I shuddered when the Tower came into view. I could almost feel the dire wolves' teeth as they sunk into me. I rubbed the spot where I was wounded and now have one more scar on my body. I pulled myself together. I survived and this necromancer needs to be found and destroyed! Elisha found a door into the Tower, and at the last minute noticed it was trapped. Thankfully he had no trouble disarming it and getting us through the door.
It was eerily quiet inside, and we tried to sneak in. I'm not sure how well I did since it was my first time wearing my scale mail armor. Which I remembered to put on before leaving Thornhold this time, hoping for better protection. But it didn't really matter because when Yukouth stepped through the door he tripped and knocked over a table. Stuff went flying everywhere!
We all froze…
And waited…
And listened…
Nothing.
We heard nothing. Which was not good, but at least it wasn't bad either. Elisha snuck upstairs and confirmed we were indeed alone before we took the time to search the tower for information or clues. About a half-hour into our search, Adrala ran into the room I was in. She looked excited, but not her usually happy bubbly excited and her eyes were wide.
"Zira! Oh! Oh! Oh!" She stopped a moment, caught her breath, and shoved a paper at me, "I found this with some pamphlets about Velsharoon's church and a map of Kryptgarden Forest.
The note said, "I hope you liked my gift Zira. I chose them special for you and your group." No name, just that same symbol.
And I realized in that moment that what I saw in Adrala's eyes wasn't excitement… it was fear.
Because a cold dread swept over me.
Before we could discuss what this meant, we heard a commotion coming up the stairs. Adrala and I looked at each other, she pulled out two handaxes, spun them, and motioned her head at the open door. I nodded stuffed the note and papers in my pack, and picked up my staff. Then we moved to see what was happening.
Adrala stepped into the hallway first. When I made it through the doorway I saw Adrala finished her second handaxe throw at a skeleton in purple robes and pointed hat. Then an icy blue-white light hit and froze the skeleton. I took a deep breath, tapped into my connection with Kelevmor, and transformed my voice to boom louder.
"By Kelemvor's will, I will banish you!" My voice echoed down into the stairwell.
The skeleton looked up at me, threw two acid vials, one at me, which I dodged, and one up at Israel, and moved up the stairs toward the second floor. I followed Adrala down the stairs, as she threw one handaxe and then expertly picked up a previously thrown handaxe without stopping. Another bolt of icy blue-white light streaked past us down the stairwell, adding to the icicles already hanging off the skeleton. When I closed with the skeleton I held my badge of Kelemvor out towards it and boomed, "Cinnos!" And I don't know how it was unaffected. It turned on me and scratched me with its claws.
I know it's impossible, but when the skeleton looked at me in the moment I felt like it was almost actually alive. I could see it in the skeleton's eyes.
I was pulled out of my thoughts, when one of Israel's icy-bolts just missed me, as it hit the wall between me and the skeleton. The creature turned and hissed up at Israel.
I still had my badge of Kelemvor out, "I said begone!" My voice reverberated throughout the stairwell. And a bright light hit the skeleton and it crumbled to the ground. I looked over Adrala's head into the room where Elisha and Yukouth were and saw a pile of bones and clothing at her feet. I reached down and grabbed the purple robes and saw that same symbol on the front of them.
"Kelemvor, who is this woman?" I wondered in my head. She wants me to know she created these abominations. She's trying to mess with my head with her symbol and her note, and I can't let her do that. I need to stay strong in my faith, in myself, Marat, and Kelemvor.
We finished up a short rest to recover just before heading into the Kryptgarden forest to chase this mystery woman. I shared the note she left with everyone, and they had similar reactions as Adrala and me. We all swore to find her and rid the world of her necromancy practices, and to protect each other throughout.
Z