Continuing from the library, we noted that we had a ton of loot that had not been identified yet. We also unanimously agreed that the monastery was probably not a safe spot to rest for a bit to kick off the identify constitutional in any event. A large bare spot on the south wall signified the original location of the portrait of Phane now residing in the Medusa’s boudoir. Lycovyne checked around the bare spot, it was all that it seemed to be. Bare. Like a tapestry or large picture had been removed.

While we searched the room, Kyril reorganized all the books according to the Dewey Decimal System. The books were all ancient and seemed to be mainly works of religious and medical knowledge. Menka was fascinated but could read very little of it. This was, indeed, a temple of healing in better times.

Flint searched the prayer alcove at (4), finding only the stone figures of Duncan and O’Malley. The party returned to the library and smelled smoke leaking in around the door in the south wall. High- pitched voices were heard on the other side of the door, someone or something rattling the door to get inside.

An Excellent Messenger#

A 5’ individual entered the library via that same door. Black, armored, winged, oozing the black acrid smoke of burning shit and charred bodies from every pore. He was profane, even by Gonchar’s low fucking standards. The smoky, diminutive, winged, stinking, foul-mouthed messenger said:

“Any of you assholes named ‘Menka’?”

Menka refrained from answering in the affirmative. The black, smoking, foul demon (a mephit) rattled off the rest of the names in our roster, typically with “that asshole…” prepended.

“I’ve got something I’m supposed to read to you assholes. Any of you fucking jerks got a drink? Any place fucking dark we can talk? This sunshine is burning the fucking ass right off me!”

Gonchar gave the eloquent, excellent young creature a bottle of some high quality brew.

“Thanks, fuckface. Not bad.” Begins an attempt to read the parchment missive in his hands, stumbles over the easiest of words. “I ain’t no good at no fucking reading - one of you assholes read it. Aloud.”

Kyril kindly volunteered his services as a literate. The missive is reprinted below.

“Here. I’m supposed to give this thing to you assholes. Now how the fuck do I get out of the sunlight around here?”

The creature handed us a pendant six-pointed star within a ring, seemingly of arcane and eldritch origin. We suggested several dark places the creature could go do something with itself, and it left, toward the prayer alcoves in search of darkness. It left and we turned on some fans to clear the place out.

The party decided to head toward the beehive and the trapped door thereunder. First, we investigated the Medusa’s bedroom where we had previously covered the mostly-dead medusa with her own bed. Menka examined the large picture of Thane hanging over the bed. There was nothing behind it but wall, it hid no doors or traps or anything else. It was obviously worth a great deal of money as treasure, but it would be impossible to take it with us without destroying it.

The medusa’s boudoir was in much better shape than the rest of the ground floor - all the good stuff from other rooms had been dragged there. Neither Kyril nor Lycovyne found any traps or secret doors in the room. We continued onward toward the apiary.

As we passed through the rat room Kyril opened all the doors on the ground floor except the door into the medusa’s bedroom. Speaking with animals, he explained to the critters that he had opened all the doors, that the medusa was dead, not to go in her room, but they could now move freely and leave entirely if they wished to do so. He also let them know we’d be back. After this conversation, Kyril was officially done ratting.

Love Me Like A Reptile#

We formed ranks and marched toward the apiary, approaching the swarming bees carefully. We had been told it was an illusion, and Flint marched forward to prove it and to check for traps. The bees were indeed an illusion and he found no traps. It was a huge, heavy door. Gonchar had a crack at opening it and succeeded. Opening it up fully, we saw stairs leading down into darkness. Gonchar went first.

He found a 20x20 space, a landing with stairs continuing downward in the east wall. Boxes were strewn everywhere, some open, all marked with the insignia of well-known market guilds. Dry goods, cloth, open boxes of food. The elves checked around for secret doors and traps. The dwarves searched for ale and something to eat. No doors or traps besides the stairs in the east wall.

Gonchar went down. Again. The stairs lead to another landing, this time 10’ square. The air was becoming quite musty as we traveled deeper beneath the surface. Stairs in the south wall lead to another landing. Then the stairs, continuing down, turned eastward. Menka shown a CL coin down the stairs - they extended 10 more feet, terminating in brackish water. Gonchar approached the water - the stairs continued into and under the water. There was dry floor and a passageway near and into the south wall, and the water filling the room seemed to be entering via the northeast corner.

Kyril changed form into a brackish water snake and entered the water. A few moments later a brackish water snake emerged from the water on the dry platform by the southern wall and changed form into Kyril. As an aquatic snake he could tell that we were in a flooded basement, 3-4’ deep, with water storage pits along the northern wall. The room had simply overflowed.

Also, there were large forms lying in wait under the surface of the water. Could be crocodiles or lizard men - probably not Italians as there were no oil slick rings on the water’s surface. " Something" also lie in wait near the water entrance. The party decided to use the flying carpet to get across the water to the landing (A).

Lycovyne climbed aboard the carpet to keep it aloft and we began to cross the expanse of water. Arkadios (and I think Kyril) made it across safely, one at a time, with Lycovyne. On Menka’s trip across the water, something dropped from the ceiling, pinning Menka and Lycovyne down on the flying carpet. Just then several lizard men emerged from the water and attacked the party on both shores.

• initiative win
• party won initiative, but Lycovyne and Menka were surprised, trapped under a net and then attacked by a lizard man who had been hiding above (we still don’t know where he was)
• Menka got hit for 13 points (ouch)
• Gonchar hit a lizard man for 9 points
• Arkadios hit one for 6 points
• Flint hit Gonchar’s foe for 4 points, killing it
• Kyril attacked an approaching lizard man twice, hitting it once for 3 points
• a lizard man hit Gonchar for 14 points (bite/bite/weapon)
• another missed Arkadios
• another lizard man hit Kyril for 4 points, and yet another lizard man hit him for 1 point

Menka and Lycovyne were pinned under a net, under a lizard man. Lycovyne tried to use the flying carpet to mash the lizard man against the ceiling of the chamber - the DM devised an appropriate to hit roll and Lycovyne hit. The carpet raised quickly to the ceiling, mashing the lizard man into the stone and knocking him off the carpet. Menka and Lycovyne set to freeing themselves from the net.

• initiative tie
• a lizard man attacked Arkadios and missed
• 2 lizard men attacked Kyril, nailing him for 12 points
• a lizard man missed Gonchar
• Arkadios hit one for 3 points
• Kyril attacked one of his assailants twice, hitting once for 5 points
• Menka and Lycovyne continue to struggle to free themselves
• Ulland drilled a lizard man with an arrow for 4 points
• Gonchar and Flint missed, in series
• initiative tie
• Menka and Lycovyne finally freed themselves
• Kyril got hit by his 2 assailants for 7 more points
• Flint got bitten for 4 points
• Gonchar got hit for 1 point
• Kyril attacked twice, hitting once for 3 points
• Arkadios missed
• Gonchar hit twice for 24 points, killing
• Flint missed, Ulland hit for 3 points, then Flint missed again
• initiative win
• Arkadios hit for 11 points, killing
• Kyril attacked twice, hitting once for 6 points, killing
• Gonchar rolled a natural 20 and splattered lizard man brains all over everyone
• Lycovyne and Menka dropped upon the last lizard man from the flying carpet and Lycovyne hit the scaly beast for 8 points, killing it, praise Thoth!
• 6 lizard men: 17, 15, 14, 12, 10, 8

Kyril ate 7 goodberries, bringing himself up to 29 points. (Menka and/or Kyril) cast cure light wounds on Ulland, bringing him to 24, and Gonchar, bringing him to 39.

Menka shown a continual light coin down the south passageway at (A). 60’ down the hall he saw a door, barred from our side. 20’ down that same corridor we saw a door in the western wall. Marching down the corridor we saw that it ended in a T, with statues to either side of the barred door (C). The statues stood in 10’ alcoves and were of handsome men wrapped in garlands. They were ancient and chipped, with large sections missing.

Flint listened at the door in the western corridor wall but heard nothing. Checking for traps, he found none. Neither was that door locked. Gonchar opened the door and entered a 20x20 room, furnished with couches, lit by a torch on the wall. A large pile of coin and gems sat upon a table in one corner. In another corner, a young woman cowered.

The girl wanted us to leave and begged us to let her go. “The bastards brought me down here and sold me!” Lycovyne asked the woman what they wanted with her down here. She didn’t know much about them, she had been traveling on the coast road when they captured her, “the big lads”.

Kyril questioned her about her captors, asking who or what else she’d seen besides lizard men down here so far. “Just the lizards so far.”

Lycovyne offered to escort the woman, named Rosalie of course, back to the surface, with Gonchar on point. Gonchar preferred to bump her off, not trusting her. Menka, curious if not that bright, offered to go with them. Strength in numbers and all that. The surface was close, the 4 reached it quickly, and then Rosalie charmed Menka. She told him to “cut Lycovyne” but he demurred, preferring to interpose himself and block Lycovyne. Menka lunged at Lycovyne but missed.

The Lamia Watchdog#

Rosalie then turned on Gonchar but not as the young woman we had escorted to the surface, but as a creature with the torso and head of a woman and the lower body of a quadrupedal beast. A cursed lamia!

• initiative loss
• Lycovyne managed to get off his magic missile as intended, since Menka missed, doing 9 points of damage
• she missed Gonchar
• Gonchar hit her for 13 points
• she hit Gonchar for 3 points with her dagger
• initiative loss
• the lamia cast mirror image, becoming 3
• Menka, having won initiative, as it were, buffeted Lycovyne and interrupted his unnamed magic attack
• Lycovyne then hit her with his sword for 6 points, but the sword passed through, dispelling one of the mirror images
• Gonchar hits her for 12 points, then again for 6
• She hit Gonchar for 4 points with her dagger
• initiative win
• Gonchar hit her for 7 points
• Lycovyne hit her for 11 points with Menka getting in the way and protesting her innocence, asking the others why they were attacking Rosalie
• she attacked Lycovyne, missing
• initiative win
• Gonchar missed her, but Lycovyne hit her for 6 points killing her, and freeing Menka from her spell, praise Thoth!
• somehow none of us suffered any permanent loss of wisdom points
• Lamia, 62 hp

An extremely vexed Gonchar shouldered the corpse of the lamia and stomped back to the room where we had first met Rosalie. With Lycovyne and Menka in tow, he threw the corpse on the floor at the feet of the party members left behind, splattering everyone with lamia juice and shouting “from now on we trust no one and kill everything!”

Sage words, those.

While Lycovyne, Gonchar and Menka were off having their entertainment the rest of the party had carefully searched the room where we met Rosalie, which now also contained the bleeding, mangled corpse of a lamia. They found 12 gems and 3600 electrum pieces. The gems should be scanned for magic. The party insisted in the strongest possible terms that Gonchar remove the lamia he had so laboriously carried this far. No idea whether he did so or not.

Lycovyne suggested at this point that the lamia may have been set or left as a trap for anyone who would come to save the sacrificial woman mentioned in in Pickman’s letter to Ejia. A lamia is a highly intelligent creature - it is unlikely it was tricked, but the gems and electrum could make an effective bribe.

Also, at this point, Ulland suggested harvesting spell components and general magical juicy bits from the lamia. Various and sundry recipes were discussed. None of these recipes were quantified, but an overnight rest was planned.

Deciding not to hunker down in the room in which we met dear, departed Rosalie at (J, map above), Kyril came up with a plan to stone shape a small chamber just above water level just east of the platform at (A). Unfortunately, once complete, we would have to swim in and out of it, corpses and all. We did so. Menka specifically wished he had the time to pray for a cleanse spell.

Having moved into our new digs, the party setup a resting schedule. Everyone picked their spells and their noses, not necessarily in that order. The watches passed as follows:

• first watch: Kyril and Lycovyne
  • they heard a disturbance to the northeast of our underground underwater hiding hole
  • guttural voices and angry yelling, but no sense of the words
• second watch: Ulland, Flint and Arkadios
  • they heard the same angry yelling, and did not understand the words
• third watch: Menka, Gonchar
  • Menka cast sanctuary and prayed for his spells
  • Gonchar and Menka did not hear the voices, almost certainly because they are the only party members who are sane…

Other than some party members hearing voices, all watches passed uneventfully. We all regained 3 points after 9 hours of rest. All cure spells were cast before resting.

Wet Ogres Again#

Kyril volunteered to leave the room at (J) first to scout around. The party very much wanted to identify the creatures we heard over night. It was no easy task to sneak through the water to the inlet northwest of (B), so the party picked its brains (and the internet) to figure out what kind of lizard Kyril could change form into that could both swim underwater and climb walls. Somehow a spy needed to swim out into the brackish water thick with lizard man bodies and climb the wall near the water inlet.

A gecko was selected, and Kyril loved us all like a reptile accordingly. He changed form into a lizard and buggered off out of the room. He disappeared under the water and then, elsewhere in the room, surfaced and climbed a wall to reconnoiter. Presently, a gecko returned, and changed form into Kyril, gaining one point in the process, bringing him to 33.

Kyril reported that he had seen 2 ogres, one of which was rather large. One lurking near an opening we hadn’t seen before between (A) and the water entrance in the northeast, and the other lurking in the water entrance itself. We could take them out but it would be very, very difficult to sneak up on them and take them out before they could raise an alarm. Kyril cured serious wounds on Gonchar, healing him for 16 points to 58. Flint is now carrying the net of entanglement on his person.

The party cogitated and came up with a plan to emerge from the brackish, body-filled water in 2 separate groups. One would attack the ogre at (A) while, simultaneously, the other group would attack the ogre in the water entrance. We all had to be in place and ready to act in the short time we could hold our breath.

We formed a marching order, as it were, and put our plan into action. The first wave included Arkadios, Gonchar, Flint and Menka. They entered the water at (A) and waited in their positions. Lycovyne, Kyril and Ulland made up the second wave.

Just in time, Menka popped up out of the water and prayed for the blessing of Thoth to be conferred upon himself and his allies and for the spleen of Thoth to be cast upon his enemies!

• Menka cast prayer (+1/-1 will apply next round)
• Gonchar and Arkadios passed a weighted surprise check
• Gonchar and Arkadios missed the large ogre at the water inlet (I think)
• Lycovyne and Kyril missed the other ogre (I think)
• Ulland missed with his bow from one of the ledges
• Flint attempted to get around the ogre at (A)
• Arkadios attacked, hitting for 9 points with his sword
• Flint hit for 5 points, but missed thereafter
• Gonchar hit with a surprise bonus for 7 points
• initiative loss
• the large ogre attacked Gonchar but missed (-1 from prayer, praise Thoth!)
• the ogre at (A) attacked Flint, missed
• Arkadios hit with the blessing of Thoth for 6 points
• Flint hit the ogre at (A) for 5 points, killing him
• Gonchar hit the big guy twice for 17 points total
• the ogre counterattacked but missed
• Ulland missed the big guy
• initiative tie
• Arkadios hit for 4 points
• Gonchar hit for 7 points, killing the ogre
• 2 ogres: 26, 30 hp

Having taken out two ogres without taking any damage, the party regrouped and investigated the door to the right of the water inlet.

The door pulled out into the water. Through the door passageways branched diagonally northeast and southeast. A grate in the floor at the junction led to Thoth knows where. The party scouted around while the note-taker ate a sandwich.

We were in a mausoleum. Checking the first crypt (out of six) we found a clear, crystal casket containing a decayed body and an ornate staff. Deciding not to fiddle with the crystal casket quite yet the party moved on to violate the next crypt in line when we were attacked by 4 ogres.

• 4 ogres attacked, starting with Kyril (quirk of marching order)
  • he tried to sneak by Kyril but failed, so attacked him instead, hitting for 9 points
• Kyril continued to block so Lycovyne could finish his spell
• Lycovyne cast lightning bolt, to the consternation of several other party members, rolling out 24 points of damage to each ogre who failed his saving throw
• they all failed their saving throws
• 2 died instantly
• 2 survived but just barely
• Kyril hit one of the remaining ogres for 5 points, killing him
• Gonchar hit the other for about a bazillion points, splattering ogre all over everyone
• 4 ogres: 26, 25, 20, 17 hp

Having dispatched yet more ogres, we investigated the 2nd crypt, finding only dust and spiders. The 3rd crypt enclosed a 7’ table. Rolls of rotted linen lined the walls, and cracked clay pots rested in the corners. An embalming room. The remaining 3 crypts proved to be empty, and recently swept clean.

For some reason Gonchar dragged all the ogre bodies into one of the empty crypts. The party decided to explore a bit further before casting detect magic and checking out the crystal coffin. Following the passage east through the mausoleum we found doors north and south with the passage continuing east.

Lingering at the intersection we smelled an awful odor emanating through the door to the north. Gonchar smashed open the door and barged into the room bellowing his battle cry! The 40x20 room smelled worse than we imagined but was otherwise empty. Sleeping quarters for the ogres.

The door to the south led to the ogres’ shitter. Some room had been swept clean and re-purposed. Even Gonchar found the smell offensive. Flint got disgustingly filthy but found no secret doors or compartments, just shit everywhere. The party sent him back to the brackish underground pond filled with lizard man and ogre corpses to clean himself up.

We moved back out into the passageway. Arkadios searched the ogres’ sleeping quarters just northeast of the mausoleum, finding loot!

• Ogre loot!
  • 2500 cp
  • 1050 sp
  • 200 gold
  • 4 good-sized gems

The Mausoleum#

Kyril cast detect magic and searched the local area. The whole room containing the crystal casket and everything in it radiated strong magic. A dweomer dwelt in the embalming room, possibly from the clay pots and their contents. Kyril found no other magical radiance in the area.

Heading back to the first crypt, the party considered its options for braking into the glass casket. The whole room radiating magic suggested a ward or a trap of some kind.

Gonchar and Flint were foolish brave enough to go first. The 2 dwarves alone occupied the room while the rest of the party bravely took cover in the passage. Flint touched the casket to check for traps and immediately an “image of death” issued forth and attacked him. A skull within a cloak, it hit Flint without even having to roll. Ouch.

• no initiative roll
• it automatically hits and hit Flint for 14 points of damage
• Flint missed, then hit for 7 points
• Arkadios rolled a natural 20, hitting for 14 points
• Flint got hit for 8 more points
• Gonchar hit the death’s head for 8 points
• Arkadios missed
• Menka foolishly wasted a stumble spell on a floating skull
• Lycovyne hit it for 18 points with 2 magic missile barrages
• Flint fled from battle, taking 3 more points in the process, the death’s head followed him to the door - it seems to be focused solely on Flint (the one what touched the casket)
• Flint got hit for 3 more points
• Menka hit it with the Flail for 7 points and it dissipated
• death’s head, 54 points of damage

It seemed the spirit released attacked only the person touching the casket. Gonchar had the most hit points, so he tried it out next, touching the casket.

• no initiative roll
• the death’s head spirit appeared
• Gonchar missed
• Menka missed
• the death’s head spirit hit Gonchar for 9 points
• Menka missed again
• Gonchar hit twice for 27 points total
• Arkadios missed once, and Flint missed twice
• the death’s head hit Gonchar for 4 more points
• Gonchar and Menka missed
• Flint hit it for 5 points and then missed
• Gonchar hit it for 10
• Gonchar with a natural 20 hit it for 41 points, and it dissipated
• death’s head: 83 points dealt

Menka cast cure light wounds on Gonchar and Flint, healing each for 8 points, bringing Gonchar to 38 points and Flint to 27. Licking our wounds and taking counsel, Menka suggested that Lycovyne cast a knock spell upon the crystal casket from the hallway. The party and Lycovyne agreed and Lycovyne cast knock. The casket cracked open and another spirit appeared.

• no initiative roll
• death appeared, attacking Lycovyne and hitting for 10 points
• Menka failed to turn the death’s head, badly, then hit it for 7 points
• (somebody hit it for 9 points)
• Lycovyne missed, then missed again
• Gonchar rolled another natural 20, doing 28 points of damage and the death’s head dissipated
• death’s head - minor death: 44 points dealt

Kyril pushed open the crystal casket, grabbed the ornate staff and placed it in the Bag of Holding. The party was pretty beat up. Not feeling safe enough to rest, we proceeded eastward down the passageway.

The passageway continued east then turned south. There was a door in the north wall just before the right turn. Flint listened at that door, hearing nothing. Finding no traps, he opened the door. It opened into a large room (D) filled with racks of wine bottles. Gonchar decided not to touch any of the bottles. Lycovyne pushed one onto the floor where it shattered, but otherwise nothing happened. We started clinking bottles and found one which seemed to act like a switch, opening a portal and freeing a mummy.

Menka rolled an 18 and turned the mummy, praise Thoth! So much so that it became his servant. The party now had an undead pet. Menka commanded the mummy to accompany us and take point. We followed the passage south and checked for traps at the door in the eastern wall at (E). Finding no traps and hearing no noises he opened the door. The room had been very recently cleaned out.

Leaving the room alone we continued south down the passage. A new passage forked west but we continued south. The passage terminated in a stout, very solid looking door. Checking the door for traps, Flint found writing all over the door and the surrounding wall. We surmised it to be protected by magic of a warding nature. We would come back to this door with a knock after resting.

Backtracking to the westward passage, we checked the room at (G) finding it completely empty. Across from the room the hallway ended in an empty, doorless chamber. Continuing west toward (H) a gathering mist filled the hallway, making it impossible to see anything ahead. Continual light did not penetrate the mist. Menka tossed a CL-infused coin down the hall but the mist was still impenetrable.

Menka ordered the mummy to scout ahead and it wandered into the mist. It returned, saying that it saw only empty hallway. We assumed marching order and headed into the mist. Immediately we were forced to roll initiative.

• initiative loss
• a large man with the head of a bull attacked Flint with an axe, hitting him for 4 points
• the minotaur appeared out of nowhere and the party was heavily confused, lost, and the corridors now seem to head off in all directions, randomly
• Flint missed, then hit it for 5 points
• Menka cast stumble and the minotaur disappeared into a nearby wall
• it appeared at the other end of the party
• the minotaur was visibly stumbling and debilitated
• Menka hit it for 6 points
• Ulland drilled it with an arrow for 2 points and it disappeared again
• initiative loss
• the creature reappeared, attacked Ulland and missed
• Arkadios hit for 4 points
• Flint missed
• Menka hit again for 9 points
• Ulland switched weapons
• initiative loss
• stumbling, the minotaur still hit Gonchar for 5 points
• Gonchar hit it for 13 points, killing it
• minotaur: 40 hp

This is obviously the labyrinth under the monastery of which we’d heard. After a while the confusion wore off and we were back in the long hallway.

Session the Sixteenth is heretofore known as An Eventful Hour.

Session the 16\textsuperscript{th#

• Rosalie’s treasure
  • 12 gems (should be check for magic)
  • 3600 electrum pieces
  • no lamia guts
• crystal casket in the mausoleum
  • ornate staff
• ogre sleeping quarters
  • 2500 copper pieces
  • 1050 silver pieces
  • 200 gold pieces
  • 4 good sized gems
• chaos duke’s pendant