(S08) A Tower of Confusion

Idris took the first step into the tower, experiencing an odd feeling as suddenly what was down shifted. While he knew the tower was at precarious angle as soon as he stood inside it felt as if the tower was standing. Slowly and cautiously the others entered and Idris illuminated the room with word.

On the walls of the room are several paintings and murals showing the exploits of an Elvish woman. In the paintings she can be seen casting powerful spells, fighting monsters and even parting the sea. In one of the frescoes, she is awarded with a heavenly key coming down from the heavens. The middle of the room was occupied by a large wooden table upon which three large vials were attached to it with coloured wire: A round vial holding a green liquid, attached with a black wire. A square vial holding a red liquid, it’s attached with a green wire. And finally a octagonal vial holding a black liquid, it’s attached with a red wire. In addition, there was a scroll upon the table but it crumbled to dust when Zenari tried to pick it up.

Much time was spent trying to figure out the puzzle of the room/ Siax's keen senses found the entrance to the next floor, a part of the ceiling that seemed movable but try as he might there was nothing suspicious about the room. Zenari exchanged the coloured wires to the vials of the same colour to no effect. Eventually a hidden compartment was found in the table and after Koraliki Verque checked it for traps they opened it finding another scroll. When Idris went to pick it up it caught fire and turned to ash. Somewhat frustrated Idris tested the vials contents on himself, even splashing some on the fresco to see if there was any effect. He found that one was a potion of healing, one was a potion of Greater Healing and one knocked him out instantly dead. Thankfully he was not truly dead for he had sampled a Potion Of Lesser Death. Finally, Pine having grown curious about the key depicted on the mural pressed it which opened the door to the next level. It seemed the table and everything with the bottles was simply a distraction.

The stairway opened into the next floor of the tower. Across from them, there was a wall with three painted wooden doors. One door was painted green, the second red, the third black. All doors had plain handles. The paint of each door continued on the ground all the way to the opposing wall, leaving the room separated into three coloured areas. Looking around there was evidence that some of these doors were trapped with darts as the wall across them was filled with pock marks spotted by Koraliki Verque. Having learned from the first room that these challenges logic was somewhat suspect the group hid downstairs and let Zenari open them from a distance. The right door had been chosen and they quickly made their way up to the next floor.

Was followed was quite an odd sight. As Idris opened the hatch in the ceiling he felt it being pulled upwards, then followed by his arm being similarly pulled upwards. He looked into what seemed to be an empty room, until a noise drew his attention upwards. The ceiling was tiled like a chess board. On it were person-sized chess pieces. A clockwork bishop shaped as a beast. A clockwork knight shaped as a mantis. A clockwork King shaped like a dragon. And finally, a massive statuesque clockwork queen shaped like a queen. The group jumped into the gravity reversing effect and as they landed it seemed they assumed some of the restrictions of chess pieces, most dramatically Zenari growing larger to match the Queen piece. Idris seemed confident as he was regarded as quite the professional player of Dragon Chess and recognised this formation as the King Dragon, a fun but relatively easy chess game.

However, as this game ensued his smile vanished for it seemed this game had been made just tto confuse and bamboozle. The pieces attacked them with arcs of electricity from a range while still moving as if they were chess pieces. When they did the same the Queen piece warned them they were cheating. It seemed to be arbitrary which rules were followed and which had were not. Finally, they were able to tap the pieces which caused them to fall to what used to be the floor (Pine joining them with a sickening crunch) and the game seemed solved. The door barring their way opened.

The party emerged in a large circular chamber that housed thousands of books upon bookshelves. It seemed relatively peaceful with the exception of the view out of the three stained windows that revealed that by climbing the tower they had somehow left Thundertree and entered some odd place where the sky was filled with floating rocks. Looking around the room the party found a staircase up, a couple magical scrolls tucked into books, a statue of an old wizard and an odd glowing book.

The book seemed to resist being moved but before Idris could investigate further the statue spoke. It informed them that it was the great wizard Elminster but after talking with it for a while it appeared it was but a facsimile, a statue given a limited amount of sentience perhaps to serve as a librarian. Still, it seemed to be happy with visitors and after the party requested an appointment with the Wizard Zatharius it even warned them not to take the stairway up as it was a trap that would slice them in half. It confirmed that Zatharius would speak with them but in twenty minutes. This gave the party an opportunity to converse with the statue.

Pine inquired about Barovia and while he got information about the realm and its history it contained nothing of more recent events he knew had happened. Asking about Dragons produced information written by a person called Fizban. This could prove useful so Pine transcribed what he heard in his journal (White Dragon). The Statue of Elminster however refused to impart any information about Dal Quor insisting that Master Zatharius wished to speak on that subject.

Twenty minutes later, the book glowed and the party crowded around it. Touching it teleported them with a flash to Zatharius's lair.