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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TerraDave" data-source="post: 6312356" data-attributes="member: 22260">They destroy the rest of the swarms of animated weapons and armor and inspect the chamber. The symbol on the floor confirms the link to the ancient incarnate of war Tuern. The symbol actually sheds the “blood” of the old god, known for its healing properties. Among the fine arms and armor a Helm of Ghostly Defense and Javelin of Stinging are recovered.The corpses are corpses…that where walking. Undead, whose allegiance to Vecna is revealed by a familiar eye in hand symbol. <img src="http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff189/Azmodiel/vecnacult.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />And there is a conspicuous space where a mighty horn once rested. Allowyn immediately realizes this is the horn he came for, and still has to find it! Even with all that, Simorai is also concerned that they are missing something…something.Buckthorn scouts ahead through another portal. Here lies more  twice dead bodies. In the midst of the chamber is a glowing white pool. Strange music rises through the chamber. The pool, sacred to a god so ancient its name is forgotten, has also been corrupted, and it lashes out as they approach. Especially at Forge.Simorai is able to make a convincing prayer to the forgotten god, approach the pool, and drag out the body of a vampire that had been leading Vecna’s forces. The body has two powerful gems on it. This may be what Sim was looking for.   As Forge comes up to help the planar, he is cursed by the pool, and the curse lingers, and lingers (at least 6 failed saves) and just about ends the dwarves life. Fortunately, he is finally saved, and they leave with their gems. Sim thinks the gems are key—they are extra large and have their own little curse for those not “attuned” to them—and they find two more. One floating over a pool that is the opposite of the white one, filled with nasty black slime. Allowyn and his great cat almost manage to leap over it, grabbing the gem. They actually land at the end of it, but the damage is not mortal.The fourth floats over a great pile of frozen bone shards, surrounded by elaborate tapestries of knightly, and divine, triumph over evil. Then, as they come close, the tapestries transform to ones of demonic destruction. Two demonic forms are particularly notable…Sim shrugs this off, and dashes for the gem. As he grabs it, the images of Demogorgon and Orcus come to life, and attack!<img src="http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130326184057/istria/images/f/fc/Orcus_and_Demogorgon.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />They failed to get the gem firstThe intrepid party starts to head straight back to the exit. Slowing, pinning, imobalizing, dazing, and pretty much doing everything they can in the meantime to keep the demons back. Orcus, the less mobile of the two, gets stuck right on the bone pile, and is forced to unleash his Symbol of Pain, to great effect. Demogorgon, acting with each head, brings even greater harm. Buckthorn gets the first shots for the party, dazing Orcus, criting Demogorgon, while also getting dominated, then dropping, then be restored by Allowyn, then dropping, again.They manage to get through the portal. As soon as they are through, Sim knows he needs to close it. Demogorgon wracks them with his tentacles through the mists as a reminder. Sim is able to seal it, with incredible (and lucky) speed.They find themselves back in the chamber with the animated weapons and the bleeding symbol. At some point, they think to try to sanctify this dead gods tomb, and realize that their healing curse is lifted, well at least for 5 minutes or so.The next chamber they find:]   They realize seems to give them access to all the relevant places in the tomb—one portal per arm. It also has seeming places for the large gems. One per crown point. Which means they still need two more. In their search, Buckthorn just about walks right back into Orcus. He somehow escapes. The next gem is hidden on a shelf, in a vaguely familiar “chapel” like chamber. The dim and cold place feels strongly of the shadow aether, and its shelves are full of the odds and ends of the cosmos.[ATTACH]62094[/ATTACH]Around the time the gem is found, the necrotic sludge starts to seep through the walls. Fast. Then the three powerful wraiths arrive. An incredibly dangerous situation. Unless of course the spell-sword uses Ruinblade to unleash a massive turn undead (two crits, 258 points damage total) and Forge runs like he never has before. One more gem remains.This time it’s the chapel again, but in some Fairy land. Green with life, albeit not exactly natural. And with a fey-lord, powerful enough to destroy the demi-lich’s henchbeings, that wants to play a game.  A board game.Allowyn and Forge give the lord, who may be a wee-bit intoxicated, a strong challenge. Maybe too strong. As its not clear that they get anything for winning, and the fey seems to be very upset by loosing. But apparently so are the warlord and fighter (which is to be expected). Sim, showing unusual insight, does try to warn of this…but as the number of pieces reduce and pressure builds, he finally flips the board and yells : “FORFEIT”. He makes his apology stick, convinces the lord that he has won, and with that the fey is off to celebrate, while they get the last gem. <img src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzAwWDQwMA==/z/TkcAAOxyyrRR~g-H/$(KGrHqR,!ooFHkoWF5svBR+g-HLsLQ~~60_35.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> More to come</blockquote>

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