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Raiders of the Overreach
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 8634642" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 56: VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Cramer Appleknocker, gnome cleric 19</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Jhasspok, lizardman 3/barbarian 3/fighter 13</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Khari Hammerslammer, dwarf fighter 18/psychic warrior 1</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Marlo Pendragon, human sorcerer 19</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Utred "Buckets" Butterflinger, dwarf barbarian 19</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 11 May 2022</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>"You realize," Marlo said as the group made their way through the various magic shops of Greenvale, "if what they're saying is true, this might be our last chance to purchase anything before we end up on the Island of No Return."</p><p></p><p>"If we can't return from the Island of No Return, this might be our last chance to purchase anything, ever," pointed out Utred. "I'm thinking I'll get the protective enhancements upgraded to my tower shield."</p><p></p><p>"I'm thinking I'd do well to pick up a magic shield myself," Cramer added.</p><p></p><p>"I'm getting low on dried dung beetles," admitted Jhasspok, checking his current stock. But after having made that particular purchase, Marlo guided him into spending the rest of his money wisely, on upgrades to his own protective gear: his <em>gloves of dexterity</em>, <em>belt of giant strength</em>, and his own magic shield.</p><p></p><p>"But now what?" asked Marlo, once the group was satisfied with their individual purchases. "We still don't have a way to get to the Unchartable Isle."</p><p></p><p>"We think we have found a way," interjected one of the wizardly advisors from Greenvale, a sunborn drow with bright orange hair. "Over in the Azure Glade, there is a ship's crew willing to take you to the Uncharted Isle."</p><p></p><p>"I'm sensing a 'but'," remarked Cramer.</p><p></p><p>"...But," added the wizard, "they are death row inmates scheduled to be executed tomorrow."</p><p></p><p>"What? Then we'd better hurry!" replied Marlo and, gathering everyone together in a tight group, <em>teleported</em> the five over to the Azure Glade's capital city, where they made their way to the central courthouse. There they were met by a strange, metal man - a kolyarut who introduced himself as <strong>Azure Delta Sigma</strong>.</p><p></p><p>"I have been apprised of your impending arrival," admitted the construct. "You wish a stay of execution of the eight-member ship's crew who have been sentenced to death."</p><p></p><p>"That's right," affirmed Cramer Appleknocker, quickly briefing the kolyarut on the Dying One, the Writhing Gates, and the importance of ensuring the last remaining link between the illithid Elder God and the world of Shadreath was severed, preventing the destruction of the planet and everything on it.</p><p></p><p>"Irrelevant," replied Azure Delta Sigma. "The eight have been sentenced to death."</p><p></p><p>"But we're tryin' t' save the damned world!" exploded Utred.</p><p></p><p>"Irrelevant," repeated the kolyarut. "If the world is fated to be destroyed it would be illogical to attempt to alter its fate."</p><p></p><p>"But...there's a prophecy about us, too!" interjected Marlo, who then further explained how the five of them were similarly fated to save the world from the Dying One. "What makes your prophecy outrank the prophecy about us?"</p><p></p><p>"Interesting," replied the kolyarut. "Very well. You will have an opportunity to prove yourselves against the Executors of Judgment for the release of the convicts."</p><p></p><p>"What, we'll get to argue our case before them?" asked Cramer. "Like, in a courtroom and everything?"</p><p></p><p>"No. You will fight to the death against the Executors of Judgment."</p><p></p><p>"And who are they?" asked Khari.</p><p></p><p>"I am one of them," replied Azure Delta Sigma, leading them into an arena where the eight prisoners stood, four to each side wall, hanging by chains and shackles around their wrists. They were a rough-looking lot and Marlo couldn't help but notice how they leered at her with open desire. She glared at them disdainfully, but they figured they were all going to die the next morning in any case so they weren't particularly concerned with their manners.</p><p></p><p>"The other two Executors of Judgment are <strong>Beryl Omega Gamma</strong> and <strong>Cobalt Beta Tau</strong>." As the kolyarut stated each Executor's name, the individual in question stepped out into the ring from a door in the back of the sand-filled arena. The first was a hulking humanoid figure wearing full plate armor, including a tall-crested helmet, but who wielded no weapons. Nonetheless, Beryl Omega Gamma was an impressive figure; the marut stood a good 20 feet tall and while nothing could be seen of his face his eyes glowed with a reddish determination from within his helmet. The other construct was built in the form of a centaur and was an equivalent size but made entirely of metal. Its arms ended in spiked chains in place of hands.</p><p></p><p>"The fight will be to the death: you five against the three of us." Azure Delta Gamma walked over to take his place among the other two inevitables. "But any deaths in the arena - yours or ours - will be only temporary, for this battle is merely to test the rightness of your cause. You are advised to fight without mercy, for you will receive none in return. Are there any questions before we begin?"</p><p></p><p>Utred answered by slamming the flat of his axe-blade against his chest, eager for the battle to begin. Khari mentally activated his <em>offensive prescience</em> psionic ability, further empowering his <em>ghost touch earthglide dwarven warhammer</em>. Marlo cast a <em>mass enlarge person</em> spell on the group, instantly doubling everyone's size and increasing their strength. Cramer cast a <em>mass bear's endurance</em> spell on the group and a <em>quickened divine power</em> spell on himself. Jhasspok just looked in confusion at Utred and asked the dwarven barbarian why they were going to fight the metal people.</p><p></p><p>"They're gonna try t' kill us," Utred explained. "So we're gonna kill 'em first." Jhasspok just shrugged and gathered his battleaxe in his hands, glad that it still held the <em>vampiric touch</em> spell Marlo had loaded into it the day prior. He still didn't understand exactly what was going on, but both dwarves seemed to know what was happening and they were going along with it, so the lizardfolk assumed the reasoning made some sort of sense.</p><p></p><p>"Then we begin!" announced Azure Delta Sigma, stepping forward and drawing a longsword from a scabbard at his hip.</p><p></p><p>Khari rushed forward, sinking into the sands of the arena as he did so. He popped back up right before the kolyarut, swinging his <em>earthglide warhammer</em> which had made his underground approach possible into the inevitable's face. It resounded with a healthy "clang!" as metal struck metal.</p><p></p><p>Cramer was unsure of the inevitables' specific powers and opted to test them out a bit in a way that wouldn't involve his personal presence. Calling out the words to a summoning spell, he brought forth a trio of fiendish tyrannosaurs, one directly in front of the marut and the other two flanking the zelekhut. Jhasspok approved of Cramer's choice in combat stand-ins, for the fiendish dinosaurs were built very much like his own reptilian frame, although their heads were proportionally bigger than the lizardfolk's and their forearms ridiculously small. Still, Jhasspok only got a glimpse of them as he sped past the closest one to make a flying leap into the fray against the marut, using his <em>tail-band of the raptor</em> to make a dazzling array of attacks at the end of his charge.</p><p></p><p>Marlo targeted the kolyarut with an <em>empowered maximized scorching ray</em>, which would have done a significant amount of damage to the humanoid construct - if it hadn't fizzled away to nothingness upon coming up against the inevitable's inherent spell resistance. But while Marlo was cursing her luck, Utred was spanning the distance between himself and Azure Delta Sigma, bringing his <em>Elderwood greenflame greataxe</em> crashing into the kolyarut's side.</p><p></p><p>But then the inevitables made their respective counterattacks. The marut ignored the dinosaur snapping at him - realizing it was merely a summoned creature who would disappear on its own in time - and sent its fists swinging at Jhasspok, striking the lizardfolk in a deadly one-two blow. Beryl Omega Gamma's massive <em>fists of thunder and lightning</em> didn't just pummel the reptile's body, their magical effects caused him to go instantly deaf and blind - and just like that, Jhasspok was pretty much taken out of the combat, for while he could feel the sand beneath his feet and the battleaxe in his hands, he could no longer see his foes or hear the sounds of combat around him. And the metal foes didn't even have much of a scent to go by.</p><p></p><p>The kolyarut, under attack by a pair of dwarves, stabbed his <em>axiomatic longsword</em> at Utred, cutting a slight gash in the barbarian's skin that Utred hardly even seemed to notice, so caught up was he in the fight at hand. The dwarven combatant was literally seeing red, allowing his rage to rush over him and lead his efforts in the combat to the death. And at his side, Khari swung his dwarven warhammer at Azure Delta Sigma, denting his armor with the force of his blow. Then the dwarven fighter felt a gnomish touch on his back as Cramer cast a <em>shield of faith</em> spell upon him, granting him magical protection against physical attacks.</p><p></p><p>Behind the kolyarut and the dwarves, the zelekhut attacked one of the fiendish tyrannosaurs biting at him. They, in turn snapped their jaws - with their rows of daggerlike teeth - at the constructs, not the least bit concerned that each bite snapped off a tooth or two.</p><p></p><p>Jhasspok didn't dare use his battleaxe against the marut, not while being unable to see the location of his friends! So he dropped his weapon at his side and lunged forward with arms outspread, hoping to grab the marut up in a bear hug. But although the lizardfolk had been doubled in size by Marlo's spell he was still overshadowed by the massive marut, who had no trouble fending off Jhasspok's grappling attempts.</p><p></p><p>Marlo targeted the kolyarut with an <em>empowered maximized magic missile</em> spell, thinking perhaps the fact the <em>magic missiles</em> unerringly hit their target would allow the spell to function where the more powerful <em>scorching ray</em> spell had failed. Whatever the reason, the <em>magic missiles</em> did the trick, overcoming the kolyarut's spell resistance and striking the construct in the chest. And now that she had gotten a bit of a feel for the construct's spell resistance, she felt more willing to attempt more powerful spells in her arsenal. </p><p></p><p>But she didn't get to use her newly-found confidence against Azure Delta Sigma, for Utred's blade cut down the first - and smallest - of the three Executors of Judgment. Then he was facing off against the marut, who had abandoned Jhasspok as no longer a threat and was charging at the dwarven barbarian. His <em>fist of thunder</em> missed Utred entirely, but the dwarf got clocked by the marut's <em>fist of lightning</em>. Fortunately, while the blow had Utred seeing stars for a moment he was able to overcome the blindness from taking effect and battled on. Jhasspok bravely pressed on but had no idea the marut was no longer in front of him; he tried grappling the air before him until he bumped into the leg of one of Cramer's fiendish dinosaurs; fortunately, the lizardfolk had the sense to know the difference between the feel of solid metal and the feel of a living creature's scales and stopped himself from blindly trying to grapple the leg of a towering tyrannosaur.</p><p></p><p>The zelekhut continued focusing its attention on the dinosaur causing him the most harm, allowing Utred to focus his own attacks on the marut, Beryl Omega Gamma. Khari joined his fellow dwarf in the fight, matching his warhammer with Utred's greataxe. They each dealt the construct a significant amount of damage before Cramer destroyed the inevitable outright with a <em>destruction</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>The zelekhut now found itself the sole focus of a trio of fiendish dinosaurs, not at all pleased that the metal centaur was not in fact edible. Then Marlo cast a <em>maximized disintegrate</em> spell at the zelekhut and blew it into dust. And just like that, the arena battle was over, the five heroes not having had any losses. "Kind of brings back memories of our first arena battle, huh, Jhasspok?" the sorceress called over to the lizardfolk, who was still flailing about with his arms, seeking a foe. But shortly Jhasspok's blindness and deafness both cleared up and the wounds the heroes had sustained in battle against the inevitables started magically healing up as well.</p><p></p><p>A group of gray-clad clerics entered the arena, the markings on their robes identifying them as belonging to the Church of Boccob, God of Magic. They approached the shackled prisoners, casting <em>marks of justice</em> upon them to ensure their cooperation and releasing them from their chains. The leader of the clerics stepped over to the heroes and provided the group with all the knowledge that had been gleaned from the previous expeditions to the Uncharted Isle.</p><p></p><p>"There is literally an army of elementals patrolling the area around the island," the head cleric informed the group. "They prevent anyone, or anything, from leaving the area - and the area seems to have been slowly expanding for centuries, perhaps longer. As you approach the island you will be warned away by the water elementals, but they won't prevent you from approaching if you desire - they just won't let you leave again."</p><p></p><p>"So wait - this is a one-way trip?" asked Utred.</p><p></p><p>"Perhaps...unless you are able to secure the rift between the Material Plane and the Far Realm that exists somewhere on the island. It is possible that once the rift has been closed the chaotic energies that have altered the lifeforms on and around the island will allow them to revert to normal and it will be safe for you to return." He handed a sealed scroll tube to Cramer. "Do not open this until you are ready to use it. It is a scroll containing the <em>seal portal</em> spell and the case has been crafted to shield the scroll from the Far Realm energies permeating the island. We are concerned that if you open the scroll case too early, the energies might alter the scroll and make the spell unusable."</p><p></p><p>"Got it," said Cramer, placing the sealed scroll case into his pack.</p><p></p><p>"One of the earlier expeditions brought a <em>scrying focus</em> to the Uncharted Island so that future expeditions would be able to <em>teleport</em> there directly. However - and I cannot stress this enough - you must not use any teleportation magic of any kind while on the island. All prior attempts at teleportation have had disastrous effects, for those using such magic are sent to a random location on the Far Realm, up to 500 miles away from the rift location on that chaotic plane."</p><p></p><p>"And you know this how?" demanded Cramer.</p><p></p><p>"Divination spells, cast to find out the fates of those who went missing," replied the cleric.</p><p></p><p>"How long of a trip is it to the Uncharted Island?" asked Marlo.</p><p></p><p>"It should take your vessel no more than a month," replied the cleric. Marlo's eyes widened at the realization she'd be spending a month on board a somewhat small ship with a group of eight hardened criminals - and the only woman on board, at that. But the sailors were on their absolutely best behavior, the sorceress's powerful spellcasting abilities having made a deep and lasting impression upon them; nobody wanted to be blasted to oblivion with a <em>disintegrate</em> spell for a rude comment or a lingering eye. The month at sea was a long one for the sorceress, boring to the extreme.</p><p></p><p>For Jhasspok, however, it was a veritable vacation. He spent a good part of each day over the side of the vessel, swimming alongside the ship and catching a great quantity of fish, which were tossed up onto the deck to be eaten for the next meal. The lizardfolk quickly became the crew's favorite passenger; they ate much better in what would likely be their last voyage than they had in any other previous excursion.</p><p></p><p>But at the end of the fourth week they reached the edge of the elemental quarantine ring. A pair of massive waves came rushing toward the vessel, stopping just before impact and coalescing into vaguely humanoid forms. Cramer used his magical helmet to translate the elementals' warnings, spoken in their Aquan language. "Just like we've been told," he said, explaining the elementals' words to the others. "They'll let us pass, but if we do they won't let us sail back out. They'll destroy us if we make the attempt, to prevent the chaotic energies from escaping the perimeter."</p><p></p><p>"So we're going to be picking up chaotic energies?" asked Khari. "Like, we'll become chaotic creatures ourselves?"</p><p></p><p>"It's a possibility," the gnome replied. That was a sobering thought. The group had all realized this was very possibly a one-way trip but it was just sinking in the very disheartening reasons they'd be quarantined after approaching the island. Marlo and Utred, in particular, were recalling the warped versions of themselves they'd fought in the Halls of Redemption, a glimpse of their possible futures.</p><p></p><p>"I could always use my <em>winged boots</em> to fly back from the island without teleporting," suggested Utred. "It'd take a lot longer, but I could give it a try."</p><p></p><p>"I wouldn't recommend it," answered Marlo, using her <em>robe of eyes</em> to see farther than she could normally with her human eyes. There were air elementals, barely visible to human sight, flitting about in the air overhead. The quarantine ring was patrolled by more than just water elementals, it seemed.</p><p></p><p>The ship moved forward, past the guardian water elementals who let them enter. There was no turning back now.</p><p></p><p>Early the next morning the island came into view. "'Bout damn time!" snorted Utred. He'd imagined once they entered the quarantine zone the island would be right there; he hadn't planned on there still being hours of travel before they even laid eyes on the target of their month-long voyage. But as the heroes all stood at the rails looking at the island a cry rang out from the back of the ship. "Grab weapons!" came the cry. "Monster approaching aft!"</p><p></p><p>Looking back to the rear of the ship, those aboard the ship saw a pair of tentacles rising up from the waves, followed by an enormous, bulbous head. It was a giant octopus of some type, but the creature was difficult to look at directly for the creature's body and appendages seemed to flicker into and out of reality and shift around - it was like looking at the aquatic beast through a kaleidoscope and it was headache-inducing. Cramer realized even looking at such a chaotic beast could have unwanted mental consequences and cast a <em>magic circle against chaos</em> spell centered on himself, then climbed up onto Utred's backpack - his preferred combat location. "Stick close!" he called to the others.</p><p></p><p>Then another call came ringing out by another of the crewmembers. "Monster to the fore!" he cried, causing the heroes to spin back around and face front once again. Another creature was approaching, a massive lobster-thing with writhing tentacles hanging down from its face. It, too, was shifting around as if being viewed through a kaleidoscope. It made tracking the movement of the creature's foreclaw difficult - one moment it was in one place, the next it was elsewhere - but all of a sudden a crewman was there in the beast's serrated claws, being crushed to death.</p><p></p><p>"Don't look at them!" called Cramer to the crew. "Go below - we'll handle the monsters!" The sailors scrambled to comply, six of them making it belowdecks while the seventh was snagged up by a shifting octopus tentacle.</p><p></p><p>The ship's relatively small size worked in their favor, for Jhasspok was able to rush forward and bring his battleaxe to bear upon the mindbreaker chuul without leaving the confines of Cramer's <em>magic circle</em> spell. The axe came chopping up and down upon the chuul's hardened carapace, but one of the lizardfolk's strikes slipped between the dimensions and had no effect. It was frustrating trying to fight a creature who wasn't always right there in front of you!</p><p></p><p>Khari and Utred followed suit, bringing their dwarven warhammer and greataxe to bear, the heroes having jointly decided to concentrate all of their attacks against one creature at a time. Marlo stayed back, still within the <em>magic circle against chaos</em>, and cast a <em>maximized disintegrate</em> at the mindbender chuul. It managed to shrug off most of the enhanced spell's effects, although it was difficult to tell with parts of the creature's body shifting around back and forth and between dimensions. Cramer found his <em>destruction</em> spell to be likewise not as effective as he would have hoped, for the chuul was still up and about after he had flung the spell at it. It sent its pincers darting forward, snatching Jhasspok and Khari up off the deck - it was difficult to dodge incoming attacks when they seemed to come from multiple directions simultaneously! But neither the dwarf nor the lizardfolk seemed particularly distressed, as being caught up in a claw just meant they were directly beside the creature they intended to attack with their weapons in any case. And attack they did, Khari striking with his warhammer and cracking the creature's carapace while Jhasspok did his best to drive the blade of his battleaxe into the creature's joints, where the hardened shell was liable to be weaker.</p><p></p><p>Utred finished off the chuul with a series of deep cuts with his greataxe; upon its death its muscles relaxed, allowing its two pincer-victims to wriggle free of its embrace before it sunk to the bottom of the ocean, its body still flickering about in kaleidoscopelike fashion even in death.</p><p></p><p>Marlo was the first to switch targets, firing a <em>maximized disintegrate</em> spell at the mindbender octopus that had already devoured the crewman it had snatched up and was now making its way forward along the port side of the ship. Likely due to its flickering nature it also shrugged off the worst of the spell's effects, but judging solely from the increased rate of flailing of its numerous tentacles it seemed the spell had at least caused the octopus a great deal of pain. It retaliated immediately against the sorceress, swatting at her with a tentacle and wrapping it around her waist. Marlo was distressed at the close-up view her <em>robe of eyes</em> permitted her to see of the suckers adhering to her body along the length of tentacle wrapped around her.</p><p></p><p>Cramer cast another <em>destruction</em> spell at the giant octopus, with similar results: some damage, but not the instant death for which he'd been hoping. But then as one, Utred, Khari, and Jhasspok charged at the beast with their weapons raised, bringing them down in a synchronized ballet of combat prowess, blades slicing through rubbery flesh as the warhammer crashed hard against the creature's boneless head. The flurry of attacks brought the octopus to near death, so much so that Marlo was able to send the mindbending beast over the edge with a slice of her <em>arcane blade</em>. Like the chuul before it, the octopus collapsed in a limp heap and began sinking below the waves, Marlo barely having enough time to extract herself from its appendage before being drawn down into the deep waters with it.</p><p></p><p>The ship had been spun about during the combat and none of the heroes had any idea about what to do to get it back on its bearings, but once the ship's crew - now reduced to six men, two having been devoured by the pair of mindbending monsters - came back abovedecks they soon put the ship to rights, aiming it once again towards the Uncharted Isle.</p><p></p><p>"Be a bit of a shame this voyage coming to an end," pointed out one of the men. "Least while we was out at sea we was still alive, with plenty of fish to eat and barrels of fresh water in the hold. No telling what kinds of dangers we'll find ashore, if them sea monsters was the sorts of things the island's magic'll do to a feller!"</p><p></p><p>"Quitcher bitchin'," commanded the captain. "These folks bought us a month of life already - we'd've been hanging long since if not fer 'em! I reckon they can see us through whatever the island's got in store."</p><p></p><p>"We'll see about that," muttered Cramer to himself, standing at the front of the vessel and staring out at the Uncharted Isle, eager to see what he could of the place before they arrived.</p><p></p><p>By nightfall they were within disembarking distance to the island. The ship came to a stop as the sails were lowered and the sailors dropped anchor.</p><p></p><p>"Well," said Khari. "We're here."</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>I had used a "non-Euclidian" template on a hell hound several campaigns ago during an adventure involving the Far Realm; Logan wasn't sure where the template was found so he used the Mindbender template from <em>The Book of Templates</em>, which did pretty much the same thing. And since we were all 19th-level PCs at the time, he advanced the monsters we fought high enough to make them credible threats.</p><p></p><p>And boy, were those inevitables credible threats - especially when our dice seemed determined to betray us! And if I never have to go up against another marut in my lifetime it'll be fine with me. Dan was willing to have Cramer go "unblind and undeafen" Jhasspok, but I argued it was more important for our two spellcasters to break out the high-level spells and deal some mega-damage to our foes - especially after both Dan and Vicki had spent a couple of rounds casting some low-level prep spells because they were used to having time to do so before combat began. Not this time, guys, combat's already here and we need to take them down, the faster the better!</p><p></p><p>We all ended up at level 20 by the end of the adventure, so we'll all be as powerful as we're going to be for this campaign for our last two adventures. Harry's satisfied that Khari ended up with 11 more hit points than Jhasspok at the end of our respective adventuring careers - he enjoys beating me at stuff like that. (He was disappointed when Jhasspok finally got Improved Initiative a couple of levels ago and started giving him a run for his money on the initiative counts, at which he'd been beating me fairly regularly.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 8634642, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 56: VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Cramer Appleknocker, gnome cleric 19[/INDENT] [INDENT] Jhasspok, lizardman 3/barbarian 3/fighter 13[/INDENT] [INDENT] Khari Hammerslammer, dwarf fighter 18/psychic warrior 1[/INDENT] [INDENT] Marlo Pendragon, human sorcerer 19[/INDENT] [INDENT] Utred "Buckets" Butterflinger, dwarf barbarian 19[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 11 May 2022 - - - "You realize," Marlo said as the group made their way through the various magic shops of Greenvale, "if what they're saying is true, this might be our last chance to purchase anything before we end up on the Island of No Return." "If we can't return from the Island of No Return, this might be our last chance to purchase anything, ever," pointed out Utred. "I'm thinking I'll get the protective enhancements upgraded to my tower shield." "I'm thinking I'd do well to pick up a magic shield myself," Cramer added. "I'm getting low on dried dung beetles," admitted Jhasspok, checking his current stock. But after having made that particular purchase, Marlo guided him into spending the rest of his money wisely, on upgrades to his own protective gear: his [I]gloves of dexterity[/I], [I]belt of giant strength[/I], and his own magic shield. "But now what?" asked Marlo, once the group was satisfied with their individual purchases. "We still don't have a way to get to the Unchartable Isle." "We think we have found a way," interjected one of the wizardly advisors from Greenvale, a sunborn drow with bright orange hair. "Over in the Azure Glade, there is a ship's crew willing to take you to the Uncharted Isle." "I'm sensing a 'but'," remarked Cramer. "...But," added the wizard, "they are death row inmates scheduled to be executed tomorrow." "What? Then we'd better hurry!" replied Marlo and, gathering everyone together in a tight group, [I]teleported[/I] the five over to the Azure Glade's capital city, where they made their way to the central courthouse. There they were met by a strange, metal man - a kolyarut who introduced himself as [B]Azure Delta Sigma[/B]. "I have been apprised of your impending arrival," admitted the construct. "You wish a stay of execution of the eight-member ship's crew who have been sentenced to death." "That's right," affirmed Cramer Appleknocker, quickly briefing the kolyarut on the Dying One, the Writhing Gates, and the importance of ensuring the last remaining link between the illithid Elder God and the world of Shadreath was severed, preventing the destruction of the planet and everything on it. "Irrelevant," replied Azure Delta Sigma. "The eight have been sentenced to death." "But we're tryin' t' save the damned world!" exploded Utred. "Irrelevant," repeated the kolyarut. "If the world is fated to be destroyed it would be illogical to attempt to alter its fate." "But...there's a prophecy about us, too!" interjected Marlo, who then further explained how the five of them were similarly fated to save the world from the Dying One. "What makes your prophecy outrank the prophecy about us?" "Interesting," replied the kolyarut. "Very well. You will have an opportunity to prove yourselves against the Executors of Judgment for the release of the convicts." "What, we'll get to argue our case before them?" asked Cramer. "Like, in a courtroom and everything?" "No. You will fight to the death against the Executors of Judgment." "And who are they?" asked Khari. "I am one of them," replied Azure Delta Sigma, leading them into an arena where the eight prisoners stood, four to each side wall, hanging by chains and shackles around their wrists. They were a rough-looking lot and Marlo couldn't help but notice how they leered at her with open desire. She glared at them disdainfully, but they figured they were all going to die the next morning in any case so they weren't particularly concerned with their manners. "The other two Executors of Judgment are [B]Beryl Omega Gamma[/B] and [B]Cobalt Beta Tau[/B]." As the kolyarut stated each Executor's name, the individual in question stepped out into the ring from a door in the back of the sand-filled arena. The first was a hulking humanoid figure wearing full plate armor, including a tall-crested helmet, but who wielded no weapons. Nonetheless, Beryl Omega Gamma was an impressive figure; the marut stood a good 20 feet tall and while nothing could be seen of his face his eyes glowed with a reddish determination from within his helmet. The other construct was built in the form of a centaur and was an equivalent size but made entirely of metal. Its arms ended in spiked chains in place of hands. "The fight will be to the death: you five against the three of us." Azure Delta Gamma walked over to take his place among the other two inevitables. "But any deaths in the arena - yours or ours - will be only temporary, for this battle is merely to test the rightness of your cause. You are advised to fight without mercy, for you will receive none in return. Are there any questions before we begin?" Utred answered by slamming the flat of his axe-blade against his chest, eager for the battle to begin. Khari mentally activated his [I]offensive prescience[/I] psionic ability, further empowering his [I]ghost touch earthglide dwarven warhammer[/I]. Marlo cast a [I]mass enlarge person[/I] spell on the group, instantly doubling everyone's size and increasing their strength. Cramer cast a [I]mass bear's endurance[/I] spell on the group and a [I]quickened divine power[/I] spell on himself. Jhasspok just looked in confusion at Utred and asked the dwarven barbarian why they were going to fight the metal people. "They're gonna try t' kill us," Utred explained. "So we're gonna kill 'em first." Jhasspok just shrugged and gathered his battleaxe in his hands, glad that it still held the [I]vampiric touch[/I] spell Marlo had loaded into it the day prior. He still didn't understand exactly what was going on, but both dwarves seemed to know what was happening and they were going along with it, so the lizardfolk assumed the reasoning made some sort of sense. "Then we begin!" announced Azure Delta Sigma, stepping forward and drawing a longsword from a scabbard at his hip. Khari rushed forward, sinking into the sands of the arena as he did so. He popped back up right before the kolyarut, swinging his [I]earthglide warhammer[/I] which had made his underground approach possible into the inevitable's face. It resounded with a healthy "clang!" as metal struck metal. Cramer was unsure of the inevitables' specific powers and opted to test them out a bit in a way that wouldn't involve his personal presence. Calling out the words to a summoning spell, he brought forth a trio of fiendish tyrannosaurs, one directly in front of the marut and the other two flanking the zelekhut. Jhasspok approved of Cramer's choice in combat stand-ins, for the fiendish dinosaurs were built very much like his own reptilian frame, although their heads were proportionally bigger than the lizardfolk's and their forearms ridiculously small. Still, Jhasspok only got a glimpse of them as he sped past the closest one to make a flying leap into the fray against the marut, using his [I]tail-band of the raptor[/I] to make a dazzling array of attacks at the end of his charge. Marlo targeted the kolyarut with an [I]empowered maximized scorching ray[/I], which would have done a significant amount of damage to the humanoid construct - if it hadn't fizzled away to nothingness upon coming up against the inevitable's inherent spell resistance. But while Marlo was cursing her luck, Utred was spanning the distance between himself and Azure Delta Sigma, bringing his [I]Elderwood greenflame greataxe[/I] crashing into the kolyarut's side. But then the inevitables made their respective counterattacks. The marut ignored the dinosaur snapping at him - realizing it was merely a summoned creature who would disappear on its own in time - and sent its fists swinging at Jhasspok, striking the lizardfolk in a deadly one-two blow. Beryl Omega Gamma's massive [I]fists of thunder and lightning[/I] didn't just pummel the reptile's body, their magical effects caused him to go instantly deaf and blind - and just like that, Jhasspok was pretty much taken out of the combat, for while he could feel the sand beneath his feet and the battleaxe in his hands, he could no longer see his foes or hear the sounds of combat around him. And the metal foes didn't even have much of a scent to go by. The kolyarut, under attack by a pair of dwarves, stabbed his [I]axiomatic longsword[/I] at Utred, cutting a slight gash in the barbarian's skin that Utred hardly even seemed to notice, so caught up was he in the fight at hand. The dwarven combatant was literally seeing red, allowing his rage to rush over him and lead his efforts in the combat to the death. And at his side, Khari swung his dwarven warhammer at Azure Delta Sigma, denting his armor with the force of his blow. Then the dwarven fighter felt a gnomish touch on his back as Cramer cast a [I]shield of faith[/I] spell upon him, granting him magical protection against physical attacks. Behind the kolyarut and the dwarves, the zelekhut attacked one of the fiendish tyrannosaurs biting at him. They, in turn snapped their jaws - with their rows of daggerlike teeth - at the constructs, not the least bit concerned that each bite snapped off a tooth or two. Jhasspok didn't dare use his battleaxe against the marut, not while being unable to see the location of his friends! So he dropped his weapon at his side and lunged forward with arms outspread, hoping to grab the marut up in a bear hug. But although the lizardfolk had been doubled in size by Marlo's spell he was still overshadowed by the massive marut, who had no trouble fending off Jhasspok's grappling attempts. Marlo targeted the kolyarut with an [I]empowered maximized magic missile[/I] spell, thinking perhaps the fact the [I]magic missiles[/I] unerringly hit their target would allow the spell to function where the more powerful [I]scorching ray[/I] spell had failed. Whatever the reason, the [I]magic missiles[/I] did the trick, overcoming the kolyarut's spell resistance and striking the construct in the chest. And now that she had gotten a bit of a feel for the construct's spell resistance, she felt more willing to attempt more powerful spells in her arsenal. But she didn't get to use her newly-found confidence against Azure Delta Sigma, for Utred's blade cut down the first - and smallest - of the three Executors of Judgment. Then he was facing off against the marut, who had abandoned Jhasspok as no longer a threat and was charging at the dwarven barbarian. His [I]fist of thunder[/I] missed Utred entirely, but the dwarf got clocked by the marut's [I]fist of lightning[/I]. Fortunately, while the blow had Utred seeing stars for a moment he was able to overcome the blindness from taking effect and battled on. Jhasspok bravely pressed on but had no idea the marut was no longer in front of him; he tried grappling the air before him until he bumped into the leg of one of Cramer's fiendish dinosaurs; fortunately, the lizardfolk had the sense to know the difference between the feel of solid metal and the feel of a living creature's scales and stopped himself from blindly trying to grapple the leg of a towering tyrannosaur. The zelekhut continued focusing its attention on the dinosaur causing him the most harm, allowing Utred to focus his own attacks on the marut, Beryl Omega Gamma. Khari joined his fellow dwarf in the fight, matching his warhammer with Utred's greataxe. They each dealt the construct a significant amount of damage before Cramer destroyed the inevitable outright with a [I]destruction[/I] spell. The zelekhut now found itself the sole focus of a trio of fiendish dinosaurs, not at all pleased that the metal centaur was not in fact edible. Then Marlo cast a [I]maximized disintegrate[/I] spell at the zelekhut and blew it into dust. And just like that, the arena battle was over, the five heroes not having had any losses. "Kind of brings back memories of our first arena battle, huh, Jhasspok?" the sorceress called over to the lizardfolk, who was still flailing about with his arms, seeking a foe. But shortly Jhasspok's blindness and deafness both cleared up and the wounds the heroes had sustained in battle against the inevitables started magically healing up as well. A group of gray-clad clerics entered the arena, the markings on their robes identifying them as belonging to the Church of Boccob, God of Magic. They approached the shackled prisoners, casting [I]marks of justice[/I] upon them to ensure their cooperation and releasing them from their chains. The leader of the clerics stepped over to the heroes and provided the group with all the knowledge that had been gleaned from the previous expeditions to the Uncharted Isle. "There is literally an army of elementals patrolling the area around the island," the head cleric informed the group. "They prevent anyone, or anything, from leaving the area - and the area seems to have been slowly expanding for centuries, perhaps longer. As you approach the island you will be warned away by the water elementals, but they won't prevent you from approaching if you desire - they just won't let you leave again." "So wait - this is a one-way trip?" asked Utred. "Perhaps...unless you are able to secure the rift between the Material Plane and the Far Realm that exists somewhere on the island. It is possible that once the rift has been closed the chaotic energies that have altered the lifeforms on and around the island will allow them to revert to normal and it will be safe for you to return." He handed a sealed scroll tube to Cramer. "Do not open this until you are ready to use it. It is a scroll containing the [I]seal portal[/I] spell and the case has been crafted to shield the scroll from the Far Realm energies permeating the island. We are concerned that if you open the scroll case too early, the energies might alter the scroll and make the spell unusable." "Got it," said Cramer, placing the sealed scroll case into his pack. "One of the earlier expeditions brought a [I]scrying focus[/I] to the Uncharted Island so that future expeditions would be able to [I]teleport[/I] there directly. However - and I cannot stress this enough - you must not use any teleportation magic of any kind while on the island. All prior attempts at teleportation have had disastrous effects, for those using such magic are sent to a random location on the Far Realm, up to 500 miles away from the rift location on that chaotic plane." "And you know this how?" demanded Cramer. "Divination spells, cast to find out the fates of those who went missing," replied the cleric. "How long of a trip is it to the Uncharted Island?" asked Marlo. "It should take your vessel no more than a month," replied the cleric. Marlo's eyes widened at the realization she'd be spending a month on board a somewhat small ship with a group of eight hardened criminals - and the only woman on board, at that. But the sailors were on their absolutely best behavior, the sorceress's powerful spellcasting abilities having made a deep and lasting impression upon them; nobody wanted to be blasted to oblivion with a [I]disintegrate[/I] spell for a rude comment or a lingering eye. The month at sea was a long one for the sorceress, boring to the extreme. For Jhasspok, however, it was a veritable vacation. He spent a good part of each day over the side of the vessel, swimming alongside the ship and catching a great quantity of fish, which were tossed up onto the deck to be eaten for the next meal. The lizardfolk quickly became the crew's favorite passenger; they ate much better in what would likely be their last voyage than they had in any other previous excursion. But at the end of the fourth week they reached the edge of the elemental quarantine ring. A pair of massive waves came rushing toward the vessel, stopping just before impact and coalescing into vaguely humanoid forms. Cramer used his magical helmet to translate the elementals' warnings, spoken in their Aquan language. "Just like we've been told," he said, explaining the elementals' words to the others. "They'll let us pass, but if we do they won't let us sail back out. They'll destroy us if we make the attempt, to prevent the chaotic energies from escaping the perimeter." "So we're going to be picking up chaotic energies?" asked Khari. "Like, we'll become chaotic creatures ourselves?" "It's a possibility," the gnome replied. That was a sobering thought. The group had all realized this was very possibly a one-way trip but it was just sinking in the very disheartening reasons they'd be quarantined after approaching the island. Marlo and Utred, in particular, were recalling the warped versions of themselves they'd fought in the Halls of Redemption, a glimpse of their possible futures. "I could always use my [I]winged boots[/I] to fly back from the island without teleporting," suggested Utred. "It'd take a lot longer, but I could give it a try." "I wouldn't recommend it," answered Marlo, using her [I]robe of eyes[/I] to see farther than she could normally with her human eyes. There were air elementals, barely visible to human sight, flitting about in the air overhead. The quarantine ring was patrolled by more than just water elementals, it seemed. The ship moved forward, past the guardian water elementals who let them enter. There was no turning back now. Early the next morning the island came into view. "'Bout damn time!" snorted Utred. He'd imagined once they entered the quarantine zone the island would be right there; he hadn't planned on there still being hours of travel before they even laid eyes on the target of their month-long voyage. But as the heroes all stood at the rails looking at the island a cry rang out from the back of the ship. "Grab weapons!" came the cry. "Monster approaching aft!" Looking back to the rear of the ship, those aboard the ship saw a pair of tentacles rising up from the waves, followed by an enormous, bulbous head. It was a giant octopus of some type, but the creature was difficult to look at directly for the creature's body and appendages seemed to flicker into and out of reality and shift around - it was like looking at the aquatic beast through a kaleidoscope and it was headache-inducing. Cramer realized even looking at such a chaotic beast could have unwanted mental consequences and cast a [I]magic circle against chaos[/I] spell centered on himself, then climbed up onto Utred's backpack - his preferred combat location. "Stick close!" he called to the others. Then another call came ringing out by another of the crewmembers. "Monster to the fore!" he cried, causing the heroes to spin back around and face front once again. Another creature was approaching, a massive lobster-thing with writhing tentacles hanging down from its face. It, too, was shifting around as if being viewed through a kaleidoscope. It made tracking the movement of the creature's foreclaw difficult - one moment it was in one place, the next it was elsewhere - but all of a sudden a crewman was there in the beast's serrated claws, being crushed to death. "Don't look at them!" called Cramer to the crew. "Go below - we'll handle the monsters!" The sailors scrambled to comply, six of them making it belowdecks while the seventh was snagged up by a shifting octopus tentacle. The ship's relatively small size worked in their favor, for Jhasspok was able to rush forward and bring his battleaxe to bear upon the mindbreaker chuul without leaving the confines of Cramer's [I]magic circle[/I] spell. The axe came chopping up and down upon the chuul's hardened carapace, but one of the lizardfolk's strikes slipped between the dimensions and had no effect. It was frustrating trying to fight a creature who wasn't always right there in front of you! Khari and Utred followed suit, bringing their dwarven warhammer and greataxe to bear, the heroes having jointly decided to concentrate all of their attacks against one creature at a time. Marlo stayed back, still within the [I]magic circle against chaos[/I], and cast a [I]maximized disintegrate[/I] at the mindbender chuul. It managed to shrug off most of the enhanced spell's effects, although it was difficult to tell with parts of the creature's body shifting around back and forth and between dimensions. Cramer found his [I]destruction[/I] spell to be likewise not as effective as he would have hoped, for the chuul was still up and about after he had flung the spell at it. It sent its pincers darting forward, snatching Jhasspok and Khari up off the deck - it was difficult to dodge incoming attacks when they seemed to come from multiple directions simultaneously! But neither the dwarf nor the lizardfolk seemed particularly distressed, as being caught up in a claw just meant they were directly beside the creature they intended to attack with their weapons in any case. And attack they did, Khari striking with his warhammer and cracking the creature's carapace while Jhasspok did his best to drive the blade of his battleaxe into the creature's joints, where the hardened shell was liable to be weaker. Utred finished off the chuul with a series of deep cuts with his greataxe; upon its death its muscles relaxed, allowing its two pincer-victims to wriggle free of its embrace before it sunk to the bottom of the ocean, its body still flickering about in kaleidoscopelike fashion even in death. Marlo was the first to switch targets, firing a [I]maximized disintegrate[/I] spell at the mindbender octopus that had already devoured the crewman it had snatched up and was now making its way forward along the port side of the ship. Likely due to its flickering nature it also shrugged off the worst of the spell's effects, but judging solely from the increased rate of flailing of its numerous tentacles it seemed the spell had at least caused the octopus a great deal of pain. It retaliated immediately against the sorceress, swatting at her with a tentacle and wrapping it around her waist. Marlo was distressed at the close-up view her [I]robe of eyes[/I] permitted her to see of the suckers adhering to her body along the length of tentacle wrapped around her. Cramer cast another [I]destruction[/I] spell at the giant octopus, with similar results: some damage, but not the instant death for which he'd been hoping. But then as one, Utred, Khari, and Jhasspok charged at the beast with their weapons raised, bringing them down in a synchronized ballet of combat prowess, blades slicing through rubbery flesh as the warhammer crashed hard against the creature's boneless head. The flurry of attacks brought the octopus to near death, so much so that Marlo was able to send the mindbending beast over the edge with a slice of her [I]arcane blade[/I]. Like the chuul before it, the octopus collapsed in a limp heap and began sinking below the waves, Marlo barely having enough time to extract herself from its appendage before being drawn down into the deep waters with it. The ship had been spun about during the combat and none of the heroes had any idea about what to do to get it back on its bearings, but once the ship's crew - now reduced to six men, two having been devoured by the pair of mindbending monsters - came back abovedecks they soon put the ship to rights, aiming it once again towards the Uncharted Isle. "Be a bit of a shame this voyage coming to an end," pointed out one of the men. "Least while we was out at sea we was still alive, with plenty of fish to eat and barrels of fresh water in the hold. No telling what kinds of dangers we'll find ashore, if them sea monsters was the sorts of things the island's magic'll do to a feller!" "Quitcher bitchin'," commanded the captain. "These folks bought us a month of life already - we'd've been hanging long since if not fer 'em! I reckon they can see us through whatever the island's got in store." "We'll see about that," muttered Cramer to himself, standing at the front of the vessel and staring out at the Uncharted Isle, eager to see what he could of the place before they arrived. By nightfall they were within disembarking distance to the island. The ship came to a stop as the sails were lowered and the sailors dropped anchor. "Well," said Khari. "We're here." - - - I had used a "non-Euclidian" template on a hell hound several campaigns ago during an adventure involving the Far Realm; Logan wasn't sure where the template was found so he used the Mindbender template from [I]The Book of Templates[/I], which did pretty much the same thing. And since we were all 19th-level PCs at the time, he advanced the monsters we fought high enough to make them credible threats. And boy, were those inevitables credible threats - especially when our dice seemed determined to betray us! And if I never have to go up against another marut in my lifetime it'll be fine with me. Dan was willing to have Cramer go "unblind and undeafen" Jhasspok, but I argued it was more important for our two spellcasters to break out the high-level spells and deal some mega-damage to our foes - especially after both Dan and Vicki had spent a couple of rounds casting some low-level prep spells because they were used to having time to do so before combat began. Not this time, guys, combat's already here and we need to take them down, the faster the better! We all ended up at level 20 by the end of the adventure, so we'll all be as powerful as we're going to be for this campaign for our last two adventures. Harry's satisfied that Khari ended up with 11 more hit points than Jhasspok at the end of our respective adventuring careers - he enjoys beating me at stuff like that. (He was disappointed when Jhasspok finally got Improved Initiative a couple of levels ago and started giving him a run for his money on the initiative counts, at which he'd been beating me fairly regularly.) 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