Blue Alley

Session 3:  Blue Alley

Yasuo

(Warning:  contains spoilers for Blue Alley)

Wandering spirits

Illuminated in blue

From this path we tread

- Shimazu Yasuo

Eizo-san, I humbly offer this partial report of my meeting with Mirt-san.  I beg forgiveness for the incompleteness, but I have been regrettably delayed.

We were summoned to the opera to meet Mirt-san to speak about an association with a group called The Harpers, so after ensuring our formal attire was presentable we were taken by coach to the opera house.  After some small delay requiring presentation of my writ to wear battle gear we were escorted into his presence.  Speaking privately he informed us of the real reason we were there.

Mirt

It seems he recently had some sentimental property stolen from him by apparent magical means, and wanted us to retrieve it for him.  Given his position of respect and several hundred years of wisdom I could not refuse.

Mirt-san suspected his property was hidden away in a place called The Blue Alley, named for its magically lit pathway.  He informed us that many have searched the area for fabled treasure but few have returned.  This did not concern me, and I was gladdened to see that it did not overly concern the others.

We were directed to attend this matter with urgency so we quickly geared up and set out.

The Blue Alley is indeed lit by blue light emanating from the pathway.  The entrance is blocked by a force that only allows passage after one signs into a book on a pedestal there.  We all signed in and were allowed to proceed.  Once we were in, the way back was blocked and we were forced to either find a way to re-open it or to find some other way out.

As we continued forward, following advice to closely examine everything for clues, we came to a T intersection with a large mural.  On it I noticed depictions of each of us meeting our fate in different ways.  I now suspect that it is a map and that we should look at it closer, and compare it to the pathways we have traveled so far.

We also noted that the path left was denoted gold and the path right silver.  We went right.

Early on we ran into some tar-like creatures that appear to be servants.  Like all servants they were lazy and let us invade in peace without sounding an alarm or otherwise finding a way to bring in defenders to stop us.  All except one brave group who actually attacked us!  Servants, in combat!  I was of two minds when the closed ranks with us, being both angered by their insolence and gratified by their bravery.  They used the substance of their bodies to produce oil slicks and to adhere to their enemies.  It was an interesting engagement.

As we walked along this maze of a madman we encountered strange rooms full of fiery beings, swinging platforms, and talking statues.  The statue of a Wizard wants us to tell it a riddle, but though we have told it many we have not told it the one it wants to hear.  I understand the statue is of the mage who built this place.

Moonstryke

In the swinging platform room we encountered flying things that produced ash and smoke, using it

both as cover and as a blinding attack.  When we killed them they exploded into lingering clouds.  We were rewarded by a magical weapon for Quinn, which was very satisfying.  We are stronger now.

At one point we came to a hall of whirling blades.  My companions seemed to be reluctant to enter, but the blades were of no concern to me.  It was no different than moving through a large battle, and I readily stepped forward to show the clear superiority of a Samurai.  I regret to inform you that I was unable to achieve perfect harmony, and to my shame was forced to use my armor to deflect blows in several instances as I traveled the length of the hall and back.  I still have much to learn.

After navigating other oddities, traps, and combat we came to two hallways seemingly leading to the same place.  One had a pit that must be jumped, and the other had arcing electrodes well above a floor that had a pressure plate.  At the end were giant doors.  Given that the pit was a complete unknown we chose to cross the arcing hallway, which we did without incident.  Upon opening the massive doors, however, a large number of metal spheres of differing dimensions came pouring out upon us.  One such struck Davian a grave blow, while the rest bounced down the hallway until triggering the pressure plate on the floor.  This caused all of the spheres to shoot to the ceiling where they were caught between the arcing rods for a good thirty seconds before dropping back down to the floor.

Statue of Keilier

The room we had just opened was extremely cluttered and covered in gore.  We attempted to carefully cross it but between the invisible bear traps and attacking skeletons we had our hands full.  Fortunately Thia was able to memorize the path the skeletons took to-and-from a hidden alcove, and we were able to find it and clear it out without incident.  In the end we ransacked the room for very

little benefit.

It is my honor to inform you, however, that we then found and retrieved the unicorn figurine for Mirt-san.  It was in a devious room of mirrors, with the phrase "All you see is mine".  Knowing it for the trap that it was we stood a moment to consider the implications, when Quinn simply closed his eyes and strode forth.  With our guidance he retrieved the figurine and returned to us unscathed.

At this point, since my companions had taken some wounds and expended their energies, we decided to find a place to rest.  We chose to make camp in a room we had been through a few times before, near the statue of riddles.

I am beginning to understand the true character of my companions, and to appreciate their strengths.  Thia has especially impressed me today, with her mind as sharp as a Katana.  How she was able to perceive and memorize the safe path of the skeletons during the chaos of battle was truly inspiring.

I regret to say that my own performance was less worthy.  I have mastered the Wakizashi but the secrets of the Katana still elude me.  It is so very different to wield one's weapons in battle than it is in training, and I cannot seem to connect with the spirit of the blade.  I am also having trouble maintaining my center, as was no more evident than in the hall of blades.  That should have been trivial for a Samurai, but my focus slipped several times.

I have so much yet to learn, Senpai, and it feels like I will never achieve proper balance.  I am continually grateful and honored by your guidance.

Sheathed in emptiness

I quietly contemplate

This blade of honor

- Shimazu Yasuo

Quinn

Session 3

Day 5

The restoration of Trollskull Manor has gotten off to a good start. The place has been cleaned out from the period of neglect. While the tumultuous spirits have yet to be satisfactorily addressed, progress is being made. Preparation was being made to continue restoration efforts when an invitation to attend the opera was brought to our attention. Apparently the notorious leader of the Harpers, Mirt wishes for us to see him during the show.

My knowledge of Mirt is only rumor and hearsay, being his status within Waterdeep is rather lofty. I’ve heard he is hundreds of years old and was one of the first, if not THE first, to enter the Yawning Portal and return to tell the tale. Currently, he is a money lender which seems to indicate he’s done well for himself.

We were provided transportation to the theater. There, we were escorted to Mirt’s private box. The rumors seemed to be at odds with the reality. Perhaps once a great adventurer, Mirt stood before us as a man who has enjoyed too many meals (some of which stained his tunic) and not enough activity but more concerning was the apparent weight on his mind.

His manner was polite and to the point. He told us about his wife’s passing. Shortly afterwards, a precious statue was stolen from him that had sentimental value to his wife. While the identity and motive of the thief were unknown, the location had been identified. It had been taken to Blue Alley.

Blue Alley is named for the blue lights shimmering within. While pleasant enough to look at, the area itself is said to be in constant flux. No map exists for this reason. Furthermore, those who go in seldom return. It is said to contain a great number of creatures and traps to ensure those that enter do not exit with the treasures of Blue Alley.

Mirt pleaded with us to take on this task. Upon its completion, he would consider us for entrance to the Harpers. Tempus, as always hates a coward and this seemed a worthy task. Becoming a Harper could open a great many doors and provide sources of information to which we have been barred. Finally, bringing some rest to Mirt’s mind would be worth the effort. After some discussion we agreed to go on the quest to return the statue.

Day 5 – Evening

We gathered up all our gear and headed to the Blue Alley entrance. It wasn’t much to look at from the outside. A blue shimmer reflected all around the alley. The opening to it contained a pedestal and a single book with a quill. The book contained names of those who presumably entered the alley. The majority of names had a cross through them. Presumably they met their end somewhere in the alley. An invisible wall prevented entrance. Yasuo was the first to sign his noble name and was able to cross the threshold. The rest of us signed and followed him in.

Once inside the alley, we could see the book but could not go back. Going further in was the only choice. The alley was long and contained a mural. Many people were depicted on it. All were meeting their end in one type of trap or another. We would have to be cautious. My companions noted that we were already included in the mural and were shown falling to various traps. We’d have to be cautious here.

The end of the alley provided two choices. Go right on the silver path or left on the gold path. Neither seemed to suggest much difference so we elected to follow the silver path. We went down and hung a right to enter a hallway with two doors. Both of them upon examination were open and offered passage to a set of hallways with devious devices contained within. Fortunately, we spied another door which was hidden. That door seemed the best choice.

We entered into a room that reminded me of Trollskull Manor before it was tidied up. It had not been used for years or perhaps even decades. We entered cautiously. A voice rung out as we approached the center of the room. The voice said “Entertain me!”

I decided to look for the source of the voice. There was another hallway off this room. I walked carefully down and came across a bronze statue of an old robed man holding a staff of some sort. An invisible barrier prevented me from touching the statue. The room contained some scribbling on the walls. One phrase “Utter madness, pure rubbish” caught my eye.

There were rumors that the mage who resided in Blue Alley was named Keilier. I spoke this name and immediately noticed the statue come to life. A voice, laced with madness spoke to us. The same voice demanding to be entertained. The statue requested a riddle. Not just any riddle but one of such quality that he deemed it fit enough. I had heard a couple around the Temple of Tempus and shared them. They were not enough to “entertain” apparently. My companions gave it a try as well but to no avail. The statue became bored with us and became silent again.

“I guess we will need to find something more fitting,” I said to the group. We all agreed the riddles we provided were good ones. Perhaps the definition of “riddle” is what is escaping us. We returned to the messy room and came upon a quartet of small, black, slimy, humanoid, tar creatures. Before any conversation could be attempted, one of them pointed at us and yelled something unintelligible. Whatever was uttered, it wasn’t friendly.

The fight was on. Three of the four entered portals and popped out right on top of us. Spells and swords flew until we overcame these strange creatures. While besting them, we did not come out unscathed. I tended to the wounds suffered as best I could. Then we continued on.

The next area contained another hallway with three doors. The door on the left seemed a good place to start. It was not locked and opened easily to a room made of bricks. An intense heatwave hit us, bringing a sweat to our brows instantly. The room was bare of anything with the exception of a hole in the floor. There, a pair of fire creatures were circling around consuming various materials. A pair of the tar creatures appeared at the door. Instead of attacking, they ignored us. They walked past and tossed some refuge into the hole. Then they left without so much as a glance or spoken word. This place is truly strange.

Thia spotted a small pile of coins and gems down the hole. She was able to reach out with her magic hand and claim the pile. The fire creatures below scolded us for taking it before getting back to their task of burning the refuge. We put the treasure into our packs and moved on.

The next door along this side of the hallway contained a work room. There were a plethora of different projects in various states of completion littered throughout the room. Most, if not all, of the projects were magical in nature and best left unhandled. We took a brief look before exiting the room.

The other side of the hallway had two unexplored doors. The first must have been a treasure room. It was well stocked with mountains of coins. A message in the room seemed to provide a warning. It stated “Take only what you can truly afford.” Tempus does not abide fools and I was not going to be one. The price of affording this treasure must be high. I resisted the temptation as did my companions. As we exited the room on the other side, I felt a feeling of warmth and comfort. Similar to that provided by a spell of bless. My companions also had this feeling. I suspect we passed a test of sorts in not taking any of the coins. The room beyond was empty. The only notable feature was a large black iron gate covering the entire wall. Thia and Davian performed their examination upon it and concluded it was magical. Unfortunately, we did not have the proper key to this gate. It would require further exploration. We exited the room and crossed the treasure room to the hallway.

The last door on the right side of the hallway was to a room containing a golden path to another door on another wall. The words “Get through” were written on the wall. Another wall contained a mural. The mural was of a funeral featuring Mistra, one of the gods of the realm. The god of magic and mysteries to be more precise. It stood to reason this deity would be worshipped in a place like this.

Yasuo spied the path and elected to try the path. He followed it without error and ended up by the door. Thia went next. Both of them opened the door and found a mirrored room containing the stolen statue. It seemed too good to be true. I joined them at the entrance. The words “Everything you see is mine” was written on the wall.

Inspiration hit me. If I see nothing, then nothing will belong to whomever wrote the phrase. I tied a rope to my waist and gave the end to my companions. I took a bearing on the statue and closed my eyes. I walked into the room slowly and came into contact with the statue. I grasped it and pulled it out with my companions guiding my way. No ill effects happened and the statue was now in our possession. One part of this adventure down. Now to escape this place.

One more door at the end of the hallway remained. Opening that door showed a room that had an immediate drop-off into a floor of smoke. Thankfully we didn’t rush the door. The room also contained several platforms above the smoke which were suspended by chains. With the rope still around my waist, I volunteered to jump to the first platform. My first jump was unsuccessful. I hit the platform but could not hold on. I fell through the smoky floor and painfully discovered the actual solid floor. My efforts had not gone unnoticed.

Three smoky forms rose up out of the smoke. Yasuo began rapidly pulling me up as Davian and Thia began casting spells to combat these foul forms. I called upon Tempus to provide attacks against the creatures. They blew some sort of smoke out at us several times, temporarily blinding us in the fight. Fortunately, the day belonged to us and after a succession of spells and swings, the creatures went back to the smoke which they emerged.

I returned to the task of jumping from suspended disk to suspended disk. This time I was much more successful and made it all the way into the room to the final disk. There was a barred window on this end but more interestingly, there was a rapier at the end of a chain. I drew up the chain and claimed the blade. It was finely made. Hopefully it will be worthy in battle. I hoped back along the disk path and rejoined the group.

We retreated back to the first silver hallway, seeing no other passage past this point. The trapped rooms were the only unexplored areas. There were several areas on the floor that seemed suspicious. We proceeded carefully along and came to a silver door at the end of the hallway. We opened the door and were nearly flattened by a number of large metal balls that came bouncing out. Davian unfortunately was hit by one of them. The bouncing balls set off the traps behind us. Seeing the violence that was unleashed, we were all thankful not to have hit any of the switches.

Now that the room was cleared of the metal balls, we entered and came into another room. This room was filled with the remains of fallen adventurers. I’ve seen carnage on the Fields of Tempus but this tried my constitution. I began to carefully enter the room. I made it about twenty feet in when a trap snapped around my left foot. Yasuo began to come in to help me free myself when an unsettling noise started emanating from the far wall. A half dozen skeletons started shambling our way.

I called upon the divinity of Tempus to drive the skeletons from the room. They returned from whence they came. Thia took note of the path they took as they did not come in straight lines to engage. They apparently knew the locations of the invisible traps on the floor. Following her, we located the secret door from which they had appeared. We quickly put them to permanent rest.

This room contained several skulls on pedestals. Each skull was represented in a painting on the far wall and contained an image of a shadow under each of the skulls. A small treasure was set at the base of each pedestal. We elected to claim one treasure. Instantly, a spirit began to form. We set upon the spirit and laid it low before it got a chance to bring any harm to us. Knowing what was in store, we repeated the process for each of the pedestals, eventually claiming each treasure.

Re-entering the trap room, we made our way carefully across to the door. Opening the door revealed a long hallway with all sorts of whirling blades. It was not inviting in the least. Yasuo bravely went in. He ducked, dived, dodged, and ducked yet again avoiding the worst of the blades. One did clip his armor but he braved the blades successfully. Yasuo called back that he was in a marble room. There did not appear to be any danger so we stayed out. After a few minutes, Yasuo came back through the blades with another impressive display of acrobatics. He showed us the treasure contained inside. It was a single coin. This place…

We exited the trapped areas and came back to the initial hallway. Our wounds were beginning to stack up so we elected to rest for a while before exploring the gold side of Blue Alley. Tempus bless us.

Thia

5 Mirtul 1492DR, Evening - Theater & Blue Alley

Tonight we get to see an opera! At least, that is how I thought we would spend the evening. Dressed in our fine clothes, we rode in Renaer’s carriage to the Lightsinger Theater. The opera would be sung in Giant, the language used in all of Waterdeep’s operas. While I wouldn't know the words they speak, I’m sure the performance would be beautiful. One day I should learn this language.

Our main purpose for going to the opera was to meet Mirt, the leader of the Harper cell in Waterdeep. Renaer said that Mirt is a Masked Lord who is instrumental in politics. He is the primary counselor to the Open Lord, Laeral Silverhand. He’s also a money lender, and he’s hundreds of years old! Mirt and Durnan found a way to extend their lives during their adventures in the Undermountain.

Renaer brought us to a private booth at the theater and introduced us to Mirt. Rather than watching the opera and discussing the Harpers, Mirt had other plans. He asked Renaer to leave so he could talk with us. Confused, Renaer did so. Mirt explained that his wife had passed away recently and that someone had stolen a gift--a statue of a unicorn--that he had given to her. This statue is made of celestite, a pale blue mineral. Mirt said it was stolen by a mage, taken by magical means and brought to Blue Alley, and he wanted us to retrieve it. He said that Blue Alley is a mysterious, dangerous maze created by a wizard. It’s full of traps, treasures, and creatures, with the contents of the alley changing every tenday. Most people who enter do not return. In spite of the danger, we agreed to his request. Mirt said he would give us 250 gp as payment and he would offer us a 2,000 line of credit at 5% interest per tenday. That might be helpful if we decide to get the taphouse up and running. He gave each of us a potion of healing and also a Wand of Secrets that had three uses.

Apparently time was of the essence. We were instructed to gear-up and enter Blue Alley at once, not first thing in the morning. Sadly, no opera for us. Renaer took us back to Trollskull Manor so we could change out of our fine clothes and prepare for adventure, then took us to the Blue Alley in the Sea Ward.

I see why it is called the Blue Alley. Even though it was night, the area was lit with blue light glowing from the cobblestones. At the entrance of the alley stood a pedestal with a pen and a blue, leather-bound book. About ten paces past the pedestal was a shimmering forcefield. Looking through the book, it appeared to be a list of names. About two thirds of the names were crossed out. We assumed those names might be adventurers who died in the maze, and deduced that in order to pass through the force field into Blue Alley, you must write your name in the book. We each signed the book and were able to enter. Renaer said he would wait at the entrance until the morning, and hoped we would return by then.

Mural. Our adventure in the Blue Alley begins. Though, it seems more like a dungeon than an alley. The first portion of the alley just past the forcefield was 20 feet wide and 9 high. Ahead 80 feet was a T intersection with a mural along the wall. The mural depicted adventurers dying by all manner of traps and foes. Upon closer examination, Yasuo spotted each of us in the mural, dying. Encouraging, isn’t it? At least we can see what types of traps and monsters we might encounter. Also written in the mural was a message stating, “50 feet south of the barred window is a secret door.” Noted. Thank you, mural.

Silver Hallway. At the T intersection were two arrows: a gold arrow pointing left, and a silver arrow pointing right. We chose silver and turned right (east). We progressed east down the hallway for 40 feet, then turned left (north) toward a hallway 80 feet long. There were two doors on the east wall, which we passed for the moment. Since we were closely examining everything in Blue Alley, I found a hidden door on the west wall. We entered that door.

Waiting Room. The hidden door opened into another hall. It lead north for 20 feet, and jagged to the right. A staircase then lead us down another 20 feet, ending in a doorway. The doorway opened into a 40 by 60 foot room. This appears to be a waiting room of sorts, complete with old couches and carpet. There was a worn path in the carpet between a door in the north wall and a door in the east wall. We heard a booming voice from behind the east door, calling, “entertain me!”

Wizard Statue Room. The east door off of the waiting room opened into a 20 by 40 foot room containing a bronze statue under a shimmering forcefield. Someone had scrawled, “utter madness, pure rubbish” on the wall. The statue, a male wizard with “Keilier” printed on it, had eyes that followed us. Nothing else appeared to be in the room, except for broken potion bottles. Quinn said, “Keilier,” which we assumed was the wizard's name. This got the statue talking. It said, “blue is true,” and it wanted to hear riddles. Any riddle we told the statue was boring and not what it wanted to hear. Maybe we can find a riddle somewhere in the Blue Alley.

Waiting Room. Back in the waiting room, we were attacked by three Boggles. One was holding a broom, so maybe this was a cleanup crew. One opened a rift that the other two jumped through. They appeared right behind Davian and me. My shield blocked their attack, but Davian was hit badly and was spattered with black oil. The first boggle coated the ground with more black oil. We defeated these three and decided to head through the north door. Maybe another work crew will clean up the mess.

Hallway. The north door off of the waiting room opened into a hallway with a staircase. The passage lead 80 feet to the east, then turned north toward another hallway that was 140 feet long. There were two doors on the east wall, one at 40 feet and one at 80 feet, and two doors on the west wall. Another door was at the very end of the hall. We found nothing else of note in this hallway.

Coin Room. We entered the first door on the east wall. Letters appeared, “Take only what you can afford.” We were now in an 80 by 80 foot room with a door on its south wall. This room was filled with stacks of coins of all types. But there seemed to be a pattern. The stacks of coins spelled out, “all fake.” These must be enchanted coins from transmutation. We took nothing and made our way carefully to the south door. A magic mouth appeared, saying, “You are not greedy at all. Be blessed.” And we were blessed by a spell. Hooray! Something good happened to us!

Iron Gate Room. The south door off of the coin room opened into a rectangular stone room, 40 by 60 feet. A black iron gate stood along the entire length of the south wall. We could detect magic on the iron gate. No surprise there. This whole place was created with magic, right? We couldn’t figure out what to make of this room, so we went back through the coin room and out to the hallway to try the next door.

Incinerator Pit Room. The first west door off of the hallway opened into a hot, red clay brick room, 20 by 40 feet. There was a circular pit, 8 feet across, in the center of the room. No other doors in this room. Heat radiated from the pit, and we could hear something moving down there. Peering into the pit, we could see two small, red-skinned creatures. The immense heat seemed to be coming from them. We also saw two large slags of gold. The creatures didn’t mind us, so Davian and I used Mage Hand to take the gold. I spotted a moonstone in the pit, so that’s what I took. Davian brought out a glob of metal, a mix of gold and other metals. The creatures protested mildly and went back to what they were doing. Two boggles entered the room, but they paid no attention to us. They tossed garbage into the pit and walked out. With apparently nothing else to do in this room, we exited to the hallway to investigate another room.

Yellow Path Room. The second door on the east wall opened into a 60 by 60 foot room. This room had a gray stone floor with a yellow stone path leading around the room. On the wall was a mural of a Helmite funeral, with the goddess Mystra. We also saw, “GET THROUGH” in bold, capital letters. We decided to leave this room for now and explore the other rooms.

Platform Room. The door at the north end of the hallway opened into a vast room, 80 by 160 feet. The walls in this room were lined by red clay bricks. Round, 8-foot platforms hung from the ceiling above fog. There were 7 platforms arranged in an arch leading from our door to a barred window on this same wall, but east of us. At this point, we remembered the message written on the T intersection mural. “50 feet south of the barred window is a secret door.” Excellent! But before we left this room, there was a gleaming sword that Quinn was determined to get. It hung from the ceiling 7 platforms away. Yasuo leapt to the first platform, followed by Quinn. Unfortunately, Quinn fell into the fog. He learned the hard way that it’s 20 feet from the platforms to the ground. Pots sitting on the ground are what gave off the think black smoke. I think his fall is what caused three demon-like smoke creatures to fly up and attack us. I tried using fire bolt and poison spray on them, but neither spell had any affect. The creatures just grinned at me. That was both terrifying and infuriating. All I could do was cast a shield spell on myself and leave the fighting to my friends. Just my luck that these creatures are immune to both poison and fire. I need to diversify my spells so this sort of thing won’t happen again. I have hours of study ahead of me, and any extra money I have needs to be funneled into supplies for learning new spells. The creatures temporarily blinded Davian and Quinn, spraying smoke and ash in their faces. But my three brave companions overcame the beasts. We weren’t sure if touching the floor again would cause more beasts to attack. Quinn continued jumping the platforms to reach the magical sword. He retrieved it, a rapier glowing with moonlight. It’s beautiful!

Scientist Room. Back in the hall, we passed through another door north of the incinerator room. This 40 by 60 foot room contained workbenches, viles, unidentifiable substances, and general debris you would find with a mad scientist. The room smelled of fire and ash. We found a stoppered vial of a dark potion with flecks of something in it. None of us know what it was, so we took it to figure out later.

Mirror Room. We figured that the room with the yellow path was 50 paces south of the platform room’s barred window. Yasuo followed the path. As he did, the bricks glowed yellow as he stepped on them. At the end of the path, he reached a door. This door opened into a 40 by 80 foot room. Its walls, floor, and ceiling were all mirrored. Words appeared, “Everything you see is mine” and then vanished. Inside the room was the unicorn statue! Retrieving it couldn’t be easy. There must be a trap of some sort. Quinn seemed to know exactly what to do, though. He followed the yellow path, and when he reached the door to the mirrored room, shut his eyes and walked in. Nothing happened. He walked straight forward, picked up the unicorn statue, and walked straight back, keeping his eyes shut the whole time. Nothing happened! I can only assume that Quinn correctly solved that room’s riddle. I’m glad we didn’t experience the room’s trap, though I’m curious what it was.

Rest. Now that we had the unicorn statue, we could just find a way out and leave this place. Or...we could keep exploring. I think we decided to find a way out while exploring. We made our way back to the waiting room and tried some more riddles on the wizard statue to no avail. Since we were hurting and tired from our adventure thus far in the Blue Alley, we decided to rest here in the waiting room. My rest was disturbed by something or someone. Maybe the cause of this was because I took a moonstone from the incinerator pit, or maybe it’s coming from the unicorn statue. My companions slept soundly, so maybe it was something that only I did.

Lightning Room. We then went back to the two doors that we hadn’t yet opened near the first secret door, in the first hallway past the silver arrow. The northernmost door on the east wall opened into a long hallway with a skyscape on the ceiling. Lightning arched at the tops of 20-foot-high copper rods lining the hallway. Halfway down the hall--about 50 feet--was a wall-to-wall pressure plate. Yasuo ventured into this electric hallway first, successfully jumping the pressure plate. We all followed. Past the pressure plate, the hallway opened wider. Ahead stood a silver door. Looking south, another hallway also lead to the silver door. This must have been the remaining door that we hadn’t opened yet. That hallway was full of cobwebs and a spiked pit.

Silver Door. The silver door was locked, but Quinn was up to the challenge and successfully opened it. I don’t know why, but hard spheres of varying sizes had been stacked behind the door and came tumbling out. Who thinks of these things? My friends ducked out of the way just in time, but one of those spheres struck me in the the jaw. The rest continued rolling down both hallways. When they reached the pressure plate in the lightning hall and triggered it, the spheres were pulled to the ceiling against the arcing electricity and remained there for a time before falling back to the ground. The spheres rolling down the other hallway fell into the pit, causing the pit’s spikes to shoot to the ceiling.

Gore Room. Through the silver door was a spotless 20 by 20 foot hallway where those dratted spheres had been stacked. Then came the main room with a door visible on its north wall. This 50 by 100 foot room was splattered with gore and cluttered with junk. We knew there was a trap, but couldn’t see it. Quinn bravely started forward, picking his way through the mess until an invisible bear trap snapped on his foot. Just then, an invisible door opened and six skeletons shambled out. They zigzagged around the room, making their way to Quinn without stepping on traps. I observed them carefully, memorizing a clear path from Quinn to the hidden door on the east wall. Quinn cast Turn Undead, and the skeletons ran back to the door. We freed Quinn from the trap and carefully followed the skeletons’ path to the invisible door. The skeletons were huddled here and we destroyed them without trouble.

Skull Room. Through the hidden door was a mural depicting skulls with long shadows, and three skulls with gemstones loosely embedded in their eye sockets. Thinking that there would be a trap, but unwilling to leave the gems behind, I used Mage Hand to remove one of the gems rather than walking up to the mural myself. When I plucked the stone, a dark, undead figure emerged from the skull. Quinn quickly defeated the foe. That didn’t seem so difficult. With the others’ consent, I plucked all of the gemstones from the skulls and the others easily defeated the undead as they appeared. The gemstones are as follows: moonstone, carnelian, malachite, azurite, and blue quartz. 

Back in the gore room, we found a bunch of junk. Here is what we found: a chain, buttons, 36 copper pieces, 10 gold pieces, a glaive, a small brass music box with two figures of a hammer and forge, a whip made of blue leather, and a war pick.

Hall of Blades. Before leaving this room, we opened the door on the north wall. It opened to a hallway of swinging blades. I like to think that I’m dextrous, but one mistake dancing through these blades could mean dismemberment or death. I was not eager to enter this hallway. Yasuo, on the other hand, didn’t seem phased. He nimbly dodged the blades, and the ones that struck him merely glanced off of his armor.

Circular Room. Past the swinging blades was another room. We all stayed behind, but Yasuo continued in. The room was dome-shaped, made of polished white marble. Inside was a red pillow, on which sat a copper coin. Embossing on the coin read, “Minted in 1364DR, Golden Anniversary of Waterdeep.” Yasuo took the coin. A magic mouth appeared, sarcastically saying, “well congratulations.”  

Davian

Ugg, I think I hate the color blue now.  This day has been…I just don’t know.  I hate wizards who think they are so clever.  And he’s so smart that he calls it a Blue Alley?  What about this labyrinth makes it an alley?

Unicorn statues, janitors that sometimes attack us and sometimes don’t, and rooms that seem to want to kill us?  I mean, we knew the warnings of death going in, but knowing it and KNOWING it are different.  I hope joining the Harpers is worth it.  I’m so out of my element, having the Harpers as a link to you and mom might center me.  I have no purpose in this city, except to find this link.  If this doesn’t work out, I don’t know what I’ll do.  I knew who I was

out there, outside these walls.  In here, I’m alone.  These people don’t know me, I’m with them but I’m alone.  And now I’m potentially trapped in here to spend the rest of my shortened life, with these virtual strangers.  They’re nice, but I don’t know them.  I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m pulling my weight as you taught, but barely.

They seem to know what they’re doing.  Maybe I’ll survive.  Maybe.

So exhausted, stress takes its toll.  I miss your guidance, and I miss… <falls asleep>