Re: The Haunting of the Rose - Prologue
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Before long the adventurers managed to acquire a few titbits which revealed quite clearly that Uthnonin maintained a modest tower about a quarter of a mile west of Sorom’s town square which put it a few yards just beyond the outskirts of Sorom, where a well-worn path through the very green grass lead to a clearing.
Once the inside the clearing a structure materialized before the party, a dark stone edifice seemingly hewn from a single massive piece of rock. It was an octagonal spire five storeys tall, well over 50 feet. The base of the tower was around 30 feet wide with a large double door upon the face towards the adventurers and the path. There was a smaller door inlaid upon it which probably saw more common use then the large double door did from the wear upon the turf before it.
Just to the north-side and behind the tower could be seen a small cottage, mostly wooden walls a stone chimney and a thatched roof. The cottage looked a very much like someone had taken a pile of materials and just dumped it down then moved it around a bit to resemble a house. Grey-white smoke was rising from its chimney.
Both the tower and the cottage appeared starkly different to the buildings the adventurers had seen within Galdion.
Although the tower had a few windows upon each of the four opposing faces of the tower – which alternated between the cardinal directions upon the second story and then laying between them upon the third floor and alternating like this again from the fourth floor up to the fifth, the adventurers could not see the interior of the tower as each of the windows had peculiar black, glass windows which revealed nothing about the tower’s interior.
Just as the party of adventurers approached the doorway, the smaller door within one of the doors opened and out stepped an isleborn human man. He appeared to be rather young possibly just within his adult years.
He wore a worn tunic of dyed green wool and rather loose pants of light brown leather hide which just hung over large grey boots slightly caked with dark grey-brown dirt.
The man’s head held a thick mane of blond hair though the roots were a darker brown colour. His hair flowed around the side and back of his head, curling a bit forward at his face. His jaw was covered by a generous beard about the same colour as his hair only a shade or two lighter. A wide, flat moustache covered most of his upper lip and his eye brows were rather bushy as well.
A thin bronze chain held a topaz gemstone in an ornate disc about his neck. And a ring was held on the index finger of each hand.
He spoke in a loud tenor voice “Welcome, welcome! I knew you would not have that much difficulty in finding my tower. Oh yes.” the man bends down on one knee and bows slightly for a moment “Uthnonin, Former First Magister of Aria at your service.” he then stands up again, smiling at the adventurers.
Phelan, despite his appearance you can sense a great latticework of magic about this man. And you suspect there is even more about this man then you are presently aware off. You did not sense the same sort of power about the wizards of the Arcane University.
Lambent, you can sense that the man before you has his mind linked to another somewhere within the tower. There is a continuous stream of thought to and from this other mind.
Drex, this creature before you has at almost nothing for a soul. His spiritual presence is almost non-existent. Though you sense nothing malignant of evil about it, it is disturbing.