Session 17 - The Trials of the Tower

General Summary

Before them stood an imposing wooden door, its presence an enigma. Pyro suggested to Xenobia that she give it a good kick. Obliging, Xenobia delivered a solid blow, but to their bewilderment, the door remained solid as ever. Candid, ever the inquisitive one, pondered if this was a magical door, prompting Abraxas to consider identifying its properties. Lenora dripping with sarcasm, questioned Candid about his apparent knowledge of magic.
Taking the cue, Abraxas initiated a ritual to scrutinize the door's nature. Meanwhile, Ischyrós probed the gaps with his sword, and Pyro attempted to rally the group to push it open. The trio of Xenobia, Pyro, and Ischyrós strained against the door, but their efforts proved futile as the raft beneath them shifted with their every move. Lenora chided Candid for his lack of assistance while he continued to mull over the door's magical aura. Abraxas, concluding his ritual and realizing the door's mundanity, cast a friendship spell upon it. In response, the door assumed an obstinate and arrogant demeanor.
Euphrosyne attempted to push the door, but she slipped, tumbling into the moat's dark waters. Candid waded in to rescue her, and Euphrosyne emerged from the water, feeling lighter and rejuvenated. Candid, curious about the water's magical properties, advised against anyone else taking a plunge. Pyro, in a moment of heedlessness, pondered aloud whether they should drink it. Lenora, her tone laden with foreboding, swiftly rebuked Pyro for suggesting such a reckless course of action.
To silence Lenora's stern rebuke, Candid took it upon himself to try pushing the door. With the assistance of Xenobia and Abraxas, they managed to create a narrow gap, just wide enough to slip an arm through. After one more strenuous effort, the door yielded enough for Abraxas to release Olive. Using Olive for reconnaissance, Abraxas was told by voices on the other side that the door was a test.
This hope of something on the other side, the party pushed the door and the party squeezed through the narrow passage. They found themselves in a courtyard surrounded by three towering edifices, each adorned with mirrors facing the central space. In the courtyard stood a statue with three heads, each representing a different age: youth, middle age, and old age. As the party addressed the statue, they heard voices echoing in their minds.
Abraxas took the initiative to converse with the statue, inquiring about its desires. The statue replied that each person must present a sacrifice as an offering. When Abraxas conveyed this to the party, Pyro offered a statue of fish bones, which he had removed from his bag to tend to Xenobia's wounds. The heads of the statue erupted in laughter at Pyro's audacious gift. Candid, on the other hand, offered his stone axe, but the statue dismissed it as insignificant. It insisted that the sacrifice must be the most cherished possession of the giver.
Utilizing his charismatic abilities, Abraxas attempted to sway the statues by suggesting they had already provided a valuable gift—the gift of laughter. The statues, bemused by the mortal's audacious attempt at persuasion, acquiesced and offered the party a moment of respite. They suggested that the path ahead would be clearer after experiencing some rest. The weary adventurers settled down for the night, their dreams filled with unanswered riddles.
The following day, the party discussed their next course of action regarding the towering structures before them. Candid tried to climb but failed. Conversations turned toward the possibility of flying, and Pyro attempted to transform into a bird but failed in his initial attempt. Euphrosyne, eager to ascend, made her own attempt to scale the statue, while Pyro, unable to become a bird, stretched his form into an unusually large eight-legged spider. With agility, he scaled the wall, beckoning the party to climb onto his back. Candid was the first to volunteer, but the additional weight proved too much for the spider. Reluctantly, Candid descended from the spider's back, and the party began considering the mirrors on the walls, wondering if they held the key to the puzzle before them. Pyro, now in his spider form, explored the mirrors, attempting to move them. However, they remained firmly fixed in place. When he tapped one with a spidery leg, a middle-aged woman's face appeared within, speaking cryptic words.

The path that neither winds nor turns, unerringly it leads between the scale’s urns

The rest of the party heard her message, and they urged Pyro to investigate the other mirrors. At the next mirror, Pyro heard the voice of a young woman proclaim,

Though sweet, my fruit will weigh you down with get, remorse, frustration, and regret

Lastly, Pyro ventured to the mirror representing the old woman, where a voice intoned,

More than fissure, gash, or crack, stare into me, and I stare back.

The party engaged in a spirited debate, attempting to decipher the meaning behind these enigmatic riddles. Euphrosyne, inspired to interpret them, pulled out a bullroarer and began playing it. However, her efforts were met with searing pain in her head, and she collapsed to the ground. Abraxas, quick to react, used his incantations to stabilize her.
With Euphrosyne back on her feet, Abraxas proposed that a choice must be made. He looked at the young face of the statue and declared that he chose "love." The mirror facing the young woman began to swirl with light. Realizing that each riddle required the correct answer, the party members started offering their interpretations. Ischyrós attempted to guess, but he, too, experienced a searing pain in his head and fell to the ground, only to be stabilized by Abraxas.
Euphrosyne, undaunted, scooped up some moat water and drank it before Lenora could intervene. Lenora reiterated her warning against eating or drinking in Hades. Pyro returned to his usual form as Candid guessed that the answer to the old woman's riddle was "darkness," causing the mirror to swirl with light. Encouraged, Euphrosyne suggested "justice" at the next mirror, and as the words left her lips, the mirror began to swirl with light as well.
The statues inquired about the party's desired gift, and Pyro requested assistance in freeing his friends. Tattoos began to materialize on his skin. Candid, too, asked for help, and he saw his stone axe glow briefly. The party now found itself at a crossroads, each member contemplating their desired gift as hope emerges from the unlikeliest of places.
Lastly, Pyro ventured to the mirror representing the old woman, where a voice intoned, "More than fissure, gash, or crack, stare into me, and I stare back."

Rewards Granted

• Individual rewards from Hekate for solving the riddles

Report Date

29 Aug 2023

Primary Location

Hades