8/28/2010

Players: Kathi, JC, Chris
Characters: DM & Salaisee, Elendil & Jolley, Billi

The fog is so thick that visibility is limited to only 10-15 feet ahead. The temperature has risen to nearly 55-60 degrees.

An old woman steps out of the fog. She addresses us observing that this is obviously the reason for the ruckus. We killed the shambler. Elendil discretely casts Detect Evil. The old crone sees him do it and demands to know what's going on. She claims to be just a druid and wonders if Elendil is going to strike her with a lightning bolt or something. She is very evil. However she does not threaten us and turns to depart. We allow her to leave but keep a cautious eye out behind us.

A short while later we get to the ruins. One of the first things we find is a moldering corpse. The body has been been totally stripped and Billi estimates its been dead at least 10 days. Elendil would've guessed more by the degree to which the carrion have done their gruesome work. Elendil looks for tracks or indications of predators but finds none.

The trail goes through a gap in the wall ahead. Elendil builds a cairn for the body (which may be a Silver Knight). It takes about an hour for he and Salaisee to gather and pile the stones while Jolley keeps watch and Billi looks around under the guise of rock collecting. Once the cairn is built we continue on.

The whole place is a jumbled ruin with lots of places for monsters to hide. There's a dim yellow light coming from a descending staircase leading down but there's a huge chuck of stone blocking the passage. As we are looking, the light (coming up from below) moves disappearing further in and leaving the entryway dark. We could squeeze through but no way for the horses.

Billi and Jolley go to investigate. As they turn the first switchback, Jolley gets out his continual light torch. Elendil and Salaisee keep watch above with the horses. Billi and Jolley descend several switchbacks and come to an oddly octagonal shaped room. Leading out from it to the north and east are tunnels that have collapsed. A tunnel to the west and a descending stairway to the south are the only exits.

Billi investigates an empty alcove finding only some odd clay or mud markings. He then notices a glow from the passageway to the west that seems to be the same as we saw from above. Jolley checks the blocked passageway to the north. He is convinced that the rubble could be cleared with effort. He asks Billi to check as well but the halfling adds no other information.

All of a sudden Billi calls out in an urgent whisper. "Torch, torch, cover the torch! Look!" He points down the passageway to the west as he sees something coming towards them against the faint light beyond. "On the ceiling!"

Jolley picks up on where to focus and sees several odd insect like creatures with eight tentacles coming from beneath their mandibles. (Carrion Crawlers)

MELEE

Jolley kills two fairly easily but when the third hits him he can tell that their tentacles are coated with something nasty. "Billi, go get the others!"

Just then, as Billi starts to race back up the stairs, two large glowing balls of energy come down the passage way from the west. With one of the nasty bugs still attacking, Jolley now has two new adversaries as well. Billi reaches the surface, gives a quick five second recap, and then Elendil and Salaisee start their way quickly down with Billi staying to watch the horses.

The large will-o-wisps are shocking Jolley without impediment and he has only been able to hit one of them once. When Salaisee and Elendil reach the bottom and join the attack Elendil casts Searing Light at one of the wisps but misses. Jolley misses and continues to miss. Salaisee, seeing the growing frustration on the big mans face and realizing that he has been getting the short end of the battle, casts Cure Critical Wounds on Jolley.

Elendil casts Protection from Energy (Lightning) on himself. Next round Jolley hits one for major damage and knocks it down. Salaisee attacks the bug thing and kills it. Elendil hits the remaining will-o-wisp but it's still battling. The next round turns out to be the final one as both he and Salaisee hit it and it pops out as it dies. Elendil casts Cure Light Wounds on himself and Cure Moderate Wounds on Jolley. Salaisee goes to check on Billi.

Meanwhile Billi has been attacked by the two stirges. He killed one, but the other got away having sated itself on his blood. Salaisee finds him slumped against a rock trying to staunch a bit of blood oozing from a shoulder wound. She examines the wounds, pronounces them not life-threatening, and casts Cure Light Wounds to heal the physical damage. Salaisee sits down close next to him and leans Billi against her body to comfort him and take his mind off his wounds and the weakness they have caused. Billi, even though he's wobbly and weak from the blood loss, isn't about to protest and allows Salaisse's bosom to be a most pleasant resting place.

Elendil and Jolley continue on downstairs examining the ruins. To the west is another octagonal room. There are two cracks in the northern wall where water is flowing in, and cracks in the southern wall where water is flowing out. The room holds nothing interesting so Elendil and Jolley descend the stairs to the south. There's a T-shaped room flooded with murky water. It's a room full of coffins laid out in the water which are engraved with reliefs of stern clerics with clenched fists and terrible scowls. Stylized lightning bolts adorn the sides of the caskets.

The water is not deep but it holds a foul odor and neither Jolley nor Elendil is too keen to investigate. It is indeed a temple of Talos, the God of storms. Given that Talos is an evil god, Elendil reconsiders investigating the room. However, he realizes that the prospect of "magic beyond belief" is not something they can risk passing up and he comments to Jolley that this looks like a task for which they will need Billi's skills.

The two men return to the surface to let the others know what they've discovered. They find Billi nestled in Salaisee's arms looking very pale and oddly serene. He tells of the attack by Left & Right (the crone's stirges) and Elendil realizes that he has been seriously weakened by the attack even though he only took a minor amount of damage. Clearing his mind Elendil allows the power of Tymora to build within him and focuses that divine energy in the form of a Restoration on his diminutive friend.

He tells Salaisee and Billi of the room full of coffins and that they figured his special skills would be required. After the spell Billi is strengthed and renewed and more than up to the task of investigating a few old coffins. Salaisee agrees to stay with the horses so Billi gives her the Wand of Magic Missiles and Elendil casts Greater Magic Weapon on her sling and bullets making them all +2. Elendil tells her they will not linger.

Elendil and Jolley and Billi head back down to the room full of coffins. Elendil makes sure the floor is solid with the end of his staff, and then steps into the room. He can tell that one of the caskets has been moved away from the wall and is not in its original resting place. There is a small circular tunnel behind the casket that was moved.

Billi announces that there are no traps on the first and asks Jolley to push the lid aside. Inside is a moldering mummy. This pattern repeats seven more times before Billi announces that the ninth, one of the ones along the back wall is trapped. Unfortunately he can't determine anything about the nature of the trap. With a sigh, and a look that says stand back, Jolley moves the casket lid.

KZZAPK!!!

There is a huge spark from a glyph on the back wall as the trap goes off sending electricity sizzling through the water filled room. Elendil takes no damage due to the previous spell of Protection from Energy. Billi takes no damage as he was able to deftly hop up onto one of the nearby coffins. Jolley takes 42 points of electrical damage from the Greater Glyph and nearly collapses into the murky water.

A small chamber (also partially flooded) has opened up behind the sarcophagus. Within there are 8 small gourds (potion containers) on a shelf.

Gourd #1 depicts a dwarf barbarian thrashing several enemies.
Gourd #2 depicts an elf casting lightning bolts while clinging to a ceiling.
Gourd #3 depicts a human warrior fending off tentacles underwater with a spear.
Gourd #4 has a scantily clad human woman wrestling with a fiery salamander amid great flames.
Gourd #5 depicts a gnome wizard in rune-covered robes breathing fire at a band of kobold warriors.
Gourd #6 shows an armored troll fighter tearing the heart out of a human foe.
Gourd #7 is black except for several pairs of evil, glowing eyes.
Gourd #8 depicts a dead warrior with a pair of daggers stuck in his back.

There is also a black shield and half spear hang on the vault wall. The spear's handle appears to be wrapped in bluish-black snake skin. After investigating the rest of the coffiins (and finding nothing other than more moldering corpses, Billi advances into one of the small tunnels. A moment later he comes back to get Jolley's torch and goes to investigate.

"Just a few minutes," Jolley instructs him, "and don't go where we can't follow!"

A bit further in Billi discovers a small alcove in which there is a slimy yellowish brown goo covering a skeleton. The skeleton is clutching a SHINY dagger with a large ruby at the end of the pommel. The slimy goo moves and starts towards Billi. The dagger is nearly irresistible so Billi casts Know Protections. He learns not to hit it or use electrical spells against it.

The stuff continues to advance slowly and inexorably towards him so Billi is forced to retreat. He calls out to Jolley and Elendil to be ready for some slow moving slimy company but that they should not try to engage it directly.

As the strange goo begins to emerge from the opening, Elendil blasts it with Searing Light (his last of the day). The creature continues to advance upon us and it actually follows us out to the surface where Salaisee blasts it with a Holy Smite and then Flame Strike. The latter finally kills it.

Billi scampers back down to retrieve the dagger and Jolley accompanies him just to be safe. When Billi picks up the dagger, it just feels so right in his hands. He casts Detect Magic. Oh YES!!! The strongest aura is illusionary magic. The secondary aura is not so obvious. Billi thinks it's transmutation.

The gourds, the spear and the shield all radiate magic as well. When Billi and Jolley return to the surface with all the stuff, Elendil casts Detect Evil on the lot, but nothing radiates evil. The dagger is +1/+1 and can grant the wielder the power of Invisibility once per day. The gourds are all single potions, the spell is indicated by the pictogram on the outside.

Just as we are about to break for lunch...

End of session.

Next sessions: 9/4/2010 and 10/9/2010