Chapter Fifteen – The Brazier Room
Our Heroes now need to discover the answer to the Brazier Room Riddle.
As Frimly continues his search of the flooded cells; where Galan had discovered a glowing, magically imbued sword; our diminutive hero becomes aware of an unsettling rippling of the inky waters. Turning to face the Cells opposite, body straining to remain above the surface, Frimly’s heartbeat quickens as he spots the writing form of some slow moving amorphously serpentine like creature, writhing its way toward him.
Now all alone; his friends and allies engaged in a desperate battle with Wraiths and Vampire Spawns in the corridor beyond; the Thief draws his Magic Short Sword ‘Kizzmiquikk’, and elects to flee the watery tomb. With surprising ease he outruns the pulsating terror that sought to ambush him.
The sounds of frantic battle and guttural cries of the enraged Paladins assail his ears as he emerges from the submerged chamber and into the part lit corridor that seems strewn with Teleporting Traps. He edges out cautiously, ensuring the door to the Cells is firmly closed behind him.
Already chilled from the cold murky waters, even his marrow is chilled as he sees noble Galan hit a screeching Wraith with both of his weapons; and breath relief as both of these necrotic devils fade away, merging into the walls. Galan’s new Sword appears to radiate power, serving all allies to greater feats again their foes.
The Vampiric Spawn are not so easily dispersed and they skitter to and fro, no surface too smooth for them to cling to. The frantic Vampire Spawn melee continues with frightening ferocity. Despite savage beatings delivered to Count Strahd’s undead servants, Sir Ly and Galan take more heavy damage, from filthy claws and yellowed fangs. Thora too feels the razor sharp impact of.
Galan then dispatches his foe and puts his foot across its leaking throat, while Sigune smites hers. Sit Ly and Thora fight on.
Sir Tobias’ Holy Sling Bullets Misses, but within the next cluster of attacks the vile abominations are cut down like undead bloodless chaff, foul carcasses half submerged in the rank water, leaking like stuck vermin.
The cry goes up to stake the regenerative Vampire Spawn through what passes for their rotten hearts, before their powers enable them to rise again.
Mirafir remains in ‘Wraithform’ but cannot see any of their kind on the negative plane he now inhabits.
Now regrouped, the plan is to continue opening cell doors in case more teleport traps are set off and party member become stuck and helpless.
Galan and Frim head into the southerly prison area, while Sigune looks to ‘Detect Evil’ on Emil, the Nubian inhabitant of one of the cells. However, there is no sign of him and his Cell door is now wide open. Sigune fails to ‘Detect Evil’. It becomes clear that he is a follower of Strahd, who tried to lure us into some kind of friendship.
The party proceed up the corridor to the torture chamber beyond. Thora throws bodies ahead of them but the plan doesn’t work and Thora is teleported into a cell in the North cell complex.
Thora make a break for it and escapes safely – door is closed behind her.
Galan’s admits that his new sLong Sord takes dominance, controlling his ability to use other weapons to the detriment of his fighting prowess.
TORTURE CHAMBER:
Dark, low shapes thrust up out of the still, brackish water that fills this 50’ foot square room, the ceiling of which is festooned with hanging chains that look like thick, black web strands.
A balcony set into the NORTH wall overlooks the room and has two large thrones atop it, with a red velvet curtain behind them.
The dark shapes in the water are racks, iron maidens, stocks, and other instruments of torture. The skeletons of their last victims lie within them and upon them, their jaws seemingly frozen open in silent screams.
Father Tobias, Sir Ly, Sigune and Thora enter the torture chamber, skirting the room’s perimeter to avoid rear attacks. As the reach the midway point, Strahd appears on balcony above and commands his minions to:
Count Strahd: ‘Arise my children!’
And lo! Five Zombies arise from the impenetrably dark, waist high water.
Limb chopping melee ensues. The Zombies, though much tougher than their counterparts beyond Strahd’s control are still no match for the warrior’s blade skills.
Mirafir, still lurking in the corridor, looks to cast ‘Lightning Bolt’ at Count Strahd, despite warnings from Frimly and Galan – the ‘Lightning Bolt’ should have hit but is instead absorbed by a ‘Magic Aamulet’ of some kind, strung around the creature’s neck.
More Zombies animate and attack. Strahd has beaten a retreat.
Thora takes a heavy blow. But the shamble of rotten flesh and bone are quickly beaten.
OBSERVATION BALCONY:
Two large, wooden thrones rest on this balcony. Behind the thrones hangs a red velvet curtain 30’ feet long.
The ceiling here is ten feet high.
Sigune then climbs up 50’ to the balcony. A heavy red velvet curtain hangs across the balcony, but Sigune can detect no evil beyond it.
The rest of the party climb up and find a door beyond the curtain. It is not locked and Frimly bravely opens it.
Inside is a brazier that burns with a white flame that produces no heat!
Suspended above it is a giant glass sand timber inside of which the sand is somehow lodged in the upper chamber. It is held in place by thick heavy chains.
Two enormous 12’ metallic, four armed statues stand in opposite alcoves, with two hands raised upwards with the other two holding a gigantic Sword and Shield.
Nest to the cold flaming brazier is an Ornate Gold Chest.
On the other side of the room are three undecorated doors.
BRAZIER ROOM:
This room is thirty feet square, rising to a twenty-foot-tall flat ceiling. Gargoyle carvings smile, revealing their teeth, from high upon the walls, well lit by a brazier. Thei stone brazier burns fiercely in the centre of the room, but its tall white flame produces no heat.
From their alcoves in the centre of the EAST and WEST walls, two iron statues stand saluting with their weapons bared. Each statue has four arms, one with a Shield, one with a Sword, and the remaining two with their palms toward the ceiling over their heads. Their eyes seem to watch you as you walk about the room.
High overhead, an hourglass with writing on its base hangs suspended above the brazier. A wood-framed hourglass as tall and wide as a Dwarf hangs ten feet above the brazier, suspended from the ceiling by thick iron chains. All of its sand is in the upper portion, somehow refusing to run down into the bottom.
In the centre of the room next to the brazier is a Golden Chest. A single door stands in the SOUTH wall while three doors line the NORTH wall.
Fearing a trap that will animate these ‘Metal Golems’, Frimly carefully examines the floor for traps. Finding none, he and Galan enter this strange chamber, believing they are best suited to finding a way through.
As they enter, the door slams shut behind them and it cannot be opened by non-magical means. The pair looks up and gasps as they see the sand in the hourglass sand is now flowing freely into lower half!
But what is written upon it?
In the palm of my hand – Is the time left to thee – When it’s consumed – Will the flame set you free?
Now they can see that each giant statue holds in its upturned palms, two large gems each.
Of Black, Green, Blue and Red. Frimly reaches for one and throws the green one into the Brazier. Immediately the right hand of the three doors swings open.
They move towards it just as one of the giant ‘Metal Golems’ takes a lurching stride forward. The very ground shakes at the weight and power of this earthquake of a step.
If they were to attack the consequences would be too awful to comprehend!
But no sooner do the two fellows pass beyond the doorway then the behemoth stops in its tracks. Unfortunately, in the blink of an eye, the door slams shut behind them. They are left to contemplate a spiral staircase that ascends upwards into utter darkness.
To follow this path would mean abandoning their party and leaving themselves open to who knows what danger!?
They elect instead to use the ‘Cchime of Opening’ to try and return to their comrades. Frimly also wants to see what may lie within the Gold Chest.
Though knowing this Castle it will be nothing but dust!
