((Recap of game 1, Feb 11))
The party chose to accept the quest from The Red Tower School of Conjuration, Evocation, and Enchantment to search out the missing familiars so that their summoners could break the bonds tying them together.
Drago, the male dragonborn conjurer, Cyrill, the female elf enchanter, and Nolween, the female teifling evoker, explained that they had attempted to summon the familiars, and that they had summoned a Raven, an Imp, and a Cat, respectively. The bonds, however, were wrong and the familiars were independent form their summoners and escaped. However, now neither the wizards nor the familiars seem to be able to leave the Red Tower. The party each received a key that would unlock any door in the Red
Tower, except for the archmage's room, as well as a Writ of Allowance
that gave the party authority to explore anywhere in the Red Tower that
their keys would grant them entrance into.
In searching the Red Tower, Markis heard tell of some suspicious goings on in a room on the third floor that was under construction and Arkturus found a mysterious gateway and it's keeper, an old gnome by the name of Stefan. The gateway led to an unknown location. Sometimes things would come through it, like vines, or once a goblin (or at least most of a goblin), but anytie they sent someone through it they never returned. Greta found the cat, Kitty McMittens, reading in the library. With the promise of food, Kitty McMittens agreed to wait for Greta to return. The party acquired a lobster from the kitchens and delivered it to Kitty McMittens, much to the consternation of the Librarian, who was also an orangutan. Upon presenting Kitty McMittens with the lobster, Kitty told them that they should go to the third floor, into the room that was under construction. They went there, and found the Imp, Quetzl, and the Raven, Quill, along with a number of apprentice wizards busily doing Quetzl's bidding.
Upon receiving the 'offering' of the lobster, Quetzl took a liking to the party and offered an alternate course of action, rather than turning them, the familiars, over to the wizards. He needed some piece of the three summoning wizards, Drago, Cyrill, and Nolween, in order for him, Quetzl, to break the bonds, but keep the three familiars from being unsommoned, and thus destroyed or sent back to their native realm. In exchange, Quetzl promised the party a magical amulet, of unknown abilities, or a key to the High Noble Vault (bank vault where the nobles of the city store their wealth).
Having agreed to this change of direction, the party proceeded to the fourth floor where the three wizards' quarters were. While inspecting Drago's rooms, they found his bed to be made of countless gold coins and other wealth. In this gilded bed, they collected some discarded scales left from Drago. Of a more disturbing note, Arkturus found a hidden alcove where Drago held an undead hoard, chained to the wall, and notes detailing his studies. The notes were mixed in both the draconic language and some other that Arkturus did not know. Arkturus took a mithril and onyx stone necklace from off of one of the zombies. It was warm to the touch.
The party, disturbed by this discovery, debated on what should be done, as necromancy is forbidden and punishable by death. Eventually they decided to inform the Archmage, but only after they gathered what they needed from the other two wizard rooms.
Cyrill's room was next. They gathered hair from her comb, and discovered a jewel encrusted chest beneath a pile of pillows. The chest being locked, and too large to carry, they left it alone.
Nolween's sparse room held little, but a nib of horn was found in the hearth and the party did not linger.
Their covert task complete, they approached the Archmage's door. Seven locks covered the ornate door, and when they knocked, a small section slid to the side to reveal a pair of eyes staring out at them from an otherwise dark room. They explained what they had found in Drago's room. They were instructed to step back from the door and to turn around. Having done so, they heard the door open briefly, and then a streak of light shot passed them and into Drago's room, moving through the door. A moment later the light return and the door once again opened and closed. There was no further response from the Archmege's room and the party, somewhat confused, left to give Quetzl the bits of scale, hair, and horn.
Quetzl, overjoyed at their success, performed his ritual, with the help of the gathered apprentice wizards. Shortly after the ritual, Drago, Cyrill, and Nolween burst into the room and bowed before the familiars. Quetzl had not broken the bond, but had reversed it, and so now the wizards served the familiars.
The party invited Quetzl, Quill, and Kitty McMittens to join them in the adventuring and the familiars agreed. First, however, Markis needed justice to be done on Drago for his apparent acts of necromancy. They all agreed that the gateway Arkturus had found would be a suitable punishment since they were all curious about where it lead to, and the connection between the wizard and the familiar would allow them to know what was going on once Drago stepped through.
Before going to the Gateway, they inquired after Drago's bed of gold. He explained that if any but him slept in it, or with a piece of it, that they would awaken as an undead under his command. They made him break the spell so that the gold would be safe to collect later.
Upon returning to the gateway, Markis grabbed Drago and threw him through the gateway, so strong was his disgust for Drago's wicked actions. Quill, being bonded with Drago, explained that Drago arrived in a strange land, at a cliff several hundred feet high overlooking a dense forest. Since Drago had been thrown through the portal, his momentum carried him over the edge of the cliff and Drago plummeted to his death. Just before striking the ground, something shiny could be seen moving beneath the canopy.
The party returned to Cyrill's room and gathered her chest, which was unlocked by her fingers. Each finger on her right hand unlocked a different aspect of the chest. Index: Bag of Holding. Middle: Dungeon, holding the woman who killed Cyrill's mother. Ring: pillows and blankets and soft fluffy things. Pinky: Tea, cakes, and everything you could want for a nice snack (not very nourishing and will make you sick if it's your only food source). Thumb: turns the chest into a locket that Cyrill can wear for trasport. The party gathered Drago's bed of gold into the bag od holding section of Cyrill's chest.
Their work done, the party, now adding Quetzl and Cyrill, Kitten McMittens and Nolween, and Quill to their group, left the Red Tower and began thinking about what adventure they should have next.
((Notable bits:
Drago's bed of gold holds millions of gold coins, along with many rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other bits of metallic jewelry and wealth. It is unknown if any of it is magical or what the total value is.
The Archmage is never seen in public. He/She is rumored to be named Aydin.
To break the curse on his bed, Drago broke an onyx stone in a magic ring he wore. The ring was still on him when he died.
The familiars can see/hear through their wizards as long as they are on the same plane as one another. As long as the party and the familiars have similar goals, they will travel with the party, but there is nothing preventing them from leaving the party at any time.
The wizards are only as skilled as the familiars. This will affect their magical abilities, but I have not fully decided to what extent it will effect them))
