They return to the room where they fought the Pisco demon
yesterday and continue down the only other passageway leading out of the room
for 30ft before opening into another chamber.
The chamber was filled with manacles and ancient blood
stains were scattered across the floor with only a singular pillar dominating
the centre of the chamber.
As the group set about to exploring the blood stained
chamber Natalia notices that something was just barely visibly scribbled into
the bloodstains. The writing read “Your princess is in another castle” and as
soon as Natalia read the writing it began to glow with an increasingly magical
energy before finally exploding and encompassing the entire party except Miro.
After recovering and searching the room further the group
discover that there where no other exits (even secret exits) from this chamber,
this left the group with only one possible route to explore. The only problem
with the remaining route was that it lay on the other side of a toxic fume
filled cavern.
Eventually they find themselves back in the central crypt where
they instantly notice that within the gloom of the room a single dark red eye
is glowing from the opposite side of the room followed by a sound of ‘tink,
tink, tink…’ as a small orange orb rolled towards the group.
Otto’s expression suddenly changed to horror as he realised
that what lay before them was an orb from a necklace of fireballs, then there
was the sound of a squawk just as the orb exploded.
Once Otto had regained his composure he threw one of his own
fireballs back at the red eye,
Boss shoots at the Red eye and hits,
Natalia throws a sunrod to the far side of the room which
illuminates the area to show that the red eye belonged to a Raven, the same
Raven that showed interest in her back in Varnhold (See Sarenith 13th 04 - Oh
the horror!!! – Someone’s going to be a Mummy),
Vaneer lets off a healing burst,
Miro and Hugo move to attack the bird,
The raven fires off a magic missile before flying into the
air,
Otto hits the winged fiend with a magic missile of his own
causing the culprit to come colliding with the ground where it explodes.
Natalia changes her form into an air elemental and opens the
door to the chamber of toxic fumes and goes to investigate if anything else is
in the poisonous area and if there is an exit to the chamber on the other end.
The druid soon finds on the opposite side of a collapsed
bridge a decaying wooden door that leads out of the chamber into a passageway.
Natalia then makes her way back to the group and updates them on what she had
discovered and so the group begin to plan how to get through the room without
anyone being poisoned.
Reluctantly Otto agrees to again use a number of charges
from his wand of dimensional door to transport the group to the empty
passageway on the other side of the fume filled chamber.
Now in the empty passageway the group soon find a set of
shallow stairs that lead upwards. At the top of the stairs was another
passageway which ended in a dead end with only a door on both the left and
right walls.
The group head through the door on the left to find
themselves within a crypt filled with alcoves, it could be seen that the majority
of the alcoves contained piles of fresh corpses and a lone corpse could be seen
in the middle of the crypt laying face down.
Natalia and Vaneer begin to look at some of the corpses and
confirm that they are just actually corpses and not undead creatures, the
majority of the bodies appear to have been there for around 3 weeks. Most of
the corpses appeared to have had their neck’s snapped whilst others have had
their brains extracted.
It may have been the bruises but it took Vaneer some time to
realise that the corpses that he was looking over were actually indeed some of
the residents of Varnhold. The single corpse in the centre of the room belonged
to Willis Gunderson. Willis was the person that sent the group a jade bracelet
earlier in their adventures and is believed to be the person that has awoken
the evil that lurks within this complex.
With nothing new to discover the group return to the
corridor the last remaining door on the right.
The door opened into a 100ft by 200ft long chamber which at
the opposite end of the room stood a great white staircase leading up to a
balcony above, a large table stood in the centre in the room with a number of
corpses all frozen in their death throes sat around the table all with their
brains missing.
Before the group could investigate the table further they
soon spot 4 zombie Cyclops’ shambling towards them from the side of the room.
Vaneer Attacks zombie (1) and hits,
Otto casts 2 scorching rays at zombie (1),
Boss shoots at zombie (1) and misses,
Zombie (1) takes a chunk out of Vaneer's arm,
Zombies (2 - 4) move closer to the fray,
Miro attempts to flank zombie (1) but misses,
Hugo attacks and damages zombie (1),
Natalia attacks zombie (2) with a fire sphere and hits,
Bob charges at zombie (1) and re-kills the undead creature,
Vaneer moves to attack zombie (2) and hits,
Otto releases another 2 scorching rays at the second zombie,
Boss lets an arrow fly right through the eye of zombie (2)
dropping it to the floor motionless,
Zombie (3) takes a bite out of Vaneer,
Miro attempts to flank zombie (3) and manages to land a
blow,
Hugo also attacks and hits zombie (3),
Natalia moves her flaming sphere onto zombie (3) and manages
to injure it,
Bob charges at zombie (3) and hits but sadly not enough to
dispatch it,
Vaneer manages to land another blow on zombie (3),
Otto lets off a magic missile which puts an end to zombie (3),
Boss attacks and hits the final zombie,
Zombie (4) takes a bite out of Miro's shoulder,
Miro returns the attack and hits the zombie twice,
Hugo misses his swing at the zombie,
Bob charges into the zombie and manages to land a blow,
Natalia follows Bob's lead and also lands a blow on the
final zombie,
Vaneer also charges into zombie (4) and hits the zombie to
the ground where it remained motionless.
With combat over Vaneer set out to get some healing into the
group whilst they rested for a moment in this chamber now quiet as a grave.
The group soon start investigation the 32 seated corpses
around the large table and it quickly becomes obvious that all the dinner
guests are actually the leaders and council members of Varnhold,
Vaneer takes a moment to ponder the fate of his father in
law before the group decide to head up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs the group find only a single door
leading away from the balcony which leads into a 40ft long passageway ending in
another set of stairs leading upwards.
After climbing the second set of stairs the group found
themselves in an octangular room with yet another set of stairs leading down
into a small chamber with a fountain and pool that smelled of sulphur and a
large set of brass doors along the right hand wall, the pool of water also
trickled a shallow stream of water from the pool and under the doors.
As the group investigate the pool of water begins to pool
into the air and soon takes the form of a huge water elemental that immediately
attacks the group.
Elemental scores a critical strike against Hugo,
Natalia uses a spell to attack the elemental and hits,
Bob charges in for an attack and hits,
Vaneer casts righteous might and grows in size,
Otto backs up the stairs and casts scorching ray,
Boss throws a flask of alchemist’s fire at the elemental and
hits,
Miro follows Boss' idea and throws another flask of
alchemists fire and hits,
Hugo attempts to flank the huge elemental and lands a hit,
Natalia casts a flaming sphere only for the elemental to
avoid its fiery affects,
Bob and Vaneer attack but miss this HUGE elemental,
Otto casts another scorching ray and hits,
Boss throws another flask of alchemist’s fire,
Miro tries to assist Vaneer's attack by providing a
distraction,
The critically injured Hugo tries to back out from the
fight,
Huge water elemental wallops Vaneer,
Natalia heals some of Vaneers wounds,
Bob attacks and hits the elemental,
Vaneer finally hits the elemental but it appears to take none
of the damage,
Otto casts another scorching ray and hits,
Boss fails to land a successful blow,
Miro continues to aid Vaneer,
Hugo now out of the combat resorts to his bow but misses,
The Elemental begins to spin and attacks Miro, Vaneer, Bob
and Boss injuring all 4 combatants,
Natalia throws in another flask of alchemist’s fire,
Bob attempts another chewing but misses the water based
creature,
Vaneer finally manages to land a successful blow and injures
the elemental,
Otto casts magic missile which when hits collapses the water
elemental,
Vaneer heals up the wounds as best he can whilst trying to
save spells,
Whilst still in his large size the cleric kicks open the
brass doors to reveal a large chamber with a pool and throne, standing in front
of the throne was a tall ominous figure (Cyclops Lich).
The group listen to the Lich's pre-combat monologue.
The Lich moves forward and casts a wave of fatigue which
affects all of the group,
Otto casts a Black Tentacles spell around the Lich,
Boss throws a flask of alchemist’s fire at the Lich,
Miro necks a potion of Cat's grace and moves to try and
attack,
Hugo also moves to attack and hits,
Natalia uses her fluttering flaming sphere and manages to
burn the Lich,
Bob moves to support Vaneer,
Vaneer casts a holy smite spell and moves in ready to
attack,
Lich takes a sideways step away from the tentacles and casts
a spell to dominate Miro's simple mind,
Otto casts a fireball and engulfs the Lich,
Miro attacks Vaneer but fails to deal any damage thanks to
the Righteous might,
Hugo attacks the Lich and misses,
Natalia's flaming sphere misses the Lich,
Natalia attempts to dispel the mind control on Miro but ends
up dispelling another spell affecting the Halfling,
Vaneer manages to smack the Lich,
The Lich attempts to cast Blindness on Otto but fails,
Otto casts another fireball but it proves less successful as
his first casting,
Hugo sneaks into the combat and attempts to remove a gem of
the water elemental from Miro's belt which he promptly smashes on the ground to
summon a large water elemental to aid in the fight,
Water elemental attacks the Lich and hits,
Miro attacks Hugo but fails to land a successful blow,
Natalia moves her flaming sphere to distract Miro but the Halfling
nimbly avoids the ball of fire,
Natalia starts to cast another spell,
Vaneer attacks and hits the Lich,
The Lich casts a spell and disappears to which Otto
immediately recognises as a Dimensional door spell,
Otto attempts to cast a Deep slumber spell on Miro but the
pesky Halfling resisted the affects,
Miro attacks Hugo and hits,
Hugo fights of Miro whilst the water elemental searches the
area for the Lich,
Natalia's spell completes as she summons a Fire Elemental,
Vaneer uses his calming touch to remove the affects of the
Lich's fatigue from all except Miro,
Otto dismisses his Black tentacles whilst Hugo and Miro
continue their wrestling match,
Natalia casts detect magic to see if she can pick up any
stray magical auras,
Vaneer casts a protection from Evil spell on Miro to at
least temporary suppress the mind control but the Halfling again fails to
resist leaving the control in full possession,
Numerous moments pass by as the group try to work out where
the Lich had escaped too whilst Vaneer uses his last Dispel magic to finally
break the mind control on Miro.
Whilst exploring the chamber they soon spot the corpse of a
Centaur (see quest Rescuing Xamanthe), Natalia checks the body and declares the
Nomen priestess dead and asks Vaneer to confirm, checking closely the cleric actually
notices that the Centaur is still alive but just paralysed and casts a remove
paralysis which releases the priestess when suddenly the Lich re-appears behind
them clearly fully healed from the earlier combat,
Otto casts a fireball at the Lich which does little damage,
The Lich casts stinking cloud which only affects Bob and
Vaneer straight off,
Vaneer grabs Bob and moves them both out of the clouds
affect,
Otto moves out of the cloud and casts a shout spell which
fails to have any affect,
Boss grabs Miro and pulls the Halfling out of the stinking
cloud,
Natalia casts a restoration spell on Vaneer to help the cleric’s
recovery,
The Lich casts Enervation on Hugo,
Vaneer casts a searing light at the Lich and hits,
Hugo moves to attack the Lich but misses,
Miro flanks the Lich and hits,
Boss also moves to attack the Lich and lands a successful
blow,
Otto casts a scorching ray, hitting the Lich,
Whilst Natalia starts to cast another spell,
The Lich grinning at the proximity of the majority of the
fighters casts a Black Tentacles spell around him which grapples Hugo and the Centaur,
Vaneer removes Bob's nausea and moves to stare down the
Lich,
Miro whom seems to glide across the tentacle area flanks the
Lich and scores a hit,
Hugo and the Centaur fail to break free from the tentacles
hold,
Boss moved out of the tentacle area and attacks the Lich,
Otto casts a magic missile only to find that it is blocked
by a shield spell protecting the Lich,
Natalia's spell completes and 2 fire elementals appear and
attack the Lich whilst she begins to cast another spell,
The Lich casts a suggestion on the rogue and suggests he
should go outside,
Vaneer takes a swing at the Lich and hits,
Miro decides that he fancies a trip outside and skips
towards the door,
Hugo and the Centaur again fail to break free from the
tentacles,
Otto casts a fireball at the Lich and hits,
Boss takes another swing at the Lich and hits,
The fire elementals attack but both miss the Lich,
Natalia's spell completes and an earth elemental appears and
hits the Lich,
The Lich attempts to punch Boos but misses,
Miro continues his skipping session back through the water
elementals room,
Hugo and Centaur fail to break free still,
Vaneer goes for an attack but misses,
Otto casts a disrupt undead spell and hits,
Boss makes another swing and hits,
Natalia casts magic fang on to the earth elemental,
All of the elementals manage to miss the Lich,
The Lich casts a spell on Vaneer draining the clerics spell
casting ability to that of a beginning acolyte,
Vaneer has another swing but misses,
Miro approaches the balcony above the dinning table,
Hugo and the Centaur again fail to escape,
Otto casts another disrupt undead,
The elementals all miss the Lich again,
Natalia throws an alchemists fire flask at the Lich,
critically smashing it in his single eye,
The Lich casts Enervation on Boss,
Vaneer takes another swing and manages to land a blow,
Miro trips over a dead zombie corpse,
Hugo and the Centaur are still grappled,
Boss takes a swing at the Lich and hits,
The elementals attack and only hit once,
Natalia casts flame blade and hits the Lich,
Lich attacks Vaneer but misses the cleric,
Vaneer attacks the Lich and lands a blow,
Miro starts skipping down the passage towards the chamber
full of poisonous fumes,
Hugo and the Centaur still fail to break free from the
tentacles,
Boss makes for another attack but misses the Lich,
Otto casts burning hands on the Lich,
The Elementals all attack but only one blow is landed on the
Lich,
Natalia attacks with her flame blade and hits the Lich,
Lich attacks Vaneer, he hits and paralysed the cleric,
Miro attempts to assemble a bridge across the gap in the
fume room with corpses,
Boss has another swing at the Lich and misses,
Otto casts his final burning hands which actually hits and
destroys the crumbles the Lich.
As the Lich turns to the dust, the spells on Hugo, Miro and
the Centaur priestess release their holds and the group begin to re-gather
whilst trying to figure out how to get the cleric moving again.
Otto and Natalia find a scroll of remove paralysis amongst
the group's possessions and manage to get the scroll to work and release Vaneer
from his motionless prison.
Natalia does what she can to help heal both Vaneer and Hugo
with Vaneer topping up Hugo's health where he can with his limited spells.
With the threat of the Lich now removed the group continue
their exploration of his lair and eventually find a mass of glass jars with
balls of light floating around, Vaneer notices these as trapped souls whom are
most likely given the numbers are the remainder of the Varnhold citizens.
They soon decide to pop all the jars into a portable hole
where they will be released once the group make it back to Varnhold and then
use the last few charges from Otto's wand of dimensional door to exit the Lich's
lair.
Once out of the mountains the group begin their walk back to the centaur camp.
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