Chapter 13: A Ghostly Glow

[Jeff]

The common room of the Cornerstone Inn is packed with people—clearly far more more than its actual patrons. Garzek, the aging Cyran who owns the place, looks harried indeed. His full staff—several barmaids and various helpers—run about looking just as frazzled. But there is a comfort in seeing all these people here. So vast and empty-seeming was Dolurrh that the Cornerstone Inn itself seems to contain more bustling life than the whole of that plane. There is not a single free table or chair to be seen.

But there isn't time to linger, anyway. You get quite a few glances as you come in out of the rain. First, because who the hell is out there in this storm? And second, because beneath your cloaks and hoods, it's obvious you're not Dannel's Pride's everyday residents. From some of the dozens of voices all talking at once, you gather the storm itself is a hot topic. But maybe your companions upstairs will know more about it.

Adamant's eyes are drawn briefly to the pedestal of stone that gives this place its name—the piece of wall salvaged from Metrol, capital of Cyre, after the Day of Mourning. It reminds him that life goes on, and that some things that are made can be repurposed. Once the stone was a piece of unremarkable wall in Metro's city square; not it is the literal and figurative cornerstone of this little district in a lawless city—something for Cyran refugees to hang their pride on.

Up into the outthrust tower where Larest ir'Zathyran has rented the inn's most expensive chambers you go.

When you step through the door, a very curious sense of déjà vu falls over you. Two days ago...or three? Or a month ago? It really feels like a long time, you began your day in darkness and in rain and it felt a lot like this.

Instantly, the suite's occupants all look up from what they were doing. Once again, the two bookish wizards site at a desk, pouring over some papers. The gnome Sem Darlesh's black eyes widen when he sees you. Across from him, Larest blows out a heavy sigh. Both men look tired but unharmed.

"You sure took your time, Kal." Sem says dryly, then smiles big.

Starg steps into view from one of the doorways. The aged minotaur bows his head in greeting, though his smile is never quite the same as a human's. His right arm is in a sling. "I am glad to see you," Starg says.

"KAL? Lord Kalarian?!" Rinti jumps into view opposite Starg. "Holy shit-stones!" she blurts like the street urchin she was. "You're alive!" The young half-elf's eyes look a bit puffy and red, but one thing that does stand out: a black eye. In fact, the left half of her face is badly bruised. It looks painful, but right now she doesn't seem to notice it at all, and her pretty smile is infectious.

Tangat barks merrily, still rather damp, and bolts towards the girl.

Despite its resemblance to that recent morning, not all is the same. This time Syrdan is not here, nor Lerrhana. Though Histra is. The necromancer surveys the suite quietly, judging in silence. This is her first time here.

[Dave B.]

Shorak shakes off as much of the water as he can and doesn't hesitate to take the lead entering the inn. He heads straight for the stairs and heads upstairs to their suite. He seems much more relaxed now and not as dour. He is obviously glad to be back. "We are quite alive. Although, there was some doubt as to that fact. More than once." Shorak replies to the greeting they have received. He turns to Kal and Belarin to let them elaborate. At the same time he begins stripping off some of his soaked outer layers of clothing.

[Brian]

Condign sheds his wet cloak. He hasn't felt t his wet in years. Then he crosses the room and grips Starg's shoulder in greeting. "It is good to see you, my friend." His expression grows tight. "We know what happened to the Merrow Down. We learned of its fate during our journey in Dolurrh. I am very sorry."

[Darren]

Kal tries to contain the flood of emotion he feels walking into the room. It's not even home, but after so much time in Dollurh, the warmth of the room, the friendly faces...Kal's vision begins to blur. He smiles at Sem. "It's good to see you, too, you pain in the ass."

As Rinti bursts in, Kal studies his face to a stern mask. "Rinti! Language!" He holds out his wet cloak for the girl to take. "You represent House Deneith now." As is often the case when dealing with the girl, Kalarian cannot maintain the facade and a smile shatters the illusion. "I am very glad to see you, Rinti. Very glad." He lightly touches the girl's cheek. "But tell me, what has happened to you?" He looks up at Larest and Sem. "What has happened to Stormreach?"

[Ken]

Belarin sags visibly after they enter, not from despair but from a sense of relief that's almost painful. He says, "I want little more than the joy of sleeping in a bed again, and we have much to tell... but first, yes, please tell us what's been happening. We know that Krez's forces attacked the Merrow Down, but little else."

[Jeff]

Larest expresses his relief at Shorak's words. "I had feared the worst. Fortunately, Starg said he was able to communicate with you briefly yesterday. That helped."

Rinti stares at Kal's wet cloak for a moment, puzzled. Then when it's clear what he's doing, she takes it from him. "Oh, I've had worse, don't worry," she answers cheerily.

"She was not attacked," Starg says, coming forward. "I assure you. The child—"

"—was standing in the wrong place," Rinti interrupts. "The Wavecrest can be a rowdy place!"

Clearly there is more to the story, but....

Apr 21, 2016 5:11:47 GMT -4 Brian said:

Condign sheds his wet cloak. He hasn't felt t his wet in years. Then he crosses the room and grips Starg's shoulder in greeting. "It is good to see you, my friend." His expression grows tight. "We know what happened to the Merrow Down. We learned of its fate during our journey in Dolurrh. I am very sorry."

The old minotaur looks taken aback. "I do not understand. What has happened to the Merrow Down and its crew?"

Apr 21, 2016 10:59:20 GMT -4 Ken said:

"We know that Krez's forces attacked the Merrow Down, but little else."

Larest and Sem both rise to their feet. "When?" the professor asks. "How do you know this? Were you at the docks?"

[Dave W.]

Adamant is last to enter and he stands, dripping, near the entrance to their rooms. "I seem to always enter here leaking water," he comments to no one in particular. He nods a greeting to the Professor, Sem, Rinti, and Starg each in turn.

"Yes, there is much to say and hear. As Shorak says, I died. I did not care for it. Unfortunately we have lost track of Syrdan... I will not say he is dead without proof, but he left us."

"Unless he has returned here before us..." Adamant adds hopefully...

[Brian]

Condign glances at Starg, and then Larest. "By the gods," he whispers. "You do not know." He quickly explains their encounter with some of the spirits of the Merrow Down's crew and what they learned. "When did you last speak with Captain Morsha?"

[Dave W.]

"or perhaps it was a false image? I feel I can not trust everything that happened there."

[Jeff]

Human, gnome, minotaur, and half-elf all listen somberly, but when Condign is finished, Larest shakes his head. "We have not heard from Captain Morsha since disembarking. I would like to see with my own eyes what has become of her ship and her crew." He looks to Adamant and nods. "How conclusive are the manifestations of these spirits you speak of? Could this not be some deception on the part of our enemies?"

"It could," Histra says, speaking for the first time since arriving here. "Most likely the crew has been slain. We could not count or identify each spirit, so it is unknown who may have survived."

Larest paces as he speaks, looking up occasionally. "No one really knows what is happening here, but it seems likely related to the search for the Eye. The storm has been raging for two days almost without relief, but none know the cause. All of Xen'drik is afflicted with cataclysmic natural and unnatural phenomena, so it is difficult to make any conclusions one way or the other. Meanwhile, the various factions are moving about the city on their scavenger hunts—and so have we."

This prompts Sem to liven up again. He scoops up a piece of paper—the very one Belarin acquired from Thestra ir'Serell, containing the riddle given to her by Argushem the sphinx. "Would you like to hear what we've solved? We're two-thirds through it. Miss Rinti has proven most resourceful so far, you would be happy to know, Kal. House Deneith's latest retainer shows promise."

Rinti, who never knew the crew of the Merrow Down and thus seems less affected by news of their fate, beams at this.

[Darren]

"Of course she does," Kal says, looking over at Rinti. "I chose her, after all."

Kal sits down, grateful to be off his feet. "Tell us what you have learned, and then we will tell you how we will find Argushem's mate."

[Joe]

Streko enters, soaked and dripping. He sees everyone beginning to converse, socialize and, yes, even bond. He, however, is miserable and tired and hungry. He goes to his bed, sheds his cloak and wonders what to do with it. It should be cleaned. No, it MUST be cleaned. But he's so tired and the bed is suddenly so comfortable.

"Tell us, first, has it only been a couple of days that we've been gone. It seems a lifetime," he says, desperately trying to be part of the group, but just as desperately wanting to sleep.

[Dave B.]

Shorak finds a towel and begins drying himself off, while listening in on the conversation.

[Jeff]

Sem holds the paper with its riddle out for any who'd like to see it.

To find the Eye of all-knowing sights
Speak to the exile on her unseen heights

To find her lair, unite the three
A lodestar to pierce storm, cloud, and sea

First is the circlet on the angel's brow
Carved in the harbor by the maker's vow

Second, the coin of the tallest knave
Gambled beneath the cresting wave

Third, the light, a stone of bright jade
Where the queen lies fallen—
.................................—as if by vorpal blade

"Remember, the riddles the sphinx gave were intended to lead their receivers to one who knew the definitive location of Gerhest, the giant ruins where the Eye of Azalar awaits its many seekers."

Sem Darlesh then points to each line of the poem as he addresses them.

"'To find the Eye of all-knowing sights' references the Eye itself. I imagine most of the riddles handed out by the sphinx begin similarly. Then 'Speak to the exile on her unseen heights' is clearly who to visit once the rest was solved. So it's a 'she' and an 'exile.' An exile from what? And what 'heights'? Is that literal or figurative? I'm not sure yet. The closest thing we have to heights in this city are a handful of towers and the cliffs along the southern edge.

"'To find her lair, unite the three'—all right, so we had to find three items in this scavenger hunt, and together they would form 'A lodestar to pierce storm, cloud, and sea'. Storm, eh? Sound familiar?

"'First is the circlet on the angel's brow / Carved in the harbor by the maker's vow' Well, this took some time to work out—most of the time that you were away, in fact. After some selective investigation, we discovered a dingy little storefront in the Harbor proclaiming the gallery of Mazrath the Maker—"

"Mazrath was amazing, Lord Kalarian!" Rinti says, wonder evident in her eyes. "You have to let me take you there. He's an old elf, like really old, and blind, and he says strange things. And—"

"Suffice it to say," Sem interrupts, "that upon searching through this sculptor's gallery, we found a very plain-looking diadem on an old statue of an angel. A circlet, as it were." He points to the one that Larest wears, and the action seems to make the professor self-conscious. Larest touches it, then shrugs. Sem goes on. "Mazrath was willing to sell it to us for a reasonable price, especially considering he hadn't placed it there himself; it wasn't part of the sculpture itself."

"Then: Second, the coin of the tallest knave / Gambled beneath the cresting wave' This was easiest to solve, but the object in question more difficult to acquire. Our bullish friend did the heavy lifting for us." Starg, looking on from the other side of the room, only grunts at this and looks at the sad sling his arm is in. "The Wavecrest Tavern is a colorful place. We're pretty sure we retrieved the right coin. If not, we'll go back and Starg can arm-wrestle someone else."

"That's how I got this," Rinti says, indicating her face. "This really big man didn't like what going on, so when he went to punch Starg, he rearer back and I was, well, standing there." She grins.

Starg grunts moodily. This does not appear to be a pleasant memory for him. The minotaur seems to abhor physical violence.

"Anyway," Sem says, drawing attention back to himself. "The last stanza, then: Third, the light, a stone of bright jade / Where the queen lies fallen as if by vorpal blade'. I don't know why I didn't solve this one first. I think it eluded me because I was puzzling through the other two first. I'm almost certain the 'queen' mentioned is the statue head of a giantess. One we've seen before! The Queen's Junction, remember? So that's where we need to go next. But, we need rest. We're exhausted from the day's events, and Professor ir'Zathyran and I were forced to use some of our magic to evade some of our rivals. They're getting aggressive out there."

As if on cue, a terrific boom of thunder shakes the room. "I doubt the Eye is going to be found in the morning, so I suggest we all get some sleep," Sem says. "Except Adamant. You stay awake this time, all right?"

[Brian]

Condign nods as Sem explains the riddle. The four of them had been busy.

"Rest sounds fine," he says, and pulls out his new mace. "But first, I want to study this weapon. Then I will sleep." He fingers the cloth shirt he is wearing, then eyes Larest. "Also, I lost my armor. Bad life choices. I will need to replace it before we set out. It will be expensive, but also necessary if we want to succeed. Any help would be appreciated."

[Darren]

"Of course I remember," Kal says after Sem mentions the statue of the queen's head. "I'm the one who suggested it!" Kal smiles at the gnome. "Fine work, all of you. Truly. Now, let me tell you what we found out..." Kal goes on to relate the details of their encounter with Argushem's mate, the medusa, the location they can be found in Stormreach, and the requests made of them. "So...what do we do first in the morning?"

[Jeff]

Larest simply nods. "Certainly, though I do not think I can afford anything enchanted. I am still retaining supplies for the expedition itself, and my funds are not unlimited. But keeping you alive is vital, Condign, as I know you're the reason many of your companions have remained so. How much gold will you require?"

"Got some new toys in the plane of death, eh?" Sem says, pointing at Condign's mace.

"What happened to your armor?" Rinti asks, now curious.

---

Condign knows that a suite of fine-quality, Cannith-licensed splint or banded mail would cost about 200 gold pieces, while chain mail would be 75. A suit of full (and heavy) plate mail would be 1,500 gp.

[Dave W.]

Apr 22, 2016 7:11:07 GMT -4 Jeff said:

As if on cue, a terrific boom of thunder shakes the room. "I doubt the Eye is going to be found in the morning, so I suggest we all get some sleep," Sem says. "Except Adamant. You stay awake this time, all right?"

Adamant tilts his head quizically, "I stay awake all the time. It's how I was constructed."

He remains standing by the entrance to the rooms, "'Unseen heights' could be metaphorical. Some one once powerful, then exiled, now having risen to a new sort of power? Or 'unseen' could be physical as in an invisible location."

Replying to the discussion of Condign nakedness, Adamant rummages through his backpack and pulls out his purse, "You have whatever I have to re-armor." He offers it to the tiefling, "Please, as my friend."

---

There's not much there... 57gp, 47sp, 36cp. But Addy doesn't really need much cash, not eating and all that. And I know there's the party funds that I'd favor opening up for Brian to get something decent.

Adamant will tune to his new warhammer while folks sleep. And get spells back! Woot!

[Jeff]

Yup, if you're all on board, a short rest (for Adamant's and Condign's weapon attunements) followed by a long rest can be underway.

[Dave W.]

"Ah, one more thing before rest," Adamant walks over to Rinti and sinks down to his haunches, "I told you that we would be back. Promises are sometimes hard to keep," he raises a heavy metal hand to touch her cheek. It starts to glow as warm healing flows into the girl. "But you need to know we will always try."

---

Lay on Hands before we rest. The sheet says 35 hp of possible healing, but at level 8 it should have been 40. I think we forgot to update it. So I'm not sure how much damage to heal but he has at least 5.

Otherwise, yep, ready to rest... Addy will stand by the door.

[Jeff]

The livid colors of Rinti's bruised face fade away. All that's left is a little puffiness and a thin dark circle around one eye. Her eyes widen. "Thank you, Adamant." She hugs the warforged. "Did you really die in there? I don't think you died. No, you definitely didn't. You still look and sound and smell like Adamant."

---

Got it. Pool of 40 for Lay on Hands now, but after the long rest that will become 45.

[Darren]

Kal clears his throat. "Rinti, please remember your place. As a retainer of Deneith, it is not appropriate for you to interrogate your employer's companions. You must learn these things. You may not always be with me and my friends, and there are others in the House who will not appreciate such familiarity." He places a hand on her cheek. "It is not everyone who you may serve who will give you a gift like Adamant has done."

[Brian]

Condign glares down at Rinti. "Kal is correct. Please remember your place."

Reaching into his pocket, Condign pulls out a wrinkled piece of paper. "I found this on the body of a ghoul I killed. It is a letter of credit with the Kunderak bank, notarized by House Sivis." He turns the paper over and shows the others.

IF I DIE PLEEZ BRING TO KUNDERAK
EZ

"I do not know who EZ is. Perhaps this person and the Black Wolf were one and the same." He puts to paper away. "Save your coin for the moment. I will visit the bank in the morning, see what this note is about. We can decide what to do about my armor afterward."

That said, he takes a seat on a bed and begins (again) to study the mace.

____________________________________________________

I'm on board for a rest, however long it takes. Jeff, your stats list on the bottom of your posts indicates we have 7,290 gold pieces in the bank. Can we access that at a Kunderak bank in Stormreach?

[Jeff]

Rinti regards Kal appraisingly. "Sorry." Then, quiet, she says, "I think of Adamant as my friend, same as you."

"Come morning," Sem says, "I will tell you about some of the troubles we've seen. I think we're falling behind in this race, but catching up won't matter if we're not rested. Let us all go collapse dramatically."

---

Brian: Yup, if you stop at the bank (we don't have to roleplay it through), you can access all that.

[Dave W.]

Adamant gently returns the girl's hug, until Kal admonishes her. He releases her but just before he stands, one eye-gem flickers then goes out completely and then immediately lights up brightly. It's clearly not a thing he has practiced much but the effect of a wink is conveyed.

He returns to examining his hammer.

---

party pooper

[Dave B.]

Once Shorak has put on some dry clothes, he pulls out the puzzle box to examine it some more, before he goes to sleep.

Shorak will take the short rest time to spend time trying to figure out the puzzle box. According to 5E rules, Shorak should have been able to figure this out a while ago, unless there's some unknown reason for him not being able to do so.

[Jeff]

Rinti nods grimly at Condign's words, then when the others turn away from him, she gives Adamant a conspiratorial wink.

As far as rules go, the Identifying a Magic Item section offers DMs a lot of possibilities. Most magic items can be figured out with experimentation or time (like a short rest), at least enough to give some clues. Full-on identification comes either from the Identify spell, attunement with one that can be attuned, or some other means.

For special items, like the puzzle box, I definitely favor the Variant: More Difficult Identification section. That said...

---

Shorak re-examined the puzzle box that last night in Dolurrh, but he'd spent many hours studying it aboard the Merrow Down during the last days of its voyage. He's concluded that no amount of twisting or fondling seems to open it, though it has a definitive if unusually-shaped lid—but no key hole. He recalls now what Adamant had discovered from the letter they'd acquired along with the contents of the chest that had been hard-won beneath the waves of the Thunder Sea. The relevant excerpt of that letter, which had been written by a Cyran to her brother after the Day of Mourning and perhaps not so long ago, was:

I am sending what you asked for. It's locked inside the box (the watchword is the name of your old dog—the ugly one). While your contact didn't wish to divulge anything about it, I did manage to finesse a few details for myself. What are you involving yourself in, brother? Is it true that this used to be in the hands of the Harvestman himself? That alone worries me.

So Shorak knows a simple word is needed to magically open the box, a word that isn't revealed by merely studying the box itself. He had asked Llash-Tava about it, and she had answered that she might be able to learn more if she could study it in person. Fortunately, Shorak is now back on the same plane as her and knows where she is. If anyone can discern a puzzle, surely it would be a sphinx.

Meanwhile, Condign and Adamant take the time to focus on their newly acquired weapons—weapons from the very grim trove where the ghostly medusa had laired and the sphinx's spirit had manifested.

Adamant discovers that the dark-ironed warhammer, which is always warm to the touch, is imbued with a spirit of fire. This seems consistent with its flame-like motif, and with Belarin's earlier mention of evocation magic. He doesn't know much about elementals, but he feels this is something else. There is a spark of sentience here, and it's aggressive. Angry, even. The spirit is female and her name is Syndra; she obviously craves violence, but it's clear that if Adamant wields it in battle, she will lend her fiery strength to the strength of his arms. Adamant senses, however, that she is also evilly-aligned and will counsel him to violence. He can only guess as to the origin of the weapon.

Condign discovers that the strangely imbalanced mace—which Belarin had said possessed abjuration magic—makes him feel nigh invulnerable. Rather, merely holding it grants him a resolve he knows to be unnatural but is no less effective for it. He finds that he does not wish to put it down, but it does allow itself to be stowed. Rather, he feels an energy coiled within the mace that demands that he not be idle. It gives him the endurance needed to incite action. For the night to pass, Condign finds that he has to set it down. Mere contact with it would keep him awake.

---

The warhammer is much like a flame-tongue sword. It is a +1 weapon (to attack rolls and damage) and if he speaks the spirit's name—Syndra—it will blaze with fire, shedding bright light in a 40-foot radius and dim light for an addition 40 feet. While ablaze, it deals an extra 2d6 fire damage to any target it hits. The flames last until he speaks her name again (as a bonus action) or until he releases the weapon. For purposes of the character sheet, I'll call this the Hammer of Syndra.

The mace is a +1 weapon (attack and damage rolls), and it also grants its attuned owner an increase in maximum hit points of 1 per character level. So Condign's max hit points would become 99 (even when it's stowed, though it does need to be on his person)! If he ever relinquishes attunement, it'll drop back to normal. I'll call this the Mace of Incitement on the character sheet. Unlike most maces, it's got the Versatile trait, meaning if used two-handed it can do more damage (1d8 instead of 1d6 if one-handed).

As for the puzzle box, the magic of the box is merely in the concealing and locking. Once that's activated, what's inside—which definitely was magical, that was determined long ago—is another matter altogether.

[Joe]

Streko reaches back into his haversack and removes Condign's equipment he had been holding on to.

"Not exactly armor, but these are your belongings. If you should need me to carry them longer, I will happily do so." He returns a backpack, waterskin, Everburning Torch and two sunrods.

Streko realizes he spent more time hording gold than finding weapons.

"Perhaps I should go with you to the bank tomorrow morning, Condign. I have some coin that I would feel safer depositing than carrying with me. I can also deposit coin from the rest of our band of brothers that they feel would be safer in the bank."
____________________________________________________________

Streko will begin his long rest as soon as he's had a bite to eat. :-)

[Brian]

When the halfling hands him his gear, Condign accepts it gratefully. As to Streko's offer to accompany him....

"I would be glad to have you with me," he says to his friend. "I am uncomfortable around banks and officials. We do not have them in Fah'lrrg. Also, it may prove helpful to have a Dragonmarked noble beside me if any negotiations are required when I present Black Wolf's note."

Condign moves to his cot. He reluctantly sets down his new mace and feels that queer sense of invulnerability fade. Then he lays down for the first real rest he has had in days.

[Dave B.]

Satisfied that he has learned all he can from the puzzle box, Shorak stows it away and retires for the night.