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The Durnhill Conscripts
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 7475943" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 22: A RE-WARDING MISSION</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: <p style="margin-left: 20px">Galen Thorne, human paladin 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 7</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Syngaard, human fighter 8</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 1 August 2018</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>Skevros summoned his adventurers to the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em> via the rings they wore. Syngaard, as usual, was the last to arrive, having much further to travel than directly above the tavern. "What, Wizard-Pants is gone again?" he asked, noticing Daleth's absence. He also noticed Anuja sitting next to Skevros and was glad that they wouldn't have to go rescue her from the Azure Glade; apparently she'd gone and rescued herself. That was handy.</p><p></p><p>"Daleth is taking an extended leave of absence, with my blessing," Skevros reported. "He is using the time to study his spellcraft, to become a better wizard and a more effective part of the team."</p><p></p><p>"Hey, more treasure for the rest of us in the meantime," Syngaard observed.</p><p></p><p>"I am sorry for the death of your congregation," Galen said to the cleric of Wee Jas. "And of your mother," he added, belatedly realizing that Anuja's mother had also been slain in the recent attack on the Temple of Wee Jas in Durnhill.</p><p></p><p>"Thank you," replied Anuja, not looking at all bothered by the recent deaths. "She is with the Goddess now. I envy her."</p><p></p><p>"Your mission in the Azure Glade went well, then?" asked Kaspar.</p><p></p><p>"Not 'well,' no. The Temple of Wee Jas in the Azure Glade was completely compromised by the Seekers of Eternity, possibly aided by the Church of Vecna. The infiltration and conversion was apparently a practice run before they set their sights on the Temple of Boccob. Overtaking that temple will take them a step closer to complete control of the Council of Guilds. As for me, I barely escaped with my life. They got the horse and wagon, though."</p><p></p><p>"Aw, the horse with the magic horseshoes?" asked Syngaard. "That's a bummer." <em>Those horseshoes were probably pretty valuable</em>, he thought.</p><p></p><p>"In any case, Anuja will likely not be transporting you on missions in the future," announced Skevros. "With the fall of her temple, she will need to devote her energies to its restoration."</p><p></p><p>"If rescuing Anuja is not the reason for our summons," asked Orion, "then what is?"</p><p></p><p>"I have been ordered by King Leornic to ward the city against teleportation magic. Most of the undead who attacked our city, it turns out, were teleported in rather than animated on the spot. He would see any repeat attacks thwarted. However, performing the research from scratch to create such wards would be time consuming; fortunately, Ashfall uses <em>dimensional anchoring stones</em> in the Baator's Breath Mountains to prevent the devils from teleporting away after setting forth on our world. You are to report to Serenity in Ashfall, who will give you your mission briefing; in return for your service, you will be given a <em>dimensional anchoring stone</em> that will greatly aid me in warding Durnhill against teleportation."</p><p></p><p>"This a paying mission?" piped up Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"I have already explained your payment," snapped Skevros. "The king has ordered this be done, so you will do it. You are dismissed."</p><p></p><p>"Well, this sucks," griped Syngaard as the group exited the tavern. "Another hour-long trek up to Ashfall, and now we don't even got a wagon and a driver no more!"</p><p></p><p>"The walk will do you good," suggested Galen.</p><p></p><p>"Easy for you to say," retorted the bald fighter. "You're gonna be ridin' Seneca."</p><p></p><p>"Actually, I shall be walking alongside you," replied the paladin. "I'm leaving Seneca behind for this mission. Should I need a mount, I have spent the last several days in prayer; a mount will come to me when I call for one."</p><p></p><p>This news didn't improve Syngaard's mood any, nor did the comfortable ride Orion had, mounted on her riding dog Carl. Kaspar initially tried cheering up the surly fighter but soon realized it was a lost cause. Syngaard was wallowing in misery and self-pity and seemed to like it that way just fine.</p><p></p><p>His grumbling stopped momentarily when they saw the city of Ashfall before them. There were guards about, but these were much younger than the old-timers the heroes had gotten accustomed to. They eyed the group suspiciously as they approached the gates. "Who are you?" one guard demanded.</p><p></p><p>"Who are we?" repeated Syngaard, incredulously. "You must be new around here. We're the Heroes of Ashfall!"</p><p></p><p>"'Heroes of Ashfall'?" mocked the guard. "More like cowards who stayed behind from the fight up in the mountains! Cowards who crept in for stolen glory while the true heroes were on the front lines, keeping this world safe from fiends!"</p><p></p><p>"All played their parts," offered Galen in a conciliatory gesture. "While you were risking all in the mountains, we provided valuable services to your kingdom, fighting off bandit attacks and securing for your king a vast supply of mithral. And we, too, saw to fighting off devils and worse in your mountains."</p><p></p><p>"I take it the nine-month span of breach activity has now passed?" asked Kaspar. "Ashfall's armies have returned back from their mission?"</p><p></p><p>"Not all of us," snarled the young guardsman. "Some of us gave their lives to the service of our kingdom and our world -- my brother was slain fighting off a chain devil."</p><p></p><p>"Sounds like he should've spent more time in practice," replied Syngaard, being obnoxious on purpose - he didn't like this punk's attitude. "No use sendin' boys out to do the job of real men." Orion shook her head sadly at the fighter's idiocy and steered Carl off to the side; she didn't want to be a part of it when Syngaard started an incident between two neighboring kingdoms.</p><p></p><p>Bristling at the scarred fighter's comments, the young guard moved forward as if to throw a punch at Syngaard, who stood defiantly in a "let's see what you got" pose - but Kaspar intervened, catching the guard's fist in his own powerful hand. The guard was surprised to see he couldn't extract his hand from the lithe monk's one-handed grip.</p><p></p><p>"Please forgive my friend," Kaspar said. "He is in poor humor today. I offer condolences for the loss of your brother, and for those who died by his side. Perhaps you can help us and we will be on our way. Do you know where we can find Serenity?" He released his grip on the man's hand.</p><p></p><p>The man spit on the ground at the sound of Serenity's name, but he kept eye contact with Syngaard to let him know that was what he thought of him as well. "The devil-whore's in the Temple of Hieroneous," he answered.</p><p></p><p>"Shows you what you know," commented Syngaard as a parting shot as the group pressed on into the city. "Succubus ain't no devil, she's a demon. Woulda thought you might have picked up some knowledge 'bout such things, you bein' a fiend-slayer from the front lines an' all." The guard just glared at Syngaard's back as he left, his expression saying the bald fighter had better watch out if he passed this way back out of town.</p><p></p><p>The group knew the way to Ashfall's Temple of Hieroneous - they'd fought off the Seekers' forces there recently - and sure enough, Serenity was there, packing her things for a trip. "Ah, you've arrived," she said. "Good. Even though the breaches are closed for the next nine years, there is occasionally some 'light' planar activity in the off-season. For that reason, there is a small garrison in the mountains to keep an eye on the area during the calm times. With the main army returned to the kingdom, I am being stationed there to help keep a lookout for any small breaches that may pop up."</p><p></p><p>"And our mission...?" prompted Galen.</p><p></p><p>"During the incursion, some ruins were found in a cave in the mountains. The army was too preoccupied to investigate it at the time and now that they've just returned, nobody wants to go back there to check it out. Thus, that task will fall to you. I have the rough location of the ruins and will lead you to the area before I continue on to the garrison. The kingdom is only interested in whether the ruins pose a danger to their armies, so you are authorized to claim any treasure you find there as payment, in addition to the <em>dimensional anchoring stone</em> I have promised Skevros in order to secure your assistance in this matter. When you have finished exploring the ruins and dealt with any threats to Ashfall, you will report back to King Renaldos and pick up your stone."</p><p></p><p>"We got a horse and wagon or something?" asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"Given the steepness of some of the roads you will be taking, it's better if you walk," replied Serenity.</p><p></p><p>"Aw, crap - we're trudging around again!" complained Syngaard. "Trudged all the damn way up here, now we're trudging on up to the mountains! And when we're done, we gotta trudge back over to the king to pick up our damn stone and then trudge back home! This sucks!"</p><p></p><p>"It 'sucks' every bit as much for me as it does for you," pointed out the redeemed succubus. "I had planned on flying directly to the garrison."</p><p></p><p>"I, for one, will enjoy the company," announced Galen. "It will give us a chance to get to know each other better." Serenity, like all succubi, was staggeringly beautiful, and now that the young paladin knew she was no longer of an evil nature he felt it might even be appropriate for a paladin of Hieroneous to win her affections.... Orion just rolled her eyes and urged Carl forward with a tap of her feet.</p><p></p><p>The group traveled northwards into the mountains. Galen walked at Serenity's side, whereas Syngaard opted to walk directly behind her - that way, he got a good view of her shapely butt. "I'm no longer evil," Serenity announced out of the blue. <But I'm still telepathic> she added, directly into Syngaard's mind.</p><p></p><p><Ain't no harm in lookin'> Syngaard thought back at her, and the succubus just smirked.</p><p></p><p>Serenity led the group to a small valley split by a river of lava. In the ambient reddish light from the slow-flowing lava, the group could see two caves off in the distance; one was on their side of the lava flow, while the other was across the way, which would require hopping across a series of small "islands" of rock around the branching streams of lava. "Good luck!" Serenity called as she took flight and headed for the garrison, her next duty station.</p><p></p><p>"Might as well check out the easy one first," offered Orion, leading Carl to the cave on their side of the lava flow. The cave was wide and curved to the right almost immediately. It came to an abrupt end several dozen feet back. When Galen struck a sunrod so they could see if there were any other branching passageways, his light reflected off chunks of shining metal embedded in the walls. "That's gold!" Orion said, getting a close-up look at the metal.</p><p></p><p>"Then that's ours!" chimed in Syngaard, before realization hit. "Aw, crap! We find ourselves some treasure right off the bat, only now we gotta dig it outta the stone walls ourselves? That means trudging back to Ashfall, buying picks and shovels and whatnot, then trudging back here again for hours of back-breaking labor!" Orion just rolled her eyes again at the fighter's grumbling - but at least he wasn't making snide comments about halflings.</p><p></p><p>"Perhaps we can leave the back-breaking labor for others," suggested Kaspar. "There will likely be a finder's fee for a new source of gold; we could be content with that." Syngaard just narrowed his eyes at the elven monk; contenting himself with less wasn't in the bald fighter's nature.</p><p></p><p>"In any case, there is no danger to Ashfall here - nor any ruins," observed Galen. "They must be over in the other cave, across the lava flow." That got Syngaard grumbling again.</p><p></p><p>The group approached the lava flow. "Hopping from rock to rock seems to be the only way," observed Kaspar. "I will go first, if you like." He nimbly leaped onto the first rock island, then again to another adjacent one. Looking at the way the lava was flowing, it looked like even the shortest path would involve jumping onto four or five islands at least.</p><p></p><p>Galen jumped across the first island, ran across it and leaped to the next, but missed the mark; his heel landed in the flow of lava. He cried out in sudden pain, causing Kaspar to be distracted in his own leap and miss his own mark. Galen's feet were in heavy boots covered with metal plates, to match the rest of his heavy armor; poor Kaspar wore only sandals. The back of his left foot was badly burned from his misstep; he hastily applied his monk training and directed healing energy to the spot where it was sorely needed.</p><p></p><p>Orion, on Carl's back, had an easy run of it; they arrived at the far side of the lava flow without incident. Syngaard had planned on just making a fast dash across and get it over with, but after seeing the other two men make poor landings he decided to slow it down a bit and take his time. "This is trickier than it looks!" observed Galen. "Only thing that could be worse is if monsters were to rise out of the lava to attack us!"</p><p></p><p>Naturally, at that point, monsters rose out of the lava to attack them.</p><p></p><p><strong>Incinerasha</strong>, a Large half-fiend fire elemental with a pair of long, curving, black horns jutting from her head, was the first to rise from the lava river. She managed to hit Kaspar with a fiery slam. Just behind her, her younger (and smaller) sister <strong>Ignitia</strong> attempted to do the same to Syngaard and although he was hit with a solid slam, he avoided catching on fire. Behind the two black-horned half-fiend fire elementals, their fiendish fire elemental servants also rose up to attack the party: one attacked Galen while the other chased after Orion and Carl, but neither of their attacks were nearly as effective as those of their respective mistresses.</p><p></p><p>Orion wheeled Carl around and stabbed out at the fiendish fire elemental attacking her; while she knew the flames of her magic short sword would do the creature no harm, the steel cut a line of green fire across the thing's burning chest. Galen fared even better: with two strikes of the <em>sword of Zehkar</em>, he cut down his foe, causing its flames to explode in a puff of air and leave no trace of the elemental's body behind at all.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard, not wanting to remain on a small rocky island flanked on all sides by flowing lava, turned his back on his foe and continued leaping from rock to rock until he made it to Carl's side. Then he spun in place and sent his <em>javelin of returning</em> flying at Ignitia. Kaspar followed the scarred fighter's example, seeing the wisdom in fighting their foes on a block of solid ground. But on his way past Incinerasha, the elemental opened wide her jaws and snapped at the young monk; he dodged at the last moment, not having expected a fire elemental - half-fiend or not - to try actually <em>biting</em> him. But she was more successful with her flailing arms, slamming the monk and starting his robes ablaze. Kaspar made it to the far shore, but then had to pat out the flames on his sleeves.</p><p></p><p>Ignitia stepped up to Galen and sent her flaming arm crashing down at him, channeling unholy energy through her appendage in a blow designed to deal extra damage to those of a goodly alignment. <em>It served him right</em>, she thought, <em>for having slain my favorite servant</em>! The blow hit, causing Galen to drop to one knee before righting himself again. Then, seeing Kaspar staggering on the far shore, he sent a ray from his <em>illumium scabbard</em> to strike the monk, bathing him in its healing energies. Kaspar called out his gratitude to the paladin and turned to face their enemies.</p><p></p><p>The remaining fiendish fire elemental struck out at Carl and Orion again, missing both. But Orion's <em>flaming short sword</em> cut another line of pain across the creature's flaming body, causing it to hiss in anger and frustration. Syngaard caught the javelin as it returned to his hand, then switched to his trusty magic morningstar and smacked the fiendish fire elemental attacking Orion a good one. Kaspar finished it off with a lightning-fast strike with his hardened fist - one that burned his hand despite the swiftness of his attack.</p><p></p><p>But now three heroes and a riding dog were bunched up together in a group. Incinerasha took advantage of the situation by unleashing an <em>unholy blight</em> attack against the four figures. Syngaard and Orion were sickened by the pain; of the four, Carl fared the best, shaking off the effects with a rapid shake of his head. Ignitia followed suit, only she covered the area around the group in a shroud of pitch blackness. Orion had Carl ease out of the area of darkness while she drank down a healing potion to counter the worst of the damage caused by the <em>unholy blight</em>. She then called out to the others, and Syngaard followed the sound of her voice to step out of the radius of darkness without wandering back into a lava flow.</p><p></p><p>But while Ignitia had been concentrating on the other four, Galen took advantage and used a <em>smite evil</em> attack on the half-fiend fire elemental, channeling positive energy through his longsword. Syngaard threw his javelin at her as well, impaling its metal through her torso before it returned to his hand.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar followed Syngaard's path out of the magical darkness, ending up beside Carl and Orion. He was tempted to throw his shuriken at one of the half-fiends, but realized he'd not likely be able to retrieve anything he threw, given the abundance of flowing lava in the area. Seeing his hesitation, Orion offered up her <em>bag of blades</em>, and the monk put the masterwork daggers contained within to good use, charging them up with electrical energy through the power of the <em>tenryutsume</em> he wore on his right hand. Incinerasha was not pleased by the electrically-charged daggers that plunged into her body and then disappeared, but she focused her attention on Galen, the nearer foe and one whose aura blazed with the smug power of Hieroneous.</p><p></p><p>While her sister attacked the paladin, Ignitia ran over to attack Syngaard, but that shortly proved to be her downfall as the fighter shortly cut her down with several vicious blows from his morningstar.</p><p></p><p>With only one remaining foe, Orion reached into her <em>bag of blades</em> and threw a volley at Incinerasha, but without a <em>tenryutsume</em> to charge them up with electrical energy, the weapons seemed to deal the long-horned fire elemental no harm. Still, it focused the elemental's attention from Galen long enough for him to back away out of battle, making a tactical retreat from combat to regroup alongside his companions. He caused healing energy to flood through his body as he jumped over the lava flows, sealing over the worst of the burns he'd received during this fight.</p><p></p><p>Incinerasha roared in fury as Syngaard cut down her younger sister; she locked eyes on the scarred fighter and started making her way over to him, ready to ignite him into a blazing bonfire. She threw a <em>poison</em> spell his way just because she could, but Syngaard managed to shrug off the effects. Kaspar, meanwhile, kept up a steady stream of thrown daggers striking her, each one charged with electricity. He was surprised at the success of his attacks, as he had been led to believe most fiends could ignore the amounts of electrical damage he was likely inflicting with his charged daggers. Still, never one to ignore a gift from fate, he continued with what was working.</p><p></p><p>Galen decided that now was the time. Calling out to his patron deity, he cried, "Hieroneous! Send me a mount from the celestial planes capable of helping us defeat our enemy!" The air beside him wavered as if a mirage, and then a sudden blaze of orange, tan, and brown sprang forth - but this was no flame, but a dire lion which pounced immediately at Incinerasha, ignoring the pain from the flames of her body as he raked his sharp claws across her fiery form and bit down with his saber-sized teeth. Smoke emanated from his mouth and fur as he turned and roared his victory, the long-horned elemental having been obliterated into cinders and ash by the power of his attacks.</p><p></p><p>With the battle over, the group took time to heal properly. Galen tended to his new mount's wounds and those of his companions, deciding on the spot, "I'm going to name him '<strong>Burt</strong>'."</p><p></p><p>"Burt?" asked Orion, surprised at such a normal name for such a fearsome beast.</p><p></p><p>"It's no stupider than 'Carl'," pointed out Syngaard. Personally, he didn't care a whit what the dire lion was called, just as long as he was fighting on their side.</p><p></p><p>"Shall we explore the other cave now?" suggested Kaspar, once everyone was back to fighting trim. Just like the other cave, it made a ninety-degree turned almost immediately, this time to the left. Just after the bend, the natural stone passageway gave way to worked stone, forming a chamber thirty feet wide and slightly longer. A Large humanoid figure carved from stone stood in the middle of a doorway at the back end of the chamber. The Seekers of Eternity symbol was carved prominently upon both its forehead and its chest.</p><p></p><p>Preparing for battle, Galen cast a <em>protection from evil</em> spell as he advanced slowly toward the golem. Only after he had cast the spell did he think to examine its aura, surprising himself in picking up no signs of an evil nature. But then again, it was merely an animated statue, a chunk of carved stone brought to the semblance of life - that might account for its lack of evil.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard ran up and hurled his <em>javelin of returning</em> at the golem, his sprint coming to a screeching halt when the thing turned to him and spoke.</p><p></p><p>"Do not throw things at me. Identify yourself and your purpose."</p><p></p><p><em>What the Hell</em>, thought the scarred fighter as he caught his returning javelin in his hand. <em>It couldn't hurt</em>. "We're the Heroes of Ashfall," he announced.</p><p></p><p>"Designation unknown," replied the golem.</p><p></p><p>"We work for Skevros," Orion gambled, to see if it would recognize the name of the Seekers' greatest enemy.</p><p></p><p>"Designation unknown," repeated the golem.</p><p></p><p>"Well, let's turn it around," suggested Syngaard. "Just who the Hell are you?"</p><p></p><p>"I am the Guardian of Hirek's Lab."</p><p></p><p>"Hirek? Well, there you go, then - I'm the Father of Hirek's Key."</p><p></p><p>"Designation unknown."</p><p></p><p>"Hirek's Key? Hope? Daughter of Messalina Maladucci - she's related to Hirek."</p><p></p><p>"Designations unknown."</p><p></p><p>Kaspar walked up to the golem. He was unarmed, so he hoped he would not come cross as a foe - not that this guardian seemed especially eager for combat. "Galen," he called behind him. "Bring forth your sword."</p><p></p><p>"Are we fighting him?" the paladin asked, confused. The stone golem looked pretty tough - but more geared toward conversation than combat, if its actions thus far were any indication. But he did as he was told.</p><p></p><p>"Spirit of Zehkar identified!" the stone golem announced in apparent excitement. He took a ponderous step forward out of the doorway, then stepped to the side. "You may pass," it announced.</p><p></p><p>Galen stared up at the massive construct, focusing on its forehead and chest. "Those emblems carved into you: they're the symbol of the Seekers of Eternity," he said.</p><p></p><p>"Correct."</p><p></p><p>"The Seekers of Eternity are a group of evil spellcasters trying to become liches so they can live forever as undead abominations," the paladin explained.</p><p></p><p>"Incorrect," replied the golem. "The Seekers of Eternity is a group of spellcasters and alchemists attempting to discover a means of creating a <em>potion of longevity</em> to extent the natural living lifespan." After having heard that, the heroes recalled having heard before that that had been the original goal of the Seekers; somehow, over the ages, the group's focus had been perverted into its current form. This Guardian of Hirek's Lab had apparently been hidden away for some time!</p><p></p><p>Looking warily at the massive stone golem, the group entered through the doorway and ended up in another stone-carved room. Upon their entry, <em>continual flame</em> spells flashed to life, illuminating the room's contents.</p><p></p><p>Three magic circles were inscribed into the floor, their arcane markings filled with silver. A book lay open upon a small table near one of the circles, while a larger table on the right side of the room contained a couple of crumbling scrolls. Off to the left side of the room stood two metal cages, formed from solid iron bars reaching from floor to ceiling. The farther one was empty but the closest contained a closed chest as wide as a full-grown man. "Now we're talking!" enthused Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"Hold on," warned Orion, leaping down from Carl's back and examining the lock on the metal cage. She didn't see any obvious traps, so she focused her attention on the chest itself - all while touching nothing. "It looks like the chest is coated in something. A contact poison, perhaps."</p><p></p><p>"How do we find out for sure?" asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"You could poke it with your finger," suggested the halfling.</p><p></p><p>"I'll poke something, all right," replied the fighter, before pulling a seldom-used longsword from a scabbard on his belt. The longsword was well-crafted but nothing spectacular; with a <em>returning javelin</em>, a <em>human bane scimitar</em>, and his magical morningstar, Syngaard had little use for the sword. He stuck it between the bars of the cage and scraped it along the side of the chest, hoping to collect a sample of the coating for closer examination. But it didn't work out that way - after poking the chest the first time, the sword got stuck in place. Try as he might, Syngaard couldn't move the blade from its current position.</p><p></p><p>And then the whole chest jostled, and all was made clear. "Mimic!" Orion cried - she'd heard tales of such creatures, shapeshifters capable of assuming the forms of inanimate objects. Anyone trained in the skills of thievery had heard the tales; mimics were legendary, having taken the lives of many thieves over the years.</p><p></p><p>Unable to pull his sword back, Syngaard went with the flow and tried stabbing it in even deeper. For his efforts, the "chest" formed a pseudopod and sent it crashing in his direction, only to hit the metal bars of its prison. The pseudopod deformed slightly upon impact, but the creature was unable to assume a form thin enough to fit between of the bars. "Ha!" taunted Syngaard. "Can't get at me, can you?"</p><p></p><p>But Orion had already realized that if the cage that appeared to hold a treasure chest actually didn't, then the one that looked like it <em>didn't</em> hold a chest actually might. She gave the bars and locking mechanism on the empty cage a thorough search, finding no traps. Galen approached behind the halfling, pulling out a spare, nonmagical longsword of his own. He poked it between the bars of the cage into the empty space beyond and it struck something that wasn't visible. "No, <em>now</em> we're talking!" he corrected Syngaard's earlier statement.</p><p></p><p>Orion made quick work of the cage's lock with her lockpicking tools and opened the apparently empty cage. Then, feeling around the unseen chest with gloved hands (for contact poison was always a possibility), she felt around for the chest's latches and unhooked them. She was glad to find the chest unlocked; picking an invisible lock would be quite a trick! But when she opened the lid, the interior of the chest proved to be quite visible - and filled to the brim with platinum coins.</p><p></p><p>"<em>Now</em> we're talking!" the halfling agreed.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard insisted on immediately pulling out the coins and dividing them up; after all, the chest was too big to lug all the way home so it made more sense to dump the contents into the group's individual <em>bags of holding</em>. Kaspar left the counting to the others, trusting in them to allocate him an equal share; instead, he checked out the open book. While he couldn't read its contents, he recognized the writing as Celestial. Flipping the book closed, he saw the holy symbol of Boccob inscribed on its front cover in silver thread; the name "HIREK" was similarly sewn along the spine. "This is probably Hirek's original spellbook!" the monk called to the others.</p><p></p><p>"Too bad Wizard-Pants didn't show," smirked Syngaard. "He might have learned something useful."</p><p></p><p>Kaspar examined the two scrolls on the other table, but time had not treated them kindly; they crumbled at his merest touch. The monk then gave the entire area a quick examination, his elven senses seeking hidden passageways or secret doors. When that turned up negative, and once the others had finished dividing up the platinum coins, he announced the ruins to have been sufficiently explored and any dangers to the kingdom of Ashfall to have been negated. "We can return to King Renaldos and pick up our <em>dimensional anchoring stone</em> for Skevros," he said to his friends.</p><p></p><p>"Aw, crap!" griped Syngaard. "More trudging!"</p><p></p><p>"For you, perhaps," replied Galen. "I'm riding Burt back in style!" Orion, back in the saddle of her riding dog, said nothing but her expression admitted to her enjoyment of Syngaard's envy just a little bit.</p><p></p><p>"Walking is good exercise," pointed out Kaspar, but Syngaard's snarling reply convinced the monk that the scarred human fighter wanted to hear no such arguments. So Kaspar caught up to the other two on their mounts and walked beside them, leaving Syngaard to sulk during the long trudge back to Ashfall to pick up their rock, and during the hour-long trudge back to Durnhill after that.</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>Logan used a "Wasteland" Flip-Mat for the lava cave area and several tiles from a "Mines" Map Pack for the two caves. Hirek's Lab itself was a Dungeon Tile from a set I had purchased years ago.</p><p></p><p>As for the half-fiend fire elementals, Logan used two versions of a stand-up token I had made for a previous campaign to represent his PC's fire elemental familiar, Infernia. (One was Large and one was Medium; his PC used to cast <em>polymorph any object</em> on her to change her size as needed for the adventure at hand.) He used generic fire elemental initiative cards, though, since he couldn't find Infernia's card from the previous campaign. (There's a good reason for that - I set it aside as I'm planning on repurposing the Infernia tokens and initiative card for an upcoming adventure in my own campaign.) And the reason they took electricity damage from Kaspar's <em>tenryutsume</em>-enhanced throwing daggers was simple as well - in the heat of battle, Logan forgot about their electricity resistance 10. (Hey, I've been there - I once forgot that arrowhawks are immune to electricity, so on the spur of the moment I had to make the group of arrowhawks my PCs were fighting a variant offshoot that were force-based instead of electricity-based.) So I guess these particular half-fiend fire elementals didn't inherit that particular trait from their fiendish ancestors.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 7475943, member: 508"] [b]ADVENTURE 22: A RE-WARDING MISSION[/b] PC Roster: [INDENT]Galen Thorne, human paladin 8 Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 8 Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 7 Syngaard, human fighter 8[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 1 August 2018 - - - Skevros summoned his adventurers to the [i]Enchanted Flagon[/i] via the rings they wore. Syngaard, as usual, was the last to arrive, having much further to travel than directly above the tavern. "What, Wizard-Pants is gone again?" he asked, noticing Daleth's absence. He also noticed Anuja sitting next to Skevros and was glad that they wouldn't have to go rescue her from the Azure Glade; apparently she'd gone and rescued herself. That was handy. "Daleth is taking an extended leave of absence, with my blessing," Skevros reported. "He is using the time to study his spellcraft, to become a better wizard and a more effective part of the team." "Hey, more treasure for the rest of us in the meantime," Syngaard observed. "I am sorry for the death of your congregation," Galen said to the cleric of Wee Jas. "And of your mother," he added, belatedly realizing that Anuja's mother had also been slain in the recent attack on the Temple of Wee Jas in Durnhill. "Thank you," replied Anuja, not looking at all bothered by the recent deaths. "She is with the Goddess now. I envy her." "Your mission in the Azure Glade went well, then?" asked Kaspar. "Not 'well,' no. The Temple of Wee Jas in the Azure Glade was completely compromised by the Seekers of Eternity, possibly aided by the Church of Vecna. The infiltration and conversion was apparently a practice run before they set their sights on the Temple of Boccob. Overtaking that temple will take them a step closer to complete control of the Council of Guilds. As for me, I barely escaped with my life. They got the horse and wagon, though." "Aw, the horse with the magic horseshoes?" asked Syngaard. "That's a bummer." [i]Those horseshoes were probably pretty valuable[/i], he thought. "In any case, Anuja will likely not be transporting you on missions in the future," announced Skevros. "With the fall of her temple, she will need to devote her energies to its restoration." "If rescuing Anuja is not the reason for our summons," asked Orion, "then what is?" "I have been ordered by King Leornic to ward the city against teleportation magic. Most of the undead who attacked our city, it turns out, were teleported in rather than animated on the spot. He would see any repeat attacks thwarted. However, performing the research from scratch to create such wards would be time consuming; fortunately, Ashfall uses [i]dimensional anchoring stones[/i] in the Baator's Breath Mountains to prevent the devils from teleporting away after setting forth on our world. You are to report to Serenity in Ashfall, who will give you your mission briefing; in return for your service, you will be given a [i]dimensional anchoring stone[/i] that will greatly aid me in warding Durnhill against teleportation." "This a paying mission?" piped up Syngaard. "I have already explained your payment," snapped Skevros. "The king has ordered this be done, so you will do it. You are dismissed." "Well, this sucks," griped Syngaard as the group exited the tavern. "Another hour-long trek up to Ashfall, and now we don't even got a wagon and a driver no more!" "The walk will do you good," suggested Galen. "Easy for you to say," retorted the bald fighter. "You're gonna be ridin' Seneca." "Actually, I shall be walking alongside you," replied the paladin. "I'm leaving Seneca behind for this mission. Should I need a mount, I have spent the last several days in prayer; a mount will come to me when I call for one." This news didn't improve Syngaard's mood any, nor did the comfortable ride Orion had, mounted on her riding dog Carl. Kaspar initially tried cheering up the surly fighter but soon realized it was a lost cause. Syngaard was wallowing in misery and self-pity and seemed to like it that way just fine. His grumbling stopped momentarily when they saw the city of Ashfall before them. There were guards about, but these were much younger than the old-timers the heroes had gotten accustomed to. They eyed the group suspiciously as they approached the gates. "Who are you?" one guard demanded. "Who are we?" repeated Syngaard, incredulously. "You must be new around here. We're the Heroes of Ashfall!" "'Heroes of Ashfall'?" mocked the guard. "More like cowards who stayed behind from the fight up in the mountains! Cowards who crept in for stolen glory while the true heroes were on the front lines, keeping this world safe from fiends!" "All played their parts," offered Galen in a conciliatory gesture. "While you were risking all in the mountains, we provided valuable services to your kingdom, fighting off bandit attacks and securing for your king a vast supply of mithral. And we, too, saw to fighting off devils and worse in your mountains." "I take it the nine-month span of breach activity has now passed?" asked Kaspar. "Ashfall's armies have returned back from their mission?" "Not all of us," snarled the young guardsman. "Some of us gave their lives to the service of our kingdom and our world -- my brother was slain fighting off a chain devil." "Sounds like he should've spent more time in practice," replied Syngaard, being obnoxious on purpose - he didn't like this punk's attitude. "No use sendin' boys out to do the job of real men." Orion shook her head sadly at the fighter's idiocy and steered Carl off to the side; she didn't want to be a part of it when Syngaard started an incident between two neighboring kingdoms. Bristling at the scarred fighter's comments, the young guard moved forward as if to throw a punch at Syngaard, who stood defiantly in a "let's see what you got" pose - but Kaspar intervened, catching the guard's fist in his own powerful hand. The guard was surprised to see he couldn't extract his hand from the lithe monk's one-handed grip. "Please forgive my friend," Kaspar said. "He is in poor humor today. I offer condolences for the loss of your brother, and for those who died by his side. Perhaps you can help us and we will be on our way. Do you know where we can find Serenity?" He released his grip on the man's hand. The man spit on the ground at the sound of Serenity's name, but he kept eye contact with Syngaard to let him know that was what he thought of him as well. "The devil-whore's in the Temple of Hieroneous," he answered. "Shows you what you know," commented Syngaard as a parting shot as the group pressed on into the city. "Succubus ain't no devil, she's a demon. Woulda thought you might have picked up some knowledge 'bout such things, you bein' a fiend-slayer from the front lines an' all." The guard just glared at Syngaard's back as he left, his expression saying the bald fighter had better watch out if he passed this way back out of town. The group knew the way to Ashfall's Temple of Hieroneous - they'd fought off the Seekers' forces there recently - and sure enough, Serenity was there, packing her things for a trip. "Ah, you've arrived," she said. "Good. Even though the breaches are closed for the next nine years, there is occasionally some 'light' planar activity in the off-season. For that reason, there is a small garrison in the mountains to keep an eye on the area during the calm times. With the main army returned to the kingdom, I am being stationed there to help keep a lookout for any small breaches that may pop up." "And our mission...?" prompted Galen. "During the incursion, some ruins were found in a cave in the mountains. The army was too preoccupied to investigate it at the time and now that they've just returned, nobody wants to go back there to check it out. Thus, that task will fall to you. I have the rough location of the ruins and will lead you to the area before I continue on to the garrison. The kingdom is only interested in whether the ruins pose a danger to their armies, so you are authorized to claim any treasure you find there as payment, in addition to the [i]dimensional anchoring stone[/i] I have promised Skevros in order to secure your assistance in this matter. When you have finished exploring the ruins and dealt with any threats to Ashfall, you will report back to King Renaldos and pick up your stone." "We got a horse and wagon or something?" asked Syngaard. "Given the steepness of some of the roads you will be taking, it's better if you walk," replied Serenity. "Aw, crap - we're trudging around again!" complained Syngaard. "Trudged all the damn way up here, now we're trudging on up to the mountains! And when we're done, we gotta trudge back over to the king to pick up our damn stone and then trudge back home! This sucks!" "It 'sucks' every bit as much for me as it does for you," pointed out the redeemed succubus. "I had planned on flying directly to the garrison." "I, for one, will enjoy the company," announced Galen. "It will give us a chance to get to know each other better." Serenity, like all succubi, was staggeringly beautiful, and now that the young paladin knew she was no longer of an evil nature he felt it might even be appropriate for a paladin of Hieroneous to win her affections.... Orion just rolled her eyes and urged Carl forward with a tap of her feet. The group traveled northwards into the mountains. Galen walked at Serenity's side, whereas Syngaard opted to walk directly behind her - that way, he got a good view of her shapely butt. "I'm no longer evil," Serenity announced out of the blue. <But I'm still telepathic> she added, directly into Syngaard's mind. <Ain't no harm in lookin'> Syngaard thought back at her, and the succubus just smirked. Serenity led the group to a small valley split by a river of lava. In the ambient reddish light from the slow-flowing lava, the group could see two caves off in the distance; one was on their side of the lava flow, while the other was across the way, which would require hopping across a series of small "islands" of rock around the branching streams of lava. "Good luck!" Serenity called as she took flight and headed for the garrison, her next duty station. "Might as well check out the easy one first," offered Orion, leading Carl to the cave on their side of the lava flow. The cave was wide and curved to the right almost immediately. It came to an abrupt end several dozen feet back. When Galen struck a sunrod so they could see if there were any other branching passageways, his light reflected off chunks of shining metal embedded in the walls. "That's gold!" Orion said, getting a close-up look at the metal. "Then that's ours!" chimed in Syngaard, before realization hit. "Aw, crap! We find ourselves some treasure right off the bat, only now we gotta dig it outta the stone walls ourselves? That means trudging back to Ashfall, buying picks and shovels and whatnot, then trudging back here again for hours of back-breaking labor!" Orion just rolled her eyes again at the fighter's grumbling - but at least he wasn't making snide comments about halflings. "Perhaps we can leave the back-breaking labor for others," suggested Kaspar. "There will likely be a finder's fee for a new source of gold; we could be content with that." Syngaard just narrowed his eyes at the elven monk; contenting himself with less wasn't in the bald fighter's nature. "In any case, there is no danger to Ashfall here - nor any ruins," observed Galen. "They must be over in the other cave, across the lava flow." That got Syngaard grumbling again. The group approached the lava flow. "Hopping from rock to rock seems to be the only way," observed Kaspar. "I will go first, if you like." He nimbly leaped onto the first rock island, then again to another adjacent one. Looking at the way the lava was flowing, it looked like even the shortest path would involve jumping onto four or five islands at least. Galen jumped across the first island, ran across it and leaped to the next, but missed the mark; his heel landed in the flow of lava. He cried out in sudden pain, causing Kaspar to be distracted in his own leap and miss his own mark. Galen's feet were in heavy boots covered with metal plates, to match the rest of his heavy armor; poor Kaspar wore only sandals. The back of his left foot was badly burned from his misstep; he hastily applied his monk training and directed healing energy to the spot where it was sorely needed. Orion, on Carl's back, had an easy run of it; they arrived at the far side of the lava flow without incident. Syngaard had planned on just making a fast dash across and get it over with, but after seeing the other two men make poor landings he decided to slow it down a bit and take his time. "This is trickier than it looks!" observed Galen. "Only thing that could be worse is if monsters were to rise out of the lava to attack us!" Naturally, at that point, monsters rose out of the lava to attack them. [b]Incinerasha[/b], a Large half-fiend fire elemental with a pair of long, curving, black horns jutting from her head, was the first to rise from the lava river. She managed to hit Kaspar with a fiery slam. Just behind her, her younger (and smaller) sister [b]Ignitia[/b] attempted to do the same to Syngaard and although he was hit with a solid slam, he avoided catching on fire. Behind the two black-horned half-fiend fire elementals, their fiendish fire elemental servants also rose up to attack the party: one attacked Galen while the other chased after Orion and Carl, but neither of their attacks were nearly as effective as those of their respective mistresses. Orion wheeled Carl around and stabbed out at the fiendish fire elemental attacking her; while she knew the flames of her magic short sword would do the creature no harm, the steel cut a line of green fire across the thing's burning chest. Galen fared even better: with two strikes of the [i]sword of Zehkar[/i], he cut down his foe, causing its flames to explode in a puff of air and leave no trace of the elemental's body behind at all. Syngaard, not wanting to remain on a small rocky island flanked on all sides by flowing lava, turned his back on his foe and continued leaping from rock to rock until he made it to Carl's side. Then he spun in place and sent his [i]javelin of returning[/i] flying at Ignitia. Kaspar followed the scarred fighter's example, seeing the wisdom in fighting their foes on a block of solid ground. But on his way past Incinerasha, the elemental opened wide her jaws and snapped at the young monk; he dodged at the last moment, not having expected a fire elemental - half-fiend or not - to try actually [i]biting[/i] him. But she was more successful with her flailing arms, slamming the monk and starting his robes ablaze. Kaspar made it to the far shore, but then had to pat out the flames on his sleeves. Ignitia stepped up to Galen and sent her flaming arm crashing down at him, channeling unholy energy through her appendage in a blow designed to deal extra damage to those of a goodly alignment. [i]It served him right[/i], she thought, [i]for having slain my favorite servant[/i]! The blow hit, causing Galen to drop to one knee before righting himself again. Then, seeing Kaspar staggering on the far shore, he sent a ray from his [i]illumium scabbard[/i] to strike the monk, bathing him in its healing energies. Kaspar called out his gratitude to the paladin and turned to face their enemies. The remaining fiendish fire elemental struck out at Carl and Orion again, missing both. But Orion's [i]flaming short sword[/i] cut another line of pain across the creature's flaming body, causing it to hiss in anger and frustration. Syngaard caught the javelin as it returned to his hand, then switched to his trusty magic morningstar and smacked the fiendish fire elemental attacking Orion a good one. Kaspar finished it off with a lightning-fast strike with his hardened fist - one that burned his hand despite the swiftness of his attack. But now three heroes and a riding dog were bunched up together in a group. Incinerasha took advantage of the situation by unleashing an [i]unholy blight[/i] attack against the four figures. Syngaard and Orion were sickened by the pain; of the four, Carl fared the best, shaking off the effects with a rapid shake of his head. Ignitia followed suit, only she covered the area around the group in a shroud of pitch blackness. Orion had Carl ease out of the area of darkness while she drank down a healing potion to counter the worst of the damage caused by the [i]unholy blight[/i]. She then called out to the others, and Syngaard followed the sound of her voice to step out of the radius of darkness without wandering back into a lava flow. But while Ignitia had been concentrating on the other four, Galen took advantage and used a [i]smite evil[/i] attack on the half-fiend fire elemental, channeling positive energy through his longsword. Syngaard threw his javelin at her as well, impaling its metal through her torso before it returned to his hand. Kaspar followed Syngaard's path out of the magical darkness, ending up beside Carl and Orion. He was tempted to throw his shuriken at one of the half-fiends, but realized he'd not likely be able to retrieve anything he threw, given the abundance of flowing lava in the area. Seeing his hesitation, Orion offered up her [i]bag of blades[/i], and the monk put the masterwork daggers contained within to good use, charging them up with electrical energy through the power of the [i]tenryutsume[/i] he wore on his right hand. Incinerasha was not pleased by the electrically-charged daggers that plunged into her body and then disappeared, but she focused her attention on Galen, the nearer foe and one whose aura blazed with the smug power of Hieroneous. While her sister attacked the paladin, Ignitia ran over to attack Syngaard, but that shortly proved to be her downfall as the fighter shortly cut her down with several vicious blows from his morningstar. With only one remaining foe, Orion reached into her [i]bag of blades[/i] and threw a volley at Incinerasha, but without a [i]tenryutsume[/i] to charge them up with electrical energy, the weapons seemed to deal the long-horned fire elemental no harm. Still, it focused the elemental's attention from Galen long enough for him to back away out of battle, making a tactical retreat from combat to regroup alongside his companions. He caused healing energy to flood through his body as he jumped over the lava flows, sealing over the worst of the burns he'd received during this fight. Incinerasha roared in fury as Syngaard cut down her younger sister; she locked eyes on the scarred fighter and started making her way over to him, ready to ignite him into a blazing bonfire. She threw a [i]poison[/i] spell his way just because she could, but Syngaard managed to shrug off the effects. Kaspar, meanwhile, kept up a steady stream of thrown daggers striking her, each one charged with electricity. He was surprised at the success of his attacks, as he had been led to believe most fiends could ignore the amounts of electrical damage he was likely inflicting with his charged daggers. Still, never one to ignore a gift from fate, he continued with what was working. Galen decided that now was the time. Calling out to his patron deity, he cried, "Hieroneous! Send me a mount from the celestial planes capable of helping us defeat our enemy!" The air beside him wavered as if a mirage, and then a sudden blaze of orange, tan, and brown sprang forth - but this was no flame, but a dire lion which pounced immediately at Incinerasha, ignoring the pain from the flames of her body as he raked his sharp claws across her fiery form and bit down with his saber-sized teeth. Smoke emanated from his mouth and fur as he turned and roared his victory, the long-horned elemental having been obliterated into cinders and ash by the power of his attacks. With the battle over, the group took time to heal properly. Galen tended to his new mount's wounds and those of his companions, deciding on the spot, "I'm going to name him '[b]Burt[/b]'." "Burt?" asked Orion, surprised at such a normal name for such a fearsome beast. "It's no stupider than 'Carl'," pointed out Syngaard. Personally, he didn't care a whit what the dire lion was called, just as long as he was fighting on their side. "Shall we explore the other cave now?" suggested Kaspar, once everyone was back to fighting trim. Just like the other cave, it made a ninety-degree turned almost immediately, this time to the left. Just after the bend, the natural stone passageway gave way to worked stone, forming a chamber thirty feet wide and slightly longer. A Large humanoid figure carved from stone stood in the middle of a doorway at the back end of the chamber. The Seekers of Eternity symbol was carved prominently upon both its forehead and its chest. Preparing for battle, Galen cast a [i]protection from evil[/i] spell as he advanced slowly toward the golem. Only after he had cast the spell did he think to examine its aura, surprising himself in picking up no signs of an evil nature. But then again, it was merely an animated statue, a chunk of carved stone brought to the semblance of life - that might account for its lack of evil. Syngaard ran up and hurled his [i]javelin of returning[/i] at the golem, his sprint coming to a screeching halt when the thing turned to him and spoke. "Do not throw things at me. Identify yourself and your purpose." [i]What the Hell[/i], thought the scarred fighter as he caught his returning javelin in his hand. [i]It couldn't hurt[/i]. "We're the Heroes of Ashfall," he announced. "Designation unknown," replied the golem. "We work for Skevros," Orion gambled, to see if it would recognize the name of the Seekers' greatest enemy. "Designation unknown," repeated the golem. "Well, let's turn it around," suggested Syngaard. "Just who the Hell are you?" "I am the Guardian of Hirek's Lab." "Hirek? Well, there you go, then - I'm the Father of Hirek's Key." "Designation unknown." "Hirek's Key? Hope? Daughter of Messalina Maladucci - she's related to Hirek." "Designations unknown." Kaspar walked up to the golem. He was unarmed, so he hoped he would not come cross as a foe - not that this guardian seemed especially eager for combat. "Galen," he called behind him. "Bring forth your sword." "Are we fighting him?" the paladin asked, confused. The stone golem looked pretty tough - but more geared toward conversation than combat, if its actions thus far were any indication. But he did as he was told. "Spirit of Zehkar identified!" the stone golem announced in apparent excitement. He took a ponderous step forward out of the doorway, then stepped to the side. "You may pass," it announced. Galen stared up at the massive construct, focusing on its forehead and chest. "Those emblems carved into you: they're the symbol of the Seekers of Eternity," he said. "Correct." "The Seekers of Eternity are a group of evil spellcasters trying to become liches so they can live forever as undead abominations," the paladin explained. "Incorrect," replied the golem. "The Seekers of Eternity is a group of spellcasters and alchemists attempting to discover a means of creating a [i]potion of longevity[/i] to extent the natural living lifespan." After having heard that, the heroes recalled having heard before that that had been the original goal of the Seekers; somehow, over the ages, the group's focus had been perverted into its current form. This Guardian of Hirek's Lab had apparently been hidden away for some time! Looking warily at the massive stone golem, the group entered through the doorway and ended up in another stone-carved room. Upon their entry, [i]continual flame[/i] spells flashed to life, illuminating the room's contents. Three magic circles were inscribed into the floor, their arcane markings filled with silver. A book lay open upon a small table near one of the circles, while a larger table on the right side of the room contained a couple of crumbling scrolls. Off to the left side of the room stood two metal cages, formed from solid iron bars reaching from floor to ceiling. The farther one was empty but the closest contained a closed chest as wide as a full-grown man. "Now we're talking!" enthused Syngaard. "Hold on," warned Orion, leaping down from Carl's back and examining the lock on the metal cage. She didn't see any obvious traps, so she focused her attention on the chest itself - all while touching nothing. "It looks like the chest is coated in something. A contact poison, perhaps." "How do we find out for sure?" asked Syngaard. "You could poke it with your finger," suggested the halfling. "I'll poke something, all right," replied the fighter, before pulling a seldom-used longsword from a scabbard on his belt. The longsword was well-crafted but nothing spectacular; with a [i]returning javelin[/i], a [i]human bane scimitar[/i], and his magical morningstar, Syngaard had little use for the sword. He stuck it between the bars of the cage and scraped it along the side of the chest, hoping to collect a sample of the coating for closer examination. But it didn't work out that way - after poking the chest the first time, the sword got stuck in place. Try as he might, Syngaard couldn't move the blade from its current position. And then the whole chest jostled, and all was made clear. "Mimic!" Orion cried - she'd heard tales of such creatures, shapeshifters capable of assuming the forms of inanimate objects. Anyone trained in the skills of thievery had heard the tales; mimics were legendary, having taken the lives of many thieves over the years. Unable to pull his sword back, Syngaard went with the flow and tried stabbing it in even deeper. For his efforts, the "chest" formed a pseudopod and sent it crashing in his direction, only to hit the metal bars of its prison. The pseudopod deformed slightly upon impact, but the creature was unable to assume a form thin enough to fit between of the bars. "Ha!" taunted Syngaard. "Can't get at me, can you?" But Orion had already realized that if the cage that appeared to hold a treasure chest actually didn't, then the one that looked like it [i]didn't[/i] hold a chest actually might. She gave the bars and locking mechanism on the empty cage a thorough search, finding no traps. Galen approached behind the halfling, pulling out a spare, nonmagical longsword of his own. He poked it between the bars of the cage into the empty space beyond and it struck something that wasn't visible. "No, [i]now[/i] we're talking!" he corrected Syngaard's earlier statement. Orion made quick work of the cage's lock with her lockpicking tools and opened the apparently empty cage. Then, feeling around the unseen chest with gloved hands (for contact poison was always a possibility), she felt around for the chest's latches and unhooked them. She was glad to find the chest unlocked; picking an invisible lock would be quite a trick! But when she opened the lid, the interior of the chest proved to be quite visible - and filled to the brim with platinum coins. "[i]Now[/i] we're talking!" the halfling agreed. Syngaard insisted on immediately pulling out the coins and dividing them up; after all, the chest was too big to lug all the way home so it made more sense to dump the contents into the group's individual [i]bags of holding[/i]. Kaspar left the counting to the others, trusting in them to allocate him an equal share; instead, he checked out the open book. While he couldn't read its contents, he recognized the writing as Celestial. Flipping the book closed, he saw the holy symbol of Boccob inscribed on its front cover in silver thread; the name "HIREK" was similarly sewn along the spine. "This is probably Hirek's original spellbook!" the monk called to the others. "Too bad Wizard-Pants didn't show," smirked Syngaard. "He might have learned something useful." Kaspar examined the two scrolls on the other table, but time had not treated them kindly; they crumbled at his merest touch. The monk then gave the entire area a quick examination, his elven senses seeking hidden passageways or secret doors. When that turned up negative, and once the others had finished dividing up the platinum coins, he announced the ruins to have been sufficiently explored and any dangers to the kingdom of Ashfall to have been negated. "We can return to King Renaldos and pick up our [i]dimensional anchoring stone[/i] for Skevros," he said to his friends. "Aw, crap!" griped Syngaard. "More trudging!" "For you, perhaps," replied Galen. "I'm riding Burt back in style!" Orion, back in the saddle of her riding dog, said nothing but her expression admitted to her enjoyment of Syngaard's envy just a little bit. "Walking is good exercise," pointed out Kaspar, but Syngaard's snarling reply convinced the monk that the scarred human fighter wanted to hear no such arguments. So Kaspar caught up to the other two on their mounts and walked beside them, leaving Syngaard to sulk during the long trudge back to Ashfall to pick up their rock, and during the hour-long trudge back to Durnhill after that. - - - Logan used a "Wasteland" Flip-Mat for the lava cave area and several tiles from a "Mines" Map Pack for the two caves. Hirek's Lab itself was a Dungeon Tile from a set I had purchased years ago. As for the half-fiend fire elementals, Logan used two versions of a stand-up token I had made for a previous campaign to represent his PC's fire elemental familiar, Infernia. (One was Large and one was Medium; his PC used to cast [i]polymorph any object[/i] on her to change her size as needed for the adventure at hand.) He used generic fire elemental initiative cards, though, since he couldn't find Infernia's card from the previous campaign. (There's a good reason for that - I set it aside as I'm planning on repurposing the Infernia tokens and initiative card for an upcoming adventure in my own campaign.) And the reason they took electricity damage from Kaspar's [i]tenryutsume[/i]-enhanced throwing daggers was simple as well - in the heat of battle, Logan forgot about their electricity resistance 10. (Hey, I've been there - I once forgot that arrowhawks are immune to electricity, so on the spur of the moment I had to make the group of arrowhawks my PCs were fighting a variant offshoot that were force-based instead of electricity-based.) So I guess these particular half-fiend fire elementals didn't inherit that particular trait from their fiendish ancestors. [/QUOTE]
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