The Tantalizing Tiles

Criminal Activity

As the group regroups, Alfie swiftly strikes the elven man who had been pointing a weapon at Arneus, effectively neutralizing the threat. Aero returns and informs the party that Pusish needs to go to the hospital to check on Chava and the children they have found so far, as there are still more missing. They begin to interrogate the elven man, but he remains tight-lipped and bites down on an apparatus concealed within his teeth. Suddenly, he starts foaming at the mouth and becomes unresponsive, his upper body consumed by black veins reminiscent of the Reselin affliction. With few leads and a pressing need to find the remaining missing children, the group decides to venture into the sewers themselves. As they search, Arneus succumbs to a rampage akin to Alfie's, violently slamming the elven man against the wall until only fragments of his body remain. Meanwhile, Day reemerges from the locket, having chosen not to witness the gruesome scene. She recalls hearing other voices in a nearby tunnel system that they haven't explored yet.   Arnie, holding the unconscious mob-scientist, leads the group out of the main drain and towards the source of the voices. Upon entering the room, Alfie attempts to impersonate the elven man they killed, managing to deceive the others for a while. However, suspicions eventually arise, leading to a confrontation and ensuing combat. Two dead Orc bodyguards lie on the ground, while a mysterious wizard manages to vanish before the party can apprehend him.   In the aftermath of the encounter, Alfie succumbs to a blind rage, swinging his greatsword wildly at Aero. With great effort, the party manages to subdue him. Once he regains some semblance of coherence, the group stumbles upon a locked door secured by a cage-like mechanism. As Alfie attempts to lift the door, magical green shackles materialize around his wrists. In his mind, he hears the riddle, "Some are cherished, some are hated, and even if lost they remain with you." Unable to solve the riddle, he turns to the group for assistance. Day almost immediately recognizes the answer as "Memories," and as Alfie utters the word, the shackles release, allowing the door to open effortlessly.   Entering the locked room, torches around them ignite, illuminating a space covered in large tiles leading to a central lion statue. Each tile, when stepped on, displays an even or odd number. Arnie's sharp mind keeps track of the safe and dangerous paths to step on. Stepping on the wrong tile triggers various magical effects, some causing pain, turning Arnie to stone, or rendering Aero blind. Nonetheless, Alfie inches closer to the center altar, overcoming the challenges presented by the intricate tile pattern.