A Tilt at a Windmill
19 Kythorn 1492
Peter, Nim, Gwydion, Nuitt, and Zanalor returned to Xanathar’s lair via the bloodied alleys of Skullport.
You swiftly made you way down the long tunnel and returned to the dark vault-like crypts below. There you found Feoderick’s armor, the iconic lightbringer mace, and a few other magical belongings that had not been destroyed by the behoders’ disintegration beam. Nim claimed the Guntlets of Ogre Power, and Gwydion donned the gleaming plate armor of Sergei Von Zarovich. Of Pessius there was no sign. You party wisely surmised she may have been removed from the room, as a new secret door was evident in a northwest alcove near the elaborate stone carvings on the western wall.
You made their way back towards the audience chamber, rememering it had been full of statues, your efforts soon rewarded with the sight of the petrified Pessius standing in the center of the room. Your caution counted for nothing, however, as many soon felt an enfeebling loss. The powers granted from your magic items seemed to leech away, and you noticed that the everburning torches around the chamber seemed to wink out in places. You used this information to surmise where Xanathar’s gaze (antimagic cone) was directed as the beholder seeme to come from nowhere. Taking a few shots buts scattering, Gwydion went to confront a swarm of thugs from a trapdoor while Nim managed to create a harpoon from his double-bladed scimitar and arrest Xanathar’s flight for a few rounds. Nim became ensorcelled by the beholder and then the walls erupted in odd black tentacles to wrap him up. Zanalor deftly maneuvered to avoid them and, with Nuitt, land some serious blows on the beholder’s flank.
Peter had joined Gwydion, who’s aura protected those closest to him from the worst of Xanathar’s effects. However, his magic was nullified as Xanathar made a point to keep his antimagic gaze on the caster. He nearly fell to more theives streaming into the room, but with some help from the palading and his own divine powers was able to get free of the beam and heal himself.
Freed of the makeshift harpoon, the beholder seemed to winked out of existence. The party noticed a round door opening in the south and, dispatching the last(?) of the thieves, gave chase into a room filled with purple haze. Zanalor fell into a form of short term madness, paralyzing him, while Nim ran into the room, destroying a huge fishbowl and accosting a shifty dwarf who was devastated by the attack. Otto Steeltoes suggested that his master would deal with them soon enough, and when Nim took a fish from a smaller feeding bowl, Otto fled through the northern door. Nim pursued and sliced the fleeing dwarf stem to stern.
Peter and Nuitt examined other areas of the room, including a large mirror that, when Nuitt spoke, seemed to show the street outside Xoblob’s shop. Nim gave the party 7 years bad luck by breaking the mirror. You also saw some crystalline lattice in the southern area of the room over what looked like a sleeping pallet. Unable to divine its purpose, you destroyed it and, once Zanalor was free from his paralysis, fled some footsteps to the west by taking a raised eastern tunnel. You found your way back to the area where the mind flayer had been working, and opened another room with two bodies on tables. Nim disembowled the still one, learning in the process that the body was alive and eliciting a cry of “Skarn!” from the other one, jabbering nonsense the rest of the time. You looted and left them, eliciting a small concern from the good Peter in the process.
After your short rest and murder, you elect to retrieve Pessius and, with Nim and Gwydion shouldering the burden, ran into a beholder waiting in the arena you’d fought in the day prior. However, it was clear after a short time that this wasn’t the same beholder; with something unclean and fetid about it. Pessius was almost dropped. Peter hung back and lit it up with eldritch blasts while Nuitt was able to put his wall walking to optimal effect, braining the zombified creature after a few short rounds. Running into Katabek in the exit tunnel, you returned to the Flagon and Dragon with the petrified Pessius.
[DM realizes these recaps used to be / should be shorter… so…]
Peter returned Pessius to flesh using the Greater Restoration scroll from House Moonrise. She collapsed to the floor, streaming blood from the mess where here left shoulder and arm used to be. Gwydion stopped the worst of it and she’s taken above after finding a few choice comments for the party.
You returned again to the lair and through the secret tunnel to the crypts, emerging into the dark vault near the intricate stone carvings of two wizards with glinting eyes. You were greeted by a large crossbow bolt into Nuitts shoulder. Amerago, perhaps perpetually grumpy that people never get his name correct, was up to something in the room. Exchanging a few unpleasant words with Zanalor, he and a few guild lackeys tried to end you. Peter revealed his divine patron, sprouting wings and nearly frying the dwarf. Nim had some bad luck with his alpha test functions but soon felt the rush of extra attacks and soon used his battlemastery to knock the lieutenant prone. From near the crypt a shadow appeared, sapping nuitt of some strength before falling to Zanalor’s sunsword. Having dispatched Amergo you pondered the wisdom of continuing to face off against the beholder. Perhaps feeling stronger in power or weaker in spirit, you decided to return to the Flagon and Dragon to rest up again. You ignored again the carved western wall on your way out, because there was certainly no reason it got mentioned every time your came to the room.
