On the 6th day of the Bear, they rose to a sunny day in Tosasth within the Ebril Estate. After a quick breakfast, they headed for Nimue’s tower. They met no undead in the streets. Ferris crept into the tower while the rest of them stood in the central square, sharing slugs of brandy. Jerker, had been left back in St. Orlan, or so they thought. He had been only a day behind them and had made his way into Tosasth alone. Quietly, the crept out from the scriptorium to announce himself. Realizing the danger of standing out in the open, they moved into the tower and shut the heavy double doors.
Exploring the Tower
Presently, Ferris descended the stairs to report that the clay golem from which they’d previously run had returned to the room above. It still held the large sack of coins. After some debate, they agreed to leave the golem alone and to explore further.
Aderian lead them to the fifth floor where they crowded into a narrow hallway with three doors. Jerker thought he heard sounds of eating beyond the western door. He grabbed the handle firmly. Aderian opened the southern door to reveal a bedroom empty of any occupant. He rustled through a dresser to find a coffer of coin. He poured the coins into the greedy bag, the one who was once a wizard called Irenduel. Tienarth stepped into the bedroom to make his own search.
Next, Aderian opened the northern door. Inside a demonic creature stood inside a pentagram inscribed on the floor. Stacks of platinum coins were arranged around the circle. The devil’s beastly face reminded them of various depictions of Molok seen in shrines and in the form of a great statue at Talanashta’s manor. Tienarth thought of the sketch he’d seen in the Ebril Estate that seemed to be of a 300-foot tall statue or golem with the head of Molok. The devil before them, though was merely 8 feet of muscle covered in gray scales and spines. Great horns protruded above the scowling face that croaked a hideous laugh. “Ho, ho, at last I shall be free,” the devil shouted. “Take these valuable coins!”
Aderian was was inclined to obey but stopped to ponder. The others shouted at him to stay back. Tienarth noted a spellbook inside the circle, a treasure he surely wanted, but his elven patience urged caution. Irenduel expressed a strong desire for the coins and made a strong argument to Aderian for how nothing mattered more than grabbing the coins.
Meanwhile, something tugged at the door which Jerker kept shut.
Unleashing the Devil
Aderian, abandoning all restraint, made to scoop up coins. Just then, Ferris stepped up and brought his sap down hard at the back of this neck. The former pirate staggered, senseless. Longstream, the diminutive warrior, grabbed Aderian and dragged him into the bedroom. A moment later he’d bound him to the bed with rope.
Jerker tired of keeping the door closed and instead shoved it hard inward where it caught a ghast on the other side by surprise, knocking it to the floor. Ferris dashed towards the room that contained three other ghasts. He held his breath as he scaled the wall and tumbled behind them all. Unfortunately, his rearward attack failed to land. Tienarth let loose magic missiles while Ferris and Jerker landed sword strikes.
Aderian struggled at this bonds and manged to free his dagger to begin sawing at the rope. Longstream snatched it away from him.
Ferris suffered a bite that he shrugged off. The next moment a scratch sent paralyzing shivers through him and he stood stiff. Jerker stepped up to slay the last ghast.
Between them, including the two retainers and Riffle the dwarf, they carried Aderian and Ferris out of the tower and back the Ebril Estate. An hour later, Ferris recovered and Aderian began to accept that while he desperately wanted the coins, he was willing to wait a day for them.
That night, they argued extensively about how to destroy the devil and the golem, both of which they considered potentially lethal. They guessed the devil would escape the moment the coins were disturbed and planned to pummel the devil all at once under the influence of the haste spell. Presently, eight of them were crowded around the devil that was explaining the great benefits of releasing it.
Potions were quaffed and Tienarth began to prepare a spell, but Aderian at that moment grabbed the coins. The devil was released! Tienarth rushed to cast his spell. The devil, a liar and now completely belligerent, blasted all of them with spines shooting from his hide. Poor Riffle took the worst of it, nearly fainting. But under the influence of the haste spell, blows pounded the devil like a drumroll. Moments later, the devil collapsed and then disappeared into puff of smoke.
Tienarth grabbed the book which he later found to be Nimue’s spellbook. Aderian collected the coins for his bag.
Piling on the Golem
Recognizing that the haste spell would last for a minute more, they barreled downstairs to attack the golem. Tienarth found that his magic missiles would not harm the golem, but magic swords made quick work of the automaton. Soon it was just clumps of inert clay. The bag it held was filled with coins.
The moved moved south through the city to find the Gonore Estate where they collected more treasure and camped for the night. Tienarth read through the spellbook and found it to contain the following spells.
- Level 1: Magic Missile, Protection from Good
- Level 2: Mirror Image, ESP, Knock
- Level 3: Fly, Dispel Magic
- Level 4: Confusion
All sealed estates were found. All sources of evil power in the city were found and cleared except for one: the house of Penelo Elixidor. They knew the location, and according to Petfaren they knew to expect the most devoted priest of ancient Tosasth’s cause. Somewhere in his abode was a device that represented the last foothold of Haderax in the city.
End Notes
- Treasure
- 1,700 cp, 1,400 sp, 2,800 gp from the Gonore Estate
- 100 pp from around the devil
- 1,000 gp from the coffer in the empty bedroom
- 1,000 gp from the sack held by the golem
- Nimue’s spellbook
- Kills 3,110 xp
- 4 ghasts 125 xp each
- Vulre Norgwyn, the spined devil 845 xp
- Clay Golem 1,765 xp
- Characters
- Aderian (fight, lead, in front) 502 xp
- Bedanas 222 xp (half share)
- Ferris (dexterity, surprise attack) 497 xp
- Jerker (fight, strength, in front) 502 xp
- Jonas 222 xp (half share)
- Longstream (enjoyed booze) 448 xp
- Riffle 444 xp
- Tienarth (collect magic, patient, avoid combat) 457 xp