Chapter 6:
The party made their way back to the throne room. There were no signs of the Kobolds who had attacked them in the chamber with the giant skeleton. The throne room was how they had left it, so they went to the left door and opened it. The chamber beyond was black with soot; walls, floor and ceiling, everything scorched as if an explosion had happened in the room long ago. In the center of the room were the carbonized remains of a figure, huddled, clutching a warhammer. They went in and searched.
Hareton whose sight allowed him to see magical auras spotted a faint glow in the northwest corner, scraping away the soot he found a ring and with a smile he placed it on his finger. Then, feeling along the stone walls he discovered a secret passageway. Raya and Kren Ha pushed it open and stepped through into another passageway. It headed both north and south, they chose the north passage and came upon a small room. The walls were lined with pegs and weapon racks and there was a heavy wooden table that was scored with blade marks and battered by a hammer. There was nothing of value in the room, but there were a pile of rags in a corner.
Hareton sifted through the rags and found a brass ring, chinzi jewellery and a leather pouch. Upon opening the leather pouch a small silver orb with spines floated out of the bag and sat midair facing Hareton. He observed the object for a moment, discerning its powers and abilities, before allowing it to heal him.
"This is truly Hareton's luck day," he said.
Nothing of further interest was in the room so they headed south next and came to what looked like a study, with banners on the wood paneled walls. The banners depicted knights slaying dragons, but were tattered with age. Bookcases lined the walls and these contained rotting tomes and tubes of scrolls. Hareton was in heaven, choosing the books that were still in some condition and shrinking them down to carry in his backpack. Then he started stuffing the scroll tubes in as well.
"Hareton is making out like a bandit," he said.
"Speaking of," Raya said as she and Kren Ha lifted the bookcase off of a mummified body wearing deteriorating leather armor. They examined the body and found lock picks and a crowbar. Raya having a hunch pulled off the boots and examined them, finding 4 coins and a sapphire hidden in the heel of one.
Another door in this room and oddly enough the only one they had found to be locked. Raya raised an eyebrow and produced the golden key she had discovered in the throne room.
"Where'd you get that?" Kren Ha asked.
"Oh, you know," Raya answered with a smile, "Divine intervention," and tried the lock. The door swung open revealing a bedroom beyond, wood paneled with a single canopy bed that was just barely holding itself together. The wall to the south was a series of narrow lacquered doors, likely wardrobes or closets and there were ten in all. Raya and Kren Ha prepared to start opening the closets, one on each end. Raya opened hers to find rotting cloaks and bed linen and Kren Ha opened hers and let out a startled yelp.
Standing in the end closet was a dark haired woman in a green silk robe that had a plunging neckline, arms above her head were manacled with copper cuffs. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be dead. Cautiously the two clerics pulled the body out of the closet, the cuffs breaking apart as they did so. The woman awakened and for a few moments lay on the floor in a state of confusion.
"What happened? Who are you?" she asked.
"We'd like to ask you the same. Are you Miior?" Raya asked.
"I am, what are you doing in my room? Who are you?" she was getting angry.
"Know you Feldon?" Kren Ha asked.
Miior blinked, for a moment she seemed far away, someplace else, "In a dream, some familial animal came to me, I asked him to set me free." She seemed to be getting her bearings.
"He sent us to find you," Kren Ha answered, "We found you here, bound inside a closet."
Miior scowled, "One of Rivior's little games no doubt. I will skin that man alive when I see him. Where is he?"
Raya and Kren Ha glanced at each other, Raya answered gently, "A long time dead. Miior, can we leave this place? There is a village nearby where the folks can explain things better than we can."
Miior looked at the strange group and agreed, "We shall go. Where is this familial animal called Feldon? I'd like to thank him and maybe take him as mine own."
Kren Ha closed her eyes, "Dead. He is at the village."
Miior nodded and they headed out, the light of Hareton's lamp ring leading the way back to the throne room and toward the bronze statues that still arched lightning sporadically. Miior spoke arcane words and the arcing stopped, she waved her strange guests through and they headed back to Eveningstar, where Tessaril waited. She had given the Kercpa a burial and last rites and now took it upon herself to explain to Miior all that had happened.
Kren Ha, Raya and Hareton disappeared into the woods, back into the Heartwood for some much needed rest.
