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Menexenus's Age of Worms Campaign Journal
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<blockquote data-quote="Menexenus" data-source="post: 3924927" data-attributes="member: 8951"><p><strong>Sessions 47 and 48: To Arn's Mountain</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Needfest, Common Year 596</em>. The party celebrated the beginning of the new year along with the citizens of Magepoint. They had been waiting for Tenser to return for 3 months, and they were getting tired of waiting. Alexander reported to the party that while he was in town, he felt that he was being scryed upon. Many members of the party had already thought about leaving Magepoint. Alexander's news seemed to remind the party how imperative it was that the party continue its efforts to prevent the Age of Worms. The party resolved to head out in search of the White Eye at the beginning of Fireseek. They purchased the necessary cold weather adventuring supplies in preparation for the trip.</p><p> </p><p> <em>1st of Fireseek</em>. Thorash cast a spell protecting each of the party members from the effects of cold weather. Then he cast a much more powerful spell allowing him and his partymates to turn into vapor and ride the wind. This allowed them to travel at tremendous speeds and cover a lot of territory quickly. After many hours, the party saw that the terrain below them was changing and becoming more mountainous. They had reached the eastern spur of the Abbor-Alz Mountains. Since they were nearing their destination, they descended from cloud level down to about 100 feet above the ground. The weather in the mountains was very cold with blowing snow. The party flew over a few orc villages and were spotted by a lone orc ranger on their way, but they did not allow these things to distract them. At one point, the party saw an enormous bird flying in the distance. It came closer to them, but when it saw that they were not edible (because they were in vapor-form) it flew away. </p><p></p><p> After a total of about 7 hours of flight, Alexander indicated to his comrades that the party was near Arn's Mountain, the alleged location of the White Eye. (Because Alexander had unknowingly handed over the Rainbow Mage's journal, the Decaying Book, the Pyramid of Tyranny, and the Heart of Darkness [a large ruby with a dark flaw at its center] to a doppelganger posing as Eligos, he felt a special obligation to recover the White Eye, which could reportedly be used in concert with the Pyramid and the Ruby to break the enchantment that prevented Kyuss's return to Oerth.) Although Alexander had only read the Rainbow Mage's journal once before, he had remembered enough about the description of Arn's Mountain to research its location in Tenser's Library. After another hour or two of circling around, Alexander indicated that he thought he had found the right mountain. The party descended to ground level and returned to physical form.</p><p></p><p> Killick cast a spell that gave him the lay of the land. He reported to the party that there were 4 cave-like entrances into the mountain on opposing sides about mid-way up the mountain's face. He also reported that he sensed the presence of undead creatures in the mountain. Since Thorash had expended some high level spells getting the party to the mountain, he did not feel prepared for combat, so he lobbied the party to make camp. They did so. Alexander cast a spell that created a temporary comfortable shelter large enough for everyone.</p><p> </p><p> <em>2nd of Fireseek</em>. When the party emerged from their shelter, they noticed a fresh blanket of snow covering everything. The party moved up the face of the mountain and found the nearest entrance. They noticed that the air coming out of the cave-like entrance seemed warmer than the air outside. They entered the narrow passage. But after a short time, the narrow passage opened up to a landing looking down on a vast, lust forest in the heart of the mountain. The "ceiling" of this gargantuan cavern was illuminated with magical light as bright as the sun. A few hundred yards away, near the center of this cavern, the party saw the apex of a stone pyramid poking out from the top of the trees. The party climbed down to ground level, and began hiking through the dense forest towards the pyramid.</p><p></p><p> On the way there, the party was ambushed by a hungry-looking dire lion. They put the animal out of its misery quickly. When they finally reached the pyramid itself, they walked once around the structure. It was a very old structure and each of its four faces was identical - a set of double doors in the middle and two single doors evenly spaced along each side of each base. Before the party could decide which door to approach, a mystical large flying snake approached the party. Its wings shimmered with light. In the Common tongue, it commanded the party to halt its approach. It introduced itself as Souref and explained that it had been given the task of protecting the contents of pyramid centuries ago. The party would not be allowed to pass. The party explained that they knew that the pyramid contained the White Eye and that they had come to retrieve it in order to keep it out of the hands of those who wished to use it for evil. At first the mystical being was skeptical. It asked if the party would consent to allowing it to cast a spell that would determine their souls' orientation. All but Thorash permitted this, but Thorash resisted the effect of the spell. This increased the creature's suspicion. Thorash explained that he was not comfortable having his soul evaluated by a strange creature. However, he said he would consent to allow the creature to cast a spell that would detect if he was lying. The snake-being cast that spell instead and asked only a few quick questions to ascertain the party's intentions. After it determined that the party was not lying about its intentions or about the fact that it was only a matter of time before the forces of Kyuss found and assaulted the pyramid to steal its treasures, it reluctantly agreed to allow the party to enter the pyramid. </p><p></p><p> Before it could leave, the party asked it some questions about the ancient history of the location. Souref explained that about 1000 years ago, worshippers of Pelor discovered a temple of some unknown foul evil hidden inside Arn's Mountain. Later it was revealed that this hidden pyramid was the main temple of an apostate group of worshippers known as the Ebon Triad who believed that they could bring about the union of Hextor, Erythnul, and Vecna, creating an Overgod that would dominate all others. The forces of Pelor assaulted this temple many times in an attempt to root out its worshippers and cleanse the area, but the evil within the temple was powerful, and Pelor's mighty legions were repelled time after time. After many months of siege, the leaders of the Pelorian force realized that, while the living creatures inside the temple might starve, the undead creatures residing within could resist them indefinitely. So they focused their energies on trapping the evil within the temple rather than defeating it outright. Eventually they were successful. None of the evil creatures within the temple wouild ever escape. However, there was still a threat that someone from outside could enter, take the artifact that rested within, and start a new temple elsewhere. So Souref had been summoned to prevent anyone from entering. Souref expressed some relief that, once the party members recovered the White Eye and hid it elsewhere, his guardianship would be at an end and he would be able to return to his plane of origin. Souref wished the party well and flew away. </p><p></p><p> The party circled the pyramid again, this time noticing that one of the single doors had a lion's head carved into it. The doorknob was obscured within the lion's mouth. This door intrigued the party. But first they tried opening the double doors on the same face. This opened into a room housing row upon row of armored skeletons standing motionless in formation. Killick was the first to enter the room because he had donned Katawan's Amulet of the Dark Sun which he had reason to believe would protect him from the denizens of the pyramid. The skeletons did indeed allow him to pass unmolested. But then Thorash and Alees entered as well, and the skeletons still did not move. Killick tried to push a skeleton over with his quarterstaff, but found that it resisted his push. At this point, Killick suggested that the party leave. Thorash and Alees did quick searches of the walls to see if there might be some secret passages leading from this chamber, but they found none. Almost as an after thought, as she was leaving, Alees checked out the crumbling fountain in the center of the room. In the poisonous sludge at the bottom of the fountain, Alees discovered a pearl and a ring. Although she did not expect much from these dirty items, she cast Detect Magic just in case, and to her surprise, both items did radiate magic. </p><p></p><p> Next the party returned to the intriguing lion's head door. Alexander opened it from a distance with his newly purchased Chime of Opening. Beyond the door was a narrow dark passage that opened up into a long room. There were six statues of adventuring heroes in haughty, confident poses adorning the walls. Alees used her flickering Detect Magic spell to determine that the statues did indeed radiate transmutation magic. The party moved into the room carefully. They noticed that the statues seemed remarkably clean for such an ancient building. There were three hallways exiting from the room. When nothing seemed to cause the statues to animate, the party explored the hallway leading left. This led to a room filled with mirrors. As Alees checked the room for traps and secret passages with Thorash and Killick nearby, they were all suddenly attacked by quick-moving invisible creatures. Killick and Thorash, suspecting that the creatures were somehow tied to the mirrors, began attacking the mirrors with blunt weapons. However, their strikes seemed to less damage than expected. They cracked the mirrors, but did not shatter them. Apparently, the mirrors were magically protected somehow. Tarric and Katawan rushed into the room to aid their partymates. Alexander remained outside. After a few seconds of confusing combat where the party was struck by creatures who didn't seem to be there, the party members began to realize that the creatures were able to attack them from inside the mirrors. Tarric rained powerful blows down on the mirrors causing them to shatter one after another. The party noticed that there were doors behind 2 of the shattered mirrors. Alexander called for the party to withdraw from the room so that he could cast a Fireball within. However, unbeknownst to Alexander, one of the invisible creatures was blocking the party's exit from the room. However, after giving his party-mates fair warning, Alexander tossed a Fireball in anyway. The explosion did not shatter any mirrors (surprisingly), but it did cause the invisible creature that had been blocking the exit to collapse into a pile of liquid metal. Seeing his success, Alexander fired again. A second invisible creature collapsed, but so did Tarric and Killick's faithful wardog Grimlock. At long last, Killick destroyed the final mirror in the room, and the sound of shattering glass comingled with the deathcry of the last invisible creature.</p><p></p><p> Thorash cast curative magic on those in need of healing. Then the party continued exploring. They opened one of the doors that had been concealed behind the mirrors and discovered a narrow passage that led to another external door of the pyramid. They opened the second previously concealed door and found a small room draped in red velvet. On a dais in the middle of the room rested a transparent coffin containing the figure of a naked female winged elven creature in a state of repose. Killick observed that she was not breathing. Alexander observed that this being was descended from other-planar beings of angelic goodness. Alees observed that there was writing on the coffin. On the front, the letters read, "Huvarial, Pelor's failed champion." On the opposite side, it read, "Even the brightest lights learn the power of the night." The party chose not to attempt to open the coffin. </p><p></p><p> They left the room and returned to the statue room. From there they took the opposite hallway leading to a door. After Alees certified it clear of traps, the door was opened. The party discovered an old barracks room filled with rotting overturned bunks and chests of clothing. There was a stone door on the far wall. As the party members entered the room, they were attacked by four small spider-like creatures with undead humanoid heads. One of them cast a Web spell that ensnared Killick. Another jumped on Killick, found some open skin, and began sucking his blood, causing him to turn pale. Thorash immediately got out his flint and tinder and began trying to set the web alight. Unbeknownst to Thorash, Killick cast a spell in the web that caused orbs of fire to appear in his hands. These also caused the web to catch fire. Eventually the web was cleared out of the room, allowing all of the party members to bring their martial skills to bear on the spider-like creatures, at which point they were quickly overwhelmed and destroyed. Alees sifted through the broken chests using a Detect Magic spell and found two items of interest - a cloak and a stone. </p><p></p><p> After Alees certified the stone door as untrapped, the party entered the door on the far wall. This opened to a luxurious bath house. A scantily clad woman with dark wings rested on a couch on the far side. She implored the party to help her. When she saw that Alexander and Thorash both recognized her as an extraplanar being of evil, she reminded them that not all evil creatures work together. She insisted that she despised the Ebon Triad as much as they did. She attempted to cast an enchantment on Thorash to force him to assist her, but when that failed, she drew a rope and threw it at Thorash, entangling him in it. The party rushed to Thorash's defense, attacking the lightly armored creature. They combat was over almost as soon as it had started and the winged creature's blood ran into the bathwater, darkening it gruesomely. Thorash cast a Detect Magic and found that the creature's sword was magical.</p><p></p><p> Finding no exits from the bath house, the party returned to the statue room and took the last hallway leading out. The party stopped at the first 4-way intersection about 20 feet from the statue room. The went left and found a small throne room containing a large black stone throne polished smooth. Thorash retrieved a dead spider creature and placed it on the throne. Black energy swirled around the throne in response, but the energy quickly died away and the dead creature still lay there dead, apparently unchanged. </p><p></p><p> Thorash found this intriguing, but there was no time to investigate, as Alees called the party over to the far passage which apparently ended in a dead end. Alees had found some dull green writing etched into the dead-end which read, "Put faith in darkest night and pass through solid rock." Alees suggested that someone cast Darkness so that she could try to get through. None of the spell casters had the spell available, but Alees reminded the party that the Amulet of the Dark Sun allowed its wearer to cast Darkness. Katawan put the Amulet on and used its power to create darkness. Alees found that she was able to continue down the hallway. The rest of the party followed. As they emerged from the darkness, Alees found a copper door with some strange symbols etched into it as well as the phrase, "In the end, only the darkness is real." Strangely, there was no doorknob or locking mechanism on this door. Alexander handed his Chime of Opening forward to Alees. She tried to use it once on the door, but there was no effect. She tried to use it a second time, and she heard an audible click and the door swung slightly ajar. Alees opened the door just far enough to peek inside. Inside, she saw a large copper mechanical creature with a spider-like form sitting hunched atop a large chest sitting in the middle of the room. It immediately moved to attack. As it extended its razor-sharp claws to stand up, those viewing the creature realized that it might have unusually long reach.</p><p></p><p> Alees flew into the room to attack, but she quickly realized that the construct's metal hide made it impossible for her to do significant damage. She simply tried to aid Tarric in landing successful blows against it. Katawan tumbled into the room, but it seemed to ignore him altogether. The creature emitted an electrical charge that arced off the polished copper walls, floor, and ceiling of the chamber. However, because of their excellent reflexes, Katawan and Alees were unaffected by this attack. So it resorted to attacking with its claws and had much better success. When Thorash tried to move up into the room, it skewered him and sent him falling back into the dark hallway bleeding profusely. For a while, Killick was stuck in the dark hallway unable to move forward. So he attempted to summon an ally. A dire wolf appeared and began attacking the clockwork creature. But after it suffered a few slashing attacks it disappeared, returning to whence it came. Alexander called for the party to lure it back into the hallway. The party left the room one by one. Alees was the last to leave. She shut the copper door behind her and heard a click.</p><p></p><p> The party regrouped, healed up, and came up with a strategy for defeating the creature. Alexander used the Chime of Opening again to get the unlock the door again. The party entered the room in pre-determined order and assaulted the copper construct. It retreated to the back corner of the room to avoid flanking attacks. The party members rained blows down upon it, jockeying for positions from which to attack. Eventually, the creature fell apart into a heap of gears and broken bits of metal. Alees quickly noticed that the chest in the middle of the room had an impression that seemed to match the symbols on Katawan's Amulet of the Dark Sun. Katawan placed the amulet in the depression and the lid of the chest opened magically. Inside the chest was a pile of copper pieces on top of which rested a copper key in the shape of a lion. Alees began moving the copper pieces aside and found some copper bracers, a copper ring, a copper wand, a copper-tipped darkwood wand, 5 yellow topazes, and 4 amber gems.</p><p></p><p> The party decided to exit the pyramid and make camp. Alexander created a new magical shelter for the party to rest in while they recuperated and identified items.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Menexenus, post: 3924927, member: 8951"] [b]Sessions 47 and 48: To Arn's Mountain[/b] [I]Needfest, Common Year 596[/I]. The party celebrated the beginning of the new year along with the citizens of Magepoint. They had been waiting for Tenser to return for 3 months, and they were getting tired of waiting. Alexander reported to the party that while he was in town, he felt that he was being scryed upon. Many members of the party had already thought about leaving Magepoint. Alexander's news seemed to remind the party how imperative it was that the party continue its efforts to prevent the Age of Worms. The party resolved to head out in search of the White Eye at the beginning of Fireseek. They purchased the necessary cold weather adventuring supplies in preparation for the trip. [I]1st of Fireseek[/I]. Thorash cast a spell protecting each of the party members from the effects of cold weather. Then he cast a much more powerful spell allowing him and his partymates to turn into vapor and ride the wind. This allowed them to travel at tremendous speeds and cover a lot of territory quickly. After many hours, the party saw that the terrain below them was changing and becoming more mountainous. They had reached the eastern spur of the Abbor-Alz Mountains. Since they were nearing their destination, they descended from cloud level down to about 100 feet above the ground. The weather in the mountains was very cold with blowing snow. The party flew over a few orc villages and were spotted by a lone orc ranger on their way, but they did not allow these things to distract them. At one point, the party saw an enormous bird flying in the distance. It came closer to them, but when it saw that they were not edible (because they were in vapor-form) it flew away. After a total of about 7 hours of flight, Alexander indicated to his comrades that the party was near Arn's Mountain, the alleged location of the White Eye. (Because Alexander had unknowingly handed over the Rainbow Mage's journal, the Decaying Book, the Pyramid of Tyranny, and the Heart of Darkness [a large ruby with a dark flaw at its center] to a doppelganger posing as Eligos, he felt a special obligation to recover the White Eye, which could reportedly be used in concert with the Pyramid and the Ruby to break the enchantment that prevented Kyuss's return to Oerth.) Although Alexander had only read the Rainbow Mage's journal once before, he had remembered enough about the description of Arn's Mountain to research its location in Tenser's Library. After another hour or two of circling around, Alexander indicated that he thought he had found the right mountain. The party descended to ground level and returned to physical form. Killick cast a spell that gave him the lay of the land. He reported to the party that there were 4 cave-like entrances into the mountain on opposing sides about mid-way up the mountain's face. He also reported that he sensed the presence of undead creatures in the mountain. Since Thorash had expended some high level spells getting the party to the mountain, he did not feel prepared for combat, so he lobbied the party to make camp. They did so. Alexander cast a spell that created a temporary comfortable shelter large enough for everyone. [I]2nd of Fireseek[/I]. When the party emerged from their shelter, they noticed a fresh blanket of snow covering everything. The party moved up the face of the mountain and found the nearest entrance. They noticed that the air coming out of the cave-like entrance seemed warmer than the air outside. They entered the narrow passage. But after a short time, the narrow passage opened up to a landing looking down on a vast, lust forest in the heart of the mountain. The "ceiling" of this gargantuan cavern was illuminated with magical light as bright as the sun. A few hundred yards away, near the center of this cavern, the party saw the apex of a stone pyramid poking out from the top of the trees. The party climbed down to ground level, and began hiking through the dense forest towards the pyramid. On the way there, the party was ambushed by a hungry-looking dire lion. They put the animal out of its misery quickly. When they finally reached the pyramid itself, they walked once around the structure. It was a very old structure and each of its four faces was identical - a set of double doors in the middle and two single doors evenly spaced along each side of each base. Before the party could decide which door to approach, a mystical large flying snake approached the party. Its wings shimmered with light. In the Common tongue, it commanded the party to halt its approach. It introduced itself as Souref and explained that it had been given the task of protecting the contents of pyramid centuries ago. The party would not be allowed to pass. The party explained that they knew that the pyramid contained the White Eye and that they had come to retrieve it in order to keep it out of the hands of those who wished to use it for evil. At first the mystical being was skeptical. It asked if the party would consent to allowing it to cast a spell that would determine their souls' orientation. All but Thorash permitted this, but Thorash resisted the effect of the spell. This increased the creature's suspicion. Thorash explained that he was not comfortable having his soul evaluated by a strange creature. However, he said he would consent to allow the creature to cast a spell that would detect if he was lying. The snake-being cast that spell instead and asked only a few quick questions to ascertain the party's intentions. After it determined that the party was not lying about its intentions or about the fact that it was only a matter of time before the forces of Kyuss found and assaulted the pyramid to steal its treasures, it reluctantly agreed to allow the party to enter the pyramid. Before it could leave, the party asked it some questions about the ancient history of the location. Souref explained that about 1000 years ago, worshippers of Pelor discovered a temple of some unknown foul evil hidden inside Arn's Mountain. Later it was revealed that this hidden pyramid was the main temple of an apostate group of worshippers known as the Ebon Triad who believed that they could bring about the union of Hextor, Erythnul, and Vecna, creating an Overgod that would dominate all others. The forces of Pelor assaulted this temple many times in an attempt to root out its worshippers and cleanse the area, but the evil within the temple was powerful, and Pelor's mighty legions were repelled time after time. After many months of siege, the leaders of the Pelorian force realized that, while the living creatures inside the temple might starve, the undead creatures residing within could resist them indefinitely. So they focused their energies on trapping the evil within the temple rather than defeating it outright. Eventually they were successful. None of the evil creatures within the temple wouild ever escape. However, there was still a threat that someone from outside could enter, take the artifact that rested within, and start a new temple elsewhere. So Souref had been summoned to prevent anyone from entering. Souref expressed some relief that, once the party members recovered the White Eye and hid it elsewhere, his guardianship would be at an end and he would be able to return to his plane of origin. Souref wished the party well and flew away. The party circled the pyramid again, this time noticing that one of the single doors had a lion's head carved into it. The doorknob was obscured within the lion's mouth. This door intrigued the party. But first they tried opening the double doors on the same face. This opened into a room housing row upon row of armored skeletons standing motionless in formation. Killick was the first to enter the room because he had donned Katawan's Amulet of the Dark Sun which he had reason to believe would protect him from the denizens of the pyramid. The skeletons did indeed allow him to pass unmolested. But then Thorash and Alees entered as well, and the skeletons still did not move. Killick tried to push a skeleton over with his quarterstaff, but found that it resisted his push. At this point, Killick suggested that the party leave. Thorash and Alees did quick searches of the walls to see if there might be some secret passages leading from this chamber, but they found none. Almost as an after thought, as she was leaving, Alees checked out the crumbling fountain in the center of the room. In the poisonous sludge at the bottom of the fountain, Alees discovered a pearl and a ring. Although she did not expect much from these dirty items, she cast Detect Magic just in case, and to her surprise, both items did radiate magic. Next the party returned to the intriguing lion's head door. Alexander opened it from a distance with his newly purchased Chime of Opening. Beyond the door was a narrow dark passage that opened up into a long room. There were six statues of adventuring heroes in haughty, confident poses adorning the walls. Alees used her flickering Detect Magic spell to determine that the statues did indeed radiate transmutation magic. The party moved into the room carefully. They noticed that the statues seemed remarkably clean for such an ancient building. There were three hallways exiting from the room. When nothing seemed to cause the statues to animate, the party explored the hallway leading left. This led to a room filled with mirrors. As Alees checked the room for traps and secret passages with Thorash and Killick nearby, they were all suddenly attacked by quick-moving invisible creatures. Killick and Thorash, suspecting that the creatures were somehow tied to the mirrors, began attacking the mirrors with blunt weapons. However, their strikes seemed to less damage than expected. They cracked the mirrors, but did not shatter them. Apparently, the mirrors were magically protected somehow. Tarric and Katawan rushed into the room to aid their partymates. Alexander remained outside. After a few seconds of confusing combat where the party was struck by creatures who didn't seem to be there, the party members began to realize that the creatures were able to attack them from inside the mirrors. Tarric rained powerful blows down on the mirrors causing them to shatter one after another. The party noticed that there were doors behind 2 of the shattered mirrors. Alexander called for the party to withdraw from the room so that he could cast a Fireball within. However, unbeknownst to Alexander, one of the invisible creatures was blocking the party's exit from the room. However, after giving his party-mates fair warning, Alexander tossed a Fireball in anyway. The explosion did not shatter any mirrors (surprisingly), but it did cause the invisible creature that had been blocking the exit to collapse into a pile of liquid metal. Seeing his success, Alexander fired again. A second invisible creature collapsed, but so did Tarric and Killick's faithful wardog Grimlock. At long last, Killick destroyed the final mirror in the room, and the sound of shattering glass comingled with the deathcry of the last invisible creature. Thorash cast curative magic on those in need of healing. Then the party continued exploring. They opened one of the doors that had been concealed behind the mirrors and discovered a narrow passage that led to another external door of the pyramid. They opened the second previously concealed door and found a small room draped in red velvet. On a dais in the middle of the room rested a transparent coffin containing the figure of a naked female winged elven creature in a state of repose. Killick observed that she was not breathing. Alexander observed that this being was descended from other-planar beings of angelic goodness. Alees observed that there was writing on the coffin. On the front, the letters read, "Huvarial, Pelor's failed champion." On the opposite side, it read, "Even the brightest lights learn the power of the night." The party chose not to attempt to open the coffin. They left the room and returned to the statue room. From there they took the opposite hallway leading to a door. After Alees certified it clear of traps, the door was opened. The party discovered an old barracks room filled with rotting overturned bunks and chests of clothing. There was a stone door on the far wall. As the party members entered the room, they were attacked by four small spider-like creatures with undead humanoid heads. One of them cast a Web spell that ensnared Killick. Another jumped on Killick, found some open skin, and began sucking his blood, causing him to turn pale. Thorash immediately got out his flint and tinder and began trying to set the web alight. Unbeknownst to Thorash, Killick cast a spell in the web that caused orbs of fire to appear in his hands. These also caused the web to catch fire. Eventually the web was cleared out of the room, allowing all of the party members to bring their martial skills to bear on the spider-like creatures, at which point they were quickly overwhelmed and destroyed. Alees sifted through the broken chests using a Detect Magic spell and found two items of interest - a cloak and a stone. After Alees certified the stone door as untrapped, the party entered the door on the far wall. This opened to a luxurious bath house. A scantily clad woman with dark wings rested on a couch on the far side. She implored the party to help her. When she saw that Alexander and Thorash both recognized her as an extraplanar being of evil, she reminded them that not all evil creatures work together. She insisted that she despised the Ebon Triad as much as they did. She attempted to cast an enchantment on Thorash to force him to assist her, but when that failed, she drew a rope and threw it at Thorash, entangling him in it. The party rushed to Thorash's defense, attacking the lightly armored creature. They combat was over almost as soon as it had started and the winged creature's blood ran into the bathwater, darkening it gruesomely. Thorash cast a Detect Magic and found that the creature's sword was magical. Finding no exits from the bath house, the party returned to the statue room and took the last hallway leading out. The party stopped at the first 4-way intersection about 20 feet from the statue room. The went left and found a small throne room containing a large black stone throne polished smooth. Thorash retrieved a dead spider creature and placed it on the throne. Black energy swirled around the throne in response, but the energy quickly died away and the dead creature still lay there dead, apparently unchanged. Thorash found this intriguing, but there was no time to investigate, as Alees called the party over to the far passage which apparently ended in a dead end. Alees had found some dull green writing etched into the dead-end which read, "Put faith in darkest night and pass through solid rock." Alees suggested that someone cast Darkness so that she could try to get through. None of the spell casters had the spell available, but Alees reminded the party that the Amulet of the Dark Sun allowed its wearer to cast Darkness. Katawan put the Amulet on and used its power to create darkness. Alees found that she was able to continue down the hallway. The rest of the party followed. As they emerged from the darkness, Alees found a copper door with some strange symbols etched into it as well as the phrase, "In the end, only the darkness is real." Strangely, there was no doorknob or locking mechanism on this door. Alexander handed his Chime of Opening forward to Alees. She tried to use it once on the door, but there was no effect. She tried to use it a second time, and she heard an audible click and the door swung slightly ajar. Alees opened the door just far enough to peek inside. Inside, she saw a large copper mechanical creature with a spider-like form sitting hunched atop a large chest sitting in the middle of the room. It immediately moved to attack. As it extended its razor-sharp claws to stand up, those viewing the creature realized that it might have unusually long reach. Alees flew into the room to attack, but she quickly realized that the construct's metal hide made it impossible for her to do significant damage. She simply tried to aid Tarric in landing successful blows against it. Katawan tumbled into the room, but it seemed to ignore him altogether. The creature emitted an electrical charge that arced off the polished copper walls, floor, and ceiling of the chamber. However, because of their excellent reflexes, Katawan and Alees were unaffected by this attack. So it resorted to attacking with its claws and had much better success. When Thorash tried to move up into the room, it skewered him and sent him falling back into the dark hallway bleeding profusely. For a while, Killick was stuck in the dark hallway unable to move forward. So he attempted to summon an ally. A dire wolf appeared and began attacking the clockwork creature. But after it suffered a few slashing attacks it disappeared, returning to whence it came. Alexander called for the party to lure it back into the hallway. The party left the room one by one. Alees was the last to leave. She shut the copper door behind her and heard a click. The party regrouped, healed up, and came up with a strategy for defeating the creature. Alexander used the Chime of Opening again to get the unlock the door again. The party entered the room in pre-determined order and assaulted the copper construct. It retreated to the back corner of the room to avoid flanking attacks. The party members rained blows down upon it, jockeying for positions from which to attack. Eventually, the creature fell apart into a heap of gears and broken bits of metal. Alees quickly noticed that the chest in the middle of the room had an impression that seemed to match the symbols on Katawan's Amulet of the Dark Sun. Katawan placed the amulet in the depression and the lid of the chest opened magically. Inside the chest was a pile of copper pieces on top of which rested a copper key in the shape of a lion. Alees began moving the copper pieces aside and found some copper bracers, a copper ring, a copper wand, a copper-tipped darkwood wand, 5 yellow topazes, and 4 amber gems. The party decided to exit the pyramid and make camp. Alexander created a new magical shelter for the party to rest in while they recuperated and identified items. [/QUOTE]
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