We had left off at the entrance to a room in one of Tegel Manor's many halls. Brother Muscles cracked the door open, and we heard voices speaking Common and another human tongue (Alryan or something like that), delivering insults to one another and paying no immediate interest in our activity.
We decided to leave the speakers alone and press on, searching for an exit. Continuing down the hall, it took a turn to the left, then the right, with three doors passed; then we came to a T intersection. To the right, a passage stretched into darkness, marked with two doors on each side. But we continued to the left, and had the passage grow vaguely misty, taking a right and then a left turn, with three more doors passed.
Beyond the last turn, we found the rightward wall was somewhat cooler than normal; after prying at the wall paneling, stone wall was revealed behind it--presumably the outer wall of the manor!
Before we could press on, Korothane "found" a pit trap by the simple expedient of falling into it, and getting jabbed by a couple metal spikes on the bottom. The others hauled him out, and Rupert jammed it shut with a well-placed iron spike.
There was a door in the left wall, but we bypassed it again, deciding to continue to explore the corridors and hopefully find a window or other means of egress.
The passage took another turn to the left, then ended at a door. We smelled ozone and heard muffled crackling beyond. Undeterred, we opened the door, and beheld a room empty, but for a large kettle in the corner, and a copper jar near it surrounded by a corona of electrical energy; every so often a bolt of lightning would jump between it and the kettle, which Korothane identified as being very likely the cauldron he sought!
But what to do about the jar? Rupert demonstrated that electricity arcs to anyone who gets too close when it surges, so directly handling it seems risky. After some discussion, we called out the name of the ghostly balor butler, Bertalan, and sure enough he showed up within a few minutes.
Although he informed us he was instructed not to help explorers or those who damage the manor, he did give us some roundabout suggestions to "take the other fork" and "where footsteps linger, a door into the great hall will give you ease" as hints to reaching an exit (alive and in one piece, that is).
We decided to rest until nightfall, when Korothane and Findor would have their divine powers replenished. At that time, Korothane (or Findor for that matter) can take a spell to resist some of the damage caused by electricity, move the jar aside, and gain access to the cauldron. Then it will become a logistical challenge to get the heavy receptacle, nearly brimful of some green liquid, out of the manor without being stopped.
While resting, we heard Bertalan's voice outside our room, telling Coutn Rumpula that Lord Ridwick needed his assistance immediately. Had it not been for the butler's intervention, we would have likely had a very uncomfortable meeting with one of the most powerful residents of the manor--one we had seen before, the night we rested in the goblin caves after slaughtering them. The butler even winked at us as he went by on another errand--evidently while he serves the manor's residents, he has no love for them, and is willing to defy them to a limited degree.
XP for the session: 250 (5th level PCs) or 300 (4th level PCs). No loot.
We decided to leave the speakers alone and press on, searching for an exit. Continuing down the hall, it took a turn to the left, then the right, with three doors passed; then we came to a T intersection. To the right, a passage stretched into darkness, marked with two doors on each side. But we continued to the left, and had the passage grow vaguely misty, taking a right and then a left turn, with three more doors passed.
Beyond the last turn, we found the rightward wall was somewhat cooler than normal; after prying at the wall paneling, stone wall was revealed behind it--presumably the outer wall of the manor!
Before we could press on, Korothane "found" a pit trap by the simple expedient of falling into it, and getting jabbed by a couple metal spikes on the bottom. The others hauled him out, and Rupert jammed it shut with a well-placed iron spike.
There was a door in the left wall, but we bypassed it again, deciding to continue to explore the corridors and hopefully find a window or other means of egress.
The passage took another turn to the left, then ended at a door. We smelled ozone and heard muffled crackling beyond. Undeterred, we opened the door, and beheld a room empty, but for a large kettle in the corner, and a copper jar near it surrounded by a corona of electrical energy; every so often a bolt of lightning would jump between it and the kettle, which Korothane identified as being very likely the cauldron he sought!
But what to do about the jar? Rupert demonstrated that electricity arcs to anyone who gets too close when it surges, so directly handling it seems risky. After some discussion, we called out the name of the ghostly balor butler, Bertalan, and sure enough he showed up within a few minutes.
Although he informed us he was instructed not to help explorers or those who damage the manor, he did give us some roundabout suggestions to "take the other fork" and "where footsteps linger, a door into the great hall will give you ease" as hints to reaching an exit (alive and in one piece, that is).
We decided to rest until nightfall, when Korothane and Findor would have their divine powers replenished. At that time, Korothane (or Findor for that matter) can take a spell to resist some of the damage caused by electricity, move the jar aside, and gain access to the cauldron. Then it will become a logistical challenge to get the heavy receptacle, nearly brimful of some green liquid, out of the manor without being stopped.
While resting, we heard Bertalan's voice outside our room, telling Coutn Rumpula that Lord Ridwick needed his assistance immediately. Had it not been for the butler's intervention, we would have likely had a very uncomfortable meeting with one of the most powerful residents of the manor--one we had seen before, the night we rested in the goblin caves after slaughtering them. The butler even winked at us as he went by on another errand--evidently while he serves the manor's residents, he has no love for them, and is willing to defy them to a limited degree.
XP for the session: 250 (5th level PCs) or 300 (4th level PCs). No loot.
