"I am hurting pretty badly. Does anyone else need some healing?" Ciprian inquired shortly after the battle.
"Yes, I am hurting too. I'm feeling a little less intelligent also," Gavril quickly added.
"I think most of us could use some help," Erevel piped up.
Ciprian then set to healing everyone, followed by checking on Kaklatath and Havigan, in that order. It seemed that both of them were blinded for a short time, as was Paullus but all seemed better now.
Armania and Erevel were still trying to make sense of the area outside the doors. It was at street level at least as one looked away from the tower. Looking toward the tower the doors were visible and the tower extended around 200 feet higher into the air. But looking north, south or east from the street level seemed to indicate that the area was nowhere near the tower. Erevel noted human footprints going in and out the doors and all around the tents.
Erevel and Gavril cautiously entered the chamber, they recognized the column as another Star Stelae as they had seen in Thrushmoor. Gavril moved to check out the stelae while the rest of the party made their way into the room. Paullus was looking out the windows while Armania and Ursina kept near the stairway down.
Ciprian detected a faint aura of conjuration and transmutation very much the same as the stelae in Thrushmoor. The runes again were unreadable even with his comprehend languages. Gavril did not touch the stelae but saw an incorporeal figure emerge from the fifteen foot high ceiling and float in the air.
Armania decided her best method was to summon a monster or two to help the crew. Paullus, stayed distant and fired arrows at the monster while averting his eyes. The whole crew did not want to look at the terrible visage of the aged ghost. Erevel then moved up and attacked but she too took cold damage while her offense was reduced.
The ghostly Magus had its sword attack Erevel and she took a tremendous amount of damage. The sword delivered a Force Punch which added more damage to the total and pushed Erevel back away from the ghost. Meanwhile the sickly fog bank moved toward the southern edge of the chamber and down the stairs. The party could hear Kaklatath moan and Havigan scream as they were surrounded by the fog, while the heroes took more constitution damage. Gavril continued his attacks but again found himself taking more cold damage than he inflicted. Ursina moved up with her book attuned to ghost touch and did full damage to the monster.
Ciprian cast Ghostbane Dirge to bring the ghost to corporeal state but this failed. Armania brought in two Dire Tigers, who's celestial being reduced the cold damage they took from attacking the ghost. She then cast Magic Missile and saw it stop just before it struck the Magus. Paullus again fired arrows with minimal effect. Erevel, hurting badly, used her renewed vigor to recover slightly.
Again the fog moved toward the south end of the chamber and again several heroes felt their constitution draining away. The Magus then had the sword attack Gavril with maximum damage and Gavril fell to the floor seemingly dead. Turning her attention in the other direction a lightning bolt exploded from her hand and hit Ursina and Ciprian.
To the horror of the rest of the heroes Gavril lay unmoving on the the floor of the chamber. Ursina thought about moving toward Gavril but instead moved to Erevel but took a devastating attack of opportunity from the ghost. She limped the rest of the way to Erevel and applied healing in a hearty measure. Ciprian then cast Arcane Concordance with Ectoplasmic Spell Meta Magic Feat.
Armania had the Dire Tigers again attack and she then cast a lightning bolt which dropped the ghost to the floor. The party let out a long breath, but the ghost was not finished yet but her attitude seemed to have changed. She gave her name as Upianshe, dismissed her blade, apologized for any harm done, and then inquired as to why the adventurers had come to this accursed city.
As usual Ciprian explained the party's goal, catching up to Lowl's and saving the world from Carcosa. He asked about her history and how she came to the city of Neruzavin and why was she here in this tower.
Upianshe’s paternal family operated a caravan that traveled throughout Ninshabur in that empire’s final decades. On the family’s annual circuit between the great Ninshaburian cities, she noticed strange signs in three of them. She recorded everything she observed, and on the third year, she took her findings to the city of Teralindar’s guards. She explained her theory of a subterranean mastermind who manipulated the markets for sinister purposes—an idea the authorities laughed off as playful fancies. Undeterred, Upianshe stole her mother’s sword and descended into the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the city. Four days later, she emerged, dragging the body of a dark naga behind her.
In recognition for her service, Ninshabur’s finest enchanted her family blade to strike down other threats to the empire. She continued to learn and question long-held assumptions—especially those superstitions of unexplored wonders within the empire’s own borders. Intent on disproving these wild tales about the Parchlands, she and her staunchest academic supporters assembled an expedition deep into that forbidden desert.
At first they found no threats, merely an abandoned city on the banks of a small crater lake. Upianshe coined the name “Neruzavin” (or “Cradle of Heaven”) while her team set up camp and began exploring the unsettling architecture. When the terrible dreams began afflicting her team, Upianshe at first dismissed the signs because no nightmares had visited her. Her team’s behavior quickly became erratic, and she traced the source of their corruption to the lake too late. By the time she discovered signs of Xhamen-Dor, her entire team had been infected, and she was beset upon by her colleagues. When it became clear that they could not capture her alive, they tore her to pieces. She has haunted the city as a ghost ever since, constantly reexamining her findings, second-guessing her conclusions, and blaming herself for not sensing the slumbering madness within the city sooner.
"Have you seen anyone else in the chamber?" Ursina asked.
"There was a man here about a week ago. He was performing some kind of ritual from a heavy tome before the stelae. I was not able to defeat him and his minions before he finished the work." Upianshe related.
"We are after that evil man," Ciprian reiterated.
This peaked her interest and she expressed interest in helping the heroes and avenging her fallen comrades.
"But alas I am chained to this area I cannot leave the tower, save to watch the city from the roof. I need your help to accomplish my goals of cleansing Neruzavin of evil and restoring my family's legacy so that I may join the River of Souls."
"How can we help you? And will you help us if we accomplish it?" Armania inquired.
"I need your help with three goals. First, you must recover my sword Teralindar’s Honor from the monument of destruction. Second, you must defeat the flying polyps in the undercity and seal them away once more. Finally, they must swear that you will destroy the evil that lives within the lake. Make these all happen and I will give you my aid in Neruzavin."
"We can try and meet those goals. Some certainly align with our own wants. Where is this monument of destruction that holds your sword?" posed Ciprian.
"It is near the lake shore where the towers have all fallen in a maze like snarl. You can get there if you can find the entrance to the shattered area."
On another note Ciprian began asking about her change in attitude and if this present kindness might retreat to rage again. Upianshe related directly that she would undergo such a change but the time was never static, it was shorter or longer but not under her control. Ciprian wondered if there was a way to anticipate the change but Upianshe said it was just random and she never knew when it would happen.
At this point the group decided to head back to Mother Grim Moon to avail themselves of her Raise Dead capability for poor Gavril. As they walked down the tower and back out of the city they discussed what to do if Upianshe reverted before they could accomplish all her tasks.
Upon finding Mother Grim Moon and her compatriots outside the city the group asked for her to raise Gavril from the dead. She agreed as per the deal the group had made. Gavril was alive again but had contracted leprosy from Mother Grim Moon. She offered to cast restoration for 100 GP which Gavril paid and also had his other ability damage removed.
The group then cast more healing and lesser restorations and then decided to rest before reentering the city.
DM's Notes: The party earned 6400 XP for the night.
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