Session 24: The Second Gattel

Chasianna, Ali, and Artemis prepare for the arrival of the impostor Gattel at Eligos's manor. Having tucked the real Gattel away in a bedroom upstairs and laid a trap in Eligos' anti-magic room, they hid behind chairs, and set a rope snare in hopes of catching him unawares.

Upon entering the room at Eligos' behest, the impostor notices the trap almost immediately, but not before Chasianna manages to spring out and thwack him in the head with her staff. Ali follows up in kind, and Artemis flings him to the ground with the trap-intended rope. With a quick pounce, Chasianna pins the man-turned-doppelganger under her staff and the group interrogate him.

He quickly gives in and provides the party with quite a bit of information about his groups intentions, the location of their hideout under the well in Sodden Hold, and the name of their leader, Telakin. The doppelgangers' plan is to infiltrate the city at all levels, and eventually overthrow King Lionel for control of the city. It is not clear what they hope to accomplish beyond personal gain. Our three opt to leave the man bound in the chamber, guarded over by Eligos and his manservant Pollard in order to return to the Hold.

Once there, the team make their way back through the Hold and return to the cells where Ilya and the real Gattel were found guarded by two incognito doppelgangers. With a couple of kicks, the door into the derelict drydock beyond is splintered open, and the rickety boards spanning the destroyed floor ahead are revealed. Artemis and Ali manage to traverse the obstacle course with easy, but Chasianna finds herself almost sent tumbling to the weapon-embedded waters below.

Picking through the door into the empty chamber beyond, Chasianna and company climb the thirty-odd feet down into the salty well found within. With some effort, they push through and emerge into a larger chamber guarded by two giant octopuses, which quickly entrap Ali in their grasp. As she fights to regain her freedom, Artemis manages to swim to the top of the chamber and pull an iron lever. As the water rushes out of the chamber, Ali is released while the octopuses retreat through small holes in the rooms corners.

Pressing on, Artemis deftly bypasses the lock on a door protecting a hallway lined with rooms, and capped with a double door on each end. With nary a cautious glance, she unlocks another door opposite the entry and finds a bedchamber with a wardrobe stuffed with clothes. Finding nothing of interest, a second hallway door is swung wide to reveal a man dressed in a fine blue cloak - who responds with a solid fist driven into Artemis' face.

As Chasianna and Ali join in to defend their friend, two more figures emerge from the remaining doors along this hall, and proceed to pummel the group with hits. Ali's form morphs into that of a brown bear, and she begins clawing and biting at the nearest enemy, recognized as Ilya from before. With their health failing quickly, the group manages to just win out against the three doppelgangers, and each falls to the floor as a featureless grey figure.

Battle-weary and pained, the group assesses the situation and decides to risk resting in the beds in these very chambers.