Initiative rolls started poorly and remained that way for some time. Having won initiative, 2 of the poleaxe wielding insectavoids closed to within melee range, while the remaining 3 held their ground in a 20’ semi-circle.

• First initiative loss
• Flint is hit by a poleaxe for 8 HP
• Ranged attack on Lycovyne misses
• Ditto for Gonchar
• Ranged attack on Arkadios hits for 6 HP
• Menka cast bless, but it will not be in effect til next round (initiative loss).
• Lycovyne attacks with sword, hits for 10 HP
• Gonchar attacks, hitting for 13 HP
• Arkadios rolls a 1, nearly impaling Kyril and everyone in between
• Kyril rolls a 2
• Arkadios gets hit again for 4 HP, loses second shot w/ bow
• Second initiative loss
• Arkadios gets hit for 8 HP and is nearing death
• Lycovyne gets attacked with a bear-claw donut for 2 HP
• Gonchar gets hit for 3 HP (ranged?)
• Kyril gets hit twice for 7 HP total, death by 1,000 cuts, not sure what happened to the poleaxes..
• Flint gets hit thrice for 6 HP total
• Menka cures light wounds on Arkadios for 7 HP from within the meat shield
• Lycovyne hits with his sword for 7 HP
• These creatures are really lusting after the death of the elves in the party but, then, aren’t we all
• Gonchar hits for 10 HP
• Flint and Kyril both miss with valor
• Kyril gets hit for 4 HP
• Lycovyne successfully dodges an attack, helped by the blessing of Thoth!
• Arkadios gets hit for 4 HP, again
• Flint gets hit for 5 HP
• Menka cures light wounds on Arkadios for 8 HP
• Gonchar hits for 17 HP, cleaving his enemy’s skull in twain
• Kyril gets hit for 3 HP but dodges another blow thanks to the bless
• Lycovyne gets hit for 3 HP
• Arkadios gets hit for 4 HP
• Flint gets hit for 9 HP
• Kyril gets hit for 5 HP
• The blessing of Thoth saves Lycovyne, again
• Arkadios gets hit for 2 HP
• Flint gets hit for 3 HP
• Menka attacks, misses
• Lycovyne attacks, hits for 9 HP
• Gonchar hits for 13 HP
• Arkadios hits for 4 HP
• Flint hits for 5 HP
• initiative tie, speed factor
• Kyril hits for 9 HP and then gets hit, himself, for 5 HP
• Gonchar gets hit by 2 claws for 6 HP
• Gonchar hits (2) for 11 HP, decapitating another foe
• “Arkadios gets hit by (2), hits back”
• Flint hits (5) twice, for (4 + 6) = 10 HP total - ouch
• Flint gets hit by (5) for 5 HP
• Lycovyne hits (1) for 11 HP
• Kyril gets hit for 3 HP, is down to 5 HP
• Arkadios gets hit for 1 HP, hits back for 4 HP
• Gonchar kills (4) in what can be only be imagined was a very bloody fashion
• Menka misses, badly, and gets hit for 5 HP in return
• Lycovyne hits (1) for 5 HP
• Gonchar hits (1) for 11 HP, kills
• Menka hits (5) for 6 HP, killing the last insectavoid, praise Thoth!
• Insectavoids: 42, 33, 28, 21, 17 HP ( 1 - 5 above )

Arkadios immediately quaffed a potion of healing, gaining 8 HP. The insectavoids carried no other belongings than their weapons. Having survived the crappy initiative rolls pitched battle the party took stock of their surroundings. Broiling in the desert, with little hope of reaching the cliffs by nightfall - the journey looks to be 3-4 miles. Light/reversed would work as usual but would be clearly visible as a black half-orb approaching anyone watching from the ruins in the cliffs.

The closer we got to the cliffs, the less sandy the desert became, and more rocky. There were fissures in the rocky ground, within which we might find shelter from the baking sun to rest, heal and regroup. Kyril cast stone form to modify one of the fissures and make it more habitable, creating a partially (mostly) covered 20’ x 40’ chamber. Luxury!

Night In The Ruts#

The party spent 10 hours at Schloss Kyril, tending to their wounds, prayers and spell books. Their stay ended around 2 am, once night had come down. It was noted that the attacking insectavoids spoke no language recognized by any party member. It was also noted that the name of the documentary describing Gonchar’s life would almost certainly be named “Been Her”.

First watch, 2 hours, Menka received 5 cure light wounds, praise Thoth!

8 hours of rest later, the party emerged from their hole in the earth and began the small hours journey to the ruins in the cliffs. The toad king’s hubris had caused the whole land to be destroyed and rent asunder - what would we find in the ruins at the edge of the desert?

A mile or so into the journey we reached the top of a rise, finding ourselves on a shelf that reached the cliffs. Across the shelf the lights in the cliffs seem somehow different (than what?) . With no trail to follow, just a sea of sand, six football fields across, we set out under the stars.

The Temple In The Sea Of Sand#

From a distance, the detail in the cliffs (above) is 100’ - 200’ tall - towering. As we approach the cliffs it becomes obvious that, even so, most of the structure is buried in sand beneath our feet. It is also burnt and blasted. Black, but not obsidian - simply charred. Set, in his wrath, blasted this area and all within, then buried it in sand.

The openings, while charred, are of white marble. The party halted just outside, sending Gonchar in alone to absorb any trap damage scout the area. As soon as Gonchar reached the edifice, 3 humanoid figures with glowing, red eyes approach the party from within. Of course. Menka attempted to turn the creatures, but failed, breaking a fingernail. Arkadios switched to his bow and arrows +1. Surprisingly, the party won initiative.

• Menka cast bless
• Arkadios did 11 HP to (1); the arrows +1 seem to sink into the creatures well
• Gonchar attacked (3) for 8 HP
• Flint attacked and missed, twice
• Kyril switched to wand of magic missiles, unleashing a volley on (2) for 11 HP damage with 3 missiles (“6th level per wand” ??)
• Arkadios got hit (the creature reached out and touched him) for 3 HP, level drained. Ouch.
• The creatures attacked Flint and Lycovyne in this manner but failed, praise Thoth!
• Menka cast protection from evil on Gonchar
• Lycovyne backed up and switched to his long sword
• Gonchar hit (3) for 10 HP
• Flint backed up and switched to his composite short bow
• Arkadios hit (1) for 15 HP
• Kyril stuck to his wand, sending a volley of 6 missiles at (1), doing 17 HP
• One of the creatures touched Menka, who made his save, praise Thoth!
• Similarly, Lycovyne and Gonchar got very lucky
• Menka, now wielding the Flail of the Desert Kings, attacked, misses
• Lycovyne hit (2) for 14 HP
• Gonchar hit (3) for 12 HP, kills - the creatures dissipate once destroyed
• Arkadios hit (1) twice for 12 HP total, kills
• Kyril unleashed another volley on (2), destroying it
• wraiths: 40, 32, 26 HP

With the creatures destroyed, Gonchar entered the structure alone. Sand had flowed through the windows and filled the chamber completely. The crowning head of a giant statue was visible in the sand in the middle of the room. The air was thick with sand, dust and long years of death.

Lycovyne entered after Gonchar. That’s not exactly what the notes say but the moral right of the editor has been asserted. As soon as Lycovyne and Gonchar moved into the room they found themselves sinking in quicksand. Kyril made his dexterity check, caught Flint, who caught Lycovyne, to whose staff Gonchar was clinging tenaciously (see editorial note above) and everyone involved was rescued from a dry, sandy death.

Pulled back to the edge, Gonchar skirted the walls in search of firm footing, beginning a long line of dexterity checks. Where else to go but in? The ceiling lost in darkness, the walls made of sandstone and covered in hieroglyphs no party member recognized. The pictographs described possibly an ancient version of Menka’s people, with a figure prominent and recurring.

Gonchar continued along the northern wall with a rope tied round his waist in case we needed to rescue his gear. 50’ out, he ran out of any footing and returned to the face of the edifice. He re- entered through the southernmost windows. Flint, donning his ring of feather fall, followed, climbing walls the whole time and surviving 2 very close saves. The back wall, just right (south) of the crowning head, had crumbled, revealing (to Flint) a floor extant beyond. Even from this distance his infravision sensed small, shifting heat sources on the floor. Snakes. Lots of them.

Worms And Sand#

Kyril cast stone shape to create a 60’ x 8’ x 1’ platform reaching west to east across the southern wall. marching across the ledge in formation, the party reached the crumbled wall beyond the buried statue. The room beyond the crumbled wall was filled with crumbling pillars and black snakes. Double doors figured prominently in the northern wall.

Gonchar hurled, then threw a lit torch into the room, scattering the snakes and illuminating doors in the eastern wall. Kyril used his Druish ability animal friendship on one of the snakes, finding them to be neither poisonous nor otherwise dangerous.

The party lined up in front of the doors in the northern wall, intent on entering carefully. The floor was no longer sand, but sandstone. Arkadios remained at the rubble wall, with bow drawn. The ceiling was 40’ - 50’ above our heads. Gonchar was almost impressed by the architecture, apparently of human design. The double doors were of bronze and quite ancient. Flint did not find any of the traps in the doors.

Menka made his intelligence check and made a note to himself: no more cure light wounds for Gonchar

Flint checked to see if the bronze doors were locked or barred. The doors were locked, and he successfully picked the lock, praise Thoth! Beyond the doors was a sort of trophy room. The trophies and arms that lined the walls were familiar to Menka but ancient, ancient beyond reckoning, the styles belonging to generations long gone. There were doors in the northern wall. Flint checked it for traps and did not find any.

Gonchar opened the doors into a library of sorts, with row upon row of scroll shelves, all empty, and doors in the northern wall. A figure loomed in the center of the room. Even with its back to us we could see that it was a badly rotted creature, with it’s face and hands having rotted away. It was crawling with worms.

• Arkadios and Kyril made their save vs spell while everyone else fled in terror - Gonchar, Lycovyne and Menka (dropping the flail) dropped their weapons before fleeing
• Flint dropped nothing

Arkadios returned Menka’s and Gonchar’s gear once everyone returned. Upon returning Menka gazed upon the “undead druid”, failed his save and bolted. Kyril fled as well. The party, sans Kyril and Menka, attacked the creature but lost initiative.

• It attacked Gonchar and missed.
• Arkadios scored 2 hits on the creature with his bow (and arrows +1?) for 11 HP
• Lycovyne hit with his bow for 5 HP
• Gonchar switched to his battle axe
• a worm launched itself from the creature and attempted to attack but was blocked by Gonchar’s shield and stomped upon
• Gonchar was hit by the creature for 6 HP
• Arkadios hit twice with a natural 20 (?) for 9 HP
• Gonchar hit the creature for 16 HP, killing it
• Son of Kyuss: 26 HP

The creature was carrying a satchel. Arkadios approached the satchel and was attacked by a lingering worm, but the worm missed and was trodden upon. The satchel contained 2 metal flasks and a book in good shape.

Arkadios was attacked again by a worm, which hit, and began burrowing into his skull. He rolled a natural 20 and destroyed it with his dagger, taking 2 HP of damage.

• The Son of Kyuss, not having been destroyed, rose again and attacked Lycovyne.
• Lycovyne attacked with a lit torch, lighting the creature on fire and destroying it

Arkadios examined the book, and it was determined to be a druidic text. The Tome of the Wyvernwater Circle, it was given to Kyril. Filled with potent spells, it is described at the end of this document.

Flint found no traps in the double doors in the northern wall. These doors opened into a weapon room. The weapons were of an antiquated design. While poking around in a pile of banners and cloaks in the northeastern corner of the weapon room Arkadios disturbed a yellow mold of some sort which bloomed into a noxious cloud. He made his save vs poison but still took 2 HP of damage. The party made sure to give the cloud a wide berth.

Flint, seeking secret doors in the library behind, found one. (???)

The party passed through the double doors in the northern wall of the weapon room and entered a dusty hallway, filled with cobwebs. The hallways were filled with the same hieroglyphs seen earlier.

In the hallway, these writings contained detailed images of all gods bowing to a human, including Thoth! The walls detail all the great achievements of this human king, almost certainly Khamsa.

Stairs go downward into darkness in the northwestern corner while the hallway turned right at the other end. Heading east along the hallway, the party was attacked by 3 worm rotted Sons of Kyuss.

• Arkadios hit (1) for 7 HP
• Gonchar hit (1) for 14 HP
• Kyril hit (1) for 6 HP, kills
• initiative tie, speed factor
• Arkadios hit (2) for 6 HP
• Menka hit (2) for 8 HP
• Flint hit (2) for 8 HP, kills, arises from the ground, Flint hit it for 5 HP and it drops again
• The party killed the 3rd creature and burned the bodies
• Sons of Kyuss: 26, 22, 17

Gonchar appeared to be turning into the undead, perhaps attacked by a worm from a son (the notes do not detail this at all). Kyril cast cure disease and it seemed to clear it up. We’ll see. Flint and Lycovyne searched through the alcoves in the walls, seeking secret doors, and found nothing.

The hall ended in a door (map location D1) which was locked from our side. This door opened up into a throne room. The room contained an ancient wooden throne on an obsidian dais but had otherwise been picked clean. Searching the room, Flint found a secret door at S1. He opened the door, entered the chamber beyond and disturbed a nest of gigantic snakes, who attacked immediately. Kyril used animal friendship and the snakes hesitated and halted their attack, allowing Flint to slam the door shut.

The party ventured back to the throne room in search of secret doors and such. Lycovyne found one at S2. Arkadios opened the door and paid the price immediately, being attacked by two spitting snakes.

• Two spitting snakes won surprise and attacked Arkadios in the doorway but missed
• initiative loss
• Both snakes attacked Arkadios again and missed, again
• Arkadios then closed the door but one snake slipped through
• Very large snake
• Arkadios hit it for 6 HP with his sword
• Menka cast snake charm successfully and the beast halted its attack
• Lycovyne hit for 12 HP
• Flint hit it for 4 HP, killing it
• Kyril attempted to dissuade Lycovyne and Flint from killing the snake, but it all happened too quickly
• spitting snake: 22 HP

Convinced that these snakes must guard something worth acquiring (S1 and S2 open into the same room( s)) the party discussed a variety of strategies for doing so and remaining alive. A serviceable plan was conceived and a 100 GP pearl used by Menka to cast an augury and read the signs.

• Augury: If Kyril cast invisibility to animals and entered the snake room to look around would it lead to weal or woe?
• Answer: More woe will avail than good.

The party decided to forgo all that awesome woe and instead have Kyril fire up detect magic and wander around carefully throughout the rooms explored so far. Kyril cast the spell and began his sojourn.

• Faint magic emanated from the room(s) behind S1 and S2
• The burned Son of Kyuss in the hallway north of D1 contained something very magical - an engraved gem, given to Lycovyne for future ID
• The yellow spore pile also radiated magic
• Kyril and Arkadios entered the room with the spore pile, careful not to disturb the spores
• A studded leather kilt buried in the pile contained a purple case (which radiated magic) which held a scroll which did not radiate magic
• The scroll is written in an ancient form of Egyptian Menka cannot sort out.
• The ancient, rotting scroll and case was given to Lycovyne for future ID

Down The Stairs#

The party decided to head down the stairs in the northwestern corner of the structure. The stairs descended to a 15’ wide balcony that seemed to encircle (squarely) a large, enclosed area. Further exploration showed the upper balcony to be one of several, one below the other, connected by stairs at certain corners, down and down into inky, dusty blackness. The party continued to descend the staircase in the northwestern corner.

3 landings down the stairwell under our feet crumbled into nothingness and we were forced to circumnavigate the balcony in search of another set of stairs. As we walked carefully around the perimeter on the balcony we could see (within light range) the tops of the heads of statues, standing below.

From the Fourth(?) landing we could see more of the statues, all of gods, apparently. Thoth and Isis abasing themselves before something or someone or something on a higher level or landing. Blasphemy!!! Anhur, Osiris, Horus, Nepthys, Ra - all were included in the sandstone audience abasing themselves before Khamsa. Notably, the statue of Set had been destroyed and was little more than a small pile of crumbled rock on a pedestal.

\textit{\color{darkBlue} Behold me in my splendor
King of kings
Feared by the gods
Worshipped by man
I am Khamsa, master of all I survey! }

From our vantage point above we could also see a pedestal with a deep depression in it at the far eastern end of the first floor. The back of the alcove holding the pedestal looked open to a larger chamber. Stairs traveled downward just to the right of the alcove. The western wall contained two sets of double doors.

The party marched down to the first floor. Carefully, quietly. No other creatures were apparent. We walked among the large, kneeling statues toward the pedestal in the eastern wall. Approaching the pedestal, we noticed a short stanza carved into the pedestal:

The depression in the 8’ pedestal in the alcove in the eastern wall almost certainly contained a statue of Khamsa at some point. Blasted into oblivion by Set, presumably.

Flint climbed walls and clambered up to the lip of the pedestal and looked over the edge. A harmless looking green snake took notice of him and looked back.

• Flint won initiative, dropped to the ground, taking 4 HP falling damage
• Fire bellowed out overhead, a close shave indeed
• At this selfsame moment a giant cobra became manifest around the base of the destroyed statue of Set and attacked Flint for 4 HP
• Flint made his save vs poison
• Menka missed
• Gonchar hit the cobra for 9 HP
• initiative win
• Kyril cast summon insects
• Lycovyne hits the cobra with a broken candle for 2 HP
• Gonchar hits twice (with his battle axe?) for 22 HP total
• Menka missed
• initiative win
• Menka missed, again, killing Dzailo instead
• Lycovyne hit with a broken milk carton and a natural 20 for 4 HP
• Gonchar hits the cobra for 14 HP, killing it
• enormous poisonous snake: 50 HP
• what happened to the little green fire-breathing snake?

Gonchar vs. the Jets#

Kyril heard the sounds of battle. The extensive, bulleted, present-tense detail of that battle follows:

• Gonchar kills a beastie (9 hp) and it explodes
  • Attacks another, kills it (8 hp)
  • Loses initiative, takes 4 points of damage
  • Does 16 points of damage, another explosion
  • Does 13 points of damage, another explosion
  • Takes 8 points of damage
• Menka casts sanctuary and tries to reach Gonchar by following his ears
  • succeeds, casts cure light wounds on Gonchar for 7 points
• Gonchar hits and kills another (7 hp), small explosion
  • And another (6 hp), small explosion
  • And another (6 hp), small explosion
  • Takes 4 points of damage
  • Takes 4 more points of damage
• Menka, still in sanctuary, casts cure light wounds on Gonchar for 7 points
• Gonchar attacks and kills (6 hp), small explosion
• For the record the dead, explosive dwarves are short, even for dwarves
• Kyril casts faerie fire and while the enemy may now be marked by pale light, Dzailo is positively glowing
• Gonchar attacks, kills (6 hp), explosion
• Menka, out of cure light wounds, attacks, kills (6 hp), explosion, my poor ears for fuck sake
• Gonchar attacks, kills (3 hp), no explosion
• Arkadios hits and then re-hits for 12 points, kills, small explosion
• Lycovyne hits for 3 points of damage
• Arkadios hits, kills (6 hp), small explosion
• Gonchar hits, kills (9 hp), small explosion
• Gonchar takes 8 points of damage “from behind” (backstabbing little bastards)
• Lycovyne hits one with a broken milk carton for 1 point of damage
• Gonchar tries to attack the backstabber and misses
• Lycovyne hits for 10 points of damage, kills (9 hp), small explosion
• Lycovyne hits for 2 points
• Arkadios hits for 7 points
• Kyril casts summon insects
• Gonchar hits the backstabber, kills (9 hp), explosion, fails save, blinded
• Lycovyne hits for 6 points
• Arkadios hits, kills (7 hp), small explosion
• Lycovyne hits, kills (9 hp), small explosion, out of range (arrows?)
• Arkadios hits for 3 points
• Gonchar hits, kills (9 hp), explosion, fails save, already blinded, so fuck you

And then, immediately, silence. And bugs. Bugs everywhere. Somewhere in the black silence the party heard someone cry out for help. The cloying, inky darkness slowly dissipated and Menka lit a torch. Marching forward, the party followed the voice.

The party found themselves in a filthy, dusty room. A large chimney terminated in the center of the room, beginning somewhere far below. Cots and sleeping mats were scattered about; a makeshift hideout.

Sitting against the chimney was the badly injured son of Lord Baylor - Maxtor. He told the party that the leader got away, disappearing down the chimney. Apparently, the leader was larger, and not very dwarfish, unlike the rest of them. The leader was trying to force (or was forcing) Maxtor to create spells for his (the leader’s) defense. The leader and the dark, dwarfish critters spoke freely in a language Maxtor did not understand. The dead had left behind a large amount of loot, likely stolen from Baylor Manor. Among the filthy sleeping rolls the party found:

• 12 x 100 gp gems
• 12 x 200 gp gems (-2 gems for identify spells)
• 1 ring that radiates magic (“rotten clothes ring” ???)
• 2 x 200 gp gems
• 1 x 500 gp gem
• dagger that radiates magic
• 8 gems (not the ones below)
• 7 x 10 gp gems
• 2 x 100 gp gems
• 1 x 1,000 gp gems
• 4 x 1,000,000,000 gp gems

Normal vision returned. Kyril cast detect magic, sensed magic, a huge magic, down the chimney. Back and forth, up and down, the source could not seem to make up its mind. Battle-worn, bleeding and out of spells, Kyril announced to the party: “the strong magical force is coming up the chimney, now.”