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Raiders of the Overreach
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 8538562" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 52: REDEMPTION FOR THE UNCLEAN</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Cramer Appleknocker, gnome cleric 18</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Jhasspok, lizardman 3/barbarian 3/fighter 12</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Khari Hammerslammer, dwarf fighter 17/psychic warrior 1</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Marlo Pendragon, human sorcerer 18</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Utred "Buckets" Butterflinger, dwarf barbarian 18</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 2 February 2022</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>"Well," said Marlo nervously as her <em>teleport</em> spell brought her and her four companions across the miles. "Here we are."</p><p></p><p>They stood in a clearing, the ruins of ancient buildings all around them. This, according to the diviner Lauren back in Greenvale, was the entrance to the Halls of Redemption, a place where those wishing to atone for their past actions could be redeemed. And Utred and Marlo both had some atoning to do, having learned that their ill-considered bargain with the Dying One for increased personal power could have some serious consequences in the future. Having each been designated "Unclean Things" by the neophyte Jakuran gods awaiting rebirth, they wished to be forever parted from their alliance with the illithid Elder God, even if it meant giving up the additional power each had received from Uboros and which had had lingered on undiminished after His recent death.</p><p></p><p>"We'd better prepare for combat," Cramer advised, not knowing what to expect; Lauren had no details of what they might see within the Halls of Redemption, only the location of the place and that the other three adventurers would be allowed inside to aid their friends in their redemption. Marlo cast <em>stoneskin</em> spells upon all but herself and Cramer and then cast the traditional <em>Rary's telepathic bond</em>. Cramer cast his own standard spells on himself: <em>longstrider</em>, <em>moment of prescience</em>, and <em>spell turning</em>. Khari focused his mind and activated his <em>offensive prescience</em> power, the better to aid the strikes with his <em>earthglide warhammer</em>. "Thank you, Marlo," Jhasspok said, always grateful to be included in the protective spells that time had taught him was often that kept them all alive in their combats.</p><p></p><p>"So now what?" asked Utred. "Where exactly is this Hall?"</p><p></p><p>As if in answer to the dwarven barbarian's question, two constructs stepped out of a crumbling wall, passing through it as if it were no more substantial than a mirage. Their helmeted heads swiveled and focused on Marlo and Utred. Speaking in unison, they said, "We have been warned of your impending arrival. We shall waive the traditional challenge of entry that we will not be impaired should the retrieval of your bodies be necessary."</p><p></p><p>"Well, that's comforting!" grumbled Cramer under his breath. He was starting to wonder if maybe he shouldn't try taking his argument back up about casting <em>atonement</em> spells himself on the two "Unclean Things," despite Marlo's continued insistence she didn't want to be in the little gnome's debt. But the two constructs stepped aside and gestured for the group to enter the Halls of Redemption as the <em>illusory walls</em> hiding the entrance faded from between them. "What can we expect inside?" Cramer asked the guardians, hoping to learn as much as he could beforehand, hopefully before they went too far along a path the gnome cleric was starting to think might not have been the wisest one to follow.</p><p></p><p>"You will have to purge your inner demons," replied the two constructs in unison. "Two of you are in need of redemption, the others are encouraged to aid them as well, cleansing yourselves of your own inner demons as you do so."</p><p></p><p>The group stepped inside, the doors closing and sealing shut behind them. The entire building was one great hall, with a red carpet going down the middle to a set of empty thrones at the far end. On either side, the walls held four alcoves apiece containing full-length mirrors. Light was provided by flaming torches set in sconces at equal intervals around the hall.</p><p></p><p>But that wasn't all Marlo could see. With her <em>robe of eyes</em>, she saw perfectly well the invisible figure seated in one of the thrones and watching them with an expression of calm interest. "Are you in charge of this place?" Marlo asked, causing her companions to look around in confusion at who she might be addressing. "What must we do to atone?" Then, seeing her friends' confusion, she explained telepathically, <There's an invisible celestial sitting in one of the thrones. Or I assume so - he's got feathered wings, in any case.></p><p></p><p>Her answer came back telepathically - and to all five of the adventurers at once. <I am indeed a celestial,> he explained. <I address your attention to the mirrors on the sides of the hall. You have but to step forward and look into one of the mirrors for your 'inner demon' to step forth.></p><p></p><p><Each of us?> asked Cramer. <em>He</em> didn't feel like he had any particular atoning to do.</p><p></p><p><Each of you,> confirmed the celestial. <For the two seeking redemption, their conquest of their inner demons made flesh will provide the release they seek from their bargain with the Dying One. For the rest of you, you will have earned either knowledge or power: the answer to one question or an increase in the power of one of your weapons.></p><p></p><p>"Okay, let's plan this out," suggested Cramer. "Marlo and Utred step in front of a mirror and activate their inner demons. Then Utred high-tails it back by me, I cast a <em>silence</em> spell on him, and he goes after Mirror-Marlo. That way, she won't be able to cast any spells!" The little gnome cackled in glee, thinking how easy this was going to be.</p><p></p><p>But Jhasspok was confused, admittedly not entirely an unusual state for the lizardfolk to be in. He didn't know much about magic other than all of its seemingly arbitrary restrictions made little sense to him, but he did know fighting one enemy at a time was better than fighting two. "Why would we fight both Utred and Marlo?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>"That's the whole reason we're here," scoffed Cramer, ignoring the silly lizardfolk's input. Seriously, when would the reptile ever learn to keep his mouth shut when they were strategizing? It wasn't as if his staggering reptile intellect actually provided anything of use to any conversation - and it was fortunate he usually pestered Utred for answers to his questions, as the gnome had little patience for such idiocy. "Okay, off you go," he said to Marlo and Utred, bringing the words to the <em>silence</em> spell to the forefront of his brain.</p><p></p><p>Utred stepped off the carpet to the right as Marlo stepped off to the left, each standing before a mirror. Their reflections warped and rippled, then took solid form as they stepped through the mirror and into the Halls of Redemption. But as they stepped forth into solid form, the others could see these were no true reflections of the original but perhaps warnings of the pair's future if redemption were not attained. The Mirror-Utred wore minimal armor but had multiple weapons hanging on his belt and a familiar greataxe gripped in his hand whose weapon-head flickered with green flames. But his body was covered with writhing tentacles and his flesh puckered out in multiple locations, each extrusion sporting an extra eye which darted back and forth, examining the area. Marlo's mirror-self was no better, for the limbs visible extending from her robes were stringy as if composed of fused-together tentacles and her head had expanded into a fleshy mass covered in a myriad of eyes. She wore no <em>robe of eyes</em> as the true Marlo did, but neither was she lacking in that capacity.</p><p></p><p>Utred and Marlo each gave an involuntary cry as their mirror-duplicates stepped out into reality, for they each felt the "gifts" granted by the Dying One being ripped from their bodies - and crossing the room to enhance their hideous inner demons. The tentacle-covered false Utred's already muscular body expanded in even more vitality and the glow behind the false Marlo's countless eyes increased in illumination. But despite this, Utred lurched away from his mirror-duplicate and raced to attack the fake Marlo. The real Marlo was stepping back onto the red carpeting, likely more from horror at the sight of her inner demon than anything else.</p><p></p><p>Utred's hideous duplicate raced after his original, <em>Elderwood flaming greataxe</em> swinging at the barbarian. Marlo stabbed at him with her <em>arcane blade</em> but the tentacled dwarf looked like he could take just about any amount of damage without even feeling it. Marlo knew from past experience that was certainly true for their own Utred - and this one seemed even more inured to pain! Regardless, Khari spun to face the mutant dwarf and struck him with his <em>earthglide warhammer</em> to little effect.</p><p></p><p>However, before Cramer could cast his <em>silence</em> spell or Jhasspok could bring his battleaxe to bear against Utred's inner demon, the mutated mirror-duplicate of Marlo Pendragon screamed out a <em>wail of the banshee</em> spell. Khari dropped his hammer and fell to the ground, clutching his ears in pain as his heart stopped. Beside him, Marlo slumped to the floor of the Hall of Redemption, slain at once by the version of herself she now feared above all else. The mutant Marlo looked over at her handiwork and likely would have smiled had her bloated face been capable of such an expression, then began fading from view, her task completed. She took several steps backwards into the mirror, fading further with each stride.</p><p></p><p>Seeing his <em>silence</em> spell would now serve no purpose, Cramer switched strategies and cast a <em>shield of faith</em> spell on Utred, hoping to buoy up his defenses against his powerhouse duplicate. He took a strike from the Utred-thing's greataxe as he cast the spell, then another as he tried scampering away to use Jhasspok as a living shield. For his part, Jhasspok gave it his all against Utred's inner demon, each blow from his greataxe slicing off a handful of those tiny tentacles that covered the dwarf's body. He also opened up rents in the mutant barbarian's flesh, causing blood to spill out from each wound, which the Utred-thing didn't even deign to notice. Instead, he focused all of his considerable anger at Utred, attacking him for all he was worth. Utred's combat training was stretched to the limit as he found himself under attack by a more powerful version of himself. He tried trading blow for blow against his mirror-duplicate, but more of the thing's axe-blows were connecting with Utred than the true dwarf's attacks were striking the inner demon. Utred let the fires of his rage burn brightly, to add fuel to his strength and determination to rid himself of this despised version of himself.</p><p></p><p>Cramer's next spell attack was an <em>energy drain</em> that struck the mutant dwarf and siphoned off a bit of his vitality - not that he didn't have plenty more to spare. Jhasspok continued his attacks, although it seemed like trying to fell a tree with a dagger. But for all the mirror-duplicate cared, the others might not have even been in the room with him, for his attention was focused solely on Utred Butterflinger. As his continued blows struck true, Utred was grateful to note they no longer had <em>quite</em> as much strength behind them; Cramer's <em>energy drain</em> had had some effect, in any case.</p><p></p><p>Cramer converted his most powerful spell into a <em>mass heal</em>, sealing up the few wounds he and Utred had received in the battle thus far. It was a tactical move on the cleric's part, not because either hero was in particularly desperate need for healing at that moment but because he knew he'd soon be bringing his own mirror-duplicate into existence and he didn't want his own twisted reflection to have access to a spell that powerful. And Utred and Jhasspok continued attacking the mirror-Utred from opposite sides, slowly cutting him down. Jhasspok finally brought down the overpowered barbarian with a final blow from his battleaxe, only to have the creature fade from view, taking his weapons with him. Utred swore aloud; he'd hoped to add his mirror-duplicate's weapons to his own already extensive collection.</p><p></p><p>"We should go," advised Jhasspok, leaning down to pick up the slain figure of Marlo. He didn't know a whole lot about magic, but he did know that of the five heroes Cramer was the only one capable of bringing Khari and Marlo back to life; if anything happened to the cleric in a subsequent fight against these mirror-duplicates, Jhasspok had no idea how they'd get everyone resurrected.</p><p></p><p>"Hold on," countered Cramer. "We came here for a reason - we should stick to the plan. We've already gotten Utred redeemed, after all."</p><p></p><p>"But Marlo is dead," Jhasspok argued. "How can we bring her inner demon back out of the mirror now? And what about Khari?"</p><p></p><p><It would seem you have no way to complete your original goal,> interjected the celestial. <Would you continue to seek redemption for Marlo Pendragon, if such were made possible?></p><p></p><p>"How do you mean?" demanded Utred.</p><p></p><p><If you are determined to finish what you started, I have the means to return your two slain friends to life.></p><p></p><p>Jhasspok didn't need any time to think it over. "Yes," he said. "Do it. We will continue the fight."</p><p></p><p>Marlo's body started to glow in Jhasspok's arms; Khari's did likewise on the floor at Utred's feet. The glow faded and the two stirred, blinking their eyes and looking about them in confusion. "What happened?" asked Khari.</p><p></p><p>Cramer filled them in and then Jhasspok started asking questions of Cramer. "If you wanted the other Marlo to be inside a <em>silence</em> spell, why didn't you cast it on her when she stepped out of the mirror?"</p><p></p><p>"It isn't that simple," snapped the gnome. "If you cast it on a person, there's a chance they'll be able to resist the effects. That would negate the whole point of casting the spell in the first place."</p><p></p><p>"Then why didn't you cast it on a coin and throw the coin over by the mirror? And why did you have Utred bring his double out all the way over there and Marlo bring hers out way over there, if we were going to fight them both at the same time? And why did we fight two of them at once, when we could have--"</p><p></p><p>"Okay, okay, point taken," grumbled Cramer. "Maybe we should plan how we're going to do things a little better this time." That seemed eminently practical to Jhasspok. Cramer once again took point in outlining the plan forward, only this time incorporating the lizardfolk's suggestions into his strategy. And thus it was that when Marlo stepped forward to activate her mirror-double once again, there was not only a coin with a <em>silence</em> spell on it on the floor at the base of the mirror but also Utred standing on one side with his <em>Elderwood flaming greataxe</em> poised to strike; having already called forth and defeating his own inner demon, the dwarven barbarian's reflection could do no further harm. Marlo was positioned such that she could be seen in the mirror but was just outside the radius of the <em>silence</em> spell so she could still cast spells while her hideous duplicate could not.</p><p></p><p>The mirror's image wavered and pulsated and the lumpy-headed, eye-filled version of Marlo stepped out of the mirror. But before Utred could even bring his axe crashing down upon her bulbous head, the real Marlo cast a <em>maximized disintegrate</em> spell upon her mutated duplicate. The Marlo-thing exploded silently into a fine dust.</p><p></p><p>"That's two down," crowed Cramer as if he'd been personally responsible for the deaths of both foes. "I'll go next." He stepped forward, bringing forth his own mirror-duplicate into the hall. However, he was surprised at the figure that stepped forward, for while it was indeed a gnomish cleric of Fharlanghn, rather than looking like Cramer Appleknocker it bore the semblance of Honeycomb Buzzwort, Cramer's erstwhile mentor in the church of the God of Travelers. Honeycomb wore the tight-fitting leathers of a male pleasure slave in the direct employ of the Matron Mother of House Jalamir, a role he was rumored to have been performing back in Overreach since his capture.</p><p></p><p>Utred didn't care what the gnome looked like or what he was wearing; he brought his greataxe down upon what could only be an enemy to be vanquished. After a moment's shock at the "duplicate's" appearance, Cramer cast the <em>miracle</em> spell he'd had prepared, using it to spoof a <em>destruction</em> spell he had not had the forethought to prepare that morning. However, there were other factors he hadn't taken into consideration, the first of which being he'd activated his mirror-duplicate while protected by a <em>spell turning</em> spell and thus the figure stepping out of the mirror was likewise so protected. Cramer's <em>destruction</em> spell hit the enemy gnome and a resonation field formed between the two gnomes as the spell leaped back and forth between the two of them, eventually reverberating into nothingness. Buzzwort cried out in surprise, noticed he made no noise while doing so, deduced he was in the radius of a <em>silence</em> spell, and then used a piece of Cramer's duplicated equipment (that the little gnome had completely forgotten about) - namely, a <em>rod of silent spells</em>. With it, Buzzwort erected a <em>blade barrier</em> straight through Jhasspok, Marlo, and Utred. Then the little mirror-gnome was off in a sprint, trying to get out of the radius of the <em>silence</em> spell so he could use his more powerful spells, those which could not be channeled through the <em>metamagic rod</em>.</p><p></p><p>But as fast as the little gnome was, Jhasspok was even faster. He charged forward out of the <em>blade barrier</em> spell and leaped at Buzzwort, catching the little gnome in a flurry of axe-swings and snapping at him with his mouth full of sharp teeth. However, unnoticed by the lizardfolk, a second figure emerged from the mirror behind Buzzwort, this one looking suspiciously like Jhasspok himself. This version also wore a <em>tailband of the raptor</em> and put it immediately to good use, ripping through Jhasspok's scales with his own battleaxe and biting at his twin with his own razor-sharp teeth.</p><p></p><p>Utred charged forward, attacking the second Jhasspok to give the original time to recover from the unexpected attack. Marlo cast a <em>maximized disintegrate</em> spell at Buzzwort, which didn't slay him outright as she had hoped but had him stumbling to stay upright on his feet. Khari had instinctively leaped behind the <em>blade barrier</em> and feared if he raced forward to help his friends he'd only bring his own mirror-duplicate into the fray, so he pulled out his <em>frost shortbow</em> and shot at Buzzwort. Sadly, his arrows were deflected by the whirling blades of force dancing about as part of the leather-clad gnome cleric's initial spell.</p><p></p><p>Cramer, seeing Jhasspok's many wounds, realized he needed to take out the current foes as quickly as he could. He cast a <em>mass inflict critical wounds</em> spell which slew Buzzwort and severely hurt the reptilian newcomer to the fight. Jhasspok slammed his battleaxe into his twin, releasing the <em>vampiric touch</em> spell Marlo had loaded into it the day before; the spell stripped some of the duplicate's life energy and sent it flooding into Jhasspok's body, doing a small part in healing the massive amount of damage he'd taken thus far. But the mirror-Jhasspok, true to form, had no eyes for any foe but his own twin and his battleaxe cut into Jhasspok again, undoing much of the vampiric healing he'd just employed. Fortunately, Utred was there to finish off the enemy lizardfolk on Jhasspok's behalf.</p><p></p><p>Khari circled around the <em>blade barrier</em> spell - somewhat irritated that the hall's worked floors made <em>earthgliding</em> impossible - preparing to activate his own mirror-duplicate now that the others had been dealt with. Cramer belatedly noticed how close Jhasspok was to toppling over from his many wounds and hurriedly cast a <em>heal</em> spell to restore him to his full health and vitality.</p><p></p><p>When the mirror-Khari stepped out of the mirror, glowing in psionic runes (for this version of Khari seemed to have devoted himself exclusively to the ways of the psychic warrior), he was almost instantly <em>disintegrated</em> by Marlo, who had cast another <em>maximized</em> version of the spell.</p><p></p><p><Very nicely handled,> said the celestial in the throne. <Once again, teamwork and friendship find a path to success. Utred Butterflinger and Marlo Pendragon, you have both been purged of the taint of Uboros. As for the rest of you, you may ask of me a single boon: knowledge or power. Khari Hammerslammer, what is your wish?></p><p></p><p>"Power," replied the dwarf, holding up his <em>earthglide warhammer</em>.</p><p></p><p><Then so shall it be: your weapon will now strike true against ghosts and other beings without a corporeal form. Cramer Appleknocker, what is your wish.></p><p></p><p>"Knowledge."</p><p></p><p><Ask away.></p><p></p><p>"Honeycomb Buzzwort - the real one, still back in Overreach - is he content with his lot in life? I had originally planned to rescue him, but I've been hearing stories he's actually kind of enjoying his current status."</p><p></p><p><He is content - extremely so. Jhasspok, what is your wish?></p><p></p><p>"Power, please." He held up the <em>spell storing battleaxe</em> he'd used in combat today.</p><p></p><p><Then so shall it be: your weapon has been further enhanced to guide your strikes and add power to its blows. You are now free to go.> At the back of the Hall of Redemption, the doors were swinging open, seemingly of their own accord. The five turned to go.</p><p></p><p><One last thing before you leave,> added the celestial. <Although fully purged of the taint of Uboros, none of you are fully immune to the corruption you will face on the Unchartable Isle, home to the sundered Gate of Zarbugak from which the Outside leeches into Shadreath. You have been warned.></p><p></p><p>Now worried once again, the five heroes turned and exited the Halls of Redemption.</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>Man, are we ever our own worst enemies or what? That was particularly poor planning (or more properly, lack thereof) on our part, rushing into the Halls of Redemption without much of a plan. Dan almost immediately jotted down three monsters he wanted Cramer to summon and passed them to me on a scrap of paper, asking if I could whip up their stats. They were a celestial badger, a fiendish wolf, and a celestial griffon, meaning I not only needed to jot down their core stats but then apply a template on top of each of them. And I was surprised at this strategy in any case, as we were 18th level and he wanted to summon...a 6-hp celestial badger? Even the griffon wouldn't be anything more than a speed bump up against the foes we'd likely be meeting in the Halls of Redemption (and any mirror-duplicate would be focused solely on his or her "original" version to the exclusion of all other foes in any case). But I didn't feel like arguing how others should run their PCs and by the time I had finished up the stats we had Mirror-Utred in our midst and we were all rolling Fortitude saves against Mirror-Marlo's <em>wail of the banshee</em>. What a fiasco! Logan took pity on us and gave Khari and Marlo free <em>true resurrection</em> spells to get us back on track.</p><p></p><p>But Khari now has a <em>+5 ghost touch earthglide warhammer</em> and Jhasspok has a <em>+5 icy burst spell storing battleaxe</em>, so we made out okay.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 8538562, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 52: REDEMPTION FOR THE UNCLEAN[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Cramer Appleknocker, gnome cleric 18[/INDENT] [INDENT] Jhasspok, lizardman 3/barbarian 3/fighter 12[/INDENT] [INDENT] Khari Hammerslammer, dwarf fighter 17/psychic warrior 1[/INDENT] [INDENT] Marlo Pendragon, human sorcerer 18[/INDENT] [INDENT] Utred "Buckets" Butterflinger, dwarf barbarian 18[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 2 February 2022 - - - "Well," said Marlo nervously as her [I]teleport[/I] spell brought her and her four companions across the miles. "Here we are." They stood in a clearing, the ruins of ancient buildings all around them. This, according to the diviner Lauren back in Greenvale, was the entrance to the Halls of Redemption, a place where those wishing to atone for their past actions could be redeemed. And Utred and Marlo both had some atoning to do, having learned that their ill-considered bargain with the Dying One for increased personal power could have some serious consequences in the future. Having each been designated "Unclean Things" by the neophyte Jakuran gods awaiting rebirth, they wished to be forever parted from their alliance with the illithid Elder God, even if it meant giving up the additional power each had received from Uboros and which had had lingered on undiminished after His recent death. "We'd better prepare for combat," Cramer advised, not knowing what to expect; Lauren had no details of what they might see within the Halls of Redemption, only the location of the place and that the other three adventurers would be allowed inside to aid their friends in their redemption. Marlo cast [I]stoneskin[/I] spells upon all but herself and Cramer and then cast the traditional [I]Rary's telepathic bond[/I]. Cramer cast his own standard spells on himself: [I]longstrider[/I], [I]moment of prescience[/I], and [I]spell turning[/I]. Khari focused his mind and activated his [I]offensive prescience[/I] power, the better to aid the strikes with his [I]earthglide warhammer[/I]. "Thank you, Marlo," Jhasspok said, always grateful to be included in the protective spells that time had taught him was often that kept them all alive in their combats. "So now what?" asked Utred. "Where exactly is this Hall?" As if in answer to the dwarven barbarian's question, two constructs stepped out of a crumbling wall, passing through it as if it were no more substantial than a mirage. Their helmeted heads swiveled and focused on Marlo and Utred. Speaking in unison, they said, "We have been warned of your impending arrival. We shall waive the traditional challenge of entry that we will not be impaired should the retrieval of your bodies be necessary." "Well, that's comforting!" grumbled Cramer under his breath. He was starting to wonder if maybe he shouldn't try taking his argument back up about casting [I]atonement[/I] spells himself on the two "Unclean Things," despite Marlo's continued insistence she didn't want to be in the little gnome's debt. But the two constructs stepped aside and gestured for the group to enter the Halls of Redemption as the [I]illusory walls[/I] hiding the entrance faded from between them. "What can we expect inside?" Cramer asked the guardians, hoping to learn as much as he could beforehand, hopefully before they went too far along a path the gnome cleric was starting to think might not have been the wisest one to follow. "You will have to purge your inner demons," replied the two constructs in unison. "Two of you are in need of redemption, the others are encouraged to aid them as well, cleansing yourselves of your own inner demons as you do so." The group stepped inside, the doors closing and sealing shut behind them. The entire building was one great hall, with a red carpet going down the middle to a set of empty thrones at the far end. On either side, the walls held four alcoves apiece containing full-length mirrors. Light was provided by flaming torches set in sconces at equal intervals around the hall. But that wasn't all Marlo could see. With her [I]robe of eyes[/I], she saw perfectly well the invisible figure seated in one of the thrones and watching them with an expression of calm interest. "Are you in charge of this place?" Marlo asked, causing her companions to look around in confusion at who she might be addressing. "What must we do to atone?" Then, seeing her friends' confusion, she explained telepathically, <There's an invisible celestial sitting in one of the thrones. Or I assume so - he's got feathered wings, in any case.> Her answer came back telepathically - and to all five of the adventurers at once. <I am indeed a celestial,> he explained. <I address your attention to the mirrors on the sides of the hall. You have but to step forward and look into one of the mirrors for your 'inner demon' to step forth.> <Each of us?> asked Cramer. [I]He[/I] didn't feel like he had any particular atoning to do. <Each of you,> confirmed the celestial. <For the two seeking redemption, their conquest of their inner demons made flesh will provide the release they seek from their bargain with the Dying One. For the rest of you, you will have earned either knowledge or power: the answer to one question or an increase in the power of one of your weapons.> "Okay, let's plan this out," suggested Cramer. "Marlo and Utred step in front of a mirror and activate their inner demons. Then Utred high-tails it back by me, I cast a [I]silence[/I] spell on him, and he goes after Mirror-Marlo. That way, she won't be able to cast any spells!" The little gnome cackled in glee, thinking how easy this was going to be. But Jhasspok was confused, admittedly not entirely an unusual state for the lizardfolk to be in. He didn't know much about magic other than all of its seemingly arbitrary restrictions made little sense to him, but he did know fighting one enemy at a time was better than fighting two. "Why would we fight both Utred and Marlo?" he asked. "That's the whole reason we're here," scoffed Cramer, ignoring the silly lizardfolk's input. Seriously, when would the reptile ever learn to keep his mouth shut when they were strategizing? It wasn't as if his staggering reptile intellect actually provided anything of use to any conversation - and it was fortunate he usually pestered Utred for answers to his questions, as the gnome had little patience for such idiocy. "Okay, off you go," he said to Marlo and Utred, bringing the words to the [I]silence[/I] spell to the forefront of his brain. Utred stepped off the carpet to the right as Marlo stepped off to the left, each standing before a mirror. Their reflections warped and rippled, then took solid form as they stepped through the mirror and into the Halls of Redemption. But as they stepped forth into solid form, the others could see these were no true reflections of the original but perhaps warnings of the pair's future if redemption were not attained. The Mirror-Utred wore minimal armor but had multiple weapons hanging on his belt and a familiar greataxe gripped in his hand whose weapon-head flickered with green flames. But his body was covered with writhing tentacles and his flesh puckered out in multiple locations, each extrusion sporting an extra eye which darted back and forth, examining the area. Marlo's mirror-self was no better, for the limbs visible extending from her robes were stringy as if composed of fused-together tentacles and her head had expanded into a fleshy mass covered in a myriad of eyes. She wore no [I]robe of eyes[/I] as the true Marlo did, but neither was she lacking in that capacity. Utred and Marlo each gave an involuntary cry as their mirror-duplicates stepped out into reality, for they each felt the "gifts" granted by the Dying One being ripped from their bodies - and crossing the room to enhance their hideous inner demons. The tentacle-covered false Utred's already muscular body expanded in even more vitality and the glow behind the false Marlo's countless eyes increased in illumination. But despite this, Utred lurched away from his mirror-duplicate and raced to attack the fake Marlo. The real Marlo was stepping back onto the red carpeting, likely more from horror at the sight of her inner demon than anything else. Utred's hideous duplicate raced after his original, [I]Elderwood flaming greataxe[/I] swinging at the barbarian. Marlo stabbed at him with her [I]arcane blade[/I] but the tentacled dwarf looked like he could take just about any amount of damage without even feeling it. Marlo knew from past experience that was certainly true for their own Utred - and this one seemed even more inured to pain! Regardless, Khari spun to face the mutant dwarf and struck him with his [I]earthglide warhammer[/I] to little effect. However, before Cramer could cast his [I]silence[/I] spell or Jhasspok could bring his battleaxe to bear against Utred's inner demon, the mutated mirror-duplicate of Marlo Pendragon screamed out a [I]wail of the banshee[/I] spell. Khari dropped his hammer and fell to the ground, clutching his ears in pain as his heart stopped. Beside him, Marlo slumped to the floor of the Hall of Redemption, slain at once by the version of herself she now feared above all else. The mutant Marlo looked over at her handiwork and likely would have smiled had her bloated face been capable of such an expression, then began fading from view, her task completed. She took several steps backwards into the mirror, fading further with each stride. Seeing his [I]silence[/I] spell would now serve no purpose, Cramer switched strategies and cast a [I]shield of faith[/I] spell on Utred, hoping to buoy up his defenses against his powerhouse duplicate. He took a strike from the Utred-thing's greataxe as he cast the spell, then another as he tried scampering away to use Jhasspok as a living shield. For his part, Jhasspok gave it his all against Utred's inner demon, each blow from his greataxe slicing off a handful of those tiny tentacles that covered the dwarf's body. He also opened up rents in the mutant barbarian's flesh, causing blood to spill out from each wound, which the Utred-thing didn't even deign to notice. Instead, he focused all of his considerable anger at Utred, attacking him for all he was worth. Utred's combat training was stretched to the limit as he found himself under attack by a more powerful version of himself. He tried trading blow for blow against his mirror-duplicate, but more of the thing's axe-blows were connecting with Utred than the true dwarf's attacks were striking the inner demon. Utred let the fires of his rage burn brightly, to add fuel to his strength and determination to rid himself of this despised version of himself. Cramer's next spell attack was an [I]energy drain[/I] that struck the mutant dwarf and siphoned off a bit of his vitality - not that he didn't have plenty more to spare. Jhasspok continued his attacks, although it seemed like trying to fell a tree with a dagger. But for all the mirror-duplicate cared, the others might not have even been in the room with him, for his attention was focused solely on Utred Butterflinger. As his continued blows struck true, Utred was grateful to note they no longer had [I]quite[/I] as much strength behind them; Cramer's [I]energy drain[/I] had had some effect, in any case. Cramer converted his most powerful spell into a [I]mass heal[/I], sealing up the few wounds he and Utred had received in the battle thus far. It was a tactical move on the cleric's part, not because either hero was in particularly desperate need for healing at that moment but because he knew he'd soon be bringing his own mirror-duplicate into existence and he didn't want his own twisted reflection to have access to a spell that powerful. And Utred and Jhasspok continued attacking the mirror-Utred from opposite sides, slowly cutting him down. Jhasspok finally brought down the overpowered barbarian with a final blow from his battleaxe, only to have the creature fade from view, taking his weapons with him. Utred swore aloud; he'd hoped to add his mirror-duplicate's weapons to his own already extensive collection. "We should go," advised Jhasspok, leaning down to pick up the slain figure of Marlo. He didn't know a whole lot about magic, but he did know that of the five heroes Cramer was the only one capable of bringing Khari and Marlo back to life; if anything happened to the cleric in a subsequent fight against these mirror-duplicates, Jhasspok had no idea how they'd get everyone resurrected. "Hold on," countered Cramer. "We came here for a reason - we should stick to the plan. We've already gotten Utred redeemed, after all." "But Marlo is dead," Jhasspok argued. "How can we bring her inner demon back out of the mirror now? And what about Khari?" <It would seem you have no way to complete your original goal,> interjected the celestial. <Would you continue to seek redemption for Marlo Pendragon, if such were made possible?> "How do you mean?" demanded Utred. <If you are determined to finish what you started, I have the means to return your two slain friends to life.> Jhasspok didn't need any time to think it over. "Yes," he said. "Do it. We will continue the fight." Marlo's body started to glow in Jhasspok's arms; Khari's did likewise on the floor at Utred's feet. The glow faded and the two stirred, blinking their eyes and looking about them in confusion. "What happened?" asked Khari. Cramer filled them in and then Jhasspok started asking questions of Cramer. "If you wanted the other Marlo to be inside a [I]silence[/I] spell, why didn't you cast it on her when she stepped out of the mirror?" "It isn't that simple," snapped the gnome. "If you cast it on a person, there's a chance they'll be able to resist the effects. That would negate the whole point of casting the spell in the first place." "Then why didn't you cast it on a coin and throw the coin over by the mirror? And why did you have Utred bring his double out all the way over there and Marlo bring hers out way over there, if we were going to fight them both at the same time? And why did we fight two of them at once, when we could have--" "Okay, okay, point taken," grumbled Cramer. "Maybe we should plan how we're going to do things a little better this time." That seemed eminently practical to Jhasspok. Cramer once again took point in outlining the plan forward, only this time incorporating the lizardfolk's suggestions into his strategy. And thus it was that when Marlo stepped forward to activate her mirror-double once again, there was not only a coin with a [I]silence[/I] spell on it on the floor at the base of the mirror but also Utred standing on one side with his [I]Elderwood flaming greataxe[/I] poised to strike; having already called forth and defeating his own inner demon, the dwarven barbarian's reflection could do no further harm. Marlo was positioned such that she could be seen in the mirror but was just outside the radius of the [I]silence[/I] spell so she could still cast spells while her hideous duplicate could not. The mirror's image wavered and pulsated and the lumpy-headed, eye-filled version of Marlo stepped out of the mirror. But before Utred could even bring his axe crashing down upon her bulbous head, the real Marlo cast a [I]maximized disintegrate[/I] spell upon her mutated duplicate. The Marlo-thing exploded silently into a fine dust. "That's two down," crowed Cramer as if he'd been personally responsible for the deaths of both foes. "I'll go next." He stepped forward, bringing forth his own mirror-duplicate into the hall. However, he was surprised at the figure that stepped forward, for while it was indeed a gnomish cleric of Fharlanghn, rather than looking like Cramer Appleknocker it bore the semblance of Honeycomb Buzzwort, Cramer's erstwhile mentor in the church of the God of Travelers. Honeycomb wore the tight-fitting leathers of a male pleasure slave in the direct employ of the Matron Mother of House Jalamir, a role he was rumored to have been performing back in Overreach since his capture. Utred didn't care what the gnome looked like or what he was wearing; he brought his greataxe down upon what could only be an enemy to be vanquished. After a moment's shock at the "duplicate's" appearance, Cramer cast the [I]miracle[/I] spell he'd had prepared, using it to spoof a [I]destruction[/I] spell he had not had the forethought to prepare that morning. However, there were other factors he hadn't taken into consideration, the first of which being he'd activated his mirror-duplicate while protected by a [I]spell turning[/I] spell and thus the figure stepping out of the mirror was likewise so protected. Cramer's [I]destruction[/I] spell hit the enemy gnome and a resonation field formed between the two gnomes as the spell leaped back and forth between the two of them, eventually reverberating into nothingness. Buzzwort cried out in surprise, noticed he made no noise while doing so, deduced he was in the radius of a [I]silence[/I] spell, and then used a piece of Cramer's duplicated equipment (that the little gnome had completely forgotten about) - namely, a [I]rod of silent spells[/I]. With it, Buzzwort erected a [I]blade barrier[/I] straight through Jhasspok, Marlo, and Utred. Then the little mirror-gnome was off in a sprint, trying to get out of the radius of the [I]silence[/I] spell so he could use his more powerful spells, those which could not be channeled through the [I]metamagic rod[/I]. But as fast as the little gnome was, Jhasspok was even faster. He charged forward out of the [I]blade barrier[/I] spell and leaped at Buzzwort, catching the little gnome in a flurry of axe-swings and snapping at him with his mouth full of sharp teeth. However, unnoticed by the lizardfolk, a second figure emerged from the mirror behind Buzzwort, this one looking suspiciously like Jhasspok himself. This version also wore a [I]tailband of the raptor[/I] and put it immediately to good use, ripping through Jhasspok's scales with his own battleaxe and biting at his twin with his own razor-sharp teeth. Utred charged forward, attacking the second Jhasspok to give the original time to recover from the unexpected attack. Marlo cast a [I]maximized disintegrate[/I] spell at Buzzwort, which didn't slay him outright as she had hoped but had him stumbling to stay upright on his feet. Khari had instinctively leaped behind the [I]blade barrier[/I] and feared if he raced forward to help his friends he'd only bring his own mirror-duplicate into the fray, so he pulled out his [I]frost shortbow[/I] and shot at Buzzwort. Sadly, his arrows were deflected by the whirling blades of force dancing about as part of the leather-clad gnome cleric's initial spell. Cramer, seeing Jhasspok's many wounds, realized he needed to take out the current foes as quickly as he could. He cast a [I]mass inflict critical wounds[/I] spell which slew Buzzwort and severely hurt the reptilian newcomer to the fight. Jhasspok slammed his battleaxe into his twin, releasing the [I]vampiric touch[/I] spell Marlo had loaded into it the day before; the spell stripped some of the duplicate's life energy and sent it flooding into Jhasspok's body, doing a small part in healing the massive amount of damage he'd taken thus far. But the mirror-Jhasspok, true to form, had no eyes for any foe but his own twin and his battleaxe cut into Jhasspok again, undoing much of the vampiric healing he'd just employed. Fortunately, Utred was there to finish off the enemy lizardfolk on Jhasspok's behalf. Khari circled around the [I]blade barrier[/I] spell - somewhat irritated that the hall's worked floors made [I]earthgliding[/I] impossible - preparing to activate his own mirror-duplicate now that the others had been dealt with. Cramer belatedly noticed how close Jhasspok was to toppling over from his many wounds and hurriedly cast a [I]heal[/I] spell to restore him to his full health and vitality. When the mirror-Khari stepped out of the mirror, glowing in psionic runes (for this version of Khari seemed to have devoted himself exclusively to the ways of the psychic warrior), he was almost instantly [I]disintegrated[/I] by Marlo, who had cast another [I]maximized[/I] version of the spell. <Very nicely handled,> said the celestial in the throne. <Once again, teamwork and friendship find a path to success. Utred Butterflinger and Marlo Pendragon, you have both been purged of the taint of Uboros. As for the rest of you, you may ask of me a single boon: knowledge or power. Khari Hammerslammer, what is your wish?> "Power," replied the dwarf, holding up his [I]earthglide warhammer[/I]. <Then so shall it be: your weapon will now strike true against ghosts and other beings without a corporeal form. Cramer Appleknocker, what is your wish.> "Knowledge." <Ask away.> "Honeycomb Buzzwort - the real one, still back in Overreach - is he content with his lot in life? I had originally planned to rescue him, but I've been hearing stories he's actually kind of enjoying his current status." <He is content - extremely so. Jhasspok, what is your wish?> "Power, please." He held up the [I]spell storing battleaxe[/I] he'd used in combat today. <Then so shall it be: your weapon has been further enhanced to guide your strikes and add power to its blows. You are now free to go.> At the back of the Hall of Redemption, the doors were swinging open, seemingly of their own accord. The five turned to go. <One last thing before you leave,> added the celestial. <Although fully purged of the taint of Uboros, none of you are fully immune to the corruption you will face on the Unchartable Isle, home to the sundered Gate of Zarbugak from which the Outside leeches into Shadreath. You have been warned.> Now worried once again, the five heroes turned and exited the Halls of Redemption. - - - Man, are we ever our own worst enemies or what? That was particularly poor planning (or more properly, lack thereof) on our part, rushing into the Halls of Redemption without much of a plan. Dan almost immediately jotted down three monsters he wanted Cramer to summon and passed them to me on a scrap of paper, asking if I could whip up their stats. They were a celestial badger, a fiendish wolf, and a celestial griffon, meaning I not only needed to jot down their core stats but then apply a template on top of each of them. And I was surprised at this strategy in any case, as we were 18th level and he wanted to summon...a 6-hp celestial badger? Even the griffon wouldn't be anything more than a speed bump up against the foes we'd likely be meeting in the Halls of Redemption (and any mirror-duplicate would be focused solely on his or her "original" version to the exclusion of all other foes in any case). But I didn't feel like arguing how others should run their PCs and by the time I had finished up the stats we had Mirror-Utred in our midst and we were all rolling Fortitude saves against Mirror-Marlo's [I]wail of the banshee[/I]. What a fiasco! Logan took pity on us and gave Khari and Marlo free [I]true resurrection[/I] spells to get us back on track. But Khari now has a [I]+5 ghost touch earthglide warhammer[/I] and Jhasspok has a [I]+5 icy burst spell storing battleaxe[/I], so we made out okay. [/QUOTE]
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