Session 132 The sigils of the Silk Rose and Yellow Orbs

Session Details

Session Date:	12 April 2025
Game Date:	Evening, CY627

Session Summary

Synopsis

The party

This Session

Session Summary

The party learns Lexana Brightshores is alive and has brought the book to this location.

The Woman in the Warehouse Continued from Session 131

The Unfamiliar Symbol and the Raven

Upon entering the warehouse, an old woman immediately questioned if they were from the council (referring to the PCs' original quest) or the court. She urgently insisted they leave before "the others" arrived, explaining that another convoy was coming and they risked being caught. Ignoring her pleas, Durmen and Egon moved deeper into the warehouse, noticing stacks of crates bearing an unfamiliar symbol: two golden orbs in front of a pyramid. A larger crate at the bottom, marked with a rose, particularly caught Durmen's attention.

Meanwhile, Balmaris's sharp eyes spotted a large, bluish-black raven hidden in the rafters, intently watching their every move. He couldn't determine if the woman's nervousness stemmed from their presence or the raven's watchful gaze. Balmaris subtly pointed out the raven to Egon, who nodded and discreetly cast a spell, causing the creature to become blind and deaf. The raven immediately began shifting around nervously, aware that something had transpired.

Amidst this, Aldarn attempted to distract and impress the old woman by flexing his chest and uttering, "Pecatude baby." She blushed slightly at the display.

The Discovery in the Crate

Durmen tried to pry open the rose-marked box, but failing that, considered pushing it over for a better look inside. However, the box was far too heavy to move. As the old woman continued to urge him away from the goods, and running out of time, he took a swift kick at the corner of the box. The critical hit smashed open the box, revealing a suit of armor. More interestingly, there appeared to be a body inside. Before he could examine it further, the sounds of a commotion erupted outside.

Ambush at the Door

While the others were occupied, Nail stood watch near the door and heard approaching footsteps. As he stepped through the doorway and closed it behind him, two town guards quickly moved towards the front of the building. They had apparently noticed the cut lock left on the porch and assumed Nail was a thief. Drawing their weapons, they rushed towards him. In his haste to attack, the trailing guard made a wild swing with his axe, hitting his comrade! Stunning the guard for two rounds and incapicating his companion as the ax cuts into his leg.

Nail deftly stepped aside as the two guards crashed onto the porch at his feet. Looking around and seeing no one in the darkness, he sheathed his sword, kicked the door open, and dragged the wounded guard inside, calling out for help. The party stopped what they were doing and moved to the doorway. The old woman looked at them in shock, but the party quickly fabricated a story about meeting the convoy to provide an escort. The uninjured guard seemed to believe their tale. While the old woman remained skeptical, the guard asked if she had been harmed. She replied no, stating that these gentlemen had just arrived. All drew their weapons to help bring the wounded guard inside, and the party decided it was an opportune moment to depart.

Departure from the Warehouse

Having subdued the guards, they dragged the bodies inside and asked the old woman to help tend to them. After exiting the warehouse, they debated their next course of action and, realizing the time was short, headed back towards the door they had entered from. On their way out, Durmen replaced the lock on the door and used the mending spell to repair the damage, concealing any evidence of their intrusion. They estimated it would take 90 minutes to travel up the mountain, enough time to reach the auction. In the time they had been inside, the snow had completely covered the road, so Egon cast water walk to ease their uphill journey.

Visions and Voices

They retraced their steps, climbing higher up the mountainside. To their left, far below, they saw the village smoke drifting upwards. As the wind caught it, they once again experienced both whispers and visions.

Egon saw Lexanna in various stages of aging and activity, as if she had walked this path over centuries.

Balmaris witnessed a bluish-white column of fire descending from the heavens some miles to the northeast. The flash of light briefly illuminated the area before the snow and darkness obscured it. Balmaris recognized it as a flame strike and noted that it appeared to be in the direction the earlier convoy had taken out of town.

Nail sensed the passage of numerous columns of troops, a mix of mercenaries and well-armored soldiers in chain and plate mail bearing yellow pendants, traveling both up and down the mountain trail. These visions seemed to span a vast period, perhaps a thousand years or more.

Meanwhile, Aldarn, muttering to himself, entered a trance-like state and appeared to converse with his deceased uncle during the walk, receiving a bit of advice.

The Talking Door

The party found the stone removed and the door shut, with no doorknob visible. Aldarn, Balmaris, and Durmen took turns attacking the door with spells, but their efforts had no effect. Balmaris discerned very faint glyphs around the outside of the door. As he began to recite the words, a voice from within spoke to him: "I am here to serve; it is my pleasure to open and close for you."

Durmen asked the door to open for them, and it responded, "You are not permitted to pass." When Durmen inquired why, the door replied, "Why do you seek entrance?" Durmen stated they were trying to get to the auction. The door responded, "This door is closed to your kind." Durmen's frustration grew, and when he asked "why" again, the door replied, "The master has forbidden your entrance to his realm."

A mild panic began to set in before Durmen asked if there was any other way back to their realm. The door responded, "There are other portals." When he asked where, the door said, "Over the mountains, seek the stones."

After a brief discussion, the party asked if Lexanna Brightshore had passed through with the book they sought. The door responded somewhat mysteriously, "Yes, the book has passed through." Further questions followed before the door finally stated, "The book is here, as is Lexanna." When Durmen continued his questioning about "where is here?" in multiple variations, the door simply repeated, "Here is here, and it has passed through here." Frustrated but at least assured that the book and surprisingly Lexanna were in this realm, they headed back down the mountain path towards town.

Session Results

Experience

The running tally of XP earned is found on the Party Experience page.

Treasure

Party Treasure

Tasks or Quests

List of tasks or quests undertaken.

Rumors or Intelligence Gained

Apparently nothing noteworthy this session...

NPC's of Note

Borin

Elara