Session 48: Unravelling Puzzle Layers Report
General Summary
24th of Haelynir 1524 Continued Steve, Saryea, Erin and Karl arrive at the mage guild at 11:30am. Steve asks Karl and Erin to go up and see if Master Barnes has made it back to the guild safely as she was the back up plan if things went wrong. Saryea leaves at this point and heads back to the temple to report in. Karl casts a message spell to Fargrim who is working in the library to let him know they had come back safely. As Karl reaches Barnes’ office he suggests that Erin go take care of her own business and she agrees, asking he not look into the stuff about Wellmore without her. He says he’ll stay at the guild and not go looking into the Wellmore stuff without her. With that she leaves and Karl talks with Barnes. He gives her the details of what happens. She checks on the wellbeing of her student after such an ordeal. They talk and Barnes does what she can to help him with talking it through before Lily, Fargrim and Xeldarix comes and interrupts just as she is trying to establish a safe space to support Karl with. Xeldarix runs over to see Karl and gives him a big hug. The group checks in with one another. Karl says he needs to re-attune to his items and Fargrim asks about his wand that he needs to attune to. Fargrim presses Karl as he questions the wizard’s need to really re-attune to the wand over other objects and in the end Fargrim lets it go as Karl starts to stammer. At this point Fargrim leaves and Karl stay for a few moments, but Xeldarix starts to fuss at the separation. They ask at the reception to find that Fargrim went down to the druid area, talking with Steve while pancakes are being cooked. They start to take their things out of the haversack that Karl was given while Steve serves up breakfast. Lily tells the group about the button she found in the manor’s library while they open up the conversation to plans for the day. The dangers that could be waiting for them on Wellmore’s demiplane are mentioned. In the end they turn the haversack inside out to get all their things. Steve turns it inside out. Saryea’s armour and all the things that everyone hadn’t gotten back yet. Then 20 large bags fall out. Looking inside them they are full of gems and coins. The group decides to rest and an hour of attunement is spent. Lily leaves to go and see if Master Barnes is free to watch her while she plays with the puzzle. Xeldarix stays with Fargrim and Karl during this time. Steve takes the bag away so they can arrange getting the things back to the nobles.
Lily goes upstairs and patiently waits while it looks like Master Barnes is attuning to a device that is clamped around her knee. When she is finished the item lights up and Master Barnes makes a small noise of pain before breathing out a sigh of relief. Lily hadn't realised how tense the halfling had been until she suddenly looked relaxed on the couch as if a great weight had been removed from her. As Master Barnes gets up she seems to have an easier time walking around, which Lily takes that moment to make herself known and to ask to do more of the puzzle. Master Barnes has time and they head to the practice room together. Lily works on the puzzle while Master Barnes grades assignments. They start at 12:45pm.
At 1:25pm Karl and Fargrim finish their first hour of attuning. At this stage, Fargrim leaves to go find Lily and Xeldarix stays with Karl.
Lily spends an hour working hard on the puzzle. It's slow work. However, suddenly 4 buttons sink in and then pop back. The orb flashes once, twice and then a longer, brighter flash. Lily has to close her eyes against how bright it is. When she opens them she sees a small light orb floating next to her. Naturally, Lily is suspicious of the thing. Master Barnes identifies it for Lily to see if it is malicious in nature. Lily has advantage on checks, saves and attacks for 24 hours (Ending at 1:45pm tomorrow). As Lily starts to work more on the puzzle, Fargrim enters the room. They discuss the puzzle a little and at 2:45pm the sphere starts to glow purple. It starts to play a haunting melody that lasts 5 minutes but the light fades and the sphere is silent. Fargrim immediately casts detect good and evil as it is very similar to the aberrations from the circus and it has him on edge. However, nothing shows up with his detection. Then they discuss a few private matters.
Once Karl finished attuning to his last item at 2:25pm and started identifying items. Messenger Ring, Rare, Attunement Required This item allows the wearer to communicate with anybody else who has synced a ring up to theirs. These rings are made to order, as the only way to sync them up is during the creation of the rings. Any number of rings can be synced together as long as they were made in the same batch, by the same person. Wearers can communicate with each other telepathically as long as they're on the same plane of existence, but this can be blocked by anything that blocks divination magic. The rings are not specific to each creature so it is entirely possible to trade them and give them to others, but once you no longer have a ring you cannot communicate telepathically to the other ring-bearers anymore. This ring is part of a set of 6. Karl and Xeldarix talk for a bit before Lily and Fargrim come back down briefly where Karl tells them about the rings he identified. Afterwards Fargrim leaves to go to the Avani temple and Lily goes to do research in the library.
At 2:50 pm Karl and Xeldarix continue talking. He is able to help Xeldarix work through some emotions verbally. At this stage her dagger appears out of nowhere like Lily’s often does. Karl questions Uqaviel on this new ability and Karl reinforces listening to Uqaviel and what he has to teach her. Karl gives Xeldarix some paper to practice her writing as Karl starts to write more of his report for Master Barnes. Karl writes down the names of their group and Friend for Xeldarix to practice. As they practice Sam comes down to see them and give Karl the blue haversack that Steve had taken. It seems the nobles have pushed through some grants for the guild that were held up as a thanks for the resolving of the situation. They wanted Karl to have the bag with a few things in it as a personal thanks. Karl gives Sam the scroll of Mind Blank. They talk for a bit about the current situation. Sam says Karl and his group can keep the rings as thanks for shining a light on the problem with the apprentices. Sam mentions that some of the other apprentices want to get more involved with helping the guild as well as learning. After that Sam leaves and Karl identifies the haversack as a Handy Haversack. Inside the sack there are five gems and a wand: Aquamarine (400 gp), Blue Sapphire (900 gp), Obsidian (100 gp), Rhodochrosite (80 gp), Star Rose Quartz (120 gp) and a Wand of Detect Magic (375 gp). There is also a letter for Karl from the Fortune Teller in the bag. Wand Detect Magic, uncommon This wand has 3 charges. While holding it, you can expend 1 charge as an action to cast the detect magic spell from it. The wand regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn
Dear Karl, I hope this letter finds you well. Thank you for taking the time to help us. I am sorry for my husband. I promise you he is a better man than this normally. It’s been a long and hard three years. Some days I believe my husband has forgotten why he developed this plan and is getting more caught up in the act and the greed. It is my hope when we return to Cerilia once my daughter has hatched that we will be able to find a place for me to nest and lair until Tala is old enough to either learn how to shift into a more human form or be blessed by Ifrit like I have been. I am grateful to have this chance with my daughter. It’s only a small token, but please keep this bag as a thank you. I wish we could offer you more. Maybe one day I will be able to repay the favour. For now all I can do is offer you a warning. Your future is hard to see because you are protected, but those around you are not. I can glimpse your future through those around you. Soon you will take a journey to the South. Be careful not to linger in the desert too long or the Sphinx will come for you. They will be drawn to your bloodline as they attempt to strengthen their own. They command an army. Bad Luck currently wanders in search for you and they are ready to start enacting their vengeance. Stay safe. I owe you the life of my daughter and that is a debt I shall not forget. Fikra el-AhmadKarl confirms Uqaviel saw the Fortune Teller for what she was and they discuss True Sight. Afterwards Lily arrives at 3:15pm. Xeldarix shows Lily her practicing before they all leave to head to the manor.
Fargrim arrives at the temple at 3:30pm. The sounds of people working on different floors can be heard. There are a few people in the pews and one or two people by the four altars. There he talks to Salise and learns more about how the temple runs. It’s a communal space of worship. The main altar is to Avani and off to the side is an altar to Laerme. It is standard to have a small one for the daughter of Avani in her temples. Our Lady Xeldarix asked for a small one to be made for Basaia. Fargrim presses to learn more about why they worship Xeldarix. Also about what they experience when they pray to her. Afterwards Fargrim shows her the two hidden rooms downstairs. Then he makes his way back to the mage guild for 4pm, but finds his friends are not there. So he heads for manor.
At 3:30pm Lily, Karl, Xeldarix and Uqaviel arrive at the manor. She makes the group a very late lunch as they move books to look at the button in the library. They try out the new wand to detect magic. Naturally the library is magical as they knew beforehand. As Karl goes to push the button with mage hand, Lily tries to give guidance but finds it doesn’t take due to the amulet. Then from 30 ft away with mage hand Karl pushes the button. There is a small click that is heard from the room between the library and the kitchen. One of the floor boards is stucking slightly up. Lily checks it for traps and reveals a safe under the floorboards. Immediately this gives Karl a small fright as it brings back memories of the last chest in the attic. Lily looks at moving it, but would need to remove most of the floor to try and get it out. Instead she tries to pick it where it is but can’t seem to crack the lock. Karl suggests that he use a spell to unlock it tomorrow while they eat the meat, bread and cheese plates Caramella put together for them. Afterwards Karl goes and gets some things from his room while Xeldarix plays with Friend, pretending he can talk. It’s at the point when Karl returns that Lily notices Xeldarix’s noises are actually coming from Friend instead of her. She claims to be making Friend real. When they ask her if he can fly she throws him up in the air but he does not fly, but apparently needs practice. Lily goes to take another try at the safe, and Karl convinces Xeldarix to stay with him instead of following her. They decide after Lily is once again unable to open the safe. While discussing their next move, Karl shares the warning about Bad Luck in the letter from the Fortune Teller. Lily takes the moment to look around with the mask and while she doesn’t see any ghosts, she does realise Xeldarix is looking at something near Lily. When questioned Xeldarix explains there is a ball. Karl, with Xeldarix’s help, dispels the scrying orb. Xeldarix learns those orbs are rude which is bad. At 4:15pm Fargrim arrives. Caramella greets him and he shares what he found at the temple with the others. Hearing about the altar to Xeldarix there and that people are actively praying to her and receiving blessings from her, Lily asks her about it. When asked if Xeldarix hears people in her head, she nods and makes whisper sounds. She does the best she can to explain, but with her vocabulary and limited understanding of the world it’s a very simple version of what is happening. Explaining it is a happy feeling and asks if this is bad that she didn’t share this with the group. Lily requests that Xeldarix tell them about anything new from now on. With this, she starts sharing a few things. Such as a dagger appearing in her hand like Lily’s does. She mentally shares with the group that she is having minor visions of memories of the manor from before she got badly hurt. She also shares with Fargrim that she can make Friend speak but not fly. Karl fills Fargrim in on what they got from the nobles as a reward, how the guild has students who want to help the city more to combat the image the Wellmore apprentices might give the city, about the letter from the Fortune Teller and about Lily’s successes with the puzzle. Fargrim agrees to prepare for possession tomorrow just in case Bad Luck comes calling. They also discuss shopping. The group goes to the jeweller, with Karl disguising himself as they go shopping, and discovers how much those gems from the nobles were worth. They made up the sum total of 1600 gp. At the jeweller Karl commissions a statuette of himself made of the ivory he supplies worth 1500 gp and a safe case. Naturally Karl has to drop his spell for this and sits for half an hour to have sketches taken for the project. It will be ready in 3 days (either late 27th or early 28th of Haelynir). Aside from that spell components are bought by everyone and Lily needs to catch up with the dragons in town to try and get a scale for a spell. Fargrim borrows 90 pp for components and such from Karl. They arrive at the guild at 5pm and organise with Steve to meet the dragons at 6pm. While waiting for them Karl goes to see Burke. He passes on that Ash mentioned something about the safe house having some dangerous things there that should be taken care of in case they get out. Burke shares that the following was taken from the guild since he is done with inventory of the missing items:
- Acid Puzzle Box
- Horn of Continual Flame
- Rod of Undead
- The Front Line - Shield
- The Pyromaniac's Ever Glowing Ember
- The Cometstaff
- Wand of Knock
- Magical Dwarven Waraxe
- Wand of daylight
At 6pm when Pemri and Byrgo arrive. They go into a private room for Lily to ask for the scale. With the whole group. She explains her desire for one of their scales in the hopes of expanding her magical abilities. After some questioning they agree on a few terms. The scale can only be used for the spell that was described and never against those of dragon kind. Lily agrees. They promise to bring a scale by tomorrow as they need to make some preparations. After they have left Erin arrives as she had received a message from Karl, surprised to hear he had left the guild when he said he would stay here. She gives everyone 86 gold, 9 silver and 8 copper (Lily getting Xeldarix’s share as well) as she rests at the table while the group talks. They discuss the desecrations and the safe house. They resolve to deal with one desecration tonight and let the temple take care of the rest once they know what they are dealing with. At 6:30pm the group leaves to head to the temple of Niera. Karl uses the dust of illusion to make himself look like an older Brecht man. On the way there Lily notices they are being followed. When they arrive Fargrim puts 2 gold in the donation box and they go to see Salma as Lily lets them know about the tail. Fargrim checks his rear before realizing it isn't that kind of tail. In Salma’s office, the group tells Salma about the desecrations. She tells them that she can spare some paladins who can go with them to assess what can be done to fix this problem. Karl gives Salma the addresses to copy down.
Before bed Lily has a private conversation with Uqaviel. 25th of Haelynir 1524 The 25th of Haelynir is a warm, clear day with a light breeze. At 6am as people get up and meditate or pray before heading down to the kitchen for breakfast where Caramella is baking fresh bread. Karl prepares to try and open the safe. However, not before mending Friend. Erin had looked like she was going to stay with Karl while he tried to open the safe, but the moment he took out his wand she went outside to wait with the others safely. However, it doesn’t seem to do much. Karl calls Lily back in and casts Knock to unlock it. Just before Lily opens it, she checks it over one last time and spots a trap. Using her tools she manages to disarm it and prevent it from going off when they open it. Inside there is a bag of gems (12), 7 scrolls, a sling and a bag of ammunition for the sling, a small pouch of platinum (350) and 4 vials. Afterwards, Karl goes and sits with Erin outside for a bit before walking her out. When Karl returns Xeldarix brings Karl a ripped pillow for him to fix. Uqaviel subtly tells the party Xeldarix had been the one to rip it by stabbing it. She tries to lie about it, but Fargrim presses her on the matter, telling her she can’t go round breaking things. Xeldarix is ashamed but then he yells at her and she responds in kind, her voice booming at three times the volume. She is upset Friend was hurt because of Fargrim. Karl and Lily defuse the situation and explain that Karl can’t fix everything. This upsets her a lot with the idea that Friend might not be fixable next time. She apologises. With that the group gets some food to go and leave for the guild, arriving at 7am. Lily goes upstairs to see Barnes with Xeldarix, Karl goes downstairs to see Steve and Fargrim panics and heads to the library.
Upstairs Lily finds Barnes is not in yet after checking her office so she heads back downstairs to see Fargrim struggling to do research on the magical aberrations from the circus. She tries to give him a hand with this.
Karl goes downstairs and finds Steve just cleaning up after breakfast. He updates Steve on more details about what they got up to last night. Steve is very concerned about the details of all this, but is reassured that they are on the road to fix it. He gets Steve to agree to join them to investigate the safe house. Then he heads up to see Master Barnes, but she is not in yet. Instead he finds Fargrim and Lily in the library and gives them a hand in their research. Karl manages to find a book that mentions them, but only as a personal encounter and the author was not sure what they were. It seemed to feed off of the vitality and personality of the people who played host and they were largely unaware of its presence. This account was written by a wandering bard. At 8am Barnes arrives in the library to find who was looking for her. They ask to have more supervision with the puzzle, but she has a lecture to give that will go til 9am on Wild Magic Surges. Lily attends that while Fargrim and Karl take Xeldarix to the practice room. She seems to think Fargrim is mad, but he assures her he is not. There she gets a lecturer on religions from Fargrim with some help from Uqaviel. Karl identifies some scrolls and finds out that the sling was not magical at all from the safe. This leaves him baffled.
Just after 9am Lily and Barnes come up to the training room where Lily starts to work on the puzzle. Karl continues to identify things after Lily uses the wand to confirm the ammunition was not magical that came with the sling. Fargrim hangs with Lily as she tinkers. At 10am Lily manages to get a combination figured out. The orb lights up red and a piece of paper appears. It only has one word on it in a language Lily doesn't read. However Uqaviel can and it says ‘Help’ in Vos. By 11am Karl has identified all the scroll; Unseen servant, Silent Image, Command Undead, Daze, Phantasmal Force, Dominate Person and False Life. The vials were; potion of blur, potion of endure elements, potion of fox's cunning and oil of magic weapon. The last one is clearly not for drinking. As Karl finishes the last one there is a bright white light and suddenly there is a jarring motion and everyone blacks out for a brief moment.
The group wakes up on the ground. You're not in the safe room anymore. Barnes, Xeldarix, Karl, Lily and Fargrim are all there but no Uqaviel. The group looks around. Lily notices a very thin half a foot gap near one of the walls and goes over to have a look. The walls are worked while the floor is also worked but looks more natural. Lily can see the wall curves ever so slightly. It's a very narrow gap that disappears out of Lilly's sight. Meanwhile, Karl can see the corridor above opens up into a slightly bigger area. The wall next to Lily has a symbol on it. It seems to be a knotted flower drawing. There are words in Anurian written there. It reads: "Beware those who enter here. Here lies a contained evil at the heart of this area. I could not purge him from the world, but hopefully you can. If not, you must activate the compass and return here in order to leave and the evil will continue to wait to be purged." Karl sends a message to Uqaviel to let him know what happened. After getting a reply he summons Aeyrn to scout for the group. Xeldarix is immediately distracted by the bird. Karl makes Aeyrn invisible before sending her off. She goes through and discovers many rooms. A room with statues of workers, a prayer room, a room full of spectors, a warrior statue room, a restful room with a bed, a library, a storage area, a food storage area and and empty area. As Karl disconnects from Aeyrn the structure shakes and they call fill dizzy. Karl’s invisibility spell fades and suddenly he can’t dismiss Aeyrn, meaning something destroyed her. Xeldarix is very upset by this.
Notes
| Name | XP | Running Total | Level at the end of session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fargrim | 3,835 | 92,110 | 11 |
| Karl | 3,835 | 92,110 | 11 |
| Lily | 3,835 | 92,110 | 11 |
| Name | XP | Running Total | Level At End of Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corey | 100 | 3,685 | 4 |
| Rocky | 100 | 3,685 | 4 |
| Sandy | 100 | 3,685 | 4 |
