As the panicked party members returned to their senses, they also returned to the manor house. Gonchar and Kyril had remained behind and once light returned and the darkness was dispelled they realized the woman lying in bed had been dead for at least a day. Somehow the woman was made to look alive when we entered; the murder we heard in the dark was an illusion. Why?

Murder At Baylor Manor#

Continuing through the manor house, the party entered the kitchen. For some reason someone had sawn the legs off the kitchen table. Flour was spattered all over the room amid signs of an obvious struggle. There were several sets of footprints in the flour. Most of the footprints were smaller than human size. One larger set of prints led through the closed door in the northern wall. No light was visible under this door and, to no one’s surprise, it totally sounded like a door.

Arkadios opened the door in the northern kitchen wall to find a ransacked pantry with more flour and footprints scattered everywhere. A larger set of muddy footprints was also present, along with a trap door in the floor, leading to a cellar.

Kyril, with detect magic in effect, opened the trap door in the pantry floor and descended the ladder into the cellar. The cellar was really more of an entrance to a subterranean cavern cut by a stream or river of some sort - black, cold and damp. To the south was a grating or fence with a gate leading to the water. The gate was not locked. The ceiling became very low by the grating - around 4’. The shrimps dwarves in the party can walk through with relative ease.

Small barrels were strewn about, containing the remains of cheese, meat and other food. Muddy footprints lead to and from the water, through the gate to the south. There is a locked door in the eastern wall near the trap door back to the pantry. Gonchar examined the locked door in the eastern wall. It was definitely a locked door.

Menka, Flint, Lycovyne and Arkadios decided to return to the master bedroom and examine the scene of the murder again. Menka, wielding a torch, lit all available wall sconces en route. There was pile of ash in front of the door to the room across the hall from the master bedroom.

Upon entering the master bedroom Arkadios and Lycovyne immediately failed their save vs. death magic, crapped their armor and ran out the door in panic. Flint and Menka successfully saved and entered the room, only to enter the complete, preternatural darkness of the small humanoids2. Flint left the room.

Menka returned to the pantry, shouted down to Kyril and borrowed Kyril’s staff (previously imbued with continual light). Returning to the master bedroom, the staff dispelled the darkness, revealing a dead woman on the bed. The room had been ransacked thoroughly with all drawers and chests opened and turned out. Lycovyne eventually returned to the house but refused to re-enter the bedroom.

Flint listened at the door to the room across the hall from the master bedroom. Hearing nothing and finding no traps he entered the room. There were signs of a struggle and the smell of oil from a spilled lantern. Entering the neighboring bedroom there are fewer signs of struggle. (something unreadable about Lady Baylor - possible his daughter’s room?)

Flint and Menka examined the room to the west of the entrance and found it to be a smoking room. The room contained nothing of interest beyond an ornate lamp and a small box of tobacco, which Gonchar borrowed.

They then decided to go back outside and check the two rooms (with external doors, only) in the northeastern corner of the manor. One room (about 10’x5’) seemed to be servants’ quarters, occupied only by the body of a young man, stabbed and dead. The lantern in this room is also not lit. The second room contained two corpses. A man in his 30s wearing working clothes, and his wife, both done to death by a knife.

The party then joined Kyril in the cavern below the pantry. Menka returned Kyril’s staff. Flint checked the door in the eastern wall for traps but did not find them so he picked the lock. The door opened into Lord Baylor’s wine cellar. Filled with a variety of excellent and expensive brandies and wines, Gonchar locked himself within. Making a great deal of noise fighting ghostly opponents, he drank and pilfered large quantities of brandy and wine. Just when the party thought they were finally rid of him, he unlocked to door and joined them in the cavern.

Kyril had initially detected strong magic under the pantry. The magic is stronger still in the cavern and seemed to be emanating from the water beyond the gate. Muddy layers on the wall suggest the water had been much higher recently.

Kyril decided to go for a wander underwater to see if he could find the source of the magic. He did not cast breathe underwater, simply held his breath. Flint and Gonchar secured a long length of rope to the bars in the grating and handed Kyril the other end. A safety line in case he got in trouble underwater. Kyril entered the water and headed southeast (downstream). Time passed, the rope went slack, and Lycovyne pulled Kyril back.

Kyril was able to travel across the stream to the south and east and found another ledge on the far side. Similar to the ledge under the Baylor Mansion pantry, it seemed large enough to hold all of us. (Is this ledge the source of the magical emanations?)

The Subterranean River#

All evidence so far suggests an organized assassination at Baylor Manor, with some extraneous murder and robbery thrown in for good measure. Following the footprints, the most revealing of all clues, this assault started and ended in the river beneath the manor. The party decided to brave the subterranean watery gateway and gain the other side. Further investigation. Bloody revenge. Quite.

The party assumed marching order, after a fashion, and marched into the black, frigid water and a few short moments later emerged on the far shore in another dry cave. Lycovyne, through some manner unknown, and almost certainly unsavory, managed to keep all of his scrolls dry.

Immediately, everything went black. Infravision was dimmed completely3. Lycovyne rolled a saving throw to see if the continual light on the staff would be snuffed - he failed his save and the continual light ceased. In the inky blackness, something began to shriek. Of course.

Menka successfully cast continual light on Lycovyne’s staff which dispelled the darkness. The party saw that a bunch of stalactites were shrieking4. Gonchar attacked the nearest shrieker, rolling a natural 20 and doing 26 points of damage, killing a shrieker with 17 hp.

5 short, squat figures marched in and everything went pitch black. Menka failed his save and the continual light spell was extinguished.

Kyril and Gonchar walked forward in darkness. Menka began to chant. Gonchar swung blindly in the darkness and nailed one of the squat forms and it exploded, blinding the party (and having what effect within a darkness spell?). There were 5, now there are 4.

Menka cast dispel magic. The continual light on Lycovyne’s staff was extinguished but at least party members with infravision could see, meaning everyone except Menka and Arkadios. Flint climbed the walls in an effort to drop down behind the enemy. Lycovyne cast web and the cave was filled with disgusting, strong, sticky strands. And then darkness fell to the ground, once again.

Gonchar once again struck out blindly and did 16 points of damage to what was apparently a dead body - it exploded and set the web on fire. All 4 (3?) remaining creatures died in the webby conflagration and the darkness dissipated.

Arkadios, Flint and Gonchar then set about putting the shriekers out of our misery. Arkadios and Gonchar struck mighty blows and all fell silent.

• Shriekers: 9, 12, 17 hp
• Dark dwarves: 8, 6, 6, 5, 3 hp

Menka lit a torch on the burning, webbed bodies. In that brief moment of light the party marched forward to the west. And then darkness fell to the ground, again. Kyril and Gonchar marched forward in darkness while the rest of the party bravely backtracked. Gonchar entered what felt like a much larger chamber and was immediately attacked, taking 6 points of damage.

Cursed, Black Magic Night#

A robed, human-sized figure launched out of the chimney, preceded and followed by black arrows, with a black arrow sticking out of his back. One of the small, explosive dwarves followed. The party felt the darkness begin to descend but Lycovyne made his save and the continual light prevailed, praise Thoth! The robed figure with the black arrow in the back hit the deck.

Two drow launched out of the chimney. In poor elvish they said to Kyril “this one is ours, cousin”. Two more drow jumped out of the chimney and joined the party.

Lycovyne told the drow “we want what he carries!”. One of the drow shot the robed figure with a crossbow and waved us back. Stalemate?

One of the drow frisked the robed, poisoned, prone, robed figure, found what he was looking for, threw an ornate, jeweled, mechanical flail on the ground at the party’s feet and laughed. The drow then wrapped the robed figure, incapacitated by poison, and lower him back down the chimney. Ouch.

The flail is a foot long, wrapped in gold - a weapon symbolic of a pharaoh’s leadership, a symbol of his power. 3 6" ivory bars swing from the hand, tipped with turquoise. Menka would like to know how Lord Baylor came to be in possession of such a weapon.

Kyril cast stone shape on the natural chimney, closing it off, to be opened at a later date. Arkadios began to question the short, explosive dwarf left behind and, immediately, darkness fell to the ground, only to be dispelled by Lycovyne’s continual light saving throw. The explosive dwarf was allowed to live.

Finally in the clear, the party located even more loot in the room:

• 530 gp
• 2540 sp
• in the robed figure’s pack:
• potion
• ring
• dagger
• slightly burned wand
• 2 large diamonds
• 1000s in coins, some unknown

Kyril fed Maxtor a goodberry and some roofies, rejuvenating him. Maxtor, a student of Guldar Heel, told us he would like to journey back to the Friendly Arm with us and that we should speak to the mayor on our way out of Safehearth. It was noted that a Bag of Holding weighs 15 lbs., can hold 500 lbs., and provides storage space equal to 70 cubic feet. Also, the party tried, unsuccessfully, to convince Gonchar NOT to collect all the copper pieces…

The party (plus Maxtor) returned to the cellar below the Baylor Manor pantry. The party returned to the surface while Gonchar remained behind to drink all the expensive booze in the wine cellar fix the broken, insecure gate.

Maxtor, brooding over his dead family, suggested that we “stick the little guy in the sun for a while.” This is the last mention of the explosive dwarf; the notes do not describe its fate.

The Heroes of Safehearth#

Lycovyne, Menka and Maxtor visited Mayor Vorkan on the way out of Safehearth, while the rest of the party waited outside. The dwarves were still not very popular with the locals. Vorkan embraced Maxtor and asked after his family. Maxtor related the sad tale while we all stood by. He then exonerated the dwarves completely. The party and even all of its dwarves were now the heroes of Safehearth!

Maxtor wished to return the Friendly Arm with us, to speak with Guldar Heel. The party decided to wait til the burial ceremonies for the Baylor family were complete, travel to Byrny and join a caravan back to Farthis (which direction?).

The party would remain in Safehearth for 5 days resting, recuperating and casting identify spells. Throughout the 5 days Menka and Lycovyne (when possible) cast continual light on all manner of rocks and coins (how many - 20? 25?) in case we found ourselves dealing with the dark dwarves again.

Kyril cast detect magic on the pile to help sort it out. Lycovyne’s identify marathon was largely successful:

• Arkadios’ gear (not previously identified)
  • +1 long sword (from the clay golem)
  • Potion of Plant Control (troll loot pile)
  • Ring of Swimming (troll loot pile)
• Lord Baylor’s dagger (not magical)
• +1 dagger (from the unidentified robed figure capture by the drow, Arkadios)
• +1 dagger (from the loot pile around the chimney, Kyril)
• slightly burned wand (not magical - out of charges?)
• potion - magic, no identify

The ornate footman’s flail is indeed magic (as detailed in Session the Eighth), and was stored in the Bag of Holding for safe keeping. The party now has 10 pearls remaining. On the 5th day Maxtor said a caravan should be through at any time. He was correct. The party joined the caravan and made the 3-day trip to Byrny without incident and stayed one night at the Chimera again.

Attacked at the Chimera#

The party lingered in Byrny for 2 days while Maxtor rested up. There were consequences. During the second night, Menka, Gonchar and Flint were resting/sleeping (or somehow elsewhere). During this watch in quarters, Kyril, Lycovyne and Arkadios were attacked by what seemed to be pure Egyptians. Wearing black, scaly plate male, seeming somehow other than human and glowing a bit, they attacked in the night with surprise. No one knows how they got into our quarters. They were obviously intent on getting at the Bag of Holding and the flail therein.

After a melee round or so the sleeping party members awakened and joined the fray. A major fight ensued, including an insane effort to burn the snake(s) coiled around the PCs (Arkadios), and Kyril jumping out a window and nearly killing himself trying to save the Bag of Holding.

• Lycovyne lost initiative and took 12 points of damage
• Lycovyne cast web
• snared one, the other saved (half-strength web)
• the assailant that made his saving throw polymorphed into a large snake and slithered out of the web
• Kyril leapt out a second story window with the Bag of Holding taking 10 points of falling damage
• Menka cast hold person to no avail
• Flint snuck in for a backstab and dealt 15 points of damage
• Gonchar hit the same assailant, killed it (25 hp Minion of Set)
• giant snake attacked Gonchar, hit for 14 points
• Gonchar hit back for 12 points of damage
• Lycovyne hit for 7 points
• Menka missed
• giant snake bit Gonchar again for 5 hp and then 1 point more (poison?)
• Menka hit, natural 20, kills (25 hp minion of Set)

(The notes end abruptly here. In fact, the party defeated the Minions of Set encountered at the end of Session the Seventh, although Gonchar was sorely wounded in the melee. Kyril returned from his leap out the window, injured but alive.)