Tag: traps

Report 23: The Temple of Shar…Mask

On By ravonlockeIn Journal, SvalaLeave a comment

The Riddle

  • We head down into the Valley of Lost Honor.
  • We were given a riddle about the location of Shar’s temple: Seek a place of rest, where the serpent’s head calls to shadow.
  • Dendar was sealed within these mountains by Ubtao, and Cover of Clouds points out a cleft where there is always more darkness.
  • Acid rain begins in the valley so we hunker down for the night.
  • On our way to the crescent-shaped cleft the next day, the ground begins to shake, and lava erupts from the ground.
  • We all get off the ground one way or another to avoid further lava and race across the open field. Except Shohei who just runs.
  • When we enter the cresent at midday, we all take to the air again as a Lava Worm emerges.
  • I banish it for a minute as we race away, avoiding what would have been a massive amount of burnt flesh.
  • From our high vantage point in this escape, we notice the shape of a serpent’s head in the mountains and land at the place of our riddle.
  • We find an open basin area where darkness clings.
  • In the darkness of night, we see the shape of the Temple to Shar emerge – an obelisk in shape, with no entryway.

The Temple of Entrance

  • The Shar symbol is clear, but the sides are all smooth.
  • There are divination, illusion, and enchantment effects present.
  • Even Mr. Darkfoot cannot see inside.
  • I remember an old Ritual of Admittance for Shar clerics – requiring an awful act to seal a secret with Shar.
  • I commune with Oghma to see if there is another way inside than murder.
  • He says we can all get inside without having to each perform the ritual, one of us could and get us all in, but even that is not necessary.
  • Ms. Lendiel tries to dig around the structure.
  • Mr. Trisfir bleeds on it a little.
  • Ms. Lendiel suggests sharing our secrets and Mr. Trisfir tries telling of the deaths of his parents.
  • Mr. Darkfoot asks Ms. Lendiel to bring out the Manifold of Mask that we stole out of the library for just this purpose.
  • Once activated, purple-green smoke pours forth, filling the area.
  • Ms. Lendiel can now see a doorway and calls us all over.
  • Shohei and Mr. Darkfoot find and disarm traps, allowing us entry into a very long stairwell.

Into the Depths

  • Going down the stairs takes quite a long time.
  • The coolness is a nice relief from the heat of the jungle and volcanic plain outside.
  • They foyer of the temple is full of skeletal corpses – killed with fists and teeth and rocks.
  • We push further into the temple through doors and hallways.
  • To a room with broken bookshelves and glass shards – which form into golems, whom we smash back to bits.
  • Moving on, we find a hall of mosaics of battles between the gods, which RoK and I dutifully record.
  • The door at the end of this hall leads into a sanctuary with similar decorations and a 20 foot globe of darkness in the center.
  • The rest of the room is full of skeletal bodies, some armed and armored as Knights of Shar.

Globe of Darkness

  • The darkness emits illusion, enchantment, and abjuration auras to my Sight.
  • Tuppance flies in, but is immediately bitten by whatever resides within.
  • Ms. Lendiel says the dead here did not just fight each other.
  • As we study it more, it appears to have been created through divine intervention.
  • A force cage and darkness spell of incredible power to trap something.
  • We decide to leave it alone for now, but only find a barracks and kitchen area in the other direction.
  • It is decided to use the Manifold in the morning on the globe of darkness.
  • After resting, we return and the revealing smoke of the Manifold eats away both the darkness and the force cage.
  • Revealing coiled white serpents seemingly made up of thousands of worms, including skulls for hands dripping even more worms.
  • After a terrible fight, we put down these abominations.

Mask’s Secret

  • Ms. Lendiel looks around with the lingering smoke after the fight, but no vault or entrance to one appears.
  • Mr. Darkfoot inspects the murals here and in the hall.
  • Questdrone looks for logical inconsistencies and finds instead a section about hearth and home being a place of security.
  • We return to the hearth in the kitchen area of the barracks.
  • There is a still-warm flue in the cooking hearth, but we will need the Manifold to access it, so must wait another day.
  • RoK and I record as much information as we can.
  • The rogue crew gets us through a door in the hearth the next morning.

Mask’s Trials

  • We head down a hallway to a a larger corridor with a Sphinx above the entryway, who invites us to Mask’s Trials.
  • The first trial is to answer riddles correctly.
    • We do not do well on this trial, debating two answers which could both be true and inevitably choosing the wrong one twice of three riddles.
    • But we are given fights to make up for our lack of luck: three gorgons the first time, and two iron golems on the third riddle.
  • The second trial involved a golden goat statue that sets off a blast of energy and move ten feet when approached.
    • They all investigate it and the door at the end of the hall.
    • Mr. Darkfoot finding the most important part of this puzzle, an arrow inside the goat that he can turn with his mage hand.
    • Shohei is then able to follow it at a safe-ish distance, causing it to shove itself right up to the door.
    • But he moves it too far, and there’s no pressure plates between it and the door to set it off again.
    • Mr. Trisfir manages to slam a sword down between the goat and the door enough to trigger another blast, destroying the door and moving the goat out of our way.
  • The third trial is a room full of rugs, many nailed to the floor.
    • Mr. Darkfoot sends Tuppance to investigate, and he is immediately wrapped up and crushed by a rug.
    • Shohei sends a Mage Hand floating in, but the rugs do not react.
    • We quickly discuss fire, flying, pointy sticks, and Eldritch Blast.
    • Mr. Darkfoot settles on blasting all the rugs and we find a path across.
    • Tuppance and Mr. Darkfoot go first, then Ms Lendiel – and they open the far door together.
    • The rest of us follow with no incidents.
  • The fourth trial is a room with steel cubes on pedestals and an eye shining down blue light from above of each one.
    • Ms. Lendiel sticks an elbow into the nearest blue light and her arm withers in a green flash.
    • Shoehei turns a Mage Hand invisible and sends it in to touch the box with no resulting flash, but only for a moment, for a white flash sends lightning shooting out in the next.
    • Mr. Darkfoot uses his special sight to look inside the boxes and finds one with a key inside.
    • Shohei tries to use a Mage Hand to unlock the box, but it takes a couple tries and the key is no longer inside by the time he opens it.
    • Mr. Darkfoot shrinks down and misty steps into the box that now holds the key, then resumes normal form, exploding out of the box head first.
    • This causes the eyes to all blink, the ceiling to shift, and all the eyes to refocus upon the door at the far end.
    • After some attempts with Tuppance and Mage Hand, rogue crew eventually gets the far door unlocked.
    • But how to get through is discussed, because the eyes are still open and deadly.
    • I try a Tiny Hut but it is immediately dispelled.
    • Shohei tries to cover an eye with a cloth, but it is incinerated, she he attacks, but nothing happens.
    • I cast another Tiny Hut, and it works for the moment, so we all rush through.
  • To be greeted by the fifth trial – a nice friendly tavern with five patrons and a barkeep.
    • We all stare awkwardly for a few minutes while we are ignored by everyone here.
    • Until Ms. Lendiel notices they are discussing a key – perhaps for the very large lock to what would normally be a kitchen door.
    • It seems we must talk to each of these folks to solve the puzzle of who has the key, but may only ask once about it.
    • I leave this discussion to the rogue for whom it was designed, and go have a nice drink and dinner with Mr. Trisfir.
    • Eventually Mr. Darkfoot steals the key off of a man named Davies, and Shoehei unlocks the door, dispelling the tavern and the slight buzz I had managed to achieve.
  • The sixth trial is a dragon on a golden horde. Mr. Trisfir believes it is an aspect of Bahamut himself, though why that would be true I cannot fathom.
    • There are several paths here, but fortunately, we decide to sneak past the dragon, though Yorgen needs a bit of convincing from Mr. Mandamus.
  • The final trial is the Vault itself.
    • We emerge from the dragon’s lair onto a glass staircase surrounded by darkness, above a massive vault which we can see into from above.
    • Axel falls out of his book in this room and everyone can see both my and his secret books.
    • No one asks too many questions though.
    • They are too distracted by Mask addressing us, I think, congratulating us and saying he is proud of how we meet and passed each challenge. Saying that nothing is out of our grasp now, and that he wishes to meet us, though not really in person per se.
    • He speaks in our minds then, asking me what I want most, and gets offended when I compare him to Mystra, eventually asking for power.
    • He asks me to keep the group from taking more than one thing each and he will provide.
    • I do my best, but someone gets greedy – I knew they would – am surprised it was only one.
    • Mask scolds that a good rogue knows restraint and wishes us luck as the floor opens up and everything begins to collapse.
    • We run and manage to escape the temple somehow, before it all explodes, showering the area with gold.
  • Done with this place, I teleport us all back to Candlekeep, the others will just have to find a way back where they want to go.

Report 20: The High Mythal of Candlekeep

On By ravonlockeIn Journal, SvalaLeave a comment

The Library of the Mythal

  • The crescent room is lined with bookshelves which are full of lore and history of the High Mythal seen through the viewing wall.
  • A central dais in the room holds the symbol of Candlekeep and the names of the mages who worked to harness the Mythal’s power.
  • The Mythal itself stands below, occasionally sending sparks of power out to metal and stone slates rotating in the air around it.
  • These slates covered in magical runes and spell work, I immediately set ROK to copying down what he can see.
  • The others investigate the books, while I study the spells.
  • Ms. Lendiel tells us that it is called “Eternal Knowledge Through Which Time Holds No Command.”
    • She says it used to be bigger, more chaotic, and colorful.
    • They harnessed it, causing it to shrink and come under control.
    • I don’t know that it likes being controlled, the green looks sad somehow.
    • I cross check with the books she has found, to pinpoint how long ago the vision in my dream was and start writing down names
    • None of them sound familiar, and there is no record of his accident.
  • I want to get closer to the Mythal, we’ve gotten this far, and we weren’t told Not to get close, just that we should be Able to, and to be careful if we do somehow manage it.
  • I’m not the only one, but there are several objections, so we decide to sleep on it.

Entering The Mythal Room

  • He is there, in my dreams, older, sadder, alone – Who Are You? What do you want?
  • Sleeping has only made Mr. Darkfoot, Shohei, and Ms. Lendiel more interested in getting past the viewing wall.
  • Questdrone and Ms. Rosewood enter a Rope Trick, wanting nothing to do with the Mythal.
  • The rest of us study the magic protecting it, these are high level protections.
    • But we can see a way to interact; it will be extremely dangerous, but possible.
    • My first attempt is nearly catastrophic, causing the light in the room to flash and dim.
    • With a little more care, and assistance, I crack the first level of protections, bringing the door itself into reality.
    • Mr. Darkfoot, Shohei, and Mr. Trisfir manage to sidestep the traps on the door together.
  • The window becomes solid, and a wooden door is available to be opened – disappearing when it does.
  • The resonant hum of the Mythal washes over us, almost like a song, welcoming us to come closer.
  • Ropes are tied together and Shohei lowers us down – Me, Ms. Lendiel, Mr. Darkfoot, and then climbs down himself, with Mr. Trisfir managing the rope from above.

The High Mythal of Candlekeep

  • I sit down against the wall, recording every bit of spellwork I can see.
    • The hum is uncomfortable down here, but I start up a Detect Magic ritual to better examine everything. This causes a very strange smell to float around me.
    • A ring of crystals around it states the name Ms. Lendiel found above, and is inscribe with the Rules of the Library.
    • The slates are each emanating a single school of magic, and also contain the Rules of Candlekeep.
    • The Mythal itself is an absence of these schools, rather pouring out raw magic, it appears a bright void to the detect spell.
    • The other three begin to approach the Mythal, I caution them, and wish I could, as well, but touching it is not being careful.
    • Mr. Darkfoot is thrown from his feet, and I hurry to stabilize him.
    • The other two slump, but look satisfied with whatever happened.
    • Mr. Darkfoot wants to try again, so I cast Deathward on him, and hand him my amulet of health to borrow for the duration.
    • He has more success this time, but none of them will tell me what happened.
    • I must not touch it without permission, no matter how much I wish to, the Tome Keeper said he would get me access to other mythals. Perhaps when I know more.

Report 19: To The Mythal

On By ravonlockeIn Journal, SvalaLeave a comment

A Game of Life and Chess

  • Rushing through the hallway before the glyph resets, we come upon a strangely appointed room.
  • The floor appears to be a chessboard, but the pieces all lie broken and crumbled.
  • Four broken pawns appear to have large crystals jutting out from them at random spaces around the board.
  • And a living set of armor stands in the center with sword and shield, all radiating with magic – more living spells it seems.
  • When we enter, a wall of force springs up behind us and laughter rings out and we are greeted by the living statue: “You dare to enter the realm of Mordenkainen? Have at thee!”
  • The transformed statue only attacks those how step onto the chessboard, so I stay well off, sending ROK to deliver spells that I cannot.
  • The crystals all light up at once, but not in the same colors, and each color seems to indicate a different spell, which affects everyone on the board.
    • Green: Healing
    • Scintilating Blue: Haste
    • Sticky Purple: Slow
    • Bright Blue: Dispel Magic
    • Bright Purple: Faerie Fire
    • Gold: Shield of Faith
  • Shohei manages to disarm the statue, sending the magical sword spinning off into a wall, but it manifests a sword from pure magical energy.
  • He also manages to send the shield off the board, allowing everyone to hit easier.
  • I finally dissipate the transformed statue with a simple spell after they have nearly destroyed it.
  • Once destroyed, the force walls behind and before us fall, letting water rush back in.
  • We quickly pick up the pieces, heal up and move along.

Through the Caverns

  • The next hall is full of traps, but Mr. Darkfoot makes quick work of them after a dispel on the overarching protection.
  • The next room is full of boxes and crates, despite my protestations, the group begins immediately stealing money, gems, spell components, and a magical belt.
  • Further along we run into a group of frenzied sahuagin eating their own dead.
  • Sensing our blood, however, they immediately turned on our group with an intense viciousness.
  • Shohei falls, but is not devoured, and after a very rough battle, I am able to return his soul to his body, for it had only gone into his ring.
  • A little futher along, we reach our destination, a small library overlooking Candlekeep’s Mythal.
  • Wait… I… oh… oh no…

Report 18: Catacombs and Caverns

On By ravonlockeIn Journal, SvalaLeave a comment

Meeting Miirym

  • Miirym speaks to us in their own language, asking us to identify ourselves as they smell the Keeper’s magic, but not him.
  • I offer up the Writ as proof of permission to be here.
  • They tell us it has been a long time since the collections were added to, and welcome us to the catacombs, showing us their translucent form that was once a great silver dragon.
  • They will not keep us from our search but bid us leave all as we find it, for they are proud of their organization of materials.

The Catacombs

  • We are now surrounded by the dead of Candlekeep, Avowed laid to rest after a lifetime of service.
  • The first exit we find leads to an antechamber to the tombs – another way in for a different purpose – a room with altars and tables to prepare the dead.
  • Further on we find a massive room with spiraling walkway going both up and down.
  • Bookshelves, passageways, and several large double doors fill this space.
  • We decide to start at the very top and work our way down.
  • The top door sets of a Banshee Scream, but we are all well away and safe.
  • The path beyond leads to a room full of doors and passageways.
  • The first room is full of ravens, and the second that same impossible decrepit tavern, so we stop checking doors and head back down the spiral.
  • The second door is much hard to open, and Mr. Darkfoot gets ensorcelled and kills Tuppance and tries to attack Ms. Rosewood, but I dispel the magic on him.
  • When we get through, it leads us to a a room with thousands of glowing crystals and a singular podium.
  • These are Crystals of Notation – we have found the Echoes of Alaundo.
  • We head back out and further down, to the very base of the spiral.
  • The next door paralyzes Questdrone, and Mr. Darkfoot has to fix him before we can proceed.

The Chamber of Lost Lore

  • A spherical room with sloped ceiling and a deep basin with a prayer circle in the middle and full bookshelves all around the edges.
  • The ceiling holds a beautiful mosaic of the Library above.
  • The books, we discover, hold lore about Candlekeep itself.
  • One tells us that the prayer circle is used by the Avowed to speak to the spirit of Candlekeep itself to ask questions.
  • Looking through the books reveals much of this storied institution and the great mythal below.
    • It was crafted in the time of Mystra, before such magics were banned.
    • It is a True Mythal, made by the ancient elves.
    • It was found here, buried deep within the ground, and an ancient citadel once stood where Candlekeep now stands.
    • Through the work of Archmages and master craftmen, the housing units were created to drawn upon its power through the weave itself.
    • However, the power can only be drawn short distances, and this has set the boundaries of the Library.
    • The housing units are the programming, setting the rules, and there were a number of mishaps early on.
    • The mythal itself refuses to be used for violence or conflict and the first Candlekeep crumbled to dust when this was attempted.
  • Mr. Trisfir agrees to ask questions on my behalf, as I have yet to put myself forward to officially become avowed and we discuss what it is we will ask for quite a while.
  • When he meditates and then casts the spell, the room darkens, the mosaic above alights, and a wispy, humanoid figure with fiery hair manifests above the basin.
    • Where can we find books about True Mythals? In many places throughout the Library, but for the books we seek, we must go to the library by the main housing units near the Library’s Mythal.
    • How do we get there? There are three passageways, but we must take the 5th door to the vaults, and turn away from the sea, to the place furthest into the cliff.
    • Where might we find information on the human mages who most worked with True Mythals? The very same place.
    • What dangers might we face on our way there? The caverns themselves are a deterrent; the doors uniquely trapped, and the Mythal itself protected by a prismatic wall and other high level magics.
    • Mr. Darkfoot asks for the final question, as I have no others. How could we bypass the prohibition on interdimensional travel within the Library? The spirit shows how a specific housing unit might be altered to allow such a thing. I am concerned what he might do with this information.
  • Ms. Lendiel asks for privacy as she speaks to the spirit, so we drop a silence on those of us not in her immediate circle and rest while she speaks with the spirit.
  • After, we all take a long rest to recover ourselves from the long trek down here, and in preparation for the final thrust down into the caverns.
  • When we return to the spiral room, Miirym is waiting and asks of us what we have learned, but Mr. Trisfir tells them simply information on where to go next.
  • Mr. Darkfoot unlocks the final door, and Miirym comments on his skill, reminding us all not to steal anything.

The Caverns Below

  • Greeted by stale rotting air and sea water, we slip and slide our way down to strange unnatural rock formations.
  • Turning inland, away from the sea, we find irregularly lit caverns and tunnels.
  • The first large room we find contains a strange, glowing, amorphous shape at the center.
  • Looking carefully, it appears to be a living spell – perhaps a Prismatic Spray.
  • As soon as we enter it attacks, and will not be dispelled, but Shohei manages to destroy it, and several of us are caught in the resulting explosion.
  • Some quick magic keeps Ms. Rosewood from turning to stone and we continue on.
  • The next room is a large library, but Ms. Lendiel finds many pressure plates througout.
  • Mr. Darkfoot marks them to keep us safe, disabling them as he can.
  • There is a glyph of warding beyond the exit that he studies while we check out the books.
  • Ms. Lendiel said they were safe, but one sends out a pulse of energy that curses everyone.
  • Meanwhile, Mr. Darkfoot attempts to dispel the glyph, but when he fails, Questdrone orders us all back and sets it off himself, absorbing a chain lightening all himself.
  • We rush through the hall as the tide begins to roll in.

Report 17: Into the Undercroft

On By ravonlockeIn Journal, SvalaLeave a comment

Meeting with the Keeper of Tomes

  • Keeper Janussi summons me to his office.
  • He has a writ of permission for myself and the group to go down into the Undercroft in search of information on mythals.
  • He tells me that the magics down there respond to those who come, and rise to challenge them.
  • He cautions that we must be mindful of Miirym and play into their beliefs.
  • He warns that while we should not be able to get close to the Library’s mythal, that should it happen anyway, we should be very careful.
  • He asks I give him a full report when we return, and should it be good enough, he might be able to get me access to nearby mythals of slightly less power.

The Basement of Doors

  • We gather up in the morning and head to the Restricted Section of the Library.
  • The guard there inspect our writ, and advise me to give one tassel to each party member, who must stay within 120 feet of me at all times.
  • We head down into the catacombs and first come upon a high vaulted room filled with shelves, crates, case, tables and chairs.
  • An altar to Oghma is at the far end, I offer a prayer to guide our quest for knowledge.
  • The rogue crew begins checking the doors for our path further down.
  • The first is full of pots and pans, the next door reveals a ratman bathing, the third door leads to stacks of books.
  • We find a path leading east and down, to a glass-domed laboratory.
  • Here, the doors lead to falling wine racks, an impossible decrepit tavern, and people who try to pull Questdrone in until he slams the door.
  • Shohei objects and disappears into this room for a short while, returning unhurt, but very tired.
  • Ms. Lendiel finds us a passage going further down to a room with statues eerily resembling golems.
  • The doors here lead to a narrow hatch going upward and a room full of buttons, and a passage further down.
  • Heading down we find a room full of mist, with several doors.
  • One to a room with a spying coin on a table, and one with a small dark floating sphere of annihilation in it. Mr. Darkfoot must be convinced to leave it be, and I fear he may try to come back for it another time.
  • There is also a stairway up, but it leads us to an airvent overlooking the Court of Air, but is magically protected from being used as an exit.
  • Having to backtrack at this point, we search more carefully, and Ms. Lendiel finds a moving bookcase with a downward chute behind it.
  • We all feather fall down together, a total of thee hundred feet to the bottom, into a room full of socks.
  • This room has but one door with a stone carving of a dragon attacking a keep, perhaps this is the greath Miirym’s battle against Candlekeep.
  • Mr. Darkfoot disarms and unlocks this door, and we head further on.
  • There are several passages and a door beyond, this doorway revealing a vast chasm with a singular bridge guarded by a minotaur, who appears to be feasting on part of a horse.
  • Questdrone speaks to him and discovers he his guarding the bookcase on the far side and will not be moved from his task.
  • Mr. Darkfoot and Questdrone begin to cross, but the minotaur shakes the bridge so badly, that Mr. Darkfoot must enter his book.
  • Questdrone is able to duck and dodge his way past the minotaur to the far side, though I worry they are getting outside the protective range of the writ.
  • They take all of the books they discover on the far side, including a Tome of Clear Thought, and make their way back, quite injured by the minotaur, but he stays his post on the bridge and does not pursue them.
  • I fear we are taking things that would rather stay in their places, but the others assure me that locked away is no place for such a powerful Tome.
  • We head down again, and the air grow hot and dry, and there is the sound of breathing.
  • Perhaps we have found Miirym at last.