Post by David on Nov 10, 2008 21:26:38 GMT -5
The heroes (Dion, Marc, Mikhail with Samhain, Sky, Daj, Pepper, Semi, Helga, Elric, and Alec) were surprised when a babau appeared amongst them, summoned by Helga's accidental glance at a cursed scroll. A single psionic blast took out several party members, including Jellie, Thera, Doby, and Sky. The demon then set about slaughtering the party, starting with Helga...! Daj fumbles and stuns herself, requiring Pepper to save her. Meanwhile, Marc and Sammy keep the demon busy long enough for Sky to recover and enwrap the babau. Ultimately, faced with death or retreat, the demon teleports away.
The heroes have nearly a half hour to rest, although wind up using nearly all their remaining curative powers, spells, and items to save the wounded. That's when the heroes here a pounding on the alchemical lab door -- three hill giants seem to be QUITE eager to visit. Marc with King, Queen, and Bronson as well as Mikhail deal with one giant, while Semi, Helga, Dajamira, Pepper, and Pepper engage the other, with the third being paralyzed by Helga's wyvern watch (niiice!). Sky, however, wasn't fooled for a minute and waited for the babau to teleport back to the attack. She was right too! The demon had somewhere gotten healed, but soon found itself again in the young salamander's coils, slowly being crushed to death until it again teleported away, just as the last of the giants fell. Marc moved to finish off the paralyzed one when he felt a (failed!) mental assault. The babau was attacking psionically from the hallway beyond, confident it could again teleport to safety. The poor babau didn't realize how fast the beastmaster and his pack of wolves could run!
After all the noise and blood, the heroes decide to rest in another room. They move to an alchemical lab and sleep in the dark, with Pepper using an improved phantasmal force of a wall over the hallway to give the group cover. In the first hour a black pudding accidentally slipped through, but Mikhail mentally confused it, buying Marc and the other heroes the time they needed to squish it dead. Four hours later five gargoyles arrived, and these too were quickly slaughted.
The heroes now decide to try another room -- one with a door, and so they return up to the second level where they come across first a small empty room and then a jail of sorts. The heroes handily slaughter the ogre and bugbear wardens and discover three humans and four elves as prisoners. One of the humans, a bandit named Olaf, tries to join the party, but no one trusts him. The elves are lead by Juffer, who insists he and his entourage must be released "as a matter of State", but the heroes convince the elves to remain in their cells until morning.
Three times before morning, however, the group has visitors!
The first time its eleven men with a single prisoner. Marc tackles the leaders while Helga and Daj slaughter all the underlings. The prisoner, however, elects to run rather than stay with the group.
Later, two trolls arrive, one savaging Marc and shouldering him out of the way while his companion nearly slaughters Samhain. The heroes, however, recover and counter-attack, although Semi spent most of the combat snoring or trying to find his sword (he left them in his other jammies).
Finally, three more hill giants arrive. These foes turn out to be far louder than scary as Dajamira kills two simply with her "tiger style" slaps! Meanwhile, Helga and Pepper show the party just how useful dwarvish and gnomish fighting skills are against such foes!
In the morning, Dion removes the curses on two of the elves, who reveal that they are Countess Trillahi of Celene and her champion, Sir Juffer. Elric has determined this truth earlier via his mental powers, but kept the elven nobles' secret. With their spell ability returned, however, the elves agree to watch over the heroes outside in the woods as well as guide two of the other human prisoners back to Klarr (no one seems to like Olaf, who is VERY eager to destroy the Fire Temple).
In the late morning of the 25th, the heroes re-enter the Temple. Two ghouls are waiting for them in the above-ground structure, but Dion barely flicks his holy symbol at the pair before they're turned to dust! The heroes then meet a pair of bar-llgura who unleash illusionary fireballs and lightning bolts, taking out most of the animals and seriously hurting poor Dion and nearly killing Alec.
With these demons dead, the heroes descend to the second level and take the large staircase to what Olaf described as the Interdicted Temple. There, the heroes see a single sculpture of a beautiful woman carved of ice with a black curtain running from floor to ceiling behind her. The heroes move in, only to watch the woman come to life, gaze at Helga, and turn the dwarf to ICE! Pepper puts up a gaze reflection and is able to observe the creature. Marc, however, attacks physically, while Sky closes her eyes and wraps the creature up. The monster shatters in the salamander's coils! But what about Helga.
Thinking quickly, Dajamira reduces the dwarf's icy form and the group wraps her in leathers and puts her in Mikhail's bag of holding. Finally, the heroes take the ice maiden's remains (thick snow?) and dump it in the bag too, to keep the dwarf from thawing too quicking. Finally, Dion thinks quicking and casts an endure heat on Helga, giving her at least ten and a half hours more!
The heroes continue and pull aside the black curtain. Beyond is a pair of massive bronze doors, sealed with iron putted and mithril chains as well as glowing runes. Only Marc, Dion, and Dajamira can stand to look at the magical sigils -- everyone else flees back up the stairs in the previous level. Thinking quickly, Daj turns the doors invisible so the heroes can see what lies beyond and PERHAPS Mikhail can teleport to the other side (since he can no longer see the runes!).
The heroes have nearly a half hour to rest, although wind up using nearly all their remaining curative powers, spells, and items to save the wounded. That's when the heroes here a pounding on the alchemical lab door -- three hill giants seem to be QUITE eager to visit. Marc with King, Queen, and Bronson as well as Mikhail deal with one giant, while Semi, Helga, Dajamira, Pepper, and Pepper engage the other, with the third being paralyzed by Helga's wyvern watch (niiice!). Sky, however, wasn't fooled for a minute and waited for the babau to teleport back to the attack. She was right too! The demon had somewhere gotten healed, but soon found itself again in the young salamander's coils, slowly being crushed to death until it again teleported away, just as the last of the giants fell. Marc moved to finish off the paralyzed one when he felt a (failed!) mental assault. The babau was attacking psionically from the hallway beyond, confident it could again teleport to safety. The poor babau didn't realize how fast the beastmaster and his pack of wolves could run!
After all the noise and blood, the heroes decide to rest in another room. They move to an alchemical lab and sleep in the dark, with Pepper using an improved phantasmal force of a wall over the hallway to give the group cover. In the first hour a black pudding accidentally slipped through, but Mikhail mentally confused it, buying Marc and the other heroes the time they needed to squish it dead. Four hours later five gargoyles arrived, and these too were quickly slaughted.
The heroes now decide to try another room -- one with a door, and so they return up to the second level where they come across first a small empty room and then a jail of sorts. The heroes handily slaughter the ogre and bugbear wardens and discover three humans and four elves as prisoners. One of the humans, a bandit named Olaf, tries to join the party, but no one trusts him. The elves are lead by Juffer, who insists he and his entourage must be released "as a matter of State", but the heroes convince the elves to remain in their cells until morning.
Three times before morning, however, the group has visitors!
The first time its eleven men with a single prisoner. Marc tackles the leaders while Helga and Daj slaughter all the underlings. The prisoner, however, elects to run rather than stay with the group.
Later, two trolls arrive, one savaging Marc and shouldering him out of the way while his companion nearly slaughters Samhain. The heroes, however, recover and counter-attack, although Semi spent most of the combat snoring or trying to find his sword (he left them in his other jammies).
Finally, three more hill giants arrive. These foes turn out to be far louder than scary as Dajamira kills two simply with her "tiger style" slaps! Meanwhile, Helga and Pepper show the party just how useful dwarvish and gnomish fighting skills are against such foes!
In the morning, Dion removes the curses on two of the elves, who reveal that they are Countess Trillahi of Celene and her champion, Sir Juffer. Elric has determined this truth earlier via his mental powers, but kept the elven nobles' secret. With their spell ability returned, however, the elves agree to watch over the heroes outside in the woods as well as guide two of the other human prisoners back to Klarr (no one seems to like Olaf, who is VERY eager to destroy the Fire Temple).
In the late morning of the 25th, the heroes re-enter the Temple. Two ghouls are waiting for them in the above-ground structure, but Dion barely flicks his holy symbol at the pair before they're turned to dust! The heroes then meet a pair of bar-llgura who unleash illusionary fireballs and lightning bolts, taking out most of the animals and seriously hurting poor Dion and nearly killing Alec.
With these demons dead, the heroes descend to the second level and take the large staircase to what Olaf described as the Interdicted Temple. There, the heroes see a single sculpture of a beautiful woman carved of ice with a black curtain running from floor to ceiling behind her. The heroes move in, only to watch the woman come to life, gaze at Helga, and turn the dwarf to ICE! Pepper puts up a gaze reflection and is able to observe the creature. Marc, however, attacks physically, while Sky closes her eyes and wraps the creature up. The monster shatters in the salamander's coils! But what about Helga.
Thinking quickly, Dajamira reduces the dwarf's icy form and the group wraps her in leathers and puts her in Mikhail's bag of holding. Finally, the heroes take the ice maiden's remains (thick snow?) and dump it in the bag too, to keep the dwarf from thawing too quicking. Finally, Dion thinks quicking and casts an endure heat on Helga, giving her at least ten and a half hours more!
The heroes continue and pull aside the black curtain. Beyond is a pair of massive bronze doors, sealed with iron putted and mithril chains as well as glowing runes. Only Marc, Dion, and Dajamira can stand to look at the magical sigils -- everyone else flees back up the stairs in the previous level. Thinking quickly, Daj turns the doors invisible so the heroes can see what lies beyond and PERHAPS Mikhail can teleport to the other side (since he can no longer see the runes!).
