Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion

**Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion** was the ninth chapter of Candlekeep Mysteries.

## Synopsis

### Part 1

Since the party's return from Sigil, Audri Undertree went on a somewhat awkward date with Fembris Larlancer to the beach, and had a nice forest walk with Vooshadi Moonriver. Sirius Idris learned most of the skills and history associated with operating a library in Faerûn, and Tethu Zildac had a somewhat tense chat with V'ziir-Ag about the Shadowfell and Jon Irenicus. V'ziir-Ag noted how strange it was that Tethu was able to get out of the Demiplane of Dread himself- historically, the most common ways to get out of a Domain of Dread was for the Darklord of that Domain to be killed. There was also one case of a Darklord being genuinely apologetic for his crimes, which led to his release. Upon discovering that Tethu intended to free Irenicus from his Domain of Dread, V'ziir-Ag told Tethu he would stop him if it came to it. This led to Tethu attempting to remove the conversation from V'ziir-Ag's memory, which failed, told V'ziir-Ag luckily didn't realise what had happened. Tethu also ended up sending Irenicus a brief *sending* message, urging him to repent for the sins which had led to his imprisonment. Irenicus was outraged at the suggestion.

A few days later, Tethu, Sirius, and Audri were all studying in the Pillars of Pedagogy when Sylvira Savikas arrived. Sylvira asked if any of them had seen Stonky J. Noptopper, as he had checked out a book, *The Book of Inner Alchemy*, which she believed could be used to inoculate people against the plagues of Zuggtmoy. The party told her they hadn't seen him, and went back to whatever random bullshit they were doing. They continued their inane nonsense even through an earthquake which shook all of Candlekeep. They eventually decided they needed to get back on Sylvira's good side after the incident with the iron flask, and so decided to find Stonky for her.

Leaving the Pillars of Pedagogy, they found a crowd gathered in the Court of Air, worried about the earthquake. They told Bookwyrm they were looking for Stonky. Bookwyrm then assumed they had connected Stonky to the earthquake somehow, which they then decided they had. The tremor seemed to have emanated from the Barn Door, an old tower in the Inner Ward. The party headed there.

Inside the Barn Door, the party found a library, with three custodians sweeping up. These individuals were dressed like regular members of the Avowed, except their robes were dyed a deep red. They immediately attacked the party. Sirius cast a *geas* on the gnome custodian, demanding to be brought to Stonky. One other custodian was knocked out and the other killed.

The gnome led the party down a secret staircase, where they found a chamber with four large heat jets coming down from the ceiling, directly underneath the tower. Patrolling the jets were four constructs called skitterwidgets. As the party attempted to pass, the skitterwidgets attacked. As the tide of the fight turned, Audri sent Fluffy to get help. However Sirius was killed, and Tethu and Audri were both knocked unconscious.

Some time later, Tethu and Audri awoke, back in the tower. They were tied to chairs, surrounded by Stonky and his followers. Looking out the window, they realised the Barn Door had been launched into space.

### Part 2

Stonky explained they were bringing important knowledge away from the Avowed, who he felt had strayed from their original purpose. He hadn't intended for Sirius to be killed, but also didn't really care. Tethu managed to untie his restraints, and then cast *crown of madness* on one of Stonky's followers. A stowaway, Haedin Copperclock, also joined in. Quickly, Stonky's followers were all dispatched, with a little help from Teles Avhoste, who Fluffy had retrieved for aid before launch. Haedin finally killed Stonky with a *shocking grasp*.

Haedin introduced herself, having snuck aboard to investigate the mechanics of the rocket. The group proceeded to Stonky's study, where Audri was drawn to a mysterious presence in the room. Picking up one book, *Zikran's Zephyrean Tome*, she felt her dragonscale pendant thrum and glow softly. Haedin meanwhile looked at another one of Stonky's books, *Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion*, which detailed how to turn the Barn Door into a rocket ship. Looking at that and some of Stonky's other notes, Haedin and Tethu realised they were travelling to a previously undocumented planet on the opposite side of the sun to Toril.

Audri meanwhile opened the book, from which wispy clouds spilled, taking on the form of a djinn's head. The cheery djinn introduced himself as Gazre-Azam. He told Audri he had been trapped in the book by Zikran, a mage serving the dragon Blightwyrm. After a long, slightly circuitous conversation, the group realised that Blightwyrm had wanted to use Gazre-Azam to get revenge against Jon Irenicus for something. Blightwyrm had wished for Irenicus to be present so that the dragon could tear him apart, but for some reason it didn't work- though Gazre-Azam felt he had done something to the barrier preventing Irenicus from coming to them. Gazre-Azam promised that if the group could free him from his prison- either by convincing Zikran to let him go, or by killing the mage- he would grant them one *wish*.

The party then proceeded to the control room in the observatory at the top of the tower. Haedin figured if they could land, she could probably get the rocket to fly back to Toril, but it would be virtually impossible to do mid-flight. They realised they would have to land wherever Stonky was sending them.

### Part 3

During the remainder of the flight, Haedin infused Tethu's armour with slippery magic via Alan's tongue, and Tethu and Audri held a quasi-funeral for Sirius, who now rested in a cheese trunk.

The Barn Door soon approached its destination: the Glass Plains of Anthologos. There waiting were two figures who the party could not make out. After the party prepared several contingencies and a charcuterie board, Haedin opened the door, pretending to be Stonky's widow. The two figures introduced themselves as Ortis Gottler and his partially shrunken undead assistant Jasper Fiasco. The party told Gottler that Stonky had died on the way, and Gottler established that he and Stonky had been in touch, exchanching information about their planets. They then asked Gottler where they could find some lava, to act as a key to the portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire, which would power their trip home. He directed them to Mount Look-Through. Teles remained behind to guard the rocket tower as Gottler took to reading the books inside.

At the volcano, Haedin persuaded the resident magma mephits to part with some of their lava. It was at this point however that Audri was stabbed by Mumjescas, sent by Lebyrus to take revenge for stealing the iron flask. As Audri slowed the fiend with a *spike growth* and Tethu made him visible via *faerie fire*, Haedin convinced the mephits that Mumjescas hated fire, and so they too joined the fight. Mumjescas was eventually weak enough that Haedin was able to defeat him with a final shot to the head, after which he exploded. The party then staged one final pyrotechnics show for the mephits, and then returned to the Barn Door.

Audri made sure to say some profound things before powering up the rocket again. Despite Gottler's questionable scientific ethics, the party offered to take him and Fiasco with them back to Candlekeep. This was done in exchange for a journal Gottler supplied about his first successful duplication, Two.

The party was greeted by a crowd back at Candlekeep. Janussi thanked them for returning the stolen tower and books, and V'ziir-Ag and Kazryn Nyantani expressed fascination at Gottler, Fiasco, and the existence of Canon. No one seemed particularly concerned about Stonky's death.

## Player Characters

* Audri Undertree
* Haedin Copperclock
* Sirius Idris
* Tethu Zildac

## NPCs

* Fembris Larlancer
* Vooshadi Moonriver
* V'ziir-Ag
* Sylvira Savikas
* Bookwyrm
* Stonky J. Noptopper
* Teles Avhoste
* Gazre-Azam
* Ortis Gottler
* Jasper Fiasco
* Mumjescas
* Janussi
* Kazryn Nyantani
* Jon Irenicus (*sending* only)
* Zikran (mentioned only)
* Blightwyrm (mentioned only)

## Locations

* Faerûn
	+ Candlekeep
		- The Barn Door
* Space
* Canon
	+ The Glass Plains
		- Mount Look-Through
	+ The Sizzling Mountain (mentioned only)