Session 49: Rotating Puzzles Report
General Summary
25th of Haelynir 1524 Continued At 12:30pm the group arrives at the library. Xeldarix moves herself into the corner of the room, curling up on the floor with Friend. Master Barnes goes over to the shelves and starts looking over the volumes. Fargrim offers his assistance to Karl. He's about done with reading for now. Lily still has her little light helping her for another hour. Over half an hour the group discovers one book case is about the sphere itself and how it works, one is about the creator (this is where lily finds a personal journal to read), one is about a man named Luan Phien and the final one is general artificer and construction manuals. Karl finds the top right on the north wall has a switch. Xeldarix is curled up and makes a small noise every time the space moves. When the button is pushed the book case moves just enough for a single file of people to go into a wider corridor. Karl looks around the bookcase into the corridor beyond. Karl can hear movement coming from further inside. Sounds like a creature of some sorts. They send Xochitl down there and she discovers that there is undead down there. The group decides not to mess with this and seals it back up. They head to the area with beds so they can read comfortably and have their lunches. Fargrim takes a book on how the sphere works, Lily takes the personal journal from the creator, and Karl takes a book about the sphere, one about other works from the creator and a general magic theory book. Karl does find information about the compass. A sigil in the middle needs to be activated with divine magic and then be on the outside of the circle where the flower will reappear once the compass points north again. Touch the flower to leave. However the divine magic only lasts 2 hours. After that you need to return to the compass and try again. Fargrim is slowly going through the construction process. It includes how long it took, how many labourers were part of the process and is just starting to reach information about its defences when Karl shares his information. Fargrim surmises through his readings that the living cannot move through the stone work. It is magically protected to prevent this from moving through it. You cannot teleport or planeshift here. Spells like sending have a 50% chance of failure to reach an outside plane from this demiplane. Activating the compass in the centre is the only way to stop the warrior statues from attacking for a short period. Those who died making this sphere also became part of its defences but would be more sentient. If they see visitors who will release the man trapped here then they will attack. Lily carefully guides the group to the writing room to see if the compass room would ever stop there. They discover that it doesn’t and head for the trophy room. On the way they go through the library again where Karl grabs three random magic theory books. While the group waits in the trophy room they investigate and have a look to see if there is anything worth taking. They all find interesting things, but only take certain things. Fargrim also takes the time to cast Detect Good and Evil. Fargrim takes a box containing a key and a coin with Karl’s face on it. It’s led lined. Lily takes the bone pipes from her search. Karl takes the wooden box carved like a slumbering dragon with a strange copper egg inside. Lily tests out her new pipes and Xeldarix joins her and they manage a tune of sorts. At 2:30pm the group moves into the compass room. They hear something breaking with significant force into the room and to the right. Fargrim's spell tells him there is undead in that direction but only tells him after the breaking sound. As Karl moves forward he sees an undead man in robes sit up in a stone coffin. His eyes are just red lights. Karl calls out the man and the man tries to get Karl to approach but wisely refuses. Lily summons her sword and moves up with Fargrim, Xeldarix and Master Barnes following. The man gets up and asked if they have also been trapped here and suggests that they work together. It seems the man has been here at least 500 years. However a black cord that crackles with energy connects between Karl and the man. Lily demands the man stop whatever he is doing to Karl, but the man just assures them it’s insurance. Fargrim casts Protection from Evil and Good on Karl. The man uses his paralyzing touch on Lily and she’s unable to move. This causes Master Barnes to fire a held spell, but she misses. She follows up quickly, locking the man behind a Wall of Force. Karl starts to shout orders as he polymorphs Lily into a small sparrow and tells Xeldarix to grab Lily and follow him as he retreats. The black cords between the man and Karl fades. The lich calls forth spirits to attack Master Barnes which forces her to lose concentration on her spell. Fargrim runs into the room, next to the pillar, and channels divinity right next to it. He’s unable to turn the man but the pillar briefly flashes with a warm light. He then offers Master Barnes some healing. The man tries to cast Cloud Kill but Karl counterspells it. Karl scolds the man and the man counters with an ultimatum. Trinity throws up another Wall of Force to contain the man. Everyone retreats from the room and Master Barnes directs everyone on where they should go based on some of her notes. The lich disintegrates the Wall of Force but Master Barnes throws up another one. Karl adds to this with his own Wall of Force between the man and Fargrim/Xeldarix. This forces Lily to become her usual self as his concentration switches and Xeldarix is now carrying Lily. Fargrim casts Lessor Restoration on Lily which takes away her condition and she can run for herself. The group runs and ends up at the Warrior statue room near where they started. The statues turn to look at the group but do not fight them. Instead they seem focused on the location of the lich. Now the group has reached the place where the flower should be, they discover it is not there. The group is very nervous as Lily feels Wolfie disappear again. Karl pricks his finger and dabs a spot of blood on each eyelid, using his blood power to cast Clavoyance and place a sensor in the room with the warrior statues, facing the way they had run through. Lily summons Xochitl to the Laborer Statue room to watch that entrance. It is tense while they wait. Karl instructs Xeldarix to go and use her bloodline light ability if the Lich appears by giving him a hug. The structure shifts and Karl asks to see the coin that had his face on it when it is brought up in conversation. Karl doesn’t believe that it’s actually him, but Fargrim sees on the back of the coin is an inscription. “Long Live the King”. The coin is put back away for the moment while they continue to wait. The structure shifts again and the group talks about looking for a way out since the flower isn’t here. Barnes reminds the group that there was a compass in the treasure room and Lily sends Xochitl to retrieve it. Xochitl is almost bad when the structure shifts again and the group notices that every time the area moves, it shits 45 degrees and they are a few turns away from facing North. Karl decides to try and identify the key while they are waiting. Another two shifts happen before he has his results. Goblin Skeleton Key Rare, Wondrous Item Once per day this key can be used to open any lock with a keyhole. The head of the key is in the shape of a goblin head. The group marvels at the key while they wait for the flower to reappear. Karl entertains Xeldarix with making his own flower on the wall at her demand. At 3:10pm the flower appears, and holding onto everyone, the group touches the flower. It is disorientating, but they arrive back in Xeldarix’s room. Uqaviel welcomes them back in his own way and tells Karl Erin had been by but he had no desire to speak to her so he went invisible. Karl opens a window and speaks to the wind to give Erin a few messages if she is outside. Master Barnes contacts Steve and receives in the reply that he wishes to see Karl as soon as possible. Fargrim casts magic circle around the sphere in case the lich still manages to get out. He agrees to watch over it while Lily and Karl go to see Steve. While they are gone Fargrim reads his book, catches up with Caramella and keeps an eye on the puzzle. He finds out more about the defenses of the sphere that are focused more on the lich than people entering.
Master Barnes walks the pair to the guild. The front doors are closed for the first time and they are locked. Barnes unlocks them and bids the two farewell at the reception desk as she heads up to the office. The receptionist explains when asked that there weren’t enough Master’s to help the students with their studies so the students were sent home. Three of the Masters were badly hurt. Karl and Lily go downstairs to see Steve, who does look hurt, but he is sitting in his office. Lily spots Erin’s belongings in the corner behind the desk. Steve really struggles to find the words but in the end explains what happened. When Erin was unable to find Karl when he was meant to meet her, the Masters helped her look. However, Sam couldn’t contact Karl via sending and little things he said seemed to needle at her. Eventually she started to distrust the guild, accusing them of having stolen Karl or kidnapped him. She loses control and starts going on a rampage through the guild to try and kind him. The Master try to subdue her, but in the end she takes down three of them before Steve was able to take her down, leaving the four masters very tapped for resources. Steve placed a bangle on Erin that he had commissioned for Xeldarix after Alexis attacked the guild. He has not used it on her as he doesn’t want to punish her for a crime she doesn’t remember. As a result Erin was hidden and watched over by an Earth elemental. Steve reveals her sleeping form and Karl goes over to sit with her as he wakes her. She wakes, but clearly can’t focus on anything and slurs her words as she speaks with him about the bad dreams she had where she couldn’t find them. Karl tries to convince her it wasn’t a dream, but she still believes that it was. On her forehead is a chain tattoo, covering most of it in length. Karl is given the option to take the bangle off her with the wand, but it would lead to a longer recovery or Steve could do it and Karl has to make sure she stays under control. Karl presses on her that she needs to listen to him and do what he asks of her. She replies that she would always do what he asked before she loves him. Karl requests Steve remove it and he does. Erin is instantly more aware and herself. Karl grabs her shoulder and forces her to look at him and she looks so relieved to see him. He explains what happened and instantly she starts to regret some of her actions from the course of the day. She is filled with shame over her actions. Karl wraps his cloak around her and pulls up the hood as he tells her questly her illusions are temporarily disabled. Erin pulls the hood fuller down and uses her other hand to hold onto Karl. They head back to the manor.
At 3:40pm the trio returns to the manor. Karl takes Erin upstairs and Lily goes upstairs to read in the same room as Fargrim. Erin and Karl talk about it. Karl is reassuring and calm about the whole situation. After a bit he messages Fargrim and asks him to bring the coin they found. Erin had been making excuses that she should probably leave when Fargrim brought in the coin. She appreciates the gifts and Karl asks her to stay so they can work through this and she agrees to stay. Fargrim also says he would love to see them both downstairs for tea and that helps convince her to stay. Before dinner Karl copies False Life into his spell book while out in the garden, while Fargrim and Lily continue reading to get more information. Lily discovers that the maker of the sphere and the lich both worked at the same guild in Trie. They felt responsible for missing the warning signs and listed off what crimes the lich had committed. The lich had followers, which made things harder. Fargrim discovered why the lich never followed them and the defenses that keep him locked up tight. The pair discuss Karl and his wand again, before making a plan. At dinner Fargrim asks Karl for the wand, but Karl won’t give it up. He goes to but doubts about his friend’s motivations gives him pause. In the end he doesn’t give his wand to Fargrim and Fargrim doesn’t press.
After everyone goes to bed, Lily waits up, listening at Karl’s door, until she thinks he is asleep. She sneaks in, but is caught by Erin. Erin comes out of the room to talk to Lily and Lily convinces her to let them take the wand with a few conditions. Lily takes the wand to Fargrim and they cast remove curse. Fargrim felt it try and resist but was able to overcome it. Meanwhile Karl woke up and Erin was able to convince him that whatever he felt was nothing and he doesn’t worry about it. They would figure it out in the morning. Lily returns the wand and heads to bed after checking in on Xeldarix and Uqaviel who are doing more flying practice outside. 26th of Haelynir 1524 Karl wakes up and goes about getting ready for the day. Then he realises as he reaches for his wand, he’s not attuned to it. Once he realises this he realises the affect the wand had had over him. He puts it in the haversack after speaking with Erin about the effect the wand had had on him. He heads down to have breakfast with Erin, who is a lot happier knowing that Karl isn’t cursed anymore. Fargrim heads straight down, but Lily takes the moment to meditate on her spells first.
Notes
| Name | XP | Running Total | Level at End of Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fargrim | 400 | 92,510 | 11 |
| Karl | 400 | 92,510 | 11 |
| Lily | 400 | 92,510 | 11 |
