Chapter 27: Alven, the Greedy and Witless

We’re standing in the aftermath of a recent battle, surrounded by defeated guards and the lingering scent of ozone from their lightning-enhanced maces. We need to infiltrate the library of the High Mage Tower, and we need to do it discreetly. Why? Because we're looking for Theia, a high enchantress who’s gone missing, and because our party—especially Will, Eowyn, and Julia—tends to attract attention. Oh, and we’ve got Fatina with us, sticking close to Julia.
 
To blend in, Vardai puts on a voluminous robe to hide her weapons. I don a scholarly robe, trying to look as unassuming as possible. Julia disguises the rest of us with some makeup. It’s not her best work, but it somehow makes us look like we belong in a library.
 
Vardai summons some dust mephits. I didn’t know she could do that—she’s got some new abilities.
 
Will reminds us, “We were told by the guy downstairs that ‘The tower is protected by large golem-like constructs.’” So we proceed with caution.
 
On the first floor of the library, no one pays much attention to us. Just some apprentices studying. We move to the second floor and find three apprentices and three green-robed mentors. One mentor fits the description of Alven. He’s the one who supposedly uses the disconnected portal in the basement (see Session 26: Owls like to eat Bunnies ).
 
The mentors try to throw us out, telling us we can’t be here. I step forward, drawing on my connections with the Auguston Citadel, and deceive them into thinking we belong. I explain that Will is here to make a very large endowment. Will plays along, insisting the conversation must be private. We move into an office.
 
Alven offers us wine. Eowyn, acting as our “scribe,” uses her Read Thoughts ability. Meanwhile, outside the office, Julia keeps a Psychic Link going to pass messages between us.
 
Will makes small talk. I casually mention “relics of great power” to get Alven thinking about the portal, so Eowyn can gather info. Will brings up rumors of missing people. That does it. Alven thinks of the portal and visualizes a mirror being flipped to activate it.
 
Got him! Thanks to our teamwork, we now know how to activate the portal. Let’s see what else we can learn. Maybe he knows about the dragon bones. (Remember, Grandma Willow tasked us with finding dragon bones.)
 
Alven starts bragging about how good the Transmutation school of Magic is. Let me explain. Transmutation is about changing the properties of physical objects. Some of my spells, like Polymorph, Goodberry, and Spike Growth, fall into this category. It’s powerful stuff, particularly when you can neutralize a foe by turning him into a bunny, or possibly a newt, but I digress.
 
Eowyn’s Read Thoughts runs out. Will continues, emphasizing, “I am here to make friends by donating a substantial amount of money. Would you like to be my friend?”
 
Alven, eager, goes to get more wine. While he is distracted , I study a book on his desk titled "The Queen of Eylium." It reads:
 
The drums of war beat,
Anger rang out to the first sister,
The lure of popularity dug in deep,
Envy and Hate called to the second sister,
The superiority of their act broke by sleep,
When laziness summoned the third sister.
 
Alven toasts to friendship. I respond with a hearty "Here, here!" Will interrupts Alven, expressing disdain for commoners using teleportation circles. Alven hints at private circles, saying, “Sometimes we have to move relics from the Wildlands discreetly.”
 
Will asks, “Could you show us?”
 
Alven agrees, leading us upstairs. He pulls the third book on a bookcase to disable some sort of trap. Wow, Alven, you’re unwittingly giving us everything. Vardai feels breathing when passing a statue and has one of her visions. She tells us she needs to check on something and stays behind.
 
Alven collects an artifact, “This was an important relic of the Zugheal. We know that the power of the empire was impressive by any standards.” (The Zugheal Empire was known for its formidable magic and artifacts—see my notes from Session 13, 17, 19, and 22 for more.)
 
Alven deactivates a ward and heads back into the hallway. Julia notices some items in the collection that remind her of ruins near Etonia.
 
Meanwhile, Vardai is exploring near the suspicious statue. She finds the dragon bones and calls Julia for help through the psychic link, which Julia relays to us. I need a way to get away from Alven to help Vardai without drawing suspicion. I fake needing to use the restroom and get directions from Alven. Wow, this guy is really easy to fool.
 
Julia and I arrive just as the statue—a golem—attacks Vardai. Will is upstairs keeping Alven occupied. Vardai’s dust mephit tries to blind the golem but fails. However, Vardai finds a button on the golem that deactivates it. It collapses, no longer a threat, but we need to restore it before Alven sees it.
 
Yep, here are the dragon bones! Awesome! Crap… how are we going to carry them? They’re big and heavy. Not a complete skeleton, but some individual bones. A single person can carry them, but they’re still heavy. Of course, Vardai is strong enough, but they’re too big to be concealed.
 
I have an idea. Let’s Polymorph Vardai. Then the bones will merge with her polymorphed form. When you Polymorph someone, their gear merges into their new form. It’s a handy trick.
 
Eowyn catches up to us, having found some books and a scroll case. Vardai says she wants to be polymorphed into a snake. We discuss the type of snake to turn Vardai into.
 
Vardai says, “I prefer warm browns and bronzes and creamy whites. Rusted blades polished and cleaned to a high shine. Serpent scales. Faceted crystals, showing the care and work by its lapidarist. Big, bold shapes with small fine details within, like a vase covered in cloisonné.”
 
As much as I want to accommodate Vardai’s desire for a grand snake form, I know what a forest snake looks like, so that’s what she turns into when I cast the spell. Vardai is now a snake. I have to keep up my concentration.
 
Julia closes the door to the room the golem was guarding and reactivates the guardian. We manage just in time because Will and Alven return. We’ve successfully stolen the bones!
 
Why would Grandma Willow want the bones? Dragon bones are not just your run-of-the-mill skeletal remains. They are imbued with residual magic, a remnant of the dragon's formidable power. This makes them incredibly valuable in crafting magical items, potions, and even as components in powerful spells.
 
Dragon bones can be used to create items like Dragonbone Armor, which provides exceptional protection and can even grant the wearer some of the dragon's resistances. They are also key ingredients in potions like the Potion of Dragon's Might, which temporarily bestows the drinker with enhanced strength and durability.
 
Handling dragon bones is not without risk. The magic within them can be unstable, especially if the dragon had a particularly violent death. One wrong move, and you could trigger a magical backlash. That's why it's crucial to have someone knowledgeable—like me—handling them.
 
So why does Grandma Willow want them? I really have no idea. Now, back to the story...
 
Alven leads us downstairs to the teleportation circle, oblivious to the fact that Vardai is missing (currently a snake hidden on Julia). As we walk to the disconnected teleportation circle, Will tries to knock Alven out. He fights back, but I kill him with a Thorn Whip. I’m not happy with myself for killing someone as dull and worthless as Alven. Julia, however, assures us these are not good people.
 
Will sums it up, “My friend Alven, he was as dumb as he was greedy.”
 
Julia sets up the scene to look like escaping prisoners killed Alven. I find some magic items on him—a Tome of Leadership and Influence and a Ring of Evasion. The Tome contains guidelines for influencing and charming others, charged with magic. Studying it could increase my natural Charisma. The Ring has charges that let the wearer succeed on dodging dangerous effects.
 
Eowyn, using the information previously gleaned from Alven from her Read Thoughts ability, figures out how to use the portal. We step through it. There is Bartholomew, our longtime nemesis. (He’s the one who replaced Zenovia and caused us so much trouble—see previous chapters for all the details.) Still concentrating on the polymorph, I brace for what’s next. This is going to be intense.
 
 
• Thank you to George Sanders, his Anhult Campaign, and World Anvil.