Gygax and Greyhawk Session #50 - The Long Way Out

 DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 6) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 5) 
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 6/ Thief 6) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) 

Date/Time

??

After much discussion, the decision is made to get out of the Tower and out of Hell as quickly and efficiently as possible. They decide to return the way they came, back though the stone office and across the cavernous chamber with the giant skeleton. To aid their escape, Solcha casts haste and the party is able to get across the chamber before the titan can intercept. Unfortunately, they soon run into a problem. The secret door through which they'd entered is gone. It can not be found by any means. That means a hasted dash back through the skeleton chamber and back up the balcony. It looks like they're taking the longer exploration route after all. 

Now they run into another problem; they have run out of red candles. This makes passing through the two red gem arches on their escape route hazardous. In the end all four are affected; Skeef ages, Solcha shrinks, and Ranzel and Goro are transformed into imps.  Though now a somewhat more divisive party, they continue on together. Pushing along the long corridor, they have a quick peak into the circular chamber to find the cinnamon-skinned she-devil has been joined by Chamazi. The two seem to  silently 'converse', until Chamazi finally stands and then disappears. 

Pushing on past the end of the corridor, they party emerges through a black gem archway onto a wind sweapt mountain range, apparently somewhere in Avernus. However as they look around, the 'image' flickers and fades every so often. In fact,they realize they are in another large, illusion cloaked chamber. Working their way around the walls when the illusion allows, they trace out the dimensions and discover a single door and a narrow dug tunnel. Ranzel-Imp decides to check out the tunnel, but as he bends to crawl in, a screech comes from the sky above and a trio of erinye devils plummet towards them. As the remaining three party members battle the erinye (dropping one from the sky in the process), Ranzel-Imp finds himself in a long corridor. He also finds a short dead end passage. Since it leads back towards the room where his comrades battle, the imp searches and finds a secret door. This allows the battered three to escape the clutches of the flying she-devils. 

Turning north, they soon come to a dead end. Solcha, however, is able to find a secret door, and they cautiously enter the chamber beyond. In front of them is a vast pool of blood, overlooked by a the statue of a goat-headed devil holding a large staff or something similar. As they  watch a figure appears at the bottom of a broad set of stairs leading up to the pool. The figure climbs the stairs, and upon reaching the top it's neck opens as if slashed by an invisible knife and gouts of blood pour forth. The blood gathers into grooves that feed it into the waiting pool. After this, the body dissolves into fine ash that floats away on currents in the vast room. This continues to happen  every few minutes, and the party decides to just get out of this horror chamber. But first Goro-Imp has to check the statue. The staff is actually a glaive with a rose-gold blade and shaft of dark ebonwood. He also notes writing, in High Infernal, at the base of the statue; the phrase "Drink of my Blood". Goro-Imp snatches the glaive with no ill effect. At Ranzel-Imps urging, both imps do drink the blood, and are each 'rewarded' with a red candle of Astaroth. 

Exiting the blood chamber, the party enters a small stone office. They loot a protection scroll, a red candle and three pages (which seem to be magic) from a book of brass plates on the desk. Leaving though the only other door, they enter another colossal chamber. There is no time to look around however as with a scream three harpies dive on them from the darkness above. This fight is over relatively quickly thanks to the two imps and their poison stings, although it was marred by the harpies defecating on and coating the party in foul acided harpy dung. Ranzel-Imp flies up to the peaked ceiling and loots the harpies perchs, recovering in one some respite and another Jewel of Nessus. 

Their last challenge is a trapped door where Skeef loses vision in one eye. And they then find themselves back at the great sloping passage leading down from the surface ruins. Before leaving, however, the two imps are forced back through the nearby red-black archway to turn them back to good old Goro and Ranzel. Solcha likewise does the same to regain her height; but Skeef cannot shake off his grey hairs and added years ... 

GAINS

3 red candles of Astaroth

107 Grave Wafers [respite] 

Knightfall (glaive +5) 

Scroll of Protection from Undead 

Scroll/brass plates - ???

Jewel of Nessus 

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 erinye

3 dire harpies  

LOSSES

Skeefs' eye

Goro and Ranzel's dignity 

Gygax and Greyhawk Session #49 - Chamazi

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 6) 

Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 5) 
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 6/ Thief 6) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 4 / Fighter 5) 

Date/Time

??

As the party pauses for breath and looks around them, they note the only exit from the small balcony is a stone door, on which is carved a slightly opened stone mouth. As the rumble of the skeleton and chain continues below, the mouth animates and, pursing it's lips, releases a gust of wind and blows all four off the balcony to the danger below. A combination of magic, thief skill, potion and luck has all four scrambling back up before the skeleton could strike again. They try multiple ways to appease the mouth as it continues to buffet and lash them, and in the end it subsides only when Goro and Ranzel force the door open. 

Beyond the door is a bleak, cold, stone office, smeared with ash. There are four stone bookcases inset in the walls, and a stone desk. On one shelf is a potion, which Ranzel tests and finds is a potion of levitation. Looking around, they note that on the desk and above each bookcase is a smaller version of the mouth on the door. Skeef starts to search the desk, at which point all 5 mouths in the room speak: "What is our number? The druid/thief responds "six", to include the one on the door. This results in a hidden drawer opening on the desk. Inside is a black candle of Astaroth, and a strange brittle leather pouch containing respite (whisper and myth) plus a strange medallion marked with a blazing fireball. 

As Skeef examines the desk, he looks closer at the mouth carved upon it and notes that there is some sort of pale pink fleshy material caught in its teeth. It looks like the medallion of myth he'd just discovered, so one is fed to the mouth.  The mouth animates and devours the medallion, then two of the bookcases that Solcha suspected hid secret doors (west and south) begin the sink into the floor. The south one reveals a passageway extending into darkness, while to the west it uncovers a small alcove. In the alcove the party recovers a pair of purple candles, a red candle, a magic user spell scroll, a heavy velvet cloak (devils mantle) and a gem glowing with a strange pink-red light (jewel of nessus). The gem is hot and cannot be safely handled by anyone but Solcha with her ring of fire resistance, but it casts a generous amount of illumination in contrast their their own feeble torch. 

Heading now into the winding southern passage, they use one of their candles to pass through a red gem gate. At one point they pass an alcove on the right, with an indentation about 5' above the ground in the shape of a humanoid face. Goro figure this may be some way to secretly view interior rooms, and may help them with their goal of safely locating the Herald of Hextor. So he sticks his face in; and promptly disappears. Troubled, but unable to do anything right now for their missing companion, the other three continue on. They come to another alcove, and this time Ranzel risks a look. At first the ranger is gagged by a tongue thrust down his  throat, but is then able to see through the carved eyeholes. He observes a circular room decorated with silk pillows and cushions, gold and polished wood, perfused censors, and a large brass hookah. He also sees someone sitting at the hookah; a beautiful woman with cinnamon brown skin and dressed in a diaphanous black gown. And with a forked tail and small bat wings at her shoulder. 

Razel pulls himself away, and finds the tongue has taken his voice. Sharing pantomime and hand gestures, the three decide to go back to the first alcove and follow Goro though. And all find themselves standing back at the red gem gate they first passed though to enter this corridor.  Using another red candle, they bypass the gate again to continue exploring along this perimeter passage. They come to another alcove, and again Ranzel risks the mask. This time he observes a largely featureless room. Pressing on, they reach a point where the passage ends and opens into another large space. There is also another alcove to the left, and this one Goro tries. This time he feels something crawl into this ears and wriggle past his brain before gaining a view. This time he sees their target; a huge pit fiend marked on the forehead with Hextor's symbol. This must be Chamazi. He is with another figure, a slight man in black and red, with wings of a house-fly sprouting from his shoulders and tiny pointed horns on his head. To two do not speak, but seem to be in some sort of communication. After some time they seem to make an agreement, and Chamzai gets up and leaves the room. 

At this point Goro emerges from the mask, having lost his hearing. The cleric is satisfied he has what he needs to appease Heironeous, and wants to get out of this literal hell-hole post haste. Solcha supports him, but Skeef and Ranzel think it may be worth pushing on and taking their chances for the opportunity at great riches and magical treasures that must lie somewhere in the tower ...

GAINS

2 purple candles of Astaroth

1 red candle of Astaroth

1 black candle of Astaroth 

12 rings of Whisper [respite]

5 medallions of Myth [respite]

Fireball trinket

Scroll - 1 MU Spell

Devils Mantle

Jewel of Nessus 

Potion of Levitation 

KILLS/VICTORIES

none 

LOSSES

Ranzels tongue

Goros hearing