DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
Rodrigo (Swashbuckler 2), with henchman Corvus (Fighter 1)
Kwinsea (Aquamancer 4), with familiar Hermes and henchman Jaz (Elf 1)
Abdul el Abdul (Fighter 4), with henchman Otock (Dwarf 1)
Chaff (Vivimancer 4), familiar Pretty Bird, and henchman "No 7" (Halfling 1)
Torak (Cleric 4)
The party had the "Purple Haze" turned about and sailed towards the Anchorage, mainly to have something done about their dear, departed, destroyed cleric. On the way, Chaff examined the remaining three scrolls. Which luckily didn't explode, and contained several spells: control weather, feather fall, and lightning bolt. These he turned over to Kwinsea, they being more part of her repetroie than his. The party also experimented with the glass guns seized from the monkeys, and were dismayed to find that they ceased to function once the cloud castle/island dropped out of sight below the horizon.
Having encountered nothing along the way but a curious pod of seals, the "Purple Haze" sailed into the sheltered cove that formed their home base, arriving just ahead of the first winter gale. They found the anchorage deserted, except for the little rowboat that showed Nalco the Boy-Mage was back. There was also the shattered remains of a ship on the rocks outside the entrance, which on closer inspection turned out to be the "Savage Sisters". Kwinsea, with the help of Hermes, dove into the water to examine the wreck below and above. The ship's keel was broken in two, and scattered about the ocean floor was a mess of busted and ruined supplies, shattered pieces from the hull, and a scattering of sailors bodies. On deck, the scene was much the same, and Kwinsea recognized the bodies of the captain and ogreish first mate. The aquamancer filched a gold ring from the captain ear, and pilfered the ships log from her cabin before returning to her own ship. The log was mostly nondescript, but the most recent entries detailed the ships' exploration of the Jungle Isles and a golden pyramid of which the party had heard in previous rumors.
That done, the ship anchored and Torak was rowed ashore with his pallbearers to carry him to Bellephrone. Once more having a fine chuckle at the party's misfortune, the witch agree use her vat to bring the cleric back from the clutches of He Who Hides Secrets in the Depths, taking a selection of treasure and a box of black lotus in payment. Everyone then headed for the much depopulated shantytown, and found that with the winter storm's on the way, few ships were sailing the Far Isles. They did find a mustachioed musketeer named Svel to fix No. 7's jammed pistol, and enough action at the card tables for Otock to win a few GP.
The party returned to Bellephrone's the next day to pick up Torak. The cleric emerged from the vat a little worse for wear, his left hand having gotten grafted to his ankle. Bellephrone also informed them that the package they had agreed to deliver for her was now ready. She waved towards a massive wooden box, sealed with wax and taking up almost half the hut. She did not insist on them taking it now, but would offer no further services until they kept their bargain and delivered it to the hinterlands of Langushur as they'd previously agreed.
But for now, they were determined to hit the cloud tower once more and finish plundering the place, convinced as they were that it still hid secrets and treasures. The previous storm had blown over, and two days of fair sailing had them back on target. Once more shuttled to the tower via the ebony fly, the party started in the flying-monkey barracks. Trashing it once again, they found nothing new, and turned their attention to the lower trapdoor. This opened in the lower shaft of the tower, and they could see far below, the bronze door and platform they'd previously discovered. After much uncoiling and knoting of rope, No. 7 was lowered down to check the door and unlock it if necessary. It was open, however, and the halfling proceeded through in order to leave room on the platform for the next person. On the other side of the door was a passage, and alongside the door was a long pole with a hook on one end, plus a couple of empty metal buckets.
Once everyone had gathered inside the door, the party proceeded down the passage. It led to a platform hanging over a circular pool of water. Far above in the ceiling was a trap door, but there was no means by which to reach it. Everyone immediately suspected the pool was more than just a pool. It was poked and prodded with poles, buckets, and ropes, but nothing happened. Jaz and Otock then had the lights dimmed and used their infravison, which showed an amorphous cooler mass moving about in the water. Torak cast detect evil, and yes indeed it was. Eventually, Jaz was cajoled into leaning over the side to be lowered to the water and touched it. This provoked a response, and the elf was hauled to safety just ahead of a raging mass of water that shot up from the surface. That discouraged anyone else from probing more in the pool.
Unsure of how to reach the trapdoor above without risking a fall into the evil pool, Kwinsea, Jaz, Abdul el Abdul and Corvus decided to make their way back to the temple to search for secret doors in the floor. This revealed nothing, and they all returned below to try a new plan. Torak and Corvus began hammering iron spikes into the walls, and looping rope through those anchors to allow everyone to reach the trapdoor. Beyond the trapdoor were a series of rooms, which were all thoroughly ransacked and the contents largely destroyed. These was a kitchen, a lab or workroom, small barracks or servant quarters, and a storage or equipment room. The party ransacked it all once more, uncovering a bag of diamond dust and a butterfly collection mounted in a frame. But nothing else of interest.
So, back down to the pool they went. Thinking the water creature might be guarding something in the pool, Kwinsea cast a tidal force to keep it at bay while her familiar Hermes was dropped into the water to have a look. Scanning quickly, as he had only a half minute before the water thing broke free, the waterskin-clad crab found a scattering of bones and old junk at the bottom, but no treasure.
Still convinced they had missed something, the party headed back to the bedchamber with the fancy lights. Chaff was able to remove one of the tubes, which remained lit. Unable to think of an immediate practical use for a 10' tall glass tube of lighting, he put it back. Another scan of the library and platform at the top of the tower uncovered nothing new, while a visit to the roof mounted cannon on the other tower was exciting. The cannon was charged using a big hand cranked wheel, and No 7 and Abdul el Abdul took aim at one of the buildings in the village below. A massive electrical bolt shot out of the glass and copper cannon, blasting the house to soggy smithereens. Sadly, no one could conceive of any way to remove the cannon and mount in a more useful place.
Finally done searching, the party went back to the library and used the fly to carry all the books and the shell globe down to the "Purple Haze" before themselves then returning to the ship.
TOTAL XP
3815
GAINS
Bag of diamond dust (500gp)
Butterfly collection (15gp)
A complete arcane and astronomical library (3000gp)
Wooden and shell globe of an unknown world (300gp)
KILLS
none
LOSSES
none
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