A Find, A Furnace and Frozen Bodies

**A Find, A Furnace and Frozen Bodies** is the forty seventh episode of *Another Bad Side Quest*. Yashani grapples with what she has seen and the party agrees to be more careful as they continue to explore the Dusterburyan Lighthouse.

## A Find, A Furnace and Frozen Bodies

### **Synopsis**

**Pre-Show Shenanigans**

* A little hint about a festival and New Jersey?!

The party, except for Bo who was outside the mausoleum, saw the coffin Yashani had just touched shattered and crumbled at the center of the room and within the blink of an eye suddenly saw Yashani now held a new ebony staff in hand and had tears welling from under her mask. Alaerith moved closer to ask if she was ok and looked around to see if anyone else understood what had happened. All but Sterling also soon noticed a new engraving of a moth on Yashani’s mask and a single word in Primordial that Quincy and RX both could tell meant daughter. Quincy asked Yashani what happened, with Alaerith asking what was wrong. Sterling asked if he should “bubble” the staff with *Resilient Sphere*, but when Seren quietly lowered his hand down relaxed. Yashani explained that she saw her mother and that she left her some things. Alaerith asked if she had seen her, that she had also seen someone else and Yashani said she did, though not in the same way she saw any of them. Sterling asked if she thought it was real and not an amalgamation of sorts and Yashani stated she was real, like a ghost or memory. Sterling asked if Yashani would allow him to figure out what the item's abilities were, or if they were possibly cursed and Yashani retorted her mother wouldn't curse something she gave her. Alaerith suggested this may not be the time for such things and Sterling agreed and noted he had a hard time trusting anything from there. Alaerith questioned why she left the gifts before asking if she was really sure it was her mother and Yashani replied yes. Quincy asked why her mother was there and what she told her and Yashani explained she had been there for some time and that like all the others broke her too. Yashani added that she never made it passed that room they were in, that she was told the next room was a room of ice and then a desert, though she didn’t think to ask how to get there. Quincy assures her it was alright, that it was a lot and Sterling added this was more than they had. Sterling asked her if she was ok and Yashani simply replied no, but she would be. Sterling stepped up to her, stepping on Quincy’s foot in the process and receiving an elbow in the gut for it, winced and tried to encourage Quincy forward to hug her, but Yashani already started to exit the mausoleum.

Outside the mausoleum Yashani found Bo currently trying to jam *Captura* into *Passus* and with a resounding thunk managed to get the orb to click it into place at the pommel of the sword. Bo looked up in excitement as Yashani came out, commented that he liked her new “digs”, noting her altered mask and new staff, and Yashani awkwardly thanked her and noted they were from her mother. Bo replied that it seemed like something to unpack later on and that she looked good and Yashani commented that it sounded like a lie.

Back inside the mausoleum Seren examined the broken coffin and saw some crushed remains of corpses. Alaerith, seeing Yashani was making her way out, quietly asked Quincy to keep everyone inside for a minute and followed after her and Quincy agreed, stationing themself in the doorway to block the others from leaving. Sterling immediately tried to leave, but when Quincy denied him to do so relented easily enough. RX questioned why, along with Seren who noticed and eyed them, but when Quincy started to sweat a bit and explained Alaerith asked for a moment without the rest of the group agreed and settled in to wait.

Alaerith caught up to Yashani and, a little flustered and unsure how to, tried to motion for her attention. Quincy activated *Ob’s Charm* to ask Bo to come back into the mausoleum, with a thinly veiled excuse for him to look at something and Alaerith silently thanked Quincy in his own head for that as Bo re-entered the mausoleum. Bo noted he had something for him to identify, tossed the newly combined sword and orb and Sterling ritually cast *Identify* on it while they waited. Alaerith motioned Yashani a little away from the door, confirmed that she really did see her mother and Yashani confirmed again that she had, though she admitted it wasn’t something she expected to see. Alaerith, seeing the staff up close, noticed the vein of red glow in the wood that moved similar to the power Yashani summoned for her *Bloody Smite* or *Hand of Healing* techniques*,* enquired that she also had given the staff and Yashani said she did and that she claimed it had a piece of her in it. Alaerith commented that it was unique before stumbling while asking why she left that for her when she was abandoned at the monastery and Yashani that she did it to protect her. Yashani reminded Alaerith of Robert's words that she was important before adding her mother was as well, along with her grandfather, noting he was also there in the in the third room, though she doubted there would be any kind of conversation with him.

Alaerith confusedly asked how she being left there out of fear was protecting her and after asking if he remembered the story she told him Yashani clarified that she did not have a monster inside her like she was told, that it was just power, a twisting of sorts, and that she was no monster unless she chose to be. Alaerith asked if it was just a misunderstanding and when Yashani said of a sort chuckled and said he thought it had to be. Yashani recalled how she told her mother how the party never thought her a monster even when they could see it and Alaerith retorted that Yashani had seen what a real monster looks like and held up his right arm as proof. Alaerith added that regardless he could never associate her with that word and Yashani questioned if he saw himself that way. Alaerith noted it was different before returning to the topic and told her he was happy for her. Yashani thanked him and told him up to that point she lived in fear she would become a monster, that it was something he believed as well, but that in reality it was a lie and could not see such a thing in a friend. At the same time Alaerith noticed the moth on Yashani’s mask appeared to move like red smoke over her mask before it returned to its place.

Back in the mausoleum, Sterling who had finished his magic, asked Quincy if Yashani and Alaerith were going to kiss and was told to shut up as he earned a swift elbow to the gut. Sterling added that he bet five gold it would happen some point and Quincy commented he was the worst with people, while Bo questioned why he thought out of all the group it would be those two. Sterling, now aware that *Passus* with *Captura* could now restrain someone within a certain range, tried to trick Bo into being the test dummy for it, but Bo refused and retrieved his sword back. Meanwhile Seren stood next to Quincy, quietly asked how long that had been happening, referring to Alaerith and Yashani, and Quincy replied that Alaerith did tend to talk to Yashani the most, ever since *The* *Underdark*, but never had as much of a read on Yashani. Sterling piped in to say he thought they have always “had a thing” as the quiet ones, since he arrived, and when Quincy implored Bo to do something Bo activated *Captura* causing the spindly metal wraps to around Sterling's body from shoulders to knees, leaving him *Restrained*. As Sterling toppled over and Bo went to inspect his handiwork Quincy leant back into Seren and changed the topic to ask if he would ever tell them the story of Adelina, the invisible little friend he talked to on occasion. Seren agreed that he would tell them someday and noted some friendships were so strong that even planar boundaries meant very little. Meanwhile, Sterling noted he didn't know how to get out the restraints and Bo started to pry him Sterling out of *Captura*.

Alaerith rubbed his eyes as he pushed aside whatever he thought he just saw, finished the prior conversation to tell her maybe and that she should hold on tightly to her new gifts. Yashani replied that as long as Sterling didn't hurl then through another mirror she should be ok as she was never known for losing things before earning a little chuckle from Alaerith. Alaerith then motioned her face down to him, removed his cloak, balled them around his fingers and reached out to her mask, waiting to see if he was allowed to touch her before proceeding. When Yashani let him Alaerith lifted her mask revealing her wettened face, dabbed her face with the cloak to dry it, then cast *Prestidigitation* to clean under the mask itself and released it till it covered her face again. Alaerith nervously commented that he knew she could probably clean it better and when Yashani replied she couldn't use magic Alaerith shyly chuckled that noted that wasn't what he meant. Alaerith then grinned with eyes shut and suggested they should get the others.

Back in the mausoleum RX called for more pitons, while Bo suggested they use *Passus* for leverage to help Sterling, noting Sterling should try to avoid being stabbed, and with a quick push released Sterling from the restraints of *Captura.* As Yashani wondered where the others are they turned to see Quincy holding the others back the doorway and asked if they were allowed out now. Bo walked through Sterling and Quincy, causing Quincy to spaz a bit as they found that feeling weird, Yashani asked if something was stopping them from leaving, but before Alaerith could explain Seren quickly moved the conversation along and asked what was next. Quincy, believing Yashani needed a smile, asked Bo to capture Sterling again, noting it would make her laugh and Bo readily agreed as he activated *Captura,* easily captured Sterling leaving him *Restrained* by the bindings again, causing Yashani to chuckle. Yashani muttered that it wasn’t as funny as Sterling as a Rooster and Alaerith smiled hearing her laugh and her comment.

Seren cast *Thaumaturgy* to raise his voice, called for everyone’s attention and asking what was next. Sterling apologized, said he did need help to get out and, at Seren’s request, Bo helped release Sterling from *Captura* again. Seren pointed out each of the unexplored doors in the room and asked how they would like to proceed. Sterling requested an hour or two for a short rest so he could explore, while Bo said he could send Nubbi as she was a lot faster then all of them, but Bo, Quincy, Seren and Yashani realized that taking a break in the *Dead Room* was a bad idea and pointed it out. Bo started to send Nubbi to investigate the trapdoor, but Seren stopped him and suggested they agree on a plan before taking action. Seren asked which door they should check and Bo commented Nubbi could check any of them, while Sterling added his *Arcane Eye* could also do the same. Seren suggested some ground rules to all be on the same page while maintaining group safety, that no one be should go anywhere with out at least one of us, that no one touch anything unless they know what it was, while having two other people there to back them up, and that when Seren cast *Tiny Hut* they all stay in the Hut. Everyone agreed to these terms and Sterling cast *Arcane Eye*, while Bo had RX hold him up as he cast *Beast Sense* on Nubbi.

Bo sent Nubbi into one of the doors and Bo, seeing through Nubbi’s eyes, saw a dark place, felt an immense pressure on her body and saw as she popped out of the planter in the room with the stairs they had been before. Bo announced this to the group as Nubbi made her way up the stairs and out of the door Bo had originally entered the room through. Quincy held on to Sterling as he moved *Arcane Eye* to the door closest to the party and found nine statues, with one depicted as a female, with long hair, elegant blue robe, a large sapphire around the neck and wrist, that Sterling recognized as Tollanessa. Sterling also noticed the plaque at her feet had a slightly different name, *Tatiana Anmarea Tollanessa,* and made the assumption the rest were the other Gods and did not bear the names he remembered. Sterling called out loud to Tollanessa, so everyone could hear, relayed his findings and confusion about the name and Tollanessa explained it was her real name. Sterling asked what she meant by real name and when Tollanessa explained when they became higher powers she was called Tollanessa as a simplified version related it to that of a stage name and assumed that went the same for the other Gods. Seren on this findings realized these statues were from the *Aj'Snaga Pantheon's* were still people, which was unknown knowledge to him. Sterling examined the other statues and found -

* Broneli (Bront Eliani) - depicted as a man, clad in plate mail, with a mace, a sentinel shield and golden wings
* Kenala (Kentia Alania) - depicted as a shorter woman, with a willow like dress of leaves
* Myist (Mykeal Stardish) - depicted as a human female, wearing a suit of checkered pattern vest and a bowler hat, carrying an ornate walking cane
* Corvi (Corin Vilgos) - depicted as a large human male, with a horned silver helmet, a flame embossed plate and giant axe
* Leiona (Leeliana Oniala) - depicted as a tall half - elven woman, with long straight hair, reading a book, wearing somewhat extravagant robes in a black and golding color
* Scura & Scoro (Scurillisa Sentryden + Scorolish Sentryden) - depicted as two fraternal twins both wearing form fit leather armor, with Scura's hair being long and wavy, while brother Scoro's is short and dark and both holding onto a black diamond
* Niyela (Nyphenia Elein) - depicted as an average height woman, with short pixie cut, intricate half plate armor and a bat hanging from her arm
* Osgonan (Osirick Golonaian) - depiction unknown as the statue is destroyed

Sterling marvelled over the discovery, noting that if he made it out he would be renowned as this could be the biggest religious discovery ever. He then took a moment to collect himself before he left, moved on to the mausoleum across from the one where Yashani found her mother and saw a pair of tombs with writing on them, in a language Sterling could not recognize, but assumed it was from Gilesha. Sterling informed the group of his find, cast *Minor Illusion* to recreate the script for Quincy to see and Quincy explained the writing was from Gilesha, a proper text from Kmlon, that they were never taught much of, but recognized the words would be most similar to prince and princess. Sterling asked Seren what they should do and Seren in turn asked if anyone felt a particular need to see these tombs, but no one felt drawn to it and the mausoleum was written off. Sterling briefly mourned the possible loss of anything of historical value before Bo asked if he could send the *Arcane Eye* through the door with the dragon over it. Sterling sent the incorporeal eye to it and found the magical seer was instantly dispelled as the eyes of the dragon burned up and the nose emitted smoke. RX informed the group that the door claimed he was not the King, to the groups confusion, before Sterling pointed out the possible relation to the prince.

Bo reminded the party they had seen only one name not related to Yashani and at that Yashani pulled out the key that dropped from the elder bodak when she killed it. Yashani explained the name on it, *Manor Belroadine,* had no significance to her, thought it might mean something to Bo and handed it to him as Sterling cast *Enhance Ability : Fox's Cunning* to aid his memory and recalled, as someone from a rich family in the Puhan Trading Company, that the islands along the southern strip of Palamoa were called the *Belroadine Islands* and Yannhis was their King. Sterling gave his assumption that the plaque Bo found before the ash specters was Yannhis’ resting place, that the tombs that said “prince” and “princess” were his children and the party intuited that the key must be for the door with the dragon. RX took the key to try it, but found the key did not work and was met with the same results as fire was breathed down on him. The door once again roared in Draconic *"You are not the King"* as RX returned blackened and requested they found a new room, as he hated the one they were in. Alaerith asked back in Draconic where was this King and what King, along with RX who in Draconic noted he could also speak the language, but received no response back.

As Seren walked to RX and cast *Cure Wounds* to heal him the party discussed the doors they had left to check and turned to the cellar doors. RX headed to the cellar doors and, noting they did not have handles to open it and more impatient than ever, kicked the doors in with a resounding crack and revealed a ladder leading to a small room below. The party suggested Nubbi could investigate and noting she could no longer float RX pointed out he could levitate her down. Alaerith cut in to ask Quincy to check if they still had the remaining *Ob’s Charms* and Quincy went to look, saw the charms were missing and Quincy called out that there could be people listening in on the charms. RX activated Ob's Charm and called out for anyone who was listening to stop and Quincy noted though there was little they could do about it now. Bo cast *Beast Sense* on Nubbi, just before RX activated *Telekinetic Movement* to levitate her down the stairs and Bo, through her eyes, saw the room was roughly 30 feet x 30 feet, with six cots, several boxes of coal with a shovel in one, a blazing furnace in one wall and a door in the opposite corner of the room. Bo requested RX to lift Nubbi back up and RX activated *Telekinetic Movement* to lift Nubbi back out. RX asked if they should investigate it further and Bo suggested at first their fire resistant members should go down before Seren he would go and climbed down the ladder into the room. RX moved to follow, but seeing him badly injured, Quincy said they would handle it and was swiftly followed by Bo as the others wait up top.

Bo cast *Detect Magic* as they looked around the room and found the door in the room gave off a sort of planar magic, specifically Conjuration, which he warned the others. Seren knocked on the door with his staff and, in response, the door began to grow ice shards over it and Quincy reminded them Yashani told them there was an ice cavern. Seren, from his time in the Feywild, recalled weather could change step by step beyond a treeline and that the environment changing so drastically would also fit what Robert had told them in regards to the demi-planes stacked on top of each other. Seren, Quincy and Bo finished their look around the room and when the deemed it safe called the others down regroup. Sterling suggested they rest before continuing and was reminded they woke up from a full night’s sleep not even two hours ago, but the party agreed it could still be worthwhile to simply sit for a moment before continuing. Sterling suggested it was considering the dragon door was made for someone else, possibly royalty, that it guarded something useful like magical items, but also assumed that opening the tombs of the prince and princess that, same as the others, may conjure more enemies for them to fight. Sterling added if completing the fight may reveal something to unlocking the dragon door, like how the bodak dropped the key, it might be something worth considering and asked whether they should take the risk or cut their losses at this point. RX noted they couldn't open the door from what they knew and Quincy offered they could put it to a vote, noting they weren't sure that the possibility of reward wasn't worth what may lie for them. Sterling noted it would mean another fight and that he was curious on what the key was for and Quincy asked them to save their curiosity for things not likely to kill them. Bo suggested they could go back, admitting there was logic to his thought, and as party agreed to it placed the materials related to it back in his *Eldritch Scarf* to Seren's surprise at the sight.

As they started to rest Seren asked Alaerith if he could mend the trapdoor and Alaerith agreed to try, climbed the ladder, reached out and repeatedly strained cast *Mending* for five minutes with no result. Alaerith kicked a nearby rock in annoyance and when Seren asked if he was ok replied he didn't know and that his magic was being affected by this place. Bo suggested Alaerith could try to use the ring given by Tali and Alaerith once again tried, while activating the ring, but found the spell fizzled once again. Sterling managed to connect the dots of recent events and informed Alaerith that his spells that were not all working because of the need for material components or an arcane focus. As Alaerith frustratingly realized his error Sterling offered Alaerith a pair of lode stones as a focus for the current magic he was trying to do. Alaerith looked to the *Handy Haversack* where *Vile's fang* remained for a few seconds before he cast *Mending* again and seeing the magic succeeded thanked Sterling and continued until the trap door was entirely repaired. Alaerith went to return the lodestones, but Sterling insisted he should hold onto them as he had a lot of stuff and didn't use them at all. Quincy, curious about the talk of magic, asked Sterling to re-explain the need of a focus and Sterling reexplained once more, with Alaerith adding that spells could be seen like a recipe and the materials Sterling used acted as needed ingredients. Quincy explained they did not think they had used one and when Sterling asked if Quincy had anything in particular they held onto while casting a spell said they didn't think so and that their magic was more instinctual than anything. Sterling offered it could be simply their guns that they use as a focus or possibly her contract and didn't need them directly for her magic before he offered the use of his *Component Pouch* for any materials he needed in case and Alaerith accepted his offer.

Seren ritual cast *Tiny Hut,* while Quincy read from the "*The Ballad of Bahemerial Bolton"* and RX took the shovel for his own*.* As the others rested in silence within Seren’s glow all but Sterling noticed the moth on Yashani’s mask moved, like a wispy echo of itself, before it returned to the engraving. Alaerith, having seen this for the second time, commented that she was watching her, but when Bo asked if Yashani was sure she didn't want Sterling to Identify her new items Yashani commented that the mask wasn't a tangible item before she relented that if the new items made the others uncomfortable she would submit to it. Sterling said that it was not that they were uncomfortable and that it would be good to have a better understanding of it and was what he was used for. Bo cut in to say that since their encounter with Lunala moths put him on edge and Seren, while reflecting in his mind how Lunala caused a lot of what he had dealt with the past 50 years, agreed as well. Yashani handed over the mask and Sterling activated *Awakened Spellbook* to ritual cast *Identify* on the mask in an instant and found it wasn't magical, but like his spellbook held a small bit of consciousness within it. Sterling asked to identify the staff and when Alaerith asked if she could hold on to it while he did so taking Yashani insisted it was ok and placed it before him. Sterling ritually cast *Identify* on the staff and offered to tell Yashani the details on the mask in private, noting it wasn't bad and just heavy, but when Quincy noted they probably wouldn't be alone for awhile explained the mask's sentience. Yashani admitted her mother mentioned she would always be with her, but believed it was in reference to the staff. As Sterling said she was with her literally the moth once again moved like before and returned to the mask. Yashani thanked Sterling and when Sterling said it was his job noted it was something the party used him for, but it was not his job and they did appreciate it. Quincy elbowed Sterling and told him that they were right when they said the party didn’t hate them, chuckling when Sterling complains that he has to restart his casting. Alaerith looked to the staff and mask before he silently in his mind asked if there was someone within them and was her mother to keep her safe. After Sterling finished he found the staff was called *Umbra* and explained how it worked to her.

As the party’s rest came to a close Sterling mentioned he was able to recover rough magic to cast *Arcane Eye* again, but wondered if he should also cast something else before they leave the dome and send a message to those left outside the mirror to assure them the party was alright, learn updates of what had happened outside since then and maybe compare any kind of time difference between inside and outside the *Dusterburyan Lighthouse*. Sterling also added he had *Nondetection* also ready for the book if they liked and Seren suggested he save his energy. Alaerith, noting Sterling's point of temporal differences, said there was a way to tell and asked asked RX how much time passed for him, from the exact moment he had stepped in the mirror and his voice was no longer heard by him to when he himself stepped inside. RX explained it was about an hour and when Alaerith said time felt way shorter for him while he was holding onto the rope RX made the assumption around 110 hours had passed outside of the *Dusterburyan Lighthouse,* which roughly translated to two days within it. Quincy, realizing it was a long time to be missing, quickly explained to Seren that before the party went through the mirror they were in the *Maltrop Strip*, having come via a ship with their old friend Flamecannon and Bo suggested they should contact those on the ship because if they got out of here, the ship still needed to be there so they could leave and it's crew still ok. Sterling hurriedly scrawled out a letter, cast *Sending* to tell Flamecannon

*"Sir Flamecannon, we have found ourselves in the Dusterburyan Lighthouse. The Order of Ruin is here, time is on a temporal shift of ten to one."*

with his usual sign off of his full name cut off and a moment later Sterling heard Flamecannon’s reply

*"You’re in the lighthouse right now? If so, we’re taking off. Just make sure don't jump off the cliff too far."*

Sterling relayed the reply to the group, which was initially met with frustration by group at his lack of help, but Bo, Alaerith, Quincy, Seren and Sterling, with Bo and Quincy especially familiar with the *Maltrop Strip* and the waters surrounding it, realized the *Dusterburyan Lighthouse* was on a cliffside overlooking the ocean and assumed Flamecannon meant to bring the ship around the cliffside and pick them up if they made it out.

With the party ready to head off Seren turned to the door covered in ice shards, cast *Shape Water* to remove the ice causing the door to shatter and reveal the new hallway. Seren stepped in, followed by the party, down the stone hallway and found more and more ice covering the walls and floor until everything was made of ice around them and the walls were higher and higher on either side of them. Seeing Seren no longer had his coat from *Krapjess*, Alaerith took off his replicated coat from Sterling, cast *Prestidigitation* to warm it up, handed it to Seren and wrapped himself around in his cloak as Seren thanked him.

The party rounded a corner and found a new open space with three pillars that rose from the center to the ceiling. Sterling offered to cast *Arcane Eye* again and Bo said he could also send out Nubbi, though he could no longer look through her eyes and couldn’t relay back any details. Seren said they could simply be cautious and allow Sterling to conserve his energy. Seren and Yashani, as those with the sharpest eyes, stepped forward to lead the way and Sterling reached out and to cast *Enhance Ability : Owl’s Wisdom* on Seren while Alaerith also cast it on Yashani. The party moved forward quietly and found another hallway to go with a door to the left and an open doorway at the far end. Seren looked in the doorway and found an unknown beautiful orcish woman, in elegant purple clothes, with long black silver hair and a long emerald necklace, in a capsule of mostly clear ice. Seren activated *Ob's Charm*, told the others what he saw and Sterling noted whatever was in there was dead and magically embalmed or alive. Bo stepped through Seren to the end of the hall, waited for Seren and RX to get close behind him before looking past the doorway and found another room of ice with a merchant's cart that appeared to be brutally damaged, splintered into several pieces by an unknown force and several frozen dead bodies littered about. Bo cautiously cast *Detect Magic,* found nothing inherently magical nearby and relayed it to Seren. Seren snapped his long clawed fingers to cast *Detect Evil & Good*, felt several undead begin to register nearby as well as something that registered from the group, then immediately grabbed Bo to swap places with him as frozen corpses began to rise from the ground.

1. ↑ Jessa said as Yashani that “I have very high insight, Bo” which is metaknowledge, but we love it
2. ↑ Adelina was revealed in “*Departure*” as a pixie that would hover around Seren’s head, a flavor of Jon’s casting of *Gift of Alacrity*
3. ↑ Darrin had Haelley rolled to see if she could figure out what Quincy used, but she rolled bad so he told her that Quincy didn't know
4. ↑ It has to be attuned and can only attune to Yashani. It has +2 to attack and damage.

Split mode one attack is two attacks and each does 1d6 damage.

Full Connected mode is two handled, versatile and 1d10 damage.

It has 4 charges, which recharge 1d4 charges at dusk, allowing her to activate *Umbral Bite* and create a 15 foot aura, that goes until the start of Yashani’s next turn, and causes any creature other than Yashani, including allies, to be *Blinded* (unless they have *Truesight*) and starting within the aura causes 1d10 piercing damage. If a creature dies within the aura Yashani gains 15 temporary hit points.

If Yashani expends all charges of the staff, she rolls 1d20 and on a 5 or lower the staff is destroyed.