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Saturday, May 10, 2008

At the Tone the Time Will Be...Time to Die!

THE FUNNY STUFF:
Katy and Ken, as Katy scribed: So we're in U2 now right? - Bon Jovi!
Ken, as the party entered the Undying Temple: At the tone the time will be: Time to Die...no wait, time to Un-die.
Katy and Ken, from a conversation about the party's NPC: So, if we ever let Bruce actually play we'll be in trouble because his characters will stomp all over us.... - We could just do what we did last time and let him die!
Katy and Ken: Oh, Cayce's going to do something, wait a minute, let me minimize CNN. - Fox has been trying to do that for years.
Katy and Ken, about the miniatures on the table: Oh, I was scared, I thought Bruce was putting something big and sneaky behind us. - He wouldn't do that!
Katy and Cathy, about one of their adversaries: That Ghost Guy is a gift shop in West Virginia. - Taharock? No, that's Tamarack! - Yeah. - There are signs leading up to him every two miles. - Beware of Taharock!
Katy and Ken: Hagbarde, Hagbarde, he's our man! - Get his butt in here and shake your can!

THE ADVENTURE:
Back in town, the group headed to Dras' Wondrous Devices where they sorted through their loot. Hagbarde kept the gems (for the temple) and the Staff of Frost. Fnord kept the +3 Heavy Mace of Disruption. Maeve kept the Crystal of Screening. The rest they sold. Hagbarde also bought some Holy Water to consecrate the evil sanctuary they had last seen in Castle Maerimydra. Then they returned to Fnord's Tower wherein Hagbarde took care of much needed healing before everyone settled in to rest.

In the morning, Hagbarde re-cast Spell Immunity on Maeve (Forbiddence, Darkness, Charm, Anti-Magic Cone) and on Fnord (Finger of Death, Darkness, Charm, Anti-Magic Cone). Then the cleric teleported the party back to the castle, using his last use of his Silver Fire Aura as the marker to guide his teleportation. They arrived back in the garish temple and Hagbarde immediately began applying Holy Water on nearly every surface, continuing into the antechamber. Although the creatures and items sizzled as the Holy Water struck them, nothing else happened to them. The rooms were otherwise empty.

They returned to the hallway leading out of this uncomfortable suite, there was still purple flame filling the path. Fnord, as a Golem, was immune and walked through the hall. Hagbarde used Dimension Door to transport the rest of the party. They all arrived safely at the far end and faced a closed, black marble door. Cayce listened at it, but heard nothing. He found no traps, and then picked the lock. Hagbarde opened the door.

The scene inside the door was quite different from anything else in the tower. The group was standing at the bottom of a large, well-like cavern almost completely filled by a gracefully curving tower of ribbed black stone. Some 30 feet up in the hollow of the tower's curve a gigantic sphere of utter blackness devoured any shred of light and obscured the top of the tower from view. Additionally, Hagbarde saw a mirror image of the tower, hanging upside down in the ethereal plane, which he shared with his companions.

Using Detect Evil and Detect Undead, the cleric confirmed that the temple was indeed both. He proceed to cast a Maximized Turn Undead. The orb in the center was noticeably harmed. He did it again, harming the orb again. Fnord attacked the orb with his Mace of Disruption. His mace seemed to pass right through the orb. Maeve charged her arrows to be both Ghost Touch and Greater Slay Undead, she fumbled her first shot, but her next four rounds all hit with each arrow going directly into the sphere; it was too difficult to tell whether any damage was done. Hagbarde threw one of his pints of Holy Water at the orb. The container entered the sphere and disappeared. The cleric returned to Maximized Turning. The orb blinked out of existence. Both towers were still there.

Hagbarde again cast Detect Undead. The towers were not undead. Detect Evil revealed that they were not evil, in and of themselves, either. As the adventurers discussed this, they noticed that the door through which they had come was now closed behind them and very hard to distinguish from the rest of the wall. The cleric cast Glitter Dust on the door and then realized that it would probably only last a short while. Fnord shifted and grew a Beholder Eye which he then used to disintegrate a mark in the wall near the door so they would be able to find it again.

Next they turned their attention to the material tower in front of them. There were no obvious doors or entry points. Hagbarde cast Pass Wall, creating a tunnel into the Tower. The strange-shaped room was filled with smooth ivory columns arranged in four uneven, curving rows of four columns each. A stairway lead up at one end of the room and a door exited through the opposite wall. Carefully the adventurers stepped into the tower. In the room were 6 adversaries facing the party.

Cayce attacked the nearest Cult Cleric, taking him out with his first three attacks, and then turned his remaining attacks on the Vrock, hitting with all three of his remaining attacks; the Nightmare, with the Ghost Champion astride him, charged Hagbarde, attacking and hitting with both front hooves and biting the cleric for a total of 48 points, then snorting out a 15 foot Cone of Smoke, everyone Saved; Ghost Champion's Horrific Appearance did not effect anyone as they all Saved, still he attacked Hagbarde, hitting all three times, but the cleric Saved; Fnord shifted into a Blackstone Gigant, and attacked the Vrock, hitting for 30 points and taking it out, he then targeted the Nightmare, hitting it three times; Hagbarde attacked the Ghost Champion with his Thundering Mace of Disruption, hitting once, but the Ghost Champion Saved and only took 11 points; Maeve made her arrows Greater Slaying Outsider Evil and took out the Nightmare with her first round, with her next three rounds she took out Cult Cleric-3, she turned her last attack on Cult Cleric-1, damaging him as well; Cult Cleric-1 cast Mordankainen's Disjunction, Hagbarde was immune, Maeve and Fnord and Cayce each managed to save most if not all of their items, although Fnord and Maeve each lost their spell immunities.

Cayce attacked Cult Cleric-1, hitting with his first three attacks and taking him out, he turned his attention to the Ghost Champion, but his attacks passed through his adversary with no effect; Ghost Champion attacked Hagbarde, hitting three times, but the cleric Saved each time; Fnord drew his sword, imbued with Ghost Touch, and attacked, hitting three times and severely damaging him; Hagbarde attacked with his Thundering Mace of Disruption, hitting for 8 and deafening his rival, then hitting again for 14, and taking him out.

Searching the bodies and the room they found: a set of Ethereal +2 Plate, an Ethereal +2 Spiked Chain, three sets of +2 full plate, three +1 large steel shields, three +1 morningstars, three Scrolls of Flame Strike, three Scrolls of Blade Barrier, three Wands of Monster Summoning III (15 charges), three Masterwork light crossbows, 60 masterwork bolts, 300pp, an emerald (1000gp), a jade cameo pendant (250gp), and an Ioun Stone: Dusty Rose Prism.

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