Pharast 3, 4712
Having spent the night resting in a dimensional space, the party emerges from the fortress. Gerald was unable to rest, however, so he looks haggard and was unable to recuperate his spells. Fortunately for him, there were no random encounters. With two unopened doors, the Coopers decide to head north. Daryle opens the bronze door. A blast of cold air rushes past.
The room features five sets of bunk beds, upon which are the bodies of seventeen priests wearing various religious garments. Each priest worshiped a different deity, and each one had their throat slit. Though clearly Azlanti, the priests appear as if they had just been killed. A layer of ice covers everything. Nothing that he is still without pants, Omok looks for a body with pants. He discovers that this particular priest worshiped his own deity. He takes the body into the magical room, casts a small spell and is attacked by a small fireball, which de-ices the pants.
The Coopers take a look around. Roscoe surmises that the priests in this room were executed to conduct a sordid ritual. Rowen suggests that Roscoe could use the wand of resurrection to bring back one of the good-aligned priest. Roscoe agrees that this is not a bad idea. Returning to the room now wearing pants, Omox takes another look and he discovers an amulet of spell storing on one of the dead bodies. Roscoe asks the hobgoblin to find a good-aligned priest. Omok examines each person's religious symbol carefully and he is able to identify five good deities, two neutral deities, and two evil deities. While no one is looking, he takes one of the evil priests' amulet of Nurgal. Rowen, spotting Omox, does the same thing and he grabs the amulet of Achaekek.
Using the wand of resurrection, Roscoe resurrects a female priest of Shelyn. Once she recuperates from the shock of her death and her return to life thousands of years later, she begins to speak Azlanti. Gerald understands about a third of the conversation, while Omok casts comprehend languages on himself and acts as a translater for the rest of the group. Inexplicably, Rowen also speaks a fluent, if garbled dialect of Azlanti. It's almost as if he had been taught the language by a zombie...
The priestess introduces herself as Iaome and she explains to the party that she had been kidnapped by cultists of the Shadowed Fire, and had been brought to this distant continent and to this Spire to be sacrificed so that Yarrix could be restored to her full power and break the ward that keeps her in this tomb. Clearly, the ritual had failed.
When she concludes her tale, She is healed by Omox, Gerald and Roscoe. Roscoe asks her if she would like to join them in their quest, and she replies in the positive, since the world she came from is gone and she'd rather not remain here in this tomb.
While the party remains in the cold room discussing their current predicament, Daryle moves across the main room and heads to the southern door. She listens to the door but she hears nothing. She opens the door and is greeted by a blast of fresh air. The room is a vision of hell. A sarcophagus stands in the middle of a swirling cloud of greenish gas. Gargoyles are in the wall spewing the gas, while purplish flames lick the walls and the floors. Darelle comes up behind her and slowly the rest of the party meanders over to observe this room.
After some discussion, it is agreed that Gerald should deal with this situation. The sorcerer decides that a fireball will burn the fog and deal with any presence in the room. The fog is indeed burned off, but unfortunately, the plan goes awry as the fireball enters the room. It returns to the sender, hitting him and two others behind him. Smoke arises as charred clothes falls off Gerald.
Omok uses a spell to protect himself, then he enters the room. He circles around the sarcophagus, then takes a closer look at it. Without knowing, he is transported to an alternate dimensional space. Two demons step out of the shadows and attack him. Outside the room, Darelle notices that something is wrong with Omok and he does not appear to be moving anymore. She also enters the room, but as she nears the sarcophagus she too becomes trapped in this space, and she must engage the demons.
Daryle realizes something is wrong. She tells Roscoe, but the Hellknight hesitates to enter the room as more fog has started pouring from the gargoyles' mouths again. His sister convinces him to go, so he enters the room with weapons drawn, but when he takes a look at the other two members of the party he also sees the symbol on top of the sarcophagus' lid and he is also transported to an alternate reality.
Now three of the party members appear paralyzed in front of the sarcophagus. Meanwhile, Gerald, having recovered from his own attack, uses open to throw the sarcophagus lid off. Again, however, the spell backfires when the lid flies out of the room above Omok, Roscoe and Darelle's heads and lands squarely on Gerald. With the lid open, a mummy arises from the sarcophagus. The great Yarrix joins the fight. Suddenly there are two combat situations going, with Omox, Roscoe and Darelle fighting two demons, and Daryle, Gerald, Thorne and Rowen fighting Yarrix. Upon seeing Yarrix, Rowen takes off and runs away from the room. He enters the temporal trap, and keeps on running.
For a time the demons appear to be winning, as they land successful blows while the party is unable to strike them. But the tide turns when Roscoe lands a critical hit and slays one of the demons. Helped by Omok's summoned creatures, the three of them are able to triumph over the demons and they are immediately ejected from the alternate dimensional space, only to land in a battle with the mummy.
The rest of the party have been pummeling Yarrix with attack after attack, but the mummy seems hardly damaged. Roscoe jumps on top of the sarcophagus and lands a great blow on Yarrix. Having crawled from under the sarcophagus, Gerald, still not having learned from his previous mistakes, casts close on the lid. It goes flying back to the sarcophagus. Yarrix is able to avoid it, but Roscoe gets hit and falls in just before it closes. Now Roscoe is inside!
The fight continues with each member of the party successfully attacking the mummy, but she in returns strikes several times. Eventually, a combination of blows manage to destroy the mummy. Omok rescues Roscoe from the sarcophagus. Being bloodied, the party decide to retreat back to their dimensional space, but they realize that Rowen ran away with the staff. So, they camp in the room with the statues.
Omok asks the the orb of command. his daily question: "How do I read the book without going insane." The orb tells him that he must use goggles of truth seeing.
Roscoe gives the Sword of Savith to Darelle. She now has a better weapon. Eventually, Rowen makes his way back to the party. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of them, he is not rested.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
When the giants have a party
Pharast 20, 4712
Daryle is summoned by Maralictor Wirt to the Juliver Gate, and she is to bring her gear. Wirt has a mission for her. She reports to the gate with her sister Darelle and she is not surprised to see Gerald there as well. Their assignment is to find Byrsag, the hill giant near Dimsdale and collect the back taxes he owes. Wirt believes that the Coopers are the best people for this task since they have already had some dealing with him. They are to make contact with the giant and "convince" him to turn over the two barrels of honey he must pay every quarter. This honey is especially needed now with the rationing and the lack of food. They can use physical force but they are not to kill him, however, as he fulfills a needed economic role in the area. The Coopers are provided with two riding horses, and a sleigh with a team of two horses. Daryle and Darelle will ride the horses, while Gerald will drive the sleigh.
While they are readying their equipment and animals at the Juliver Gate, Cassandra walks in from the refuge camp. She talks to Gerald and attempts to convince him to help her and Nissa by allowing them to stay in his house. Gerald mentions that there are already two families staying there, and that there is no room available. He tells her she should seek shelter in the Hellknights barracks as other civilians are also housed there. Cassandra walks away angry at Gerald. The Coopers shrug, then head out.
The ride to Dimsdale is cold and uneventful. They notice logging activities along the way, with several logging camps set up and hundreds of Hellknights cutting away a large number of trees. Darelle is concerned that these logging operations may not be sustainable. When they arrive in Dimsdale, they notice that the population of has doubled overnight with refugees. Mayor Dunleaf Appletop is happy to see the Coopers again, and greets Gerald enthusiastically. He shares with them some of the hardships the village has been living through since the destruction of part of Fort Inevitable. He also gives them the village's last apple pie.
The Coopers head up the valley, following the pastures that border the river. Slowy they ascend until they reach an altitude of 2,000 feet. Here they find Byrsag's home, a rough one room cabin built of hewed timber. There are several large bee hives as well as a stable. Right away Daryle notices that there is no smoke coming from the cabin's chimney and that all of the shutters are closed. She also sees several large tracks, which indicate that a sleigh pulled by two large draft horses accompanied by the giant left here since the last snow fall and headed north east higher in the mountains. Nevertheless, they decide to check the cabin just in case.
The door is locked from the outside, and there is only one window but it is shuttered. Daryle opens the door and steps inside the cabin. Byrsag appears to have left everything but his winter gear here, indicating that he plans on returning. Gerald looks at the thatching job and sees that it's decent work. But the spigot appears to be broken, so Gerald casts mend. He also uses flaming sphere to start the fire while the rangers place the horses in the barn for the night. They spend the night in the giant's home. The cabin eventually becomes nice and warm. Gerald casts clean to provide himself with a space to place his bedroll, and also wizard lock to close the door, but makes a slight change to allow Byrsag to come in. Fortunately for the girls' sanity, he does not share this information with them.
Pharast 23, 4712
Waking up refreshed after an uneventful night, the Coopers set out with their animals and arrive after two days to find a large stone fort at the bottom of a valley nestled between two high peaks. The fort sits at the base of a large frozen waterfall. This waterfall, when running, falls on the roof of the hall then wraps around on either side and the water forms a natural island. A stone bridge leads from the hall across the river. The tracks on the outside of the fort indicate that a large amount of traffic has circulated through here in the last three days.
As they observe from a distance, Daryle notices two orcs coming out of the only set of doors visible, carrying a large chamber pot on a wooden pole. They carefully make their way on the ice, then dump the waste in the river. Marks on the orcs and the poor quality of their clothing indicate that they are slaves. The Coopers can also hear faint merry singing, even with the distance that separates them. Thinking that the level of intoxication must be high, they decide to enter the giants' fort and explore.
The first room they enter after cracking open one of the giant double doors is the barn. A large numbers of wagons, sleighs, and animals are housed here. A tower in the southwest corner contains hay bales and lead to an observation post above the roof line that is currently not manned. Two well crafted doors stand over twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. They work together and manage to prop one of them open. Inside they see a large corridor leading to a great hall. Though only a portion of the hall is visible, they can see that many giants are gathered here, enjoying food, drinks, and songs. Daryle sees at least three kinds of giants: hill giants, stone giants, and even a frost giant. The sound is deafening. There are smaller doors on either side. As they debate what to do, an unseen giant orders the crowd in the great hall to settle down and let their guest speak. An unseen Greenhide then takes the floor and begins to discuss the possibility of an alliance between the goblins and the giants to attack the Hellknights while they are weak.
Having heard enough, the Coopers decide to open the western door. A corridor leads the length of the fort and sports several doors on either side. This hallway smells of good food and fresh bread, indicating that the kitchen is nearby. The Coopers walk to the end of the hall, and open the furthest door. This appears to be a guest room, richly adorned. Evidence indicates that four giants currently reside here. Gerald proposes to steal some of the giants' possessions and place them in Greenhide's room to mark him as a thief and lose credibility with the giants. Darelle and Daryle agree but decide they should find his room first before encumbering themselves with the giants' stuff.
Other rooms along this corridor include the weapons room and the armory, as well as two other common guest rooms. So far the Coopers have seen that there are at least twenty-two giants in the fort. Not wanting to explore the kitchen while it is being used, the Coopers cross the large hallway leading to the great hall again, and enter the east wing. The first room they enter has a giantess sleeping in the bed, and several gleeming objects on the shelf about ten feet off the ground. They then enter a room where four beds are tightly placed next to each other. On two of these beds two hill giants are passed out drunk. Darelle notices that one of the giants has a bulging purse. After a whispered conference with her siblings, she decides to steal the purse. In it she finds 110 platinum pieces from Galt.
They move on to another room. This room is richly decorated and appears to be unoccupied. Daryle spots a chest, and struggles to open it. Inside she finds female clothes. Meanwhile, Gerald is grabbed from behind and thrown on the ground before being dragged under the bed, where he is attacked by a bear. Darelle manages to charm it. She eventually gets it to climb on the bed, and once he is settled Gerald casts deep slumber and the bear goes down. In the mattress Daryle discovers a large leather backpack with 28 gems of various value, for a nominal value of 5,890 crowns, as well as roughly 5,000 crowns in coinage.
The Coopers then converse with each other. Should they remain here and continue their attempt to set up Greenhide or should they head back to Fort Inevitable with the wealth they found in the mattress? Surely, they surmise, the value of the coins will more than offset the missing honey.
They head back, encountering nothing in the corridor, but when they crack the door to the barn open they see a stone giant accompanied by an ogre. The giant is feeding the animals while the ogre is sweeping the waste away. Darelle and Daryle successfully sneak under the wagons and head towards their own sleigh. Gerald is not so lucky, however, and the money he is carrying jingles, attracting the stone giant's attention. He lumbers over to the first wagon, where Gerald is hiding, and bends down. The stone giant confronts Gerald, mistaking him for an orc and orders him to get back to work. Gerald replies that he's been ordered to lubricate the axle. The stone giant grumbles but heads back to feeding his animals. A few minutes later, both giant and ogre step back into the fort.
The Coopers quickly hitch their animals and ride out of the giants' steadfast.
Pharast 26, 4712
The party returns to Byrsag's house and they check the barn to ensure that there were no honey barrels left, which is indeed the case. They arrives in Dimsdale early in the morning, and provide Mayor Appletop with some of the game they found along the way. The mayor is thankful.
They head back to Fort Inevitable and report what they discovered to Maralictor Wirt. She collects the animals. Darelle turns in 100 of the Galt platinum pieces, while Daryle turns in 2,600 crowns to the Hellknights. Wirt tells them she wants them to go back and find out whether the giants were convinced by Greenhide and, if so, what their plans are. In the meantime she will notify Roscoe and take appropriate defensive measures.
Gerald returns home with flees from Byrsag's home. He finds that Cassandra and Nissa have convinced Roscoe to issue an order relocating them to his bedroom. Gerald heads to the Citadel. He explains to Roscoe what has transpired in the last week and attempts to talk Roscoe into nominating Cassandra as ambassador to the giants. Roscoe replies that he will think about it.
Daryle is summoned by Maralictor Wirt to the Juliver Gate, and she is to bring her gear. Wirt has a mission for her. She reports to the gate with her sister Darelle and she is not surprised to see Gerald there as well. Their assignment is to find Byrsag, the hill giant near Dimsdale and collect the back taxes he owes. Wirt believes that the Coopers are the best people for this task since they have already had some dealing with him. They are to make contact with the giant and "convince" him to turn over the two barrels of honey he must pay every quarter. This honey is especially needed now with the rationing and the lack of food. They can use physical force but they are not to kill him, however, as he fulfills a needed economic role in the area. The Coopers are provided with two riding horses, and a sleigh with a team of two horses. Daryle and Darelle will ride the horses, while Gerald will drive the sleigh.
While they are readying their equipment and animals at the Juliver Gate, Cassandra walks in from the refuge camp. She talks to Gerald and attempts to convince him to help her and Nissa by allowing them to stay in his house. Gerald mentions that there are already two families staying there, and that there is no room available. He tells her she should seek shelter in the Hellknights barracks as other civilians are also housed there. Cassandra walks away angry at Gerald. The Coopers shrug, then head out.
The ride to Dimsdale is cold and uneventful. They notice logging activities along the way, with several logging camps set up and hundreds of Hellknights cutting away a large number of trees. Darelle is concerned that these logging operations may not be sustainable. When they arrive in Dimsdale, they notice that the population of has doubled overnight with refugees. Mayor Dunleaf Appletop is happy to see the Coopers again, and greets Gerald enthusiastically. He shares with them some of the hardships the village has been living through since the destruction of part of Fort Inevitable. He also gives them the village's last apple pie.
The Coopers head up the valley, following the pastures that border the river. Slowy they ascend until they reach an altitude of 2,000 feet. Here they find Byrsag's home, a rough one room cabin built of hewed timber. There are several large bee hives as well as a stable. Right away Daryle notices that there is no smoke coming from the cabin's chimney and that all of the shutters are closed. She also sees several large tracks, which indicate that a sleigh pulled by two large draft horses accompanied by the giant left here since the last snow fall and headed north east higher in the mountains. Nevertheless, they decide to check the cabin just in case.
The door is locked from the outside, and there is only one window but it is shuttered. Daryle opens the door and steps inside the cabin. Byrsag appears to have left everything but his winter gear here, indicating that he plans on returning. Gerald looks at the thatching job and sees that it's decent work. But the spigot appears to be broken, so Gerald casts mend. He also uses flaming sphere to start the fire while the rangers place the horses in the barn for the night. They spend the night in the giant's home. The cabin eventually becomes nice and warm. Gerald casts clean to provide himself with a space to place his bedroll, and also wizard lock to close the door, but makes a slight change to allow Byrsag to come in. Fortunately for the girls' sanity, he does not share this information with them.
Pharast 23, 4712
Waking up refreshed after an uneventful night, the Coopers set out with their animals and arrive after two days to find a large stone fort at the bottom of a valley nestled between two high peaks. The fort sits at the base of a large frozen waterfall. This waterfall, when running, falls on the roof of the hall then wraps around on either side and the water forms a natural island. A stone bridge leads from the hall across the river. The tracks on the outside of the fort indicate that a large amount of traffic has circulated through here in the last three days.
As they observe from a distance, Daryle notices two orcs coming out of the only set of doors visible, carrying a large chamber pot on a wooden pole. They carefully make their way on the ice, then dump the waste in the river. Marks on the orcs and the poor quality of their clothing indicate that they are slaves. The Coopers can also hear faint merry singing, even with the distance that separates them. Thinking that the level of intoxication must be high, they decide to enter the giants' fort and explore.
The first room they enter after cracking open one of the giant double doors is the barn. A large numbers of wagons, sleighs, and animals are housed here. A tower in the southwest corner contains hay bales and lead to an observation post above the roof line that is currently not manned. Two well crafted doors stand over twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. They work together and manage to prop one of them open. Inside they see a large corridor leading to a great hall. Though only a portion of the hall is visible, they can see that many giants are gathered here, enjoying food, drinks, and songs. Daryle sees at least three kinds of giants: hill giants, stone giants, and even a frost giant. The sound is deafening. There are smaller doors on either side. As they debate what to do, an unseen giant orders the crowd in the great hall to settle down and let their guest speak. An unseen Greenhide then takes the floor and begins to discuss the possibility of an alliance between the goblins and the giants to attack the Hellknights while they are weak.
Having heard enough, the Coopers decide to open the western door. A corridor leads the length of the fort and sports several doors on either side. This hallway smells of good food and fresh bread, indicating that the kitchen is nearby. The Coopers walk to the end of the hall, and open the furthest door. This appears to be a guest room, richly adorned. Evidence indicates that four giants currently reside here. Gerald proposes to steal some of the giants' possessions and place them in Greenhide's room to mark him as a thief and lose credibility with the giants. Darelle and Daryle agree but decide they should find his room first before encumbering themselves with the giants' stuff.
Other rooms along this corridor include the weapons room and the armory, as well as two other common guest rooms. So far the Coopers have seen that there are at least twenty-two giants in the fort. Not wanting to explore the kitchen while it is being used, the Coopers cross the large hallway leading to the great hall again, and enter the east wing. The first room they enter has a giantess sleeping in the bed, and several gleeming objects on the shelf about ten feet off the ground. They then enter a room where four beds are tightly placed next to each other. On two of these beds two hill giants are passed out drunk. Darelle notices that one of the giants has a bulging purse. After a whispered conference with her siblings, she decides to steal the purse. In it she finds 110 platinum pieces from Galt.
They move on to another room. This room is richly decorated and appears to be unoccupied. Daryle spots a chest, and struggles to open it. Inside she finds female clothes. Meanwhile, Gerald is grabbed from behind and thrown on the ground before being dragged under the bed, where he is attacked by a bear. Darelle manages to charm it. She eventually gets it to climb on the bed, and once he is settled Gerald casts deep slumber and the bear goes down. In the mattress Daryle discovers a large leather backpack with 28 gems of various value, for a nominal value of 5,890 crowns, as well as roughly 5,000 crowns in coinage.
The Coopers then converse with each other. Should they remain here and continue their attempt to set up Greenhide or should they head back to Fort Inevitable with the wealth they found in the mattress? Surely, they surmise, the value of the coins will more than offset the missing honey.
They head back, encountering nothing in the corridor, but when they crack the door to the barn open they see a stone giant accompanied by an ogre. The giant is feeding the animals while the ogre is sweeping the waste away. Darelle and Daryle successfully sneak under the wagons and head towards their own sleigh. Gerald is not so lucky, however, and the money he is carrying jingles, attracting the stone giant's attention. He lumbers over to the first wagon, where Gerald is hiding, and bends down. The stone giant confronts Gerald, mistaking him for an orc and orders him to get back to work. Gerald replies that he's been ordered to lubricate the axle. The stone giant grumbles but heads back to feeding his animals. A few minutes later, both giant and ogre step back into the fort.
The Coopers quickly hitch their animals and ride out of the giants' steadfast.
Pharast 26, 4712
The party returns to Byrsag's house and they check the barn to ensure that there were no honey barrels left, which is indeed the case. They arrives in Dimsdale early in the morning, and provide Mayor Appletop with some of the game they found along the way. The mayor is thankful.
They head back to Fort Inevitable and report what they discovered to Maralictor Wirt. She collects the animals. Darelle turns in 100 of the Galt platinum pieces, while Daryle turns in 2,600 crowns to the Hellknights. Wirt tells them she wants them to go back and find out whether the giants were convinced by Greenhide and, if so, what their plans are. In the meantime she will notify Roscoe and take appropriate defensive measures.
Gerald returns home with flees from Byrsag's home. He finds that Cassandra and Nissa have convinced Roscoe to issue an order relocating them to his bedroom. Gerald heads to the Citadel. He explains to Roscoe what has transpired in the last week and attempts to talk Roscoe into nominating Cassandra as ambassador to the giants. Roscoe replies that he will think about it.
Friday, September 9, 2016
The purple worm who thought Gerald was delicious
Pharast 2, 4712
The Coopers and Omok rest following their difficult battle with the fire elementals. They are surprised with the double doors open, and in stroll Rowen, Gerald and Thorne. When Rowen and Thorne returned to Fort Inevitable yesterday to return the bolts of dragon slaying +10, they ran into Gerald, who had returned to the Fort after a few days pouting in the woods. He's now ready to return to the Spire, so they trek back in the cold snow to the Spire and arrive on the 11th level in time to reconnect with their siblings.
First, they quickly realize that the 10th level is empty. They discover the dragons' hoard, but all that is left are copper pieces and the odd semi-precious gem. They thus proceed down the steps, and emerge by the Spire on the 11th level. Rowen spots something odd by the foot of the Spire. A large steel chest appears to have been discarded right against the emerald pillar. Thorne attempts to open it, but is unable. Gerald examines the double doors. He discovers a small piece of fabric which belongs to his sister's pants, wedged under the left door. Clearly his sister and the rest of the party came through here recently. Rowen opens the doors, and they step in.
Meanwhile, the Coopers hear the sound of the doors open in the distance, and they ready for battle. Gerald trips and falls in the hallway, cursing his bad luck. Daryle hears him, and rushes to open their door. but before she is able the main doors close. Roscoe, Darelle, Daryle, Gerald, Thorne, Rowen, and Omok are now together and stuck inside Yarrix until they defeat the denizens of this level.
After a heartfelt reunion, the members of the party argue about what to do next. Roscoe takes the initiative. Without waiting for his siblings, he opens the door and casts detect evil. He detects strong current of evil in the room, but the swirling blue mist partially obscures his view. He thinks he can see three foggy figures near the back of the room, but these figures stir and attack. Roscoe manages to alert the rest of the group, but he is tripped to the ground. Gerald rushes in, stands in the door frame, and uses his amazing new magical bow to launch arrows and magic missiles at the targets. Omok rushes in and pushes Gerald into the maws of one of the monsters, which look like giant worms with tiny arms. The worms are holding wands. As Gerald begins to be devoured by the purple worm, Daryle and Thorne launch arrows from the other room, while Darelle and Rowen step in and join the combat. Along with Roscoe, the Coopers and Company fight hard.
Gerald fails to protect himself, becomes unconscious and is eventually swallowed whole by the monster. The Coopers take severe injuries but eventually triumph over these abominations. Darelle cuts Gerald out of the worm, and several rounds of healing bring him back to life. In the meantime, however, Thorne steals Gerald's transport token and Daryle takes his new magical bow.
After a rest, the party decides to head in the opposite direction. They enter a room filled with eight statues. Each of the statues hold a different object, and two of them seem to have had their heads chopped off by another statue, holding a sword in a striking position.
Omok comprehend languages, and discern that this room somehow dealt with the Shadowed Fires. The Coopers are concerned that the statues are alive, and they take precautionary actions. They spread out and get ready to strike. Gerald casts magic missile at one of the statue, and he destroys its face. Suddenly their prediction comes true, and two of the statues animate and attack. The combat is brutal but brief, and the Coopers and their allies come out ahead. They loot the magical objects.
Omok gets the orb of command. Gerald acquires a wand of resurrection with four charges. Thorne grabs the scepter of merciful reprieve. Rowen takes the staff of life, which fully heals everyone in a room 60 minutes after being activated, and can destroy a significant number of undead in one combat per day. Daryle obtains the amulet of natural armor +4, while Darelle seizes the Scroll of spells. She also gets Gerald to identify her tree token identified. Roscoe takes the Sword of Savith.
After all this excitement, Rowen uses the scepter to create an extra-dimensional fortress, and the party retires there to rest. Gerald realizes that he does not have his bow, so he leaves the fortress and returns to the room of the worms. He searches for a time, but does not find his bow. Saddened, he returns to the room, but can't regain entry into the fortress. He is left alone, in the room ...
The Coopers and Omok rest following their difficult battle with the fire elementals. They are surprised with the double doors open, and in stroll Rowen, Gerald and Thorne. When Rowen and Thorne returned to Fort Inevitable yesterday to return the bolts of dragon slaying +10, they ran into Gerald, who had returned to the Fort after a few days pouting in the woods. He's now ready to return to the Spire, so they trek back in the cold snow to the Spire and arrive on the 11th level in time to reconnect with their siblings.
First, they quickly realize that the 10th level is empty. They discover the dragons' hoard, but all that is left are copper pieces and the odd semi-precious gem. They thus proceed down the steps, and emerge by the Spire on the 11th level. Rowen spots something odd by the foot of the Spire. A large steel chest appears to have been discarded right against the emerald pillar. Thorne attempts to open it, but is unable. Gerald examines the double doors. He discovers a small piece of fabric which belongs to his sister's pants, wedged under the left door. Clearly his sister and the rest of the party came through here recently. Rowen opens the doors, and they step in.
Meanwhile, the Coopers hear the sound of the doors open in the distance, and they ready for battle. Gerald trips and falls in the hallway, cursing his bad luck. Daryle hears him, and rushes to open their door. but before she is able the main doors close. Roscoe, Darelle, Daryle, Gerald, Thorne, Rowen, and Omok are now together and stuck inside Yarrix until they defeat the denizens of this level.
After a heartfelt reunion, the members of the party argue about what to do next. Roscoe takes the initiative. Without waiting for his siblings, he opens the door and casts detect evil. He detects strong current of evil in the room, but the swirling blue mist partially obscures his view. He thinks he can see three foggy figures near the back of the room, but these figures stir and attack. Roscoe manages to alert the rest of the group, but he is tripped to the ground. Gerald rushes in, stands in the door frame, and uses his amazing new magical bow to launch arrows and magic missiles at the targets. Omok rushes in and pushes Gerald into the maws of one of the monsters, which look like giant worms with tiny arms. The worms are holding wands. As Gerald begins to be devoured by the purple worm, Daryle and Thorne launch arrows from the other room, while Darelle and Rowen step in and join the combat. Along with Roscoe, the Coopers and Company fight hard.
Gerald fails to protect himself, becomes unconscious and is eventually swallowed whole by the monster. The Coopers take severe injuries but eventually triumph over these abominations. Darelle cuts Gerald out of the worm, and several rounds of healing bring him back to life. In the meantime, however, Thorne steals Gerald's transport token and Daryle takes his new magical bow.
After a rest, the party decides to head in the opposite direction. They enter a room filled with eight statues. Each of the statues hold a different object, and two of them seem to have had their heads chopped off by another statue, holding a sword in a striking position.
Omok comprehend languages, and discern that this room somehow dealt with the Shadowed Fires. The Coopers are concerned that the statues are alive, and they take precautionary actions. They spread out and get ready to strike. Gerald casts magic missile at one of the statue, and he destroys its face. Suddenly their prediction comes true, and two of the statues animate and attack. The combat is brutal but brief, and the Coopers and their allies come out ahead. They loot the magical objects.
Omok gets the orb of command. Gerald acquires a wand of resurrection with four charges. Thorne grabs the scepter of merciful reprieve. Rowen takes the staff of life, which fully heals everyone in a room 60 minutes after being activated, and can destroy a significant number of undead in one combat per day. Daryle obtains the amulet of natural armor +4, while Darelle seizes the Scroll of spells. She also gets Gerald to identify her tree token identified. Roscoe takes the Sword of Savith.
After all this excitement, Rowen uses the scepter to create an extra-dimensional fortress, and the party retires there to rest. Gerald realizes that he does not have his bow, so he leaves the fortress and returns to the room of the worms. He searches for a time, but does not find his bow. Saddened, he returns to the room, but can't regain entry into the fortress. He is left alone, in the room ...
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