Hook:
The recruits have decided to investigate the giant tower in the center of a ruined city. I wonder who's home.
011 - 250227 - Knock, Knock, Knocking on Wizard's Door - Wizard Tower I
Date:
446 PC, Dawnrise 36
Players:
Ragnum
Donk
Dev
Draylore
Loot:
3 x potions of cure light wounds (2 Donk, 1 Dev)
2 x School Badges (Ragnum, Dralore)
3x Potions of Minor Restoration
Potion of Mind Shield (advan saves vs charmed or frightened, 1 hr)
Field Alchemist’s Stimulant
Potion of Resistance (Acid)
Potion of Resistance (Necrotic)
Medical supplies
thin copper sheets
spell components for healing spells
Magical lock box (from room of Revivification)
room of Revivification
After Actions:
Hey Murf and Linus, you will never guess what we found in the tower at the center of the ruins. We got there without any problems. The front gate to the now overgrown gardens around the tower and the doors into the tower weren’t even locked. We might want to explore the gardens at some point, but they are really grown over, so there is no telling what is hiding within. We can confirm that it was a school or college of some kind, just like the research we did that suggested. It appears that their motto was “Until the stars hear us!,” as it was written in draconic over the entrance. Once inside the main entrance, there is a large basilica with a central plinth; the ceiling of this room is covered in old plaster, and some creatures appear to have made a nest inside a hole in the plaster. The central plinth had some sort of magical assistant/communications spell still active but it was not fully functioning; we found a couple of these in various rooms, and while none was fully intact, we managed to piece together a few pieces of information from them (some info about faculty of the mage college: Grahm Fluorpho (sp?) in Rm 400, the date of the plane shift that pull the pocket dimensions aways from the prime).
The main chamber continues back past where we could initially see. Still, we chose to initially check out the chambers to either side of the basilica. To the left, we found two rooms that looked like they were spaces for students to spend time or to access the communication spell; we also found a store room with scribing supplies, but they had all been ruined by time. We found quarters and training facilities for guards to the right off the main chamber. It is unclear what happened to the guards. In these rooms, we found two badges (magical) that were apparently worn by students and staff as identification and to allow them to access the communication spell. Behind the guard’s quarters, we found the infirmary, which still had some useable potions and a magical room of great interest: The room was labeled as the “Room of Revivification.” It was full of stone tables for working with bodies and one of the magical plinths; the plinth reported that two souls had been caught, and when we inquired as to whose soul they were, the plinth provided us with the names of Brian and Brian, who were killed during the attack on the wagon. We think this room must save the soul of anyone who dies in range and allow for them to be Revivified.
015 - 250320 - Two-er Exploration - Wizard Tower II
Our party had only just started exploring tower at the center of the city when they had to head back to camp. They're going back though.
Date:
446 PC, Dawnrise 46
Players:
Draylor (Raph)
Ragnum (Jake)
Dev (Paul*)
Keres (Sarah)
Loot:
2 x Glowing hexagon spindles, magic
Residual Waltz Boots (Wondrous Item, Uncommon): A well-crafted pair of leather shoes, supple and dark, with polished toe and heel caps that curve into elegant points. Delicate perforations trace scalloped edges along these sections, forming a pattern suitable for a pair of formal dance shoes. Subtle filigree winds through the leather, mimicking the flow of choreographed steps—loops and spirals etched so finely they catch the light only at certain angles. Despite their age, the leather holds a faint sheen, and the stitching pulses softly in rhythm, as if waiting for music to begin.
Grants +10 feet of movement speed while music is playing.
Allows the wearer to ignore difficult terrain caused by rubble or shifting floors with a DC 10 performance check.
Gloves, magic (casts mending) (Donk)
fine woolen cloak (cold-weather gear)
After Actions:
Dawnrise 46, Two-er Exploration Report on our initial exploration of the ruins and tower.
To Steve, MC (magically copied to) Sarna, Talia
Our initial foray into the ruins has met with great success. Heretofore, we report on two sites of interest: a government building designated the Central Planning Office and the first floor of the tower is referred to as “the wizard's tower” among the expedition.
First, we have located and searched an old government building that was designated as the central planning office. This building had multiple floors and a basement. As would be expected, the paperwork on most of the floors had been lost to the ravages of time. However, we are happy to report that some of the records were stored in a magically protected area and were recovered. We found two sacks of books and a very detailed map of the city before it was ruined, which, on our immediate return, were provided to the scholar's tent for analysis. At the request of Linnus, we also extracted some of the previous warded stonework from this building for his study. Our search of this building was cut short when we encountered what appeared to be an undead ghostly apparition that attacked a party member. This undead appeared to be of a similar type as those we encountered recently in Barrowood, so it is not clear if this encounter indicates greater undead activity in the ruins compared to other previously inhabited areas of the rift. We left approximately ¼ of the upper floor unexplored and recommended that a clean-up team prepared for encounters with undead be sent to ensure nothing was missed when we executed our strategic retreat.
We also recovered two stones that appear to act as magical power sources; one was powering an astro-lathe in the main ballroom, and the other an arcane servant spell in a hidden room. We have turned over one of these power sources with this report. We will take it with us on future expeditions in case we encounter equipment that is in need of a power source.
We found the stairway leading to the second floor and would like to return to continue our exploration of the upper floors of the tower. We would request Sarna provide us with supplies to help us deal with any undead we may encounter on our future expeditions.
Weekly Wyrm Recap:
Two-er Exploration With official clearance finally in hand (suspiciously late), the gang dove back into the tower. Turns out Thalia’s squad made a mess, Shard Rats are still a thing, and oh— the tower is definitely hiding something. Two power nodes later, the team headed back to camp to tell Steve all about everything they saw in the single day they had access to the city.
023 - 250512 - Accessing Restricted Memory - Wizard Tower III
The recruits return to the tower, hoping to dig deeper into its systems, unlock old defenses, and uncover traces of what it once remembered.
Date:
446 PC, Brightwane 4 - New Moon
Players:
Ragnum
Dev
Odett (Nadia)
Raven (Danielle)
Draylor (Raph)
Loot:
Magic sonoss/PA system (1 microphone, 8 sending stones) [Scholars Tent]
Scribbled notes on students over 17+ years post collapse (to scholars tent)
5 stone Record dominos (to scholars' tent)
Sack of associated Dominoes sampled from the Domino library (to scholars tent)
Personal Dominos [Dev and Donk]
1 x Cloak of protection with mage college insignia (six stars) – [turned over to steve ]with report
4 x cloak of protection +1 – distributed among the party
120 sp – distributed among the party
Spell Scroll (1st Level) - Ice Knife [Dev]
Spell Scroll (1st Level) - Comprehend Languages [Ragnum]
Carved Bone Dice x2 (worth 25gp each) [Donk]
Star Rose Quartz (worth 50 gp) [Odett]
Wand of Magic Missiles [Dev]
After Actions:
Brightwane 4
Accessing Restricted MemoryI wanted to see what other secrets and knowledge remain in the Tower that looms over the City. Ragnum and Donk were willing to join me on another trip, and Odett was curious about the place where her friends were brought back to life.
The second floor of the Tower held examination rooms to screen applicants who wanted to learn there or serve in the Tower guard. It’s been hundreds of years since the Collapse and the fall of the City, but it’s amazing how much is still working.
Donk and I both sat for the interview portion of the exam and were allowed to advance to a practical portion that no one’s left to administer. It was very personal and brought back memories of my life before the Rift that I’d rather not think about.
But we found plenty of amazing stuff! There was a lecture hall that had this phenomenally well-made Sonas rune system – I never thought I’d get to see a working set! It was stupid, but I had to see if we could use it – and Odett was more than eager to try out the voice amplification device.
Fortunately, we just frightened a nearby flock of birds – and maybe anything else that had been stirring in the area. Nothing came to investigate our noisy band of scouts. We even managed to pull the stones out of the room to bring back to camp – if anyone has any singing talent, we’re ready to hold a concert.
We found five blue cloaks of protection in a practical exam hall, one of which left the Tower with a pre-collapse insignia of the tower on the back and needs to be turned in to our camp leaders. The other four left the Tower bereft of any decoration.
This level of the Tower painted a disturbing picture of life in the City following the Collapse. From the admission records we found, the Tower continued to operate for decades, but the number of applicants diminished. After a few years, it seemed that the Tower was just serving a few families. At some point, the remaining staff decided “what’s the point of keeping track?”
We found a balcony that had been converted into a garden to grow food, with an improvised irrigation system using one of the bathroom sinks. It was still working, after a fashion. The pre-Collapse magic was amazing! There was also a sleeping area set up on the floor that seemed like a later change to the original floor plan, as a way of accommodating more people that the Tower had been designed for.
There was a piece of bathroom graffiti that is sticking in my mind: “I miss dreaming.” I can’t remember if I’ve had a dream since we came through the Anchor. I don’t usually recall mine for more than a second or two after waking, but now I’m finding that unsettling.
Dev
Brightwine 2, Onward and upward
To Steve, Report on level 2 of wizard tower Onward and upward!
We have fully explored the second level of the wizard tower, most of which seemed to be used for the intake and testing of new students. Of particular note: We found a room that was used as some sort of a lecture hall; it contained a magic system for amplifying a person's voice, which we were able to remove from the room. There was also an “Exam Room,” with faded abjuration magic, in which we found five magical cloaks of protection—one of which was embroidered with the six-starred insignia of the mage college. Additionally, we found the archive of student records, which are magically stored on domino-sized stones, and some handwritten notes that seem to suggest that up to 17 years post-collapse the school was still operational and taking students, desperately so, as the students seemed to decline in quality every year. We also found a make-shift garden on the 2nd floor balcony. Together, these seem to support the idea that the city was cut off from the rest of the rift immediately following the collapse. Perhaps they were screening for a magical talent that would be powerful enough to help them escape either their local imprisonment or the rift.
042 - 250825 - Housekeeping - Wizard Tower IV
Date:
446 PC, Brightwane 43
Players:
Donk (Daniel)
Sorrel (Blu)
Die-Anna (Kate)
Ragnum (Jake)
Fisher (Ben)
Loot:
Introductory text on Planar theory and magic
Study Light & Spectacles [Fisher]
Wondrous Item, uncommon A smooth crystal dodecahedron, about the size of a plum, edges etched with faint runes. It rests in a snug leather case with a slot that also holds a pair of slim, round spectacles on a delicate brass chain. The two items are bound as a set. Effect:When held or placed nearby, the dodecahedron glows faintly — but only visible through the spectacles.
To the wearer of the spectacles, the crystal casts a 10-foot radius of cool silver light, bright enough to read, write, or move quietly by.
To anyone without the spectacles, the crystal appears inert. Passing through the glow may cause a fleeting sensation of chill, but nothing visible.
Hourglass of Naps* [Die-Anna]
Wondrous Item, common, requires attunement A thumb-sized hourglass with brass caps and cloudy sand that never runs out. The sand runs for exactly thirty minutes before flipping itself back over. The frame is etched with the Tower crest and the word “Rest.” Effect: If you are attuned to this item as you rest while the hourglass runs its full thirty minutes, you gain an extra 1d4 temporary hit points the next time you wake up.
This benefit can occur once per day.
If interrupted before the sand flips, no benefit is gained.
Fizzing Marble [Sorrel]
Wondrous Item, common, student-made A cloudy glass marble, faintly warm when held. Tiny bubbles drift inside it as if suspended in soda. Effect: When flicked against a surface, the marble lets out a loud, flatulent BLAAAT or an awkward cough/laugh, echoing for 10 feet.
The sound is harmless, but carries clearly through stone walls or dorm partitions.
Can be triggered once per day. The marble then goes inert until dawn.
60.8 gp in mixed coinage (Banner gets 50.24 gp, and we get 12.16 gp or 2.43 gp each)
After Actions:
Ragnum:
Housekeeping , Brightwane 43
Report on Tower Fl, to Steve, Copy to Rector-9
The third floor of the tower appears to have been primarily for housing first-year students—“minnows” as they were referred in the daily parlance of the college—and socializing by the students. The floor opened onto what appeared to be a bar area and led to a small stage, which helped determine the sizing of school robes; this is yet another example of how the city of the Tharnic Empire employed permanent enchantments for the most basic tasks. We found the supply of new robes and a changing area, but all of these areas were underwhelming compared to the brass clockwork golem that acted as a cashier for the school book store. We should see about move this golem to the scholars tent for the purpose of study. From this store, we recovered 60gp 8 sp (of which we have already turned over the required 50gp 2 sp 4 cp to Sarna) and one intact textbook. While this appears to have been intended as an introduction to planar theory and magic for the students here, the ideas contained within would be considered more advanced planar theory by most current understanding. That this was considered an introductory study underlines the loss of magical knowledge that occurred after the Solaen Collapse and the promise shown by continued exploration of the tower. Subsequently, we found that the bronze fish key (the reason for today's exploration) unlocked a previously unexplored bunkroom containing several minor magic items (descriptions attached), which we have distributed among ourselves to further enhance our effectiveness as scouts.
The last room we searched was an internal courtyard that contained a rotating door made from the “Imperial Alloy.” I am sure your previous reports have highlighted this door, as such a behemoth would only be installed to protect something of great importance. And, this door was unmatched by anything we have seen in the city short of the Imperial Bank. Despite there being no evidence of an opening mechanism on the outside of the door, we were not daunted. We managed to find a secret door to a maintenance crawl space that appears to contain a the controls to the door. Unfortunately, the mechanism was damaged, and we are going to have to search the city for the materials to report the mechanism and open the door.
I feel that it is worth mentioning that, despite reports that this level had been previously searched, we managed to uncover several interesting features that were overlooked. We hope that our success will warrant our continued access to the tower, as our group of scouts have been responsible for revealing several of its more interesting features and we clearly do a more thorough job searching the floors of the building. 251027 - First Crest - Wizard Tower V
Date:
446 High Flare 12-13
Players:
Die-Anna (Kate)
Dev (Paul)
Ragnum (Jake)
Sorrel (Blu)
After Actions:
Dev:
High Flare 12
When we returned to camp, Steve had a new job for us that he was very eager for us to take up. He apparently just read Ragnum’s report from our trip to the Gnomish School of Applied Mechanics last month and realized we could probably continue exploring the Tower.
Ragnum made sure to tell Steve about the Sunken City mentioned in Atrice’s note rather than relying on him reading a report that who knows when he’ll have time to write.
Tomorrow, we’re heading out to the Tower with Sorrel to see if we can get past the door that stopped previous exploration attempts.
High Flare 13
I felt like crap again – I am not a fan of this fast travel system the Banner came up with. Merry tried to make me the perfect cup of tea to get me started for the day. They tried several different varieties, and I’m sure they would all have been wonderful under other circumstances – but sometimes you just need to have the higher caffeine amounts that only coffee can provide.
I went to the mess tent and found Die-Anna in high spirits, tossing oranges, lemons and pomegranates to people before setting a basket of fresh fruit in front of Cook. She plucked an orange out and started to eat it peel and all. I don’t even want to know what that was all about.
Ragnum and Sorrel found us, and we went to the Tower. Sorrel was able to install the part that we found at the gnome school and bring the rotunda systems back online. He was able to make sense of the engineers’ notes and found a reference to a “crow’s nest” for the lower levels. He also determined that the plug had been removed with purpose.
Sorrel was able to open the door, and we found a room with six archways corresponding to the Tower’s six magic houses. It quickly became apparent that we needed a crest to open each door and bring the rotunda systems fully online.
Fortunately, Die-Anna still had a crest that she found in the Forge during our disastrous trip there earlier in our time in the Riftspan. (Thunk. Squish.) It was a match for Thorn House and granted us access to their part of the Tower.
We found a workshop, and Sorrel filled a seemingly bottomless bag with high-quality artificer tools. Ragnum recovered some silver powder from a storeroom which should help him restock our supply of holy water. Die-Anna found some magic beads, but we’re not sure what they do.
We went further inside and found some mechanical animals. Sorrel bonded with a nearly like-like mechanical pug dog, while Die-Anna found a one-winged parrot that had seen better days. In another room, I found a self-stirring cup and a transmutation textbook.
We went up a level and found more labs and a lecture hall. Ragnum found a wing for Die-Anna’s parrot. We went up another level and found galleries showcasing the work of former students and a forge with a viewing gallery. There was also access to a balcony on the outside of the Tower. We could see something floating above the horizon to the southwest, but it was too far away to identify.
We found another locked door. I helped Die-Anna pick the lock, but we triggered a trap and some kind of acid dissolved the lock pick she was using. In frustration, she kicked the door and it didn’t budge. Since we had stopped trying to be subtle, I cast Knock on the door. I fought the magic that was keeping it locked and was able to get it to open.
The door was protecting an archive or library, and a puzzle focused on runes related to the forging process and the Tharnic calendar. I used magic to clean the dust of all those years from the mechanism, and Die-Anna and Sorrel oiled it (as well as everything else in the vicinity.)
Two gears turning corresponded to Dawnrise.
A closed book against a source of light matched with Brightwane.
A burning crucible went with High Flare
A blade being hammered on an anvil went with Ashfall
A cooling blade matched with Duskveil
A cold forge went with Frosttide.
The voice of the Tower systems let us know that the Thorn Crest Node had been reactivated and that structural harmonics had been restored.
I’d love to find the crest to get into the illusion school’s house.