Dove and Chimera

Murderers in the Mist

As the platform descended, Firinne and Kale decided that it was time to act. Firinne knocked out the guard, and Kale grabbed the guard's signalling stone, which controlled the movement of the platform.

From our hiding place on the ground, we saw the struggle on the platform, and we moved quickly to take out the guards at the bottom of the tower.

When the platform finally reached the ground, we regrouped and hid the guards bodies. We moved back onto the platform, and Kale used the signalling stone to move the platform upwards.

As we reached the top and exited the platform, we heard rallying cries from the floors above us. There were four stairways (one in each corner of the room), and Kale surmised that the guards in the barracks had awoken and would come streaming down the stairs soon. He positioned Firinne and Carlagnios before two of the stairways and had the rest of us stand a good distance away from the other two stairways. We readied our bows, throwing axes, and slings so that we could deal with the guards before they reached us.

The first set of guards tried to storm down the stairs, led by their sergeant. Firinne held them off. Their glaives (polearms) lashed out at her, but many of their blows could not get through her powerful armor. Firinne quickly bloodied their sergeant.

A second set of guards took the second staircase and were met by Carlagnios, who kept them from entering the room. He knocked several of the guards out with a sweeping blow.

The third and fourth sets of guards came down the other two stairwells and ran toward us, one group led to another sergeant. Garg started to take out one group, while Bran bloodied the other sergeant. As the sergeant became bloodied, he called out to his men, who moved to surround Bran and strike at him.

Bran quickly shifted out of the way, and Carlagnios drew the guards to him and struck them down in a rain of steel. Kale summoned a cloud of stench that covered the sergeant and his guards.

Meanwhile, Tiny healed us and quickly killed the first sergeant with a lance of faith. In his dying breath, the sergeant called out to his men, who once again lashed out at us. Tiny healed us again, and we were able to kill the remaining sergeant and guards.

As we fought, the platform suddenly began to descend again. Someone else was coming up. We had to act quickly.

We made our way up the stairs, past the empty barracks, the glowing device, and the residential level, until we reached the Guildmaster's offices. As we entered the room, Tiny warned us that there were people in the room. He also detected a strange mist in the air.

From our left and right, we were attacked by barbarian women -- murderesses, who sought our lives. The mist suddenly congealed into the Guildmaster. Tiny and Kale were able to identify the Guildmaster as a vampire.

As we fought off the vampire and murderesses, Bran attempted to make his way to the storeroom that held the scrolls. Two of the murderesses pursued him and attacked before he got the chance to open the door.

Meanwhile, the murderesses struck us with sharp blades, leaving us bleeding and slowing us down. Firinne was able to kill the first murderess. Carlagnios drew the others to him and sliced through them with a thicket of blades, killing another. Bran drew out his wand of poison and shot another one, killing her. Kale summoned a gigantic, icy hand -- the hand of Bigby -- and kept the vampire at bay.

The murderesses attacked Firinne and knocked her unconscious, but Tiny quickly revived her. In time, we were finally able to destroy the rest of the murderesses.

The vampire, seeing that his comrades were defeated, turned into mist again and escaped from the room.

In the vampire's wardrobe, we found stylish attire, along with some gems and two potions of healing. He also had a magical suit of serpent skin leather armor, which Bran decided to wear. He handed me his magical Elven battle armor, which (after some adjustments by Tiny and Kale) I was able to us.

As Bran picked the lock on the storeroom, Tiny noticed someone entering the room behind us. It was the Drow Librarian.

"I saw the Guildmaster leaving in his misty form," he said. "It's a shame that you didn't kill it."

"Thank you for the information that you gave us," said Kale. "It served us well."

"You are welcome. May I recover my library books from the storeroom?"

"Only if you give us some of the rituals," Bran quickly replied.

The Librarian nodded. He went into the storeroom and, after some time, came out again with a bag full of books. He handed us a few scrolls, including the Ritual of Challenge. "Thank you for providing a distraction for me and my warriors. We will be disabling the Turnip soon. There are some Vulture Drakes downstairs. I suggest that you use them."

But we were not done with our work. Bran quickly picked the lock on the other room, where, earlier, Kale had detected an object of immense power. He found a coin in the room.

"Could this be the coin that the Lover of the Raven Queen used to become a god?" On one side of the coin was the image of a dove; on the other, the image of a chimera.

Suddenly, the Turnip began to shudder.

"I wouldn't tarry any longer," the Librarian said as he quickly left the room.

Kale and Bran grabbed a couple of artifacts from the room, and we ran down the stairs. In the chamber with the blue device, we saw that the Drow had used a leather strap to clamp something on to the device. Whatever this was, it had stopped the device from glowing.

We found the Vulture Drakes, mounted them, and flew out of the Turnip in a mad rush. As we flew away, we saw the Turnip tipping and falling on the tower below it, crushing the top levels of fine stores and restaurants. The tower shuddered under the weight of the Turnip and collapsed, sending shards of stone and glass throughout the city.

As we rode to the ground on our Vulture Drakes, we were awestruck, staring at the rubble that was once the tallest tower in the city.

Bran turned to Firinne. "Well, I hope you weren't planning to return those shoes."

She had a horrified look on her face. "Why does this always happen to us? Why do we always leave a wake of destruction behind us? Melora would not want us to do this."

Tiny nodded. "Moradin would also not approve."

Garg shrugged. "Eh. At least it gets us closer to our goal of getting to the Centenarch."

"We now have the Ritual of Challenge," agreed Kale. "We can become members of the 100, and we can reach the Centenarch."

An Audience with the Guildmaster

We discussed what to do next and agreed that we should approach Putnam. Perhaps we could get him to grant us an audience with the Guildmaster.

Firinne, our diplomatic Half-Elven Paladin, suggested that she could pose as a wealthy buyer who was interested in rituals. She would banish her armor and dress up in fine clothing. She would also take Kale with her to answer questions about the rituals.

They made their way to the top of the tower. They passed by merchants selling expensive goods and restaurants offering fine foods before finally reaching Putnam's offices.

At the door, they were met by a few guards and mercenaries.

"What do you want?"

"We are requesting an audience with Putnam."

The guards quickly let Firinne and Kale through the door, where they found Putnam, the Half-Elf, closely examining an artifact through an eyeglass. When he was done, he put the artifact away and approached Firinne and Kale.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked them.

"Brandy, if you have it."

Putnam pour them generous portions of brandy.

"We have learned -- through some unnamed sources -- that you have acquired some rare artifacts from the library under Lordahl," said Firinne, sipping her brandy.

Putnam clucked. "You learned this from Dennig, I presume? From that loudmouth?"

"We were hoping to peruse the artifacts that you found. We would be interested in adding some of these to our collection."

"Ah, this is most unusual. Are you suggesting a trade?"

"Yes. Any negotiations should be done through my agent, the mage Kale."

"What do you have to offer?" asked Putnam. "I'm interested in artifacts from the Old War."

"We have some trinkets from older civilizations," replied Kale.

"Old trinkets?" asked Putnam.

"Yes. We have an Iron Snake that came from an ancient tomb."

Firinne nearly choked on her brandy. The Iron Snake was still wrapped around the neck of the Mad Mage, who was in the Temple of Melora in our world.

"Could I see this Iron Snake?"

"No, you can't" replied Kale, as Firinne coughed again. "It's -- in a very safe place."

Putnam sighed. "Well, is there anything of substance that you would show me?"

Kale reached into his bag and drew out the Scarab. "We have this artifact, which has some unusual properties."

Putnam examined the Scarab. "Well, this is something of substance. I will arrange a meeting with the Guildmaster. Where can I find you?"

"Thank you," Firinne said. She gave Putnam the location of our inn. "Would you also happen to know of a cobbler nearby? My boot has a hole, and I am looking to purchase some new boots."

"Try the merchants closer to the top," suggested Putnam. "Cream rises to the top. You'll find better quality there."

Firinne thanked him again, and she left with Kale. After some time shopping, they returned to the inn with a number of new pairs of shoes.

"Those are quite a few shoes," observed Bran.

"I'm planning on trying them out tomorrow," explained Firinne, "I'll return the ones I don't want. There were a few others that looked nice that I might get when I return these."

We turned in for the night, but then, after midnight, we were woken by a knock on the door. A group of mercenaries had come to visit us.

"The Guildmaster will see you now."

"Now?" asked Firinne. "It's the middle of the night."

"Yes. You and your agent -- the mage -- can come with us."

"We'll need our bodyguards," mentioned Firinne, pointing to the rest of our party.

"No. Just the two of you," insisted the mercenary.

Firinne and Kale left with the guards, while Bran stealthily led the rest of us after them. We followed the mercenaries, Firinne, and Kale back to the tallest tower, where they stopped near a wall. One of the mercenaries fiddled with a device in his hand, and a platform descended before them. The mercenary motioned them to follow him onto the platform. We watched as the mercenary, Firinne, and Kale ascended up through the sand storm.

The platform finally stopped, and Firinne and Kale found themselves in a room with four guards. The guards led them up the stairs, past the barracks (where other guards were sleeping). As they ascended up more levels, the Turnip grew wider.

In the next level, they found a pale, glowing device in the center of the room. The device was attached to the floor and the ceiling. Kale surmised that this device kept the Turnip afloat.

Around the edges of this level were stables where the Vulture Drakes were kept. The guard continued up to the next level, leading Firinne and Kale through residences.

Finally, the guard led them up to the top floor, where he said the Guildmaster lived. The room was lavishly decorated. On the left was an exquisite table, and on the right was a finely woven carpet. Before them was a chair where the Guildmaster sat. Putname stood next to him.

On the left and right were doors to rooms. Kale sensed that there was an arcane object of immense power in the room to the left.

"Thank you for coming," said Putnam. "We'd like to see the Iron Snake now."

Firinne, with her most diplomatic words, requested that they show her what they had first.

Putnam relented. "All right. What would you like to see?"

"Rituals," Kale suggested.

Putnam turned to the Guildmaster, who sat in his chair, pale and slouched. The Guildmaster's eyes kept shifting from side to side, as though he didn't trust anyone around him. He flicked a finger upward twice to signal agreement.

Putnam nodded in acknowledgement and turned back to Kale. "We have ordinary rituals -- Raise Dead, Scribe -- you need to be quite skilled to practice these. Are any of these of interest?"

"Do you have the Ritual of Finding?" asked Kale.

"You know, you could just kill a Finder to get that."

Firinne glared at Putnam. "Do we look like the sort of people who wold kill?"

Putnum shrugged. "I wouldn't presume anything of you."

"Well," Kale continued, "What about Rituals of Illusionism?"

Putnam went into the room on the right and brought out a few scrolls. "We have Combine Soul and some others here... But if you're looking for the rituals that were in the Library under the city, the Rituals of Illusionism would not be among them. The 100 would have kept these rituals for themselves."

"What about the Ritual of the 100? The Ritual of Challenge?" asked Kale.

Putnam once again went into the room and brought out a scroll. This scroll was in a case decorated with the symbol of the 100. Kale was able to verify that this was indeed the ritual we sought, but Putnam did not give him the time to memorize the scroll. Instead, Putnam put the scroll back to the room on the right.

"All right," said Putnam, returning from the storeroom. "Where is the Iron Snake?"

"We told you," answered Kale, "it's in a safe place, far away."

"We did not want to be caught with it in an unfamiliar place like this," explained Firinne. "Otherwise, it could be taken from us."

The Guildmaster's head sagged. He turned to look at Putnam. "They waste my time. Escort them out."

The guard brought Firinne and Kale back down the stairs to the platform, and they begun their descent back down to the bottom of the tower. The rituals that we sought were moving farther out of our reach as the platform descended, along with our hopes for finding the Centenarch.

Reflections on Life, Death, and the Raven Queen

After we rested for the night, we woke to the crowing of a rooster (an arthritic rooster, as Tiny was quick to point out.).

We met in the dining hall of the inn to eat breakfast and determine what to do next. Bran and I quickly grabbed some food, followed by Ryn, then Garg, then Carlagnios and Kale, and finally Firinne and Tiny.

Carlagnios seemed slightly more irritable than usual. When he and Kale happened to grab the same loaf of bread, Carlagnios growled angrily at Kale, and sparks of fire began to dance in the Dragonborn's throat. Kale quickly released the bread.

"Carlagnios, you shouldn't intimidate your allies," chided Firinne.

"Or use your dragon breath against us," added Bran.

"It's -- (cough, cough) -- it's much worse than that," gasped Kale, making a face and waving his hands to clear the air. "It's dragon morning breath."

Last night, at the bar, we had learned from Dennig that the Guildmaster held the rituals that we needed. The Guildmaster lived in the inverted teardrop suspended above the highest tower in the city. We needed to find some way to get up there.

"Maybe we could find some Vulture Drakes to ride up there," Firinne suggested.

"We could always find someone to ask," offered Tiny. "It's fun to meet new people!"

"I can ask Fasil," said Bran. "He might know of some followers of the Raven Queen who could help us."

We all agreed, finished breakfast, and headed to the Temple of the Raven Queen.

Fasil was in front, sweeping the temple grounds.

"You," snarled Carlagnios, "we want to see the Guildmaster."

"Forgive my impertinent friends," Bran quickly said. "We are seeking an audience with the Guildmaster. Would you happen to know how we could do this?"

Fasil pondered for a moment. "The Guildmaster is rarely seen outside the Turnip -- that's the inverted teardrop above the tallest tower in the city. The Guildmaster does have two agents in town who do his bidding.

"One of his agents, Putnam, is a half-elf. He serves as the Guildmaster's purchasing agent, buying artifacts that are found beneath the city. His offices are in the tony region (the upscale area) near the top of the tower.

"His other agent, Portage, is his slave master. Portage represents the Guildmaster in his dealings with the Slave Market.

"There is an an initiate of the Raven Queen named Scioto. He could tell you more about these agents. I can give you directions to his room."

Bran thanked Fasil, and we left the Temple. Kale suggested that we seek out Scioto first, since he might be able to give us more information.

We made our way to Scioto's residence. We knocked on the door, and a woman answered the door. She was the landlady of Scioto's building.

"What do you want?"

"We're looking for Scioto. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"He's out to lunch," she answered, pointing at the tavern next to the building.

In the tavern, there didn't seem to be anyone who looked like a follower of the Raven Queen. (Certainly, there was no one who had as dour a demeanor and dress as Fasil.)

We walked over to the barkeeper, who was cleaning glasses. Near him sat a tall human, who wore a long sword and a pair of wands that shot projectiles. The human wore a feathered hat and quite colorful clothes. The back of his hands were curiously covered with ash.

"Greetings," said Bran to the barkeeper. "We're looking for Scioto."

The tall human cheerily spoke up. "Well, hello! That's me! What would you like to talk to about?"

"Religious matters."

Scioto pondered for a bit and took off his hat. He adjusted the feather in his hat and asked, "What sort of religious matters?"

"Fasil sent us to see you," Bran said, cautiously glancing around the tavern. He spoke next in a low voice. "Say, could we go somewhere no private to discuss this?"

Scioto chuckled. "What need do I have of secrets?" he declared. "But if it's privacy that you seek, we could use the room for rent upstairs."

The barkeeper nodded, and Scioto led us up to the empty room. Once we were there, Bran began to explain his dream.

"In my dream, an aspect of Gamerat appeared in the form of a black bird with a broken neck. As it lay on the floor, it spoke to me and said, 'You need to die in the service of the Raven Queen.' It said that the Raven Queen had determined that the 100 (and the 101) have been walking the earth for too long -- that it was not appropriate for them to live forever."

Scioto nodded. "The 100 have denied death, which is an affront to our lady."

"There are other creatures that deny death," mentioned Bran. "Like Liches."

"Like the one above, who stays with the Guildmaster in the Turnip?" asked Scioto. "The one who acts like he's one of us? The undead are a perversion of life."

"As is the case with the Chimera," added Bran. "It seems as though the Raven Queen does not like the direction taken by her lover."

"We can never understand how the Raven Queen thinks," Scioto corrected him. "But it is true -- there are some who deny the priority of death. The Chimera is one of these.

"With the Chimera's study of Illusionism," continued Scioto, "he denies the priority of death. With his denial of soul, he denies the priority of death."

"There is something strange her in this city," observed Bran.

"There is something wrong," said Scioto. "The city is rotten up to the top. Look at the Guildmaster. Why does he buy slaves? And since that Lich came to town, the Guildmaster has been buying up all the slaves. There is some necromancy at work here."

"Perhaps it is related to that artifact -- the Shroud of the Raven Queen," offered Kale.

Scioto scoffed. "This is just symbolic. The cutting of her hair represents sacrifice. The weaving of her hair represents creation. The Shroud is merely a story that is used to pass along the lessons of humility."

"Is there a book that might explain more about these visions?" asked Bran.

"Have you ever read 'The Revelations of Galea'?" Scioto asked. "He was addicted to drugs, but as he came closer to death, he starting having visions of the Raven Queen. You might also want to read 'Reflections of Life and Death.'"

"Do you have a copy that I could read," asked Bran.

"Certainly." Scioto rummaged through his bag and pulled out a copy of 'The Revelations of Galea,' which he handed to Bran.

"Thank you," said Bran. "Also, do you know of any rituals of the Raven Queen that I should be performing?"

"Rituals are very private," replied Scioto. "For me, I take the ash from the fireplace and put it on the backs of my hands. It is a reminder of our mortality.

"Is there anything else that you wanted to discuss?"

"Yes," Bran answered, "We need to meet with the Guildmaster."

"You should."

"We were thinking of approaching his agents, Portage and Putnam," mentioned Kale. "Do you know anything about them?"

Scioto thought for a while. "Portage is a cruel, obese man with unsavory appetites. Putnam is more well mannered -- he keeps his word, like a gentleman.

"You know," he continued, "if you want to get to the Turnip, you'll need an invitation from the Guildmaster. Some visitors fly in with Vulture Drakes; others use an elevating platform in the tower. There is also an elevating platform from the roof of another tower."

"Have you seen the Guildmaster?" asked Bran.

"I've only seen him twice," replied Scioto, "and only late at night. I wish you luck."

With that, we left the room and went outside. Above us, the skies were getting very dark, as if it were night. The winds grew stronger. It reminded us of the dust storm that Caleb the Finder had led us through. And perhaps it was also an omen of the destruction to come.