The Tower of Mysteries

After routing the remaining Norkers in the Seven Pillared Hall, the Anonymous Adventurers helped the permanent residents reestablish a semblance of order. Brugg, Ulthand, Phaledra, and even Surina worked together to organize the cleanup efforts. The visiting merchants' wares were placed in piles and notes were sent to business partners and next of kin. Once the Hall had quieted down, the adventurers took a well-earned rest and talked over their next moves.

Ultimately, the group decided to keep on the move and press the attack on Paldemar and his cohorts. Thorifin seemed confident that he knew the direction they should investigate and so despite some trepidation in placing their fates in the hands of the possessed Warlock the group followed him down the Road of Lanterns. After only a short ten to fifteen minute walk, Thorifin turned off the main passage into an adjoining one and abruptly stopped. Quite certain they had arrived, the group set about searching for anything that might be an entrance only to find nothing in the rock walls. Thorifin withdrew the Silver Key from his jerkin to find it glowing brightly and straining to be released from his grasp. As he did so it flew to the wall, engaging a magic door which swung open to reveal a small passageway and room beyond. As the group paused, slowly looked round at each other awaiting a collective decision on how to act the door closed on them. "Well, we're here," Thorifin said as he reopened the door. Heroic instincts reasserted themselves as Bercilak and Kruach led the group into the passageway.

The in the chamber the group circled around a glowing circle on the floor which looked similar to the one in the Seven Pillared Hall. "Obviously a teleportation circle," Aramil said and then asked, "Who's first?" Bercilak shook his head slightly and stepped forward. As he approached the circle flared with blinding energy for a moment. When the light faded away, a spectral, skeletal figure stood within the circle. The figure was clad in thick robes of deepest scarlet and was missing its left hand and its left eye. It spoke to Becilak, "The secrets of the tower come at a price. You must each pay for the right to enter this place. What can you offer to the dreaded Lord of Secrets? I seek lore, power, and your souls."

The group spent several minutes offering bits of information that they thought might please the thing. Some were more successful than others. Bercilak and Kruach's threats were scoffed at while Thorifin, Aramil, and Áine seemed to relay interesting information about recent events. Eventually the entity grew weary of the group and demanded a payment of life energy from anyone who still desired to use the teleportation circle. Reluctantly, all of the adventurers acceded to it's demands and felt a draining tug on their spirits.

With a flash of light the group was teleported to a small room with two exits. The walls of the chamber were covered with carvings that depicted human faces. Each face wore a blindfold or a gag. Immediately upon their arrival, the blindfolded faces animated and began to chant, while the eyes of the gagged faces glared at the adventurers with rage. As the group moved into the hallways of the larger chamber they were disturbed by columns covered in carvings of tortured and demented faces. As the heroes moved by, the faces seemed to fix their gazes upon them. Some of the group felt their memories come under assault as the columns seemed to lash out at their psyches. A quick investigation found a few norkers guarding a set of four columns arranged around a set of runes on the floor. As soon as the party finished dispatching the annoying goblinoids, a nearby door burst open and a blur of red robes ran pall mall into the mist around the runes, cackling as it vanished in a flash of teleportation magic.

The group quickly followed and found themselves in another room staring at a set of double doors and a hallway leading off to the south. The room on the other side of the doors turned out to be a laboratory. Several tables were covered with all manner of alchemical equipment. In one corner of the room was an especially unusual sight, a large glass container with metal pipes filled with an acrid glowing liquid and the head of a Bronze Warder. As the group pondered this infernal machine and its purpose Kruach growled in pain as his vision narrowed due to an instant migraine. The pain quickly subsided and the paladin became convinced of the need to protect the machine from anyone who wished it harm. He drew his sword and interposed himself between it and the rest of the party. Dismayed by the Dragonborn's aggressive demeanor the group went into intervention mode and attempted to talk Kruach off the proverbial ledge. After a few tense moments, the Paladin shook his head and turned to the machine and pushed it over. With the situation apparently diffused the group set about examining the remnants. Inside the Warder head was an odd brain in a jar. As the group debated what to do with such an odd item, Bercilak quickly scooped it up and placed it into the bag of holding and considered the matter closed for the time being. Roughly satisfied, Aramil and Thorifin offered up an explanation as to the purpose of the machine. They surmised it was the means by which Paldemar had stolen control of the Warders from the other mages. Comforted in their explanation they led the group to quickly explore the rest of the level. The quick search revealed a library full of apparently blank tomes and a summoning circle imprisoning a rather rude imp. The group pressed onward as they found another teleportation rune which they expected to lead to another level.

Emerging from the mist above the teleportation runes, the adventurers found themselves in a small room with three doors in it. Each door was emblazoned with a large eyeball. The group formed up steeled themselves form impending combat an opened the northern door. A disturbing scene lay before them. The room seemed magically illuminated and was dominated by several unnerving features. Dominating the floor was a huge mosaic of the hand and eye of Vecna; surrounding it were four crystal pillars which pulsed with necromantic energies. Against the back wall was a large skull made from black rock with a eye in its right socket. The eye seemed to train its gaze upon the heroes. A large, iron statue of Vecna stood with an imposing presence in the foreground. As if these features alone were not enough to unsettle the Anonymous Adventures, a Bronze Warder, several norkers and a figure in red robes also inhabited the space. As soon as the would be heroes entered the room the worshipers of Vecna launched their assault.

The battle was quick and decisive with the adventurers acting as a coordinated group, timing their attacks and focusing attention on the mage while covering for each other and bolstering those who felt the effects of the warder's axe, the norkers' swords, or the mage's arcane energies. The room itself seem set against them too, as the skull and the statue assaulted the group. In short order the forces of Vecna fell to the Anonymous Adventurer's combined might. As the group set about finishing off their enemies and and exiting the temple they discovered a chamber to the south which seemed to be Paldemar's chambers. Along with notes on some incomplete rituals the group also found maps of Saruun Khel and of the Vale. Of particular interest to Thorifin and Aramil was a location marked on the map indicating a pyramid in the Winterbole forest. The notes claimed, "Place of power," and, "Seek Karavakos." The group gathered up any interesting and worthwhile materials and headed for the exit.

July 24th, 2009 - The Seven Pillared Hall

After spending days in the depths of Thunderspire mountain fighting an infestation of demonic Gnolls and ravaging the slave trading Duergar of Clan Grimmerzhul, the Anonymous Adventurers were finally returning to the relative comforts of the Seven Pillared Hall with loot and freed captives in tow. As they approached along the Road of Shadows their throats were filled with acrid smoke and their ears with the sounds of massacre. Once the hall was in view the scene before them was one of chaos and destruction. Small, grey goblin like creatures were running about everywhere, attacking merchants and destroying anything in their path. In the distance were larger, organized groups centered around what appeared to be mobile bronze minotaur statues and mysterious red-robed figures flinging about arcane energies. The Hall was under a full scale assault!

The group quickly decided on a course of action. The freed captives were escorted to the abandoned Grimmerzhul trading house and armed with captured weapons. Then the group formed up into a tight, tactical formation under the direction of Khaine and made haste for the closest grouping of assailants which were attempting to destroy the large Minotaur statue in the center of the Hall. Once the group ascended the large, natural platform upon which the statue had been placed, details of their foes became clearer. Lofonia identified the goblinoids as Norkers, foul beasts tainted by evil arcane energies and favored guardians of many Temples of Vecna. The animated bronze statue was described as a Warder of some sort by Aramil. He believed it to be directed by the apparent wizard standing nearby. After judicious use of their prodigious talents the heroes annihilated the troublemakers and quickly set off to subdue more of the invaders.

As the group plowed their way through the brouhaha of merchants, carts, beasts of burden and norkers, they noticed that the Temple of Erathis was beset by a Bronze Warder and Red-robed Wizard. As they approached, Kruach noticed his racial kin fighting alongside the priestess and Ulthand the Dwarven smith. Even as the group prepared to assist, the defenders finished off their assailants and urged the heroes on towards another combat around the Custom House.

Upon reaching the customhouse, Aramil quickly loosed a nasty cloud that devastated some of the lesser Norkers and cut the fight down to one front. Brugg, the Ogre enforcer was tangling with the Norkers and a Bronze Warder. Orontor, the sole Mage of Saruun present in the Hall, was being assaulted by Norkers, a Wizard, and an unknown force. As the group pressed the attackers, the tide of the battle seemed to swing for the good guys. Then, with a brutal blow from the Warder, Orontor was struck down. The group finished dispatching the remaining foes quickly and turned their attentions to the fallen mage. As the Shaman assessed his wounds, Orontor animated vividly and spoke with another's voice to the astonishment and dismay of all. "Ah, the meddling adventurers!" it spoke, "I should thank you for dealing with the Gnolls. It saved me from the effort. I assume you had hopes of discovering and disrupting my plans? You are too late, my research is finished as you can see. I'll be moving on now. Mwuhahahahaha!" Orontor's body then crumpled to the floor. With his last remaining energies the mage whispered dire warnings to the group, "Please hurry! During the connection I caught glimpses of his plans. I saw flashes of a Pyramid. He seeks to control more and more arcane energies for his Lord!"

As the group settled the rest of the Hall down, and helped get things back under control they pondered their next moves...

Chickens!

So another interesting thing about Kauai is that it is overrun with chickens. Moa chickens. The story that I've heard is that when Typhoon Iniki tore the place up back in 1992 the chickens of locals got loose and have since gone feral. Cue Crocodile Hunter voice, "Feral Chickens!" Anyway they are everywhere. I only put a few pictures in here. Some are from the hotel, which is next to the water, and the others are from Waimea Canyon at around 4400 feet.

Waimea Canyon Hike

Took a hike around Waimea Canyon today. Wowsa. This island is pretty incredible. The number of different types of scenery you can run into even within a few miles is just incredible. The scale of the canyon is unbelievable. Even standing in front of it, the place just doesn't look real. Humans aren't built to comprehend things this big.

Woof Woof!

Check out these near sunset photos from Northwest Kauai on Barking Sands beach. The big, nay, massive cliffs are the beginning, or the end, of the famous Na Pali coast. I hope to get round the other side for some hiking later on in the week.

The sand dunes here are at least a hundred feet high in places. Walking up them in the loose sand is quite a chore.

Enjoy!

Cap'n! Thar be whales here!

I didn't see any, but I did hear whale song on my dive today. How cool is that? I also saw a few sea turtles, which is always special. Oh, and I saw a Dragon Moray. Let me repeat that: Dragon. Moray. Eel. I started to reach for a d20 right then and there...

Aloha from Kauai!

A day off, a few miles and a few thousand feet. Enjoy the view. I did.

Hitchin'

The mighty have fallen!

Hitchin'