Gfunk-JollyDoc Crossover Story Hour [Updated 4/30]

[gfunk]

Greetings new readers! I hope you find this Story Hour entertaining. To make your lives easier I have begun to compile these tales into PDF format. All three sagas will eventually be available. These documents also contain extensive backgrounds, character bios and game notes.

Saga 1 - City of the Spider Queen
Link: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=72749

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Introduction

Welcome everyone and thank you for reading!

The following Story Hour takes place in the Forgotten Realms with characters who begin at level 16 and eventually go well into epic levels. It takes place in three major parts:

• City of the Spider Queen (detailed here)
• Bastion of Broken Souls
• Lich-Queen’s Beloved

Back Story





Our campaign world is, by no stretch of the imagination, new. It has been in existence since the mid-1990s. Joe, Richard and several other players (who have left the group) began with the exploits of Alphar Turrin and his famed ‘Vorpal Blades.’ Below is a summary of the major events of our campaign world (mainly precipitated by our own PCs). Note: This was the campaign handout distributed to us when we started our current campaign at the launch of 3rd edition.

Forgotten Realms: The Dark Ages

In the year 1369 DR, known as the Year of the Gauntlet, the city of Tilverton, in the forest kingdom of Cormyr, vanished. In its place was left a vast dome of utter blackness, and a mystery, that once solved, would change the face of Faerun forever . . .

It was Eleint, early fall, and the new peace that Cormyr had found since the coronation of Queen Alusair was shattered. Bands of giants had descended in force from the Storm Horns, the Thunder Peaks, and the Deserts Mouth Mountains, laying waste to several small villages, and posing the threat of a full-scale war. Then, without warning, all communication with the frontier town of Tilverton was suddenly cut off.

Investigators soon discovered that the city had simply disappeared and had been replaced with a dome of impenetrable darkness. Efforts to pierce the dome met with disaster. None returned from beyond its dark boundary. The Queen mustered the best and the brightest of her retainers, drawn from the ranks of both the War Wizards and the Purple Dragons to attempt to solve the puzzle. This expenditure of resources sorely taxed the campaign against the giant raiders, and the Crown was forced to rely upon the services of mercenaries, so-called "adventurers."

One such company was led by the famed Alphar Turin, one-time leader of the legendary band of heroes known as the Vorpal Blades. With him traveled a group of experienced troubleshooters, which included the mage Godfrey, of the Cormyrian War Wizards; the renowned minstrel, Mendryl Belarond; and the former Vorpal Blade, Ace Deepstalker.

The company set out to deal with the giants by striking at several hidden strongholds within the mountains. However, during the course of their investigation they stumbled upon the hidden identity of the puppet-masters who held the giants' strings . . . the drow.

The dark elves were apparently organizing the giants into a unified force with the purpose of destabilizing the power structure of Cormyr. A priestess of Ghaunadaur named Eclavdra led these particular drow. Alphar and his band managed to defeat several groups of the dark elves, and then found the subterranean highway, which led deep into the earth towards the fell city of the drow, Erelhei Cinlu. Pursuing the drow into the bowels of the Underdark, the heroes left the world of light behind...and were never heard from again.

The truth of the matter is this: Alphar himself never made it into the Underdark. He fell in battle with a rogue band of illithids, and was taken prisoner. The rest of the group pressed on without him, making new allies along the way, and losing some of their own as well. Eventually, they did indeed find the drow city, and managed to infiltrate its dark heart. What they found there took them totally by surprise.

Yes, Eclavdra and her supporters had indeed organized the giants for their own evil schemes, but they were not the ones responsible for the disappearance of Tilverton. No, that particular atrocity was the doing of the Spider Queen herself . . . the demoness Lolth. It was Eclavdra's goal to break the spider cult's power in Erelhei Cinlu, and raise up Ghaunadaur as the chief Power of the Underdark.

However, Lolth would not be so easily undone. She set her own plan in motion, to invade the surface world by creating a portal directly from Tilverton to the Abyss! Eclavdra revealed these facts to Godfrey and his remaining comrades, convincing them that the only way to restore Tilverton was to destroy Lolth. The party set out to do just that. They invaded the unholy Fane of the demoness, and encountered an avatar of the deity herself.

A fierce struggle ensued with the end result being that Lolth was banished back to her home plane, but not defeated. Godfrey became obsessed with destroying her, and led his band through a magical gateway . . . a gateway to the Abyss.

What happened thereafter can only be guessed at, but the fact remains that none of the company ever returned from that journey. Furthermore, their mission was obviously a failure...which leads us to the story at hand...

Over the next two months, the black dome surrounding Tilverton began to expand, devouring much of the northern half of the Stonelands. Alusair mustered all the forces at her command, but the inexorable expansion could not be stopped.

Then, on the first day of Nightal, the dome opened. From within its inky blackness issued forth a host made of the stuff of nightmares. Demons, monstrous spiders, drow by the thousands, and creatures never before heard of poured out of the Abyssal portal and into the Stonelands. Included in this dark army was the so-called Devil Dragon, Nalavarauthatoryl the Red and her goblin horde.

The armies of Cormyr fought back valiantly, but the tide could not be stemmed. At last, a company of War Wizards led by Vangerdahast stormed the gateway, disappearing into the Void. Though the Devil Dragon was destroyed in the assault, it seems that wizards’ sacrifice was in vain. The portal remained open, and the demonic host continued to advance. They flooded across the Stonelands, defeating the garrisons at Castle Kilgrave and Castle Crag. The Gnoll Pass was open to them, and the heart of Cormyr itself.

Arabel was the first city to fall, followed by Immersea and Hilp. In the end, only Suzail stood fast, but it was only a matter of time. When the jewel of Cormyr finally succumbed the city was all but burned to the ground. Queen Alusair, her consort Ren, and the sorcerer Caladnei, successor to Vangerdahast, managed to escape at the last moment, and fled across the Lake of Dragons to the Sea of Fallen Stars, and eventually to Aglarond.

By spring, the unthinkable had come to pass: the Kingdom of Cormyr was no more. A perpetual gloom blotted out the sun over the once beautiful forestlands. The land itself was a ravaged ruin, the smoke from countless fires adding to the lingering pall. Refugees fled to the north, to the Dalelands, and east, to Sembia, leaving their homelands to the invaders. Leaving Cormyr, in the hands of the Drow . . .

Game Notes:

• As you can probably tell, Alphar and Co. ran through the classic Gygax module series (G1-3, D1-3, Q1).
• At the start of this series of modules, the ‘troubleshooters’ sanctioned by Queen Alusair included Alphar (specialty priest of Kelemvor), Godfrey (War Wizard/Evoker), Argyria (Purple Dragon Knight), Mendryl Belarond (Bard), and Ace Deepstalker (Deep Gnome Ranger).
• The battle to slay Lolth’s avatar was indeed a difficult one. It was won only through sheer luck and some tactics as well. Lolth (in her spider form) had climbed to the ceiling of her Fane, having had cast a horizontal Blade Barrier below her to discourage pursuit. She then proceeded to pelt us with damaging spells. In a last ditch effort, Godfrey cast Transmute Rock to Mud on the ceiling where Lolth was attached. Unable to hang on, Lolth fell through her own Blade Barrier, took damage from falling to the ground, was constricted by the Evard’s Black Tentacles spell Godfrey had placed there, and was finished off when the transmuted mud fell on top of her!
• The party didn’t last very long in the Demonweb Pits and was slain by a group of Hezrous long before they met Lolth. This was a point of debate in our group. Many of us felt very attached to our characters and felt that our DM was sending them to their doom, merely to facilitate the upcoming campaign (the launch of 3rd edition).

Character Backgrounds





Our party, originally a group of friends from Ashabenford, slowly grew from small-time adventurers to major players in the politics of the Moonsea.

Joachim Dethick, High Inquisitor of Tyr
Lawful Good, Human Male
Fighter 1/Cleric 7/Chruch Inquisitor 9

Originally an acolyte in the small town of Homlet (in the middle of the Dales in our world), Joachim was a brash young man who thirsted for justice in Tyr's name. He has often been the de facto leader of the group and acts largely as its moral compass.

In early travels with the group, he held on to an extremely strict interpretation of the law and even tried to apprehend party members whom he thought broke the law. However a seminal event in his life occurred in Hillsfar. Originally looking into an Alienist cult plaguing the city, he found that the local Church of Tyr had been corrupted. In the main temple he found a gateway to the Nine Hells and many former Tyrites who had been corrupted by its diabolical power.

After rooting out this evil with the aid of the party, Joachim's attitude towards justice began to change. He began to realize that things were not as black and white as he had thought in his youth. Corruption, decay, and evil were aspects of life that could be found even in the most holy institutions. From that day on he became a Church Inquisitor dedicated to destroying those who would do evil under the guise of goodness and light. Unfortunately, this has led to several crises of faith with Tyr. As Joachim looked into the abyss trying to cleanse it, it looked back to him as well. He committed several morally questionable acts such as slaying a Storm Giant (out of ignorance of its nature)

and negotiation with a Red Dragon to save his life. However, after atoning for these sins Joachim has achieved a more balanced philosophy.

Recently, Joachim has chosen to leave the Church and become a wandering Justice. In conjunction with the sorcerer Entropy and Dante, High Priest of Oghma, he founded an organization known as the Triumvirate. It is dedicated to removing the drow from Cormyr and restoring just government. Of course this is a very long term goal, but Joachim is patient and knows that his comrades certainly have the power to make major headway towards their common goal.

Game Notes:

• Joachim was actually Richard’s third character since we started playing 3rd edition. His initial character, a female elven ranger, was slain by a bugbear whom Entropy had charmed. His second character, a male dwarven monk, was critted by an ogre.
• The module ‘Speaker in Dreams’ probably heralded the greatest change for Joachim, and probably the rest of the group as well. Here was where the cleric helped destroy an infernal corruption in the Church of Tyr in Hillsfar.

Entropy, Blessed of the Moonsea



Chaotic Neutral, Human Female
Sorcerer 10/Alienist 7

Entropy's path to power was quite a strange one. Originally a brothel proprietor, she used her minor arcane skills to calm angry customers or put them into a comatose slumber if they got too rowdy. However, she never committed to any one thing for long, so when Entropy heard a local group of adventurers were exploring a nearby abandoned citadel, she invited herself in.

Often a thorn in the side of other party members, Entropy is both a boon and bane. In some cases severe conflicts arose, such as when she animated the corpse of a dwarven warrior (in a consecrated tomb no less) to fight enemies of the party.

Joachim, a priest of Tyr, vowed that he would bring Entropy to justice for this evil act. Unfortunately for him, Entropy snuck away invisibly in the middle of the night and
sought atonement on her own through a local Church of Mystra. Joachim eventually was placated by this, though he still bears deep resentment against Entropy.

The major change in Entropy's life came, like Joachim's, in Hillsfar. While fighting an Alienist cult, Entropy found a wealth of literature on the subject in the "Blessed's" main headquarters. Coupled with the power of pseudonatural creatures that she observed (one party member was promptly dismembered by a Wyst), Entropy slowly sank into madness. Over time, she learned to tap into the Far Realms and pull alien creatures into the Prime to serve her. Strangely, she began to develop an extreme phobia of spiders. Partly fueled by this fear, she formed the Triumvirate to rid Cormyr of the spider-worshipping drow.

Despite her capricious nature and lack of organizational skills, Entropy is extremely charismatic -- a born leader. She founded H.E.L.L. (Haven for Extraplanar Learning and Lore) which she declared was meant for ridding the Moonsea area of evil outsiders. Although she has garnered considerable fame for this "noble" cause, the organization is actually a front for a massive Alienist cult.

Not content to be merely a "Blessed" of a single city, Entropy managed to combine cults of many major cities including Zhentil Keep, Mulmaster, and Thentia. Their plan is to contact Darruth Winterwood in the Far Realms (an ancient elf who has long since gone insane) and open a permanent portal. The fact that the resulting insanity would probably spell the end of the continent does not seem to trouble Entropy.









Game Notes:

• The ‘Speaker in Dreams’ module strikes again! This is where Entropy converted to Alienism (what, with the timely publication of ‘Tome and Blood’).
• Darruth Winterwood is a 20th level Elven Wizard (detailed in ‘The Manual of the Planes’).

Dante, High Priest of Oghma



Neutral, Human Male
Cleric 16

Originally born around Silverymoon, Dante was obsessed with knowledge from a very young age. This led to his indoctrination into the clergy of Oghma where his thirst for knowledge increased manyfold. Unlike Joachim, who is idealistic, or Entropy, who is probably insane, Dante is a realist. He often serves as a balance between his two companions. For example, he actually shares Entropy's interest of Alienist literature, but does not know of the practical implications of this study.

Dante has constructed a castle in Silverymoon with the large amount of funds gathered from a lifetime of adventuring. He is actually in semi-retirement, content to administer to his new holdings rather than lead a life of adventuring. However, he is a very powerful diviner having constructed a crystal ball himself with the power of true seeing. This fact, in addition to his vast library, makes him a valuable member of the Triumvirate.

Game Notes:

• As mentioned above, Zach (Dante’s player) stopped gaming with us due to marital obligations. However, his actions are important to this story and he is a significant NPC, so he was included here.

Hor'ahun, The Wanderer



Chaotic Neutral, Male Githzerai
Psychic Warrior 14

In a race known for its disciplined style of martial combat, Hor'ahun is somewhat of an oddball. He actually joined the party fairly recently, having met them in the Underdark while hunting for Illithids. With the ability to move between planes virtually at will Hor'ahun is a hardened, but extremely cynical traveler. He has no real long-term goals or desires to speak of, adventuring primarily for the hell of it. His only stipulation is that he personally kill any mind flayer that the party encounters.

Hor'ahun's capricious nature changed somewhat following a draw from the artifact known as the Deck of Many Things. With the powerful arcane powers of the artifact, he received a keep as well as the services of a retainer. He decided to place this structure in the Dales rather than the swirling chaos of Limbo. In combat, Hor'ahun is supremely confident in his psionic powers. Usually enhanced through several powerful manifestations, he wades into combat fearlessly. For this reason, if no other, he is a valued member of the party.

Game Notes:

• Hor’ahun is Brian’s second character in this campaign. His first character, Puck, was a rogue (Brian’s trademark) but met an unfortunate end in a lava pit.
• The Deck of Many Things, actually owned by Entropy, has been used by every party member except for Entropy herself. Generally, one party member gained 1-4 wishes, which were used to reverse the devastating effects of the Deck on other party members. Hor’ahun, however, luckily drew the keep and a retainer.

Noir, The Last Paladin of Cormyr


Lawful Good, Female Human
Paladin 16

Also a recent addition to the group, Noir is descended from one of the many noble houses of Cormyr. For this reason she, above all others in the group, wishes to see the drow eradicated from her homeland. Before the drow invasion, Noir operated openly with pride, confident in her abilities and the laws of her nation. However, things have changed drastically for her and she has had to learn subterfuge to survive. She has mastered the art of disguise and diplomacy to pass unnoticed through Cormyr.

Because of the many hardships that she has had to endure, she often performs actions that she would have considered morally questionable years before. Surrounded by evil, she is slowly losing her Paladinhood. Though she still shows flashes of nobility and goodness, she finds it difficult to continue to do so in the face of such depravity. Nevertheless, she is loyal to her god and country and constantly seeks ways to undermine the dark elves.

Game Notes:

• Noir was a relatively late edition to our group, joining us when we were running through ‘The Demon God’s Fane.’
• As hinted in her background, Noir often skirts the line with Paladinhood – this will become more and more evident as the story progresses.

 

[gfunk]

Session 1
“Prelude”


Joachim gazed up at the Temple of the Triad. Here, in the town of Homlet was the largest temple of good on the continent. Combining the most powerful priests of the gods Tyr, Torm and Ilmater it was a bastion of goodness in an evil and corrupt world.

As he ascended the stairs, he dropped the illusion generated by his hat, in which he appeared as a simple priest dressed in flowing white robes with a walking stick. His true form revealed, Joachim entered the temple in full plate mail, carrying a massive shield with crest of Tyr -- his holy sword sheathed at his side. An acolyte quickly approached and his eyes widened in surprise at the visitor.

Joachim had left the Church long ago, preferring to dispense Tyr's will on his own. In a place filled with administrators and bureaucrats, the acolyte proudly saw High Inquisitor Dethick as the active arm of his faith.

"My greetings to you High Inquisitor, we are honored by your presence. How may I assist you?"

Removing his helm, Joachim looked into the acolyte's eyes and the young priest thought he saw a glimmer of the tremendous evil that the High Inquisitor must have faced. "I would like to speak to High Justice Darin. Please escort me to his chambers," requested Joachim.

Ordinarily such a lofty request would cause the acolyte to laugh out loud, but he nodded his head and led the way.

Finally leading the High Inquisitor to an ornately designed iron door, the acolyte quickly bowed and ran off to perform other duties. Joachim rapped on the door with his gloved mail and entered.

An old man dressed in white robes looked up from his desk and smiled. "Greetings Joachim, it has been some time since we have spoken. By your expression I surmise that the might of Tyr's
wrath has destroyed another minion of the Abyss."

Smiling as spoke Joachim replied, "You know me too well High Justice. Laveth is dead. The former daughter of Lolth who was attempting to acquire her mother's power for herself and lead a demonic army to ravage the Dales. Although the Triumvirate was responsible for this victory, I am pleased to tell you that it was my final blow which finally took the life of that foul abomination."

Darin, nodded slowly as he heard Joachim's tale. He had long ago ceased to be shocked by the cunning exploits of the Triumvirate. After considering Joachim's description he said, "Your task may have been facilitated by a fortuitous event. Our agents in Cormyr tell us that Lolth is silent. For reasons known only to her, she has ceased providing her followers with divine magic. The Council of Kings is already aware of this fact and, as we speak, armies are being assembled to invade Tilverton before the situation changes."

Considering the comments of Darin and his own knowledge of the fickle nature of dark elves Joachim quickly reached a conclusion. "This is very good news High Justice, however I fear that the clergy of Lolth could not have held on to their dominance for long with the loss of their spells. Surely another faction has filled the power vacuum."

As Joachim finished speaking, Darin pulled two letters from his desk sliding them over to the High Inquisitor. "You are correct. Recently a group of our clerics and templars destroyed a drow outpost called Szith Morcane. They found several interesting documents inside. These two, in particular, are most important. They speak of Lolth's silence as well as a demand of the Spider Queen's former priests to ally themselves to other deities of the Drow pantheon. In particular a minor drow god of vengeance by the name of Kiaransalee seems to have benefited greatly in Lolth's absence. They have seized most major cities in Cormyr and are planning something of truly destructive magnitude. However, that is the extent of the information we have gained thus far."

Joachim half listened to the High Justice as he perused the documents. "I will convene the Triumvirate immediately. We should act on this information as quickly as possible." Joachim rose to go.

"Go with Tyr, High Inquisitor and walk the straight and narrow path of justice."

 

[gfunk]

Session 2
“Developing a battle plan”


As Joachim approached one of the numerous meditation rooms, he thought of the horrors that he had faced in the Abyss searching for Laveth. The fight was truly an epic one, he decided, and was nearly lost. As Laveth was trying to kill the group with her potent arcane magic, the cause seemed hopeless. However Entropy summoned five creatures which looked to Joachim like giant ant-men. Strangely, their hands did not seem equipped for combat and their mandibles hardly seemed able to breach chain mail, let alone Laveth's masterfully designed armor.

However, they had gathered around Laveth glaring at her pointedly After a few seconds, the fearsome Laveth lowered her sword, simply hovering in the air. As the party surrounded the fiendish creature and began attacking her with their weapons, Laveth seemed to snap out of her stupor. However, just as fast, she lowered her sword again.

After the battle, Entropy had called the ant-men Taskmasters or some such. Not being much of a student of the Outer Planes, Joachim was simply pleased that such a powerful foe of good was put to rest permanently.

With the assistance of two servants, Joachim slowly removed his armor, in pristine condition despite being struck by the most powerful of demons. Donning the white robes of his faith, he sat down closed his eyes and meditated upon Tyr. After many hours he stood up, his link with the god of justice re-established and his potent array of divine magic restored.

He briefly considered his next course of action. He closed his eyes, quickly putting an image of Entropy in his mind. As he gestured to bring the spell into being, his message was instantaneously transferred to the sorcerer, "Lolth's powers gone. Armies of the Dales massing to attack Tilverton. Drow priests of minor god have taken over, must discuss immediately."

After a few seconds of silence, he heard the reply in his head. "We returned from the Abyss one day ago and you want to kill more drow? You Tyrites are crazy. Meet me at H.E.L.L. headquarters, Hillsfar."

Ignoring Entropy's sarcasm, Joachim quickly donned his armor and stepped outside the temple. He began to invoke another spell. Slowly his body became transparent and insubstantial and soon his form became air itself. He quickly moved out of Homlet and towards Hillsfar at breakneck speed, powered by the divine might of Tyr.

Hours later, he approached the three towers outside Hillsfar which constituted H.E.L.L.'s infrastructure. Still under construction, a myriad of workers and their supervisors worked stone and masonry to build the massive structures. In his transparent form, Joachim moved around quickly and unseen until he found someone he recognized, a warrior in chain mail berating his underlings in an expletive-laden tirade.

As Joachim's form returned to corporeality, the warrior spun around and drew his sword. "What the hell do you want, Joke-em?"

Joachim looked upon Phibrizzo, captain of Entropy's "armed forces" charged with the defense of H.E.L.L. Once again, the Inquisitor wondered how the sorcerer could place a worshipper of Malar, the Beast Lord in any administrative position. But then again, Entropy wasn't exactly renowned for foresight or common sense. "My time is short captain, where is Entropy?"

"That's MISTRESS Entropy to you, you hypocritical peasant!"

Joachim frowned, "My patience is wearing thin. Where is your mistress?" He rose his hands as if to cast a spell, which caused
the soldier to quickly point in the direction of a large tent as he stormed off in a rage.

As Joachim entered the tent he spotted the sorcerer poring over some arcane tome. She looked up, "About time you showed up! Why didn't you just let me Teleport you here, it would be much faster!"

"Sorry, but I don't need an Eryines to tell me to get into a portable hole just to make your life convenient."

"Ever the idealist. So are we gonna stomp some spiders or what?"

"In a manner of speaking. Lolth is either unwilling or unable to grant her followers divine magic. This power vacuum has been filled by a minor drow god, Kiaransalee. Apparently they are going to perform some dark ritual. As a member of the Triumvirate I request that you assist me in finding out what they are planning."

Entropy considered Joachim's words, "Well, I wouldn't mind another trip to the Underdark. I'll talk to Bandar, who leads the Desmodu under Nightfang Spire. It's just north of Cormyr and perhaps he can provide us with escorts. I don't mind traveling underground, but after that last experience with the Eye Tyrant I'm sure you understand my concern."

"A fine idea. Perhaps you ought to take Hora'hun and Noir with you. They are in the Githzerai's keep in the mountains north of Cormyr as well. I will consult Dante in Silverymoon. Perhaps we can share information in a few days time?"

"Agreed. Give my regards to Dante."

With that, Joachim nodded, exited the tent, and re-activated his spell. Turning into air, his form moved rapidly in the direction of Silverymoon.

After his departure, Entropy considered the task ahead of her. She hated to be pulled away from her work on the Far Realms portal and wanted to at least relax until her towers were constructed. However her pact to the Triumvirate and her hatred and fear of spiders superceded her immediate concerns.

Smiling, she began the words to a summoning spell. Before her appeared a stunningly beautiful woman whose bat wings betrayed her infernal nature. She regarded the sorcerer, "Instructions?"

"First, assume your true form."

The woman's form began to shift as she turned into an amorphous blob. Tentacles began to emerge from her body as she slowly took the form of a horrible and indescribable beast. A horror of writhing tentacles and mouths filled with razor sharp teeth. Entropy inwardly smiled. Even though summoning creatures from the Far Realms was now routine to her, she always admired their strange beauty. She tossed the creature a sack. "Teleport to Hor'ahun's keep and tell the Gith and Noir to climb in your bag. Then bring them back here. I assume you know the way."

The beast flicked its tentacles in acknowledgement -- it had often been summoned by Entropy to transport others. In a flash the beast disappeared. Entropy laughed as she realized that Noir the Paladin had never seen her summon a creature from the Far Realms. She nearly teleported after the beast just to see Noir's reaction.

 

[gfunk]

Session 3
“A meeting of old friends”


Noir nimbly side-stepped the rapier thrust and countered brilliantly with a parry and riposte. Nearly caught off guard, her opponent tumbled backwards to avoid a possibly lethal strike. Noir advanced slowly upon her canny foe with her longsword. Hor'ahun looked up in admiration. He had only known the Paladin for a few months, but the human (who was a mere fraction of his age) was proving to be his equal and perhaps superior in battle prowess.

Although it was but a routine practice session for the two warriors, Hor'ahun hated losing. He briefly considered blasting Noir with a wave of psionic energy to gain the advantage when an ear-piercing scream filled the room.

Both warriors immediately whirled to face the door to the chamber, when it opened. Out stepped a monstrosity that was difficult to describe. Despite his extensive travels over most Outer Planes, the Githzerai always felt uneasy around beasts from the Far Realms. He looked to his training companion, her mouth gaping open in shock. Noir ran towards the beast with her longsword, her weapon charging with divine might as she called upon the powers of good to smite the foul creature.

"Stop!"

Noir spun around, her sword losing its magic.

"That's just Entropy's calling card Noir. A creature that she sometimes summons, though it doesn't usually take this . . . interesting form."

Noir didn't seem convinced, "What in the Nine Hells is it then?"

"An alien, a creature from the Far Realms. A plane even I have not visited and whose existence I would doubt if not for the existence of these creatures."

The beast's tentacles flicked around wildly as if laughing and it moved away from the door. Behind it was the unconscious form of Hor'ahun's retainer who had obviously fainted from the shock. In a gurgling voice the creature produced a large sack and spoke, "Mistress Entropy wishes to speak with you."

The Githzerai scratched his head, and quickly picked up his belongings in the corner of the room. Despite being a property owner, the Gith never quite got over his wandering nature. "Let's go Noir, this should be interesting."

"Are you daft! I'm not getting into any bag carried by . . . THAT!"

"It's harmless, just an outsider summoned by Entropy. Surely the matter must be urgent," Hor'ahun declared as he began crawling into the sack.

Filled with revulsion and disgust the Paladin reluctantly followed. A brief moment later they emerged from the bag into a large tent. The beast writhed its members, "May I assist you further?"

"No. Leave."

With that the beast disappeared, leaving the Githzerai, Noir and Entropy alone.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, I only wish I could convince Joachim to take the express route."

Noir stood up, obviously annoyed by the incident. "I don't need to hear more of your witticisms, what's going on?"

"It seems that the Spider Queen has stopped granting divine spells to her priests. Joachim suspects that some drow cult has taken their place and have dire plans for the Realms. While Joachim consults Dante, I plan on going to the Underdark to glean as much as I can."

With this, Noir's eyes lit up. For her, traveling to the Underdark meant another opportunity to crush the wretched dark elves that had plunged her nation into darkness. "Excellent, I would be happy to assist you. Hor'ahun's no challenge anymore," she winked at her combat partner.

Hor'ahun frowned, disliking when anyone denigrated his skill with a rapier or bow, even in jest. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow, I just need time to rest and regain my spells."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Hor'ahun and Noir held on to Entropy as she raised her staff. A fine magical item, Entropy thought, procured from the hoard of a mighty Red Dragon. With a word, Entropy manipulated the Weave, trying to transport her companions deep into the Underdark. Strangely, there was some resistance, a disturbance in the Weave which seemed to interfere with her magic. Entropy concentrated on the Weave, her considerable knowledge of spellcraft making it bend to her will. With that, the three disappeared.

 

[gfunk]

Session 4
“Entering the underdark”


With a flash, Entropy, Hor'ahun, and Noir appeared in a large chamber in the Underdark. As expected, everything was pitch black though Hor'ahun could see by virtue of his Githzerai heritage. Entropy and Noir, however, relied on their magical lenses to grant them sight in this lightless place.

Somewhat surprised to see these three suddenly appear was the Desmodu adept Bandar. He quickly arose to his towering height of 9 ft, expecting a possible attack. However, Bandar quickly surmised the identity of his "guests" using his bat-like sonar echo-location. His expression changed to one of relief, "Greetings my friends, what brings you to our home?"

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Months ago, Dante had first met Bandar quite fortuitously. Attempting to escape the overwhelming power of the vampire Gulthias, the Cleric of Oghma managed to escape into an underground tunnel. After running for what seemed like hours, he settled down in a relatively hidden alcove and began to meditate. Not wishing to attract any of the dangerous denizens of the Underdark, the priest decided to extinguish his light spell.

Luckily for Dante, the first creatures he met were the benevolent Desmodu, or bat people. They escorted him to their leader, who was impressed by the clerics knowledge on various topics. He invited Dante to stay with him and the cleric happily consented. However, that very night, a group of powerful mercenaries attempted to assassinate Bandar. Although Dante was able to slay one of them and significantly harry the rest, the assassins were successful in their grisly task.

Unfortunately, the assassins failed to realized that Dante was a high-ranking priest capable of potent restoration magic. Calling on Oghma, Dante brought a very grateful Bandar back from the dead. Following this incident, Dante contacted the remainder of his companions. Under the leadership of Joachim, the remainder of the party had managed to slay Gulthias. After receiving Dante's call, they met him in the Desmodu lair.

In the days that followed, the party investigated a series of earthquakes that were plaguing the Dales and threatened to ignite a war with Sembia. After much hard work (and a good deal of luck) they not only solved this problem, but aided the Desmodu in re-establishing contact with the surface.

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"My greetings to you Bandar. You already know Hor'ahun of course. Allow me to introduce Noir, a paladin in the service of Cormyr's crown." Entropy continued, "We bring you good news. It seems that Lolth, the Spider Queen, no longer grants her minions spells. This has led to the overthrow of the clergy of Lolth and they have been supplanted by worshippers of an obscure drow god named Kiaransalee."

Bandar's expression went from pleased to ecstatic, "This is indeed good news. It certainly explains some of the strange things that have been going on. Our patrols have encountered a mass exodus of drow in the Underdark. Many of these were priestesses of Lolth and, when possible, we isolated and destroyed groups of them. Strangely, they seemed restrained in their use of magic, certainly atypical of servants of a demonic goddess."

"Our plan is to travel to the city of Tilverton," Entropy continued, " which we hear is under the domination of Kiaransalee. They are planning something . . . epic, and we wish to learn what it is. Rather than travel overland, we thought perhaps we could enlist the aid of a few Desmodu scouts to guide us to Tilverton via the Underdark."

Bandar's expression became serious, "I'm afraid that I can only spare two of my men at the moment. With the legions of drow on the move, I'm sure you understand that I would like to keep as many forces in reserve as possible."

"Of course, two will be fine. We would like to be on our way as soon as possible and we thank you for your generosity."

"My pleasure, the scouts will meet you at the entrance to our city in two hours."

With that Bandar offered the heroes a room so that they could prepare for the journey.

 

[gfunk]

Session 5
“The journey to Tilverton begins”


With the Desmodu scouts flanking them, the party moved quickly and quietly through the Underdark. When their Desmodu escorts first observed Noir the Paladin's heavy plate mail, they informed the group that it would take weeks to reach Tilverton if they had to walk so encumbered. To alleviate the problem, Entropy bestowed the power of flight on herself, Noir, and their Desmodu guards (Hor'ahun had procured a Broom of Flying in the planar metropolis of Union).

Although Noir, Entropy and Hor'ahun had limited darkvision, their escorts were able to echo-locate over a much further distance. For this reason, they were able to avoid many of the more dangerous elements of the Underdark. "Just as well," Entropy thought, for she remembered all too vividly the last time the party had been taken unaware in the lightless underground.

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Joachim, Dante, Entropy, and Hor'ahun were traveling deep underground to investigate the source of earthquakes that had been plaguing the Dales. None of them had been to the Underdark before -- unfortunately, this caused them to fatally underestimate the danger of the place. Each party member was protected by a potent array of abjurations with Entropy relying on her arcane knowledge, Joachim and Dante powered by their patron deities, and Hor'ahun enhanced through psicraft. This turned out to be their undoing.

As they were walking down a particularly long tunnel, they suddenly lost their layers of magical protection. For the humans, who could not even see in the Underdark without the aid of magic, total blindness became their immediate problem. Their foes, however, did not have such problems. An eye tyrant was traveling down the same passage with a powerful contingent of charmed retainers. In addition to the Beholder's potent anti-magic cone, it led a covey of hags as well as a Hill Giant.

Without armor, sight, and only the most rudimentary melee weapons, Entropy immediately fled. She could not run, of course, so she tried to put as much distance between herself and her unseen enemies as possible. Dante quickly followed her. Joachim, made of braver stuff, drew his sword and prepared himself for the coming assault. Though he could not see, his significant martial training had prepared him for fighting while blinded. Hor'ahun, the only member of the party who had natural darkvision, drew his rapier and tried his best to keep Joachim informed of their enemies position.

While Dante and Entropy frantically tried to exit the anti-magic area, Joachim and Hor'ahun tried to buy them as much time as possible. Without sight and stripped of his magical protections however, Joachim could not stand against such powerful melee opponents for long. He was eventually grappled by the Annis Hag, while her Hill Giant companion beat the Inquisitor brutally with his massive club. Hor'ahun inflicted considerable damage, but he too was severely weakened by the loss of his psionic power.

In the end, Entropy managed to exit the Beholder's range, teleported behind it and promptly slew the beast. The damage had already been done though, for Joachim lay dead in a bloody heap on the floor . . .

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This time, Entropy hoped, things would be different. With their Desmodu companions, they at least had an edge against most denizens of the Underdark.

The second day of their travels brought the group to the vicinity of a large lake. The Desmodu pointed out that the lake was truly massive, many miles in diameter. So large, in fact, that they probably would not cross it in one day even while flying. As they approached the edge of the lake, the Desmodu in the lead halted abruptly and held up his hand to stop the group. He bowed his head as his massive ears twitched, trying to identify the threat.

"Two humanoids . . . very large . . . armed with clubs. They seem to be hiding behind a . . . pillar of some sort."

The party immediately drew their weapons and slowly advanced towards the cavern. As they went around the corner, Noir and the lead Desmodu saw two giant humanoids. They were massively muscled and grey-skinned, standing some twelve feet tall and armed with greatclubs.

One of them roared in Undercommon, "Who are you? And why do you enter our territory?"

Noir, experienced in the ways of the Underdark, quickly responded, "Fear not, we do not wish to encroach upon your land. We are simply travelers making our way to Tilverton."

At the mention of the drow-ruled city, the giant's neutral expression turned into a scowl, as he hefted his greatclub, "Tilverton!? What business do you have there?"

Immediately realizing her mistake, Noir began, "No, no, no, we have nothing to do with the drow . . ."

Noir felt a tap on her shoulder. It was an invisible Entropy whispering in her ear, "Noir, I don't speak a lick of Undercommon but we are obviously annoying our giant friends here. Perhaps a hasty retreat to reconsider our strategy would be in order?"

The giants, living underground their whole lives heard the sorcerer's voice with little effort. "Who was that? How many of there are you? Where!?"

"We do not wish to trouble you further, we will find another way to our destination. We apologize for troubling you," Noir replied as the party quickly withdrew.

When they were a safe distance from the giants, Noir fumed at Entropy, "Why did you talk to me? Certainly you must have known that they could hear you! I could have reasoned with them, they are obviously foes of the drow. Maybe we can still negotiate . . ."

Entropy cut Noir off in mid-sentence, "I think not! Those brutes dare to insult us? Us!! Among the most powerful residents of the Dales? I say we crush them for their impudence!" The Desmodu looked at each other with concern. Noticing this, Entropy continued, "Of course we would not expect you to aid us my friends, your knowledge of this place is too valuable. You may wait here and we will call you when it's safe." The incredulous looks on the Desmodu's faces revealed their evaluation of the party's odds against such opposition.

Before Noir could interrupt, Hor'ahun chimed in, "I agree with the sorcerer. We have a reputation to uphold after all. We can't let it be soiled by a few giants. I say we take them out!" Seeing that she was out-voted, Noir reluctantly sighed and nodded in agreement.

Entropy's eyes lit up, "This is our first battle in a few days, I already feel rusty. Let's not take any chances. I will render both of you invisible and grant you enhanced speed. Then, you distract them while I kill them at a distance." Without waiting for a reply she began her incantations. On all three of them, she placed an illusion that would render them invisible for a short time, regardless of whether or not they attacked. She quickly followed this with a transmutation that boosted their speed two-fold.

"Let's go bust some heads!"

 

[gfunk]

Session 6
“Against the stone giants”


The Stone Giants were not fools, of course. The guards quickly alerted the clan of the possible threat while several adults arrayed themselves behind the natural pillars of the cavern. They readied boulders to throw at their foes and, with massive stone clubs for back-up, they thought they had little to fear. How wrong they were . . .

Hor'ahun was the first to enter the cavern. He immediately noticed the massive giants waiting for the party. Two of the giants in the front ranks heard the Githzerai coming and hurled rocks in his direction. Hor'ahun dodged them easily as they smashed apart against the cavern wall. He immediately ran to one side of the cavern, placing all of his foes in front of him. With a thought, he triggered a massive surge of psionic energy and projected it in front of him. Although the giants were physically powerful, they were not prepared for such a mental assault. Two of the four dropped their boulders, reeling from the powerful attack.

Noir charged in next, attacking one of the giants who had resisted the psionic shockwave. As she swung her longsword into the vulnerable tendons of the giant's legs, she called to her deity for strength. Her sword charged with divine energy and would inflict horrific damage on any evil foes that it struck. Noir hoped that the damage she inflicted would be amplified, but it wasn't. Realizing that her foes were obviously not evil, she began to have second thoughts about the whole affair.

As Entropy casually strolled behind her companions she saw a giant bleeding profusely from a leg wound. She became so excited with bloodlust that she couldn't immediately decide which of her potent spells to cast. After briefly considering her options, she decided upon a summoning spell and began casting.

The wounded Stone Giant tried to smash his invisible attacker with terrific force, but his club crashed harmlessly against the floor. His companion quickly moved forward and struck the same area but missed as well.

Hor'ahun dropped his rapier and pulled out his longbow. Not only were his bow and arrows enhanced with magic, but they were charged with psionic energy as well. He moved up to a stunned giant and fired two arrows into its chest at point blank range. The intense pain caused the giant's mind to clear for a split second, but not enough to respond to the attack.

Seeing that two foes flanked her, Noir moved to the side and swung at her already damaged foe as many times as she could, spraying blood everywhere. The giant fell backwards, crippled and dying. Its companion tried again to hit the invisible paladin but cleanly missed.

Just when Noir's opponents thought things couldn't get any worse, they saw a flash of light behind them. A massive blob of greenish-grey ooze approached them. Standing over 30 feet tall the beast was truly immense, a result of Entropy's summoning spell. As it advanced towards the still standing giant, the ooze was struck solidly by a greatclub with terrific force. The giant, pleased that he had finally been able to hit something, pulled his club back ready for another blow. Unfortunately for him, all he pulled back was the haft of the weapon -- the top half had been dissolved by the acid secreted by the ooze. The protoplasm responded to the giant's attack, slamming against its foe multiple times, each time inflicting not only bludgeoning damage, but secreting painful sprays of acid on the giant's exposed flesh

At this point, the battle was a foregone conclusion. Noir and Hor'ahun finished off their foes, while the summoned paraelmental reduced its opponent to a smoking pile of burned flesh. The final giant fell quickly to the might of the party.

Eager for more combat, Hor'ahun quickly advanced through the cavern, noticing a sizable hole in the ceiling. He ignored it for now and moved ahead to the shore of the lake. He saw two large rafts placed on the shore and what seemed like a small island in the distance. He paused and detected magic in the area but found none.

The paraelmental slithered forward through the cavern, pausing at the hole in the ceiling that Hor'ahun had bypassed. It extended its entire body through it, but could not reach the top. Noir had no such problems as she flew up the passageway.

Surrounding her she saw four Stone Giants armed with clubs, obviously prepared to crush any foes who attempted to ascend. Noir breathed a sigh of relief at Entropy's invisibility spell. As she scanned the room further, she saw two massive dire bears. They begin sniffing the air, obviously aware of the unseen intruder.

Noir did not want this battle to continue. She had stained her honor enough today by aggressively attacking creatures that she felt could have been reasoned with, if not made allies. These giants clearly had a large family living here. As she descended through the hole, Noir hoped that she could convince her bloodthirsty companions that there was nothing further here to fight.

Entropy strutted forward, gingerly stepping over the bleeding, smoking corpses in front of her. She saw her paraelemental trying to ascend through a hole, albeit unsuccessfully. Though Entropy did not see the paladin, she heard Noir near the hole, "There's nothing up there! Just a large empty chamber and a passage leading north. We should cross the lake before things get ugly!"

Hor'ahun heard Noir's comment, sighed and walked back towards the slain giants. "No more giants to kill today," he grumbled.

The paraelemental, obviously frustrated at its inability to advance upwards began moving towards the lake. As Entropy observed the result of her spell with pride, she was more than a little surprised when two massive tentacles shot out of the water, grabbing the huge ooze. Without even a hint of effort, the paraelemental was pulled into the lake -- all 21,000 lbs of it . . .

 

[gfunk]

Session 7
“Enter the kraken”


The Kraken had heard the sounds of battle long before it struck. Living in the Underdark for centuries, it was accustomed to having its way with any creature unfortunate enough to enter or approach its abode. Worshipped by the Kuo-Toa and feared by the Stone Giants, the Kraken was truly a potent foe.

The beast had heard Hor'ahun moving around the shore, but couldn't quite pinpoint the Githzerai's position. However, when the massive paraelemental appeared, the Kraken knew it was too good a target to pass up. Expecting an easy victory, it grabbed the ooze and dragged it towards its body. Crushed by the tentacles of the Kraken the Ooze paraelemental was damaged significantly. However, this creature was created by the fusion of the Elemental Planes of Earth and Water. It felt at home on land as underwater.

Noticing a general lack of weapons and armor, the Kraken underestimated its foe, simply crushing it as its remaining tentacles twitched with delight. The paraelemental saw no need to break this grapple for it was in an advantageous situation as much as the Kraken. Forming its pseudopods, the Ooze slammed its foe several times, aggravating the wounds with its caustic acid.

On the shore, Entropy watched the titanic struggle with fascination. Though she could not see the details below the surface of the water, the massive disturbance in the water was sign enough that combat was occurring. "Uh, guys? You might want to avoid the lake, there's a big tentacled thingy living there!"

Hearing this, Hor'ahun decided to check the hole in the ceiling that he had bypassed earlier. Noir watched in horror as the Githzerai went up the passage. She sorely wanted to avoid additional bloodshed but it appeared that fate had decided otherwise. "Watch out Hor'ahun! I'll back you up," Noir yelled as she flew after her companion.

Meanwhile, the struggle between the Ooze and the Kraken continued. As the paraelmental slammed its foe over and over again, the Kraken quickly realized that it could no longer take this blob lightly, lest it risk its own life. In addition to constricting the Ooze, it brought its other tentacles to bear against the paraelemental. As the combatants pummeled each other back and forth, it was only a matter of time before one of them started floating up.

As Hor'ahun ascended the tunnel, he was surprised to see four Stone Giants and their two Dire Bear pets. Didn't Noir say there was nothing up here? No matter. As he did with the giants below, Noir put himself behind all his foes and blasted them with his psi energy. Three of the giants dropped their clubs and grabbed their heads in pain while both Dire Bears fell stunned to the ground.

Noir followed immediately behind Hor'ahun, noticing that the Gith had stunned most of their foes. She landed in front of the non-stunned giant and began slicing and dicing with her longsword. The giant tried to retaliate but the paladin was too well armored and hidden for him to pinpoint.

At this point, both warriors thought this battle, as the one below, would be resolved quickly and decisively. Unfortunately, their expectations were dispelled when two additional Stone Giants appeared from the north. "They are invisible! Help me," screamed Noir's opponent in Undercommon. To Noir's considerable surprise, both Stone Giants did not respond with rocks or clubs, but began casting spells!

The slugfest between the paraelemental was going down to the wire. Neither foe had a difficult time striking the other repeatedly. Slowly but steadily their injuries began to accumulate. For the first time in its existence, the Kraken feared for its life. Although it was a powerful representative of its species, empowered additionally through its demonic heritage, it couldn't comprehend how such a weak looking foe could threaten it. In a rage, it constricted the Ooze with all its strength, striking it simultaneously with all its tentacles and even biting it with its beaked maw. The attack devastated the paraelmental; its pseudopods immediately retracted and it began floating to the surface.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the Kraken descended to deeper depths, having had enough combat for today. When Entropy saw her precious paraelemental float to the lake's surface and disappear back to its plane of origin, she was enraged. "No glorified octopus is gonna put one over on me!" Still hasted, she rapidly cast another summoning spell, this time bringing forth a massive water elemental. As it appeared in its natural element, the huge elemental dived after its prey.

 

[gfunk]

Session 8
“Uhhhhhhh . . . it doesn't say stone giants can cast spells in the Monster Manual!”


The arcane magic of the two Stone Giants did not have an immediate or noticeable effect, Noir observed. She continued to direct her attacks at one of the four original giants, felling it after several blows. In the meantime, Hor'ahun began to pick off stunned targets with his longbow. Perceiving the Dire Bears as the greater threat, he focused on them first.

The two Sorcerer Stone Giants, one male and one female, flanked the area where they thought the invisible Noir was. Rather than strike carefully as their allies had done, this particular pair smashed their clubs down with reckless abandon. Seemingly throwing any semblance of aim or focus out the window, both giants sought instead to inflict maximum damage. As they pulled back their greatclubs all the way, Noir sneered at them. How could they expect to hit her like that?

Not only did both giants hit her, but they did so with unbelievable force. Unprepared for the assault, Noir had the wind completely knocked out of her. She stared up at her attackers in disbelief, could they see her invisible form? No! They didn't seem to react to her movements. Perhaps it was insane luck, she hoped. Hurt, but not severely, Noir took out her frustration on the female giant, cutting deep tears in her leg.

Underwater, the massive water elemental closed in on the Kraken with blinding speed. As it approached, the Kraken struck it with its tentacles, but it did little to slow down the elemental's advance. Moving up to the Kraken, the water elemental cracked it in the side of the head with such force that the sea beast's brain matter squirted out. As she saw the Kraken's deceased form float to the surface, Entropy squealed with delight.

Though Hor'ahun was having an easy time dispatching his helpless foes, Noir was in serious trouble. Instead of attacking her, the pair of magic-using giants again cast the same spell. As they did so, Noir tried to swing at them in an attempt to disrupt their concentration. However, these giants clearly were skilled combat casters for they deftly avoided Noir's sword. Screaming with rage, Noir tried to finish off the female giant but her foe was still standing after her ferocious attack.

As before, both giants swung at Noir, seemingly heedless of their aim, and both strikes hit squarely. How quickly the tide had turned! Noir originally entered the room to see a bunch of helpless giants, but she was now within inches of losing her life! Unfortunately for the paladin, her Gith companion could not see her invisible form and blissfully completed slaying the Dire Bears.

Hearing the sounds of combat above, Entropy asked, "Hey! You guys need help up there?"

"Yes!!!! For the love of god, YES!!!!"

Frowning, Entropy flew up to survey the situation.

Noir had had enough. Although she could probably kill the female giant, she doubted that she could take another crushing blow from her companion. Instead, she fled to the corner of the cavern and, calling on the power of her deity, healed some of her wounds.

Another giant fell to Hor'ahun's bow, just as two more giant emerged from their stunned stupor. The sorcerer giants, seeing the writing on the wall, called for their fellows to retreat. Before they could run however, Entropy screamed, "Everyone get against the south wall! Fire in the hole!" As she brought her spell into being, she projected a cone of freezing cold directly ahead of her. The two recently un-stunned stone giants were seriously injured, while the female sorcerer giant collapsed to the ground.

As the giants began to retreat, along with the remaining male sorcerer, Entropy called out to the them mockingly, "You would leave your lair-mate behind? Coward!" As in response to Entropy's challenge, the male sorcerer quickly picked up his companion and continued running. Finally reaching another hole in the floor he quickly jumped down and out of sight.

"I'll take care of those two, you guys clean up the rest," Entropy ordered as she flew after her quarry.

As Entropy flew down the hole to chase the sorcerers she found them standing on the ground. About twenty feet from them was a beast that Entropy had once encountered in the Underdark, the Chuul, a crab-like creature. But this one was big. REALLY, REALLY BIG. Wishing to bring this battle to a quick conclusion, Entropy rapidly went though her options. Deciding quickly she began an incantation that would rip a hole in reality itself, sending all in the area careening into a random plane.

The only drawback to the spell, however, was its massive area of effect. Entropy would probably be caught in it as well. However, the sorcerer's mastery of metamagic allowed her to shape the maelstrom into a much smaller area. As the hole appeared, massive winds pulled both giants and the Chuul inside. "Give my regards to Malar in the Beastlands," Entropy cried as her foes exited the Prime.

When Entropy returned to her companions, she saw that they had dispatched the remaining giants. "You guys search these lugs for treasure, and I'll go get the Desmodu."

As the Desmodu scouts followed Entropy into the cavern, their eyes popped open at the carnage they saw. Bodies strewn everywhere, some pierced with arrows, others still bleeding from sword wounds, and a few that smelled of charred flesh.

"Oh, we had a little disagreement," Entropy pointed out, noticing her companions' reaction.

 

[gfunk]

Session 9
“The ‘diplomatic’ approach”


"Listen you guys, we're in for a tough time fighting the drow. We need all the allies we can get, so no more attacking without provocation," Noir lectured.

"But we were verbally assaulted! We had to respond," countered Entropy.

"And besides," continued Hor'ahun searching the Stone Giant corpses, "if we never defeated them we wouldn't have procured their treasure. Like this stone comb, big rock, and carved wooden thingy. Hmmm . . . I guess Noir is right, this fight really was worthless."

"All I'm asking is to give diplomacy a chance before you guys start killing things, okay?"

<deep sighs from Entropy and Hor'ahun> "Very well."

As the party continued their philosophical musings, their Desmodu escorts began to scout the immediate area. Careful to fly well above the water to avoid attacks by any other inhabitants of the lake, they were able to examine a large area with their echo-location.

After some time, they landed in front of the party. "There is a large stone structure on an island over there. Do you wish to continue our journey over the lake?"

"Let's check it out, maybe we could find some 'allies' there," Entropy sarcastically remarked.

"I'll go see if there is anyone there," Noir suggested, "you guys can back me up if things get hairy." Noir flew towards the island while the other two party members and the Desmodu remained on shore. The structure was rather large, but more interestingly, it had various carvings on the side. The figures on the wall appeared to be fish-men of some sort. Noir remembered reading about these so-called Kuo-Toa once, but couldn't remember any details. She walked up to the solid stone doors that appeared to be the only entrance and loudly knocked.

After hearing some commotion inside, Noir saw the door open. Out stepped a Kuo-Toa armed with a pair of nunchaku. Its alien eyes examined the paladin, waiting.

"Greetings, we are travelers on our way to Tilverton. Could we perhaps speak to your leaders," Noir offered.

Without responding, the Kuo-toa sprang into action, flailing its nunchaku at Noir's leg. The weapon neatly wrapped around its target as intended and the Kuo-Toa gave a yank as the paladin went sprawling to the ground. Just as quickly as Noir fell, the Kuo-Toan swung again at her prone form, but missed.

"We've got problems guys, these Kuo-Toa don't seem very interested in conversation," Noir alerted her comrades as she stood up. Noticing that her foe was unarmored, she winded up to gain power before bringing her sword to bear. To her surprise, the bug-eyed Kuo-Toan deftly dodged the blow.

"You guys wait here, we'll take care of this," Hor'ahun recommended to the Desmodu as he flew to the roof of the building, pulling out his longbow as he did so.

"Wow, I don't really feel like getting into a long fight all over again. Let's get this over with quickly." Entropy began casting one of her trademark summoning spells.

The Kuo-Toa fought expertly against the paladin, feinting, dodging, and tumbling. He hit Noir a few times, while she countered with impressive ripostes of her own.

Uninterested, in the fight below him, Hor'ahun nocked an arrow, scanning the area for approaching forces.

As Entropy completed her spell, three large beings appeared behind the fighting paladin and Kuo-Toa. They had humanoid torsos, but instead of feet their lower bodies ended in a long, snake-like trunk. Their muscular black and red bodies radiated incredible heat that obviously conducted to their huge longspears, which were blazing red. They turned around to face their summoner, awaiting her command.

Pointing at the structure, she was succinct, "Enter that building. Kill everything."

Seeing that the odds were clearly no longer in his favor, the Kuo-Toa tumbled back inside the building and slammed the door. In response, the three salamanders elbowed their way past the paladin. Pulling their spears to strike, they struck the door with all their might, bursting it immediately.

They continued inside, noticing that the Kuo-toan monk waited for them inside. He stepped forward and smacked the lead salamander viscously across the face with his nunchaku, which only made his foe angrier. Rather than strike the monk with his spear, the salamander whipped his tail around, grabbing him. As the muscles in his tail flexed, he slowly began to crush his foe to death.

Laughing sadistically, the two remaining salamanders concentrated briefly, throwing two fireballs at the grappled monk. Being native to the Elemental Plane of Fire, they had nothing to fear from their evocations. To their surprise, the Kuo-Toan somehow manage to dodge them both, despite the extensive blast radius.

What proceeded over the course of the next minute was a virtual slaughter. Several Kuo-Toan warriors on the ground floor tried to overwhelm the intruders, but no matter how many times they struck the salamanders, they could not seem to damage them. The few Kuo-Toan priests in the area were somewhat familiar with summoning spells having fought sniveriblin who were able to summon huge beasts from the Elemental Plane of Earth.

They prepared a few abjuration spells to seal off the salamanders. From experience, they knew that the conjured creatures could not physically cross the barrier. Unfortunately, they assumed their foes were good and their abjuration reflected this. The salamanders, as it turned out, were as evil as the Kuo-toan, if not more so, and easily broke through the wards.

The few Kuo-toans who survived the bloodbath, managed to escape through holes in the floor leading to the lake. Satisfied that all Kuo-Toa on the ground floor had been exterminated, the salamanders began making their way up the stairs. When they reached the top, they saw an art gallery of sorts with several grotesque images and tapestries on the walls. One in particular seemed rather strange, the lead salamander looked at it intently.

All of sudden, he whirled around and struck his fellows coming up the stairs. Upon looking at the picture that their comrade saw, the other two salamanders responded in kind.

Waiting outside, Noir slowly walked into the structure, observing the carnage the salamanders had left behind. Hearing the sounds of combat upstairs, she carefully made her way to the gallery. For reasons she couldn't know, the salamanders seemed to be fighting each other! Making long, powerful thrusts with their longspears, two of the three were on the verge of death. At this point, Noir's eyes locked with the picture that had driven the salamanders insane.

A wave of magic washed through her, trying to corrupt her mind. With the greatest of effort, she managed to resist the enchantment and fled down the stairs. Eventually, the salamanders returned to their home plane, the duration of the summoning spell ended.

"Entropy! Your beasts are beating the hell out of each other, but they seem to have killed everything on the ground floor," Noir reported as she flew back to the shore. Noir also explained about the weird art gallery and the alien power she felt in her mind.

"Maybe they were struck with a domination or insanity spell. In any case, I think we've made our point. Shall we continue towards Tilverton," she turned around to face the Desmodu.

After a day full of carnage, the Desmodu were only too glad to leave it behind.

Although the party continued to fly over the lake for the remainder of the day they did not reach the other side, as the scouts had warned them. However, they were prepared for this contingency. Entropy pulled out a length of rope and began to cast a spell upon it. The rope immediately straightened and at its end was the entrance to a demiplane where the party members could rest, undetected and unseen, until the their next day of travels.