Chapter 9: Arcane Secrets
After defeating the displacer beasts, the group healed Rasper's wounds and explored the first floor of the tower. They surmised it must be an alchemical lab, and found a wall of energy blocking the stairs up with a panel next to it. The panel showed 4 symbols with 4 indentations. In the lab, they discovered 4 colored gems (blue, green, red white) and a note with clues:
Their arcane knowledge proved lacking, and they could not decipher the symbols on the panel. Through guesswork and logic, they discovered the correct pattern and placed the gems into their sockets in the correct order (blue, green, red, white). Each gem represented an element (blue - water, green - earth, red - fire, white - air). With the gems in the sockets, the energy wall dissipated and allowed them to climb up.
On the second floor, they found 4 glass chambers swirling with elemental energy. Conduits from each transferred elemental energy to a central location. When they entered, the glass chambers lifted and revealed elementals in each (fire, air, earth, water). They battled the elementals, but soon discovered they would not die unless killed by their opposing element. The earth elemental (as well as one of the conduits) was destroyed by Thrain's thunder gauntlets, but the other elementals proved harder to destroy. Dox used his pipes of haunting to keep the fire and water elementals at bay, while the rest of the group fought the others. Thrain used his magic to teleport the fire elemental into the water elemental chamber, where it was trapped and was able to be destroyed by Dox. Rasper managed to goad the air elemental into following them through the earth elemental chamber, where the group trapped and destroyed it. The water elemental proved the last foe, and was finally destroyed when the conjured bear (on fire from the fire elemental's attacks) savaged it with flaming claws. With the elementals destroyed, the way up was cleared. The group, badly wounded by their encounters with the tower's defenders, rested for a short time.
On the third floor, the group found various scrying materials and a massive floating mirror above. As they explored the room, the mirror animated and attacked Rasper--trapping them within the mirror's dimension. After attacking the mirror, the group discovered that any damaged against it was met with a violent reaction of energy from the mirror. After cracking the mirror, it split into 2 and freed Rasper. Thrain discovered that the mirror would only reflect damage from one side, and soon surrounded them in order to attack the backs of the mirror without reprisal. Finally, both mirrors were destroyed and the way up revealed. The group peered into several scrying flames in the room, revealing vistas of other planes of existence such as the fey and shadow realms and the elemental plane of fire (where the tower's owner, Edwin Stearns, peered back at them and asked what they were doing there).
They rushed to the fourth floor (a massive library), having alerted the tower's owner to their presence. There, the tower's "artificial intelligence" helped them find the correct tome. With the ritual in hand, they stole several more books before the tower began vibrating and humming violently. They rushed down, and as they passed through the second floor they noticed the elemental conduits were behaving erratically. As they left the tower, it phased in and out of existence and briefly ripped apart and exploded before disappearing entirely. The damage done to the earth conduit caused a critical failure of the tower, likely stranding Edwin Stearns on the elemental plane of fire.
The group returned to Southport and visited Barnabus Asher at the mages' guild. But the ritual's components proved too rare, requiring the living flesh of a kraken. He suggested they find what they need at sea and sent them off after giving Dox a potion to help with his memory loss.
The next day, they received an invitation to city hall where they were tasked with "dealing with" a new thieves' guild that had overreached by thieving from other guilds. After investigating in the warehouse district, they ventured into the sewers and fought some ghasts that were feasting on a dead thief (who sported a strange bite mark scar on his wrist). A note on the thief revealed someone had been leaving the trap door to their hideout unlocked, and after exploring the sewers they found the entrance. But before they could enter, an Otyugh burst from a sewer grate and attacked them. At the same time, a gelatinous cube made its way towards them to consume them. They battled both creatures, and after a long fight proved victorious.
They peered into the thieves' hideout, and after finding only a few of them they decided to charge in. The thieves suddenly transformed into humanoid rat creatures, revealing their lycanthropic secret. Battled ensued, and after several loud thunderous spells the rest of the hideout was alerted. Wererats appeared atop the high crate walls of the hideout, shooting down at the group with hand crossbows. A well-placed shatter spell destroyed a crate and collapsed a stack of crates atop the wererats. When the battle ended, nearly a dozen wererats had been slain but Olin had been bitten and infected with lycanthropy.
The group explored the hideout and eventually discovered the guildmaster Kylun Blackhand. Though he nearly killed Rasper with a well-placed crossbow bolt, they quickly slew him and his guards. They looted the guild stores and set fire to the hideout before leaving...
The blood of man soaks the ground The ground feeds new life New life rises to touch the sky
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