The Sixty-Second Session

March 19, 2022, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

Last session

The art dealer Winifold has hired us to find A.R.N. by tomorrow morning. There's clues within the art, allegedly.

We entered A.R.N.'s mansion and spent some time bumbling around, getting very damaged along the way. Now we're proceeding more carefully, having found the second floor of the mansion.

Percival's Arrival

As we stand there, examining the stairs behind the portrait of A.R.N., we hear a knock at the front door. Ryltar answers it, with a default spiel about how A.R.N. is busy; come back another time — but it's Percival!

Percival has been studying at the local library, and got bored. He heard that there's an adventure!

What is Percival doing here in Setton? Well, he was doing research for Dirius' archaeological digs. Ryltar probes him for any info on Dirius, but he isn't willing to dish.

Ryltar leads Percival to the Party. After some discussion, we go up the stairs, with Jerry leading, testing the steps along the way. They're smooth stone stairs, turning to wood at the landing. They appear to be devoid of magical embellishments, and may not have been made by A.R.N.

The stairs spiral up to a landing with a double door, and then continue up until they hit a stone slab of a ceiling. There's no Christmas gifts stored at the top of the stairs, no bicycles, no footprints in the undisturbed dust.

The second story

The hallway in the second story is an exact replica of the hallway we were just in. All the same art, except for the door-painting we'd walked through: the door-painting's hair color has changed: it's now the color that was in the painted painting at the lower level.

Ryltar carefully works his way up the hallway, probing the floor with his ten-foot pole. He gets to the stained-glass door, which on the first floor had the optical illusion formed by moving the glass down the hall, but here it's just a single stained-glass pane. He turns the handle, and the floor opens beneath him, in a giant 10-foot trapdoor.

He doesn't succeed in casting Dimension Door; he falls two stories! The first-floor hallway beneath him parts, and he falls flat onto a stone floor. He takes 8 fall damage, and sees the doors above him winch shut.

Ryltar is in a 10' square cell, in pitch darkness. He shouts, "I'm in the jail!" as the doors finish closing.

Ryltar's jail

It's a square 10' stone room with a barred door. He looks through the bars, and sees a hallway with other barred cells, with floor-to-ceiling bars.

Not very much to see here.

Playing with the trapdoors

Jerry ties herself onto a rope, gives the end to Vurguron, and trips the trapdoor again. She gracefully falls down through both floors of trapdoor, grabs Ryltar, and begins to climb back up.

The rope holds the trapdoors open a couple inches, which is enough for Jerry to force the first-floor trapdoor open. Ryltar climbs up Jerry into the first-floor hallway. He can't hold the doors open, but he helps Jerry clamber up the wall so that the doors close beneath her.

There's a very faint seam in the carpet of the hallway, but no other visible sign of the trapdoors.

Jerry pulls down the rope and chain from the second-floor trapdoor, and then she and Ryltar walk back up the stairs to regroup with the Party on the second floor.

A thorough inspection of the hallway floor reveals no new trapdoors.

We try to trigger the dancer statue, but dropping weights on her hands does nothing. Jerry's investigation finds no evidence of a door in the wall.

Reminded of her Cloak of Arachnidae, Jerry climbs onto the wall, and then tries the stained-glass doors, and the double doors. Neither set of doors opens, but both doorhandles trigger the trapdoors.

Jerry continues to Spider-Man her way around the hallway. There are no latches on the painting of the fruit bowl. In the painting of the fruitbowl, there's an odd shadow. The door in the painting shows a glint of shadow within the painted doorknob, as if it's a recessed tiny doorknob in the door.

Percival remembers that he has Mage Hand, and tries to open the door. He sticks his Mage Finger into the door, and turns the doorknob. There's an unlocking noise, and when he pulls with his Mage Finger, the painting slides ten feet to reveal a doorway. Percival and Jerry enter, Jerry on the ceiling. Everyone else comes in, too.

Into the painting of the half-rotting fruit bowl

It's a painting studio, with workbenches covered in paint mixing material along the walls of an ▟-shaped room. The floor has some paint splotches. There's a smaller canvas on an easel and one big 10x10 canvas in the corner of the room furthest from the door, by the windows. The big painting isn't finished, with only landscapes roughly laid in the bottom third. The small easel is a man in military regalia, doing his best military pose, and is a finished painting.

Percival examines the painting: it looks like the painting is breathing. He speaks to the painting, and it says "Hello." The painting says that most people are in fact looking for A.R.N. "Everyone is after A.R.N. They find his art appealing, and much desired." We talk to the painting, trying to convince it that we're not here to steal A.R.N.'s art. Jerry fails, but Percival succeeds.

Jerry looks out the window on the front of the house, and sees the street outside the front of the house, from the expected perspective of two stories up.

"You shall leave me here," muses the painting of the man. The painting waves his arm, and within a 30' cube, everyone except for Jerry (who is over by the windows) makes a Wisdom save against Charm: Salris is the only one charmed and incapacitated.

The paint splatters on the floor rise up into paint golems: three smaller globs of paint floating in midair, and two large accumulations of paint, given somewhat humanoid form.

Fighting the Paint

1. Round 1
   1. Percival hits the nearest paint golem with his boomerang for 5 bludgeon and 7 thunder.
   2. Salris doesn't make his save against being Charmed.
   3. Ryltar advances to within melee distance of the small paint globule and fires off a Cone of Cold to blast the two big golems and two of the small blobs. The painting yells, "No hurting the paint!" and fails to cast Counterspell. THe Cone of Cold does 38 cold to the two big golems, one little, and 19 to the other little. The two little blobs freeze solid, fall to the floor, and shatter. The two big golems absorb their frozen outer shell and reform.
   4. The blue paint golem strikes Percival with a pseudopod for 13 bludgeoning, 17 acid, and grappled. It turns its head to spit red paint at the three party members in the corner, downing Ryltar and pulling Ryltar and Vurguron closer to it.
   5. The grey golem swipes at Jerry twice with a pseudopod, for 12 bludgeoning and 11 acid, grappling her. Then another 6 bludgeoning and 20 acid.
   6. Vurguron hits the blue paint glob with his sword, dealing a decent amount of slashing and radiant damage, killing the blue paint golem. With the remains of his Action Surge, he kills a small ooze.
   7. Jerry takes 3 acid, and escapes the grapple. She leaves the area, walking across the ceiling, and the paint golem's attack of opportunity misses.
   8. The little paint blob spits paint into Vurguron's face, blinding him.
   9. The portrait moves its hand again, and Jerry saves against Charm. It looks like the painting tried to cast Crown of Madness.
2. Round 2.
   1. Percival inspires Jerry.
   2. Salris is incapacitated.
   3. Ryltar fails a death save.
   4. The silver paint golem uses its breath weapon, grabbing Salris and Ryltar, dealing 27 to those who fail. Salris is downed anew. It baps at Percival with a pseudopod and fails to connect.
   5. Vurguron saw none of this; he's blinded. But he's able to find Salris' mouth and feed a healing potion to him, for 6. And he's no longer charmed.
   6. Jerry walks across the ceiling, golf-clubs the last remaining paint ball into the wall (it splatters), and collapses the easel on which the painting of the guy is stored. The painting falls flat on its face.
   7. The painting says something muffled, and levitates up into the air. It frowns at Jerry, but now it's concentrating on something that looks like Levitate..
   8. Vurguron, no longer blinded by the tiny ball's paint, can see.
3. Round 3
   1. Percival heals Ryltar and Salris.
   2. Salris pulls out his sword, Hexblade's Curses the paint golem, attacks twice for 37 slashing and poison, and another 24 same. The paint golem collapses, and Salris gains 16 health from him.
   3. Ryltar gets up and tries to push the painting into the wall. He can't; it's using the stronger Telekinesis spell instead of Levitate. He walks away, and hides behind a paint-mixing bench.
   4. Vurguron pins the painting face-first against the wall.

We discuss ways to torture the painting. "Get the paint thinner," says Percival. "That's pretty fucked up," says Ryltar.

Talking to the art

Jerry asks the painting why it attacked us. It makes some muffled noises. Vurguron lets it away from the wall a little.

The painting relaxes a little, and says that it doesn't know where A.R.N. is, and that that disturbs it. As for why it attacked? "When people come in here, they try to steal."

"We're doing our best not to harm the art," says Ryltar.

Vurguron feels the force controlling the painting lessen; it stops fighting him. It still tries to be upright. Jerry grabs one of the empty easels in the room and sets it up. The painting floats over and sets itself down.

The painting hasn't seen A.R.N. in a while; they normally have good conversations. But A.R.N. got called away to do "other projects", which might be scuplture? It doesn't know where the marble sculpture room might be. It's only been in this painting studio and in the upstairs hallway. The painting believes that the guy in the painting is real original.

The painting last saw A.R.N. with canary-yellow hair. The painting hasn't seen A.R.N. in at least a week, but A.R.N. apparently talks about "going underground" and a "secret tunnel" under the house. There's one in the gazebo and one from the kitchen.

We convince the painting to come with us, as far as the downstairs gallery. We have made friends with the portrait.

With the portrait, in the hall

We move to the next item in the hallway: the six porcelain masks.

"I've always looked at them fondly," says the painting.

Percival picks the Happiness mask off the wall, and passes a Charisma save. He puts it back on the wall, and then at Jerry's insistence picks it up again and examines it fully. On the back side is a mark that belongs to A.R.N., and then a bunch of very fine arcane symbols around the edge of the mask. He gets the feeling that whoever puts it on, or touches it in a sense, may have a reaction of that emotion.

We examine Mr. Painting for the same sort of signature. Mr. Painting identifies himself as Valros Uril, a known stateman from around Setton. He was diseased at one point, and died.

So we move over to the stone plate:

To find my name,
My house, my fame
To seek my glory
to tell my story
To study my art,
to steal my heart.

But we can't think of a connection to the masks.

Mr. Uril doesn't know what the cloth-draped frame is under the cloth. It's been that way.

Jerry tries to move the big urn, but decides that that's not safe.

Dancing Percival encounters the Courtyard

Percival decides to dance with the statue, aligning himself on the plinth as if he's dipping the statue. He puts her hand on his shoulder, and his hand under her back, and immediately he's spun and shifted through the wall. He Feaather Falls down into the courtyard. He falls into the arms of the dancer below, and thence to the floor.

Percival spends a few seconds looking at the courtyard, and sees the cupids drawing their arrows.

Ryltar immediately asks the painting to come with him, and they do the same dancing move. He falls to the floor, landing atop Percival, and shouts "Stop stop stop! We mean you no harm! We mean A.R.N. no harm!" and fails to persuade the cupids. They shoot at Percival and Ryltar; Ryltar is downed by an arrow and Percival Dimension Doors them back to the upper hallway. He revives.

Jerry uses her Cloak of Arachnida to go through, and comes back as the wall finishes rotating. She dances again and jumps sideways, to remain in the courtyard as the wall flops. She arrives just as the painting finishes convincing the cupids to stand down.

Ryltar runs downstairs, and into the courtyard. He apologizes for scaring the statues.

In the balcony, there's two doors at the far right end, leading into the house. There's not a lot to see up there.

Under the Gazebo

In the gazebo, there's a rug with the Golden Spiral and Squares ratio pattern. We try the rug, and half of it flips up to reveal a trapdoor. Ryltar doesn't want to be the first down, as he's distinctly lacking in HP.

We thank the painting for his help thus far. His Telekinesis flickers, and he recasts it. He can only cast it so many times, and expresses a desire to return to his room before he runs out. Ryltar promises to take the painting back to his room.

We go down into the dungeon, and spend some time navigating the basement until we come to a ladder, which might lead us to the kitchens. We go up, and the trapdoor when lifted also collapses a table against the wall. The kitchen has food prep and other things, and a stove.

Out of the Underground, into the Kitchen

We all go up into the kitchen. There's a door on one wall, which Percival pokes at with Mage Hand. What shows up?

• The Fire Elemental in the stove
• The end table
• The butcher's knife
• The ladle
• The cutting board

1. Round 1
   1. Jerry grabs the cutting board, preparatory to shoving it into the fire. She casts Hunter's Mark on it.
   2. Vurguron hits the table with a flying elbow, dealing 15 bludgeoning, The table is still kicking, barely. It's on its last legs.
   3. Ryltar casts Fairy Fire on the room, carefully, so that all of his friends pass the save, and so that the portrait is outside of the effect.
   4. Jerry's cutting board wriggles.
   5. The ladle hits Vurguron, but doesn't dent his armor.
   6. The butcher's cleaver cuts at Jerry, but she dodges.
   7. Percival does some stuff.
   8. The table bumps Vurguron's shins for 14 bludgeoning damage.
   9. Salris attacks the fire elemental twice, dealing 13 slashing 17 poison, then 12 slashing. He takes 10 fire halved to 5 in blowback from the Fire Elemental.
   10. The Fire Elemental attacks Salris.
   11. The portrait is pleading with the cutlery and table. But he's not succeeding; the fires of rage are stoked by the combat.
2. Round 2.
   1. Jerry restrains the cutting board, barely. She tells everyone to grapple the attackers, so that the painting can convince them to chill out.
   2. Vurguron grapples the table. \
   3. Ryltar yells, "please stop fighting" but isn't very convincing of people who are fighting.
   4. The cutting board can't escape.
   5. The knife succeeds in slashing Jerry.
   6. The ladle goes after Percival, but misses.
   7. Percival, as a peace offering, opens one of his pockets and offers its contents to the ladle. It's a mummified thumb. He places it gently in the bowl. "We mean no harm." It's very persuasive.
   8. The table struggles, but isn't able to shake Vurguron.
   9. Salris shuts the oven door on the fire elemental. There's three slots in the door, with a slider to choke the fire. He slides it mostly closed, leaving less than an inch. He holds it there. "I didn't want to hurt you; I jsut cut every bit of fire that I see. I have a complex. I want to be friends."
   10. The fire tries to spill out of the door, but is unable.
   11. The portrait tries to persuade, but doesn't do a good job.
3. Round 3
   1. Jerry keeps the cutting board restrained, and tries to grab the knife. She misses it.
   2. Vurguron continues to grapple the table.
   3. Ryltar grabs the knife out of the air. Next time, he plans to step on it.
   4. The cutting board and knife don't break their restraint.
   5. The ladle is content with its thumb.
   6. Percival plays a calming song for the room. There's a change in the tempo of the room.
   7. Vurguron is thrown off the table.
   8. Salris continues to hold the door shut.
   9. The fires sputter and stay low.
   10. The portrait continues to exhort the room.
4. Round 4.
   1. Jerry finds a spot where the cutting board might've been, and puts the cutting board there. Then she puts a ration on top of it.
   2. Vurguron grapples the table again.
   3. Ryltar tries to convince the cleaver to not attack people. It sparkles and twinkles as it writhes in his grip, and then quiets down.
   4. The cutting board and ladle are content.
   5. Percival continues playing his calming music, and walks over to the table, to direct the calming music at it directly.
   6. The table stands up and wriggles back to a quiet stance.

The painting finishes its convincing. Ryltar tries to Mend the table. The knife begins to chop the ration.

Salris is pockmarked with acid and still can't regain his HP.

Next session

• Remember to escort the painting back to its room.
• Where is the sculpture room?
• A.R.N., then Majorie.
• Ryltar needs to do something for the missionaries of Denier.
• Was Seamus poisoning the whole bar? Is that why he wasn't drinking? Is Salris' brother also a bearer of the curse that afflicts Salris? Or is he just part of Rezzik Brazzik now?
• What's up with Salris' Celestial dagger?
• We know how to trap the Jester, with Magic Circle
• What's going on with the stars? Are Ryltar's theories about colors and significant plot-relevant things' colors correct?
• How can the Mummy Lord be defeated?
• Determine how to resolve the Eta'el-Kerjes plot
• Remember to un-petrify Ockoh in the Ice Lord Wint's Lair, so that we can give him the foodservice contract for the Irregular Inn