As detailed last time, a tower appeared overnight in a vacant lot in the merchant district of the city of Yan. Taller than any other building in Yan, it was roofless, green, and in general disquieting and unnatural, though no visible threat issued from it. The Emira's city guard were reluctant to storm the place, and thus it was necessary for her to look for mercenaries.
Alas, the orc and wizard that she chose for the job did not return. Thus she hired a new band: the barbarian Paxa Black, and the elvish wizards Earwen and Marion. The three quickly engaged the services of the down-on-her-luck Buddhist nun Xanthippe (Yan is nothing if not varied, and the religions of a dozen worlds may easily be found there).
The four made their way to the vacant lot where the tower sat. They interrogated a crowd of onlookers, whose information was ample, if not necessarily informed. Seeing no door, the barbarian boldly decided to climb the vines which covered the tower. Alas, he fell, necessitating a prayer for intervention from the nun. The wizards, meanwhile, investigated the outside of the tower, finding an open doorway, and learning by way of Abelard's Insightful Eye that the tower was not covered in vines, but made of them.
The barbarian being somewhat revived, the adventurers made their way within. A mysterious property of the entrance hall, wherein the room seemed to be neighboured by a smaller and a larger version of itself, provoked some interest, but was declared superfluous to the main mission. Thus the adventurers made their way upwards.
The reverse medusa detailed last time appeared to have been recaptured, for he was again bound and blindfolded when our heroes found him (if indeed the creature was male). After some interrogation they released him, and he decided to make his way out of the tower and attempt to find his way home. He gave his thanks, and the information that he had been captured by the owner of the tower, a wicked creature named Yara.
A storeroom full of barrels, marked in an alien tongue as containing 'Lightweight Flaming Oil', did not tempt the adventurers, for they felt the danger of carrying the objects outweighed their likely benefit. Thus they continued upwards, encountering a sleeping group of sugar cubes, whose opinion of Yara was entirely positive.
The opinion of the next group they encountered, two blue men who appeared to suffer no damage from the weapons that skewered their bodies, is not known, since they shared no language in common with our heroes.
The band made their way to a room wherein a group of (apparently) human skeletons were displayed, as if they were drinking and gambling. A plaque informed any who read it that they would spring to life once anyone set foot near them. There being no way to progress other than going past the skeletons, it was decided that Paxa would advance, and that once the creatures sprang to 'life' the party would trust in the accumulated chi of the nun to disperse them. This worked perfectly: the sound of Xanthippe's mantra was like a tidal wave, before which the skeletons fled in panic. The adventurers quickly took another route, stopping only to pile up some tables before the staircase to act as a barrier and an alarm when the undead creatures returned (as Xanthippe averred they would).
Tragedy now enters our story. For the next creature encountered was a savage thing of stone, which eschewed all discourse and attacked, fatally wounding Marion with one blow of its oversized fists. A mighty blow of the barbarian's sword, which would have cleaved flesh in twain, seemed to barely hurt the thing, and the warrior too was struck, thankfully not fatally. The two adventurers left standing decided to leave, dragging the unconscious barbarian with them. Mercifully the creature was too slow to catch them, and too small to fit through the door.
Our heroes talked their way past a giant and living cup, apparently containing black coffee, who told them the way to the office of Yara. Following its advice, they met the sorcerer at last. He explained that he was the proprieter of a zoo, and travelled around gathering interesting creatures to appear as exhibits. The heroes declined his suggestion that they should appear in the zoo, despite his promise of more gold than was offered by the Emira of Yan.
After lengthy negotiation, the adventurers gained a promise from Yara to depart, with his tower, at sunset. He also declared that he had taken no creatures from Yan save cats and rats. Upon leaving the office, the adventurers wondered if they had been tricked - not least because Yara seemingly began to relax back into his true form as the door was closed. They decided to cast a spell to divine evil intentions, should Yara have any. Knocking on the door and offering the excuse that they were seeking the toilets, it became obvious that Yara (now apparently human again) was as full of evil thoughts as an anthill is full of ants.
What could be done? Another whispered conference in the corridor settled upon a spell to put Yara in a slumber. They opened the door again. The wizard was waiting for them, but the spell was successful, and he fell to the floor in unwilling repose - a repose which did not end the illusion of his human form, if illusion it was.
Tying up the sorcerer, the heroes took left the tower with him in tow, intending to present him to Yasmina. On the way out they passed an elephant-headed, four-armed man, Yag-Kosha by name (who, like the reverse medusa, was freed by the initial party to enter the tower, but apparently was recaptured in whatever disaster ended their expedition). Yara insisted that Yag-Kosha was a dangerous and cunning creature, not to be freed. Yag-Kosha himself insisted that he was harmless, and indeed the victim of Yara. The heroes freed him, but kept a wary eye on him as they made their way to the palace.
Here the session ends, with our heroes victorious and expectant of reward, yet still wary of the two creatures taken from the tower, and ignorant as to the fate of the reverse medusa.
This is totally great!
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