Episode 130

This is **Episode 130** of *Dice, Camera, Action*.

(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue

(Nathan) Paultin - Human Bard

(Hadeel) Dr. Serenity Thexemoff - Halfling Cleric

Last time, the group searched unsuccessfully for Audra Knell. Warrington Munt turned into a mindflayer, and the kids are missing. The giff lies dead at the feet of the heroes.

Evelyn flies off looking for the kids. Diath climbs the stairs and looks around. He sees that a door has been torn off its hinges. This door leads to the library study, a room that the group really hasn't used. Diath hears whirring noises coming from Warrington's room. Paultin joins him and casts *dancing lights*.

#### The Doctor

Across town, in the Sea Ward ,Dr. Thexemoff sits in Mystra's asylum. Her mind flayer assistants have returned. She greets them. One assistant is either dead or unconscious, being held up by the other two. It looks like one was hit by a *thunderwave* spell. Dr. Thexemoff is disappointed that they failed in their mission. She tells them to dispose of the injured one and goes to find two replacements.

She heads to the home of the heroes. Albie opens the door. He's wearing a wizard hat. The group greets her. Paultin, still wearing the robe of the archmagi, has gone full batman. The doctor senses a presence in the house. It is someone not in control of their own mind. This person is confused, and is located on one of the upper floors. Dr. Thexemoff recognizes the mind as a former patient. The mind has been twisted - it's a wizard she met a year ago. This wizard was sure that everyone was out to get them.

Entering Warrington's room, Diath sees that there walls are covered in some kind of black resin. There are schematics that the giff was working on, mapping out how a cannon could be placed in the turret of the waffle house. Diath touches the resin, and receives a psychic jolt. It seems to be negative emotion in concentrated form.There are drawings on the floor in chalk. It's a map, a configuration of rooms and corridors.

Warrington's blood seeps through the ceiling. Strix asks Albie to clean it up. Simon goes into the library and shouts that he caught somebody. Paultin goes up there and looks for him. Even with *locate creature*, he can't find him.

Looking at Warrington's body, the doctor can tell that the tadpole was implanted in Warrington's brain months ago.

Strix suddenly notices that someone invisible is creeping down the stairs nearby. The invisible creature grabs the doctor by the throat and it lifts her off the ground. Strix casts *spirit guardians* and asks her spectral chickens to look for the assailant. The doctor tries to escape but fails. She casts calm emotions, causing the creature to release her.

Paultin appears at the top of the steps. The group asks the doctor what she is doing here. She says that she was just in the neighborhood and decided to check up on Strix.

The doctor says she is concerned about the number of mind flayers in the area. She pulls out some conspiracy theory notes and hands them to Diath. She says that she is fairly certain that the creature choking her was a ghost.

Strix goes into Warrington's room. There is a strange mannequin in there with bunny ears. She takes out her staff of the magi and uses it to cast detect magic. The mannequin is magic. It has new arms sticking out of it, and there is an attachment lying on the floor. The attachment fits in the mannequin's chest. Strix attaches it, The mannequin spins around and energy flashes over its metal parts. A portal opens up.

Paultin asks the doctor to leave. The heroes hear the portal flare to life and then wind down.

The doctor goes to leave. Albie is following her. Albie wants to go with her, but the doctor doesn't let him. The doctor gets in her coach and rides away.

#### The Mannequin

The group goes to check on Strix. She's gone. The mannequin is spinning, winding down.

Strix is in the room, but there is no residue on the walls. It seems to be in a different time and place. There are parts of the walls that are missing. There are big thick webs are outside, with birds caught in them. There's no sign of the mannequin or Warrington's stuff. Strix is certain that she is in the Shadowfell. She hears someone call her name. She casts *gaseous form* and explores the house.

Diath and Paultin activate the portal and join Strix in the Shadowfell. Strix assumes normal form and hugs him.

The heroes realize that Audra Knell might be here. They decide to check out the library in this version of their home. Strix creates a portal into the room. The kids are there, huddled together. The library looks lived-in. With them, lying on the floor, is another kid. It is the young boy that Evelyn gave Juniper, also the kid that Simon locked in the chest. Simon says that a wizard is holding them here.

They say that the boy works with the wizard. The plan was to knock the kid out and hold him hostage until the wizard released them. The boy was being kept in a big birdcage with a pillow in it. Strix checks out her spellbook. She sees that there are annotations and crazy drawings. The wizard seems to have a strange mind. There is a drawing of someone being impaled. Their name is Ulkoria. Ulkoria Stonemarrow has visited the house a number of times. She owned the house before Magnus did.

The boy explains that his family was killed for harboring Harpers. He and his sister were able to flee, but he caught by Audra and forced to be her servant. The three rulers of the city are a death knight, a shadow dragon, and Evelyn of Shar!

Strix takes the spellbook. She finds a tuning fork, which is a component for the spell *plane shift*. The group discusses the plan. Diath thinks it is a bad idea to confront Audra on her home turf. Strix wants to cast *plane shift*. Paultin wants to stay and explore., but the group convinces him to leave with them. Strix casts the spell and the group returns to their home. The kids see Warrington's corpse and they scream.

The group decides to bury Warrington. Using *telekinesis*, Strix moves stones off of the ground and she clears some dirt to place Warrington's body. Paultin goes into Warrington's room. There is a black box with a button on it. Wires are attached to it. The button is big and red. There are gun parts everywhere. He casts animate object on a pencil, leaves the room, and commands it to hit the button.

Strix decorates Warrington's grave. Paultin joins them. He hasn't yet hit the button. Strix says a few words in honor of Warrington. Paultin realizes the kids are still inside, so he goes and gets them. Strix isn't happy that the kids are out here and she goes on a rant. A neighbor tells them to shut up.

The construct presses the button, and the entire upper section of their house explodes.Strix says, "This is what he would have wanted."

#### The Doctor's Plan

Dr. Thexemoff digs up the file on Audra Knell and reads through it. Audra was rejected by the Arcane Brotherhood and went on a downward spiral, getting into trouble over and over again. The doctor's assistants check up on her. There are now 4 of them.

She says that her trip to Trollskull Manor didn't go as expected. She wasn't able to get the body. They'll probably have to dig it up. She's going to take a peek at the notes and come up with a plan. She thinks Audra would be a good candidate for sure. "I see something greater for her." It has something to do with "what we found in Undermountain."

End of Session.