Beneath the Tower of Zenopus: Session IV

...of severed heads and carousing and more mysteries beneath the tower.
(quick campaign doodles by Mike Moran)

Session 4 began with the party cleaning up their loot in the ground level of the tower and then heading back to town to sell their gains and recover their wounds. At the main gate, they were stopped by the town watch, who found the party suspicious being bloodied and carrying around two severed heads.

The party mentioned that they found the missing Capt. Conik beneath the tower. The watch guards called over Sgt. Morak accompanied by three other guards. Morak questioned the party but didn't believe their story and thought them vagabonds and highway men robbing and murdering traveling merchants. Gedleesmote recounted their battle with the wizard and ape and told the Sergeant that there would be remains of the the battle back in the tower as proof of their story. Arvin also mentioned that he was a follower of Mithra and that the head priest of Mithra would vouch for the party. One guard was sent to the temple of Mithra to gather the head priest, Father Halford while Sgt. Morak and two guards made their way to the tower to seek out the evidence that would exonerate the party. The other two guards gave the party water but to Skwanky's disappointment, no food. The party also noticed that little Jack, the stableboy, had slipped away.

After a while, Sgt. Morak returned and denied that he saw any evidence of battle or of a ship off shore and ordered the party to drop their weapons to be arrested. The party quickly came to the conclusion that Sgt. Morak was now somehow involved in the disappearance of Lord Osric's daughter but being worn out and wounded were at his mercy. Gedlee and Wolfheir cause a commotion by getting into a scuffle with each other. As the Guards tried to break it up, Tibag made a dash for it but fails to break past the guards and instead climbs up and over the wall into the city. Morak sends two of the watch after Tibag just as the other watchman returns with Father Halford.

The priest questions his follower Arvin and vouches for the character of the party. Father Halford vows to be responsible for them and will answer directly to Lord Osric. Sgt. Morak begrudgingly submits.

Once at the First Temple of Mithra Reform, the party is healed (for a donation) and fills Father Halford in on the events. The priest tells them that Capt. Conik is of good character and couldn't possibly be involved in Osric's daughter's disappearance for he loves dearly the maiden. Father Halford asks Arvin and his companions to find out more about the goings on beneath the ruined tower and to protect the city of Caladan while he goes to speak with Lord Osric.

The party leaves the sanctuary and proceeds to sell their found items at Master Bringham's Curiosities. After dividing up their treasures, the members goes their separate ways. Skwanky heads over the the Black Anvil to purchase some halfling sized plate armor, Arvin heads back to the Rolled Scroll to have a wand identified and meets Aelyina, daughter of Arvik, and Gedleesmote and Wolfheir head over to Willy the Tanner to get some snakeskin boots made from the remains of the giant snake they killed earlier. Drunk Willy, the best boot maker in all of Caladan, offers the adventures a glass of his homemade hooch.

Heading back to the Cloven Hoof, they run into a cloaked Tibag and the three began to spend their gains on wine, women and song and a night of carousing. Skwanky is quite fine with a tasty meal from the inn and polishing his newly acquired armor and Arvin heads back to the Holy Temple of Mithra. Slick Vinny retired up to a room to begin his long studies of the books that he has found in the dungeons.

In the morning, a very hungover Wolfheir the Viking meets up with the rest of the party in the Cloven Hoof. Gedleesmote lost a bundle the night before gambling the night away and is now indebted to some shady characters. Jessi, the barmaid, asks the party if they have seen Jack the stableboy and they say that they haven't. They promise to keep an eye out for him and head out, once again, to the tower ruins.

Back at the ruins they find that there are two city watchmen standing guard. The guards were placed there by Sgt. Marak who went down beneath the tower with a couple of other guardsmen. The two watchmen are having their suspicions of Morak's motives and state that Capt. Conik is a good man and find it hard to believe that he would be tangled up in any schemes against Osric and the city of Caladan. One of the watchmen decide to accompany the party below the tower to see what Morak may be up to.

Entering the ruined tower, the party brings the guard upstairs to see the remains of the battle fought. Sure enough, the bloody evidence is plain as day. Sgt. Morak was indeed lying.

Descending the stairs, the party, along with the watchman Tero, is once again below the tower and in the room with the black alter. Gedleesmote drags down his handcart to load up on loot while Tibag tries to discover the secret door. He is unable to do so and the party leaves through the west door. Coming down the hall towards them is a pirate carrying a sword and candle. After a brief exchange about meeting in a cavern, Tibag fires an arrow, hitting the pirate. The wounded pirate turns and runs for the door, dropping his candle. Gedleesmote, in hot pursuit bursts into the room and sees the pirate desperately trying to feeling up a statue in the center of the room. Gedleesmote swings at the pirate who blocks the attack in a desperate maneuver causing the dwarf to tumble to the ground. Arvin rushes in and splatters the pirate's skull.

Exploring the room they find 4 doors, one on either wall. Tibag discovers that the statue pivots on it's base which unlocks each of the doors. After much debate on which way to proceed, searching for the cavern which the pirate mentioned or avoiding any confrontation and just continue exploring the catacombs, it was decided to head through the south door to seek out the watery entrance to the caves.

Extinguishing their light, Tibag journeys down the hallway, alone. He finds that the passage continues south but to the east is a door. Listening to the door he hears running water. The party opens a door and enters a large chamber with a wide river running through it. Sipping water at the river's edge and now alerted to the party are three cave crawlers, thin grey-skinned, sharp clawed underground dwellers. They rush the party. Arvin and Wolfheir make quick work of the creatures but one leaps onto Tibags shoulders. Skwanky bonks the creature in the head with a stone and Gedleesmote finishes the creature off.

The party begins to explore the room.....

Another enjoyable evening, though Max had to leave early to pick up his wife from the airport. It just gave Slick Vinny a chance to study up on some magic. I felt there was a lot of good role-playing from all the players. Lots of laughs, as to be expected with this group!