Sapphire:Sessions:20181117
Ahn-Lee and Kimtri are on an important assignment to break up a conspiracy against Duke Ellington that involves thieves from overseas. The pair clear over 100g in "finder's fees". They tracked the conspiracy to a high-level thief and mage. The guildmaster sent four additional people on their team who, Ahn-Lee noticed, bore the "undercover" colors of the DarkGuard. He recognized one of them as Rain, a well-known mercenary who had been liberated from the gladitorial pens in the Troubled Lands.
The assault, which lasted several hours, wound through the warehouse district. The target had two skilled acolytes and a number of minions. Ahn-Lee and Kimtri cut through the minions, but two of the DarkGuard were taken down (and one later died). The mage turned his Missile Shield into Missile Reflect. Kimtri wounded the mage but was badly injured; Ahn-Lee killed the mage. Ahn-Lee drew blood on the thief, but the thief managed to Teleport away. Rain was unhurt. Ahn-Lee took Kimtri to a Temple of Zeph to recover.
The next day the guildmaster sent Ahn-Lee to speak with a man. The man set a small globe on the table and gave it a half-twist; there was an audible buzz. "This place is now secure. It is warded against eavesdropping." Ahn-Lee: "You're trying to trap me?" "No, you are free to leave." The thief had gotten away with a box containing a certain artifact. The man is hiring Ahn-Lee to bring him back the box and the artifact and kill the thief. Because of the thief's blood taken from Ahn-Lee's knife, the man has been able to obtain a crystal that always points toward the thief no matter what his form. He give this crystal to Ahn-Lee. He warns that the thief can shape-change, and he is presently in a "magic crazy" area where "weird stuff" is going on. Ahn-Lee replies, "I'll need an hour."
Ahn-Lee spends that time picking up several Magic Resistance potions from Azzhik. Azzhik also gives him an experimental elizir that may disrupt a mage's connection to mana.
Ahn-Lee goes to the Green Lantern Tavern where he meets a mysterious cloaked, hooded figure whose features are blurred. A crow flaps down and perches on the figure's shoulder. The figure explains that they will teleport to the Troubled Lands in three stages with a 20-minute period between each stage. After the second stage, though, the figure collapses. Ahn-Lee: "What'd you screw up?" "We are six miles from the area of the disturbance. I can't get you any closer.... The crystal indicates direction but not distance, though its indicator gets steadier when nearer.... I will meet you here at this time tomorrow."
Ahn-Lee jogs away down a market road that winds through farmland. He easily avoids the occasional patrols. He sees smoke rising from a distant forest. About six miles later he pauses to drink a Magic Resistance potion (which lasts one hour). He follows the crystal indicator to a hill topped with standing stones. Five groups are encamped around and atop the hill. Ahn-Lee decides to conceal himself and take a nap while he waits for twilight.
However, only moments later a young woman clad in armor taps him on the shoulder, saying "Weird time to take a nap. You look like you plan to sneak up on our camp.... I am Alexandra, one of Sonya's mages. You triggered one of my spells." She describes seven people, repeatedly emphasizing that three of them were elves (perhaps because of Ahn-Lee's half-elven features) who had spoken with Sonya and then descended into the hill along with the other four faction leaders. "Sonya told me to look out for others." Ahn-Lee: "That has nothing to do with me. I'm just passing through." Alexandra describes Shawna and Ahn-Lee says, "I recognize her." Alexandra tries to cast some spell on Ahn-Lee and is openly astonished that it fails. Ahn-Lee: "It's time I went up there. Will you escort me? They won't shoot at you, will they?" Alexandra mutters, "By the way, somebody else just slipped in" but she doesn't explain herself.
Alexandra distracts the sentries as Ahn-Lee gets close to the entrance. He peers down the dim tunnel, then makes a dash for it, bouncing from wall to wall down the steep ramp to the moss-covered platform. He faces a heavy oak door with a small keyhole. No one followed him. The compass ports toward the door, dipping slightly. Ahn-Lee knocks and there's a click from the lock. He readies Tiny Crossbow and pushes open the door.
Cal Lindross, the goblin, looks up at him. Ahn-Lee: "I guess I'm late." Cal points in the direction Shawna went and explains that he was instructed to stay here and guard two of the other faction leaders, who are injured.
Chalker: "Weren't we discussing unconditional surrender?" Sgt Andrew looks up. "I have 20 men." Chalker: "Your purpose?" Andrew: "We're the garrison." Chalker: "What are you paid?" Andrew: "It is our obligation and our honor." Chalker: "How much do I have to pay you in order not to have to kill you?"
Ahn-Lee hears Chalker's voice coming through a doorway guarded by three bowmen. stealthily draws two sleep needles, but one of the archers -- a female elf he doesn't recognize -- turns around slowly. Ahn-Lee: "I'm here with Chalker Jackson and Lady Shawna." Tara to the others: "Okay, he's clear."
Andrew: "We're paid 2sp per week." Chalker: "Wow." Andrew: "It's an honor and a privilege." Chalker: "I'll give you each 1sp 1cp if you pack up and leave now." Andrew: "We can't do that." Chalker: "All right, we'll disarm you, tie you up, and take your 2sp." Shawna stares into the eyes of the man to Andrew's right, who raises his hands and steps back. Chalker: "How about I disarm you and let you keep your money?" Shawna: "I assure you, there is no dishonor in laying down your weapons." Finally Andrew seems to acquiesce, and Chalker directs them to sit against the wall.
A few moments later Alastor notices Andrew's hand moving to his money pouch. Alastor draws a poisoned knife, steps forward, and stabs Andrew through the hand. Andrew goes limp and in a few moments succumbs to the poison. Alastor takes and opens the pouch, finding inside it "a small, soft, squishy object" that shows as magical. Shawna guesses it's a signalling device. Ahn-Lee puts Andrew's other two men to sleep with needles.
Chalker: "Well, do we try wholesale slaughter?" Shawna: "Let me try my way first." She steps into the next room and addresses the ten men there, "Attention! Lay down your arms. I am your new commander. Where is the Captain?" One man says, "Captain Hirsh is talking to Lord Galen."
The group traverses seemingly endless hallways. Chalker locks the doors to a training room. He identifies a hidden door with steps leading down. Shawna sends Ahn-Lee first. He points out a "weird step" and a tripwire.
At the landing is another ornate oak door. Peeking through it, Chalker gets a momentary headache and sees a room to the right with rows of pews, and to the left a bedroom. "It's warded," he says. He uses his TK to unlock the door, though he finds it quite fatiguing. "A pulse of mana" goes off and several spells are triggered; also, the mana in the area intensifies.
Alastor looks into the right-hand room. It is a small chapel, dimly lit, with a podium and an altar at the far end. There are icons and tapestries but he can't tell what they depict. The wooden pews appear to be... rippling? He picks up a lit torch and along with Dinah steps inside the chapel. Suddenly a pew stands up and tries to ram Alastor into a wall; Alastor dodges backward so it barely clips his leg. Shimmering, the pew changes shape. Alastor grabs Dinah and runs back out the door.
Further down the hall, Ahn-Lee sees another door opening. He pushes Scout against the wall and draws two knives. A humanoid washstand walks through the door; its "arms" end in pointed stakes. A dresser tries to squeeze through the door behind the washstand. Ahn-Lee knocks it back into the room and slams the door.
Inside his head Chalker hears a scream followed by a series of sailor-type curses. The male voice sounds familiar, and a bit later he recognizes it as Shree. More furniture sprouts arms and legs and menaces the group.
Shawna sees another door open. She pulls it shut and throws a Lockmaster spell on it.
Alastor pulls out a jar of kerosene and throws it at a pew, breaking the jar. He lights the kerosene with his torch and the pew writhes in flames.
Chalker draws Flame On! and lights a nightstand on fire.
Other doors along the corridor open. Inside a library, the books flap through the air, birdlike.
Shawna murmurs, "I accept this gift from Cor, and I shut and seal all doors on this corridor until I open them again."
Chalker looks through another door and sees another landing and stairs. Someone is trying to burn Chalker's brain.
Someone calls out, "Dire wolves!" Ten dire wolves have been teleported in behind the group. Quickly Shawna casts Shape Stone and raises a wall to block the wolves.
From the stairwell come three dozen taddarita and four shadow wolves, followed by four dire wolves; heard from behind the latter is the growl of a tiger.
Most of the taddarita are killed within the first few rounds, but in the course of the fight several members of the party are affected by their spells -- itching, clumsiness, fatigue. Scout is bitten by a shadow wolf, causing him to vomit. Ahn-Lee "runs" downstairs by leaping along wolves' backs. Chalker slays the tiger with a single blow to its heart. (Ahn-Lee exclaims, "Whoa! Dink-Dink is back!") Dinah is bitten by a dire wolf. The wolves trapped behind Shawna's wall vanish (after she wins a mental contest).
People are bandaged and healed. Alastor tends to Dinah's wounds before his own, then harvests mana glands from the taddarita.
The next door downstairs is warded. In the upper doorframe is a small, empty indentation. Chalker can't see all the way through it. It is secured with both an elaborate runed lock and a mage lock. Chalker unlocks the former and Shawna casts Lockmaster on the latter. There's a buzzing noise, and bees come flying through the slot. Alertly, Alastor holds his torch in front of the slot; the bees fly straight into it and burn up.
Chalker adds Flame On! so no bees escape. From behind the group, a wind begins to blow. Chalker opens the door for Ahn-Lee to slip inside. He faces a large suit of metal armor (A1) in an archaic style. From the floor around it are sprouting furry grey balls. Shawna casts Stone to Earth and the wind stops. Ahn-Lee stabs into the visor's eyeslot; liquid spurts from the eyeball, and the armor rattles. The balls of fur morph into rats. Wielding Flame On!, Chalker sets the nearest rat on fire. Alastor steps into the corridor and a second suit of armor (A2) emerges from a niche. Ahn-Lee jabs his knife repeatedly into A1's eyeslot while A1 attempts to slam his head. Shawna raises a 2' wall to block the rats. Ahn-Lee switches to the other eyeslot and blinds A1.
A2 starts to charge Alastor. Tara and Solent shoot flaming arrows behind the low wall. Chalker hooks A2's steel helm and starts to twist it. A2 swings its fist wildly and Alastor ducks under A2's arm, steps behind it, and knocks it forward. A2 trips over the low wall and the rats swarm it. Valor and Dinah start firing arrows at the rats. Shawna casts Wall of Fire behind the low wall and moves it slowly forward.
Ahn-Lee shoves A1, which stumbles into A2's niche. Some rats jump over the low wall; Chalker and Alastor burn them. The rats that aren't burned retreat and are reabsorbed into the floor.
Chalker pulls A2's helm off. It's not a golem, but some weird kind of zombie with decomposed features. Shawna: "The mage withdrew his magic from the zombies."