Session 6: "Auntie Rubyem's Lab" (3-4 Flamerule, DR 1372)

Quick Summary

• Took the barge the rest of the way from Turnfork Inn to Daggerfalls.

• Spent the evening in the Silver Moon Inn.

• With the exception of Kelnor (taking a duvet day), the group heads out in the morning of Flamerule 4th to find Freli's Aunt Rubyem's house.

• Upon arrival, the group notice the the residence is in particularly bad shape and it's not entirely evident that someone still lives there.

• During a search of the property, an epic battle breaks out as an ordinary house broom becomes animated and attacks. The broom is dispatched after what could easily be considered an embarrassingly-long time.

• A search of the house basement turns up some strange 'occult' looking papers as Freli's aunt Rubyem emerges from a hidden room. After some light chatter, Rubyem encourages the group to return upstairs.

• Rania tries to stealthily hang back to investigate the 'hidden' room, but her absence is noted by Rubyem who realizes what is happening and casts a spell in anger, multiplying herself into 4x Rubyems who violently attack the group.

• As the battle rages in the basement, Rania explores and pillages the hidden room, finding some loot and strange black rocks on plinths.

• After the group manages to deal with the multiple mirror images of Rubyem, Gaerfinas lands the final blow on the old woman, smashing her in the side with his mace and knocking her unconscious.

• The group ties Rubyem up with twine while they plan what to do next, agreeing with Yessica that Lord Morn should be notified of these events as they may be 'occult' in nature.

Back on the barge and meandering down the River Tesh, the group occupies themselves with arbitrary amusement to pass the time. Rio, flexing his experience with the sea, is fishing off of the back of the barge, landing himself a plump and tasty-looking trout. Artus and Gaerfinas catch up with their holy obligations and pray to their deities, while Rania tries to encourage her rat 'Cheese Knight' to rollover for treats. The hot sun beats down on them as they pass some well-known tourist and merchant hot spots, drifting upstream towards Daggerfalls to find the residence of 'Rubyem' -- Freli's aunt.

Arriving at the Daggerfalls harbor and quayside quite late into the evening (Flamerule 3), the group decide to retire for the night at the Silver Moon Inn while Yessica takes Freli to stay at her cousin's residence.

Morning comes (Flamerule 4) and the group reunites with Freli and Yessica as they head to the last known address of Freli's aunt - an abode situated in the rundown north district of the town. Upon discovery of the house, no answer is returned to the barrage of knocks, but the door is unlocked so they make their way in.

A year has past since he last visited his aunt, but the house is not how Freli remembers it. Notably scarce of possessions, no one is entirely convinced that anyone still lives there. Some rooms are filled with junk and the air is thick with the stench of rot.

Wandering through the house, the group are surprised by the sound of a squawking animal. A raven is discovered in the Kitchen: 'Black Rock, Black Rock' it annoyingly blurts out repeatedly - hinting that the house might not be as deserted as first thought. The exploration continues when suddenly, Freli is heard screaming from one of the rooms.

Everyone runs to his aid, finding him locked into battle with none other than a common house broom. Somehow this normally dormant object has been brought to life with a violent personality. The group is obviously taken by surprise by this foe and don't immediately know how to process it. Yessica lunges first, swiping at the wooden menace with her cudgel, hitting but barely damaging this worthy foe. Rania tries to use her brute strength by manhandling the broom with just her hands, which fails spectacularly. Gaerfinas swings his mace towards the broom, hitting but again, making very little impact.

Rio goes for a different tactic and attempts to subdue the broom, managing to grapple and temporarily immobilize it. In the fracas, Yessica is shunted by the flailing brush, knocking her away. Gaerfinas, Artus and Rania go at the broom for a considerable amount of time, wearing it down with each attack. Rio manages to wrangle the thrashing broom into the corner taking a glancing blow in the process. Artus, at his wits' end with this debacle, mightily swings his greatsword at the restrained broom, cleaving it in two and ending the formidable entity.

Everyone takes a moment to recover and reflect, while Gaerfinas tends to Freli's wounds.

A decision is made to head into the courtyard of the house where steps down to a basement are discovered. Led by Rio, they head in. The basement room appears to have been used as an alchemy laboratory of sorts with parchments, three candles, three cauldrons and some glassware strewn throughout. Freli mentions that his aunt often dabbled in potion-brewing and other experiments so this wasn't out of the ordinary to him.

As if materializing from nowhere, Rubyem appears. An older woman with long platinum hair and her clothes made up of black robes. She seemed unsurprised by the group's presence, as if she was expecting them. The story of Freli's father's passing is shared with Rubyem as the group explain their presence. She sternly gestures for everyone to go back upstairs, seemingly not wanting to hang around down in the basement.

As the group start heading out of the basement, Gaerfinas' curiosity as to where Rubyem was hiding gets the better of him, and he feels out a fake wall into a hidden room. Rania notices and takes the opportunity to stealth her way into this hidden room. Stealth or not, Robyem notices that Rania is no longer following them out of the basement and surmises that she has entered the hidden room.

This enrages Rubyem, who mumbles an incantation summoning three more Rubyem. A further spell pushes Freli and Yessica out of the basement, slamming the door, and trapping the group in the basement with the multitude of Rubyem. A fierce battle ensues.

Artus draws first blood, slicing one of the Rubyems in the leg, and causing her to scream in agony. Rio lunges for another, hitting no physical matter but causing one of the ghostly clones to dissipate in the air.

As the battle rages on, Rania (due to the magic wall separating her from the group) is completely unaware of the excitement going on in the other room as she casually explores the hidden room.

The secret room contains three plinths: each with an irregularly shaped black rock on it and a few other items. As well as the black rocks, Plinth #1 has two black rods on it, #2 had a potion of sorts and #3, a bundle of fabric with a bow around it. (A number of these items were mentioned on the parchments discovered earlier in the laboratory room of the basement.) Rania loots all of the items, leaving the black rocks on their pedestals.

Back to the action next door, Rubyem, using what appears to be a wand emblazoned with a fire decal, casts the Burning Hands spell, dealing damage to Rio (10 damage) and Gaerfinas (5 damage). Gaerfinas lashes out with his mace towards the wand and is successful. Yessica, finally able to pry open the door, fires a bolt and hits Rubyem (4 damage).

Still investigating the hidden room, Rania also discovers a chest in the corner containing a bone-textured key, a wand shaped like a teardrop, and finally a small pouch with a fragrant aroma coming from it. Rania picks all of this up.

One of the Rubyem's violently casts another spell (Scorching Ray) at Rio, Gaerfinas and Artus causing only Gaerfinas to take damage (10 damage). The magic spurs a big reprisal, and Gaerfinas smashes the old woman in the side with his mace, causing her to scream while the other Rubyems disappear. The woman is bested and she lies unconscious on the floor.

Rania returns as the battle ends, helping to tie up the woman with twine as they discuss what to do. Artus takes a peculiar-looking ring from Rubyem's finger, and Gaerfinas takes Rubyan's fire wand (noticing that the fire decals on it unlight when no one is holding it).

The group heal their wounds and, on Yessica's suggestion (due to the potential links to the occult they've discovered), decide they should travel to Lord Morn to discuss the events that have transpired.

Experience:

• Artus (175)

• Gaerfinas (175)

• Kelnor (0)

• Rania (175 + 50)

• Rio (175)

Impression of Daggerfalls quayside: