23rd of Sun
I head over to the Delver’s Guild, while the others hit the library. They learn that some chaos cults used to sacrifice a powerful cultist to bind his soul to a place as a protector. Could that be the story behind the statue in Pythoness House?
24th to 29th of Sun
I put in some more hours at the Delver’s Guild this week, while the others undergo some training. Diethan passes along a bit of news he picked up: a human named Palkam Mosh has opened a new made-to-order magic item shop called the Emerald Eye in the Nobles’ Quarter. Apparently, he’s some sort of old-fashioned wizard. I wonder if he’ll give us some competition at Myraeth’s?
30th of Sun
Today we head back into Pythoness House. A creaking sound seems to come from within the building. We wait for the statue — the house’s guardian? — to speak. Meanwhile, skeletons come down to attack us! We dispatch them easily and search the first two levels of the house. We note that at one point the panel in the statue opens, but nothing else happens.
On the third level, little black-winged women attack us near a figurine shelf, and we encounter some sort of mutant disruptor rats whose tendrils paralyze! (Barbatos informs me they’re called “osquips.”) The rooms in here are full of trash, but we do manage to find a glove, ring, gem, and spell scroll in the clutter. We pass through a divination room with big (rotted) pillows to a chamber with red dust. Before our eyes, two creatures are summoned: a large rat and a red leathery-skinned rider with a double-axe. We hear the voice of the chaos statue call out to us: “Destroy them!” (Well, maybe it was talking to the creatures…)
In any case, that rat-rider is one tough foe! Nevertheless, he falls to our combined might. We continue up another level to a bedroom with a desk and papers. We look through them for the journal the former madam urged us to find, and we’re in luck! This journal warns of a spirit named Taunell that haunts the gatehouse towers. Another haunting seems to involve the chaos statue and Radonna, whom we recall as one of the brothel’s owners. But this isn’t her journal, it’s Maquent’s.
Reading on, we learn that Maquent was a prisoner here, trapped by the will of the chaos cultists who used the house as their base. We also learn — at last! — that the weapons we seek to use against the Shuul are in the cellar. We can get down there using a key Maquent calls the “spiral contrivance” that’s divided into two parts: one each for her and Radonna. Her half is in a tower, and the other is high up somewhere behind a secret door.
Interlude
Pythoness House still holds its secrets (and its law-destroying treasures) tightly, but we’ve just found the mysterious journal of the prostitute-prophetess Maquent, which offers some interesting insights into the haunted nature of the place. Things moving of their own accord, even tiny statues leaping from shelves to attack — something very strange is going on. It’s like we’re fighting the house itself. Does it have anything to do with the chaos statue on the ground floor? Perhaps one final foray is enough to plumb the depths of the house (hopefully without another encounter with the goat-headed demon that dwells in the high tower).
Time, however, is an unkind ally. Already, tomorrow is the day that Dr. Feegus’ assistant, Nerlene Camus, goes for her monthly appointment with the Healers of the Sacred Heat. This may be our only clue as to how to get at Feegus, and our only shot (at least for a month) to use it. Where is Feegus and his lab, where (presumably) he is holding the captive litorians, preparing to forge them into living weapons against chaositech? What to do, what to do…?
Still the 30th of Sun
It’s now noon, and Diethan is waiting for us at the shop when we return from Pythoness House to make our plan. We know that Doctor Feegus’ assistant Nerlene has an appointment at the House of the Sacred Heat for treatment of her goiter on the first of every month. This could be our big chance to follow her and hopefully find the secret Prajdall lab! Tomorrow I will wait at the Technicians’ Guild for Nerlene (records show that as her address), and the others all have their own assigned stations too. We are all staking out various locations where Nerlene might go following her appointment.
This afternoon, I visit the Temple of Excellence and discover that I can pay a thousand gold to learn a new heroic feat. That’s good news, but on the other hand, it seems as though I am always broke. Thank goodness Archinemus is selling our latest batch of loot this afternoon.
1st of Growth
At dawn I head over to the Technicians’ Guild. Calista and Diethan are already in place at the House of the Sacred Heat. They are going to follow her from her appointment so we can trace her back to where she works — and perhaps to the captive litorians from Charnoth’s and Tharn’s tribe!
Calista and Diethan see her arrive in a carriage at the House of the Sacred Heat. Nerlene is a strange-looking character: big and broad-shouldered, with yellow braids, an eye patch, and, of course, the goiter. Two big Shuul Knight bodyguards accompany her. After an hour or so, Nerlene exits with her guards, apparently cured (for now) of her unsightly malady. Diethan and Calista follow them as they walk down the Temple District and turn onto the Street of a Million Gods. A shimmer forms in the air near them, and two large creatures with ape-like faces and gray fur emerge from the shimmer — more like a tear, actually. They charge on all fours, weapons at the ready. These are the Grahlus, demon-apes, and slavers that stand between nine and ten feet tall. Nerlene and the guards are quite surprised. So, too, are Calista and Diethan. They rush in to help.
The Shuul Knights confront their foes with swords that look like scissors; one falls quickly. The terrifying ape-demons are definitely after Nerlene. One of the creatures falls in the attack, and the other threatens the Shuul woman: “We’ll be back for you and your tentacle-skulled master!” (Feegus has tentacles? That’d be news. Shilukar said he was human.) Then he departs into his rip-portal, through which Diethan briefly glimpses stone buildings amid a jungle-like setting.
Nerlene and her surviving bodyguard thank our friends. “We have no explanation for this attack!” she says. She adds that she’s from Tarsis, “where there are no demons in the streets.” The Shuul will take care of this, she feels confident. Soon there will be no more demons in the city! Calista and Diethan offer to accompany her for safety; they take a hired carriage. They let off Nerlene and her guard at a Midtown warehouse. She gives our friends her calling card (an Oldtown address), saying that if they ever need her help, they should contact her. As the carriage pulls away, they see a hole open up in the street right in front of the warehouse door. The knight and Nerlene disappear down into it and are gone.
We all gather again to exchange reports. Mine is pretty dull compared to the rest — not a thing happened at the Technicians’ Guildhall! At the Foundry, Tharn was surprised to see little Linele, Linech Cran’s daughter. A while back we “rescued” her from the Covenant of Blood, a group of vampires that use the horn of blood and work with the Balacazars. She was still a vampire, he notes, and what’s more: She was walking around in broad daylight, passing by with other little undead kids. “Where’s the watch?” Tharn asked her, referring to the demon-possessed timepiece that her father wanted so badly. “Ask the Six!” she said softly in reply. “Are you going to be a problem for the city?” our friend pressed. “Ask the Six” is all she would say. Then the kids started to taunt Tharn, and he nevertheless offered Linele his friendship, to no avail. We agree that the Six must refer to the Covenant of Blood, which means Linele has fallen right back into their clutches.
Archinemus, who was casing the Tower of Science, reports that many of the Shuul who entered had shaved heads. Inside he glimpsed what looked like an armored vehicle — some sort of tank. Cool! Makes me want to build something myself. Perhaps a water heater for my apartment. (It’s a wet, chilly time of year.)
We decide that for now, we want to return to Pythoness House to find the pieces to the “spiral contrivance” key that will let us into the cellar where the chaos weapons are kept. We’ll go in the morning. For now, we adjourn to the Mane for a celebration of Gathering Day. I learn more about the eight litorians whom we’re seeking.
Also, we take inventory at the store today. We have some questions for Myraeth regarding selling off jewelry, gems, and other non-magic items. A well-dressed guy named Jatarran Tayzor came into the shop today, Taevel reports, and offered to have us sell the magic items he makes (wands and items of wonder) on commission.
2nd of Growth
We return to Pythoness House as planned. In the courtyard, arrows pelt down on us as soon as we arrive. Skeletons are shooting at us! A woman’s voice threatens us. We dash inside and upstairs.
When we arrive at Maquent’s bedchamber (where we found the journal), we hear the voice again. Turning, we come face to face with the skeletons and an undead woman. Is it Radonna? Before we can figure it out, the skeletons converge on me, and I go unconscious. That happens twice in this battle, actually, but Calista brings me back each time. She even casts the final blow on the last skeleton. We withdraw, badly hurt.
Will we ever manage to make it to the weapons stash in time to save the litorians from being turned into mutant machines? I’m beginning to wonder.
