The group decided to go through the door, when the air shimmered and popped and.......Paskan appeared beside them.
No sooner had they welcomed Paskan back than Anor kicked open the door. He was getting quite good at this now. A long passage way led to another door.
Anor pushed into the room, which was divided by a triangular pillar in the centre. Anor encountered a Wererat. Paskan and Bandur entered the room.
Anor was taking on 3 Wererats as Paskan was ambushed by 3 more. He quickly killed one, as did Anor.
Karion moved to support Paskan as Bandur and Aramil moved to support Anor.
Anor was hard pressed as a Wererat charged into Bandur shoving him backwards onto a pit trap. The trap activated but Bandur activated his ring of feather fall.
Aramil let fly a poison spray cantrip.
The remaining Wererats were dispatched and the group moved long a corridor toward another room when Anor activated a second pit trap.
Rubble blocked the exit leaving a narrow gap. Bandur went through first and the others followed.
At the bottom of the stairs a corridor led off to the left (north) as they approached the end they came to a door. Karion cast detect evil and the signs indicated there was a strong presence of evil behind the door.
Anor kicked the door open and led the group into a cavern.
The group moved to cover corners as Paskan advanced forward, perhaps too far forward. He could see a stone, suspended in the air by chains with what looked like skulls embedded in the face of the stone. A strange mechanical device stood between the tethered, floating stone and an enclosed space, in the centre of which he could make out the stump of an old, dead tree.
Paskan moved to the nearest chain and took a swing at it with his long sword.
Of course, no plan survives 1st contact with the enemy.........unless you split the party up!
The Voice: "What is this that stands before me? Figures with swords that point at me!"
Anor had gone wide left and both he and Paskan were subject to a number of magical attacks. Calling on his favourite spell Aramil fire balled Paskan but not before protecting him from the effects of the fireball.
Paskan charged forward as the floating creature elevated itself beyond his reach. Looking left Paskan could see the minotaur bearing down on him full of rage and swinging a mighty axe. Arrows flew out of the darkness but none hit their intended targets. A horde of Wererats moved into view. Figures appeared in the circular rocky area, the elad figure looked like a magic user or shaman type.
Bandur hunted down the wererats by the entrance door as Aramil and Karion moved to a central position.
Aramil could now see the floating creature.
Aramil: "What TF is that....?"
He cast a 2nd fireball spell but nothing happened.
Aramil: "WTF!"
Karion: "It's a Beholder, it's central eye casts a permanent anti-magic field. It has ten smaller eye stalks, each one casts a different spell effect."
Aramil: "Now you tell me!"
(Anti-Magic cone)
Paskan was trading blows with the Minotaur but was coming off 2nd best. He had to take healing potion after healing potion to stay in the fight, and the Minotaur showed no sign of slowing.
Bandur was swinging his axe with glee but managed to damage it during his fight with the Wererats. He kept his mind on the job by singing his polishing ditty in his head.
"Bandur took out his mighty axe
and gave it one last polish.
He gave the enemy forty smacks.
They asked him what they had done,
but Bandur laughed with relish
and gave the next 1, forty one."
Anor was now free to move as the Beholder was fixated on Aramil. Karion was taking on Wererats as Bandur finished off the Wererats attacking him. Paskan was now in dire straights.
Bandur had cleared up.
Anor had moved behind a pillar of rock out of the gaze of the Beholder. Aramil, Bandur and Karion were dealing with the last Wererats. But Paskan.......
A mighty blow from the Minotaur had felled Paskan.
TBC Time was running out!
Suddenly Karion was gripped by an unseen force and he was lifted from the ground and moved some 30ft to his left. As soon as his feet touched the ground they turned grey, he was unable to move as the petrification of his body started. Anor moved from behind the pilar of rock and pointed his sword at the Beholder, it was a bluff move, he wanted to see if the central eye was active:
Anor: "The eye's not active....... blast it!"
Aramil unloaded a full magazine from his crossbow, Anor dropped his sword and swung into action with his crossbow. Bandur drew back his longbow and let fly a deadly arrow, the beholder fell to the cavern floor, dead.
Aramil moved from behind the floating stone as it blocked his site, as he did so he muttered the words and the sculpt protection and launched another fireball centred on the Minotaur.
Paskan managed to regain his feet and hit the Minotaur, blocking a mighty blow with his shield. Yet again he was pummelled by the frenzied, unrelenting assault of the Minotaur.
Aramil's arsenal of spells was running low but he again hurled another fireball, this time centred on the Minotaur.
Anor, followed by Bandur charged into the Minotaur and swung blow after blow but the Minotaur, enraged and frenzied seemed to shrug the damage off. The Minotaur swept it's axe, hitting Anor and Bandur, Paskan was gored by the horns. They could not take much more of this, the Minotaur had to drop soon.
Again Aramil let loose a fireball as Karion moved forward to give aid to Anor and Bandur.
Paskan was down. Anor was teetering on his feet, barely staying upright. Bandur was now better. The Minotaur had taken it's toll. Karion stepped forward and offered what healing aid he could as the 3 downed healing potions to revive themselves.
The air shimmered and popped. What now thought the group, another monster coming to kill us all, to finish us off. Weapons and shields were readied for the new onslaught. What a surprise as Heimund stood before them, regaled in new armour.
Heimund: "Hi".
Bandur: "It's him, the one with the big ears......."
Heimund: "Look it's him with no legs and half a beard!"
The welcomes over Heimund looked around.
Heimund: "Come Bandur there's work to do, I fancy the Minotaur skull for a new helm.....and with horns!"
Anor and Karion approached the circle of stones and the user of magic as Heimund and Bandur began hacking the head of the Minotaur, Paskan tried to grab the mighty axe but the death grip of the Minotaur made it all but impossible.
Anor was still unsteady on his feet as Paskan came up to join them, he offered Anor some more healing.
The magic user before them waved his hands and the air shimmered a wall of rock was now between Paskan, Anor, Karion and Heimund and Bandur. Both groups looked left and right as two giant creatures materialised and charged into the attack. They appeared to be a giant chicken and a giant rabbit (Well it is Easter chaps!)
The chicken was killed first by mighty blows from Heimund and Bandur.
The giant rabbit jumped onto Paskan, Anor and Karion but did no damage.
and fell to their blows soon after.
Suddenly the air shimmered and the wizard (magic user) and his minions were no longer visible. The wall of stone had disappeared allowing Bandur and Heimund to join the others as Aramil moved closer too. Before Anor, Karion and Paskan could move the winged demon spoke.
Demon: "What is this that stands before me. Figures in black with swords that point at me. Who is your leader?"
Anor recognised the voice , the same they heard when entering the cavern.
Anor: "We have no such leader but I will speak for the group. We came here searching for a remedy to heal this persons father, who is stricken and in chains above us. We have no intention of defiling this place further but I fear the object of our need is no longer here".
Demon: "Do what you will here, you have freed me, whomever struck those chains allowed me to free myself. I have banished those responsible. However, you have in your possession that what you need, take it plunge it deep within the ruined tree. All will be well."
In the blink of an eye the demon was gone. Karion advanced toward the tree stump. He could see a roundish hole half way up the stump. He plunged the dagger into the hole as hard as he could. Driven in with such force. A red sap flowed freely but solidified as soon as it ran down the tree stump. Using the central pendent Karion went to his father. The moon had risen but his father remained unchanged, as the moon rose higher the chains and shackles that bound him shattered and he was free.
It was some time before the others joined him.
Karion: "What took you so long?"
Aramil: "You'll see why when we get you back to your village".
Einalis Velorna: "Let me".
He drew a circle, he added some inscriptions and a teleportation circled shimmered on the ground.
Einalis Velorna: "Quickly now it woun't stay active for too long."
One by one they stepped through, Karion's father last. They stood in the village of
Aramil: "You didn't say your father was a wizard!"
Karion: "Oh, I thought I had."
Two days later, after much partying, Aramil bade his farewells to the group. He had to promised to return to Susan and he intended to keep that promise. Before departing Karion gave Aramil an engraved stone for him, engraved on the stone was the sigil of the Evoker.
Karion's father cast teleportation again and Aramil, with a last wave of his hand, stepped through to keep his promise to Susan.
PLAYERS INFORMATION:
(UP) Level 3 to Level 4.
BEHOLDER HORDE:33,000gp 3800pp
10 250gp art objects
Bag with 7 x 1,000gp gems
Combined money = 11,542 gp each (split 6 ways)
Potion of stone giant strength
Potion of fire giant strength
potion of cloud giant strength
Potion of Frost giant strength
Potion of longevity: Potion of Longevity Potion, very rare When you drink this potion, your physical age is reduced by 1d6 + 6 years, to a minimum of 13 years. Each time you subsequently drink a potion of longevity, there is 10 percent cumulative chance that you instead age by 1d6 + 6 years.
Saddle of the
cavalier: (To Anor) The Saddle of the Cavalier is a magnificent piece of equipment, fit for a king or queen. It is said that this saddle was once owned by a great and powerful ruler, who used it to lead his or her troops into battle. The saddle is made of the finest leather, and is adorned with gold and silver accents. It is extremely comfortable, and allows the rider to sit up straight and tall in the saddle. The Saddle of the Cavalier also has a special feature – it allows the rider to call forth a steed from the Other Plane, which will serve them faithfully in battle.
Bag of beans (6 beans, magical random effects......can be dangerous)
4 Potions of 2-20 healing
Potion of diminution (reduce in size 1 level)
Potion of speed (as the haste speed but lasts for 1 round)
2 Potion of invisibility (as the spell invisibility)
To Karion from Aramil:
Bag of holding.
Swans feather, magical, turns into a boat
10 longbow arrows
20 silver bolts
Rod of command
Character Money up to and including the above gains:
