Session 161 - The Key

General Summary

7^th Halane (Second Month of Autumn) 722TR

The story so far

Jolanta and her trusty bodyguard Blaine are agents of the mysterious Order of the White Hand, hunting down unscrupulous mages and covering up magical mishaps.

Continuation of the Session 159 - The Ogre and the Rebel.

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Location - City of Tashal in the Kingdom of Kaldor.

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Part 1 - Who was Cryptan Seaweave?

Jolanta has been researching ancient lore and is interested in the history of the ancient wizard king Cryptan Seaweave and his magical staff, now in her possession. She examines records in the Guildhall of Arcane Lore and finds no reference. Next, she visits the archives at the Temple of Save K'Nor. Unfortunately, information on this obscure historical figure is hard to find. Back at the Guildhall, Jolanta sends a note back to the wizards of the Kingdom of Melderyn requesting information.

While studying possible extra-planar threats, Jolanta learns that many Fey and Demonic creatures resist good honest steel weapons, even those enchanted with magic. Cold forged iron weapons are believed to be more effective against these foes. Obras Kyfa, the weaponsmith at Obras's Smithy, has good quality bog iron and is happy to hammer and sharpen an axe-head for Blaine. As is his practice, he copies the Dwarven designs he is so fond of, although he does agree to put a crude representation of the Coat of Arms of Algelmor onto it. This is similar to the one on his magic sword Orc Bleeder.

Part 2 - The Missing Artificer

Back at the Guildhall of Arcane Lore, Seneschal Jarvis Rancson asks Jolanta for the favor. The Journeyman artificer Aldis Swenborne has disappeared; he has not been seen for five days. He is concerned, and in addition, Aldis owes rent to the guildhall and is in arrears. Asking around, Jolanta learns that Aldis has been excited about a new project, although he has not told anyone about what he was working on.

Jolanta is let into Aldis's workroom and investigates. Examining a small broken clay mold, notes in his journal, and a small collection of metal alloys, he appears to be fabricating and enchanting a Key. Using wax, Jolanta makes an impression of the key's shape from the mold and finds it includes some of the symbols on its surface. Noting a broken wax seal on the floor, she looks for a document but finds nothing, although near a candle is some ash. Using the Ashen Memory ritual spell, she catches a glimpse of the past. Aldis is burning a piece of paper; on it is written only a few words.

" Orgael Woods Midnight - P".

Finding nothing else of interest, Jolanta visits the Locksmith Harain Thestal and commissions a replica copy from the wax impression.

Campaign

Agents of the White Hand - Campaign Complete

Protagonists

Jolanta

Report Date

16 Jul 2021

Primary Location

City of Tashal

NPC Companion

Blaine

Jolanta's loyal and often drunk bodyguard.

Blaine, art by Artur Sadlos

The Staff of Cryptan Seaweave.

The staff of the ancient Wizard-King Cryptan Seaweave.

You can Walk on Water while holding this staff.

The staff has 5 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC:

Dominate Monster (Water Elementals only) (3 charges)

Create or Destroy Water (1 charge)

Ice Storm (3 charges)

Control Water (3 charges)

Water Breathing (2 charges)

Chromatic Orb (cold only) (1 charge).

The staff regains 1d4 expended charges daily at dawn.

Part 3 - The Haunted Woods

The next day Jolanta and Blaine visit the gloomy Orgael woods, just north of the city walls. Although Jolanta likes to study Barasi Points or Holy Groves, she focuses on the mission. She discovers some Brown Mold under the leaf litter, especially near an ancient dead tree at the grove's center, but finds nothing of any relevance. A Locate Object spell detects many similar keys back in the city, but none are in the woods.

Jolanta checks the nearby abandoned campfire and finds evidence of smuggling activity but nothing related to the disappearance of Aldis. Giving up, the pair prepare to leave the grove when Blaine spots something. One of the bodies hanging from one of a series of gibbets is more "fresh" than the rest. It is the missing artificer Aldis. The corpse in the gibbet is about five days old, and there is evidence that he died by strangulation, likely from a metal chain. They find no other clues.

Part 4 - At the Timber Wrights

With few other options, Jolanta again casts Locate object, hoping for a stroke of luck back in the city. She soon learns that there are many keys generally matching the appearance of the replica, and the spell cannot distinguish between them. This seems pointless until the divination detects a nearby key moving under the streets. Someone with a key is in the underworld or city sewers.

Jolanta returns to the archives at the temple of Save K'Nor and looks for maps of the ancient sewer system. She finds a likely one showing an access point in a location near a large Timber Wright workshop. While visiting the workshop, pretending to be customers, Jolanta and Blaine spot one of the building's inside walls is of ancient construction, although some sections have been plastered over. This could be the access point but needs closer examination. That night the heroes break in. Blaine expertly picks the relatively simple lock at the entrance, and the pair sneak past a sleeping and drunk worker then examine the ancient stonework. As Jolanta suspected, the plastered section of the wall conceals a hidden door. Unfortunately, it is trapped, and Jolanta nearly loses a finger to a rusty blade trap when she pushes it open.

Part 5 - The Ancient Sewers

This passage leads down into a sewer, one allegedly made by the elves thousands of years ago. Blaine blunders into another rather crude trap, a bucket of stale urine that falls on his head. The smell lures a swarm of frenzied Rats, which are surprisingly hard to kill.

The sound of combat also attracts three shady characters. These men do not want to talk and attempt to murder the intruders. Blaine and Jolanta kill two of the Thieves; however one escapes into the darkness. Shortly after, the heroes hear a shuffling sound, and strange fungi move towards them, but these slow-moving Violet Fungi are quickly dealt with.

Following the sewer, the heroes find a collection of barrels partially filled with soil and tiny bits of violet fungi and an access shaft leading up 15ft to a partially lit area. The characters fail to detect an oily slick on the sewer water around them and soon see a flaming torch falling down the shaft. The flammable oil ignites, Jolanta thinking fast, used the Control Water power of her magical staff to drive the burning water up the shaft. Men scream with pain as they are covered by the flaming oil and are badly burnt. Blaine immediately climbs up the ladder into a stone chamber, finding four injured men, some with their clothes still burning. He easily dispatches them, but another muscled and dangerous man arrives armed with a large club. He pounds Jolanta as she attempts to emerge from the shaft and knocks Blaine to the ground and starts beating him. Jolanta resorts to destructive magic and eventually partially disintegrates him.

Part 6 - The Mutts and Strangler

The heroes find themselves in a stone basement of a building and follow through a series of long corridors. Blaine leads, but the pair are separated as a gate slams shut between them, and blades emerge from the walls. Blaine is forced into a large cluttered storeroom with dog cages and angry-looking Mastiffs. The dogs then pounce on him. He quickly deals with them; however, more shady characters emerge from hiding and surround him. Jolanta is frustrated with only a partial view of the skirmish and not fully supporting her trusty bodyguard. She starts disintegrating the iron gate.

Strangler art by MCDM Productions

One of the Thugs retreats out of the room as Blaine takes out the remaining men. The Thug returns a moment later, but Blaine spots someone sneaking upon him out of the corner of his eye. A man leaps from the shadows with a chain that wraps around Blaine's neck. At the same time, Jolanta disintegrates her way through the gate and faces this dangerous man. The Strangler has burn marks covering half his face, and he holds Blaine at his mercy. He quips to his companion, "She should not have involved herself with Wizards." Jolanta has no idea who the "she" is the Strangler refers to and unleashes with her last powerful spell, a Corrosive Blast, and which the Strangler easily evades; however, his companion does not and instantly dies.

Jolanta decides to bluff as she has little in magical reserves remaining. Boldly presenting her staff, he warns the Strangler that she is a powerful wizard, and he stands no chance of survival, "Let her friend go". He agrees, makes his way to an exit, releases Blaine, and escapes. Jolanta quickly memorizes the appearance of his custom chain Garrote. This might be useful in the future as a target for the Locate Object spell.

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Jolanta returns to the Guildhall of Arcane Lore and reports back to Javis. She sadly informs him that he was murdered after crafting a magical key, possibly for the thieves guild, and she clashed with them. Unfortunately, she could not recover the mysterious key or deal justice to the murderer, although she suspects that they will meet again in the future. Nevertheless, Jarvis is happy with her work, and she received a couple of magic potions as a reward.

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Obras Kyfa - Weaponsmith.

Jarvis Rancson - Seneschal of the Guild of Arcane Lore.

Harain Thestal - Locksmith.

The Strangler - a thief or Assassin.

Challenges Overcome

The characters worked out that Aldis has made a Magical Key for a customer.

Finds the corpse of Aldis and how he was murdered.

Found hidden entries into the sewers.

Defeated 2 Swarms of Rats, 3 thieves (one got away), and 6 Violet Fungi.

Defeated 9 thieves and 5 Mastiffs.

Bluffed the Strangler.

Created Content

Temple of Hyn-Aelori - The Vault of Kelapyn-Anuz.

Obras's Smithy.

Related Reports

City of Tashal - Updated.

Guildhall of Arcane Lore - Chambers of the Lost Meyvinel.

Orgael Wood.

Player Character Status

Jolanta - Human - Level 7 Evoker.