The Plunge for Knowledge II: Insane in the Membrane

Horatio seeing the exploration quest for exploring the Leodis Mages Tower newly discovered depths on the quest board in the Guild hall, thinks back to meeting his new friends 'the boiz' and wondering how they are doing. He goes and finds Rain to have a laugh and a little romp through the depths of the unexplored levels.

*Part of the The Plunge for Knowledge story arc*

## Adventurers Attending

* Horatio Hammerfell
* Renestrae 'Rain' Larenthanil

## Mission Notes

Horatio seeing the exploration quest for exploring the Leodis Mages Tower newly discovered depths on the quest board in the Guild hall, thinks back to meeting his new friends 'the Boiz' and wondering how they are doing. He goes and finds Rain to have a laugh and a little romp through the depths of the unexplored levels. Finding Rain she is more than willing to go explore somewhere new, and teleports the two to the Leodis Mages Tower campus. Getting to the library being let through by Natalia Chestroot, a tall elvish woman who has overseen the archives who welcomes Horatio back again and gives the pair the journals and, map from the previous expedition to aid them in their exploration.

Walking to where the entrance is the pair descend the spiraling staircase to get into the depths, lowering themselves down the rope. Horatio points out what they had previously had seen, the cursed sword room, the gooze room as they walk past the demon bas reliefs. Walking down the stairs to the pillar room, Rain comments on the skeletal snake motif, the pair start heading north to check out the large long tunnels that head that way until they hear the sounds of pitter patter from what could be feet, to the west. Deciding to turn back and check that way, Horatio is more than happy to as it might be one of 'the Boiz'. Heading up the west route Horatio forgets to mention to Rain about the mirrors as a small army of Horatios step out of most of the mirrors in the alcoves that line this corridor. Causally taking out the first few doppelgangers, Horatio catches Rain up with what has just transpired. While making short work of their assailants, Rain discovers that she can't teleport. Realising there weren't as many of them this time Horatio investigates one of the alcoves that didn't produce a shadowy duplicate and discovers an illusion hiding a stone shelf in the recess of the mirror. Trying out the other mirrors the duo put to rest that most mirrors are actually there, Rain discovers a bronze face mask of a older looking elf. Pocketing it for now the two press on.

Taking the left tunnel heading south Horatio leads to where he first encounters 'the Boiz' his fellow goblin gang members, knocking on the door to let himself be known he hears back 'what do want dweeb?'. Saying he is here with a friend and just come to see how the boiz are doing. Stepping through there are three goblins playing with the skeletal makeshift marionette, they had made improvements to it since last time using strings alongside the original ropes. Asking to show Rain what the marionette does and the goblins cackle with glee as they make the marionette swear towards Rain, who isn't too thrilled about the idea of the use of these remains to swear at her. The goblins check to see if the outsider isn't going to try and head downstairs, which Horatio is very adamant that Rain wont be doing that. Asking if Jym is around, they are told he is somewhere around here but not here but they inform the duo that there has been a strange robot around here lately, pointing to the way the pair had come from. Thanking the goblins the pair head off while the goblins go back to their macabre play thing.

Heading back north to the t-section by the corridor of mirrors, heading further north they head to the room mentioned by the goblins. Ask they room comes into the range of the pairs darkvision, they see the back of a familiar autognome. Asking Grrder what he is doing here, he just stands there unmoving not reacting. After not getting a response Rain goes to give Grrder a slap around the back of the head, which passes through the illusion. Horatio making sure that it wasn't just the head tries to pass his hand through the torso, validating this thought the two try to work out why this image of Grrder might be here. Not coming up with anything the pair head back south to the uncharted area hidden behind the door.

Opening the door reveals a small corridor the lead to a new door. Opening up the the room a room with a couple of large pillars in the room that reach up to the 20 foot ceiling, nestled between them a 10 foot tall stone archway. The room gives Rain a extremely strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, and puts her on edge. Around the room are a couple of bodies that have long passed leaving only their gear. Horatio starts walking through the archway thinking something might happen, when nothing happens he tries again and the non magical crossbow and great axe starts faintly glowing purple. Rain gives it a go and when nothing happens claims the archway is racist. Going through it again Rain turns invisible. Horatio makes a bunch of excuses to try and pass through the archway so more like investigating the bodies and taking their ruined adventuring gear through the archway, which is quickly discarded when nothing happens passing through the archway. Horatio takes quite a large amount of magical damage and turns invisible from several trips through the archway. The fain glow from the weapons gives away his position.

Deciding there is nothing else to gain from here they move on. Being hit by a musty scent as the door cracks open, looking around the room there is a pile of bones stacked up in a alcove and a horned skeleton manacled to the wall wearing fine clothes but is missing it's legs. Written in dried blood 'TALK TO ME' is scrawled upon the wall above, to the south is a large alcove filled with a random assortment of bones. The invisible duo intrigued by this message written on the wall start trying to talk to the horned skeleton in all the languages they know starting with Giff. Horatio taking the opportunity for a practical joke, putting down his purple glowing weapons that now become visible Horatio sneaks up to the skeleton and waits for his moment. Rain continues asking the skeleton questions then Horatio starts replying while moving the skull and jaw, clearly a skill picked up from his friends the Boiz. Playing along the pair have a long interaction with each other which ends up asking if the skeleton is Hollie's Father. Once done with their fun Rain sees if she can find any legs for the skeleton in the pile of bones, none seem to really match the locked up skeleton. Deciding the archway in the previous room may help the situation, Horatio frees the skeleton walks it through to the other room and throws it through the archway instantly turning it to dust as magical forces damage it, filling the air of the room with dust. The pair start coughing as they breath in their new friend, deciding nothing else can be gained from here they continue on.

Opening the door they a large chamber, a large set of double doors are on the other side but to the left this a crack tunneled into the wall, Horatio races to see where it goes but doesn't take into account his huge size and tries to force himself into the tight gap. The sound of metal scrapping against rock and screeching as it warps, using his huge heft and strength starts wedging himself in the gap. Rain noticing the room seems to connect up with another part of the map but still wanting to aid her friend she in his goals heads over to push. Horatio takes out butter from his pouch to try and lube up and gets in a little further. Seeing a headless statue of a nude women in the ruble, clearing a path to really help get Horatio in the gap, Rain unearths a head that fits on tip perfectly. This head is of a cobra. Stopping to investigate further, digging out the statue and setting it up right, the head clearly matches up but without a means of attachment Rain places the head down next to it. Rain throws a rock to get an idea where Horatio actually is, becoming visible again, she pulls Horatio out of the wall he managed to wedge himself into. Seeing the problem at hand the large hippo man falls-back on the trusty butter again to act as adhesive and tears the manacles from the wall in the previous room to stick it together, a swift breeze could make it fall apart. Proud of the accomplishment Horatio swings open the double doors to the south of the room.

Looking into the large series of corridor, it is very obvious that these hallways are much cleaner than the rest of the areas explored. Rain is filling out the map as Horatio decided to slyly try and take the quill and map out of her hands without being noticed (I've got no idea how he thought this was going to work either, so you are not along), Rain just lets it happen as she is pretty fed up of filling the thing out anyway. Horatio puts **X** on the map Rain decides the North corridor is better route rather than the hallway lit up by candles.

Following the Northern path the pair come across a outcropping with an alcove with a stone bas relief of heavily set man in the nude playing a harp. On the floor is one half of a broken 10ft pole. Looking over the relief for any holes that the pole could fit in, Rain notices a inscription on the harp, written in common.

*GAZE UPON ME WITH BRONZED VISAGE*
*AND SECRETS SHALL I REVEAL.*
Pulling out the the bronze mask of the elf, Rain tries to place it on the relief, which doesn't yield any results. Putting it on seems to have the same effect, trying to lean in to see if anything has been revealed, as her head passes the alcove Rain disappears to the shock of Horatio who tries to frantically see if there is anything on the relief that trigger this.

Rain appears in a 30 foot by 30 foot stone room, the other half of the pole on the floor and a mist like doorway behind her. Across the room there is a upside down painting of the elf that the mask is of and sat in a high back oak chair is the aforementioned elf. Annoyed the elf shout at Rain.

"*Well, don't just stand there like a boob. Ask me three questions about This place. Two of my answers will be true, and one will be false*."
**Rain**: '???' - Need to ask Arthur what the question was

???
**Rain**: '*Who is the Boss?*'

*He is defiantly a powerful boss who lives on a lower level that is in charge of a gang of Gobolinoids.*
'*Rain**:** Who are you?*'

*I am the ruler and creator of this place, none of it would be here is it wasn't for me. I moved down here and hermit crabs moved in above.*
Giving his final answer his form start falling apart leaving a cold wet white substance on the chair. Confused as to what just happened, Rain tries to put the painting the right way up on the wall, finding it can't go up the way she thought she just props it up against the wall the right way around.

Heading out Rain passes the mask to Horatio who balances the thing on his large muzzle, trying t do the same with the portrait, Horatio decided to take the large painting out of the room with them. Continuing on till the open a door to t-section the pair decide to go north until hitting a room with a couple of bugbears in it. Seeing people coming, the two bolt through the door. Horatio calls out ask if they are Pinky and Bubbles, getting no response the part head to the eastern door they ran through.

Heading through the door the pair have a sight in front of them, in a room to the north there is a 14 foot tall statue of an eye with a lot of dried blood in front of it. More pressingly though there are a couple of dead goblins on the floor filled with arrows pinned into them, with other goblins hidden behind overturned table who are fearing for their lives. Theyare holding bows and arrows pointing at carved tunnel in the wall on the other side of the room. Asking what has happened to these bodies the goblins answer 'the Brain Boiz got them and killed them'. Asking what brain boiz are the answer was Brain Boiz with a goblin dangling a hand in front of it's mouth and wiggling it's fingers. Probing further it turns out the "Brain Boiz" came out of the tunnel while the were digging and attacked their fellow goblins.

Crawling through the cracks in the wall dug out by the goblins the two come across a small collapsed corridor, stepping into they are set on by two strange creatures that look like brains with beaks and a load of tendrils dangling below. Fending off these two Brain Boiz the pair feel this is enough exploring for today, Horatio feeling a bit dejected as he wasn't able dispatch his Brain Boi in 6 seconds. Letting the goblins know they should be safe for now the two head back up topside where a new library card is waiting for Rain if she should choose to use the Leodis Mages Tower Library.

[To be replaced by updated map]

## Loot

* Standard Session Xp & Gold
* Leodis Mages Tower Library Card - Rain
* Bronze mask of elf - ??? left for future explorers

## Rumours

* Who was that Elven man sat in that room?

## Player Diaries

### **Horatio's Expedition Journal**

> Rain and myself were tasked with heading back to the area underneath the wizards library tower to expand the map we made previously a little further, curiously some of the rooms seemed to have reset, we went through the corridor of many Ios again but this time it was full of copies of me, those were no match for the real thing however and we're soon dispatched, we found a ghost of our former companion Grrder, need to check up on him and see that he's okay and maybe ask about a little smiting for me. Found some of my goblin companions again, need to purchase a sending stone so I can keep in contact with Jim and he can let me know if he needs anything. A little further in we found some statues that we fixed up and Rain spoke to an elf wizard snowman thing and I helped to redecorate his room.
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> Nearing the end of our excursion we found some of the boys had been slain by something called Brain Boiz so we tracked down and put an end to them to avenge my fallen goblin brothers. Rain was acting a little odd the whole time, may need to keep an eye on her too.
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### **Rain's Expedition Journal**

> So there's this unexplored underground underneath this wizard tower which we have been tasked with mapping and clearing out. Which is weird because we usually go up them, kill the guys at the top and steal all their stuff.
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> Horatio asked me to come with him and meet "The boys" which turned out to be some dim witted goblins in cool jackets... They told us not to go downstairs because the boss doesn't like it (whoever that is).
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> During our exploration we encountered the ruler of this underground domain who was a cryptic mother fucker that told me the boss was a pushover, that this was his domain and generally just being vague and unhelpful.
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> There's a lot of weird shit down here, Horatio kept trying to grease himself up and slide through cracks in the wall which is a novelty.
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> After mapping the place a little further we found some cowering goblins that asked for our help defeating the Brain Boiz (some weird tentacle beaky floating brains). After we dispatched of them we decided to call it a day and come back with reinforcements to explore more.
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