21.01.2250 NG
The hulking skeleton advanced on the party, slicing though Erndoal and bringing tulip to his knees under a rain of razor sharp thrusts. To Throkk’s confusion his well-aimed spear jabs sailed through the creatures skull, and the half-orc began to suspect something was amiss. In a last ditch attempt to banish the guardian, Tulip cast invisibility on the skeleton, who blinked out of existence, leaving only an animated sword hovering in the air. The party then realised that the sword was the true enemy, and falling upon it throkk shattered the blade in pieces. Gritgoz spoke with the hound who told him this was his Masters tower, and warned the party to be careful of the flying sword. Throkk offered the mutt some delicious pocket bacon and named his new furry companion “Penelope”. Exploring the remains of the Tower, the party spoke to the prisoner to learn his name was “Taahir” and he had just bought this tower 2 weeks prior at auction for the princely sum of 50,000 gold pieces. Originally owned by a Kossovian wizard named Abel, on his passing the city were auctioning off his possessions. When Taahir went to explore his new home he must have inadvertently activated the towers security system, and found himself trapped in rather comfortable prison (complete with magic refilling ale cup and a plate that regenerated one slice of slightly stale white bread). He had seen Lorth a few days prior, and the toothless guide had agreed to find a way to release Taahir but had not returned. Taahir was quite convinced he was on a hill a few hours ride from Kossos and has never seen snow in his life.
Ascending the stairs that seemed to defy the laws of physics Tulip and Throkk found themselves at a large ornate wooden door – turning the handle to the left opened the doors to allows a gentle breeze caresses the heroes, carrying the sent of saltly air, hots sands and coconuts. Turning to the right opened to a bedroom, covered in books and alchemical equipment, the far wall laden with ornamental weapons including a large 8 foot spear in a glass case, the air heavy with the smell of stale meat. Naturally the party entered the less welcoming of the two rooms, and as Throkk picked his way across the room the temperature dropped suddenly as something triggered within the space. The shelves and crates burst open and the lumbering form of a Flesh Golem lurched forwards. Turning, Throkk saw the carpet zip out from under the chairs and speed through the air towards Tulip.
Flinging his spear at the construct, well aimed shot sank deep into the mountain of flesh, but the creature reached up and simply cracked the spear shaft away, impervious to the sharpened steel. Tulip rolled out of the carpets grasp as it attempted to wrap and suffocate him, and triggering Varaks ring he doused the rug in a bath of crimson flame. With no weapon, Throkk sprinted across the room , vaulting over a shelf and crashed through the glass case – crackling in his hand the enormous spear sailed through the air and sank deep into the golem’s back. Seemingly unharmed, The creature began to turn as Throkk bellowed with rage – the half orcs scream awakened something within the weapon and the runes flashed white hot causing the creature to bellow in agony, injured for the first time. Venting its fury on Tulip, the golem swung his massive meaty fist at the Bard, knocking him out and fracturing a few ribs in the process. Ernodal dived to Tulips aid and took a heavy blow to the head, preventing him from fully stabilising his dying friend. As Tulip lay bleeding out ,on 2 failed death saves, Throkk reached the Golem, rending the spear from its back. As his counter thrust found its target , the spear wailed vengeance for the fallen tulip and with a piercing explosion the golems head was torn off by the force of the strike.
As the party recovered, they found a hidden alcove with the personal memorabilia of the wizard, as well as a magic scroll that seemed like it might deactivate the towers defenses. Before returning to Taahir the party explored the second configuration of the room and found themselves standing on a beautiful beach, with the sobbing toothless figure of a very distressed Lorth waist deep in the ocean. Circumventing the elaborate puzzle the DM had planned by attaching a rope to the door handle, Throkk lead Lorth out of his beautiful seaside prison.
Lorth was very grateful for his rescue and needed little encouragement to fill the party in on his last few days – He had come to this tower to loot and explore. He was a woodsman and had been hired by a group of priests and judges 2 weeks prior to lead them through the deadwood. It was a dangerous place, full of foglets, drowners, water-hags and roving griffons, but an area he was confident he could safely navigate. The judges had payed him to keep quite, but he did remember an odd fellow with books and flasks who fit the description of the Alchemist Denes. After a little Throkk convincing, he agreed to lead the party through the deadwood the following morning.
Speaking to Taahir, the heroes agreed to deactivate he Tower and release Taahir on condition he would give the tower to them. After some tough negotiation, Taahir agreed to hand over the Tower to the heroes on condition that he could live there as the steward and that when he was able to acquire funds from Kossos he could purchase it back from them. In this way , he felt he was merely paying for his rescue, albeit initially in property.
After a long rest and slow hike through the deadwood ( Lorth painstakingly avoiding the fog which seemed to follow the party through the trees) the party find themselves hidden in the bushes outside a cave entrance in the mountains, the inner torch light sputtering and illuminating the hulking figure of a Judge standing guard, the orange glow dancing of the thick steel plate of his armour.
Journal Updates
Bestiary: Construct/ Flesh Golem, Phantasmal Sword, Skeletal guardian, Rug of Smothering.
Vaul -the world: The Behemoth
Materia Arcana: Chernobog ( First Legacy Item of the game)
Important Characters: Taahir