Istanbul Intrigue Session 2

While spending a relaxing evening in an Istanbul waterfront dive, porcupineman sailor Zydeco was interrupted by a young messenger boy haning him a note. Two of his traveling companions (halfling thief/child impersonator Terry Grey, and gnome mage Eric Smith) agreed to do a small simple job, and they wanted his help. A map was sketched on the back of the note. Zydeco left immediately and traveled north along the shore of the Golden Horn, reaching Sakina falls under the glow of the moon.

As he neared the roaring waterfall, Zydeco heard a crash. The ledge Terry Smith had been hiding on crumbled under him. His ankle twisted, it was decided Terry would keep watch, while the other two would sneak in. The three waited all night for the mule train’s return.

Before dawn the next morning the mules returned their packs empty of cargo. Again the falls dried to a trickle, revealing the iron door. Their pathway open, the slaves drove the mules forward. Hidden on a ledge above the path, Zydeco tried to grab the last slave off his mule, but lost hold of him. The slave alerted the rest of his fellows. Amid much confusion and unskilled attempts at combat, Zydeco and Eric snuck into the passageway and locked the door behind them.

Several well cast spells and a dropped porcupineman later, they had taken care of the guards inside.

The rooms inside of the secret base were surprisingly well appointed. Delicate tiled mosaics covered the walls and ornate pillars supported vaulted ceilings. A careful sneak through the arabesque corridors revealed pantries, massive vats of stomped grapes, and a small prison cell occupied by a man hanging upside-down from the ceiling. All was quiet until the two investigators surprised 6 dwarven slaves gambling in their quarters. Eric shot one, but was quickly swarmed and wounded, while Zydeco tried to stick the slaves with arrows. A sorceress, alerted by the ruckus from her chamber, joined the fight, but the gnome and the Porcupine man quickly scared off the slaves and incapacitated the sorceress. Finding she did not speak English or French, the gnome tied her up.

Continuing their search the investigators found a small room with expensive ornamental furniture. Checking under the bed, Eric pulled out an envelope with packets of yellow dust inside. After making contact with his finger, the powder knocked him out cold. Zydeco slapped him awake, but not before Eric had a strange dream of a beautiful woman with strange yellow markings warning him of a dangerous object he had picked up.

They continued and searched a room containing two chests sitting on a fine Persian rug. The gnome tried both chests, but found that they were both booby trapped. His coat turned the blade of the sprung knife, but a yellow gas knocked him out again.

Zydeco once again awoke him, and they broke into the prison and released the prisoner. With a massive flash of light the prisoner turned to a green skinned two foot tall Gen (a lesser member of the Djinn’s magical servants). He was grateful for his freedom, and gregariously offered his services. Eric accepted, while Zydeco remained distrustful.

Returning to the room of the trapped chests, Zydeco found a loose stone in the floor revealing the ledger they had been sent to get and 4 potions. The gen told Eric of his torture at the hands of the Sorceress. Enraged, Eric killed her before returning to Ayyam’s home.

Ayyam was very grateful and paid them in gold  and advice. She examined the map Zydeco had gotten in Malta, and discovered it was magical. If given a few drops of blood the map could translate itself and reveal more of the castle. She demonstrated, as the Map revealed the castle’s name: Ravenloft.