Have you Found the Yellow Sign?

"Here we go, I'm headed down," Erevel proclaimed.

"Do we want to search the rest of the complex first?" asked Armania.

"Let's stay in the Manor for now," Ciprian suggested.

"OK, were going," Erevel said as she stepped down the stairs.

The stairs led down at least 40 feet to another door to the west.  Erevel listened at the door but heard no noise.  The door was not locked so Erevel flung it to reveal a cellar containing shelves neatly stacked with glass and clay bottles, tiny kegs, decanters, mugs, and crystal goblets.  There was also a door leading north.  No magic was detected in the room, it looked as if it was holding various wines and spirits.  The room was neat and clean.  It seemed to have been used but not ransacked.

Erevel listened to the north door and again not hearing anything tried to open it.  This failed as it seemed to be locked.  Gavril moved forward asking again for the keys, but none of them worked to open the door.  Gavril took out his thieves tools and successfully picked the lock.

Beyond was a hall leading north to a larger room, there was a door, slightly ajar, on the west halfway to the north.  Erevel hurried forward to the north end looking into a rectangular east-west room with double doors on the west and a hallway leading north.  The walls of this subterranean hallway were clad with yellow tapestries. On the east wall was a tapestry that had been defaced with a faithful representation of the Yellow Sign. A lantern sat on the floor of the room between the two hallways, shining light into the north hall.

Gavril opened the slightly ajar door revealing a dank, subterranean cell which was empty aside from two heavy wooden pallets with manacles for restraint.  Ursina moved forward looking for magic in the cell and in the larger chamber.  She found nothing magical in the either area.

Gavril moved up and looked as far as he could into the north hall.  It opened up after 5 feet but the hall appeared to continue north out of the larger area.   Erevel sidled over to the double doors and listened for any noises inside.  Gavril came over to check for traps or see if the door was locked.  Finding neither Erevel warned the party to prepare, she was opening the doors.

Inside an elongated subterranean hall was decorated throughout with finely wrought Pharasmin symbols, which culminated in a seven-foot-high bas-relief of the goddess’s face on the south wall. Against the other walls, whose surfaces were riddled with burial recesses, sat seven sarcophagi, five sealed and two uncovered.  A human corpse dressed in the outfit similar to Winter, was laid out on top of the sarcophagi in the northern end of the room.  Over the body stood a figure in bright robes with a scarf or turban wrapped around its head.  The figure was adjusting a device on the head of the corpse.  The device seemed to have metal plates and resembled a vise.

Gavril tried to sneak into the room but just as he took a step forward the figure stood up, turned and

said "You have made a grave mistake returning here. Lowls should have finished the job of sacrificing you instead of sending you to that... doctor. You won’t interfere with Melisenn’s work any longer.”

Paullus immediately fired arrows off toward the humanoid figure which seemed to do damage.  Ursina followed up with a Bless of the party.  The figure took a five foot step, appeared to heal some damage and threw a Hypnotic pattern surrounding five of the party.  Gavril and Paullus stood fascinated watching the figures of the pattern.

Erevel hurried into the room and attacked inflicting her usual large amount of damage.  Armania moved forward and shook Gavril out of his staring state.  Gavril then took off into the room but couldn't get a flanking space but attacked and missed.  Ciprian took a moment to try and identify the robed figure, it was a Denizen of Leng, who was immune to poison.  He then started a Bardic Performance to help the party attack the creature.

"Have you found the Yellow Sign?" a voice echoed from the northern hallway.  Ciprian and Ursina

looked as a black clad figure with a pale, puffy face emerged from the hall and stopped next to them.  It's yellow-irised eyes glared with equal parts intensity and insanity.  It then slammed Ciprian and touched Ursina, the touch was enervating as Ursina was drained of one level.  Everyone but Erevel and Gavril felt an aura of gloom and repulsiveness but each of them swallowed deeply and pushed the gloom away.

Paullus stood motionless watching the figures in the air, while Ursina rushed past him into the room taking a attack of opportunity from the black clad figure.  Erevel saw the robed figure heal some additional damage and then felt her wrath, two claws and a bite.  The bite also drained 6 dexterity from Erevel.  She sucked in a large swallow of breath and continued to attack with ferocity.  Armania rushed into the room leaving Paullus still fascinated, and fired magic missiles at the new black clad figure.  Gavril continued to attack, with flanking now, and he also damaged the Leng creature.  Ciprian also hurting badly removed himself from the battle taking an attack of opportunity also.  He then cast Contagious Zeal on Erevel.

"Have you found the Yellow Sign?" again echoed from the room as the black clad figure moved right up to the fascinated Paullus, attacking with slam and touch.  Paullus was yanked out of his stupor but lost a level to the touch attack.  As the battle continued, Armania threw a fireball into the room with the "Yellow Sign" monster and Gavril lost 4 Dexterity points to the Denizen of Leng.  Erevel hit with a critical attack which still did not drop her.  Ciprian extended the zeal to Erevel, and later moved to attack the Yellow Sign figure, who dropped Ciprian unconscious.  Armania succeeded with Flame Strike on the figure while Erevel, Gavril and Ursina finished of the Leng creature who disappeared as she hit the floor.

Ciprian used the death of the Leng Denizen to identify the other monster as a Keeper of the Yellow Sign an undead creature.  Gavril then lost a level to the monster, while Erevel had to retreat from the battle to quaff a potion after losing a level herself.  Ursina attacked with Rebuke Undead as usual.  Eventually the monster fell and stopped repeating his signature line.  The whole party dropped to their knees from exhaustion. Ursina ran to Ciprian's side and Rebuked Death to bring the Bard back to consciousness.  Gavril was very concerned now as he knew that recovering dexterity and levels would take a restoration, which no one had today.  Healing was applied liberally to all the heroes and then Armania was looking for magic in the room.  The device that was being used on the corpse was magic along with a sword shining faint purple light, in a burial recess.  Looking at the device Armania saw two square, brass-colored metal plates with soft bouncy edges and screws at each corner used to tighten the plates like a clamp. In the center of the top plate is a fleshy tube that ended in
a suction cup ringed with tiny teeth.  Next to the tube was a small winding key and a toggle switch.

Gavril rushed forward pushing Armania out of the way and tightened the screws on the plates, he then took the tube and put it on his forehead.  He felt the teeth moving around like they were trying to find a place to bite but he wasn't bit.  He moved the tube to his temple with the same affect.

Meanwhile Ursina was identifying the two magic items they she had found with the monstrosity in the attic. She found they were a ring of protection +1 and a belt of mighty constitution +2.  Ciprian began unsealing the sarcophagi, revealing skeletontized bodies dressed in finery.  Each also contained some gems, jewels, rings, necklaces, circlets and scepters.  He collected every item that might be valuable.  Gavril attempted to use the fleshy tube on the skull of the body in the sarcophagus below the body.  The result was still the same, the teeth were trying to find something to bite.

There were plaques on the sealed sarcophagi:

• Haserton Lowls III, 4631–4694
• Gordel “Brigandslayer” Lowls II, 4589–4655
• Ulunda Lowls, 4602–4661
• Cerilde Lowls, 4593–4659
• Elistor Lowls, 4672–4693

No plaque indicated Nemira Lowls which the heroes knew as Lowls IV mother.  Apparently her relatives were correct about Haserton lying about how or if she had died.  This was more evidence identifying the creature in the attic as Nemira Lowls, Haserton's mother.  Additionally, the corpse could be Omari the royal accuser who came to Iris Hill to talk with Melisenn and had not been seen again.

"Let's finish off this level before we leave. We will need to find some restorations though." Gavril said as he started toward the unexplored room.  Erevel followed directly and they entered a store room of sorts, furnished with two large wooden shelving units on the west and east walls, holding many small chests, caskets, and several loose objects. In the middle of the floor lay a wooden coffin.  Hallways led to the north and east.

Erevel headed north where the hallway ended in a door, while Gavril headed to the east finding circular room.  A low, circular stone wall marked the lip of a well in the center of this room. A bucket sat beside a block and tackle attached to a wooden frame near the wall of this round chamber.  From the northwest a channel of water ran into the well from a small hole in the wall.  The shaft descended 30 feet to a pool of water.  How deep the water was was unknown.  Above the sky could be seen through a circular hole in the ceiling.

"This is the well we saw from outside.  It could be another escape route if we need it." Gavril opined.  As he was talking, rats started pouring out of a fissure in the stonework under the lip of the well.  They were followed by a large "King Rat".  The heroes took care of the rats apace and Paullus was only shaken for a short period from his Phobia of Rats.  Gavril and Erevel did take some nasty bites from the creatures though.

The area the rats crawled out of was small and after Gavril stuck his arm in and brought it back covered with rat droppings and filth, no one else was interested in trying to squeeze into the space.  Ursina failed on Death Knell attempt on the Rat King and wandered away after finding no magic in the area.

DM's Notes: The heroes earned 2025 XP for the evening and now have 31,588 XP closing in on 7th level.  For reference, the heroes had previously found a picture of Haserton Lowls aged 5, 4681 A.R.