The First Chapter, Session Two: City of Ichor

Morning arrives and our heroes meet in the taproom for breakfast. After eating their fill, they head out to meet up with Garril. The dockmaster informs them of Borin, a gnome ferryman who will be taking them to the island where the lighthouse resides. When they begin a conversation about the lighthouses construction and function the party learns of Snadvida Nansne, founder of the city. The lighthouse is her construction. Garril informs them that she has a residence at Megnant Keep and that she would be better suited for answering questions.

The party entered the keep, flagging down a worker to asked where Snadvida is. When she asks if they have an appointment the scholar immediately procures the contract. The worker jumps at this and takes them to Snadvida at once.

When entering the residence, the party is greeted by an old gnome being served breakfast. She gestures for them to join her at the table, and some do take a seat. The contract is shown again and the gnome begins to answer their questions. The lighthouse has a connection to the elemental plane of fire, allowing it to burn indefinitely without refuel. When prodded further about how this works, she informs them that it is a modification of the Plane Shift spell. At this the party exits minus Caldwell, who stays behind to ask a few questions in private.

Learning all they can in the city, the party makes their way to Borin. They board a small pole driven riverboat, making their way into the dense fog that hangs over the river. As the fog envelopes the craft the bustling sounds of the port quickly fade and an eerie silence falls upon them. This puts the group on edge, with some of them drawing their weapons. Borin, however, doesn’t seem phased by the quiet.

Before long the fog parts ahead and a small island comes into sight. The riverboat is lashed to a small dock, and the party disembarks with Borin staying behind. The Isle is small, with long snow-covered grass on its surface. There is a small path that leads forward. Some of the group make their way quietly through the cover of the grass, while others head right down the path. After a few minutes, the fog ahead gives way to a tall structure.

As they get closer only a few notice. They inform the rest of the group and as it reveals itself. The outside of the lighthouse is covered in a thick black goo with spiderweb-like tendrils snaking through the ichor. Every now and then it pulses, almost like a beating heart. When they enter, the substance covers the walls.

The bard takes a go at attacking the substance. As he casts his spell, the ichor attacks him, lunging out with frightening speed. He is able to swiftly dodge, avoiding danger. The scholar freezes some of it, picking up the now solid mass. It starts to numb his hand, and the numbness starts to crawl up his arm. He drops the icy substance, and the skin that came in contact with it has turned black. The vagrant’s shadowy magic peels the infection off, revealing raw skin.

The group makes their way down to the lowest level, and the door is thickly covered in the ichor. The vagrant attempts to attack it with her magic, but when she does it attacks. She is unable to dodge, and it enters her armor beneath the wrist. The soldier rigs up a firebomb and attempts to burn it away, but on contact the fire is absorbed and the substance seems to grow, following the party up the stairs as they run for cover.

Back on the ground floor, the group enters the main dwellings outside the stairwell. They are greeted by a dead gnome, attached to the wall with the ichor’s tendrils entering his mouth and eyes. Caldwell and Qemuel go up to investigate, but Kalistra swiftly stabs the man through the top of the head. His eyes fly open, revealing a blank expression. He goes to attack them but is restrained by the ichor holding him to the wall. After a few seconds, he falls limply from his mortal wound.

At this point, the party splits. Caldwell begins the ritual that will help identify what the goo has done to Kalistra. The rest of them go about this floor, finding two more of the dead gnomes and dispatching them. When they return Caldwell has finished but fails to inform the group what he saw. Knowing now is not the time to press, the group makes their way up a floor.

Here there is a large common area, with rooms in the back. Movement in the corner catches some of them off guard, and in fear they attack. When the rest turn to look, a ribcage with a spine is inching its way across the floor like a worm. Before it can manifest into a threat the spellcasters vaporize it. In the rooms to the back, they find two more dead gnomes and kill them. They rise another floor.

There are four doors exiting the stairwell. The first leads to an empty room. The second leads to an empty room. The third reveals a horror none of them expected. On the far wall of the room moving about are the parts of what was two bodies. They have been separated into their major parts and the ichor seems to be trying to reassemble the bits into a new form. The sight sends most out of the room, and those who remained barricaded the entrance so whatever is being created doesn’t come after them. The fourth room contains two more bodies, these just attached to the wall like the gnomes. They are clad in adventuring gear and are killed before moving forward.

The final floor is the roof which contains the light. Here there is a final body, standing in a fighting stance mid sword swing. The ichor is covering him from head to toe. Above them up a flight of stairs, the ichor seems to be thickest, covering the basin where the light would be. The scholar makes his way up to investigate, while the others think what to do. The pulses seem to be originating from this point. The group beneath Caldwell notices that the mass above them might be anchored by the tendrils coming down and wrapping around the outside of the lighthouse. They decide to try and cut it away.

Caldwell above them tried to speak to the mass, and his words seem to spark a pulse, like it may be listening. But before he can make progress enough of the tendrils are cut that the ichor feels threatened. It begins to expand, sending Caldwell running down to join the group. Realizing that coming in contact with the expanding goo would not be good, they run for it. On the floor beneath them, there is banging from the room they had barricaded. Realizing their good choice, they continue forward. They exit the lighthouse and run across the bridge, the ichor not following them across.

Realizing that entering again would be a poor choice, the group experiments with what they can learn from a safe distance. When they use fire on it the ichor seems to grow stronger. Ice and cold seem to make it wither. After a long barrage of cold spells, it seems to react differently, flowing away at first and then swatting the spells out of the air before they can come in contact. When the door is approached it refuses to cross onto the bridge. Knowing they can’t create enough cold, they return to the boat. Borin, to the surprise of the group, waits for them.

After returning to Athvan they decide that speaking with Snadvida is the best plan of action. When they find the same gnome spoken to before she informs them Snadvida has left. At first, this seemed normal, but a further question led to the girl telling them that Snadvida never leaves, and hasn’t in years. The soldier, thinking she knows more than she is telling, threatens her for more information. With the help of the other party members the girl cracks. She knows nothing more. Realizing this is a dead end the group asks who might know where she has gone. She tells them the Head Librarian, Curass, might know as well as the Court Mage, who they cannot speak to. They head off to the library.

Curras’ office isn’t hard to find, and they find him there. They ask him if he knows Snadvida’s location, to which he does not. They then ask if he knows where they can find the Court Mage. A puzzled Curass tells them that Athvan doesn’t have a Court Mage. The room falls silent. The party has been lied to, with no idea for how long. The scholar procures the contract, and Curass goes pale. The royal seal affixed to the letter is a forgery. They have been set up, this contract is a lie. They immediately think of Garril. He was the point of contact on the contract. He must have known. Caldwell, Rúna, Qemuel, and Kali rush off to the docks, while Errato stays to tell Curras all they know. Qemuel splits off briefly to grab his horse. Before they get too far Errato tells him about the Order of Fear, and the librarian stops him. He tells him that said cult does not exist and takes him to the book they had checked earlier. Curass rips the spine open, showing Errato that the page on the cult had been added to the book.

While this is happening, the others arrive at the dockmaster’s office. They walk past Garril’s secretary and into his office. Rúna takes up a post outside the door. Caldwell blacks out the windows with grease while Kali snuffs all the candles in the room, throwing them into darkness. The eyes of the vagrant and solder glow, and they begin to question the man. The intimidation of both Kali and Qemuel breaks him like a twig. He tells them all he knows. Snadvida paid him a gold trade bar to send people to the lighthouse to their deaths. That is it. When questioned further he sobs, saying that is all he knows. The party then heads out to rejoin Errato and the librarian.

On their way back a guard runs past them up to the gnomes posted at the keep gate. They take off south. When asked what is happening they say the dockmaster’s has caught fire and they are going to join the firefight. In shock, Qemuel takes off on horseback with Rúna close behind reeling on how their enemy could have acted so swiftly. The others return to the library.

When the soldier and Valkyrie arrive the building is in flame but still standing. The windows to Garril’s office have been boarded up. Rúna breaks down the outside door and with her inhuman strength rips the barricade off Garril’s door. The gnome is cowering in the corner, and Qemuel quickly wraps him up in his coat. They exit and at a blistering pace return to the library.

The group rejoins, ready to move forward. But before they can the room falls silent as the clanking of armor can be heard. Royal Guards emerge from the stacks, weapons drawn. Without a second thought, the fight begins.