Day 22 (continued)
The artisan’s area is an open square between 4 shelving units and the floor is covered with straw. A couple of crates and tables are scattered around. Four statues are moving, along with the golem. The artisan himself is possessed and stands in the centre of the area. Atop his workbench is a glowing swirl of energy around a miniature statue.
Temerity uses bardic inspiration on Theren and then looks at the suspicious magic swirl. He casts dispel magic on it. Light emits from his hand and hits the swirl. The effect sputters for a moment but then is restored.
Lavender scrutinises the statues and decides that magic is probably the best way to attack them. She charges into the square towards one of the statues and attempts to bash it with her shield, using divine smite, causing it some damage.
The artisan picks up a hunk of rock that he’s chiselled off and throws it at Gage. It lands harmlessly beside him. He roars and retreats to behind some barrels.
The statues begin to move. One moves to behind Lavender. The one she attacked remains in front of her. Both of them swing their arms down onto her head, causing minimal damage. The other two begin to lurch towards the choke point between the shelves where the main party is standing.
The golem moves to Lavender and swings at her, but only causes a glancing blow.
Gage dashes down the side of the shelves, trying to flank the artisan who is hiding at the back. He checks the shelves. They contain a few crates. There are fewer items on the upper shelves.
Anaphel moves forwards to combat one of the statues heading towards them, who bashes them immediately, causing minimal damage. Anaphel swings their sword and slashes straight across the statue, leaving a noticeable mark in the stone.
Theren moves forwards to see around the shelves and uses shatter against the golem and statue the statue behind Lavender, causing damage to both.
The swirl launches a psychic attack. Anaphel take a small amount of damage. Theren takes more and is stunned. Runcible is dispelled by the attack.
Temerity stares hard at the swirl and discovers that it is immune to psychic and poison damage, cannot be stricken with status effects but it is weak against thunder damage. He decides to launch an eldritch blast against it. Chikatika places a hand on his neck and adds her power to the blast. The swirl takes minimal damage. He calls out bardic inspiration to Lavender.
Lavender continues trying to shield bash the statues, focusing on the one in front of her. She scores a significant smack on it. Part of the stone begins to crumble off the statue.
The artisan moves around the shelves and comes face to face with Gage. The artisan’s green eyes glow bright. He moves to whack his chisel into Gage’s skull with a mallet, causing damage. Gage clambers up the shelving unit to escape from the artisan, part of his head missing.
Anaphel mutters an incantation and beside them appears a huge sword with snowflake motifs across the hilt. They slash the statue in front of them and the spirit sword attacks also. The spirit sword misses but Anaphel causes the statue damage.
The statue closest to Theren attacks him. The statue closest to Anaphel attacks them. The two statues by Lavender attack her but only one hits.
The golem also swings for Lavender but misses. It is too cumbersome.
Gage tries to push a crate off the shelf but he gets a splinter and cannot push it. He jumps across to the next shelving unit and then stealths himself.
Theren is stunned and cannot attack.
The swirl remains ominously still.
Temerity attacks the artisan down the side of the shelving unit. He uses eldritch blast but causes minimal damage.
Lavender attacks the statue in front of her, which is already crumbling and it completely disintegrates. She turns and swings at the one behind her, causing major damage to it.
The artisan moves in the direction of Temerity and throws another chunk of rock towards him, which bounces off his horns.
Anaphel mutters a prayer. Temerity, Theren and Lavender feel a chill through their bodies. They feel a sense of protection from Auriel. They are all now blessed. The spirit weapon fails to hit the statue in front of it.
The golem swings at Lavender and causes minimal damage. The statue by Lavender also swings at her and hits. The statue by Anaphel hits them but it doesn’t dispel the blessing. The statue by Theren attacks him and causes significant damage.
Gage fires an arrow at the swirl. It hits but doesn’t appear to make a massive impact against it. He moves along the shelf a way and then stealths again.
Theren launches an agonising blast and causes heavy damage to the statue in front of him.
The swirl uses its psychic attack. Lavender takes damage and is stunned. Gage resists its effect. Theren collapses completely.
Temerity heals Theren for a small amount of health but the warlock remains prone. He uses sacred flame against the artisan but only causes minimal damage.
Lavender is stunned and cannot attack. Her rage dispels and she is frightened.
The artisan moves straight at Temerity and attacks with his hammer and chisel on his horns.
Anaphel attacks the statue by Theren but misses. The spirit weapon attacks the same statue and causes significant damage.
The golem swings at Lavender but misses. It’s so big that it is very inaccurate. The statue by her also misses her. The other two statues both attack Anaphel but only one hits. Anaphel is quite hurt now but the blessing is not dispelled.
Gage fires an arrow again at the swirl of magic around the idol. A crack appears in the idol. He restealths.
Theren rises heroically from the ground and stares in disbelief at Lavender’s fear. He reaches deep into a power that he knows is there but can rarely access. A golden light appears beside Lavender. Theren uses shatter against the idol, the golem and the statue by Lavender, causing massive damage. The idol disintegrates into sand. The statue crumbles into fragments. The golem is heavily damaged. Chips of stone fall from it as it soldiers on. The destruction of the idol calms everything. The statues and golem solidify and the green glow around the artisan dissipates. The artisan drops to his knees.
Lavender is no longer afraid. She looks down at the pile of sand. She is wary of the statues, as if they will move again but they do not. Anaphel and Theren are very badly wounded. Temerity investigates the artisan. The magic has gone and he is weeping. Lavender moves to Anaphel and places her hands on them to heal them. Gage moves to investigate the sand but cannot make out anything of use about it. Theren also cannot tell anything about the sand. Gage scoops it into a bag to take back to Halsen.
Temerity tries to comfort the artisan. He is muttering that he didn’t want to do any of it and that he is so sorry. Temerity speaks platitudes to him. The artisan begins to calm. But he still mutters about having to put things in the statues. He doesn’t seem to know where or when it is.
Temerity waves Gage over to him and produces the hunk of Gage’s head that the artisan threw at him. He heals it back into place but it is not entirely as it once was. The scarring will always show.
Anaphel benevolently heals the party, including the artisan.
Lavender wishes to head on and get a boat. Theren argues that they need to return to the druids and take the artisan to them for healing.
Temerity notices one of the crates as he’s looking around. He sees something glistening in it. He calls to Gage to borrow his crowbar. He prises open the crate and sees gems that have been pulverised into dust. There are three small boxes of dust in the crate. He takes a small box of the dust. He offers it to Lavender. She is confused but takes it off him. He carries one over to the artisan and asks him gently to carry it. He picks up the third for himself.
Gage notices that there is a hollow in the back of the statues. One of them has not been closed properly. He prises it open and finds a wand inside. He passes it to Theren, who examines it. It is covered in strange glyphs. They seem to change in the corner of his eye. It has a set number of charges that recharge after a set amount of time. He cannot discern what it does but it’s not an offensive spell. Theren and Gage examine the other statues to see if there is anything inside them too. They find a censer that is black with gold filigree. It is emitting a small amount of smoke. They find a pocket watch made of gold with black hands. They find a small black orb. Theren examines them. None of them are offensive. The orb makes faint whispers when held close to the ear. Gage can tell that the incense in the censer is familiar but he can’t tell what. He feels that it should be cleansing.
They ask the artisan if there’s another way out, but they decide that the best way to go is to leave by the main door. They discuss splitting the party: Lavender and Gage will take the artisan and the artefacts back to the druids, while Temerity, Theren and Anaphel remain at the docks to secure passage with the crates of dust. Temerity uses motivational speech to bolster the fortitude of the artisan.
Temerity uses his disguise kit to make himself look like a warehouse owner. He struts out of the warehouse and there is nobody that seems to be paying attention to them, followed by the artisan, Lavender and Gage, all carrying crates. Theren and Anaphel follow. Two of the crates are left on the quayside with Anaphel and Theren. Temerity heads off to try and secure passage on a boat. The artisan takes his crate of dust, escorted by Lavender and Gage, to the druid enclave.
Lavender and Gage arrive back at the enclave and speak to Halsen. He did not expect them so soon. He is concerned that Lavender is hurt. She mentions their troubles. She asks if the artisan can stay with the druids – he needs care and protection. Gage holds out the artefacts to Halsen to be investigated. As he’s not a wizard, he cannot say much. He knows the censer has been modified in some way. It should be a cleansing censer for curing ailments but it has been perverted. It may do the opposite. He can say nothing for definite about the other objects. The pocket watch does some form of chronomancy.
Lavender gets a strange sense from the orb but does not want to speak in front of Halsen.
They head back to the docks.
Temerity strolls nonchalantly into the dockmasters office. He is stopped by the dockmaster’s assistant. Temerity tries to brush past him. The assistant steps in front of the door. Temerity stares down his nose at them and demands to know how they dare to speak to him in such a way. Temerity casts charm person on the assistant. He uses his most winsome arguments to persuade him by appealing to his ego. The assistant allows Temerity to pass.
The water genasi is in her office. Temerity grins. She is very irritated. She demands two silver pieces per person for transport and hopes that she never sees them again. She agrees to get them passage. There’s a boat leaving this evening.
Temerity leaves her office and returns to Anaphel and Theren. He helps them to carry the two crates to their waiting ship. Lavender and Gage join them and they retire to their cabins.