Even an obvious trap/trick/monster will get the party to try to find ways around it. That was this meeting with the 4 gargoyles - and the group did a decent job in dispatching them. Their main purpose, of course, is to divide the group's efforts - which they did quite well.
Mahr's Tower was always firmly in the "wonky" side of the bell curve and I am pleased to see that it still makes the players go, "Whiskey Foxtrot Tango?" when confronted with its odd rules and layout.
Write up follows:
The group tentatively took to the stairs and made their
way with exaggerated care to the 2nd floor. There was a landing here before the
stairs continued up to the 3rd. Half the great dimensions of the room
(90’?)were walled off on the eastern side, two doors (one far north, the other
far south) were visible. The room was lit by 4 7’ tall gargoyle looking
statues, glowing with a faint white/grey candle-like glow.
Fist’al volunteered to step up first, his presence on the
landing causing the gargoyles to glow a bit brighter, but nothing else. We
experimented a for bit, getting the gargoyle-lights to brighten about double,
but no more regardless of how many people were on the 2nd floor proper. We
spent some time checking over the eastern wall and again both doors – finding
no traps or anything else. Auri dared to approach the “3rd” gargoyle and it did
nothing, even when the half-orcish fighter smacked it with the crowbar and
chipped some off – nothing happened.
We decided on opening the southern door and saw an older
room – 2 beds, desk, large winged back chair, and a round table. Fairly dusty
and yellowed with age. Fist’al went in to explore, Fergus stood @ the door for
support. Auri continued to deface/damage the gargoyle statue.
The beds were very old, sheets stiff and easily damaged.
Pillows had nothing below them. Table had a spiral of runes running down the
surface and a call was made for Marcus to read magic on the surface. Something
about not being disturbed was mentioned again and again. We left the table
alone. Fist’al was at the desk and went through some attempts to open it
–getting zapped where he lost 15 lbs as well as was unnaturally aged. His efforts
did result in opening a drawer where under 3 sets of clothing found a glowing
2-3 lb yellow stone. He took it and proceeded to walk out.
It was then that a strange wind blew up and smoke filled
the room, making it impossible to see. Fergus tied a rope around his waist and
had Mummus hold the other end before going in to try and find Fist’al. The two
of them hooked up with one another and made their way back towards the door but
couldn’t feel it being open. To Mummus’ point of view, he could hear them just
inside but swirling smoke and dust was obscuring any view within. He stuck his
hand just inside the door and told Fergus to grab him. He felt something grip
him around the wrist and he gripped the figure back and pulled.
And the 3rd gargoyle statue slid across the floor in time
to Mummus’ pulling.
Fergus of course, felt nothing except a closed door.
Auri smashed the gargoyle’s arm and Mummus groaned in
pain as it was released, his own wrist suffering from the blow. Fergus was able
to find Fist’al and the two of them opened the door – which opened across the
room on the NORTH side.
And the 1st and 4th gargoyles attacked.
The smoke was ended as well as the wind – but to Mummus’ point
of view, the rope went into the room perhaps 4 or 5 feet and then ended, and to
Fergus’ point of view 90’ away, the rope went OUT of the room maybe 2 or three
feet and ended. This was put aside as the stony monsters surged forward and
assaulted the fighters. Auri passed her crowbar over to Geld and told him to
beat the hell out of the 3rd and 2nd gargoyles (who to this point, had not
“activated” as of yet).
We beat and smashed and fought against the gargoyles as
hard as we could, hampered by the fact that we had two combats separated by
90’.Fist’al meanwhile was checking out the desk in THIS room where he
discovered in the same drawer as the other one – another stone – this one a
radiant purple. He opted NOT to take it.
The combat eventually wound down as the last gargoyle was
dispatched (Mummus shining many times during the fight) and we joined Fist’al
in the northern room after goodberries were dispensed. The drawer that refused
to open was eventually picked properly and in conjunction with leaning
backwards, opened a secret door along the south wall that lead to a seriously
disused library.
It took the better part of the hour to capture the 130 or
so books that were still salvageable and get them outside the secret room. Only
a single tome was magical, and it was some sort of odd thin book by someone
called Wipztar the Linguarcanist. Inside were 12 pages, each with a single
oversized word written upon them. Marcus took the book and we decided to
further explore its possible use at a later time.
We were dismayed though to note that in our repeated
disturbing of the “light” stones, that the 4 gargoyles had been repaired
magically somehow and were once again in their former places. Not wanting to
risk activating them another time, we gave them a wide birth and transported
the tomes down to the lower floor.
From here we dared the central steps again and this time
found ourselves on the 3rd landing. There was a couch and chair here, along
with a handful of dimly glowing candles. A door was along the north wall,
closed. There were 3 other openings, one lead east to a bedroom, one led south
to a work area or scriptorium, and the last lead west to a workshop of some
sort. The group went to the east opening and gave the bedroom a once over.
4 beds, and few other furnishings. The place was fairly
clean and well-kept given its age. It was during the investigation though that
something was disturbed in here and various parts of the room animated. A
blanket swarmed up and engulfed Fergus, followed by a pillow that hit him so
hard in the face that he was knocked down! Sheets fluttered about and twisted
up, whipping the people in the room repeatedly while the blanket tried to
smother the paladin and the pillow was bashing his head with a surprising
amount of force.
It took a number of us some time to put the ensorcelled
bedroom items to rest until finally it was over and Fergus was lifted up, dazed
but alive. It was close to 6 PM on Firemonth the 30th and we were discussing on
continuing onward to the next chamber or returning to the outside to rest for
the night.
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