Summary: Into the Wizardry School
Ahead, the long-collapsed framework of what was obviously once a soaring and ornate building is nothing more than the shells of corner towers holding up collapsing stone walls. In the northernmost wall, the wall is collapsed inward opening to rubble within. Some interior walls remain propped up, but from across the rubble strewn street you can observe what appears to remain of an iron circular railing that leads to a stair well below.
Moving within the walls, something appears to stir and slither from just inside the eastern wall. Rising with apparent uncertainty, a deeply chipped skeletal worm with the skull of a human rises from the rubble, and advances haltingly, as if wounded. It’s skull teeth and some of its ribs are stained with what appear to be fresh blood, and although its eyes glow with magical hatred, it appears as if someone has already engaged this bone naga recently.
“We are here at the behest of Palanthas.” Kailute states, which evokes a limp response from the levitating bone snake, and it postures to attack.
Kailute carves several of its ribs from the spinal column, and DonBrapp steps forward to swing with his newfound hammer, which appears to render more harm to the creature. Quilro launches a series of magic missiles, some of which harm the naga, but several bounce back and wound the elf.
The naga also replies with a series of magic missiles, striking the half-orf.
Belox swings and misses as Fyrnlocke strikes the creature dead center in the skull with an arrow from his short bow.
The naga bites against the half-orc, who shakes off some sort of electrical attack. Quilro pull his mace from his belt, but is unable to connect.
With two successive attacks, Kailute shaves more bone fragments from the monster, and DonBrapp misses a blow.
The party has a series of missed blows, and the naga strikes the half-orc with a sickening strength sapping attack.
Finally, DonBrapp smashes the wounded construct and the group observes the indications of movement down the circular stairs.
“
That’s how ye fell a foe!” The dwarf roars, holding Fendeygo’s hammer high.
Quilro leads the way, and The stairs are littered with dust, cobwebs, tiny skeletons of rats that crunch underfoot, and fragments of stone fallen from the ceiling far above. The stairs are dry, cold, and smooth, sculpted of single blocks of stone. They descend for 60 feet. As you descend the stairs, you notice that someone else has come down these steps within the last day, probably a group of several men judging by the number of boot prints visible on the dusty stone steps. There is a slight downdraft from the opening.
The party descends, and the stairs end in an octagonal room, apparently carved out of solid rock. Four closed, featureless stone doors with brass pull-rings are visible, one in each of the cardinal walls of the room as you descend and enter from the SW. In the center of the room is a circular, moated pool that looks as if it was once a fountain, now dry and choked with stony rubble. All is dark, silent, and still. Against the NW wall between the doors stands a 9-foot-tall stone humanoid statue, facing the center of the room. The statue is motionless, its eyes closed and its hands at its sides. The dust on the floor indicates recent humanoid traffic, with some moving to the west and some to the south.
“
Let’s figure out where these chumps went.” Kailute proposes, and the group agrees.
“
Looks like they may have been running from something.” Quilro observes, noticing the divergent paths, and searches the western portion of the room for traps.
As he examined the door to the left, a booming voice announces “
You dare disturb the one who rules Myth Drannor? Give his name, or you shall not pass..”
Kailute examines the statue for a possible name, but there is nothing inscribed there.
The group has a hasty review of Myth Drannon history; at most they recall the Coronal Eltagrim who led just prior to the defeat and fall of the city, and one of the great demons who led the Trio Nefarious and the Armies of Darkness. While his elven history was never a strong suit, Quilro does recognize the magic mouth spell as a fairly standard dwoemered construct.
Now the elf searches the statue, as Kailute inspects the door to the south.
Quilro leads the way south. The door to the south is already open, leading into a featureless 30-foot-long stone passage which leads to another open stone door. This last door opens into a 30 x 70 room with a 50 ceiling that was once a feasting hall. Rotting, long, wooden tables march in two lines down the room, with fifteen wooden chairs on either side and a high-backed seat at the far end. Place settings and goblets still haphazardly line the tables. 10’ archways open in the middle of the walls on the right and left, blocked by cobweb-shrouded curtains. At the far end of the room hangs a rusty iron bar high up on wall brackets; from the bar hang long tatters of mildewed, black fabric once some sort of vast tapestry covering most of the wall. Not enough is left to tell what it depicted.
Inspecting the table Kailute observes the fresh corpse of a caucasian human male, wearing studded leather armor over Moonsea garb and carrying a broad sword laying in the SW corner of the room, crumpled. He has a dagger on his belt in a plain sheath; He was apparently struck by something on the face, arms, and chest that produced frostbite and killed them; they bear scars that resemble bony hand marks. He was apparently trying to flee to the south from something coming from the entryway to the north.
Quilro searches for traps, and listens intently for any sign of noise, before the group moves west. Peering through the archway this 13' x 20' hewn stone space was a kitchen, with a chopping block table in the middle and a beam ceiling with iron hooks overhead. All utensils are gone. A large, sooty stone hearth and chimney dominate the northern wall. Along the southern was is a low, arched opening that begins two feet up the wall. Two heavy wooden doors (with diagonal framing) face the characters on the wall ahead to the west, one each north and south.
Quilro investigates the arched entrance to the south, revealing a 10-foot-wide, 20-foot-deep root cellar has a low, arched stone-block ceiling and a fairly level solid stone floor. In it are bunches of old, mouldering onions, a spongy, pungent-smelling keg of beer (now spoiled), a large pile of straw, and a row of six empty earthenware jugs. A seventh jug has rolled into a corner and still has its stopper in place.
DonBrapp climbs in behind the elf; and opens the stopper to one of the jugs. Hoisting it under Quilro’s nose, it smells of cider. Unable to help himself, Quilro takes a swig. While initially tasty, he is immediately doubled over in pain. DonBrapp heals the elf.
After the exchange, DonBrapp notes something moving under the straw. Pushing aside the straw, the Dwarf reveals a larvae with two eyes.
“
Belox, go burn the worm.” The dwarf commands, moving out of the space. The human warrior lights a tinder bundle and rolls it into the root cellar, eliminating the worm.
Quilro searches both western doors for traps, finding none. Opening the northern door the rotting scent of decaying flesh and death is overwhelming. Six slight elven skeletons, the flesh and garments long rotted away turn to mostly white bone and hunks of leathery meat. Immediately sensing your presence, they move to attack with their claws.
Two lurch forward to attack the dwarf, but miss. Quilro casts several magical missiles into the should of one of the elf-wights. Kailute steps aside to allow DonBrapp central access to the room.
Lifting his symbol, DonBrapp yells “Brapp wills it!” and sends the undead scurrying away from the party.
In the kitchen, Kailute and Belox move to grab the butcher block table to barricade the door if required.
The dwarf forces the wights back out of the corner, and Quilro locates a secret passage in the northeastern corner of the wall.
DonBrapp invokes Vergadain, and four of the wights turn to obey the dwarf’s command, while the remaining two turn to attack. A fight erupts between the turned wights and the ones enthralled in DonBrapp’s command.
Quilro opens the mechanism to sends the stone door into the floor with an audible grinding. A dark rough-hewn stone passageway is revealed beyond. The scent of rotting material and wine emanates from within.
“
Stop playing with your kids and follow me.” Quilro says.
“
Look at this thing I can do. I can make them fight!” The dwarf chuckles.
“
Some decency for my ancestors might be appreciated.”
“
These ain’t yer kin, leaflicker. Yer kin are back at the mansion to the north. These fellers wouldn’t even respect your clan, twigclipper.”
Waiting for the inevitable defeat of the non-commanded wights, Belox and Kailute step into the room to assist with the melee.
“
Let it play out!” The dwarf yells.
“
Move one so I can get at one!” Kailute replies, and the dwarf directs one off. Kailute slices the arm from one of the wights. This causes one to attack the half-orc, and the wound shocks the barbarian with sickness.
Cleaving one in half, the second claws at Kailute draining him of vital energy.
“This was a mistake.” The half-orc withdraws, axe held high and wounds open.
The three remaining wights claw down the opposed, and the dwarf commands them to lead the exploration of the secret passage. The passage heads east and then loops south, opening to a 10’ x 15’ space. Quilro locates a secret door in the floor, underneath wet sand. In addition to the remains of several larvae, a potion, 120gp, and a 8" wooden wand with copper butts on both end.
“Looks just to be a wand of friendship, nothing important or expensive.” Quilro says.
DonBrapp recalls the larvae being involved in keeping undead creatures with negative planar energy and gathers some of the gummy ichor into the vials.
The party backtracks to the kitchen and opens up the southern storage room. The door to this room is latched but not locked. It creaks loudly when opened to reveal a long, bare room that smells faintly of herbs, apples, onions, and the like. The floor is strewn with damp, rotting rushes, from among which comes a phosphorescent glow at the far end of the room.
Kailute inspects the kitchen fireplace and is rewarded with a bat flying directly into his face. Wiping away the soot and peering upwards, faint light can be seen from above.
Exploring the archway leading eastward out of the kitchen, behind the decaying curtains, the archway to the east opens into a smaller (20. x 30.) room, with a single long table and five chairs drawn up around it. This was once an exclusive dining area for the teaching wizards, the Masters. A passage leads off to the northeast south.
Quilro inspects the room, and locates a 1’ long tapering wand of wood with the word “zampir” enscribed in it held in rings under the table.
The passageway to the north is about 5’ wide, out of rough-hewn rock. Curving around to the east, a small room contains only a wooden seat with a hole in it, a torch bracket above and a shelf beside it, and a peg in the wall for coats.
Quilro peers into the commode and is unable to see anything far below. Grabbing the rope of climbing, he lowers the lantern until he can see an underground stream running northeast about 25-30 feet below. Lowered down, the elf notes the stream is freezing, only about 12-18 inches deep within about five to eight-foot tunnel.
DonBrapp looks below and orients the stream to the river the group entered the city.
“It’s another shitter over here!” Belox shouts from around the corner to the northeast.
The group decides to leave Belox and Dirthax behind in the eastern portion, and lower down the wights and the four core party members down to the subterranean stream in order to bypass the main door.
DonBrapp magically enables the ability to stay above the freezing water, and the group proceeds south for a time, until the stream and passage turns due west. The tunnel continues for about sixty feet, and a dim light can be observed ahead. The wights continue until the stream turns into a stone viaduct crossing an enormous cavern, oriented north and south. To the north, a glowing line of blacks suspended in the air, parallel to the viaduct appear to be about 100’ away, also crossing the cavern. The cavern ceiling rises 60’ above, while the bottom below is swallowed by mist.
Quilro listens intently, but hears nothing but the water flowing. DonBrapp provides some orientation as to their location under the ground.
Crossing the viaduct, the wights bunch up at the end of the water bridge 60’ across. Quilro maneuvers around, and sees a grate that partially blocks the route with a skeleton pressed against it. Kailute easily pulls the grate from its connections, freeing the skeleton into the water. The party recovers a ring, a chain and a dagger from the long dead humanoid.
The passageway ahead requires the party to submerge in the water in order to continue ahead.
“
We must proceed.” The dwarf opines.
“
We aren’t required to DO anything.” Kailute responds.
“
The implications of your philosophy are profound.” Quilro quips.
The wights lead the way, and with deep breathing and thinking the warmest of thoughts, the party continues west. After proceeding 60’, every member save the undead is chattering loudly, and their bodies begin to grow numb.
Eventually, the stream gives way to a large sandy beach in a large underground cavern, oriented northwest to SE. The polished stone floor gives way to sand, and the sound of running water can be heard to the southeast. At least 60' wide, magical flames appear to light the cavern from the ceiling above, at least 60'. Stalactites plunge from the ceiling, and stalagmites punch up from the cavern floor.
Kailute begins to do jumping jacks, and Quilro begins to feel extremely weary from the cold.
Two dead humans garbed in Zhent armor lay in the sand, bearing similar marks of damage from the previous corpse in the kitchen. It appears they were attacked form the northeast. The party grabs 41gp and a magical dagger from the dead.
The cavern continues to the northwest, with a passageway to the northeast. The terrain rises from the stream to about the same height as the original floor level.
The group explores the northwest portion of the cavern, which grows higher and dryer. For several hundred feet, until it recedes.
Backtracking, the group enters the passageway to the northeast. Doors line the passage to the southeast and northwest.
Quilro checks the door, and finds no traps but it is magically sealed. The wights claw at the door to no avail.
Kailute attempts to shoulder the door open, but the cold and his previous wounds leave him less than full strength.
The dwarf charges at the door, but is bounced back by the stone.
Finally, Quilro ran straight into the door and is almost injured.
Fyrnlocke sprints against the door, and the sound of his shoulder cracking is muffled somewhat by the stone door collapsing inward, the thief atop it.
Within lies a 50 x 65 chamber carved from solid rock, containing a huge crescent-shaped table fashioned of black wood, with thirty-three straight backed chairs of the same material drawn up around it. Three globes of glowing, immaterial light hang in midair on the far (east) side of the room, and each has an item hanging suspended in it: a staff, a large egg-shaped spheroid, and a crown. Three freshly slain human bodies lie on the floor around the table, each badly mauled and partially eaten. Overhead floats a huge brainlike monster with a parrotlike beak and ten tentacles, each as long as a man is tall. Four gemlike stones circle about its head, out of reach of the characters. It floats toward the characters, writhing its tentacles.
DonBrapp invokes a prayer. Frynlocke steps to the side putting his sword aside and drawing his bow.
Quilro unleashes a bolt of lightning into the floating monster, which pulses absorbing the magical energy.
Kailute severs one of the tentacles hanging below the brain, and makes another swing before stepping up on the table, losing his grip and getting pierced in his hip by one of the tentacles.
Fyrnlocke hits again with the bow, and Quilro unleashes another spelled volley of missiles. These appear to cause more damage, and Kailute can feel the agony as the grell convulses.
DonBrapp aims his hammer at the tentacle, but misses wildly until it returns to his hand.
Releasing another volley of missiles, Quilro watches as DonBrapp’s hammer this time rips four tentacles from the underside of the creature, which shrieks in pain.
Kailute heaves a large amount of brain material, while the severed tentacle flaps from his hip.
DonBrapp initiates a series of flying blades around the hammer, and launches it toward the grell, which is mutilated by the hammer and surrounding blades. The gore is sprayed throughout the room, and all four party members are covered in brain material. The stones floating above the monsters head fall to the ground.
“
That’s how it’s done, elf.” DonBrapp states flatly.
The party observes a series of items and equipment lain about the room and gather it up.
In the center of the room, a flickering green flame continues to burn.
