The Sky Spire
Cleric's Log:
In the snowy northern regions, we had been tasked with tracking down a wizard. When he had not shown up to do his monthly trading at the nearby town, the mayor had become concerned. They had given us a small fee to find out what had happened and bring the wizard back, if able. We had been told where his tower was located, but upon arriving, we found the tower to be standing upon a floating stone in the sky. From a distance, it was quite beautiful. It had a tall slate roof, topped with an ornate blue glass section. The first problem to solve was how to get to the front door, but lucky for us, Wizard had prepared a flying spell, allowing us to float up to the island.
After setting foot on the stone, we approached and knocked at the door several times. After receiving no response, we tried the handle and found that it turned. We let ourselves in, announcing ourselves loudly. The 1st floor was a kitchen area, and there was a door to a small garden and stairs led both up and down. Sensing something was amiss, we fell into the quiet, careful way that we often did when exploring a dungeon. We went down first, making the smaller search area safe before progressing upwards.
The basement was a circular storage area for food and drink, which rested on a stone shelf that ran all around the room. At the centre was a formation of natural rock, which had a locked glass case upon it. The case protected an immovable rod, which apparently held both the entire tower and the stone it was built on aloft. We were slightly alarmed to find a casket here, and wondered if the wizard had secretly been a vampire. We were relieved to find, upon cracking it open, that it was merely filled with bottles of wine.
Lower levels secured, we moved on to the 2nd level and found it to be a small, but lavish dining room. The loaf on the table was starting to mould, which told us that it had been cut no less than a week ago, a reassuring sign. It was as we were inspecting it that we heard movement, and were suddenly attacked by two animated suits of armour, which we had assumed to be ornamental.
After a couple of minutes, Barbarian and Bard had managed to subdue the armours with relatively little drama. No worse for wear, we proceeded upstairs. The 3rd floor was a library, complete with writing desk and comfy seating. The desk was littered with paper, which told of research into devils. After a while, a voice addressed us, asking us not to move anything. We looked around and found that it was the head of a giant eagle on the wall that had spoken. Both the eagle head, and the roc head on the wall turned out to be quite the conversationalists, but they argued with each other fervently. Through them, we were able to learn exactly when the wizard had disappeared, along with his ward. We also learned that the wizard had been concerned about what he called a 'houseguest' other than the woman who was staying here.
The 4th floor contained an alchemical lab, a storage room and what we first took to be servant's quarters. Rogue, however, found a wax seal kit on the bedside table. This told him that these were in fact, the ward's quarters. Not only that, the ward was a princess of a kingdom to the south, who had allegedly run away two years prior.
The 5th floor contained guest rooms, none of which had been recently occupied. They were clean, however, and looked like they had been dusted at around the same time the loaf of bread below had been cut. There was nothing of particular interest, but kind Druid would not let us proceed until she had taken the time to water the plants in each of the rooms.
On the 6th floor, there were bath facilities, but before we could enter the master bedroom, Rogue halted us. He had heard a sound from within, and entered with dagger drawn. Sitting in front of the fire was the wizard, feet up in front of the fire and reading a book. He seemed surprised to see us, but was otherwise welcoming. We chatted for a moment, explaining the reason for our visit, but then Barbarian held up a massive hand, declaring that there was no heat coming from the fireplace, thus, the wizard was an illusion. No sooner had he said this, the expression of the wizard changed, becoming cold. Our host merely asked us to come upstairs, pointing to a small door in the room before fading away. We proceeded with care.
The 7th and final floor was an area of magical research and testing. An obscuring pillar of smoke, constrained by magical force, stood at the centre. It was surrounded by scrolls and trinkets, and a quaint balcony led to the chilly outside. There was considerable magic concentrated around the circle at the centre, and scorch marks spread out from the area. Wizard and I stared at the smoke for a moment, then looked at each other. We both knew that the one responsible for the wizard's disappearance was somewhere within the smoky pillar. I commanded it to show itself. It did so, resolving into the form of a lithe horned devil and standing an inch from the magical barrier. The devil mocked and gloated, clearly an evil and conniving creature. However, through its taunts, we learned that it had tricked the wizard and his ward into believing that the devil's magic could not leave the barrier, when in fact some could. The devil had bided its time and waited until the wizard was handling a magic item and then activated it from beyond the barrier, sending the wizard and the ward, who had been standing nearby, into another plane. With this, we had all the information we needed to rescue the wizard, but not before dealing with the devil. I lay may hand upon the magical barrier, intent on undoing the magic that had erected it. The devil realised my intent and suddenly became worried, pleading and threatening. I had stopped listening, steeling myself for the battle ahead. By the grace of the goddess, this devil would be purged.
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