The New Taldor – Issue 4

Day 5 cont. - Somewhere (Sarenith 4, 4718)

The Guardians

Hear ye, hear ye. The suits of armor rose. Animated armor, undead spirit. Who employed such guardians? Fortunately for the champions, these guardians of dread were not in the best of condition - old, rusty, and rickety. With punches and thrown darts, the protagonists were able to free the souls and send them across the great river.

After the battle, Lady Malphene Trant boldly demanded Lord Wilfen Botoles's pants and shirt, as she could not fight well in a dress. Before the lord could work himself into a suitable fit of indignation, a suggestion from Valorant saw a dead noble's clothes pressed into service as replacements for the lord.

The Trap

In the next room, various objects had been neatly arranged in display cases. Several totems, a war drum, all manner of other trinkets, and a figurine of wondrous power (silver raven) were on display - trophies of the many glorious expeditions. They had, however, gathered just as much dust as the history of Taldor.

One might have guessed that this exhibition, too, was protected. Arawyn, ever the bird enthusiast, was lured by the magic he had detected, struck the glass with the pommel of his dagger, and set off a trap. Lightning coursed through the entire room, almost sending the startled Merek straight to Pharasma. Thinking quickly, Arawyn and Dulgir were able to spare him that final journey with healing. Valorant, on the other hand, did not seem much troubled by the lightning.

The Chamber of Horrors

The adjoining room contained stuffed animals - without a trace of a magical aura. Two wolves moved briefly, but age had taken a heavy toll on them as well. They broke off mid-motion and twitched no more.

A new voice, female but strangely disguised, materialized in the party's minds with risqué remarks. Valorant found the voice familiar. It belonged to the halfling lady Wyssilka. She revealed herself as a servant of Thamir Gixx, the god of halfling assassins, and feared that her work might be in vain. She seemed to have Martella in her clutches and to have poisoned her into the bargain. Would Martella become another victim of this undertaking?

In another corridor, two dog-sized rats, a rat swarm, and the ratling attacked. A stuffed griffon joined them from the room at the back. A color spray directed at the rats, along with burning hands, bolts, and other weapons, put an end to the attackers, though the nasty, spiteful ratling once again made a cowardly escape. Of one thing they were certain: they would meet again.

Dulgir pointed out that this section was older than those they had seen so far.

The Chapel

The next stop was an underground cavern housing a chapel to Aroden and an overgrown garden. A branching gravel path led inside. Dulgir saw something magical glint in one of the bushes - another lure? No trap, but a slimy, tentacled blob guarded the little treasure (potion) in the shrubbery, with acid apparently its defense mechanism of choice. After the companions had spent some time battering it, however, it fled.

The companions' footsteps echoed through the abandoned chapel. Crumbling statues stood about, and a few coins lay scattered on the ground. Who, pray, would leave gold lying here? A voice rang out: "Halt, for I am Aroden. I command you to stand still. Kneel before the god."

Aroden wanted coins and gold. An image settled over the ruined statue, yet both voice and illusion seemed more the work of a rather poor wizard than of Aroden himself. Lady Trant, however, was convinced and actually knelt.

Viecar (gremlin), a small, fat figure with a little dagger, showed himself after Merek had climbed into the rafters. He thought himself "the High Priest of Aroden," but then introduced himself as the High Priest of the Rat King Dagio, a mighty wizard. He said the companions needed two keys to regain their freedom. He had one and would sell it for a great deal of gold. His opening price of either 1,000 gold pieces, the dwarf's death, or keeping Eritryce eventually became 60 gold pieces after Merek lost his patience and threatened him - while Dulgir wanted to gather up the remaining gold. He also volunteered that key number 2 might be found in the library.

The Library

The library, too, had its defenses. A sharp-edged, slashing scroll attacked the inquisitive Arawyn and brought him down. Yet their combined martial efforts ultimately reduced the scroll to dust. The party had placed high hopes in this room - they meant to find the second key, after all - but a two-hour search of the library had yielded nothing except chaos, dust, papers, books, and a great many circles.

The Rest

Exhausted and sobered, the protagonists and the nobles withdrew to the first chambers. On the way, the silver raven was freed with a crossbow shot - without calling forth any further lightning.

The alcohol at the bar eased only some of the company's worries, and the halfling's culinary efforts were of limited help as well. Grief and anxiety accompanied their sleep. Would they all make it out and reach Martella in time? Where was she, for that matter?

Day 6 - Somewhere (Sarenith 5, 4718)

Fun with Flags

Another room revealed various flags of the Taldan Phalanx, assorted baronies, and a few foreign allies - but was not investigated further.

Only the circles there revealed the brilliance of the symbols amid utter chaos.

The Merchant

The door to the north flared with light and brought a brief spell of confusion upon Cinnard, Valorant, and Merek, who either injured themselves or held forth with utter nonsense. Thanks be to Taldaris, this effect wore off again rather quickly.

Beyond this area, the party met Mimips, an enterprising kobold eager to sell his wares. His stock ranged from simple thunderstones and potions to magic items. In exchange for the silver raven, the party received bracers for Dulgir and a potion that could cure diseases.

The door opposite was the entrance to the underworld.

Merek sensed that a fateful encounter lay very close at hand and urged them to continue searching in the northwestern part of the floor plan.

The Taldaris

The door at the entrance to the underworld opened into a cave, revealing another door that had to be dug free a little. It led to a room where the slayer of Prince Stavian III sat on a bed - he was not human and awaited vengeance for his deeds.

He said he was Taldaris - an angel of death. Prince Stavian III had deceived him after he had been summoned to the prince, and so the prince had had to die - the prince had also sent the soldiers to kill the nobles. The companions spoke with Taldaris for a while and could find no flaw in his account. He had been murdered and transformed into this shape by the Last Sister - Pharasma's youngest daughter, Atropos - with his memories intact, as punishment. He had taken her warning not to interfere as a challenge, for otherwise Taldor would fall. He had already brought his own murderers to justice. For millennia he had been forced to watch his empire crumble. Some time ago, an unknown entity had summoned him to Avistan, whereupon he had "advised" Prince Stavian III and pressed him to make a decision about Taldor's future. Stavian III, however, had deceived him with false promises, and once this became apparent at the gala, Taldaris had killed him. Taldaris himself was inevitable.

In parting, however, he bestowed a portion of his power upon the fellowship so that they might save Taldor. (Fist bump - Royal Gift for the companions - Hero Points System: Everyone receives 3 Hero Points).

It was well that Lady Trant had witnessed this encounter, for otherwise no one would likely have believed the protagonists.

Was he truly THE Taldaris? Who had summoned him? And had Prince Stavian III truly committed treason?

The Portal

Upon entering the next room, red circles appeared on a portal, triggering a vision in Cinnard. He witnessed the ritual and saw that the summoner had apparently lacked the strength to bind the powers. The summoner was consumed by it, but some of his life energy and knowledge leapt in a bolt of lightning into an ordinary rat - Dagio.

The first key fit. The second was still missing.

The Failed Experiment

Beyond the library, past the barricade, the fellowship came upon two Ethereal Rats that had to be cleared out of the way. Farther on, the companions could see a flying sphere armed with a dagger, which Valorant and Merek promptly dismantled into its component parts without so much as a word of greeting.

Might it have been a friendly fellow? We shall never know. If this round sphere had been the archivist, he could no longer tell them so. When the sphere struck the floor, a door did indeed close - one that, moreover, bore a magical aura. The sphere, however, had carried the second key.

The Double Portal

The weakened Cinnard obtained a potion from Mimips in a trade. It restored some of his strength, and the company made its way to the double portal. The second key fit as well, and the portal was unlocked.

The Old Senate

The sight of an old senate building presented itself. A very pretty elf, probably of noble birth, and a rat draped in chains stood deep in conversation among the circles painted on the floor in the center of the hall.

The elf was disappointed in Dagio, despite her many years of support.

The party was noticed. The elf introduced herself as The Duchess - already mentioned in the inscriptions in the circles. She was very interested in Arawyn and wished to take him with her. She also seemed to know Dulgir somehow.

The elf charmed Merek, turning him into a puppet without a will of his own. The Duchess continued to question the rest of the party. She was very sure of herself, warded off every attack with ease, and abandoned Dagio, of whom she had grown weary, to his fate.

If Dagio killed the protagonists, he would be permitted to continue his "research" and create the perfect circle of immortality. Either way, though, she wanted them dead - and slowly vanished into the shadows.

A battle erupted between the companions, rat swarms, Dagio, another rather powerful rat, and the ratling, who once again graced them with his presence. All threats were swept aside in a desperate fight, and Dagio, still alive, was bound.

In an unprecedented display of climbing, Cinnard scaled an overhang into the rats' nest and found Dagio's stinking chamber. The spoils were 4 rubies, a spellbook, a pearl, a jewelry box with a ring and 40 gold pieces, and a Wand of Shocking Grasp with 20 charges.

Dagio was still alive, but unconscious. In the meantime, the items traded with Mimips were traded again.

After four hours, the Rat King opened his eyes for the last time. Dagio expounded upon his history, how he had become the "great Rat King," and how the summoning had gone awry. Alas, the companions remained in the dark concerning this wicked elf. Dagio understood that, one way or another, his journey on the Material Plane was at an end, and submitted without protest to being delivered into Pharasma's arms - before the elf's clutches could bring it to a cruel and protracted end.