Starting from where we left off...
The group members all get some rest. The next day they take the magic dagger to the Temple of Ahki, so Simon's mentor, Abbot Lightman, can examine it. The Abbot confirms that it is a +1 dagger, and not cursed despite its form. Mick keeps it.
A couple of days pass. Debi plays music at the Eye and makes a few silvers. Mick concentrates on his study of magic on his way to becoming an Arcane Trickster. Simon goes about his duties and researches the Sethi cult by visiting the World Library. He succeeds in a research roll, and will now have a +2 to his Religion roll when trying to remember a fact about that cult. (As DM I am proud of this little embellishment, as I think it is a good way to reward good use of his research skill and his good roleplaying).
2 nights later, as Debi is leaving the Eye of the Beholder, a strange softball sized glowing orb appears before her and invites her to visit it's master, assuring her no harm will befall her. Similar orbs visit Mick and Simon. All three follow the orbs, which lead them to street not far from the Eye, looking down a wide alley with which they are all familiar. The orbs disappear. While it is a typical foggy night in Langwon, at the bend in the alley the fog is particularly thick, and they see light shining through, indicating a door where no door should, in fact, exist.
They approach the door. Debi takes time to listen, look, and smell. She smells incense, herbs, etc. They hear a sweet voice singing from inside, in a language they don't know.
Inside the door is a small shop. Crowded shelves line the walls, curios display odd items, tables are piled with books in languages never seen before. In a birdcage hanging from the ceiling sits a large insect, similar to a praying mantis but purple in color and 9 inches long, perched on a swing in a disconcertingly intelligent posture. The creature sings in a sweet voice. While not any recognizable language, it is clear that the creature is not simply repeating words, but telling a story in the form of a song.
Sitting in an old chair is a robed humanoid figure. The dark and somewhat tattered hood of its cloak is pulled up. The party thinks they see a face inside the hood, but it is impossible to make out no matter the angle. The hands, fingers and forearms are wrapped in rags. The being sits in the chair, bobbing its head to the rhythm of the insect's song.
Debi speaks to the apparent shopkeeper, who only raises a finger to indicate "silence", holds a hand to an ear to indicate "listen", and continues bobbing its head.
Simon and Mick browse the shop. Debbie takes out her lyre and makes a performance roll, skillfully accompanying the singing bug. The other two browse the shelves and tables...
On one table is a messy pile of rolled-up scrolls. On the shelves they find a glass bottle with a shrunken human head in it. The eyes blink and look around. A flower that moves on its stalk like a snake, its red petals in constant movement. A round amulet that looks kind of like a sundial, but which makes a ticking sound, as small arms move slowly about its numbered surface. A flat, clear glass plate that contains a rainbow. The jawbone of a huge beast hangs from the ceiling, 5’ across, with huge sharp teeth attached. And books upon books upon books upon books, in languages unknown, some tiny as a thimble up to a few several feet tall.
The song ends, and the being in the chair begins to clap, saying to the group "Applause! Show some appreciation for poor Magpie's singing." The being's voice sounds like multiple voices speaking together, male and female, young and old. It has no apparent gender.
The creature introduces itself as Raxalliah the Merchant, who seeks lore, knowledge, and curiosities from across the multiverse. Pointing to the many books and scrolls in the shop, Raxalliah proclaims loudly "Lore, lore, lore! There is power in the Lore!" Rax explains that it wants the group to obtain an item, having become aware of their talents and believing them up to the task. Rax gives, them a small scroll containing musical notes.
Rax explains that decades ago a Langwonian alchemist named Karloff was the last person from this world to visit the Fae realm and come back to tell about it. A noted collector of lore and a scribe, Karloff wrote of his experience in a personal journal which is in his hidden treasure vault, in his tomb, which is hidden under his old house. Rax wants the group to bring it that book, noting that in the vault each may find items and information useful to them. The group accepts the task. Debbie plays the notes, which form a beautiful and pleasing piece.
Rax gives them the location of the old store/house and the players leave. Once they step into the alley the extra fog dissipates and the door to the shop is gone.
They proceed to Merchant Street, on the outskirts of the Great Market. The house is a single story with a pitched roof. The front windows are broken out and the place is in a state of disrepair.
The group looks in the house, then enters, finding it to be a very humble shop, with simple living quarters on one side and apothecary on the other. Everything has been looted. On the business side, behind a counter, they find skeletal human remains in tattered rages. They also find stone stairs leading down 10', ending in a storage basement. Shelving remains with broken bottles, as well as yet another skeleton. There is an open portal which leads to a workshop, in which they find a big oven, a large glass boiling vessel remarkably unbroken, a workbench, a moldy rug, and two more human skeletons. The group investigates the room. Debi uses Mage Hand to move the run but finds nothing under it. Mick looks for secret doors or compartments in the shelving and stove, as does Simon. Debi notices a hole in the wall about 9" in diameter, that looks like the opening to a pipe or small tunnel. On the workbench they find two 1' long iron bars connected by a ball and joint hinge. After checking out the room, Debi plays the scroll song on her lyre, and a section of wall vanishes, revealing more stairs down.
This leads them to a 10'x10' room. The light from Simon's Light spell reveals two statues. He make his Religion roll, and recognizes one figure as Vorstik, God of Alchemists. He and Debi both recognize the other as a depiction of Karstairs, Goddess of Music. They examine the stone statues finding nothing unusual.
They open the one door in this room which opens to a corridor. To the left about 10' down is another door. Going to the right, about 15' down Mick and Simon find a turn into another set of stone steps leading another 10' down to a corridor ending in a stone wall. As they are standing at the end of that hallway, Debi hears something behind her in the statue room, she turns and sees four metal spiders -- rusty iron balls on eight rusty iron legs, with big rusty iron mandibles! Two of the spiders are in the hallway about to attack Mick and Simon!
Debi strums her lyre, unleashing a Thunderwave spell that blows the constructs to bits, green fluid leaking from the blown-apart metal spheres that were their bodies. Simon and Mick destroy the two attacking them as well!
The group descends the stairs. Mick sees a small humanoid face disappear into one of the mysterious holes in the wall of the stair well. They find no opening at the end, and decide to explore the other room before Debit attempts to use the song to open any potential secret door.
They go back and check the door. Debbie opens it with Mage Hand. She listens and hears dripping water.
Entering, they find a large room with a door at the nearest end, an raised section with bevelled edges in the middle, some old shelves of alchemical materials. The edges of the platform are carved with arcane script. As he's been studying magic a bit, Mick makes and Arcana roll. He is not good enough yet to fully read it (he isn't yet a spellcaster), but thinks it says something about "imbuing with power." The far side of the room is wet, and they see why Debi heard dripping sounds. They see another of the mysterious holes in the wall. In each of the far corners are clumps of large fungi. Mick moves closer to get a look at some shelves and a big violet mushroom shoots out a 10' long tentacle dealing him a few points of necrotic damage! He ducks into the door and sees jars and containers full of preserved human body parts. He leaves, they leave the room and shut the door. They decide to leave this room.
Returning to the stairs, they carefully descend. Debi once again plays the song, which causes an open doorway to appear. Down 10' feet of stairs they find a large room full of well-preserved books and scrolls and a couple of small flasks. There is a small portal on the other side, but guarding this room is another spider construct - this one much bigger - and it attacks. The players fight it, using bludgeoning weapons when possible, as Mick's dagger and short sword don't seem fully effective. The spider bites Debi, but she is saved from serious damage by her dexterity and skill, taking only 1 point! The spider lashes out at Simon with a spear-ended foot, but his shield saves him! Together they manage to batter the spider-machine, with Simon delivering the killing blow with his mace!
The start going through the items in the vault, which are very well preserved. They find the journal Rax is seeking. Debi finds a history of the Elf-Dwarf War which happened some 3000 years ago. Simon find some information on the Sethi cult, which was powerful during Karloff's lifetime. They find two potions of healing, 2 spell scrolls, and instructions for creating a flesh gollum (which they all realize no one probably should have).
They also find a map, describing a path through the Under-City to outside the city walls, accessed from a tunnel beneath Karloff's body -- which they find in the final room. The perfectly preserved body of Karloff, clad in his alchemist's robs, lies on a stone slap 4' high. According the the map it can be move to reveal this entrance to the Under-City.
The party leaves the complex, Debi using the song to close the magic doors behind them.
End of Session.
3 more days elapsed in campaign.
7 total days elapsed.
200 XP each.
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