sniffles
First Post
Letter #9
Dearest brother;
We considered attempting to run through the door should the tower inhabitants open it to admit one of the children, but we decided instead to try the roof again so we could perhaps come at them from behind. We were joined for this assault by Tarhan, the village constable, and by Arizhel the witch, who was eager to find her missing daughter.
When the music began to play most of us withstood its mesmerizing effect, but Tarhan and Illtud fell asleep and Thor was obliged to wake them with a spell.
We employed the magic ring and our ropes again to ascend the tower. This time the tower residents seemed to be otherwise occupied and we made the journey safely. The crates had been moved away from the trapdoors. We found the larger trapdoor barred, but we managed to burst it open by our combined strength.
One of the one-eyed creatures stood guard just below. Arizhel snared him with a spell and then Shishir, Illtud and I made short work of him. But we hadn't been able to prevent him ringing an alarm bell.
We rushed down a ramp to find that curiously, though we were so high, the next level was a stable! We noticed that the music was getting louder as we descended.
As we continued to move lower in the tower we came upon a large room containing a glass tank. Inside the tank lay what appeared to be a brain! Horn-like attachments on the side of the tank seemed to be the source of the eerie music. Shishir destroyed one of these horns and was on the verge of smashing the other when he realized that someone was speaking to him - and the speaker appeared to be the brain in the tank!
This brain, which called itself Irvin, explained that it was the owner of the tower, but it was under orders from a person called Krank to play the music that lured the children. Irvin warned that Krank could be found in the next room.
After Irvin promised not to play the music any further, we left the brain alone and turned to the next room. As we entered this room we saw an ugly man wearing a strange headdress of potion vials. In the corner of the room lay a group of sleeping children. We also observed a pair of women wielding a staff, standing oddly close together.
Shishir moved to oppose the two women, and it became apparent that their bodies were somehow joined. They moved in unison, using actions that resembled the way Shishir and his twin attack. I confronted the hideous Krank.
Krank ran to another door and opened it, admitting one of his one-eyed servitors. He then cast a spell at me that caused tiny missiles of energy to strike me. His movements seemed unnaturally quick.
Thor caught sight of a halfling woman coming in from another room and slammed the door in her face. The door became a barrier for the gnome as he kept it between himself and the cleaver-wielding halfling. She fled after being wounded.
Shishir had difficulty combating the conjoined women and eventually fell to their blows. I was also struggling with Krank, who had become hard to see and was able to heal any wounds he took very swiftly. Thor abandoned the doorway and came to threaten Krank with a flaming blade he conjured. More of Krank's one-eyed servants entered the room and very nearly killed Illtud.
Krank grasped at me with his hands wreathed in flames and I was barely able to keep my feet. I had to avail myself of a curative potion. Shishir and Illtud managed to get back on their feet with Arizhel's help, and we all surrounded the ugly man. He took flight and fled into the other room with our whole group in pursuit.
Thor made a brave effort to stop Krank by blocking the stairs when the villain tried to fly away. He was too short to strike the wizard, but I could reach him with my spear. He couldn't escape us and we brought him down.
After he fell Arizhel advised us to cut off his head. She explained that he was some kind of vampire, but one who stole sleep rather than blood from his victims. His peculiar headdress had been full of foul potions that would heal him but would harm any other being. Thor recovered the last remaining potion from the contraption.
We found that all the missing children were present, not permanently harmed but weakened by their ordeal. Somehow Krank had caused Arizhel's daughter to age many years until she more resembled an old woman than a child. Arizhel determined that she would be able to reverse the effect, thankfully.
Despite our wounds we searched the tower until we were sure all the children had been found. Irvin explained to us that he could cause the tower to move from place to place at his will. Thor tried to convince him to take us along when he left Crossford. He told us he'd consider this request, but I doubted he'd agree. I'm not sure I'd want to travel with a disembodied brain in any case.
I'll write more later.
Your sister, Lothiriel
If the story of Irvin and Krank and the children seems familiar, that's because our GM based it on the movie City of Lost Children.
Dearest brother;
We considered attempting to run through the door should the tower inhabitants open it to admit one of the children, but we decided instead to try the roof again so we could perhaps come at them from behind. We were joined for this assault by Tarhan, the village constable, and by Arizhel the witch, who was eager to find her missing daughter.
When the music began to play most of us withstood its mesmerizing effect, but Tarhan and Illtud fell asleep and Thor was obliged to wake them with a spell.
We employed the magic ring and our ropes again to ascend the tower. This time the tower residents seemed to be otherwise occupied and we made the journey safely. The crates had been moved away from the trapdoors. We found the larger trapdoor barred, but we managed to burst it open by our combined strength.
One of the one-eyed creatures stood guard just below. Arizhel snared him with a spell and then Shishir, Illtud and I made short work of him. But we hadn't been able to prevent him ringing an alarm bell.
We rushed down a ramp to find that curiously, though we were so high, the next level was a stable! We noticed that the music was getting louder as we descended.
As we continued to move lower in the tower we came upon a large room containing a glass tank. Inside the tank lay what appeared to be a brain! Horn-like attachments on the side of the tank seemed to be the source of the eerie music. Shishir destroyed one of these horns and was on the verge of smashing the other when he realized that someone was speaking to him - and the speaker appeared to be the brain in the tank!
This brain, which called itself Irvin, explained that it was the owner of the tower, but it was under orders from a person called Krank to play the music that lured the children. Irvin warned that Krank could be found in the next room.
After Irvin promised not to play the music any further, we left the brain alone and turned to the next room. As we entered this room we saw an ugly man wearing a strange headdress of potion vials. In the corner of the room lay a group of sleeping children. We also observed a pair of women wielding a staff, standing oddly close together.
Shishir moved to oppose the two women, and it became apparent that their bodies were somehow joined. They moved in unison, using actions that resembled the way Shishir and his twin attack. I confronted the hideous Krank.
Krank ran to another door and opened it, admitting one of his one-eyed servitors. He then cast a spell at me that caused tiny missiles of energy to strike me. His movements seemed unnaturally quick.
Thor caught sight of a halfling woman coming in from another room and slammed the door in her face. The door became a barrier for the gnome as he kept it between himself and the cleaver-wielding halfling. She fled after being wounded.
Shishir had difficulty combating the conjoined women and eventually fell to their blows. I was also struggling with Krank, who had become hard to see and was able to heal any wounds he took very swiftly. Thor abandoned the doorway and came to threaten Krank with a flaming blade he conjured. More of Krank's one-eyed servants entered the room and very nearly killed Illtud.
Krank grasped at me with his hands wreathed in flames and I was barely able to keep my feet. I had to avail myself of a curative potion. Shishir and Illtud managed to get back on their feet with Arizhel's help, and we all surrounded the ugly man. He took flight and fled into the other room with our whole group in pursuit.
Thor made a brave effort to stop Krank by blocking the stairs when the villain tried to fly away. He was too short to strike the wizard, but I could reach him with my spear. He couldn't escape us and we brought him down.
After he fell Arizhel advised us to cut off his head. She explained that he was some kind of vampire, but one who stole sleep rather than blood from his victims. His peculiar headdress had been full of foul potions that would heal him but would harm any other being. Thor recovered the last remaining potion from the contraption.
We found that all the missing children were present, not permanently harmed but weakened by their ordeal. Somehow Krank had caused Arizhel's daughter to age many years until she more resembled an old woman than a child. Arizhel determined that she would be able to reverse the effect, thankfully.
Despite our wounds we searched the tower until we were sure all the children had been found. Irvin explained to us that he could cause the tower to move from place to place at his will. Thor tried to convince him to take us along when he left Crossford. He told us he'd consider this request, but I doubted he'd agree. I'm not sure I'd want to travel with a disembodied brain in any case.
I'll write more later.
Your sister, Lothiriel
If the story of Irvin and Krank and the children seems familiar, that's because our GM based it on the movie City of Lost Children.