Blacktree Chronicles #14: Book Learning

Reading is Fundamental

The session starts down one Bobrick . It’s the aftermath of the party’s defense of themselves versus a group of angry specters in the Ivory Library. They go through the books to find items of interest and find several.  I had props for each book printed out, but an accident involving my cat and water ruined them quick, and I’m saving printer ink for my maps.

The players learn more about the Grey Guard, the Baron’s forces, and about the Shadowfell version of Greyharbour (named coincidentally, Blackharbour), as well as a bit about the dragonborn city Iovanthar.

The players then go to the next level looking for the relevant information they need.  They need to find a book on how to burn a special magical book.

They reach the divination room and find themselves attacked by more ghosts.  This combat got pretty rough.  I used a vortex wraith along with some toned-down servile ghosts and phantom warriors.  Things started well, with Quimmel managing to freeze about half the battlefield for many, many turns –I couldn’t roll a save to err, save my life?  Once the vortex wraith got in though, the fight got interesting.  The vortex wraith’s aura deals 5 and pulls the players within 3 squares towards it. Combined with its attack versus Ref, and it was smacking the players around for a good bit. The players were able to clear its foes, and then it was elementary it was going to drop as all blades turned to it.

The players found more books and this time they struck gold.  They found a book called “Disenchanted Thoughts”. It tells them that there are only two places in the region where disenchantment of artifacts could be done.  The first is in the ruins of Iovanthar.  The second is in Thom itself –the Incendarium.  Thom actually built itself up as a city through the Incendarium.  Peopl would come to break down their magical items into raw residuum and for ritual use or for the creation of magic items, and adventurers would often sell their items here to smelt merchants who then sold their goods to arcane ritualists.  But centuries ago there was some incident, which few people know about.  The Incendarium was quickly shut down, with the price for re-entry being death.

The PCs mulled this over a bit.  Khalil was eager to go to Iovanthar, but proximity won the day.  Now the players just had to find out where in the city it was, and how to get in.

Skill Challenge time!  The way I broke this down was to keep it open in terms of failures.  The more failures the players had, the more likely it was that they would attract some sort of attention.  They moved around town researching and speaking with people.  They found out that the Incendarium is actually right under the High Council building, and that only members of the High Council can open that door.

The party then started researching the Council members and seeing who would be most amenable to their cause or willing to take some sort of bribe.

It was at this point where they gathered enough successes to attract a little attention.  This attention was from a member of the council, a halfling wizard by the name of Pobers Milkstein.  He sneaks up on Quimmel and Arctana as they discuss the warding on the doors and possible ways to circumvent it.  Pobers tells them it’s come to his attention that the players have been snooping around town and he is interested in helping them….if they’ll help him.  He tells the mage and the warlock to bring their friends to Sellie’s after nightfall so that they may discuss.

Similar Posts:

•      Blacktree Chronicles #11: The True Illusion of Death
•      Blacktree Chronicles #10, Words of Fire, Word of My Father finale.
•      BlackTree Chronicles: The Story So Far.