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Session 35, Mathias and the Necromancer

Paldegora 

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Session 35 – 2024-02-24

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==== Summary ====

The party was in pretty bad shape when this session started. They wanted to find the map room and find out if Mathias and/or Yoakum were still in the structure. There were many rooms, it looked like, in the basement where they were. There was a hallway across from the room where they fought the first group of guards they'd found down here. It was blocked by a portcullis. Cal opened it. Just down the hallway was a turn. Cal made his way to that turn and heard the sound of someone humming. There were two sets of doors, iron, and closed. He moved up to and listened at the first door and heard nothing. The humming sound he'd heard changed to laughter, then back to humming. The area beyond the solid doors seemed to consist of cells. Eryn was following behind some, arrow notched and ready to fire. Cal pulled his hood up on his cloak and then purposely walked straight down the hallway. As he passed by cells, he found them to be empty, all but the cell at the end on the southern wall. As he walked down the hallway, he picked up words to the song that was being sung. There was a man chained to the wall. The song he was seeing was this.
 
They had a hidden island fort
With treasures great and small.
But none could find their secret lair
Nor breach their magic wall.
 
Except for me! (He laughed)
 
The man was in poor shape but was spirited and had a bit of a quirky attitude. Occasionally ducking, like something was swinging down at him. He’d return to normal after that. It looked like he'd been there a while. He spoke up, "I wouldn't tell them, and I'm sure not going to tell you lad!". He laughed and followed up with, "No…No…George Mary don't never give up his friends!". Cal motioned for Eryn to come forward. She did and Xor moved around the corner to back them up. George Mary said, "Ah, a lassie, aren't you a site for sore eyes!". Eryn said, "Hello!". George-Mary asked if they'd thrown in their lot with the people down here. Eryn told him they hadn't. She also noticed that on the side of his neck, there was a tattoo. It was a dagger with three fishhooks hangings off of it. Cal recognized that it probably indicated who he was aligned to, either a ship or captain. He motioned for Eryn to unlock the door. She did and proceeded to unlock the shackles holding him. George Mary suddenly ducked, holding his hands up as if trying to block something from hitting him, and after a second, relaxed and returned to normal again. He had been beaten but he was tough and this likely wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Cal gave him some food and drink. George Mary told him that he knew they had sent Cal and Eryn there and he wasn't going to tell them anything. He said, "I was there! I saw it, George Mary did!". 
 
Cal pointed to the tattoo which George Mary indicated was his ship, his crew. It was the Blade. He indicated that like it was famous enough that anyone on or around the sea would know about it. Cal tried to guide him out of the cell. George Mary indicated that he wasn't going to give them any information. Eryn told him that they weren't trying to get information from him. They were cleaning the place out and were happy they had stumbled onto him so they could help him out. He told Eryn and Cal that there had been 40 of them and he was the only one left. He said something about seeing it with his own eyes. Cal escorting him down the hallway. George Mary broke out singing. 
 
The pirates of Montague
Did pillage ‘n plunder tis true.
Then all but young Tim,
Hung wid rope ‘n pin
Lost was his treasure too.
 
Twas young Tim, the last of them
Who lived to tell their tale.
He left behind his pirate life
And sought a different grail.
 
Cal covered George's mouth indicating that they needed to be quieter. They told him that they'd heard the song before but he asked if they'd heard all of it. Cal pushed him into a room. Cal pointed to the men they'd killed and asked, indicating that he wanted to know if these were the men who tortured him. He indicated that Sarah was the one who did the torturing, and he was happy to see that she was dead. Simon asked, "Who are these people, what do you know about them!". George told him they were a bunch of fanatics. But they don't realize how important the sea is to everything. They wanted to know things that he knew and no one else knew. Angelique asked, "What do you know?". He told her that he'd seen it, that he was there. He saw 40 of his crew die. She asked if they'd crashed but he told her it was a storm. He said, "The stories are true, the stories are true, and the dead protect it. But George Mary survived. They want to know where and I'll never tell.". Angelique asked if it was a sea vessel or an airship. He told her it was a ship of the sea. He broke into song again. 
 
But one by one they met their fate
By law or rival crew.
They swung from ropes or drowned in waves
Or stabbed by swords that flew.
 
George laughed some more. Eryn asked about the dead protecting it, is that a place to which George said, "The place!". She followed up with, "Tim's Island?". He sang again!
 
Twas young Tim, the last of them
Who lived to tell their tale.
He left behind his pirate life
And sought a different grail.
 
Symon asked how many more verses there were to the song. George knew the whole song and said it wasn't long! Symon asked if he could quietly sing the song to them. He said he could but asked for a spot of ale. Xor had a wineskin with some ale in it. George drank and was satisfied for the moment. Eryn mentioned that they were drinking here so maybe they had something here to drink. George told her that whatever they drank here wasn't fit to drink. Then he started singing again, the entire 5 stanzas of the song. 
 
The Montague family of pirates
Did sail the jeweled seas.
They raided ships and ports alike
And took what they did please.
 
They had a hidden island fort
With treasures great and small.
But none could find their secret lair
Nor breach their magic wall.
 
But one by one they met their fate
By law or rival crew.
They swung from ropes or drowned in waves
Or stabbed by swords that flew.
 
The pirates of Montague
Did pillage ‘n plunder tis true.
Then all but young Tim,
Hung wid rope ‘n pin
Lost was his treasure too.
 
Twas young Tim, the last of them
Who lived to tell their tale.
He left behind his pirate life
And sought a different grail.
 
There was a quiet soft clapping. Symon asked if he'd seen the island, and that the dead protected it? George told him he had seen it and it does exist and the song is all true and that he would not tell these bastards where it is. Symon told him that it was good that he did not tell these bastards anything. He said he'd not tell them how to get from east to west either. "Only me and the Captain know how to get from east to west. You know what I mean?", George said. Symon asked, "Which Captain?". George told him the Captain of the Blade. Symon asked where the Blade was now. George said, "Lots of people would like to know where the blade hides. That I'll never tell either!". He again affirmed that the Blade sailed the sea, not the air. Symon asked George if he had been captured at sea. He told him that he was running his mouth too much, boasting about his story and one of these bastards overheard him and he was spirited away and woke up in here. Symon told him that he was quite a long way from the sea. George said, "I long to get back to it, back to my ship! Back to me Captain!". Symon judged by his accent that he was from the south, further south than Seaspire. 
 
Angelique asked, "What is your Captain's name?". He seemed shocked that he didn't know the name of the Captain of the Blade. She played it off as having known too many captains and couldn't remember which one was with the Blade. He pointed out his tattoo and the fish hooks and asked, "What letter do you think those are?". He told her the captain's name was Jesse Jack Johnson. He said, "He's the most fiercest captain to sail the Jeweled Seas.". Cal thought the name sounded familiar; it wasn't an old name but something more recent. He sort of remembered people talking somewhere about a new terror on the seas. Cal wrote down his father’s name on a piece of paper and showed it to George, John LaRoque. George said he didn't know him personally, but he'd heard of him. Cal added the word father to the note and showed it to him again. George asked, "What ship did he serve on?". Cal wrote back, "Sea captain on the Emerald Coast!", and then shrugged as if to show he didn't know. George said, "I knew the name. You must be from good stock then, having a sea-faring group in your family!". Suddenly, he ducked as if to avoid being hit again. Then he kind of shut down. Once he recovered, he was back to his old self and laughing again. Symon asked Angelique to cast Cure Insanity on George but she said she was unable to do that.
 
George started looking in the barrels in the room for something to drink. Symon asked from where he was captured. George answered, "Bilgeharbor!". That was where Cal is from.". He added, "And they think they're going to find a way, they're going to make me sail them there. They're all landlubbers. They wouldn't last a day at sea.". He leaned in and whispered, "If I take them out, I'm not going to take hem there. I'm going to take them to something a hell of a lot worse.". He laughed some more. Angelique asked, "What could be worse?". George replied, "You have no idea what's out there. I've seen it with me own eyes. A maw, two leagues wide, swallow ten ships whole.". Angelique asked, "A dragon?". He answered, "No!". He added, "There's all kinds of things out there!". He said, "It takes a strong wit and a keen eye to get you through all of those things!". Symon asked, "There is no one left here, from your group?". George indicated that there was no one else here, that they were probably still drunk down in Bilgeharbor. He didn't know how long he'd been here. He hadn't been anywhere else down here but her playroom.

They searched the rest of the basement. They found Sarah’s playroom, her living quarters, and her bedroom. They found supplies, tools, an armory, a room full of hay, and lots of food supplies. They also found a rather large privy, They found a chapel complete with the eerie lighting. They destroyed a lot of it and burned the book from the podium in there. While they were in there, Angelique got very nauseous. They moved back upstairs and went out of the hallway in the dining area to the north. They moved around the outside wall, west to the end of the hallway, and then started south. They came to some lavish living quarters. They searched it finding a private privy, a lot of very expensive books covering a variety of topics. They also found a room, locked behind a set of double doors. When they opened them, they found a wall of darkness in front of them. Cassey carried a rope and using her blind-fighting skills, made her way into the room. She exited the darkness after 5-10 feet and stopped. She instantly lost her focus and care for what she was doing and just stood there. She dropped the rope and when the others called out to her, she didn’t answer. 

Cal tried and had a similar experience but they’d secure the rope to him better and were able to pull him out. He was in a daze and couldn’t answer their questions though. Angelique wore the necklace that Tinkle had given her and it had already saved her once. She tried next she didn’t suffer the same effects. Eryn put her necklace on Cassandra and Cal and the daze was broken each time. She and Angelique went back in and saw three skulls with glowing green eyes on a table, Angelique smashed all three and that seemed to lift the trap or spell or whatever. They could all enter now. They found no secret doors and no exits. There was nothing else in the room of any value. Another big statue but this was bolted down better and would take a while to topple. They left that room and went back to the hallway and then turned south, stopping at a set of double doors. They opened the doors and found Mathais, Yoakum, and Jarah. Jarah was a fighter more like Xor. Mathias ordered the party’s death. A large battle ensued with Mathias dying, Yoakum dying, Symon punching someone, and Jarah dying. 

They got two notes off of Yoakum, the map that Mathias had taken, and a much better map of Paldigora. Angelique opened the maop that Mathias had and looked at it. It was all available to he to read now. There was some writing on the side, directions it looked like. They were:


From Ahn's port, seek the southern star
Three suns and moons will guide you far
To where the Eyes of three watch the sea
The middle one holds the secret key
 
Turn your prow to where the sun sets
Pass the isle where Tinuqua rests
Five more cycles of day and night
Until the sea turns to glassy light
 
No breeze will blow, no sail will fill
You must rely on your strength and will
But do not linger, do not despair
For dangers lurk in the silent air
 
A swirling maw will bar your way
Steer clear of its hungry spray
A misty veil will hide your goal
A ghostly ship will claim your soul
 
But if you brave the fog and fear
The island's shore will soon appear
Beware the rocks that guard the land
Only one path leads to the sand


They also got several items from them that will need to be identified. The notes they found are below.

The first note said,

I appreciate your offer to talk to my ex, Yoakum. However, if she is unwilling to listen to me, I think you might only end up annoying her and risking your own destruction. Let me deal with her, as she is very dangerous and self-righteous. Although she lacks political strategy, she more than makes up for it with her pure lust for Necromantic power. It's unfortunate that Mathias lost so many of his men at her hand. It was foolish on their part. It was truly none of their business. Ultimately, what she's attempting to do in the Vale will be of great use to us upon Styxltrix's return. Do not disclose you know anything more about her. Please keep me informed of any progress.
 
A.Z.


The letter said,

Yoakum,
 
Your reports have been most encouraging. It is good to know the priests have put the intelligence I provided to good use. Hopefully, they will have her soon. We shall have the map finally unlocked! A word of caution for you and Mathias! Our nemesis is suspicious of our movements. He has sent that annoying imp to investigate and keep an eye on her. I should not be surprised if he turns up at some point in the near future. Beware of him! He is not the fool he pretends to be.
 
Things have proceeded here in Nox on schedule. Captain Hawthorn has continued to supply us with a steady flow of new slaves. They have completed repairs, and we have now reopened the city. Our minions are training and now equipped with weapons and armor sent from our friends in Hellspire.
 
I have taken up residence in Blackspire and moved our brethren into the spire. It is being fortified and secured with magic daily.
 
Continue your mission. Report to me as planned and assist Mathias in any way you can.
 
I look forward to your future reports.
 
Aphobis Zudalnath


When Symon saw the name Aphobis Zudalnath, he recognized it as that of the head of the necromantic school. Symon knows that Aphobis sits on the Order with Angelique's grandfather. Angelique said, "So he's the one inside the order that is doing the wrong stuff then!". These notes also link Aphobis directly with Xantha and what she is doing. The question of the imp's identity is still up in the air. It was suggested that Tinkle might be the imp but there is little evidence of that.

Symon looked out of each telescope without moving them. From one of them he saw the outline of possibly some ruins. It was foggy so he couldn't be sure. The next one he looked through was pointed at something out in the vale, the fog is making it hard to tell what it is. He stared at it some more and finally thought it might be a ship. Maybe the downed airship. The last one was pointed up above the mist and gave a clear picture of the mountains. They looked very cold, very rugged, vey jagged, and massive.
 
Eryn suggested we take at least one of the telescope. Everyone looked through them before they took them and to get familiar with where the spots were, especially the airship. 
 
They have a week or so to reach Lundor.
 
Angelique tried to figure out what this other potion was. She tasted it but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Symon checked it and he felt it was something beneficial but couldn't put his finger on it. 
 
That is where the stopped.
 
Start the recorder!
 
 
Exp: 1000 + 100 = 1100 
600 + 60 = 660 
= 1760 total

==== Detail ====

The party was in pretty bad shape when this session started. They wanted to find the map room and find out if Mathias and/or Yoakum were still in the structure. There were many rooms, it looked like, in the basement where they were. There was a hallway across from the room where they fought the first group of guards they'd found down here. It was blocked by a portcullis. Cal opened it. Just down the hallway was a turn. Cal made his way to that turn and heard the sound of someone humming. There were two sets of doors, iron, and closed. He moved up to and listened at the first door and heard nothing. The humming sound he'd heard changed to laughter, then back to humming. The area beyond the solid doors seemed to consist of cells. Eryn was following behind some, arrow notched and ready to fire. Cal pulled his hood up on his cloak and then purposely walked straight down the hallway. As he passed by cells, he found them to be empty, all but the cell at the end on the southern wall. As he walked down the hallway, he picked up words to the song that was being sung. There was a man chained to the wall. The song he was seeing was this.

They had a hidden island fort
With treasures great and small.
But none could find their secret lair
Nor breach their magic wall.

Except for me! (He laughed)

The man was in poor shape but was spirited, and had a bit of a quirky attitude. Occasionally ducking, like something was swinging down at him. He'd return to normal after that. It looked like he'd been there a while. He spoke up, "I wouldn't tell them, and I'm sure not going to tell you lad!". He laughed and followed up with, "No…No…George Mary don't never give up his friends!". Cal motioned for Eryn to come forward. She did and Xor moved around the corner to back them up. George Mary said, "Ah, a lassie, aren't you a site for sore eyes!". Eryn said, "Hello!". George-Mary asked if they'd thrown in their lot with the people down here. Eryn told him they hadn't. She also noticed that on the side of his neck, there was a tattoo. It was a dagger with three fishhooks hangings off of it. Cal recognized that it probably indicated who he was aligned to, either a ship or captain. He motioned for Eryn to unlock the door. She did and proceeded to unlock the shackles holding him. George Mary suddenly ducked, holding his hands up as if trying to block something from hitting him, and after a second, relaxed and returned to normal again. He had been beaten but he was tough and this likely wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Cal gave him some food and drink. George Mary told him that he knew they had sent Cal and Eryn there and he wasn't going to tell them anything. He said, "I was there! I saw it, George Mary did!". 

Cal pointed to the tattoo which George Mary indicated was his ship, his crew. It was the Blade. He indicated that like it was famous enough that anyone on or around the sea would know about it. Cal tried to guide him out of the cell. George Mary indicated that he wasn't going to give them any information. Eryn told him that they weren't trying to get information from him. They were cleaning the place out and were happy they had stumbled onto him so they could help him out. He told Eryn and Cal that there had been 40 of them and he was the only one left. He said something about seeing it with his own eyes. Cal escorting him down the hallway. George Mary broke out singing. 

The pirates of Montague
Did pillage ‘n plunder tis true.
Then all but young Tim,
Hung wid rope ‘n pin
Lost was his treasure too.

Twas young Tim, the last of them
Who lived to tell their tale.
He left behind his pirate life
And sought a different grail.

Cal covered George's mouth indicating that they needed to be quieter. They told him that they'd heard the song before but he asked if they'd heard all of it. Cal pushed him into a room. Cal pointed to the men they'd killed and asked, indicating that he wanted to know if these were the men who tortured him. He indicated that Sarah was the one who did the torturing, and he was happy to see that she was dead. Simon asked, "Who are these people, what do you know about them!". George told him they were a bunch of fanatics. But they don't realize how important the sea is to everything. They wanted to know things that he knew and no one else knew. Angelique asked, "What do you know?". He told her that he'd seen it, that he was there. He saw 40 of his crew die. She asked if they'd crashed but he told her it was a storm. He said, "The stories are true, the stories are true, and the dead protect it. But George Mary survived. They want to know where and I'll never tell.". Angelique asked if it was a sea vessel or an airship. He told her it was a ship of the sea. He broke into song again. 

But one by one they met their fate
By law or rival crew.
They swung from ropes or drowned in waves
Or stabbed by swords that flew.

George laughed some more. Eryn asked about the dead protecting it, is that a place to which George said, "The place!". She followed up with, "Tim's Island?". He sang again!

Twas young Tim, the last of them
Who lived to tell their tale.
He left behind his pirate life
And sought a different grail.

Symon asked how many more verses there were to the song. George knew the whole song and said it wasn't long! Symon asked if he could quietly sing the song to them. He said he could but asked for a spot of ale. Xor had a wineskin with some ale in it. George drank and was satisfied for the moment. Eryn mentioned that they were drinking here so maybe they had something here to drink. George told her that whatever they drank here wasn't fit to drink. Then he started singing again, the entire 5 stanzas of the song. 

The Montague family of pirates
Did sail the jeweled seas.
They raided ships and ports alike
And took what they did please.

They had a hidden island fort
With treasures great and small.
But none could find their secret lair
Nor breach their magic wall.

But one by one they met their fate
By law or rival crew.
They swung from ropes or drowned in waves
Or stabbed by swords that flew.

The pirates of Montague
Did pillage ‘n plunder tis true.
Then all but young Tim,
Hung wid rope ‘n pin
Lost was his treasure too.

Twas young Tim, the last of them
Who lived to tell their tale.
He left behind his pirate life
And sought a different grail.

There was a quiet soft clapping. Symon asked if he'd seen the island, and that the dead protected it? George told him he had seen it and it does exist and the song is all true and that he would not tell these bastards where it is. Symon told him that it was good that he did not tell these bastards anything. He said he'd not tell them how to get from east to west either. "Only me and the Captain know how to get from east to west. You know what I mean?", George said. Symon asked, "Which Captain?". George told him the Captain of the Blade. Symon asked where the Blade was now. George said, "Lots of people would like to know where the blade hides. That I'll never tell either!". He again affirmed that the Blade sailed the sea, not the air. Symon asked George if he had been captured at sea. He told him that he was running his mouth too much, boasting about his story and one of these bastards overheard him and he was spirited away and woke up in here. Symon told him that he was quite a long way from the sea. George said, "I long to get back to it, back to my ship! Back to me Captain!". Symon judged by his accent that he was from the south, further south than Seaspire. 
 
Angelique asked, "What is your Captain's name?". He seemed shocked that he didn't know the name of the Captain of the Blade. She played it off as having known too many captains and couldn't remember which one was with the Blade. He pointed out his tattoo and the fish hooks and asked, "What letter do you think those are?". He told her the captain's name was Jesse Jack Johnson. He said, "He's the most fiercest captain to sail the Jeweled Seas.". Cal thought the name sounded familiar; it wasn't an old name but something more recent. He sort of remembered people talking somewhere about a new terror on the seas. Cal wrote down his father’s name on a piece of paper and showed it to George, Jean La Roake. George said he didn't know him personally, but he'd heard of him. Cal added the word father to the note and showed it to him again. George asked, "What ship did he serve on?". Cal wrote back, "Sea captain on the Emerald Coast!", and then shrugged as if to show he didn't know. George said, "I knew the name. You must be from good stock then, having a sea-faring group in your family!". Suddenly, he ducked as if to avoid being hit again. Then he kind of shut down. Once he recovered, he was back to his old self and laughing again. Symon asked Angelique to cast Cure Insanity on George but she said she was unable to do that.

George started looking in the barrels in the room for something to drink. Symon asked from where he was captured. George answered, "Bilgeharbor!". That was where Cal is from.". He added, "And they think they're going to find a way, they're going to make me sail them there. They're all landlubbers. They wouldn't last a day at sea.". He leaned in and whispered, "If I take them out, I'm not going to take hem there. I'm going to take them to something a hell of a lot worse.". He laughed some more. Angelique asked, "What could be worse?". George replied, "You have no idea what's out there. I've seen it with me own eyes. A maw, two leagues wide, swallow ten ships whole.". Angelique asked, "A dragon?". He answered, "No!". He added, "There's all kinds of things out there!". He said, "It takes a strong wit and a keen eye to get you through all of those things!". Symon asked, "There is no one left here, from your group?". George indicated that there was no one else here, that they were probably still drunk down in Bilgeharbor. He didn't know how long he'd been here. He hadn't been anywhere else down here but her playroom.

They began searching the place again, Cal moved down the hallway to one of the doors and tried to open it but it was locked. Eryn came down and picked the lock. They opened the door and found a large room with a couch, dividers, carpet, chairs, a brazier, tables and behind the divider, a make shift bedroom. There was also a bag laying on the floor. They searched the room. Cal emptied the bag onto the bed. All different kinds of things fell out. It appeared to be items that sne took off prisoners. There were rings, bracelets, necklaces, and odds and ends. On the desk, there was a prisoner list, prisoners were numbered and not named. It detailed all of the things she did to them. She seemed to be documenting what worked and what didn't work. There was a dagger there as well. Cal had searched the bedroom part and found nothing of interest. There was a chest and he had Eryn come over and check it out. She checked it, found a trap, disarmed it, unlocked it, and opened it. The chest had fine clothing in it and an amulet of Sahn. There was also a wooden box and a pouch in there.  Eryn took out the pouch and opened it. It was full of gems and gold coins. She checked the box for traps and opened it. There were potion viles in it. 

They opened a door to the room across the hall, south of Sarah's room. It was another torture room, what George had referred to as her playroom. There was one body in the room, a corpse, gruesomely stripped down. Cal tried to straighten up the body, giving it some syolance of respect. Angelique had looked in the room and upon seeing the gruesomeness of it all, simply turned and moved away, finding a place to sit down and then started to cry. She recognized that this was to be her fate had the rest of them not found her. Eryn tried to calm her and sooth her. There was nothing of interest in there. Angelique finally build up her courage and went into the room and gave last rights to the victim laying there. They left and close up the room. They went back out into the hallway and down to the next hallway and to the first door. They armed up George with some daggers, one was a dagger +1 that Eryn had. Symon tried to let him know just how far away from the sea they were. He told George that he was free to go if he wanted but the cold outside would likely kill him, dressed as he was, within a few hours. George decided to stay with them for now. It was impressed on him that he needed to remain quiet. They looked in the room and found it was an armory of sorts. Lots of weapons, no cutlass'. 

Across the hall was another room full of crates. They started searching through those. The found tools, supplies, cloth, general operational supplies. There was some bulk heavy cloth. They took some of the cloth to use to make warm clothing or use for cover. They moved down to the next door and found a room full of hay. The door cross form that was full of food. They stocked up on supplies from there. They took a bag of each different kind of food, spices, flour and grains, and there was coal for heating. They opened another door and found a large privy with many seats and places to wash up. Cal moved out of that hallway to the door on the north side of the main hallway and opened it. It was room with a bluish sort of light and benches all facing a wall with big chairs facing them. There was a statue of Sahn on both the eastern and western walls. It was some sort of chapel. Cal took Angelique's hand and gently guided her into the room. He didn't was the lights to go out and have her grabbed again. The room was cold like the other temple above. They trashed the place while Angelique began blessing the room. Eryn took the book from the podium, the book of Sahn or the Book of Dreams, and went down the hall to a brazier she'd seen and threw it in the fire. It burned! While Angelique was blessing the alter, she got really sick and had to back away. Xor took one of the benches and threw it at the alter and knocked it over. It made a lot of noise. 

Angelique decided she didn't have the strength to cleanse this room so they left. They went back upstairs to some rooms they'd missed earlier. They were looking for the map room where Mathias and Yoakum were headed. Perhaps they were still there. The lady and the boy were no longer in the kitchen. There was a hallway leading off of the kitchen to the north. They went up the hallway and turned west and continued to the end and turned north. There was a door in the eastern wall of that hallway. Eryn snuck up to it and listened at it. Not hearing anything she checked for traps. Finding none, she checked and it was not locked. She backed up and let Xor open it while she prepared to fire her bow if necessary. It opened into a very large room with a fireplace. A table with books, playing cards, wine, and a three post candle stick holder set upon it. There was a carpeted seating area with two large stuffed chairs and a couch. The whole room was basically a sitting or living room. There was a piano and there was a statue of Sahn. They searched it. On the eastern wall of the room were a set of real heavy bolted and studded double doors. There was another door on the north side of the eastern wall. On the south wall were two other doors. Whoever lives here, apparently lives comfortably. There was a set of spectacles on top of the book. Eryn noted that apparently the cult of Sahn has poor eyesight as they've seen a number of the spectacles around the place. They checked those out. They didn't seem special and when she looked through them without wearing them but other than things being out of focus, they didn't appear to do anything. She kept them to check later.

They checked the book and flipped it open. It seemed to be a history of Paldigora. It is a very detailed accounting of the history worth 500 gold. Looking at the other books, there were books on poisons, herbs, religion, and just a wide variety of subjects. There were reference books on Sahn, and even Nah and Phi. Angelique looked at the religious books and gathers about 4 of them, worth about 100 gold each. Two on Sahn, one on Phi, and one on Nah. Cal opened the door on the northeast corner of the room. There was a long hallway that ended in a door. Cal moved to the southern door on the east end and opened it. It revealed a very nice formal library. There were a couple of shelves, a display case, and a table with a book opened on it. There was a door in the west all of that room. Simon moved back in the main room and kept an eye on the double doors in the main room. Cal opened the door in the western wall of the library. It opened into a very nicely appointed bedroom. There was no one there. In the display case, there were some little finely crafted ornamental items. They are probably worth something. Eryn checks the chest in the library for traps. Finding none, she opened it. It mostly contained writing supplies. The desk didn't have any secret compartments but there was an operational ledger on top. A detailed roster of men and disposition of units. She noted that a lot of the units had been wiped out. References to supplies needed and requisitions written out for supplies. Angelique looked through the bookshelves and found books on all manor of things. Books on herbology to the history of halflings and such. There were some novels that people had written. There are also a lot of fables as well. 

Cal searching the bedroom finds clothing shirts and robes and even a suit of armor, studded leather. It looks nice but it does have the emblems of Sahn on it. And there were some boots. There was another chest, Eryn checked it, then picked it, and then she opened it. She found couple of potions and couple of scrolls. Angelique checked the scrolls. One was a scroll of Restoration and the other was a Protect from Good. The wo new potions were potions of extra healing. The other 4 potions included on of healing, two of extra healing, and the fourth one she wasn't sure of. She'd never seen one like it before. Symon was looking at the big double doors and decided that if there were a map room, then it would likely be behind those doors. Eryn took one last look through everything for any secret compartments and found nothing. The book on the table was a book of fables. Eryn listened at the big double doors and heard nothing. Not content with that, she took a dagger and while listening, slid it across the door listening for any reaction. She didn't hear anything. She checked the door for traps and didn't hear anything. She tried to pick it and failed the first attempt but got it on the second attempt. Xor opened the door with everyone backing him up. The door opens to a barrier of black. There was no wall, floor, or anything, just a dark void. Eryn grabbed a candlestick holder with a set of three candles and, lit them, and used a poker from the fireplace to push it through the door. It vanished in the darkness. She reversed the poker andf pulled the candle sticks back out. They came back out and were unchanged. She put her head into the darkness and saw darkness. She pulled her head back explaining that it was very dark still. Symon cast a light spell and sent it into the room but it disappeared without lighting anything. That shouldn't have happened with any darkness spell. Eryn put a foot in and slid it across the floor, it felt solid. Cassandra used her blind fighting skill and slowly moved into the room. They gave her a rope and she held up a shield and moved in. After a moment, the rope went slack. Eryn called out, Cassandra, what do you see? She got no response.

Cassandra, about 5 feet in, became a little weak, she dropped the rope and started losing focus. She lost all desire to go anywhere, escape, go forward, or go back. There were little wispy lights. She just sort of stopped and did nothing. 

Everyone else still knew nothing about what was going on. The rope came back out as they pulled o it. It hadn't been cut. It appeared she just dropped it or fell unconscious and couldn't hold it any more. Symon pitched a coin into the darkness but didn't hear anything. Cal looped the rope around himself, lit a torch, and walked in. He walked in so far and  suffered the same fate as Cassandra. He saw it was a temple to Sahn before his focus failed and he also saw Cassandra. Outside the room, they felt the rope stop advancing. Xor tried a little tug a couple of times and got no response. When nothing happened, they started trying to pull him back. They were able to without any problems but he came out in a sort of dazed trance. They tried several things but couldn't get a response from him. Symon and Angelique discussed several things that might allow them to remain normal inside the room. The only thing that sounded like it might help was the Tinkle amulet. Angelique already had it on so they tied her off and sent her in. She walked in and as she walked out of the darkness and saw the room, she noticed the amulet glowing. She had no problem in the room and took Cassandra's hand and walked her out. Exiting, they tried pouting the necklaces on Cal and Cassandra which broke their trances. They explained to each of them what appeared to happen. They described what had happened to them. 

Angelique and Eryn put the Amulets on and went back in so Angelique could begin blessing the room. Inside the room, the noticed the eyes on the skulls on the table had glowing green eyes. Angelique used her staff to knock them off. As they clattered to the ground, they broke and their eyes stopped glowing. When all were broken, the darkness dropped away, they could hear everyone, and their amulets stopped glowing. Angelique took steps to try to remove the evil in the room. They checked for secret doors. She didn't find anything. She went back into the previous room and examined the walls to see if she ciuld tell if there was an extra space in the southern wall but couldn't determine that. They found nothing else in the room of interest. Cal searched for secret doors also and found nothing. Cal went back to the long hallway and found a privy. 

They went back out to the main hallway and to the double doors in the middle of the western wall. The door had artwork on it but no writing. Eryn listened but heard nothing. She checked the door and found it not locked. Xor moved up and opened the door finding Mathias and Yoakum on the other side of a large table with a very detailed map carved into it. The room was very wide and about 90 feet deep. There were three big windows, pillars, highly polished white floors, plants, fountains, and chairs. There are stone seats with pillows on them. In each window is a telescope. Mathias looked up and said, "Damnit, can't anybody get anything right. KILL THEM!". There was also another person beside the two, built more like Xor. Obviously a fighter of sorts. The fight began. Mathias cast a spell right off. Xor was gripped with fear and fled. Angelique cast Aid on Cal. Yoakum cast a spell at Cassandra and Eryn firing blue darts of magic missiles at them. Both were hit. Symon moved up, saying, " I think we've found your captures!", as he passed George Mary. He moved up to a safe location preparing to cast on the next turn. The fighter man ran up, heavily armored, and attacked Xor missing him. Xor turned and ran south down the hallway. Cal moved up to engage the big fighter. He was human. He hit him. Eryn fired on the fighter and missed. Cassandra moved up to engage but also missed.

Angelique Ran into the room and up to Mathias and attacked him before he could get his spell of hitting him and disrupted his spell with the staff of striking. She released 3 charges on him. Symon cast magic missile on Jarah hitting him. Mathias pulled out a mace and hit Angelique for quite a bit of damage. Cal hit Jarah again. Yoakum cast a spell (Ray of Enfeeblement) at Cassandra and she was weakened. Cassandra attacked with her long sword and was still able to swing it. She missed! Eryn fired on Jarah missing him. Jarah attacked Cassandra gain and missed. Cassandra hit him Jarah. Eryn hit him as well. Mathias missed with a second attack of his mace. Symon moved out nd fired magic missiles at Yoakum, breaking his spell. Angelique release maximum charges again on her staff of striking. Yoakum grabbed up the book and started running north in the room. Mathias yelled at him to bring it back. Cal hit Jarah again. Jarah was looking pretty bad. Mathias tried to hit Angelique again and missed. Cassandra took a hit form Jarah. Eryn fired on Jarah again, hitting him and dropping him. Eryn took her second shot at Mathias hitting him.

Symon ran in and ran north, he saw Yoakum in a room in the north. Yoakum was casting some sort of spell, creating a little spot of energy in front of himself that was growing. Symon ran up and punched him. It broke the spell. He thought he might have been trying to teleport away. Angelique hit Mathias again and almost dropped him. Eryn ran in swapping out her bow for a sword and saw Yoakum and ran up and hit him, killing him. She grabbed the book and put it away for the time being. Cal ran up to Mathias and hit him, almost broke Wormbane. He cut down Mathias. Everyone recovers from the spells cast on them and Eryn brought the map book in. The map on the table had more detail than any they had seen before. There were markers on the towns they were familiar with, Seaspire, Coldspire and even a large marker where they were. There was a scroll rolled up on the table. Looking at the map, they saw spires that they didn't know existed. Eryn gave Angelique the map book. The amulet glowed and the map notes became readable. There were also directions written that said,

From Ahn's port, seek the southern star
Three suns and moons will guide you far
To where the Eyes of three watch the sea
The middle one holds the secret key
 
Turn your prow to where the sun sets
Pass the isle where Tinuqua rests
Five more cycles of day and night
Until the sea turns to glassy light
 
No breeze will blow, no sail will fill
You must rely on your strength and will
But do not linger, do not despair
For dangers lurk in the silent air
 
A swirling maw will bar your way
Steer clear of its hungry spray
A misty veil will hide your goal
A ghostly ship will claim your soul
 
But if you brave the fog and fear
The island's shore will soon appear
Beware the rocks that guard the land
Only one path leads to the sand

They finally got their first view of how the world was really laid out. They also noticed that next to the marker where they wre and next to the marker at Sea Spire, Silver Spire, Port Ahn, Bilgeharbor, Sullen City, Grey Spire, and Winterhost. There is not one at Moonspire, or Stone Spire. On the world map, the saw one at Black Spire, Sun Spire, and Raven Spire. Fell Spire, Hell Spire and Dark Spire, they saw another symbol which was a yellow token. They bring George in and have him look at it. He knew the Emerald Coast, on down, very well. He said, "You see the Amber Gulf ladd? He said, believe it or not, there is a way to get from one side to the other. I know it and Captain Jesse Jack Johnson knows it. It's a secret. These bastards wanted that.". Symon asked, "They wanted to shorten that trip so the could get between the two?". "Yeah!", said George. Symon asked, "Do you know why?". George said, "Yeah, they kind of run a little pirating operation of their own. But I never showed it to them.". Angelique compared the island on the little map to the islands on the big map looking for a match. She didn't find one. They searched the room Yoakum had been using. They found a note and a letter. The note said,

I appreciate your offer to talk to my ex, Yoakum. However, if she is unwilling to listen to me, I think you might only end up annoying her and risking your own destruction. Let me deal with her, as she is very dangerous and self-righteous. Although she lacks political strategy, she more than makes up for it with her pure lust for Necromantic power. It's unfortunate that Mathias lost so many of his men at her hand. It was foolish on their part. It was truly none of their business. Ultimately, what she's attempting to do in the Vale will be of great use to us upon Styxltrix's return. Do not disclose you know anything more about her. Please keep me informed of any progress.

A.Z.


The letter said, 

Yoakum,

Your reports have been most encouraging. It is good to know the priests have put the intelligence I provided to good use. Hopefully, they will have her soon. We shall have the map finally unlocked! A word of caution for you and Mathias! Our nemesis is suspicious of our movements. He has sent that annoying imp to investigate and keep an eye on her. I should not be surprised if he turns up at some point in the near future. Beware of him! He is not the fool he pretends to be.

Things have proceeded here in Nox on schedule. Captain Hawthorn has continued to supply us with a steady flow of new slaves. They have completed repairs, and we have now reopened the city. Our minions are training and now equipped with weapons and armor sent from our friends in Hellspire.

I have taken up residence in Blackspire and moved our brethren into the spire. It is being fortified and secured with magic daily.

Continue your mission. Report to me as planned and assist Mathias in any way you can.

I look forward to your future reports.

Aphobis Zudalnath


When Symon saw the name Aphobis Zudalnath, he recognized it as that of the head of the necromantic school. Symon knows that Aphobis sits on the Order with Angelique's grandfather. Angelique said, "So he's the one inside the order that is doing the wrong stuff then!". These notes also link Aphobis directly with Xantha and what she is doing. The question of the imp's identity is still up in the air. It was suggested that Tinkle might be the imp but there is little evidence of that. They searched Mathias finding a very nice set of armor, a mace, a ring, some interesting looking gauntlets, a potion that looks familiar, another potion that looks familiar, and an empty potion bottle. The glasses he is wearing look very unique. He also had a holy symbol of Sahn which nobody wanted. There is no money on him. Yoakum had a ring, cloak, and a wand. They searched the rooms and found nothing in Yoakums room. In the southern room, there was a bed and a cot in it. They picked up a scroll form the table which was a copy of the table map. The potions she pulled off of Mathias were potions of extra healing and a potion of invisibility. Symon looked out of each telescope without moving them. From one of them he saw the outline of possibly some ruins. It was foggy so he couldn't be sure. The next one he looked through was pointed at something out in the vale, the fog is making it hard to tell what it is. He stared at it some more and finally thought it might be a ship. Maybe the downed airship. The last one was pointed up above the mist and gave a clear picture of the mountains. They looked very cold, very rugged, vey jagged, and massive.

Eryn suggested we take at least one of the telescope. Everyone looked through them before they took them and to get familiar with where the spots were, especially the airship. 

They have a week or so to reach Lundor.

Angelique tried to figure out what this other potion was. She tasted it but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Symon checked it and he felt it was something beneficial but couldn't put his finger on it. 

That is where the stopped.

Start the recorder!


Exp: 1000 + 100 = 1100 
	600 + 60 = 660 
	= 1760 total