#74 Meeting Some Resistance

The party unlocked the gate beneath the city, within the water lifting mechanism that pulled water from the lake up to the open area of the city.  

Making good on his promise to the kobold guide that had brought them this far, Perra casts a spell to send the kobold back to Terra Malatia.  (I have neglected to provide much detail about this kobold.  For future reference his name is "Vig".)

Whisper scouted ahead on the metal stairwells that wound up through the well.  

Whisper spotted a grey gnome there, lurking in the shadows.  When  confronted, the gnome asked "Is the monk here?"  He was clearly expecting to meet the monk that had recently joined the party.  

Whisper brought forth the rest of the party, who had remained below.  Upon seeing the monk, the gnome began to explain the situation.

The gnome's name was Tullen Gobblefist.  He is part of a small group within the city that is opposed to The Thinker of Thoughts.  The leader of this group is a man called Trilos Dath.  Trilos is the same person who helped the monk escape from the prison, and apparently has some sort of alliance with Sihirbaz.

Tullen suggests a course of action.  Part of the prison tower is within an anti-magic field.  Sirhirbaz is imprisoned within that.  Rather than making a frontal assault on the prison, a better way might be to find a way to disengage the anti-magic field.  That would allow Sirhibaz, and whatever other arcane prisoners might be within the prison to escape and join the battle.

Tullen believes the anti-magic field originates within the cliff-side palace where The Thinker resides.  

Also, Trilos wants to meet with the party.  He has a proposal that he would like to make.

So the party splits.

The monk, Jedwin, Mahlkier, and Captain hurst went with Tullen to meet Trilos.

The rest began a journey through the ruins beneath the ancient city.  Their destination is the Thinker's palace, and their mission is to deactivate the anti-magic field.  Tullen asked the party to carry with them a gem, enchanted with a spell that would allow Trilos to locate them.

They knew they could choose to go through catacombs populated with undead, or go further below the city into underdark passages.  They chose the latter.  They were confronted by a large group of Hook Horrors, who kept two Ropers within their layer.  They defeated this enemy.

Tullen lead the other group up to the surface area of the city, and there they went to a small building where they met with Trilos.

• Trilos is an assassin with some sort of shape-shifting ability, or at least the ability to generate arcane disguises.  He does not reveal his true identity.
• He had come here not just to assassinate The Thinker, but also to mount a larger mission.  He wants to locate the group of Illithids that The think came from, and destroy the Elder Brain than commands it.  He is asking for the party to join this mission.
• He had magical means to teleport the party to the location of the other group
• Jedwin possesses an item that allows him to see Trilos' true form, which he reveals to Mahlkier and the Monk.  (I will provide details of this in a separate email to Stan and Patrick.)