To answer some of the questions I recieved:
1) Did you enjoy the game?
I enjoyed running it quite a bit, but preparing it was SO much work. The fact that I had never run anything that high level meant I had to constantly check spells and stats, and work very hard to make sure the players wouldn't breeze through too easily or get crushed. But I'm very proud that the preparation paid off, the game ran very smoothly, and I never felt surprised by any pc action.
2) What was the plot?
I can't reveal all of it, because we didn't finish the whole thing, but here's what the pcs know.
Arden, the party's 3.5 ranger (I allowed a few 3.5 items in the game), investigated a raging earth elemental near his territory, when he was wounded by a consecrated harrier. The harrier told him that he was from the High Temple of Wee Jas on the plane of Ghenna, and that his employer saught his death. The harrier would return on his master's request to finish the job, as a high level harrier can find his prey anywhere.
Malaguant and Elowin, the cleric and sorceress, were investigating an apparant epic energy source that had recently been uncovered on the plane of arboria (where Arden had recently been before returning to the prime). Malaguant went to the home plane of Boccob to seek answers. Boccob was apparantly busy with other matters, but an avatar told him that "it was mortal magic, from an immortal source, and that was all he knew."
Tordek (yes I know
, the fighter/weaponmaster was standing guard at his position at the Temple to Moradin on the prime material, when the high cleric informed him that Moradin had personally instructed him that upon Boccob's request, Tordek was to travel to Malaguant's tower to help in the investigation.
The group picked up Arden after determining the last location of the source was near Arden's last position (where he had encountered the harrier Karratos Soulcryer).
The group decided that perhaps they should travel to Wee Jas' Temple to find answers. The party also knew that another friend of theirs named Malakai had assasinated a high priest there and was knowledgable in the area.
Malakai was summoned with bracelet of friends (I gave one to each party members for free, makes getting teh party together much easier).
After consideration, the party decided to discern the location of Karratos and deal with the problem in the hear and now. They discerned location him on the elemental plane of earth, and gated there. Karratos' employer had been expecting this tactic, and two balors teleported in. A round later, a small bug dug out of the earth and with a dispel magic grew into a Gargantuan Corrupted Green Dragon!! The dragon went straight for Arden, shouting I'll kill you Corran!! Eventually the balors were dismissed and the dragon beaten back (he teleported out). Karratos left saying this was not his fight, although giving a look to Arden.... and Malaguant? said he would be back.
The party returned to around Malaguant's tower to consider what had happened. As they were about to go inside a swarm of ether scarabs (MM II) moved in from the ethereal plane. They immediately started to die, creating small portals that all combined into a larger one. Melaguant wall of forced the portal, and so a creature tried to move through the portal but only got the barest into the prime. She asked to examine Arden, who she felt was "wrong", a conception she could not understand. After lengthy discussion she was allowed in. She was a water weird (MM II). She examined Arden and determined that he was being possessed by Corran the Collector. Corran was a man who went around collecting all sorts of rare, exotic creatures for his collection. The weird informed them that the only way to remove Corran would likely be at Corran's base- as if he possessed Arden he would likely have a way to remove himself. But then the weird turned cold and said she was sorry as she left in the portal. Another portal was opened and two choas rocs and two tempests (both MM II) were released. Elowin's prismatic walls and Malaguant's prismatic sphere made short work of them.
Commune's and legend lore's told the party about Corran, and Pyx the dragon, who had a vendetta against Corran for stealing his children. Pyx most likely was the green dragon from eariler. Meanwhile, Malakai went outside to watch for danger. However, Pyx was watching the area with scrying, and saw his chance. He teleported without error right next to Malakai. Malakai tried to shadow walk to escape, but Pyx could also shadow walk and made quick work of the assasin.
The party tried to follow but by then Pyx had left. They discern location and found Malakai's ashes strewn across the elemental plane of acid (custom, figured it would be good for a green dragon).
The party started true ressing him in Malaguant's tower, but to their horror halfway through the casting a mithral golem was created by the very structures of the tower. Arden and Tordek made easy work of it, but the casting was lost. Malaguant firmly asserted that no creature could have been summoned or teleported into the tower- the creature must have been created from inside. And the energy signatures pointed to Arden, who had nowhere near that kind of magic ability.
The party went outside and tried true res again. This time an adamantine golem appeared!! Malaguant stantly kept up his casting, and again Tordek and Arden went to the challenge. Constructs were a favored enemy to Arden, and Tordek could maximize his damage several more times that day- together even this great monster was slain. But as it did Pyx teleported in to the somewhat weakened party. Malaguant could do nothing, forced to maintain the spell.
The party went to work on Pyx, but there was only three of them. Still, they were Epic warriors and Pyx only a Wyrm. Pyx attempted to heal himself, and during which a werewolf lord (3.5) was created and attacked him!! Elowin tried a disjunction on Pyx, but it was countered by Arden!!- again not possessing the readied action or power to do so. Later in the fight Pyx attempted to disjunction the party, and this time Elowin countered it, but in a similar way to Arden's countering!! Pyx's reaction told the party he was not the one causing it. He flew (having been dismensional anchored eariler) and the party flew after him. Finally Elowin teleported ahead of him and prepared to fight. Pyx sensed a weak target. He crushed Elowin in his great jaw. Elowin did not possess the toughness of her fighter friends, but her will was strong and she held out. Seeing an easy oppurtunity she used a temporal statis on Pyx's jaw. He had epic SR, but Elowin had trained to beat such protection, and the dragon crashed to the ground, a still statue. Malakai was returned to life, and Pyx was deprived of it.
The party used discern location and legend lore and found Malakai's stuff on the elemental plane of acid. They went there and retrieved it and several items from the dragon's hoard- which was scarely defended.
Pyx is dead, but Corran is still in Arden's soul, and the strange magical effects have left to be explained. There is still much left to do.
