Monday, February 27, 2023

Dungeon of the Mad Mage: Magic academy of... you can't leave?!

We continued our fight with the devil. It resisted all my control spells, but it finally buckled under a barrage of magic missiles, arrows and hammer blows. As it discorporated[1], its clone also withered and died. Cool. We then looked for anything useful, and finding nothing, trashed the place to let off steam.

We exited the chambers to have Halaster[2] give us aspirant badges for the academy and offer to guide us. Tellingly, we first visited the experiment room, that held a lifelike statue of a dragonborn. Apparently, he didn't listen to the instructions. Don't be like Bob, kids! Next up, the prison, where they held three of Azok's goblinoids, 'for experiments'. Sure.

As we carried on, another student, accompanied by a shield guardian, came up. Seeing our aspirant badges, she haughtily ordered us out of the way, which of course Szivem couldn't take and brushed her shoulder. Halaster forbade the fight, and we walked away.

In the next room, the kid with the half-orc bodyguard was still studying. Halaster made him our guide and went off. It took all of 30 seconds for the kid to let us in on his grand plan: become the greatest wizard, by stealing Halaster's spellbook! We laughed him off, at which point he stuck out his tongue and transferred us to a tiefling student.

The plot thickened as we talked to the tiefling - one of two sisters, one being in detention, the other fighting some animated constructs in the training room. Turbulence and Violence[3] informed us that after signing up for the academy, they may not leave. We're only aspirants so we are allowed to, but they cannot. There are some exams to leave, but until then, they are hatching an escape plan. We can help by distracting Halaster while they escape. At least we left this option pending.

Lastly, we entered a smoke filled room, which opened into the quarters of a teenage halfling. 'Question', as she was called, also considered herself the potentially greatest mage in the academy[4]. We sweet talked her into leading us around, so she led us into a torture chamber/slaughterhouse where she transformed into a night hag and ordered some flesh golems to eat us. Literally. Nobody. In. This. Damn. Dungeon. Wants. To. Live!

Antrius sectioned off the room with Wall of Force, I got out my 3 zombies from their sack, and we killed them good.

The room held some corpses, but none of them intact, sadly. I did, however, find a frog that vomited a Gem of Seeing. Like what. There were also enchanted messaging tubes labeled with names, some of which we recognized, such as the two tieflings, the kid, and Halaster.

This plot is THICCC.

[1] Yelling: 'Free at last!' 
[2] Or whoever.
[3] Or something like that.
[4] Obviously. Looks like this is a prerequisite for admission.

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