1. The Cloakwood

The guard ushers the group through the room and down a descending staircase. At the bottom is a sturdy door. "This is Davaeorn's suite. I've heard him call it is Sanctum, which is fine; as far as I'm concerned, whatever he says, goes."

The guard uneasily shifts his weight. "Shall I accompany you, my... lords and ladies? Or maybe I should return to my duties...?" He nods quickly, as though the companions have already given an answer. "Yes, my duties! But if you should need of my services again, you have but to ask. Erm... farewell!" He takes the stairs up two at a time, leaving the party alone in front of Davaeorn's door.

(Perception: Several in the group notice the lack of a certain cold shiver. Wherever the invisible dread wolf has gotten to, it doesn't seem to be in the near vicinity.)

On one of the nearby tables Stella notes several maps that seem to detail districts of a major city - most likely Baldur's Gate. One large building stands out to her with the label "Seven Suns Trading Coster" circled in red ink.

Warily checking for traps and magical glyphs, the young druid does perceive a spell on the door. It doesn't seem to be harmful, fortunately, and is likely just a simple alarm in place to alert Davaeorn to the comings and goings of people through the door.

Thinking on the matter of "sanctum", Stella just isn't sure of the word's significance is to Davaeorn. True, there is a spell that allows a powerful wizard to magically secure a room or dwelling, but stereotypical wizards are sometimes known for their grandiose attitudes. Still, can you really expect an evil spellcaster not to have some form of trap or warding within his lair?

Stella's magic subtly unravels the alarm spell on the door, and under Aiwe's magical influence the area becomes cloaked in silence. From there, it's a simple matter for Dieter and Runeson to beat the door down without giving the group's intentions away. And just like that, they're in.

The corridor before them is even finer than the floor above, and not just for the stonework. Lavish rugs run the floor, and large paintings hang on the walls. The room before the group looks to be some kind of foyer complete with some sitting chairs, a small table, and a suit of ornate armor. Off to the right is a small but ornate bedroom. The corridor continues on the far side of the foyer and runs a fair distance, with a small handful of branching passages.

There's no immediate sign of Davaeorn, but the party is not alone. The suit of armor in the foyer begins to emit an ominous red light. It brandishes its longsword, which silently bursts into magical flame, and takes a threatening step towards the group!

Round 1 Player Phase!

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Round 1 Summary

In uncanny silence Dieter and the helmed horror clash! The young fighter's magical sword cuts swiftly through the air at what he believes could be an opening, but the horror's shield tucks up to turn the weapon aside. The air above the animated creature's blade quivers with heat, and Dieter feels that burn as his opponent's counterattack slams home (Dieter takes 15 dmg). The brief flash of Stella's illusory magic does little to hinder the thing's attack - this time.

With tusks bared, Koveras slips out of the hallway to circle around and strike at the horror's back. His first thrust scrapes off the fine plate armor, but his second sinks into a gap. The horror hardly seems bothered (It takes only half-damage from non-magical weapons), and spins around to impale the half-orc through the chest... and it would have succeeded, too, if not for Dieter's timely shield bash. Aim thrown off, the creature's fiery blade slices across Koveras' ribs (Koveras takes 16 dmg).

At that moment, Aiwe's thrown club collides with the horror's helmet with enough force to snap the neck of a normal opponent (Crit! But only half damage from the non-magical weapon). The companions are coming to see that this is no ordinary animated armor. It moves not like a mindless construct, but with the skill and experience of a true warrior. It doesn't flinch as Aiwe's second club bounces off its breastplate, and even Aldous' three fire snakes can't seem to get through its armor.

A deadly opponent. But where is the wizard? The party can only hope their intrusion is kept quiet while they deal with this helmed horror.

Round 2 Player Phase!!