Enola Yarn – blogpost 45

We investigate the tomb where Smokey heard the ticking sound. Farryn takes Flumph to the tomb and puts him in the sarcophagus as his final resting place. We thank Flumph the Flumph for his help, and walk away, back to the pantry to rest and plan what to do next. On our way to the pantry, we find a room with labeled cases: materials to make spells and potions.

We start to investigate, but Farryn – of course – is already done and walks further into a kitchen.
I look back to the cases, and then hear: “CHARGE!”
I turn around and see an animated stove make a run at Farryn and Grond. After a couple of spells and Farryn and Gronds’ brute force, it is reduced to scrap metal.

We decide that we need to rest; it’ll take more time to go back to the pantry, so Farryn creates his rope trick again, and we climb up. Inside the cozy compartment with cushions and two benches opposite each other, Valentine apologizes again for the fight with Calyx and her odd behavior. She explains why she wants to go to the next level: on level 15, there is a portal through which she can get to Freek. Apparently, Spite told her that the portal is made out, or surrounded by, lava. Farryn says that he wants to go to a quiet place to study his Tome of Clear Thoughts, but that it can wait until we’ve been to level 15.
After a couple of questions, Valentine tells us a bit more about Freek. “He is very powerful and appears to me in my dreams. He looks like I want him to look.”
She doesn’t tell us much more, but asks: “Are you coming with me?”
“I’ll come with you, Valentine. I want to know how and where you found your new love.” I say.

We walk further and enter a room. Valentine immediately feels there is transmutation magic here. I see scribbles on the wall but cannot understand any of them. Valentine knows that the scribbles are unfinished spells: disintegrate and flesh to stone. It seems like a combination of the two.

In the room next to the scribbles, we see a big tapestry with a beholder. It has one big eye and 9 small ones. There are pillars in the space, exuding transmutation magic. Each of the pillars has a button. Then, I see that the tapestry is made of flesh and seems to move like there is wind – but we’re underground, so that can’t be the case. Farryn approaches a pillar and pushes the button. Even Calyx, who is transformed into a giant spider, does it. And… POOF. They’re gone. What are we going to do?! Are we going after them? Only one of us can push a button because there is one unactivated pillar left. We decide that Valentine and Grond will climb into a bag of holding, and I’ll push the button. As it is written, so shall it be done: I push the button, and when I’m transported, I open the bag again, freeing Grond and Valentine. I look around: we’ve been here before. This was the place where Calyx talked to a tiny spider to ask directions and Smokey was polymorphed into an Owlbear. Luckily, I see Farryn and Calyx.

Slowly, we all walk to a part of this level where we haven’t been yet. We pass a group of Hobgoblins, but unfortunately, they spot us.
“INTRUDERS!”
Valentine almost wipes them all out, except for one: “Stop, stop! Let’s make a deal!”
We stop fighting and hear the lonely Hobgoblin out.
“Let’s take out Doomcrown together!” he says.
“Already dead,” we respond.
“Oh, I have to report that to Emberosa then.”
“Why Emberosa, Arcturia is better, right?”
“She is not here. She came to inspect our level together with Hallaster a tenday ago.”
“Did you find any keys?”
“No, Doomcrown was working on that, none of my concern,” he says. “We’re busy collecting metal and delivering it to Emberosa.
The construct Emberosa is building is done for Hallaster.”
“Is there any treasure here?”
“Yeah, Arcturia keeps all of her stuff here.”

We bid the Hobgoblin goodbye, not telling him that Emberosa and Rossk are both already dead.
In the adjacent room, we see a broken altar with a heavy metal tankard in the middle. Above the table, from the ceiling, there are broken chains. Probably, the tankard was attached to the chains, but fell down, breaking the altar in the process. Farryn starts to investigate the objects, and finds a key with the letter ‘H’.
However, his joy doesn’t last long: Grond starts to transform. Grond polymorphs into a Manticore!
Valentine dispels the magic, so Farryn wasn’t suddenly riding a bloodthirsty Manticore.

Around a corner, Valentine spots a Hellhound. A couple of seconds later, we hear footsteps.
“What was that?” I ask timidly.
Valentine and I kill the Hellhound with two spells. I do hear footsteps: they sound familiar – fire giants.
The next second, I see a piece of metal almost beheading Valentine. She runs off but is blocked by another Hellhound. I misty step towards her and spray poison in the eyes of the hound. I look through a crack in the wall and see THREE fire giants approaching. Valentine conjures a force cage: trapping a Hellhound, a giant, and blocks another fire giant from getting to us. She runs off, and shouts: “COME, Enola!”
I make a run for it and can nearly avoid a piece of metal that’s thrown through the door opening.
I cast a wall of force to protect us all. We’re attacking the Hellhound and fire giants, and suddenly, Farryn finds himself INSIDE Valentines’ force cage, WITH one of the fire giants. He seems to like it: “CAGE FIGHT!”

The fire giants that aren’t in the force cage, throw metal at Calyx, who is knocked out. I get hit too and have to drop my wall of force. I am barely holding myself up against the wall – the blunt force of the metal hitting me almost killed me. Farryn is still smashing in on the fire giant that’s in front of him but also helps Calyx.

I help Farryn to get rid of the fire giant together with Calyx. Calyx kills the fire giant, but it explodes in Farryns’ face. When it is quiet for a bit, Calyx communicates that he hears the giants that are left around the corner. They’re on the other side of the door, waiting for us. The force cage is still there, but Farryn wants to get out. He drinks a potion and floats outside the bars, through the air. That must be a potion of gaseous form! Nice, I’ve never seen that being used before.

A giant turns the corner and smashes some metal against my head. Luckily, Calyx heals me and I feel better. Valentine decides to transform into a giant Ape to fight. She and Farryn do most of the work, and after half a minute or so, the fire giants are killed.

Farryn doesn’t respond anymore for a couple of minutes: he seems locked in for some reason.
“Farryn, are you okay?”