Episode 5.2

Bob, Greg, Ernie

Meanwhile...

Ceodoc mentioned to the party that several of the refugees had been complaining that the party led them into the dungeon and all but left them there. He knew that this was not a fair statement, but since the party was always gone, he understood how it could be seen that way. It was decided that, at least for a few days, Bob, Greg and Ernie would stay behind and improve relations with the refugees while the others explored beyond the next gate. They were talking to the guards in the gate junction room, when Edic, the Halfling barbarian, ran up to them and said there was trouble back at the dorms.

Edic took them to see a young woman named Dalacia, who seemed to be in shock. Ernie and Bob both talked to her and coaxed her a bit out of her condition. She said she witnessed a murder. Erigord, one fo the guards killed another guard named Meladis. They went to the location where she said the murder happened but found no evidence of violence. They did find a note, addressed to Ernie, that said:

“All is not as it seems - JG”

From there, they decided to go to where the two guards were living. Meladis's cube was empty, though it showed signs of recent occupation. In Erigord's cube, they found his sister, Kultra. She seemed surprised to see the party and very nervous. She said she had seen both men not too long ago and that they were going with two of their friends to see the skull room (the name the guards used to refer to the gate junction room.) - Thartur, another guard and Gwibaen, the half-elvin ranger that the party had rescued from the grimlocks but only recently came out of his condition. (see episode 1/9)

The party went searching for Gwibaen and his friends, starting in the gate junction room. No one had seen them there. Searching the complex, they eventually found Gwibaen, Erigord and Meladis in the trap room where the party had encountered the cloakers (see episode 3.3). Gwibaen was making a heated speech to the other two about how the party had led the refugees astray and needed to be replaced. When he saw the party enter the room, rather than ending his speech, he included them in it, hurling accusations at them and ending his speech by asking the gods to show him a sign if he was right. At that moment, a dire wolf appeared and attacked Ernie, beginning a viscous battle.

Bob quickly teleported himself, Ernie, Greg and Edic into the room and away from the dire wolves. Meladis decided to join Gwibaen, but Erigord hesitated at first. Greg and Meladis fought against each other for several rounds. Edic took on the dire wolf. Bob tried to hit Gwibaen with a touch spell but discovered him to be an illusion. In the meantime, some invisible opponent hurled a fireball into the party. Also, the party felt a curious sensation as some unseen magic force aided their combat skills. Bob cast a dispel magic at the opposite side of the room which revealed a vaguely humanoid creature. The creature responded with a lightning bolt which took down Meladis, one of the wolves and nearly took out Ernie. Ernie healed himself and then he and Bob unleashed a series of attack spells that quickly destroyed the creature. They later determined it to be a doppelganger.

After being healed, Meladis and Erigord claimed that they had been charmed by the creature pretending to be Gwibaen. They were very grateful and swored allegiance to the party. Outside the room, the party found a dead Thartur. He had no marks on him, but sitting on him was a note that said:

“We don’t have to be enemies – JG”

The whereabouts of the real Gwibaen are unknown.