Shensen turns into a bird and flies up to the strange cage. She doesn't see what's in it. We use the winch to lower the cage to the floor. Aidan checks its magical aura, revealing strong abjuration, conjuration, and necromantic auras. The silver and grey bars twist around each other in strange shapes. There are writings in infernal invoking a variety of demons.
"I'm naming the holy sword Stabby." -Viv 2006-08-06
We head to the second floor landing and open the door. It's a well appointed and kept bedroom. A skull and bone patterned carpet covers the floor. There is some temple paperwork on the desk, but it doesn't seem important.
On the first floor is a set of double doors. We opens the doors to reveal an altar room. Two ornated carved pillars flank the onyx altar. The room is heavily decorated with Wee Jas symbols and imagery. Beyond is a preparation room with some books.
Beyond that room is a glossy black room. In the corners are sconces. There is a young man under a white cloth laying on an altar in the mittle of the room. Aidan detects undead and reports that the body is an undead of overwhelming power.
Aidan and Kyrin coordinate and fire and searing light and orb of force at the undead. The spells fade away before striking the undead. Blast, an antimagic field. The undead rises, the sheet falling aside. It's Zachary Aslaxin III, but he is covered with green maggots. Hell, spawn of Kyuss. Aidan protects us with mass shield of faith. The spawn grabs some maggots and throws them at Gadrey, but they are magically deflected. I hasten the party. The spawn taunts us as cowards. Kyrin summons a wall of fire in front of us. The wall of fire sets the curtains in the back of the room ablaze. The curtains are torn out of the way by an iron golem that moves to attack Aidan, seriously injuring Aidan. Kyrin hits the golem with an orb of force. As the golem moves through the wall of fire, its injuries heal. Blast! The golem moves out. I hit it with an orb of force. Gadrey and Rassi charge into the golem. Its iron exterior deflects most of their blows. Kyrin hits it with another orb of force. Aidan summons a large earth elemental which ineffectivly attacks the golem. Gadrey and Rassi continue attacking the golem, but thier blows glance off. Kyrin hits the golem with yet another orb of force, breaking the golem into pieces.
The spawn leaps through the fire into the hallway. I blast it with three scorching rays, burning it to a blackened husk. The spawn falls to the ground.
9900, =64683 , spawn of Kyuss/Zachary Aslaxin III , iron golem
Along the hall are a number of empty priest cells. They look recently abandoned.
After the wall of fire dies down, we search the chamber Zachary was in. Behind the curtain is a small coffer. It contains the diamond dust necessary for raise dead. In a secret compartment is an amulet that looks like one of the Cagewright cages and two large diamonds.
GM: "Behind the curtain you find-" Jeff: "A small burned man." 2006-08-06
"We can enchant it with fire and use it as a griddle. When it's ready, ding, it's done." - Erich, on uses for an altar with an antimagic field on it that can be toggled on and off. 2006-08-06
We take the cage. We cover it with one of the bedsheets and take it to the temple of St. Cuthbert. It's raining outside. As we head there we notice many people packing up their belongings; an exodus from the city?
There is a small funeral service for a "Richardson" being held when we arrive. We wait for Jenya to finish.
Jenya is interested in what we've learned. She offers Shensen a scroll of sending so Shensen can contact Mirthan.
Jenya suggests we tell the guards what we have done soon. Shensen heads out to get Skylar.
"You know what you should legend lore for? What spells are in your book." - Erich to Alan after Tarik almost bought a scroll of legend lore
Asking Jenya about the funeral, it was Sam Richardson. The apparently got in the way of a group of tax collectors. The Richardson family moving out of town. The collectors have taken to wearing hoods to obscure their identities. Attendence at the temple is down. The daily ceremonies usually drew about 30 faithful; the temple has gone to every-other-day and is only drawing 20 worshippers.
A bit later Skylar Krewis, four guardsmen, a hooded tax collector, and two half-orcs arrive. The tax collector is a huge; perhaps a warrior of some sort,.
"I hate giant streetwalkers" - Joe 2006-08-06
"You don't know pain until you've had four-foot gonorrhea." - Joe 2006-08-06
I give Skylar a summary of our visit to the temple. I leave out some of the details. When I mention that giants in the city was odd, the tax collector pipes up. He says that the tax collectors are planning on hiring giant "thugs" to police the city. Great.
The tax collector gives me grief. Kyrin badgers him with legalistics. The tax collector leaves. As he leaves he says we're not to leave the city. Skylar says we can leave, but would prefer if we give him notice.
Skylar confides in us that the requirements to be a tax collector have dropped. Gryffon Malek is one now. Great.
We take the cage and head to my house. Shensen uses the sending to contact Mirthan about the cage, but Mirthan's response doesn't particularly enlighten us.
"Dear Mirthan, Summer camp is fun. Today we played with the Wee Jas camp kids. They were kinda mean. So we killed `em. Love, Tarik." Alan 2006-08-06
15th of Flocktime
In the morning I cast legend lore on the cage. I speak, out of control of my own voice. "Greetings mortals. You seek the secrets of the soul cage. What is it that you want to know." Shensen asks "What is the purpose of the soul cage?" "The soul cage is a focus for a ritual. The purpose of the Cagewrights is to cement a portal between this realm and the realm of Occipitus." Thirteen cages will hang from a tree on this plane. When the party asks where the tree is, it becomes garbled. The trees are hidden. The key is the Soul Pillars. The cages can be destroyed may significant sources of arcane or physical force. An erupting volcano would do the job. This cage was a backup. Dugobras, Skaven Umbermead, Tarkilar, and Triel Elderast crafted the cages. The secrets of the cages are tied to the Soul Pillars of Karran-Kural . "An ancient hate stolen from the souls of the dead. The cage is but the key to a greater evil." With its final words, it wishes the party luck
That was very strange and not how the spell was supposed to work. I'm not sure who contacted us through my form. Not good.
It looks like Karran-Kural is where we can find more information. I head to the Blue Water Academy to research this place. The rest of the company has our spoils identified and sold.
Shensen has news from Mirthan about Karran-Kural. He says it's in the spellweaver complex in the Demonskar.