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
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
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.”
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
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>
