After being escorted back to The Sword Point, Armania cast invisibility and fly on herself and followed the Cassomir Watch as they left the inn. The guards moved through Pharasma's Pulpit and then headed to Swift Prison. At this point the four Watchmen marched to the Three Gates district where they patrolled the streets for 3 hours.
Apparently at the end of their watch the group headed to the Admiralty Citadel where they met a new group of Watch headed out for patrol. The group Armania was following entered the Citadel and didn't exit again.
Armania flew back to the Inn and reported to the rest of the party, that the guards did not meet with anyone other than reporting up the chain.
"It appears they are not involved in the attacks," she mused.
"We should use all our heal spells before sleeping. We can also plan for entering the Infirmary tomorrow," Erevel suggested.
After healing up of Gavril, Ursina and Erevel a long discussion followed determining a plan that of course would not be followed. Ciprian wanted to enter through the windows but they were deemed to narrow for any party member to squeeze through. The Cupola windows were broken by the vines, but Armania was not sure that the vines might attack, even though the party might squeeze through.
Ciprian also suggested mass invisibility, but how did that get them into the Infirmary.
"Didn't you correspond with Mun when we were working for Lowls?" asked Erevel. "Maybe you could just walk up and knock on the door asking to see Lowls?"
"I never met him but he sent me books and alchemical items. That might work," Ciprian answered.
After a satisfying nights rest the party memorized spells, ate breakfast and headed out to the market trying to determine if they were being tailed by the Watch. Barnabas watched from above as the party split into groups and reassembled on their way to the Old Infirmary.
The Infirmary still looked the same, solid stone walls, barred windows, broken windows in the cupola. The fence gate still covered with a murder of crows. Ciprian tried opening the gate, which moved with some effort. Following the stone pathway toward the door he saw marble statues of swans and angels in the yard, hidden by the lush greenery. The rest of the party entered slowly and did not line up at the door. Ciprian cast Glibness and saw a iron door that looked like a new addition. A sign above the door was held by a trio of smiling angels and read "Give succor to the troubled." A great iron knocker hung at the door's center.
Ciprian cast Mage Hand to try and move the knocker, but it was too heavy so he had the hand hold a crowbar which was used as leverage to move the knocker and let it bang on the door. The door was not opened from within even as the hand knocked several times. Ciprian finally decided to move up to the door and as he approached the door all the party heard a message in their heads. They heard clicking noises and the sound of lapping water mixed with a drawn-out whisper that said, “The blot quivers. The lake ripples. His stain is here.”
"May I help you?" a soft voice queried as his eyes darted around to the other party members.
"Oh," Ciprian swallowed hard as he the man as the description they had of Mun. "I was looking for Count Haserton Lowls IV. I have an important message for him. Have you seen the Count."
"My yes. I saw the Count here some time ago."
"Where is he now?"
"I do not have any idea where he is presently."
"May I call you Miacknian? I am Ciprian Otvos. You may recall our correspondence."
"You are mistaken, I am not Mun, he is my father."
Armania, invisible had a quick intake of breath at that statement.
"I must tell you that I am busy with an experiment for the Taldan Navy and cannot be disturbed. Please return tomorrow," said the man.
"What is your name?" asked Ciprian.
"I have no name," replied the man(?).
"I just want to know..." Ciprian barely spit out before the door shut and he could hear the tumblers move.
"Well that was certainly direct," Gavril said snarkily.
Ciprian then decided to check the door for traps. He found one and directed Gavril over to try and disable the trap, while giving him an extra benefit on Perception.
Gavril then found and disabled the trap, followed by picking the lock and opened the door into a small vestibule. Beyond the door was a cozy chamber with a curiously carved wooden coat-rack topped with stuffed stirges, among which hung several fine garments that suggested their wearer is a gentleman of some standing. Numerous fancy bottles, strange alchemical objects, and a hefty cudgel sit on recessed shelves. Directly opposite the door was a fine portrait of a thin man in his fifties, with neat blond hair and immaculate attire. A chemical scent filled the air. Doors led to the north and south and there was some minor magic in one of the cloaks on the rack.
Gavril searched the southern door for traps while Ciprian did the same at the northern door. No traps were found and there were no locks on the doors. Just as Gavril was asking which door to open Ciprian flung open the door before him. A small side room contained a quartet of comfortable horsehair seats arranged around a mahogany table. The chamber was crammed with oddments, some of an alchemical nature and some of a more medical bent. An overstuffed bookshelf sat in the corner. Despite the large number of items filling this room, it was very tidy and clean. Among the other oddments was a teak lap desk carved to depict rabbits gamboling in meadows. The lap desk contained a dozen lucky rabbit’s feet, a scattering of teeth, and eyes mounted on platinum pins. There was also a very old wooden leprechaun doll with obsidian eyes, movable arms, straw hair, and a beard. Inside a brass-bound apothecary’s case glowed with minor magic.
Just as the party was entering and heading for the north door, the southern door opened and the Mun look alike entered the chamber.
"I stated that I was busy. You will have to come back tomorrow," It said as it slammed into Erevel.
Gavril tried to somersault past the construct into the room behind it but found himself blocked. Ciprian identified the creature as a construct of type Hollow One which had multiple reaction attacks. He then began a Bardic Performance. Erevel moved forward but found this construct difficult to get a good smite upon. Ursina cast Prayer while Armania cast Mage Armor on Erevel as Paullus fired arrows into the fray. Ursina cast Bless as Gavril found smiting the creature was also difficult. Erevel kept attacking and Armania entered and cast a magic missile. Ciprian checked the other door in his chamber for traps and finding none he opened the door and moved into the darkness heading south where faint light shown. The battle lasted longer that the party expected from the frail creature but eventually a magic missile finished off the beast.
Armania coaxed Ursina to enter the chamber and close the outside door while she cast light on a rock. No magic was seen on the creature. But some faint magic glowed in the southern chamber. That side room contained a small library, and a number of interesting old maps were framed and hang upon the walls. Two comfortable leather captain’s chairs were drawn up to a curious table made from a small preserved owlbear. A decanter half full of red liquid and a leather case lay on the bizarre table.
Gavril noted that a map was missing from the walls, the other maps depicted various regions of the Inner Sea, and two of these are quite old and fine, depicting Ustalav and Osirion. Pasted to the back of another map was a scroll. The table was mounted on the distorted form of an owlbear, which had been somehow shrunk and dislocated so that the creature laid on its back and supported the tabletop with its claws and beak. The decanter was made of exquisitely etched crystal containing a red liquid. The leather case contained seven crystal goblets.
Erevel and Ciprian were exploring the rear chamber. This large room had an odd opening in the center of the floor, though a series of worn handrails prevented careless falls to the ground below. The chamber was filled with books and intriguing objects of a medical nature. A door in the southwest corner was not trapped and Ciprian opened it to reveal a small velvet- and mahogany-lined chamber containing a brass chain-and-pulley hoist. Mold splotches ran along the lower parts of the velvet wall covering. Not determining what the chain-and-pulley would be used for he exited the small chamber.
The opening allowed a view of the chamber where a table stood. The floor of the room below is 15 feet down. A staircase here climbed upwards on the north wall. Ciprian note in the northeast corner of the lower chamber a rickety construction of glass tubing, metal, and wood that conveyed a brain and two eyes afloat in this figure’s glass skull. Hurriedly Ciprian identified the creature as an Alchemical Golem.
Worn books lined the shelves were reference works, and a bench held alchemical tools and supplies including a magic funnel. The room also contained a straw-lined wine crate labeled “Product of Taldor.” The crate contained 11bottles. A nearby wooden case is nailed shut. A small pry bar sat nearby. Resting on a shelf is a glass leech bowl with gold tongs depicting frolicking vampires, next to a purse that has been made out of a taxidermic cat.
At this point healing had been applied and without further search for items Erevel led the party up the stairs to the next level. At the top of the stairs Erevel and Gavril saw a larger room that spanned the whole level. Bookshelves stacked with various books and folders, as well as bizarre curios, lined two of the walls of this wide-open room. A sturdy wooden desk accompanied by a stuffed leather chair sat in one corner of the room, while a small table in the opposite corner held a taxidermic monkey posed like it was playing a tiny violin. Unnerving paintings covered the wood-paneled walls. On the far wall another staircase headed up to the next level.
"Who are you and what are you doing here? How did you get past my brother?" the man said readying himself to attack.
A new battle was joined as Gavril and Erevel marched into the room to attack the monster. It was as difficult to smite as its matching brother below. Armania summoned a Bralani Azata as Ciprian again began his Bardic Performance. Ursina cast heroism on Gavril as Paullus fired arrows into the fray. Gavril and Erevel danced around the Hollow Man to give flanking to Gavril. Even so both Erevel and Gavril were taking damage from the slam attacks of the creature.
A dread atmosphere surrounded the group, Paullus was sickened while the rest of the party was shaken. Armania fired magic missiles into the creature and finally this version of Mun fell to the floor from Gavril and Erevel's attacks.
Breathing deeply the group again set about healing the damaged fighters while Armania looked around for magic. Even with her light rock, the room was dark and gloomy, a result of the dark-stained wood paneling on the walls. The artwork hanging on the walls leered at the party, and the juxtaposition of gorgeous paintings and grisly anatomical drawings was dreadful. Four paintings, one on each wall glowed with magic.
DM's Notes: The party earned 5867 XP for the night and now have 118,288 total XP. Level 11 starts at 155,000.
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