Arc 2, Episode 5 - "The Arcanist's Trials"
General Summary
When last we left off, the party had just entered Grugglefield, searching for any leads as to the whereabouts of Lodmus, the Divine Hunter from Mama Wadine’s grimoire. Settling in at the Tipsy Triple for the evening, Aucienne, Everett, and Isadora left the following morning to make a “quick stop” by the workshop of the ancient dwarf Tuddeak Hardbrand. Prior to leaving the Amaranth Academy last week, Everett was advised by his mentor Emèr that, in order to pursue his curiosity about the mechanics of arcane construction, he may have to obtain training outside the academy from Master Hardbrand, whom he regarded as an “old friend.”
Stepping into the workshop, Everett made the acquaintance of Master Hardbrand, who set him three trials, each exposing him to a set of guiding rules of the artificers. In the first room, the party correctly deduced that casting magic on a series of crystals would light up corresponding lanterns on the far wall, thereby opening up the first locked door. In the second, the party had to place elemental harmonizers across from a brazier, connected by a trail of runes, without having any harmonizers cross any active runic lines. In the final room, a large center dais powered four arcane crystals, each of which summoned powerful elementals, eternally battling the party and each other. After taking considerable damage, and unable to solve the riddle of the room, the party took to simply smashing the crystals, thereby rendering each elemental inert.
Barely escaping with their lives, the party returned to Master Hardbrand. Everett, fully expecting to be chastised for his failure and scolded for brute forcing what was clearly intended to be a mental exercise, was quite surprised to find that the old dwarf was delighted at what he deemed an “unexpected solution”. It turns out that, while Everett was seeking guidance, Tuddeak was seeking something of his own - an ongoing experiment to see how people react to the tasks set before them. Promising to return one day and repay Master Hardbrand for the losses incurred in the trials, Everett bade him farewell and returned with the party to rest once more at the Tipsy Triple.
At first light, they would head for the well, and begin to seek out the missing villagers, Gretchen and Lars.
Stepping into the workshop, Everett made the acquaintance of Master Hardbrand, who set him three trials, each exposing him to a set of guiding rules of the artificers. In the first room, the party correctly deduced that casting magic on a series of crystals would light up corresponding lanterns on the far wall, thereby opening up the first locked door. In the second, the party had to place elemental harmonizers across from a brazier, connected by a trail of runes, without having any harmonizers cross any active runic lines. In the final room, a large center dais powered four arcane crystals, each of which summoned powerful elementals, eternally battling the party and each other. After taking considerable damage, and unable to solve the riddle of the room, the party took to simply smashing the crystals, thereby rendering each elemental inert.
Barely escaping with their lives, the party returned to Master Hardbrand. Everett, fully expecting to be chastised for his failure and scolded for brute forcing what was clearly intended to be a mental exercise, was quite surprised to find that the old dwarf was delighted at what he deemed an “unexpected solution”. It turns out that, while Everett was seeking guidance, Tuddeak was seeking something of his own - an ongoing experiment to see how people react to the tasks set before them. Promising to return one day and repay Master Hardbrand for the losses incurred in the trials, Everett bade him farewell and returned with the party to rest once more at the Tipsy Triple.
At first light, they would head for the well, and begin to seek out the missing villagers, Gretchen and Lars.
Report Date
31 May 2025
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