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Message: <blockquote data-quote="PHDungeon" data-source="post: 5193122" data-attributes="member: 86320">This is Bjorn's journal- recounting events from sessions 18-19 (The Halls of Ludvag the Hateful)Bjorn's JournalIt has been an eventful week and doesn't appear to be letting up, but let me start from the beginning. The day after Bella's and my dinner I was asked to join my companions at Deryl and Derren's new home where Deryl informed us that she had been approached by the Iron dragon with a request. It seems that there was something deep in the mines that was killing the kobolds, not necessarily a bad thing from my point of view, and she wanted us to investigate and eliminate the threat. Given the recently established trading relationship with the dragon it made sense to pursue the task. It would also afford us some intelligence on their set up if it should be required we return at a future date.We left for the silver mines and were met at the entrance, where they insisted we wear blindfolds. We grudgingly agreed not wanting to irritate the dragon. We were eventually led to her presence where we were informed of the threat and assigned 3 kobold guides to assist us. They wanted to again blindfold us to lead us to the area of the problems but in this instance we refused- if they wished our help we would not be blindfolded.We made our way into the depths and eventually found the lair of some odd beasts called Quaggoths, they seemed some sort of ape but not. After slaying these beasts we found the remains of a few kobolds and thought that this was most likely the cause of their troubles. The lair was located in what appeared to be old dwarven construction. To be sure this was the sole cause we decided to explore further. This in retrospect was likely a mistake. For we had just entered the next area of the complex when the passage behind us was sealed by a devious trap of falling blocks.  We soon discovered we had ventured into a labyrinth of deadly traps and it was all we could do to survive.I must recount a particular encounter with a little shame, if only to be sure I do not repeat it. We had just survived a nasty little trap relatively unscathed, and entered a new room that appeared vacant. Most of the party remained at the entrance while Derren and I moved forward to explore the room. That should have been my first alarm, but as we moved in Derren and I went in different directions.  Alarm two.  The room was a large rectangle with a central dais raised in steps. At each corner of the dais was a well. The two closest to the entrance we came in contained dirt and water; the far left one had a fire burning in it, and the last was empty. There were also pools of what appeared to be the same black oily liquid we encountered in the temple of the elemental eye around the room.  There was one large pool at the far end before a small landing and a door. There was another on the left side of the room, in front of a raised ledge and another door. A third one was on the right, just in from the plain wall. The final pool was just in from where we entered the room and was easy to walk around. Derren leapt up to investigate the ledge and door on the left, and I went to the right. All was quiet until, fool that I am, I began to climb the steps of the dais. As I stepped on the second step the  wells activated and elementals of the Earth, Water, Fire and Air attacked. From the central dais rose a Golden skull that must have once belonged to a giant. It shot some sort of ray from its eyes. I have no doubt that we would have sprung the trap eventually, but the fact that Derren and I were so spread out from each other and  the rest of our party was an error entirely of my own making. I cannot in this instance say it was Derren rushing foolishly in and endangering us; it was my own actions and impatience that allowed me to wander from Derren. The battle was hard fought, I stubbornly fought the elemental of air by myself, and did not disengage to aid the balance of my party who were out of range of my healing ability.  I was sorely wounded several times, but I was able to bounce back. It was not until near the end of battle that my error truly cost. I was knocked unconscious and was dieing when Derren, himself grievously wounded, came to my aid. He had no sooner aided me when the elemental of air slew him, first felling him with a blow, then knocking him into the deadly black "water". He died before I could pull him out.  It was while I was pulling him out that the rest of the party finished off our remaining elemental foes.  It was a somber party that began to rest after this battle, I prepared to cast the ritual Gentle Repose on Derren to preserve him until we had opportunity to raise him. At this point I need to step back in time a little; earlier we encountered a magic visage of the creator of this hellish place. He spoke in a language only Bella understood. Bella told us that the creator was called Ludvag the Hateful and that the only way out of this death trap was forward. There seemed to be more, but Bella said it was mainly boasting and threats that were not worth translating.Just as I was about to begin my ritual Deryl interrupted, saying that her dagger had told her that if we did nor raise Derren immediately his soul would be consumed by the Slumberer and this may help to wake it. My first response was -  Her dagger told her!?!?!?. What is going on? Unfortunately, Bella confirmed both that Deryl's dagger was intelligent and that those who fell in this place would feed the Slumberer.If I had not felt such remorse as the cause of Derren's death, I most likely not have agreed to the proposed ritual. This ritual required us to cut out Derren's heart then drop some of our blood over it. Then Torrfin would apply his powers of lightening to stoke the heart back to beating. It would then be placed back in Derren's chest cavity, and I would do some healing to mend the wounds. This would supposably restore Derren to life. I must soon talk with Deryl about this dagger; the child is becoming more and more worrisome. Regardless, the ritual worked and Derren was restored. The process and battle had stretched our resources and we needed to rest.We managed to rest without interruption, and afterwards we began to examine both exits from the room, the exit at the end of the room lead to a small room with a teleportation circle. The exit on the left lead to a hall. The walls of the hall were decorated with frescoes depicting the Dawn Wars. About half way down the hall was a pit. Having experienced the traps of Ludvag, we approached with caution. The pit had runes in the bottom that reversed the pull of gravity; the ceiling appeared to be solid, but I was suspicious. We thew one of the kobolds out to the middle with a rope tied to it. Instead of falling down, the kobold fell UP! As the kobold hit the ceiling, the surface broke, and it tumbled upward into a spike filled recess. We used ropes and pitons to cross safely.Ahead of us was a set of double doors. We managed to disarm the traps on the door, and we entered the room beyond.  We again faced a fight, this time with undead which we were well able to handle. Ludvag made an appearance in a ghostly form to taunt us further. Bella informed us that there was both a great treasure and an exit, investigating this room we found a pit of acid and a secret door leading to a narrow passage. The pit no doubt led to Ludvag's tomb and the treasure, but given what we had faced so far we opted to forego it and follow the passage. I am not sure this was the easy route, as it led to another teleportation circle. Examining both this circle and the one previously found, we discovered they led to the same place and running out of options we used it. I was not amused. We teleported to a ledge a great distance above a flaming pit. There was a small exit across the room, and the only way to reach it was a chain hanging in the center of the room above the pit. To further complicate matters, the back wall of the ledge began to move forward and runes on the wall were effecting us with a confusion spell. Additionally, we were all as naked as the day we came into this world without any of our gear and no knowledge of where it might be. Not seeing a lot of options, in a moment of clarity, I leapt for the chain, and the Gods must have been with me for I was successful. I began to set the chain to swinging to make the chain easier for the rest of my companions to reach. The distance of the chain from the rune wall put me out of range of its nasty effects fortunately. Deryl  using her power of flight flew to the other side without problem, taking her favored kobold with her. Eventually the rest of the party gained their senses and joined me on the chain before being pushed into the flaming pit by the ever advancing wall. Unfortunately, both the kobolds were still under the effects of the wall's runes and as they hung from the top part of the chain, they tried to tear at Bella's hair and throw her down into the flaming pit. Bella fought hard, with no weapon. In desperation, she managed to hurl both the little kobolds down into the pit. The next problem was that the exit on the far side of the flaming pit was not large enough to hold us all. It was merely a small hole in the stone wall, and in the next room there was a fair drop to the floor. The good news is we had found our gear. It was scattered about the room beyond; the bad news was the room also contained a construct of flesh that seemed eager to scatter our body  parts in a similar manner. One by one we dropped down into this chamber. We spent a frantic time running around the room naked, gathering out gear and making our escape. There was some injury  by all, though Torfinn seemed particularly wounded. The exit from this room was another teleport circle, which we used with a prayer that we were not going from the frying pan to the fire. Fortunately, this circle took us out of Ludvag's halls of death. Unfortunately, we arrived in a place of worship for an ogre village in the Ogrefist hills, still naked and clutching our gear. We fought a hasty retreat and were able to get far enough away from the ogres to redress. We were exhausted from the trials we had faced, but we pressed on through the treacherous hills. We travelled all night long, pursued by ogre hunting parties the entire way. We were fortunate in that we made it out with both our lives and the vast majority of our gear. Deryl was a little upset at the death of her favorite kobold at the hands of an ogre shaman. I had no felling for or against them though Bella seemed particularly pleased at thier departure from this plane.</blockquote>

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