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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pogre" data-source="post: 7146258" data-attributes="member: 6588">Episode EightThe Saga of Lucius Victorium Gnaeus Episode Eight We began the trek to the wizard’s tower led by Senator Cember’s guards. During our travels we learned the wizard’s tower was on the coast and served as kind of a reverse lighthouse. The magical aura of the tower drew ships into a reef and created a lot of wrecks. The wizard’s tower thus served as a defense measure for Rel Astra and some might be very upset if the tower were somehow disabled. After traveling for a couple of hours a tower 185 pes high loomed ahead and there were numerous shipwrecks on the reef below the tower. A pulsating beam issued from the top level and it appeared much like a lighthouse. Thock wanted to explore the newer wrecks for loot. Naturally, I argued we should push into the tower to find the letters that might incriminate the judge in charge of my family’s trial. We compromised and did a cursory search of the ships and found little. Despite our investigations we could find no entrances into the tall tower except the front door. We approached the door and could see that it was broken down. Clearly, the door had been destroyed by the first expedition that failed to penetrate the defenses of the tower. Shen stepped inside the tower’s door and shot cantrips down both corridors. Convinced there were no immediate threats, Thock led the way into the cramped corridors. The lower level of the tower was a maze of tight corridors. Some distance in, we were attacked by a wraith. Thock took a fair amount of damage from it, but a single attack from the wraith sent our accompanying guards from the city running. We eventually got the undead to appear in a little wider spot and it was dispatched. We continued to explore the ground level and found that all paths terminated in a large central octagonal chamber. The trouble was there was no obvious signs of an egress. Thock went waltzing directly into the center of the chamber and there was a fiery explosion! The Half-orc had set off some protective runes and revealed another set of runes in a circle in the center. Thock had disappeared. Praying that this was a teleporting area and that Thock had set off the only trap in the area, I also stepped into the center of the room. Fortunately, I was right. Soon the whole group had stepped onto the teleportation area and we found ourselves in a circular room. There was an interesting looking area on one side of the room that looked like a passage, but was actually sealed. There was something magical about the portal and there were three stone dials aligned vertically on it. The first dial was numbered from one to one hundred in increments of one, the second had numbers from one to ten in increments of one, and the last one had numbers from 25 - 1000 in increments of 25. It appeared to be a magical combination lock and with so many possible combinations, we decided to move along to the spiral staircase in the center of the room leading down. The spiral staircase led down to another circular room with two long tables covered in interesting items. As we stepped into the room we discovered very quickly that it was not unguarded. There was a POOF of smoke, the scent of sulfur, and the appearance of an alluring female with tiny little crown horns and bat wings sprouting from her back. She said in a voice so devastatingly enticing I nearly fell over, “I have been waiting for you a long time, Lucius!” Somewhere in my dim consciousness it registered that this was in no way a friendly or inviting greeting!Will comes from the heart that loves Kord, not the mind. The demoness flapped her wings and was quickly aloft. She made an obscenely lurid gesture at Thock, but somehow the Half-orc was not charmed. I assume that Shen had not yet recognized that we were fighting a demon, or was bedazzled by its sinister beauty, as he fired off  Shen’s Scorching Rays. Naturally, the succubus laughed off the fiery rays. I summoned Greater Spiritual Hammer of Kord and smashed it into the foul demoness. She responded with a very hurt look and said, “Why do you strike me love? You know we belong together.” For a moment, the allure of this beast nearly had me, but blessed Kord empowered me to shake off her charm. Thock managed to do a bit of damage to the Succubus, but by now her attentions were turned on Edgy. Those who consider cat creatures lucky have not met our Tabaxi. With a wink of her eye and a swish of her tail, Edgy was her thrall. Commanded by the demon, Edgy attacked Shen. Fortunately, Edgy’s attack was only half-hearted and Shen managed to avoid his sword. I smacked the villainess with the spiritual hammer, but Thock had a new melee target - Edgy! Thock, looking to protect Shen, wrapped Edgy up in a mighty bear hug. The Tabaxi squirmed mightily, but could not escape from Thock. The succubus saw this and swooped down to passionately kiss the grappled Tabaxi. The life went completely out of Edgy and his limp corpse fell from Thock’s grip. Shen unleashed Marvelous Missiles of Unerring Flight on the succubus and the demon fell.  I went over to check on Edgy and realized he was truly dead. I announced as much to the group. Shen went over to the table with Thock and found a number of items. They found a magical long sword, which Thock claimed. A bejeweled short sword and a divine scroll. Looking over the scroll, I realized it was a resurrection prayer.Kord provides for those in need - never despair! With the strength of Kord, I managed to use the scroll to bring the breath of life back into Edgy. I was resting, with my back against a wall, and I saw Thock pull the head off the succubus corpse and hold it out to Edgy saying, “Give us a kiss!” The Half-orc made some smooching noises towards the Tabaxi.  “If you were not holding me, she would never have killed me!” Edgy protested. We all knew that was clearly erroneous, but not even Thock corrected him, because coming back from the Pale is enough to unbalance anyone. Shen offered Edgy the bejeweled short sword and some magical sling bullets, which he accepted. I was nearly out of energy for prayers and Shen was also near tapping his magical reserve. However, we decided to press on and continue down the spiral stairs looking for a clue to the number-dials puzzle above. It would prove to be a foolish decision. ***** Thock led the way down the stairs and emerged in another circular chamber. I immediately saw a strange, blue, floating ball of energy. The room was unnaturally cold and there was a soldier of some sort astride a horse frozen in a solid block of ice on the far side of the floor. The sphere moved towards us and seemed to be attacking. I summoned Great Spiritual Hammer of Kord and hit it with no effect. This time Shen cast Shen’s Scorching Rays and Faithless sent hellfire at the sphere, both of which had a noticeably damaging effect, Thock’s magical long sword passed directly through the sphere with no effect. Then, Edgy attacked with his newly acquired bejewelled short sword, The short sword passed through the sphere and as soon as it exited the presence of the sphere it shattered! The blue sphere turned its attention on the weaponless Tabaxi and attacked. Its touch sent a shivering cold ripple through Edgy and soon he was frozen in a large block of ice!  Shen cast Shen’s Scorching Rays at the blue sphere and it disappeared, assumably destroyed. The room’s temperature immediately began to warm with the sphere’s disappearance. A voice came up from the spiral staircase, “Hello there! Did you manage to kill that thing?” Before any of us could answer, a human in heavy armor appeared with a holy symbol and armed with a mace. “You did, you killed it!” “Greetings good sir, who might you be?” I asked. “My name is Gulan Morf and that thing has had me trapped in the lower level for a fortnight!” the cleric replied. “How did you get here?” Faithless asked. “An accident with some transportation magic. I managed to secure the level below this, but this thing above and creatures below had me trapped.” “What have you been eating?” Thock asked. “My god has provided,” Gulan answered. I realized he must have been getting food and water via prayer - confirmation to me he was a cleric. “A friend of yours?” Gulan asked pointing at the ice-encased Edgy. “Yes,” Thock answered. “You may want to melt him out quickly before that devil and nightmare get loose,” Gulan suggested. I looked over and could see that the warrior on the horse was actually a devil mounted on a nightmare! The fiery hooves of the nightmare pulsed with heat and was quickly melting the block of ice around it. A puddle of water was growing rapidly around the hellish rider and mount. It was clear that block of ice was going to melt much more quickly than Edgy’s icy prison. A debate followed on the proper course of action. I advocated retreating and dragging the frozen Tabaxi along. Gulan made the excellent point that there really was nowhere for the group to hide. The group’s decision was to quickly melt the block of ice holding Edgy and attack the devils while they were still restricted by the ice. Edgy was quickly melted out of the block ice via fire spells and fell to the ground unconscious. Employing healing potions and curing prayers provided by Gulan, Edgy was revived. As the bearded devil and nightmare continued to have the ice fall away from them the group launched their attacks at the pair. Despite my having no prayer energy remaining we managed to kill the devil and the nightmare fled.Trust in Kord is rewarded. ***** The group prepared to move down to Gulan’s quarters on the level below and consider what to do next. Edgy disappeared and while the group was setting up in Gulan’s camp he returned. He reported that he had traveled up through the tower and had noticed a strange, barely visible writing around the archway and dials on the top level we had started in. The archway would have to wait. We needed rest badly. We set a guard and slept. The following morning after a light breakfast we journeyed back to the chamber with the archway. We found the strange, barely visible message Edgy had spoken of the previous evening. It was a bizarre, nonsensical phrase, but somehow Shen figured out something would be revealed by casting a spell at the arch. He cast a cantrip bolt at the arch and the script was illuminated. Interestingly, the word LIVID was illuminated in a different colored glow. I suddenly realized that LIVID was the key to the puzzle. The old numerals corresponded to LI - 51, VI - 6, and D - 500. We quickly aligned the corresponding numbers on the dials and the archway opened!Kord’s call makes the body, spirit, and mind strong. ***** The group went through the archway and climbed the stairs beyond. We emerged in a circular chamber, but this room was different. The upper walls and ceiling were composed of panes of glass. A pulsating light emitted from a gem held aloft near the apex of the ceiling. This was the source of the “lighthouse” effect of the tower. The room was guarded by an immense snake-like creature composed entirely of bone. This monstrosity was a bone naga - a favorite guardian of wizards and the like. Without warning, the naga struck! While we were distracted by the Naga, the Nightmare, hellish steed of the devil, appeared in the room too. The Naga shot lightning at the group and the Nightmare attacked with its fiery hooves, We stood strong and Faithless’s spell finished the Naga - while a Greater Glorious Blot of Kord from me finished the Nightmare. I called on the prayer Kord’s Uncanny Trap Detection and a lockbox we had discovered lit up as trapped. I informed Edgy and cast Divine Enhancement of Senses on Edgy to help his skill in disarming the trap. Edgy carefully disarmed the trap and opened the box. He was disappointed to discover it was empty. However, the cushioned box was clearly intended to hold the pulsating gem above us. The real treasure I found though was a large set of letters and correspondence that proved that Lord Fabrece, assigned as judge over my father, was in league with the departed wizard in a plot to overthrow Drax. Now, I had a real chance to save my father and restore my family! While I was delighting over the letters I had discovered, Thock reached up and clapped the pulsating gem in the lockbox. We removed one of the glass panes and escaped down the side of the tower with our treasures.</blockquote>

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