Valldel Amakiir - 1st Level Male Elven Rogue
Akadum Ironbeard - 1st Level Male Dwarf Fighter
Dolin Stoneflare - 1st Level Male Dwarf Light Cleric
Shiso Shinjitsu - 1st Level Male Human Fighter
Junior Lubbins - 1st Level Female Human Fighter
Bea Miglin - 1st Level Female Halfling Fighter (NPC_
24 May 981, Tuesday, Continued
Fine spring weather, partly cloudy, cool
Drigbolton
They head up the stairs and enter the central hall. Godfred
tells them that the Laird's Far Seer is through the bedroom
which is behind that locked door there. There is a spare
key downstairs. Listening at the door they hear fabric snapping
as if in a breeze. Valldel is able to pick the lock. Within
Shiso sees that the bed has morphed into a small sailing
ship. It is manned by animated clothes, shirts and pants,
which are behaving like sailors.
They debate what to do. Valldel wants to start a fire, but
the others are too worried that it would destroy the Manor.
Shiso notices a book on a dresser called the Pirates of the
Central Sea. They gather it without attracting the attention
of the clothes. It is a history book. They decide to
destroy it, but upon doing so nothing has changed.
They decide to try to sneak through to the door that leads
to the Liard's library and then the Far Seer. It is not
successful and the clothes begin attacking by flaying
with heavy brass buttons. They are difficult to deal with
as piercing weapons are useless and slashing weapons do
only minor damage. Grappling and tearing at them is often
more effective. While it takes awhile they defeat the clothes
suffering only minor damage.
The next room is the Laird's private library. There are many books
on the natural sciences and a menagerie of stuffed animals
and birds. There is a door that Godfred says leads to the
Far Seer. They go through and enter a room dominated by a
large brass telescope. There is a ladder to access the dome
opening and moving mechanism, a table with an observing log,
and a worn chair. The telescope has its lens cap on and the
dome is closed. Reading the observing log reveals over the
last week or so the Laird was tracking something that was
falling from space, collaborated with Griya, and someone
named Muzzahs. He also mentions Ashkott who Valldel recognizes
as a distinguished Professor at the White College in Leechfeld
which is a few days journey to the east. He sees a "conjunction"
next to the Moon, and an object falling from the moon towards
the surface. He writes that he has informed Griya, Muzzahs,
the three at the White College, Pye (the mad mage who lives
in the Cairn Chase Forest), Obediah, Dunston, Bellas, William,
Benjamin, and Fred the Shed (the notorious serial killer who
is imprisoned in the Middlemoor Goal). Akadum is very upset
at the latter part of the observing log which describes the
object falling as being destroyed in an enounter with "swirls
of fire".
Where is the Laird? Godfred suggests that he may be in his
private laboratory in the basement, which is accessed via
a closet off the sitting room where the six well dressed
hungry, demanding gentleman are. They finish exploring
the second floor, finding two empty guest bedrooms,
and Godfred's room.
They debate on how to deal with the six gentleman.
Shiso suggests providing them breakfast as they
were asking. Godfred prepares six meals, cutting
up some cured meats, and bread with butter and jam. They
enter serving the gentleman, who seem to hungrily
tuck into the meals and pay no attention to what the party
is doing. The party notes that the gentleman are actually
two dimensional. Clearly they are the painting come to life.
While distracted by their meal, the party slips into the
small room leading to the basement.
This is a closet with
a locked trap door leading befow. Valldel is able to
pick the lock, and Valldel and Dolin lead the way
down a ladder into the darkness below. The zombified
Laird attacks them as Dolin illuminates the lab.
The Zombie Laird emits a piercing scream which discomfits
Akadum and sends him fleeing into a corner, but the others
manage to gang up on the horror and kill it. They notice
that he has been pierced by many rapier wounds.
They gather up a spell book called the Black Book of Llaregubb,
which Valldel can tell has two low level spells, two middle level
spells, and two high level spells. It is clearly quite valuable.
There is the six volume work called the Encyclopedia of Stellar
Anatomy by Calcidus the Stargazer. These are gorgeous books full
of color plates of cellestial objects. It is also likely
to be quite valuable. There is an untitled
book bound in plush red velvet. Attached to it by a ribbon is
a silver spoon. The book has extraordinary vivid pictures of
butterflies. When the spoon touches one page, the butterfly comes
alive and begin flitting about the room. Touching the butterfly
again with the spoon has no effect. The fourth books is an unbound
bunch of hand written pages. It is clearly the Laird's lab note
book and has hundreds of pages of notes, results of experiments,
musings, etc.
Two items here draw their interest. One is a description of the
"Clooney Caves" which are within the Moon Peaks where the Laird
and others trade with Goblins for mushrooms with unusual properties.
Also there is an ancient Serpant Man called Xiximanter who provides
powerful potions in exchange for magic user blood or body parts.
There is a sketch map revealing the location of the Clooney Caves.
The Laird mentions collaborations with Griya in Drigbolton,
Muzzahs the Magnificent in Helix (village 1.5 days to the west),
Obediah Hawkes in Brignorth (village south of Tealford which is
the town one day to the east), and Pye, the mad mage of the
Cairn Chase Forest at the center of the Midlands.
The second is a musing on the Tablet of Chaos, some sort of
powerful artifact that the Laird thinks can be used against
the Moran Empire. He locates it a tomb complex called the
Barrowmaze which is in the Barrowmoor south of Helix. He
mentions Ashkott, Leptoblast, and Zenithal, who Valldel notes
are the three distinguished Professors of the White Collge
in Leechfeld, and have written texts on the Tablet. The Laird
apparently sent an expedition to the Barrowmaze, and
Muzzahs in Helix reports that it disappeared into
the swamp. He talks about Fred the Shed who claims to
know nothing about the Tablet, but should, and has clearly
sent expeditions to the Barrowmaze. Finally he says that he
has urged Stana Binnety in Woodfall to mount an expedition
to the Barrowmaze. He has made a sketch map of the Barrowmoor
which has on it Helix, Ironguard Motte, the Barrowmaze, Bogton,
Frogmen, Bog Witches, Frogmen, Goblins, and Woodfall.
Valldel searches for samples of mushrooms but only finds many
candles and science lab equipment (beekers, spoons, etc.).
There are many candles and burned down candles in and around
the desk at the far end of the room.
In the middle of the room is a large silver wire cage. It is
large enough to contain a human and has a simple latch. It
it is not strong enough to hold any one who tried to get out.
Akadum searches around and finds there are no hidden doors out;
the unusual rug with a hexagon pattern conceals nothing beneath
it. They gather up the cage, folding it up into an easier
to carry form, ruining it as a cage.
They head back up and tell Godfred that the Laird has gone,
but not sharing with him the awful details. Godfred tells
them that he is not surprised. The Laird had been increasingly
obsessed over the last few weeks and he had a feeling something
bad had happened. He is able to confirm that Griya and the Laird
met regularly, Muzzahs from Helix also visited occasionally,
Obediah Hawkes is an alchemist from Brignorth, Bellas is an
Elven woman who is the propriator of the Sharpe Inn which is
in the Oldfeld Woods east of Duddingly. The Laird occasional
traveled there and she has visited here. He cannot identify
any of the other names, noting that the Laird was a complex
man with many interests and friends, many visitors, and wonders
why or how the Laird would have communication with the
notorious serial killer Fred the Shed who is imprisoned in
Middlemoor Gaol. They tell Godfred to gather his things for
a return to Drigbolton and he heads up to his room.
Bea tells them that after the two dimensional gentleman "ate"
their meals they settled into naps. They decide to deliver
killing blows to the animated paintings. This goes well except
for Bea's target who comes up with a rapier and stabs
her before the others can swarm it and kill it. Hellraiser/
Junior gathers up the very real, but two dimensional, rapiers
that the animated paintings were wielding.
They plan to make their way back to Drigbolton to get
some answers from Griya. Junior still insists that Griya
is simply an old woman who cannot do magic and can only
make potions, poultices, and charms. The others are not
convinced.
