eath nd isguises

With the doors shut the screaming was reduced to a bearable level and Ako knelt to examine the unmoving Lovax. A moment later the cleric stood up and shook his head. "He's dead. The screaming killed him."
Cambris went pale and knelt beside his friend. "How are we going to get out?" he whined.
"We'll think of something." Replied Trimus. "Perhaps we will be able to lower a rope from an upper window or something."
Cambris did not look convinced but he stood up and nodded. The room they now found themselves in was of a similar shape to the previous one. Semicircular with a flight of stairs running up the east wall. The other walls were lined with tapestries showing hunting scenes and mythical stories. Trophies and statues stood on plinths around the edges of the room and a fine carpet lay on the floor. The whole room seemed to have avoided the worst of the ravages of time.

With Darkhawk and Grabthroat leading the way the friends climbed the stairs, their footsteps echoing loudly on the stone treads. They emerged on a landing with the stairs continuing up to the north west around the perimeter of the tower and a corridor with a pair of doors on each side leading south. The corridor was lit but a pale blue glow coming from the ceiling and a window at the far end of the corridor. They first tried the nearest door on the west side of the corridor. Inside they found a comfortable room with a bed, chest, table and chair. All the furnishings were well made and undamaged apart from a fine coat of dust. Opening the chest Ako found nothing but some clean bed linen and a box of candles. The room on the opposite side of the corridor was much the same, but the next room on the east side of the corridor wasn't. The bed was unmade, a few rolls of parchment were scattered on the desk and the whole room had a lived in air about it. Trimus made for the parchment on the desk but they were blank and the scrolls collapsed into small flakes as he touched them. Ako examined the chest. Inside he found, along with clean bed linen, some robes, very similar to those worn by the apparition downstairs, a large drawstring bag, a small pouch and a leather bound book. Trimus, eyes aglow took the book and ran his finger along the gold embossing of the name emblazoned on the spine, Wexar.
"This must have been the mage we 'met' downstairs." He said softly. Without opening it, fearful of the wards that might have been cast upon it, the young mage put the book inside his pack alongside his own. The bag contained a large amount of silver coins while the pouch held an assortment of gems. Their hearts buoyed up by this success they moved on to the final door and found it contained the same arrangement of furniture as the others on this floor.
"Wexar seemed a little young to have a tower such as this." Mused Cambris to Trimus.
"Yes. Not only that, I would have expected him to live in a better room if he was truly the master of the tower." Replied Trimus.

They continued up the stone stairs to the next floor. A corridor, again lit by the same eerie blue light led north from the stairs with three doors leading from it, two on the west wall and one on the east. The first door on the west wall opened easily onto a storeroom lined with wooden shelves. There was also a number of sacks and chests. They spent a few minutes looking around, puzzling over the strange glass jars and tubes, the bottles of waxes and resins, the bright powders, balls of twine and strips of metal before deciding to leave well alone at least for now.
The Door opposite led into a large, semicircular room with two large windows which overlooked the ruins of the city. A desk and chair stood between the windows with a bed beside the door with a chest at its foot. Upon the desk was an old briar pipe and a silver box with a leaf design. The rest of the walls were obscured by bookshelves filled with scrolls and tomes. Trimus moved over to these and began to look through them while the others examined the chest and desk. By the time Trimus had finished examining the books and scrolls the others had finished searching the room and were tapping their feet impatiently by the door.
"Well?" questioned Ako his eyebrow raised. "More spells?"
"Not this time, these scrolls could be far more valuable." The mage replied cryptically. "Most of the documents are from the friends of the tower's owner. They keep mentioning fear and upcoming problems. I assume they were referring to the orc invasion. However the most interesting information was on this scroll." Trimus unrolled a length of parchment which had a very impressive wax seal at the foot. This is a legal document that sets out a contract between Wexar and the owner of the tower. Wexar was to be trained in the ways of magic by the wizard." He paused for dramatic effect but hurried on when Darkhawk raised his mailed hand. "He was to be trained the wizard Namulas." He concluded quickly.
"Namulas!" exclaimed Ako. "So the Nidus might be in this tower."
"Yes!" replied Trimus rubbing his hands.
"Is it in here?" asked Cambris
"I don't think so" replied Grabthroat. "We have searched pretty hard and I couldn't sense any secret doors or floor safes."
"Let's continue our search then. I'd guess there was one more floor above us and unless I'm mistaken that would house the wizard's laboratory." Trimus was by now very excited. Along with the Nidus what other exciting items might be stored in the laboratory? Spell books, potions, rings, rods? He could barely wait. They first checked the final door on the west side of the corridor but on finding it locked they decided to put Trimus' theory to the test and ascended the stairs.

The stairs ended at a wide landing that took up fully a quarter of the area of the tower. A window looked north east over the city with a large padded seat in the embrasure. Tapestries hung on the walls rich in colour depicting scenes of the countryside around Ardelphia. Beside the door in the south wall of the landing was a stone statue its arms folded across its chest. Trimus stepped towards the door and was astonished when the statue stepped in his way and placed a restraining hand on the mage's chest.
A deep, rough voice rattled from the statues lips. "The master is busy."
Trimus fumbled in his pack for a moment and took out Wexar's spell book and showed it to the statue.
"Sorry Master Wexar, the master does not want to be disturbed, not even by you." The statue shook its head sadly and refused to move. Darkhawk suddenly had an idea. He moved close to Trimus and mouthed something in the mage's ear.
"Brilliant!" exclaimed Trimus quietly and scampered down the stairs to Namulas' bedroom. Rummaging through the chest for a few moments Trimus found what he was looking for.

Meanwhile the others waited on the landing. "What did you say to him" hissed Ako to Darkhawk who had a wicked grin on his face.
"Just you wait." Was all he would say in reply. Just then a figure stepped slowly up the stair. Clad in a midnight blue cowled robe the figure approached the door.
The statue bowed and opened the door. "Very impressive spell sir." The statue commented as he waved the others through behind the mage. "I never sensed you leave sir. Is there anything you require, sir"
"No. Just wait outside." Came a muffled voice from inside the cowl.
"Very good sir, I hope your cold gets better soon, sir" replied the statue and closed the door.
Once inside Trimus through back the cowl and punched the air.
"It worked Darkhawk. By Pflarr's whiskers it worked!" Trimus was skipping round the room, a look of maniacal glee on his face. "Now let's find the Nidus."
The room was large with two wide, tall windows looking south, east and west. A large stone table stood at the rooms centre, bare apart from the strange sigals engraved on its surface. A curved bench hugged the wall under the eastern window. Beakers encrusted with evaporated liquids. Glass tubes and a few scrolls lay haphazardly on top of the bench.
"Where is it?" shouted Trimus "What has he done with it. It must be here."
"Calm down" cautioned Ako, "We don't want our friend coming in and asking what the matter is."
"True" replied Trimus dejectedly, his shoulders slumping. He sat on a stool in front of the bench and started leafing through the parchments and scrolls. Most were letters dated at around the time of the orcish invasion recommending that Namulas and Wexar should leave. Many bore the same name at the foot, Ligram of Erendyl. Others contained sketches of fanciful items. A sword with ornamental quillons in the shape of dragon heads with a dragon's tail design etched onto the blade. A filigreed staff with runes carved on its length and infilled with gold and platinum. An orb in a three pronged cradle. A ring with two large gem studs. "Yes!" ejaculated Trimus snatching the last sheet from the desk. "This is it!" He waved the parchment before Ako's eyes. On it was a bronze armband, elaborately carved and inlaid with silver and gold. Written at the bottom of the page was a single word, Nidus.

Trimus carefully rolled all the parchments and placed them carefully in his scroll case.
"Namulas must have left by magical means if his guard thinks he is still in here." Trimus suggested. "He must have been caught by surprise when the orcs came and didn't have time to take Wexar with him."
With a last longing look at the laboratory Trimus sighed put up his cowl and opened the door. The statue bowed and shut the door and returned to his guard position.

"Let's check out that locked room." Suggested Grabthroat. The others nodded and so Trimus opened the door with a knock spell, and a wistful thought about Gieve who could have done the same with no need of magic. Inside they saw a trio of caskets and a pair of chests.
"Let's hope none of the chest's are locked." Said Trimus.
"Nah! I've got my axe." Replied Grabthroat trying to cheer the mage up.
In the end Grabthroat had only to use Kagyar on one of the chests, the others not being locked. In total they found a large number of copper, silver and gold coins. An assortment of gems including pearls, emeralds and sapphires. Most valuable of all however was the contents of the final casket. Inside was a plain silver ring with a clear stone in a simple setting. Also nestling in the velvet lining were a pair of flasks, which if their labels were correct contained potions of speech and invisibility. All three items were given to Ako for safe keeping.

Tired by their day's exertions they returned to the foot of the stairs. The screams from the main entrance were still loud enough to bring back horrible memories of their first passage through the bone strewn room.

"I'm tired." Announced Darkhawk, "Lets rest up overnight in those rooms upstairs and leave tomorrow."
Their were no objections and so Trimus spent the night sleeping in Namulas' bed, dreaming of fame, glory and power.

The next morning they soaked scraps of old parchment in water and plugged their ears with the soggy wads. Despite their efforts the spirit's screaming could still be heard but the pain was much less than it was before. Cambris and Darkhawk brought up the rear carrying the body of their fallen comrade.
Once into the gardens the guardian that had greeted them the previous day approached. Seeing Trimus, still wearing Namulas' robes, the statue bowed.
"I am sorry to see that one of your friends has died, master. May I help in any way?"
"Yes you can." Replied Trimus. "Could you dig a grave for my friend, near the tower if you could."
"Certainly." The statue knelt by the tower and began to dig, using its huge hands as shovels. Within twenty minutes the grave was dug and Lovax laid within it. Ako said a few words over the grave and sprinkled a vial of holy water over the soil.

"Any other commands, master?" asked the guardian as Trimus and the others turned to go.
"Yes. Let no-one into the tower, apart form myself." Trimus replied.
"Certainly, sir. Good luck on your travels sir."

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