Cast
1 Virgil - Human Rogue (Steve)
2 Allfray – Human Cleric (Law)
3 Phlannel- Human Lumberjack-Ranger (Dave)
NPCs
4 Bahlgrim – Dwarf fighter
5 Voshimma – Jackalla Warrior
Waiting at the blood pool, they realize there is a sluice gate directly above, where the liquid life drops, and they begin to question how they can get up there, or if they will need to. After a very short time before they see a black garbed woman, emanating strong evil, having five imp creatures, approach them. They identify her as a priestess of Keran, the Evil Lord of Night and Fears. She and Voshimma know each other. The evil priest is critical & condescending about their efforts, and while imposing she and her impish fiends don't seem to be threatening, they are keeping an eye on the same blood gate.
When the evil priest hears about the Ice Sword, she sends one of the imps away. She offers the team help, at first they politely dismiss, but she tells them that she is no ally to the Ice Queen...Voshimma confirms this and says that the Knights of Keran are always willing to help take down undead or other enemies. The dark cleric tells them that they are heading in the wrong direction, the blood pool may potentially weaken creatures or items, but there are no divine items here, they should be
looking elsewhere, somewhere with a potential for hidden magic. Both Allfray and Virgil have the same thought at once - the vile pool above in the main chamber, they make their way back. Almost the same time, one of the imps she sent way comes back and drops a medallion near their feet. When they examine it, the see a snowflake emblem, the unholy symbol of Rowenna, goddess of the ice and lady mistress of undeath. When Virgil takes it his hand freezes, but Alfray casts a spell to shield him
from any further debilitating effects.
They head up, then out to the well, the only spot that hasn't been poisoned or harmed to investigate. While not holy, it is certainly clean, Bahlgrim descends, and the pool itself while clean, there is no connecting passageway to the pool in the building. They go into the main chamber, and decide it is best to heal the bathing pool, and determine the water from the well is the best plan. They decide to distract the large snake like creature while dumping buckets and wineskins of the well water into the pool. The plan somewhat works, the water does heal the poisoned water to a limited effect, but the creature doesn't need to be distracted, it notices them, but ignores them and sinks back into the water. The poison of the pool cannot be fully cured, but they can see a set of descending stairs.
The team decides to head down the stairs, as Virgil goes into the poisoned water, the unholy symbol congeals the pool's water very similar to it freezing solid, as it settles, it allows easy passage down into a connecting room below. The room smells of death and vile substances, they head to the connecting passage right away...as they do they come into a much longer area, filled with many carved metal plaques placed on both the floor and walls. Both the cleric and Bahlgrim recognize this as a place where dwarves are interned. As they make their way further into the room, they see a group of shambling humanoid figures move towards them, Alfray shouts – ghouls!
Allfray raises his holy symbol and commands the undead to depart, but their connection to the mortal realm, here in the crypts is far too strong, and he fails in the attempt. The undead are the first to slam their claws into both Phlannel and Allfray, and they both fail in their first round to connect. Voshimma – their undead hunting Jackalla companion steps up into the fore. On the second round, the Jackalla and the Lumberjack take claws, as they both tear into the undead, as the hunter's blade and the lumberjack's axe connects, at the same moment, the cleric takes a step back, calling forth a spiritual weapon to slam into one of the undead, as the cleric begins to heal his comrades. As each round steps up, slowly the team takes down the evil undead, taking limited damage as they co-ordinate their attempts. At the end, the cleric has used much of his spells, but had used only limited turning success. Virgil searches the body, finds some coins, keys and insignia of ranger militia. The cleric makes sure to bury them permanently with his Holy Sand.
They move forward once again, and enter a new much larger room, this one more than one hundred feet wide, with eight prison cells along the sides. Most of them are filled with, a humanoid with leafs skin, a Construct, a female with a snake lower half, a minotaur with massive horns, an old wrinkled woman, and a three headed puppy dog. There is also a large statue of a fifthteen foot tall human in very impressive armor, holding a sword and a lance spear. The Minotaur demands to be let out, promises rewards if they group releases him, the cleric asks why he is imprisoned, the minotaur says bluntly he went on a killing spree – then rages at himself for admitting the truth. These cells, Voshimma explains the prison compels the prisoners not to lie.
Above the cells of the Leafy-humanoid, the Snaky female, an empty cell, and the three headed dog a black rose flower emblem of the Dark Lord Keran, showing that they are their responsibility. Voshimma explains that the varying prisoners are technically guarded by their different jailers...
The cleric asks the leafy woman her story, and she explains that her name is Azania, and she was caught looking for a magical device, a seeder staff of her people, needed to help them move podlings (children) to a safe spot, she was caught looking in some of the prison cells. The cleric is moved by her story, but the Jackalla Knight warns them not to judge the prisoners, they are not responsible for the prisoners and she will not help them if they unlawfully release anyone. Azania explains her goal is not personal, it is to help her people, and she would be willing to do anything to help her podlings. Allfray feels her imprisonment is wrong, but Voshimma explains that they cannot violate the prison, there is a process, and they simply cannot break someone out. He is not convinced, but goes to the next prisoner marked by the black rose.
The snake lady, Osa, explains that she she is a creature from the celestial heavens, come to help Knights in a part of the world called Tharon, a notorious human nation in the South. She was framed for a crime she did not commit, but she accepted a punishment here on the mortal plane rather than be banished and unable to return. She has the means to be freed legally, she needs for them to contact any obelisk of the Chai-Nall, they will arrange to provide the restitution, so she can be freed. None of the team recognize the divinity, but Allfray agrres to contact them to assist.
Voshimma and the cleric begin a conversation about the rightness on their plan of action, to free the prisoners, anyone that's good, but Alfray objects seeing the system is corrupt and many of them shouldn't be in here. She reminds him that there are individuals of various beliefs and ethics, everyone could be seen from a certain perspective to be innocent or at least not guilty enough to be in a place like this. But it was a lack of proper courts and process, that some of these people were in a place like this...
During their heated conversation, the Mechanoid speaks up, he tells them that he can probably help them as he has significant knowledge of the prison. When asked what he was doing in the cell, he explains that he was imprisoned for failure of completing his tasks. Although guilty, he did not believe the sentence was fair but it had run it's course, he should have been freed if his original jailers, his clockwork brothers were still the prison guardians. He asks them to look at his prison door, there is no lock, he stayed in the prison out of respect of the institution, not because the site could physically detain him, but he would not open the door. If they could free him, he would help them complete their mission. After conferring with his colleagues, they agree and open the door allowing prisoner, Z1-774 to walk out.
It explains that his mechanoid kin were once the keepers of these jails, after the Hunter's failure to keep their Holding cells safe, they took it over for a long while. Others, especially, Keranic Knights and the Phaetox have stepped in, but in return keep their own prisoners here, those they find especially troublesome, here in the Core. He knows the place very well, not all of it's secrets, but most of them. They begin to ask each other some questions, but it is Voshimma that mentions it is best not to speak here in front of the others, so they retreat to the previous room.
Phlannel believes he might know where Azania's staff is, and tries to knock the staff out of the statues left hand, but with help from the others the staff is the same metal as the rest of the statue.
The cleric speaks a little more with the Mechanoid, the Clockwork figure, renown for their durability and faithfulness, while not attuned to devotions, they were free thinking and could decide things on their own, unlike others of their spring-kin. If one looked at the metal figure, it looked very similar to any humanoid, but upon closer inspection, one could see the metal bindings and screws that made up their individual parts. As Z1-774 answered his questions about where it would be best to secured items, they realized that the hidden Central Prison Room was the most protected locale in the prison. They went back into the room and looked around, the large statue stood out the most, and they went behind it, and started searching, eventually they find a hidden set of stairs heading down beneath the statue. They find a secret room, and three items of note: a staff with a nest of seeds, a helmet radiating nasty evil, and a sword box covered with three black roses, which is the Sword of Ice that they were quested to find. They take the Sword box and the Staff.
Phlannel goes to the staff, and sees that it has rooted itself to the wall, many small vines growing out. He removes the vines, and it immediately straightens up. It is not emanating magic but when he grabs it, a greenish energy covers his arm, and slowly starts to change his body colour. He lets go of it, and the magic, the life-energy slowly drains from him. He wonders, is this safe? Both the cleric and slayer ally believe it is. As he seizes it, his body continues the change, and after a few minutes he stops breathing, but he is alive but more as a plant now than a human.
The cleric and Jackalla look upon the black box, they both sense the evil magic inside it. They are unsure if they are able to open it, but the cleric realizes this is perhaps the way around it, if the box is removed without opening it, will the undead protector still be summoned? Voshimma confirms she thinks this should work, it would be a way to get it out of the prison but she says, that is what she needs, that is what she wants. Allfray says that it is better for them to remove it without Savro finding it. Their Mechanoid ally is surprised at this, he knows of the faun, Savro, this ally of the fey is someone they can trust on missions, he has connections to the heavens. He may not be lawfully bound, but he is someone who helps, always. Allfray is surprised, after being warned by the paladins, now he is unsure...but Z1-774 reiterates, his people may not have trust him with secrets, but he was an ally especially if it weakened evil.
They emerge from the storage, and they immediately see the exclamation of Azania, the leafy humanoid, as her staff is found. The cleric tells her that they will return the item to her people and will do everything they can to free her from prison. They are unable to hide the box holding the sword...can they get it out of the prison without being spotted by undead or anything else. They are soon being hailed by a group of paladins, requesting them to join them back to Knight's Grove. They see a familiar face, Savro, their fey contact. He pulls them aside and explains that his contacts requested for him to be here at the abandoned Mathai prison as soon as he could. Allfray is unsure, but uses one of his detection spells to determine that Savro isn't evil, and while he is certainly not someone liked by the paladins, he is someone they should learn to trust.
Each day going back to the Fortress, they realize they are being followed by a group of Dark Keranic Knights, but every day they are joined by more Paladins and fey into their convoy, helping their logistics. They arrive safely, and the cleric arranges a meeting with Vessi, high cleric of Japeth, leader of the community. Allfray explains that they have found the ice Sword but even more, that Savro is exactly who and what he says he is, a fey, and a strong ally. Vessi expresses her disbelief but will leave him (Savro) as there is no proof, and he does always seem to come through for them. Vessi tells him if his team is willing, that she will provide some missions for them.
On the first evening, the team along with Savro gathers at the obelisk, and they witness a simple but powerful ritual. Savro's words open the gate, allowing a portal to another world to appear, and out from it a large Lion Humanoid along with eight bright skinned angelic figures. They are unable to directly handle the box, so they use binding chains of light to seize the box and carry it into the portal. The Lion gives Savro four elixirs as payment. When they have departed, Savro gives each of the party members one of the celestial elixirs, explaining they can either gain a permanent once a day spell (3rd level or lower) or have a permanent +4 to one their ability scores.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Aftermath
The rogue Virgil has plenty of fun drinking, gaming and taking little things from many of the visitors in the camps. His parties actions have increased their visibility but also their trust, enabling him access to much more than before. He learns of the scandals of many of the Nobles, as most of them are unhappy about serving here, but being dutiful Knights, they are bound to obey. Yet, there are others, who like him, are with teams, he learns of their missions, and their stories, gleaming about the legends of magic devices.
The cleric Allfray is bound to the Obelisk, to study, pray and learn. He too makes connections, as many of the Knights and soldiers look to him for wisdom, but so too, many fey. He learns of the forest, its inhabitants, and its hidden trails, this is why the Knights are here, the trails lead to many lairs in the forest, and the Rangers no longer have the numbers to protect. Vessi offers him a role at
the Obelisk, but he turns it down, his road for now is still on the path.
Lumberjack Phlannel stays as little as possible in the fortress, he prefers to be in the wilds now more than before. He feels pulled as he hears the forest in a new way, being apart of its spirit. Yet, he knows he can walk away, put the Spear down and be himself. Yet, he knows he is bound to help them. The woodlings, as most call the plant-people, need help and he feels he knows the path to go...he starts asking questions, to learn more about his new task.
