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Irlana recognizes that there is some kind of monster lurking near the corpse. She recognizes that its a malevolent air elemental creature known as a belker. They have all the same immunities and resistances common to elemental creatures, but the most dangerous thing about these creatures is that they can enter their victims through their breath and attack them from the inside. Belker's are hateful, violent creatures and it is unlikely that this creature came to the Material Plane of its own volition and was most likely summoned. The body in this room is probably its most recent victim.
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Irlana pauses to think a moment. "Maybe we should go back and talk to the man in the courtyard. He didn't seem evil or like a willing servant of the dragon. Maybe this time we tell him why we really are here, and let him know who, or what we've taken out so far. He might know if there are any other servants that we need to take out. And he might be a little more willing to talk with us if he sees that we're serious. Maybe we can save his wife and get him as an ally? Once we've killed the more dangerous allies of the dragon we should be able to rest and prepare before we actually face the dragon!"
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In the northern part of the compound, near the staircase leading up to the belfry is the monastery's kitchen. It appears to have been used recently, though the strange stains and smells don’t seem like they were created by preparing food. A cauldron of bubbling fluid sits atop a small fire burning in one of the fireplaces.
The other room is a small, cramped chamber filled with iron coffins. The coffins have vents on their side. There is a pile of stones on the lid of the western most coffin. A foul smell pours out of the chamber when the door is first opened.
Inside the coffin is the rotting body of a half-orc. It appears that he has died about a week ago, most likely from dehydration.
Irlana suggests returning to talk with the man in the funny hat, pointing out that he may be willing to talk to the party as he is one of the only creatures in the monastery who have not attacked the party on sight.
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Irlana has no idea why there are a bunch of metal coffins in this room or why someone locked this half orc in one. The body is only wearing a long tunic so they were either grabbed while they sleeping or stripped of their belongings before being locked in here. It is also unclear whether they were left in here as a sadistic form of execution or if they were simply forgotten about.
With this floor fully searched (with the exception of the Belkin room); the party decides to back track through the abbey and to the grove where the man in the hat was resting. As they go outside they see that the sky is a little less dark and their is a faint glow on the horizon. The sun will rise in a couple of hours and the night will give way to dawn.
As they approach the man stands up and glares at the adventurers. His hands are form into claws at his sides and his features are twisted in anger. "You were supposed to bring the ransom! Explain yourselves!" he hisses.
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Irlana looks at the man and nods. "Very well."
"We aren't from Belhaim. We are a group of traveling adventurers that came there as security for a caravan carrying illegal cargo. Since we were only the hired help the authorities released us. While we looked around to decide on what we were going to do next the tower in the town collapsed. Long story short on that is the town's wizard was working with the dragon and some kobolds that caused the tower to collapse. With the mage dead we investigated him and found that he was looking in to some dangerous magics. That was probably related to the books that the dragon wants? And we rescued Maffei from the prison of light that the mage had created." She motions to Maffei so he knows who I'm talking about.
"Anyway, with the dragon threatening the town they asked for our help again. They directed us to Tula's crypt to recover the magic arms that were previously used to kill the real Aeteperax. Note, the real Aeteperax's body is on the ground outside Tula's crypt."
"we don't know what the dragon here is, but we aren't townspeople pretending. We are warriors, priests and magi, with the dragon slaying weapons that killed the real Aeteperax. If you want help getting your wife out of danger, we'll help you. We've already killed all of the dragon's allies that we could find and disabled the alarm system. We intend to kill the dragon. What do you intend to do?"
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The man seems skeptical to say the least until the mention Maffei. The shae steps forward and pulls off her mask to reveal her featureless face. The man clearly recognizes that she is a formidable outsider that they have enlisted to help them, even if he doesn't recognize exactly what she is.
But what really convinces the man is when they tell him about the magic items they found from Tula's crypt. At this point he directs them to follow him to a more private part of the monastery, where he insists they won't be able to be eavesdropped on by any of the grioth scouts or any remaining henchmen.
The room is a small shrine with narrow pillars painted in blue and gold. At the west end is a large statue sitting in the lotus position with its hands clasped in prayer. Its resting in a niche that is lined with shiny mother of pearl.
Once inside, the man first asks to look at the dragon slaying weapons they found. After touching them with shaking hands he says, "By the gods, you may have a chance of slaying the dragon."
"Okay, I suppose its time for me to tell you who I am and what I know about Aeteparax. My name is Azmur Kell. I am a druid who, along with me wife Rima, has watched over Bellhaim and the surrounding wilderness for decades; protecting the townsfolk from any evil forces that the town's sheriff couldn't deal with. But when Aeteparax came here, he was too formidable for us to handle. He took my wife hostage and has been using her life and the.." he chokes up a little before continuing. "the life of my unborn child as leverage to make me do his bidding. I have tried to serve him while causing as little harm as possible but I am still ashamed at what I have had to do."
Letting out a heavy sigh the man says, "There is much to tell you. I have learned everything that I could under this monster's compulsion and have written it down in a journal. Perhaps you should ask what you want to know first."
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First Irlana tells of the areas that they have explored, and the enemies that they have faced. "Are there any other allies of the dragon here? Or other dangers that we need to know about? We don't want to randomly kill but don't want the dragon's allies joining him. I'm sure he'll be formidable enough by himself. Oh, and we didn't kill all of the guards. We probably should untie the ones that are in the guard house. Not release them of course, but I wouldn't want them dying from just being prisoners."
"With this place clear, how do we get to the dragon's area? And where is your wife? It would be best if we could get her clear before we attack the dragon."
"Finally, do you know of any weakness that the dragon might have, or anything unique to him that we should know about? Does it have any magic? And what color is the dragon? We can prepare best if we know its breath weapons and anything special attacks that it might have."
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"Besides me, Aeteparax has three other powerful lieutenants that he relies on to handle his dirty work. You will want to make sure that they are all neutralized before facing him. The first is an enormous grioth general named Goladryth. He is the newest one, only appearing after he managed to get the Dark Window open but he quickly proved his worth to the dragon. The second is a mad alchemist named Pentosh. I have no idea why a human would voluntarily serve such a master but she's been with him for awhile. And finally there is Theana, the lunar naga. She has been with him the longest. Her mind has become addled but she is still quite a dangerous magic user. There used to be a fourth one; but Aeteparax had him killed. Supposedly it was for saying his true name in his presence. Aeteparax is pretty touchy about that."
"He has more of those kobolds in his lair, but his most dangerous allies are those things that come out of the Dark Window. You might want to close that before facing him."
"Aeteparax's lair is a cavern that is north of here, but it will be hard to reach it if you don't have a good way to fly. There is a tunnel underneath the monastery that he had his kobold cultists build so that his lieutenants could report to him directly."
"The dragon keeps my wife with him. You'll have to kill him to save her."
"I don't know about Aeteparax's weaknesses but I have seen him in his true form. What you saw was an illusion. He is much younger and smaller and his scales are green like summer leaves, not black. You could ask Bassy what she knows about green dragons, if you think its worth your time."
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Irlana listens carefully to the response. "Theana seemed almost childlike and innocent, but obviously too dangerous to leave her alive. She seemed totally devoted to the dragon."
"So the last thing we need to accomplish seems to be the Dark Window. I think we've seen it, but the door was locked. I was the only one that got into the room. We haven't found any key so we might have to break the door.... That looked rather hard. Do you know of any keys that might open the door?"
"Actually, I'd be worried about breaking the door down. The noises coming from the thing.... If it's open things might be able to just wander through it. There were symbols around the, gateway? I couldn't decipher what they said."
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"It does sound like you found the Dark Window and you were able to get into the room the same way that Aeteparax entered; with one of Pentosh's potions. I don't think its safe to be long in there alone though. There are evil things on the other side of that mirror."
"I haven't been in the room myself, but I have done what research I could on my own. It has been there a long time; the monks who once lived here built it so that they could communicate with creatures from other dimensions. They thought that if they could study creatures that exemplified chaos and madness that they could better expunge those traits from themselves."
"Unfortunately, on their first use of the window a powerful creature emerged that slaughtered almost all of the monks. The abbot was able to banish the fiend back to the Dark Tapestry, but afterwards he was never heard from again and this monastery was abandoned until Aeteparax came here."
"I believe that the abbot never left this place and the key to the door would still be with his body. There are a lot of rooms in the monastery that Aeteparax's servants have never bothered searching and there may be other useful items in them that you may uncover while looking for the key."
"Aeteparax has spent a lot of time talking with entities on the other side of the window. I have heard their voices but did not understand the languages they have spoken. But I know that he has come to some kind of arrangement with at least one of these fiends because he has been able to open a rift to the Dark Tapestry that allows him to bring the grioths to Dragonfen. If you truly want to stop the dragon then I suggest that you find away to close that rift."
"From my research I believe that something as simple as a dispel magic spell could disable the Dark Window for a short period of time. That would be enough to close the rift until he is able to get back to the Dark Window and reopen it. I also think that it can be damaged by force energy; but you would need to figure out some way to amplify it."
"When you are ready to close the rift, I would be willing to help you. But only close it when you are ready to face Aeteparax. As soon as the rift is closed he will know that you are intending on slaying him."
[ooc]Also, one detail in this module that I really commend the writer for is that almost every single locked door in it has a key for it that you can find or some other way to open it.[/b]
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"So Aeteparax uses gaseous form potions to enter the room? But we didn't find a large stash of them. Definitely not enough for us all to get in there and back out. The door is iron so breaking it down, even without the risk of setting things loose.... The key is the better idea."
Irlana considers more of the story. "So the monks created the Dark Window. Then they were destroyed by their creation, except for their leader the Abbot. And the Abbot disappeared from history. And he supposedly had the key and nobody has ever found it? Sounds like he hid it, and himself, somewhere here. Where would the dragon or his allies not search? Where have you never searched? Is there a temple here? If the key isn't there the Abbot might have left a clue. There will probably be traps so we'll have to be careful"
"If.... No, when we find the key we still need to be ready before we use it. You say that closing the Window will alert the dragon immediately? So we need to be fully rested and ready to face it. Would the dragon come to us? That may be the best for your wife. The dragon comes here and you can rescue your wife while we kill it. ??"
"I'm not sure what force spells we have. We don't have a wizard for magic missiles. I can cast a spiritual weapon which is a force blade. Andwise? Maffei? Any force spells? Are you sure about Dispel Magic? Usually for that to work you have to overcome the power of the spell that you are trying to stop. And if it only stops it for a short time, is it worth it? "
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"From what I have read, the monks were reclusive and the people of Belhaim were already afraid of the monastery. When the monks disappeared no one in town bothered to investigate what happened. I always kept an eye on the place and steered away any curious townsfolk who wanted to go there, but I never went in myself. I only went in there when I had to and tried to keep my time inside short, so I have only seen a small part of the complex. I can tell though that there are doors in there that the residents never open."
"The Dark Window lets him summon the grioths but I also believe that it is what allows him to control the creatures. They are creatures that live in the Dark Tapestry and they are used to cold and darkness. Being here must be painful for them." Azur Kell lets out a deep, sad sigh. "If my theory is correct, I believe that not only will Aeteparax lose the ability to summon more of them but that the ones who are already here will turn on him."
"After that, I can't fanthom what a dragon would do but from what I have seen I think he would first marshal what forces he has remaining and come up with a plan for revenge. If you want to confront him while he is still surprised, then you will have to take the tunnel to his lair."
"I can only cast dispel magic once today, and you are correct that I will have to overcome the enchantment for it to work. But it will at least give you another way to shut it down. And I will also be there to help you face whatever horrors emerge from the Dark Window as well."
"If we can dispel the Window than that will close the rift to the Dark Tapestry and maybe even severe his control over the grioths. He will have to come back to the Dark Window to reestablish control and my hope is that you will have killed him before he gets the chance"
"I can perhaps provide some force, though it is a twisting of the weaves that causes it to function. That said, amplification is a trickier task. I can cast it as many times as needed, but not in some augmented form"
Maffei ponders for a moment, before thinking out loud.
"What would the risks or harm be, for targeting the window but not destroying it in the first attempt? I could try my magics, and see if there is enough strength to damage the portal. Even if it takes all of my energies, small amounts of damage should eventually add up- IF we have enough time."
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"Well, regardless of how we shut down the dark window it looks like we have to find the key. There just aren't enough potions of gaseous form for us all to get in, shut it and get back out. So let's continue searching the rooms where we haven't been."
"I think we can go a little more before we'll have to rest to recover our powers. From what we've told you, are there any more of the dragon's allies here? I just want to be sure we've gotten rid of any that might try to sneak to the dragon and warn him."
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The party explores a long hallway and encounters the dormitories where the majority of the monks lived. Each of the cubbies are about five foot by five foot in dimension; meaning that the majority of humans monks were not able to fully stretch out when they slept here. One of them sections was burned in a fire at some point and is being occupied by a group of grioths that the party quickly dispatches. In the other dormitory they encounter a pair of incorporeal undead but Falcon and Maffei's magic blades and Tanssi's claws quickly destroy them.
Finally they reach the building's temple. A blue mosaic dominates the floor of this chamber. The ceiling rises to several domes twenty-five feet above. A large marble statue of a robed man with hair braided in a loop and worn like a necklace looks down on the chamber serenely from
the east. The temple is empty and it looks like it has not been touched by any of Aereparax's minions. Perhaps even a dragon knows that it unwise to upset one of the gods by defiling their temple.
Irlana gets a hunch to pull a prayer rug to the side and discovers a trapdoor underneath. Opening the trapdoor reveals a narrow shaft shaft with ladder leading about 8 feet down. There is a tunnel on the bottom that is low enough that the human members of the group will have to crawl and even the halflings will have to lower their heads to move through.
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Irlana leads the way through a narrow tunnel that leads to another shaft. After climbing up this ladder, the party emerges in a dusty chamber with walls that were painted in now fading frescos of monks engaged in feats of academic prowess. Sitting in a high-backed stone chair is a mummified figure clad in white robes with a thick braid of hair wrapped around its neck like an ornament.
Irlana recognizes that this creature is not a mere corpse but an undead creature commonly called a mummy. They have all the common resistances that are undead are known to have; but unlike most undead they are known to be particularly vulnerable to fire.
The creature has not moved yet, but is watching the party carefully.
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The mummy stands up from its throne and whispers in a raspy voice, "“I, Kanjougas, know not your convictions. I must know whether you possess the aptitude to close the Dark Window.” Then with surprising swiftness Kanjougas leaps forward to attack!
Round 1
Irlana
Kanjougas
Tanssi
Andwise
Maffei
Sir Falcon
Sir Falcon steps forward drawing his flaming Katana. "We will destroy that door unless you stop us. So I guess we have to stop you!"
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Irlana blessed the group. As she finishes the spell the mummy moves up to Sir Falcon and delivers a high kick to his head. Luckily he was wearing his helmet!
The mummy effortlessly steps to the side as Sir Falcon swings at him.
Round 1
Irlana
Kanjougas
Tanssi
Andwise
Maffei
Sir Falcon
Round 2
Irlana
Kanjougas
Tanssi
Andwise
Maffei
Sir Falcon