19 Kythorn 1491
Just before dawn, The Party explores some more, and Yndrus finds a unique book in the library emblazoned with a chicken foot. It reminds Mell of stories she’s heard about the Mother of Witches, [Baba Yaga](characters/55488.. Within the spine of the book, a thin glass vial is poking out. Phee wriggles the vial free. She doesn’t know what it is, but while holding it, it feels wrong somehow. She doesn’t care for it and passes it off to Yndrus. He recognises it in anathema to life and nature. It’s something constructed from the bodies of the undead, unnatural, poisonous.
Mell questions one of the goblins and finds out that the damage done to the machinery may very well be permanent, aka the party isn’t in danger of the place powering up properly anytime soon.
Phee and Yndrus pore over the book. It speaks of the Gloaming Court, so far the only book in the library that isn’t notes and prose written by Endelyn. It’s got some interesting info but becomes apparent that the most significant part of the book was the vial within its spine. Some investigation around the vial ensues, with it ending up being wrapped in cloth and given to Morgort for safe keeping.
They travel on and explore the last room on this floor, one it is forbidden to enter. There are a couple goblins in cages and an unhinged looking Darkling elder whacking at a machine, presumably trying to get it to function. This baddie needs to die. A failed sneak later, combat ensues!
It goes very well for once as Morgort cleaves them in two, annihilated them almost immediately. Phee starts robbing the corpse before it’s even fully hit the ground.
There’s a diary, clearly written by a psychopath, and some coins.
Phee is investigates several wooden masks on the walls (mostly goblin faces with shocked expressions), while Mell goes to ask the caged goblins what’s up with this room. One of them, with a jesters hat, tells Mell that this room is for punishment. How it’s for punishment, well it’s pretty self explanatory. Yndrus works to free the goblins, and notices the jester is peering at a sceptre against a wall, much like a jester’s rod. Once the goblins are free, Yndrus passes the sceptre to the jester goblin.
In exchange for freeing the goblins, Mell convinces the jester (called Stagefright) to pass the rod over to Yndrus. It apparently interacts with a lock upstairs. Helpful!
Phee plays with the torture chair in the middle of the room for a bit, but it’s clear that the power isn’t working.
The Party moves on, up a nearby spiral staircase just outside the current room in the hall.
Upstairs one floor (goes up two) they head into a short hallway. To the left is a vast orrery, open to the sky. To the right is a stone door with no locks or handles flanked by two goblin sized suits of armour.
Perhaps once the goblins were alive, but now it’s just skeletons within the armour. Mell peeks out into the orrery to check the sky for potential enemies, while Yndrus touches the sceptre to the door. The door contorts and a visage of Endelyn appears before it. It sees the sceptre and its mouth opens wider and wider. It can now be seen through into the room beyond. It looks to be a foyer to a set of prison cells, three of which are open. The fourth and last door is closed, and Yndrus opens it. It’s Glister! The sisters are reunited!
At this point, the party has technically accomplished what they needed to at this place. The party weighs in with each other and their companions. Both Glister and Gleam are keen to end Endelyn.
Glister reveals that Endelyn lost a very important key and isn’t happy about it. Phee excitedly pipes up about the key she found under a cushion and asks what it’s for. Sadly, Glister knows nothing else about it.
The Party opts for the completionist route and sets off with Glister and Gleam to check out the rest of the floor.
The last room explored is Endelyn audience chamber. Upon exploring the room, a figure appears from behind a curtained alcove upon a small stage. It’s Endelyn herself, who attacks in a fury.
Whenever Endolin strikes, it doesn’t do physical damage, but causes massive psychic damage, taking out Yndrus in tiger form in one round.
Mell cast Shatter on Endelyn, only for them to grin malevolently at her and state that she recognises Mell as a shapeshifter.
After some grisly battling, Endelyn disappears with a word.
Yndrus helps out Mell and Phee with some much needed healing and the party pokes around the space. Furious, Phee books it up some nearby stairs on the hunt for Endelyn, the rest of the party following close behind.
Yndrus goes to have a wee listen to a set of doors upstairs, and is repelled backward over the side of an open balcony above the orrery. Good thing Mell has feather fall! He slogs back up the stairs unharmed and stares closely at the door. It’s a magical trap, the one Phee’s wand was telling them all about earlier.
Mell and Phee go about defacing the magical rune and Morgort tests the door. It opens a crack. Phee sends through Fie the tiny dragon to check out the space.
The space is full of creepy dolls hanging from the ceiling. Fie catches a glimpse of something skittering about in the upper corner.
The Party sneaks into the space, but one of the marionettes freaks out and starts screaming about intruders. Mell shuts it up with a flick of Korred hair, but it’s too late. Endelyn leaps out of a wardrobe
Mell was promptly grabs the marionette she’d bound with hair (it’s now inanimate) and stows it in her pack, while Phee checks out the wardrobe Endelyn was in. There’s a mirror present within, a curiosity to Yndrus as well. As they both stare at it, the version of themselves that stare back are devoid of emotion. Creepy.
After quite some time fiddling with a chest in the room, Phee remembers the key she found under a chair cushion, and probably the one that Endelyn was upset about losing. And it works!
Inside is a black sack, with four gold knobs inside it, along with what looks to be several bottles of wine, and a mummified hand with a gold ring holding a sheaf of scrolls, one labelled The Agonies of Alagarthas.
Phee steals the gold band off the hand and puts it on. It shrinks to fit her finger. Totally normal and fine.
Mell gets sick of the mirror and starts pocketing the wine from the chest before Phee absconds with all of it.
The Party does an explore around the top floor. They come across some kind of magical flapping papers. Phee decides to write a generic note on a fresh sheet, but before sending it, nabs a few in a cage folded as paper birds, hankering to fly. Phee opens one, and it was a complaint about her sister losing the unicorn horn.
With some more investigation, Yndrus spies a hollow space in the ceiling above, with some obscuring loose boards. It appears to be a large, silver bell with a rope attached. Phee, showing her usual level of restraint, immediately flies up and rings it nice and loud, a giant eating grin on her face while she does it. Nothing immediately happens.
Yndrus climbs the rope instead, setting the bell off once again. There’s a verse in Elvish.
Toll the bell within this spire
To journey to your heart’s desire.
Mell and Yndrus explore the last areas, in a bit of a hurry as several flying creatures had been spotted in the distance. There’s a rickety flying machine in the unexplored area, which Mell has immediately leapt onto.
Meanwhile, the flying creatures have arrived, giant cranes, every last one. Phee gives them each a flower, and bows respectfully at them. Phee excitedly leaps onto one of the cranes and it lifts off into the air. She panics and gets it to land again.
The mirror is still niggling at Phee’s brain, so she goes back and grins at it. Apparently that’s what was needed, cause the mirror starts showing Phee images of places she’s been. She touches the mirror, and it puddles and sucks around her fingers. Phee gleefully tells the party she’s figured it out and the group decides to use it to transport their allies to safer locations.
The Party goes to tell Hurly the good news. On the way to where they last saw him, the castle is eerily quiet. Most of the workers have disappeared, save a couple goblins chatting quietly amongst themselves in a corner. Yndrus investigates. They ask if it’s over, and scuttle off once reassured.
Hurly is found and convinced to come with the party, Glister, and Gleam, to grab Amidor and head to Will. Hopefully from there, they will take Star back to the Witchlight Carnival with Hurly, Glister, and Gleam.
Once back with the Brigganocks, everyone settles in for a long rest in the tunnels.