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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Demetrios1453" data-source="post: 9348932" data-attributes="member: 6801060">Pool of Radiance (Part 63): Valjevo Castle (Part 6)We're headed of out of the settled area for probably the last time, as there's not going to any real reason to head back into town from here on out before we've completed the game. The next time we return, it should be as conquering heroes!So we head back to the Slums, past our favorite suspicious guards...[ATTACH=full]363676[/ATTACH]Through Kuto's Well...[ATTACH=full]363677[/ATTACH]Through Podol Plaza and to the Stojanow Gate:[ATTACH=full]363678[/ATTACH]And into the outer area of Valjevo Castle.We head back to the northwestern quadrant, to the gates we passed by a short time ago.[ATTACH=full]363682[/ATTACH]We learned the password from the enslaved cook.[ATTACH=full]363684[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]363685[/ATTACH]And into the hedge maze!This maze is huge, taking up the better part of four 16 x 16 squares. And while, yes, you can cut through the hedges, it's not a good idea as there's a good chance one or more party members will be insta-killed by the poisonous thorns as you push through. So, we'll avoid that potential fate and just stick to the open paths...Immediately to our left is a building (in fact, there's a building in all four corners of the maze), so we'll move around a bit to see if we can find an entrance.[ATTACH=full]363696[/ATTACH]And there it is. We'll head in.[ATTACH=full]363697[/ATTACH]Hmm, still a bit suspicious...[ATTACH=full]363701[/ATTACH]Nah, let's attack.[ATTACH=full]363704[/ATTACH]Well, OK then. Let's see these notes.[ATTACH=full]363706[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]363707[/ATTACH]Interesting. But not much beyond what we've already learned.[ATTACH=full]363708[/ATTACH]We then head through the maze, heading south by southeast. I chose the entrance we came in because it's the quickest way to get to our next objective, which we are heading for now.Through the maze we go...[ATTACH=full]363709[/ATTACH]Over to the southeastern portion of the maze.[ATTACH=full]363710[/ATTACH]Until we get to a doorway into the central tower.[ATTACH=full]363713[/ATTACH]In we go...[ATTACH=full]363714[/ATTACH]Gasp! Is this Tyranthraxus? Have we found the Boss at last?[ATTACH=full]363715[/ATTACH]It is! He's a little less... fiery than advertised, but if he says he's Tyranthraxus, he has to be, right?We parlay...[ATTACH=full]363718[/ATTACH]And choose "Sly"[ATTACH=full]363717[/ATTACH]Oh my, he appears to be an impostor! Who would have believed it?[ATTACH=full]363719[/ATTACH]We confront "Tyranithraxus" and two thief bodyguards.We quickly take down the false Boss.[ATTACH=full]363720[/ATTACH]Irritatingly, the thieves can't be targeted, from being all thief-y I assume..[ATTACH=full]363723[/ATTACH]Let's try a different tactic to target them...[ATTACH=full]363722[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]363724[/ATTACH]Darn, not even that is working. Well, everyone start meleeing away![ATTACH=full]363725[/ATTACH]And then the last one starts running across the room. Since he can't be targeted by ranged weapons, this is extra irritating. The party begins to give chase..[ATTACH=full]363726[/ATTACH]And Baroness Bella takes him down.[ATTACH=full]363727[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]363728[/ATTACH]Nice XP! I wonder what treasures they may have?[ATTACH=full]363729[/ATTACH]Not bad.[ATTACH=full]363730[/ATTACH]Very interesting.[ATTACH=full]363731[/ATTACH]And this is why we bee-lined to this fight. The longsword +5 is obviously the best weapon in the game, and, even by the most Monty Haul-est of campaigns' standards, completely ridiculous to give to a party of 6th - 7th level (which is why we only get to keep it for the about 10 combats left in this game before we lose everything at the start of Curse of the Azure Bonds). We won't turn it down though! Baroness Bella will equip that, send her sword to Bant, who sends his sword to Buffy. Buffy will also take the ring, which is an improvement for her.[ATTACH=full]363732[/ATTACH]That's very impressive for a 7th level character!There are no exits to the rest of the central keep building from the False Tyranthraxus' throne room, so back out we go, heading back up towards where we met the captive mage in the northwestern corner.Unfortunately for us, we set off another alarm when killing the false Boss, but here in the maze there will be fewer combats while it's going off than there were when we were outside it. That doesn't mean there aren't any combats though![ATTACH=full]363733[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]363734[/ATTACH]With only four, we should take them out pretty easily, as long as no one gets bitten and fails their save.[ATTACH=full]363735[/ATTACH]Brother Baltor did get bitten, and pretty badly, but thankfully made his save and isn't dying of poison right now.And we quickly take down the last snake.[ATTACH=full]363736[/ATTACH]Now we are going to head south, so we head past the courtyard in front of the gates we came through earlier.[ATTACH=full]363737[/ATTACH]Whoops, wrong way, we just looped back around on ourselves![ATTACH=full]363738[/ATTACH]We head to the southwestern section.[ATTACH=full]363739[/ATTACH]And around through the endless maze...[ATTACH=full]363740[/ATTACH]Until we reach the entrance to the southwestern building. In we go![ATTACH=full]363741[/ATTACH]We surprise some giants.[ATTACH=full]363742[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]363745[/ATTACH]Three hill giants won't even cause us to break out in a sweat.[ATTACH=full]363746[/ATTACH]And Baroness Bella takes down the last one with her new sword.[ATTACH=full]363747[/ATTACH]Like usual with giants lots of XP, but uselessly large amounts of coin.We leave the building and head to the southeastern quadrant.[ATTACH=full]363748[/ATTACH]We wind through the never-ending maze...[ATTACH=full]363749[/ATTACH]And reach the building in the southeastern corner. We go in...[ATTACH=full]363750[/ATTACH]And... we've reached the upload limit. The undoubted horrors that lay beyond will need to wait until the next post!</blockquote>

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