Lost Lore 26: Pincer Movement

General Summary

As we fast walked Cassiopeia past the admin from front doors and then through the grand hall then down into the cells near the Tomlin's new Brewery in the basement, we tried one last time to reach her and understand her rationale. In response to asking why they would want to gamble the possible future against a longshot of being able to go back through time, she explained that she didn't make the choice, but the choice is already made.  
I don't have a choice. Orders are orders and I have to follow my orders, I'm an agent of the court.
Is it compulsion or merely a sense of duty?
It's a lot of things that you wouldn't understand that I don't think I could convince you of, especially since I'm here to be incarcerated, so you don't necessarily strike me as the most open-minded people right now.
Oh I think you underestimate how open-minded we actually are, we didn't kill you after all.
Sure I'm gracious, and I also didn't turn all of us into stone when you walked into the room.
See? Progress!
— Cassieopea and Ospher
You don't understand what it is to be us and what it is to be the Fae. It's easy to say, stand and fight; we don't have people to lose.
And non-fae kind does?
The world is yours, yes. You have an abundance of people to lose, your nations send each other to war and to conflict all the time. You have multitudes to spare and for a lot less than a chance at having all existence back.
— Cassie and Adjenna
And we're just supposed to accept that if this deal goes through, he'll just leave Frial alone?
For now.
Kicking the can down the road, as my people would say.
Well, don't give it back, see what happens. I'm not in charge of this anymore. You are, apparently.
— Ospher and Cassie
  Convinced that there's nothing she could do to explain why she has to do what she's going to do and that we cannot possibly stop their machinations since if the deal is broken and they have no further opportunity to take the gate, The Autumn King will take it out on Frial.  
I appreciate that you don't mean me any harm, we've certainly worked together successfully in the past and would like to do it again, but these people control destinies. I can't disobey them, you don't know what the costs would be. All I can do is make whatever unfolds here as bloodless as possible, I can't do that from this cell, so it's your choice now.
— Cassieopea
  She was adamant that she will not help these plans go awry since that would be even worse for her than whatever will happen if we stop the exchange or impede it in some manner or another. She further tried to convince us that we're prisoners to our own altruism in this decision and that we ought to pawn it off onto anyone else, but there's too much in the background that she was unaware of regarding the selfishness of the Arcane Underground. We locked the doors to Ackley's brewery and into the Orphanarium, so if she's going to get herself out of the cell without her equipment, she'll have to go into the sewers.   Tyrom, Neville, Ospher, Charity and I then discussed what we could do with the Circles that had been summoned to meet. Tyrom wanted to make sure that we knew they would all want something, whether they tell us or not. We asked Bianca to come and meet with us again at this point, since it had been about a month since sending Ospher to The Dead Zone and we needed to discuss possibly destroying a Gate with her. She brought a warm cup of coffee in with her to discuss, despite it being dawn yet.  
We think it might be a crucial thing in order to destroy a gate...
gasp
using our gate.
What?!
I think that, you might break both gates.
— Adjenna and Bianca
  Collectively, we were unsure of what the consequences would be of destroying the gate using our gate since that could very well level the district. I posited the idea that maybe the gate in question 'underneath' the Kreastos could, in fact, be our gate, since the Kreastos isn't that ancient. Additionally, our gate isn't well known outside of the Order of the Basilisk and Janka, so we'd likely need to secure it from any coming conflict. We agreed to give her the keys again since she would need to resume her experimentation, and I accompanied her to the lab in order to inspect the project Love was overseeing in rebuilding the vehicle that we found here originally.  
I have some heavy knowledge I need to impart upon you.
Do it! But be gentle, it's early and it's a Saturday.
— Adjenna and Love
Remember when I didn't tell you guys about the vampires?
Yep.
Remember when I didn't tell you guys about the Rat King?
Uh-huh.
Remember when I didn't tell you guys about Digby?
Yup.
Yeah, I think it's time we got out ahead of one of these things.
Okay, I'll be ready for, I guess Faeries?
Yeah and not just Faeries, Nightmare Fairies.
— Adjenna and Love
  The flying carriage vehicle could seat four people comfortably and go for a very long time on a piece of manacite, but significant maneuvering or using it's magic weapons would deplete power from it. The linked weapons could shoot out something akin to a Sunbeam but it would rapidly deplete manacite, and disconnected from the flying device, it would still need power and could be fired but would require all of someone's hands.   Our guests then began to arrive, Frennan Valshae of the Harvest Children being first, still messed up from the mushrooms, The Lord Solar of the Prismatic Order, Joriah Basilocke of the Prismatic Order, Renneth Crowne from the Ebon Orchestra and then unfortunately intercepted from the missives Tyrom sent out, Andre Lurtz of The Black Hammer. Shae, Brick, and Red Claw are off doing who knows what presently. We gathered them up into the dining hall and let the palpable animosity among them settle, Lurtz was running his mouth for not inviting him and how The Black Hammer was just as important as the other Circle.  
I think word unfortunately got out.
There are spies everywhere.
I had to send a number of messengers that I didn't have time to vet them all.
It was at the last minute, this is understandable.
— Tyrom and Ospher
  I introduced myself again, to not much of a response and began to lay out the facts as we knew them about the Fae that had infiltrated the town (minus Cassie), and was very quickly met with incredulity and debate between them. Only the Lord Solar and Basilocke were interested in hearing more details of the issue at hand, with the Lord Solar asking in his distant whisper-y voice where we found the one that I showed them the skull of. Among the cross talk at this point, Love came by to tell me that someone was at the front door, and while I wrestled with the Circles' attention, Ospher went with her to go answer it.  
We have a number of Fae working for the Shadow Council in town. This one is known as a Saudra-Tai, it is known also as Orgastus Lycenus Berris, and is able to inject its plague into people and grow more copies of itself. If it grows within a spellcasters, it breeds a more powerful and competent copy of itself that can innately use spells.
rabble rabble rabble
— Adjenna and the Orders at the meeting
Somebody's at the door?
Who?
He didn't give a name and said he was looking for you and Ospher and that he had an invitation?
— Love and Adjenna
  Ospher got to the door and saw a cadre of five well dressed individuals, beautiful and wealthy in their attire and at the head of them, easily recognized from our distant enmity, Claudius LaRoche, famous Bard of the Red Circle Theatre. He claimed that he wanted to help keep Frial Frial, and wanting to confirm the monster's identity, Ospher got Tyrom to point him towards Janka, for someone that could even explain why the vampires would want to participate in something like this. After weighing the options regarding shutting the door directly in his face, Ospher relented to inviting him in after recalling that there is a ritual that can be accomplished that will revoke their ability to enter the Abbey at a later date. He returned to the front door and waved off a few children who were star struck by the celebrity that is LaRoche.  
May I help you?
I just told the dear, that I had an invitiation and I'm sure that I do, it just must not have made it yet.
An invitation to what do you refer to?
This gathering of pointy hats.
Are you a pointy hat wearer?
Pointy hat adjacent, but I can help.
— Ospher and Claudius LaRoche
The vampires are here?!
Yes and it is quite bold, considering how close we are to dawn.
— Tyrom and Ospher
Can you think of any reason the vampires would be interested in Circle affairs based on past dealing with them?
I'm not sure, did they write you?
Nope, just showed up at the door.
gasp Claudius is here?? He would definitely be insulted if you didn't invite him in.
— Ospher and Janka
You have charming children.
Yes we pride ourselves on the education we provide them.
Of course, if any of them are ever interested in the arts, I can give them an education they will never forget.
I believe you. My apologies for the wait, you're welcome to join us in this meeting.
Thank you for your hospitality.
Let it be known that we know our manners here.
— Claudius and Ospher, making a not subtle threat
  He then led them into the meeting room which brought a hush over the circles' cross-talk. This gave me the opportunity to address them again and bring up the core issue at work here: The Fae bargaining a Unicorn for whatever is hidden beneath the Kreastos. While LaRoche giggled about the word bloodlessly, and Lurtz thought we were Chaff, Joriah Basilocke said he would lend a hand however he and his dojo could, saying that an infiltration of this magnitude wouldn't stand. Lurtz stood and agreed as well, explaining that the pure flesh of this town will no be sullied by these creatures. Frennan explained that while we're willing to entreat vampires here, he thought the Fae worthy of similar negotiation. Ospher and I explained that they must think so little of non-Fae kind to murder a dozen Lords of Trentpoole underneath their nose and similarly disregard us for diplomatic contact as well. He said that the Harvest Children could help by walking the dreams of this Green Berris but wanted the Unicorn in return, in order to treat it well and make sure it is well cared for. Lurtz countered he'd sooner see the thing beheaded and piked at the town gates to never transgress with humanity again.  
The fae have designs upon our town. Apparently they believe that there is something the Kreastos has hidden underneath the town that is worthy of capture. They will be bargaining with the Autumn King for the price of a live unicorn in order to buy his appeasement so they may take the town bloodlessly by the use of Saudra-tai to have sleeper agents within the city. They had plans to ruin Frennan and the Harvest Children's Apple Harvest and his man Yelamar can attest to this who was purged of the infect with the help of Janka here from the Ebon Order. I don't know if you consider us Chaff, but we don't have enough resources to stop them on both of these fronts.
— Adjenna, addressing the 'Circles'
  Renneth Crown of the Ebon Orchestra said they would also be willing to help, but would like the live Tadpoles in exchange, and I let that hang ominously until turning to the Lord Solar of the Prismatic Order. He said with his distant ethereal voice that he would not work with the Children of the Night, and if we take their help, they would not help. Assuming that to be the vampires, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. LaRoche countered this statement with commentary that everyone here wanted something to "save their skins" and that he's here to help.   Having heard from the available Circles and Vampires who I did not want in our house in the first place, I then explained that no matter the results of this, there would likely be some sort of counter action to be expected from the Nightmare king, and that if the murder of the Manacite dealers was related to them or the Fae, we should expect more of it. We heard conviction in the defense of our town from most of the people present and then broke for snacks so that we could have some time to decide whose help we would take, and what those bargains entail.  
unsheathing his hammer Well I'm ready to deal them the death blow that somehow escaped them centuries before. Let them come, let them show themselves!
— Andre Lurtz
We will defend our stage with our lives. And what comes after as well.
— Renneth Crown
We are about peace, if they come we will negotiate. Rather than fight we will find you the best place in their design.
— Frennan Valshae
We will of course fight for our homes, our families. Everything is here, what's the alternative? The open plains of Tairos? Returning to Ghal Pelor? No, we make our stand here and now.
— Joriah Basilocke
  Ospher and Janka went into the kitchen to prep some snacks and from a distance... it looked like an ordeal. I'm told by Ms Birdie, who was dragged in right after Ospher finished cooking that Janka set about trying to plate the food Ospher prepared and nearly dropped it, so the two of them then set about trying to re-finish the tapas on the plates with her but it still looked 'kinda bad' as Love put it. They tried to talk Neville in to helping who explained that he hangs out with mice, and that's a no-no in most kitchens. Ultimately, he isn't a cook and they couldn't get him to understand how these go on a plate well with the garnish and presentation, and while he was arguing with Janka he elbowed over some allspice(? Love was unclear) which sort of set Ospher off about people wasting food and they told him to go and get Norynor which, for some reason, he did in spite of the yelling, and Neville went back to making appearances with the other circles while I contemplated casting a Silence spell outside. Ospher considered the reclusive elf a moment and sent him to find Irufan, who swept in on a cloud of grace and, again, if Love is to believed, did a sort of montage directly in front of her eyes, singing about "a gentle touch" being the "sweetest spice", and used some magics to fix the dropped ones and then led the lot of them out in what really looked to me like a rehearsed sweep.   Even more strangely, everyone liked it. The vampires ate some of them and made some nice compliments to the cooking team, which Irufan pantomimed weeping appreciation in return in a strange feedback look which only made them happier about the whole affair? ... That's probably not good. Speaking with Tyrom, we agreed that we could accept help from some of the organizations while understanding that even the people who told us they didn't want something in return definitely wanted something in return. Tyrom explained that he felt that the Harvest Children would likely try to work against us even with the Unicorn, and while I felt confident I hadn't given enough details to give him a way into causing more mayhem, we would turn down their assistance. We considered the Black Hammer's offer to likely be a good one in terms of just dealing with the numerous Saudra-tai, but not enough to sully ourselves with their zeal and disdain for the majority of our people.  
If you refuse the help of the Ebon Orchestra, do you risk your relationship with Janka?
We don't care though.
I didn't get there, but I was hedging.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say no.
— Tyrom, Charity, Adjenna, and Ospher
He pretty much wants the tadpoles for exactly what the Oracle warned us about.
— Adjenna on Renneth Crown
If you would use some sort of duplicity, maybe that message should come from one of you that is a better, uhh, I don't know what the word is, negotiator?
Liar.
Negotiator.
— Tyrom, Adjenna and Ospher speaking at the same time, discussing how to let the orders down gently
  We moved forward to discuss things in private in the headmaster's chambers, one circle at a time with me leading the discussions with Charity and Ospher present. We dealt with Lurtz first, who walked in with a prideful smile and swagger. I told him thanks for attending and that we were looking for a more subtle method of approaching these tandem assaults and he replied in the manner I expected. Renneth Crown was next and whilst he smiled from across the table I explained that we couldn't guarantee any captured specimens while engaging in direct action with the Saudra-tai plots. He was unhappy with that, letting his smile drop as he let his disappointment show and wished us good luck. Frennan came next to the office, smelling of various substances and he explained that he thought obviously the town would fall to the Fae eventually and that we would be welcome among their ambassadors. He was simple enough to let down easily and send on his way after he lingered quietly for an uncomfortable period of time.  
Well, you're choosing a coward's method to solve this problem. I am not surprised by this lack of moral constitution, your kind are burdened with it after all. Best of luck, we'll be here to save the city.
— Andrew Lurtz of the Black Hammer
Nonetheless, I'll return to the Echo House Theater. Whether it be living or dead, if you fail in this, both enjoy our performances.
— Renneth Crown of the Ebon Orchestra
Before you give your answer, just know this: when the Fae's Hammer eventually falls, you have proven to be of the purest heart and I will find a place for you.
That actually means the world to me.
— Frennan and Adjenna
What horrors we have visited upon a people who wished to bring us joy. There will be a tomorrow where we can smile again and you will smile as well. I promise you this!
— Frennan Valshae of the Harvest Children
  I was then confronted with the fact that vampires who were invited into our Orphanarium. Ospher explained that he invited them in because he wouldn't risk not knowing their intentions here, and that I was the one who still needed to talk to them. Thanks. LaRoche and his four fancifully dressed attendants swept in and I explained that we would only have need of them to defend Frial. He then attempted to overpower my will while at the same time making overtures towards friendship and then unsubtle undertones of threat. I then invoked the power of Nisaba and flooded the room with divine power, leaving him to quip while genuine fear seemed to briefly cross his countenance. I drew my shield and spear and proclaimed that Vale would see him removed from Tairos, and they fled out the front foor and into their black coach where his underling had prepared an umbrella for dawn's ray's of light.  
Well it's been a really dumb day. Thanks for making the breakfast finger foods for the wizard council.
— Charity to Ospher and Adjenna
Why are there vampires in our house? Were you charmed?
When they leave, and I hope they leave peacefully, we're going to have to take measures so they can't just come back in.
— Adjenna and Ospher
Well perhaps there'll be another time in the future. Until then, I'm sure we'll see each other out on the streets as we do, or maybe you won't see us, but we have a way of finding you.
— Claudius LaRoche
  We then returned to the Lord Solar and let him know we accepted his offer. Basilocke was excited to have people to work with in order to explore the 'Founder's Vault of Frial', as he explained it. The undercity of Frial when it was resettled following the pogroms enacted by the Fae were mostly fallen structures as they razed the town and it was sealed behind ancient magic and guardians. He called it essentially a time capsule of the old Balmoran civilization, called by them The Shining Reliquary, he explained that if we could glean anything from these crumbled buildings, he would greatly appreciate it while down there. Both he and the Lord Solar said they would provide what they could depending on the circumstances, so we agreed that the Solar's agent, along with Basilocke, Charity, Donovo, and Irufan would be the best people to approach that while Ospher, Janka, Tadlo, Lorgen, Brightshine, and I would bring action to the Docks to free the Unicorn whilst Love, Tomlin, Bianca and the Order of the Basilisk could work on keeping the bloodsuckers from being able to reenter our abode.  
I bring with Sandor's Grace and Sandor's Hammer.
— Lord Solar of the Prismatic Order
  Basilocke also made it clear that he thought in having dealt with the Rat King, he thought that he was likely coalescing again in the deep sewers, so if anyone he had been connected to was to go, that he would probably seek vengeance. Janka sought out Ospher and let him know that her helping us might upset Crown, but she was willing to risk it on our behalf.  
Crown is not very happy that you didn't accept his help, but umm
We got that impression. It's hard, what he was asking for in return was a lot.
I don't know what he would have done with a specimen necessarily, he has a personal laboratory of his own.
— Janka and Ospher
It couldn't be any worse than the planning you did for that breakfast course.
Listen, we had, what, two minutes of prep time before we had to throw that together? I think it worked out pretty well all things considered.
I've just never seen a head chef draw more people in the kitchen and to spill pots than you.
I have only ever been a lone head chef, stew chef and prepper all at the same time. If I had anybody capable of helping me... Ugh, that's a matter for another time.
— Janka and Ospher, their fire burns hotter
I don't think we should be sending Tadlo and Lorgen into the sewers after what Basilocke said.
I don't want to go into the sewers after what Basilocke said!
— Charity and Ospher
If I'm going into the sewers, I don't want to take that necromancer with.
I'm sure she probably already anticipated that.
I just don't like her!
— Charity and Ospher
 
  After all this madness and mayhem of the last 24 hours, we laid down to get some well earned rest and trusted that Tyrom and the Order of the Basilisk would keep well the Abbey during our slumber. Upon awakening, the three of us sat down with Love in order to make sure there was no confusion about what was happening: Tyrom, Neville, and Norynor would be here in the Abbey as well to help "resanctify" it from future vampiric ingress, Bianca would have the keys in the lab for the time being with no experiments to be happening in the meanwhile, Dalyn, our head of security for now, was to keep the gardeners and children indoors within the magical protections of the building until we were sure everything was secure.   At this point, we told Joriah Basilocke that we would be looking for an ancient 'gate' in the ruins under the city, which could take an unknown form and that we would destroy it by any means necessary to prevent the fae from digging through time with it to undo their bargain with The Autumn King. The Lord Solar left to send his support, a man who arrived shortly before Charity, Irufan, Donovo, and Basilocke left, a six and a half foot tall being in golden gleaming armor with a similarly obscured face that would not offer a name and allowed us to call him 'Paladin'. Between Ospher's recollection of the history of Frial from the time we spent in the library searching for information on ancient relics in a desperate attempt to appease Illsemine and the preliminary work Lorgen and Tadlo had done on breaking into the Founder's vaults, we knew that in the wake of the Fae's pogrom the rebuilders barely sealed the surface levels of the town and didn't construct anything significant barriers to where they would need to go underneath the sewers. The best knowledge we had of it was that holes were patched, supports were laid, but nothing was cleaned, repaired, or rebuilt of the old Balmoran settlement.  
I'm the Paladin of Sandor, I've been sent by the Lord Solar.
— 'Paladin' upon meeting us
Welcome to our humble abode.
Your task is his divine will.
— Adjenna and 'Paladin'
We combed a lot of the sewers near city center just trying to map things out. We know what leads where, those records are fresh. I guess there's certainly areas that could in theory lead below, likely the areas that saw the most fortification to prevent the mixed sewer systems from flooding from rising up and rotting in the new section.
— Lorgen on their reconaissance
You certainly have done your homework when it comes to researching the sewers. Unfortunately none of our people, or really any magic circles that I'm aware of have spent much time down there.
— Basilocke on the Orphanarium Specialities
It's good to know we have the absolute best on this, it's a dire situation and I wouldn't send anyone into a pit like that if I wasn't willing myself.
— Basilocke on Charity and the teachers
  Arming Charity with a Potion of Greater Restoration, the Skyriran Boomerang, we sent her off with a private hug and told her to be careful down there. They got a carriage for the ride to City Center and the sewer that they intended to make entry through and to conceal 'Paladin' from gleaming like a beacon in case some miffed Order was stalking them. They left the carriage and got the grate quickly, Irufan producing a set of thieves' tools and setting to work unscrewing the grate and disengaging bars over the cover, but the rest of the team drew a crowd, standing about nearby an obviously sealed sewer entrance, and a couple of Kreastos guards picked them out immediately, as Charity was pacing back and forth nervously and ducking behind people as they approached, drawing their attention more directly.  
Be careful doing what you're doing, don't come back full of toad people.
— Charity
Well I guess if there was ever a time for us to have a real test for our new educators, now is the time.
Uh, yeah, ok. This will be good for them.
— Ospher and Charity
C: Ok, gentlemen. Teachers, a little bit of a different exercise today. I know you normally have Saturday off, so I don't know what you know about the plan, but us three and them will be venturing into the sewers.
I: And Tomlin?
cut to Tomlin standing nearby, slightly leaning to one side, blinking each eye out of sync
I:He acquits himself quite well during the teacher exam, I say bring him!
D: He was pretty drunk though.
C: I don't know about bringing along someone who derives their powers from being drunk.
D: There is Manacite in his drink though.
I: I thought that was the reason you hired him.
Charity, Donovo, and Irufan discuss if Tomlin Ackley should attend the sewer mission
If we all die, we should have one teacher left here.
Aren't Miss Love and Miss Bianca remaining here?
Well, Love is more like an assistant Teacher and Bianca could end up on the moon at literally any moment.
— Charity and Donovo discuss qualifications
Tomlin strikes me as the sort of person that's not really going anywhere so I think that's good in this case.
So you're ok with him teaching all the kids expressly how to make hard liqour?
I'm ok with any magic person left to teach them happens to be that, I guess that's something. We'll call it 'Commercial Alchemy Class' or something I guess.
— Charity and Donovo on Tomlin, again
yelling at the top of his lungs You hear that Master Ackley? If we perish, everything is yours! Everything!
Noted! retching noises
— Irufan and Tomlin
They can witness our glorious exit from the sewer.
— Irufan, on the townfolk in City Center
  They directly asked if they were breaking the street, and Donovo directed them to stand back and keep civilians from approaching, as a deeply pressurized gas could spew forth from the sewers at any time. They bought Irufan's story and agreed to keep people away from here for a couple of hours since the 'Streets and Restoration Department' was on the case. Donovo was prepared for such a sewer jaunt, distributing some Thecki root to himself, Irufan, and Charity to prevent nausea and stave off infection while it was in their system, evidently accustomed to venturing into open sewers. Descending into the sewers, they encountered a massive tunnel with a narrow stone ledge lining either side of the path and the access ladder deposited them onto the northeast corner of a 4 way passage with the eastern passage having been bricked up. The sewer contained a lot of debris floating around, and was very stagnant within the canal, and it was of an unknown depth, though the ladder from the street was nearly 25 feet down. Donovo, evidently having had an Archaeologist's training in Ghal Pelor assessed the construction of the sewers as Old Balmoran with some patches of "Founders" here and there as well as some Dwarven stonework and that due to it's side, this sewer system was likely built oversize in order to handle a much larger flow of water than is normally present, either due to an underground river that has since diverted or seasonal flooding from the nearby swamplands.  
You're a credit to your unit sir.
I'm just gonna stay here and make sure people don't trip and die in this drainage ditch.
— Irufan and the Kreastos guard
Don't trip on the gas!
— Donovo
If we happen to come across any relics of the old balmorans, I would love to be able to fish them out and take them back up to the surface. I did talk to your employers about it and they seemed ok with it.
Donovo shrugs and looks at Charity
Yeah were just here for the gate or whatever it is, loot the place. she gestures to the sewage and debris It's all yours.
— Joriah Basilocke and Charity Sparrow
Sir Paladin what would you suggest, as the combat expert?
This place is corrupted. I can sense the hand of the old builders, but something else has taken root, something foul.
Most ominous.
— Irufan and 'Paladin' on if we should split up to cover more ground
  Donovo noted that he could confirm the traces of corruption in the slow flow of the sewer, and that bits of magical power leaked from all about, suggesting it was invested in the construction of this place. He also noted to Charity quietly that 'Paladin' glowed with the light of the sun while using his Eldritch Sight, something he'd never seen before. Basilocke had a lantern he produced for exploring and 'Paladin' used his hammer as a torch, a glowing gold light emanating from the head of it. Basilocke and Donovo went to the south corridor, confronted a grate that Basilocke was able to defeat with a Knock spell, but didn't get very far down it before realizing it was going to be ascending to a shallower portion of the Frial sewers. They came across a locked chest underneath some wreckage, and Donovo noted some sort of movement behind them as they drew in closer, sounding like metal tapping on the stones and very rapid, but couldn't spot it. They bent the old wood aside to open the chest and discovered a metal wand with a stylized crossguard ornament in the manner of a pair of crossed longswords at the top, a Wand of the War Mage +2 definitely of Ghal Ankaran make, with everything else having rotted to dust.  
One can never tell when battle is going to crop up. Would you like to hold onto it? I'm more of an upclose and personal combatant. That's what we teach at our school.
Ah ha.
I run a school as well.
Then you should feel right at home with us in the Orphanarium.
Unless you're teaching pugilistic classes, we may not overlap in what we teach.
Uhh yeah, we mostly teach the kids how to live and then some magic.
— Basilock and Donovo
You can certaily put magic in your fist before you throw it.
I trust you on that, I am... calisthenics teacher.
We can certainly teach you a thing or two if we survive this endeavor.
— Joriah and Donovo
  In the northern path, 'Paladin' trudged through the muck, unmindful of the waste, while Charity desperately clung to the ledge, passing by various bits of debris including a massive cog that Charity surmised to have once been part of an old control mechnanism down here. The pathway curved back off the east again and they noticed that the sewage began to flow a bit more freely, with some bubbling and churning, rather unnartually to their senses. The ledge ended at the start of the curve, with the fluid level now reaching nearly 4 feet of depth, Charity and Irufan joined the armored warrior in the muck at this point, the two of them noticing things occasionally brushing against their legs in the opaque river. Irufan attempted to see in the water a little better and cast some Dancing Lights down into the sewage and noticed something strange, a few ribbons of clear material moving all throughout the water, some of it avoiding them, and they definitely gave the impression of being alive.  
Pay less attention to the corruption seeping into your pores and more of what might be lurking beneath it. We are not alone.
Excuse me, corruption into what now?
— 'Paladin' and Irufan
  In an attempt to move gracefully within the vile fluid and avoid confrontation with whatever these ribbons were attached to, Irufan guided the other two in avoided the clumps of living material through the corridor down to another grate, similiar to what Donovo and Basilocke had found, and clogged up with bones and rotting biological matter. The bars were wide enough that unarmored people could possibly squeeze through after clearing the clog, so they set themselves to the task. The first thing they noticed in this was that something left these bones very spongy and pliable, and gripping one too hard, a greenish ooze dribbled out, singeing his hand, and proving to be the source of the decay here. Charity handled them without injuring herself, and they assessed that based on the volume of bones that there were three or four bodies worth stacked up here.  
Ok so the bones, ok. Something, that could pass through the grate left the bones at the grate? Something that went through the grate that had bones in it?
I don't wish to contemplate the nature of this.
Something that could move through solid objects, but solid objects inside it might get caught on the grate? And that burns and eats organic material?
— Charity and Irufan, on the detritus at the grate, likely by the Pudding King
The Pudding King!
The what!?
Everyone keeps talking about it but we've never seen it. Tyrom's talking about it all the time. Sime kind of King of Ooze?
A king of puddings...
What if it's real?
I would believe almost anything. Also, I don't wish to meet this Soveriegn of the Sewer.
— Charity and Irufan discuss His Amorphic Authority
You're walking through him.
— 'Paladin'
  With the grate cleared, Charity and Irufan were able to squeeze past the narrow bars, Charity equipped with the night-sight goggles, and immediately, somewhat distant and faint, they heard something like moaning, an injured person they surmised. In the distance as they sought out the source, Irufan spotted a small form, curled up on a small stone ledge near the fetid water, unsure exactly what it was as it was covered in grime and ooze from the water.  
Shall we investigate, Headmistress?
Ooooookay? Fine? I guess we should?
Tread carefully.
— Irufan, Charity, and'Paladin' on investigating the moaning
  Donovo and Basilocke having turned back around, passed the large cog they originally spotted headed back down the other past not being investigated by Charity's group, spotted a light in the distance, a deeper purple bruise-colored light. Not restricted by grates for that tunnel and another one, Donovo allowed his magic sight to guide them onwards away from the purple light for now, which seemed to have some bit of druidic tinge to it, and towards some faint traces of enchantment. This tunnel had stone ledges along either side of it, with the sewage having a good amount of flow to it here, they took the opportunity to remove themselves from the unpleasant fluid and found a few bodies, specifically skeletal remains. It appeared to be around five skeletons, neither of them were well versed in medicine to make an accuracte quick count. The magic that drew them in was coming from nearby there, a larger crate that had a hole in it and it resided within.  
Treasure? Trap?
Perhaps both?
Where there's treasure, there's sometimes a trap. Alright, I'll see if I can do this with my deft hands.
— Basilocke and Donovo on the obviously trapped crate
  The Master of the Adamantite Order darted his hand into the crate and pulled it back out with a doll, dressed as any simple child's toy, a girl shaped wooden doll in a red dress with yellow polka dots and button eyes. He handed it to Donovo and confirmed it was emanating with enchantment magic, likely to give it life, though it remained idle and limp. Concerned, Donovo bound it with hemp rope, while Joriah gave into his baser impulses and rattled the box about, noting something else must be in it. He shot his hand into the opening and upon pulling it out, it was ragged and bloody, with a finger having been sliced off, and immediately screaming and kicking the box against the wall. With the box shattered to flinders, two more dolls crumpled out of the wreckage, two boys in this case, with his severed finger rolling about on the floor now too. There was a small Chef's knife that Donovo spotted having been flung clear of the box laying among the skeletons now, but with these maniacal things playing still, he swept them up into the rope's bounds as well, bundling them together.  
Is something of your like what was pursuing us earlier?
...are you talking to the doll?
Indeed.
Umm, perhaps it's best kept with you then.
— Donovo and Basilocke
They took my finger! What are they? Burn the little monsters! We should burn them.
— Basilocke, in desperate pain
  Joriah retrieved his finger for his pouches, and the two of them searched the skeletons for anything useful. They found a wax-sealed scroll and a hip flask full of Healing Potion, and breaking the scroll, noted a spell of Clairvoyance as well an old elven broach, a gift given on Lover's Holiday in the elven territories per Donovo's assessment. There was then something moving in the water, lapping up from the water onto the stone ledge, very nearby. Backing up, the shape in the water materialized a hand on the corner, and pulled itself up, revealing what was once a man, hairless, waxen skin, and crawling out while moaning for help.  
I keep coming across these scrolls, and I have no interest in learning how to use them.
Scrolls are the source for how mages learn now. There's no academies, no schools, no old masters to learn from. Something like this is worth immeasurable amounts, I don't even know if some of the other Circles in the city have access to this spell.
Donovo shrugs ...I work for a magical school, and Master Klogheim is hundreds of years old?
Your school has these sorts of things in it?
I gave three of them to Love, she's one of the teacher's aides.
You hand out magical scrolls to Teaching Assistants?
Yes sir.
I didn't know the abundance of arcana that existed within those walls...
This was in Becklinburg.
— Donovo and Basilocke
You're a peculiar magic teacher.
I'm a calisthenics teacher.
— Joriah and Donovo
A gift given by lovers when they go on holidays in Melanthran regions.
It's hard to be sentimental when I'm missing a finger, you can keep it.
— Donovo and Joriah
  Walking off deeper into the tunnel, the figure then brought itself to it's feet in pursuit, hands outstretched, though it couldn't move very quickly, calling for help and saying that "It burns...". Then ahead of us, they heard another moan, then spotting another hand reaching up from the flows up to the ledge and emerging another hairless, waxen skinned thing, uttering the same phrases, now surrounding the pair. With ease and avoiding the confrontation, the two of them lept to the ledge on the other side, but now the wat hands slapping onto the stone grew to a chorus as a total of six of them had emerged. Bracing for more strangeness, the debilitated people then started moving as fast as a horse's gallop, so quick that Basilocke noted to Donovo that their feet weren't actually touching the ground as they closed in to attack.   Donovo's Eldritch Blast staggered the creature it connected squarely with, but again, it's feet were not in contact with the stone surface, though it staggering made something else clear: trailing off of the man was a thin little sliver of translucent material, leading back into the water. Basilocke's two quick strikes splattered one of the thing's head and upper torso, giving way like wet papier mache, and as the form collapse the translucent appendage recoiled like an injured limb, back down into the water, dragging the raggedy body with it. They fled back from the three remaining on this ledge, while the two they had jumped away from now submerged into the water to cross back after them. The morlock's blows were ineffectual and could not connect with either of the two mages, though they noticed as their hands were batted away what they did connect with sizzled in response. Up close now, these 'people' weren't such at all, their forms while humanoid were smooth, and lacked details to their faces such as ear holes, eyebrow ridges, wrinkles at joints, as if they were crafted of slime and jelly.   Unnerved slightly, Donovo's next Eldritch Blast went wide of the quick moving slime-men, though Joriah was handling them effectively, disposing of another jelly thing in two quick strikes that resonated and broke the form, causing it to retract into the protection of the foul effluent. Though this one's retreat prompted the rising up from the water of something new, a massive blood and snot colored translucent shark sized behemoth of tendrils, that were attached to each of these puddle men after all. It gave up the premise of a puppet show, extending it's 'limbs' out to attack Joriah and Donovo, with only one of them connecting though his cloud of blocking and parries and smearing his upper arm with corrosive fluids, with Donovo suffering a similar attack.   The central mass, for lack of better description, seemed to open up a mouth and bleched forth a gout of acidic fluid across the four remaining creatures who seemed immune, though Joriah was able to duck out of the way beneath the puddlemen to avoid being it, and Donovo caught the acid full in the chest and leg, burning him terribly and prompting a Hellish Rebuke of watery blue fire creeping all over the clumsy thing. Summoning his cursed Patron's tentacle, it lashed out and dealt a savage blow to the central body, revealing a sensitivity to the cold of the deeps. Joriah revealed the level of mastery his dojo's training could unleash, backflipping over the jellies to hit the main body, and then following up a quick flurry of devastating strikes with an arc of energy emanating from his sweeping leg that he was able to transform into a wave of violet rime solidifying the reddish mass, and then causing a cascade of reaction where it then rapidly collapsed in on itself, and the ground shook around them as it rose up, extracting a couple dozen more jelly-bodies that were submerged in the water that were connected and as a whole, it swept back from the two of them, giving the impression that it, too, was a tentacle of some larger mass elsewhere.  
That must be the Pudding King!
Nobody has told me about a Pudding King?
There is a corruption, a darkly intelligent taint that lives down here in the sewers. At least that's the legend, no one has ever seen it, Tyrom won't shut up about it. That must be part of it. I shudder to think what that is an arm of.
— Joriah and Donovo
  Irufan and Charity closed in on the child as the masonry shook and regarded one another in slight surprise. Irufan was able to then establish a connection to the child to speak to it by thought and was immediately overwhelmed as a deluge of voices replied to him about being hungry, feeding, eating bodies and eating memories. The 'child' didn't move at all during this, so Irufan destroyed it with a Firebolt and as it was falling apart while moving towards him, revealing a similar translucent tether in its foot like the other two had seen in the other hallway, which then rose up into the air while the pudding-boy's remains were dragged into the water. Another King-Limb rose from the water, now in front of these two, dredging up a DOZEN of the jelly-people with its bloody red mass to attempt to assault them.  
Die! Irufan cast a firebolt at the jelly-child
What are you doing?!
That is not a little boy!
— Irufan and Charity
Well Headmistress, behold, the King of the Sewers.
Aaaaaghhhh!
— Irufan and Charity
  Due to the space constraints in the sewers, only three of each pudding-people could get in close enough without tying up the tentacles, with Charity's Cloak of Displacement from Digby's cache protecting her with multiple images from two attacks, while a third one slathered acid along her forearm. Irufan was not as lucky, but Charity was level-headed enough to expend her Projected Ward to keep any significant amount of acid from contacting the adjunct. Charity's Ice Knife was well situated to inflict maximal pain upon this limb of the King, she lobbed it at the central mass, lodging deep into the blob, and upon detonation, the explosive reach of the cold blast encompassed all 12 sub-limbs, shattering the limbs causing the mass to shudder and thrash about.  
Whatever you did, it looks like His Majesty did not take kindly to.
Can you shoot Ice Knives? Shoot it with an ice knife.
Not part of my resume, I'm afraid.
— Irufan and Charity
  Irufan fired off a Witch Bolt at the thing, connecting and raising some welts as it coursed with electricity. The two of them retreated back towards 'Paladin' and the grate, watching the large formless shape retreat back deeper into the corridor with it's multitude of broken connections whipping about in the air as it induced yet more quaking.  
What was that? The entire sewer shook.
I presume, a Soverign of Pudding-kind. I'm told he's a legend in these parts.
Then we've found his nest, somewhere down here. That would have only been a limb then.
Careful, it's cunning; it tried to use our sympathies against us.
Forunately for us that sympathy is in such little quantity in this dark age.
— Paladin and Irufan
  They spoke briefly about the encounter, and squeezed back through the grating, when surprising even herself, Charity shrieked as a knife was sunk into her calf muscle, holding the knife was a tiny little wooden doll boy, sitting on the ground, grinning up at Irufan as it started to pull the knife out but Irufan was quicker on the draw, striking it with a Firebolt engulfing it in flames as it dragged the blade out and started screaming and kneeling down and crying for mercy. Paladin swung his mighty hammer, shattering it to pieces and then following through to the stone below creating quite a loud ruckus. They wrapped her wound and hoped the Thecki root would help prevent any infection.  
It is done, the boy is dead.
Well don't say it like that! My word, pudding kings, demonic puppets, what kind of sewer is this?
This is every sewer, every sewer.
— Paladin, Irufan, and Charity
  Having gone back the other way, Donovo and Joriah followed the next adjacent tunnel to an end, where it appeared to be sealed by something that was once a door, but had been shattered, with no trace of magical residue. The age of of the door indicated it had likely be built in the refounding of Frial, and after agreeing they would examine the other path before collecting up the others, agreed to stealthily examine where the thing fled to. Basilocke did so with aplomb, but Donovo ended up stepping directly on a jelly-person hand, causing it to look up and moan about burning. The two of them, ran down the path away before it could get onto the ledge to another set of broken doors, ancient stone with the seal of the Adamantite kings on it. It was cracked in a few places and there were large holes in the door, making it easy enough to slip through.  
I'm sure I don't need to tell you what that represents.
We've found our path.
— Donovo and Joriah
  They then doubled back, not seeing any trace of the King-limb, but jogging quickly through to not get caught, into the room with purple light. There was a great amount of mould casting it off, growing up from the ground onto the wall, with many mushrooms sprouting out of it. There was a dense amount of spores in the air there, resulting in a lightheaded feeling coming on quickly while breathing there. There was a great variety of mushrooms here, and there was a large hole there, leading down into the deep sewers, but past the hole and this purple mould, there were other growths of knotty, almost tree-like fungi, with some of the shapes resembling people, and limbs that the mushrooms had grown up around or possibly even through or from. Basilocke took a few samples for a jar, and with their curiosity sated with conjecture that this was the path that the Berri may have taken, headed to retrieve the others.   With Paladin in the lead, they explored the final branch of their path, having heard some distinct pitter-patter and occasionally catching glimpses of three of the living wooden dolls. He cast some Dancing Lights about the area, driving them into hiding while revealing old corpses and bones scattered about in the area, possibly 6 bodies left to dessicate among the ledges, likely refugees from the Fae pogroms as they scoured Frial's topside. Irufan dug through their supplies, discovering an old silvery handmirror, with Old Balmoran symbols adorning it, dirty but intact and with some inscriptions on it. He understood it to mention something about a Key and a Passage.  
A cluuuue?
I hate clues and puzzles.
What would an adventure be, without a challenge of the mind?
It would be a saturday off.
— Irufan and Charity
  The other object of note he discovered with a small leather pouch, flecked with some sort of sparkly black spots, and inside was a jewelry case containing a gleaming green stone, a Luckstone. They alos spotted a large wooden crate with a hole in it, and though they intially couldn't make out what was in it, and additional casting of Dancing Lights revealed two dolls, a stuffed boy and girl doll resided within, with some wooden components to them. Irufan used his power to mentally speak with the girl doll, who then asked him to play, while he lit the box on fire. The dolls scrambled out quickly, the girl possessing a larger butcher's knife while the boy held a sharpened two pronged fork at the ready. Charity, growing exasperated with the sewer denizens, lashed out a Firebolt of her own, consuming the boy doll in hot flames as it wailed, which broke the resolve of the tiny girl doll who dropped the knife and cried for mercy.   'Paladin' then started approaching as she begged, crying out that she would tell them anything they wanted to know, explaining she knew about secrets and treasures. Intrigued, they agreed to her terms after instructing 'Paladin' to break her limbs so she could commit no treachery. She explained that in order to get there, they would need the key to the door of the old city, two mirrors, evidently. Basilocke and Donovo then slowly slunk into the passageway explaining they had discovered the passageway they sought and swapping stories about the limbs of the King and murderous puppets, prompting Donovo to show off the bandolier of three puppets that cost but a finger.  
Where's the vault?
What vault? You mean you want the city below?
Indeed.
I could show you, but you must promise not to kill me or my brothers and sisters.
— Irufan and the girl doll
She could be lying.
I agree, but then again it could be a coincidence with what's on the mirrors.
She could have heard what we were talking about, she doesn't strike me as someone who speaks or reads Old Balmoran.
Agreed, we'll need to consult with Donovo, this is more his specialty.
So what do we do with her then, throw her in a bag?
I like that idea.
— Charity and Irufan
J: Friends! Friends, we've found it, well, Donovo found it.
I: Wait wait wait! Hold there, the passkey, if you will?
D: Umm, who rules the school?
I: Digby is dead. Alright! Good to see you all, my do we have a puzzle for you.
J: We've seen slimy clones, pudding duplicates down here, all limbs to some acidic monstrosity.
— Joriah, Donovo, and Irufan upon reuniting
  Sharing the mirror with Donovo's trained and eldritch eyes, he could tell that it had interacted with magic frequently and that the bottom of the handle was something resembling teeth of a key. Joriah confirmed Irufan's reading of the inscription, but explained it was vague with regards to how many keys were needed and Donovo explained that the 'Shroomery' had a large mansized hole in it leading to the old sewers, likely some ingress point for the Saudra-tai explorers seeking the gate for their nefarious plot.  
I don't read Old Balmoran.
I do, fortunately, I've spent a lifetime studying such relics. It does talk about being a key, and this being part of some larger mechanism of somekind, but it doesn't mention how many.
— Donovo and Basilocke
What in Tairos are you??
I am friend, I am friend.
— Donovo and the Dolly girl
 
 
Just relax, take a moment, catch your breath, collect yourself: it can't be as awful down there as it is here.
In my limited experience, for dramatic , it almost always is down there.
— Joriah and Irufan to Donovo on tending his wounds now rather than later
  Having gathered together, and made sense of their separate experiences, the Balmoran Door possessing two keyholes and the doll 'Friend' having stated that two mirrors are necessary to open the ancient seal, it was decided to seek more information from the savage doll. After alledgedly agreeing to not kill them afterwards, it told them that the second mirror was down deep in the sewers in what it described as the nest of the Rat King himself. It then agreed to lead the group to the lair in order to reclaim the second key in exchange for freedom for the puppet-children, which then negotiated further to walk the best it could on damaged limbs to jog its memory of the paths down. Donovo tied a rope harness to the thing and bade it to move as agreed, as he also had the bandolier tied of it's siblings on his person if there was deception about.  
Now my murderous little friend, here's where you earn your livelihood. Tell us how to reach the second key.
And you promise no harm will come to me or my brothers and sisters?
I'll make that promise. That I won't do anything.
I accept your words honorable sir, we are just children after all. The other key is in a nest, a layer, a dark chittering place.
— Irufan and 'Friend'
This is all on you right now, this whole 'Doll' situation. It's like you're at peace with it.
It's very odd, I grant you that.
— Charity and Donovo
Are we truly going to let that creature free?
We did make an agreement, but I have no issues if we decided to renege on it.
I promised not to harm it. I promised that.
— Joriah, Donovo, and Irufan on the Dolls
  During the quiet trek, the doll grew more open with Donovo, introducing itself finally as Elisa-Marie, and her directions proved uncanny and true as it descended reliably and opened up into a series of tunnels with manifold adjoining passages that she expressly walked past until reaching a particular archway that didn't appear to be constructed of even masonry or stone. It was earthen and she indicated that as the passage needed to find the mirror. There was a heavy stink of rot to area and realizing that again they would need to split up here to infiltrate this safely, Joriah volunteered to lead whomever believed they were up to the dask, which Irufan volunteered for immediately, as he had evidently spent a number of years training to be an acrobat. The two of them crept off after Charity cast a Mage Armor upon Basilocke. Irufan later reported to Charity that the Adamantite master was distracted by the debris and remnants encountered along the trail, due to his percieved connections of these items to the destroyed civilization of Balmoral.  
Elisa-Marie, you said you were a child.
I am, we're all just little children.
Are you a child in the conventional sense or are you a child at heart like so many of us?
She takes a long time to respond I only know what I've seen down here.
Who are you are parents? or what?
I hope that you are now, you're so kind. Oh, this one was cruel and would force us to be found.
So you were born a puppet?
It's all I've known. It's all we've known.
Some of your siblings stabbed me earlier...
We were scared, and felt threatened, down here everyone means us harm. well, everyone but you that is.
— Donovo and Elisa-Marie
Well, she said this had to be a quiet thing,right? So if we trust that, then I don't know is the quietest among us to go in there and get it.
— Charity, on whom would venture into the Rat King's abode
Are you deft enough to move silently sir?
I may not look it, being an adventurer and all, but I spent many years training to be an acrobat. Irufan pulls off a number of impressive wall runs and standing flips I'm sure I'll be up to the task.
Showy but impressive. I assume you can put those dramatics to practical use?
That's been my entire life's work.
Practical use or acrobatics?
Both! And yes. You can count on me Master Basilocke.
— Joriah and Irufan
Well, I've led you here, are we free?
Once we have the mirror in hand, yes.
Ohhh, what if they don't come out?
Then we don't have the mirror in hand.
— Elisa-Marie, Donovo, and Irufan
That's not my fault, I took you here, but there's danger inside.
Yep.
Ohhhh, I'll stay here with Papa.
— Elisa-Marie and Irufan
Be careful in there, we can't afford to lose a teacher, that's for sure.
I've grown quite fond of you as well Mistress Charity.
— Charity and Irufan
  The very dark tunnel was fetid with the smell of rot, and the overpowering presence of the smell grew stronger as the two ventured further, they also heard a sort of rhytmic thumping that was growing louder. The walls were scored with tiny scratch marks, from top to bottom and the tunnel opened into a vast circular hive chamber, filled with tiny little tunnels, all over the walls and chittering everywhere, beady little red eyes, just rats on everything flowing about. They found the source of the smell too, a legion of corpses piled up on the floor, in various states of decay, ichor flowing without a place to drain, and the rats consumed at their wont from this veritable feast. In the center of the pile was a petrified looking figure in a tattered robe, standing still, motionless with its arms crossed and most of it hidden by a tattered brown robe. As best they could tell, the thumping noise directly issued from the solitary humanoid, The Rat King, in his flesh.  
What a horrifying mess we've found ourselves in. How should we proceeed?
The lair of the Rat King.
Ah, so it really does stay down here, convalescing, leading it's plot of revenge. Let's not rouse it.
Licking its wounds, I suppose, looking like a husk there. I wonder if there's anything we could do to end it.
I certainly have not the power for such an endeavor, do you have an idea?
You could bring everyone in and... I don't know if that would work or if it would doom us and our friends on the surface. I don't know. It's either that or we stick with locating the mirror.
Let's keep our minds focused on the task at hand.
— Irufan and Joriah, upon taking in the scene of the Rat King's slow repair
  While Irufan looked about for the mirror, Joriah kept on guard as the Acrobat gingerly moved about the corpses and noticed that some of them seemed to still be alive. Some of the people would very wealky reach up for him and mouth words, with just a wet rasp escaping. Though near the figure in the center, there was a very hefty pile of items, very deliberately piled up, with larger rats scurrying among them, nibbling and biting, as if attempting to allow the magic to drain from the items and seep out into a thick knot of rat tails where the Rat King's legs should have been, rooted deep into the ground. Just as Irufan was about to start quietly reaching into the pile, he glanced up at Joriah and noticed him focusing very intently on the Rat King, into the darkness of the hood, and Irufan's sixth sense of the area told him that the very opressive presence of the King was here, but not fully awake, though sleeping warily, looking for unusual noises or emotions of fear. Using Prestidigitation to waft the concentrated smell of corpses into Joriah's face, the Monk was regain awareness and was able to extert his self control and Stillness of Mind to break the charm of the Rat King.  
For a moment, I was in a Labyrinth...
Irufan raises a finger to his lips
— Joriah Basilocke on breaking the enchantment
  Irufan then used the Prestidigitation to lure away a few rats from the pile of magic items towards the 'delicious' buffet available to them and rummaged through the pile with a bit more impunity. He said he spotted a few things that could be salvaged and of import but spotted the mirror and nabbed it, securing it in his backpack. Thinking to deny the king fuel for his magical curses and power, he continued to plunder this pile, repeating his deceit with magics, and first procuring a pair of boots, slicked in green slime that still had the remains of a foot inside one, excellently crafted, and elven in make. Thinking to call it quits now, Irufan made his way back to Basilocke who pressed him to continue resucing these items from a great foe. He next pulled out a short sword covered in slime, that seemed to be repelling much of the decay as possible, as very little rust from this slime had collected into the crannies of the hilt. And lastly, he pulled out a jar of bubbling blue active liquid, but the jar itself was propping up some other bits of items, causing the pile to collapse and clatter to the ground.  
I can keep the trick going if you want to grab more. I mean all this Arcana must have been taken from the tombs.
I know that I previously said we need to keep our focus on the task at hand, but I am terrible liar, so I'm... no actually, i'm a GREAT liar, nevermind. I'm a liar in general and I'll keep rooting at this.
— Joriah and Irufan commit to plunder
  In unison, the rats in the room started screeching and no longer just noise, the two of them could feel them in their head, and the Rat King moved its head slightly towards the interlopers. Irufan was ready, and flipped over the milling rats, and was able to leap clear of the corpses and offscourings back to the larger tunnels they came from. He claimed to have also spotted larger rats emerging from tunnels as well, as big as wolves, and gangrenous, with spikes or spines emerging from their knotty tangles of hair, but his glance at these was brief as he was out of the chamber quickly. Basilocke described that he first heard the sound of something like splintering wood as the King first slowly then like a bolt of lightning shot out at the monk, grabbing him by the throat, and while attempting, unsuccessfully, to dominate his mind, his hold allowed a number of his larger rats to land successful bites about his body, rending and tearing at his flesh with their unclean mouths and infected teeth injecting him with some virluence that his mastery of his body allowed him to fight off.   Thinking quickly, Joriah cast Misty Step, removing him from the ancient elemental's grip and giving him a good head start down the hallway, then clicking his heels of his Winged Boots together to then fly up over the swarms and slightly past Irufan in the tunnels. As Irufan fled down the halls attempting to catch up to the flying Monk, the Rat king reached out spiritually again, inflicting the pain of Gnawing Teeth in Irufan's head, attempting to bite their way out, and making him feel like he was being watched.  
This is quite the adventure!
I hope it's worth it!
— Irufan and Basilocke, as the former was passed by the latter
  From the burrows around them, they could sense that the spell had also granted knowledge of Irufan's location to the Rat king himself, and then directing the Rat Hounds where to emerge. Concerned that the two of would be damned by another attack, Basilocke bade Irufan to jump into his arms while he manuevered the Winged Boots to keep them moving with alacrity, which he managed successfully. They whizzed through the air, emerging back to the waiting group of Paladin, Charity, and Donovo covered in blood, slime and riddled with bites, while Irufan's arms were full of various trinkets and items.  
Please lead us back to the door and quickly. It's in your best interest here because I'm sure these rats will not distinguish between us an you.
Teeth in the dark!!
— Donovo to Elisa-Marie, and Irufan wailing
  Sweeping up the horrified Charity, they raced back up the tunnels, fleeing the chattering noise that grew to deafening levels as the tide of rats was emerging from anywhere that could be expected and otherwise in the rough tunnel. Getting back into some of the stone areas, a few pipes with murky water were the perfect block for Donovo to use Shape Water to leave a large disgusting wall frozen in the wake of their departure, restricting the access of the current of Rodentia. Donovo's plan worked to keep the group moving swiftly ahead of any significantly sized members of the Rat King's mischief.   Arriving back at the seal, the noise died down significantly behand, and the Rat King's spell on Irufan having worn off at some point or he got beyond its power, they slumped down to catch their breath and tend their wounds. Donovo freed the doll children at this point and while the bound ones initially looked poised to attack the weary party, they listen to their sister Elisa who bade them follow and they scampered off into the dark again. Donovo was able to rapidly identify the items with his Eldritch Sight, having had familiarity with items from his adentures and exposure to my craft station, the Boots of Elvenkind taken up by Irufan, as well as the Dancing Sword and the Potion of Frost Giant Strength going into Charity's bag.  
Well Headmistress Charity, I won't bore you with the details of our miraculous escape, but the Rat King! We've discovered his abode and he is thirsty for revenge; recovering with broken magic items stolen from the poor lost souls that made their way down here.
— Irufan
My brothers and sisters?
I don't know where they are.
I can't go alone papa.
— Elisa-Marie and Donovo
 
Headmistress Sparrow, I believe we owe her her siblings.
Uhhh, in accordance with the doll treaty, right.
— Donovo and Charity
  Remaining hidden was a simple task for Donovo and Charity to manage for the team while the Rat King's scouts continued to seek them out as Joriah and Irufan tended their wounds. At the seal, the mirrors were inserted, turned and the door was able to be parted. Beyond, the masonry was more a traditional passageway, no longer even resembling acqueducting, and the seal could be resealed behind them after entry. A lot of old adamantite supports with some old reinforcing magics still in effect, but nothing else of magical note. The passage led deeper and deeper beneath Frial, until abruptly ending at a jagged break, and vastly expands in both directions such that no one could see exactly how far this underground cavern went in any direction. Ruined buildings lay fallen, topped on their sides, fragments scattered about, a proverbial cemetary of old architecture that fell from above and rebuilders paved over with new streets and sewers and utility tunneling.  
You are his Fury. You are his fire in this Dark Pit.
— Paladin's Battle Prayer to Sandor
  Joriah surmised that they were beneath the Kreastos, or very near to it, all of the buildings in the area bearing the same livery of governmental buildings, but it was tough to assign purpose to some of these old buildings. A jigsaw of pieces here and there covered in more ruins and dust and dirt. Between his and Donovo's best guesses, something like 100 feet below the main hub of the city, and then the cavern was built atop, either by choice or ignorance.  
The town stood, as I understand it, until the Fae arrived.
Yes, correct.
From the original Balmoran build, at which point the town was scoured of life, whatever was here, some decades later, and then the arrival of the Founders?
Yes. Perhaps the last survivors of the town fought off some efforts and prevented a full collapse of the town?
— Donovo and Joriah, updating their knowledge of Frial's past
We're certainly the first ones down here.
That is certainly true and that means what we're looking for should be here, and it could also mean there might be other things of value as well.
...
— Donovo and Joriah on their access to the Vault
Do you think it wise that we split up to look for this building?
Do I think it's wise? My friend, it is not a good idea to ask me what is wise and what is not. We did nearly die after all.
Well, I think we could certainly keep an eye our for anything of value and the rest of them could be on guard duty or well you know.{br]I will leave the determination of what is valuable and what is not up to you, my lord.
I understand.
— Joriah and Irufan with Joriah's desire practically drooling from his mouth at this point
well could we maybe NOT loot the place right now? Could we find the thing first??
There is wisdom in the headmistresses words.
It's just common sense.
— Charity and Irufan, in counter point to Basilocke's desires
You would think it common sense, but it's not. He's talking some real Digby stuff. All right, come on, let's find the Gate first, okay?
Who is this Digby?
He... is a relative of mine that tried to eat people, it is what it is.
That does not sound like someone to emulate.
I know that now, anyway, let's not pick at scabs.
— Charity and Irufan, with Charity exasperated by the naked desire for loot
  Joriah indicated that the building would likely be constructed of a considerable amount of Adamantite, meant to be a defensible vault and likely have some large effigy of Sandor, the patron god of Frial. Charity, Donovo, and Irufan split off to look about for the vault, with Charity looking for signs as described, Donovo on the look out for buried structures, and Irufan watching for pitfalls to keep the group safe. After crawling through lopsided buildings, going over buildings on their sides, sections that are comingled from the collapse, and through a window one of them spotted a little bit away a domed structure that stood out with silvery glitterings on its walls and columns and embedded into the ground was a massive statue of the Lord of Light himself, toppled over, still bearing its signature warhammer.  
Those two weirdos can go together and fight over who loves Sandor the most.
— Charity regarding Joriah and Paladin
  Irufan used his link to Basilocke who mentioned that he was in the midst of unearthing something delicate and would be over as quickly as possible, causing the three of them to exchange a look. Drawing in closer to the dome, the huge front doors were laden with the imprint of the mirrors that got them past the seal, with an opening for each. Inserting them cautiously, they then heard the grinding of gears and mechanisms, but the earth itself also started to tremble, mud and dirt raining down from above as the Statue of Sandor itself started to pick itself up and tower well above the three, raising it's hammer slowly, preparing to strike.   It said something in Old Balmoran, something about protection, and the three of them scattered, Donovo relayed that it was likely an Adamantite golem, ravaged by the ages, and attempting to draw the ire of the thing, he and Irufan ran out dodging behind the debris while Charity tried to work on the door's mechanisms. Their draw worked, but while it barely missed smiting Donovo, a single crashing blow crushed Irufan into the ancient dirt, leaving him still while the golem turned its gaze onto Donovo once more. The loud sound of it connecting even muffled by his body was clearly heard across the ruinscape. Charity's further attempts with the door yielded no more success than the previous time, eliciting a panicked yell from her, while Donovo led the thing to pursue him into some of the denser rubble where he could force it to least have to work to try and get a solid strike. The next two loud eruptions of brick revealed through the smoke that the building wall was no more and Donovo was exposed to it's next strike, but Paladin and Joriah arrived from their respective sites to take up his task.   Paladin was looking up at the statue and and called out loudly "Derelict warrior, your duty has come to an end!" and he slowly rose into the air, transformed into this being of light and flame and molten armor, as Donovo had described seening earlier. Charity said it drew her attention from the door as it happened, explaining that it was akin to the old tale of the Kreastos in person, godly power channeling something into being from beyond the Rebuke and that it brought tears to her eyes in spite of the fear and panic of the situation. Flapping its great flaming wings slowly in the now lit underworld of old Frial, it pointed its warhammer at the effigy of its angelic master and a power seemed to draw forth the golems attention from the other people present, and then struck out with it's own glowingly radiant hammer, taking off bits of metal where the rust had taken hold from about the golem's bust.   The Dancing Shortsword was picked up from Irufan and released by Master Basilocke, beginning its dangerous dance about the animated structure, which was focused solely on the Angel, and Joriah placed a few blows about its legs. It was mildly annoyed by the gnats about its feet but still able to keep a keen guard up against the former Paladin, it only landed one blow, which did continue to rain fresh metal shards and structure down. Charity, outmatched by this antediluvian puzzle, abandoned attempts on the door and ran to give medical care to Irufan, stopping his ongoing blood loss, while Donovo ran over instead to check on the Door's machinery and while he too was unable to make the doors open, he realized the puzzle was related to Sandor's scriptures and adjusting tiles about to match up a sort of fill in the blank style mechanism. He called for Joriah who sprang over like chasing catnip and immediately set about solving the puzzle after briefly reading the door texts.  
Pictures, scriptures, psalms in certain orders, alright.
— Joriah Basilocke
  The giant statue landed two clean blows on the Angel at this point, temporarily extinguishing its wings of fire as it cascaded to the floor and bounced, but on the bounce it reascended into the air to strike back, but not before it swivled its head about and the jaw slid open like a puppet's, preparing some sort of wind attackl. The door's mechanisms set to accurately follow the path of Sandor, various locks inside the door started to creak revealing a very dark and quiet indoors. Donovo immediately ran in to avoid whatever the golem was to unleash while the Angel struck back against the Golem's mighty shoulders. The golem let loose a furious blast of wind and corrosive poison that seemed to hang in the air while stinging eyes and searing flesh, Charity recognized this was the time for Warding Wind, blowing the gas away and keeping Irufan, still unconscious, from inhaling too big a breath of the rotten stuff, and with that mitigated, she rummaged through Irufan's belongings and found a healing potion to administer to him.   Within the Vault, Donovo cast about, looking for anything that could help in the fight outside, something to disable the golem, and casting about with the lantern he traveled a short stone passageway, and the lantern sent the adamantite to scintillating, covered in spell runes. There were a number of short pillars about with different items atop each, a book, scrolls, but in the center of them all and reflecting a lot of light, a simple standing mirror, also cast of adamantite to a mirrored finish. It was five and a half feet tall and radiating with palpable intense magical energy, granting images to the arcane eyes that it was of depthless and an infinity of possibilities within. Unable to break it with a crossbow shot due to its metal construction, he then set about checking the items in the room for something useful, discovering a little glass vial with a neckband attached, a Periapt of Wound Closure and then a book, written in old balmoran, but with enough familiarity of the language at this point to recognize a Manual of Golems. It was written by Priests of Sandor and leafing through it there was even a diagram of this golem within along with the instructions on how it was built and the command words of control. Casting Comprehend Languages, Donovo held the book tightly in hand as he raced back down the hall to attempt to stop the fight outside, completely certain the phrases of scripture that would shut it down.   The golem was ready for the next attacks of the Angel, perhaps due to the invocation of animating spirit into the golem itself being from Sandor's heavenly host, but it shut down the next two blows it attempted to land on the metal horror, and headbutted 'Paladin' back dazing it and then following through with the adamantite warhammer to bat the Angel out of the sky, like a conflagrating comet and after connecting to the earth and erupting in a flash of fire, there was nothing left in the crater to even bring back to the Lord Solar, though it's avenging fire did sear the golem in the explosion, but not enough to finish it off. Charity expended everything in her Wand of Magic Missiles at the golem, but again it did naught but superficial damage. Irufan ran into the vault just as Donovo came screaming out, speaking the ancient Balmoran phrases just a few moments too late to save the Angel from destruction, though while the Golem was raising it's hammer to smash Charity, it ground to a halt and moved no more.  
What'd you do?
There's a book that tells you how to make these things and control them, it was inside.
This is ours now?
I think we're going to need it to destroy the mirror, the gate with the mirror.
Wait wait? Are we destroying it?
I thought that's what the other Headmasters said?
Yeah, yeah, I guess yeah.
— Charity and Donovo
Paladin, the thing that he became is gone. It destroyed him, but it seems like Donovo has it under control.
It gave its life, so that we might succeed. It will be remembered forever, in song. It looks like they found a solution to all the problems here.
— Joriah and Irufan
So this is it? So this is this. It's such a simple looking thing...
It's almost anticlimatic...
It contains infinite depth, it must be the gate that they described. You'll want to grab the other magical artifacts in there, I don't know what destroying a magical artifact of this potential could do.
— Joriah, Irufan, and Donovo
  With the situation calmed, they set about securing the other artefacts from the vault, a Broomstick of Flying, a Potion of Water Breathing, an Amulet of Protection +3, a phial of Universal Solvent, a Bag of Devouring, a tentacle rod, a Ring of Spell Turning at which point the Oracle's warning rang true to my ears as Charity related this story to me, he wanted to keep the Gate in order to adventure through time to attempt to undo the rebuke, and if that proved impossible, rescue ancient artifacts to "improve everyday life" in Frial. Hollow and fatuous, exactly what I'd always thought of obsessives of the Old Balmorans.  
My friends, I have to make the case though, that this could be valuable beyond, beyond our wildest dreams! Things in Tairos could be set right, magic could be fixed!
How so? How would this change the course of the Rebuke?
This is a passage through time, who knows what could be done, could be fixed? Even if we can't fix the flow of magic, we could go back and find so many lost relics and items, things that would make today so much easier.
A strong case. But it very nearly fell into the wrong hands, and we don't know if the Fae will catch up to us with this.
But it hasn't fallen into the wrong hands, it's fallen into our hands.
Our hands are the best hands.
I agree.
— Joriah Basilocke and Irufan
You can't do this! This decision can't be made by two first year teachers and an apprentice of Digby!
I'm sorry, but our loyalty is with the Abbey and Charity is the Headmistress of such.
You are dooming us to this world! Everything that happens after today is on you now!
I disagree! There is a lot of beauty in Tairos, even as we face such despair daily.
There's no magic.
There's always magic, if you know where to find it.
— Joriah and Irufan
  Suffice it to say, while Joriah and Irufan argued, Charity noticed the master monk getting himself ready for, what he likely thought of as necessary and possibly non-lethal combat with the remaining members of the strike team. She unleashed a spell from one of the more powerful items from Digby's cache, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, overpowered with extra manacite she had on hand to give the spell a longer time in exsistence and masterfully kept any random effects to a minimum. In spite of his protest, the placed the mirror beneath the golem and moved a few score feet away, bearing in mind Donovo's comment that would prove too prescient.   The Golem's Adamantite hammer swung down as directed by them calling out as far as their voice could carry to the thing and the mirror sundered it plainly, fragments and pieces of the mirror began to just sort of fade from exsistence, as Irufan described it, while Charity was rolling Basilocke back up the rubble hill towards the sealed door. And then, he and Donovo noticed that chunks of ground were vanishing as well, and then nearby masonry, and finally alarming them, chunks of the Adamantite Golem. Bits of everything in a cascading and expanding wave outwards were being drawn into some invisible emptiness that was consuming everything in an invisible to the nake eye explosion.  
Uhh, Headmistress, that's a chronomantic wave heading towards us.
I don't know what those words mean!
— Donovo's final words and Irufan's reply
  Between sobs, Charity explained that her Expeditious Retreat her and Joriah in the prison they made for him away from the harm, and Irufan's deft-ness helped him clamber over the rubble as well, but Donovo slipped on some loose scree and as Irufan plainly told me a shimmering wave of golden energy passed over Donovo and then he vanished to nothingness. He explained that he tried to toss him a rope after he saw him disappear, and having chosen instinctively an incredible position, he tossed it and every bit that wasn't in his hand just vanished.         There was an immeasureable amount of good and bad that could be done with this ancient artifact, and that it wasn't somehow destroyed or used in the oncoming wave of terror that the Queen-less Fae threatened during the first Frial's imminent demise tells me that there's too much of a risk to take in even attempting some long shot such as Joriah, the knave in disguise that he is, wished to lay at our feet. Knowing the consequences of this gambit as I do and not having our... friend with us now, was a price that we've paid in our conviction, and I would pay it again, no matter what Ospher or Charity vacillate on. Does this make me as ruthless as some fanatical Locklander? Does this upset the balance of our presence in Frial among these secretive orders?   I trust Sandor returned Paladin to his bosom following his extinguishment here, but that carries a similar sting that we'll need to make apology to the Lord Solar for. Donovo Flameglade, whenver you've ended up, I hope you're well.

Created Content

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eu_AbmDLsE - First Game
https://youtu.be/5qYD5k0LV7w - Second Game
https://youtu.be/fgtyY1S05JU - Third Game
Note that this is Three games worth of reports.
Report Date
05 Aug 2021
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