Session #14.2 – Chasing Shadows
Amblin and Bommer, both clinging to the walls over the pit courtesy of Spider Climb, were painfully aware of Rurik’s demise below them. They set aside their grief to focus on the needs of the living – namely, Zalman. Both frantically looked for a way to get through the steel plate wall that separated them from the wizard and the Shadow.
Zalman, isolated from his companions, was very concerned about a direct confrontation with the Shadow. If the dark elf closed with him in these tight quarters, the wizard’s life would become a footnote in history of failed adventurers. The summoned dire ape filled much of the corridor and Zalman used the cover to put his back against the end of the hallway and cast a Shield in front of him. He urged the ape forward, and it promptly smashed through one of the three doors and poked around for any foes. Zalman cast Light upon a wand blank and tossed it into the room behind his summoned critter.
Zalman cautiously peered in the room behind the ape. It was full of loot from the Shadow’s banditry, mostly small furnishings, tapestries, cloth, and tools. There was no dark elf, though, so he urged the ape to come back and try another door. While the ape bashed through the second door, Zalman decided to pull a play out of their Kladish adventure. He summoned a thoqua up against the steel door. Its incredibly hot body started melting through the steel within seconds.
Satisfied that his friends would be able to get through soon, he turned his attention back to the room his ape had just broken in to. The second room was again had some loot. It was smaller and contained mostly bags and small boxes on shelves. There was little of interest and again no dark elf. Zalman sent the ape through the third door and down the stairwell that was behind it.
Amblin and Bommer were having no success in finding a way through the steel wall. They were discussing some wild options when the lower portion of the wall began to glow bright orange. Molten steel dribbled down the side of the pit, quickly solidifying like iron golem blood on ice. They saw the thoqua squirming around, melting through the door and part of the stone floor underneath. When a big enough opening presented itself, Amblin slipped through, wincing as he suffered a couple minor burns in his haste.
Amblin was relieved to see Zalman still alive. “Where’d he go?” Amblin asked.
“Didn’t find him in either of these rooms,” Zalman said. “I sent an ape downstairs to continue looking.” The sound of doors being smashed echoed up the stairwell.
“Right,” Amblin said. “I’m going after him. The others might need a hand getting over here.”
While Amblin virtually leaped down the entire staircase, Zalman turned back to the thoqua. The hole in the steel was big enough now that he dismissed the elemental. Bommer slipped through next, slightly singed for the effort, and carefully followed after Amblin. The flying wizard, meanwhile, ferried Nigel and Amill across the pit. Zalman was devastated to learn of Rurik’s death in the pit trap. Like the others, he buried his grief behind a burning drive for vengeance.
Amblin found Zalman’s dire ape in a large room on the third sub-level. The ape was methodically smashing down the dozen wood doors that lined the perimeter of the room. Amblin quickly identified the room as a prison, each door leading to a small holding cell. One door, to his right, was heavier than the others and bound in iron. The monk assumed that it was probably another exit rather than a cell, and figured the Shadow had probably gone that direction. He checked the door and found it locked.
The others soon joined Amblin and the dire ape. Bommer checked the heavy door for traps and then proceeded to pick the lock. The dire ape vanished after smashing into four empty prison cells. Amill and Nigel, peeking through the bars on the remaining cells, were surprised when they found one occupied.
A haggard yet buff looking half-orc was chained to the far wall of the cell. He was dressed in filthy rags, yet the hard look in his eyes suggested a depth of character that belied his current hardship. “Please,” the half-orc rasped, “let me out of here.”
“Who are you?” Amill asked. Some of the others in the room were becoming aware of the presence of a prisoner.
“My name is Feng,” the half-orc said. “I’ve been a prisoner of that drow for a couple months now. He and some of his companions hit a small caravan I was travelling with.”
Amill and Nigel exchanged a knowing look – could they trust this guy? The Shadow always seemed to have a trick or two up his sleeve. Could this be an illusion? Could the half-orc actually be an ally of the Shadow’s?
“Did you hear anyone come this way?” Nigel said. “We think he might have come down here.”
“I’m not sure,” Feng said. “I heard some distant crashing from upstairs, followed by the door at the top of the steps being smashed. Something came down here, and then started smashing through the cell doors.”
“But you didn’t hear any door open and close down here?” Amill said.
“No,” Feng said. “Can’t say that I did. Now, please, let me out of here. If you’re after that fiend of a dark elf, I would gladly join you.”
Nigel quickly conferred with the others, and the consensus for the moment was to leave him. They were in a hurry and didn’t want to take the additional risk of being duped by an unknown element. Nigel told Feng to hold tight and that they’d be back for him. Amill was more inclined to let the half-orc out, but the party had spoken.
Feng, a devout follower and cleric of Kord, would not let this opportunity for vengeance slip him by. “Kord, grant me your strength to break these bonds so that I might help hunt the one who killed my comrades and imprisoned me here.” The half-orc felt his stiff muscles swell with divinely granted energy. He flexed his arms and felt the binding chains snap. Many times during his imprisonment he’d tried to break free, but now it seemed that Kord had seen fit to make it happen. In the euphoric glow of Kord’s grace, he grinned and proceeded to bash his way through the cell door.
(DM note: This was an impressive introduction for the party’s new cleric…run by Rurik’s player. He used his strength domain ability to try to break through the chains, and then with his first ever roll as a cleric of the god of strength, he got a natural 20. Fitting? Prophetic? Well, that remains to be seen…)
Bommer had just finished picking the heavy door’s lock and opened it when the party heard Feng snap through his restraints and bash through the cell door. Several were highly suspicious at the apparent ease with which he broke free, but upon seeing the raw strength in his bearing, they chose to keep silent.
“I insist on joining you,” Feng said matter-of-factly. “I will see that drow dead, even if I must kill him with my bare hands.”
“Fine,” Nigel said. “Just don’t get in our way.” They scrounged up a weapon and shield for him to carry.
Amblin and Bommer led the way down the newly revealed corridor, with the rest cautiously following. Amblin tripped a pressure plate that launched a trio of spears down his direction, but no one was injured. Thirty feet ahead, the hall split in a “T”, with one door down the left branch and two to the right. Bommer quickly searched the two doors down the right hall and Amblin and Nigel opened them once cleared by the halfling. One was decorated as a bedroom, though it didn’t match the description of the Shadow’s quarters. The other door led to a small armory – weapons and bits of armor stacked on shelves. Feng quickly perused this room and found a serviceable greatsword and chain shirt. Then, as if guided by Kord, he spotted his holy symbol cast aside in a dark corner under a shelf.
Zalman, casting caution aside in the name of haste, decided to open the remaining door down the left hallway. In doing so, he found yet another purple worm poisoned needle on the backside of the handle. The wizard could feel his muscles weakening by the second, yet he remained able to carry his staff and backpack. He shoved the door open, brandishing his wand of lightning bolts. From Jonas’ scrying narration, Zalman immediately recognized this room as the Shadow’s quarters. However, there was no Shadow.
The others joined him and they checked behind all the tapestries to make sure their nemesis wasn’t hiding. Zalman looked over the couple books lying upon the small table and was somewhat surprised to see that they were basic texts on the fundamentals of spell casting. Nigel emptied the small chests in the room and was disappointed to find that none of his stolen gear was present.
“Well,” Nigel said, “We’re out of rooms.”
“Secret door?” Zalman asked.
“Yeah, good bet,” Bommer said. “I’ll start scouring the walls.”
“I’ll join you,” Nigel said. “Zalman, why don’t you check for any residual enchantments or magic means of escape. The rest of you just keep an eye out.”
“I’m going to head back upstairs,” Amblin said. “Just in cast he’s hiding and waiting to sneak past us on his way back up and out. I’ll plant myself in the stairwell to the first level.”
While the search started for secret doors, Amblin quickly slipped back up the steps to the second level. Using spider climb, he crawled through the hole in the steel wall and across the pit containing Rurik’s body. Just as he reached the other side, he heard a voice from behind…uttering a sharp and derisive word in a vile but unrecognizable language. He spun back around to face the pit, expecting an attack from the invisible Shadow. No attack came, but he could just make out the sound of retreating footsteps and a door slamming shut down the hall he’d just come from.
Amblin hurried back across the pit and checked the hall. All three doors were still open. Then, a painful realization hit him. “Zalman,” he yelled downstairs, “get up here!”
Zalman hurried up the stairs as best he could in his weakened condition. “What is it?” he said.
“Just stand here by the stairs and pay attention,” Amblin said. “Tell me what you see.” The monk crawled back to the other side and stepped into the corner. Again, the foul word was uttered, followed by the sound of footsteps retreating and a door slamming shut. Zalman, meanwhile, watched as an illusion of the Shadow manifested before his very eyes, followed by the audible cues of him retreating and slamming a door shut. Then the illusion vanished.
“Well?” Amblin said as he made his way back.
“Yup,” Zalman said. “It was all just part of a trap.”
Next session: More exploring...and more headaches...
I was surprised to see Rurik go down so quickly.
