The Ups and Downs of City Life

General Summary

After defeating the goblin boss, the Party returned to Fort Calber with the Guard's battle standard. The soldiers greeted them with cheers, and Captain Kirk ordered the standard to be placed atop the tower once again. Deep inside, the Party felt afraid of nothing. In appreciation, Captain Kirk gave them his signet ring, marking that a great service had been done by the adventurer carrying it. Perhaps this was just what they needed to make inroads in Mystryl.
Upon returning to the city, Axelrod went back to the Holy Guard headquarters, this time armed with the signet ring. Captain Mandit had no real choice but to arrange for Axelrod to meet with Arth Evencrusher once he returned to Mystryl. Lieutenant Madz was happy to make the arrangements for five days later.
Meanwhile, Hobart and Bartimus visited the Great Library at the Magic University of Mystryl, hoping to gain access to the arcane knowledge on the second floor. To their surprise, they instead discovered the librarian unconscious at her desk, her official medallion taken from around her neck. After confirming she was not in mortal danger, the two heroes investigated further and found a university student dead at the steps to the second floor. While sad for the loss of life, Barty took the opportunity to use the student's medallion to head upward and onward.
Finding it difficult to fight off the urge to bury himself in the texts of the transmutation section, Barty eventually joined Hobart in searching for the intruder/murderer. After losing the element of surprise, the two found a strange man poring over a tome. He quickly threw his candle into the book in an attempt to distract the heroes and destroy the library, but Hobart's innate power quickly doused the flames. Just when it looked like he would escape, the intruder was felled by a perfect bolt of flame from a confused but prepared Axelrod.
Now in possession of the gratitude of the Holy Guard and the University, the heroes began to press on toward their goals. Axelrod and Hobart were taken to a training ground to demonstrate their nascent abilities in magic. After brilliant performances, both were offered enrollment in the University and opportunities to harness their potentials. Additionally, Axelrod was given his choice of weapon from the Holy Guard's stores. For reasons unclear to him, he was drawn to a greatsword the quartermaster said no one had successfully bonded with in ages. What will become of this decision?
Meanwhile, Bartimus wandered into the transmutation department and found an eager and curious instructor willing to help him. Next thing he knew, Barty was drinking a gross potion, standing inside an abjuration practice ring, and staring down four magical cannons. When the smoke cleared, his greatest failure was a green puddle at his feet.
At last, the Guild reached out to Hobart with an offer: do us a favor, and we'll share what we know about your friend. Hobart was asked to reestablish contact with a colony of ratfolk that share the sewers the Guild uses for "activities." Strongly asked, in fact, and persuaded to invite his colleagues. In a show of solidarity, his friends joined him in the dank sewer.
After dispatching some rats (but not ratfolk!), the Party found a scorched body. What could have done this to someone? It wasn't long until Hobart found the answer: an explosive blast trap. They ran into a more immediate concern, however, as two humans ambushed them, thinking someone would have been alone. They were no match for our heroes, but who was their target?
The Party soon found a large basin with a swirling whirlpool, and Hobart narrowly escaped another crafty trap that tried to launch him into the water. If this were the work of ratfolk, why wouldn't the Guild have said anything? They couldn't think about that for long, as they encountered a band of kobolds in the next room. After the small victory, the heroes moved down to the second level.
The first sight was a grisly one: blood and gore decorated the room at the bottom of the ladder. This place had seen much battle. With a strong shoulder, Axelrod led the Party into the next room, where they found the colony of scared ratfolk. The kobold incursion seemingly came from nowhere, and they'd been defending themselves ever since. The ratfolk warned the Party of a dangerous trapsmith, as well as something "worse than kobolds" out there.
It wasn't long before the heroes found the trapsmith, and while they avoided the consequences of a blast trap, Hobart felt the pain of a well-hidden sneak attack by a hidden kobold. The battle drew them into another pack of rats feasting on the remains of a trapped body. While one hero fell temporarily, the group was victorious and are ready for a break.
What else awaits them in the sewers of Mystryl? Find out next time...

Report Date

22 Aug 2020

Primary Location

Mystryl