B1E23- Rite of Passage
Jarl (human Wizard, Bill), Mareshi (human Cleric, Tony), Draggo (Dragonborn Barbarian, Brian), Thokk (half-Orc Warlock, Duane), Knott (Firbolg Druid, Matt), Fabian (1/2 elf Bard, Goeff)
Y7- Tower of Conjuration: We visited this place once but failed to learn its inscription. Time to head back to the tower and its giant hands that glided in a circle around a diorama of the tower itself. Attempts to approach were blocked. Mareshi cast Detect Magic which exposed a glowing door (portal to a demiplane) at the back of the room.
Inside: 3 old ugly hags that cackled with delight at relishing the dreams of
pain within the city. Thokk and Draggo shared secrets (Thokk killed his father,
while Draggo offered up the name of his dead son) to get them to reveal the
clue of this tower:
·
Second, summon a
flame in the palm of your hand.
Y20- Tower of Evocation: a red light
shone from a high window of this tower. We entered an octagonal room lined with
8 frozen alcoves and lit by dancing lights to reveal an unlit brazier at the
center of the room. We cast fire bolts to thaw one alcove that proved to hold a
gelatinous cube! We quickly refroze it. Focused on the brazier, Knott cast guiding
bolt to force a reaction to the energy: the brazier reflected the light
to the ceiling where we saw iced over writing. We melted the ice to reveal this
tower’s clue:
·
Fifth, quench the
flame in thy palm with ice.
Y21- Obelisk: 60ft tall and made of black stone
reminded us of the Duergar’s search for the corrupting chardalyn rocks. But as
we studied the obelisk closer, we realized its chronomancy properties to
possibly control time. Isn’t that what the Slaad in the observatory was trying
to discover- a way to go back in time before the city crashed?
Y22- Tower of Illusion: A purple light
shone from the highest window. Eyes carved in the obsidian stonework seemed to
follow our moves. As we entered the mist that surrounded the tower, we were
confronted by our worst fears, until Knott cast Dispel Magic. We
climbed the tower to reach the upper chamber where we found the next clue: Sixth, show thy face to the sky.
Yet as we began to leave, a mocking laughter convinced Thokk that maybe that
was an illusion. With True-Sight, he read the real text:
·
Sixth, hide
thyself behind a mask.
Y26- Tower of Transmutation: The tower
stood as straight as an arrow, marred by a crack that climbed its exterior wall
like ivy. First Knott changed into an insect as he tried to enter the tower
thru the crack. He thought about casting a Stoneshape spell. Instead, we
climbed or flew to the tower’s upper window to lay eyes upon a statue (made of
adamantine) of a women (in wizard’s robe) in the act of casting. Obviously
knocked over in the city’s crash, the statue had damaged an inscription of the
wall. Mareshi cast Mend to restore the last word of the clue…
·
Eighth, stand firm
in the circle of death and consume… poison.
Y25- Hall: 4 basalt columns supported a huge, mirrored
dome. Knott entered the door of one of the columns to witness swirling lights
that illuminated dead people floating cross-legged and with a serene look upon
their faces. He grabbed one of the bodies and brought it down to be burned for
ashes needed in the ritual.
Y24- Tower of Enchantment: a longer trek
to this out-of-the-way crumbling tower encased in ice. We entered to find a
repeated message writing on the walls, “All work and no play makes Ivira a dull
girl.” We climbed a staircase where written in wine stain, we found another
recurring written phrase, “I am Ivira, Ivira is my name.” As if the wizard was
losing her mind. At the top, written in blood, we read, “The crown knows all.”
Within the chamber, shrouded in ice, sat a woman on a black throne wearing a
crown of iron tentacles. Written on the wall behind the throne, was the clue…
·
Fourth, coax a
secret from another.
At our approach, she stirred, “Have pity; destroy the crown and release
me from my prison. Let me have peace.” Yet we were slow to act;
suspicious. And thus asked her many
questions, starting with what she knew of the High Mage (now lich) Iriolarthas.
But eventually we got around to helping her, without touching the crown itself.
Knott cast heat metal that caused her to scream in pain, “Why are
you torturing me?! Remove it!” Thokk cast Eldrich Blast which was
just as painful as was his strike with his green-flame blade trying to knock it
off. Draggo succeeded in decapitating her, such that her body immediately
decayed to dust, yet her eyes remained blinking in shock. It wasn’t until
Mareshi cast Mage Hand to carry her head to the Tower of
Abjuration where we requested the blue-constructs to use the anvil to destroy
the magical crown. Finally, her eyes shut, and she died (just not in the peace
she wanted or expected. Oops, our bad.)
With all 8 clues in hand, we returned to the Spire Entrance (Y6),
passing the following:
Y27- Music Hall: shaped like a giant boot, we
briefly looked in to observe the concert hall strewn with frozen instruments.
Y29- Museum: the hexagonal doomed building was
filled with statues and artwork that had fallen from the crash and now lay
broken. As we ventured up the stairs, we came upon a spacious antechamber where
a 30ft long aberration (shaped like a funnel with clawed hands and a
stinger-tail) was suspended from the ceiling. Someone recognized it as a
malevolent adult phaerimm (dweller of the underdark), “Don’t touch it!
It uses telepathy to control the weak-minded. Thokk wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Continuing to the uppermost floor, we looked upon an etching on the glass dome
that portrayed High Mage Iriolarthas at the height of his power. Portraits
beneath the dome were the faces of his 8 apprentices: High Abjurer Taruth,
High Conjurer Damorith, High Diviner Apius, High Necromancer Cadavix
(the dead mage beneath the rubble who Mareshi cast Speak with the Dead), High
Evoker Zadulus, High Illusionist Ajamar, High Enchanter Ivira
(the crowned wizardess we accidently tortured), and High Transmuter Metaltra.
Y6- Spire Entrance: We stood at
the base of the arching central spire that was shielded by a force field. With
Mareshi reading the clues in order, Knott performed the needed tasks:
First,
shield thy heart with a wand from the nether oak to enter the tower.
Second,
summon a flame in the palm of your hand.
Third,
a burnt palm loosens the tongue. Share a secret about yourself for all to hear.
Fourth,
coax a secret from another.
Fifth,
quench the flame in thy palm with ice.
Sixth,
hide thyself behind a mask.
Seventh,
trace a circle with the ashes of the dead.
Eighth,
stand firm in the circle of death and consume… poison.
While the force-field remained intact, we were able to open the gate and
enter the hollow strut where an elevator magically transported us to the apex
of the tall spire. We stepped out of the elevator and stood upon a platform
that overlooked the city. Light leaked out from beneath mahogany doors behind
us… what must be the lich’s lair! We remembered the need to destroy the lich’s
phylactery if we hoped to actually kill the lich Iriolarthas. Which is why we
skipped the room and chose to use ropes (with the spell Feather Fall
at the ready) to descend to the spire base and to stand before the great
Weather Control Devise. That was where we had seen the Maw-ler golem
that we suspected to be
the hiding place for Iriolarthas’ phylactery.
Next Episode:
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