With all of the Wild Rovers and their merry band of merries still breathing, though seriously wearied, Aengus proceeded to unlock Zex’s cell — only to have a massive Blight spell erupt from the enchanted lock. As nearby trees just outside the window withered, Aengus, Zax, Magma, and Sven crumpled to the floor. Vara rapidly put her years of medicinal training to good use by stabilizing the merries while Jani saw to reviving Aengus and Zax. Conceding that he had no business opening locks, Aengus left the matter of releasing the elf twins from their prisons to more capable individuals. Freed from their bonds, the ragged elves joined the group in a short rest.
Fearing that Urna or more of his followers might arrive if they lingered too long, the Rovers were eager to finish checking the building and make their escape. On the body of one of their fallen adversaries they found what appeared to be a list of five magical artifacts:
- The Highgate Crown, delivered by Aengus while mind-controlled to the duergar High Priestess Drothmara, was marked with a checkmark.
- The Elixir of the Lake, a reference to the mortar and pestle stolen from Vara at Valonara by Urna’s now-defeated shadar-kai lieutenants, was also marked.
- The Lute of Syrinx, whose name referenced the great frozen island to the northeast, was illustrated as a stringed musical instrument.
- The Lamp of Malaki, illustrated as an oil lamp, appeared to be the same artifact that the tabaxi Jade Eyes mentioned just days before, which could be rubbed to obtain the services of Malaki the Humble at Shambhalah.
- The Ruined was illustrated as an arrowhead bearing a blood red eye.
The unexplored second floor radiated magical auras, so they proceeded with caution. Jani volunteered to magically open an unlocked door from a distance while the rest stood farther back; despite these precautions, the enormous blast of necrotic energy that followed would have killed many had not a few healers remained standing to stabilize and heal all.
Believing they had finally learned their lesson, they moved their entourage outside into the cool night air, a safe distance from any more magical traps that might await them. Jani investigated the room behind the trapped door and recovered a notebook. With just a couple more rooms to check, she went outside, hopped on her broom, and peered in through the windows. In the first room she spotted their prize: Vara’s mortar and pestle. In the adjoining room, she saw a many-legged alien horror, apparently lying in wait. Jani returned inside, reported what she saw, slapped a patch from her Robe of Useful Things on the inner wall to create a window into the first room for Vara, and flew outside again to observe from a safe distance.
Just as Vara was crawling through the window to reclaim the heirloom that was rightful hers, the alien creature phased through the wall. “I will not be denied,” Vara growled as her eyes went black and her skeletal wings spread wide, but the creature was unperturbed. She grasped the artifact and turned to escape. The creature took a shot at Jani through the exterior window when she tried to intervene, knocking her off her broom and causing her to fall two stories where she struck the hard earth and the life began to leave her. As she hurried down the stairs, Vara shouted to Urs and Aengus as they rushed into the building that Jani needed help, so Aengus ran outside while Urs and Vara stood their ground to hold the thing back. Those merries who could still get to their feet hurried to help with the fight. Aengus found Jani, not breathing and without a pulse, so he beseeched Moradin to revive her, and that he did. The creature soon found itself outnumbered, so it retreated by phasing into the floor.
Astonished at what they had just survived, they all grabbed their gear and those among them that still lay unconscious and hurried into the forest, retracing their steps back toward the main road. When they had put some distance between themselves and that deadly house, they collapsed to the ground and prepared for a much needed rest. Jani conjured her protective dome, but it was only large enough for all but one, so Bean and Urs volunteered to take the first watch outside the dome.
Fortune was no longer smiling on them, and the boneclaw creature that stalked them earlier in the week returned in the dead of night. In mere moments, the terrifying skeletal murder machine grabbed Bean and teleported away into darkness. Urs began to run toward the sound of screams, and soon his companions followed. They found only eviscerated pieces of Bean. Fearing the creature could return at any moment but compelled to recover as much of the body as possible, they combed through the tall grass. Before they had finished, the creature returned and pounced on Aengus. Luckily, others were near enough to cut the thing down quickly. Distraught, they carried as much of their beloved Bean as they could find back to the dome where they tried to finally get some rest. This time, the living fit inside without issue…
