Episode 30: "Raging at the Heavens"

Date Played: May 4, 2016

Quest Information

 * "Mages of the Quarry"
 * 17 Araḫ Šabaṭu early February. High 64F, low 48F. 35% chance for wind, 20% chance for clouds, 5% for rain
 * Perskebeth, hex 1102 (Quarry Mages' Tower)
 * Level 7

Primary Cast

 * Craganor, battle cleric of Inanna
 * Daric, camel merchant
 * Ebo Darwishi, former member of the Perskebethi Noble Guard

Secondary Cast

 * Bas no-Korfan the Minotaur
 * Calcarius the Kenku
 * Selestak the Lizardfolk
 * Thuli the Thri-Kreen

Summary
"All I have to do is sneak through this crack in the rock." muttered the camel merchant. "This crack ... under ground ... where nothing is growing ..."

Moments like this made Daric question his decisions. Maybe those kenku were wrong. Maybe those kenku were messing with him. He didn't know them, hell, he didn't know the people who recommended them. Those were Samman's friends, and, to be honest, he didn't know him that well, either.

Daric shook the thoughts out of his mind. Elves weren't meant to be underground, especially in tight spaces. The woods and fields of his homeland are were he belonged, of course he may not be returning there anytime soon (if at all). But those are thought for another day, another time. Right now, he had to get inside the tower to ... rescue ... his ... wait, what is that glow?

Down the tunnel, Daric spies what appears to be bright moonlight. Moonlight? Down here? That makes no sense. It should be dawn soon, and besides, the moon was new when he entered the crack. Perhaps something is messing with his darkvision. Curious, he creeps forward, and is met with sheer beauty: a massive gem, some 100' across, with striations of an amazing silver substance. It glows with a pale blue gleam, akin to a full moon on a clear night. Momentarily fascinated, Daric's focus returns to the matter at hand: he must find his friends. Finding adequate footholds, he climbs down the cliff face to the bottom. He turns to get a final glimpse of the beautiful gemstone before continuing on his mission ... and he spies a great travesty. Someone has been chipping away at the great moongem. Chunks have been removed, starting at the bottom. Wooden scaffolds reach 10' up its sides, and long, rectangular-shaped pieces have apparently been fractured away from the gems. Looking around, he sees signs of mining: tools, carts, hammers and chisels. Daric shakes his head: why can't humans just appreciate beauty? Why must they hack beauty into pieces to make baubles for their kings and queens?

..........

"I don't care!" says the dwarf. "I am getting out of here. If you want to go up this tower, then may the All-Father go with you. Those wizards are mad, and if you go up there, you'll go mad, too." He turns to his fellow dwarf and the human prisoners. "Come, we're getting out of here." The dwarf grabs the miner's pick out of Ebo's hands, and marches out of the prison, followed by the others. Ebo is flustered, but the minotaur, Bas no-Korfan, speaks. "Let them go", rumbles the deep baritone voice. "They are not warriors. They deserve to go home to their own herds. Come, we will find your friends. Besides," he continues, cracking his beefy knuckles, "I owe these mages for what they did to my brothers". Odd, thinks Ebo, how a race of gruff beasts can speak in such soothing tones.

"I will join you", twitters Calcarius. "The kenku will support the downfall of these mages. What they have done to the Heart of the Earth is a travesty, a sacrilege that must be punished. My own flock is fighting outside, giving us the time we need to find the head of this snake and cut it off."

"I. Will. Join. You. As. Well." It took some time, but eventually Ebo could understand the staccato accent of the mysterious Thuli. "I. Must. Find. The. Necro. Mancer. And. Kill. Him." The tales of Thuli's imprisonment chilled Ebo to the bone. Apparently, the thri-kreen warrior spent some time in the clutches of this necromancer, who spent his days dissecting the mysterious insectoid, and his nights healing his victim so he could start all over again in the morning. Being taken apart and put back together, day after day, sounds like the very definition of hell.

Ebo suspects the lizardman, Selestak, will join them or, more likely, they'd be following Selestak. He's been trying to lead them to the door of the tower proper since Daric broke them out of their prison, his impatience is evident. Clearly the lizardman wants someone dead, real bad, but they'll never know who, or why. Selestak only ever said one word to them since they arrived, and that was his own name. Ebo feels the lizardman is dangerous, but not to them. It's a risk: the lizardfolk haven't exactly played nicely with the party. But it's a risk they all have to take.

"Come," rumbled Bas. "We will soon run out of time."

..........

"It's a shame Lugal isn't here." Daric rubbed his hand over the giant rune. The same rune was etched into every pillar, on every side. All the etchings were inlaid with the same red mineral, welded into the recesses, most likely by magic.

"These, too, I'm sure." Ebo looks at row after row of stone figures. Very simple, but very perfect, in their construction. Surely they were also the work of the wizards. "He'd probably sit down here for hours, studying the things."

"We don't have hours", twitters Calcarius. "If what the elf has said is true, the attack on the tower's outer defenses has already begun. Hundreds of kenku and humans, aided by dozens upon dozens of stone giants, and the magic of the desert druids, have amassed against the forces of wizards' allies. Their goal is to destroy the tower and all who dwell in it. My people have been waiting for this moment for years, today these wizards will pay for what they have done to the Heart of the Earth."

"We. Will. Make. Them. All. Pay." interrupts the thri-kreen warrior. "The. Way. Upstairs. Is. Clear." He scurries out of the room on his jointed legs, followed by the rest of the party.

..........

"Where are the others?" roars the minotaur. The guard in his mitts was clearly terrified. Moments ago, the minotaur rammed one of his companions out the window, and murdered another with his bare hands. "I will NOT ASK YOU AGAIN!" Gobs of spit and phlegm now covers the face of the hapless guard, who can only feebly point out the room. "Two doors down, on the left."

"You gotta admire the big guy's methods," Ebo declares. The elf can only stare and nod.

..........

"You, camel merchant, give me your dagger! This is no life! I am done! Do it, give me your dagger!!"

Ebo and Daric stand transfixed in horror. "By the gods, Craganor, what has happened to you?"

"Gods? There are no gods! The Lady of Battle has abandoned me, the gods have abandoned all of us! Give me your dagger! I am now worth nothing, now that the goddess has abandoned me!"

The battle cleric was in a terrible state. It is clear that he's been in this cage, in this dark room, since he was captured. The room smells of filth, in fact it appears Craganor used his own feces as face paint. Something truly horrible has happened here. Daric slowly draws his dagger.

"What are you doing, you fool?" bellows the minotaur. "Do not give him your dagger, are you mad? Clearly someone has tortured this man's soul. Would you abandon a comrade to an unholy fate so easily?"

"Unholy??" shouts the cleric. "There is no 'holy'! The gods are quiet, they have abandoned us!"

Daric stows his dagger, and moves to investigate the lock, but there is no lock. The door has been hot-bolted shut. "There's no way to open this."

The minotaur moves towards the cage, intending to shake it free, but before he can, Ebo rushes past, his face red with anger. He slams his body into the cage, grabs on to the lower bars, and heaves. Muscles strain and bulge as he tips the cage backward. With a might shove, the cage flies back into the room, to the amazement of all, especially the giant minotaur. Craganor is bound with silvery manacles, and chained to the floor. "Your dagger, elf, give me your dagger!" he howls. Ebo has to hold him still so Daric can apply his lockpicks to the problem. The cuffs give way, and clatter to the floor.

Craganor looks up, at nothing in particular, and is silent for a moment. Then, he shouts, apparently at the very essence of the world.

"Where have you been? Why did you abandon me all these months?". He pauses. "What do you mean, you couldn't find me? You're a god! Aren't you omniscient?" Craganor goes silent, as if waiting for a reply, but none apparently comes. He stares at the others for a moment, clearly unimpressed that amongst his companions are several species he likely has never encountered before. "Find me a sword. I'm gonna kill that little bitch if it's the last thing I do."

The others stand silent as the ... cleric? ... storms out of the room. Hopefully their remaining friends haven't been tormented as badly as the broken man before them.

To be continued ...

Rewards
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 * Besides various mundane weapons and equipment, the party finds these weapons:
 * A fine kopesh with a lapis lazuli pommel. The weapon appears to be silvered. (Taken by Ebo)
 * Two matching shortswords with ivory pommels. Daric took these.
 * A giant warhammer with minotaur sigils. This is Bas no-Korfan's familial weapon, he took it.
 * The exotic weapons of the thri-kreen warrior. Thuli takes these.
 * Ket's fine dagger with the green hilt. Daric took it to return to Ket.
 * The party rescued Craganor from his cell. He had lost all his clerical powers while captive, now that he is free, he has his cantrips and his divine abilities (Channel Divinity, etc.). His spells will come back after a long rest. He is also weakened, and must make all ST, DX, or CN checks at disadvantage until a long rest or magical means that would cure such conditions.