Session 14 - Hadrian's Tower, Level 2

Breaching the gates of the tower prison to the higher levels of the tower, our heroes left the bodies of their fallen friends behind. It was just beyond the gate that the next of Hadrian's insidious traps await them. Guarded behind iron bars were skeletal bowmen, damned to keep watch over the exit to the towers prison for all eternity. With no cover in the barren hall our heroes ran directly into a hail of arrow fire barely escaping with their lives.

Next they ventured into the insidious alchemy lab of the tower. With walls lined with countless alchmical reagents and horrific experiments our heroes thought it prudent to leave the horrors that lingered in wizened test tubes undisturbed and forever forgotten. This led them directly into the towers grand library, filled with the knowledge of a forgotten age. The library and its wonders were protected by the reanimated fossil of a sea creature far removed from its own time. Brought back to a hideous semblance of life by the horrific spell cast by the minions of the Witch King the creature broke free of its display holdings to destroy the heroes. When all seemed lost, all weapon attacks grazing harmlessly off its stone hardened bones and magic sent against it crushed by it ancient rage the monster was all but poised to end our heroes story on the spot. It is until, in its rage it lost its footing on the libraries grand table. This sent it tumbling end over end falling though the endless darkness that lingered in the grand oubliette that waited at the far end of the room, taking Rudalphus with it.

With their friend seemingly lost to the oubliette the remainders of the group that set off to the tower of Hadrian sought what they came for, a clue to the weapon that could defeat the Witch King. Wandering to what appeared to be a museum belonging to the towers master our heroes found, captured in relief the story of the Witch Kings first defeat at the hands of a a long forgotten hero. Finally at the end of the grand relief waited the tomb of the forgotten hero and a part of his shield. The power radiating from the half shield made it clear that this is what the Vault had spoken of and it was taken in hopes that it contained the secrets needed to end the Witch Kings threat forever.

Wandering to the top of the tower Monty and Raiel found the wizened bones of the towers master, Hadrian, laying in state among all his majesty and among his powerful items plundered from a life time of conquest. It was just as they were about to plunder from the tomb of the conqueror did Rudalphus some how surviving the fall. Explaining that the horrific spell cast on the tower brought each body they encountered back to life and the ancient warlord would be no different if he was disturbed.

Escaping the horrors of the tower behind them our heroes set of back home sad for their losses but hopeful for the future.