DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8)
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]
Date/Time
Patchwall 10 (mid-day) to Ready'reat 3 (end of day)
... a bizarre creature, in the form of a glossy black tentacled ball with flat black eyes, materializes out of nowhere. It first lashes out at Goro, and the half-orc is chilled by a deep numbing to his soul. And is also unimpressed to find his clothes, backpack, general gear and half his magical items disintegrate into a fine dust. The party attacks, but the paladin is blasted by a bolt of the same chilling effect and likewise is left bereft of all items except sword and shield. And when slain, the thing explodes and causes the same material and magical item destruction on rest of the party.
Determined more than ever to gain Iggwilv's treasure in composition, they carefully remove the cage (without touching it) and examine the hollow. They note the whole top appears to be inset into the stone block, so Goro uses the chime to lift the block free. Below is a black stone coffin, and at it's head a space holding seven books. The books ere carefully removed (again without touching) and the coffin opened. Inside they find the reforming shape of the warrior women. Which they immediately stake through the heart and behead. Solcha uses the Codex of the Blood Tyrants to learn the woman is definitely a vampire; Drelnza, daughter of Iggwilv, left here to guard her mothers' treasures. The codex also reveal Drelnza is in fact Iggwilv's favorite child, her 'treasure'. And the party just destroyed her...
Examining the books, they find six of they are beneficial magical tombs to help increase natural abilities. The seventh is obviously of great evil, even before the paladin detects it as such. The cage is simply a puzzle, unopenable by any means they possess. The party carefully gathers the magical books, cage, lanthorn, gold chain and Drelnza's sword and armor (which the naked paladin claims). But they are now left with a problem. One of the magical items lost was their bag of holding, and they are now standing ankle deep in gold and platinum coins, with no easy way to get them out of the dungeon. Two surviving pots of Nolzur's Marvelous Pigment are used to make sacks and clothing, and a cart. Manhbalding all the treasure out the of the spherical room and into the cart, the party drags it all back to the first level. And then realize that without their carpet of flying, they cannot get out the way they got in. After a bit of half-hearted exploration, they decide the dump most of the coinage and keep the gems and jewelry. They rest for the night so Solcha can memorize enough fly spells for them to leave via the dracolisk's mountainside exit. From there they take an uneventful journey back to Thornwood in Bissel to rest, train and study their new found library ...
No comments:
Post a Comment