The Ingaran Adventures
Episode 26
“The Guardian of the Bone – Part III”
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Alexander: The Gauntlet of Athena

Zografos: An Ingaran painter going under the name of Domnhall
Flower: An Elven girl caring for a human child named Hannah.
Issic: Half Human, Half Gold Dragon Warrior
India: A gypsy girl

Phaidon: A local Tamer of the Beasts

Matrim Borimir: Fighter from Ingara

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The Time: Summer, Nemed 12

The Places: Lotharia – Lotharia is a Lamapachan village of about 432 persons. The village is a satellite of Visaria, and is under the protection of Visaria's lord, Doctor Richard Dalby. Lotharia is renowned for its gargoyle-crafting industry. Its stone masons and artisans specialize in the creation of fantastic gargoyles for castles, manors, mansions, dungeons, and other places. Recently, the Lord's Tower was purchased from Dr. Dalby by Baron Villam Larbius III and was converted into a temple of Marush Hob.

A light flashed in the room. A tall handsome man in a toga was standing there. Flower yelped and hid herself inside India's skirt. The man seemed powerful. His short brown locks were curly, and he had a strong chin. He held a glowing gladius blade, and he held a large round shield with a medusa emblem upon it.

"Most holy servant of Athena," said Alexander, bowing in respect to the ally his spell had summoned, "Your power has been requested to combat a most foul and intense evil."

The man nodded and said, "Athena has told me to aid you in any way possible."

"Athena's Gauntlet and her other champions humbly thank You and Her."

"I am called Altonius."

Zografos and Phaidon started to explore the room. "Do your panthers smell anything?" asked Zografos.

"Let me ask them," said Phaidon, mentally asking the panthers to smell and report back. They reported back that they smelt nothing pleasant, but nothing out of the ordinary. "They don't smell anything, Domnhall," said Phaidon, hoping he was using the right name.

"Then lets try left", said Zografos, opening up the door to the left then. Phaidon readied an arrow as the door creaked open. They found a room that had been stripped of its stone flooring. All sorts of wooden scaffolding was about, and a huge hole had been dug into the center of the chamber. Shovels, picks and other digging tools lay strewn about.

"Should we check the hole?" asked Phaidon.

"I thought going down was bad, so I would say no. Let's try the other way," suggested Zografos, closing that door and opening the one on the right. That door revealed a closet filled with buckets, tools, and other sundry closet items. They saw a skull laying on the floor, and some ribs. Flower rummaged about and took a ten inch chisel and a three inch one. She ran her fingers through Ammi's hair, twirling around her finger, sighing with boredom.

"Are we missing something here?" asked Zografos. "Can the panthers smell any traffic through these rooms, possibly telling us where any hidden doors are?"

"These fiends can teleport," said India. "They may not need hidden doors or stairs."

"They would need a way for the humans they enslave to move around though, wouldn't they?" said Zografos. "That is, if they enslave humans."

"Let's jump in the hole," said Flower.

"Let's go check out the hole, I guess," agreed Zografos. The hole was about 20 feet in diameter, and about sixty feet or so deep. The hole was supported by scaffolding and ladders all the way down into its depths. They also saw tunnels radiating outward from the central hole at varying depths.

"We only explored the secret doors in the room we entered in. There was a regular door we did not explore. That may have been a stair to the top," said India.

Zografos handed Flower a green bladed rapier.

"But I don't know how to swing it the way you do," she said to Zografos.

"Ask your unicorn how to. She has the same type of weapon."

Flower took the blade, unsure that she would actually want to cut anyone with it, but not wanting to displease Zografos.

"Everyone I think we should go and check the other doors," said Alexander.

"So, are we going into the hole, or what?" asked India.

"I think we should try the last door, before we do that."

"The one upstairs?"

"Isn't the Most foul Demon thought to reside upon high in the tower?" asked Alexander.

"Aye."

Phaidon and his panthers heard movement around them... movement not accounted for by those visibly present. "Someone is in the room... Invisible," warned Phaidon. Everyone prepared to strike out at the sounds. Suddenly, the sounds vanished, and they could smell the foul stench of brimstone.

The Planar Ally said, "It is gone."

"I think they left," said Alexander.

"Let's go upstairs," said Zografos.

"I say we find this primary Demon," said Phaidon. "I'm tired of fighting things I cannot see."

"I agree," said Zografos. He went up the stairs, looking again for traps as he went.

"Would you and Issic take point?" asked Alexander of Altonius. "Phaidon and I will follow and India and Zog will guard our backs."

"Very well," said Phaidon.

Zografos, ignoring Alexander's suggestion to take up the rear, found a trap that opened up a magical portal on the stairs. A false step would activate the portal.

Altonius smelled the air and said, "Hell. A portal to Hell."

"I don't think it take us any where," said Alexander. "I think it brings something here."

"Can we destroy it?" asked Phaidon. "The fewer of THOSE, the better..."

Zografos pointed to the step and said, "Just step over this step."

"I can try to dispel the evil magic," said Alexander. "Stand back everyone."

"I think it is better just to avoid it," said India, "and not waste our resources."

"Exactly," said Issic. "Let's get to finding that demon wench."

Alexander ignored all of them as he filled his being with divine energy. "Portal to realms most foul and evil, the Gauntlet of Athena commands you to be sealed for ever!" The magic vanished.

"Now we can continue," said Alexander. Zografos shook his head, thinking, I thought he said we were in a hurry, yet he takes time to disarm a trap we could have stepped over.

As they trod up the stairs they heard chanting, an unholy prayer of invocation.

Zografos stood aside and yelled to the people in front to rush the chanting! Issic rushed past Zografos. India asked, "What if there are more traps?" but Issic did not heed her. Alexander cast detect evil, and got more than he bargained for.

The stairway continued to spiral as Issic ran up, then… WHACK!

A voice said, "NONE SHALL PASS!" Issic, slammed against the wall, saw a horned gargoyle devil. The devil coiled a long whip with a flick of his wrist. It was one of the most terrifying things Issic had ever seen, and sudden and unheralded fear of hideous intensity welled up within him. Yet Issic stood and struck back. The whip lashed out, flicking flesh off of Issic.

Down below, all the others could hear was the crack of a whip and Issic's roars of anger drowning out the droning of the chanting. They rushed up, single file, toward Issic. Issic and the devil were hard at it, whip and tail versus dragon-claw sword. The growls were fearsome, and even Flower could not tell which came from whom. Flower tried to get past Issic, and the fiend flicked her with it tail, knocking her back down the stairs.

India cast bull's strength on Issic, and he felt the strength boost through him. He continued to slash and tear at the fiend, even as the fiend continued to rip at his flesh. Alexander, standing behind Issic, jabbed at the fiend with his pilum. Phaidon fired arrow after arrow into the melee, and the planar ally teleported to the other side of the fiend and attacked it from there.

"Demon, cower before the might of ATHENA'S Champions!" yelled Alexander.

From above them, the chanting grew louder. They heard a chorus of voices crying out, " Ghe'phnglui, mglw'ngw ghee-yh, Shoggoth, Fhtagn mglw y'tlette ngh'wgah, Shoggoth, Ghe'phnglui mglw-ngh ahkobhg'shg, Shoggoth THABAITE! - YIBB TSTILL, SHOGGOTH! SHOGGOTH!"

"I'm coming for you, Shanagra!" yelled Flower, picking herself off the stairs. "Shg'ahkobhg hgh-mglw phnglui'Ghe!" she yelled.

"Altonius," said Issic as he swung his heavy weapon around again. "Go disrupt the chanting!"

Alexander's pilum found its way to the devil's heart, and it crumpled to the floor and dissolved into black goo.

"Move, everyone! MOVE!" shouted Alexander, and the group ran toward the chanting, reaching a door at the top of the stairway. Alexander touched his fly tattoo as they ran.

"Should we destroy the door, Issic?" asked Phaidon. He could hear insane chanting coming from behind the door. India recognized the chant and whispered, "It is a summoning spell. They are summoning a Shoggoth."

Issic broke down the door and Flower yelled, "Shg'ahkobhg hgh-mglw phnglui'Ghe! Shanagra! Shanagra! Shanagra! Resist!" for she heard Shanagra's voice in her ear... "I am dying..." Flower replied, "You must stay strong! Think of the forest! Remember what you are!"

They found themselves on a balcony overlooking a circular room. A tall, gaunt man in a green cloak stood at the center of the circular room. He held aloft a glowing green dagger. An altar was below him and tied to that altar was a screaming naked girl. Several men, nude except for green cloaks, encircled the altar and the man, and they were chanting. Women, nude also, but with white cloaks, encircled the ring of cloaked men. They stood three rows deep. Several dead bodies lay at the base of the altar, already sacrificed. Behind the man with the eldritch dagger, between the man and the circle of men, were three more chained women, ready to be sacrificed. Above them, in a balcony higher than theirs, stood Sharyss and two female erinyes. Sharyss was nude, and her long blonde hair fell down to her buttocks and her pubic mound was as smooth as a baby’s. Her feathered white wings were folded innocently behind her. She looked like a naked angel.

The other two erinyes flanked Sharyss. One, with long black hair, wore a gold girdle that encircled her hips, suspending a long black, silk piece loin cloth between her thighs. The girdle also supported a green dagger of curious design, and a coiled rope. She was darker than the other two, and had blue-black feathers on her wings. Her eyes spoke of mysteries and revelations of intense sexuality. The other, like Sharyss, was nude, but she had a soft, downy covering of fine red hair between her legs, and was, if anything, even paler than Sharyss. She had long, red hair and green feathers on her wings.

With action as fast as thought, Phaidon unleashed a storm of arrows at the central figure with the dagger. The man stepped back, dodging as best he could through the singing shots. Flower flung herself off the balcony toward the man as Alexander summoned up the divine energy to dimensionally anchor Sharyss. Zografos sought for an obvious way up to the higher balcony and saw a stairway.

Alexander said to Issic, "She is held on this plane for eight minutes, so you must hurry if you want your revenge!" Issic launched himself into the air to attack Sharyss, fire and revenge in his eyes. Sharyss leapt into the air and ducked around Issic, her pale, nude body spinning, diving, and climbing as she executed smooth maneuvers.

"To hell with Sharyss; if a shoggoth appears we are all doomed!" exclaimed Flower as she dropped softly to the ground, angry that she missed the man's dagger.

The man stepped aside as Flower soft-landed next to him; his dagger metamorphosed into a spear, and he lashed it out at Flower, and each time the spear bit into her soft flesh she felt cold pain. Larbius then shed his mortal form and stood revealed as an vile ice devil!

He had a towering, repugnant, insect-like body, twelve feet tall. He had nightmarishly great claws on his hands and feet and large, putrid, sharp pinchers at his beaked mouth. His head bulged with great, multi-faceted eyes that never blinked, and he had a long, unwholesome tail covered with razor-sharp spikes. He was a leering, abhorrent travesty, a compound of all that was unclean, abnormal, and detestable. His presence alone commanded respect.

"Oh, shit," said Flower. Alexander echoed the sentiment, cursing as well. He dove off the balcony and flew toward Larbius. Alexander's planar ally teleported down and attacked Larbius, defending Flower.

Sharyss disengaged from Issic and hurled her rope out at Flower. Flower, in pain from Larbius' spear of ice, allowed the rope to entangle her. The darker erinyes flew off her balcony and grabbed up Flower.

India and Zografos flew up the stairway to attack the red-headed erinyes. The red one with the green feathers pulled out a huge, devilish green dagger from somewhere, although Zografos couldn't figure out where, since she hadn't a stitch of clothing on. Though he fought with a quick rapier, she was quite able to parry his attacks with the dagger. Zografos' shadow warrior attacked the erinyes shadow, and the erinyes knew fear.

Alexander landed near Larbius and cast dimensional anchor on him as the devil tangled with the celestial. Phaidon ran up the stairs after Zografos and India.

The darker erinyes climbed into the air holding onto Flower. With a loud POP she and the elf vanished.

Larbius yelled, "Cease! Or the Elfling dies!" His voice was terrible to hear. There are sounds that are normal for a humanoid to make, and there were sounds that were normal for beasts to make. To hear a beast-like, insectoid mouth utter humanoid sounds was horrible, chilling all who heard that cackling, unholy voice.

"Give no quarter!" yelled Zografos.

Alexander Maximus ordered, "Halt Attack! ... unless attacked by them."

Sharyss said, "Attack, and the girl dies."

The battle, at Alexander's command, swirled to a halt, but all were ready to resume at a single command or false move. The circle of men and women backed further away from the altar.

"I believe she is just invisible!" yelled Zografos, amazed that Alexander caused a halt to the fray. Alexander tried to sense Flower's thoughts, but could not find her. Nor could Issic smell her. Zografos ran to continue his attack. Issic moved to intercept that attack, and India cried out, "No, Domhnall! I will hate you forever if you cause her death!" Zografos halted.

"Now," said Larbius. "Let's all settle down here." Again, that terrible, horrible voice from that abomination of reality. The sound of that voice almost broke India down into tears.

"Return her, demon," commanded Alexander. "NOW!"

"Not until we have negotiated some terms, mortal."

"We have stopped as you said, return her as an act of good faith. Or can the Great and Powerful Larbius not bring her back"

Larbius' insect head tilted and gave a creepy insectoid smile. A puff of foul brimstone burst overhead and they saw, floating above them all, the erinyes, holding Flower, her rope tied around both of them. Flower looked incredibly alarmed, and wondered why no one was fighting. And her eyes held terror, for where she was taken was a hellish place, a place that might have blasted her very sanity had she been open minded enough to realize the enormity of what she had witnessed. Flower looked questioningly and sweetly at Sharyss, who stood about twenty feet away from her.

India backed away to a shadowy wall.

"She is back," said Larbius in his unnerving voice. "May we negotiate?"

"Where did they take you, Flower?" asked Alexander, not sure they were really looking upon the true article. "Are you okay?"

Larbius used his spear and cut the shackles off the lady on the altar. She scooted off and Larbius stepped onto the altar. Zografos backed up until he was in front of a torch. Alexander telepathically checked to make sure Flower was really Flower. She was.

Flower activated her "candy" and the room became lit with bright light from Flower's magic item. All shadows in the room vanished from the brilliance.

Larbius scowled an unholy grimace at the bright light, but said nothing about it. Alexander smirked. Zografos was less than pleased. "Turn off that light, elf!" he said, rubbing his eyes.

"You are silent, manlings. Have you no terms? If not, shall I present my terms?"

"Only your destruction," said Alexander. India slunk into the stairwell.

"Hmmm. That is not really fair to me, unfortunately. Bad enough you have continued the corruption of my daughter. Anyway, I would suggest... Ah, a comment from the dragon."

"Return the souls of ours that you have stolen, including that of Shanagra!" said Issic.

"Fair enough. The return of your soul, half dragon, and the soul of Shanagra for our release. Do we all agree?" said Larbius. Sharyss scowled at that, giving Larbius an evil glare. She didn't want to give up anything to these mortals.

"Flower too," said Phaidon.

Larbius smiled his insectoid grin at Phaidon. "Ah, good. Very well, Flower too."

Flower yelled, "No! No Shoggoth shall roam this world!" She shined her light brighter. Flower was hoping Zografos would press the attack. She couldn't believe this was happening. Larbius was a devious sort and now had Alexander under his wily manipulations. She thought, We are all going to die if he doesn't stop stalling.

"By release, you agree that you are leaving this plane at this time," demanded Issic. "Ours means anyone of this group."

"Yes, we will leave this plane," agreed Larbius. Zografos thought Alexander and Issic were being fools.

"Tell me this demon," said Alexander, "Why should we agree to that if you are so fearful of being destroyed? If we destroy you, our friends would be lost, but you would never corrupt another soul."

"I am not so fearful of being destroyed, but the spilling of unsanctified blood will render the shoggoth bigger than I can control."

"And we would have your daughter," said Alexander.

"You would kill my daughter? Your friend?"

"Corrupt her, not kill her," said Alexander, smiling.

"Ah. A shame. The Shoggoth will be here soon, and the blood we have spilt may render it beyond my means."

Above them, still in the grip of the erinyes, Flower palmed her ball of light, feeding off its warmth, since no one seemed to be listening to her. She kissed the erinyes on the cheek, just because she didn't know who was friend and who was foe. The erinyes smiled and stroked Flower's hair. Flower palmed her light, and the shadows in the room returned. Zografos was thinking that if Larbius couldn't continue with the ceremony then they should attack him. Zografos noticed that his shadow from the torch behind him extended to the hovering erinyes and Flower.

Issic was still content to negotiate. "The soul of Piper shall be included in the deal for he was of this group as well."

"And what about Seth?" asked Alexander, sure that the devil was bluffing.

"Ah, and Seth too," said the devil. Alexander smiled even bigger.

"And what of Seth and Piper's original forms?"

"I did not bring that about, but I could arrange so that you could meet with Dr. Dalby," said Larbius.

"Is that all the great and powerful Larbius can do to fix such a small problem?"

"Hmmm, well, I could do more, but I am not sure you have anything of equal value to offer me."

"Well, how about the mind flayer problem?"

"I could give you the key to solving that, too."

"I would think that your life would be worth a great deal more then just a couple worthless souls," said Alexander.

"You would but dispel my mortal avatar, not my essence. That is not concerning me at the moment."

Issic chimed in. "With the return of all souls due us, they should be free to go today. That does not mean that they won't be dealt with if they cross our paths again."

"Be careful," warned Issic. "He is offering too much."

"If it is no concern then why bargain at all?" asked Alexander.

"Like I said, if any more blood is spilled in here in such an uncontrolled manner, bad things would happen to me."

Zografos hissed to Issic in a hushed whisper, "Fool dragon, he is just biding time until his summoned creature gets here. We should attack them now and cancel the spell!"

Issic whispered back, "The spell was never completed. The girl he cut loose is proof of that."

Alexander said, "Here are Athena's terms: You will agree to never take the soul or harm one who worships her, You will tell us the secret to stopping the mindflayers as well as the demihuman plague. You will arrange the meeting with Dalby. And you will return the souls of my friends, and WE will let you go."

"Unacceptable," said Larbius. "I would rather fight you and find a new place to summon my Shoggoth."

"What do you find unacceptable"

"I will do the first. No more."

Flower bit her finger and tried to drop a drip on Larbius' insect head. Larbius looked up in anger at Flower, and Flower felt like she would shrivel up. The malignancy bound up in Larbius flowed from his multi-faceted eyes and surrounded Flower in an almost palpable foulness.

Alexander continued the negotiation, and Larbius returned his vile gaze to the Ingaran. "What if it is just her priest not just her worshipers? Or how about the first and the return of my friends?"

"No. I will release the souls, and not take the soul of a true worshipper of Athena."

"So if we let you go, you will release the souls of my friends and not take the soul of one who worships Athena?"

"Right. Do you care to whom I release the souls to?" asked Larbius, confusing Alexander. Flower dropped a drip of blood on Alexander's head. "You aren't listening to his wily words!" The erinyes clamped a soft hand over Flower's mouth. Zografos thought that the priest was over his head trying to negotiate with an immortal. Larbius continued, "May I, say, release the souls to my Master Asmodius? Or do you have someone else who wants the souls?"

"You should release them to the care of the Great goddess Athena, of course."

"Ah. And how do I reach her?" Larbius could sense that the magic binding him and his erinyes had evaporated. Telepathically, he told Sharyss to leave.

Alexander pointed to Altonius. "I believe he can give them to her."

Larbius said, "Ah. Well, let us seal this bargain with a handshake."

"I would rather not touch you, Larbius. The word of Athena's Gauntlet is enough."

Issic said to Sharyss, "Looks like you may get to live after all," blowing her a kiss with sarcasm.

Sharyss blew the kiss back. "Looks like that. Would you like to play nice later?" Her fingers traced circles around her nipples and she smiled.

Issic said, "That depends on whether I get to bring this!" He shook the dragon claw sword at her. Sharyss wondered how much Tionetenty would give her for knowledge of where these mortals could be found. Sharyss licked her lips and smiled, then vanished.

The rope holding Flower loosened, and Flower floated down to Issic. She said, "You aren't listening to his wily, toe-eating words?" The erinyes tried to grab Flower again, but Zografos materialized over the she-devil and attacked. The erinyes cursed and vanished, as did the third one. Zografos was also gone.

Larbius saw the attack, and he also vanished. Alexander lunged forward instinctively, wondering if the bargain had been sealed or not. "Damn you, Zografos," cursed Alexander.

"Damn!" cursed Flower.

A bunch of naked men and women, save for their cloaks, stared about uncertainly. Some of the women were crying.

"Maybe we should talk to those people," said Phaidon. "At least keep them from leaving."

"Do so," said Flower.

Matrim went over to the altar and found a spellbook and a skull. The spellbook was dark and made his skin crawl. He shut it, and saw it was covered in human skin… the face of the victim was stretched on the front cover. Matrim backed away and looked at the skull. It had fangs and didn't look entirely human. Pitch black it was, and appeared to be carved, not the bony remnant of some monster.

Alexander cast detect evil on the book, and it radiated black vileness. "Altonius, can you destroy the book safely?"

Altonius said, "Yes. I can."

"Don't you destroy that book!" shouted Flower. "We need to know how they plan to summon a shoggoth so we can prevent it!"

"Flower, don't do anything to piss me off right now," said Alexander. "Do so," he said to Altonius, ignoring Flower's tongue stuck out defiantly at him. "It is Larbius' book; what good can come of it?"

Altonius took the book and vanishes.

"What if the book has something to do with getting the souls back?" asked Issic.

"Alexander," said Phaidon, still making rounds among the cloaked men and women. "Should I round up those people?"

"Yes, get all but the women out of here."

Flower said, "They should be punished for their part in this!"

Phaidon replied, "They were not acting under their own power, Flower."

"No, flower, I am going to make them forget the awful things Larbius did to them," said Alexander. Alexander used his Dorje of Tailor Memory to make the people forget any of this ever happened, saying "Athena protects," as he did it.

Out of nowhere, two glowing balls appeared, floating on the air.

"Are the balls evil, Alexander?" asked Phaidon. One ball floated toward Flower, the other toward Issic. Alexander shook his head. He thought, so the deal was sealed.

"Go ahead Flower, I think that is Shanagra's soul," said Alexander when he saw Flower dodging away from the ball of light. Issic grabbed the golden ball of light that floated near him, and he took it inside of himself. Somehow he felt whole again.

"After we get these people to safety, maybe we should go find Domnhall?" suggested Phaidon.

"Probably. Impetuous human," growled Issic.

"I think we should finish searching this place, no telling what Larbius might have left here that might be of use," said Alexander, who wasn't in a mood to go looking about for Zografos. Alexander tromped up the stairs and found India, still shivering on the cold steps.

"Are you okay, India?"

"No."

Alexander asked India if there was anything he could do for her.

"I wish we could have killed it. All of them," said India.

"I don't think we could have, but we gained a weapon and have undone the damage he has done to us. The best we could have done was sent him away for a while alone to be back and do damage again."

"I know. And I dread meeting him again."

"If you ever need to talk about it I am here. I do not doubt that you stand with us."

"Thank you. I hate him."

"Now let us go back to the others. We have a tower to loot, and who knows we might find something to help us fight him."

"What about Zografos?" she asked as she got up and followed Alexander down the stairs.

"We can't just let these people go outside if those fifty gargoyles are still around..." said Phaidon.

India walked back into the room, and said, "The gargoyles outside turned to stone. They fell to the ground and broke."

Flower looked into the ball of green light she was given and stated loudly, "It is time. I must find a place for Shanagra, a peaceful place, and that will be my place. my holy place, OUR place, where everything shall be pure." A light opened up above Flower. She didn't want Shanagra to go into the light. "I want to keep you with me," she said to the green ball of light. "You said you will always be with me."

"What about this skull?" asked Issic. The skull was still sitting on the altar, grinning. "It had to be something special if Larbius was using it." Issic wondered if that skull is what Larbius needed to ground his avatar to this plane. He took the skull since no one else seemed to be interested in it. Green tentacles came out of the bottom of the skull and wrapped gently around Issic's hand. Issic tried to remove the skull. The tentacles retracted into the bottom of the skull when he removed it. He put it back on.

"If everyone's finished with this room, perhaps we should help these poor people back to their village and then return to loot and destroy this tower," suggested Phaidon.

"I am sure they know where their homes are," said Issic, staring at the skull.

"Let us take these people to Athena's followers and have them take them back to the village," said Alexander. "Then while they are doing that we can loot the tower and afterwards we can meet them in the village."

"Good idea," said India.

"OK," agreed Phaidon. He stroked the fur of his panthers, then helped the people out of the accursed tower toward Athena's followers.

"As for Zografos," said Alexander, "I don't know what we can do for him now... at the village I will rest and consult with Athena."

"Maybe he's still in the tower?" said Phaidon.

"We can make our plans from there." Alexander then consecrated the altar to Athena.

In the tower, they found a green Greatsword, 20 green arrows that Larbius had made, two wands, some magical vestments tucked away in a corner from a previous owner of the tower, a lantern, and six hundred gold coins in a chest. They also found a ship's figurehead (a nude woman holding a scythe in one hand and a lantern in the other) in a remote closet with a satchel of papers. The papers included the deed to this tower and seven acres of land surrounding the tower. The papers also included the deed to a building in Alisander, two buildings in Karn, and seven buildings in Ta'akrinat. All were listed as having been bought by Baron Villam Larbius. They also found papers that detailed the capture of several top officials in Alisander, and their replacement by illithid controlled Doppelgangers. They also found a scroll for a spell that turns the recipient into a werewolf.

Alexander gave the arrows to Phaidon. Phaidon felt the cold energy from them and said, "Thank you. Larbius will FEEL my presence next time!"

Zografos looked around. He was in a bedchamber of black silks, and was in bed with the dark haired erinyes. His rapier had pierced her heart, and her black ichor flowed freely over the black silk covers of her bed. The room was filled with pillows and sex toys. Zografos quickly searched the girl. She had a rope in her hand and a green dagger was lashed to the golden girdle at her hips. Zografos took the rope and the green dagger. He looked around for any exits from the room. He also took note of the sex toys, looking for anything unusually kinky. He saw no exits, but lots of kinky sex toys. Zografos covered up the dead body, had some fun with the toys, and then looked around for secret exits. Finding no secret exits, he realized that devils must teleport from room to room; they don't need doors. Zografos looked over his books and summoned forth the she-devil's shadow and had it teleport him back to where they just came from. He reappeared thirty feet off the ground and plummeted down.

Issic, surprised, still managed to catch him. India ran up and hugged him when the half-dragon set him on his feet. Alexander said, "Good to see you're back. I was afraid I was going to have to come after you, too." Flower ran up to him and said, "Domnhall, you're back! I was so worried! Are you okay? I am sorry we couldn't find you! Thank you for saving me!"

Later, Issic asked Zografos if he could look through his shadow texts for references on the Guardian of the Bone. Zografos handed the half-dragon the texts. After hours of searching, Issic finally found this paragraph:

"The Guardian of the Bone, which appears as a gargoyle when performing its office and as a skull otherwise, guards a danger as may be imagined only in the most terrible phantasms of the night, one which brings a strange and brooding apprehension of hideous physical danger. When as a skull it appears, you can speak to Golgaryllgar Hob in dreams, and his mind is alien and vast, and will show you visions of shoggoths and will tell you how to summon one forth to serve you, for Golgaryllgar Hob can make you more than human, more than what you are. When as a gargoyle it appears, it will protect you from the Old Ones and their servants. I have heard it said that it was created by Hades and Hephaestus at the command of Zeus to protect the people who came to this world from the other. I have also heard it was created by the followers of Gith to protect them from the mind flayers, who are the children of the Old Ones. What is the truth? I have seen it and I have not the courage to put it to paper. May I be barred forever from communion with Tenebrion Hob if I ever reveal that terrible secret."

9,000 exp for them all.