Part 3 - Magnimar

PART 3 – MAGNIMAR

Year 4707

Rova 14th

• Late afternoon the party arrived at Magnimar.
• The party entered the city and was directed to The Remarkable Titan (in the ??? district) by the guard on duty as a good place to stay.
• Bryak paid for a room at The Titan for him and his retainers and also rented rooms at the nearby Asmodia's Boarding House.
• Hargev beckoned a nearby thrush and kindly asked if it and its friends could find the Foxglove symbol in the city for him.

Rova 15th

• Upon exiting boarding house the next morning Hargev found a statue covered in birds which flew off southwards. He followed them to the north-east corner of the city where they settled on a house with lock that bore the Foxglove insignia. Outside the house stood a fountain adorned with four wyvern statues. Hargev took note of the house’s location and headed back to The Titan to talk to the others.
• Meanwhile, Bryak and Arkin had made their way to the House of Ushers, the local bureaucracy, to see if they could provide any help finding Foxglove's residence, while Kathra, Grontwin & Orik asked around the streets.
• On his way back to the others, Hargev met Llyss, an elf with snakes, and several Shoanti & Varisians in The Dancing Gardens. The elf indicated that he helped with the thrush whose name was Blueback.
• Party met up and travelled to the Foxglove residence. After speaking with some of the locals they found out that no one had been seen at the residence for weeks.
• The party left but returned later and used the key (which Arkin had) to open the door and enter.

• A woman came out that appeared to be the woman the party killed upstairs in the Foxglove Mansion. Her said her name was Iesha and she was Aldern's wife. Aldern then appeared and when it was clear the party doubted their identities, the two attacked the party. They both morphed into weird twisted flesh ghouls of some kind during the fight, confirming the group’s suspicions.
• The party fought the creatures and eventually prevailed.
• Searching the premises the party found a single edge vine covered blade with an ivory handle in the garden. This was the same as the blade Aldern had back in Sandpoint.
• They also found a book on the Foxglove lineage. On the top floor they found a secret compartment in a lion headed fireplace, inside was the title to the Manor (which reverts to The Brotherhood in 17 years, a ledger and 200gp.

• Someone knocked on the door asking if anyone was there and, worried about being seen with dead bodies in the house, the party left via the back and returned to The Titan.
• Arkin and Bryak examined the ledger and seemed to thought that something might be going on at the Seven Saw Mills on Kyvers Islet.
• The party ate and decided to head to the Sawmill as the day headed into evening.
• Kathra talked one of the mill’s bosses (Morvar) into giving her a job working on the grinding machines. Some of the other workers told her that some of the town’s elite have been killed, supposedly with their faces torn or cut off and/or strange symbols carved into their bodies.
• Kathra started work at the mill along with Orik who worked for free to prove himself a good and strong worker, in the hopes of gaining a paying job. The pair found out that there were a lot of comings-and-goings at the Seven Saws Mill during the night, but not much at all during the day, which everyone agreed was strange.

Rova 16th

• Heard a rumor that the owner of Lord Grobarus' - The Mayors favorite gambling den had been killed.
• Kathra and Orik returned to the boarding house for some sleep.
• Arkin found the location of the Asppis Consortium and the artist Lenore.
• After working a little the rest of the party joined up with Kathra and Orik and they decided to pick a fight with the Seven Saw Mill. The flour mill workers wanted to come along and watch but were finally convinced that they shouldn't or they could lose their jobs.

• The party entered the Seven Saws Mill and as Orik entered the mill (the last person) the party was attacked.
• The attackers (cultists) put on masks before they attacked but they were easily dispatched by the party as they made their way to the top floor of the mill.
• The party heard someone say "Do not let Norberger down, you must fight".
• The party killed several and one of the leaders turned out to be a Justice of the City meaning the party would be in trouble with the law if caught.
• After hearing what sounded like an attempt to break free from the room below, Orik & Kathra went down to investigate and heard those trapped within attempting to break through the blocked door. This stopped almost immediately upon their arrival.
• Bryak searched the bodies of the slain Justice and the woman. Casting a spell to detect magic he found that the masks were magical.
• Rest went down to help Orik & Kathra subdue the cultist on the floor below. Wanting to keep at least one of the cultists alive for questioning the party removed the blockage from the door and entered the room.
• Party found the cultists climbing down the ropes used to transport logs between floors.
• Kathra told the cultists to stop what they are doing and took a few steps towards them. One of them attacked and hit Kathra, who flew into a berserk rage and slew the cultists. At least one of them may have managed to make it to the river below.
• Entered the top floor and found a sawdust filled room. Kicking at the sawdust as the party moved to search the far rooms of the floor, Orik noticed blood stains hidden by the sawdust.
• By opening double doors, the party found a room full of human faces stretched over drying frames, hung all over the walls and from the ceiling. This room had a ladder leading upward.
• Bryak found several papers in this room, including a coded message in three different languages.
• Climbing the stairs there was a rookery. Hargev spoke to the ravens within asking them where they fly to, the ravens told him that they fly from here to the Shadowcloak Tower, under the Irespan and report to the Wanton of Nature's Pagan Forms (Mistress Xenisha).
• While speaking to the raven's Hargev saw the workers from the mill where Kathra and Orik worked speaking to the city guard and pointing to the building they were in.

• Went down and talked to the city guard and met Sgt Athanaskas.
• The party showed the guard everything that they had found in the mill. Sgt Athanaskas seemed well disposed to the party and indicated he had been investigating goings on at the mill for some time but never had proof before.
• Sgt Athanaskas took Bryak's name to give to the mayor.
• The party returned to their lodgings.
• Kathra drank with a group of Northmen who are traveling through Magnimar, and Bryak started deciphering the coded papers.

17th Rova

• Bryak stayed at the Titan to decipher the papers and Kathra slept, while the others went to find the Shadowcloak Tower. They were told that it was under the Irespan and could be found easily as it was a huge decrepit tower with an angel statue on top of it.
• Headed back to get Bryak & Kathra and returned to enter the Shadowcloak Tower, watched by a growing crowd of locals.

• A mound of what appeared to be rubbish formed into a creature (known as Scarecrow) stitched together from different hides (including human) What looked like pumpkins were actually rotting headed tied to this creature's rope belt. When Scarecrow rose up a group of children came out of a side room to watch.
• As the party fought the Scarecrow, the kids turned into more of the Faceless Stalkers and attacked.
• Party defeated them all, Scarecrow heavily burnt by Bryak's magic. Bryak however got a severely wounded leg, magical healing from Hargev and Arkin healed him quickly.
• Party left most of their gear & Orik to protect it from thieving locals at the ground floor (Orik charged an extra 10sp to do this even though he didn't want to attempt to climb the rickety looking stairs anyway).
• Ascended the stairs very slowly as they looked extremely perilous. Orik and Hargev remained below.

• When the party reached the halfway mark, one of the bells from the clockworks crashed downwards, hitting Grontwin and dashing him to the ground far below, killing him. (In the picture imagine a poor Grontwin, rather than that view of female elf ;)).
• The rest of the party kept climbing, while Hargev attended to the fallen Grontwin.
• Kathra entered the clockwork room and found three Faceless Stalkers and killed them quickly. Bryak joined Kathra in the clockwork room. As Kathra entered the top room she saw lush pillows and wall hangings, and heard arcane mutterings. An orange blast of lightning appeared behind her and a red skinned demon appeared, flying towards her.
• The demon landed silently to attack Kathra & Bryak cast a web over it, the webbing fell to the floor. Bryak realized that the demon was an illusion.
• Hargev turned into a hawk and flew up to join the party.

• A large woman with the lower body of a snake (lamia), attacked Kathra. Bryak was still a few rickety stairs away and Arkin was further behind him.
• Hargev landed and turned back into his human form, joining the fight with Kathra against the lamia.
• The lamia cast a mind controlling spell on Kathra who had trouble doing what the lamia asked, as she continued to attack Hargev and Bryak. Kathra was conflicted between thinking it was a good idea to attack her friends and breaking the lamia's spell control of her.
• Hargev targeted the lamia's spear arm and caused her to drop her spear momentarily.
• After an intense and long battle the lamia turned invisible and rushed out of the door just as Arkin arrived.
• Hargev cast a spell to let him see the invisible foe more clearly and the spirits helped him and he struck at her one last time as she flew, caused her intense damage as she knocked into Arkin and flew away. The blow to Arkin almost knocked him off of the top of the tower, however as he was climbing so carefully he managed to retain a handhold and save himself from almost certain death.
• Party healed and searched the lamia's lair and found a scroll entitled Sihedron Sacrifices, which was a list of names, some of which were crossed out. This was an assassination list which included some people from Sandpoint, the Lord mayor of Magnimar, and Kathra at the bottom.
• Upon leaving the tower they were cheered by the locals and seemed to have become somewhat minor celebrities with these folks (the poor, drunks, cheap prostitutes, children etc).
• Party collect the body of Grontwin and headed back to their lodgings. On the way they were met by members of the city guard and after discussing things with them Grontwin's body was left at the barracks. Bryak tooks Grontwins magic dagger for safe keeping and would return at a later time to make arrangements for the body.

18th Rova

*Party rested and mourned the loss of their friend Grontwin.

• Met with Sgt Athanaskas to discuss the list of names and were invited to meet with the Lord Mayor Grobaris.

19th Rova

• Given fine clothes to wear and met and feasted with the Mayor.
• The mayor was most grateful as his name was high on the assassination list. As a reward he wanted to make a statue of the party for his gardens and offered to send Grontwin's body back to Sandpoint.

20th Rova

• Relaxed as arrangements were made for the transport of Grontwin's body.

21st Rova

• Left Magnimar with Grontwin's body, bound for Sandpoint.

23rd Rova

• Arrived back in Sandpoint.

24th Rova

• Grontwin's funeral, was overseen by Arkin and Father Abstalar Zantus. Bryak gave a nice eulogy for his cousin.
• Bryak bought a barrel of whiskey to bury with his cousin.
• Bryak continued to decipher the papers -
  • "Ironbriar received payments from the red mantis for delivery of Voral's Legacy"
• Party spend next few days recovering, catching up with people/friends and restocking etc.

28th Rova

• Party headed back to Magnimar

1st Lamashan (lah-MAHSH-ahn) - (Auroch in Shoanti) - Autumn 2

• Arrived back in Magnimar and began searching for more clues and traces of the lamia after several "reported sightings" etc, but nothing important was found. Work on the parties statue commenced.

to be continued in Adventure Log Part 4