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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mathew_Freeman" data-source="post: 864394" data-attributes="member: 1846">Journal of Galak, Part 2The way into the Palace remained the same as before. From the room we were standing in, we needed to go up through a trapdoor, along a corridor, and up through a second trapdoor in order to arrive inside an abandoned torture chamber. It seemed simple enough.Xyzzy and Aos went first to clear the way. Moving swiftly, Xyzzy went straight ahead to the second trapdoor and checked it for magic. Sure enough, our attack was now anticipated, and the door registered several magical auras. Concentrating, Xyzzy dispelled them. Aos stepped forwards again to go to open the door...and the first guards appeared.They stepped out of the walls, blasting him with energy rays and flanking him in melee combat. Reeling from the deadly onslaught, he nevertheless engaged one in combat with his rapier, wounding it severely. He also managed to call out, warning the rest of the group!Dorakin acted swiftly, flying up through the trapdoor and slicing one creature with his greatsword. These creatures appeared to have vulture like heads, and Dorakin informed us later that they were servants of Gruganu, an evil deity who was the cohort of Ksarul. Ksarul worshippers were known to be amongst Tarkane's allies.Despite another set of attacks by the creatures, known as Stalkers, Dorakin swiftly struck two of the down, with Aos also showing his combat skills in killing another. The last one disappeared back into the walls.The group swiftly attempted to move into the torture chamber, but as we emerged, we were attacked by four more creatures, the zombie-like Hra! Xyzzy was wounded, his shield other spell transferring damage to Lilliana, and Aos found himself hard pressed once more. Xyzzy was lucky to avoid being killed outright as the remaining Stalker emerged through the wall again to kill him!Once more Dorakin showed his worth by emerging from the tunnel below to wreak havok amongst our foes. He swiftly struck down two of the Hra, and wounded the Stalker again. Within a few moments more, Aos had killed the final Hra with Celia's aid, and we prepared to enter the main room.Dorakin paused."I feel a great evil beyond the door."As he said that, I wished Leo had come with us. His spells would have been even more of a help! Thinking of Leo made me realise something..."If we have short duration spells, now is the time to cast them."*Xyzzy cast mass haste, I put forth a shield of faith and then Dorakin manifested one of his most powerful spells. A holy aura surrounded the party, giving each of us protection from evil creatures. We set ourselves ready for whatever was beyond the door, and with four massive strikes of his sword, Dorakin shattered it into splinters.The sight that greeted our eyes was terrifying. An Avatar of Gruganu was there to face Dorakin, along with two horned devils. The rest of us stood little chance against it. This was the deadliest foe we had ever encountered. Instantly, reacting to our destruction of the doors, all three creatures threw fireballs at us. The impacts jolted everyone, but only Aos was seriously burned, although several other members of the party suffered injuries. I myself was scorched by the fire, but if they seek to kill me by fire then they have much to learn!Darius moved out of the room, seeking space to keep us from being attacked like that again, and Xyzzy also flew forwards and cast a wall of force around the Avatar, enclosing it. Then I saw the greatest site of my life. Dorakin, Planetar, in full attack.He sped forward, leaping out of the room with his wings opening in a whooomph as he sped towards his foe. He looked at one horned demon and spoke a power word, stun, and it reeled backwards. He followed it with a quickened flame strike upon the other, burning it with holy fire.The rest of the group spread out into the room beyond, staying clear of groups. I myself flew forwards and attempted a searing light on the burned horned devil, but I failed to penetrate it's innate spell resistance.Gruganu, named the Black Sword of Doom, sneered at Xyzzy's attempt to trap him, and teleported across the room to where we had just been. Dorakin cried out as his foe evaded him. Aos was left more or less alone with the avatar. He quickly moved away, seeking healing. Xyzzy also found himself under attack yet again from the final Stalker, as it attacked from the walls.Dorakin turned and flew back towards Avatar, and cast destruction. The holy fire failed to consume Gruganu, but it did burn him. The Planetar followed this with a quickened searing light which failed to get through. Celia charged the stunned horned devil, whilst Thana ploughed arrows into the other, hurting but not killing it. It collapsed to the ground, but we could see it's wounds beginning to heal.Gruganu charged Dorakin, his awesome sword crashing into the Planetar. However, Dorakin and I had cast shield other upon each other, and so I absorbed half the damage. The pain was awesome, but Dorakin was already beginning his counterstroke. He summoned the divine fortune of Girru, and aided by the mass haste spell of Xyzzy, laid into the Avatar with his powerful sword. Gruganu was warded with a stoneskin spell, however, and not all the damage got through. However, it was the first time in a long time that the Avatar had suffered such damage.Xyzzy, meanwhile, blasted the Stalker with his wand of lightning bolt, and the horned devil too. The bolts scorched both creatures, but not enough to kill. Lilliana used the Staff of Life to heal Aos, who promptly tumbed behind the Avatar and began to attack it! Truly, he is either brave, or foolish, and I have to concede that it is more likely the former.Gruganu and Dorakin exchanged another series of attacks, and I could feel myself becoming close to death. Summoning my powers, I made use of my new found faith to heal myself. I would be able to take damage for a while yet!As Dorakin was creating an opening for a death blow, the Avatar of Gruganu showed his more cowardly side. Bleeding from several wounds, he teleported away, leaving us to pile the stunned demons together. Dorakin called down two flame strikes and burned them to ash, before thanking Aos and Thana for their aid in the battle. Thana had fired several arrows at the Avatar, and their effect had damaged him somewhat.Xyzzy reported that Hudson had spotted several Imperial Knights Bloodhammer skulking up some stairs. Our mission was not completed, and whilst the first line of defense had been breached, Tarkane had not been discovered. We caught our breath, thankful that there were no casualties, and quickly made a decision about what to do next...EndNote: As a result of this fight, Aos is now 12th level, and Leo was granted a special XP bonus for all the planning he had been doing, which took him to 11th. We got no XP for the Avatar, but if it doesn't returned we stand to get 3000 each. If it does return and we manage to finish the thing off (it was down to 10hp!), we'll get 6000 each. I'm still not sure whether I want to face it again or not!*Peter, Leo's player was practically screaming at us to cast buffs at this point. We're very glad he did.</blockquote>

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