Session 14: Ups and Downs

The party is engaged by a dangerous creature within the tower, and then tries to determine their next move.

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Pieces and Puzzles

The encounter begins immediately as the large, strange creature lashes out at the nearest targets, Fork and Vita with its claws. Forced to back away injured, Brian stepped forward to keep the creature's attention while Bulgey, Vita, and Tilly did what they could from a distance. Taking a brutal pair of hits, Brian was knocked unconscious, but held the creature's attention long enough for the others to down it. Vita healed the injured up, while the Bulgey toked up and the others searched the room.   The Eberron natives identified this facility as a Warforged forge, although its presence in Xen'Drik was unexpected. Vita explained that these sorts of things were usually associated with House Cannith, one of the Dragonmark Houses of Eberron.   Finding little else but levers around the forge in the middle (which Tilly had to be aggressively persuaded not to pull too many of), the party exited to the exterior of the tower to find the skies darkening both from the setting sun, and thunderclouds. A particularly large bolt in the distance seemingly announced its presence, as the wind began picking up. The party noticed that the teleportation circle down at the base of the tower seemed to be glowing a faint blue. However, as Fork approached it cautiously, the glow faded, never to return. Tilly refilled her waterskin with the strange well water over to Bulgey's protests, and the party pondered their next move.  

Mixed Signals

  The winds continuing to build, the party determined it wise to find shelter, deciding to re-enter the tower. Meanwhile, Tilly began prying at the large, somewhat faded, Dragonshards that lined the top of the ancient wall that lined the eastern cliff base. Unable to get any to bulge, she retreated to the tower with the others, just as the winds died and the clouds cleared unexpectedly.   No longer needing shelter, the party returned outside to plan their next move. Noting some strange blue glows and structures at the base of the chasm nearby, Tilly convinced Brian to help carry her down and explore it, while the others watched anxiously from above, wary of letting someone move out of sight. Tilly and Brian find the bottom of the chasm lined by the strange blue veins of energy similar to what was within the tower's forge, along with strange, molded spires of earth. A series of tunnels of various sizes lined the walls towards the bottom as well, and Tilly calls out for "Karen" down one of them. When the sound of rustling seems to answer her, she turns invisible while Brian returns above to collect the others. Despite Fork, Bulgey, and Vita's concerns about the Underdark, they decided it was likely a more promising place to explore than the barren desert. And so the party was transported down by Brian to regroup with Tilly, the sound of rustling gone, and her minor illusion slowly animating as a decoy.