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40. Magister's Laboratory
This is the workshop of the watchtower’s magister. This poorly lit and crowded chamber is full of tables laden with strange equipment and apparatuses. There is a large form seemingly made of ice (though it is not melting) resting on a slab. This is, as Caladwhen guessed correctly, Tacticus’ ice golem. It clearly shows marks of repair through delicate application of various chemicals with extremely high melting-points, but it is now fully functional yet just inactive, like a radio that has been switched off.
Of course, none of you even remotely understand any of that, save Caladwhen, who would be drawn to this magical marvel like a fly that just smelled a pile of fresh dung.
There's a grand collection of alchemist's gear here; and the magister's cauldron stands out even beyond that. 1)
Bookcases full of (half)filled vials reflect your disguised selves back at you. They're arranged by colour, which is awfully confusing, at first.2)
41. Magister's private quarters
There's a fearsome draught through these chambers. Some daft bird must've blundered into the window and unhinged the latch. There's a bookcase full of pulp, and a lockbox under the bed.
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37. former torture chamber
the devices in this room have been dismantled many, many years ago. The pas few generations of do-goody lords of Balentyne must've thought torturing an inefficient or impolite way of gathering information.
looking around, you just might spot 1)
35. prisoner cells.
in one of the cells, a prisoner is chained to the wall. Your stomach clenches as you recognize Arryn's clothes on the prisoner - yet there's something slightly awkward.
That's not Arryn - That's just a dead guard dressed in Arryn's outfit, wearing the iron circlet. As you remove the circlet and take it with you*, the magic bestowed upon the guard lifts, and he assumes his normal shape. as he shifts, a note rolls out his pocket.
And that's the tower mostly sorted out! the rest is stairway or not worth typing ;)
In the council chamber, search the chest for traps. Ask for assistance if Oret, Cala, and/or Lars are willing to help.
Level 3 Rooms
Search the lockbox for traps (same as above).
Level 2 Rooms
"Interesting that they caught Arryn, and now that I think about it, I haven't seen her around lately. Let's take the circlet back. With any luck, they'll think she escaped and killed everyone."
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Aerent suggests moving two guards back down to their places outside the doors of the prison. Preferably two that were killed by Oret (so they don't have distinctive kill wounds). Place them in position so it appears they were at their posts when killed.
If Cala is willing to cast prestidigitation a few times, we should be able to move the bodies without leaving much evidence.
Oret notices the vial of wolfsbane and offers it to whomever might have use for it.
Oret lets the others know that he's going to spend a little quality time with the seige engine on top of the tower...
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Aerent leans forward to look at the chest and almost loses his balance, as he quickly draws his hand back. The chest has an alarm spell on it, which can be bypassed with hidden stud in the rear. a piercing alarm would;ve sounded, and the iron bands would've been electrified - but now Aerent is looking at the Fortress' treasury, containing the operating funds for the entire watchtower.
- 4650gp sorted in 100gp purses
- a small box with a dozen silver and sapphire military commendation medals, 900gp in total
- ten solid gold 'double suns', minted to celebrate the birth of princess Bellinda of Andoran, 18 years ago. Rewards for non-military personnel
- a sack of 'petty cash', some 300gp in mixed coinage
- seven ornate chalices with gold, silver and semi-precious stones. Gifts presented to the Lord commander by various official visitors over the years. Together they're worth 1050gp
- 5 securely wrapped pots of CLW
- 2 securely wrapped elixirs of truth
the bible on the nightstand is a family bible of House Havelyn; The antique book in praise of Sarenrae also features an ornate chart detailing Lord Havelyn's family tree. For some reason, the name next to Lord Havelyn has been blotted out; with some effort, the name 'Samuel Havelyn, Cardinal of Sarenrae' can be discerned.
It's quite a valuable book, some 450gp, but it so obviously does not belong to you that selling it would be impossible. The gold fittings could be vandalized for 50gp.
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Magister Tacitus' strongbox is not trapped. It islocked up pretty
tightly though, but it is not strong enough to withstand Aerent or Oret if they make an effort.
a pouch with 120gp in mixed coinage, and Tacitus’ Spellbook “The Heart of All Flame”.
Bound in the crimson, scaled leather of some indeterminate reptilian beast, this large locked tome bears its title proudly in Common across the front cover. Inside is found not just spells but a lovingly written treatise on the beauty and purity of flame and how ice, when it grows cold enough, also burns.
Oppositional Schools : illusion, necromancy
Value 1445 gp
SPELLS
4th – fire shield, ice storm, stoneskin, wall of fire
3rd – dispel magic, flaming arrow, fireball, fly
2nd – bull’s strength, burning gaze, flaming sphere, protection from arrows, pyrotechnics, scorching ray, web
1st – burning hands, dancing lantern, expeditious retreat, mage armor, magic missile, sleep
0th – standard plus spark
30 minutes sounds about right Aerent. In the meantime, Oret can thoroughly ensure that the siege engine up top appears to be fine but is actually ready to collapse. The dwarves have completed this engine, or at least they think so, which means no one will know until it's too late.
That's a total of one hour spent and much accomplished. The sound of the commoners' skin-crawling attempts at singing can be heard through the windows; the service is still very much in progress.
Where to next?
Like a child in a candy store, Caladwhen pours through all the items in the Magister's laboratory.
Running her index finger along the rim of the cauldron, a slight grin grows. "This would be a fun item to have. Such quality instruments this man has.
Looking over the at the shelf with potions, Caladwhen is immediately drawn to small tincture of Wolfsbane Oret discovered. Glancing back at Aerent, Caladwhen speaks somewhat distractedly "Unfortunate that Arryn was captured, she'd have loved this," turning around to display it, Cala continues "wolfsbane, a deadly poison. Worth keeping for sure."
Slipping the vial gently into her components pouch, Caladwhen finally makes her way to the icy sculpture. Marveling at it a moment, Calad smiles in open mouthed awe "Well, the Magister clearly has some talent and ample resources," looking back at the others, Caladwhen points at the slab "this is an ice golem. When activated, it will defend what its master desires with alarming tenacity."
Glaring at it a moment, Caladwhen rubs her neck lost in thought "We need to be careful. The Magister is clearly more dangerous than I had presupposed if he can build such a thing..." trailing off a moment, Caladwhen looks over towards Lars "it might be possible to control this thing. I'm not sure how, but its worth considering."
After looting the Magister's strongbox with Aerent or Oret's help opening it, Caladwhen nods satisfactorily "Much more productive than attending mass. Thank-you gentlemen."
Aerent smiles and bows, "Glad to be of service, milady. And now, since Arryn has escaped to parts unknown - and apparently abandoned us - we shall use her absence to cover our own tracks."
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Sindran - the captain patrols the fort; on sundays, he likes to be available for his men to speak their truths. This is well known amongst the men, I'm sure you've heard one or two mention this to a guard looking to take a day off for his brother's nephew's sister's aunt's wedding. He'll be walking back and forth all afternoon until he's spoken to all his men individually, including those off duty. Most of the soldiers are openly concerned about the missing captains though.
Cala - he didn't build the thing; there was a rumor in town that 'something' was brought to the forth from the north a while ago. Besides, there's nowhere near enough books on the subject of golems for him to be able to create one. He just fixed the darn thing. And if he can, why wouldn't your -superiour, obviously- intellect be able to?
Aerent - looting: dirty bedsheets can be found everywhere. You'd feel confident heading out of the castle looking like Maudie carrying a bedsheet full of 'dirty laundry' with half the loot, including the
Also, destroying the ice golem; it's made of ice; Would you happen to know anyone who has a ...condition related to causing fire?
And finally, I love how you keep maxing those disguises :D
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Almost prepared to leave, Caladwhen suddenly appears lost in thought "Wait... just wait a second" Running back to the lab, she grabs several of the tomes, and cracks the spine on one or two. After about ten minutes, a slight grin creeps on her face.
"I set the Golem to obey one command," looking up from the tome, she smiles devilishly at her companions "one command only, so it'll have to count."
Leaning against the slab, she looks inquisitively at the construction and laughs "I think this might not be the time to get cute. A simple command like "kill the Magister" ought to be enough." Glancing again at her companions, Cala shrugs "Unless somebody has a better idea?"
Oret gives it no small amount of thought. "That assumes that it knows who the Magister is, and his position. However, if you can command it to attack whoever is holding his wand..."
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A few hours later, basically mere moments after you've all settled back in your rooms at the inn to start counting and (I assume) sharing the day's profits and information, the ground trembles and windows rattle due to the massive explosion visible in the keep's the tower.
The citizens are shocked, but soon their rumormongering starts again; "yeah, that wizard always was an odd one." and "good thing he didn't do his experiments at night - he could've killed the lord Havelyn as well!" and more of the like. Although they regret the suffering and the messy departure of the town's wizard, the general opinion of the citizens seems to be that he must have brought it on himself with his evil magicks and whatnot.
Soldiers come to the inn, and shout at the dwarves "come quikly, we need you to confirm that the tower's structure is still safe!" but that only receives waves of drunken laughter. "lad, yonder tower is dwarven-built. It's safer and stronger than anything you'll ever see. A little hole in the side woont bring it doon! Besides, Yer oon crew, tha wizzord, seems ta be causing da problems 'ere!"
In the afternoon, Lord Havelyn and Father Donnagin come town, visiting several houses in town with dire news. Just before dusk, they come to the town center. The Lord proclaims: "A terrible accident this morning in our fortress' tower has claimed the lives of 7 of our town's beloved citizens."
He goes on to name them each by name and function; it appears that two serving girls, 6 soldiers and the magister were killed by an explosion, or its aftermath! How unfortunate.
After Lord Havelyn is finished, Father Donnagin announces that "Wednesday shall be a day of mourning, with an extra service in honor of Sarenrae for those who would seek guidance in these dark times."
They turn and leave for the fortress.
Sindran perks up, hearing the familiar sound of a violent explosion. He hides a grin when he sees the Magister fall. "Nicely done."
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Sindran, when you return in the afternoon, you're not bothered at the gates. Father Donnagin is looking very worried while tending to the wide red spot to the west of the tower that is Magister Tacitus. He asks one of the acolytes to deal with you, and nods his sincere thanks from a distance, but he continues his task of trying to determine if there's anything left to save.
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I'm going to move our timeline to monday. I think things are going well for your small warband, despite a few minor setbacks. Let's hope your luck doesn't change - or perhaps luck is not a factor? We shall see.
At dawn, a groggy voice outside your door speaks "oioioioioioioiioiiioii we oughtn't 'of drank tha last 3 bottles, we shun't of..."
another voice, with only slightly less reluctance, replies "*belch* 'Dwarves in the glass, dwarves in the morning!' Now get down and start upgrading that castle."
...and the dwarves trudge up the hill for yet another day of hard work.
Talon shows up to work as usual and greets Mama G. After a few minutes he looks around as if searching for someone. He calls out to mama "Hey, you seen Svarestel? I thought she worked today?" Talon suddenly snaps his fingers "Ohh that's right, she told me she was leaving for some family emergency"
Bluff
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"Son, You're not fooling anyone; I've seen you two looking at eachother. If you weren't with her this weekend, you're even dumber than you look. Well, you're young, you deserve eachother. Just make sure it doesn't interfere with your work, mmhm?"
She doesn't believe a word you say - although for entirely the wrong reasons. It's clear that she thinks you're awkwardly putting up a terrible act of pretending not to be in love.
"Today's a big day; I've left the stew simmering over the weekend; that's why it's so soft and rich. but we still have to finish it. chop that up small, like I showed you last week, and those as well, and those; call me when you're done. We've got a lot of soup to make for the soldiers today." She points at the piles of vegetables.
After half an hour, Mama G is looking not amused. "where'd you say she went? What the Demons was she thinking, taking a day off on a monday without telling me?" and she continues grumbling furiously while you work. (she's not even expecting an answer from you)
Talon takes special care in getting the job done correctly, he wants to make sure he stays on Mama G's good side. It kind of reminds him of helping his sister around the house. As she continues to ramble on Talon nods but avoids trying any more lies. After a few minutes he speaks up though "What time do you think the soup will be ready to deliver? I'm kind of excited, what with how famous it is and all"
Timaeus prepares to 'leave town', informing the bartender that he'll be leaving soon, possibly in the next few days.
Entertained by the demise of the Magister from her Inn room, Caladwhen catches a glimpse of the Ice Golem and shrugs "Well that was fun. Better still, I might still be able to make use of that monstrosity in the lab." Closing the shutters to her room, Caladwhen picks up the Magister's spellbook and heads to a table to begin scribing the new spells into her own book.
"T'larryo, let the others know that I'll be tied up for awhile scribing these spells. Let Talon know as well, he might want some of these." Leafing through the pages, Caladwhen nods in a satisfactorily manner.
"If they need anything, let them know where I can be found."
Aerent/Thorne is going to take it easy for a few days, staying around town, keeping to himself, trying to just blend in after all the excitement.
Although, if Sindran wants some help killing the Captain and his men, Aerent is up for that.
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So did I. Aerent or Sindran (I keep forgetting which one of you!) has spoken with Letho about getting arsenic. He said he'd arrange it from Ghastenhall and that it'd take some time. For the characters, it has been only a few days, even though for us players it's been over 2 weeks.
Besides, you'd have to go to his shop and take it first.|
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Before noon on monday, a group of soldiers comes from the west. Their shoulders are sagging, and they look as if numbed by some terrible event. This may be related to the makeshift stretchers, fashioned from branches and vines, carrying two deceased captains.
One of them runs ahead to the keep, to inform the lord and the preacher of their discovery.
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The stew is coming along nicely, and the mood in the small kitchen brightens. At some point in the afternoon, Mama G looks outside to see someone waving at her, carrying a package. She asks Talon to step outside for a minute.
While Talon catches some fresh air, he can hear Mama G speaking to a person she's obviously very familiar with. Shortly after they say their goodbyes, Mama Guiseppe opens the door and tells Talon :"That was my friend Rabinor. He always brings me a special ingredient, and I need to work on it a bit to give my special flavour to my recipe. You seem to learn quickly, but I won't have you peeking in on this yet. That means you're free for a few hours."
She smiles at you, and continues: "just make sure you're back here by dusk, I want you to oversee the soldiers who will come to pick up their stew, to make sure they don't break anything. You've done well today."
Talon smiles, this actually working out rather well "Well I am infinitely curious but I understand your need for secrecy. I'll see you right before dusk!" he takes off to find the others
Talon finds Aerent, then once they get some secrecy he whispers "Have the got the poison yet? I need it by dusk"
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early in the afternoon, Father Donnagin and one of his acolytes arrive in town. They wear solemn faces as they knock on Katelynn Mott's door.
They try twice, thrice, but somehow, there's no answer.
They ignore the commoners' questions, saying "Lady Mott should be the first to know." and ride back to the keep, their task incomplete.
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Dusk comes, and seething with frustration, Talon can't do anything but grind his teeth at the missed opportunity, and send the great kettles of soup off with the half a dozen soldiers who arrive at Mama Guiseppe's Kitchen. Despite the recent events, they're smiling widely, looking forward to their weekly feast. And rightly so : the aromas escaping from the kettles are mouth-watering, regardless the distinctly metallic quality in the air...
...Can you guess what's happening?
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Early in the evening, a few acolytes run into town, bang on a few shopkeeper's doors, urgently asking for all the sugar, potassium, sodium and lemons they might have.
If you're at the bar at the time, you can't miss it; the barkeeper hears the acolyte's story, nods, and tells two of the dwarfs to carry a keg each to the keep.
I am entering the village inn. As usual my table in the corner of the establishment is available. The barman smiles happily when I shake his hand . "Always a pleasure to see you, Letho!". As soon as I sit at my table the first nightly customers visits my desk. Meanwhile Alice brings me my drink. "Any rumors?" "Nope", she replies and walks away to serve another customer.
"They should be entering any minute now..".
Thorne sees the alchemist and wanders over. "Greetings, how goes the alchemy business? What brings a man like you out this evening - are you working or just looking to get drunk and enjoy yourself?"
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Suddenly, a soldier appears at the inn's door, looking quite serious and very worried. He bangs his fist on the bar a few times to get everyone's attention:
"If any members of C-shift are here; report for duty in the keep ASAP. All leave has been withdrawn."
Thorne watches the soldier with interest before continuing to enjoy his drink. Catching sight of the bartender, he asks, "What's this about C-Shift? And leave being withdrawn? What's going on?"
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Bellam Barhold seems thoughtful as he replies "Mister Thorne, it seems our garrison has met an unlucky streak. On top of the recent accidents, apparently there's been an outbreak of some sort of disease in the barracks. Let's hope it's not contagious. Heh-heh...Now what can I get ya?"
Letho inspects the bartender.
"Well there is one way to prevent infection". Letho smiles and shouts "Alice, one flask of your finest wine and an additional cup for my guest". pointing at the empty place at my table. "Join me at my table, Mister Thorne. To answer your question mainly enjoying myself". Looking more seriously and and in a lower voice "But we may have business to discuss....".
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Alice smiles. "I've got the perfect bottle for you right here, Letho."
Moments later, she comes back with another goblet, and a bottle of this fine wine.
Timaeus watches nearby, seemingly engrossed in reading a book as he listens.
Thorne regards Letho for a moment before following the man to the table. Sitting down, Thorne looks around while taking a drink from his mug. "It is a rather enjoyable evening, isn't it. Shame about all those boys in the tower."
Thorne gives Letho a narrowed glance, "So what is this business you want to discuss with me?
Talon sits a chair away from the two conversing, quietly writing in a journal while he makes sure nobody else eavesdrops on their conversation. He gives Letho just the faintest hint of his bone chilling grin, letting him know Aerent has a lot more friends here than he does