Zad
First Post
The Heart of Nightfang Spire - Chapter 8
Still pasting in the missing stuff
Chapter 7
OOC Notes:
Experience this session is 3842 for everyone except Jozan who got caught by work and missed the on time bonus so he’s at 3362.
Notes for Next Time:
Two key parts down, two to go. So far we’re doing ok and the only resource we’re short on is restorations. Two things on my mind:
First, we need to get more flight in the party. NFS has been a mobility challenge. Long term issue I know but just something in my head.
Second, we need to come up with some schemes for that assassin. My mind is already working on it. However I don’t think we’ll see many hit-and-runs like this. She was clearly buffed – I’m seeing improved invisibility, and at this point I’m pretty sure a haste was involved too. Having a dispel magic on hand will probably be a good idea.
This Week’s Adventure:
After debating some of the different ways we could re-enter the spire, we elected to use the dimension door again, although the notion of digging into the catacombs was not without merits. We cast several spells and then appeared within the golem laboratory.
The first thing we noticed was that it had been cleaned and evacuated – all of the jars with body parts had been removed. Given the delicate nature of some of the jars, it was probably not more apes. Why Gulthias would be having his minions cleaning up is beyond me.
We moved towards the stairs, which required going into a room with a gazeway. Even though we were prepared for trouble, the crackling sound still caught us off guard. In an instant, the gazeway flashed and crackled, and the same set of claws ripped at Jozan.
Determined not to let our attacker escape again, I set more glitter into the air. The dust settled and clearly revealed our no-longer-unseen assailant. From the way the head twisted, I suspect the dust had blinded him as well. This beast may be stealthy, but at least I could react quicker.
[OOC Note: Ok, Kayleigh isn’t much of a sorcerer, and the save was pretty low to avoid being blinded. But anyone can roll a 1, and Redbone did. I think it was about now that Wizardru pointed out that Redbone was a “she” mostly because the fact that we kept calling it a “he” was bugging him.]
Unfortunately Redbone was still quite quick. She must have realized that she was no longer in a good position, and she managed to find her way back to the gazeway and disappear before anyone else could act. This annoyed me to no end. After thinking a while on this, I suspect that not only was she under improved invisibility, but also haste. I believe these spells came from Gulthias himself since we now know him to be a wizard.
We descended to the next level, and our scans revealed some undead and evil in the area, including some fairly large sources of evil. We took time to spike the door shut, so that Redbone would not be following us easily.
The next room had the floor covered in urns of various small sizes. There was a narrow path between the three doors in the room, but the rest of the floor was covered with urns. Many had tipped over spilling dust on the floor. The room beyond that had nearly the same contents – more crematory remains. The other door led to a similar room, but the difference here was another gazeway on the ceiling 40 feet up.
We were always leery of the gazeways but now that we understood them better, we wanted to try to do something about them. Valanthe was prepared to try to use acid to destroy one but this one on the ceiling would make that difficult. I had a different idea however….
I cast a simple illusion. It was hardly anything notable – just the same floor covered in urns and dust. But it was eight feet higher than the actual floor, which allowed us to pass underneath unseen. I believed it would be unlikely that anyone watching would notice the difference unless they were watching when I first cast the spell. We slipped quietly through this room, hopefully undetected by the gazeway.
[OOC Note: Wizardru was rather amused by this application, and by this way of evading the gazeway.]
In the next room we found five zombies, cleaning up the urns. A rather odd task for the living dead indeed. Given their limited intelligence, I speculated as to whether they would even be aggressive, but it was hardly important. We dispatched them with little thought and moved on. Not wanting to be followed by something coming through the gazeway, I took the time to pile a few urns carefully before the door – that way anything opening the door would knock over the urns and cause quite a stir.
The next room contained something evil, and Jozan booted the door in. Again, a seemingly endless supply of funeral urns covered the room. In this case they were piled along the edges of the room. Inside were one gorilla, and some zombies. However I noticed that one zombie was rather different, and was in fact another beast like the one we found in the cauldron. (Dravot called it a mohrg – some kind of serial killer it seems.)
They were unprepared for us, and we took full advantage. Valanthe cut at the ape, and Jozan moved into engage it. I had a line to the mohrg and put an arrow into it, and Rackhir fired an arrow into the ape’s leg, causing it to fall back a few feet. Dravot, with a rather absent wave, destroyed the zombies. Valanthe then cut at the ape again, causing his vitals to spill out his abdomen. The mohrg clawed at Jozan briefly, and in return had a brief meeting with Shatterspike. It wasn’t looking at all well after that and I put a few arrows into it to finish the job. A few more urns by the door and we pressed deeper.
Beyond this room was a corridor that led to a set of double doors. We carefully opened them and saw a huge, crescent shaped room beyond. Inside was a forty foot high pillar of fire reaching the ceiling. There was an abstract mosaic pattern covering the room in purple tiles but it was charred and obscured in many places. There was a foot of ash on the floor, making us think this was the crematorium.
Now, we’re a suspicious lot it seems – something that has served us well. We were all somewhat hesitant to enter the room, and suspicious of the fire. The thing that worried us was that the ceiling was charred in several places, not just over the depression where the fire now was. That made us think it could move, and that was worrisome to say the least.
If it was a magical fire, then it would be magical, and evocation at that. But if it were some kind of elemental, then it might show rather differently to a detect magic. I cast detect magic and the fire was not magical. That settled it – it was some kind of elemental.
Scorch happened to speak Ignan – for what purpose I can only guess. He hailed the elemental and it responded, forming two firey eyes. The conversation was brief but fruitful – this was another creature bound here centuries ago by Gulthias. Its orders were to kill us when we entered the room. Since we had not yet entered and it had no orders against talking to us, we were fine so far. It had to follow the orders it was given, but like the Vrock, it craved release also. Scorch attempted to dispel the anchor that held it on this plane but it was too strong for the fairly weak scroll to overcome. We told the elemental that we would return later better prepared to return it home, and closed the doors.
The only doors were on the other side of the fire elemental. Valanthe expressed interest in trying to slip past the elemental and explore beyond them but we all did our best to tell her what a suicidal thing that would be. Even so, she didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t try it. Instead Scorch shifted to an umber hulk and tore out the wall next to the doors, letting us into the next chamber.
[OOC: this is what we are calling the “Dig Dug” approach. Only problem is that it needs quarters.]
Inside was a ten foot diameter hole with large sturdy iron rungs forming a ladder going down. The rungs were of such a size that we suspected they were for the girallons. The pit descended quite a ways into the darkness – some hundreds of feet. At the bottom was a small room, and another gazeway. The placement of this carving made it very unlikely we could pass undetected as we had last time. So rather than be subtle, I tried for something confusing. I created the illusion of the fire elemental descending the hole and burning on top of the gazeway. Not only would it block vision, but anything that would try to come through would be burned by the elemental, or so I hoped they’d think. Of course there was no sound, but we had no idea what the gazeway would transmit, so it seemed like a reasonable thing, and had more flair than a simple stone wall. It might also cause Gulthias to wonder how we turned the elemental to our cause.
Out the only break in the walls was a small ledge and a vast pit beyond, teeming with skeletons and zombies. While we had some spells to destroy large areas, it seemed an unproductive use them. In the distance Valanthe could make out a pillar with a statue.
Valanthe began moving about the ceiling with the aid of her magic boots. The pillar in the center had a statue, and the statue had what we thought was a piece of the dragon key. Valanthe was able to discern a smell about the thing, and was convinced there was a trap on it. However though skill or luck, she found the way to disengage it, and retrieved the key piece.
Farther across was another ledge leading to another room. There were two mohrgs there among some ruined sarcophagi. Valanthe could make out some of their conversation, and they seemed to be hoping we would soon trigger the statue, and then they would deal with us. One mohrg drew attention to a necklace he was wearing which any seasoned adventurer knew to be a necklace of fireballs.
Fortunately Scorch had another dimension door, and he moved himself across with Jozan and Rackhir, believing that the four of them could dispatch the two beasts. There were only two problems with this plan – the first is that it left Dravot and myself alone and quite a ways from the rest. The second became apparent when the others landed and attacked – there were three more mohrgs in the coffins.
There was a bit of shouting, and at one point a fireball went off, though from who I couldn’t say. But after a few seconds, the others said it the situation was under control, and Scorch came back as a dragon to ferry Dravot over. Rather than leave one of us alone, we used a scroll of spider climb and I joined the others that way.
The mohrgs had some interesting trinkets among their pile of debris. There was indeed a necklace of fireballs, and one mohrg had a ring that was probably some kind of fire resistance. There was also a pile of platinum pieces, a rather nice silver comb with moonstones, and a few other trinkets.
[OOC: 212pp, silver comb 550gp, jovial brass mug with jade inlay 350gp, chest of mahogany and inlaid with amethyst, 1400gp, and a chalice of crystal with emeralds, 700gp. Red ring, and type 4 necklace, missing one 6d6 fireball]
Personally I thought the comb was rather beautiful (or would be, after it was cleaned off). Perhaps I’ll see if I can keep it.
There was a door leading from this area and it led to a room with several other doors – an intersection of some kind. There was also a small closet in the room, that was notably completely free of dust. Valanthe had a hunch and tossed a coin inside, and it disappeared – some type of teleportation magic. We decided to investigate later.
One room had a source of evil beyond, and a very elaborate lock. This was the most intricate lock Valanthe had ever seen and it took her some time, and a fair bit of acid, to overcome it. Inside was another dragon statue with a key part in its mouth.
Of course, it wasn’t a statue – it was a gargoyle. It didn’t attack and likely wouldn’t until we entered the room. So we shrugged at each other and entered the room and attacked it. After we hacked it apart, we retrieved the key part and moved on.
One other empty room had a few sarcophagi with some minor coin [400sp blech and 2 gems at 10gp each].
There was one other door of note, mostly because there was a significant source of evil beyond it. And that is what we would face next.
Posted by Wizardru
As he decapitated Ahrlykikka, The Thezzizz of the Waking Dream wept openly. His beloved had defied the queen...and that tree bore only one kind of fruit. It was a minor infraction, so the penalty was merely death, and the queen had been gracious to allow him to slay his lady-wife personally. He had seen far worse fates befall others.
For several moments, he stared at the rapidly cooling corpse, watching her life light begin to fade, hearing her thought-voice stilled for all time. There was no death beyond life here...all knew this as law. Even if were possible, the queen would never allow it. Only one deserved life without ending, and it was she. Praise be the Queen, save us from her Mercy.
As was his right, he collected her Saduveem Crystals that had fallen to the ground about her. Most of these he smashed in the standard Vuuuum ritual, but three he retained from himself. Among these, he knew, was the Omnipitex...the one he should most certainly destroy. If the other members of his Ahmna'imha noticed this, they either chose not to speak or did not care. It was all the same to the Thezzizz. He tapped the ground three times to signal the end of the ritual. Tap. For their Freedom from the Oppressors. TAp. For the defeat of the Betrayers. TAP. For the eternity of the Queen. With the final tap, Ahrlykikka's echo faded from him and all life left her form.
As her form began to float upwards into the strangeways, it began to lose it's cohesiveness. Like a thing of smoke or liquid, it began to flow in different directions, affected by currents only the mind could perceive. As she floated higher and higher, she seemed to grow more difuse, until she was gone.
The Thezzizz looked at his Ahmna'imha. Their stony, gaunt expressions betrayed little, but he knew them well. The anger they bore was not for the queen, nor for his lost wife, nor even for the Omnipitex....it was for the disruption that would come. For the threat that must be stopped, lest the whole of the Unlent City be destroyed. They would wait, and they would fight.
Gripping the Omipitex in his chalk-white hand, the Thezzizz flowed his spirit into it. His eyes burned, and his soul felt as if someone had poured lava onto it. He was unaware if his scream was a real thing, or just a product of his mind. In the end, it didn't matter. Pain was just a tool, like everything else.
Unbidden, the images came to him...the images that led to his beloved's death. The images the queen would not heed. The images he would DESTROY.
A Chalice, gold as the sun, but filled with Shadows.
A Sword, forming the horizon, with the sun setting above, and the moon rising below.
A Bow, made of bone, that spit and burned.
A Crystal, that burned as if on fire, but could not be consumed.
A Dagger, pale like a ghost and yet engulfed in shadow.
Another Bow, made of wood and of glass, that glowed as if afire.
These were the enemy. They would come, in a day, in a year, in a century. It mattered little to the Thezzizz. He would wait, his sons would wait, and their sons after them, if need be. They would wait until the Saduveem Crystals all went black, if that is what it took. If his people had learned one thing during their oppression at the hands of the Illithid...it was patience.
---------------------------------------
Jozan blinked and rubbed his eyes. Another troubling dream. The third in as many nights. This one seemed easier to recall than the previous two. His Lady was sending him...what? Messages? Warnings?
He could not say. But he would understand them in time. It seems that his future held more strife, not less.
But he knew that on the day he swore his sword and his life. This was no different. Realizing it was time to return to the watch, he stretched and rose.
Another day had begun.
--------------------
Chapter 8
Dravot's post above relates to Chapter 8 - might want to read it first for context.
OOC Notes:
Experience this session is 2425 each, except for Dravot.
After careful consideration and thorough reflection, I have come to the conclusion that The Heart of Nightfang Spire sucks the left nut, pardon my French. Bruce Cordell will surely have to do pennance for this.
This Week’s Adventure:
Nightfang Spire. I can hardly say the name without spitting afterward. Foul. Wretched. Evil. Cursed. When I speak of the place, I’ve started doing so in Elven – the common tongue simply does not permit the proper expression of my contempt.
First things first.
We could feel several key sources of evil nearby, and braced ourselves for a battle. Little did we know how much of a battle it would be. We could make out the grunts of more girallons, but surely that would not be all. After Valanthe scanned the door, Jozan kicked it in.
We found an empty room with an opening to another room to the left. The occupants were all in the next chamber apparently, and we used concluded to wait where we were for them. I took a moment to throw up a shield, and others took similar steps.
Soon enough, apes started entering the chamber, and with them two mohrgs. Just as the battle was commencing, something came through the wall behind us – a hideous woman with skin the color of a purple bruise and draped with various pieces of hideous jewelry. She faded in from the ethereal plane, and threw a fast ray of enfeeblement at Rackhir, which he fortunately shrugged off. Then Scorch decided that perhaps we needed a bit of a boost and broke out, with no small cackle I might add, his newest trick – mass haste. It was rather exhilarating. I think without it we would all have surely died.
Rackhir turned on the creature, and with the added speed of the haste, filled her with steel and wood. She never actually hit the ground, dispersing into the ether before she landed. As the mohrgs and apes came from the front, we could hear pounding at the nearby walls – more apes were trying to break through and surround us. All we could do is work fast and pray.
Dravot attempted to turn one of the mohrgs just to get it out of the way, but it had no effect. I had a massive ape in front of me but I felt confident between my shield and the speed of the haste that it would have trouble laying its dirty paws on me, and opened fire, easily dodging the counterattack. Jozan and Valanthe had already slashed at it as it had entered, and I was able to kill it, and still have an arrow left for the mohrg.
Another ape appeared out of the ether – perhaps another polymorphed hag? This was quickly confirmed as another ray of enfeeblement struck at Rackhir, and again he shrugged off the effect.
Determined to pass the doorway, one of the apes charged Jozan to drive him back from the door, but Jozan out muscled the beast that was easily twice his size and drove IT back. Then another ape rushed at him, but still Jozan would not yield, and he held off that beast as well. Surely Sehanine was with him this day.
Unfortunately the walls were not as strong, and they collapsed in two places as the apes burst through, along with another mohrg from the front. Valanthe finished off the injured one and started on the new arrival. But we are still mobbed on all sides by the massive four armed apes.
Rackhir set to work, and filled the ape in front of him with arrows, and the ape could only return pained screams. Dravot energized his Sunhammer and smote the mohrg, tearing a massive section of its chest out – the thing was barely standing after that massive blow.
I decided the other hag was more the worry, and fired at her, but the first arrow had no effect on her. Rackhir was using arrows enchanted by Scorch, but my own rounds were not quite as powerful yet. Having no easy recourse, I instead killed the nearly-dead mohrg and then started on another ape. Scorch had no shortage of targets but his lightning bolt met with an unusual end – it hit the hag, and simply fizzled there, harming no one.
More apes came into the area. Valanthe set into one, nearly spilling all its guts on the floor. Rackhir tried to finish that ape but the arrow didn’t land deep enough. However he knew he was our best hope against the hag, and so moved to shoot at her. His bow didn’t let him down, and he sent that one back to the ether as well.
We had several injured enemies, and I decided it was time to lower the numbers. I finished one ape, then killed another, then started on a third. The haste was an enormous advantage for us. Jozan rushed one ape and killed it and then tore into another, easily avoiding its clumsy attacks.
The tide had turned, and what started as a massive crush of arms and teeth was now only a pile of corpses with the stench of dung and blood. We were all stunned and just stared at each other, amazed we had survived this onslaught.
[OOC: It was a fantastic battle, and it really looked bad for a while. That mass haste was everything though.]
We explored the general area. There were several more dead apes – odd since we had not killed these. There was some sort of fight here within the last week. Also there was a chest loaded with platinum and gems. While the pile was not large, the value was immense. The hags also had two magical rings.
Some of the apes had crude leather armor on them. This was most odd since the apes had not yet shown any signs of being capable of fashioning even this crude armor.
The next area was some kind of torture chamber but also had straw pallets that the apes likely used. Another hidden chest contained even more platinum and some star rubies. We also found a single coin on the floor. This was the coin that Valanthe used to test that the closet we found earlier was indeed a teleporter. However it seemed a horribly short distance to bother with a teleportation enchantment. Valanthe stepped into the alcove in front of where the coin landed, figuring that it lead back to the other room.
It did not.
Apparently it was a circuit covering a few areas of the tower. She was in a dark, empty room with a door. She stepped into the alcove again, and was moved to another location, and then again back to the room we found before. We were fortunate that she was able to return without incident. The move was impulsive, and quite unnecessary.
We continued to carefully explore the area. Another room had a large statue over a dried up fountain. The base was inscribed “Shatter the bonds of time until Ashardalon returns” and radiated transmutation magic. We figured there was little to gain in experimentation, and much to loose, and so we left it alone.
Another small room contained a stone sarcophagi, and a rather unfortunate gas trap. Valanthe did not detect it in time, and while Dravot and Jozan avoided the gas, Valanthe inhaled a great deal of it. It very nearly killed her, but an antidote poison restored much of her health, though she was still weakened.
The next room was tiled in onyx and white tiles though many were cracked and ruined. There were relief sculptures of humanoid faces, aflame with their mouths open in screams of agony. A sculpture of a dragon hung from the ceiling over an altar on which subtle runes were inscribed.
There was no evil but there was transmutation magic on this altar. The door leading from this room seems to have been replaced more than once, making us wonder what happened here.
The runes were in Draconic of course, which Valanthe cannot read. I stepped up to look at them, and was compelled to read them aloud. Dravot, also nearby, upon hearing me speak these ill fated words, was also compelled to read them.
“What surpasses Ashardalong, is more despicable than the Great Wurm; the poor have it, the rich need it, if eaten, death follows.”
None of us had any brilliant insights into what this meant. An answer tickled at the back of some of our minds but nothing came. Rather than risk remaining, we carefully withdrew.
The statue took that as our answer, and yellow beams erupted from its eyes, lancing at Dravot and myself. The searing beams burned me, but I’d gladly suffer that again to prevent what happened to Dravot.
He was dead.
I was angry. Very angry. I shouted in elven “I have had enough of this foul place!”
Scorch immediately contacted Lord Gelban, while we made a quick plan. I would return to Greyhawk with Dravot, returning the escort he did for me. The rest of the group would withdraw from the spire, and move the camp to prevent another attack by Redbone.
Thanks to the helm of teleportation, I arrived in my room in the moon tower carrying Dravot. I had not even gotten downstairs with him before the servants took him from me and put him on a litter. Lord Gelban was on hand and handed me a small bag containing many rubies, as an offering to the temple. Dravot was one of their own – they would have restored his life regardless, but Lord Gelban felt it necessary to obey the forms.
I took the bag and the servants accompanied me to the Temple of Pelor, where preparations were already underway. The acolytes took Dravot’s body from the servants, whom I then dismissed. I offered the gems to the priest, as per Lord Gelban’s instructions. He took them with some disdain – I had the impression it was not directed at me but rather the source of the offering. Clearly it wasn’t all that bad as he took them anyway.
The next hour passed in a blur, and soon, breath returned to Dravot’s lungs once more. He seemed to have an easier transition back than I did, and yawned as if just awakened. He also seemed quite aware of what happened. I can only imagine what death is like for a priest – perhaps something told him.
The priests fussed over him for some time. I’m sure they would have been happy to continue, but a gentle word from me and they left us in private, after glancing at Dravot who just gave them a nod.
I said nothing at first, knowing words would do little. After some silence, I asked "How do you feel?"
He said "Disoriented and a bit out of sorts, but otherwise ok. I spent several days in The Fields of Elysium, so I had the chance to get used to the notion of dying. Or as used to it as anyone can get. Everything seems a bit colder though. I miss the warmth of the Fields already."
I simply nodded and said quietly “The whole world seems colder now.”
Then it struck me "Hm, wait - several days? You were dead scant hours. I felt the passing of less than an hour and was dead nearly a day...."
Dravot was slightly puzzled but said “I have not studied the planes much, but from what I gather, time moves
differently on the various planes. Scorch would know much more than I would about this.”
I shrugged, and just assumed it beyond my understanding for now. Then I told him "I hope your faith gives you some comfort through this. You'll need all the comfort you can find I'm afraid. I can say, with authority, that a
cat helps rather a lot."
He looked thoughtful and said “I have a theory as to why I died. I do not know if it is true, but it makes a certain amount of sense to me.”
I was curious. “If you'd care to share, I'd be intrigued, as it all seems quite senseless to me.” As I said it, I grew more sad than curious. “If you prefer to keep this private, I certainly understand that too”
“I will probably share it with you, but until I gain some confidence in my theory, I will keep it to myself,” he said.
“Of course - I didn't mean to intrude. But for the time being, rest. I'll be in touch soon - the others have
withdrawn from the Spire, and I needs speak to our patron about this.”
Now he was curious. “That would be fine. I'm quite tired and need to regain my strength. What will you say to Lord Gelban?”
I was determined in this matter. “I will tell him that I believe it would be sheer folly for us to return to that evil place. It will only result in more senseless deaths, and I am doubting that we have the strength to stop Gulthias at all.
Given his hesitation to send us back last time, I doubt it will take much to convince him now.”
Dravot sat quietly for a moment, reflecting upon what I said.
“I agree and I disagree. For us to go back at this time would be suicidal. At the same time, I will exact revenge upon the Spire and the foul vampire that resides within. It may be months or years until I am strong enough to deal with it, but deal with it I will. Please let Lord Gelban know this.”
I began to smile a slightly wicked grin as he spoke of revenge. “Indeed. Gulthias should be destroyed. And we should extract some level of vengance for the price we have paid, forgive me for sounding like Rackhir for a moment.” I chided.
“But not today. But someday. Someday indeed.”
Dravot remained at the temple to rest, while I returned to the estate. I immediately sought out Lord Gelban, who wasted no time in seeing me. He was in his chamber pacing, clearly agitated, but no less so than I.
“Lord Gelban, the Spire has claimed not one but two lives now. While I would not argue that Gulthias is an evil which has claimed many more, and could claim many more, I will say that we are over-matched. That foul place will continue to kill us and Gulthias will be no worse for it. Dravot agrees that this is folly, though he would have you know that someday, when we are much stronger, he would like to return and exact vengance on Gulthias. But for now we must stop this.”
I was prepared to go on for quite some time if I needed to, but I didn’t think I would. Lord Gelban was just as agitated and concerned as I was, perhaps more so. After my death, he was hesitant for us to return. After this tragedy, he needed no convincing. He instructed me to arrange our return to Greyhawk as soon as it was workable.
Between Scorch’s teleportation and the helm, we were able to return the group, horses, Crescent and all, on the next morning. Lord Gelban met with us directly. He had no desire for us to meet a senseless death, and clearly the Spire was far more than any of the council had thought. He made us clear that not only did he not expect us to return, he did not wish it. He was actively opposed to our return, although he would not stop us if we were determined to go back.
I was strongly opposed to going back. The price paid was already too high, and the odds of success far too low. Rackhir was ready to return, but the rest were less firm in their opinions. Privately, I had already resolved not to return, regardless of what the others did. I was hopeful that my stubbornness, and the lack of one more able fighter, would deter them from entering that pit of doom.
Fortunately it did not come to that. We stood together and decided not to return. Lord Gelban told us that we had indeed weakened Gulthias, and that he could be contained for now. With the threat blunted, it was a matter that could be left til later, and we were all just as glad to do so. Lord Gelban said that he had no other pressing matters for us and that we would likely be able to take the coming winter to relax, or tend to whatever other tasks suited us. The idea of some time away from all this suits me well, and I welcome it.
There was of course the matter of the significant pile of treasure recovered from Nightfang Spire. Given the price we paid to get it, we were not about to forget about it.
We met for a bit of accounting, and decided what to keep and what to sell off, either through the midnight market or the Guild, via Scorch. It was an impressive list, and in the end we were all a fair bit richer, at least in terms of coin.
Now I have some months ahead that are my own. Certainly a visit home to Celene is in order, and a trip to Highfolk as well no doubt. I’ll leave in a day or two, but first I need to discuss something else with Lord Gelban.
Loot
Yeah the readers probably don’t care but I need to log this stuff for the record somewhere.
Magic items and what we did with ‘em:
Helm of teleportation: Dravot will wear in fights for tactical movement. It’ll float around as needed otherwise.
Ring of protection +2: Rackhir
Minor ring of lightning resist: Jozan (floats as needed)
Minor ring of fire resist: Dravot (floats as needed)
Ring of water walking: Sell
Ring of force shield: Sell
Potion of charisma: Jozan
Ghost bane dagger +3: Valanthe – our only +3 weapon right now besides Shatterspike when energized.
Necklace of fireballs: Sell
Bracers of armor +2: Kayleigh
Libram of flesh: Scorch
Rust Bag of tricks: Sell
Potion of aid: Sell
Wand of mage armor: Keeping it for emergencies. Who has this in their inventory?
Wand of magic missiles: Sell
+2 shield of light fortitude: Jozan
The cash total for all money and sold items comes to 14,844 gp each.
Still pasting in the missing stuff
Chapter 7
OOC Notes:
Experience this session is 3842 for everyone except Jozan who got caught by work and missed the on time bonus so he’s at 3362.
Notes for Next Time:
Two key parts down, two to go. So far we’re doing ok and the only resource we’re short on is restorations. Two things on my mind:
First, we need to get more flight in the party. NFS has been a mobility challenge. Long term issue I know but just something in my head.
Second, we need to come up with some schemes for that assassin. My mind is already working on it. However I don’t think we’ll see many hit-and-runs like this. She was clearly buffed – I’m seeing improved invisibility, and at this point I’m pretty sure a haste was involved too. Having a dispel magic on hand will probably be a good idea.
This Week’s Adventure:
After debating some of the different ways we could re-enter the spire, we elected to use the dimension door again, although the notion of digging into the catacombs was not without merits. We cast several spells and then appeared within the golem laboratory.
The first thing we noticed was that it had been cleaned and evacuated – all of the jars with body parts had been removed. Given the delicate nature of some of the jars, it was probably not more apes. Why Gulthias would be having his minions cleaning up is beyond me.
We moved towards the stairs, which required going into a room with a gazeway. Even though we were prepared for trouble, the crackling sound still caught us off guard. In an instant, the gazeway flashed and crackled, and the same set of claws ripped at Jozan.
Determined not to let our attacker escape again, I set more glitter into the air. The dust settled and clearly revealed our no-longer-unseen assailant. From the way the head twisted, I suspect the dust had blinded him as well. This beast may be stealthy, but at least I could react quicker.
[OOC Note: Ok, Kayleigh isn’t much of a sorcerer, and the save was pretty low to avoid being blinded. But anyone can roll a 1, and Redbone did. I think it was about now that Wizardru pointed out that Redbone was a “she” mostly because the fact that we kept calling it a “he” was bugging him.]
Unfortunately Redbone was still quite quick. She must have realized that she was no longer in a good position, and she managed to find her way back to the gazeway and disappear before anyone else could act. This annoyed me to no end. After thinking a while on this, I suspect that not only was she under improved invisibility, but also haste. I believe these spells came from Gulthias himself since we now know him to be a wizard.
We descended to the next level, and our scans revealed some undead and evil in the area, including some fairly large sources of evil. We took time to spike the door shut, so that Redbone would not be following us easily.
The next room had the floor covered in urns of various small sizes. There was a narrow path between the three doors in the room, but the rest of the floor was covered with urns. Many had tipped over spilling dust on the floor. The room beyond that had nearly the same contents – more crematory remains. The other door led to a similar room, but the difference here was another gazeway on the ceiling 40 feet up.
We were always leery of the gazeways but now that we understood them better, we wanted to try to do something about them. Valanthe was prepared to try to use acid to destroy one but this one on the ceiling would make that difficult. I had a different idea however….
I cast a simple illusion. It was hardly anything notable – just the same floor covered in urns and dust. But it was eight feet higher than the actual floor, which allowed us to pass underneath unseen. I believed it would be unlikely that anyone watching would notice the difference unless they were watching when I first cast the spell. We slipped quietly through this room, hopefully undetected by the gazeway.
[OOC Note: Wizardru was rather amused by this application, and by this way of evading the gazeway.]
In the next room we found five zombies, cleaning up the urns. A rather odd task for the living dead indeed. Given their limited intelligence, I speculated as to whether they would even be aggressive, but it was hardly important. We dispatched them with little thought and moved on. Not wanting to be followed by something coming through the gazeway, I took the time to pile a few urns carefully before the door – that way anything opening the door would knock over the urns and cause quite a stir.
The next room contained something evil, and Jozan booted the door in. Again, a seemingly endless supply of funeral urns covered the room. In this case they were piled along the edges of the room. Inside were one gorilla, and some zombies. However I noticed that one zombie was rather different, and was in fact another beast like the one we found in the cauldron. (Dravot called it a mohrg – some kind of serial killer it seems.)
They were unprepared for us, and we took full advantage. Valanthe cut at the ape, and Jozan moved into engage it. I had a line to the mohrg and put an arrow into it, and Rackhir fired an arrow into the ape’s leg, causing it to fall back a few feet. Dravot, with a rather absent wave, destroyed the zombies. Valanthe then cut at the ape again, causing his vitals to spill out his abdomen. The mohrg clawed at Jozan briefly, and in return had a brief meeting with Shatterspike. It wasn’t looking at all well after that and I put a few arrows into it to finish the job. A few more urns by the door and we pressed deeper.
Beyond this room was a corridor that led to a set of double doors. We carefully opened them and saw a huge, crescent shaped room beyond. Inside was a forty foot high pillar of fire reaching the ceiling. There was an abstract mosaic pattern covering the room in purple tiles but it was charred and obscured in many places. There was a foot of ash on the floor, making us think this was the crematorium.
Now, we’re a suspicious lot it seems – something that has served us well. We were all somewhat hesitant to enter the room, and suspicious of the fire. The thing that worried us was that the ceiling was charred in several places, not just over the depression where the fire now was. That made us think it could move, and that was worrisome to say the least.
If it was a magical fire, then it would be magical, and evocation at that. But if it were some kind of elemental, then it might show rather differently to a detect magic. I cast detect magic and the fire was not magical. That settled it – it was some kind of elemental.
Scorch happened to speak Ignan – for what purpose I can only guess. He hailed the elemental and it responded, forming two firey eyes. The conversation was brief but fruitful – this was another creature bound here centuries ago by Gulthias. Its orders were to kill us when we entered the room. Since we had not yet entered and it had no orders against talking to us, we were fine so far. It had to follow the orders it was given, but like the Vrock, it craved release also. Scorch attempted to dispel the anchor that held it on this plane but it was too strong for the fairly weak scroll to overcome. We told the elemental that we would return later better prepared to return it home, and closed the doors.
The only doors were on the other side of the fire elemental. Valanthe expressed interest in trying to slip past the elemental and explore beyond them but we all did our best to tell her what a suicidal thing that would be. Even so, she didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t try it. Instead Scorch shifted to an umber hulk and tore out the wall next to the doors, letting us into the next chamber.
[OOC: this is what we are calling the “Dig Dug” approach. Only problem is that it needs quarters.]
Inside was a ten foot diameter hole with large sturdy iron rungs forming a ladder going down. The rungs were of such a size that we suspected they were for the girallons. The pit descended quite a ways into the darkness – some hundreds of feet. At the bottom was a small room, and another gazeway. The placement of this carving made it very unlikely we could pass undetected as we had last time. So rather than be subtle, I tried for something confusing. I created the illusion of the fire elemental descending the hole and burning on top of the gazeway. Not only would it block vision, but anything that would try to come through would be burned by the elemental, or so I hoped they’d think. Of course there was no sound, but we had no idea what the gazeway would transmit, so it seemed like a reasonable thing, and had more flair than a simple stone wall. It might also cause Gulthias to wonder how we turned the elemental to our cause.
Out the only break in the walls was a small ledge and a vast pit beyond, teeming with skeletons and zombies. While we had some spells to destroy large areas, it seemed an unproductive use them. In the distance Valanthe could make out a pillar with a statue.
Valanthe began moving about the ceiling with the aid of her magic boots. The pillar in the center had a statue, and the statue had what we thought was a piece of the dragon key. Valanthe was able to discern a smell about the thing, and was convinced there was a trap on it. However though skill or luck, she found the way to disengage it, and retrieved the key piece.
Farther across was another ledge leading to another room. There were two mohrgs there among some ruined sarcophagi. Valanthe could make out some of their conversation, and they seemed to be hoping we would soon trigger the statue, and then they would deal with us. One mohrg drew attention to a necklace he was wearing which any seasoned adventurer knew to be a necklace of fireballs.
Fortunately Scorch had another dimension door, and he moved himself across with Jozan and Rackhir, believing that the four of them could dispatch the two beasts. There were only two problems with this plan – the first is that it left Dravot and myself alone and quite a ways from the rest. The second became apparent when the others landed and attacked – there were three more mohrgs in the coffins.
There was a bit of shouting, and at one point a fireball went off, though from who I couldn’t say. But after a few seconds, the others said it the situation was under control, and Scorch came back as a dragon to ferry Dravot over. Rather than leave one of us alone, we used a scroll of spider climb and I joined the others that way.
The mohrgs had some interesting trinkets among their pile of debris. There was indeed a necklace of fireballs, and one mohrg had a ring that was probably some kind of fire resistance. There was also a pile of platinum pieces, a rather nice silver comb with moonstones, and a few other trinkets.
[OOC: 212pp, silver comb 550gp, jovial brass mug with jade inlay 350gp, chest of mahogany and inlaid with amethyst, 1400gp, and a chalice of crystal with emeralds, 700gp. Red ring, and type 4 necklace, missing one 6d6 fireball]
Personally I thought the comb was rather beautiful (or would be, after it was cleaned off). Perhaps I’ll see if I can keep it.
There was a door leading from this area and it led to a room with several other doors – an intersection of some kind. There was also a small closet in the room, that was notably completely free of dust. Valanthe had a hunch and tossed a coin inside, and it disappeared – some type of teleportation magic. We decided to investigate later.
One room had a source of evil beyond, and a very elaborate lock. This was the most intricate lock Valanthe had ever seen and it took her some time, and a fair bit of acid, to overcome it. Inside was another dragon statue with a key part in its mouth.
Of course, it wasn’t a statue – it was a gargoyle. It didn’t attack and likely wouldn’t until we entered the room. So we shrugged at each other and entered the room and attacked it. After we hacked it apart, we retrieved the key part and moved on.
One other empty room had a few sarcophagi with some minor coin [400sp blech and 2 gems at 10gp each].
There was one other door of note, mostly because there was a significant source of evil beyond it. And that is what we would face next.
Posted by Wizardru
As he decapitated Ahrlykikka, The Thezzizz of the Waking Dream wept openly. His beloved had defied the queen...and that tree bore only one kind of fruit. It was a minor infraction, so the penalty was merely death, and the queen had been gracious to allow him to slay his lady-wife personally. He had seen far worse fates befall others.
For several moments, he stared at the rapidly cooling corpse, watching her life light begin to fade, hearing her thought-voice stilled for all time. There was no death beyond life here...all knew this as law. Even if were possible, the queen would never allow it. Only one deserved life without ending, and it was she. Praise be the Queen, save us from her Mercy.
As was his right, he collected her Saduveem Crystals that had fallen to the ground about her. Most of these he smashed in the standard Vuuuum ritual, but three he retained from himself. Among these, he knew, was the Omnipitex...the one he should most certainly destroy. If the other members of his Ahmna'imha noticed this, they either chose not to speak or did not care. It was all the same to the Thezzizz. He tapped the ground three times to signal the end of the ritual. Tap. For their Freedom from the Oppressors. TAp. For the defeat of the Betrayers. TAP. For the eternity of the Queen. With the final tap, Ahrlykikka's echo faded from him and all life left her form.
As her form began to float upwards into the strangeways, it began to lose it's cohesiveness. Like a thing of smoke or liquid, it began to flow in different directions, affected by currents only the mind could perceive. As she floated higher and higher, she seemed to grow more difuse, until she was gone.
The Thezzizz looked at his Ahmna'imha. Their stony, gaunt expressions betrayed little, but he knew them well. The anger they bore was not for the queen, nor for his lost wife, nor even for the Omnipitex....it was for the disruption that would come. For the threat that must be stopped, lest the whole of the Unlent City be destroyed. They would wait, and they would fight.
Gripping the Omipitex in his chalk-white hand, the Thezzizz flowed his spirit into it. His eyes burned, and his soul felt as if someone had poured lava onto it. He was unaware if his scream was a real thing, or just a product of his mind. In the end, it didn't matter. Pain was just a tool, like everything else.
Unbidden, the images came to him...the images that led to his beloved's death. The images the queen would not heed. The images he would DESTROY.
A Chalice, gold as the sun, but filled with Shadows.
A Sword, forming the horizon, with the sun setting above, and the moon rising below.
A Bow, made of bone, that spit and burned.
A Crystal, that burned as if on fire, but could not be consumed.
A Dagger, pale like a ghost and yet engulfed in shadow.
Another Bow, made of wood and of glass, that glowed as if afire.
These were the enemy. They would come, in a day, in a year, in a century. It mattered little to the Thezzizz. He would wait, his sons would wait, and their sons after them, if need be. They would wait until the Saduveem Crystals all went black, if that is what it took. If his people had learned one thing during their oppression at the hands of the Illithid...it was patience.
---------------------------------------
Jozan blinked and rubbed his eyes. Another troubling dream. The third in as many nights. This one seemed easier to recall than the previous two. His Lady was sending him...what? Messages? Warnings?
He could not say. But he would understand them in time. It seems that his future held more strife, not less.
But he knew that on the day he swore his sword and his life. This was no different. Realizing it was time to return to the watch, he stretched and rose.
Another day had begun.
--------------------
Chapter 8
Dravot's post above relates to Chapter 8 - might want to read it first for context.
OOC Notes:
Experience this session is 2425 each, except for Dravot.
After careful consideration and thorough reflection, I have come to the conclusion that The Heart of Nightfang Spire sucks the left nut, pardon my French. Bruce Cordell will surely have to do pennance for this.
This Week’s Adventure:
Nightfang Spire. I can hardly say the name without spitting afterward. Foul. Wretched. Evil. Cursed. When I speak of the place, I’ve started doing so in Elven – the common tongue simply does not permit the proper expression of my contempt.
First things first.
We could feel several key sources of evil nearby, and braced ourselves for a battle. Little did we know how much of a battle it would be. We could make out the grunts of more girallons, but surely that would not be all. After Valanthe scanned the door, Jozan kicked it in.
We found an empty room with an opening to another room to the left. The occupants were all in the next chamber apparently, and we used concluded to wait where we were for them. I took a moment to throw up a shield, and others took similar steps.
Soon enough, apes started entering the chamber, and with them two mohrgs. Just as the battle was commencing, something came through the wall behind us – a hideous woman with skin the color of a purple bruise and draped with various pieces of hideous jewelry. She faded in from the ethereal plane, and threw a fast ray of enfeeblement at Rackhir, which he fortunately shrugged off. Then Scorch decided that perhaps we needed a bit of a boost and broke out, with no small cackle I might add, his newest trick – mass haste. It was rather exhilarating. I think without it we would all have surely died.
Rackhir turned on the creature, and with the added speed of the haste, filled her with steel and wood. She never actually hit the ground, dispersing into the ether before she landed. As the mohrgs and apes came from the front, we could hear pounding at the nearby walls – more apes were trying to break through and surround us. All we could do is work fast and pray.
Dravot attempted to turn one of the mohrgs just to get it out of the way, but it had no effect. I had a massive ape in front of me but I felt confident between my shield and the speed of the haste that it would have trouble laying its dirty paws on me, and opened fire, easily dodging the counterattack. Jozan and Valanthe had already slashed at it as it had entered, and I was able to kill it, and still have an arrow left for the mohrg.
Another ape appeared out of the ether – perhaps another polymorphed hag? This was quickly confirmed as another ray of enfeeblement struck at Rackhir, and again he shrugged off the effect.
Determined to pass the doorway, one of the apes charged Jozan to drive him back from the door, but Jozan out muscled the beast that was easily twice his size and drove IT back. Then another ape rushed at him, but still Jozan would not yield, and he held off that beast as well. Surely Sehanine was with him this day.
Unfortunately the walls were not as strong, and they collapsed in two places as the apes burst through, along with another mohrg from the front. Valanthe finished off the injured one and started on the new arrival. But we are still mobbed on all sides by the massive four armed apes.
Rackhir set to work, and filled the ape in front of him with arrows, and the ape could only return pained screams. Dravot energized his Sunhammer and smote the mohrg, tearing a massive section of its chest out – the thing was barely standing after that massive blow.
I decided the other hag was more the worry, and fired at her, but the first arrow had no effect on her. Rackhir was using arrows enchanted by Scorch, but my own rounds were not quite as powerful yet. Having no easy recourse, I instead killed the nearly-dead mohrg and then started on another ape. Scorch had no shortage of targets but his lightning bolt met with an unusual end – it hit the hag, and simply fizzled there, harming no one.
More apes came into the area. Valanthe set into one, nearly spilling all its guts on the floor. Rackhir tried to finish that ape but the arrow didn’t land deep enough. However he knew he was our best hope against the hag, and so moved to shoot at her. His bow didn’t let him down, and he sent that one back to the ether as well.
We had several injured enemies, and I decided it was time to lower the numbers. I finished one ape, then killed another, then started on a third. The haste was an enormous advantage for us. Jozan rushed one ape and killed it and then tore into another, easily avoiding its clumsy attacks.
The tide had turned, and what started as a massive crush of arms and teeth was now only a pile of corpses with the stench of dung and blood. We were all stunned and just stared at each other, amazed we had survived this onslaught.
[OOC: It was a fantastic battle, and it really looked bad for a while. That mass haste was everything though.]
We explored the general area. There were several more dead apes – odd since we had not killed these. There was some sort of fight here within the last week. Also there was a chest loaded with platinum and gems. While the pile was not large, the value was immense. The hags also had two magical rings.
Some of the apes had crude leather armor on them. This was most odd since the apes had not yet shown any signs of being capable of fashioning even this crude armor.
The next area was some kind of torture chamber but also had straw pallets that the apes likely used. Another hidden chest contained even more platinum and some star rubies. We also found a single coin on the floor. This was the coin that Valanthe used to test that the closet we found earlier was indeed a teleporter. However it seemed a horribly short distance to bother with a teleportation enchantment. Valanthe stepped into the alcove in front of where the coin landed, figuring that it lead back to the other room.
It did not.
Apparently it was a circuit covering a few areas of the tower. She was in a dark, empty room with a door. She stepped into the alcove again, and was moved to another location, and then again back to the room we found before. We were fortunate that she was able to return without incident. The move was impulsive, and quite unnecessary.
We continued to carefully explore the area. Another room had a large statue over a dried up fountain. The base was inscribed “Shatter the bonds of time until Ashardalon returns” and radiated transmutation magic. We figured there was little to gain in experimentation, and much to loose, and so we left it alone.
Another small room contained a stone sarcophagi, and a rather unfortunate gas trap. Valanthe did not detect it in time, and while Dravot and Jozan avoided the gas, Valanthe inhaled a great deal of it. It very nearly killed her, but an antidote poison restored much of her health, though she was still weakened.
The next room was tiled in onyx and white tiles though many were cracked and ruined. There were relief sculptures of humanoid faces, aflame with their mouths open in screams of agony. A sculpture of a dragon hung from the ceiling over an altar on which subtle runes were inscribed.
There was no evil but there was transmutation magic on this altar. The door leading from this room seems to have been replaced more than once, making us wonder what happened here.
The runes were in Draconic of course, which Valanthe cannot read. I stepped up to look at them, and was compelled to read them aloud. Dravot, also nearby, upon hearing me speak these ill fated words, was also compelled to read them.
“What surpasses Ashardalong, is more despicable than the Great Wurm; the poor have it, the rich need it, if eaten, death follows.”
None of us had any brilliant insights into what this meant. An answer tickled at the back of some of our minds but nothing came. Rather than risk remaining, we carefully withdrew.
The statue took that as our answer, and yellow beams erupted from its eyes, lancing at Dravot and myself. The searing beams burned me, but I’d gladly suffer that again to prevent what happened to Dravot.
He was dead.
I was angry. Very angry. I shouted in elven “I have had enough of this foul place!”
Scorch immediately contacted Lord Gelban, while we made a quick plan. I would return to Greyhawk with Dravot, returning the escort he did for me. The rest of the group would withdraw from the spire, and move the camp to prevent another attack by Redbone.
Thanks to the helm of teleportation, I arrived in my room in the moon tower carrying Dravot. I had not even gotten downstairs with him before the servants took him from me and put him on a litter. Lord Gelban was on hand and handed me a small bag containing many rubies, as an offering to the temple. Dravot was one of their own – they would have restored his life regardless, but Lord Gelban felt it necessary to obey the forms.
I took the bag and the servants accompanied me to the Temple of Pelor, where preparations were already underway. The acolytes took Dravot’s body from the servants, whom I then dismissed. I offered the gems to the priest, as per Lord Gelban’s instructions. He took them with some disdain – I had the impression it was not directed at me but rather the source of the offering. Clearly it wasn’t all that bad as he took them anyway.
The next hour passed in a blur, and soon, breath returned to Dravot’s lungs once more. He seemed to have an easier transition back than I did, and yawned as if just awakened. He also seemed quite aware of what happened. I can only imagine what death is like for a priest – perhaps something told him.
The priests fussed over him for some time. I’m sure they would have been happy to continue, but a gentle word from me and they left us in private, after glancing at Dravot who just gave them a nod.
I said nothing at first, knowing words would do little. After some silence, I asked "How do you feel?"
He said "Disoriented and a bit out of sorts, but otherwise ok. I spent several days in The Fields of Elysium, so I had the chance to get used to the notion of dying. Or as used to it as anyone can get. Everything seems a bit colder though. I miss the warmth of the Fields already."
I simply nodded and said quietly “The whole world seems colder now.”
Then it struck me "Hm, wait - several days? You were dead scant hours. I felt the passing of less than an hour and was dead nearly a day...."
Dravot was slightly puzzled but said “I have not studied the planes much, but from what I gather, time moves
differently on the various planes. Scorch would know much more than I would about this.”
I shrugged, and just assumed it beyond my understanding for now. Then I told him "I hope your faith gives you some comfort through this. You'll need all the comfort you can find I'm afraid. I can say, with authority, that a
cat helps rather a lot."
He looked thoughtful and said “I have a theory as to why I died. I do not know if it is true, but it makes a certain amount of sense to me.”
I was curious. “If you'd care to share, I'd be intrigued, as it all seems quite senseless to me.” As I said it, I grew more sad than curious. “If you prefer to keep this private, I certainly understand that too”
“I will probably share it with you, but until I gain some confidence in my theory, I will keep it to myself,” he said.
“Of course - I didn't mean to intrude. But for the time being, rest. I'll be in touch soon - the others have
withdrawn from the Spire, and I needs speak to our patron about this.”
Now he was curious. “That would be fine. I'm quite tired and need to regain my strength. What will you say to Lord Gelban?”
I was determined in this matter. “I will tell him that I believe it would be sheer folly for us to return to that evil place. It will only result in more senseless deaths, and I am doubting that we have the strength to stop Gulthias at all.
Given his hesitation to send us back last time, I doubt it will take much to convince him now.”
Dravot sat quietly for a moment, reflecting upon what I said.
“I agree and I disagree. For us to go back at this time would be suicidal. At the same time, I will exact revenge upon the Spire and the foul vampire that resides within. It may be months or years until I am strong enough to deal with it, but deal with it I will. Please let Lord Gelban know this.”
I began to smile a slightly wicked grin as he spoke of revenge. “Indeed. Gulthias should be destroyed. And we should extract some level of vengance for the price we have paid, forgive me for sounding like Rackhir for a moment.” I chided.
“But not today. But someday. Someday indeed.”
Dravot remained at the temple to rest, while I returned to the estate. I immediately sought out Lord Gelban, who wasted no time in seeing me. He was in his chamber pacing, clearly agitated, but no less so than I.
“Lord Gelban, the Spire has claimed not one but two lives now. While I would not argue that Gulthias is an evil which has claimed many more, and could claim many more, I will say that we are over-matched. That foul place will continue to kill us and Gulthias will be no worse for it. Dravot agrees that this is folly, though he would have you know that someday, when we are much stronger, he would like to return and exact vengance on Gulthias. But for now we must stop this.”
I was prepared to go on for quite some time if I needed to, but I didn’t think I would. Lord Gelban was just as agitated and concerned as I was, perhaps more so. After my death, he was hesitant for us to return. After this tragedy, he needed no convincing. He instructed me to arrange our return to Greyhawk as soon as it was workable.
Between Scorch’s teleportation and the helm, we were able to return the group, horses, Crescent and all, on the next morning. Lord Gelban met with us directly. He had no desire for us to meet a senseless death, and clearly the Spire was far more than any of the council had thought. He made us clear that not only did he not expect us to return, he did not wish it. He was actively opposed to our return, although he would not stop us if we were determined to go back.
I was strongly opposed to going back. The price paid was already too high, and the odds of success far too low. Rackhir was ready to return, but the rest were less firm in their opinions. Privately, I had already resolved not to return, regardless of what the others did. I was hopeful that my stubbornness, and the lack of one more able fighter, would deter them from entering that pit of doom.
Fortunately it did not come to that. We stood together and decided not to return. Lord Gelban told us that we had indeed weakened Gulthias, and that he could be contained for now. With the threat blunted, it was a matter that could be left til later, and we were all just as glad to do so. Lord Gelban said that he had no other pressing matters for us and that we would likely be able to take the coming winter to relax, or tend to whatever other tasks suited us. The idea of some time away from all this suits me well, and I welcome it.
There was of course the matter of the significant pile of treasure recovered from Nightfang Spire. Given the price we paid to get it, we were not about to forget about it.
We met for a bit of accounting, and decided what to keep and what to sell off, either through the midnight market or the Guild, via Scorch. It was an impressive list, and in the end we were all a fair bit richer, at least in terms of coin.
Now I have some months ahead that are my own. Certainly a visit home to Celene is in order, and a trip to Highfolk as well no doubt. I’ll leave in a day or two, but first I need to discuss something else with Lord Gelban.
Loot
Yeah the readers probably don’t care but I need to log this stuff for the record somewhere.
Magic items and what we did with ‘em:
Helm of teleportation: Dravot will wear in fights for tactical movement. It’ll float around as needed otherwise.
Ring of protection +2: Rackhir
Minor ring of lightning resist: Jozan (floats as needed)
Minor ring of fire resist: Dravot (floats as needed)
Ring of water walking: Sell
Ring of force shield: Sell
Potion of charisma: Jozan
Ghost bane dagger +3: Valanthe – our only +3 weapon right now besides Shatterspike when energized.
Necklace of fireballs: Sell
Bracers of armor +2: Kayleigh
Libram of flesh: Scorch
Rust Bag of tricks: Sell
Potion of aid: Sell
Wand of mage armor: Keeping it for emergencies. Who has this in their inventory?
Wand of magic missiles: Sell
+2 shield of light fortitude: Jozan
The cash total for all money and sold items comes to 14,844 gp each.
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