Printable Format

Chapter 4: A Deeper Darkness

Turn 80: The Black Door

Luger stood up and interposed himself between Tenaris and the newcomers, openly wiping the gore off of his sword as he turned to face them.

“And had you decided to get a piece of the action, which side would you have chosen to be on?” he asked, a harsh tone in his voice. “We are about to assault the Outer Fane, but I'm sure we can spare a few more minutes...” he trailed of menacingly.

“Indeed,” added Sparhawk, brandishing Caladbolg. “Remain where thou art and stand down. Any false move wilt bring down the vengeance of Heironeous' righteousness upon thee. This Temple is a place of trust only for companions, not wayfaring groups stumbled upon while taking a stroll. There be too much wizardry and trickery here for us to welcome thee with open arms. But come, speak, and alloweth us to understand thine intentions whilst we parley.”

As he spoke, Sparhawk concentrated and focused his detect evil ability on each of the five newcomers in turn. As he did so, Danton moved up alongside him and Luger.

"There's something odd about these fellows,” he whispered to Luger. “Be on guard. I think I've met the woman and half-orc before....”

Even as Sparhawk detected strong auras of evil from the woman, the half-orc, the human male, and the gnome, recognition dawned on Danton. Looking at the half-orc, Danton suddenly saw, in his mind’s eye, the rival band of adventurers that he, Nanoc, Telemachos, and Mauser had briefly encountered in Oakhurst back in the spring. When Danton looked closely, he thought that the woman now facing him might be from the same party as well, although she looked older somehow, as if she had suffered from some terrible disease or other ordeal since last he saw her.

In a matter of seconds, other thoughts flashed through Danton’s mind. Thanks to Luger’s insistence on returning to Oakhurst during the long trip south from Hommlet to Rastor, Danton knew that Mauser had last been seen heading back to the Sunless Citadel in the company of the other adventuring group, which had included someone named 'Jil du Gal', according to the innkeeper in Oakhurst. Later, the kobolds in the Sunless Citadel had told Danton and Luger that Mauser and his new associates did re-enter the citadel and attacked the kobolds without provocation. The humanoids added that Mauser and his associates were defeated and implied that they were driven into the lower reaches of the citadel.

Danton also remembered that prior to this, just before the party had left Hommlet for the last time, he had heard talk that a woman and a half-orc named Jil du Gal and Eiger had passed through the town during one of the party’s absences. He vaguely remembered someone saying that that the pair had only stayed in town for a few days, purchasing healing from the clergy of St. Cuthbert and recruiting a couple of hirelings from Terrigan’s tavern to join them on some sort of expedition.

As all these thoughts rushed through Danton’s mind, his words trailed off and he hissed to Luger, “Now, I remember. That woman and the half-orc wert among those with whom your brother descended for the second time into the Sunless Citadel ... the last folk with whom he wast ever seen alive! They wert an ill collection that Mauser joined on that day, and I wouldn't trust them any farther than I could throw them -- and I told your brother as much. Ready yourselves, though we art nearly spent! For, lo, more violence is upon us. Something wicked this way cometh!”

“Stand down and sheathe thy weapons!” commanded Sparhawk, acting more on what he had sensed than what he had heard Danton whisper. “As a measure of good faith, do it! One more time, speaketh who thou art and what thy purpose is here! Speak!”

As he gave these orders, Sparhawk pulled his lightning bolt symbol of Heironeous out from under his clothing and armor, kissed it, and laid it openly on his chest. He then gripped Caladbolg so tightly that his knuckles turned white in his gauntlets.

“While I do not believe you to be allied with the forces of Tharizdun here in the mountain,” said Luger, addressing the newcomers as they stopped twenty feet short of the party, “I can easily tell that your world view and ours are not exactly compatible. Dare I say, you would not normally align yourself with knights of Heironeous? Nevertheless, if you mean us no harm, we will not accost you. If you are allied with or hired by the minions of this mountain to destroy us, then I suggest you cast your spells and ready your blades, for we are on a short time table. What are your intentions?”

"Well, ain't that a fine how-do-you-do?” asked the half-orc rhetorically. “Downright rude, if you ask me. But if you must know, we're here to kill anybody who gets in our way and haul off as much booty as we can carry. Maybe we'll start with anything left lying around by all these dead guys."

Sparhawk did a double-take and whispered to himself, “How doth thou like that, paladin of Heironeous? Lectured on manners by a half-orc!”

“I doth not think that thou shalt pick through the treasures of the foes we hath dispatched whilst thou sat and watched,” he said more loudly.

Luger’s eyes narrowed slightly. Making a conscious effort to appear more relaxed and less threatening, he breathed out loudly. “I apologize. We have been in this mountain doing much the same for what seems like a month now. Looting our plunder is no more rude than my own words. Please understand that for the time we have been here, we have either been attacked by or have attacked anyone we've encountered. Actually talking is... a novelty.”

“I am Luger,” he continued, “and my friends and I are here to destroy the Doomdreamers that reside in the fortress in the middle of the lake. If you are not here to thwart us, then we have no quarrel. Perhaps we could swap information regarding the forces in the mountain. Feel free to loot the battlefield. Unfortunately, my elven friend,” he said with a nod at Syll, who stood behind him, “seldom leaves the soft metals intact. If anyone finds any healing, the lady,” he continued, with a gesture towards Tenaris, who had still not gotten to her feet, “could use it. We're also very interested in any correspondence to the guards here. We have not had an opportunity to search the barracks or private quarters in this area.”

"Now that's more like it,” said the half-orc with a smirk. He nodded to the halfling, who started picking through the bodies of the human warriors and gnolls that Syll had torched. “If we're gonna share info, why don't you go first?"

“What is thy end?” whispered Danton to Luger. “I am staying mine hand, but Rat's Tail grows impatient. If you art seeking for an advantage, pray clue me in, for I wish not to cede any ground to these thugs ... nor booty.”

While Danton protested and Sparhawk fumed as he watched the halfling start looting the bodies, looking angrily back and forth between Luger and the newcomers, Syll took direct action.

“Screw that,” muttered the elf to himself. “I ain't letting them take the good stuff that I nearly got killed for."

Taking advantage of the fact that Luger, Sparhawk, and Danton stood between him and the other party, and making a show of crouching down to check on Tenaris, Syll began to surreptitiously strip the dead enemy leaders of the more interesting items they had carried, including a fine set of metal gauntlets from the flying ogre, a potion, set of slippers, and a scroll from the woman in the garish orange outfit that Danton had slain, and a wand, potion, and scroll from the dead half-orc.

“We are in no condition to fight fresh opponents,” whispered Luger to Danton. “See to your woman, as we might have need of her sword.”

“If it is loot you are looking for,” said the cleric loudly to the half-orc, “there is a green dragon in the tunnels behind us. We nearly killed it yesterday before it flew away to its nest. We did not bother to track it down, but it may still be heavily damaged. We also cleared the tunnels of trolls and umber hulks, so the way should be clear. Beyond that, mine tracks head up and down through what appear to be deserted dwarven mines. In fact, we have found signs of a dwarven presence throughout the tunnels. We also found mention of a great diamond the dwarves coveted, if that is any interest to you. The tracks eventually lead to the main entrance on the west side of the mountain.”

Having given this information, Luger asked questions of his own: “How did you enter the mountain? Have you encountered the forces of the Water Temple back the way you come from?”

Danton whispered to Luger, “I wilt wait to see where your stratagem carries us, but if Sir Sparhawk and I read these villains correctly, they shalt soon be at our throats ... particularly once, through observation, they ascertain our present weakness. Pray be on the alert to spoil an attack, particularly by magic. And know this: if any so much as menace Tenaris, I wilt drive Rat's Tail through his -- or her -- eye and then sell mine own life in a manner worthy of mine warrior princess.”

And with this comment, Danton left the conversation to Luger, crouching down to tend to Tenaris. The scout rifled through the woman’s pouches until he found a healing potion, which he then administered (Tenaris +12 HP). As he did so, the Velunese could not help but notice that while Syll was making a great show of ‘helping’ Tenaris, the sorcerer was in fact doing nothing of the kind, instead slipping item after item from the party’s fallen enemies into a sack.

"Dragon, huh?” said the half-orc. “That might be worth checking out. We came in from the west, but then came to some water, turned back and left the same way. Then we entered from the south and have been sneaking and fighting our way around ever since. What else you seen?"

“We've killed all sorts of vile beasts,” said Luger, “shrieking lizards which dissolve rock with their scream, gargoyles who ran a fighting pit, and four elemental temples which appear to be at war with one another for control of this mountain. We've destroyed the strongest temple—that of fire—as well as the Earth Temple. The powers that be set a trap for us in the Air Temple, but we managed to circumvent them and re-enter by destroying the forces guarding the West Gate.”

“We ran across some guards who mentioned a half-orc and a woman causing some problems,” added the cleric. “I now take it that they referred to you and your companions. May I ask what brought you to Mt. Stalagos? This is not the sort of place one stumbles upon...”

As he watched the hafling continue to strip items from the more distant of the party’s dead enemies, Sparhawk muttered, loudly enough for Danton and Syll to hear, “It is a good thing that I hath withdrawn mine sword from the giant's back that I hath slain, or else it would end up in some stranger's pack.”

“Relax, bud,” hissed Syll. “Just keep standing there blocking their view! I’m getting all the good stuff for us!”

"Some people in a town called Hommlet told us about this place,” said the half-orc. “It seemed worth checking out. We killed a bunch of guys near another bridge like this, but couldn't get in the door on the far end of the bridge, so we went back the way we came and then entered through the south door. What about you? What brought you here?"

Finally able to get Tenaris back to her feet, Danton called out to the half-orc, “Under the circumstances, you wilt excuse us surely for taking a moment to gather our thoughts after our battle royale with the literally dozens of thugs that we hath just ushered into the afterworld. We hath welcomed you to share in their booty, and you art well about it. So prithee pardon us for a moment while we talk together in confidence.”

Huddling with the others in the party, including Syll, who seemed to have finished his looting, Danton said, “Luger, I appreciate your concern that we art not fit to fight with these villains at the present time. But I would like to know where you art going with this. I assume you art not going to clue them in to our real purposes, the full reasons for our desire to enter the Outer Fane, or our knowledge of how to do so. I gather you also art trying to steer them into some reckless endeavor -- such as pursuing the dragon -- that wilt give us leave of them and hopefully also lead to their destruction.”

“That would be fine and good, if it worked,” said the Velunese. “But methinks we art in a quiet game of chicken with them, right now. They art looting the slain enemies and sizing us up. When they hath finished, they wilt assail us. If you wert them -- considering that you wert a blackheart -- would you not do the same? Methinks I would. But let us assume that they will not immediately attack. Why wouldn't they? Methinks they, much like Kelashein, would like to use us to provide knowledge and wherewithal to enter the Outer Fane for their own purposes. We cannot take them with us, pure and simple. And they would be fools to keep us with them until we art healed up and ready for battle.”

“Frankly,” said Danton bluntly, “if I were them, I'd continue this subtle game of cat and mouse up until having the following: first, they had determined that we wert physically weak and ripe for the plundering, and, second, they determine that we hath coughed up only so much useful information and won't willingly cough up more. Then they wilt attack. Furthermore, taking them at their word, they doth not know how to gain the Outer Fane. So they art of no use to us. We know how to enter and have the means to do so.”

“Given all of that, mine vote is we announce our intention to attack the dragon with their aid. We don't tell them exactly where the dragon is, so that they wilt not know when to expect attack -- but we wilt know. We wilt literally lead them right to the dragon, and then, at the moment of the dragon's attack, we must betray them. Preferably, we'd use magic -- such as stone shape -- to seal them off in the same room as the dragon. That would be best. Failing that, we must use our knowledge of the environment to put them at the worst possible circumstance, while putting ourselves in the best place. We must use the dragon to do our dirty work, and then finish them off. I hath no interest whatever in sparing any of them. They must be annihilated to the person. They art wicked people and richly deserve it. And, Luger, more likely than not, I'll bet they had a hand in killing Mauser.”

“I wanted to gain as much information as I could from them to see if we could guess their intentions and ascertain their reason for coming here,” replied Luger. “They may very well have come here after being directed from Hommlet, but I think it more likely they followed us - or more precisely, you and Nanoc. I think they have been on your tail since Oakhurst and were only delayed by Mauser and the Sunless Citadel. I would know what happened to my brother, and if I have to question a corpse to do so, then so be it. My concern is that we do not know their strength. They do not seem to have been through the wringer recently as we have.”

As Luger spoke, he converted one of his very last spells to healing and applied it to Tenaris (Convert Dispel Magic to Cure Serious Wounds: Tenaris + 25 HP). He also offered the woman a potion of bear’s endurance from his pack, which she quickly drained. As he was doing all of this, Luger observed out of the corner of his eye that while most of the other party had drawn together and was speaking in low tones, the halfling continued his looting.

“I am entirely sympathetic to your designs,” said Danton while Luger was tending to Tenaris. “I too would know the truth of whether they did ill to Mauser. He wast mine comrade, and if he hath been betrayed by these scoundrels, I would have revenge. For though Heironeous may or may not permit revenge -- though fitting punishment surely is in order, in any event -- Olidammara not only doth not disapprove of revenge, but encourages it as an important part of the universal order. It may well be that Fate hath guided our determination to spare the dragon ... for it may yet serve another purpose in doing good, however inadvertently.”

Danton smirked at this point and looked at Tenaris. “Now is not the time to reengage you in discourse on philosophy of the fates that govern our universe, my dear, but permit me this observation: if we indeed successfully use the dragon to extricate ourselves from the current situation, the providential designs of Fate cannot be wholly excluded from the calculus.”

“I think the dragon would be a good tool to use against them,” said Luger when his work with Tenaris was done, “but I do not believe they will allow themselves to fall between the dragon and us. No doubt, they would insist that we attack the dragon alongside or before them. Upon reflection, I'd rather not waste the time going for the dragon or fighting these ruffians. In truth, taking all factors into account, I would not be against letting them go unscathed, but if they are as you suspect, simply waiting for the best opportunity to attack us, then we have no choice but to take them out. Before seeking revenge, I would know what transpired between Mauser and these people, for Mauser is not without his own faults. I do not doubt that my brother would double cross them just as easily as they him...”

“Beyond these blackguards,” said Danton, “we must also find a place to rest ere we enter the Outer Fane. We art totally, totally spent. Going into the fane at this point would be pure suicide. Besides,” he added, with another smirk, “methinks Tenaris could use a good backrub, in any event.

Grinning, Danton slapped Tenaris playfully on the rear.

The elf woman’s eyes flashed in surprise, then hardened. The next thing Danton knew, Tenaris had slapped him so hard in the face that the sound carried across the intersection to the other party, whose members looked up from their own private conversation.

Speaking in a low tone that was nevertheless audible to the entire party, Tenaris hissed, “Do that again, and I'll answer with my blade rather than my palm! I am not some piece of meat for you to grope whenever you please! Now, get your mind back on the business of getting us out of this mess alive and into the Outer Fane!"

Danton shook his head and rubbed his face, his grin now somewhat subdued, “Well, 'tis good to see you're back in rum shape. Speaking of which,” he added lightly, “another idea hath just occurred: Whyn't we simply sic Lady Death on them and then stand back to watch the resulting melee? After all, mine Lady, I think I saw that half-orc making goo-goo eyes at you a while back....”

Tenaris’ eyes flashed dangerously again and Syll was looking forward to seeing Danton slapped a second time when Luger said, “I suspect the half-orc was only interested in the lady while she was unconscious. But seriously, I am loath of underhanded tactics - even against such opponents. I think we should simply demand to know their intentions and get on with it. No doubt they are likely formidable to have survived in this mountain as we have, but they have to be aware of our own strength too. They cannot think they will end any encounter with us unscathed and it is just a matter of how badly they wish to test themselves.”

Making up a plan as he went along, the cleric continued, “How about I offer to share some of that cheap wine Danton brought back from Rastor and tell them matter-of-factly that we do not believe our parties can trust one another, nor would it be in either party's interest to fight. If they think otherwise, then the time for pleasantries is over. I would also mention that we know of Eiger and Jil du Gal and would like to know of the whereabouts of Mauser Gregorus who we know assaulted the Kobolds in the Sunless Citadel with them some months back.”

“If truth be told, I am not above underhandedness,” admitted Danton. “So, leave it to me, and I'll have us in melee faster that you canst say ‘Jack Sprat.’ None of the rest of you oath-bound folk need sully your hands in the matter. I wilt do the job for all of us, and we'll be hip-deep in blood and body parts in no time. After all, see how quickly I wast able to goad Lady Death into violence?”

“I simply have that way with people. 'Tis a gift of sorts,” added the Velunese smugly with a cavalier wink at Tenaris, who scowled back at him and gripped the hilt of her sword.

Danton put his own right hand on the hilt of Rat’s Tail and made to move around the rest of the group and approach the other party.

“Mine friend, stay thy hand. We shalt not hath violence with this crew,” said Sparhawk, putting his hand on Danton’s shoulder. “Leave arranging their departure to me.”

Turning to face the other party, Sparhawk shouted, “Depart this place now, and stop picking over our treasures! Be gone with thee and doth not get in our way! That is thy stated intention, and so it is with us. Depart now, by Heironeous!”

Danton sighed and muttered to no one in particular, “Very well, let us give them the first strike.”

”We ain’t going anywhere,” said the half-orc in response to Sparhawk’s shout. As he spoke, the other members of his group gathered around him, with even the halfling ceasing his looting. “I sure hope this ain’t gonna turn…ugly,” he added with a smile.

“There’s no need for that,” said Luger firmly, looking sharply at both Danton and Sparhawk. “We obviously are not compatible groups and are not interested in joining forces, but it is not in either of our interests to expend our strength fighting one another when we could encounter more temple forces at any time.”

“I dunno,” said the half-orc with a smirk. “Looks to me like your lot has pretty much had it and you don’t have much fight left—for us or anybody else.”

“Alright, pay attention, asshole,” said Syll, withdrawing a wand and pointing it at the half-orc’s face.

“I’m only going to go through this once, so you better try to keep up,” continued the elf. “You see all those burned dead guys that your ugly little buddy has been looting? They were all torched with fireballs. And, whatever else we may or may not have been through today, we have a hell of a lot of those left. And, if by some miracle you managed to give us a rough time, we wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest to start detonating fireballs in our own midst—just to kill you and your stupid little sidekicks in the bargain. Maybe you’d still come out on top in the end, but I’m betting we could kill enough of your pathetic lackeys to weaken your little freak show group enough that the temple forces could finish you with ease. Now, punk, what you’ve gotta ask yourself is whether giving us grief and trying to rob us is worth all that.” (Syll intimidate: 18+5=23)

As Syll spoke, Luger surreptitiously removed a pair of scrolls and stood ready to cast them one after the other as soon as the violence started. He also tried to guess who, if anyone, was the spellcaster in the other party so that he could target that person first when the mayhem broke out.

“Fine,” said the half-orc after exchanging glances with the woman next to him. “We’ll go our separate ways—for now. But we’re taking the loot from this area before we go back south, and if you don’t like that, then we’ll see whether you can really back up all that talk.”

The party members exchanged glances of their own before Luger finally said, “agreed.”

The party then backed slowly down the corridor to the north and around the corner. Once out of sight of the other group, the party picked up its pace and rapidly moved out of the gate complex and back into the wilder area to the north, eventually retracing its steps, yet again, to the fungal forest that had become its de facto camp and base of operations.

“I really wish the two of you hadn’t acted so rashly,” complained Luger to Sparhawk and Danton once the group was back at its makeshift camp. “I really wanted to inquire about Mauser, and hit the various rooms in that area that are likely personal quarters and barracks along the lines of what we found at the entrances and the other bridge area. There might have been valuable documentation that we could have seized.”

Sparhawk shoot his head. “Even if they hath ‘allowed’ us to depart peacefully – after robbing us of our hard-earned treasure - I trust these vile villains not.  They would not have allowed us to search that area under any circumstances. And, mark mine words, they wilt cause us trouble at the most inopportune time and sneak upon us to waylay us . . .and when they do, Caladbolg wilt be ready!”

“Did you guys get a look at those scars on that halfling?” asked Syll, changing the subject somewhat. “I was wondering if they were anything like what happened to Erky in that machine he told us about, but I couldn’t really tell if they were the same. If they were, maybe some or all of that group has been turned to the dark side.”

Danton frowned. “Machines or no, Eiger, Jil and company were adherents of the ‘dark side’ long before they ever came to this mountain,” he muttered.

“And we have definitely not seen the last of them,” said Luger. “In all likelihood, they will seek to attack us when they can have surprise on their side and thus need not worry so much about Syll’s fireballs. Going into the Outer Fane and closing the door behind us should thwart such a danger for a time—since it seems they lack keys to get inside—but we need to be on the lookout for an attack before we can breach the door. I actually cannot help but wonder if they didn’t actually followed Danton and Nanoc here, either to repay them for beating them to the Sunless Citadel job, or because they want to follow up after their dealings with Mauser. Either way, it seems more than a coincidence that they keep showing up where the party is – Oakhurst, Hommlet and now the Temple of Consumption.”

“Yup,” said Syll. “The Oerth is a big place—too big to keep running into the same dirtbags all the time purely by coincidence.”

***

Once the party settled down for its second extended stay in the fungal forest, Danton withdrew his maps and began plotting strategy for the planned entry into the Outer Fane the following morning.

“Our goal, of course, shalt be to to find Hedrack, the Doomdreamers, and as much information as we can. We have to thwart the plan to bring in Tharizdun and, who knows, that could be underway by the time we enter. Mine fear is that we may not be able to pull back and hunker down anywhere like this lovely garden for rest and relaxation once we are in the Outer Fane. There is the possibility that there may be nowhere safe inside to sleep and recharge, frankly. And my initial thought is that we won't simply be able to come and go cavalierly into the Outer Fane.”

“Thou art likely correct in all these assumptions,” agreed Sparhawk. I think the best we can do is agree on a marching order, go inside in an invisible and silent state, having certain weapons and spells at hand, spreading out, and the like.”

Danton nodded approvingly. “Stealth must be the hallmark of our approach for as long as possible. With that in mind, I propose that I be made invisible and serve as an advance scout. I can move more silently than anyone else, bar none, and, if invisible, I should be able to move past conventional enemies. Frankly, I don't doubt that some things inside the Outer Fane can see invisible objects, but what can be done about that?”

“I propose that I go first,” he added, “say, by at least a good 50 to 100 feet. I don't know that I have a strong feeling about the rest of the marching order, but methinks the fore and rear should have a solid fighter. We must preserve our spellcasters, for methinks there wilt be things in the Outer Fane that can only be worsted with magic, no matter how true the eyes of Sir Sparhawk and Tenaris, nor how keen their blades. Thus, methinks Sir Sparhawk's inference about keeping the group somewhat spread out is essential. It wilt avoid having the entirety fall prey to a grievous trap or area-affect bombardment spell -- both of which I'll wager we encounter, and probably in spades.”

“I shalt be with thee in the van, brother,” said Sparhawk. “Though it likely meaneth that I shall fall in many a pit in the course of our explorations…”

Danton ignored the gibe and continued, “Aside from invisibility, methinks the rest of the spells should be much as they hath been: heavy on big-artillery spells and healing. For weaker spells, magical silence is useful, for it may permit us to whack some enemies without alerting the whole of the Fane. I find mineself thinking of the throwdown with the trolls and how silencing our initial attack might have paid good dividends. Any who possess magical weapons should bear them, under the assumption that most enemies in the Outer Fane wilt be heavily protected and may well be impervious to normal blades.”

“And remember this,” said Danton with a particular glance at Luger and Sparhawk, “give no quarter and no mercy. None whatsoever. Annihilate the enemy, and give him not even the chance to surrender. We cannot take prisoners, and we cannot be bogged down by questions o'er whether 'tis morally right to haul around dangerous enemies in our midst -- or leave them temporarily bound and gagged in our rear -- while we art literally in the bowels of Hell, where any misstep can mean not only our own death, but the literal destruction of the entire Oerth. We art rapidly approaching the climax, so give no thought to the denouement. For mineself, I swear this: all lives within the Outer Fane art forfeit -- save only obvious prisoners -- and I shalt not act otherwise.”

Sparhawk winked at the scout, “Who hath proposed that we taketh any prisoners in this center of Hell? Caladbolg shalt cut a deep swatch of death through our foes!”

Danton laughed. “Sir Sparhawk, you art rightly a man of few words...unlike mineself, alas.”

Sparhawk chuckled. “Good Danton, on that thou speakest aright!”

“What can I say?” asked the Velunese. “I speak before I think oftentimes, and usually at length....”

He paused for a moment and rubbed his jaw, which was still sore where Tenaris slapped him.

“... which accounteth, alas, for certain misadventures.”

Laughing hard now, Sparhawk said, “I think we hath both learned the value of a little more prudence. Of course, I doth not know whether I would prefer the wrath of an angry god—which I hath experienced—or the scorn of a woman, which Hell itself hath no fury like. I canst attest to the truth of that statement after time in Hell here at the Temple whilst in the company of thine lady. All I canst sayeth is, best of luck and may Heironeous be with you!”

“That,” added the paladin, “and, better thou than moi.”

Danton smirked and pulled the paladin aside—and out of earshot of the others. “A public slapping now and again is the price that must be paid for keeping a girlfriend on her toes and interested,” he whispered. “If I wert naught but a doting puppet, always worrying for her safety (of which I hath done aplenty), she would quickly lose interest.  If truth must be told, a man must from time to time demonstrate that he is, for all his civility and learning, still an animal at heart. Besides, the making up is alone worth the price of admission.”

Sparhawk looked highly dubious at this comment.

“Trust me on this, Sir Sparhawk,” added Danton. “Sometimes even a bona fide lady likes a bit of roguishness now and again, though that may seem impossible to believe for an upright man such as yourself.”

***

During the first watch, Syll sat and pored over the sack of items he had taken from the battle at the bridge, trying to identify each in turn without using magic to aid his efforts (spellcraft checks: 20+11=31,11+11=22, 4+11=15, 13+11=24, 12+11=23, 1+11=12, 1+11=12; four successes and three failures). After much work, the elf was able to determine that the gauntlets were a set of Gauntlets of Kord (+2 to strength of wearer), strength-enhancing items somewhat similar to the Bracers of Kord already worn by Tenaris. The slippers were slippers of spider climbing, one of the potions was cure light wounds, and one of the scrolls had the wizard spell blink on it. Syll was unable to determine the function of the second scroll, the second potion, and the wand without the use of magic. Casting one of the few spells he still had available (Cast Read Magic), the elf discerned that the second scroll had the spell shield on it. The wand and the other potion would have to wait for another day.

While Syll was occupied with all of this work, Sparhawk kept an eye out for trouble and chattered periodically with the elf.

“If Danton only knew how much will it taketh for me to surpress mine ingrained chivalry and not come to his lady's defense in this temple,” said the paladin at one point. “I share his desire to protect her, though his love for her obviously stirs greater feelings than mine. Still, he needs to repress them.”

“You said it,” grunted Syll, not looking up from his analysis of the slippers.

“Mayhaps it was better for him to ‘guard the Outer Fane’ during the epic battle,” said Sparhawk, “not for the strength of his arm, but for the weakness of his feelings. We art in need of his sly, quick tongue and mind. I hope he canst focus.”

“I dunno,” said Syll, still not looking up. “He’s pretty obsessed, I think.”

“'Tis a foolhardy thing to adventure with a lover,” mused Sparhawk. “I canst not sayeth that this is an old proverb in Furyondy for I am not sure if anyone hast ever been quite so foolish as to attempt such a thing.”

“Probably not,” said Syll, finally looking up at the paladin, a smirk on his face. “But it was pretty funny when she gave him that slap, huh? Truth be told, I was hoping she might do it again when he kept blathering on…”

Sparhawk snickered in spite of himself. “Patience, mine eleven friend, patience. With our scout’s forked tongue, I am quite certain we shalt have other opportunities to witness the lady’s wrath directed at him.”

“Indeed,” continued the paladin thoughtfully, “if I hath an opportunity to contribute to the cause, I believe I shalt take it. Yes, verily, I wilt try mine best to maketh it happen.”

Syl was both shocked and amused. “Let me get this straight,” said the elf, “you, a paladin of Heironeous, are going to try to set up a chain of events whereby Danton gets slapped again? Don’t get me wrong,” he added hastily, “I think it’s a great idea and I’m all for it, but don’t you have rules against that sort of thing?”

Spahawk laughed and flashed a roguish grin. “’Tis true that Heironeous is most strict in certain regards—as I hath learned with much pain in His response to mine treatment of Erky—but in at least some areas the tenets of mine paladinhood are more ‘guidelines’ than ‘rules’.”

“Nice,” said Syll approvingly. “I’ve always liked guidelines better than rules.”

“Yes,” mused Sparhawk, scratching his chin. “Perhaps the next time Danton and I art speaking alone, but Tenaris is nearby, I shalt say something to the effect of, ‘What, Danton? Oh, thou wert wondering what color underwear yonder woman is wearing? I doth not know, but I am sure that a rogue of thine skill shalt find out presently. Art thou sure thy lady wilt not mind?’”

“That ought to get him slapped,” agreed Syll. “Coming from you, she’ll probably take it seriously in a way that she wouldn’t from someone like, uh, me.”

“Of course,” observed the Furyondian with a frown, “the problem is he seemeth to like being slapped, which perplexeth a simple paladin of Heironeous like me!”

***

Hours later, when Sparhawk and Syll awakened Tenaris and Danton to take their turn on guard duty, the Velunese waited until he was fairly certain that both the sorcerer and paladin were fast asleep—or deep in whatever meditation passed for sleep on the part of Syll—and then approached Tenaris.

“I know you art annoyed with me for slapping your bottom back there,” he began, “and I apologize for it. But, even so, let me say honestly: I know not how to take you some times, mine Lady. When I make mine fear and worry for you obvious, it offends your fighter’s pride and annoys you. Then, when I treat you as I would one of the guys – and, by the way, slapping a comrade on his arse is not gender-specific in Veluna and is actually considered good comradeship under sporting or martial circumstances – it also annoys you. ‘Tis damned if one does, and damned if one doesn’t.”

“That is simply a lie,” shot back the woman angrily, slapping Danton for the second time in less than 24 hours and then stabbing her finger in his face. “I have never once seen you slap Sparhawk or Syll on the ass! Frankly, I think either one of them would kill you if you did! You treated me like a piece of your personal property, and in front of everyone! So, don’t give me some song and dance about how you supposedly grope everyone in public!”

Stunned by Tenaris’ lingering wrath and feeling his face burning once again, Danton’s eyes widened and he took a step back in the hope of avoiding yet another slap. “Verily, the man that hath said that men art from Luna and women from Celene—the moon and not the country, of course—knoweth not of what he speaks, at least as concerns you. You, Tenaris Glimmerdawn, are both rose and thorn, Luna and Celene, steel and lace. Sometimes, I simply know not how to take you, mine Lady.”

“And yet ,” he added with a broad smile, “I ne’er grow tired of the challenge. Indeed, if truth be told, I love you for it.”

Tenaris’ still looked very angry, and Danton felt suddenly awkward, with the result that each turned away, back into an uncomfortable silence, and the conversation came to an abrupt end.

From his bedroll where he had surreptitiously watched the whole exchange, Sparhawk smirked, rolled over and closed his eyes.

“I hath not even had to say or do anything!” marveled the paladin. “Syll wilt not believe this!”

***

After their initial difficult exchange, Danton decided to leave Tenaris be for the remainder of their watch together. He thus ended up spending most of the succeeding hours pacing about trying to keep himself awake, while the elf warrior stood in unreadable silence with her back against the cavern wall (Listen checks: Tenaris: 11+2=13; failure, Danton: 14+8=22;failure).

Because Danton and Tenaris were not talking, and Danton, whose boots of elvenkind silenced his footfalls, was the only one moving about, the fungal forest was almost totally silent. The only sounds came from the distant movements of small animals in the cavern. Throughout the long watch, Danton’s sharp ears had not caught any sound that seemed at all out of the ordinary.

The Velunese was thus shocked when all the short hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up on end as the sixth sense that had saved his life more times than he could count suddenly told him to drop and roll. Trusting to instinct, the scout dove and rolled forward, even as he heard something rush through the air where his head had been only moments before.

Tenaris was not so gifted with a danger sense, and Danton heard a crashing sound, followed by the woman’s muffled screams. When he rolled to his feet, withdrew Rat’s Tail and looked to where she had stood, the scout saw that some invisible force was bashing the elf woman against the wall of the cavern.

“GET UP!” screamed Danton at the top of his lungs. “GET UP! It’s an attack! Invisible assassins!”

[Initiative: Unknown: 22, Tenaris: 20, Danton: 15]

Without waiting to see if Luger, Syll, and Sparhawk would respond, Danton rushed forward and began slashing his blade through the air where instinct—and his sharp ears—told him whatever or whoever had attacked him was. Something bludgeoned him hard in the abdomen (hit for 15 damage), but whatever it was, he did manage to strike it (attack: 2+11=13, 11+6=17; one hit; 2 damage). Tenaris was similarly hacking and slashing at something invisible that continued to pound away at her.

Nearby, Syll, Luger, and Sparhawk rolled out of their bedrolls, rubbed sleep from their eyes, and grabbed up weapons. Fortunately, Luger had made a practice of sleeping in his chainmail of late, and had encouraged Sparhawk to do the same. Such would not have been possible with the paladin’s old platemail, but with that destroyed, he could sleep in the chainmail Syll had given him.

“Shouldn’t the invisibility wear off when they attack?” yelled Danton to no one in particular as he continued to be pummeled by his invisible foe (hit twice for a total of 23 damage). “’Tis not fair!” he protested as his own blade made contact once again with something unseen (attack: 6+11=17, 10+6=16; one hit; 7 damage).

[Initiative: Luger: 20, Syll: 18, Sparhawk: 10]

Even as Luger moved to assist Danton and Sparhawk did the same with Tenaris, the elf woman and the scout were both pummeled yet again by their unseen attackers. Tenaris was bashed to the ground by some massive force, while Danton (hit for 13 damage—knocked to 0 hit points) was hit and sent flying back to crash on his back, dazed, amidst the fungal undergrowth.

“We need reinforcements,” muttered Syll as he began casting spells to summon allies (Cast Summon Monster II twice: summons Celestial Eagle and then three Celestial Badgers) to replace Danton and Tenaris.

When Luger looked closely, he could see that while whatever had felled Danton remained invisible, its movements could be discerned somewhat by the crushing of the fungal undergrowth under its feet. Using this knowledge to guide his moves, the cleric managed to strike the thing twice with Geistblatt (attack: 17+11=28, 12+6=18; two hits; 11, 9 damage).

Sparhawk possessed no such tactical insights as he sought to find and destroy whatever had dropped Tenaris, but the reach of Caladbolg was such that when the paladin swung it in a wide arc at the right level, he was almost certain to hit anything in range (attack: 14+12=26, 5+7=12; one hit; 13 damage). Something then hit the paladin—hard (14 damage taken)—but he shrugged off the attack and swung Caladbolg twice with all his strength at the spot where he now knew his invisible foe to be (attack: 9+12=21, 16+7=23; two hits; 11, 9 damage). This was evidently more than the thing could take, for when Sparhawk struck it for the third time, there was the sudden sound of rushing air and then—nothing.

As Luger continued to slash at the party’s other invisible attacker, he was aided by the fact that all manner of animals were rushing to his side and helping him to pin down his enemy in one spot (attack: 13+11=24, 20+6=26; hit and potential critical hit—2^nd roll: 4+6=10; regular hit only; 10, 6 damage). However, despite badgers and birds coming to his aid, something bashed hard against Luger’s shield, knocking it aside, and then smashed him in the face (hit for 13 damage). With blood in his eyes, the cleric slashed forward twice more with Geistblatt (attack: 16+11=27, 15+6=21; two hits; 8, 11 damage) and then he was rewarded, as Sparhawk had been, by hearing the sound of rushing air. When this faded, quiet returned to the fungal forest.

“See to Tenaris!” called out Danton feebly from where he had collapsed amidst the mushrooms. “I fear she wast hurt worse than I!”

Moving to attend to the woman with his healing kit, Luger had Syll help him get Tenaris out of her armor and then he turned to tending to the terrible bludgeoning she had suffered (healing proficiency check to stabilize Tenaris: 14+16=30; success).

“She’ll be all right,” said the cleric a few minutes later. “I think I’ve had enough sleep. Allow me a few minutes to commune with Heironeous and then I can heal her—and all of the rest of us—more effectively.”

***

Because everyone else needed more rest, Luger took over his guard duties a bit early, maintaining watch over the party even as he began to heal everyone. (Cast Healing Circle: +16 HP to each party member, Convert Speak with Dead to Cure Serious Wounds and Divine Power to Cure Critical Wounds and cast both on Tenaris: +57 HP, Convert Command and Detect Evil to Cure Light Wounds and cast both on Sparhawk: +21 HP, Convert Summon Monster IV to Cure Critical Wounds and cast on Danton: +28 HP, Convert Summon Monster IV to Cure Critical Wounds and Detect Evil to Cure Light Wounds and cast both on self: +41 HP).

Once everyone was awake, Syll explained the uses of the various items he had managed to identify and then divided them up, at least partially. He gave Danton the potion of cure light wounds, Tenaris the slippers of spider climbing, and kept the two arcane scrolls, as well as the unknown wand and potion for himself. That left only the gauntlets of Kord to be claimed. Since everyone in the party was already wearing one sort of enchanted bracers or gauntlets, anyone who wanted to use the new gauntlets would have to effectively give up what he or she was already wearing. Syll said he would hold onto the gauntlets until such time as someone decided they wanted them.

With healing and distribution of new items accomplished, Luger urged that the party remain camped where it was for another 24 hours.

“Given all of our battles from yesterday and the attack during the night,” he explained, “I had to expend most of my new spells on healing, meaning that if we go into the Outer Fane now, only Syll will be fully prepared for battle. Because of that, I would prefer we wait yet another night before assaulting the keep or whatever the ‘Fane’ is.”

“I dunno,” said Syll, “More spells are always good, but we seem to be getting attacked an awful lot whenever we camp these days. Between that and the trap at the Air Temple, it’s pretty obvious we’re being hunted. And do we know that whatever those things were last night were actually destroyed and not simply driven off? If Hedrack sent ‘em and all we did was make ‘em flee, then he knows exactly where we are and it could only be a matter of time before he comes after us himself—and with his awful lions again.”

“Maybe we could beat them in a rematch if they didn’t take us by surprise like last time,” continued the sorcerer, “but then we’d probably have to camp yet again to rest and give the Doomdreamers time to throw even more at us. We’re in pretty good shape now—not perfect, but pretty good—and I think we gotta go in while we can.”

“I too feareth tarrying here longer,” said Danton. “Between Jil du Gal, Eiger and company and whoever that fellow was with the lions, there art too many people who could be hunting us now, all of whom likely have a fairly good idea of where we are. There is also the fact that the longer we wait, the more likely the destruction of the bridge garrison is to be discovered. When that happeneth, not only will it be replaced—meaning yet more battles for us simply to reach the door to the Outer Fane—but the Doomdreamers will know precisely where we mean to enter the Fane—allowing them to reinforce the inside of the Fane in that area as well.”

“I am…with Danton on this,” said Tenaris quietly, not looking at the Velunese.

“There is never a perfect time to attack, brother,” said Sparhawk, putting a hand on Luger’s shoulder. “Whether we go now, tomorrow, or any other day, we will likely never be at full strength, for our enemies gather like the hellspawn they are. But Heironeous is with us, and he shalt see us through!”

Accepting the consensus in the group, Luger agreed to go along with an immediate return to, and assault on, the Outer Fane. The party gathered up and stowed its gear, and set off to the south once again. Given all that had transpired during the previous day and night, the trip back to the southwestern bridge complex was surprisingly uneventful. The group marched out of the fungal forest, up the steep flight of stairs past the dead umber hulk and the bodies of the trolls, all of which appeared undisturbed, and through the still-open doors of the antechamber that led to the bridge complex.

Once the party reached the long hallway that had been the scene of its battle with the bridge garrison, it finally began to see signs that there had been some sort of activity in the area since its departure. First, all of the doors that had previously been closed were now open, including the northernmost one that Danton himself had checked previously.

Everyone in the party, save perhaps Luger, was anxious to get on with the trip across the bridge and not tempt further trouble by lingering in the area, but as the party passed the other open doors, Danton made note of what he could see in hopes of updating his maps later. The door on the western side of the main corridor appeared to lead to a narrow hallway that ran for forty feet and then ended at a north-south hallway. The now-open door on the eastern side of the main corridor looked like it opened into some sort of small guard post, with an exit and a narrow hallway leading east visible on the far side of the twenty foot by twenty foot room.

Aside from the opening of all the doors, it also appeared that all of the many bodies in the area had been picked clean of anything of value. But beyond these signs that Jil du Gal, Eiger the half-orc, and their associates might have explored and looted the bridge area with some thoroughness, there was no trace of the other party, nor any hint of whether they might still be about, or, if not, where they had gone. Rather than wait around to find out, the party moved quickly to the four-way intersection and then turned east to the bridge.

Once outside the tunnel and on the span of the bridge, the party was in the bright sunlight of a hot, late-summer day. Having grown accustomed to the relative coolness of the caves, the party members were anxious to get out of the heat and sun as quickly as possible. This was particularly true of those in metal armor.

The party’s second trip down the length of one of the bridges to the Outer Fane was much like the first had been, save for the lack of a suspicious garrison watching their every move. This time there were no prying, questioning eyes, at least none that were visible. The party members could not help but wonder if they were being watched by enemies inside the towers that lined the outside of the island that apparently comprised the Outer Fane.

Now that the party had seen the island, the “Outer Fane,” or whatever it was at the center of the lake from many different angles during its travels through the mountain, their best guess was that it was six or seven hundred feet in diameter, with its outer cliffs rising up 250 feet or so from the surface of the lake. As had the other bridge the party crossed, this one too ended at a tall black door bound in a reddish metal. A large red diamond, its edges gilded, was carved into the door in relief. The door was fifteen feet high and wide. No handles, hinges or other conventional door trappings were visible.

Once the party reached the doorway, Syll placed new stoneskin spells on the four other party members (80 points of damage reduction for 80 minutes or until used up, whichever comes first). Luger then cast Bull’s Strength on Sparhawk and Tenaris (Sparhawk +4 strength, Tenaris +4 strength). When the cleric finished, Syll turned each party member invisible (80 minutes).

The group considered having Luger use a silence spell from a scroll, but it would last such a short time, and render communication amongst the already invisible group very difficult, not to mention requiring them to stay close together, so they decided to hold off on that spell and save it for more useful circumstances later.

When all was ready, Luger withdrew the two diamond-shaped metal bars and held them together, so that they once again fused into a single, larger diamond-shaped bar. He could not see this, of course, but he could feel the invisible bars fusing in his invisible hands.

“Here goes nothing,” muttered Syll as Luger held the larger bar up and placed it against the red diamond on the door.

The effect was instantaneous. There was a brief flash of light as Luger touched the bar to the door and then the great black door slid, almost silently, down into the floor beneath it.

Beyond the door was a vast, dim, square-shaped chamber, lit by a flickering reddish glow. It was at least a hundred feet to a side, with a circular pit, three feet deep and fifty feet across, in the center. In the middle of the pit was a large pile of coins with a concave depression in the middle, almost like a giant nest.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of a reddish marble with black flecks and streaks. Along the north and east walls were altars, diamond-shaped if seen from above, with holes in the center of their top face from which long gouts of flame roared continually. Flanking these altars were statues of nude human women done in black stone, their heads replaced by black triangles with inverted yellow Ys inside them.

Somehow little of the daylight from the world outside penetrated through the open doorway, leaving the dim room lit only by the flames from the altars and the strange reddish reflection of the flames from the floor, walls, and ceiling. No one seemed to be about, but two exits were visible at the far side of the chamber—both in the northeast corner—one exit leading north and the other east.

Danton walked slowly and invisibly into the room, trying not to make a sound as he made for the northeast corner where the two other exits were (move silently: 19+23=42). Roughly fifty feet behind Danton, came Sparhawk, not nearly so quietly (move silently: 14-4=10). The paladin’s invisible footfalls echoed loudly through the vast empty stone chamber and each of his steps caused Danton to cringe. By the time Danton was nearing the far side of the chamber and Sparhawk was near the center, Syll moved through the doorway and inside as well (move silently: 10+3=13). Much to Danton’s chagrin, the elf was quiet only in comparison to all the noise Sparhawk was making.

While Syll and Sparhawk made their way around the pit and across the north side of the chamber somewhat haphazardly, given the impossibility of coordinating the paths taken by invisible people who were not speaking to one another in an effort to minimize the noise they made, Danton stood in the northeast corner of the chamber and looked out both exits. To the east was a hallway, twenty feet wide, that ran for roughly sixty feet before turning south. There was a single, closed wooden door on the northern side of the hallway, just before it turned south.

To the north was another twenty-foot wide hallway, but it ran for only twenty feet before splitting into a pair of narrower hallways, one running west and the other north. From the corner where he stood, Danton could see very little of the western hallway, save for the fact that there was a closed wooden door on its northern side just before it disappeared from his field of view. As for the narrow hallway heading north, Danton could see that it ran for a good hundred feet or so, and had at least one opening on its eastern side and possibly two on its western side.

While Danton was looking down the two corridors, Luger and Tenaris both entered the chamber and began moving across it (move silently: Luger: 17-5=15, Tenaris: 15-3=12). Sparhawk and Syll were already drawing closer to Danton. Not long thereafter, there was a faint sliding sound and, as the surprised party members looked about for its source, they were able to watch as the great black door slid upward out of the floor and closed once again, sealing off the daylight, the bridge, and everything else outside.

The sight and faint sound of the door closing was followed immediately by the sound of moving air from somewhere in the chamber. Danton’s usual sixth sense told him something was wrong, but he dared not shout out a warning for fear of giving away the party’s invisible presence. Suddenly a vast gout of flame appeared in mid-air, high up in the southwestern part of the room. The flame shot down and across most of the cavern, melting much of the coinage in the pit to slag and washing over almost all of the party members (reflex saves: Tenaris: 10+6=16; failure; 51 damage, Syll: 19+6=27; success; 25 damage, Luger: 14+7=21; failure; 51 damage, Danton: 18+20=28; success; 0 damage, Sparhawk: 3+6=9; failure; 51 damage).

As the cone of fire engulfed the room, Danton, who was farthest from its source and rolled easily out of its path, was able to watch in horror as first a great, armored reptilian head, covered in thick red scales, appeared as the source of the fire. The air shimmered as the head continued to breathe out flames, and the rest of the creature’s body became visible. A great winged, red dragon, at least sixty feet in length from head to tail, far larger than any wyrm anyone in the party had ever encountered before, reared back on its hind legs as it breathed out the last of its fiery blast, then let out a deafening roar and launched itself across the coin pit and towards the bulk of the badly-burned, but still invisible party.

With the dragon’s roar still echoing off the walls, off to the south, the door that Danton had spotted earlier burst open and an ogre wearing black platemail stepped out into the hallway, a look of surprise evident on its face. Several other ogres followed it out into the corridor, apparently curious to find out what was going on.

[Initiative: Syll: 23, Red Dragon: 22, Luger: 21, Sparhawk: 15, Tenaris: 8, Ogres: 7, Danton: 5]

As the dragon flew towards the party, its sheer size and awful presence bore down on all of them (will saves: Luger: 13+14=27; success, Sparhawk: 9+8=17;failure, Danton: 9+4=13; failure, Tenaris: 10+3=13; failure, Syll: 2+9=11; failure; everyone in the party except Luger is at least temporarily shaken, which gives a –2 penalty to all rolls until it wears off). Luger’s strength of will was enough to withstand the effect of the dragon’s mere presence, but everyone else wanted nothing more than to flee in terror.

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 81

--Although Luger asked for a +5 Vorpal Longsword for Christmas, I’m afraid that another year of bad behavior from Danton meant the party got a red dragon instead…

--Please send postings for Turn 81 by the end of Friday, January 11th.

--Tenaris and Sparhawk have earned enough XP for 8^th level. Please do the usual level-up on Sparhawk and I will take care of Tenaris. Trust me, whatever you all decide to do, the party is going to need all the improvements it can get for the next turn.

Current date/time/location: 21 Kolovoz; approximately 0900; The Outer Fane of the Temple of All Consumption

Items gained this turn: various items gathered, identified, and distributed (as described in the turn and reflected below) by Syll

Items used/lost/destroyed/sold/left behind this turn: Tenaris’ potion of cure light wounds, Luger’s potion of bear’s endurance

Undivided items: none

FOES DEFEATED:

This Chapter:

Entire Campaign:

Current Status of the Party:

Danton (80 points stoneskin, Invisible)

AC: 17 (18 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 44/51

New XP: 720

XP total: 49,624

XP needed: 55,000

Equipment: 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor +1, quiver with 33 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, 3 waterskins, 30 days trail rations, hooded lantern, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, old journal, 8 iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside,1 inverted ‘Y” pendant in a brown triangle, new journal, notebook, pen, ink, parchment in sealed waterproof box, pipe, tobacco, metal box, whetstone, six packets of tinder for lighting fires, gold inlaid dagger, Journal of Geynor Ton, a folded piece of parchment with a note addressed to someone named Festrath, spider pendant, a disguise kit, letter to Master Dunrat, ochre-colored robe, potion of love, a dozen vials of lantern oil, masterwork thieves’ tools, Rat’s Tail (Rapier +1), silver and gold brooches, bracers of armor +1, potion of hiding, pouch of unknown dried herbs taken from the home of Tal Chamish, emerald pendant, a small ebony troglodyte statuette, a curved dagger, six sticks of incense, an emerald pendant, boots of elvenkind, 1/3 of Oamarthis gems, tattered dwarven book, pearl from the Dark Lake, nine inverted Y pendants with blue-green squares behind them, 3 iron keys from Fire Temple forces, inverted y pendant with red diamond background, map of Fire Temple area, letter from Hedrack to Tessimon, 2 vials of unknown liquid #1 and three vials of unknown liquid #2 (Turn 66), healing elixir from the fungal forest man, masterwork dagger, sack of random bits of metal intended to be used as chess pieces, 4 bottles cheap red wine, 2 pink pearls, 2 dwarven scrolls found on the balcony over the dark lake, cloak of resistance +1, Fachish’s papers, letter from Hedrack to Terrenygit, potion of cure light wounds

Gold: 1025

Silver: 430

Luger (80 points stoneskin, Invisible)

AC: 22

Hit Points: 34/91

New XP: 720

XP total: 46,374

XP needed: 55,000

Equipment: masterwork heavy mace, chainmail +1, masterwork large steel shield, 3 belt pouches, large bag, 50’ rope, flint & steel, 30 days rations, silver holy symbol of Heironeus, 3 healer’s kits, backpack, cleric’s vestment, traveler’s clothing, 3 waterskins, bedroll, iron triangle with upside down ‘Y’ inside, eight cockatrice feathers, scroll of cure disease, Geistblatt (ghost touch longsword +1), 5 vials of Furyondian Fire, cloak of resistance +1 (+1 to all saves), potions of reduce, nondetection, 2 silver and 2 gold brooches from Woodstock, tattered black cloak with burning eye emblazoned on it, note from Master Hedrack to Master Uskathoth (in Draconic), one large triangular metal bar and one large diamond shaped metal bar, 2 emerald endants, book on history and worship of Elder Elemental Eye cult, one inverted Y pendant in brown triangles, scroll with remove paralysis and protection from elements, Oamarthis note, 3 books: The Worship of the Elder Elemental Eye, A History of Evil Cults, and The Temple of Elemental Evil, Aseneth’s House Torquann dragon ring, ring of jumping (+30 to jumping checks), 1 iron triangle with inverted ‘Y’, three black cones made of some unknown substance, a black scepter decorated with a half dozen violet gems, metal scroll tube, one inverted ziggurat pendant; scrolls of contagion, greater magic weapon, bracers of health +2, scroll of bless, hold person, and dispel magic, 2 pink pearls, large steel shield +1, scroll with neutralize poison and silence, purple lamp (everburning torch), unknown magic Morningstar

Spell Selection

Level 0 (6): Detect Magic (x3), Light (x3)

Level 1 (5+1): Comprehend Languages (x1), Command(x1), Protection from Evil (Domain)

Level 2 (5+1): Endurance (x1), Sound Burst (x2), Aid (Domain)

Level 3 (4+1): Searing Light (x2), Dispel Magic (x1), Magic Vestment (Domain)

Level 4 (4+1): Greater Magic Weapon (x1), Holy Smite (Domain as 11th level)

Level 5 (2+1): Flame Strike (x1), Flame Strike (Domain)

Syll (Invisible)

AC: 15 (16 versus one opponent)

Hit Points: 25/50

New XP: 720

XP total: 34,143

XP needed: 36,000

Equipment: Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Urrtarr’s spellbook, Masterwork Longsword, backpack, 3 water skins, 30 days rations, bedroll, magnifying glass, 2 flint & steel, 10 candles, map/scroll case, parchment, ink & pen, mirror, oil flask, 40 arrows, clothing, longbow, 1 dagger, sack, 50’ rope, chalk, 5 torches, storm whistle, 5 bells, gold brooch, lamp, black cloak, inverted Y pendant, rose quartz gem, ring of climbing, bracers of health +2, 1/3 of Oamarthis gems, scrolls of Pyrotechnics, Protection from Fire, Animal messenger, Summon Monster II, Change self, Enlarge, Sleep X2, Wand of Monster Summon I (8 charges), potion of water breathing, potion of cure light wounds, potion of lesser restoration, ring of feather falling, wand of fireballs (12 charges; caster level 6), potion of protection from elements (fire), potion of cure moderate wounds, 2 pink pearls, eyes of the eagle (+5 to all spot checks), gauntlets of Kord (not worn), scrolls of blink and shield, unknown wand and potion from the battle at the western bridge complex

Spells per level per day:

Level 0: (6)

Level 1: (7)

Level 2: (7) (5 used)

Level 3: (6)

Level 4: (4) (4 used)

Gold: 3737

Silver: 42

Sparhawk (80 points stoneskin, +4 Temporary Strength, Invisible)

AC: 17 (19 when using longsword/shield combination instead of great sword)

Hit Points: 12/66

New XP: 720

XP total: 28,223

XP needed: 28,000

Equipment: backpack, water skin, 30 days rations, bedroll, tent, 2 daggers, masterwork great sword (Justice), longsword, composite longbow, 1 quiver with 20 arrows, ink & inkpen, 50’ silk rope, whetstone, 1 vial holy water, masterwork large steel shield, 2 candles, signet ring and sealing wax, gilded warhorn, chalk, 2 mirrors, flint & steel, 5 pitons, 20 pieces parchment, 2 empty sacks, silver holy symbol of Heironeous, Everburning Torch, black cloak, inverted Y pendant, gauntlets of dexterity +2, pearl from the Dark Lake, gold-inlaid black urn, Tessimon’s jewelry box, golden orb set with amber, Book of the Dark Eye, Caladbolg (barbed great sword +1), two dark vision potions and one strength enhancing wafer from the fungal forest man, 2 pink pearls, suit of chainmail +1, cloak of resistance +1, unknown magic club

Spell Selection:

Level 1 (2): Cure Light WoundsX2

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 6 of 6

Lay on Hands healing points left on current day: 21 of 21

Smite Evil used today?: No

Gold: 333

Silver: 0

Tenaris (80 points stoneskin, +4 Temporary Strength, Invisible)

AC: 23

Hit Points: 12/66

New XP: 720

XP total: 28,003

XP needed: 28,000

Equipment: longsword, chitin full plate mail, large steel shield, masterwork morningstar, 5 javelins, 2 troglodyte spears, inverted Y pendant, 30 days rations, potions of cat’s grace, spider climb, 1/3 of Oamarthis gems, cloak of resistance +1, black robe, Bracers of Kord (strength) +2, pearl from the Dark Lake, short sword +1, large steel shield +1, two strength enhancing wafers and one healing elixir from the fungal forest man, Masterwork longsword, Maicarya (flaming short sword +1), 2 pink pearls, longsword +1, golden dagger, golden necklace, 2 vials Furyondian fire oil, slippers of spider climbing

Gold: 507

Silver: 30