The party return to Waterdeep and head back to Trollskull Manor to offload the treasures they found in the crash site of Skyreach Castle. Ozen has a quiet word with Finn before the Halfling trudges upstairs and into his room. He then tells the party that the young Halfling woman is currently in the basement waiting to be properly interred and that despite his efforts to get the Temple of Lythander to take her they refused. Farraine challenges the Barman and asks what it was that Finn had asked of him before they all left for Greypeak Mountains. The barlord remains tight lipped however and refuses to betray the young Halfling's confidence. The fighter heads up the stairs and knocks on Finn's door.
"Come in"
As he enters the room the halfling quickly brushes away a tear from his cheek. It's clear that the recent loss of the female halfling has had an effect on him.
"I hate to bring it up but I was wondering why the temple refused to take care of your good lady"
"Something to do with her not being a member of their church or belief, please I'd rather not talk about it right now"
"No problem, I understand....hey, you know if you ever need anything, you know where to find me"
"Thanks, your kindness is appreciated" mutters the halfling, as Farraine slowly backs out of the room, closing the door softly as he leaves.
Heading back down the stairs Farraine sits with the remainder of the party as they sit around a table, flagons of ale in hand. The Wizard Lucian has received information from Sister Garaele that Talis the White has been seeing leaving the Sea of Moving Ice astride a White Dragon, heading in the direction of Icewind Dale. The party consider these new revelations it appears they have yet another choice to make; head to Icewind Dale or Seek out Iskander at Tower of Xonthal. Whilst they consider their options Lucian heads upstairs to get Finn but is surprised to see his room is empty. Returning to the party he advises them of the Halfling's absence and it is some time before the halfling emerges through the doors of the tavern and joins his friends once more. They look at the halfling and decide that discretion is the order of the day and instead turn their attention to the chest wrapped in a carpet that they brought back from the crash site of Skyreach Castle. He concentrates on the rug, trying to see if it contains any powerful or dangerous magic, but it remains a mystery to him. Garrick suggest maybe they take the carpet to someone in the city who may know more about such things as it is obviously enchanted in some way. As Lucian begins to stuff the carpet into his backpack it suddenly starts to wrap itself around the helpless wizard crushing his chest, surprised the wizard manages to Misty step out of the rug's grasp. Farraine immediately leaps into action, in a flurry of steal he reduces the constrictive carpet to a pile of thread in a matter of seconds. As Ozen arrives with a dustpan and brush and begins sweeping up the detritus, the party decide to head off to Xonthal's Tower and seek out Iskander. After collecting the well prepared rations, curtesy of their wonderful Chef, they head out into the streets of Waterdeep and make their way to their stabled Wyverns.
Travelling in this manner has certainly made their lives a little easier and the party are getting used to their winged mounts. After several days flight they see a small village, similar in size to that of Phadalin close to a tower rising high up into the air. At the base of the tower is a rather overgrown and untidy maze. The party fly overhead and their presence seems to attract the attention of the locals who flee from the streets into their homes. Wyverns may be a handy form of transportation but subtle they are not. Finn suggests that they land some way from the village and walk the rest of the way to reduce suspicion.
As the group heads into the village they are met by a portly guard leaning on his spear, he asks them their business and is answered by the young Halfling who says they are weary travellers who had heard of their wonderful ales and wished to sample them first hand. The guard seems satisfied with this response and when questioned informs the party of the history of the Tower and that in recent weeks they have noticed that although thought to be abandoned, lights have been seen from time to time coming from some of the upper windows. The group thank the man for the information and head off to the local Tower Tavern to sample some of the infamous ale. As they enter the bar the divine smells of ale, stew and freshly baked bread flood their nostrils. The barman walks over to the new guests and introduces himself as Grigory. Finn asks what ales and sustenance come recommended and orders a nice cold flagon of ale whilst Farraine orders a wild boar platter. Sigrid, a vegetarian and not the biggest of drinkers opts to head out of the tavern and perform some avian-based reconnaissance, transforming into an owl and flying off in the direction of the maze. As she soars overhead she notices that the maze is a tangled mess and it is impossible to see where the paths wind their way. She turns her attention to the tower and heads for one of the many windows, as she approaches she suddenly collides with an invisible energy field, stunning her slightly, she begins to tumble towards the ground, only just managing to regain her senses in time to prevent an unceremonious crash landing.
Back in the Tavern Finn approaches Grigory to try and find out some information about Iskander but it appears that the barman has not heard of him or noticed anyone entering or leaving the maze at the base of the tower. He returns to the party's table as Sigrid walks back into the tavern. Finishing off their food and beverages they leave the tavern and head towards the maze. As the party stand outside the maze, wondering whether they should simply walk through the entrance, Iskander suddenly appears at one of the balconies. He holds aloft the Blue Dragon Mask and asks for help. He does something with an Hourglass Shaped Key . Suddenly another figure rushes out onto the balcony and there is a struggle ending with Iskander throwing the attacker over the edge of the balcony. As it falls towards the ground his progress comes to a sudden and fatal stop some distance from the ground, it stays there hanging in mid-air, un-moving. Sigrid transforms herself back into an owl and heads up to the balcony to retrieve the key but once again encounters the invisible barrier. Short on any other ideas besides blindly walking into the maze, Garrick decides to head back into the village to try an glean further information.
Heading to the Town hall Garrick manages to locate the local Mayor, Lonthar he tells him that the tower has long been abandoned and it is rumoured to be protected by many magical defences. Garrick confides in him the true purpose of the Party's visit and the trouble that is brewing in the castle. The Mayor was unaware of these events but promises to alert a small number of the town's guard to keep an eye on the tower and maze should anyone make a bid for freedom. Joining back up with the rest of the group the decision is made to head into the Maze.
Stepping through the maze entrance, what looked old and unkempt on the outside is suddenly a well manicured and tended hedgerow reaching some 10ft from the ground. As they walk down the hedge-walled path they come to a junction, seven other paths branch off in various directions, in the centre stands a sundial. The party cautiously approach the sundial and note that the shadow it casts does not relate to the position of the sun there also appears to be 4 sockets, currently empty, that once housed some kind of gem or something. Looking around at the various path laid out before them, each looking identical to the other there is nothing much for them to go on at this stage, even the path from which they came seems to have changed and now look no different to any other. Sigrid decides to have another look from above and, still in eagle form, flies up above the hedge line. The party follow her path upwards and all of a sudden she disappears from sight. For Sigrid flying over the top of the maze she is once again faced with the vision of an old and overgrown series of hedges, no path can be seen from this vantage point and she has no idea where the party may have got to. She flies in circles in panic. Inside the maze the rest of the party are getting anxious also, Finn even calls upon the assistance of his familiar, Binky to try and locate Sigrid and get her to return to the group. He swoops upwards and hovering directly overhead calls out to her. Sigrid sees the thin red body of the Imp and glides towards him and together they descend back into the maze and the party are reunited once more. Telling them what she saw from above it seems the party have few options available, they can either follow path in the direct of the shadow cast by the sundial or simply pick another path at random. They choose to follow the shadow and after walking down the hedge-lined pathway they encounter another junction with, much to their surprise, another sundial. Inspecting the sundial closely it looks identical to the one they already encountered, is it the same one? Have they just gone round in a circle? It seemed like they walked in a straight line, but here they are. The only noticeable difference is that the sundial is now casting two shadows. The first sundial cast its shadow to the north, this one casts one to the north and another to the east. Which should they follow, if any at all? The group gather together to maximise their thinking power and decide that once again they will follow a shadow, only this time they will follow the one pointing towards the eastern path. Before they head off, Finn shows some surprising forethought and places 2 ball bearings on top of the sundial. Walking down the pathway they soon come to an open area with a tiled square flanked on three sides by some statues.
The statues loom large before them, each one depicts a warrior holding a battle axe and at their base a plaque. Each of the plaques contain a symbol depicting an object, on one, the sun, another the moon and on another, a sword. The party investigate the other statues and find the plaques engraved with a tree, a crown and a skull. Garrick notices that the hands of the statues that hold the axes are not fixed in place and can indeed be rotated. Once again the party huddle together to share the group braincell and come to the conclusion that the axes need to be pointed in specific directions. Garrick and Finn begin rotating the various stone wrists in what they think is a logical pattern. Nothing happens. Garrick suggests changing one or two of them around and all of a sudden there is an audible 'click' and the mouth of one of the statues grinds slowly open to reveal a red bloodstone gem. Garrick climbs up onto the statue and retrieves the gem and slips it into his pocket. With a confident spring in their step the party move through the open area and down another hedged pathway, emerging once again at a junction containing, you've guessed it...another fucking sundial or is the fucking sundial?
Once more the group walk towards the sundial which on this occasion is sporting 3 shadows and precisely zero ball bearings. Garrick retrieves the bloodstone from his pocket and places it with a satisfying click into one of the vacant sockets, but a click is all that happens and the party are once again tasked with choosing which of the 8 paths to follow. Finn looks at the shadows carefully. the cogs visibly whirring in his head, finger and thumb stroking a non existent beard. He moves around the sundial, hoping that viewing it from a different angle will aid his cogitation.
"A ha!" he exclaims, "I think I've cracked it"
The others gather round to listen to his words of wisdom and he excitedly explains his theory. It seems surprisingly plausible and the best option available to them thus far. With no better solutions presented, the party decide to go with the Halfling's plan and take the path to the north once more. Finn reaches into his pocket and places 3 ball bearings on the sundial. Once more our intrepid heroes make their way through the maze and once more enter an open area. This time there is a large pond and in the middle of which sits an island with a large pagoda in the centre. Leading to the pagoda is a bridge. Walking across the bridge and into the pagoda the party are met with a man standing by a central firepit. Hanging above the fire is a large teapot with some leaves floating in the hot water. 5 Cushioned seats are set close to the fire and the man bids them to sit, bowing as they do so. Sigrid notices that the leaves floating in the teapot are Dragonwort, a powerful poison. The gentleman in the centre of the room takes the kettle from the the flames and begins to pour the tea with great ceremony into 5 china cups and hands them to the party members. Garrick looks inside the kettle and notices a gemstone sitting in the bottom, he also notices that on the kettle is the form of a grinning face as steam slowly rises upwards. As the steam begins to drift around the room Lucian and Garrick choke on it's fumes. The man slowly sinks into the floor and disappears. Lucian cast a magic hand to retrieve the gemstone from the kettle and it slowly drifts over to him and he places it deep within his robes. Sigrid tries to leave the pagoda but is blocked by some invisible force once again, it seems that she is really not having much luck this episode. Finn and Farraine take a sip from their cups believing the task laid before them is to drink the poison in order to escape, but it seems they may well be mistaken as all of a sudden walls spring up around the pagoda and another separating Sigrid and Farraine from others. Garrick takes his morning star and smashes the teapot sending shards of pottery across the fire.
Out of nowhere a Stone creature appears in front of Garrick, Finn and Lucien whilst another humanoid figure is suddenly standing with Sigrid and Farraine. Finn is first to react as he quickly takes cover behind one of the pagoda's pillars, taking aim at the stone creature he fires a well aimed crossbow bolt straight at the chest of the beast. Garrick enters the fray and summons a spiritual weapon and a twilight sanctuary, the beast recoils in pain. Farraine steps up to the humanoid creature and draws his sword but unlike the carpet this one has quick reflexes and manages to deflect one of his attacks. Sigrid takes cover and casts confusion but it appears the figure doesn't understand her magical suggestion and remains just as focused and menacing as before. The figure swings at Farraine who tries to parry the blow but it still manages to connect with the fighter's armour.
Back with the stone creature it advances on Garrick, swinging wildly at the Cleric, but he dodges the blows with radiant expertise. Once more Finn, emerges from the shadows and takes aim with his crossbow, sending another bolt hurtling towards the stone creature, striking it squarely and sending shards of rock cascading to the floor. Garrick mutters words of power and a series of spiritual creatures fade into existence and begin circling the Cleric, as they pass through the stone creature it reels in pain. Farraine swings his sword expertly at the humanoid creature dealing massive blows as his attacks connect with the creature. Sigrid again turns to her magic abilities and attempts to charm the creature as it howls in pain, but once again it seems that she is once again thwarted by an invisible barrier, this time, a language one, and the figure remains unaffected. Lucian re-enters the battle and casts a blight spell on the stone creature it seems to have less of an affect than the wizard had hoped but a few chunks of rock fall to the floor. The creature lurches at Garrick but the Cleric is able to deflect the blows harmlessly.
Farraine takes measured swings with his sword at the humanoid figure and his blows strike the creature causing it to wince in pain. Finn raises his crossbow, taking careful aim at the stone creature locked in battle with Garrick, as the trigger clicks it seems the Halfling hadn't loaded the bolt properly and it just drops to the floor with a disappointing clink.
"Shit" curses the young Rogue.
Garrick lifts his morning star high above his head and swings at the stone creature, but his mighty effort is only equalled by the complete lack of accuracy and he misses the stone creature by a country mile. The inertia of the attack propels the Cleric like a spinning top and through some force of sheer luck he manages to catch the beast in the chest on the return journey, a shower of pebbles erupting from the creature as the heavy morning star connects. Farraine attacks his enemy once more raining down blow after blow of insults before deciding to use his sword instead, his first attack striking the creature which somehow manages to deflect the second strike deftly. Sigrid turns to her magical knowledge once more and tries to assist her fellow adventurer by sending a chilling blast at the creature but it seems to just shiver slightly before regaining it's composure. The wizard steps forth and begins chanting, his hands making complex shapes through the air before sending a stream of magical energy about a foot to the left of his target.
Farraine is once more the focus of enemy aggression and is fortunate to dodge the humanoid creature's attacks as it lunges angrily at the fighter. The Stone creature bears down on Garrick, swinging in wide arcs catching the Cleric off guard and landing heavy blows against his armour. Finn sneaks out of the shadows and once more draws his crossbow upwards, he is the picture of calm as he slowly inhales, closing his eyes, pausing, opening them once more and slowly exhaling, his finger gradually tightening on the trigger, Thunk, Clink.
"Oh for fuck's sake! Not again"
Garrick, recovering from the blow from the stone creature whirls around in a fit of rage, his morning star casting a wide arc through the air and connecting with the beasts head, a shower of rock and rubble erupt, cracks begin to form all over the creatures body and it slowly crumbles to a pile of dust on the pagoda floor. The wall separating the party disappears, he turns to face the humanoid creature and his spiritual weapon which up to this point hasn't really warranted comment streaks towards the enemy striking it a vicious blow. Farraine uses the opportunity to land some heavy blows of his own as the creature writhes in agony under the flurry of attacks. Sigrid, eager to add to the creatures woes, once again mutters words of power and, once, again sends a chilling force at the howling creature...this time giving it a bit of a sniffle. Lucian turns towards the creature and sends a missile of magical energy hurting towards the creature, striking it cleanly in the chest, it shrieks in pain.
Finn pokes his head out of the shadows of shame and fires off a quick shot with his crossbow and whilst the bolt flies through the air it narrowly misses the creature. As the humanoid is distracted by the sharp piece of metal-tipped wood, whizzing by his ear, Garrick unleashes a flurry of attacks of his own. Farraine brandishes his sword once more and swings his blade at the creature, both blows cutting into the flesh sending blood splattering on the floor. Sigrid, annoyed at her hitherto unsuccessful attempts to contribute to the battle, utters words of power and the creature begins to writhe and shrink, a pile of bloodstained clothes drops to the floor and the head of a small weasel pokes out from one of the sleeves. It makes a swift bid for freedom but Farraine dives on the vermin and grabs a tight hold of it. It sharp teeth nip the fighter's fingers and in true Farraine fashion he gives the critter good old fashion slap, which immediately undoes all of Sigrid's hard work and the weasel immediately transforms back into the humanoid creature and the fight resumes once again. There is a look of utter dismay on the poor Druid's face, the one thing that actually turned out well for her, undone with a simple, poorly thought-out bitch slap.
Finn reacts to the sudden change quickly and manages to fire a crossbow bolt deep into the chest of the figure, blood pouring from the room as it staggers in surprise, both at the bolt sticking out of his breast and the fact that a split second before he had a lot more hair and a tail. Garrick is next to capitalise on the humanoids surprise at his naked form and points his finger at the creature, utters some words of power and the enemy drops to the ground, dead. The Stone walls fade into the ether and the party head across the bridge and down the maze path until they reach,...yes you guessed it, another sundial. Finn rushes towards it certain in the knowledge that his theory was correct. However his confidence is rocked when he notices the 4 shadows on the dial are not pointing where he expected. Had they gone down the right paths at all? Would they have been better trusting blind luck? What are they missing? Lucian walks up to the sundial and takes the gemstone from his pocket and inserts it into one of the three remaining empty slots. Once more there is an audible click but nothing else. It appears they must choose their path once again, and this time Finn is all out of ideas.
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