MAGICAL RESTORATION COMPLICATION SITUATION

When Zaron opens the portal and you step through, you can immediately sense the change in the air--the humidity and warmth of late spring near the seaside.

You have portaled into a stone room about 20'x 20.' It is fairly empty except for runes just about everywhere and animal bones, horseshoes, and various other items hanging on the wall to apparently help with good luck and to repel evil.

"This is our portal laboratory," Zaron says.

The room is large, he explains, in case they need to portal in large items. In this case, he has the handcart he has been pulling, along with all of you.

He leads you through large stone doors into a laboratory. (There are two sets of double doors, one leading to the laboratory, and one heavily wizard locked that leads outside.)

"Please don't touch anything," he says as you walk between beakers, open tomes, liquids of all colors, specimen jars holding all sorts of body parts from creatures, a wall of ingredient jars, and so forth. The room itself is about 20' x 40' long, a truly large laboratory.

Zaron leads you past the laboratory, through another door, and into a much more humble abode. There is a fireplace, bearskins, sofas, and of course more tomes on the wall.

"My master Azaron is not here at the moment," Zaron says. "Last I heard, he was helping Lord Handon's minister of justice in some criminal thing or another. Whenever you want, we can head out to the temple nearby that I mentioned. I think they can restore magic to your items that was lost in your recent misadventures."

"I would like to try to restore the portable hold at your earliest convenience." Tahldar replies to Zaron.  "There were many things it contained I'd like to recover.  Plus the item itself is just so useful."

You make your way out of Zaron's home/lab and into the city. It feels so strange to see a bustling city full of people.

You notice that the city is built over rock and water, thus protecting the people from the scourge affecting the outside, but also giving little room for the city to grow outward.



Zaron's lab is on the eastern part of the city. He leads your group north through the streets to some sort of temple (the yellow circle with a cross).

Inside, he introduces you to the lead cleric: Herrendon. When Herrendon hears your plight and desire to restore the magic to your weapons and items, he nods thoughtfully and brings you toward the back of the chapel area to an inner sanctum.

Inside this brick enclosed room is a large tub about 15 feet long by 8 feet wide. The tub is filled with an incandescent orangish fluid that appears to glow slightly from within.

Herrendon addresses you: "As you know, magic is dangerous, and can be used for good or ill. We will restore magic to your items but require something in return. You may choose among two options."

He gestures to the temple and its majesty, with many golden walls and ornate statues. "The first option is that you pay 1000 of His Majesty's gold--none of that other kingdom gold, mind you, but something we can spend for upkeep for our good deeds--and you must take a vow. What that vow will be will only be revealed through prayers of our priests, and we cannot make the prayers until we have your promise of a vow."

He looks at you in turn. "The second option is that you will perform a favor for our priests. This will entail attending a party at the castle, gathering information, and perhaps helping quell an evil, if our suspicions are right."

He spreads his hands. "What say you?"

NOTE: Feel free to discuss among yourselves here. The temple will feed you dinner as you decide whether to take either or none of these options.