Five Tower Keep Session 29: 03/21/2019 The Medusa, Old World Window, and Rex Venenum Neula

We begin this week’s session in front of the large silver mirror window discussing what was successful about Alaric's ability to pass unimpeded through the mirror.

After a short time Alaric is the first to step through again followed by Stoutwood who had physical possession of Ginger when he passes through and then Sonayo. One by one each player character and hireling step through the mirror window and to a bright plane of mirrors along every degree and axis save for one life size mirror that exclusively held one’s reflection. Each individual is drawn to the mirror that held their reflection save for Drake and his hireling.

Melderon recognizes the presence of a strong ley line and first-world influence as one of the ley line terminals that Melderon had detected that was causing discordance in the fabric of the lines.

On the other side of the mirror our characters find themselves inside the brick and timber guard tower. At the base, inside the tower, is a marbleized sink hole with worked steps circling down into the darkness about a hundred feet.  

Besides the scent of vermin, Ginger is able to detect two distinct scents as well as a third scent: the half-dragon minotaurs. Mesha hones in on a magical source at the bottom of the sink hole as well as a permeating sense of chaos and uncertainty.

Our characters reach the bottom at the same time and come to an ancient ornate roman/greek cathedral-like chamber that ended somewhere in the darkness beyond. There is a subtle slope down towards the darkness as four rows of stylized columns line the vast artful chamber.

As we traverse the chamber a large stone bear emerges from the marble floor just as a deadly bolder comes sailing in from the darkness.  But almost immediately the stone bear is magically replaced by the medusa, an old forceful creature of vast charisma and power. Rings of power adorn each hand, a number of magical auras, as well as leather clothing.

Our characters defeat her giant husband and eventually a child medusa; this has the obvious effect on the wife/mother medusa.

All becomes eerily silent and our characters continue on down the chamber until it becomes more of a natural cavern where a mirror suspended in midair much like the first mirror-window resides. This one however looks to open into the first world. Also in this cavern is all the effects of a medusa who has lived here for hundreds of years. 

Shystermeth believes these tunnels are part of the lost silver mines of Horcton. There is little doubt as our characters stand among the silver ore, amethyst, emerald ore and diamonds as well as master work tools to work the precious stones. A stone of conjuring earth elementals is among the items as well as written journals in the medusa's hand.

The medusa is not in a coven but supports Ghoronna and for the past 50 years there has been trade between her and the hags and at the end of the accord the medusa had a daughter brought of it by a giant husband. She praises Ghoronna and a the hag Queen Mother/ Coven Supreme. She refers to the Blossoming of the Swamp and Rex Venenum Neula a very old black dragon. Further we find evidence in the journals of an arrangement between the Queen Mother who came to the druid-medusa for fine treasures to use to convince the dragon to fertilize the hags for progeny. It also comes to light that the medusa traded in undamaged stone statues so that the hags revive these poor souls to sacrifice to Ghoronna.

Our characters also find 5 of each in crude vials: barkskin, CSW, CMW, CLW, hide from animals, bears endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, lesser restoration, burrow.

We rest and then turn our attention to the old world mirror-window and find that simply stepping into the window is the way through. Upon doing so our characters are immediately aware of being somewhere else; the air quality, vibrancy of the foliage is almost everything is overwhelming in this primitive jungle. Lying before our characters is a dirt path winding its way through the lushness.

After about an hour of walking the path we come to a square portal suspended in air; within it is an old ruined cavernous chamber: the other terminus of the ley line interference Melderon senses. When we begin next week we are in a ruined church in Horcton.

Five Tower Keep Session 28: 03/14/2019 Half Dragon Minotaurs, The ‘Closer’, and The Mirror Window

We begin this week’s session with a new bout of investigations (for the returning player Tony and a brief recap for the rest of us) of the silver coated tower that stood in the center of the triangle the three gardens of stone location created. Our characters surmise that, considering where this tower is located including its risen elevation from the swamp lands, it was likely an old Horcton guard tower.

Nearby on the outskirts of the clearing our characters find a sink hole, damp, full of a strange odor and alive with a warding magical aura. Our character take great pains before entering the sink hole including sending down large vermin to trip any traps and to test defenses.

Eventually our characters descend into the sinkhole- as a precaution Stoutwood has Sonayo leave a single drop of vermin repellent every 15 feet as a scent trail to find our way out of the maze should the need arise.

Before long, about twenty minutes, as we traverse the maze of tunnels we are attacked by a winged half black dragon Minotaur who quickly receded into the mists it attacked from. It seemed folly to chase a Minotaur into the mists of a maze so we quicken our pace along the irregular tunnels.

Eventually we come to an area of the tunnels that is free of the mists, a place more common with dung beetles and spiders; a harmonious ecosystem. At this area Stoutwood ends the scent trail and Melderon puts up a magical rope trick as a fall back in case our characters are split up marking it with an offset burned 'X' on the floor. 

We explore the tunnels and find a wardrobe sized mirror under flickering dancing lights. As a precaution Melderon covers the magic mirror with a blanket until our characters can investigate. However when Mesha moves the blanket to look into the mirror she does not see a reflection; instead it is like looking through a window where there is dim light and beyond a landscape similar to our own.

First Stoutwood tries to bid the mirror to open the path in his native tongue to no effect. Tony says enter friend in draconic and gets taken upstairs; his character however looks as if he stepped into the mirror. Before any of us could try more half-dragon Minotaurs attack as our characters are briefly separated.

Battle commences, Alaric returns from the mirror, and after less than a minute the battle was over and our characters victorious. 

On the minotaurs they each have a ‘giant’s’ bag (tools, sling and stones) as well as a great axe. They each have assorted silver pieces and gemstones (amethysts, diamonds, and emeralds); enough totaling 1,000 gp for each character and 500 gp for the hirelings. We harvest their (ivory, dragon) horns, and collect 9 CSW potions.

And we gain our 8^th character level, the hirelings gain their 6^th character level. We begin next game session immediately after leveling up. 

Five Tower Keep Session 27: 03/07/2019 After the Last Stone Garden and the Metal Tower

We begin this week’s session in combat ^ ^ ^ this time with the addition of a mantadrake.

We are (of course) successful and to date have killed twenty-four greater basilisks from these stone gardens that are situated around a metal tower. After the battle our characters set to restoring Alaric from stone and to finding the other hirelings that had fled in fear from the mantadrake.

From here our characters turn our attention to the circle of five stone statues that appear more recent; all half orcs save for one, the paladin who is larger possibly a half ogre. Shystermeth retells a story of paladins of large size peylor in Horcton lore. They do not however come to life before our characters and are likely victims of the medusa.

The blood does however have an effect on a random undamaged female orog. She gasps, appears to be terrified, and attempts to flee. But soon comes to grips with the dead basilisks lying around and her former petrified condition. We express to her she is in no danger and begin to ask her questions. She describes the area close to the northern stone gardens as the place where her and her companions were before she suddenly awoke here.

As we prepare for rest, eventually Shystermeth asks if he could attempt to restore the wizard of the group of five, it was one of his goals in traveling to these stone gardens. Bosley recognizes a maker’s mark on a leather haversack on the wizard in stone statue. It stands among the other four identifiable statues.

Our characters restore four more for a total of five orog commoners who each go through a recovery process similar to the woman orog from being a stone statue.

We rest and prepare for the tunnels the next morning while the orogs make their own camp.

The next morning we all seem to share the same enthusiasm for delving into the tunnels; the orogs are set to travel, our characters suggest the ogre fens and give directions in relation to five tower keep.

Below in the tunnels we find about one hundred of piles of stone with a cat’s eye on the top- mini altars to the Ghoronna. These are in various locations and at dead-ends; here Mesha identifies the evil altar but detects no evil emanations. Also in the tunnel maze our characters find hundreds of mirrors, some as tall as the tunnel, some ornate, others more mundane or even broken.

After exploring the tunnels we set our destination to the metal tower in the center of the triangle that is formed by these gardens of the victims of the basilisks and medusa. Here we come across tiger tracks and other animals and cared for by a primeval druid hand, here is free of swamp trolls and is more jungle than swamp as a refreshing change.

We reach the metal tower at around midnight; it reaches about sixty five feet into the clear night sky in the center of a wide clearing. The type of metal is hard to discern from a distance; Sonayo approaches the tower and after a time returns and says she thinks she sees windows and a door but thinks the whole tower is covered with a flat textured silver.

Our characters decide to spend the day thoroughly investigate the clearing and surrounding areas. Initial reactions are that some of our characters believe this medusa could be imprisoned here. We find a sink hole on the far end, just inside the clearing and end the game session here. 

Five Tower Keep Session 26: 02/28/2019 Throw Her A Baby Shower, The Fellowship of the Skull, and The Old Dragon of Horcton

As we begin this week’s session... three of the half-orc statues in the second stone garden gasp for air after our characters revived them from stone to flesh with the blood of the greater basilisk; they take long moment to regain their bearings and assess their situation. Our characters find these three speak broken common as well as orcish; some of our characters speak orc whilst others have the ability to comprehend languages and share with the others the conversation. Mesha notes they are all collectively evil.

Mesha channels positive energy to not only heal our characters and hirelings, but also the half orcs thereby indicating we mean them no harm and are open to a dialog.

Our characters quickly realize they are intellectually simple, and on a side note they are all males of their species. A robed half orc, an adept named Mulkrod, rips off his mask throws it to the ground and curses it in disgust. Mulkrod then notices the other robed half orc that remained stone and spats in his direction too. The bastard sword wielding half orc, a barbarian named Tailkrur and the scimitar wielder- a ranger named Koad, also come to their senses and allow Mulkrod to do all the talking.

Mulkrod thanks our characters and tells us they was betrayed by the masks (which did nothing to help them against being turned to stone); they do not remember this specific statue garden, but does remember being in a place such as this.

He also remembers a humanoid woman with hair as snakes and describes the many lizards of the area become highly active when she came upon the battle fields, herding his group together. It was all very preternatural to them, but to us this clues our characters that the medusa can control basilisks as she can lizzardkind. He goes on to describe Tozvroth (the other adept, remained as stone) said these masks would protect us, Mulkrod feels he was betrayed.

When asked what does Mulkrod plan to do next, he says they plan on returning to the ruins of Horcton. At this our characters tell him the unfortunate news of the Hags of and Sisters of Gyronna and that it's been probably been 50 years since they last drew breath. 

What of the dragon Mulkrod asks? Apparently, our characters learn, there is a huge old black dragon that lived (lives?) deep in the ruins of the old holy grounds of Horcton. It's description approaches the scope and size of the King Kazzurog. The dragon has been their the half orc's whole life. But now Tozvroth assumes he will travel north to the ogre fens to look for family.

It is here where our character begin to assemble the mosaic of dragon breaded opponents we've been facing for most of the time; they have all been of black dragon blood. Not just, we are in the swamps black dragons, but seemingly now one specific black dragon possibly working for the hags. 

When asked why our characters saved the half orcs, Mesha answers that life is too precious and Melderon tells the half orcs that we too are adventurers and we would want the same courtesy. And after the question was asked, we tell Mulkrod our main quest is to root out the hags that displaced the citizens.

We ask about Horcton and besides learning of the dragon there are two places of significance. The first is called First Well, it supposed to be where the founder of Horcton broke through the earth and first saw the sun; and the second is the Church of the Morning Sun one of three churches in Horcton.

Soon conversation ebbs and eventually our characters set to prepare for rest before we explore the tunnels below the next morning. Our characters take the usual precautions by sleeping in extra-dimensional spaces provided by Melderon. 

In the morning, Mesha, with last watch, sees the half orcs wake, eat and descend to the sinkhole ahead of us. She wakes us immediately and we hastily prepare and ten minutes later descend down the same sinkhole the half orcs. The tunnel is about 12 feet in diameter, tunneled out by ankhegs. Nearly an hour later, in the warrens we encounter the half orcs again. It was an awkward meeting and non hostile.

Over the course of the day our characters find some treasure: a third level wand, 5th level caster: Lions Courage (Thethmommon); Ring of chameleon power/moonstone ring (James); Spined shield; 5th level scroll 9th level caster: Shadow Plane Adaptation; and finally Bodywrap of mighty strikes +2 (Sonayo). In the meantime Melderon collects the half orcs discarded Masks of stony demeanor.

We rest.

The next day our characters prepare to venture to the third stone garden. It takes us only a couple of days, days filled with the usual swamp encounters, to arrive. Arrival to this final stone garden brings us closer than ever to Horcton, and serves as a kind of gate house to Horcton. During this travel we see large flying creature(s) about high overhead. Our characters cannot identify them, they don’t immediately react to us and their motives remain a mystery. We also notice that there seems to be a respect for the area within the territory of the stone garden, creatures somehow give berth to this area.

When we arrive sudden impact strikes the goemancher; Melderon barely escapes a discordant feedback weighing on the laylines; the disruption runs from Horcton to the metal tower in the center of the three macabre statue gardens and this final stone statue garden lies along that same line. It permeates with old world energy possibly causing planar weaknesses. The statues here are the oldest we’ve encountered.

Eight greater basilisks meander about as our characters repeat the tactics from the stone garden prior: isolate one and slow the others from attacking and overwhelming us. Defeating one after three rounds, from the sky a mantidrake descends with murderous intent.