Noldair - 2:Broken Palace

Extra members in the group this session.
Herman is actually being played as a pc.
Laz returns as Granite.
Laz's son plays Blackstone.

The awakening

Rondax is awoken by a lightning rat which he befriends. A check outside reveals an eerily quiet city.

The room where Sol, Tyke, and JL camped out is filled with fog. Sol & Tyke fill the group in on their midnight adventure¹ with Kelidno.

The group decides to finish cleansing the temple. Bono set up Tyke with paper, quill, and ink to record what spells he can remember. Tyke begins writing and immediately realizes that the spells are flowing faster than expected. Quill does need sharpened, the ink does not appear to run out, the sheaf of paper seems to continually refill itself².

The Cleansing

As the remainder of the group travels through the temple, they realize it has been looted previously, in hind sight what building in Noldair hasn't already been looted. Despite the previous lootings, the group was able to find the following:

• Bono: found a concealed store room containing:
  • half a dozen ancient texts in the Frescian
  • 1 book uncorrupted by time, bound in silver, white hide, magically locked
  • Scoll case 3' long, grayish metal(neodinmium), sealed with dark green wax, magnetic (sticks to Sol)
• Prentice:
  • Invisible alter,
  • hidden compartment in back, a gold dagger used for ritualistic sacrifices
• JL: Locates the sacrity, the door burns JL when he attempts to open it. Opened by Prentice into a chamber protected against the ravages of time.
  • 8 robes
  • 2 holy books
  • 2 ritual staves
  • 3 ritual wands
  • 2 chalices (1 gold, 1 silver)
  • 3 magical scrolls
  • 1 magical wizard hard
  • Box of dominoes
  • 2 boxes of candles (1 blue, 1 white)
  • box of incense
  • highly polished skull (claimed by Rondax)
• Sol discovers a store room
  • 1/2 dz bowls * chalices
  • gold incense burner
  • copper wand w/ green stone
• Rondax finds a rat's nest
  • 225 gp

With their loot stashed, the group heads out.

Heading North

The group leaves the temple and heads north towards the broken palace. The move along the streets of Noldair until they hear humanoid voices down one of the side streets. The group ducks into a set of columnar ruins. JL uncovers a sword mimick and begins a joust as Bono approaches the unknown band. As they wait, Prentices notices what can only be a scout from the other band. Prentice takes a shot at the scout but misses. Rondax prepares to jump, but the scout takes off.

Meanwhile, Bono attempts to bluff the dwarven party into halting by throwing his voice and claiming superior forces are in wait ahead on the street.

The scout reports back to the dwarven party leader, one Granite Armstrong. Once the scout reports what he saw ahead, Granite calls out to Bono. With the news that the band is led by a long lost friend, the two parties marge and prepare to share a meal. After the meal, Granite and Blackstone (the scout) join the group to the broken palace. The remainder of the dwarven party heads off to the Nartan temple to fortify the position. Granite has named the party The Dead Who Walk.

As the combined group approaches the palace, Rondax sees something peering over the battlements. Ignoring the single sentry, the group heads through the main gate into a clear courtyard. They count 27 divits in the stonework, apparently the work of the annihilation beam from the beholder. The find the door leading into the keep, and the steps leading up. Blackstone is sent on ahead and comes back reporting he found an audience chamber at the end of a short corrider.

The group heads into the audience chamber, approximately 40'x40' with a raised platform at the end of the room away from the entrance. There's statuary along both side walls, some of it recently made. There's also a heavy bronze chandelier hanging from the cieling. The group calls out, requesting an audience. The back and side walls are dotted with doors leading into other sections of the palace.

From one of the doors along the side wall steps a grey, genderless being. It prompts the group for their purpose. The group again requests an audience with Argaucht (the beholder). The being goes out to determine if Argraucht will grant the audience. The being returns, steps up on the raised platform and opens a section of the floor. From this new opening, Argraucht rises up from beneath. The beholder is approximately 7' in diameter, the side facing the group is dominated by a mouth filled with 9 types of teeth, and an orange, hourglass shaped eye. Argraucht purviews the entire group with his 11 eyes.

Tyke and Bono both notice the sudden absense of magic as the orange eye passes over them. While Argraucht looks over the group, he communicates with grey. Through grey, Argraucht requests to know what the group wants. The group attempts to explain they wish to search Noldair for treasure and lost secrets. They claim to have brought a tribute to Argraucht, the gold dagger from the temple.

Argraucht is not happy with the group's plans or the tribute. He claims he already owned the knife since it was in Noldair. The group challenges with the fact that 2 other beings also claim ownership/stewardship of Noldair. Argrauct counters the group's offer with one of his own. He says he will allow the group to take anything they want from the city provided they kill one of his rivals.

While the group decides how respond to Argraucht's proposal, Granite gives Blackstone the order to strike.

Argraucht

1				2
	Blackstone	throws Axe, 9 dmg			Blackstone	wakes up Tyke
	Rondax	charges & misses			Rondax	3 hits, 20 dmg...Bono 6 dmg
	Prentice	Firestorm, 88 dmg			Prentice	Flamestrike, 42 dmg
	Herman	Doom, failed			Herman	Hold Person on JL
	Argraucht	Rondax - missed			Argraucht	Rondax - miss disintigrate
		Prentice - disintegrate sv				Prentice, sv
		Herman - charmed				Granite, miss
		Blackrock - sv vs death, 24 dmg				Bono, miss
		JL - missed				Sol, fear
		Granite - will sv				Blackrock, charmed
		Bono - miss				Tyke, miss - ctr atk
		Sol - sv				Rondax, sleep
		Tyke - sleep, ctr atk				Granite, miss
		Prentice - wound, 8 dmg				Opens gaze @ Prentice
		- Gaze closed
	Sol	miss			Sol	Runs out through entrance
	Granite	Blade barrier - 42 dmg			Granite	Dispell, frees JL & Rondax
	JL	hit 15 dmg			JL	Dimension Door above Arg, smite Evil, 24 dmg
	Bono	Blinding powder, 1 eye blinded			Bono	Jump Attack misses
	Tyke	(sleeping)			Tyke	Disintigrate, 68 dmg, Argraucht is gone
	Doppleganger	grapple Sol, fail			Doppleganger	Jumps into the Pit

Rondax, JL, & Bono follow the doppleganger down into the pit. Once at the bottom, they find three passages that can be navigated by humanoid creatures. The three head down one passage at random then realize they took the wrong passage when Bono hears the doppleganger down the right passage. The right passage travels down a way, then opens into a spherical room. The doppleganger is waiting in the middle of the floor, peacefully. Rondax talks to the doppleganger. It claims to have served Argraucht to save itself since it has no real means to protect itself from the dangers in Noldair. It does confirm that Argaucht thought it was better than the others, but it had no real influence outside the palace. The doppleganger is willing to show us the rooms it believes Argraucht would have hoarded treasure.

The doppleganger also reveals that not many creatures come to the palace. The group may have 7-10 days before anyone else will arrive. The doppleganger barters with Rondax for protection in exchange for his services.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group checks out the upper portion of the palace. Not much seems to be moving around. The main floor is empty but clean. Sol finds a movable stone tile covering a chamber with 6 earthern war jugs, brown glazed pottery , closed with a sealant. The bottom of each jub is stamped. Two of the jugs clearly have magical contents.

At the same time, Granite sends Blackstone off to fetch the dwarven party from the temple.
After approximately 90 minutes, the two portions of the group have reunited in the audience chamber. Upon their arrival back in the audience chamber, Namo (the doppleganger) pledges his services to Sol. There is some concern within the group that Namo may attempt to assume the identify of one of the group.

Treasure

Namo leads the group to a vertical passageway. Prentice summons a djinni to help retrieve the treasure. Prentice, Tyke, Bono, & Sol head up, takes us all the way through a corkscrew passageway. At the end is a beholder shaped pod where it seems to have rested. In this room the group finds

Beholder fungus 1 sack, lavender	Beholder alchemy kit, 3 fluids, 4 doses of each (Dark Red, Blue Liquor, Clear & Sparkly)
10 Beholder eye rings	Book of metal pages, writing is etched by disintigration
Full suit of human plate mail, archaic	Crystal sphere giving off a faint blue light
2 magical lamps (bronze oil brazier, gavestan culture)	2700 credits (gold, silver, coins, jewelry)
Gnome statue, female	Pair of large scimiters jewels inlaid
Ancient bronze kopesh	Bronze crown with human teeth, magical
Rope of silver thread, magical	glowing yellow fungus (1 sack)
Thin membrane emanating a yellow light, hides a small beholder with rounded teeth. Killed by Sol, collected by Tyke

Second area of loot reveals an ovoid pool of liquid. Tyke casts lightning and vaporizes the pool of acid. Sol & Bono take 28 dmg before sliding out of danger.

The Third area of interest is down into a darkened pit. Prentice summons a lantern archon. The two head down before hitting an imprentratable barrier around 75'. The area is covered by an aura of unholiness and would require a consencration ritual.

The jugs are also identified:

• Sacred oil of Britigit
• Syberus Orchard wine, 1200 yrs old
• Aqua Regia - dissolves gold
• Alta of Rose, rose water
• Oil of firery burning, a pint does 6d6 dmg, enough for 16 pints
• Liquid darkness

First Day in Palace

First item of interest is that Tyke finds a new spell in his sheaf of papers, 5th lvl: Investigure of the Narzugan Fiendish Codex 2.

Prentice & Tyke prepare to go down into the third area of suspected treasure. To avoid attention, they use an invisibility sphere. They enter a domed chamber, the back of the chamber filled with the carving of a beholder. There's a trough in the floor filled with a dark liquid. After several attempts, Prentice realizes that the cosnecration is not affecting the unholiness. Tyke activates his ring of true seeing. Beholders want to open a wider chasm to allow passage of the great mother. Tyke also identifies 3 spells on the wall, Undulating Innards, Damning Darkness(unholy dmg), and Arms Aplenty. Tyke insists on copying at least one of the spells, Prentice uses Touch of Freedom. Tyke casts Read Magic and attempts to convince Prentice to wait. The rest of the group holding Tyke & Prentice by rope, pull them both up out of the darkness.

The group also searches the lower tunnels, finding a collection of odd objects, but nothing of any real value.

The Statues

There are a total of 4 statues intact.

• Orc Female, 100 yrs old
• Gnome Female, no visible weaponry
• Human male, Crest of House of Norwick from Tedrox, 75-150 yrs ago
• Human male, armed with an axe, running away

Prentice starts with the Tedroxian male. He gives his name as Julian. He immediately asks about west watch. He remembers JL's great-great grandfather, a Knight of Melurbia. He knows the orc female whose name is Zesa. He also asks about an old family relic, the Chalice of Noldair. The group reveals that the Chalice is now owned by Baron Randolph. The chalice was wanted by Alanzador, the most powerful mage, an elder brother of the late king, more powerful than Baron Randolph. When Julian insists that Zesa be released immediately, Sol warns Julian that she would not be safe with the dwarven party in tow.

Meanwhile, Tyke and Bono slip off down to the chamber so Tyke can get the Innard spell. Tyke is also experiencing a voice in his head trying to convince him to taken down the other spells as well. Tyke obliges and copies the darkness spell, thinking to himself that he should be able to research the evil out of it.

Namo & Herman have a conversation about weirdness. Namo recognizes Herman as female, claims she is also a doppleganger since she is impersonating soemthing she is clearly not. Both agree Sol has not been very diplomatic, but Namo may be able to help in that regards.

Palace Day 2

Zesa

Prentice takes the rest of the statues into the side rooms. He frees Zesa first with Julian in attendance. She is also confused by the sudden change in surroundings. Prentice stays with both as she learns of the time lost. Julian is not trusting of Sol or JL, not happy about the Chalice being in Baron Randolph's possession. Prentice believes that Julian does not the true power of the Chalice. They discuss ways to exit the city, but Prentice decides to free the others before any decision is made. The best option may be to return all of them to Ghantra.

Marlo

Prentice works on the running human next. Once freed, he runs into the wall. The impact stuns the human. He remembers the beholder. He thinks it unfair that it wasnt' a medusa that turned him to stone. He's actually glad the time has passed, he was apparently in some trouble when he was turned to stone. It's been almost 90 years since he entered Noldair. He thought the city would be empty and an easy target for looting. He really has no where to call home. He spent most of his life in Irelia. He's surprised to find the Baron of Irelia and Emporer are both gone. He's definitely a rogue and finds it interesting that drgons life in holes and hoard treasures.

Milissant

The gnome female is last. She remembers the beholder, and asks about her companions. She is from Ganlay, claims to be from the year 58, 4 years in the future. She came to visit Noldair, claims the city was beautiful. She stayed in the Silver Slipper during her trip to Noldair. People from the city run tours of the palace. She would like to complain to someone in charge of the tour for allowing the beholder to roam free like that.

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Footnotes:
1 Halloween 2011 Tyke lost his spell book and the portable hole.
2 These goods were stolen from Dianabis by Bono.