IC V

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny listens to Meagnor, then takes a look at the diary himself.

"I believe the diary mentioned another servant that died in the tower... the master's steward, Ilya..."

Lanny reads fron the diary:

Kaldmont[December] 22, AC 946. It is with a heavy heart that I report that I am now my master's steward. Ilya, a man dear to my heart and who has taught me much, fell down the stairs last night and broke his neck. His body is to be interred here, master decreed, in the crypt below the tower, to honor the man for his service.

"Perhaps his spirit is likewise ill at ease down in the crypt. We must be watchful..."

I think we basically cleared the tower all the way to the top - I don't believe we can go any higher (I'm not sure if the stairs to the 6th floor were destroyed in the fire or not, but, well, there is no 6th floor anymore). The only reasons that I can see for ascending the tower before proceeding into the crypt would be (1) to search the boxes in the storage rooms on the third floor, and/or (2) to attempt to destroy the arcane symbol on the fifth floor per Bregalad's request. Otherwise, we should proceed straight to the crypt.

[Luis]

What if we could get our hands on some holy water? Isn't it just a matter of getting a cleric to bless some water? I've got a couple of water skins on Castanha that could be used to do the trick.

Saul doesn't really know how holy water works but they call it holy for a reason, he reckons.

[Bouv]

Tratiln is willing to go with the party, "We do need to find the cure and the sooner the better. I'm not too sure if my spells would be helpful against many undead though."

[thirdkingdom]

The adventurers return to the Tower in the morning and enter through the main doors. Nothing seems to have changed on the first floor since the previous day.

Can I get a vote on up or down? It seems that there was a pretty even split of players wanting to go back up and down.

[sulldawga]

Marodin

"I'll take the lead but someone needs to tell me the plan. Are we going up or down?"

[Luis]

"Well, someone mentioned we should clear the sign on top of the building."

Saul is thinking back of all of the things he wants to do but the only one that keeps popping up is living to see another day. He doesn't share this with his friends.

"Someone else mentioned we should check out some crates or something in one of the rooms for a cure for the girl and I guess Bregalad's curse. I wouldn't mind finding some extra treasure there if it were to present itself."

He scans the group, gauging their reactions. "Up, then down? What about getting some holy water, can anyone make that from regular water? Semele? You up for the task?"

Saul's question carries a second meaning he's not trying to hide to mask. He's not sure she should come with them so soon after almost dying and he questions their sanity in bringing along such a young adventurer to a place so dangerous.

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

"I vote that we go down to the crypt, right now. If we must retreat, or if we don't find the answer to the curse down there, then we return to the upper levels, spend a few hours searching through the boxes in the storage rooms, and, if all else fails, we burn down the fifth floor and the arcane symbol inscribed in it. How does that sound for a plan of action?"

[Bouv]

Tratiln agrees with Lanny. "As much as I hate undead, I feel more answers will lie below than above."

[sulldawga]

Marodin

"I, too, believe more answers await us downstairs. But I'm ok with going up first."

[Finglas]

Bregalad the elf

"The arcane rune is disturbing -- binding the evil of the comet to this tower. Even if it does not sustain the curse, it is still a doorway through which darkness can enter. Let us destroy the wicked symbol now, while it is unguarded, before we face the evils below."

"Meagnor studies what is visible of the rune and as he does recalls lessons from his master long ago, who spoke of a form of necromantic magic wholly unlike anything practiced by elves or typical magicians. While the form of magic practiced by Drudsa and Meagnor and the others relies upon the energy locked into ancient words and gestures, the form necromancy that the elf recalls is based upon the summoning and propitiation of ancient evils from beyond the inner planes, is dependent upon traffic with demons . . . and worse.

Necromancy practiced by normal means is not evil in and of itself. While such spells can be used to force the dead into unholy servitude, it can also be used to raise the dead or heal the injured for altogether good purposes. The form of magic that Meagnor is thinking of, however, is truly evil, relying on regular human sacrifice and eventually turning the practioner into twisted creatures of chaos."

It should not take long to destroy the symbol. Afterwards, we can search the depths. Bregalad is with Saul on this one: "Up, then down."

[thirdkingdom]

It looks like the vote is 3 to 2 for going up first. Anyone want to make either a majority?

[zebediah]

Drudsa the dabbler

"Up we go, then." Drudsa says as he grabs his remaining flask of holy water "You take this Bregalad, use it as you think it will be most effective, whether to remove your curse, destroy the symbol or release the spirit of the girl."

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

"Very well. Let us return to the top floor and destroy the arcane symbol. There is still plenty of broken wood lying atop the symbol, perhaps we just clear the area around the symbol to try to keep the fire from spreading, but leave the symbol itself covered with wood so that we do not look upon it. A few flasks of oil and a torch should finish the job."

Lanny thinks a moment.

"Before we set any fires, we should make certain that we can go no higher than the fifth floor in this tower. The fire we set might destroy the fifth floor, or at least make it unsafe to walk upon, so let's make sure that there is nothing on or above the fifth floor that we still need to see."

Lanny will make a point to try to ascend any stairs to the sixth or seventh floors (if such stairs still exist and were not destroyed in the original fire and are actually safe to ascend) before any fires are lit.

Also, how long would it take to search those boxes in the storage rooms on the third floor? Lanny was not really thinking of a thorough item-by-item search, just more of a ransacking search (opening the boxes and looking inside), specifically looking for either journals of the wizard or any vials/potions. If it would take longer than an hour to do this, Lanny is ok with skipping it for now.

[thirdkingdom]

There are no stairs leading any higher than the fifth level of the tower, just a smooth stone shaft.

It would most likely take several hours of searching, assuming that half the party would search and the other half stand guard.

[riftstone]

Thordin the dwarf

"You know, if we just pour oil on the symbol and light it, we will just be recreating the same shape. You know, creating another symbol. We might even accidentally activate it. I'm not sure, as I don't do the mumbly-jumbly wiggly-finger thing. I do have an ax; give me 4 to 6 hours and I can remove the symbol."

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

"You might be right, Thordin. I therefore suggest we start by going to the fifth floor and let Thordin take a few hacks at it. If nothing ill immediately transpires from that action, then half of us can head down to the third floor to search the boxes while Thordin and the other half remain on the fifth floor to finish the task of destroying the symbol."

[Finglas]

Bregalad the elf

Bregalad likes Lanny's plan.

"Thordin, you may have a knack for the arcane arts! You should try the mumbly-jumbly, finger wiggling sometime -- just, please, not the necromantic sort!"

[rremedio]

Meagnor the Elf also agrees with Lanny's plan: "Hopefully we will succeed releasing Bregalad from the curse and maybe finding something useful in those crates."

[thirdkingdom]

The adventurers ascend to the top floor without incident. The sun is rising in the sky, still several handwidths away from noon, when Thordin and his companions begin removing debris from atop the curious circle. Once cleared it is revealed to be a perfect circle, charred into the floorboards, perhaps ten or so feet in diameter. Spaced evenly about the circle are more of the esoteric symbols that had been noticed earlier; even in the light of the morning those observing them closely are filled with a sense of dread and foreboding. The air within the circle, too, seems to be several shades darker than without.

So, I need to know one important thing. Is anyone stepping within the circle, or crossing the perimeter at all?

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

While the circle is being cleared, Lanny studies it carefully and then makes a rough drawing of the arcane symbols on a blank parchment.

Do these symbols repeat over and over like a pattern, or do they look more like runes that could possibly be read?

"Interesting... Either this is the spot where the wizard communicated with the outer realm, or this is the spot where he brought the villagers of Jessup to be his human sacrifices. In either case, I would stay out of the circle. On the other hand, if communication with the outer realm if necessary to be able to end the curse on Sasha and Bregalad, then attempting to destroy the circle might also destroy our only chance to make that communication. I'm afraid I'm at a loss about what to do here..."