Chapter 1-17: Old Owl Well

General Summary

The party made their way across the hills to the site of an ancient ruined Netheril watchtower, now locally referred to as Old Owl Well. The tower is a crumbling ruin - almost nothing remains of the walls, and the ground around the flagstone flooring has worn away, leaving flat stone slabs jutting out of the earth like uncovered bones. As the party arrived, Aetilius flew up to get a view over the edge into the central courtyard. Inside he spotted a group of zombies labouring for a red cloaked wizard, who was intently studying the stonework in one corner. From what Aetilius could see, this wizard appeared to be a necromancer from the nearby kingdom of Issastia - known for their predilection towards magic, and their tendency to cover themselves in tattoos. Clootie decided she would walk up alone and try to speak to the wizard - figuring that she would present the least threat. She walked up onto the ruin, alerting the zombies. The wizard quickly called them off and sauntered over to her - curious about her. She explained she was lost and looking for directions to Phandalin. The wizard happily pointed her in the right direction. She began to ask him about what he was doing - to which he explained he was a scholar investigating the ruins of the Netheril Empire. Clootie continued to talk incessantly at him, and the wizard began to get a little restless. At this, the remainder of the party stepped up onto the ruin, explaining they had been looking for their companion - Clootie. The group began to interrogate the wizard about his work here. He was reluctant to share any details, and Ryoko began to suspect his motives. He tried to persuade the party to leave, possibly because he was hiding something - maybe because he wasn't a particularly social person who preferred to surround himself with undead servitors than live friends... I guess we'll never know. Clootie clumsily tried to cast a charm spell on him; which he resisted. Angry that they had tried to ensorcell him, he moved his zombies into a defensive position and activated the tattoos on his arm, causing his arms and hands to transform into clawed ghoul hands.
Clootie leapt down into the courtyard and smashed a zombie with Kulog. Ryoko then cast Moonbeam on a nearby zombie and the necromancer. Hamman threw a fireball at Ramas and Miaug, burning them both badly. The zombies moved out and attacked the party. Aetilius sliced one from head to groin, Miaug fired one of her explosive arrows, badly damaging one zombie and catching the wizard in the blast. Clootie crushed the skull of another zombie with Kulog. In an attempt to buy himself some space, Hamman activated another of his tattoos, and blasted Clootie and Aetilius with a cone of icy breath before teleporting clear of the group. He fired three rays of blazing energy from his outstretched hands, at Aetilius and Miaug. Miaug deftly dodged out of the way, and loosed an arrow which found it's mark in his eyeball. He staggered for a moment and then dropped to the ground. The remaining zombies, no longer animated by his magic, fell to the ground as well.
The group searched the wizard's corpse. Attached to his belt they found a Scroll of Darkness in a small hollow bone tune, and around his neck they found a necklace engraved with a triangular symbol and inset with three small rubies in the corner. They then ransacked his chest of belongings, helping themselves to his coin and a vial of Essence of Undeath.
Ryoko then spotted something glinting in the long grass around the well. Investigating further she found a tiny crystal owl figure, evidently broken off the well's crystal pillars, which she picked up and named Hedgewig.