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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 7607134" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 45: THE VAULT OF SIX THIRDS</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: <p style="margin-left: 20px">Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 13</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Galen Thorne, human paladin 14</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 14</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 14</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Syngaard, human fighter 14</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 15 May 2019</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>For once, Syngaard was the first on site after a magical summons by Skevros through the rings the conscripts wore - this time after the sun was well on its way below the horizon. Of course, this was because the king's adviser had specifically directed them to meet at the city's east gate, and Mama Kat's - where the bald fighter was employed when he wasn't otherwise occupied as an adventurer - was closer to the east gate than the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em> was.</p><p></p><p>"What's the big hurry? Why are we meeting here? And why's she here?" demanded Syngaard. In his determination to get answers, he completely failed to notice that Skevros was covered in a faint green glow.</p><p></p><p>"We're meeting here because this is the gate by which Leorna entered the city," remarked Skevros, indicating the woman in yellow robes standing at his side. Leorna was the Guildmistress of the Azure Glade's Illusionists Guild and had been an ally to Skevros and Durnhill in the past. The other conscripts ran up as she took over the explanation.</p><p></p><p>"The Vault of Six Thirds has been breached," she said. Then, seeing the blank expressions on the conscripts' faces, she added, "It's the vault where the Azure Glade keeps all the objects too powerful or dangerous to use." At this, Syngaard's eyebrows shot up. Powerful weapons? That sounded interesting!</p><p></p><p>"You are glowing," pointed out Kaspar to Skevros.</p><p></p><p>"A <em>dimensional anchor</em> effect?" surmised Daleth.</p><p></p><p>"Indeed," replied Skevros. "Someone is attempting to teleport me away, and only the magical stones in place around the city's borders are preventing the effect."</p><p></p><p>"So what's this about a vault?" asked Galen, eager to get back on track.</p><p></p><p>"With Skevros's assistance, I've been able to determine that no one who entered the vault has left yet. We must leave at once: after we've teleported to the vault I can explain more, since we'll be able to see anyone attempting to leave and stop them." Without much further ado, she gathered everyone around her and cast a <em>teleport</em> spell. In an instant, they were standing in a field of blue grass facing a stone cliff. Just ahead, a large, foot-thick adamantine door stood smashed through the middle.</p><p></p><p>"There is an <em>anti-magic field</em> surrounding the vault's entrance, so we'll be able to see anyone try to exit, even if they attempt to do so invisibly. But for the same reason, you must cast any preparatory spells out here, before you enter the vault - or do so once inside. But just as within your city, teleportation effects are hampered within the vault's interior, although other magic will work as normal."</p><p></p><p>"Will Carl be able to go through the door?" asked Orion.</p><p></p><p>"He's a ghost - an ethereal creature," explained Leorna. "Extraplanar travel, even that on the Ethereal Plane, is blocked."</p><p></p><p>"Stick 'im in your hole," suggested Syngaard. Despite its apparent crudeness, this was actually a decent suggestion; Carl could manifest on the Material Plane and enter Orion's extradimensional <em>bag of holding</em>. The magical space would be inaccessible while the halfling traversed the <em>anti-magic field</em> but it would pop back into existence once inside the vault. And as a ghost, it wasn't like Carl had to worry about breathing while inside the extradimensional space. Orion fed her ghost-dog a <em>potion of mage armor</em> and then had him step inside her open <em>bag of holding</em>, while Galen and Daleth started spellcasting. The elf cast a <em>stoneskin</em> spell upon himself and his pseudodragon familiar Todd, while the paladin summoned Burt from the Beastlands and then cast a <em>bless weapon</em> spell upon his blade. Each then cast a <em>magic circle against evil</em> spell upon himself, and Daleth cast a <em>Rary's telepathic bond</em> spell upon the assembled group - all but Leorna, who would be staying behind in any case.</p><p></p><p>Leorna made some quick explanations while the spellcasters were making their preparations. "The Vault is named because of the nine of us leading the Council of Guilds, it takes at least a 6 to 3 vote to open the vault. So 6/3" - she pronounced this "six-slash-three" - "or six-thirds, colloquially."</p><p></p><p>"Fascinating," droned Syngaard. "Howzabout tellin' us what all's in this vault. Weapons?"</p><p></p><p>"All manner of dangerous items, to include weapons, yes," Leorna confirmed. "Of particular note are the <em>meteor stone</em> and the last sample of the <em>wraith plague of Ixlotha the Mad</em>. The former is a 10-foot-diameter boulder imbued with 18 different <em>meteor swarm</em> spells; once activated by a wizard, it can either explode upon impact when launched by a siege weapon for extreme effect against a single target, like a dragon, or set to explode at the top of its arc to rain down fire upon all below it. Fired over the top of your city, it could make a crater below it some 800 feet in diameter. You can see why we don't want an item like that falling into the wrong hands."</p><p></p><p>"No kidding!" exclaimed Galen. "What about the other thing, the plague?"</p><p></p><p>"It's a necromantic potion: those who imbibe it are slain, their bodies rising as plague-ridden zombies while their souls rise as wraiths."</p><p></p><p>"You're not coming with us?" asked Orion, handing a scroll containing the <em>stoneskin</em> spell to Daleth, so the elf could cast it upon her.</p><p></p><p>"I cannot. When the vault was first created, some 900 years ago, it was determined the only ones likely to be able to figure out how to breach it would be members of the Council of Guilds itself; thus, the area is trapped to slay any current or former council member who enters the vault through any means other than through the proper opening of the door."</p><p></p><p>"The door's wide open," Syngaard pointed out.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, by dint of being smashed open. I wouldn't call that 'the proper opening,' would you? I certainly don't intend to end my life finding out that the wards put in place are still in effect."</p><p></p><p>"If we're all ready, I will enter first," suggested Kaspar. Without hesitation, the bold monk strode up to the smashed door and stepped inside the vault. He found a body just inside, a hulking brute of a barbarian by the look of him, a burly adamantine warhammer - one looking of a size to be wielded by a frost giant, not by a human like the body before him - still gripped in his meaty hands. Kaspar put a hand to the barbarian's neck. "He's alive!" he said, feeling a distinct pulse. "Paralyzed, but still alive!"</p><p></p><p>"Would you look at that!" remarked Syngaard, but his focus wasn't on Kaspar or the barbarian he'd found on the floor. Rather, he was drooling over the vast assortment of weapons hanging on the walls. An ebon-bladed greatsword hung just before him; Syngaard wasn't usually a greatsword kind of guy, but then he hadn't really been a scimitar kind of guy either until he'd slain that evil druid and started using his <em>human bane scimitar</em> as his own. There were other weapons on the wall, but a quick glance told Syngaard there weren't any morningstars - his weapon of choice - among their ranks, and this black blade looked awful tempting....</p><p></p><p>"'The Hall of the Accursed'," said Daleth suddenly.</p><p></p><p>"Huh?"</p><p></p><p>"'The Hall of the Accursed'," repeated Daleth, reading an inscription written in Draconic, the traditional language of arcane magic. "That's the name of this place." He indicated the entire entry hallway, a 40-foot span of corridor carved into the stone cliff. There was a portcullis at the far end, beyond which a larger chamber could be seen - one lit by an unseen light source off to the side.</p><p></p><p>"So all these weapons..." began Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"Are undoubtedly cursed," finished Daleth in his most irritatingly matter-of-fact lecture voice.</p><p></p><p>"That black blade would probably suck up your soul for breakfast," commented Orion as she opened her <em>bag of holding</em> and let her ghost-dog out. "You know, if you had one."</p><p></p><p>"It's halflings what don't got souls," retorted Syngaard, repeating a fact drilled into him by his former employer, the crime lord Karlo Maladucci. But he left the black sword hanging on its pegs and stormed down the Hall of the Accursed with a black look on his face.</p><p></p><p>Galen, in the meantime, was examining the barbarian. "Definitely alive," he agreed. "This is likely the work of a lich - they can paralyze at a touch."</p><p></p><p>"Then no doubt it is Alexandros here, seeking out weapons of great power," surmised Kaspar. He returned his attention to the frozen barbarian. "Is there anything we can do for him?" the elf asked.</p><p></p><p>"He needs a <em>remove paralysis</em> spell," replied the paladin. "Problem is, we don't have one at hand. But we'll drag him out with us when we leave - he isn't going anywhere for now." The paladin then leaped up onto Burt's strong back and they followed Syngaard to the back of the hall, Galen's <em>sword of Zehkar</em> in hand and his shield readied. If Alexandros the Mithral Mage was the one trespassing in the vault, Galen didn't want to end up like the poor barbarian sap likely duped - or <em>dominated</em> - into providing a brute force means of entry into the vault, only to be paralyzed and left to starve to death when he was no longer of any use. Then, recalling Leorna's description of the <em>wraith plague of Ixlotha the Mad</em>, he decided to cast a <em>detect undead</em> spell upon himself. He noted, in passing, that many of the weapons hanging in the Hall of the Accursed generated auras of evil - not entirely unexpected, the paladin thought to himself.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar had accompanied Galen down to the end of the hall and now the conscripts were all at the lowered portcullis. "I ain't touchin' it," declared Syngaard said. "Place like this, no tellin' what all's out to get you."</p><p></p><p>"I don't see any obvious signs of traps," offered Orion from the <em>ghost touch saddle</em> of her deceased-but-no-less-loyal riding dog. Kaspar decided to try to raise it, and was surprised when his hands passed right through it instead. "An illusion?" he asked, stepping through it and into the next chamber.</p><p></p><p>"Hey, there's a big, red-hot sphere on a dais over here!" Kaspar exclaimed. "Do you think this might be the <em>meteor stone</em>?" Then he turned around, saw the four zombies at the far end of the chamber heading his way and ran back through the portcullis.</p><p></p><p><Four zombies approaching!> he told the others through the shared mental link - it was faster than speaking aloud. <Wearing black robes. Blood dripping from every orifice, too -- I think the <em>wraith plague</em> had been activated!></p><p></p><p>Syngaard stepped forward, right through the portcullis as if it wasn't there - and got a sudden shock, for he wasn't in an underground chamber facing blood-drenched zombies; he was standing on a beach, with the quiet sussuration of waves in the background and the sun just rising in the distance. And there before him was his dead wife Mezz, looking as hale and hearty as she was back when she was alive.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard's mouth dropped open in shock and he struggled to find any words. Mezz smiled at him and raised something she was holding in her hands for her scar-faced husband to see: it was his own <em>flaming brilliant energy morningstar</em>, the one he took off one of the samurai they'd fought somewhere over on the other side of the world. How Mezz had gotten hold of it - Syngaard normally wore at at his belt - was a mystery.</p><p></p><p>"To receive Pelor's blessing, this needs to be thrown into the sun, Jace," Mezz said. "However, only Orion can actually do it for you, and she'll have to retrieve it for you, as well."</p><p></p><p>Syngaard finally found his voice. "Mezz--?" he croaked - and then found himself standing in a chamber with a burning sphere of fire at his back and four zombies headed his way. Like Kaspar had warned, blood oozed from their noses, mouths, eyes, and ears. He fell back at Kaspar's side, back in the Hall of the Accursed with his shield held high and his morningstar in hand - not the <em>flaming brilliant energy</em> one, but the one he'd paid to have enchanted with dweomers that guided the wielder's attack and helped drive it deeper into the enemy. He briefly explained his vision - if that's what is was - to Orion over the link.</p><p></p><p><You think that was an actual vision?> Orion asked, skepticism evident in her voice, even over the mental link. <Or just the vault playing tricks with your mind?></p><p></p><p><It was her - it was Mezz!> Syngaard affirmed. <If Mezz wants me to have you throw my weapon into that sun, then that's what we're gonna do!></p><p></p><p><Okay, fine - but it's not my fault if anything goes wrong!></p><p></p><p><They're approaching!> called out Galen. Daleth scooted over to one side of the portcullis, where he could see the quartet of undead beings, and cast a <em>fireball</em> spell through his <em>metamagic rod</em>, causing an enhanced explosion of flames to erupt right in the middle of the bleeding zombies. To his surprise, the zombies continued their progress ever closer. <These aren't normal zombies!> he called over the link.</p><p></p><p><Yeah, no kidding, Wizard-Pants!></p><p></p><p>But Orion got an even bigger surprise as she and Carl shifted into the Ethereal Plane - they weren't alone! Drifting at the sides of the infected zombies were what must have been wraiths - and these, being incorporeal undead, didn't look to have taken any damage at all from Daleth's <em>fireball</em> spell. Orion tried warning the others over the mental link but recalled belatedly that the <em>Rary's telepathic bond</em> was only in effect while the members were all on the same plane; as soon as she and Carl had gone ethereal they were cut off from the link.</p><p></p><p>The wraiths all turned as one and stared at the halfling astride the ghost of a riding dog, leaving no doubt that they could see Orion as well as she could see them.</p><p></p><p>On the Material Plane, Galen and Burt raced forward, the dire lion taking a defensive stance in front of Daleth as his paladin rider blasted one of the zombies into dust with a ray from his <em>illumium scabbard</em>. The remaining trio of zombies rushed forward and clawed at Burt, but the dire lion avoided the worst of their blows.</p><p></p><p>Then three wraiths materialized, striking out at the others while the fourth one remained on the Ethereal Plane to menace Orion. Its strike hit true, but the power of the blow was absorbed by the halfling's <em>stoneskin</em> spell. Carl growled and bit at the wraith, capturing its limb in his mouth - something an incorporeal creature didn't get to do often. The other wraiths were less fortunate with their attacks, only one hitting Burt and even then failing to absorb any of his life energy.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar retaliated against the wraith that had attacked him and despite the inherent difficulty of dealing damage to incorporeal foes, with his <em>tenryutsume</em> powering his strikes he was able to blast the spirit into nothingness. Likewise, Syngaard got lucky and his multiple blows with his morningstar against the wraith focused on attacking Daleth was likewise obliterated.</p><p></p><p>The elven wizard cast a <em>chain lightning</em> spell, targeting one of the three remaining zombies as his primary and sending arcs out to hit the other two bleeding zombies and the one remaining wraith manifested on the Material Plane. The magical electricity burned two of the zombies into ash.</p><p></p><p>Carl and Orion continued their attacks against the wraith on the Ethereal Plane, the halfling using her <em>nightflame short sword</em> and her ability to sense the weaknesses of undead creatures to good effect.</p><p></p><p>Galen took out the remaining two undead foes - one zombie and one wraith - with powerful blows from his <em>sword of Zehkar</em>. Scanning the chamber, he sensed a faint aura of evil, but it dissipated just before Orion and Carl manifested back onto the Material Plane. <I got him!> Orion said.</p><p></p><p>With the initial wave of foes slain, Daleth examined the 20-foot-diameter red sphere. "There are runes covering it, depicting sun magic," he observed.</p><p></p><p>"See? I told you - it's the sun Mezz was talkin' about," Syngaard said, unfastening the <em>flaming brilliant energy morningstar</em> from his belt and passing it over to Orion.</p><p></p><p>"You sure about this?" she asked.</p><p></p><p>"Hold up - there's a plaque," Daleth said. Indeed, there was a carved plate on the wall beside the glowing sphere. "It says this is the <em>Sun Gate</em>. It was created by three wizards, a druid, and a cleric of Pelor attempting to create the ultimate weapon against undead. The resulting explosion upon its completion killed all but the cleric, who was struck blind for his arrogance in attempting to steal the power of the sun. In atonement, he helped create the seal that was placed around the gate, allowing it to be moved here to the vault."</p><p></p><p>"Toss it in," commanded Syngaard, looking at Orion.</p><p></p><p>"Your loss," replied the halfling, having Carl return them to the Ethereal Plane so she could toss Syngaard's weapon into the red-hot flaming sphere, where the weapon instantly vanished from sight. Upon her return, Syngaard said, "We can fetch it on our way back. Now, let's go find Alexandros before he can try to get away."</p><p></p><p>The chamber continued on in the direction from which the undead had come, revealing a demolished gate leading to a set of stairs leading down to a set of closed doors. "Better let the halfling check the door for traps," suggested the bald fighter. Orion sent Carl forward to the set of doors, checking warily for traps. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary," she said - and then vanished from view.</p><p></p><p>The others weren't worried, though, for they had recognized the action as Carl phasing back into the Ethereal Plane again. From that vantage, the halfling was as incorporeal as a ghost herself, allowing her to stick her face through the closed doors and peek at what was on the other side. She immediately wished she could communicate with the others while she was ethereal, so she could relay to them what she was seeing.</p><p></p><p>This was an enormous chamber, with 14 pedestals lined up evenly along the back and side walls, all but one of them containing something (presumably) dangerous. There were two large stone platforms on the ground in the back of the chamber, one of them containing a 10-foot-diameter stone with glowing, red runes covering its surface. This, likely, was the <em>meteor stone</em> (Daleth could no doubt confirm it by identifying the runes covering its surface) - and the empty platform next to it with the curved depression in its center indicated the possibility that the vault had once housed another of these mega-weapons.</p><p></p><p>But of more pressing concern to Orion were the four zombies and four wraiths standing beside the empty pedestal. Apparently four more necromancers had accompanied the Mithral Mage and willingly drank the <em>wraith plague</em> mixture, turning them body and soul into undead monsters. Of Alexandros, though, there was no sign; with a shudder, Orion hoped that didn't mean he had already been in here and somehow escaped with a <em>meteor stone</em>.</p><p></p><p>Orion pulled her face back through the door before she was spotted by any of the undead - who, their transformations having been completed, were starting to turn her way - and rematerialized, Carl bounding up the steps to the rest of the group while Orion filled them in over the mental link.</p><p></p><p><You said the runes were glowing on the <em>meteor stone</em>?> Daleth asked.</p><p></p><p><Yeah - is that bad?></p><p></p><p><It could mean it's been primed to explode! Hitting it with a spell - any spell - at this point could trigger an explosion that would take out this half of the vault, easily!></p><p></p><p><Well, then, everybody back to the chamber where we fought the other undead!> commanded Syngaard, heading that way himself. <We'll let them come to us - far away enough from that explody-thing to keep us out of harm's way!></p><p></p><p><I will stay here, at the corner of the stairs, to fend them off as they approach,> promised Galen, astride his dire lion. He held his holy symbol of Hieroneous high, ready to attempt to turn any undead who approached. Sure enough, surging through the double doors of the interior vault chamber came a pair of wraiths, intent upon carnage - only not expecting it to be theirs, as the holy energy from the paladin of the God of Valor sent them discorporating into wisps of nothingness.</p><p></p><p>The other two wraiths moved incorporeally through the solid stone of the cliffside, popping out of the wall of the corridor to attack Orion and Syngaard. Fortunately for those two adventurers, while they hadn't expected an attack from that side they had been ready for action, and their instincts allowed them to dodge the wraith's blows without incident. "Back!" called Syngaard, nearly bumping into Daleth as he scrambled away from the phantom approaching him.</p><p></p><p>But Galen heard the commotion behind him and, wheeling Burt around back the way they'd come, blasted the two remaining wraiths with another turning attempt before they could harm any of the other conscripts.</p><p></p><p>"Get ready!" warned Syngaard. "Them zombies'll be next!"</p><p></p><p>Only they didn't show. Galen returned to his post at the corner of the stairs, where he could see the doors through which Orion had peeked ethereally...and then it hit the paladin. <They don't even know we're here!> he exclaimed.</p><p></p><p><I'm on it,> replied Kaspar over the link. With his enhanced speed, he was the logical one to get close to the primed <em>meteor stone</em>, the one with the best chance of escaping from its blast radius if it went off. He raced past Burt and Galen, ran down the stairs three at a time, and pulled wide the double doors leading into the vault proper. Four undead zombies, blood spilling from every orifice, turned to stare at him with eyes already red with seeping blood. But Kaspar turned on his heel and raced back up the steps, not wanting to remain that close to the <em>meteor stone</em> any longer than he had to.</p><p></p><p>As one, the zombies followed the monk out the doors and up the stairs...at which point they were all encompassed by an <em>enhanced fireball</em> spell Daleth cast at them, burning them to cinders.</p><p></p><p>"Hey, watch it, Wizard-Pants! You wanna blow us all sky high?" chided Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"I had ensured the outer edge of the spell's effect was well outside the range of the <em>meteor stone</em>," Daleth explained tartly, miffed at having his spellcasting capabilities questioned by a bald, scarred brute who wouldn't be able to manage casting a simple <em>light</em> cantrip if you gave him a week to do so and easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions.</p><p></p><p>"We should check out the rest of the vault," suggested Kaspar. "I'll go."</p><p></p><p>"No - send in the halfling," countered Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"Always willing to put my life in danger, huh?" scoffed Orion.</p><p></p><p>"Not at all - go check it out from your ghosty-plane whatever. That way, if the stone goes off, you'll still be safe." Somewhat surprised that Syngaard had actually taken her safety into consideration, she sent Carl ethereal and advanced into the room. Of course, had she given it any further thought she'd have realized that Syngaard wanted her safe because according to Mezz, she was the only one capable of retrieving his <em>flaming brilliant energy morningstar</em> from the <em>sun globe</em>!</p><p></p><p>Giving everything a quick once-over, Orion confirmed that the only things missing were the vial of the <em>wraith plague potion</em> - the glass shards of which were present on the floor before the empty pedestal - and the possible second <em>meteor stone</em> from the empty dais. She returned to the others, phased back into the Material Plane, and gave the group her findings.</p><p></p><p>"Then we're done here," replied Galen. "Let's go report in to Leorna."</p><p></p><p>"Wait - I ain't done yet!" replied Syngaard, leading the others to the <em>Sun Gate</em>. "Orion's gotta fetch me back my other morningstar!"</p><p></p><p>Going back ethereal, Orion activated the powers of her <em>nightflame short sword</em> and created an area of darkness all around her - darkness through which she, as the sword's wielder, could see perfectly fine. It shielded the incredible glare coming from the <em>Sun Gate</em>'s interior, allowing the halfling to see the morningstar floating in the center of the globe once she and Carl phased through the seal and entered what seemed like the blazing heart of the sun itself. Grabbing up the morningstar, she had Carl exit the sphere with all possible speed. "Here," she said to Syngaard, using both hands to toss the weapon at him.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard caught it one hand. "Told you," he said to the halfling. "Mezz knows what she's talkin' about - Hell, she was smart enough to marry me!" he beamed.</p><p></p><p>"And look at how well that worked out for her," Orion muttered under her breath, not wanting to speak ill of the dead but seriously wondering what such a good-looking human woman as Messalina Maladucci could possibly have seen in an oaf like Syngaard. <em>Maybe she'd fallen and hit her head?</em> the halfling mused to herself.</p><p></p><p>As the group exited the vault through the battered adamantine door, they saw Leorna, in her bright yellow robes, lying unmoving on the ground. Kaspar was at her side in a heartbeat, feeling her wrist for a pulse. "She's alive," he reported. "Just paralyzed, like the barbarian inside."</p><p></p><p>"Alexandros," muttered Galen. "How'd he get back out here without us seeing him?" Several possibilities came to mind: he might have been invisible there inside the vault, or perhaps he'd already exited right before Leorna teleported the group in, then came back to paralyze her after the conscripts had entered the vault.... It was pointless to speculate; there were too many possibilities.</p><p></p><p>"We need to remove their paralysis," the elven monk announced. "Do we have a means to do so?" Nobody did.</p><p></p><p>"Then I will return shortly," Kaspar announced, activating the <em>ring of return</em> from his robes and teleporting away.</p><p></p><p>"Wait - so we're stuck here?" demanded Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"Give him time - he will return for us," assured Galen.</p><p></p><p>"It's a long walk - and that ring of his only works one-way," pointed out Syngaard. But true to his word (as if there was ever any doubt), Kaspar soon teleported back among his friends, this time with two <em>potions of remove paralysis</em> in his hands. "I had to purchase these from the potion-maker, then get Skevros to teleport me back here," he explained as he opened the first potion vial and poured it down Leorna's throat. Sputtering and coughing, the Guildmistress returned to mobility. She agreed to allow Kaspar to minister to the barbarian in the same fashion, and he too found himself once again able to move - but with a half dozen adventurers surrounding him with weapons drawn.</p><p></p><p>It took little persuading to get the fellow to talk; he'd been approached by a silver-robed wizard with eight others wearing black robes and offered a split of hundreds of thousands of gold coins if he could get through the vault door with his oversized adamantine warhammer. Once he'd done so - and it took him quite a bit of time - he'd felt a cold hand on his shoulder and collapsed, unmoving.</p><p></p><p>"So what do we do now?" asked Galen. "It's possible Al-- uh, the Mithral Mage," he amended, knowing that to let the barbarian know the real name of their lich foe was to imprison his soul upon his death, "now has possession of a <em>meteor stone</em>."</p><p></p><p>"That cannot be helped," Leorna said. "For now, I'm more concerned with the fact that the vault lies open to any who would plunder it of its treasures."</p><p></p><p>"Hey, count me in for that!" offered up the barbarian. With an irritated look, Leorna cast a quick <em>charm person</em> spell on the hulking brute and convinced him that he didn't want anything stored within the vault. He didn't, either, he realized - not if his new best friend said it was all for the best that way.</p><p></p><p>"Since the <em>meteor stone</em> has already been primed, it makes the most sense to destroy everything still inside the vault," she decided. "I don't want the Seekers of Eternity to break in again and steal any of the other items stored within." That included all of the cursed weapons in the Hall of the Accursed, so the conscripts carefully moved them into the main vault.</p><p></p><p>"Any spell will trigger the explosion?" asked Daleth once everything had been loaded into the main vault with the remaining <em>meteor stone</em>.</p><p></p><p>"Any at all," replied Leorna.</p><p></p><p>"Then I will do this with panache," declared the elf, casting one of his most feeble cantrips - an <em>acid splash</em> that released a piddling amount of acid - onto the glowing sphere from the corner of the stairs, then immediately racing back to the front (and only) entrance to the vault. A vast explosion sounded behind him as everything stored in that chamber was instantly destroyed in a blast of fire the likes of which likely hadn't been seen in centuries.</p><p></p><p>"So what about the Mithral Mage?" asked Orion.</p><p></p><p>"We'll have to regroup with Skevros and figure out our next move," Leorna replied. "Is everyone ready to go?"</p><p></p><p>They were, and with another <em>teleport</em> spell the Illusionist brought them back to the east gate of the city of Durnhill.</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>Syngaard's <em>flaming brilliant energy morningstar</em> is now a <em>flaming solar energy morningstar</em> - basically the same, but it no longer harmlessly passes through undead creatures like it does any other unliving matter - a "feature" that until now had kept me from wanting to use it, since most of what we fight is either undead or wizards who tend not to wear armor for it to pass through. It now also does extra damage to creatures harmed by sunlight (like vampires) and can actually kill such creatures. So I might be having Syngaard use that weapon a little more often.</p><p></p><p>Galen, Kaspar, and Syngaard all earned enough XP to send them to 15th level as a result of this adventure.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 7607134, member: 508"] [b]ADVENTURE 45: THE VAULT OF SIX THIRDS[/b] PC Roster: [INDENT]Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 13 Galen Thorne, human paladin 14 Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 14 Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 14 Syngaard, human fighter 14[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 15 May 2019 - - - For once, Syngaard was the first on site after a magical summons by Skevros through the rings the conscripts wore - this time after the sun was well on its way below the horizon. Of course, this was because the king's adviser had specifically directed them to meet at the city's east gate, and Mama Kat's - where the bald fighter was employed when he wasn't otherwise occupied as an adventurer - was closer to the east gate than the [i]Enchanted Flagon[/i] was. "What's the big hurry? Why are we meeting here? And why's she here?" demanded Syngaard. In his determination to get answers, he completely failed to notice that Skevros was covered in a faint green glow. "We're meeting here because this is the gate by which Leorna entered the city," remarked Skevros, indicating the woman in yellow robes standing at his side. Leorna was the Guildmistress of the Azure Glade's Illusionists Guild and had been an ally to Skevros and Durnhill in the past. The other conscripts ran up as she took over the explanation. "The Vault of Six Thirds has been breached," she said. Then, seeing the blank expressions on the conscripts' faces, she added, "It's the vault where the Azure Glade keeps all the objects too powerful or dangerous to use." At this, Syngaard's eyebrows shot up. Powerful weapons? That sounded interesting! "You are glowing," pointed out Kaspar to Skevros. "A [i]dimensional anchor[/i] effect?" surmised Daleth. "Indeed," replied Skevros. "Someone is attempting to teleport me away, and only the magical stones in place around the city's borders are preventing the effect." "So what's this about a vault?" asked Galen, eager to get back on track. "With Skevros's assistance, I've been able to determine that no one who entered the vault has left yet. We must leave at once: after we've teleported to the vault I can explain more, since we'll be able to see anyone attempting to leave and stop them." Without much further ado, she gathered everyone around her and cast a [i]teleport[/i] spell. In an instant, they were standing in a field of blue grass facing a stone cliff. Just ahead, a large, foot-thick adamantine door stood smashed through the middle. "There is an [i]anti-magic field[/i] surrounding the vault's entrance, so we'll be able to see anyone try to exit, even if they attempt to do so invisibly. But for the same reason, you must cast any preparatory spells out here, before you enter the vault - or do so once inside. But just as within your city, teleportation effects are hampered within the vault's interior, although other magic will work as normal." "Will Carl be able to go through the door?" asked Orion. "He's a ghost - an ethereal creature," explained Leorna. "Extraplanar travel, even that on the Ethereal Plane, is blocked." "Stick 'im in your hole," suggested Syngaard. Despite its apparent crudeness, this was actually a decent suggestion; Carl could manifest on the Material Plane and enter Orion's extradimensional [i]bag of holding[/i]. The magical space would be inaccessible while the halfling traversed the [i]anti-magic field[/i] but it would pop back into existence once inside the vault. And as a ghost, it wasn't like Carl had to worry about breathing while inside the extradimensional space. Orion fed her ghost-dog a [i]potion of mage armor[/i] and then had him step inside her open [i]bag of holding[/i], while Galen and Daleth started spellcasting. The elf cast a [i]stoneskin[/i] spell upon himself and his pseudodragon familiar Todd, while the paladin summoned Burt from the Beastlands and then cast a [i]bless weapon[/i] spell upon his blade. Each then cast a [i]magic circle against evil[/i] spell upon himself, and Daleth cast a [i]Rary's telepathic bond[/i] spell upon the assembled group - all but Leorna, who would be staying behind in any case. Leorna made some quick explanations while the spellcasters were making their preparations. "The Vault is named because of the nine of us leading the Council of Guilds, it takes at least a 6 to 3 vote to open the vault. So 6/3" - she pronounced this "six-slash-three" - "or six-thirds, colloquially." "Fascinating," droned Syngaard. "Howzabout tellin' us what all's in this vault. Weapons?" "All manner of dangerous items, to include weapons, yes," Leorna confirmed. "Of particular note are the [i]meteor stone[/i] and the last sample of the [i]wraith plague of Ixlotha the Mad[/i]. The former is a 10-foot-diameter boulder imbued with 18 different [i]meteor swarm[/i] spells; once activated by a wizard, it can either explode upon impact when launched by a siege weapon for extreme effect against a single target, like a dragon, or set to explode at the top of its arc to rain down fire upon all below it. Fired over the top of your city, it could make a crater below it some 800 feet in diameter. You can see why we don't want an item like that falling into the wrong hands." "No kidding!" exclaimed Galen. "What about the other thing, the plague?" "It's a necromantic potion: those who imbibe it are slain, their bodies rising as plague-ridden zombies while their souls rise as wraiths." "You're not coming with us?" asked Orion, handing a scroll containing the [i]stoneskin[/i] spell to Daleth, so the elf could cast it upon her. "I cannot. When the vault was first created, some 900 years ago, it was determined the only ones likely to be able to figure out how to breach it would be members of the Council of Guilds itself; thus, the area is trapped to slay any current or former council member who enters the vault through any means other than through the proper opening of the door." "The door's wide open," Syngaard pointed out. "Yes, by dint of being smashed open. I wouldn't call that 'the proper opening,' would you? I certainly don't intend to end my life finding out that the wards put in place are still in effect." "If we're all ready, I will enter first," suggested Kaspar. Without hesitation, the bold monk strode up to the smashed door and stepped inside the vault. He found a body just inside, a hulking brute of a barbarian by the look of him, a burly adamantine warhammer - one looking of a size to be wielded by a frost giant, not by a human like the body before him - still gripped in his meaty hands. Kaspar put a hand to the barbarian's neck. "He's alive!" he said, feeling a distinct pulse. "Paralyzed, but still alive!" "Would you look at that!" remarked Syngaard, but his focus wasn't on Kaspar or the barbarian he'd found on the floor. Rather, he was drooling over the vast assortment of weapons hanging on the walls. An ebon-bladed greatsword hung just before him; Syngaard wasn't usually a greatsword kind of guy, but then he hadn't really been a scimitar kind of guy either until he'd slain that evil druid and started using his [i]human bane scimitar[/i] as his own. There were other weapons on the wall, but a quick glance told Syngaard there weren't any morningstars - his weapon of choice - among their ranks, and this black blade looked awful tempting.... "'The Hall of the Accursed'," said Daleth suddenly. "Huh?" "'The Hall of the Accursed'," repeated Daleth, reading an inscription written in Draconic, the traditional language of arcane magic. "That's the name of this place." He indicated the entire entry hallway, a 40-foot span of corridor carved into the stone cliff. There was a portcullis at the far end, beyond which a larger chamber could be seen - one lit by an unseen light source off to the side. "So all these weapons..." began Syngaard. "Are undoubtedly cursed," finished Daleth in his most irritatingly matter-of-fact lecture voice. "That black blade would probably suck up your soul for breakfast," commented Orion as she opened her [i]bag of holding[/i] and let her ghost-dog out. "You know, if you had one." "It's halflings what don't got souls," retorted Syngaard, repeating a fact drilled into him by his former employer, the crime lord Karlo Maladucci. But he left the black sword hanging on its pegs and stormed down the Hall of the Accursed with a black look on his face. Galen, in the meantime, was examining the barbarian. "Definitely alive," he agreed. "This is likely the work of a lich - they can paralyze at a touch." "Then no doubt it is Alexandros here, seeking out weapons of great power," surmised Kaspar. He returned his attention to the frozen barbarian. "Is there anything we can do for him?" the elf asked. "He needs a [i]remove paralysis[/i] spell," replied the paladin. "Problem is, we don't have one at hand. But we'll drag him out with us when we leave - he isn't going anywhere for now." The paladin then leaped up onto Burt's strong back and they followed Syngaard to the back of the hall, Galen's [i]sword of Zehkar[/i] in hand and his shield readied. If Alexandros the Mithral Mage was the one trespassing in the vault, Galen didn't want to end up like the poor barbarian sap likely duped - or [i]dominated[/i] - into providing a brute force means of entry into the vault, only to be paralyzed and left to starve to death when he was no longer of any use. Then, recalling Leorna's description of the [i]wraith plague of Ixlotha the Mad[/i], he decided to cast a [i]detect undead[/i] spell upon himself. He noted, in passing, that many of the weapons hanging in the Hall of the Accursed generated auras of evil - not entirely unexpected, the paladin thought to himself. Kaspar had accompanied Galen down to the end of the hall and now the conscripts were all at the lowered portcullis. "I ain't touchin' it," declared Syngaard said. "Place like this, no tellin' what all's out to get you." "I don't see any obvious signs of traps," offered Orion from the [i]ghost touch saddle[/i] of her deceased-but-no-less-loyal riding dog. Kaspar decided to try to raise it, and was surprised when his hands passed right through it instead. "An illusion?" he asked, stepping through it and into the next chamber. "Hey, there's a big, red-hot sphere on a dais over here!" Kaspar exclaimed. "Do you think this might be the [i]meteor stone[/i]?" Then he turned around, saw the four zombies at the far end of the chamber heading his way and ran back through the portcullis. <Four zombies approaching!> he told the others through the shared mental link - it was faster than speaking aloud. <Wearing black robes. Blood dripping from every orifice, too -- I think the [i]wraith plague[/i] had been activated!> Syngaard stepped forward, right through the portcullis as if it wasn't there - and got a sudden shock, for he wasn't in an underground chamber facing blood-drenched zombies; he was standing on a beach, with the quiet sussuration of waves in the background and the sun just rising in the distance. And there before him was his dead wife Mezz, looking as hale and hearty as she was back when she was alive. Syngaard's mouth dropped open in shock and he struggled to find any words. Mezz smiled at him and raised something she was holding in her hands for her scar-faced husband to see: it was his own [i]flaming brilliant energy morningstar[/i], the one he took off one of the samurai they'd fought somewhere over on the other side of the world. How Mezz had gotten hold of it - Syngaard normally wore at at his belt - was a mystery. "To receive Pelor's blessing, this needs to be thrown into the sun, Jace," Mezz said. "However, only Orion can actually do it for you, and she'll have to retrieve it for you, as well." Syngaard finally found his voice. "Mezz--?" he croaked - and then found himself standing in a chamber with a burning sphere of fire at his back and four zombies headed his way. Like Kaspar had warned, blood oozed from their noses, mouths, eyes, and ears. He fell back at Kaspar's side, back in the Hall of the Accursed with his shield held high and his morningstar in hand - not the [i]flaming brilliant energy[/i] one, but the one he'd paid to have enchanted with dweomers that guided the wielder's attack and helped drive it deeper into the enemy. He briefly explained his vision - if that's what is was - to Orion over the link. <You think that was an actual vision?> Orion asked, skepticism evident in her voice, even over the mental link. <Or just the vault playing tricks with your mind?> <It was her - it was Mezz!> Syngaard affirmed. <If Mezz wants me to have you throw my weapon into that sun, then that's what we're gonna do!> <Okay, fine - but it's not my fault if anything goes wrong!> <They're approaching!> called out Galen. Daleth scooted over to one side of the portcullis, where he could see the quartet of undead beings, and cast a [i]fireball[/i] spell through his [i]metamagic rod[/i], causing an enhanced explosion of flames to erupt right in the middle of the bleeding zombies. To his surprise, the zombies continued their progress ever closer. <These aren't normal zombies!> he called over the link. <Yeah, no kidding, Wizard-Pants!> But Orion got an even bigger surprise as she and Carl shifted into the Ethereal Plane - they weren't alone! Drifting at the sides of the infected zombies were what must have been wraiths - and these, being incorporeal undead, didn't look to have taken any damage at all from Daleth's [i]fireball[/i] spell. Orion tried warning the others over the mental link but recalled belatedly that the [i]Rary's telepathic bond[/i] was only in effect while the members were all on the same plane; as soon as she and Carl had gone ethereal they were cut off from the link. The wraiths all turned as one and stared at the halfling astride the ghost of a riding dog, leaving no doubt that they could see Orion as well as she could see them. On the Material Plane, Galen and Burt raced forward, the dire lion taking a defensive stance in front of Daleth as his paladin rider blasted one of the zombies into dust with a ray from his [i]illumium scabbard[/i]. The remaining trio of zombies rushed forward and clawed at Burt, but the dire lion avoided the worst of their blows. Then three wraiths materialized, striking out at the others while the fourth one remained on the Ethereal Plane to menace Orion. Its strike hit true, but the power of the blow was absorbed by the halfling's [i]stoneskin[/i] spell. Carl growled and bit at the wraith, capturing its limb in his mouth - something an incorporeal creature didn't get to do often. The other wraiths were less fortunate with their attacks, only one hitting Burt and even then failing to absorb any of his life energy. Kaspar retaliated against the wraith that had attacked him and despite the inherent difficulty of dealing damage to incorporeal foes, with his [i]tenryutsume[/i] powering his strikes he was able to blast the spirit into nothingness. Likewise, Syngaard got lucky and his multiple blows with his morningstar against the wraith focused on attacking Daleth was likewise obliterated. The elven wizard cast a [i]chain lightning[/i] spell, targeting one of the three remaining zombies as his primary and sending arcs out to hit the other two bleeding zombies and the one remaining wraith manifested on the Material Plane. The magical electricity burned two of the zombies into ash. Carl and Orion continued their attacks against the wraith on the Ethereal Plane, the halfling using her [i]nightflame short sword[/i] and her ability to sense the weaknesses of undead creatures to good effect. Galen took out the remaining two undead foes - one zombie and one wraith - with powerful blows from his [i]sword of Zehkar[/i]. Scanning the chamber, he sensed a faint aura of evil, but it dissipated just before Orion and Carl manifested back onto the Material Plane. <I got him!> Orion said. With the initial wave of foes slain, Daleth examined the 20-foot-diameter red sphere. "There are runes covering it, depicting sun magic," he observed. "See? I told you - it's the sun Mezz was talkin' about," Syngaard said, unfastening the [i]flaming brilliant energy morningstar[/i] from his belt and passing it over to Orion. "You sure about this?" she asked. "Hold up - there's a plaque," Daleth said. Indeed, there was a carved plate on the wall beside the glowing sphere. "It says this is the [i]Sun Gate[/i]. It was created by three wizards, a druid, and a cleric of Pelor attempting to create the ultimate weapon against undead. The resulting explosion upon its completion killed all but the cleric, who was struck blind for his arrogance in attempting to steal the power of the sun. In atonement, he helped create the seal that was placed around the gate, allowing it to be moved here to the vault." "Toss it in," commanded Syngaard, looking at Orion. "Your loss," replied the halfling, having Carl return them to the Ethereal Plane so she could toss Syngaard's weapon into the red-hot flaming sphere, where the weapon instantly vanished from sight. Upon her return, Syngaard said, "We can fetch it on our way back. Now, let's go find Alexandros before he can try to get away." The chamber continued on in the direction from which the undead had come, revealing a demolished gate leading to a set of stairs leading down to a set of closed doors. "Better let the halfling check the door for traps," suggested the bald fighter. Orion sent Carl forward to the set of doors, checking warily for traps. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary," she said - and then vanished from view. The others weren't worried, though, for they had recognized the action as Carl phasing back into the Ethereal Plane again. From that vantage, the halfling was as incorporeal as a ghost herself, allowing her to stick her face through the closed doors and peek at what was on the other side. She immediately wished she could communicate with the others while she was ethereal, so she could relay to them what she was seeing. This was an enormous chamber, with 14 pedestals lined up evenly along the back and side walls, all but one of them containing something (presumably) dangerous. There were two large stone platforms on the ground in the back of the chamber, one of them containing a 10-foot-diameter stone with glowing, red runes covering its surface. This, likely, was the [i]meteor stone[/i] (Daleth could no doubt confirm it by identifying the runes covering its surface) - and the empty platform next to it with the curved depression in its center indicated the possibility that the vault had once housed another of these mega-weapons. But of more pressing concern to Orion were the four zombies and four wraiths standing beside the empty pedestal. Apparently four more necromancers had accompanied the Mithral Mage and willingly drank the [i]wraith plague[/i] mixture, turning them body and soul into undead monsters. Of Alexandros, though, there was no sign; with a shudder, Orion hoped that didn't mean he had already been in here and somehow escaped with a [i]meteor stone[/i]. Orion pulled her face back through the door before she was spotted by any of the undead - who, their transformations having been completed, were starting to turn her way - and rematerialized, Carl bounding up the steps to the rest of the group while Orion filled them in over the mental link. <You said the runes were glowing on the [i]meteor stone[/i]?> Daleth asked. <Yeah - is that bad?> <It could mean it's been primed to explode! Hitting it with a spell - any spell - at this point could trigger an explosion that would take out this half of the vault, easily!> <Well, then, everybody back to the chamber where we fought the other undead!> commanded Syngaard, heading that way himself. <We'll let them come to us - far away enough from that explody-thing to keep us out of harm's way!> <I will stay here, at the corner of the stairs, to fend them off as they approach,> promised Galen, astride his dire lion. He held his holy symbol of Hieroneous high, ready to attempt to turn any undead who approached. Sure enough, surging through the double doors of the interior vault chamber came a pair of wraiths, intent upon carnage - only not expecting it to be theirs, as the holy energy from the paladin of the God of Valor sent them discorporating into wisps of nothingness. The other two wraiths moved incorporeally through the solid stone of the cliffside, popping out of the wall of the corridor to attack Orion and Syngaard. Fortunately for those two adventurers, while they hadn't expected an attack from that side they had been ready for action, and their instincts allowed them to dodge the wraith's blows without incident. "Back!" called Syngaard, nearly bumping into Daleth as he scrambled away from the phantom approaching him. But Galen heard the commotion behind him and, wheeling Burt around back the way they'd come, blasted the two remaining wraiths with another turning attempt before they could harm any of the other conscripts. "Get ready!" warned Syngaard. "Them zombies'll be next!" Only they didn't show. Galen returned to his post at the corner of the stairs, where he could see the doors through which Orion had peeked ethereally...and then it hit the paladin. <They don't even know we're here!> he exclaimed. <I'm on it,> replied Kaspar over the link. With his enhanced speed, he was the logical one to get close to the primed [i]meteor stone[/i], the one with the best chance of escaping from its blast radius if it went off. He raced past Burt and Galen, ran down the stairs three at a time, and pulled wide the double doors leading into the vault proper. Four undead zombies, blood spilling from every orifice, turned to stare at him with eyes already red with seeping blood. But Kaspar turned on his heel and raced back up the steps, not wanting to remain that close to the [i]meteor stone[/i] any longer than he had to. As one, the zombies followed the monk out the doors and up the stairs...at which point they were all encompassed by an [i]enhanced fireball[/i] spell Daleth cast at them, burning them to cinders. "Hey, watch it, Wizard-Pants! You wanna blow us all sky high?" chided Syngaard. "I had ensured the outer edge of the spell's effect was well outside the range of the [i]meteor stone[/i]," Daleth explained tartly, miffed at having his spellcasting capabilities questioned by a bald, scarred brute who wouldn't be able to manage casting a simple [i]light[/i] cantrip if you gave him a week to do so and easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions. "We should check out the rest of the vault," suggested Kaspar. "I'll go." "No - send in the halfling," countered Syngaard. "Always willing to put my life in danger, huh?" scoffed Orion. "Not at all - go check it out from your ghosty-plane whatever. That way, if the stone goes off, you'll still be safe." Somewhat surprised that Syngaard had actually taken her safety into consideration, she sent Carl ethereal and advanced into the room. Of course, had she given it any further thought she'd have realized that Syngaard wanted her safe because according to Mezz, she was the only one capable of retrieving his [i]flaming brilliant energy morningstar[/i] from the [i]sun globe[/i]! Giving everything a quick once-over, Orion confirmed that the only things missing were the vial of the [i]wraith plague potion[/i] - the glass shards of which were present on the floor before the empty pedestal - and the possible second [i]meteor stone[/i] from the empty dais. She returned to the others, phased back into the Material Plane, and gave the group her findings. "Then we're done here," replied Galen. "Let's go report in to Leorna." "Wait - I ain't done yet!" replied Syngaard, leading the others to the [i]Sun Gate[/i]. "Orion's gotta fetch me back my other morningstar!" Going back ethereal, Orion activated the powers of her [i]nightflame short sword[/i] and created an area of darkness all around her - darkness through which she, as the sword's wielder, could see perfectly fine. It shielded the incredible glare coming from the [i]Sun Gate[/i]'s interior, allowing the halfling to see the morningstar floating in the center of the globe once she and Carl phased through the seal and entered what seemed like the blazing heart of the sun itself. Grabbing up the morningstar, she had Carl exit the sphere with all possible speed. "Here," she said to Syngaard, using both hands to toss the weapon at him. Syngaard caught it one hand. "Told you," he said to the halfling. "Mezz knows what she's talkin' about - Hell, she was smart enough to marry me!" he beamed. "And look at how well that worked out for her," Orion muttered under her breath, not wanting to speak ill of the dead but seriously wondering what such a good-looking human woman as Messalina Maladucci could possibly have seen in an oaf like Syngaard. [i]Maybe she'd fallen and hit her head?[/i] the halfling mused to herself. As the group exited the vault through the battered adamantine door, they saw Leorna, in her bright yellow robes, lying unmoving on the ground. Kaspar was at her side in a heartbeat, feeling her wrist for a pulse. "She's alive," he reported. "Just paralyzed, like the barbarian inside." "Alexandros," muttered Galen. "How'd he get back out here without us seeing him?" Several possibilities came to mind: he might have been invisible there inside the vault, or perhaps he'd already exited right before Leorna teleported the group in, then came back to paralyze her after the conscripts had entered the vault.... It was pointless to speculate; there were too many possibilities. "We need to remove their paralysis," the elven monk announced. "Do we have a means to do so?" Nobody did. "Then I will return shortly," Kaspar announced, activating the [i]ring of return[/i] from his robes and teleporting away. "Wait - so we're stuck here?" demanded Syngaard. "Give him time - he will return for us," assured Galen. "It's a long walk - and that ring of his only works one-way," pointed out Syngaard. But true to his word (as if there was ever any doubt), Kaspar soon teleported back among his friends, this time with two [i]potions of remove paralysis[/i] in his hands. "I had to purchase these from the potion-maker, then get Skevros to teleport me back here," he explained as he opened the first potion vial and poured it down Leorna's throat. Sputtering and coughing, the Guildmistress returned to mobility. She agreed to allow Kaspar to minister to the barbarian in the same fashion, and he too found himself once again able to move - but with a half dozen adventurers surrounding him with weapons drawn. It took little persuading to get the fellow to talk; he'd been approached by a silver-robed wizard with eight others wearing black robes and offered a split of hundreds of thousands of gold coins if he could get through the vault door with his oversized adamantine warhammer. Once he'd done so - and it took him quite a bit of time - he'd felt a cold hand on his shoulder and collapsed, unmoving. "So what do we do now?" asked Galen. "It's possible Al-- uh, the Mithral Mage," he amended, knowing that to let the barbarian know the real name of their lich foe was to imprison his soul upon his death, "now has possession of a [i]meteor stone[/i]." "That cannot be helped," Leorna said. "For now, I'm more concerned with the fact that the vault lies open to any who would plunder it of its treasures." "Hey, count me in for that!" offered up the barbarian. With an irritated look, Leorna cast a quick [i]charm person[/i] spell on the hulking brute and convinced him that he didn't want anything stored within the vault. He didn't, either, he realized - not if his new best friend said it was all for the best that way. "Since the [i]meteor stone[/i] has already been primed, it makes the most sense to destroy everything still inside the vault," she decided. "I don't want the Seekers of Eternity to break in again and steal any of the other items stored within." That included all of the cursed weapons in the Hall of the Accursed, so the conscripts carefully moved them into the main vault. "Any spell will trigger the explosion?" asked Daleth once everything had been loaded into the main vault with the remaining [i]meteor stone[/i]. "Any at all," replied Leorna. "Then I will do this with panache," declared the elf, casting one of his most feeble cantrips - an [i]acid splash[/i] that released a piddling amount of acid - onto the glowing sphere from the corner of the stairs, then immediately racing back to the front (and only) entrance to the vault. A vast explosion sounded behind him as everything stored in that chamber was instantly destroyed in a blast of fire the likes of which likely hadn't been seen in centuries. "So what about the Mithral Mage?" asked Orion. "We'll have to regroup with Skevros and figure out our next move," Leorna replied. "Is everyone ready to go?" They were, and with another [i]teleport[/i] spell the Illusionist brought them back to the east gate of the city of Durnhill. - - - Syngaard's [i]flaming brilliant energy morningstar[/i] is now a [i]flaming solar energy morningstar[/i] - basically the same, but it no longer harmlessly passes through undead creatures like it does any other unliving matter - a "feature" that until now had kept me from wanting to use it, since most of what we fight is either undead or wizards who tend not to wear armor for it to pass through. It now also does extra damage to creatures harmed by sunlight (like vampires) and can actually kill such creatures. So I might be having Syngaard use that weapon a little more often. Galen, Kaspar, and Syngaard all earned enough XP to send them to 15th level as a result of this adventure. [/QUOTE]
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