Session 14: The Prince in the Tower
General Summary
The session began with the party approaching a watch tower, not far from the front gates of Gogh Ulum. Laz was easily able to recognize the tower as bearing the colors of the Clan Bloodmantle. Two constructs, Duergar Screamers, were drilling away at the wall near the tower, seemingly working to create a new tunnel, but paying the party no heed.
After brief discussion, the party decided to try diplomacy at the tower and Arlox and Xenik approached and knocked on the front door. Two Duergar Xarrorn, flaming pikes extended, opened the door and demanded to know the party's business at the tower. Using Xenik to translate, Arlox attempted to explain that they were simply wishing to trade with the clan, and presented his Silken Satchel card as proof. The Dwarves were unimpressed but, after a fairly large bribe of 2 Platinum, one of them agreed to go check with their master, Prince Khardek Bloodmantle.
The Xarrorn returned with bad news for the party, the boss was disinterested with their overtures and they were asked to leave. The dwarf did not offer to return the platinum. Laz stepped forward, having heard the discussion, and explained that they weren't leaving without speaking with their boss, it was not a threat, simply a fact. The dwarves perceived it as a threat nonetheless, summoning the Screamers that were drilling against the wall, and battle began.
A short battle ensued and Laz was seriously injured but managed to stay conscious with a single hit point. After the initial danger the party was able to kill the constructs and then one of the Xarrorn. They spared the life of the remaining Xarrorn, provided he surrender and deliver them to the boss. He agreed and led them up to a seemingly empty second floor where a table was filled with maps and notes and several empty chairs sat nearby. A ladder in one corner led up into a hatch to the floor above, through which they could hear a gruff voice muttering.
As some of the party investigated the table, others spoke with the Xarrorn who begged them to let him go. He knew that Khardek would kill him for letting the party in the tower so his only chance for mercy was with the party. They agreed and he quickly escaped through the doorway. The party found crude maps of the surface as well as the caves of Burimm on the table. They also found the burned remnants of what appeared to be a page from a ledger. Very little was legible but they could make out the name Miz'ne Deathfellow at the top. Miz'ne was known to Laz as she is his cousin.
As the party lingered on the second floor, they eventually heard the voice from above questioning if they were coming up. They cautiously ascended the ladder to the floor above where they met the Prince.
A tense exchange followed, filled with snark and annoyingly knowing smiles from the Prince. He seemed unimpressed with their offers and even less with their threats. During the conversation, Laz heard some noises that indicates they were not the only ones in the tower. Eventually, Khardek asked who they were, to which the reply "Team Zanzibar, baby" drew far more of a reaction than anything else they had said. He growled, "Get 'em, boys" and two invisible Duergar Stone Guards attacked the party from behind.
The battle was challenging and Arlox was knocked unconscious more than once but the party eventually dispatched of the guards and subdued Khardek. Bruised and bleeding, he sat on the floor and dropped his hammer. Laz interrogated him about Miz'ne but he only said that he had met her once and she had a business relationship with the clan. Xenik demanded to know if Sartuen was in the tower which, due to a very high roll, was not answered but Xenik did notice a quick glance up. Laz continued to prod Khardek, hoping to form a business relationship but Khardek didn't believe the offer. He believed that Sartuen loved him and as the party had tried to kill her twice before he was unwilling to come to any sort of agreement. Khardek did tell that party that he and Sartuen were critical to each-other's plans. Sensing an inevitable end to the conversation, Khardek seized an opportunity to surprise Laz and grabbed for his hammer and suicidally attacked. Zalista attempted to stop the attack but a low Dexterity roll caused her to react too slowly. The surprise attack was a critical and Laz was knocked unconscious. The party proceeded to finish off Khardek and healed Laz back to consciousness.
An investigation of the room followed, where they found a chest that contained a vast sum of coin. Nothing was found on the body of the prince. After much discussion they decided to risk going up the ladder to see if Sartuen was here. They found a richly appointed room, a perfume still lingering in the air and a strange circle of runes painted on the floor of a small antechamber. Sartuen was nowhere to be seen.
The party investigated the room and found a locked compartment beneath the bed. They detected a magical trap on the compartment but Arlox's mage hand was unable to open it. Laz cleverly used his Spiritual Weapon to try to break into the compartment. His plan worked but the bed was destroyed and the walls were charred from an explosion. Inside the remnants of this lead box they found more coin, a magical ring, and a piece of paper that was burned badly in the explosion. The only legible words remaining on the paper were “Sartuen, proph . .. Zilyana . . . discover . . . yet to discover themselves”
Zanzibar left the tower, using Shatter spells from outside to collapse the top floor ante-chamber, hoping to convince anyone who happened by that Sartuen had some sort of accident. They then proceeded down the "road" to the gates of Gogh Ulum.
At the gates, Laz used honesty and charm to convince a surprisingly receptive guard captain to let the party into the city. Upon entry, they realized that this gate was manned by a very large contingent of soldiers and any sort of aggressive entry would have been rebuffed, quickly. The guard captain introduced himself to Laz as Krambek Bloodmantle who reciprocated. The surname caused Krambek to pause in recognition as he clearly was familiar with Miz'ne. He welcomed the party to the city and recommended an inn called The Soft Ingot and tavern in the Royal Ward to which he, and a small retinue, led the party. Along the way, the party questioned him about the tower, which seemed to strike a nerve but no real reply was given. He took leave of them while indicating a willingness to soon return to have some drinks with the party. After buying a round for the bar from the pretty barmaid, Katri, the party drank through the evening but went to bed with no sign of Krambek.
Not too long after they drifted off to sleep they were awakened by rough knocks on the door of the guys' room. They all awoke and, with guards following, made their way downstairs to the common room where they found an empty pub with guards on each wall and Krambek sitting at a table in the middle of the room as Katri spoke with him. As they approached, Katri headed back behind the bar and Krambek asked them without preamble. "Would you happen to be the group known as Zanzibar?" Laz answered in the affirmative but attempted to lie to the next question when asked if they knew Sartuen. Krambek saw through the lie but appeared to brush it off. He asked the question again and was told that she had tried to kill the party in the past and why. While Laz conversed, Xenik sent his familiar to let Arlox and Zalista (who didn't speak Undercommon) know that they should be prepared as this conversation was not yet going well.
Krambek then asked Laz “If I told you that I am working against Sartuen, would that mean you are on my side.” Laz replied, “We are speaking the same language.” Krambek took a long look at the party and then said, in Common, “Sit down my friends.”
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