The forgotten tower
Belkian (Manolo) Jinx Zephyr Carl Estuary AstralSeeker answered the call to search the tower Varian found in Northwest Elanora. Varian had found the tower after researching Rotwood Conclave member Malix Silvershade, eager to find some information that they could use against him.
As the group gathered in the guild courtyard preparing to leave a soft voice echoed in their minds.
“Beware the tower...ancient w-walls...f-forgotten magic f-festers...horrors lie within."
The voice was raspy and faint but desperation and fear dripped from every syllable. Unfazed by the strange voice’s words, the group travelled north-west from the guild. As they went, they noticed that the land started to look livelier and healthier than they’ve seen in months; rabbits and deers didn’t have extra limbs or multiple eyes in eye sockets and trees looked tall and strong. Nature was thriving in this small section of Elanora – the Blight hadn’t reached here yet.
After they arrived & Varian dealt with the forcefield again. The group watched as the landscape in front of them changed; all the life from the plants & trees ebbed away leaving dry & lifeless husks in front of the heroes but standing in the middle was a massive wizards tower.
The group subtly moved forward towards the door to the tower. While they approached Carl broke off from the group & crept around the side of the tower towards a nearby broken window. Carl stuck his head into the room & couldn’t see much as it was covered in shadow, but he could just make out a couple of bookcases. Seeing a way in he used his ring of jumping & jumped in through the window. Unfortunately, the floor was an illusion & he fell into shadow. Meanwhile the group reached the first step to the tower. As AstralSeeker put their foot on the first step the front door creaked open.
Again, that voice echoed around their minds. “Please h-help me…I don’t have long.”
They headed inside. Moments after entering the entrance hall Belkian (Manolo) accidentally activated a magical trap that everyone managed to avoid but Zephyr. Everyone started to carefully investigate the room, portraits, statues, suits of armor etc. Meanwhile Carl summoned his wolf familiar and took out a lantern revealing that he was trapped in a narrow corridor with a dead end on his right and a simple wooden door on his left. He headed to the door and the second his hand touched the handle he was teleported to the entrance hall. Unfortunately, he appeared in a burst of wild, arcane energy about 20ft in the air. He fell to the ground with a crash. Now reunited everyone investigated the entrance hall while Zephyr broke himself out of the trap and Jinx managed to disarm a pressure plate trap so the trap wouldn’t reactivate.
The group found a flight of stairs for one of the towers and went up. Upon climbing to the top of the stairs the heroes found themselves in a wizard’s study; bookshelves lined the walls, a cauldron was bubbling away expelling green smoke into the air, and on the west wall was an odd artefact; a large manikin hunched over a ball of pure arcane magic. The party investigated the area and found useful items, but Zephyr tasted the potion from the cauldron and ended up with an extra set of arms and Carl approached the odd artefact which came to life and, in an explosion of arcane magic, found himself transformed into a Wood Elf gaining additional movement.
On the far side of the room the rest of the group found what appeared to be a stone portal yet there was no visual magic. Upon touching the stone, the strained voice once again echoed in their minds.
“…p-please…help me…before it’s too late…defeat…in d-dungeon.”
The group took the staircase down to the first floor and then continued down to the dungeons. They came across a set of large wooden double doors with metal reinforcements. They noted that on the right door, written in elvish script near the bottom of the wood, was a small note.
In the shadows danger creeps,
Creatures with legs that number heaps.
Beware the dark, it hides your plight,
Yet in the glow, don’t trust the light.
The heroes pushed ahead and went in. Inside was four fiends that quickly engaged the group in battle. The group fought the creatures while having to work out the traps involving light littered around the room that strengthened and protected their enemies.
Once they defeated the evil that lay in the tower’s dungeon a light blue portal sprung to life at the back of the room. Carefully they all went in, not sure where it would take them, and they found themselves walking into the study through the portal they found earlier that seemed inert. However, the moment the last of them had walked through the portal the within its stone cage turned maroon.
The voice in their minds returned.
“Their end has come too late…time’s up for me…but I might be able to help…come through.”
The group went in and found themselves in a small stone room and in the dead centre was a massive, ornate stone throne with a small figure perched in it. The being had white facial hair, their skin was dried out and rotten but most of them were hidden by shadows in the room.
“Welcome my friends.” It croaked, the voice worn and broken, coming out as more of a rasp but audible, nevertheless. Everyone recognised the voice as the one who’d been speaking telepathically with them since they left the guild.
They asked who they were. The being slowly raised their head flinching, trying to look them in the eye, as they heard bones crack and saw what looked like dust falling from its face.
“My name is Alvyn. I was once an adventurer at the guild.” He said attempting to offer a flicker of a smile before it was replaced with a pained grimace.
“My time is up. But its okay. I’ve outlived my friends who perished in Guildfall. I only wanted to study the arcane and I have studied so much…if I didn’t trust Malix I would’ve been able to study more…there is always more to study.”
They asked what he meant. As they did so the tips of Alvyn’s fingers and toes began disintegrating before their eyes.
“Malix is from Waterdeep. He stowed away with some gear being transported to the guild before Guildfall. I came across him later…he had such an interesting outlook on magic…his theories were fascinating, and I wanted to study them and his talents further. He became my apprentice, but it wasn’t long before his true colors were revealed…just too late.”
The heroes asked if he had other information on Malix. With his flagging strength he took a small tome out of his robe pocket and handed it over. He explained that it was his journal with plenty of information on Malix.
“Please…my last wish is for you to deliver my staff to my kin – Isaac-Fillias Figorous Fizleboom.” He said weakly as tears start rolling down his face only to disappear into his incredibly dry, flaky skin. “P-Please…its my last wish along with taking down my old apprentice.”
The group promised that they would return with his staff for Fillias just as the rest of the decaying wizard completely disintegrated and the dust faded away.
The heroes left the tower with the journal for Varian and the staff for Fillias recalling the poor gnome’s last moments and the strength of Malix’s magic.
Comments