Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 58 - Paladin Possessed!

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 6/ Thief 6) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 5 / Fighter 6) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 5) with henchman Usborn (Gnome Fighter 2/Illusionist 2)

Chanee (Human Paladin 3)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 3 / Thief 3)]

Date/Time

Readying 12 (morning) to Readying 12 (night) 

Fully healed, the party moves out and continues exploration on the far sid eof the waterfall. The first chamber they come to is hidden in inky blackness. Chanee concentrates on the room and determines evil lurks therein; and immediately offers to enter the black to investigate.  With a safety rope around his waist, the paladian enters and the party shortly hears him bump into something. Chanee returns in a few moments holding a massive star sapphire, and immediately urges the party onward.  Said party, however, is suspicious. The paladin is being very vocal and pushy and somewhat abrasive; all much at odds with his usual character. He also offers no details of where he is leading them and why. A series of more probing questions and spells (both protective and inquisitive) convinces the party their champion of law and good has been possessed by some evil spirit. 

The party convinces/coerces Chanee into returning to their rest area so the spellcasters can rest and learn new spells. The "paladin" reluctantly agrees. But in the middle of his watch, he used a vial of Nolzur's Wonderous Pigment to make a death pit. And pushes his watch-partner Usborn  into  said pit. Erijay, half-awake, is able to save the gnome with featherfall, but Chanee throws open the door and runs. He is out of sight before the rest of the party can be awakened. But upon pursuit they run into him coming back to them.The apologetic adventurer blurts out a story of being possessed by a malign spirit when he picked up the great gem. It took over his body and compelled him to seek a nearby room, and there enter a secret below-floor chamber where the body of a man lay floating in mid-air over top of a hoard of treasure. And the spirit them left his body and brought this floating man back to life! And, now back in control of his own body, Chanee ran. At this point, they hear from just down the corridor a crashing sound as if a cavern was collapsing. 

Expecting trouble from whoever or whatever this man is, the party retreats to a defensive choke point. After a few minutes they hear the faint fall of footsteps coming towards them; and they see a middle aged man, dressed in loose clothes of yellow and black, standing at the turn in the corridor. And they immediately open hostilities. Spells are slung, and all of the party except Chanee find themselves trapped behind a web spell. The paladin tries to hack down the figure, but magical defensives protect him. And before the rest of the party can burn through the web, the man casts a spell and flees in haste. Once freed, the party tries to pursue, but with a head start the man is nowhere to be found. They do find, however, another  way across the raging underground stream; a natural stone arch bridge, guarded by more quaggoth. And they also find someone or something has removed their pinions and rope at the entrance, leaving them effectively trapped in the ice caves. 

Undeterred, Chanee leads them back to the room where the body was found. What was once a hidden  staircase leading down to the chamber with the body and treasure, is now a pile of ice collapsed from the ceiling above. Using another vial of Nolzur's Wonderous Pigment, Usborn designs an angled mine shaft to penetrate though the rubble and into the secret room. It was as  Chanee described, minus the body. The room was empty but for the end of the now blocked stairs hanging in mid-air, and a scattering of treasure at the  room some 20-30' away. However, when the party starts to emerge from the tunnel, they find there is actually a block of perfectly clear ice floating in the mid-air, and there is another layer of perfectly clear ice between them and the treasure ... 

GAINS

Star Sapphire [5000gp]

KILLS/VICTORIES

None

LOSSES

All trust in Channe