Session 29 - Our Own Worst Enemy

The four adventurers and their companions searched the slain doppelgangers and the rooms adjoining the hallway. A closet containing a large amount of assorted clothing and some custom jewelry was discovered. In a large chamber at the hall's end, tables covered in assorted notes, ledgers, and reports stood before an elaborately labeled map of the City of Greyhawk. It would take days to go through everything, but it was obvious this was the heart of the shapeshifters' operations within the city. With this, the impostors could be revealed for what they really were.

The opposite end of the hall was a trap, a false set of doors nothing more than the trigger for a pit trap-a nasty drop onto spikes below. The trap was safely triggered and avoided, leaving the group with no more doors to explore. After some searching, a hidden door was discovered in one of the bedchambers. Opening it, they found a room with walls of metal walls, polished to make their surfaces reflective. In the center of the room sat four chairs, and in those four chairs sat...the four of them. The prisoners immediately started screaming at them, each claiming that the person in their group was an impostor. Bolero stepped forward with his axe, intending to deliver a subduing blow, but his counterpart dodged, and he instead struck the chair. With the chair shattered, the chain that bound them all came free, and chaos ensued as the four prisoners squared off against their lookalike. Smoke filled the chamber, adding to the confusion. Somewhere in the battle, Snuffy was attacked from behind, but the culprit made off before he could identify his assailant.

Ash chased the attacker around the corner, only to find the two guards they had rescued from Sodden Hold's prison were fighting one another over Skink, huddled in a corner nearby. The girl screamed that one of the guards had attacked her, but she wasn't certain which one. The monk told them both to stand down, but when he attacked one, the other joined in. Both of the guards were doppelgangers! The pair were trained to fight, and attempted to take out the monk quickly, but Ashbourn was up to the challenge, defeating one and fending off the other. Rowdy, to confused by the conflict in the other room, joined the monk in finishing off the second. Meanwhile, the rest of the group took down the last of the clones inside. All of the prisoners had turned out to be doppelgangers.

The other came to investigate Ash's discovery, but as they were examining their two false guards' gear, which included a suit of masterwork chain and longswords with the lesser enchantment on them. Ash observed that the swords were not of a type to deliver the wound given to Snuffy. For such a wound, a shortsword would be more appropriate, much like the enchanted one Skink now carried. Certain his instincts were correct, the Dragonblood monk confronted the girl, asking that she give over her sword for him to examine.

as the doppelganger disguised as Skink made a dash for the exit. It was quick, but the group was faster, and quickly had Jordan's impersonator restrained. The shortsword it carried was covered to the hilt in blood.