Chapter 26: Owls Like to Eat Bunnies

We’re still in Theia’s house in Coral Gate. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re here because Theia, a high enchantress, has gone missing under suspicious circumstances. We suspect foul play and need her help to stop the war with Coral Gate. Finding her is our top priority.
 
Eowyn starts the day with what’s becoming a daily routine. She casts Aid on us and then spends ten minutes giving us an inspirational speech. Aid, as you might recall, bolsters our toughness and resolve, making us feel a bit stronger. And her Inspiring Leader ability gives us a morale boost, shoring up our resolve to fight. It’s nice to start the day feeling a little tougher and more confident.
 
Julia and Fatina are talking about the teleportation circle in the basement. Julia asks, "Do you know anything about the teleportation circle?"
 
Fatina replies, "It’s off the grid. Not part of any teleportation network that I know of. Maybe it is where Theia is since we can’t find her by scrying. We only see an empty room."
 
We discuss the scrying crystal. Eowyn points out that at least three of us can use it. She tries to remove the crystal ball to take with us, but it’s attached to the table. We would have to break the crystal ball to get it out of the room… so it stays.
 
Eowyn mentions she can cast Divination, a more potent spell than Augury, if she can donate a book to the Infinite Library. I’m not sure how this works, but lately, Eowyn has been talking about this Infinite Library. It might be a source of some of her powers and spells, but she has to donate something, usually a book, as the price.
 
Fatina uses the scrying crystal and succeeds in scrying on Theia. Her vision shows that Theia is chained to a rough-hewn wall. Fatina then tries a Divination spell, asking, “How do I find Theia?” Her answer is, “Open the ethereal crate under the tower.” Julia speculates the “tower” being referred to is the High Mage Tower.
 
Eowyn donates a necromancy book—good riddance—to the Infinite Library to cast Divination herself. We conclude we need to find a Leomund’s Secret Chest. Let me explain. It’s a spell that hides a chest on the Ethereal Plane, accessible only by a matching miniature replica. You touch the replica to recall the chest to our plane, making it a perfect way to hide precious items. But if the spell ends and the chest is still on the Ethereal Plane, it’s lost forever.
 
As a side note, Julia speculates that Bartholomew is a transmuter wizard. His brother Menk, of course, is a necromancer. A vile and evil necromancer. Until he died.
 
We discuss how to get into the tower. Julia thinks she can find an underground tunnel. She casts her Psychic Link, and we set out. I cast Detect Magic once we think we are closer. Eowyn casts a spell to enhance Will’s and Julia’s agility. We are now prepared to enter the basement of the tower.
 
I see some conjuration magic through a doorway ahead. Will sees some guards around the corner. They don’t seem to be patrolling, rather just guarding something in that hallway. For now, they don’t notice us. I dispel the conjuration magic as Julia checks for traps on the door. I think it was an arcane lock that I dispelled. Inside the room is a teleportation circle.
 
I recast Detect Magic to extend its duration. Vardai casts Pass Without Trace. There are stairs going up to the library on the first floor of the tower, but we decide to deal with the guards first.
 
We ambush the guards, led by Vardai. She’s in full battle mode, a fierce presence as she charges ahead. Three Willie, Eowyn’s familiar, and Umbra, Julia’s familiar, fly down the hallway. After the opening ambush, we are winning, but they have a spellcaster. Will shoots arrows at the spellcaster. Eowyn casts a spell through her familiar, shocking the spellcaster. Julia hits the spellcaster hard with her Psychic Blades.
 
They strike back, with two thugs hitting Vardai hard with lightning-enhanced maces. I pepper the thugs with a burst of flames. Will finally drops the wizard with an arrow. There are two assassins in the room who start targeting Vardai, but they miss. Vardai has taken a lot of hits so far, but she’s holding her own. Vardai takes down one assassin. I need to neutralize the other… I’ve got it, I Polymorph him into a bunny.
 
Umbra immediately turns her sights onto the bunny, preparing for an easy meal. Julia has to do everything in her power to keep Umbra from attacking the bunny. You know, owls like to eat rabbits. One more assassin reveals himself. Fatina takes that assassin out.
 
Now that all of the guards are down, with the final assassin transformed into a bunny, we take a minute to investigate the area. We pick up two lightning-enhanced maces and a magical short sword. Julia searches the spellcaster and finds components for Leomund’s Secret Chest. We figure out the chest has one of the missing sigils that we need to complete the teleportation circle. Fatina says the other missing sigil might be linked to Bartholomew’s sigil.
 
After Eowyn casts many healing spells on Vardai, we decide to interrogate the “bunny” assassin. Will readies his manacles as I drop the transformation spell, and the assassin transforms back into himself, perfectly captured in the manacles.
 
The assassin offers, “How about my freedom for what you want?”
 
I point out, “You know who we are, and where we are.”
 
Eowyn, bluffing, threatens the assassin with a Geas spell. Let me explain what Geas is. It’s a spell that forces a creature to carry out your commands for a long time. If they don’t, they suffer terrible pain.
 
Julia, upping the deception, says, “Geas that liquefies.”
 
Vardai asks, “What’s upstairs?”
 
The assassin answers, telling us that the 1st floor is the library, the 2nd floor is where students research and where the instructor wizard offices are located. The 3rd floor is devoted to research, and the 4th floor is the private library for the headmaster.
 
We ask about dragon bones (remember, Grandma Willow tasked us with finding dragon bones). He doesn’t know.
 
Julia asks, “Who hired you?”
 
“Bartholomew,” he says. “Only Bartholomew is allowed back here, and his assistant. Bartholomew uses a teleportation circle to take people somewhere. They don’t usually come back.” After more prodding, we find out the “assistant” is Alven. He also says upstairs is guarded by sentinel golems and many wards, bragging that we will never overcome the many obstacles upstairs.
 
I look through the wizard’s spell book. It has necromancy spells in it. I need to destroy it before it can tempt Eowyn. Crap, Eowyn realizes I am looking through the book and objects to me wanting to destroy the necromancy pages. Julia offers to change the Circle of Death and Bestow Curse spells to eliminate them as being useful. I relent and let Julia do so, so that Eowyn can have the rest of the book.
 
We talk about ways to release the assassin, but don’t have very many good options. Will says we will keep him at least until Alven, Bart’s assistant, returns in about six hours.
 
Now, we need to go upstairs and try to infiltrate the secure library.
 
 
• Thank you to George Sanders, his Anhult Campaign, and World Anvil.