Mephit of the Opera
The newly-declared pirates sailed their little keelboat to the mouth of the lake and the town of Ferand. There they purchased a map of the Sureaste Islands and a nice hot dinner at the Inn of the Wishgold of Avarnor. They overheard the innkeeper telling another newcomer about the name:
"It's just an old legend, a pretty name. A piece of the wishgold of Avarnor is supposed to give you any one wish - if you can find the island and get off again, that is. One of those legends that conveniently makes the place almost impossible to find, and yet again almost impossible to get back alive to tell the tale. But it makes a nice play - they're doing it at the Nautilus tonight."
Rather than brave the river in a storm, the party decided to leave Sabrina to play tricks in the harbor, and take themselves to the opera. The play started off as a comedy of pirates finding brides, and then a mermaid lured them all one by one to the island of Avarnor. All but two had died at the end of Act I.
During the intermission Laseda went to the ladies' room, and the other patrons heard a scream from backstage. Soon the director came out to cancel the rest of the show and refund the tickets. Janus was eager to help, so the director told him that a hole had opened up in the lead actress's dressing room, and she'd fallen through to the basement, but she wasn't answering.
The party volunteered to look for her, and the director, after a warning of the dangers of the basement, sent them to the House Manager. The House Manager said that the way was safer if one played music, so Janella took out her silver flute, and the group started through the hallway.
The first door opened on an apparently harmless room, then another stretch of hallway.
The second room had loose bricks in the ceiling, but Janella's playing coaxed them into staying up.
The third room contained a net which everyone jumped across; it shot up in the air when they opened the door leaving the room, but thankfully everyone was past it.
The fourth room looked fine until a greataxe swung out of the wall and nearly took off Janus's shoulder. The party began to hear an eerie singing as they spiraled closer to the center of the Nautilus.
The fifth room, they noticed, had a fine series of holes in the doorframe; when Laseda poked a cautious arrow through, needles shot out of them. Janella magically animated her pack to go through the doorway until the trap had exhausted all of its needles; the group went through, and when they opened the far door, another wave went off.
The sixth room had a damp floor. Laseda again stuck her arrow through the door first, and the room started filling with water which started spilling into the hallway. Janus and Laseda quickly swam across the room and opened the far door, which only made the water pour in twice as fast on the floundering Haden and Janella. Haden finally made it across, and they threw a rope to Janella just as the room filled completely. They hauled her across and quickly shut the door from the other side. Now they could hear two singers.
The seventh room was ornate and beautiful, filled with statues. One statue, they noticed, looked like it would chop at them with its greataxes if they came too close. While they were discussing this, the Singer came to meet them. He hissed at them to leave him to his composing. They asked about the girl; a cry of "Help!" greeted their ears. Haden frightened the small spirit to letting them into the room, where they could see the actress in a cage.
Janus charged in and struck the muse mephit down. He released a death shriek which stunned Janus and Janella for a few seconds while the executioner statue activated. Laseda and Haden were both struck grievously as they battled it, but Haden managed to chop off one of its axes. Laseda frantically tried to turn it off as Janus hacked at the other axe. Eventually they disarmed it and turned it off, leaving them free to investigate the mephit's lair.
They found a key to free the actress, who thanked them profusely. They also discovered a necklace of twenty white pearls, a mephit music box, seven gold candlesticks, and a wealth of costumes and scenery and handwritten scores.
While Laseda and Janella decked themselves out in the costumes and made plans to become a traveling pirate acting troupe, Haden poked around a little more carefully. Inside the music box he found a blackened coin, engraved with a heart on a grasping hand. And in one of the statue's arms he discovered a faintly humming weapon; once he grasped it with both hands it changed form to suit his mind.
Rather than risking the horrors of the trapped rooms again, the half-elves stuffed the gnome actress and their two small friends up the hole again, and followed with the costumes and scenery. Janus wanted to take the moving statue as well, but it was just too heavy. Then Haden and Janus climbed up themselves.
The director was very glad to get his star back, and stared flabbergasted as they told of all the dangers beneath their feet and all the theatrical wealth they found in the basement. In high spirits the group hired a cart to haul all their new possessions, happily planning to make sails out of scenery and use their acting skills as a cover for heists. And they got Sabrina to heal them, and prepared to ask her if she, like the mermaid in the play, new how to reach Avarnor.
Experience
Hearing of the Wishgold (everyone): 200
Harbor Bonus (Sabrina): 50
Traps (Land Party): 1,613
Music Bonus (Janella): 100
Muse Mephit (Land Party): 225
Deciding to Become Actor Pirates (everyone): 500
"It's just an old legend, a pretty name. A piece of the wishgold of Avarnor is supposed to give you any one wish - if you can find the island and get off again, that is. One of those legends that conveniently makes the place almost impossible to find, and yet again almost impossible to get back alive to tell the tale. But it makes a nice play - they're doing it at the Nautilus tonight."
Rather than brave the river in a storm, the party decided to leave Sabrina to play tricks in the harbor, and take themselves to the opera. The play started off as a comedy of pirates finding brides, and then a mermaid lured them all one by one to the island of Avarnor. All but two had died at the end of Act I.
During the intermission Laseda went to the ladies' room, and the other patrons heard a scream from backstage. Soon the director came out to cancel the rest of the show and refund the tickets. Janus was eager to help, so the director told him that a hole had opened up in the lead actress's dressing room, and she'd fallen through to the basement, but she wasn't answering.
The party volunteered to look for her, and the director, after a warning of the dangers of the basement, sent them to the House Manager. The House Manager said that the way was safer if one played music, so Janella took out her silver flute, and the group started through the hallway.
The first door opened on an apparently harmless room, then another stretch of hallway.
The second room had loose bricks in the ceiling, but Janella's playing coaxed them into staying up.
The third room contained a net which everyone jumped across; it shot up in the air when they opened the door leaving the room, but thankfully everyone was past it.
The fourth room looked fine until a greataxe swung out of the wall and nearly took off Janus's shoulder. The party began to hear an eerie singing as they spiraled closer to the center of the Nautilus.
The fifth room, they noticed, had a fine series of holes in the doorframe; when Laseda poked a cautious arrow through, needles shot out of them. Janella magically animated her pack to go through the doorway until the trap had exhausted all of its needles; the group went through, and when they opened the far door, another wave went off.
The sixth room had a damp floor. Laseda again stuck her arrow through the door first, and the room started filling with water which started spilling into the hallway. Janus and Laseda quickly swam across the room and opened the far door, which only made the water pour in twice as fast on the floundering Haden and Janella. Haden finally made it across, and they threw a rope to Janella just as the room filled completely. They hauled her across and quickly shut the door from the other side. Now they could hear two singers.
The seventh room was ornate and beautiful, filled with statues. One statue, they noticed, looked like it would chop at them with its greataxes if they came too close. While they were discussing this, the Singer came to meet them. He hissed at them to leave him to his composing. They asked about the girl; a cry of "Help!" greeted their ears. Haden frightened the small spirit to letting them into the room, where they could see the actress in a cage.
Janus charged in and struck the muse mephit down. He released a death shriek which stunned Janus and Janella for a few seconds while the executioner statue activated. Laseda and Haden were both struck grievously as they battled it, but Haden managed to chop off one of its axes. Laseda frantically tried to turn it off as Janus hacked at the other axe. Eventually they disarmed it and turned it off, leaving them free to investigate the mephit's lair.
They found a key to free the actress, who thanked them profusely. They also discovered a necklace of twenty white pearls, a mephit music box, seven gold candlesticks, and a wealth of costumes and scenery and handwritten scores.
While Laseda and Janella decked themselves out in the costumes and made plans to become a traveling pirate acting troupe, Haden poked around a little more carefully. Inside the music box he found a blackened coin, engraved with a heart on a grasping hand. And in one of the statue's arms he discovered a faintly humming weapon; once he grasped it with both hands it changed form to suit his mind.
Rather than risking the horrors of the trapped rooms again, the half-elves stuffed the gnome actress and their two small friends up the hole again, and followed with the costumes and scenery. Janus wanted to take the moving statue as well, but it was just too heavy. Then Haden and Janus climbed up themselves.
The director was very glad to get his star back, and stared flabbergasted as they told of all the dangers beneath their feet and all the theatrical wealth they found in the basement. In high spirits the group hired a cart to haul all their new possessions, happily planning to make sails out of scenery and use their acting skills as a cover for heists. And they got Sabrina to heal them, and prepared to ask her if she, like the mermaid in the play, new how to reach Avarnor.
Experience
Hearing of the Wishgold (everyone): 200
Harbor Bonus (Sabrina): 50
Traps (Land Party): 1,613
Music Bonus (Janella): 100
Muse Mephit (Land Party): 225
Deciding to Become Actor Pirates (everyone): 500
posted by Captain Shar | 7:41 PM
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