Brindle frowns at the spot where the goat was standing and moves closer to see if he can work out how it managed that neat little vanishing goat trick.

"Oh!" Leisha exclaims, looking down in surprise, and then turning to look more closely.

Tesseryn glares at the spot vacated by the goat, also trying to understand what just happened. 

He watches with satisfaction as the armoured gnomes take charge of the prisoner, not finding the scene the least bit amusing.  "Beware his lies.  He has not uttered a word of truth yet this day, but if he reveals any intelligence that may aid our Quest, I would appreciate that you forward it to us."

"Sir Holomir, our party intend to rest, perhaps in the company of Omphalos the Guardian Naga.  May I offer to take up your vigil for these hours, that you may take some well-earned rest yourself?"

Berkam-Shem does take some small satisfaction at the frowns, exclamations and glares caused by the disappearance of his wayward goat ... but not for long as he is grabbed by the gnomes and marched away, down the corridor that Sir Holomir guards.

As the old man crosses the threshold between the room and the passage beyond a voice booms out, as if Mitra himself speaks ...

"WARE YE PILGRIM !  YE HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF MITRA.  CAUSE NO EVIL IN THIS, HIS SHRINE, ELSE YE SHALL DIE MOST HORRIBLY !"

"I thank you for your kindness," the Lion of Mitra appears to find the warning not at all out of the ordinary as he responds to Tesseryn's offer, "yet I have no need for rest nor sleep, and am sworn as a sacred duty to remain at my post."

"Yet if you and your companions would rest here," he gestures to the corridor behind him, "you would be most welcome."

"The goat became invisible!" Brindle suddenly exclaimed. "It changed form once to mimic Tesseryn - it must have shrunk to escape the leash. It is his familiar, an imp or quasit most likely. A tiny, winged devil or demon."

He reached over his shoulder to his backpack and unerringly retrieved the scroll he wanted.

"Cogwitz, Wrukaog - close your eyes!" he ordered and immediately read the incantation from the scroll to conjure a sudden burst of golden particles that filled the cave around the orc and halfling, covering them and everything else in that part of the cave in sparking dust.

OOC: Glitterdust spell centred above the SE corner of Cogwitz's square - 10ft radius spread.

Tesseryn glances up to the shaft from the chapel above.  "The goat has fled, up there." he informs Brindle, possibly offering the halfling an opportunity to adjust his aim.  He sheaths his shortsword, expecting no further threats this day.

He inclines his head in acknowledgement of Sir Holomir's vow and unstinting service.  "I thank you for your offer and readily accept.  Who might we ask for beyond?" His eyes follow the gnomes and their prisoner within the booming passage.

"That sounds better than Oomphy's comfy mausoleum." Remembering that the naga guarded a tomb not a parlour, Aurion is already following the Oompa-Loompurs along the yellow brick road and glancing about to spot the Magic Mouth spell. "I hope they serve wine."

"Oh. Already flown the coop, you say?" Brindle responds to Tesseryn's news disappointedly.

He abandons his plans to read the Glitterdust spell from the scroll since there is no telling how far away the 'goat' might have flown up the shaft already.

"Be it goat or winged demon, I fear it not," Sir Holomir comforts Brindle as the Halfling pockets his scroll.  "I shall watch most keenly lest it return."

"Noble Omphalos and I have our own posts to guard," he assures Tesseryn.  "Should you need his aid, show him the ring I gave you and he, indeed any of those of us sworn to Mitra, will help you as we can."

"The gnomes are the staunch defenders of the White Tower.  They will provide cots for you, and a hot meal.  Ask for Gnevron, their leader."

Once your questions are done, you follow after Aurion, down the passage.  As each of you cross the threshold, the voice booms out once more and you feel the gentle touch of an invisible hand:

"WARE YE PILGRIM !  YE HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF MITRA.  CAUSE NO EVIL IN THIS, HIS SHRINE, ELSE YE SHALL DIE MOST HORRIBLY !"

Leaving Sir Holomir at his post, you find two doors, one on either side of the corridor.  Suddenly one opens and an armoured gnome pokes his head out.

"I'm Gnevron," he tells you with a cheerful smile  "Death to the minions of Set and all that. If you'd just follow me ..."

So saying, Gnevron leads you down the stairs, pointing out an area to the right where you can rest before leading you to the mess hall, where you find a lot of mismatched furniture, ranging from ornate to rickety, with a curtained off kitchen area nearby.  Poking your heads around the corner, you see another stair curving down, flanked by a couple of lion statues which matches the one you're standing next to.

"You can get a hot meal here - the kitchen is always open.  Simple honest affair, just roast meat and vegetables, bread, soup and ale, but very tasty, eh lads ?"

The three gnomes working in the kitchen respond with an equally cheerful chorus of "Ayes !"

"Don't worry about the golem", Gnevron indicates the large statue like figure at the base of the stairs, "he's just on the lookout for evildoers."

"Death to the minions of Set !" the three kitchen hands add, enthusiastically.

"Anyone for an ale ?"

Brindle smiles with genuine pleasure as the menu is read out.

"Oh, my, that all sounds just wonderful. Yes indeed, a mug of ale would be most welcome right now and should definitely help me sleep!"

"Yes this is satisfactory."  Tesseryn compliments Gnevron.  He chooses a cot, pushing it squarely against the north wall and placing his swords and backpack neatly atop it, then aligning four more beads against the east wall, military fashion, and the remaining bed into the nook on the west wall.  "This section will need to be screened for our lady companion." he indicates the western bed and Leisha as he explains the requirements to Gnevron.

He accepts bread and soup and a mug of water and sits next to Brindle to eat.  "We can rest safely here, Brindle.  On the morrow we shall continue our Quest."

After the meal he finds Gnevron to enquire  "We appear to be well guarded, although I wish to see where our prisoner is held.  He is a treacherous wizard and must be watched constantly lest his wiles wreak havoc upon your community."

"Yes indeed," Brindle agrees with Tesseryn's opinion of the evil mage. "I hope he has been stripped of any possessions he had. Even a pouch of herbs and other odds and ends could hide the ingredients for his spells. He also had a magical companion, his familiar. That was the goat that escaped when he was arrested. I believe it is some type of tiny devil or demon and is able to make itself invisible whenever it wants to. It even managed to impersonate Tesseryn quite effectively earlier today. I hope that the guards on the wizard will be able to stop such a creature if it tries to free the wizard."

Choosing a bed and throwing his gear atop it, Aurion carefully conceals the serpent-headed sword beneath his backpack and cape then heads for the kitchen to sit near the lion statues. "Yes yes, death to all minions." He keeps the snakes hidden within his robes as he gestures for a serving of everything. "Do you have wine?"

The gnome notes Tesseryn's request for a curtain to be put up with a nod.  "I shall arrange it," he assures the Paladin.

As you take your seats, the kitchen staff place food and drink before you, exhorting you to "eat up, drink your fill - plenty more where that came from," though Aurion's inquiry about the possibility of wine brings much regretful shaking of the heads.

"Don't get much call for it, really," they tell him.  "Death to the minions of Set."

Gnevron considers Tesseryn and Brindle's warnings regarding the wizard carefully.

"We know of Berkam-Shem," he warrants.  "The Wizard will try none of his tricks here.  He has been bound and gagged, stripped of all his belongings, and we have him under guard, where he will remain until his trial.  Those that guard him are well warded against evil.  Thought you may see him if you wish, once you have eaten."

"None of his allies would risk the curse that would befall them ... any attempt to free him by force and they would be struck down by a terrible wasting disease.  Still we shall keep careful watch to be sure.  Your concerns do you credit."

"Clay here," he indicates the golem with a jerk of his thumb, "is immune to whatever magics they might raise.  They'd not get past him."

Tesseryn takes bread with jam and a cup of water and sits with Brindle to eat.  "Thank-you Gnevron.  Gnomes have always prooved themselves resourceful and reliable.  You've set my mind at rest.  Might we see more of the buried tower of Mitra before we rest?"  He gestures towards the stairs down beyond the dining area.

Fetching a wineskin from his pack (one of several packed by the servants at the World Serpent Inn), Aurion pours himself a cup and offers the skin around to all in the kitchen. "Its Elvish." he explains to Gnevron. "it'll bring life to the minions of Mitra." He takes a serve of roast vegetables, bread and soup, and another cup of wine.

"What can you tell us about the mysteries we've discovered in the passages below?" Aurion quizzes Gnevron. "Have you heard of a passage guarded by two talkative doors named Sydni and Harlon? Or a miserable statue named Samalgidaceon? And what of the passages that mysteriously end in mist?"

The gnome is happy to share a cup of wine as you converse, though his lips purse at the unfamiliar taste.  "Not bad, though," he vouchsafes appreciatively (though his response might elicit a strained smile if the keepers of the cellars of the World Serpent Inn heard such).

Gnevron is more than happy to accept the compliment that Tesseryn offers, and to show you around the White Tower.  "Of course," the gnome agrees, "when you've eaten your fill, I'll give you the tour."

Aurion's questions, however, elicit a sad shake of Gnevron's head.

"Sorry," he tells the Elf, "none of us get out much - the tower is too imperiled by Set's foul worshippers for us to leave it unattended.  Though I have heard of Samalgidaceon from other brave souls who ventured out there, though ... I'd not believe any tale he might tell you.  He seeks the Holy Belt of Mitra that he might use it to bargain with Set."

"The only way in or out of Mitra's tower is the way you came in," he offers helpfully, pointing upwards, "the doors on the lowest level - what once was the ground floor and grand entrance, many, many years ago - are now sealed and warded against the forces of darkness."

"There is much evil out there ... perhaps the worst I have word of is a wizard named Haffrung Helleyes ... it is said he can change his form as easily as you or I might change our cloaks !"

"Was Samalgidaceon known to you, before he was cursed by Set, as he puts it."  Tesseryn picks up where Aurion leaves off, recalling his conversation with the statue.  "He exchanged belts with me ... although mine was an offensive piece that, strangely, I had never seen before.  I consider myself well rid of it, but it was not the belt he sought."

"Haffrung Helleyes." he repeats solemnly, condemning the name and its owner.  "Fortunately we have a wizard of our own," he regards Aurion where he sits amid his meal, And talented others.  We shall not fail to subdue the followers of Set."

Brindle turns thoughtful as he listens to the conversation.

"I wonder … that goat couldn't have been this Haffrung Helleyes, could it? Those orc guards did say they served Haffrung Helleyes but were assigned to guard Berkam-Shem. No, surely not. Although it is still a mystery how it managed to impersonate Tesseryn so effectively," he muses.

"I'll pass on the tour, thank-you." Aurion seems as lost in thought as in food. "I have a spell to see the invisible on an old book - might see if I can learn it before we go. Do you have a quiet study area, Gnevron?" After the meal he seeks solitude and pores over a musty old necromancer's tome.

"To be honest," Leisha admits, "I always get the brooch caught in my hair, so if he can only change shape as easily as I change my clloak, we should be able to catch him soon enough.  Metaphors are rarely that cooperative, though," she sighs.

The gnome shakes his head.  "I believe Samalgidaceon has been down here for a long while," he tells the Paladin, "and as I understand it, he's not been exactly forthcoming with details of his past.  Your decision to swap belts with him was probably for the best though - compared to the likes of Haffrung Helleyes, he's mostly harmless."

"Death to the minions of Set !" Gnevron adds with a dutiful smile as Tesseryn pledges something slightly less than outright slaying of the notorious Haffrung, the kitchen hands all merrily joining in with the chant.

Brindle's musings provide the gnome with food for thought.  "Have to say we'd always considered the goat was Berkam-Shem's familar," he admits, "never considered it might be Haffrung ... to be honest I really don't know.  Might pay us to keep our crossbows handy if we catch sight of it again, though."

Leisha's comments leave the gnome wondering if he should explain it again (and what such a mysterious thing as a 'metaphor' might be), but since he can well guess what the young woman might make of 'putting on a pair of boots' instead Gnevron elects to address Aurion's request, feeling on much safer ground.

"You can use the library downstairs," he informs the Elf.  "We guards aren't much in the way of readers, it's mostly used by the lammasu." 

Wrukaog and Cogwitz both cry off, the pair intending to stay here and keep the kitchenhands, or at least the hot meals and cups of ale, company.

Once the rest of you finish supping, the gnome leads you down the stairs, delivering a running commentary with the practiced air of one who's never done this before.

"That was the kitchens and mess hall of course {LEVEL B ON MAP} ... our main barracks are on the top floor {LEVEL A ON MAP}... you'd have passed them on the way down ... ah here we are !" he nods to the three gnome guards who all try to look alert and guard-like as Gnevron steps off the stairway.  {LEVEL C ON MAP}

"As you were lads," Gnevron tells them.  "Death to the minions of Set," he appends, smiling at the chorused response in kind.

"That's the library there," he points to the door on the right , waiting while you all poke your heads round to admire the bookcases, leaving Aurion to his studies while you continue on. 

"This is Rosunn, Eaomir and Dohevin," the gnome inclines his head politely to the three Lammasu.

The large creatures, with the body of a lion, wings of an eagle and human faces eye you appraisingly, but serenely and without suspicion, as if they find much interest in your more simple forms.

Gnevron does not linger, though, allowing you just enough time to poke your head around the corner to peek at the column of mist, "shortcut to and from Omphalos's chambers", before ushering you back to the stairs, turning south to where a second, spiral stairway leads down.

A few turns of the staircase leads you to another opening {LEVEL D ON MAP}.  Directly ahead of you is a huge woolly mammoth, which your guide approaches fearlessly as it awaits him impassively ... and with good reason, for though it appears startlingly real, close up you can tell it is a triumph of the taxidermist's art.

"Don't breathe too deeply," the gnome exhorts as he pushes open a door to the south, revealing a golem standing next to a brazier from which wafts a sweet smelling smoke that makes you all a bit giddy.

"Can we see the prisoner, please, Clay," Gnevron nods at the golem who turns wordless to pull back a dividing curtain to reveal Berkam-Shem, bound and gagged his feet somehow sunken into the stone floor as he stares blankly, obviously in the thrall of the heady smoke.

Quickly backing out before you can be overcome by the fumes, the gnome grins at the three of you.  "He won't be causing any trouble," he assures you.

Heading north, you push through another set of heavy drapes to a darkened area, lit by the soft light that emanates from a globe of swirling mists.

"We can use that to look about this tower, or keep an eye on a particular person after they've left here ... but it doesn't last for very long," your guide dismisses the globe, nodding towards the opposite door.  "Main barracks," he explains, before doing an about turn and leading you back to the spiral stairway, going down ...

... another few turns of the stair brings you to its end (or beginning, for you realise that you've been steadily working your way down for what must once have been the top of Mitra's temple {LEVEL E ON MAP}.  This entire level seems to have been the site of a terrible battle, for every chamber and room has had its contents burned and blasted to ash.  Doors creak on their hinges and charred paint and plaster peels off the walls and ceilings.

Gnevron leads you through one of the doors on the south wall where you find another four gnome guards, these somber and alert and enjoy yet more dour renditions of "Death to the minions of Set !" as your guide proudly shows you a plaque on the south wall, honouring those servants of good who gave their lives on this spot, courageously holding off the forces of evil.

Leaving the guards to their duty, the gnome points out a stone statue in the northwesternmost chamber fashioned in the form of a Shedu, which is to say a sturdy horse, but with a noble, dwarf-like head and large feathered wings.

"Anyone tries anything here and that'll come to life and sort them out," Gnevron smiles confidently as he takes you around the east side instead, before turning north to a chamber where you find another misty column and an iron box.

"That's another shortcut back from the upper levels outside the tower," he tells you, pausing a moment as he tries to recall where, "just past the chamber of the undying, I believe ... but entering the mists from this end just takes you to the chamber where Sir Holomir stands guard."

"That box ... actually that could be useful to you ... contains a stone tablet upon which is inscribed all names of the glyphs that ward the doorways and portals in the Tower of Set, death to all his minions.  Bit of luck us getting hold of that.  I'm sure someone died horribly as a result," he chuckles at the thought.

"You can't take the tablet, but I'll arrange for someone to copy that down for you - you know, in case you make it to the Dark Tower."

"And if you'll step this way ..." the gnome turns and walks through the western wall.

Following him, you find yourself in a bare stone chamber lit with a strange red light and with a circle of runes inscribed on the floor.  Gnevron steps into it without hesitation and vanishes.  You hurry after him ...

... and find yourselves in a massive hall of blindingly white ornate marble, delicately worked with many lawful good creatures portrayed in the decorations {LEVEL F ON MAP}, standing in a circle of runes that seem much the same as were in the room you just left.

"This was originally the main hall of the Temple," your guide tells you, his voice reverently low.

"Statue," he points to the twenty foot tall statue fashioned in the form of an armoured warrior in an alcove to the west.  "Statue," he says again, pointing to the similarly sized statue of a beautiful woman in an alcove to the east.

"That's Vishnar," he points to the green stone statue in the northern alcove which waves back at him.  "The only way back upstairs is through his good graces.

"And those are the main doors I was telling you about," he points to the very solid looking doors to the south which are heavily barred and marked with many formidable glyphs.  "None shall pass and all that."

"So ..." Gnevron pauses at last for breath "... that's the tour.  Any questions ?"

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Tesseryn nods his approval at each level, and to each group of gnomes and creatures in acknowledgement of their service.  Mitra's tower appears well defended and Berkam Shem well guarded.  "Thank you Gnevron.  The glyphs should prove most useful as we penetrate the dark tower."  He pauses to allow the gnome time to predict the demise of its occupants. "You've revealed to us the mystery of the mist filled passages.  We saw the one outside the tomb guarded by Omphalos, and another one such near to the room where we met Samalgidaceon.  Also nearby there was a circular passage that was similar in girth to this Hall.  Is that misty portal the one you mentioned, that returns the user to the battlefield above?  And how might we seek entrance to the tower of Set? "

Brindle looks around at everything as they are guided down through the levels of the tower of Mitra, absorbing the details and trying to remember as much as he can. When the tour is over he listens to Tesseryn's questions too. Then he has a couple of his own to ask.

"If we do get inside the tower of Set, is it likely to be similar to this, even a mirror image of this tower? Will we face golems like Clay and Vishnar, if that is what Vishnar is? What is it that we would need to do there to make things right here? Can anyone tell us that?" He asks Gnevron.

Leisha offers Vishnar a smile and wave of her own when she sees the statue respond to Gnevron's.  She wonders briefly if the Gods have sent her into one of those irritating planes where the furniture regularly talks - or even sings - and heroes are always accompanied by cute animals, but accepts that Aurion being the one with cute animals probably doesn't fit.

Turning back, she adds her own bit of curiosity to the mix.  "`None shall pass?'" she asks.  "Why not?  What's on the other side?"