Session 5 (10/01/2021)

## Day Three, Early Morning

**C345** leads the adventurers down through the corridors, pointing out a great mausoleum dedicated to past and fallen workers. The automaton walks with a steady, methodical space, but as the group approaches an open area in the corridor, he hugs up against the wall and tells the party to do the same. They shuffle along the wall one by one until C345 pulls a level hidden in the wall. A brick pops out and locks in place, and then C345 leads the group forward along the wall. The wall ahead looks as if it's crumbled and collapsed. A jagged pile of stones stands at the entrance to a black and ominous-looking tunnel. C345 looks at the tunnel casually remarks "hmm. That's new," as he turns to face the landing of a staircase descending a pair of giant metal doors.

The doors tower over the adventurers. Its faces display intricately crafted inlays and sculptural features. A pair of large metal hands are positioned on the center of the doors and sculpted to look as if they are straining to pull the doors apart. Swage looks closely at the doors, but he isn't familiar with the type of metal used. He asks C345 if he knew anything about the meaning of the carvings on the doors, but C345 isn't sure. The doors had been there since the before the automaton was brought down to the cellars.

C345 stretches out his hand and says, "Here is the lab."

Kaz steps up and pulls at the doors, but the doors are locked down tight. He pulls again, but the doors still refuse to move an inch. Kaz summons all of his barbarian strength and pulls the doors right off their hinges. As he props the doors up against the walls, he realizes that this might have been a "push" kind of door instead of a "pull."

Inside the lab, burning braziers along the wall cast a purplish light throughout the room. Books and papers are strewn about the floor, and in the center of the room sits a desk completely covered in piles of loose papers except for a space just large enough for one single lit candle. Dove picks up one of the papers cascading from the desk, but she can’t understand the symbols. She passes it to Pele, and she recognizes the writing as Deep Speech.

Esha notices a chest tucked into a corner of the lab. She can feel the magic coming off the chest, but it's strange. It feels to her like the Weave itself is connected to some sort of primordial element. Swage uses his firbolg magic, and he too can see the magic surrounding the chest. He also feels a strong magical force coming from underneath the teetering stacks of papers. He begins to move papers aside, and with Esha's help, they uncover the sleeping form of some sort of horned humanoid creature.

The horned figure stirs blinks his eyes, and calmly reaches into his flowing red robes to retrieve a pair of spectacles and a small pipe. He lights the pipe and asks what this group was doing in his lab. The adventurers are unsure what to say until they all speak up at once asking him who he is, how long has he been there, and what was going on with all the stacks of seemingly unorganized papers.

He introduces himself as Estafador and says that he is an Archivist. He elegantly moves across the room with the poise and grace of a ballerina and consults an abacus and armillary sphere. He asks Dove if she knows the time. "Nighttime?" is her best guess. After a few turns of the sphere and the clacking of abacus beads, the Archivist guesses he's been down in this lab for approximately 150 or 200 years. He tells the adventurers that he had been stuck here since some "crazy old coot" had summoned him, and the piles of paperwork were his research in how to get back home.

He returns to his desk and asks the adventurers if they had their contracts. Kaz tells him that they don't have their contracts, but they do have a contract. Kaz hands over the contract they found with the shaman on the mountain. The Archivist looks over the contract and tells Kaz that he did not write this contract. It was made between Shasta and a demon named Baldor. Estafador scoffs, saying that he prefers writing more "trivial" kinds of contracts because they're just so fun. He is a demon who enjoys making people fall in love, pitting friends against each other over silly things, and granting petty wishes for enemies to die. He isn't into the "messier" topics like desires for power, nor did he care for what he calls “cultist nonsense.”

Dove's ears perk up at the mention of demons. She nearly interrupts the Archivist, telling him that she has a whole book about demons. She stumbles over the pronunciation, but Estafador smiles when he realizes she's carrying the Demonomicon of Iggwilv. His eyes sparkle and he asks if her book might be missing a few pages. Dove confirms that there are several torn pages, and Estafador coyly asks if she would like to make a contract with him. He will give her information about the missing pages if she agrees to do a favor for him at some time in the feature. Dove is wary of making a contract with a demon, but she excitedly dives her paws into the pockets of her cloak. She asks Estafador if instead of a contract, he would make a trade with her. She pulls out "treasure" after "treasure" from her travels, placing them on the uneven stacks of paper on the desk.

She offers a shark tooth from the shores of Chult, a silvery ribbon from an elven hat shop, and a glass jar containing three apple seeds that a wizard on Evermeet Island swore to her was magic. She also pulls out an audacious fake mustache, as well as a silky-soft braid of horsehair from her favorite cart horse who pulled her along the Dusk Road. Estafador is bemused by the offerings, and he sticks on the mustache and twirls it at Swage. He tells her that there just might be a page of her book in the kingdom of Sillea. He walks over the chest in the corner and opens it with a few words in Deep Speech. After gathering up several items from the chest, the Archivist offers Dove a collection of adorable plush animals. The four little plushes are in the shapes of an owlbear, a unicorn, a red dragon, and a tarrasque. Estafador tells her that snuggling with each animal provides a different healing effect.

Swage is also interested in possibly making a trade. Estafador offers to make a contract with him - the alluring demonic metal from the laboratory door in exchange for just one small favor later, that cannot be refused. Swage is also concerned about what this favor could turn out to be, so he asks again if there was something else Estafador might want in a trade. The Archivist opens his desk drawer, revealing a collection of unique and ornate pens. His current favorite is a thin, bony pen with a nib like a human fingernail. He says the best feature of this pen is that the holder simply writes a name on a piece of paper, and the Finger of Death spell immediately kills its target. The demon knows that Swage is a forge cleric and asks him to create a dazzling new pen for his collection.

Swage asks the Archivist if he has a favorite creature or beast, and the Archivist describes the unbearably cute and dangerously vicious demon fox. As the demon explained the fox's deadly acidic kisses, Swage sets to work. The firbolg implores Gond for guidance as he begins the difficult and delicate task of making a pen that will impress the discerning demon. After an hour working under Gond's watchful eye, Swage has completed the last little finishing touches.

The pen is magnificent. The pen contains four colors of ink: red, blue, yellow, and black. By turning each color's dedicated cogwheel, the holder could create and write in any color imaginable. Wrapped around the barrel is the fiery tail of the demon fox, and the top of the pen ends with a flaming flourish. Swage hands the pen to Estafador. The Archivist is left breathless by its beauty and the intricate design that truly captured the essence of his beloved demon fox. He takes the pen and is delighted by how easily he can write in a rainbow of colors. Swage is abashed by the praise and makes sure he gives credit to Gond, as this pen was only the second thing he had created.

Estafador is so impressed by this creation that he gifts Swage two items. One is a ring that will allow the wearer to sense the presence of selected enemies, and the other is a strange bone necklace. He explains that the necklace has special bones that had been carved into whistles, and the wearer can summon one pair of spectral beasts - bears, giant eagles, or dire wolves. He also slyly mentions that this necklace is just one in a collection, in case the Firbolg was interested in gathering up an entire menagerie.

The final item the demon has on offer is a glove that promises to make its wearer a master of any musical instrument, as well as provide a company of spectral musicians to add to the performance. Esha is unusually eager to have this glove and offers an assortment of her spores and herbs in trade.

The group is excited about obtaining such interesting treasures, but Kaz has more questions about Shasta's contract. He describes the terrifying demon on the mountain, but Estafador says he doesn't know of any demon fitting that description. The group was the first contact he had made with sentient beings in a very long time since no one comes down into the cellars. Kaz asks if he knows Shasta or even anything about the manor or the town above. The Archivist says he doesn’t know of a Shasta, but if he was anything like the previous mayor, he was also bitten by a creature. He also tells Kaz the contract that he’s holding is marked, meaning it can be traced.

Esha asks the demon about the collapsed tunnel they saw in the corridor. Estafador tells the adventurers to leave the tunnel alone since the person they will find at its end is crude, nasty, and just plain nuts. Kaz’s interest had been piqued by the foreboding tunnel, so he asks for more information about this crazy person. Estafador explains with an air of disgust that the person is named Zertis and that he was the one that summoned the demon and now won’t let him leave.  The gestures at the papers all around him, and he estimates that his research into returning home to the demon realm is only about 42% complete.

Esha doesn’t understand why he’s doing all this research himself when some other wizards or sorcerers would most likely be able to help him. The Archivist scoffs and said that the only wizards who offered to help him were only interested in making a deal to obtain absolute power. Anyone else he approached would just scream “A demon!” and run away. He says that it hasn’t been all bad though. He had always been under the impression that humanoids were devastatingly incompetent and foolish creatures, and so far, his research is proving him correct. Making frivolous deals with humanoids and watching them scramble for the tiniest impression of power never fails to bring him joy.

However, he does have a longing for the time when he felt a little more needed here in this realm. He remembers people often coming to him for advice, favors, or guidance. He particularly recalls a pompous kid in Nethis who was always asking for help making robots. Nowadays, he just feels forgotten. Dove brightly asks Estafador if he would like to come along with them, while Esha discreetly tries to get her to understand that this could be a very bad idea. The Archivist seems to consider the offer but lets the adventurers know he will give them an answer by the morning.

As the group goes to leave the laboratory, Swage does one last sweep of the room and its inhabitant but notices nothing out of the ordinary. Estafador bids them goodbye and shuts the broken metal doors behind them.

Esha notes the late hour and suggests the group head back up to the manor to get some rest. They again pass by the tunnel but can’t resist the urge to just take one little peek to see what’s down there. They decide to stop and take the time to attune to their magical items before heading into the darkened collapse.

While they wait, Dove can’t stop thinking about a comment Swage made in the laboratory. She asks him how it was possible that he, a forge cleric, had only made only one other item in his life, and that the marvelous pen he crafted couldn’t have been the work of a novice. He explains to her that Gond had only recently given him a divine gift for craftsmanship. He shows her the only other item he had completed under Gond’s guidance – the freshest, most rad pair of Chuck Taylors that Dove had ever seen. Swage goes on to say that he has crafted plenty of items during his lifetime without Gond’s guidance, but that the process takes much longer, and the results may not be as remarkable.

Dove notices Kaz’s eyes flickering over to the owlbear plush, so she hands the snugglebeast over to him. Kaz is delighted, and now he has a sweet little plush to go along with the even sweeter Jorge still snuggled around his neck. Dove offers the red dragon plush to Swage, and he admits that red dragons have always been one of his favorites. She gives the tarrasque plush to Pele since a tarrasque’s fearsome power reminds her of Pele’s indomitable, fiery spirit. She holds onto the unicorn but lets the party know they are more than welcome to snuggle with the plush whenever they need it. Esha dons her new fashionable glove, and Swage places the bone whistle necklace around his neck.

Kaz asks C345 to walk down the tunnel ahead of the group to check for traps and to let us know if the way is clear. The automaton projects a beam of light from his head and begins walking off into the tunnel. After a few moments, he shouts “ALL CLEAR! NO ONE IS HERE!” in a booming voice that shakes the cavern. The adventures cringe at their loss of the element of surprise and join C345 at the entrance to a room at the end of the tunnel.

As the group peers in, they can see a huge table in the corner of the room, surrounded by a huge circle on the floor and two sizeable, flaming braziers. The table is cluttered with equipment, and the adventurers can also see the form of a large Warforged knight strapped to the table. The knight looks as if it is in the middle of a repair, with multiple metal tubes snaking in and around its body.

Dove has a fearful and hesitant reaction to the knight and doesn’t want to enter the room, which C345 takes as another sign that automatons just aren’t wanted in this world. The tabaxi tries to explain that it’s just her fear of restraint and entrapment that is scary to her, but C345 still looks dejected. Swage does another sweep with the spyglass and sees strange interactions between the shadows in the room and the light from the braziers, almost like the wavering shadows are being held at bay by the light.

Kaz asks if C345 recognizes the knight on the table, but C345 says that it doesn’t look familiar. Kaz can see a shelf full of various jars along the wall of the room, as well as some barrels and crates. He enters the room followed by C345. Kaz implores the robot to speak quietly, and not to touch anything. Swage steps into the room as well, while Dove hangs in the entryway with her bow drawn. Kaz peers at the shelf of jars. None have labels, but some contain grisly specimens preserved in liquid suspensions. One jar has a small, jiggling ooze that seems to be struggling to get out of its glass prison.

The pair approaches the table and begins to search for any traps or hidden switches. Kaz takes a step forward and trips, catching himself by placing both hands firmly on the table. The circle beams with light and magical runes appear, searing with a blood-red glow. Kaz and C345 hold their breath and wait. Nothing seems to happen. C345 doesn’t know what the light and the runes mean, but it doesn’t appear that the Warforged knight has been activated.

As they turn from the table and step toward the center of the room, Kaz feels a pull, as if something has been ripped away from him. He looks behind him and sees that his shadow is no longer attached to his feet. He nervously tells everyone to stay away from the table as a tall, winged creature begins to form from the goliath’s shadow. Its long, sharp claws begin to reach for Kaz just as Swage’s shadow also rips away.

Dove quickly pages through the Demonomicon and identifies the creatures as shadow demons. She warns that these demons are formidable. They are resistant to many types of magical damage, and even to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing attacks. Their only vulnerability seems to be radiant damage.

She slips her book back into her cloak and steadies an arrow to attack the demon lurching at Kaz. Her aim slips, and she mistakenly lands an arrow deep into Kaz’s shoulder. Swage sees that this fight is not off to a great start and uses the bone necklace to summon two spectral bears to fight alongside them. Kaz channels his rage rips the misplaced arrow out of his shoulder and smashes his maul into the demon in front of him. C345 is inspired by his hero Kaz and takes up the fight as well, landing two hits on the shadow demon. Kaz takes another hit (thankfully not from Dove this time), and he can feel the energy starting to leave his body. Esha casts Healing Spirit and sends an ethereal rabbit bounding across the stone floor. The rabbit jumps up to Kaz’s shoulder and begins to soothe his wounds.

Swage’s spectral bears claw and bite at the demons and draw the shadow demons’ attacks away from the adventurers. Kaz takes another mighty swing with his maul, dealing maximum damage to one demonic figure. Esha transforms herself into a giant riding lizard and bolts across the floor to take a devastating bite out of the shadow demon looming over Swage. Dove’s remaining arrows fly true, and she kills one of the demons, leaving its lifeless body pinned to the stone wall. Swage uses his hidden step to appear before the remaining shadow demon. He shouts, “The power of Gond compels you!” as he blasts the demon directly in the face with a burst of Guiding Bolt, killing the demon instantly.

Both Kaz and Swage’s shadows return to their rightful place, and the adventurers cautiously continue to investigate the room. Dove’s eyes sparkle as she looks over all the mysterious contents of the glimmering jars, but he resists the temptation and keeps her paws to herself. Kaz rummages through the crates and comes up with a set of scale mail, 70 gold pieces, and a scimitar with a shimmery oiled blade and an intricate handle of cogs and wheels.

Swage can sense magic emanating from the barrels and asks C345 to open them up. The automaton finds a bow, a piece of cloth, a brooch, a ring, and two vials of liquid. There is also a small bag containing 120 gold pieces. Swage goes over the cluster of found objects in front of him and is able to identify the names and capabilities of each magical item.