Oathday, Erastus 19, 4712 evening
Brinewall Cemetery
The bloated flying tentacled thing (which Kali pronounced to be a decapod, although she had never heard of one so large nor capable of casting spells) was dead and laying on the cavern floor some forty feet below. I cast Featherfall on myself, Radella and Ivan and jumped and floated gently down… except that Ivan didn’t jump: for some reason he waited his turn to climb down the ropes with the others.
Detect Magic revealed that the decapod had a couple of useful items, which we liberated for our cause.
[242] wand of Scorching Ray [30 charges] (Radella)
[243] circlet of +3 charisma [competence] (Radella)
The cavern continued on north and south, with a fork to the south, and so we went that way first. The south eastern fork ended in a roundish chamber with a flat rock in the center. Loot had been heaped upon the surface of the rock, and next to the pile of goods was a sticky, leathery egg sack.
I guess this is what the decapod hatched from,” Kali volunteered, while Etayne took a sample of the goo. Gross.
The more practical items included:
[244] +1 light steel shield [fortification] with an image of Brinewall Castle
[245] +1 returning start knife (Ivan)
[246] pearl of power [recast 1st level spell] (Kali)
[247] Ring of the Ram [10 charges] (Olmas)
[248] way-finder: silver compass. On commands shines as Light spell.
+2 Survival check to avoid getting lost.
has an empty slot for an ioun stone (Anna)
2,620 gp of coins
1,750 gp of gems
While moving about gems and coins for evaluation and counting, I found two other objects.
[249] dark-wood and silver disk with an image of Brinewall beneath the moon
[250] Statue of Pazuzu: fills owner with confidence and grants a +4 bonus to Charisma [enhancement]
Magic or not, the vile statue needed to be destroyed, and so I picked it up with the intent to smash it against the rock. But it was surprisingly heavy, and took an unexpected amount of effort to lift and strike against the stone. And after the wings had broken off and I had dropped the idol, it suddenly reappeared fully intact in my hand.
I had read about cursed items and now I had one for my very own. In addition to its unnatural heaviness, moving while holding the damned thing was like trying to walk or run through water. Clearly this was going to slow exploration of the castle, but fortunately we were nearing the end of our search.
Oddly enough I noticed that Sparna seemed more cheerful than usual, although I failed to fathom why. Our dwarf is a plucky fellow, and a deft hand for whichever weapon he turns his hand to, but he has a facial tick, where one of his eyes rolls upward at random moments. I’d offer to try and heal him, but he can be as prickly as a cactus, and so it seems best to wait for him to ask for aid.
We had taken a similar dark-wood disk of Brinewall in the sun light from Kikonu’s body, and concluded these were related and required to get past the “two seals” from Ameiko’s ramblings.
We continued to explore and found that the other side of the southern fork dead ended in a secret door to the prison area, and that the northern end led to a cave opening in the woods to the northeast of the castle.
We returned to the kitchen complex and after forcing open a stuck door found the castle’s laundry area covered by a thick blanket of mould and fungal growths. A large mushroom was at the center of the room, which we found disturbing enough to close and lock the door.
And that was it for the cellars of the castle. I pulled out the castle blue prints and pointed to the one set of stairs heading down from the main level that we had not yet found in our subterranean wanderings. We climbed back up to the main level, and hastened (which means I was at the rear of the party, in my sluggish state) to the other stairs.
These curved down and around until an iron portcullis blocked the way. Radella was at the front, and found a pair of circular indentations in the walls: one with a carved pattern of the sun and the other with the moon. She and Kali inserted the matching dark-wood disks, and the portcullis lowered into the floor. We passed downward to a chamber with two large, but empty, vaults to the south.
The dust on the floor swirled around and assumed the form of a Tien man who moaned menacingly.
I recalled Ameiko’s words about the three vaults beyond the two seals, and that her grandfather was waiting, but had forgotten who he was.
Apparently Kali remembered this too, and called out, “Rakuro, is that you?”
The ghostly form shuttered and rasped, “I know that name. False name! You, take the seal from here. Take it to my daughter. I can no longer guard it.” He then pointed at the eastern wall with his sword, and vanished.
Radella searched the wall and found a secret door, which opened onto a hidden vault. Within were three locked dark-wood chests.
Radella unlocked the first chest which contained Tien coins and rings.
4,267 gp (total value of contents)
The middle box mysteriously opened on its own (Radella swears it had been locked like the others), and inside it was a small lacquered cubic box which glowed brightly with magic.
The final box contained valuable (and useful) magic items.
[251] bag of holding [type 1] (Sparna)
[252] ring of Chameleon Power: grants free Action, +10 to stealth,
wearer as a standard action can cast Disguise Self (Radella)
[253] +10 ring of climbing (Radella)
[254] +1 bracers of armor (Kali)
[255] necklace of Fireballs [5D6, 3D6, 3D6] (Ivan)
We returned to the cemetery, where Spivey sadly stated she had no way of removing the Pazuzu idol’s curse upon me. Kali used Nihali to exchange messages with the caravan, and thus we found that Ameiko still slept.
Fireday, Erastus 20, 4712 night
Road to Riddleport
We arose early this morning and began the slow and plodding trek back to the caravan (Spivey came along). There we found Ameiko still unconscious, and so Kali pulled forth the Tien box , but there was no obvious way to open it. Looking at it more closely, I realized I had seen something similar way back on one of my family’s trading trips: it was a puzzle box, where you had to move a set of sliding panels into the right position in the right order for it to open.
With that hint and a little time Kali was able to puzzle open the box, and that was when things went bat-shit crazy.
A small carved figure of a dragon was sitting on a silk cushion within. It turned its head and gazed up into my eyes as reality twisted and warped around each of us, and we were shown a series of visions as they unfolded, all relating to Ameiko’s family, and revealing that she was the soul surviving member of the Minkai royal family.
Apparently there was some sort of coup d’État in the Minkai kingdom, and Ameiko’s grand father, Rakuro, escaped with his family and a handful of household heirlooms. He changed his name and assumed a mundane occupation with a fabricated history. His intent was to lay low and hide, but pass on the family history to his children, and they to theirs, and so on until the family could return.
But something went rather much wrong, and Rakuro died before he could pass on the family history to his son. A letter was sent, but as we found earlier, never delivered.
Oh yes, by some magical jiggery pokery all of us were now scions of Minkai, meaning if something awful happens to Ameiko, then we are next in line to assume the royal throne. Oh, goody.
When the visions ended we found that each of us had experienced them, and that we now understood the true nature of the little dragon: it was the Minkai Royal Seal. Its primary function was to ensure the continuity of the proper Minkai royal line.
The Seal possesses 5 charges each day, and with them it can perform the following:
- Cure Serious Wounds [1 charge]
- Remove Disease [1 charge]
- Restoration [1 charge]
- Remove Curse [1 charge]
- Heal [5 charges]
- Resurrection [5 charges and the box must recharge for 1 month]
The box itself served to hide the magical aura of the Seal, which was so powerful that if anyone anywhere in the world were scrying for it, they would find it.
The good news is that Ameiko woke up! She too had seen the visions, and given what she already knew about Tien and Minkai, she realized that she needed to return to her ancestral home and claim the throne.
I was ready to leave then and there, but some of the others, Ameiko included, felt the need to return to Sandpoint or Magnimar to see to their business holdings or other personal issues. And so we were to return to Riddleport first, and then regather and set forth northward. As Kali explained, the fastest route was on land, over the frozen wastelands of the Crown of the World.
The other good news is that the Seal removed the curse, and the blasphemous statue of Pazuzu is sitting in a chest in a wagon until it can be safely destroyed.
The bad news is that more than likely someone is employed to scry for Seal full time, and we had effectively just set off a beacon saying, “Come and get us, here we are!” This is going to make using the seal difficult because any time we take it from its warding box we will broadcast our location.
We all agreed that we needed to leave at once, and the restoration of Brinewall had to be left to others — perhaps Sandpoint or Magnimar would want a northern outpost.
Kelda seemed nonplussed by all of this. She too had seen the visions, but what she thought or felt about all of it she did not say. Maybe she is used to this sort of thing and is already a scion for half a dozen royal houses. Our trek north will take us to her home, and so Ivan and I can fulfil our promises to return with her.
Wealday, Erastus 25, 4712 evening
Riddleport
After a couple of days of hanging around the caravan encampment just outside of Riddleport I needed a change of scenery, and so I wandered into the city on my own.
The Velashu river had carved its way through towering bluffs of rock, scaling up to the highlands and mountains beyond, creating a large natural harbour. The city itself is nestled upon the shores of the river. Thousands of years ago, during the time of ancient Thassilon, a great arc was erected over the mouth of the harbor, carved with mysterious runes, the meaning of which has been lost to time. From this enigma Riddleport has taken its name.
Despite the rugged surrounding terrain, the city is mostly level and gently rises northward along the course of the river. Like most cities of any size, Riddleport is divided into districts, each with its own purpose and flavour (or aroma). I spent time in each, following where my feet or fancy led.
By mid day I had reached the River district, and found myself caught up in a small disturbance.
There was the sound of breaking pottery — not dropped, but forcefully hurled against a wall — followed by shouting. “Farrol, you idiot, you put green wood in the kiln, and now the entire lot has been ruined!”
Curious, I made my way into a courtyard sandwiched between two buildings. Against the back wall was a large oven, and at first I thought this might be an outdoor bakery, but there was no accompanying smell of baked goods. Instead there were racks of pottery in different phases of completion. One rack had recently been removed from the kiln, and standing next to it was a giant of a man, holding a glazed bowl in one hand while shaking his other fist at a tall lanky boy cringing behind a stack of fire wood. Thick black tufts of hair sprouted out from his eyebrows, ears and nose, and the same thick wooly growth covered the top of head and indeed most of his face. He smelled of earth and fire.
“I’ve never seen pottery made before!” Did I say that out loud? I had meant to just quietly watch, but my enthusiasm got the better of me.
“Well you’re not likely to today, missy, because this imbecile put green wood into the kiln and the smoke and steam has discoloured the glazing.” He gestured at the rack of cooling bowls, plates and mugs before him, and I could see that they were unusually lurid shades of green and red, with thick smudges of black creeping around the edges.
“Really? I’ll buy them! A thought suddenly occurred to me. “In fact, if you can glaze them one more time with another image overlay I’ll pay full price.” I quickly sketched out the grinning skull of Groetus in the dirt I waved the potter over.
He recoiled slightly at the image, but seeing his discomfort, I explained, “This is Groetus, the god of the end of times. He brings the promise, nay the certainty of the end of all sufferings. And while none knows when the world will end, its demise is inevitable, and so it is that Groetus brings hope and comfort to the world.”
The potter still seemed hesitant, but when I showed him my coin his demeanour changed. “Welcome, friend, I am Gerrould the potter, and I am at your service.” Together he and I quickly painted Groetus’ image onto each of the vessels, while the reluctant Farrol stoked the kiln with dry fuel. The rack was slid into the oven and the thick door bolted shut. “And now we wait,” said Gerrould.
“Have you ever tried to use steam and smoke to create a design?” I asked while we waited. “Looking at the results of Farrol’s mistake you can see that the presence of smoke and steam left their mark on the pottery. You could use that to create easily designs.”
“Don’t be daft,”, he admonished, “when people order designs on their earthenware I hire an artist to paint them in the glaze.”
“Right,” I replied, “and how much do you have to pay the artist?”
His eyes grew wide and round and I told him to wait. I had seen a flower merchant while wandering the city, and hastening there I found just what I was looking for: the intricate lacy fronds from a fern known locally as Goblin Fingers. I bought all they had and returned to the the hairy potter.
We spent the rest of the day experimenting with the fronds and bits and pieces of green-ware, while the hapless Farrol frantically worked the smaller kiln’s bellows (the large kiln’s bellows were powered by the nearby river). It was nearing midnight when we hit upon a successful combination that perfectly yielded the pattern of the Goblins Fingers on a plate shard in a lovely iridescent emerald green, with wispy tendrils of smoke along its edges.
I left the potter with a special order to recreate the same pattern and colour on a vase and a fine dinner set for four, which he promised would be ready by the end of the day.
Oathday, Erastus 26, 4712 evening
Riddleport
I returned to Gerrould’s before noon to pick up the Groetus crockery we had completed the day before. I also borrowed Farrol to cart the lot over to a nearby tavern, where I had paid a earlier visit.
Farrol dished out soup while I poured beer. Within an hour I had nearly five dozen souls gathered about eagerly eating soup, drinking beer, and learning about the mercy of Groetus and the impending end of the world. I watched as the crowd slowly dispersed, and noted with pride how only some of them cast their bowls and mugs into the gutter as they left.
We returned to Gerrould and I took the vase and dinner set back to the caravan, where I left it with Shalelu’s things along with a note.
Hi Shalelu,
I am glad to have you safely back and hope your trip to Sandpoint went well. I met a potter in town while you were away and together we invented a new way to glaze pottery. I chose this design and colour for you, and hope you enjoy the set.
– Qatana
Starday, Erastus 28, 4712 night
The Northern Road
We left Riddleport by early morning and began retracing our way back to Brinewall. According to Kali our next un-abandoned town is Jol, almost a week away.
Ameiko and I have been having discussions about who should be cooking for the caravan.
Toilday, Erastus 31, 4712 night
The Northern Road, Past Brinewall
We passed Brinewall today, and are now travelling through lands heretofore unseen by us. Wildlife abounds, and some large fierce looking creatures shadowed us for a little while. But we are a large and well equipped group and nothing dared attack us.
Fireday, Arodus 3, 4712 night
Jol
We arrived at Jol late in the day, but we smelled it long before we arrived. But for the odor it would be a pleasant enough place. We traded our goods brought from Riddleport and picked up more for our next stop.
Starday, Arodus 4, 4712 night
The Northern Road, On the Way to Solskin
We left Jol and its raucous flocks of sea birds and ravens behind and hit the road. But not long after Nihali flew back to Kali with word of an enormous raven that appeared to be shadowing our movement. We each casually kept an eye on it, noting the odd red feather that tipped one of its wings.
Koya thought it was a bad omen, and pronounced, “There is evil stalking us.” Well, yes, I think we all figured that out for ourselves.
Sunday, Arodus 5, 4712 night
The Northern Road, Past Losthome
We quickly made our way through a dark forest (said to be inhabited by the dangerous fe, and there at the far side, sitting upon the gnarled and twisted remains of a dead tree was the large raven. It gave a tremendous croak before launching itself skyward. This is bad.
We consulted Koya again, and she agreed to perform a “harrowing”, which involved her pulling cards from a deck and interpreting the combination. We gathered around as she flipped over each of the cards, and pronounced that Kali would have heightened abilities during our next encounter with the raven.
Later we crossed the bridge across the Thundering River to Losthome and traded goods before crossing back to the northern road and moving on.
Moonday, Arodus 6, 4712 night
The Northern Road, Crossroad to Kalsgard
Before sunset we arrived at the confluence of the Thundering and Rimeflow rivers, where where the main road from the west crossed a bridge and met up with the northern road, which continued on eastward to the city of Kalsgard.
We set up camp on the near shore, and Kelda and I shared the first watch together. After darkness had descended and the river mists were rising to engulf the camp I head a sharp hiss from Kelda. There, perched on a bridge post was our raven, which promptly flew off.
At that same moment I heard the sound of an oar in a lock, and my first thought was, “Damn, Kali was right, and I’ll never hear the end of it.” Earlier that day Kali had expressed concern that the river provided an ideal location from which foes could launch an attack, which I had dismissed. I quickly woke my comrades and the rest of the caravan crew.
We waited until they were close (it was too dark to do otherwise) and launched our attacks. Ivan lobbed a fireball into their midst, and then Kali used a spell to turn all of the ground beneath their feet into a plain of sharp rocky shards.
These actions thinned the incoming horde a significantly, and slowed down their advance such that we could finish them off singly or in pairs as they slowly escaped from the rocks. Before long the attackers had all been slain.
During the skirmish our foes had been singing or chanting, which my companions identified as Ulfen battle cries. Each of them wore a golden arm band with an engraved lion’s head. We gathered up their equipment (mostly chain shirts) into the caravan and went down to the river.
A long boat had been tied to the bridge, and after dumping the Ulfen bodies into the water, we pulled the boat to the middle of the river and scuttled her.
The caravan is quiet once again and my watch is about to end.