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<blockquote data-quote="James McMurray" data-source="post: 229649" data-attributes="member: 743"><p>While waiting for the priest, the group decides to resupply Kargur, as he was found naked in a ransacked room, with only his glove on his hand. They purchase a Breastplate and a Masterwork Shield for him, as well a Handy Haversack and a few more accouterments. The next day, the High Priest of Pelor brings him back from the dead, and the group begins to discuss what they shall do.</p><p></p><p>The group argues over where to go next. Oskar suggests they perform experiments with the mouths to determine where items go when they enter them. Others wish to attempt to retrieve Kargur’s gear, as they believe it will have been taken to the Demi-Lich’s tomb. Kargur is the one most behind this idea, as he feels ineffectual without his Shield of Command. </p><p></p><p>To ratify the situation, the group decides to use Oskar’s new spear of Luck to wish for a Shield of Command. They do so, but magic being what it is they do not get the effects they had hoped for. Instead they receive a Shield +1 that is capable of casting Command once per day. Kargur yet again presses to head back to the demi-lich’s tomb, but others disagree, feeling there is no time for the casualties such an act could bring on. In the end, they decide to commune in the hopes of determining their best course of action. And another day slips by as the undead of Shiboleth grow stronger.</p><p></p><p>The next day’s communing involves the following questions:</p><p></p><p>1) Is Lo’ser Lawful?</p><p>a. No</p><p>2) Is Lo’ser Chaotic?</p><p>a. Yes</p><p>3) Is Lo’ser Evil?</p><p>a. No</p><p>4) Is Lo’ser Good?</p><p>a. Yes</p><p>5) Does Heironious approve of us traveling with Lo’ser?</p><p>a. Yes</p><p>6) Is the first mouth we encountered the gate to the City of Moil?</p><p>a. Yes</p><p>7) Is the second mouth we encountered the gate to the City of Moil?</p><p>a. No</p><p>8) Is the third mouth we encountered the gate to the City of Moil?</p><p>a. No</p><p>9) Will our equipment journey with us through the gate?</p><p>a. Yes</p><p>10) Can we retrieve Kargur’s Gear without fighting the demi-lich?</p><p>a. No</p><p>11) Is the Amulet that was found more than simply a clue?</p><p>b. No</p><p>12) Will William’s magic work in the City of Moil?</p><p>c. Partially</p><p>13) Should we continue exploring the tomb?</p><p>a. No</p><p>14) Has the demi-lich returned?</p><p>a. Yes</p><p>15) </p><p>16) Can Galrond have a pony? (This last was asked at Galrond’s insistence, and as nobody could think of a better question, William obliged)?</p><p>a. Yes</p><p>b. </p><p>Armed with their new knowledge, the group returns to the Tomb of Acererak and step into the mouth in the entry hallway, each holding a shard of Acererak’s skull. They appear on the far side moments later, beneath a roiling sky limned with flashes of massive lightning. Before them stretch three bridges, hanging over a sea of black mist. Rising from the mists are several towers, connected by more bridges. Ahead there is a three-way fork on their bridge, and a large rusty iron obelisk covered in writing. The air is bitingly cold, and frost lines everything as their breaths turn to steam in the frigid air.</p><p></p><p>Galrond looks at Oskar and says “You’ve got magic on you.” A few moments later he says, “I can still see it.” When Oskar’s face stays puzzled, Galrond explains, “Our spells are not being dispelled.” Although it comes as good news, William and Billy are a bit irked that they did not think to ask that question, as they are armed with only instantaneous spells and are thus not at peak effectiveness.</p><p></p><p>Lo’ser moves forward to check out the obelisk, and finds the following engraved upon it:</p><p></p><p>The City that Waits was the City of Moil</p><p>Where dreams truly died, but bodies yet toil.</p><p>In slumber unrelenting, they lie yet in wait.</p><p>Biding their time to seal your fate.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Discovery of the Void and my fortress within</p><p>Demands exploration of peril again.</p><p>Find amid towers degenerate the single key</p><p>And resolve the dilemma of problems three.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Beard the Forceful dragon in its windswept lair;</p><p>Remove the key from the solid air.</p><p>Beneath webs of glowing emerald,</p><p>Hangs a riddle-box, ripe to be solved.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The Darkweaver endures the cold in her lair;</p><p>Grasp your fate with consummate care.</p><p>The lifeless dream that marks the crime</p><p>Is The Vestige that guards the sands of time.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Each resolution removes one obstacle</p><p>For those who peruse this written oracle.</p><p>The Phantom released flies you in fashion</p><p>To my inevitable Fortress of Conclusion.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The group debates which way to head, and decides they will move towards the leftmost tower. Lo’ser scouts ahead, and he sees a mural of a sunrise over the entry arch. It is covered in the ever-present frost. Turning right in the entry hall he finds a rubble filled room with a throne in the back. The rear of the throne is embossed with an ice covered sunset scene, and Lo’ser moves on. A little way past this area, he finds an ice-filled hallway that leads to a Wand held clamped atop a pedestal. The pedestal has invisible runes upon it, which he deciphers: “The choice of days empowers the wand, but the choice cannot be made from here.” Taking up the wand, he returns to the group, who decide that perhaps the runes refer to a different tower, so they head down the central pathway.</p><p></p><p>The runes above the door are not deciphered, and the group moves in. The interior of the Tower is made up of floorless space, dropping down into the black mists below. A slender catwalk moves out to the central spire and then circles it, with three paths leading off. The first leads to a silver archway filled with mists. Atop the archway are three symbols, engraved in Blue, Red, and Black tile. To the left of the arch are three similarly colored handprints, also inlaid in tile. The second path leads to a similar archway, with only a single yellow handprint, while the third archway found has a single blue handprint.</p><p></p><p>Lo’ser deciphers the runes on the first arch partially, and can tell they read _____ of Health. Kargur says they may mean destroyer of health, so the party avoids that color. Lo’ser touches the red handprint, and the mists in the arch turn to red. He steps through to find himself falling towards the black mists, in midair a couple of hundred feet from the nearest bridge. Reacting quickly and casting Fly, he heads towards the bridge. </p><p></p><p>He hears screeching coming from below, sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard, and looks down to see a swarm of Black dots hurtling towards him. He redoubles his efforts to reach the bridge.</p><p></p><p>The party, seeing he has not returned, also steps through and begins to fall. William activates his Hero’s Cloak, and as the Massive feathery wings unfold from his back, he swoops to catch Oskar. Billy touches Kargur and Lanis and Dimension Doors to the bridge, while Galrond casts Fly.</p><p></p><p>A second group of Black dots appear, but fireballs and Chained Sacrifice spells make very short work of the creatures. Lo’ser scouts again, and finds that they are on the bridge he first went down, near the tower with the Sunset mural. The main body of the group returns to the Tower of Portals and waits in the warmth, while Lo’ser returns to scout the Tower of Morning. </p><p></p><p>They take a couple of hours to warm up (aided by a Mass Heal from William) and also to identify the Wand of Days. They find that it can call forth the light of the sun, but that it is currently without any charges.</p><p></p><p>Returning to the first tower they examined, Lanis takes out his bastard sword and activates its flame. As the ice coating melts away from the mural above the archway, everyone watches on. They get the impression that it actually depicts a sunset, but are unsure why. Lanis, Oskar, and Billy slump to the ground asleep, pulled into Orcus’ curse upon the city. William attempts to awaken Billy and although the group determines that it is a curse, they are unable to affect it with a simple remove curse spell. The sleeping bodies are gathered and Lo’ser moves in to investigate the tower.</p><p></p><p>Before Lo’ser leaves, Galrond touches the circlet upon his head and says, “Heironious, please grant this supplicant your glory.” A crown of arcing lightning bolts shimmers and swirls atop Lo’ser’s head, and he moves out into the ancient city.</p><p></p><p>Entering the tower, he finds several rubble filled rooms, and thorough searching reveals nothing of interest. He then finds a large library with empty shelves. Moving to explore, he steps around a corner and feels a bone-numbing cold. A corpse on the floor at his feet cracks its way free of a thin layer of ice that covers it, then stands and casts two spells. Lo’ser recognizes the second as Blink.</p><p></p><p>Lo’ser Magic Missiles the creature, then turns to leave, but the hallway he is in fills with webbing. He forces his way through it, then changes his mind as a Massive Dire Wolf is summoned behind him. Dimension Dooring to another room, he is rapidly found by the wolf and the undead sorcerer, who attack him. He then Dimension Doors even farther to another room and heads for the exit, fleeing back towards the party, chased by the wolf and zombie.</p><p></p><p>As he reaches the party, they prepare for battle. The wolf fades into mist as it charges, and the Zombie stops to cast two spells. The archway to the tower fills with web, after the zombie’s first spell of haste takes effect.</p><p></p><p>Galrond casts Mass Haste then tries to break through the webbing and fails, while Kargur takes the fallen Lanis’s sword and begins to burn his way through them. William moves out onto the bridge, but is glued in place by the creature’s magic. Lo’ser, having forgotten the shield spell, casts magic missiles which slide harmlessly off of it. </p><p></p><p>The creature summons two more wolves, and William places a layered wall of stone between them. The zombie’s blink lets him step right through though, and he begins to drain William’s life force (as well as that of his two summoned wolves. Kargur charges forward, and the group’s combined assaults manage to drop the thing twice, but it keeps standing back up as it drains energy from those around it. Finally Galrond breaks free of the webbing and moves up to cast Polymorph, which turns the thing into a large dirt clod. Lo’ser moves up and kicks the dirt off of the bridge, and it plummets into the mists below.</p><p></p><p>The party regroups, and Lo’ser decides to scout a different tower this time. He moves back to the fork and heads right, which takes him to a tower whose archway is topped with a jumble of symbols. He cannot decipher them, and moves in. Searching through several rubble-filled rooms he finds absolutely nothing of interest, until he opens a door and comes foot-to-face with a fallen zombie. As his life-force is drained by the proximity to the thing, he blasts it with magic missiles and flees back to the group. This time the thing does not follow, and the party decides to send Kargur and Galrond back with Lo’ser to dispatch the thing.</p><p></p><p>As the group moves up to where it lays on the ground quiescent, Galrond casts another polymorph, and the thing shifts form into a wood and copper dessert tray. Kargur slams the thing with William’s mace of disruption, knocking off a wheel. After Galrond tells him “I’m not fixing that” he rolls the thing out to the bridge and it too plummets into the depths of the black mists. The party yet again regroups, and Lo’ser decides to investigate the bridge that exited from the Tower of Portals.</p><p></p><p>It takes him to a tower, but this one is formed of solid steel. Looking in he sees a floor some 120’ below him, with a ladder beside the entryway leading down. On the floor below is a glowing blue pillar of force, with something on it that cannot be made out from this distance. Lo’ser mounts the ladder and heads down, but stops when a booming deep voice greets him. “Hello, how are you doing? I don’t get many visitors here.”</p><p></p><p>Lo’ser climbs back up the ladder and when the voice asks, “Leaving so soon?” he answers back. “Ummm… Hello. Who are you?”</p><p></p><p>“I am Al’raktal. And you are?”</p><p></p><p>“Lo’ser”</p><p></p><p>“What brings you here?”</p><p></p><p>“I’m an explorer. What are you doing here?”</p><p></p><p>The voice laughs, “It seems we’ve gotten a few explorers here lately. I live here temporarily, and I am the Keeper of the Key.”</p><p></p><p>As the conversation continues, Lo’ser learns that whoever it is he is speaking with works for Acererak to guard a key. He has been here for 50 years. Lo’ser leaves to inform the group.</p><p></p><p>The party gathers in Heironious’s Guest House and discusses the situation. Galrond, in an attempt to free his friends from the curse, asks Heironious for guidance. As his limited wish takes hold, his eyes fade to black, then flare a brighter gold, and he mouths the words, “The source of all life shall free the sleepers.” As Galrond’s eyes return to their ‘normal’ gold, he sighs deeply. “That’s it. Unless there is dire emergency need, I will not be calling upon Heironious to do things that we could do through other means anymore. It’s just too damned draining.”</p><p></p><p>The party agrees that this divination probably means the sun, but can not figure out how to bring the sun here, since they are unsure as to how to recharge the wand they found earlier. With little else to do, Kargur, Galrond, and Lo’ser head back to the tower with the voice, leaving William in the Mansion to watch over Billy, Lanis, and Oskar.</p><p></p><p>As they reach the entryway the voice calls up, “Hello again Lo’ser. I see you brought some friends with you. I certainly hope this does not mean that you are going to attack me? But then again, that seems to be what happens when you hire on as a guard.”</p><p></p><p>Kargur yells out "No, we have not come here to attack you, but instead to talk. Alas, with this cold, we may not be able to stay long." He calls upon this Holy Order's training to sense out around him for the taint of evil. </p><p></p><p>Al'raktal replies, "No need to shout youngling, I can hear you just fine. It is a pity you will not be staying long, it tends to get a bit lonely here in the City. I am glad you have not elected to throw your lives away for a key. Although battle tends to alleviate the boredom, it is rarely a long affair, and certainly less entertaining than enlightened conversation amongst intellectuals."</p><p></p><p>Galrond interjects, "I agree. I am Galrond Glorykin. Pleasure to meet you."</p><p></p><p>"Los'er tells us that you have been here many years, and know of the curse Orcus has placed upon this city. We feel afraid that some of our fellow, uh, explorers may have accidentally fallen under this curse. Would there be any information you might share as to the curse and how to help our friends? Also, we have encountered certain inhabitants of the city whom wake from blocks of ice when approached and attack us with spells and force. Are these the original city dwellers, or are they newer creatures to this sleeping place</p><p></p><p>"I'm afraid I told him almost all of my knowledge regarding the curse. Orcus' followers in this city turned their backs on him and were cursed. When a sect of sun worshippers rose up and began to vie with the Demon Lord's clergy for power in the city, he stripped away their sunlight and decreed that if they believed the sun to be their savior, it should be truth. He put them all to sleep and dragged the city here, to where the sun will never shine."</p><p></p><p>"Those poor fools you have encountered are indeed this city's cursed souls. Or at least, they are the few who have managed to avoid becoming trapped within the Vestige, where most of the souls survive tot his day. I would offer you a bit of advice, should you come upon that thing, flee or it will most assuredly make you a part of it."</p><p></p><p>"Now then, I have offered up to you some small modicum of my knowledge, what have you to trade for it? Perhaps the tale of what brings you to this accursed place. I highly doubt you stumbled upon these spires and spans by sheer luck, especially given your friend's recognition of my employer's name."</p><p></p><p>Kargur replies, "Yes, it is actually your employer that we eventually seek. I am Kargur Melasur, and I have been, and shall be, quested upon a long arduous trail. The band I travel with has done and seen much over the years, from demons bursting forth from Temples of Pelor, to mighty chromatic Wyrms in secret lairs of power, to the undead flowing from Temples of St. Cuthbert. We have all see more death than a normal person could imagine in a dozen lives, and now that which employs you has made most of that but memories of better times. And currently, the bastard has my shield..." As he is talking, he sends forth his paladin's senses, but does not detect a source of evil. He also does not see anything within range of his detect evil capabilities.</p><p></p><p>Al'raktal grunts, a guttural thing most assuredly not from a human throat. It seems more a sign of amusement than of annoyance however. "Well, I can tell you that he whom you seek lies beyond the black spire. Unfortunately you will have to find another route, as I have been tasked with guarding the key."</p><p></p><p>"It is apparent you have seen many things in your travels," he continues. Indeed some would say that you have seen much more than is usually allotted to one of such a fleeting race. I congratulate you on that." Although it goes unsaid, there is an undertone of danger in the words, which only Kargur's Innuendo detects. The meaning is unclear, but it is certainly a threatening tone. Al'raktal continues much more jovially, "I can see you are upset at Acererak. Whatever has he done to engender such annoyance in you?"</p><p></p><p>Galrond has spent the time listening and casting about for magical auras. He turns to Kargur and whispers, "There is most definitely several auras out there. Evocation effects layered. I can't tell what they are, but I can't see them and thus I assume they are made of force."</p><p></p><p>Al'raktal interrupts, "Yes, they are made of force, very astute of you to figure that out. They are the floors of the previous tower, made permanent by Acererak's magics. Now then, where were we? Oh yes, you were about to chronicle your dealings with Acererak.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="James McMurray, post: 229649, member: 743"] While waiting for the priest, the group decides to resupply Kargur, as he was found naked in a ransacked room, with only his glove on his hand. They purchase a Breastplate and a Masterwork Shield for him, as well a Handy Haversack and a few more accouterments. The next day, the High Priest of Pelor brings him back from the dead, and the group begins to discuss what they shall do. The group argues over where to go next. Oskar suggests they perform experiments with the mouths to determine where items go when they enter them. Others wish to attempt to retrieve Kargur’s gear, as they believe it will have been taken to the Demi-Lich’s tomb. Kargur is the one most behind this idea, as he feels ineffectual without his Shield of Command. To ratify the situation, the group decides to use Oskar’s new spear of Luck to wish for a Shield of Command. They do so, but magic being what it is they do not get the effects they had hoped for. Instead they receive a Shield +1 that is capable of casting Command once per day. Kargur yet again presses to head back to the demi-lich’s tomb, but others disagree, feeling there is no time for the casualties such an act could bring on. In the end, they decide to commune in the hopes of determining their best course of action. And another day slips by as the undead of Shiboleth grow stronger. The next day’s communing involves the following questions: 1) Is Lo’ser Lawful? a. No 2) Is Lo’ser Chaotic? a. Yes 3) Is Lo’ser Evil? a. No 4) Is Lo’ser Good? a. Yes 5) Does Heironious approve of us traveling with Lo’ser? a. Yes 6) Is the first mouth we encountered the gate to the City of Moil? a. Yes 7) Is the second mouth we encountered the gate to the City of Moil? a. No 8) Is the third mouth we encountered the gate to the City of Moil? a. No 9) Will our equipment journey with us through the gate? a. Yes 10) Can we retrieve Kargur’s Gear without fighting the demi-lich? a. No 11) Is the Amulet that was found more than simply a clue? b. No 12) Will William’s magic work in the City of Moil? c. Partially 13) Should we continue exploring the tomb? a. No 14) Has the demi-lich returned? a. Yes 15) 16) Can Galrond have a pony? (This last was asked at Galrond’s insistence, and as nobody could think of a better question, William obliged)? a. Yes b. Armed with their new knowledge, the group returns to the Tomb of Acererak and step into the mouth in the entry hallway, each holding a shard of Acererak’s skull. They appear on the far side moments later, beneath a roiling sky limned with flashes of massive lightning. Before them stretch three bridges, hanging over a sea of black mist. Rising from the mists are several towers, connected by more bridges. Ahead there is a three-way fork on their bridge, and a large rusty iron obelisk covered in writing. The air is bitingly cold, and frost lines everything as their breaths turn to steam in the frigid air. Galrond looks at Oskar and says “You’ve got magic on you.” A few moments later he says, “I can still see it.” When Oskar’s face stays puzzled, Galrond explains, “Our spells are not being dispelled.” Although it comes as good news, William and Billy are a bit irked that they did not think to ask that question, as they are armed with only instantaneous spells and are thus not at peak effectiveness. Lo’ser moves forward to check out the obelisk, and finds the following engraved upon it: The City that Waits was the City of Moil Where dreams truly died, but bodies yet toil. In slumber unrelenting, they lie yet in wait. Biding their time to seal your fate. Discovery of the Void and my fortress within Demands exploration of peril again. Find amid towers degenerate the single key And resolve the dilemma of problems three. Beard the Forceful dragon in its windswept lair; Remove the key from the solid air. Beneath webs of glowing emerald, Hangs a riddle-box, ripe to be solved. The Darkweaver endures the cold in her lair; Grasp your fate with consummate care. The lifeless dream that marks the crime Is The Vestige that guards the sands of time. Each resolution removes one obstacle For those who peruse this written oracle. The Phantom released flies you in fashion To my inevitable Fortress of Conclusion. The group debates which way to head, and decides they will move towards the leftmost tower. Lo’ser scouts ahead, and he sees a mural of a sunrise over the entry arch. It is covered in the ever-present frost. Turning right in the entry hall he finds a rubble filled room with a throne in the back. The rear of the throne is embossed with an ice covered sunset scene, and Lo’ser moves on. A little way past this area, he finds an ice-filled hallway that leads to a Wand held clamped atop a pedestal. The pedestal has invisible runes upon it, which he deciphers: “The choice of days empowers the wand, but the choice cannot be made from here.” Taking up the wand, he returns to the group, who decide that perhaps the runes refer to a different tower, so they head down the central pathway. The runes above the door are not deciphered, and the group moves in. The interior of the Tower is made up of floorless space, dropping down into the black mists below. A slender catwalk moves out to the central spire and then circles it, with three paths leading off. The first leads to a silver archway filled with mists. Atop the archway are three symbols, engraved in Blue, Red, and Black tile. To the left of the arch are three similarly colored handprints, also inlaid in tile. The second path leads to a similar archway, with only a single yellow handprint, while the third archway found has a single blue handprint. Lo’ser deciphers the runes on the first arch partially, and can tell they read _____ of Health. Kargur says they may mean destroyer of health, so the party avoids that color. Lo’ser touches the red handprint, and the mists in the arch turn to red. He steps through to find himself falling towards the black mists, in midair a couple of hundred feet from the nearest bridge. Reacting quickly and casting Fly, he heads towards the bridge. He hears screeching coming from below, sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard, and looks down to see a swarm of Black dots hurtling towards him. He redoubles his efforts to reach the bridge. The party, seeing he has not returned, also steps through and begins to fall. William activates his Hero’s Cloak, and as the Massive feathery wings unfold from his back, he swoops to catch Oskar. Billy touches Kargur and Lanis and Dimension Doors to the bridge, while Galrond casts Fly. A second group of Black dots appear, but fireballs and Chained Sacrifice spells make very short work of the creatures. Lo’ser scouts again, and finds that they are on the bridge he first went down, near the tower with the Sunset mural. The main body of the group returns to the Tower of Portals and waits in the warmth, while Lo’ser returns to scout the Tower of Morning. They take a couple of hours to warm up (aided by a Mass Heal from William) and also to identify the Wand of Days. They find that it can call forth the light of the sun, but that it is currently without any charges. Returning to the first tower they examined, Lanis takes out his bastard sword and activates its flame. As the ice coating melts away from the mural above the archway, everyone watches on. They get the impression that it actually depicts a sunset, but are unsure why. Lanis, Oskar, and Billy slump to the ground asleep, pulled into Orcus’ curse upon the city. William attempts to awaken Billy and although the group determines that it is a curse, they are unable to affect it with a simple remove curse spell. The sleeping bodies are gathered and Lo’ser moves in to investigate the tower. Before Lo’ser leaves, Galrond touches the circlet upon his head and says, “Heironious, please grant this supplicant your glory.” A crown of arcing lightning bolts shimmers and swirls atop Lo’ser’s head, and he moves out into the ancient city. Entering the tower, he finds several rubble filled rooms, and thorough searching reveals nothing of interest. He then finds a large library with empty shelves. Moving to explore, he steps around a corner and feels a bone-numbing cold. A corpse on the floor at his feet cracks its way free of a thin layer of ice that covers it, then stands and casts two spells. Lo’ser recognizes the second as Blink. Lo’ser Magic Missiles the creature, then turns to leave, but the hallway he is in fills with webbing. He forces his way through it, then changes his mind as a Massive Dire Wolf is summoned behind him. Dimension Dooring to another room, he is rapidly found by the wolf and the undead sorcerer, who attack him. He then Dimension Doors even farther to another room and heads for the exit, fleeing back towards the party, chased by the wolf and zombie. As he reaches the party, they prepare for battle. The wolf fades into mist as it charges, and the Zombie stops to cast two spells. The archway to the tower fills with web, after the zombie’s first spell of haste takes effect. Galrond casts Mass Haste then tries to break through the webbing and fails, while Kargur takes the fallen Lanis’s sword and begins to burn his way through them. William moves out onto the bridge, but is glued in place by the creature’s magic. Lo’ser, having forgotten the shield spell, casts magic missiles which slide harmlessly off of it. The creature summons two more wolves, and William places a layered wall of stone between them. The zombie’s blink lets him step right through though, and he begins to drain William’s life force (as well as that of his two summoned wolves. Kargur charges forward, and the group’s combined assaults manage to drop the thing twice, but it keeps standing back up as it drains energy from those around it. Finally Galrond breaks free of the webbing and moves up to cast Polymorph, which turns the thing into a large dirt clod. Lo’ser moves up and kicks the dirt off of the bridge, and it plummets into the mists below. The party regroups, and Lo’ser decides to scout a different tower this time. He moves back to the fork and heads right, which takes him to a tower whose archway is topped with a jumble of symbols. He cannot decipher them, and moves in. Searching through several rubble-filled rooms he finds absolutely nothing of interest, until he opens a door and comes foot-to-face with a fallen zombie. As his life-force is drained by the proximity to the thing, he blasts it with magic missiles and flees back to the group. This time the thing does not follow, and the party decides to send Kargur and Galrond back with Lo’ser to dispatch the thing. As the group moves up to where it lays on the ground quiescent, Galrond casts another polymorph, and the thing shifts form into a wood and copper dessert tray. Kargur slams the thing with William’s mace of disruption, knocking off a wheel. After Galrond tells him “I’m not fixing that” he rolls the thing out to the bridge and it too plummets into the depths of the black mists. The party yet again regroups, and Lo’ser decides to investigate the bridge that exited from the Tower of Portals. It takes him to a tower, but this one is formed of solid steel. Looking in he sees a floor some 120’ below him, with a ladder beside the entryway leading down. On the floor below is a glowing blue pillar of force, with something on it that cannot be made out from this distance. Lo’ser mounts the ladder and heads down, but stops when a booming deep voice greets him. “Hello, how are you doing? I don’t get many visitors here.” Lo’ser climbs back up the ladder and when the voice asks, “Leaving so soon?” he answers back. “Ummm… Hello. Who are you?” “I am Al’raktal. And you are?” “Lo’ser” “What brings you here?” “I’m an explorer. What are you doing here?” The voice laughs, “It seems we’ve gotten a few explorers here lately. I live here temporarily, and I am the Keeper of the Key.” As the conversation continues, Lo’ser learns that whoever it is he is speaking with works for Acererak to guard a key. He has been here for 50 years. Lo’ser leaves to inform the group. The party gathers in Heironious’s Guest House and discusses the situation. Galrond, in an attempt to free his friends from the curse, asks Heironious for guidance. As his limited wish takes hold, his eyes fade to black, then flare a brighter gold, and he mouths the words, “The source of all life shall free the sleepers.” As Galrond’s eyes return to their ‘normal’ gold, he sighs deeply. “That’s it. Unless there is dire emergency need, I will not be calling upon Heironious to do things that we could do through other means anymore. It’s just too damned draining.” The party agrees that this divination probably means the sun, but can not figure out how to bring the sun here, since they are unsure as to how to recharge the wand they found earlier. With little else to do, Kargur, Galrond, and Lo’ser head back to the tower with the voice, leaving William in the Mansion to watch over Billy, Lanis, and Oskar. As they reach the entryway the voice calls up, “Hello again Lo’ser. I see you brought some friends with you. I certainly hope this does not mean that you are going to attack me? But then again, that seems to be what happens when you hire on as a guard.” Kargur yells out "No, we have not come here to attack you, but instead to talk. Alas, with this cold, we may not be able to stay long." He calls upon this Holy Order's training to sense out around him for the taint of evil. Al'raktal replies, "No need to shout youngling, I can hear you just fine. It is a pity you will not be staying long, it tends to get a bit lonely here in the City. I am glad you have not elected to throw your lives away for a key. Although battle tends to alleviate the boredom, it is rarely a long affair, and certainly less entertaining than enlightened conversation amongst intellectuals." Galrond interjects, "I agree. I am Galrond Glorykin. Pleasure to meet you." "Los'er tells us that you have been here many years, and know of the curse Orcus has placed upon this city. We feel afraid that some of our fellow, uh, explorers may have accidentally fallen under this curse. Would there be any information you might share as to the curse and how to help our friends? Also, we have encountered certain inhabitants of the city whom wake from blocks of ice when approached and attack us with spells and force. Are these the original city dwellers, or are they newer creatures to this sleeping place "I'm afraid I told him almost all of my knowledge regarding the curse. Orcus' followers in this city turned their backs on him and were cursed. When a sect of sun worshippers rose up and began to vie with the Demon Lord's clergy for power in the city, he stripped away their sunlight and decreed that if they believed the sun to be their savior, it should be truth. He put them all to sleep and dragged the city here, to where the sun will never shine." "Those poor fools you have encountered are indeed this city's cursed souls. Or at least, they are the few who have managed to avoid becoming trapped within the Vestige, where most of the souls survive tot his day. I would offer you a bit of advice, should you come upon that thing, flee or it will most assuredly make you a part of it." "Now then, I have offered up to you some small modicum of my knowledge, what have you to trade for it? Perhaps the tale of what brings you to this accursed place. I highly doubt you stumbled upon these spires and spans by sheer luck, especially given your friend's recognition of my employer's name." Kargur replies, "Yes, it is actually your employer that we eventually seek. I am Kargur Melasur, and I have been, and shall be, quested upon a long arduous trail. The band I travel with has done and seen much over the years, from demons bursting forth from Temples of Pelor, to mighty chromatic Wyrms in secret lairs of power, to the undead flowing from Temples of St. Cuthbert. We have all see more death than a normal person could imagine in a dozen lives, and now that which employs you has made most of that but memories of better times. And currently, the bastard has my shield..." As he is talking, he sends forth his paladin's senses, but does not detect a source of evil. He also does not see anything within range of his detect evil capabilities. Al'raktal grunts, a guttural thing most assuredly not from a human throat. It seems more a sign of amusement than of annoyance however. "Well, I can tell you that he whom you seek lies beyond the black spire. Unfortunately you will have to find another route, as I have been tasked with guarding the key." "It is apparent you have seen many things in your travels," he continues. Indeed some would say that you have seen much more than is usually allotted to one of such a fleeting race. I congratulate you on that." Although it goes unsaid, there is an undertone of danger in the words, which only Kargur's Innuendo detects. The meaning is unclear, but it is certainly a threatening tone. Al'raktal continues much more jovially, "I can see you are upset at Acererak. Whatever has he done to engender such annoyance in you?" Galrond has spent the time listening and casting about for magical auras. He turns to Kargur and whispers, "There is most definitely several auras out there. Evocation effects layered. I can't tell what they are, but I can't see them and thus I assume they are made of force." Al'raktal interrupts, "Yes, they are made of force, very astute of you to figure that out. They are the floors of the previous tower, made permanent by Acererak's magics. Now then, where were we? Oh yes, you were about to chronicle your dealings with Acererak. [/QUOTE]
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