Session 29

Heroes (lvl 7): Amani, Deet, Gunnar, Regall, Ryel 

672 MR - Autumn (month of Erntenir)

Gunnar decides to create a diversion; he enters the stables with a hot poker, and he sets the horses into a frenzy. While the horses stampede around the stables and the courtyard, the party sneaks north toward the stairs.

Guarding the stairs they find a couple of guards, but they rapidly subdue them. Ryel executes one of them, which causes some tension with Belzekyr, but the party has no time to ponder on morality, and they proceed upstairs.

They ignore the second level of the tower, and go straight to the third level. There their ascent must stop, since in order to reach the upper levels, they'll need to gain access to the central staircase. They wander this level until they find the prisons, where they free two captive anuirean knights and a pair of dwarven architects. They instruct the knights to prepare an escape route by freeing a few gryphons from the aviary. The party then sneaks through the barracks, and gain access to the central staircase.

The upper levels are Rhuobhe's personal chambers, and are protected by magical glyphs. The party triggers a few of them, but gain access to a magical laboratory, and to a summoning room. In this last room, they find an obsidian stone that contains the soul of Spiritrender. Thinking it might be needed later, Regall puts it in his bag.

Eventually the Heroes find the guest room, where an elven maiden is taking care of Nathanael III, scion of Alamie, and the reason the party came here. The maiden is unreachable behind a wall of force, but soon Amani realizes that, thanks to the dagger given to her by Anomander, she's not affected by the Elf's magic. She easily crosses the magical barrier, and she sees through the illusion that disguises the elven maiden, who is actually an old human woman.

Amani takes the baby, and gives him to Deet for safekeeping. The party leaves the room, but waiting for them in the outside hall is Rhuobhe Manslayer himself, in full war regalia. His sword already unsheathed, the Elf challenges the Heroes.