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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark Chance" data-source="post: 4328067" data-attributes="member: 2795">Last game session, I gave our DM a break from running us through Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. We've got a large party of adventurers: a human barbarian (Magnus), a human cleric (Bob the Brewer), a human warlock (Phoenix), a human druid (Deekin), an elf duskblade (Isabeau), an elf warmage (Tandalin), a human rogue/fighter (Mack), and a halfling rogue/wizard (Silvia). The halfling's player couldn't make the game and no one else had the character, which fit my plot just fine.The party had just defeated a sea hag in a largely underwater battle that involved much thrashing about while almost drowning. Having discovered an submerged tunnel that led to an air-filled cave, the party holed up and rested. Several hours later, refreshed and healed, the party made ready to leave when suddenly most of the cave was covered with darkness.A section of the northern cave wall very nearly composed of iron simply vanished. Through it charged seven brutish humanoids with fangs and claws, their flesh rippling with lines of a heat. These humanoids lobbed stones of sound burst, stunning and deafening the Mack, Isabeau, and Tandalin. Most of the rest of the party also suffered some sonic damage.Then the battle began. The brutish attackers proved invulnerable to metal. Phoenix later identified them as lava children. The lava children were the front line for other attackers, which included a quasit, a flying hobgoblin who lobbed scorching rays, and a goblin. Also, all three of these could turn invisible, apparently at will.The party did remarkably well during the fight. Bob dispelled the darkness. Deekin's bear went to town on the lava children. The flying hobgoblin was killed, after which it turned into a large, fiendish-looking humanoid with coal-black skin. At this point, the remaining attackers (the quasit and goblin) fled. The vanished section of cave wall reappeared.Unfortunately, they didn't go without spoils. Silvia was somehow abducted during the battle. Also, Magnus noticed the straps of his handy haversack had been tampered with. A quick inventory revealed that two of the party's hard-won elemental keys were missing.Phoenix started dimension dooring the party through the wall. On the other side was a drop off leading into a cave whose crystal-flecked walls glimmered with rainbow colors. Bob, Magnus, and Isabeau advanced into the cave, and when their feet touched down, mirror images of them sprang into existence. At that same time, a mob of grimlocks rushed from hiding. Each grimlock was also protected by mirror images, which, of course, the grimlocks could "see" through.Bob's active invisibility purge defeated some sort of invisibility attempt by the grimlocks; Bob knew this because he understood the grimlock's Undercommon surprise that their magic had been suppressed. Claiming to fight the party for "Zargon," the grimlocks rushed into battle as Phoenix continued to ferry the party into the cave via dimension door. The battle was short but fierce. Two grimlocks escaped down a side tunnel.The party pursued and found themselves in a much larger cave facing an elder roper named Zargon."Why did you kill my grimlocks?" Zargon inquired.Bob explained the party's situation. Zargon explained that the ambushers had bought safe passage through his cave. If the party wanted to pass, they too would have to buy safe passage. Zargon further explained that it was bored with playing god. It had had a deep gnome bard for entertainment, but sadly Zargon had eaten the bard."If you sing for me, I shall let you pass."The party bought safe passage by singing "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Svirfneblin". Bob and Magnus sang lead. Isabeau and Phoenix sang back-up. Soon the party was back on its way, leaving behind the caves and entering another area of dwarven construction.The bear followed the ambusher's scent trail to the south. The party ignored another scent trail that lead to the north. (Zargon told the party that kobolds lived in that direction.) Unknown to the party as they entered a largish chamber were the facts the room was an elaborate trap and that Mack was under the mental domination of a psionic monster.Mack deliberately triggered the room's trap, which caused most of the floor to collapse. Phoenix, who can fly, was unharmed. Tandalin caught the edge of a pillar the avoided falling. Everyone else dropped 20 feet. Phoenix flew toward Mack, only to be blasted by two crystal shards (a strange thing for the rogue/fighter to be able to do!). Also, much of the debris on the floor swirled into animated debris swarms, a type of construct Tandalin recognized.While the bear and Magnus battled the debris swarms, Phoenix dimension doored party members up the hallway on the other side of the room near Mack. Bob the Brewer hit Mack with a protection from evil, suppressing the domination effect. The swarms were defeated. Bruised, bleeding, and (in cases) deafened, the party hussled down the hallway to discover a meeting of monsters gone awry.Apparently, the goblin and quasit had decided to pull a double-cross. Rival factions from the water and fire temples were present, including a cinderspawn, three fire necromentals, three vardiggs, and a strange, vaguely humanoid creature whose lower body ended in three tentacles. A fierce three-way battle ensued. The ambushers fled at first opportunity, leaving behind a sack.Also, in the hallway, the keen-eyed Deekin spotted a bat-winged worm-like creature sneaking along the ceiling. The party killed it, along with most of the elemental evil followers. Only the three-tentacled creature -- which could surround itself with a column of water -- managed to escape.The party checked the dropped bag to discover only one key was present. Also, no sign could be found of Silvia. Perhaps the ambushers had traded Silvia to the kobolds? Did they take the other key with them, or was it too traded elsewhere?We'll find out next game session.</blockquote>

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