  He informed me that I would need a seal from the Marquis to purchase anything from him, and when I told him I would be back, he called me by my last name.  I only realized what had happened once I left the shop, and immediately turned right back around to find the shop empty and abandoned.

Deciding that we really didn't have the time for a thorough investigation, we rode out of town and towards the Marquis' keep.  The ride up was cold and desolate.  It wasn't long out of Shadowmount when the entire landscape became withered and dead.  Not in the way living things go dormant in winter, mind you.  No, this was something else entirely.  Something dark and wicked had caused this occurrence, and I couldn't help but worry that the cause, and our destination were one and the same.

Around lunchtime we happened across a large stone table, and several large stone stools.  We decided to stop there and eat.  After taking a long look at the stones, I can tell you that they did not originate from the area, and can't imagine how far these stones have traveled.  The other thing I discovered is that this was not always a table.  At one time it had been used as an altar where sacrifices were performed.  Feydor put together that this looks very similar to the altar in the tainted woods upon which redcaps were made.  Before we could get too far down that line of thinking, however, Bajol noticed something that registered as evil to him right on the edge of the clearing.  Upon inspection, it proved to be a large crow with yellow eyes.  Once we approached the crow took off and headed west.  I am not sure what that was, but I feel in addition to the Marquis, and the Puppet King, there are other players on the board.  When you have time, I need you to restart the research on the Crow-man that we worked on some time ago.  I know you have acquired new books, so please see if you can find any reference.  I feel that it is more pressing than we realize.

After this, none of us were all that hungry, so we headed off, hoping to arrive at the keep before sunset.  Which we did.  JUST before sunset.  The keep is utilitarian.  Squat, square and ugly.  As we passed through 3 portcullis' we were met by the Marquis' armed guards.  Tall brutish beings, fully armored with visored helmets.  To be fair, I have no idea what foul abomination inhabits those suits of armor, if anything at all.  Regardless, we saw at least a dozen of them in the courtyard. While all of this was disturbing, it was nothing compared to what we experienced inside the keep itself.

Upon knocking on the door, we were greeted by the "Doorwarden".  A female, short, old, and with a robe and hood exposing only the lowermost portion of her face.  She escorted us down dilapidated, and winding passage ways.  I should take the time to tell you that, upon first impression, one gets the notion that whomever designed this fortress was, in fact, quite mad.  Hallways run out in any direction, with seemingly no regard to a logical structure.  The long corridors are often capped with stairs that lead no where, or just ends at a wall.  This combined with the age and disuse of the building was unnerving to say the least.  The Doorwarden took us to a small holding area to await further instruction when she remembered that she had a device that, when used, changed the appearance of this place to be one of splendor and finery.  A few of the party had the willpower to see past the illusion, but the rest of us were treated to quite a sight.  Fine tapestries, furniture, gold leafed candelabras as far as we could see.  Each new path took us to a finer locale. 

Our destination was the grand dining room, to have dinner with the Marquis.  As we sat, food floated in on trays.  Quite good.  Then he entered.  At first glance The Marquis Daedaleus is quite unremarkable.  Much like his keep he is small and squat, old, and seems to be falling apart.  He sat and did not join us for the first few courses.  Eventually he sucked down some sort of meat pudding.  His speech was slurred, and his behavior odd and guarded.  After dinner we brought up the purpose of our visit.

He knew someone would come for Thomas, but he seemed surprised it would be us.  He was unaware of Nolan as well, so I am not sure who he was waiting for.  Regardless he offered to release Thomas from his current imprisonment (for charges the Marquis could not recall, for what it is worth) if we were to perform 1 of 2 tasks.  The first was to assassinate a man named Mario who was the loser in the war of succession that we fought a decade ago.  He is apparently threatening to take Merridoc.  The second task was to take a box with a very evil item and drop it in the void or give it to the Silent Lady to keep.  We tried to get information from him regarding the crows, or the Puppet King, but that just seemed to anger him. It was at that point that I saw a piece of his cheek fall off.  Upon closer inspection, it was not real tissue, but a thick layer of makeup covering the bottom third of his face.  When I mentioned that his ruse might not be working, he gladly exposed what the makeup was covering.

From the cheekbones up, he looked like any middle aged man.  Balding, chubby skin with the beginnings of wrinkles.  The bottom half, however, was manufactured out of nightmares, and hellscapes.   There was no cheek flesh to speak of.  Instead was a row of teeth that shone out of his skull like a demented grin.  Behind that was another row of teeth, and where his lips should have been was another circle of teeth. I felt my blood run cold and Frumious attempted to turn this beast.  Oddly, he was not a creature who was susceptible to that form of attack.  He continued to chat with us, giving over no useful information until he decided it was time to retire and invited us to stay the evening.  Considering the Banshee sighting of the night before we decided to take the, quite literal, lesser of two evils.

The Marquis left us and we engaged in a long debate regarding what to do.  I suggested that we identify what was in the box that was radiating such intense evil.  Bajol opened the box, and was immediately enthralled by it's contents.  A mirror.  I closed the box, and slapped Bajol awake only to find that Vespacious was on the other side of that mirror and that there is a "Keymaster" here that can help him return.  Osgood, this is the day I have feared.  I have long assumed that The Necromancer would return, but I never thought we had so little time to prepare.  If he does succeed in making it back from wherever, I fear he will come hunting me, and to what end I shudder to consider.

It was about this time that the Doorwarden returned , and she began to show us to our rooms.  On our way down one of the winding nonsensical passages, we heard blood curdling screams coming from down the hall.  Frumious and I moved with haste to try and see what was the matter.  At which point, the Doorwarden became aggressive and attacked.  She puled her hood back to reveal the top portion of her head.  Where her eyes and forehead should have been was just a bed of venomous snakes that sprang forth, snapping and hissing, all the while still attached to her  . . . face?  We got a few good hits in before we heard the sound of doors locking, and she turned into a foggy shadowy version of herself and flew off saying that this keep would be our tomb.  We rushed in the direction of the screams only to find a room in which a large, tusked creature was eating two of the townsfolk alive.  Feydor made quick work of him, and realizing that there was nothing we could do for the two victims we put them out of their misery, and set the bodies ablaze.

From there we ended up getting lost in the labrynth of the keep.  Halls twisted and turned, we encountered dozens of combatants, which thanks to Bajol and Fyn were dispatched with relative ease.  While, I won't bore you with the litany of creatures that lost their life, it is safe to say we fought our way through a good portion of the keep.  Then we encountered a part of the keep that looked nothing like the rest of the edifice.

It was a long hallway that was decorated with finery that was not illusory in nature.  Along one wall was a series of tapestries, and the hall ended in a door on one end, and a spiral staircase on the other.  Let me start with a description of the tapestries.  It seemed to be the history of the region, and Shadowmount, specifically.  However, ever present in all of the hangings was a chilling set of teeth.  Very similar to the teeth of the Marquis.  Sometimes it was just teeth in the darkness, other times it was in the form of a grinning winged beast, and in one tapestry the cloth had been cut to hide all of the figure save two massive paws.  I did not have time to sketch them for binding, but the takeaway, it seems, is that the Marquis has been around for a long, long time.

From here we went to the door at the end of the hall way.  That is where we discovered his lab.  It was a large room with tanks, vats, shelves, tables, and hanging chains scattered about.  There were liquids and powders of all sorts.  This was obviously some place he used for experimentation.  And sadly, some of his test subjects were still in various forms of decomposition either in these vats, or strewn about the lab.  There were wards, and runes, and circles, and etchings all over the walls and floor.  Frumious made tracings and I have bound them and sent them to the shelf for removal.  There were maps, and a full model of the entire Mark with his notes on them.  One, in particular, caught my attention.  Where the ruins are in the middle of Shadowmount, he wrote a note that said, box destroyed.  I have no clue what that could mean. There were also 3 pedestals.  One held his spell book, another his instruction manual for his experiments, and the last held his journal. We grabbed those items, and then saw an enormous crystal orb on one end of the room.  After closer inspection, we realized this was a scrying aid.  As it was too big to move, and I was concerned about a release of magical energy upon breaking it, we left it as is, and fled the room. 

After following the spiral staircase we arrived at what was surely the exit, only to be met by the Doorwarden who promptly sent us into a pit.  Kyros and I ended up in a cell in the dungeon, where after 20 minutes or so I heard a knock at the cell door.  I opened the peephole in the door to find a strange looking man in a Jester's hat.  He was gaunt, and I could not tell his race through the pallid, tight, flesh around his face.  His eyes stared out of two hollow sockets, and he spoke with a chilling lightness and airyness.  Basically he told me he could let me out and show me the way to breathe fresh air, and feel the sun on my face.  All I had to do was turn over one of the three items I took from the Lab.  After giving it careful thought, it seemed to me that the instruction manual was the thing to give up, as I would never perform the vile experiments in the book, and a lot of it was written in a cipher that would take some time to decode.  I also wagered that the spell book and journal might be of more use to the party in the long run.  I asked him if he was going to give the book to his master, and he replied "When he is around". That told me we are dealing with a minioin not of the Marquis, but of someone else.

I gave him the manual, and true to his word he let me out.  That is when I got a full look at him.  He was short and thin and indistinct.  He wore a full Jester's costume but it was old, and faded, with tarnished bells atop his hat.  However, the most striking thing about this . . . creature was the way he moved.  It was as if every joint in his body was capable of hyper extending well past what anatomy tells us is possible.  I thought it reminded me of a puppet, and wondered if his master might be the puppet king.  I asked him if he was also going to give me a wicker doll for my travels, and he stated that that would not be a good idea for either of us.  And then he disappeared down a hall in the opposite direction of the exit.

I followed his directions and, sure enough, they led me to a place where I could breathe fresh air, and see the sun.  It was a sewer grate, and I was still stuck in the keep.  I tried to break the grate and mid struggle, I saw 5 men on horseback riding out of the keep.  I called out to get there attention, and it turned out to be the rest of the party, as well as Master Shake, who had been the Marquis' guest for the last decade.  They broke me out and we expeditiously fled the area.

We arrived back in Shadowmount and took up rooms.  While it was only 48 hours since we last slept in this inn, Osgood, it feels like 3 weeks have passed.  We are all shaken, tired, and as for myself, feeling a little outmatched.

So, the plan moving forward is to head back home while we decide what our next step is.  I could use some time to do some research, and I think it would serve us all to see the faces of our loved ones.  Hopefully we will be back home in 3-4 weeks.  Until then keep the tower locked and everything off the bookshelf, save this journal.  I will use it to communicate which books I need placed on the shelf, and when.  If anyone at all arrives in town that you are unfamiliar with, find my father and let him know.  You should also tell him that his son has probably drawn the ire of the Marquis so he understands how best to defend the town, and our friends and families lives.  Above all, be careful, and keep our work safe.


Until my next entry, be well, and may Omnos guide and protect us all. (Now more than ever)