Shattered Star - Shards of Sin - Episode 3 - Trumping the Tower Girls

Mórrígan and Talia were unconscious. Akela, Wil and Jazeem started chasing the snake through the pipe. Wil and Akela catch up to the serpent creature but he manages to outpace them. Jazeem falls behind. They close, but Akela sees a SQUIRREL and starts running faster. Wil also gets past the snake. Jazeem and Akela try to corner the snake. It attempts to slither away, but not before Jazeem manages to take a few swings at it. Wil waits at the far end of the tunnel waiting for the snake. The snake belches an odor at Jazeem and Akela. Jazeem manages to defeat the goblin snake. Wil returns. Wil throws the artifact in a bag, get the rest of them and stop at an inn to rest and clean up. The next morning, they return to the Pathway Society.

Sheila greets them and asks for an update. Wil starts becoming blatantly anti-social. She provides a scarlet blue stone and connects it to the artifact. They merge. Wil snaps out of it. Shiela explains that the artifact comes from the age of demons. It is a portion of what was called "The Shatter Star of Zin". This is the shard of pride. If you carry it, you can cast major image 1/day, get a +2 insight bonus vs illusions and +2 insight bonus to all skill checks. Furthermore, it gives a +2 bonus to intelligence and knowledge of history. They give it to Mórrígan. The Shattered Star is a device that was created during the age of demons by the leader of the Lords of Dust named Zin. At the time the item was known as the Sihedron - a 7 pointed star. Each point was made of a different magical material. Zin broke the item apart and each of the 7 Lords of Dust took one. Since that time, the Shards haven't been reassembled. Assembled, it is a powerful defensive artifact. This artifact would be of immeasurable benefit to whichever country owned it. Shiela suggests that the group acquire the parts. Because the group is unknown, they could pursue this quest undercover.

Mórrígan focuses and gets a vision. She sees Sharn as if she was flying above the city circling into the southern point of the city she sees the cranes loading goods into the ships and she sees some enormous stone pilings leaning into the water. She describes it and Wil thinks it sounds like the "irespan" - a portion of the city that long long pre-dates Sharn. She also notes it centered on a particular piling with a carved bird motif on it - vaguely like vultures in parts. Wil says this piling it called "The Crow".  Sheila provides the party with Cure Light Wounds potions.

Mórrígan indicates that the magic ring they have is a ring of feather fall. The party leaves and sells off items.

The next morning, the party sees Talia in the infirmary. She says that she found it when the Tower Girls moved into "The Crow" (we are wondering, because that is supposed to be where the next one is).  The Tower Girls used the passageways out in the pilings as a place to hold up. One day, Talia found a secret door with a skeleton holding the artifact. She took it and got corrupted. She got some local thugs to help her and start to set up a gang to try to "take over the world".  She warns us that the leader of the Tower Girls is a wererat. She also warns that there are "Donkey Rats" there.

The party leaves and goes out to "The Crow" via rowboat. The pilings tower over them. We find a place to dock where there are 3 other rowboats. They enter. There is evidence that people have set up camp here before. They bring the rowboats in and start exploring.

They stop at a landing with some stone boxes and yellow dust, but find nothing of interest. They continue up.

The next level is a hall with murals. Mórrígan notes that the murals depict the Irespan before it collapsed. Mórrígan studies the murals for later. However, Wil hears a noise. Wil looks over and sees something comes up the staircase. He calls out and draws an arrow. Nothing happens. He and Akela go and look at the staircase leading up, but nothing is there. However, there are marks indicating a large rat has recently passed.

The party continues up the stairs.   They enter a room with a large table where they see a wererat and two minions to attack. Battle commences. They quickly defeat the wererat and her minions.

They search the rooms. They find a camp with some meat cooking. They also find another room with more murals, but these are faded.  They continue searching and find themselves at the top of the arch where they entered (above where the rowboats were).