Session 16 - A New Ally, a New Enemy

General Summary

When last we left our heroes...

The party had made it up to the third level of the tower, where they found a large room filled with small floating "drift globes" that lit up the space, and a pile of motionless automatons in one corner. Another ladder led up to a trap door above, and on the south wall a door led out of the room. Glitz and Arindorf looked around while Trickles tried the trap door and found it locked.
Carefully, with Arindorf and Marcel leading the way, the group went through the southern door and found a long hallway with more doors on both sides. Opening the first door, the party found a small dining room, with a gnome sitting at the table, eating and being served by a couple of simple automatons. As everyone spilled into the room, the gnome startled, dropping his fork and knife. "Who are you, and how did you find me? Are you here to rescue me, or kill me?"
"Well, that depends on how well this conversation goes," said Marcel.
Glitz gasped. "That's definitely Haklack you guys," she said.
"What are you doing here?" Haklack asked.
"We're here because a lot of people - good people - are dead," said Marcel. "And all by the hands of automatons exactly like the ones you have over there."
"Oh dear. Oh dear. It's the deThaes, I swear. I had nothing to do with it - nothing to do with whatever those are doing for the deThaes."
Trickles sauntered forward. "All right, gnome. Spill it, because we've been through a lot already, and we're not in the mood for lies."

Haklack's Story

"Yes, all right, that's fair - I - I'll tell you," Haklack began. The gnome explained how artificing had long been his passion, but it took such a long time to create even one construct that he began searching for a shortcut. Eventually he acquired a powerful artifact called The Eye of the Kraken, a large magical pearl with incredible life-giving powers. After making a vast fortune with what he was able to build using the Eye, Haklack decided to retire to study the artifact further, and built this tower for his research.
After a few years, Haklack decided he needed an assistant, and found one in a young human named Cillian deThae. Cillian asked if he could bring his sister, Jillian deThae, along with him. Haklack was initially nervous about bringing a genasi onto the island - particularly a fire genasi, which Jillian was - but Cillian said he never went anywhere without her, and that she protected him, and Haklack eventually gave in. Unfortunately, that did not end well. Soon after they moved in, the deThaes showed their true colors, stole The Eye of the Kraken, and took over the tower. They forced Haklack to make a small army of automatons, and threatened to kill him if he tried to escape. Easy enough to accomplish, since the constructs only serve the one who gave them life with the Eye - which in this case would be Cillian. Haklack had been trapped on this floor for the past two years, desperately hoping for a way to escape. He had also been able to figure out that the deThaes were definitely working for ... someone ... but they never used the person's name. They were definitely agents of a higher power, though.
The party listened to Haklack's story intently, and after a moment of deliberation felt like he was telling the truth. Glitz especially felt like this version of events lined up far more accurately with the Haklack she knew and Marcel's clericly insight convinced him that the gnome was not lying.
His story finished, Haklack then had a proposal for the party. If they could help him retake the tower, and defeat the deThaes, he would reward them as best he was able. He offered a down payment of some of the tools he'd secretly created that the deThaes didn't know about, and, once the tower was back in his control, offered to make new amazing items for the party whenever they wanted. "But you have to get rid of them completely," Haklack explained. "I am not leaving this floor until you can bring me proof that the deThaes are dead."

Making Plans and Resurrecting Friends

After a brief huddle, Vomit & Blood decided to go along with Haklack's request. After all, in order to fulfill Athene Whitroar's commission they were going to have to stop the piracy, and if possible bring the person responsible back to Runswick for trial - neither of which would be possible without the defeat of the deThaes. After accepting Haklack's offer, the gnome went to go get the artifacts he had stashed away in a chest in his bedroom. Marcel tagged along to help him carry everything. Glitz was still freaked out by chests and refused to go anywhere near it.
The rest of the party went to wait in Haklack's study, unlocking the large, ornate double doors with the key Haklack gave them. They found themselves in an impressive study, illuminated by floating drift globes, with a large fireplace, gnome-sized chairs everywhere, multiple bookshelves, several pieces of art, and even a bar in one corner. Arindorf immediately set to work pouring everyone drinks and Flaar started rummaging through books to see if he could find any useful spells. He did manage to locate a few which he copied into his own spell book.
Within a few minutes, Marcel and Haklack came back carrying several items that Haklack offered to the party for their use. There was a Pouch of Throwing Stars, the Crown of Rest, a Wand of Lightning Bolt, 3 Healing Potions (2 supreme and 1 superior), and a pair of Gauntlets of Shocking. "This is just a down payment of what I can do," Haklack explained. "You take these things, kill those deThaes, and then I will be in your service. In your debt. There will be many more items like these in the future."
As he was handing out the items, Haklack noticed the bundle of bones Flaar was carrying. Upon learning that it was what remained of the Tiefling's little skeleton companion, Haklack offered to try and resurrect Boner using the ambient energy coming off of the Eye that filled the tower. Flaar was hesitant, but at the urging of all his friends eventually said "Fine." and begrudgingly handed the bag over to Haklack.
The gnome laid out the bones in the proper order, then waved his hands. Everyone in the room could feel the radiant energy coalesce together in Haklack's hands - and suddenly, before everyone's eyes, Boner's bones came together, with something that looked like magical wire connecting the bones. For a moment, everything was still. Then Boner jumped to his feet and looked around at everyone. "Finally!" Flaar said, and handed the skeleton all the stuff he'd been carrying around.
Haklack collapsed back into a chair. "Oof! That took a lot more out of me than anticipated."
Glitz walked up to the little skeleton and gave him a hug. "It's good to see ya, bud." Boner, while incapable of speech, nodded in a very happy way.
With all the magical items distributed and Boner back to life, the group sat down around the study to talk strategy. Haklack told them as much as he knew about the tower and the deThaes, and the party made plans to rest here for the night before trying to make their way up the rest of the tower tomorrow. Marcel advocated that if possible the group try to take at least one of the siblings alive so they could bring them back to Athene Whitroar and Runswick for trial. "I know it might not end up being possible," he explained. "But if we kill them both, we are leaving 3,000 gold pieces on the table. Just keep that in mind."
As evening drew to a close, the party set up camp in Haklack's study and prepared to rest. They took turns keeping watch during the night, but it thankfully passed uneventfully. The next morning, Haklack walked with the party to the ladder going to the next floor. Flaar cast Mage Armor on himself, and False Life on the rest of the party (while Arindorf stood a safe distance back). "My last words of warning are just this:" Haklack said. "There are almost certainly traps everywhere. The deThaes are sneaky. Jillian is just an overgrown thug, but Cillian is truly diabolical. Please just ... be careful. Please, please free me from this tower."
With that, the party started up the ladder, with Trickles in the lead. The halfling opened up the door, and looked in. "I see ... somebody's up here. I'm going up." He disappeared through the trap door, Marcel and the rest of the party scrambling to follow him.

The Next Floor

The group entered into a room about 50 by 50 feet, and could see narrow paths spidering out from their central platform, with a larger platform to the south. They could see two figures urgently discussing something. A wizardy-looking guy said, "I don't know what he is waiting for, how many more does he need?"
At that moment, the two figures noticed the group emerging from the floor. "Well, well, well ... what have we here?" said a tall, burly fire genasi that could only be Jillian deThae.

ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!!!

OUT OF GAME NOTES:

• Superior Healing Potion was given to Trickles

Rewards Granted

Pouch of Throwing Stars 
Crown of Rest 
Wand of Lightning Bolt 
3 Healing Potions (2 supreme & 1 superior)
Gauntlets of Shocking 

What we know about the Tower:

• 8 floors.
• Haklack didn't design traps/monsters/etc. Just his study, his home. But he knows that FOR SURE the deThaes have filled it with traps, and constructs, and other things to deter people who want to rescue Haklack or deter them.
• Floor above us is the automaton garbage dump of sorts. Haklack's only been up there once.
• Top floor - place for docking ships.

What we know about the deThaes:

• Twins. But one of them (Jillian) is a genasi and the other one (Cillian) pure human. Very strange to see together.
• Jillian - Typical Iphrie Genassi. Red hair, fiery temper, all that. She's a fighter with flaming swords and several tricks up her sleeve that Haklack doesn't know about. One weakness is her love and devotion to Cillian. If you hurt Cillian in front of her - watch out!
• Cillian - typical wizard. Conjurer, and a damn good one. Not super good without Jillian.
• If you can find some way to separate them, that would be great.
• Haklack doesn't know where they typically hang out.

Also the deThaes took Haklack's "Lucky Coin" and hid it somewhere in the tower.

Report Date

16 Dec 2020

Primary Location

The Tower of Haklack

Characters interacted with: Haklack

The Short Version

The party explored the third level of the tower and found Haklack himself, who explained to them that he was being held captive in his own tower by the scheming Cillian and Jillian deThae. Working for some kind of higher power, this brother/sister team had been forcing Haklack to make hundreds of automatons which Cillian then brought to life with The Eye of the Kraken, guaranteeing their allegiance to him. Haklack offered magical items - both what he had now and what he could make in the future - if the party was able to help him get rid of the deThaes for good. Vomit & Blood agreed, and after a restful night, made their way up to the fourth floor of the tower, where they stumbled upon the deThae siblings themselves.