Chapter 9, Part IV: Finding the Vane
Written by Steve
Shaken by Helena's revelations, The Platinum Talons realized that finding more clues to Zigorby's origins might aid them in their quest to end the curse on Concordia and the Poison Veil above it. Further questioning of the skeleton revealed that there was, in fact, some sort of power supply that would need to be taken out before Zigorby could be killed for good.
After taking a short break so that the party could eat burgers and Vance could ineffectually stab their skeletal informant, the Talons left the library to explore the rest of the castle. It didn't take long before Nokhi and Xerxes spotted a large and imposing-looking safe. Thinking that his Ghost Bracelet would surely bypass any vault security measures, Nokhi phased through the safe's thick metal walls in search of treasure. However, the elation he felt at discovering piles and piles of gold soon turned to despair as he realized he could neither phase out of the cell until his bracelet recharged nor breathe without a steady supply of oxygen. Nokhi scrambled to find a means of escape, but instead found himself stuck in a web that triggered memories of his life, including his past as a druid. Using his wildshape abilities, Nokhi broke free from the web, but quickly reverted back to elf form after encountering some sort of magical interference.
Outside, with only minutes to save their friend from asphyxiation, Tagg, Vance, and Xerxes did their best to decipher the color-coded puzzle that unlocked the safe. However, the onset of panic and inopportune attacks by Zigorby's tentacles hampered their progress considerably. When all seemed lost, Xerxes jammed two final buttons into their corresponding slots and was rewarded with the satisfying sound of the safe door unlocking. An exhausted Nokhi emerged from the vault, his pockets over-stuffed with gold and his hands clutching an onyx bracelet and a diamond-shaped amulet, both of which he discovered in the safe.
Overjoyed that Nokhi had escaped death, yet still curious about the magical interference he experienced, the party investigated the riches their friend had risked his life to obtain. After a brief search, Xerxes' keen eyes identified a single gold coin as the source of the anti-magic field and tossed it back into the safe. The party was also able to determine that the bracelet possessed an immunity to petrification and the ability to stone shape. For good measure, Xerxes also plucked the ruby, topaz, amethyst, and sapphire gemstones from the safe's color puzzle, keen on the prospect of selling them in the future.
Poorer in spirit but richer in gold after Nokhi's near-death, the party delved deeper into Zigorby's castle, eventually arriving at a desolate and seemingly abandoned bedroom. Opening the wardrobe inside, Tagg discovered a collection of beautiful, if slightly age-worn dresses. Tagg also found a diary containing sketches of what seemed to be a happy wedding. One sketch featured an older drow gentleman together with a younger man, and two young women. The caption read "Father, Varista, Vincenzo and I - Varista's Wedding 15 EoW." Another sketch was of an adorable baby with the caption "Baby sister Varista - 1135 EoT."
Feeling an indescribable pull towards the diary, Vance took it from Tagg. Immediately, his consciousness traveled backwards in time to the very scene depicted in the sketch. He could witness Varista celebrating her wedding... he could also see that she was wearing the same bracelet that Nokhi had retrieved from the vault... and for the first time, he was able to fully discern the identity of the groom. It was his own ancestor, Vincenzo Vane!
Waking from the vision, which he knew to be from Terravox the Earthshaper's perspective, Vance revealed to his bewildered friends that he might be related to Zigorby, and that he was a direct descendant of Terravox himself. Seeing the opportunity to help Vance cash in on an early inheritance, Xerxes started stuffing the exquisite dresses from the wardrobe into his sack, as Vance eagerly assisted. A large portrait of Zigorby was the final item to be taken from the room as the party moved on, having found a foreboding stairwell to the next floor.
However, their journey upwards was momentarily stalled, as they discovered that parts of the third floor had collapsed onto the second. Within the rubble, Tagg noticed a door to a room that was cheerfully labeled "Ziggy's Playroom." Inside, the party found a stone golem doll. Remembering the effect that Zigorby's diary had on Vance, Tagg handed him the toy. Once again, Vance was taken to the distant past, where he saw the cherished doll was given to baby Ziggy by her mother, the goddess Nihm.
Vance barely had time to process these visions of Auntie Zig in the past before he was introduced to a different member of his family in the present: the thrall form of Vanros Vane, Founder of the Mystic Crescendo, who was playing his lute at the top of the stairs. Unprepared to meet his longtime idol, young Vance inundated Vanros with questions about the Divine Rhapsodies, the songs that the younger Vane had tasked himself with collecting. In deference to his young relative, Vanros taught Vance how to play the Divine Rhapsody to Phasma, a tune that he often played for Zigorby to calm her more aggressive tendencies.
After the impromptu jam session, the two Vanes compared notes about Zigorby. Vanros confirmed her familial relation, and pointed towards a gaping hole in the wall, which he revealed to be the entrance to her inner lair. Vanros then equiped the party with a special bell-stick that would warn them of Zigorby's presence, as well as a warning that the Spider Queen's hair could dispel magic and was capable of entangling intruders. Hearing this, Tagg and Xerxes decided to even the playing field by going back to retrieve the cursed coin from Zigorby's vault - the one that could block all magic within a 30 ft area. Vance led the motley parade, playing Vanros' song to hopefully mislead their quarry.
Having some semblance of a plan, the Platinum Talons walked through the hole to Zigorby's lair - Tagg following 30 feet behind the others, making sure that their spells were not affected by the coin. Hymarc the Provider, nervous about Zigorby's powers, elected to stay behind, though Tagg entrusted him with the task of monitoring the spyglass in Vanros' room for any sign of the Deftrider, Webweaver, or Iron Carapace armies, which remained under the Spider Queen's control.
They soon passed by the grisly remains of a former mortal sacrifice... possibly the very sacrifice that transformed Zigorby into her spidery form. Throughout the cavern, the voice of the Spider Queen could be heard, mocking the intruders.
The party navigated labyrinthian tunnels before finally reaching a small room with a table. The Talons discover a note from Terravox to his daughter:
One day, when you are old enough to read, you will find here the story of you. Perhaps you aren't mentioned by name in the pages, but your spirit was forged in the fight for our people. You are a child of the earth of Fynali, made of the love I have always held for the Underdark and for the Mother of Earth who bore you. This story is about her and I, but it is also deeply about you, our perfect seed of life that holds the balance of the celestial and the mundane in her chest.
Please know that no matter what happens to me, no matter where I go or how far I may be from you, that you will always have my heart.
Be strong, my brilliant Zigorby.
Love always, your father
Before they could determine its significance, however, they were interrupted by Zigorby herself, who was incensed at the adventurers who invaded her sanctum.
Desperate to avoid killing his newfound aunt, Vance used his magic to conjure an illusion of Varista's wedding in front of the Spider Queen, in the hopes of bringing her back to her senses. For a moment, the illusion worked its magic on Zigorby. She was lost in remembrance of that joyful day with her beloved family, and Tagg used the opportunity to conceal himself in the shadows. However, that moment would not last. The curse eventually overpowered Zigorby, and with eight arms outstretched, she ferociously attacked the Platinum Talons.