The Shattered Mirror

After a short rest to catch their breath and let the foul air of the bog leave them, they continued on to the Dusk Queen's tower. It appeared to be made of smooth black stone. No windows marked the surface and only a single door provided access. The tower was in a sad state, hardly a fitting home for one that had called herself queen once upon a time. Much of the stone had crumbled away and cracks ran like spider webs across the dull black surface. Vines clung to the stone, as if they were trying to choke the life out of it.

Blurb could tell that magics ran across the tower and with Eamon's help, they determined that there were two sets of abjuration magics barring the door. But Gorlock had only enough in him for one dispel magic and was loathe to waste his spells merely on gaining access. So Eamon did what the monk was wont to do -- he shooed everyone back and tried the door to see what would happen. 

A shocking blast of cold erupted from the door, but the monk, amazingly, was able to dodge it with his mad skills. The bushes opposite instantly froze, sparkling in the dim light. Everyone was glad they had moved away, but the door still held.

Gruffyd volunteered his hammer and threw it repeatedly at the door until it shattered to pieces and they were able to enter the tower. Inside they found a throne room cloaked in thick shadows. The stairs leading up were falling apart, but the throne at the back on a raised dias was still imposing. A frame with the remains of the shattered mirror -- other than the pieces they held -- sat near it. Behind and above the throne hung a large tapestry of the Dusk Queen riding her shadow drake mount, against the backdrop of a stormy night sky. 

"Greetings, my friends," came a sultry voice from the shadows. "I trust you have retrieved all of my mirror shards for me? Please kindly place them on my throne and then step back. Once you have done so, I will reward you handsomely as promised. I am, after all, a just queen, true to my word."

While some seemed inclined to do what she said, others though it a very bad idea indeed. 

Indeed, when they did not immediately hop to do her bidding, her true intentions became clear as a shadowy undead knight -- Aazael, The Dread Knight -- sprang forth to do battle, as well as a panther as black as night. The queen, however, stayed an invisible presence.

The knight had a dreadful aura, but almost everyone was able to stand firm against it, save Joell and Jane, who could not help the shivers of fear that ran up their spines. 

They attacked the knight, but his armor, which seemed a part of him, was strong and their blows mostly fell to the side until Blurb cast heat metal upon the creature and Gorlock's eldritch blast licked flames upon him. The knight cast something upon Joell and all could see that the Aasimar was torn between his fear and his desire to duel Aazael.

Then the knight attacked Nathia and she fought back, and on her second mighty blow, she tore him asunder. The panther took a blow from her as well and then she hurried towards where Blurb had said he thought the queen was.

Jane athletically and gracefully leaped up the broken stairs and manages to hit the invisible queen, pinpointing her at last. Greeba, just as athletically runs up the stairs and, unable to find a space at the top from which to base her attack, takes a flying leap, striking the queen, and then landing with a thud back on the floor, the wind briefly knocked out of her. Joell's wings unfurl and he joins them above, ready to strike.

Gorlock and Arnor try blasts and javelins, but neither strike the still invisible queen. Annoyed with her shenanigans, Gruffyd runs to the mirror frame and threatens to shatter what remains if she does not show herself. Greeba, even less patient, does the same and goes so far as to whack the mirror frame, destroying a good part of it.

"You fools!" The queen's voice shakes with rage as she finally appears, floating above them. Gorlock takes the opportunity to blast her, but it is Arnor's second javelin -- his last -- that pierces her heart. She falls to the floor and black blood pours from her mouth.

The tower begins to shake and twist about them; surely it will fall! "We must run!" says someone, perhaps Eamon, who has already gathered the fallen queen's form in his arms. Arnor agrees, and grabs the dead knight -- seeing that the creature inside the armor has already begun to reform. He dashes out the door, followed by the monk.

"Wait!" cries Nathia. What about the other part of their mission? The shadow grimoire? "Joell, can you fly above and see if you see a book? I will search the throne!" While everyone else dashes out the door, she runs to the throne while the paladin flies up, seeing nothing but crumbling masonry. 

She finds a secret panel on the throne and grabs the book inside it -- the Shadow Grimoire! "Get out, Joell, I've found it!" With her warning, Joell is able to fly up and out, avoiding the falling bits of tower. The goliath was not as lucky, though with a last minute burst of speed, she was able to escape with non life threatening injuries. Battered and bruised, certainly, but not down. 

Everywhere they look, the land is coming apart in swirls of darkness. The demi-plane is losing cohesion. They see the nymphs, crying in fear, and call for them to follow them. Arnor leads the way and they exit the Dusk Queen's demesne before it disappears forever. 

They travel with some haste to take their spoils to Queen Sarastra, perhaps, in part, so they do not have to keep the shadow grimoire on them any longer than necessary. It certainly makes Arnor nervous. 

The court receives them gladly and they are heartened to see Mac there, making a visit. The queen is so grateful that she knights both Arnor and Eamon as Knights of the Shadow Court. She gives 2000 gp each to everyone that had gone on the mission. 

Nathia, remembering her promise to the nymphs, introduces them to the Queen and pleads for a place for them, which the queen gladly gives. Eamon chats with his previous duelling partner and even asks the queen if he can keep his shard. 

She says "No."

But, she decides that the shards themselves are worth much and she gifts everyone with either a cloak of protection (Gruffyd asks if he can have one sized for his queen) or some other item. Nathia somewhat shyly asks for something that would give her vision akin to Arnor's so that they might walk in the darkness together and she could see as he sees. The queen gave her some googles of the night. Joell asks for a pair as well, though not for the same reason. Sarastra gives what some might think a wink to the Goliath, saying something about a wedding...Arnor and Nathia both blush and look aside. 

Once home again, Joell is determined to try and wrest the plate mail from the body of the dead knight. He tries a vial of holy water, and seeing that it does have an effect on the regenerating body, they speak to the church in Ravensburg as the only place that would be able to produce enough quantity to submerge the body in. Sadly, the armor disintegrates along with the undead knight, but at least he is no more a threat upon this world. 

Gorlock, home again, grumbles to himself that he should have asked for some boots or something else, as he already had a cloak of protection, but a voice within his mind whispers that it is probably not advisable to look a gift horse in the mouth...especially when the gift is from the changeable Queen Sarastra. 

Treasure from the Dusk Queen's Dead Lifeless Body:

• +1 ring of protection (Greeba)
• Handy Haversack (Gruffyd)
• Ring of Feather Falling (Greeba)
• +2 Dagger (???)

Treasure from the Dark Knight:

• +1 ring of protection (Eamon)
• +1 plate (undead included), later dissolved in a shedload of holy water
• +1 glaive (Gruffyd)