Dicing with Death Episode 074

1509-01-21 (continued)
Georg & Reptar return to the Storybrook Inn in Shirebrook and rest.

1509-01-22
Georg starts the morning drinking coffee. Then Georg and Reptar head over to a Leatherworker. They contract them to resize the Bullywug Alligator Leather Armor to be Reptar's size. It will be ready tomorrow. They also plan to get Reptar a spear, but there isn't an armorer in town.

Five hours later in the Half-Pint, a group of dwarves come into and come up to Georg and Reptar, asking for help with a mystery. The party agrees, and follow the dwarves back to the mines.

The mines are typical twisting mines with mine tracks. After a little, the tracks cross an unusually straight and tall tunnel. The dwarves say this section of rock was much easier to dig out and came out smoother. The dwarf adds that the real mystery is at the end of the 40' hallway.

It leads to a strange hemisphere room. 15' across 20' tall. In the centre stands a doorway shaped stone archway. The floor and the walls are rather smooth, but not perfectly smooth, smooth like gravel. Georg cautiously enters the room, then walks around the circumference of the room, before walking to the side of the archway. He puts his hand on the side of the arch. The arch itself is made from a white stone, White Soap Stone, very different from those in the mine. The archway and the walls were crafted by tools.

Georg finds no carvings, no engravings. Georg throws a stone though the archway and it just goes though, nothing magical occurring. Georg puts his torch though and nothing magical happens. Georg steps though and nothing magical happens.

Georg and Reptar are left along as the dwarves get back to work. Georg and Reptar continue to study the room. Without Detect Magic, the investigation is at a standstill.

Georg and Reptar return to the Half-Pint in Shirebrook.



1509-01-23
The next day Georg & Reptar pick up Reptar's armor. Then they back to the mines. He returns to the chamber with the stone archway. Georg detects magic on the archway. A magic mouth appears and says


 * Unseal the shadow realm

A portal opens. The portal is strong alteration school magic.

Georg and Reptar steps back, readying for something to come out. Georg is worried he summoned a demon and could destroy the entire town of Shirebrook.

After 3 minutes Georg tentatively returns to the portal. Georg casts Enlarge on the Portal itself. Georg senses no changes. Georg tries putting is staff though and it doesn't come out the back of the portal. The same when pushing the staff from the back of the portal. Same result. Georg pulls the the staff out, and it is unchanged.

Georg decides to step into the portal.

Though the portal liues a room atop a tower in the plane of shadow. A dimly lit realm leached of all color. There is a podium against the back wall, flanked by two small arched windows.

On the podium rests a clear princess cut gemstone, set by it's corners in a hollow disc of gold punchured with three smaller round cut clear gemstones, attached to a fine golden chain. Not that Georg can make out the colors at the moment in the Plane of Shadows.

Above the podiumm carved in the stone wall, reads a message:


 * We hide away what we cannot destroy,
 * Drexl the Bloodthirsty's weapon
 * The Amulet of Malkis

Georg see that he himself has no color, and the torch he is holding generates no light, only warmth. Behind Georg is the portal in an archway. Georg sketches the Amulet on some paper. Then he returns to the Prime Material Plane.

Reptar tells Georg the room went dark when Georg took the torch though the portal, and that the portal has been open the entire time.

Reptar says at the portal to make sure no one goes inside with some candles and food. Georg heads back to Shirebrook to research the amulet and Drexl.

Georg meets with Rohana the Diviner in her shop. Georg is flustered and aimless questions. Rohana asks Georg to slow down and to think carefully on what he wants to know. Georg reveals he looked into the Plane of Shadow. Georg shows the sketch he made in the Shadow Realm and it was Drexl.

Rohana goes with Georg to see the Mildred the Sage (Mid 30 Human Female). Georg asks about Drexl and what weapon he used. Georg is charged 5 gold.

Drexl was a sorcerer from another dimension. He served Malkis during the war of creation. Helping to annihilate the Winter Gods. When the war was over, Drexl was a Lich and settled in the Prime Material Plane. He was brought down by the servants of Astair and his phylactery destroyed. He's been dead for Millennia. He was one of the more well known and powerful servants of Malkis. One of Malkis' only mortal companions during the War of Creation. Georg politely excuses himself from Mildred's house.

Georg goes back to the Dwarven Mine. Reptar is still standing guard. Georg returns to the Plane of Shadows. He is again is in the same room on top floor of the tower.

Georg takes his quarterstaff and uses it to pick up the amulet. Georg backs out of the portal, back to the Prime Material Plane, with the amulet on the end of the quarterstaff. Georg now can see the colors. The Gemstones are clear, the amulet & chain is gold.

Georg sets the Amulet on the ground and sits next to it. Georg goes to put the Amulet in his pocket, but when he torches it, he gains 1 point of intelligence. Georg freezes and panics silently. Georg puts the amulet in his pocket, and when it leaves his hand, his intelligence returns to normal. Georg returns to the shadow realm and leaves behind his sketch of the Amulet of Malkis.

Georg returns to Reptar, who is still standing guard, and tells him the threat is over but the portal is still open. They go to the surface. All the dwarves are outside are having lunch. Georg tells there is a portal to the plan of shadow, and asks them to seal up the room. The Dwarfs offer to just break the portal, a panicked Georg warns them against just physically destroying the portal. Georg is given four days to solve the problem or they will destroy the portal.


 * How do we know there isn't some demon coming though right now? A demon that can dig though stone. says the Dwarf.

Reptar agrees with the Dwarfs, to just smash the portal. Georg panics and urges them not to use blunt force against the portal as it could explode. The Dwarves then loudly consider asking the other wizards of Shirebrook for their opinions.

Georg remembers that Magic Items need a command word to active. Georg runs back to the Portal Room.

Tocuhing the Amulet of Malkis, Georg remembers the words are 'Unseal the Shadow Realm' and repeats them quietly. The portal stays open. He says it a few more times. He tries afew other words, but the portal remains unsealed. The Dwarves catch up and gasp at the portal. Georg is getting some strange feelings from the amulet he is holding in his pocket. He finally says the proper words.


 * Seal the shadow realm

The portal closes, and Georg acts like he cast a spell to do so. The Dwarves look relieved. Georg returns to the surface and lets go of the amulet, and feels back to normal.

Georg and Reptar return to Shirebrook to rest.



1509-01-24
Georg casts detect magic on the amulet. It radiates Overwhelming Magic. The 5 magical auras. Each gem has it's own aura and the gold amulet itself. Georg can detect the centre gem is Necromancy Magic.

Georg heads downstairs of the Inn and runs into Mildred the Sage. They walk down the street. She reveals that the Drexl the Bloodthirsty's weapon can absorb's souls to power up, by placing the gem inside the still living person.

Georg goes off to see Rohana. He apologises for his panic yesterday, telling Rohana that Mildred helped him understand he had just seen a shadow of the past. Rohana is skepitcal that is the reason Georg has come. Georg casts Enlarge of Rohanna, makes her larger by 20%, making her 8 foot tall.

Georg heads over to the half pint, thinking about this phylactery of souls he has in his pocket and that he could get into a mess of trouble having it. Not town guard trouble, but unravelling the fabric of space and time trouble. All thoughts that Rohanna detects.

Georg finds Reptar in the Half-Pint then look for mercenary work to get to Thornwood. He is suggested they get work with the Dwarves taking ore to Thornwood.

Georg and Reptar head back at the mine. The dwarves says they'll be heading to Thornwood tomorrow with a shipment. Georg is to meet the dwarves in the town square at dawn tomorrow.

Georg and Reptar go back to the Half-Pint in Shirebrook. A few hours later Sheriff Tyrus Bellows comes into the Half-Pint. Tyrus asks to speak with Georg outside, saying they are awkward questions. Georg follows him outside. Tyrus asks to search Georg's backpack. Tyrus says it is for the Public Good. After he searches the bag, Tyrus asks to search Georg's pouches. Georg protests, but says Tyrus can search him. Georg unleashes a Colorspray in the Sheriff's face. Tyrus is stunned.

Georg and Reptar go to flee. Tyrus throws Carl the Magic Dagger at Georg, hitting him in the back for 3 points of damage, dropping Georg to 1 hp. Georg and Reptar flee the town. Tyrus on their heels.

Georg holds the amulet as he runs. Knowledge of how the amulet works flows into him. Each of the smaller gems on the outside of the Amulet can hold a charge of a spell. Either an Invisibility, Magic Missile or True-seeing spell. You can charge each gem with a little bit of life force. (Invisibility costs 1 Dex & 1 Chr; Magic Missile costs 1 Str & 1 Wis; True-seeing costs 1 Per & 1 Con). The centre gem it chages though sacrifice, and when discharged, restores all lost stats by 1). Charging 1 to 3 gems costs only one round total, needing only the blood of the user to be smeared on the gems.

Georg tells Reptar to run off ahead to Thornwood. Georg puts the amulet on around his neck and charges the gem with one Invisibility. Tyrus catches up with Georg. Tyrus calls Georg a betrayer for working with a lich. Georg goes invisible and slips away. Tyrus calls out, revealing that he believes that Georg has a phylactery. Georg calls out saying that Tyrus assaulted him and good luck with the Bullywug.

Georg continues down the road. Half an hour later Georg sees Tyrus and some Guards rush past on horseback towards Thornwood.

Georg travels for the rest of the day and doesn't run into Reptar during that time. Georg camps off the side of the road.

1509-01-25
The next day Georg is visible, as Invisibility only lasts 24 hrs. Georg charges the amulet with 1 Invisibility & 2 Magic Missile. He walks visible down the road to Thornwood.

During the day he sees a farmer and his wife on a cart. Georg is tempted to sacrifice them to the amulet to get his stats back.

It falls night again, and Georg again doesn't see Reptar. Georg camps for the night again.



1509-01-26
Georg enters Thornwood Forest, and as he crosses a bridge, he spot the Walls to Thornwood town. The road continues into the town, and there is a road north to Rainwood. Georg, invisible, goes into Thornwood across the stone bridge across the 20' moat. Georg overheard the gate guards gossiping about the Sheriff of Shirebrook having come with a dire warning of a servant of Malkis, and the logistics of stopping a wizard who can casts spells. Georg considers getting rid of his quarterstaff so he doesn't appear like a wizard.

Georg gets half a block into town when he finds Reptar. Hanging by the neck, the rope from a beam crossing the road. A sign dangles from him 'Those who concude with Demons with meet this End'.

Georg is shocked that Tyrus would do this.


 * How Dare They thinks Georg. Tyrus Bellows Will Die

After a long while, Georg leaves Reptar's remains and finds an inn.