Session 21

DEATH IN THE GARDENS
Warmshade 16-18, 4433

Characters:

Gorr, Ranger 4
Robert the Swift, Fighter 4
Suba-Jin the Three-Handed, cleric of Hextor 4
Eric Withakay, Cleric of Solaris 4
Lord Fesgate, Fighter 3 (NPC)

The Mansion

The group entered Dimorites Mansion though huge granite doors. Inside they found a huge chapel to 137 Undivided - the entire Imperial pantheon. Lamps and censers remained perpetually lit, filling the room with faint light and spicy smells. A huge painting of the 11 gods graced the ceiling. A great stone hand stood at the back, in front of another painting of a terrible battle: Viridian armies with wizards & demons fought against armies of Tharbrians and the Invincible Overlord's troops. A two-headed, tentacled demon towered over the scene.

There were ten pillars in the room, each carved with a hand making a peculiar sign:
a closed fist, palm foreward
middle finger
the horns

full hand palm-out

bottom 2 fingers folded, facing down

index finger pointing up
thumb & index in a circle, backhanded
V for victory
thumb across palm, outwards

thumb tucked in, backhand

Suba-Jin tried to touch them in an order that might correspond to the gods on the ceiling mural. After the first four (V, fist, bottom 2 fingers folded, horns) the censers emitted a purple gas which sapped the group's strength! He tried again, touching another four (thumb & index circle, pointing, thumb across palm out, thumb tucked in backhand), but it drew the same mists and he fled the room. 

The group moved on. The other chapel door was locked so they walked along the porch, looking for other entrances.

In a small garden clearing beside the porch, they spotted several makeshift graves but decided not to investigate. The next clearing held a few dead bodies that looked like Dushan's Dervishes. Their armour & weapons lay scattered around. Robert & Eric went down to search the bodies when Eric began acting strangely, yelling that he was "sinking" and frantically pulling off his chainmail. While Robert puzzled over this, a shambling plant creature emerged from the undergrowth!

Its initial attack caught Eric unprepared. The plant slapped him with a tendril, enveloping his face in a cloud of pollen. He began to choke as he fled. Lord Fesgate and Robert fought it up-close while a barrage of missile attacks from Gorr and Suba-Jin ended it. After a slow poison spell, Eric's breathing wasn't getting any worse, but it wasn't getting better either. He could barely stand.

The group retreated to the pavilion with the magical fountain (from last session). There they found a pair of giant butterflies who guarded their favourite hangout jealously. The butterflies were destroyed by a wave of missile attacks and a burning hands spell (Suba-Jin's gift from his patron god Hextor) but not before a cloud of glittering pollen had poisoned everyone seriously. The group was in rough shape!

Drinking from the magic fountain didn't cure Eric, but it did slow two of the other party members. There was nothing for it, and the group tried to get out so they could have Eric's condition cured. They hustled out of the gardens, barely pausing to speak with a giant talking worm with a fucked-up voice that called itself Germander.

They dragged Eric through the tunnels under the streets and back to Sesto's work crew. Seeing the dire state the group was in, Sesto lent them a few of his wheelbarrows and agreed to meet them later at the Dragon's Eye. They ran through the streets of Cliffside, hoping against hope... but it wasn't to be. Eric was dead before they reached the district gates.

(In all the confusion, the group forgot about ME! the piglet. Where did he end up?)

Back In The City

Eric Withakay was dead. They decided to visit the battle-dome of Hextor, to see if Suba-Jin could arrange to have him raised to life again. They were granted an audience with Maral Saqqaf, one of the higher-ranked priests in the temple. He said this thing was possible, but only Patriarch Dumitrescu could accomplish it. To command the Patriarch's time, a sizeable sacrifice was required: 7,500 silver pieces' worth!

The group asked for a few days to get the money together. Robert, Suba-Jin and Lord Fesgate headed to the Night Wolf Inn to retrieve some treasure.

While that was happening, Gorr took care of Eric's body - mainly by having several big tattoos commissioned in the rest of the group's likenesses! He also spoke to Sesto who came to stay at the Dragon's Eye Inn that night. The stonemason wanted 10% of the party's take going forward as a finder's fee & for helping them past the guards. Gorr gave him 50 silver and he seemed happy with it. 

[Chris, remind me how much Gorr wants to spend on the tattoos. It's going to cost 70-120 coins depending on the tattoo's workmanship. You pick how good they should be: dockside sailor quality will be brass coins, okay bazaar-grade is copper, good quality costs silver, top-tier gold]

At the Night Wolf Inn, the group spoke with the affable concierge James Everbleed. He was sad to hear about Eric's passing but hoped they could bring him back. Suba-Jin asked about the strange demon they had seen in the painting earlier, but he didn't know anything about it. Lord Fesgate joined the guild, got the black wolf tattoo and felt pretty good about it. 

The trio stayed in Room IV: Restful Seas. A small wooden cabana rested on a wooden raft, beached on a grey sandbar amidst an endless turquoise ocean. Copper & blue clouds drifted in a burning pink sky. Hammocks were strung between the palm trees. On the bedside table, Suba-Jin found a strange item. After some fiddling, it produced a deafening BANG! and a hole in a nearby palm tree. After this display, he took it for his own:

With this odd item and thousands of coins in hand, the trio prepared to leave. On their way out, James told them to make a point of returning on Midsummer's Day, almost two months from now. The Inn was going to have a garden party and all guild members, as well as interested non-members, were invited.

Back in Viridistan, the group spent 7,500 silver on holy oils, incense, candles, fatted calves & other sacrificial items for the church of Hextor. With everything prepared, the steely-eyed Patriarch Dumitrescu made his appearance, a hale man in his '50s. After much pomp, he cast the fearsome magick and Eric rose to life.

The group helped Eric walk back to the Dragon's Eye and ran into an aristocrat, lost in side-streets. Suba-Jin and Robert offered to escort him back to Hightown. After a run-in with some injured city guards that Suba-Jin helped with some cure magic, they delivered the man (Theodosio by name) to his family's estate. By way of thanks, he gave them his gold-capped walking stick, and the pair resolved to split the money from it two ways.

Back at the Dragon's Eye, the proprietor "Patchey" had a letter for the group written in a careful elven hand:

"Friends,

I hope your recent adventures haven't been too taxing. My sources have reported a great disaster in the Starrcrag Mountains and I can't help but fear for you. Surely you succeeded in retrieving the items asked for? If so please leave a message with the barkeep. I will send further instructions.

-Lothos"

Roughly 2 days passed during this session.

Monsters Defeated:

2 giant butterflies
1 ambulatory spore-plant

Treasure Gained:

gold-tipped walking stick

**LAST 3 SESSIONS SUMMARY**

Treasure Traded In:

5 gems: 4 small assorted & 1 larger spinel (530 sp total)
1 electrum crescent (250 sp)
gold-tipped walking stick (320 sp - Robert & Suba-Jin split it)
Suba-Jin couldn't find anyone who wanted to buy his monster trophies

Loot & Cost of Living:

Gorr:  -29 sp
Eric:  -5 sp
Suba-Jin:  178 sp
Robert:  170 sp
Meep:  -31 sp
Young Joe Spruce:  10 sp

Experience:

Session 20

THE WIZARD'S GARDEN

16 Warmshade, 4433
A few hours

Characters:

Gorr, Ranger 4
Robert the Swift, Fighter 4
Eric Withakay, Cleric 4 of Solaris
Suba-Jin the Three-Handed, Cleric 4 of Hextor
Young Joe Spruce, Druid 2
Lord Fesgate, Fighter 3 (NPC)

The Aftermath

The group was exploring the gardens of Dimorites the sorceror, overgrown with carnivorous plant creatures and other strangeness.

They headed north from the koi pond through narrow passages in the hedges. They first came across the remains of a battle: seven human corpses being picked through by a dozen of the gnarled root-men, who jumped to attention when the party arrived.

"We Mandragoras! This is our meat! You stay away!" one of them buzzed.
The group was trying to defuse the situation when Eric Withakay heard a faint, pained groan coming from the pile of bodies. One of them wasn't dead yet! While Young Joe Spruce attempted negotiations, Eric crept towards the sound to investigate.

One of the Mandragoras stood next to the body, guarding it from Eric. It seemed worried he would take its dinner.
"This is bad meat, fire-meat. If you eat it, it'll burn you!" warned Eric, and cast Light on the body.

Pandemonium erupted as the flash of light terrified the Mandragoras, who ran into the hedges with a chorus rasping cries and the shuffling of leaves. In moments, the group were alone with the corpses. They began a search and found a sack of 500 silver coins with strange markings: a woman with a crown on one side, a snake and a mask on the other, and the word Zur'Gonath. A few assorted low-value gems were found as well, and a spinel gem that seemed of decent value. All the dead men wore leather armour and had simple hand weapons. Strangely, they all had crude masks made of Papier-mâché or even twigs & leaves.

Eric assisted the groaning man who was only barely alive. After some healing magic the fellow managed to sit up and talk. He introduced himself as Joktan and asked the group what they were doing here:

"We're the backup. We just arrived, they said you would fill us in" prodded Gorr.
"With a priest of Hextor?" He looked skeptical. "Well, all right..." Joktan groaned out his tale of woe. "We got in here a few weeks ago with the magic door, from the neighbours' lot. We didn't expect all the monsters. We got pinned down in the baths and can't leave, because Petemnesthes the Lunatic has the key and nobody can find him! Sandar and Behrouz can't agree on anything, and we're being picked apart by the mirror-men!"
"What are those?"
"Didn't your mother ever tell you the story? They live on the other side of the mirror, and if you're bad they come for you. Never thought it was real... until now. They only hunt humans, that's why we wear these." He indicated his mask.

Joktan was able to walk, and offered to lead the party to his gang's hideout since they helped him. They were called Dushan's Dervishes, from the Bridge neighbourhood.

They didn't have to travel far. Back on the lawn, the party ran into a dozen armed thieves. They put their weapons down and stopped to talk once they spotted Joktan with the group. They confirmed what he'd said: the Dervishes were stuck in the gardens after their break-in went terribly wrong, and had barricaded themselves in the sorcerer's opulent bath-house.

The party offered to show them an exit and they followed along with interest to the grotto of sad black stone statues [see last session]. Robert the Swift insisted they blindfold themselves, which they were unwilling to do. After a tense moment that almost came to blows, the Dervishes shrugged and turned around, leaving the way they came.

"I never liked those guys anyway," said ME the piglet. "They're the ones who locked me in that shed in the first place."

Just to cover their bases, the group backtracked and warned Sesto's crew that others might be coming out the way they came in. Suba-Jin wrote on the wall above the stairs: "Go down the stairs, talk to the lookout, he'll get you out."

Exploring Further

The party progressed southwards toward the huge mansion (more like a palace) looming over the hedges. They entered an overgrown, scented garden, crammed with plants of every type colour & description. The trees and undergrowth obscured visibility except for a few narrow paths. The sounds of bees & tropical birds could be heard.

They immediately spotted a dark green statue of a bearded man holding a book, wearing the fine robes of a Gloaming Tower wizard. As they approached, a voice boomed: "Welcome visitors, to the manse of Issachar Dimorites!" Getting closer, they saw carvings around the base that someone had tried to scratch out: "Lord Issachar Dimorites, 4261."

They came to an artificial river of clear water running in a stone trough. Young Joe Spruce took the opportunity to look around for any plants that might be useful: he found a day-lemon tree, and harvested 15 of the fruits. When cut open they glow with a soft inner light, and are worth a few silver each. The others planted various seeds they were carrying with them.

A feline snarling from the south interrupted them. Two strange beasts emerged from the undergrowth: black & green panthers with huge bat wings and scars zig-zagging down their heads & backs. The group formed up for battle, and Joe Spruce's entangle spell caught the rear panther in its tracks. Meanwhile, Lord Fesgate was almost swallowed whole when the lead panther split almost completely in half, revealing itself to be a giant toothy mouth on legs! This one fled and the entangled one was dispatched, and the group was able to move on.

Next they came to a marble pavilion with a birdbath in the centre. Three giant butterflies flapped around, drinking from the birdbath or settling on the furniture. Suba-Jin approached and managed to distract one with a divine cherry [from back in Session 4]. The other two flew at him and he was paralyzed by the sparkling dust from their wings. One settled on him, licking his face with its poisonous tongue! The group came to Suba-Jin's rescue, shredding the butterflies with a hail of arrows & stones. After a few minutes the feeling came back into his limbs and he could move again.

The pavilion itself was held up by carved pillars. The floor was arranged into a mosaic of cavorting monsters, while the roof depicted a stern wizard launching blasts of lightning & fire from his hands and the word DIMORITES underneath.

Suba-Jin investigated the birdbath. It was dark green & yellow marble with a small jet of crystal-clear water bubbling in the center. He was the only one of the group willing to take a drink - immediately turning invisible! He bottled some of the water for later.

Outside The Mansion

The group decided to venture south, since the main structure was now very close. Passing through a narrow gap in the overgrown plants they were finally beside the huge mansion, over four stories high. They could see a wide pillared porch facing them, and another above it on the second floor. From nearby, they heard... singing?

An 8' tall blue man in voluminous robes was walking back & forth on the porch, strumming an oud and singing. His powerful baritone carried an otherworldly song, the melody and the language both alien to the group's ears. He stopped when approached and introduced himself as Marzaman of the East Wind. He said he had been summoned here to bless a wedding between Lady Lorca Dimorites and Lord Aeolus Adrestus. Something had gone wrong and the wedding could not be completed. As a result, he had been stuck here for one hundred years! 

"Look for yourselves," he indicated the grand doors behind him with a wave of his hand, holding a glittering gemstone plectrum. "Through the chapel, in the grand hall is the wedding reception. You'll see what I mean."

Who is this enigmatic blue man, and what secrets does the mansion hold?

Monsters Defeated:

1 winged panther-thing (820 xp)
2 giant butterflies (142 xp)

Treasure:

500 silver coins w/ odd markings
4 assorted small gemstones
1 nice spinel gem
15 magical day-lemons

Session 19

THE MANSION

Warmshade 15-16, 4433

Characters:

Gorr, Ranger 4
Suba-Jin, Cleric of Hextor 4
Robert the Swift, Fighter 4
Meep, Dwarf 3
Eric Withakay, Cleric of Solaris 4
Lord Fesgate, Fighter 3 (NPC)

Late-Night Escape

Suba-Jin and Robert the Swift were deep in conversation with Sesto the stonemason in an Old Town dive bar. The poor man regretted bragging about knowing the location of the sorcerer Dimorites' mansion. Now that it was done, he feared for his own and his family's safety. Suba-Jin and Robert convinced him that the group could keep him safe for a few days. He agreed to go with them for now - partly convinced by Suba-Jin's speech, partly by the two shady types watching from the corner of the bar!

Outside, the trio hired a rickshaw and headed off into the Emerald City night. Over their shoulders, Robert spotted the two shady guys coming out of the bar and flagging down a ride of their own. Suba-Jin urged the driver to go faster. After some chatter about "official business" and a bit of money to sweeten the deal he picked up the pace. There were a few close calls on the crowded streets but the group avoided crashing and lost their tail just before Market Avenue. They rejoined the group at the Dragon's Eye and Sesto stayed with them.

In the morning the group headed up through the Boulevards district to the Cliffside gates. Sesto had some plain workman's clothes for them and they stored their adventuring gear in wheelbarrows under the work crew's regular supplies. Sesto knew all the guards, so they didn't check very closely.

Cliffside looked different in the daytime, a maze of streets hemmed in by the tall walls of nobles' estates. Every noble house wanted to be 'higher' than their peers and so over the years they had built their walls ever higher. The result was a disorienting neighbourhood with few visible landmarks. The group followed Sesto into the tunnels beneath the streets, where workmen and servants scurried to and fro out of their masters' sight. The work crew set up for the day and Sesto led the gang to their destination.

Pointing out a narrow crawlspace, he said they "would know it when they saw it" on the other side. He told the gang that the workday lasted until sunset and they shouldn't be late if they wanted to preserve their incognito.

Into the Gardens

The party passed through an old dry cistern and a few storage rooms. Climbing up some stairs they emerged into a hot, humid grotto surrounded by thick hedges. Sunlight filtered in through the canopy of leaves & vines above. The walls of plant matter swayed & twisted in unnatural, unwholesome motion.

ME (and an unrelated monke) - thanks Chris!

- In a dark grotto floored with dry leaves, faceless black humanoid statues rested in poses of mourning and supplication. The vines covering them were green and healthy.

- A building of dull grey slate was found, with a greening copper door inscribed "Pherusa Dimorites - lost beyond light." The smell of incense emanated from within, but the door was locked and they couldn't get inside.

- From an old shed, the group heard beastly snarling and sinister exhortations that seemed to echo in their minds. Opening the door revealed a tiny wild boar about 1' high. It called itself "ME," and wanted the group to indulge their darkest desires for money, sex & violence. Gorr threw it a gold coin, which it ate. ME said it could sniff out the things it wanted, and the group agreed to follow it to the promise of treasure.

Chris: "This pig is a demon, guaranteed!"

- They followed ME deeper into the hedges, through openings so narrow they had to pass slowly in single file. They came face-to-face with a pack of small humanoids that looked like anthropomorphic mandrake roots. ME was familiar with them and wanted to eat one. The mandrake men knew about ME and hated it. More than that, they wanted some fresh meat. The party offered them rations but they weren't interested. After some tense moments, the group slowly backed away and the mandrake men didn't pursue.

- ME led them deeper through the hedges to a small grotto littered with copper & brass coins. A yellow limestone shrine at the back was carved with horns, crescent moons and spiderweb motifs. Everyone recognized symbols of Nephtlys, the Imperial goddess of wealth and commerce, whose form was a combination of woman and spider.

Atop the shrine were some gold and silver coins, along with a rare electrum crescent coin worth a fair amount. While ME rooted around on the ground and ate the coppers, Robert scooped up the coinage into a sack. Thinking it might provide a benefit, Gorr decided to make an offering of 1000 silver at the wealth goddess' shrine.

On the way out, the mandrake men caught up with the group and insisted on some fresh meat. A fight was on, but the little root-creatures were dispatched swiftly.

Dungeon notes - thanks Chris!

- Following ME's lead again, the gang came to a wide lawn open to the sky. To the south, a huge two-story stone mansion - more like a palace, really - loomed above the shrubbery. A water feature to the west fed a pond with water slopping over the edge. In the center of the lawn, a few zebra-striped fish swam sluggishly in an algae-covered pond topped with an oversized statue of Nephtlys. The statue was covered in green lichen and no water flowed anymore.

Gorr fed the fish and threw a few coins in the well.

- ME urged them eastwards through some greening brass gates. A small sign read "Welcome to the Hedge Maze. Enjoy Yourself!" but someone had written over it with red paint "DON'T GET LOST." Heeding the sign, the group turned back around.

- They searched through some rubbish-filled areas and found an old statue of a woman and child covered in vines, leaning up in a corner. Gorr cut the vines off with his axe to reveal a nameplate: "Eilitheya Dimorites, 4720-"

The group planned to explore the narrow hedge passages further when we left off.

Explored Areas

Monsters Defeated:

7 mandrake-men

Treasure:

1 electrum crescent coin
15 gold
32 silver