Be Careful What You Wish For
Vartan looked over at Helios. "You really want to deal with this creature?"
"No, but you don't just get wishes any day."
They left the room to discuss the matter. They decided that one of them, Vartan, would go into the room to deal with the genie, coming out to discuss the wishes in between, and see if they couldn't manage to get both the rings and the wishes.
Vartan entered and said "Now, we agree that you will give us three wishes, and after the third wish is granted we will leave this dungeon and never return. Any limitation on these wishes?"
"Just that I cannot directly affect my charge, the key, the door, or any guardians."
"Very well. In that case I wish there was a four foot round hole in the wall right next to the door, large enough for us to pass through."
"As you wish."
Back in the other chamber, a hole appeared in the wall showing Helios, Rytalyn, and the others looked into the chamber beyond. Within it was a great platform with an iron box. Between it and them was a great spider with iron forelegs. It turned its head and Helios heard within his head "Come mortal. It has been long since I have tasted flesh."
He hightailed it back for the central chamber, where Vartan was ready to discuss the second wish. Helios apprised him of the situation, and they both went their seperate ways.
Vartan strolled in and said 'Genie! For my second wish, I wish that my friend Helios had within his mind the Holy Word spell and had the power to cast it once."
"As you wish."
In the room with the demon, Helios felt divine power course through his body. Just as the demon reared up to plunge its iron-shod claws into him, he uttered a Holy Word. Screaming in a flash of pure light, the foul thing was cast back into the Abyss. Ameril walked over to the box and quickly had the lock popped. Inside were eight plain iron rings. They strongly glowed of magic.
Having the rings in hand, the characters had a third wish coming. For his part, the Efreeti was glad the heroes had outsmarted the letter of his long ago summoners' orders. He bade them make their final wish.
After some discussion, it was decided that since both Helios and Vartan had tastted Nerull's touch, they should try to use the wish to regain some of their lost power. The genie warned them that meddling with such forces was certain to bring on unintended consequences, but they were determined.
After much deliberation, Vartan said "I wish that Helios and myself were brought back to life through a True Resurrection rather than a Raise Dead."
The world flashed before their eyes, the felt time unravelling. The group remembered taking the heroes not to Curate Malken, but to the imposing Ebon Tower just outside town, where a powerful cleric of Nerull ruled the surrounding graveyard. While they knew that it wasn't there before, they also remembered it being there for as long as they had been in Hookhill.
They remembered being resurrected by the Cleric, but at a high price. Both Vartan and Helios had allowed the Cleric to place special enchantments on them, allowing him to call them to his service at a point in the future.
So, with the knowledge that their actions had brought a great darkness into the town that they fought to defend, the heroes headed back. But they had the rings now, the mind flayer would get his due.
Vartan looked over at Helios. "You really want to deal with this creature?"
"No, but you don't just get wishes any day."
They left the room to discuss the matter. They decided that one of them, Vartan, would go into the room to deal with the genie, coming out to discuss the wishes in between, and see if they couldn't manage to get both the rings and the wishes.
Vartan entered and said "Now, we agree that you will give us three wishes, and after the third wish is granted we will leave this dungeon and never return. Any limitation on these wishes?"
"Just that I cannot directly affect my charge, the key, the door, or any guardians."
"Very well. In that case I wish there was a four foot round hole in the wall right next to the door, large enough for us to pass through."
"As you wish."
Back in the other chamber, a hole appeared in the wall showing Helios, Rytalyn, and the others looked into the chamber beyond. Within it was a great platform with an iron box. Between it and them was a great spider with iron forelegs. It turned its head and Helios heard within his head "Come mortal. It has been long since I have tasted flesh."
He hightailed it back for the central chamber, where Vartan was ready to discuss the second wish. Helios apprised him of the situation, and they both went their seperate ways.
Vartan strolled in and said 'Genie! For my second wish, I wish that my friend Helios had within his mind the Holy Word spell and had the power to cast it once."
"As you wish."
In the room with the demon, Helios felt divine power course through his body. Just as the demon reared up to plunge its iron-shod claws into him, he uttered a Holy Word. Screaming in a flash of pure light, the foul thing was cast back into the Abyss. Ameril walked over to the box and quickly had the lock popped. Inside were eight plain iron rings. They strongly glowed of magic.
Having the rings in hand, the characters had a third wish coming. For his part, the Efreeti was glad the heroes had outsmarted the letter of his long ago summoners' orders. He bade them make their final wish.
After some discussion, it was decided that since both Helios and Vartan had tastted Nerull's touch, they should try to use the wish to regain some of their lost power. The genie warned them that meddling with such forces was certain to bring on unintended consequences, but they were determined.
After much deliberation, Vartan said "I wish that Helios and myself were brought back to life through a True Resurrection rather than a Raise Dead."
The world flashed before their eyes, the felt time unravelling. The group remembered taking the heroes not to Curate Malken, but to the imposing Ebon Tower just outside town, where a powerful cleric of Nerull ruled the surrounding graveyard. While they knew that it wasn't there before, they also remembered it being there for as long as they had been in Hookhill.
They remembered being resurrected by the Cleric, but at a high price. Both Vartan and Helios had allowed the Cleric to place special enchantments on them, allowing him to call them to his service at a point in the future.
So, with the knowledge that their actions had brought a great darkness into the town that they fought to defend, the heroes headed back. But they had the rings now, the mind flayer would get his due.
