Episode 7 - Circling the City

Allfray, the cleric awakens, and the same as every other morning, along with his Brothers & Sisters greet the morning sun with prayers, there are no strangers at the Obelisk unlike last night, but he is cautious. The dwarf Bahlgrimm slowly awakens, but he is alone in a tenderfoot pub having overindulged with his blue fairy friends. He learned many of their songs, and picked up some of the fey tongue as well, but most surprising is his hand is marked with a small blue mark, while he is unsure of its meaning, but knows it is a blessing from his new small fey-kin friends. Their sorcerer Solauder played it safe, returning to his drover allies, he spends most of the night in a common room, reading over books, and studying his magic spells. He knew there were always the Towers, but he did not have the coin or membership to study in any of those places.

The cleric is careful leaving his monastery, wanting to get a good view all around in case he is being followed, he casts detect evil...and sees a presence of two black ravens flying overhead. Black is the colour highly associated with Keran, God of Night and Fright - an almost exact opposite of his own goddess, High Lady, Quanna. He was uncertain if they were watching him, but their presence around Quanna's obelisk was quite unusual. None of his brothers know what could be going on, but without knowing his mission, couldn't really give him specific advise.

The group goes right away to the river bridge, the first spot on the map, and survey the area. A huge bridge, made in a much older style than the majority of the city brick-works. There are twenty empty flag poles on each side of the bridge, most are in very good condition, but none have flags. While the bridge is not busy, there is constant movement of activity between city sections. They slowly walk forward, casting both detect magic and evil spells. Around halfway across they spot two cloaked humanoids working at a flag pole and a third around twenty feet away from them.

The group shouts a warning, but they are ignored. As they approach, the group tries to figure out what the cloaked figures are doing. Moving forward, the two solitary figures turn and cast spells towards them, the cleric retaliates by casting protection from evil. The fighter dashes forward, immediately lashing out with his axe, but he is not concerned with the cultists but strikes the flag pole... the reverberations echo out and reveal to him a secret, the Great River from the basin below still runs. They cannot see it, but in the echoing noise, he sees that which is hidden. The fighter strikes again, as the sorcerer releases magic missiles, as the cleric tries to hold them still with a spell. Their combined force brings down the two, and as they turn towards the last of their enemy, has already started running away. They see the flying banner above them only when they touch the flagpole, they use their magic to rip the banner off and direct it down. The city map shows the first area marked by a pink mark where the bridge is on the map.

They then head to the second area on the map, the empty well. A much poorer area, with many tall buildings near-by. The lot looks abandoned, as more than a dozen broken water pails are strewn out along the area. The team looks around and not seeing anything else, glance down the well, realizing
it is an empty well, a sandy bottom. At first, they see nothing else, but eventually they notice a number of small shadowy figures skirting around in the well port. The cleric, confirms they are multiple sources of evil. The sorcerer takes over, taking his time, he blasts them with his sorcerer spells one at a time. Once cleared of the impish figures, the group starts to move down the well. 

They go less than twenty feet down when they see a rough side tunnel, which should not be there and they deter through that instead. They head through the side passageway, then reach another drop.They slowly do down, and head down into another rough cavern, when they are attacked by large, thin centipedes. It takes several rounds to put them down, as the centepedes are much faster than anything underground they've seen before, and even worse, their bite inflicts poisonous wounds.

In the center of the unnatural bottom cavern, is a small black pool, they are unsure of the murky substance. The cleric doesn't detect poison but they can't see very well into it. After some hesitation the fighter reaches into the inky substance, he touches something, an arm? A body? All of
the party members agree, he should remove it. He gently removes the body from the dirty water, revealing a small and quite attractive female elfling, a water nymph. The black oil quickly drips off the body, to reveal both her fragile shape, her lovely blue hair and elaborate clothing. The
cleric casts a minor healing effect, not much, but enough to awaken her. Her bright blue eyes open and her face is a youthful figure, she hugs the cleric and then the others and expresses her appreciation and excitement at being awakened. She is angered when she hears her well has been emptied, but tells them she will care for it again, and they can return anytime and she will do whatever she can to assist them. The second mark, a small blue spot appears
on the map.

Next they make their way towards the lesser known spot on the map. Unnervingly, it is close to the temple of Keran. Not just a holy spot, such as an obelisk, but a large structure, with dozens or more of the vile worshipers, known for their horrid acts of faith. They are cautious, but head over. When they triangulate on the map, they believe it is an almost ignored posting board, seemingly in the middle of many things, yet so unimportant to be almost invisible. They cautiously approach, and see the many bit of paper on it, hundreds of notes, to and for and about just about every subject. The wizard casts detect magic again and see dozens of magic writing, but when he meditates, four pieces of magic writing emerge. At the same time, the group realizes they are being watched, a silvery humanoid knight, just in the distance,yet like the post, while not hidden, you could not notice it.

They look on each magical postings, and after reading them realize the are open invitations, if they accept they will be bound to a mission. But how do they accept and which one do they take. They realize the knight has been watching them, watching the post. The approach it and the cleric begins
talking to it, looking for some kind of response, but there is none. Seeing their frustration, their fairy friend emerges from her invisible status, takes the note needed and goes to the knight, saying, "We accept the Seed Tower mission." Now only the single message is still glowing, the group takes
the note and each confirms agreement. The words on the note start glowing as magical etchings show on each of their arms, marking their acceptance of the quest to clear the Seeding Tower. Now a small grey spot appears on their map, marking the posting board.

They go to the Aviary, a tall builidng, formerly a Seed Tower. These are one of the most common types of magical buildings in cities, especially the Spirelands as it is the main way for every population to grow it's food. Most are inhabited by tenderfeet, (halflings in common tongue), who care for the tower and the plants inside. This one, was intended to be converted from a Seedling to Aviary yet for some reason the task wasn't completed. They are unsure of how they get in, as the locks are bolted. They try their weapons, but they are useless on the bolts. They see the birds in the air, the black ravens as before but also golden ones and purple ones and silver ones. They all seem to engage each other, but not in combat, but playful push back.

High above they see the bird entrances, the avians should be able to just fly in or out of the tower, but none of them do. Unsure of what they must do, the cleric and drow try to intrepret the scratched writings on the door. Not exactly a magical script yet it seems to be a ward. Slowly the drow recognizes some of the letters, it matches some of the script on the invite. The drow takes the invite and concentrates, then starts reading out the script in a magical tongue, the sounds coming from his mouth have both an audible and visible form, and as the last words are spoken, they swirl around the caster until landing on the door in a swirl, which opens the locked door.

They push the door to reveal a dark, vast, barren tower, so very different than the seed tower or what it should have been turned into. There are dead vines along the main walls and support bars. They enter the area, and immediately see the shadowy figures flying above. The cleric and fighter turn to each other, knowing what this is, saying - Gargoyles. One of the worst and perhaps best known type of city vermin, they haunt lonely places, seeking both the dead and the injured to turn into more of their sculpted, twisted brethren.

As the group spreads out, some of the gargoyles swoop down, scratching the party members. This was obviously their terrain, able to hide so well in the shadows, to swoop down and claw or bite or seize anyone on the ground. The fighter is the first to notice the cleric's holy symbol, glowing, green. The cleric had never seen or heard this before, but it made sense, the tower as a place of plant mana or energy, this was a place of  Holon, the Earth Mother's domain. The drow elf looked at the posting from the script message from the posting board, it too is glowing in the same magical green sheen. As the fighter moves inward, he is attacked more and more by the sweeping goyles, clawing, scratching him. He sees their movement and realizes they are trying to trip him up. The cleric tries to piece this together...why wasn't the ritual completed....what was the ritual? If it was any Heavenly Deity, that would, should have an obelisk, a centre of their faith, but for the druids it should be a pool or tree.

For almost every step he takes, the sorcerer casts bolts of energy, hitting more and more of the goyles. The cleric starts turning, as pockets of green vines burst out, grasping at the flying goyles, seizing them to the walls. But it's the fighter who is barraged repeatedly by the gargolyes, he is who they fear. The cleric yells for the fighter to move forward, to move to the centre of the Tower, but as he does, he sees something hidden, in the back of the tower, he points out a hidden shape, an obelisk, a wooden obelisk!!!? When pointed out, both of his comrades see it and then understand, that is the point they must reach - a perfect balance of the old faith along with the substance of life (wood) but the symbol of new energy (obelisk.)

The elf dashes towards it, reaching it almost the same point as the fighter. They are harassed by a constant barrage of gargoyle claws, the sorcerer is held down, but the dwarf fighter steps forward, he touches the obelisk first, drops his sword and then reaches out for the elf, who passes the quest
note. As the fighters hand connects with the promise note with the wooden obelisk, a green light flashes out, as plants explode out from the obelisk, upwards and outwards, grasping all the goyle figures. A mere moment later the green light dims, but the entire Tower has a huge tree in its centre and dozens of birds fly in.

They see no more gargoyles, as they all seemed to have been consumed by the tree, as there seems to be a balance of plant life in the centre and the dozens of birds at the outside portion of the Tower. Their fairy companion yells congratulations! A final small green dot appears on the map, and the circle is now complete on the map, a colourful circle marks their four actions.

Cut and bruised, the team needs some time too get themselves together, yet minutes later the tower is happily invaded by Tenderfeet and city knights wanting to know what had just happened. The group are lauded as heroes...few knew how to enter the Tower, let alone transform it into the Aviary. But now the hundreds of birds of all kinds are already in the building, flying high above. For the next few days the team is brought back and forth, meeting nobles and Towermen, making connections, telling stories.

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The group is given their payment and they each head back, finished from their duties for this mission. The dwarf Bahlgrimm connects once again with his new found fey friends, and they collectively drink half of his coin, sharing stories and he learns of the fey, their homes, stories and jump-gates. (+3 on all future social fey charisma or wisdom interactions.) They are new allies, ones he knows he can count on, but now his thoughts jump back to his family, and what should be the next steps be for him. He returns to the Wagon, and signs up again for a new mission. (400 crowns; 4000 exp points)

The dark elf Solauder knows he can make connections in the Spell Towers, loose ones anyway with some of the coins at least. He could stay here and work hard, to slowly grow into a respectable position but he hesitates, this is not his home and he realizes there is probably another way to learn what he wants to know. Away from the others, he goes to the Obelisk of Light, and asks to learn the Spells of Light, it was this that best imitates the Fire spells from his home. He then returns to the wagon, and immediately signs up for a new mission. This for now is his home, and while not really content, he knows it is best to stay, and to prepare, for what he is unsure, but he knows something is coming for him.  (800 crowns; basic spell advancement; 4000 exp points)

Allfray, the cleric splits his reward with his church - but their gifts more than make up for his offerings. He has learned a lot from the brief adventure, but each time as he is sharing the daily prayer, his eyes watch the strangers, peering to look into their intent. Something is wrong. His dreams show him signs, of himself away from the city, until he wakes up understanding that the temple, this obelisk is not his home anymore, or not now anyway. He needs adventure, he needs travel, he needs to find himself and a way to connect others to the Holy Light. He goes to the Quarnik Maces, and signs up for a mission to travel far from his spire homeland. (400 crowns; 4000 exp points, 7 levels of potions - 3,3,1 or 2,2,2,1 etc)