Episode 10
Hoarding Secrets
The adventurers rest, contemplate their motivations, deal with trust issues, and make a discovery beneath the Laughing Spire.
Recap
Following the Imperial Road north, the adventurers finished their mission of escorting Garrett and his horse Butter to Oaktown. With their new heavy pockets, they ate and drank at the Drunken Deer Tavern, fought off some wild owlbears, and rested for the night at the Twin Crows Inn.
We learned a bit of Raz’sik’s backstory and his motivations, revealing himself a member of a group called The Knives, who serve the Pangenan nation fully and without question. While Gemma, Willa, and Anton challenged his purpose, they decided to see through his new quest of retrieving a magic orb from the abandoned Laughing Spire in town.
After shopping for a few supplies at Beldroth’s Goods, whose owner seemed particularly bigoted toward Pangenans, the group made their way to the abandoned tower on the outskirts of town and along the Mariona Creek. Finding a winding staircase both up four levels and down into darkness, they decided to begin at the bottom. Descending the stairs, they found a small hallway lit by magical braziers. At the far end was a massive hoard of gold coins, jewelry, and treasure – with a large crystal orb at the top. Behind the treasure was an intricate door without handles, old and lavish with detailed elven designs.
Approaching carefully, wary of traps, the adventurers couldn’t find any visible threats. Raz’sik attempted to leap onto the treasure pile and grasp the orb. But as he landed on the top, the orb wouldn’t budge, and the gold coins seemed almost stuck or glued together. It was then that a massive maw opened up to consume Raz’sik, revealing it was no treasure at all – but a hoard mimic! – an amorphous creature in disguise.
As the mimic attempted to strangle and consume the party with its mouths and pseudopods, spraying acidic, caustic mist, which temporarily blinded Willa, Gemma took control of her sorcery and attacked. Eventually with Sovemil’s divine magic aiding the party, they were able to destroy the strange creature.
They then inspected the door beyond, finding it to be magically sealed – perhaps requiring a password. In turn, they chose to head toward the surface to inspect the rest of the Laughing Spire.