Second Ptolus Campaign Journal, #60
Still the 29th of Wind
Next to the chill room where we fought the obese ogre-mage and the ice demons lies a chamber with a big pentagram inscribed on the floor. The pentagram and a full-length mirror seem to be magic; Sir Feruch says the pentagram is evil, too. The mirror seems to have a mesmerizing effect.
When Barbatos floats magically above the pentagram, red mist issues up from it and seems to hold him up from underneath. Perhaps this is a scrying chamber that the Ennin use to see future victims. Barbatos has a feeling it has something to do with demons and demonology. I want to blow up either the pentagram or the mirror, but the others don’t think I could destroy the pentagram, and Barbatos doesn’t want to destroy the mirror – the magic could backfire, he fears (or is he controlled by it?).
We return to the room with the destrachans and Calista tries to silence them with her magic. A flying Tharn rushes in to attack them and spies what looks like a human woman. “Go into the middle of the room and sit on the floor,” she says to him, but he sees right through the suggestion. Meanwhile, the illusionary archers continue to fire imaginary arrows at us in the room. Diethan detects a secret door in here and walks into the room easily, thanks to his freedom of movement ring (he doesn’t stick to the floor the way my trapfinder ball did). Barbatos takes out one of the creatures with magic missiles, and I fly into the room with Feruch in tow.
The elegant human woman is actually Poselle, the Ennin lamia. No sooner do we take care of those destrachans than Poselle attacks, surrounded by her mirror images. “Slave-trading witch!” I cry at her, but all my blows land on her magic reflections. Feruch (who is levitating alongside me, holding onto my cape) pops the last image and actually lands a solid blow. She seems unaffected by Calista’s powerful sonic spells, but Tharn chops off her head with a mighty strike.
After catching our breath, we make our way through the secret door Diethan found. A passage here opens up into another cavelike room. We smell open water ahead in one direction. Tharn catches a cigar-laced humanlike scent he vaguely recalls…
“Y’see, this is what you call a conundrum,” a voice says. “I should just kill ya, but seeing as how we’re old friends, maybe we can work out a deal.” It’s Linech, the half-orc druglord who (sort of) gave us our first assignment!
When I accuse him of trafficking in slaves, he protests, claiming he’s just a businessman filling a need. I move to attack him, but Linech stops me by saying, “Wait, don’t go in there. They’re ready for ya.” He says he’s beginning to see that investing in the Ennin is about to become a lot less profitable for him. He wants information from us, though – and we begin to wonder if he’s just stalling for some reason.
“I’ve been hearing stories about you guys going around town bashin’ heads here, bashin’ heads there… no one really knows whether you’re comin’ or goin.'” He wonders whether we’re just here to bash heads “for no good reason.” I indignantly protest that there could be no better reason than the simple fact that the heads belong to slavers, but the conversation moves on…
He says he hasn’t seen his undead daughter Linelle too much lately, nor the demon-possessed watch either (we think the vampire Hadrien Runihan has it). He asks what’s up with Shilukar, as his sister Biesta hasn’t seen him in a long time. We reply that he’s gone. The half-orc volunteers that the mirror and pentagram were in Vanum Vaal’s room – they were his resting place. “I think there might be something screwy with that mirror.” But he wants to know a little about our dealings with Killraven before saying more.
“If I was you, I wouldn’t go into that cave up there,” Linech offers. “There’s bad things in that cave.” What sort of bad things? “Let’s just say that the Ennin have their big guns there waiting in ambush.” The only ways into the cave are through the ambush-passage or by swimming in.
He points out Poselle’s room to us and mentions that Killraven’s organization works right alongside the Ennin. Since we have a deal of some kind with Killraven, he wonders, why are we here bashing heads? (Aha! Killraven must be a Pactlord too, just like these other abominations and monsters in charge of the Ennin,) Diethan makes a mighty bluff, implying that she’s the one who sent us. Now Linech thinks he’s in on a new fact: Killraven’s splitting with the Ennin and going off on their own.
He warns us there’s a sneaky guy with an axe on the platforms waiting for us and in the water is a thing with tentacles and a dragon-turtle creature. Plus down deep there’s a creature with one big eye and a bunch of tentacles. “If you’re smart, you won’t go into the water, Good luck to ya – see ya later.”
Much as we want to go and finish the job, our spellcasters are about spent, and we’ve been going all night. So we do a search of Poselle’s room and teleport out; the plan is to return by surprise another night and finish the job then. But while Barbatos and Calista are studying the room so that we might return here magically, Tharn hears a soft slithering noise outside the door. It’s Annagais, the Ennin naga, we suppose…
When we throw open the door, we spy a ten-foot-long serpent of midnight-black scales; its upper torso looks human and is clad in plate armor. It holds a shield and axe adorned with skulls and seems surprised by us. We all leap out and attack the creature. He raises his axe over his head and takes on a dark aura of some kind. Oh, no, he’s magically strengthened himself! But we’re really handing it to him, and his blood gleams red on his inky scales. Barbatos creates a magical wall of force behind Annagais to prevent his retreat (and to prevent any allies from coming to aid him). That proves to be sound thinking, because not long after, a whoosh of steam billows out into the hall but stops at the wall. Calista uses telekinesis magic to grapple the naga, but he’s still able to mentally lay us low with a blast of icy darkness. Hurt but undaunted, we rally and end his miserable slaving life at the points of our blades. To prevent the return of this foul creature, we take the corpse with us (filling our portable hole).
As we teleport away, we spy the dragon-turtle crawling into the passage behind our wall of force. Its roars echo around us as we reappear at Pythoness House. We’ve dealt the Ennin a blow they won’t soon forget.
We decide it would be a good idea to ask the priests of Gaen to rid the world of the body of Annagais and his evil sword, so we head right over to the temple, where we’re greeted by a rude but well-dressed fellow who doesn’t seem to think that mere delvers of our ilk deserve to see Melior. (Hmf! He wasn’t even a priest! Turns out he was the head of the Bankers’ Guild. Weird.) Finally Melior (who seems a bit distracted) agrees to destroy the evil sword and dispatch the body of the Ennin leader. He seems unusually glad to accept the donation we offer for his trouble.
A little convincing and he tells us that things are bleak at the temple. Gaen’s temple is short on funds and owes back taxes. (How could that have happened?) And apparently, the temple’s lower levels have flooded, the ceiling in paladin Steron Vsool’s room collapsed, some of their magic items have stopped working – it sounds like a curse! Melior says this ill luck doesn’t seem to be happening to other good churches, just Gaen’s. Divinations have shown that Gaen is displeased, but they have no idea why. He says there are old tales that talk of a bane called the Heart of Darkness whose very presence incenses Gaen. He pooh-poohs the idea that it could be back, but Calista suggests that we could ask the Legacy about it. We offer to do some research to see whether this bane lies at the crux of the curse.
As we’re leaving, the Legacy shows up, having heard his name mentioned. He doesn’t understand why it’s important that we help the temple, just because they’re good. I guess the concepts of good and evil are as confusing to him as those of past and future.
When we bring up the Heart of Darkness, he points out that the Banewarrens beneath the city remains open, and this artifact may have been plundered. He says that following us around all the time and watching our actions has created a lot of questions in his mind, but he’s willing to lay them aside for the time being.
We rest and recuperate the rest of the day.
30th of Wind
This morning the Legacy tells us he’s learned a little about the artifact. A woman named Gattara Vladaam went with others into the Banewarrens some time ago and recovered many banes, including a black pearl called the Heart of Darkness. She sold it to Menon Balacazar, who has it in his possession. (Naturally. Why’s it always them?)
Of course, the note we found in the Ennin HQ describes how his new fiend-slaves are free of compulsions and could attack him when the time was right. If he knew about this note, he might be willing to give us the black pearl…. But how can we truck with them!?!
Confused, we return to the Temple of Gaen and explain what we’ve learned. What could Menon want with this bane? What’s its purpose? Does it have something to do with the play that takes place in a month at the Cloud Theater, during which Menon is due to be attacked and almost killed? We’re baffled.
Session CXVI – 19th of Rain
The date of Menon Balacazar’s play is fast approaching (it’s supposed to be around the last week of Rain, we recall). Calamity continues to befall not only the temple of Gaen but also her worshippers – falling into the sewers, collapsing roofs, etc. Bizarre bad luck.
For the last few weeks, when I haven’t been at work at the Delver’s Guild, I’ve been holed up in my workshop at Pythoness House creating an ironman (we found a book of instructions and diagrams about it quite some time ago). It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever built, and it’s coming along nicely.
Tonight we decide to visit the Cloud Theater ourselves, something we’ve never done. The evening’s performance is called “The Stupid Dwarf.” Ah, highbrow entertainment. While the rest of us watch, Diethan dons his hat of disguise and scopes out the place. The ticket taker manages to convince Barbatos that for a silver piece he can get “Nobles’ Seats.” Oh, brother. The usher leads us to some benches at the front of the house. We can tell that the nicest seats are actually some semi-private reserved boxes toward the back. (To the left of the stage is the Rogue Moon Trading Company’s box, and to the right is one that the usher says is almost always empty, except for once or twice a year when a group comes in; he doesn’t know who owns it.) Hmm. If I were a crimelord coming to a play, that’s where I’d want to be.
The usher clues us in that one night next week there’s a special show featuring “some kid.” He says if we want to know more, we should talk to Liss, the theater owner. Aha! This might be the fateful show: the 24th of Rain – “The Return of the Boy Who Could Sing.” One night only. We all get tickets.
The place is only about half full when the curtain rises. The main action involves a dwarf getting hit over the head with a lot of things, especially a big rubber mallet. The dwarf star has no beard (!!!) and wears brightly colored clothing. (Diethan tells us later that the dwarf probably isn’t allowed to have a beard because of the disgrace of this production.)
Diethan manages to reconnoiter not only the main theater but also the backstage area, the basement, and all routes leading in and out. In the basement he discovers an old rusty iron door that leads to the sewers. There are three trapdoors in the stage that drop into the basement. Later he overhears the writer/director, Marlowe Auterbach, talking to the actors.
Barbatos invisibly flies up to the empty box and notes that there is room for four people up there. It’s a pretty nice setup with box seats. He takes up a couple hairs from the seats as samples. Meanwhile, the rest of us are finding the play pretty moronic, though the audience seems to eat it up. For me the most interesting part was watching the stagehands rig up a pulley with a giant wooden bird that poops on the dwarf. I could offer them a couple suggestions on how to make that whole thing work a little more quietly…
Diethan follows the stagehands to a bar after the show and then tails one of them home to his dingy apartment house in the middle of the district. He waits a while, then breaks into the flat and threatens the guy (a half-elf named Mraes Nash), telling him that if he doesn’t leave the city at first light and stay gone for a month, he’ll kill him. He gives the guy a couple gold pieces and tells him they’re to cover his expenses – but he can’t tell anyone he’s going. (He stays to make sure Nash does exactly what he ordered.)
Barbatos gives the hairs from the private theater box to Calista for her loresight spells. A blond hair seems to come from Fesamere Balacazar, youngest daughter of Menon with a reputation of being a rogue. A short black hair is from a human named Jatarran Tazor. (Hey! That’s the guy who makes wands and sells them on consignment in our shop!) Another hair comes from someone named Garrick, a troll.
Back at the house, we’re trying to figure out exactly what we’re going to do the night of the play. We all want to bring down Menon – after all, he was responsible for the destruction of the Keepers of the Veil. But he has the black pearl: how do we get that? What we’d really like is to let Killraven neutralize Menon as planned then jump her while she’s celebrating her victory.
Diethan calmly announces that he’s getting a job at the Cloud Theater – a stagehand named Mraes has unexpectedly left town. This will place him in a great position to be in on whatever plans are made for the special performance.
20th to 23rd of Rain
Diethan shows up at the Cloud Theater disguised as a half-elf and claims that he’s there to replace Mraes, who’s looking after his sick mother. (The other stagehands think this is pretty odd but eventually accept it.) He learns that Marlowe Auterbach is the writer/director of “The Return of the Boy Who Could Sing,” starring a lad named Dullin Balacazar (!!!). Ah, well, that explains the crimelord’s intended visit. Diethan even remembers speaking with Dullin briefly not long ago when we were at the Lorenci compound. (Oh, no, does that mean Serai Lorenci will be at the show? I for one don’t want to go up against such a famous sorcerer.) We hear the show will go about fifty minutes.
In his guise as the half-elf Castain, Diethan visits Mraes’ mother and tells her that Mraes has gone out of town for a little while, but that he’s having a great time. He offers to give her a hand with anything she might need, so she sends him on some errands. She’s glad her son has such nice friends.
Barbatos discovers that an elf named Lorenci has been romantically linked with Fesamere Balacazar. (That must be why the elf was able to get the Balacazars off our back with regard to the deed of Pythoness House.)
Meanwhile, in preparation for our confrontation with Killraven, I learn a little about annis hags: They are very strong and large, they can magically look like other creatures and can conjure fog. They’re resistant to swords and other piercing and slashing weapons. But most of my time these last few days is spent putting the finishing touches on the ironman. Barbatos helps me with some necessary magic that awakens him. I name him Ben-Coraon. I think he’ll make an excellent addition to our group, once we bring him up to speed a bit on city life.
Calista makes up a list of the good forces in town, thinking we could send a message to them as the play is about to start and let them come to wade in against Killraven (hopefully after she’s dealt with the Balacazars).
We reflect upon what we learned in the future: that Menon will be sorely wounded while trapped in the Cloud Theater. Hmmm. That probably means that the place will be magically sealed so the crimelord can’t escape.
Our store clerk Seanus mentions that Tazor is coming to the show. Apparently the two of them have become good friends over recent months. We wonder if the wizard asks about us… is he a Balacazar spy? Seanus claims that Tazor is a big fan of ours. We ask him not to tell him anything about our presence there.
All that’s left now is to make a few final plans for the play tomorrow night. We’ll be ready… I hope!
