End In Sight

End in Sight

I was troubled by a mysterious dream in which a voice called to me: ‘Those who seek me 3 3 0’. We were clueless as to what this might mean and rather than try the scary eastern room with optional spike filled pit accessory, we tried the northern door on the corridor. This took us into a looted tomb with half a dozen smashed sarcophagi. A poorly concealed exit on the north wall led only to a long corridor with a drop shaft t the end.

Saladin with his ring of featherfall, and then Eldras with his spider climbing slippers both searched it despite evidence suggestive of latrine related functions. The shaft was about 120’ deep and failed to reveal any secrets to our intrepid scouts.

Checking south we found another corridor, this one had a pit trap revealed to our detector swords. Eldras scouted around it reaching a door on the far side, but failed to detect the trigger mechanism. Roscoe on the other hand, first one round the corner floating on a levitated door courtesy of Kravaine Air, immediately spotted the pressure plate that would open the pit.

After much debate we deliberately triggered the trap opening much of the corridor into a 30’ deep drop, but we also realised the door at the end of the corridor was false, a simple lure designed to cut off and separate a party in the corridor.

We rested up again, and again the voice visited my dreams, more faintly, ‘Those who seek me, 3 4 5.’ Again we had no inkling what this might mean. We headed south through a large hall divided by a colonnade of archways. There were several choices of direction here and Saladin stormed through the room in the mood for a fight. He was in one of his ‘see a door – kick it in’ moods.*

*After all, as he remarked, ‘One does not simply walk into Moore doors.’

To the south yet another corridor led to a circular room containing a glowing globe. The clerics tried to dispel it and Eldras tried to smother it with a blanket, but it proved incorporeal. Several of the party became enthralled gazing at it, fortunately we were able to drag them out before all of us remained transfixed forever. I led the retreat on this one I must confess. Those saved from this fate included Zionestes, Barakor, and after some debate, Roscoe.

After an hour or two those stupefied recovered, well at least as far as they were ever going to get from that condition, and we returned north where we found a barred vault to the east of the archway room and to the west yet another corridor. Eldras, obsessed about gaining entry and insisted that I use my burning hands to weaken a bar so that Ripven could smash it in. Eventually we succeeded but Eldras found nothing whatever amongst the tombs to justify our efforts.

Meanwhile the others, bored with my pretty light show and Eldras’s compulsion to open tombs had headed west and discovered an alcove containing a dressing table complete with mirror. Amongst the bottles and jars, one that showed as magical. Testing it, Saladin discovered that it bestowed a petrifying gaze, fortunately after some alarms all was well.*

*If losing two fate points can be defined as ‘all being well’ Kravaine is not being disingenuous here. Thought the mirror being there was a nice touch but Saladin unsportingly failed to look into it.

Reunited we came upon a drinking fountain that when used triggered yet another pit trap. Eldras scouting ahead discovered a shaft that went up 160’. Checking it out, he found that it joined the west end of the major east west corridor on level one above. There was a similar drinking fountain which opened a drop shaft between the two levels. Seeing this Saladin triggered the lower trap but this one was just a trap pit.

Checking another door we found ourselves on the eastern side of the wall of fire we had tried to cross earlier, as confirmed by my brilliant map work. We rested in this corridor and again the voice returned, ‘Those who seek me 3 5 5’. What could this mean? The voice seemed fainter this time. Running out of options we returned northwards past the tomb of the skeleton warrior, this brought us to an east west corridor.

A body was pinned to the door at the eastern end of the corridor by a heavy duty crossbow bolt. To the west the heavy crossbow that had discharged could clearly be seen in its once concealed wall mounting. The body was clad in scale mail which Gareth cannibalised to good effect.

As we headed west I heard the voice again, returning to ‘3 4 5’. This was becoming irritating, but at least the voice was getting louder, and now I was hearing it awake, perhaps a good sign? Another doorway lay at the end of the corridor together with a stairwell descending into a cave like passage. Opening the door, a corridor with a floating glowing gem like object which registered as a trap. Eldras was all for investigating further but was reluctantly persuaded to give it a wide berth.

We descended into caves and swung west when the caverns forked, Saladin leading boldly. Suddenly, there was a tremendous screeching noise, he had set off a shrieker, the cave dwelling giant fungus that is triggered by light and movement.

Ignoring the din as best we could, we filed past it and I received a final message confirming it seemed we were closing on our destination. The final message mentioned ‘2 7 0’. It later dawned on me that the figures were compass bearings suggesting the direction we should take. D’oh!

We emerged into a large cavern, ahead of us, a fine staff was set on a plinth on the edge of a great chasm from which emanated an aura of great malignance and malevolence. The staff talked to us immediately and I recognised the voice from my dreams.

This was indeed the staff of Ryzek, or so it claimed and it asked that we take it from this place, although it warned that its keeper would pursue us. It indicated the pit behind it was the source of this fearsome creature that would destroy any who saved it. It also offered though to take us to a place of safety.

After some debate, Saladin favouring the ‘we can take anything that comes out of that pit’ approach and Eldras leading the ‘It’s going to be a pit fiend’ faction, we decided to take the staff and accept its offer to teleport us to the place of safety. The clincher was when Saladin suddenly convinced himself that the Keeper would be a Tarrasque.

The staff touched Roscoe, Zionestes, Eldras and Holly, restoring their lost energy drain in three cases and doing who knows what to our own pet Allerzoi. We then teleported somewhere, emerging through a swirling multi coloured vortex.

We entered a large room with an exit opposite, as we headed towards it manticora on a ledge above the exit opened fire on us with their tail spikes. Zionestes, Barakor and Saladin all took hits as we advanced. Holly changed to human form and I cast fly on myself.

We advanced rapidly and I fired a lightning bolt, killing two and wounding two others. Yay me! Unfortunately there were six. We reached the exit, but noone could force it until Roscoe arrived and kicked it in. The four surviving manticora flew down to attack, one targeting me and three attacking the main group picking out Holly, Eldras and Barakor. We fought, Saladin coming to my aid after my magic missiles and staff work failed to kill my opponent.

Barakor and Saladin, Holly and surprisingly Roscoe struck the killing blows and we entered another looping passage that took us to another dead end. This one was interesting though: A bastard sword sat on a velvet cushion in the small chamber, it was encrusted with diamonds and arcane runes.

Hovering over it, a multi faceted gem cluster flashed different colours as it appeared to watch us. It then started talking and it was quickly apparent that the staff and Familiar Servant, for such it was, were acquainted. Between their bickering they seemed to decide that we were worthy to take possession of the sword, however, when Saladin picked it up it gave him a severe shock that would have killed a lesser man.

Barakor however, it seemed to find more agreeable and he took the sword. Our fate seemingly in the hands of these relics of Ryzek, we were whirled away by their teleportation powers again. I am able to communicate mentally with the staff and I can sense the Familiar Servant too, both have considerable powers and I sense somehow that I am very much a junior partner in the triumvirate. At least the sword doesn’t talk…. yet.

29.11.14

Kravaine
Characterisation & Roleplay 20
Mapping 100
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Lightning Bolt Manticora 2000
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500

Total 8620

Eldras
Characterisation & Roleplay 20
Scouting 20
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Manticora 400
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500

Total 6940

Barakor
Characterisation & Roleplay 20
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Manticora 400
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500

Total 6920

Holly
Characterisation & Roleplay 10
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Manticora 400
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500

Total 6910

Saladin/ Grom
Characterisation & Roleplay 30
Scouting 20
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Manticora 400
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500
More doors remark 50

Total 7000

Ripven
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Manticora 400
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500

Total 6900

Roscoe
Detecting trap near Area A 50
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Manticora 400
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500

Total 6950

Zionestes
Staff of Ryzek 2500
Manticora 400
Familiar Servant 2500
Ryzek’s sword 1500

Total 6900







Name Class 2nd Class B/F Cumulative Target Current Level
Kravaine MU*
9,482 77,575 87,057 90,001
( 7
Eldras T*
7,634 73,335 80,969 110,001
(9) 8
Barakor F*
3,806 C*
3,806 49,545
49,545 53,351
53,351 70,001/
55,001
(7/7) 6/6
Holly M
6,910 75,227
82,137 98,001
(7) 6

Grom/ Saladin F*
7,700 80,280 87,980 125,001
( 7
Roscoe T*
7,645 54,759
62,404 70,001
( 7

Zionestes C*
7,590 79,165
86,755 110,001
( 7

Ripven C*
7,590 73,408 80,998 110,001
( 7

*EP Bonus applied