Shackled 04 - Jzadurine - A New Hope Episode IV
General Summary
Ah, you have returned. Looking for more Motley Crew adventures? Well, I have more to tell, so grab a spot, over by the fire is nice, but feel free to sit where you want. So if your remember, our crew had just finished finding out that the kidnappings have been happening because some underdark creatures. The local locksmth was threatened with the death of his sister if he did not help the creatures. So Keagan Ghelve, gave these foul creatures three skeleton keys which allowed them to access a large majority of the locks in the city. This revelation explains how all these people dissapeared. They were taken from their homes in the middle of the night with the skeleton keys and taken to Jzadirune.
Our Motley Crew now have a direction, and a new hope that the children will be found. But the question remains, why were they taken?
There is a long hallway out of this room and a couple of the aforementioned doors, one of which has been wedged open a chunk of stone shoved within it's gears.
After Lysikor gave the all-clear, the rest of the team make their way down the stairs and start to enter into the main enterence room when from the wedged open door, bolts fly, finding their mark into Skullgrin. A back and forth battle insues, with more of those small dark hooded creatures. Ragnarock who we have not said much about so far charges into the open door, but also gets hit with a bolt which causes him to not make it to the doorway. A short fearce battle then erupts as two of these immolating creatures attack the party. The party is able to prevail, abiet with minor injuries.
While Eolas tends to the groups wounds, The light spell Naldon had cast, reflects off the masks as tarnished as they are, and sends rays of random light cascading and shining like mini lighthouses as he moves throughout the room.
While Lysikor tries repeatedly and futilely remove a mask from the wall, Naldon moves closer to another to imspect one of the masks, which then spoke:
Except Dale, he sees the lights from the room at the end of one of the tunnels and checks it out...alone. Now the room he enters is interesting and I guess curiusity can get the better of anyone, but really? Alone, in a place where they have just been attacked twice, he goes on alone. Well the obvious thing happens, he is attacked.
While the team makes a mad dash to try to get to the room, Dale is left all alone to deal with four of these creatures. Dale is able to get behind on of the pillars which saves him until help arrives. With the full might of the crew, these four creatures are dealt with. Like all the other before, they explode in a ball of light, incinerating the creature's corpse and hurting those in close contact when they explode.
Finding that they are now low on health, they decide to retreat back up to the city and to return tomorrow after a nights rest. And that is a tale for another time.
A New Hope (Episode IV)
So after leaving Keagan Ghelve (and boarding up the secret entrence to Jzadirune group went back to the church where they were all given simple rooms to rest and recouperate. The next morning, at breakfest (which by the way, is a simple affair, but very tasty and filling) it was found that Graye hard already taken his leave to try and find out more about the elves that were impersonating members of the city at the orphanage yesterday. After breakfest the whole crew went back to the city barracks where the jail is a housed to see what they can do about getting Lysikor out. Entering the jail portion of the barraks they had to cross along the side of the practice yard; which was currently occupied with a group of soldiers practicing in the morning sun. Entering the into the small jail lobby, they are greeted by a large man sitting behind a stone counter. He does not bother to look up when the group comes in. He is currently looking at a stack of parchment paper on side and then marking up another with a small stick with ink on one side.Who you want?"Lysikor", one of them replied. The guard, without looking up, grabs another stack of parchments, looks through it, then says.
Ten gold.They try to barter for him. Again, without looking up.
Ten gold.Eolas, then steps forward, and casts "Command" on the guard and orders him to release Lysikor. Yeah, that Eolas, you know, holy man of St. Cuthbert, the god who scriptures say "obey the law, be good, and use common sense". Not sure where his was that day.
Ten gold.Skullgrin, getting more and more impatient, and not wanting to waste more time; pays the ten gold. The guard then calls over another without looking up, and say's Lysikor, then goes back to marking up the original parchement that he was working on with this ink stained stick. A couple minutes later Lysikor is lead out from a side hallway behind the counter and led over to the group. His stuff is handed it him and then the second guard turns and walks away. Skullgrin, our half-orc fighter, I repeat; our half-orc fighter, pissed at Lysikor for trying to pickpocket him before and having to bail him out, decides to give him a taste of his own medicine. And so tries to pick Lysikor's pocket right in the jail lobby. And it works! Skulgrin is 17GP richer and Lysikor is none the wiser. I do not make this stuff up, no need to with this motley crew. Skullgrin, not wanting him to run off again, keeps a hand on Lysikor's shouler the group makes it way back to the Ghelve's. This is also when Lysikor finds that his gold is gone, somehow it got "lost" at the jail. Skillgrin makes it clear that it was his gold that got Lysikor out of jail and that he WILL be repaid. Lysikor just sighs and agrees. When they get to the lock shop, they find the door unlocked, which is not a good look for a lock shop. Upon entering, they find the Keagan dead in a pool of blood in his workshop and the the barricade to the secret entrence down into Jzadirune destroyed. It looked like he had been stabbed many times by small thin blades. There were also travel bags packed and ready at the bottom of his stairs, and he had some of his Locksmith tools gathered with his bags. Looks like he was trying to leave and before he could, he was interupted and silenced by those below. Before heading into the unknown below; and knowing that now there is a massive threat right in the middle of the city, the Motley Crew inform the city guard about murder and what is coming up from below. They ask for guards to be posted around Ghelve's locks to protect the city and keep anything below from coming out. But before this the team does a quick search of the shop and Keygan’s body, and only find 50 gold pieces which they split; but Ragnarock does grab a couple good quality locks and key sets for later.
Jzadurine
The stairs to Jzadirune lead down turning sharply twice at landings before opeining into a large chamber. Even before getting into the chamber strange sounds can be heard specifically giggling, rustling leaves, and chirping birds. Lysikor, leads the way sneaking down a ways ahead of the rest trying to understand what he is hearing. Peering into the room he sees the following sight, but nothing to indicate where the sounds sounds are coming from Mounted to the walls of the room are twelve tarnished copper masks. The masks are two feet tall and cling four feet above the floor. Each one depicts a smiling gnome's visage. The sounds and masks are not the most interesting things in the room, it is very obviously that the doors of this complex are very different from normal doors. The doors in Jzadirune are gear-shaped. Each door is designed to roll into a nearby wall cavity when properly opened. The 4-foot-diameter door is carved from 6-inch-thick wood and encircled with a ring of molded iron teeth. The entire door is encased within a double-frame of beveled stone. Burned into the center of each door is a different glyph; at least in this room.Welcome to Jzadirune—behold the wonder!
But beware, ye who seek to plunder.
Traps abound and guardians peer
Beyond every portal, behind every gear.
The team jumps back, but nothing else happened. After a little investigation, it was found that coming close to that mask triggered the mask, or the voice to speak making it appear to come from the mask.
After giving up on the masks, Lyskior checks out room on the other side of the propped open door and found tunnels excavated through the walls. The team then decides to split up between the tunnels, the long hallway, when Lysikor gets attacked by two more creatures. These are eventually dispatched with the help of others.
Deciding not to split up as much, they leave investigating the hallway area and group up to move ahead through the tunnels. Lysikor then finds another interesting room, then backtracks to tell the others.
But beware, ye who seek to plunder.
Traps abound and guardians peer
Beyond every portal, behind every gear.
The Motley Crew
- Eolas (Human Cleric of St. Cuthbert)
- Lysikor Stickyfingers (Half-elf Rogue)
- Lars Dino (Woodelf Ranger)
- Naldon Amakiir (Eladrin Wizard)
- Ragnarock (Human Barbarian)
- Skullgrin Bonesnapper (Half-orc Fighter)
- Graye Damyrus (Tiefling Druid)-MIA
