A Dungeon in Charcoal

**A Dungeon of Charcoal** is the sixty sixth episode of *Another Bad Side Quest*. The party continue their quest deeper into the tunnels below the *City of Brass* in their quest to rescue Bolton.

## A Dungeon in Charcoal

### **Pre Show Shenanigans**

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### **Summary**

After Yashani handed out snacks for the party, and a brief conversation of how to help RX taste things, Sterling noted they still likely had more enemies ahead and that they should focus on being quiet and asked Alaerith if he could help them keep quiet like before. Alaerith said he could before checking if RX still had Bo's *Ioun Stone of Awareness* and RX proceeded to pull it out and attach it to himself. Alaerith changed the *Staff of the Courts* form to the stalk of Baby Blue Eyes before casting, along side Sterling, *Enhance Ability : Cat's Grace* on Sterling, Kaz and RX. Yashani also activated *Hands of Healing* to heal Quincy and Alaerith and reminded they still had potions they could use for emergencies. Kaz also added they had something for emergencies but that it was rather painful, though it would keep them together till they could rest.

Alaerith activated the *Staff of the Courts* to cast *Pass Without Trace* to help them travel quietly as Sterling led them through the tunnels he had seen through his *Arcane Eye*. They eventually noticed that the ash like quality started to get cleaner, the stone becoming bricks and eventually reached a grated locked door. After RX threw a stone at the gate to be sure it wasn't trapped, Sterling cast *Arcane Eye*, passed it through the door, saw a tunnel 40 - 50 feet ahead that led to a 10 foot hall, lit with torches, with barred prison cells around and informed what they found. Quincy managed to unlock the gate, but when they found it didn't open realized it had multiple locks and informed the group. Sterling and RX eventually realized part of the grate needed to be pulled down as well and quickly opened the gate the minimum they needed. Kaz asked Boris to remain behind to keep an eye out before the group headed inside.

Sterling saw through *Arcane Eye* four cells in the room, with one having a covered, sleeping occupant, a wooden door between the group and that the hallway went on before the path turned left and right. Sterling asked if anyone could make a noise to startle the person to wake and Alaerith cast *Prestidigitation* to create a pebble and threw it near them to no effect. Sterling said they needed something louder and Alaerith quietly approached to get in range and cast *Prestidigitation* again to make a mild smelling salt scent. The figure threw their covers in disgust to the scent to reveal they were a Lizardfolk with one blinded eye and Sterling noted their identity. Sterling asked what they should do and RX suggested if they were friendly they could use more allies. Kaz, Yashani and Sterling quickly noticed footsteps were approaching and had them hide back around the corner as Sterling's *Arcane Eye* saw two Efreeti guards approaching. The guards asked the Lizardfolk in Common why they were screaming and when the Lizardfolk protested the smell the guards walked away. Sterling had *Arcane Eye* follow the guards but when it reached where the room split off felt the magic forcefully dropped and told the others of the anti-magic area. The group discussed whether to talk with the prisoner, but the majiority eventually decided it was an unnecessary risk. They waited for them to sleep before Alaerith reactivated the *Staff of the Courts* to cast *Pass Without Trace* again and, after RX activated *Telekinetic Movement* to float a piton into their cage, passed quietly by and headed down the right exit.

Yashani led the group down the incline, down another level and found a lit, nice hallway, with a double door on the left and right side and a double door further down. Sterling cast *Enhance Ability : Owl's Wisdom* on Yashani to help check the doors and heard snoring coming from the left door, silence from the right door and an odd gentle, mechanical hum from the front door and informed the others of her findings. As the group theorized the hum might be an armory or other items they quickly heard footsteps and voices approaching and headed into the right door and shut it, leaving them in the dark small room. While they waited Alaerith and Yashani, the only ones who could see in the dark, saw boxes and barrels lining the room, while everyone noticed a burning scent in the room. When the sound stopped Yashani activated *Ob's Charm* to let them know they were gone and that they should also as the room appeared to be storage only. As the smell started to irritate Quincy, Alaerith cast *Prestidigitation* to light a torch for the others to see, but when little sparks appeared in the air he immediately doused the flame again. Sterling then cast *Dancing Lights* to light the room and the group noticed nothing unusual about the boxes and barrels. The burning smell started to overwhelm Alaerith, Yashani and Quincy and they opened the door to leave the room. RX stayed to check the boxes but when he felt himself slowing down and creaking backed up and closed the door.

They decided to head the room with the hum and after finding it was locked had Quincy unlock it. They opened the door and found a five by five foot block, which was the source of the humming, and a raised pedestal next to it. RX threw a pebble at the the cube and pedestal to be sure they were ok and entered the room and close the door again. Sterling attempted to cast *Identify* on the cube, but the pedestal immediately lowered down at the touch and RX just managed to grab him before he fell with it. The two saw the cube lowered down 180 feet before it stopped and Sterling, assuming that was the way to go, touched the cube to make the pedestal raise again and realized it controlled the pedestal, but was shocked each time he touched it. After deciding to ignore the snoring room completely, the party took the pedestal one at a time, with RX controlling the cube who confirmed no one was following before going down himself.

Yashani led the party down the rusty iron hallway towards the iron door at the end, but as they reached it something activated attracting everything metal on the party, ending with Alaerith and Quincy pinned to the wall, along with Sterling's *Eldritch Scarf*. Alaerith cast *Misty Step* to free himself from the wall before casting *Polymorph* to turn into an ape, while Yashani activated *Rage* to get to the door and noted there were magical runes pulsing around the door frame. She let everyone know before she pushed it open enough that the magnetic effect dropped, freeing Quincy and the *Eldritch Scarf,* and held it open for everyone to leave the room.

They saw the next room was cut into bricks as they continued down the incline and tight spiral path, 160 minimum to 400 feet down to an almost cooler, 50 x 50 x 50 foot enclosed room with a 20 foot cage, filled with items inside. including the gold ball they were charged to find by Rezo. They also saw a door on the opposite end of the cage, which RX checked was safe before opening it and finding another similar hallway, but as the others entered *Polymorph* was dropped and the *Eldritch Scarf* and *Bag of Holding* expelled everything as some kind of anti magic defences were active. Alaerith tried to reach out to Vile, while Sterling reached out for Tollanessa to no result. RX checked the cage door and found it wouldn't open, but when Quincy checked the door and realized there was no lock and more confusing that it didn't even look like it wasn't meant to open at all. RX jumped on top of the cage, attempted to bend the bars and despite his strongest effort barely bent them an inch. Sterling attempted to say open in Ignan to no result and also realized the door was nigh indestructible. As Quincy pointed out they should maybe continue on as Bolton was their main objective RX activated *Telekinetic Movement* to sift through the treasure and managed to find the chest, but found nothing to open the cage from within. As he also tried to activate *Telekinetic Movement* to open the chest and bring it through the bars unsuccessfully Sterling suggested Kaz' ability to turn into sand might work, but Kaz noted she could do it once a day only and would need to rest before doing it again.

Meanwhile Alaerith stepped back in the hallway to find out how far the anti magic field was, but found the 60 feet was too far to do anything. Yashani suggested if magic wasn't the solution then maybe it was mechanical, but the group still found nothing to what they needed to do. RX activated *Telekinetic Movement* to force a dagger to open the chest, revealing a thin metal tuning fork, but realized it wouldn't be thin enough to get through without damaging it. As RX dropped down and Sterling commented that the Sultan would have biological magical abilities to open this, all but Alaerith noticed sand was trickling down one of the walls. RX ushered everyone to the exit, with Alaerith and Sterling grabbing all the dropped items from their dimensional holding items, and closed the door as the sand continued to rise. Sterling suggested the Sultan might have just appeared and, after filling the *Bag of Holding* and *Eldritch Scarf* again the group continued down the hallway.

They followed the path as it eventually widened to a 15 x 15 foot room with a door. They opened the door and saw a 20 foot diameter round room, with a door on the opposite side and made of very buffed shiny metal. RX peered inside the room, saw two handles either side of the door across the room, with another handle next to the door he was at, and noted all three looked alike, but the one on the left side of the opposite door sparked with red lightning. Sterling theorized the room was conductive and entered the room, but immediately saw the *Eldritch Scarf* expel its possessions as the room also had anti-magic defences. RX and Sterling made their way to the handles near the opposite door, with RX holding the sparking handle and Sterling the other, but felt nothing happen. Quincy suggested all three handles needed to be held and entered the room. Alaerith also cast *Shocking Grasp* and activated *Elemental Affinity* to protect himself from lightning, and placed the *Bag of Holding* and Kalas's dagger to the ground before entering the room, but felt the magic be dispelled instantly. Quincy took hold of the other handle near the original door and pulled them with the others to still no effect. Kaz suggested a circuit was needed with their bodies before she and Yashani entered the room to hold hands with everyone, but as they entered the door immediately shut and the room spun 180 degrees.