A Mystical Door and the Evil Book (Session 2)

Summary

After dealing with the wolves in the grassy courtyard of Caldwell Castle, the party wondered why the animals had been there at all. The locked outer gate made it seem possible that the wolves, goblins, kobolds, and other creatures had been trapped inside rather than merely squatting there. Mira thought something about the place was wrong, and Stinky seemed to agree as the group prepared to search the doors leading from the courtyard.

They began with one of the southern rooms and found a ruined bedroom filled with debris, rotting refuse, and a torn bed. Stinky jumped into the garbage to rummage while Elanduil searched beneath the bed and found a large sack. He asked Stinky to fetch it. Mira was not pleased, but Elanduil explained that Stinky could simply reach it more easily than he. The sack contained three hundred silver pieces and ten gold pieces. Another ruined bedroom nearby revealed nothing useful, but beyond the northern door the party found three rust-brown kobolds armed with primitive spears and ready for a fight.

Auriel and Faela rushed in to face the kobolds while Elanduil and Mira tried to find clear shots. Herbert Trebreh muttered that the ley lines were not favorable and stayed back, holding Stinky out of danger. One kobold struck Faela, while another’s weapon broke. Mira shot one dead, and Lex, unwilling to fight an unarmed foe, threw a dagger to the kobold whose spear had broken and challenged it to die with honor. Auriel and Faela killed the remaining kobolds, but the group found only poor weapons and no treasure.

North of the kobold room, the party entered a darker corridor where the fresh air of the courtyard gave way to stale dust, mold, and damp stone. Elanduil heard an occasional single step echoing nearby and opened an eastern door carefully. Inside, he saw a closed storeroom crowded with bedrolls, personal gear, a nervous donkey, and lurking bandits. As the fight broke out, a hidden enemy attacked Faela from behind. Elanduil, Lex, Auriel, Mira, and Faela fought through the ambush while Herbert stayed back with Stinky. He did, at least, suggest that the energies and lay lines suggested a more favorable outcome this time. The bandits were slain, leaving little of value beyond a short sword and ordinary gear.

Lex took an interest in the donkey, wondering how it had been brought into the castle and whether another entrance existed. He treated the animal as a companion and considered names for it, including Justice Donkey. The party searched nearby rooms and eventually found what seemed to be a guard tower with arrow ports, damaged weapon racks, and an old statue of an armored figure. Nearby stood a heavy iron-banded wooden door unlike the others. It was pristine, sealed without keyhole or latch, and marked by a blue sigil that flared with power while a faint hum vibrated through the stone.

Stinky trembled near the sealed door and called it bad sky magic. Herbert consulted Barnaby but could not yet explain it, and Elanduil’s attempt to speak to the door did nothing. After searching nearby walls, statues, and racks without success, the party moved on. Behind another door, a giant shrew attacked with blinding speed and bit Elanduil hard enough to drop him. The others killed the creature, and Elanduil was bandaged and healed enough to continue. Across from the magical door, the group entered an old guard chamber and found a journal marked with the symbol of Tharizdun, which Auriel recognized and sensed as wrong.

The journal described a terrible ruby-red light falling over White Box Valley and the Palace of the Silver Princess. The land was turning into jagged red crystal, the princess was trapped beneath her altar, and the palace guards had become hollow, stony things. The writer had fled south to Caldwell Castle, warning that shrines were turning black, holy water was boiling into poison, and the corruption would spread unless a true champion of the Light destroyed the crystalline heart in the valley. Lex sensed the blight described in the journal was active and malignant. Auriel copied the key entries so they would not need to carry the book, and Lex suggested the party adopt the name Champions of Light, though not everyone welcomed the idea.

After resting in the room where the donkey had been found, Herbert prepared read magic and examined the sealed door again. He determined that the sigil was tied to a northern mountain pass, Haven, and something beyond the Duke’s Keep. The magic was far beyond his ability to break. When he brought his hand close, an icy shock snapped across his fingers and the sigil flared aggressively. The door was not merely locked but completely shut down by powerful magic, and forcing it would be useless without the caster’s key or a very powerful dispelling. Unable to enter, the party searched onward, finding ten gold pieces in one room and, in another, a spider that bit Faela before Elanduil killed it. The room also held several gems and a pearl.

Farther along, the group found a small chapel where an armored priestess of Olidammara knelt at an altar. Auriel identified her faith, and Lex sensed no evil in her. The priestess surrendered, revealed a hidden compartment beneath the altar containing two healing potions, and explained that she had tended to the wounds and spiritual needs of those in the castle, though they had little respect for the sacred. She knew of kobolds, wolves, beasts, rats, fire beetles, and human bandits. Lex insisted she leave the fortress, urged her to consider Heironeous, gave her money for the road, and made clear it was not a donation to Olidammara. She gathered her belongings and left by candlelight.

The party continued searching room by room. They killed a group of stirges, found a drained body, and recovered gems from the creatures’ nests. More empty storage rooms followed before they reached an old kitchen, where Elanduil found and disarmed a trap on a leather-bound chest. Inside were arrows of fire and unusually fine arrows, which Mira and Elanduil divided while Herbert planned to ask Barnaby later whether the finer arrows were magical. In a later chamber, They found a dead goblin that Stinky recognized as being from his tribe that had cast him out. The goblin had been killed by a cobra bite. Lex heard whimpering in a cabinet and discovered a terrified little goblin hiding inside. Mira treated her injury with a poultice, and Stinky gave her a biscuit, telling her to go quickly and not look back because the big tall lady would make the road safe behind her. The goblin fled, and Mira watched Stinky, clearly struck by what he had done, before pulling herself together as they continued on.

This is where the session ended.

Please start the recorder!

Exp: 117 + 12 = 129

Gold: 50 gps

Detail

After dealing with the wolves in the grassy courtyard of Caldwell Castle, the party considered why the animals had been there at all. The locked outer gate made it seem possible that the wolves, goblins, kobolds, and other creatures had been trapped inside rather than merely squatting there. Mira Thorn thought something about the place was wrong, and Stinky seemed to agree in his own way as the group prepared to search the doors leading from the courtyard.

They began with one of the southern rooms, the one on the western side. Elanduil listened at the door and heard nothing. Inside was a ruined bedroom, cluttered with broken debris, old rags, rotting refuse, and a torn bed. Stinky immediately jumped into the garbage and began rummaging. Elan searched beneath the bed and found a large sack. He asked Stinky to fetch it for him, and Stinky pulled it out from under the bed. Mira didn't seemed please that Stink was sent to fetch the bag but Elan explained that it was just simpler for someone his size to get under the bed to get it. The sack jingled when it hit the floor. Inside were three hundred silver pieces and ten gold pieces, which the group added to their growing collection of recovered coin.

The next room was another ruined bedroom, filled with broken wood, trash, and a dilapidated bed. A search revealed nothing useful. The party continued through the northern most door and found three small reptilian humanoids waiting in a cleared-out room. The creatures had rust-brown scales, small horns, and primitive spears. They did not call out, but they were ready for a fight.

Auriel Valden and Faela rushed in to engage the kobolds while Elanduil and Mira tried to get shots around the others. Herbert Trebreh muttered something about the lay lines not being favorable and stayed back, holding Stinky out of the fight. One kobold struck Faela, while another’s weapon broke in its hands. Mira found a clean angle and shot one kobold dead. Lex Valerious, unwilling to fight an unarmed foe, threw a dagger to the kobold whose spear had broken and challenged it to die with honor. Auriel and Faela pressed the attack, and the remaining kobolds were killed. The group searched the room but found only poor weapons and no treasure.

North beyond the kobold room, the party entered a darker corridor. The fresh air of the courtyard gave way to the stale smell of old dust, mold, and damp stone. Elanduil heard an occasional single stomp or step echoing somewhere nearby. He moved to the eastern door and opened it carefully. The stale air of a closed storeroom mixed with the smell of straw and animal musk. He saw a figure lurking inside and warned it to put down its weapon. When it did not obey, he kicked the door open and stepped back.

The room was crowded with bedrolls, personal gear, and a nervous donkey. Bandits were waiting inside, one of them hidden behind the door. Faela charged the visible enemy, only for the hidden leader to strike at her from behind. Another bandit rushed out toward Elanduil. The fight became chaotic in the doorway and around the cramped room. Elanduil, Lex, Auriel, Mira, and Faela fought through the ambush, while Herbert stayed back with Stinky. Things looked more favorable for this fight, he remarked, but he never managed to engage. The bandits were eventually slain. The party found little of value on them beyond a short sword and ordinary gear.

Lex took an interest in the donkey. Since the animal had apparently been brought into the castle somehow, the group wondered if there might be another way in or out of the fortress. Lex began treating the donkey as a companion and considered names for it, including Justice Donkey. The party searched the room west of that found an old storage space with broken pottery, empty containers, and little else.

In one area, farthest west, the party found what appeared to be a guard tower. It was a circular room with arrow ports around the wall, damaged weapon racks, and an old stone statue of an armored figure. Nearby, they discovered a heavy iron-banded wooden door unlike the rotted doors elsewhere in the castle. Its wood and iron looked pristine. A blue sigil flared across it, and a faint hum seemed to vibrate through the stone beneath their feet. There was no keyhole, latch, or obvious way to open it.

Stinky trembled near the door and called it bad sky magic. Herbert consulted Barnaby but could not immediately explain it. Elanduil tried speaking to the door, but nothing happened. The group searched the nearby statue, walls, and weapon racks for some clue or secret mechanism, but found nothing. They moved on.

Behind another door, a giant shrew sprang out and attacked with blinding speed. The fight went badly for Elanduil when the creature bit him hard enough to drop him. The others struck at it, and Auriel finally killed the shrew. Elanduil was bandaged and healed enough to get back on his feet. The party continued searching the area and found no hidden passage into the sealed room.

Across from the magical door, the group entered a larger chamber that had once served as a guard post. It contained sagging beds, wall pegs, an empty weapon rack, and a long desk. Crumpled holy vestments lay on the floor. In the desk, the party found a journal marked with a holy symbol. Auriel recognized the symbol as belonging to Tharizdun and sensed the wrongness of the book.

The journal described the White Box Valley, where a terrible ruby-red light had fallen over the Palace of the Silver Princess. The air smelled of ozone and copper. The earth was turning into jagged bloody crystal, the princess had been trapped inside a cage of solid red ice beneath her own altar, and the palace guards had changed into hollow, stony things. The writer had fled south and taken shelter in the Caldwell ruins among thieves and mercenaries, warning that local shrines were turning black and that the corruption would spread unless a true champion of light destroyed the crystalline heart in the valley.

= = = = = = = = = =

Excerpts from the Acolyte's Journal

The First Entry: "The sky over the White Box Valley broke today. A terrible, unnatural ruby-red light spilled from the heavens, pooling around the spires of the Palace of the Silver Princess. The high priests say it is a blessing, but the air smells of ozone and copper. The earth itself is beginning to calcify into jagged, bloody crystals. I can no longer feel the presence of the gentle gods here."

The Second Entry: "The corruption has taken the royalty. The Princess is trapped inside a cage of solid red ice beneath her own altar, her eyes wide with silent agony. The palace guards have mutated—their flesh hardening into reflective stone, their minds entirely hollowed out. I saw a flock of birds fly into the red glow; they shattered like glass when they hit the ground. I am leaving my vestments behind. I must flee south before the crystal takes my mind too."

The Third Entry: "Huddled in these wretched Caldwell ruins with common thieves and mercenaries. They think only of the gold left behind in the valley. They do not understand. The local shrines are turning black. The holy water boils into black poison. The light of the Silver Princess hasn’t just been snuffed out—it is being digested. If a true champion of the Light does not march north to smash the crystalline heart breaking that valley, this sickness will bleed across the entire realm."

= = = = = = = = = =

Lex read the journal and sensed that the corruption it described was not merely political or distant, but an active malignant blight. He covered the book and warned against handling such things carelessly. Auriel copied the important entries so they would not need to carry the original book. The discovery led Lex to suggest that the party adopt the name, "Champions of Light", though not everyone was enthusiastic about the title.

Herbert believed that, after resting, he might be able to prepare magic from Barnaby that would help him better understand the blue sigil. The party withdrew to the room where the donkey was found. They dragged the bodies out to the courtyard, and rested. Afterward, Herbert cast read magic and examined the sealed door again. He determined that the sigil was tied to a northern mountain pass, Haven, and something beyond the Duke’s Keep. The magic was far beyond his ability to break. When he brought his hand close, an icy shock snapped across his fingers, and the sigil flared aggressively. The door was not merely locked; it was completely shut down by powerful magic, and forcing it would be useless without the caster’s key or an extremely powerful dispelling.

Unable to enter the sealed room, the party continued searching Caldwell Castle. In one empty bedroom, they found ten gold pieces. In another room, a spider dropped from the ceiling and bit Faela, causing a painful wound. She resisted the poison, and Elanduil killed the spider. A search of the room uncovered several gems and a pearl, and Faela healed herself with magic.

Farther along, the group entered a room with benches, a small altar, and a woman in armor kneeling in prayer with a mace. She welcomed them and invited them to join her at the altar. Auriel recognized her as a priestess of Olidammara. Lex used his divine senses and did not find evil in her. The woman quickly offered to surrender and told them there was a hidden compartment beneath the altar containing two healing potions, which the party recovered.

The priestess explained that she had tended to the spiritual needs of those staying in the castle, including bandits and other rough occupants, but said they had little respect for the sacred. She claimed to know of kobolds, wolves, beasts, rats, fire beetles, and human bandits in the castle. Lex insisted she leave the fortress. He urged her to consider Heironeous instead of her own god, gave her money to help her journey, and made clear that the payment was not a donation to Olidammara. She gathered her belongings, took a candle for light, and left.

The party continued room by room. Behind one door, Elanduil heard the sound of small wings. Lex charged in expecting injustice and found stirges instead. The flying creatures attacked, but the party killed them quickly. A dead body lay in the room, apparently drained by the stirges. Elanduil searched their nests and found three gems.

Several more rooms proved empty or nearly empty, including storage rooms with crates and barrels and another chamber containing a stone statue of a shepherd. The party eventually reached an old kitchen with preparation tables, a rusty iron water pump, a cold iron stove, and a large leather-bound chest. Elanduil examined the chest and found a concealed trap built into the leather seams. He disarmed it successfully. Inside were bundles of arrows, including arrows of fire and a set of unusually fine arrows. Mira and Elanduil divided them between themselves, while Herbert expected he would need more time with Barnaby to determine whether the finer arrows were magical.

The party passed through a practice room with training dummies and an archery target, then opened another chamber lined with shelves and cabinets. In the middle of the floor lay a dead goblin with a horribly swollen arm. Stinky approached, recognized the tribal markings, and realized the dead goblin came from the same tribe that had cast him out.

Lex heard whimpering from a cabinet and opened it. A terrified little goblin was hiding inside. Stinky hurried to her and tried to comfort her, telling her that the big tall lady could help. Mira examined the dead goblin and determined that a cobra bite had killed him. The hidden goblin had also been injured, and Mira treated her with a poultice. The goblin said the cobra had been there but believed it was gone.

Stinky gave the little goblin a biscuit and told her to go quickly and not look back, saying the big tall lady would make the road safe behind her. The goblin fled. Mira watched Stinky afterward, clearly struck by what he had done, then pulled herself together.

This is where the session ended.

Please start the recording.

Exp: 117 + 12 = 129

Gold: 50 gps