Pale Tower Library

There was transmutation magic emanating from the ice nymph statues at the entry to the teleportation alcove.  Santrel was concerned that they would come to life but Milos pushed on toward the northern statue.  Around the corner he saw a door and a window.  The window looked out upon the wintry landscape.

Jorgen moved toward a door in the southwest wall. Peering in he saw a bookshelf in the illuminated small annex chamber along with a massive mirror on the wall.  Pushing his luck he looked further into the chamber and saw more bookshelves and an ornate table surrounded by six chairs.  The table top was covered with books.  Beyond the table stood a figure.

"Stop where you are or face death!" the human said in Skald.  

Jorgen understood well and called for the remainder of the party to join him in an attack against the presumed enemy. Jorgen then attacked with his crossbow.  Casia joined in with a critical hit with her bow.

Casia was then the target of a barrage of snow and ice as the enemy cast a spell.  This was a new spell that no one in the party had ever seen before.  Fanara smashed a mirror in the main hallway, Amadeo moved toward the library, Santrel moved in to cast Acid Splash while Milos and Nadya watched for any other creature appearing. 

As Jorgen and Casia again took their turns the battle was over quickly at another critical hit from Casia dropped the woman to the floor.

She had a magic greatsword and cloak along with an Elixir, two potions of Cure Moderate Wounds and a scroll of Magic Weapon. There were also two keys with the body, one small and one made of ice similar to the key taken from the Sergeant. Fanara began looking at the many books on the floor to ceiling shelves.  Santrel found the books on the table to be about Taldor, one open to a map with a marking in the middle of the Border Wood.  The other was about Taldan royalty.  The open pages were about etiquette and lifestyle of the royalty.  Fanara found books on the shelf of Golarion history, the Great Beyond and a bestiary.

The library had two more doors.  Double doors led north to the main hallway and a single door led to the southwest.  Casia and Jorgen checked this second door. Finding no traps or locks it was opened to reveal a curved hallway following the tower's outside wall.  At the near end of the hall were two doors leading, one leading north and one leading west.  Jorgen again advanced to check those doors while Fanara moved further down the hall to the east where two more doors stood.

Casia opened one door which led to the dining hall. Jorgen found no issue with the other and opened it revealing a bed, desk, and storage locker furnishing a small circular chamber which protruded beyond the tower's outside wall. A five-foot-tall mirror hung on the wall opposite the room's only door.  Jorgen noted that the storage locker was locked but before he could call for keys Fanara began talking with someone.

Fanara had examined another door leading beyond the walls of the tower.  Opening it she was hit with the scent of perfume that  filled the air of another small bedroom where several dresses styled for a Taldan noblewoman lay neatly arranged on the bed. A mirrored vanity and chair sat by the door next to a wooden chest, and a larger mirror hung on the wall between two windows.  Standing by the mirror primping was Lady Argentea Malassene.  Surprised she glanced at the door and said.

"Oh, are you here to rescue me?"

"We could be but who are you?" Fanara replied.

"I am Lady Argentea Malassene of Taldor.  I was kidnapped and brought to this frigid land against my will.  Won't you return me to Taldor?" 

"Who brought you here?"

"It was an uncouth woman, called herself Hestrig I believe."

"Have you been injured?

"No but I cannot recall much of my past from the trauma of the whole escapade." the Lady replied, her voice dropping it pitch to an gravely sound in the middle of the exchange.

"Come out of the room here where my friends can help us decide what to do with you."

The Lady moved out of the room, walking unsteadily in her shoes.  

"Thank you for helping me." she said, her voice again dropping usually.

Fanara was trying to sense her motives and determined that she was completely fabricating this whole charade just as she transformed to a grayish humanoid seemingly unfinished with a narrow head, gaunt limbs and a sinister, noseless face.

Once again the party found themselves in a battle.  Again this one did not last long as the doppelganger was dispatched with little effort. 

Now a key was used to open the storage locker where three potions of Cure Moderate Wounds were found. All the doppelganger room had was fancy dresses and shoes but it seemed a good defensible place to take a rest.

As the party was resting Santrel saw a group of five guards approach the gate of the courtyard.  They appeared to try and rouse someone to let them in but were unsuccessful.  They used a grapple and rope to climb the outer wall of ice and then disappeared under the tower overhang.  When Santrel reported this, Casia, Amadeo and Jorgen headed to the dining hall with Nadya to await the guards.  No one appeared after two hours so the group headed back to the bedroom while Nadya and Casia waited longer by the door.

After the rest all the party again prepared with spells and meditation for the coming further adventures in the tower.  All the area to the north on the second floor was unexplored.  Beyond the alcove another door led around the tower.  In that hallway were two other doors, one leading outside the wall and the other leading to an area north of the main hallway.

Behind the first door a bed, desk, dresser, and storage chest furnished a small bedroom. A large mirror hung on the wall opposite the room's only door, and two windows looked down on the tower's courtyard.  Again the chest was locked but the small key from the library opened it.  The contents were an elixir, three potions, a pair of silver bracers traced with figures of dragons, a jeweled scepter, an agate, and three blue quartz crystals, as well as 256 gp, 473 sp, and 894 cp.

The next area revealed another transportation alcove and the doors to the south.  Jorgen opened the doors to the south where he found several tables, covered in flowering plants and decorative figurines both large and small, occupying the corners of the large room. A large mirror hung on the northwestern

wall, while double doors led south.  Jorgen and Milos entered the room to explore the plants and the mirror. They heard some rustling at the far end of the room and what sounded like a chain clanging against ice.  Suddenly there was a thud and a filthy creature that resembled a small, wide-mouthed fat child made from leaves, vines, tree bark, dirt, and pallid tubers strode forward with a chain around its body.

Jorgen identified the beast as a Mandragora and Casia immediately ordered everyone to cover their ears. Only Jorgen could get his ears covered before the Mandagora shrieked.  Casia, Amadeo and Milos became nauseated, leaving Jorgen to fight the creature with Nadya as Fanara and Santrel examined the alcove.  Jorgen fired at the creature and then was grabbed from a bite and felt his blood being drained, Nadya fired her bow through the battle to no effect.  The rest of the party was retching or trying to recover from the shriek as Jorgen escaped from the grapple.  The party recovered enough to begin to surround and attack the small monstrosity, even Fanara eventually joined the fray.  No one else was grappled but the creatures claws did some damage.  With the party hounding the creature it fell into a stinking pile of rotting vegetation.

DM's Notes: The party earned 533 XP for the night.