Adventure #4 - The Incorrigible Mr. Mittens

The morning after returning from the Scopulus Arx, you each began to feel sick: running a fever and coughing up black gunk. Some of you may have simply rested it off, while others may have sought a magical cure. Either way, the illness didn't last for more than a few days ... and it was probably caused by breathing all that dank, stagnant water.

OOC: Elodie is perfectly capable of casting "remove disease" ... so no need to pay a cleric for the service.

---

Although Talmut originally told the chancellor that you'd be back on the job in a week, the unexpected sickness forced him to reconsider. Informing the Chancellor of the delay was easy enough ... but the scribes were not given that much time off. The Chancellor ordered them back to the castle to write further reports on your findings (which you know, couldn't have been very detailed, since all they did was guard the entrance).

---

The last four weeks have been chilly. Each morning, a cold dense fog has greeted you at morning, evidence that autumn is fast approaching ... but the designated day has finally come. It is time to return to your research site.

Four weeks later, Gumphrey is the first to arrive at the Jolly Toad. He eats breakfast, retrieves his faithful steed from the stables, and waits. The air is crisp and cool, slightly warmer than in recent weeks, but not warm by any means.

Shortly thereafter, the scribes begin to arrive: Halvar, Flint, Glory, and Lindy. Like Gumphrey, they eat some breakfast and wait for the rest of the party. It is early yet.

OOC: Make your entrances.

After waking up Jeremiah realizes his last day of vacation is over and that he needs to head over to the Jolly Toad to meet the rest of the party. Looking at Mittens..

"You coming along on this one as well? If so jump in the rucksack and we'll get going."

Jeremiah has started to become slightly attached to this damn cat and he is not sure why...

---

Upon reaching the Toad he will eat some breakfast and get his horse prepared for the journey ahead.

Elodie comes down from her room and is happy to that most of the group is already waiting in the common room. She asks Laci for a plate of bread and cheese and some coffee, and sits down with the scribes and Gumphrey, greeting them all. "So, what did you do during your time off?" she asks, directing her question to both Lindy and Gumphrey.

Gumphrey answers first, telling Elodie "Oh, I visited some old friends and I studied my craft. Y'know: the usual. I also did a few odd jobs, here and there, to make some extra money. Nothing special, really."

Lindy answers next. "We had to file some reports with the Chancellor's office and then he made us copy some old books. Just boring, tedious scribe stuff. I mean, I appreciate the opportunities that being a scribe has afforded me, don't get me wrong, but 'visiting old friends' sounds a lot more exciting."

Then, Laci appears with some bread, cheese, and coffee. She sets it down in front of Elodie. "There ya go, Miss Elodie. Can I get ya anything else?"

Talmut comes downstairs from his room looking well rested after the groups sabbatical, and carrying a pile of folded cloaks.

"A thousand pardons for my tardiness, friends.  Here are your cloaks and clasps.  You all look well and ready!  I trust you all enjoyed your downtime?"


"Laci - may I have coffee and a plate of the special?"

I still have to choose todays spells; the below list is incorrect.

To Gumphrey, Elodie says, "And how do you 'study' your craft, Gumphrey? Where do you practice?"

To Lindy, Elodie says, "Boring! Sounds like it. We'll be off on another adventure in just a bit; that will be much better than copying texts, I hope!"

When Laci sets down the plate of food, Elodie thanks Laci and offers up a silver coin in thanks. She then digs in, pausing to greet Talmut as he enters the room. "Wow! These look great!" Elodie puts her cloak on right away, impressed with the craftsmanship. "Excellent work, Talmut. I have your potions, as well as a few for Gumphrey and Jeremiah. Speaking of Jeremiah, shall we go find him after you eat? I'm ready to head out as soon as everyone else is!"

Talmut wrote:"Laci - may I have coffee and a plate of the special?"

"Of course! I'll bring it right over."

Elodie wrote:"And how do you 'study' your craft, Gumphrey? Where do you practice?"

"Oh, you know: First, I ask around, to find out where the best new locks can be found. Then, I go take a look at them ... and try to get them open. Sometimes, I get to test myself against a few traps, along the way ... because, people with nice locks tend to have a few traps for me, as well. All in all, it tends to work out for the best. You'd be surprised how many people have locks and traps just lying around."

Elodie wrote:"Speaking of Jeremiah, shall we go find him after you eat? I'm ready to head out as soon as everyone else is!"

Gumphrey interrupts, "Oh, I saw him earlier. He had a bite and then went out to get his horse ready. He's probably over by the stables ... but he still has that cat with him."

Wondering where everyone is at, Jeremiah will ride his horse over to the Toad. He will then tie up his horse and head in...

Laci brings over the special for Talmut, which proves to be a roasted landrail with a side of crispy potatoes (for 5 sp). She brings him a mug of coffee, as well.

"There ya go! Can I get ya anything else?"

---

Jeremiah finds the rest of the party still at the inn, but they are just about ready ... as soon as Talmut finishes his morning meal.

---

Before too long, the party is on the road again; eight riders in all, plus their horses, and a single cat.

You ride past familiar cottages and farms, toward the Timberwyld. The North Road fades to just a dirt trail, as it always does, leading you past so many side trails. Eventually, you enter the forest, itself. The trees get thicker and thicker, while the undergrowth gets thinner until it gives away to moss and short grass. After an hour, you pass the spot where Randall died. 

Although the air seems to be warming up, it is still bitter cold. Gumphrey gets out his bedroll and wraps it around himself like a winter cloak.

After a few hours, you finally reach the hilly ruins that surround the Arx Scopulus. The horses navigate the hills, bringing you to the base of the big hill that sits under your destination. The ruined keep looms above you.

After riding for so long, the bitter chill is starting to seep into your bones. You can hardly wait to get inside ... hopefully, the other trap door doesn't lead you into more water. In this kind of cold, being submerged would be an awful idea.

The horses climb the slope, bringing you to the site of your old camp.

"Any chance some of us can come inside with you, this time? I'll volunteer to go, if that's okay," Halvar says.

Flint says to Halvar, "I'm sure Master Talmut has a plan for us, already ... besides, if one of us gets to go inside, it should be me."

Jeremiah's rucksack comments, as well. "Meow."

"Would you two just settle down?" Glory insists. "We're just here to assist, in whatever way our patrons deem appropriate."

Lindy says nothing, but silently dismounts and begins to tether her horse.

Gumphrey jumps down from his own steed. "First things first. Let me check out this secret entrance."

---

Gumphrey heads over to the other secret entrance and determines that it has not been opened ... at least not since you first discovered it. Just as before, he wedges one of his tools down the between heavy slab and its foundation, wiggling along the perimeter until he is convinced that nothing is connected to it. Then, he puts his ear to it and listens for any sign that something is moving inside. After a minute, he seems satisfied.

"It seems safe," he says. "but it would hurt for one of you to looks for magic here."

If Elodie and/or Talmut check for magic, they find nothing on the stone slab.

Gumphrey begins to pry the slab up, revealing another chute beneath. "A little help?" he grunts, as the stone proves to be heavier than he remembered.

Jeremiah will tie off his horse and give Gumphrey a hand.

Talmut will look for the telltale signs of any magical constructs placed upon the hatch. 

"The entrance has no magic upon it.  We need guards up here, to safeguard our retreat, but perhaps one of your could join us below this time, perhaps taking turns in the future.  What say the rest of you?"

O.O.C.  I believe Talmut's strength will hinder efforts to open the hatch, lol.

Once Talmut has verified the hatch's safety, his companions hastily remove it from the entrance. Beneath the stone slab lies a dry chute (roughly a square yard wide) leading deep into the darkness. A series of metal rungs jut out from one wall of the chute, offering ladder-like hand and foot holds for the descent ... they show no signs of rust or deterioration, evidence that the hatch was airtight and there are no other breaches beneath.

The assistants agree to taking turns, until Halvar and Flint resume their argument about who should go first. The discussion is cut short, however, when Mittens leaps from Jeremiah's rucksack ... and drops straight down the chute. "Meeeeoow!!"

The assistants stare, slack-jawed, at the occurrence ... until Lindy takes the opportunity to volunteer for the trek below. "Well, that settles it," she says. "Elodie is going to have to heal the cat. So, I better go and elevate some of her combat responsibilities. You boys can wait 'til next time."

Judging from the sound of Mitten's call, Jeremiah estimates that the drop was about 60 feet.

"you gotta be kidding me!"

Jeremiah will reluctantly start to descend the shaft, cursing the whole way down.

"Well, at least it feels a little warmer down here..."

Elodie will follow Jeremiah. Once she reaches the bottom, she will light a torch and begin looking for the cat. "Mittens!"

"Hmm." says Talmut, frowning at the events surrounding Mr. Mittens.  Quite the troublemaker...


O.O.C. - Can I make a Knowledge Planes and Religion (+15) roll concerning cats in mythology, or anything that seems to apply here?  Also, spells for the day have been chosen.

The frown passes quickly as the Conjuror looks inward, gathering his concentration. Then, looking forward, he shouts in a booming voice: "Attend to me my ally! Swift servitor of Eru-Belu, scout out the passages before us!" 


Summon Monster 2, small air elemental, lasts 10 rounds, sending him to scout like last time.


Talmut will follow the others as soon as his spell is cast, down the chute, casting Light on his staff when he reaches bottom.

Jeremiah wrote:Jeremiah will reluctantly start to descend the shaft, cursing the whole way down.

Elodie wrote:Elodie will follow Jeremiah. Once she reaches the bottom, she will light a torch and begin looking for the cat

Jeremiah is the first to reach the bottom, finding himself in a dark, dark room. Elodie is right behind him and lights a torch as soon as she reaches the floor. The two of them find themselves in a fairly large room with six stout doors (three on either side) and a single archway at the far end of the room.

Elodie wrote:"Mittens!"

The cat is nowhere to be seen ... and does not answer.

Talmut wrote:O.O.C. - Can I make a Knowledge Planes and Religion (+15) roll concerning cats in mythology, or anything that seems to apply here?

In the Fabled Lands, cats are held as sacred beings; wise and graceful, they are the servants of Bast. As far as Talmut knows, however, the people of the Realms do not grant them the same religious status.

Talmut is also aware that celestial and fiendish beings that resemble cats roam the outer plains, but Mittens only appears as a normal cat ... he does not exhibit any of the tell-tale signs his celestial and fiendish cousins might bear.

Talmut wrote:"Attend to me my ally! Swift servitor of Eru-Belu, scout out the passages before us!" 
Summon Monster 2, small air elemental ...

The little elemental flies down the shaft, passing Jeremiah and Elodie on the ladder. It quickly disappears from sight.

Talmut wrote:Talmut will follow the others as soon as his spell is cast, down the chute, casting Light on his staff when he reaches bottom.

Talmut reaches the floor next, followed by Gumphrey and Lindy. He lights his staff and examines the room alongside the others.

The air is dusty and dry. The masonry walls consist of very large, tan stone blocks. Each block is roughly six feet long and three feet high; very heavy indeed. The ceiling looks to be constructed from the same type of blocks, only bigger, and is supported by six stout wooden beams, running the width of the room, from north to south. The floor, on the other hand, is completely covered with sand.

The doors appear to be made of the same type of wood as the support beams ... how they have lasted these hundreds of years is a mystery.

Talmut wrote:... small air elemental, lasts 10 rounds, sending him to scout like last time.

After a minute has passed, Talmut realizes the elemental is not coming back. Something must have happened to it.

- OOC: Talmut can try to summon the SAME elemental next time. If it wasn't destroyed, it should be able to tell you what happened to it.

Talmut wrote:OOC: If ... he was destroyed on this plane and can't come back, will I waste my spell, or will another come? 

OOC: Another would come.

Talmut wrote:OOC: If the latter, I will [cast]

OOC: Very well.

Talmut calls again to the swift servitor of Eru-Belu and again the same Elemental appears. In wispy Auran, it explains in words that only Talmut can understand. It traveled eastward, down two sets of stairs to a room with three doors. In every corner, there stood massive vessels of clay, inhabited by the mindless spirits of earth elemental. When it reached the center of the room, the constructs came to life. They moved toward it, seeking to destroy. Fortunately, the ceiling was high enough that it was able to evade their grasp ... but the towering automatons managed to block the passage and did not leave enough room to escape ... at least, not until the summoning expired.

It's a good thing Talmut chose to summon the swift-servitor, because all elementals are knowledgeable about such constructs. Talmut is, too, but the air-elemental explains, anyway. The constructs are golems, crafted from clay and oil and powder, and fueled by the spirit of an earth elemental, they stand close to eight feet high and weigh more than 1000 pounds. The golems will only obey their creator and will do so unwaveringly, but they are incapable of deviating from (or embellishing upon) those specific orders. They are inhumanly fast, supernaturally strong, able to see in the dark, invulnerable to mundane attacks, and immune to most magicks. Furthermore, the wounds they inflict are cursed to never heal (at least, not naturally). They are not to be trifled with.

Elodie stands quietly, watching the interaction between the elemental and Talmut.

Gumphrey agrees to the plan, as well.