Session 12: Defeating the Temple of Erythnul
9th of Flocktime. As the rest of the party is making camp at the top of the cliff, Killick decided to head into town for a supply run. He asked the party members if there was anything they needed. Katawan asked Killick to buy him a crossbow and bolts. Alees asked for more bolts. Tarric asked for more arrows. Killick left and said he would return as soon as he could.
10th of Flocktime - early morning. After the party had 24 hours of rest (and both Alees and Thorash had prayed for spells), the party decided not to wait for Killick any longer (otherwise dawn would come and Alees would waste the spells she had memorized). About an hour before dawn, the party decided to venture back down the cliff face. Tarric and Katawan headed down first while the rest of the party waited at the top. The party immediately heard yelling from a Grimlock in the mid-level winding tunnel. When Tarric reached the bottom, he headed into the bottom tunnel. When he emerged on the other side, he was pelted with 3 javelins. Meanwhile, Alexander made it to the bottom, and Katawan climbed up to the far ledge 20 feet above the floor. Katawan saw a Grimlock at the end of the tunnel, but it fell back into the tunnel rather than engaging him. When Katawan checked again a few seconds later, that Grimlock was gone. Meanwhile, Thorash attempted to climb down the cliff with disastrous consequences. His fall knocked himself unconscious. Alees made her way down the cliff and brought Thorash back to consciousness.
In the other chamber, Alexander cast Scare on the Grimlocks at the top of the 30 foot ledge, causing one of them to flee. This made room for Tarric, using the Spider Climb that Alexander had cast on him to good effect. He made it to the top and engaged the javelin-throwing Grimlocks in melee. Meanwhile, Alexander fired Magic Missiles at the Grimlocks and then cast a Spectral Hand to impart his Chill Touch. Thorash cast Cause Fear, and then he and Alees fired bolts from their crossbows. Grimlock reinforcements arrived, causing Tarric to be surrounded by Grimlocks. He was also charged by the commander Grimlock wearing a nice chain shirt and carrying a greataxe. After Tarric cleared some room, Katawan joined him on the ledge. After most of the Grimlocks were killed, Tarric was knocked unconscious by the Grimlock leader's crushing axe blows. Katawan seemed to retreat into the passage on the far side of the cave. The Grimlock leader followed him, but he could not keep up with the monk and was unable to land a blow.
Meanwhile, Alees made her way up to the ledge to heal Tarric and engage the remaining Grimlock. At this point, the party saw that Killick had returned. He tossed a grappling hook on to the ledge to help Thorash in climbing up. Eventually, Katawan led the Grimlock leader back to the party, but now the Grimlock seemed winded from the chase. The Grimlock that had previously succumbed to Alexander's Scare spell also returned. Alexander and Killick joined the rest of the party on the ledge while Alees delivered the killing blow to the Grimlock chieftain.
After a little healing and looting, Alexander and Katawan decided to press on because they were the fastest movers in the party and could retreat quickly if necessary. They got back to the room with the 10 foot ledge and found it deserted. They climbed up the ledge and saw 3 passageways. By this time the rest of the party caught up. Alees, Alexander, and Katawan decided to investigate one of the passageways (above another 10 foot ledge) while Killick, Tarric, and Thorash explored another. Alees's group found what must have been the chieftain's private chamber and Killick's group found the common Grimlock sleeping cavern. Alees and Alexander began looking for swag, while Katawan, Killick, Tarric, and Thorash pressed on into the third passageway. This exit led to a longer passage that curved around in an approximate semi-circle before opening into a much larger area. However, as soon as Katawan moved in, he was attacked by more Grimlocks.
The Grimlocks backed off a bit, allowing Killick to move a bit farther into the room, but he was quickly surrounded. However, the Grimlocks' axe blows are largely ineffective against him even when flanked. It is at this point that the party noticed a cleric wearing a shiny breastplate on the far side of the room on a small ledge over a campfire 10 feet below. As the party fought its way through the warrior Grimlocks, the cleric (who called himself Grallak Kur) cast numerous spells at the party including Hold Person, Cause Fear, Spiritual Weapon, and (when Tarric was approaching his position) Invisibility. (Presumably, he also had time to cast some unknown buff spells.)
After the warrior Grimlocks had been dispatched, Grallak Kur cast Sound Burst at the party which made him visible again. He then climbed back up onto his little platform above the campfire and waited for challengers to face him one-on-one. Tarric was willing to oblige him but was quickly knocked unconscious by the cleric's wicked skill with the morningstar. When it was clear that the rest of the party was unwilling to climb up to face him one at a time, he cast Obscuring Mist to help protect himself from ranged attacks. The party found creative ways to burn off the areas of mist that were protecting him. And after suffering a couple painful arrows and bolts from Alees and Katawan in quick succession, he decided to jump down and face the party all at once. This gamble seemed to pay off handsomely for the cleric as Alees and Katawan withdrew, and Killick was quickly knocked unconscious. Grallak Kur emerged from the mist and saw Thorash for the first time in the battle. He remarked that when he had foreseen this battle in the fire, he had not seen a dwarf in the party - only humans. But his puzzlement at the presence of a dwarf did not delay him long. He knocked the dwarf unconscious in short order.
With 3 of the party's melee fighters unconscious and Katawan wounded and avoiding combat, things looked dire for the heroes. At this point, Alees decided that the party's only hope was to chuck her last tanglefoot bag at the cleric. Alees called on the luck power granted by her deity to ensure that the bag would hit him. Apparently, Fharlangn heard her prayer, because the Grimlock cleric failed to dodge it and was firmly rooted to the ground. Without a slashing weapon, he had no means of escape. Alees quickly stabilized Thorash, then she and Katawan gleefully shot him with arrows from a short distance away. (Alexander made a point of not shooting the cleric while he was helpless.) As he was being shot to death, he conveyed his confidence that the party would die and that the Ebon Triad would eventually be victorious. He claimed that the awakening of the Overgod was inevitable. With his last breath he prayed to Erythnul to receive his soul with honor.
The party was victorious over the temple of Erythnul.
9th of Flocktime. As the rest of the party is making camp at the top of the cliff, Killick decided to head into town for a supply run. He asked the party members if there was anything they needed. Katawan asked Killick to buy him a crossbow and bolts. Alees asked for more bolts. Tarric asked for more arrows. Killick left and said he would return as soon as he could.
10th of Flocktime - early morning. After the party had 24 hours of rest (and both Alees and Thorash had prayed for spells), the party decided not to wait for Killick any longer (otherwise dawn would come and Alees would waste the spells she had memorized). About an hour before dawn, the party decided to venture back down the cliff face. Tarric and Katawan headed down first while the rest of the party waited at the top. The party immediately heard yelling from a Grimlock in the mid-level winding tunnel. When Tarric reached the bottom, he headed into the bottom tunnel. When he emerged on the other side, he was pelted with 3 javelins. Meanwhile, Alexander made it to the bottom, and Katawan climbed up to the far ledge 20 feet above the floor. Katawan saw a Grimlock at the end of the tunnel, but it fell back into the tunnel rather than engaging him. When Katawan checked again a few seconds later, that Grimlock was gone. Meanwhile, Thorash attempted to climb down the cliff with disastrous consequences. His fall knocked himself unconscious. Alees made her way down the cliff and brought Thorash back to consciousness.
In the other chamber, Alexander cast Scare on the Grimlocks at the top of the 30 foot ledge, causing one of them to flee. This made room for Tarric, using the Spider Climb that Alexander had cast on him to good effect. He made it to the top and engaged the javelin-throwing Grimlocks in melee. Meanwhile, Alexander fired Magic Missiles at the Grimlocks and then cast a Spectral Hand to impart his Chill Touch. Thorash cast Cause Fear, and then he and Alees fired bolts from their crossbows. Grimlock reinforcements arrived, causing Tarric to be surrounded by Grimlocks. He was also charged by the commander Grimlock wearing a nice chain shirt and carrying a greataxe. After Tarric cleared some room, Katawan joined him on the ledge. After most of the Grimlocks were killed, Tarric was knocked unconscious by the Grimlock leader's crushing axe blows. Katawan seemed to retreat into the passage on the far side of the cave. The Grimlock leader followed him, but he could not keep up with the monk and was unable to land a blow.
Meanwhile, Alees made her way up to the ledge to heal Tarric and engage the remaining Grimlock. At this point, the party saw that Killick had returned. He tossed a grappling hook on to the ledge to help Thorash in climbing up. Eventually, Katawan led the Grimlock leader back to the party, but now the Grimlock seemed winded from the chase. The Grimlock that had previously succumbed to Alexander's Scare spell also returned. Alexander and Killick joined the rest of the party on the ledge while Alees delivered the killing blow to the Grimlock chieftain.
After a little healing and looting, Alexander and Katawan decided to press on because they were the fastest movers in the party and could retreat quickly if necessary. They got back to the room with the 10 foot ledge and found it deserted. They climbed up the ledge and saw 3 passageways. By this time the rest of the party caught up. Alees, Alexander, and Katawan decided to investigate one of the passageways (above another 10 foot ledge) while Killick, Tarric, and Thorash explored another. Alees's group found what must have been the chieftain's private chamber and Killick's group found the common Grimlock sleeping cavern. Alees and Alexander began looking for swag, while Katawan, Killick, Tarric, and Thorash pressed on into the third passageway. This exit led to a longer passage that curved around in an approximate semi-circle before opening into a much larger area. However, as soon as Katawan moved in, he was attacked by more Grimlocks.
The Grimlocks backed off a bit, allowing Killick to move a bit farther into the room, but he was quickly surrounded. However, the Grimlocks' axe blows are largely ineffective against him even when flanked. It is at this point that the party noticed a cleric wearing a shiny breastplate on the far side of the room on a small ledge over a campfire 10 feet below. As the party fought its way through the warrior Grimlocks, the cleric (who called himself Grallak Kur) cast numerous spells at the party including Hold Person, Cause Fear, Spiritual Weapon, and (when Tarric was approaching his position) Invisibility. (Presumably, he also had time to cast some unknown buff spells.)
After the warrior Grimlocks had been dispatched, Grallak Kur cast Sound Burst at the party which made him visible again. He then climbed back up onto his little platform above the campfire and waited for challengers to face him one-on-one. Tarric was willing to oblige him but was quickly knocked unconscious by the cleric's wicked skill with the morningstar. When it was clear that the rest of the party was unwilling to climb up to face him one at a time, he cast Obscuring Mist to help protect himself from ranged attacks. The party found creative ways to burn off the areas of mist that were protecting him. And after suffering a couple painful arrows and bolts from Alees and Katawan in quick succession, he decided to jump down and face the party all at once. This gamble seemed to pay off handsomely for the cleric as Alees and Katawan withdrew, and Killick was quickly knocked unconscious. Grallak Kur emerged from the mist and saw Thorash for the first time in the battle. He remarked that when he had foreseen this battle in the fire, he had not seen a dwarf in the party - only humans. But his puzzlement at the presence of a dwarf did not delay him long. He knocked the dwarf unconscious in short order.
With 3 of the party's melee fighters unconscious and Katawan wounded and avoiding combat, things looked dire for the heroes. At this point, Alees decided that the party's only hope was to chuck her last tanglefoot bag at the cleric. Alees called on the luck power granted by her deity to ensure that the bag would hit him. Apparently, Fharlangn heard her prayer, because the Grimlock cleric failed to dodge it and was firmly rooted to the ground. Without a slashing weapon, he had no means of escape. Alees quickly stabilized Thorash, then she and Katawan gleefully shot him with arrows from a short distance away. (Alexander made a point of not shooting the cleric while he was helpless.) As he was being shot to death, he conveyed his confidence that the party would die and that the Ebon Triad would eventually be victorious. He claimed that the awakening of the Overgod was inevitable. With his last breath he prayed to Erythnul to receive his soul with honor.
The party was victorious over the temple of Erythnul.