Session 314

# October 5th, 2023 - Silverhand Vault Heist

## Silverhand's Solvers

The session began with the party crossing into the fifth identical circular stone chamber in High Lady Silverhand’s alarmed vault. For the second time they saw a room that had standing mirrors on the opposite side, but on this occasion there were only five and they faced the party as they entered. Along the sides of the room this chamber was filled with random mundane objects, everything you could find in a home or throughout the streets of a city. It looked like a magical dumping ground. Raven had his last remaining raptor go up to the mirrors and look through them, walking around them, and nothing unusual happened.

When Carlton approached one of the mirrors, his reflection was not identical, but showed himself grinning back holding a parchment. The reflection unrolled the parchment so Carlton could read the riddle upon it. Each mirror had a reflection of whoever stood in front of it holding up a parchment with a different riddle. The party quickly figured that they had to bring the item from the room that represented what each riddle stated. It appeared as if there was no downside to bringing the wrong item, other than having the altered reflection silently mock them. This was clearly another delaying tactic meant to slow and possibly trap thieves.

The party quickly solved each riddle, bringing the correct item in front of the mirror after which the illusion vanished resulting in a normal reflection. Once all five illusions had been dispelled, the empty stone archway behind the mirrors opened into another black void leading them to the next chamber. This next room was again mostly devoid of objects, had an empty stone archway across the room, and had a central circular stone table. Upon the table sat six objects made of stone: a book, a scythe, a dagger, a spear, a hammer, and a crown. Around the table were six hooded statues with their hands outstretched such that one item could be placed upon each statue.

The party investigated the near identical statues closely and discussed what they thought the answers were before they moved any of the objects. They were able to detect that each statue was ever so slightly different. One appeared to have dark ink marks upon its fingers, upon which they placed the stone book. Another looked to have mud-crusted shoes, upon which they placed the scythe. Another had slightly red stained fingers that resembled blood, upon which they laid the dagger. The fourth statue's fingers appeared to be moist with condensation, upon which they placed the spear. The fifth statue’s hands looked as if they had further dark marks, which the party thought was soot, upon which they laid the hammer. The final statue appeared to be ‘normal’, and clear of any special identifying marks, upon which they placed the crown.

## Silverhand Vault Heist

To their delight, the archway void opened indicating they got all the answers correct. Upon entering the next chamber, Joakim exclaimed they had made it to the actual vault. The vault was more like a long corridor with pedestals and chests lining the walls. Stuffing all the coins and gems into their *bag of holding* from the various chests, the party counted just over 4,500 gold worth of currency. It appeared as if all the books and scrolls that were kept in the vault were gone (these were the really rare ones, kept outside of her massive three story library within the mansion proper). However, there were a small number of magical items still remaining on pedestals, and one exceptionally rare and unique weapon hovering upon a large pedestal behind a locked gate.

The party looted all that remained and divided them among themselves and took a short rest within the vault to attune to their items. Orsais got a container of ten magical *+1 bolts*, Watch got a *+1 rod of the pact keeper*, Fax got a *+1 bloodwell vial*, Raven took the rare *amulet of health*, and Joakim got the rare *cloak of displacement*. Carlton took the magic greatsword, which turned out to be sentient and very excited to finally have a wielder once again, it was named Hazirawn. During the period after the excitement of their new loot passed, they realized the only archway in this chamber did not have a void open - they were stuck. Luckily, Joakim tried the two incantations he knew about the vault, with the second meant for closing and re-arming it actually opening the archway. Instead of a black void like all the chambers before, this one opened with a bright white light.

When the party was ready and moved through the archway, they found themselves back in the first mimic chamber - still technically within the vault. After the last of them entered the room, they remembered that their *minor illusions* had been dispelled, and at almost the same instant all the trapped enemy soldiers who had either been turned to stone or dropped into a void within the vault appeared in the chamber with them. The enemy soldiers shook out of their daze, and the enemy commander - a spellcaster - recognized that the party were not all the ones that appeared to go through the vault. He yelled for everyone to “capture them!” Then the party found themselves in combat with well over a dozen soldiers, veterans, and knights in an enclosed space.

Raven dropped a *spike growth* blocking the entrance, Watch *feared* a number of the more powerful looking soldiers through the growth. Orsais *counterspelled* the enemy spellcasters attempt at a *fireball*, and then casted a *fireball* of his own. Joakim *webbed* a number of soldiers, and Carlton used his newfound greatsword to easily cut through soldiers left and right. Fax dodged between enemies unleashing magic of his own, and within a short time the party had killed most of the soldiers in the chamber. When the enemy spellcaster came out of his *greater invisibility* to *hold person* Raven, the party immediately focused their attention on him, killing him shortly thereafter. All told, after about a minute of fierce fighting the party had killed most of the soldiers, with a few fleeing the area out of *fear*, and only two remaining that Watch summarily executed.

That is where the session ended, it was still the nineteenth day since the party first left Black Landing.

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