Previously, in the safe room in the halfling’s apartments (A) we found a scroll but never got a chance to examine it. Doing so now, we saw that it contained one each of the Whirling Blade and Kheben’s Suspended Silence spells. We decided to roll out some baseline healing before examining the door. The option of finding some place to rest, possibly the halfling’s quarters, was floated but ultimately rejected. We needed to act quickly and to keep moving. Vampires are always at their worst when they’re dead.

• Kyril handed out some goodberries: 8 to Flint, 8 to Gonchar and 2 to Ulland
• Flint called upon his Periapt of Healing, gaining 7 points
• Menka gave a Potion of Healing to Gonchar (8), and another to Ulland (7)

Lycovyne gave 6 +1 arrows to Ulland, asking that any remaining be returned should we survive the next few minutes.

The Hunt For The Huntress#

There was a folded paper tacked to the door (B). Someone rather brashly removed it from the door and found that it contained a note written by Arkadios:

Was Arkadios really trying to buy us off with two spells on a scroll? We decided to press on. Flint examined the door more closely. It was well-reinforced and included a locking mechanism inside the door as well as a large padlock on the outside.

Flint checked the door for traps and found a gas trap in the inside mechanism of the door. He was able to disarm it. He then checked the padlock for traps and, like Ulland, found none. Flint picked the padlock and then the internal locking mechanism and we opened the door.

It opened into a large room. Filled with cobwebs and large pillars which did not reach the ceiling. Gargoyle statuary sat atop each pillar. Shackled to 4 of the pillars were 2 women and 2 men of Innsport stock, cowering, pathetic. We rolled initiative:

• initiative win
• “You couldn’t turn a pancake!!” - words of encouragement from Tim to Menka
• the 4th creature from the left ripped free of his bonds and attacked the party
• Ulland fired an arrow
• Menka, as noted, failed to turn the creature
• Lycovyne let loose with a 25 point fireball, injuring the vampire and killing the other 3 non- vampires who burned to death, horribly
• at the same time, Flint fired up the Wand of Wonder, releasing another fireball which killed the vampire and did 1 point of damage to each party member.

Cathal and Tim were vexed in the extreme about the slaughter of innocents .

Arkadios appeared atop one of the pillars, smiling. He quaffed a potion (probably of Hill Giant Strength) and, descending, attacked the party.

• Arkadios nailed Flint for 20 points
• Flint whipped out the Wand of Wonder again, this time producing a 6d6 lightning bolt, doing 31 points of damage to Arkadios
• Lycovyne launched 4 magic missiles for 42 more points of damage
• Gonchar drank a Potion of Speed
• Tim cast haste
• Cathal missed with his sword
• initiative win
• Tim let loose a volley of magic missiles for 16 points

Having absorbed 89 points of damage in mere seconds, Arkadios assumed gaseous form and disappeared into the mouth of one of the gargoyle statues perched on the pillars.

The room was a mess of smoke and burning, fishy flesh. Even so, the dwarves noted that the wall south (C) was made of sandstone. A 4x hasted Gonchar attacked the wall, trying to bring it down but with no luck. Menka then used 3 charges of the Ring of the Ram and blew the wall to pieces, praise Thoth!

When the dust settled, we saw nothing but inky blackness beyond the wall. Kyril’s dispel magic had no effect on the darkness. Unwilling to step into what may be a wide-open chasm Cathal, Ulland and Gonchar mounted the carpet and headed into the blackness. As soon as they set forth spears clattered among us, on the carpet and in the room, doing 3 points of damage to Ulland and Gonchar.

We continued onward with the trio on the carpet ahead. In 20’ the inky blackness ended. The corridor turned left (east) and we found ourselves in a long, wide hallway which ended in a wide, short stairway that led up.

Session 23 Map#

At the top of those stairs (D), a very damaged looking, fucking infuriated Huntress stood, glowering over Arkadios’ torn-apart remains. With raw hatred she smiled and pulled a lever on a nearby wall and activated a repeated, flying dagger trap which came out of the stairs, lasting 3 melee rounds.

• Lycovyne took 8 points of damage and Tim took 2
• initiative win
• Menka cast Dust Devil
• Lycovyne entered the darkness ahead
• Tim cast Milf’s Ass-And-Arrow, doing 4 points of arrow and 6 points of ass damage
• Kyril cast Faerie Fire
• Gonchar, hasted out of his teeny tiny little mind, hit her 4 times for 51 points of damage
• Ulland, hasted as well and getting 6 shots per round, hit her (with 3 +1 arrows) for 27 points
• The Huntress turned to gaseous form and fled the scene

Gonchar rolled a natural 20 and beheaded what was left of Arkadios, spattering blood everywhere.

Arkadios’ Tale Ends#

Lady Evil had probably returned to her coffin. Possibly the coffin in front of us, if we were indeed in her lair. Said sarcophagus was roughly male in shape. A hole in the top probably allowed her access in gaseous form. Kyril cast stone shape to open to coffin. Meanwhile, the party looted what was left of Arkadios’ corpse.

• Bracers of Defense - Tim
• Gauntlets of Dexterity - Gonchar
• Ring of Jumping - Cathal
• Ring of Swimming
• +1 long sword?
• Dust of Disappearance - 6 charges, Flint
• Potion of Love
• Potion of Plant Control

Gonchar slowed back down. With the sarcophagus opened we saw narrow, steep stairs leading down 50' to a landing or room. From above we could see the floor and walls strewn with the hides of both animals and monsters. Leucrota, blue dragon, unicorn.

We stepped into the sarcophagus and walked down the stairs. At the bottom we turned left onto a narrow landing with nothing but air on our right (down to the large room seen from above) and a " wall" on our left (E). An old, steep staircase lay directly ahead. We were way too cool to use the stairs and decided to fly, levitate and feather fall with style down to the room on the right. Cathal levitated and Gonchar, Tim and Ulland got on the carpet and flew down.

Kyril and Menka made sudden saves vs. magic, praise Thoth! Lycovyne and Flint did not. Both resident Dzialos were now dazed. Menka stabilized Lycovyne, keeping him from plunging over the edge. While waiting for the carpet to return, Menka, Kyril and the dazed Lycovyne and Flint got nailed with a Flame Strike for lots of damage:

• Kyril saved, taking 8 points, down to 41
• Menka saved, taking 18 points of damage, down to 20
• Lycovyne took 25 points of damage, down to 1 point
• Similarly, Flint took 23 points of damage, knocking him down to 1 point

Menka used the Staff of Curing on Flint, giving him 20 hit points back. He then pushed him off the wall. Flint slowly drifted downward. Kyril cured serious wounds on Lycovyne for 15 points (from a distance? How?). The wall to our left proved to be illusory.

The Huntress attacked - in person, this time. Menka made his save vs. death magic but failed his dex save and was knocked over the edge. Ulland was able to catch him below.

• Lycovyne failed his save, remaining dazed
• Flint failed as well
• initiative tie
• she swung at Kyril and his Cloak of Displacement saved him
• Cathal, using the Ring of Jumping, jumped up to the ledge and hit her with the Rod of Smiting for 12 points - his momentum carried them both back through the illusory wall
• Lycovyne made his save, though Flint failed his and remained dazed
• from out of sight Cathal yelled “Stay out!!!”
• Kyril ran through the illusory wall, cast Protection from Fire on Cathal, and took 7 points of damage on the way back out (from what?), yelling “Go for it!!” to Lycovyne
• “We on the carpet floated out and away”
• Lycovyne hit her with a fireball for 30 points
• the Huntress assumed gaseous form and disappeared again
• Wooden coffin, in pieces
• wizard’s spell book in the coffin, as well as robes, gauntlets and a bag
• no bolt hole in the coffin for her to disappear into - where did she go?

Cathal and Lycovyne searched the hidden room (E) with the scorched and destroyed wooden coffin but found nothing. Flint snapped out of his daze and used the Periapt of Healing twice, bringing himself back to 37 hit points. Menka cured Lycovyne’s serious wounds for 12 points, bringing him up to 28 points while drinking a Potion of Healing himself and getting to 29 hit points. Cathal also laid his hands on many in the party.

We regrouped and followed the hallway north. It dead-ended in a wall. Flint found no traps in this wall but he did push the visible buttons. A portal in the wall opened into a truly massive 30' octagonal treasure chamber (F). Kyril fired up a detect magic.

• shelf on the wall
  • staff, magic
  • potion, magic
  • dwarven hammer, magic
  • elixir, magic
• Silverware and 4 crystal bowls
• 6 black pearls
• 3 amethysts
• an inverted halfling skull filled with jewels

The tableware was a full set of pure silver dining cutlery marked with the seal of Phane, the high cleric of the Temple of Diancecht, both here and back on the ‘Oul Sod. Cathal recognized the seal. The set was clearly looted from above as were the pure crystal serving bowls.

Finding lots of loot but no vampire lair, we decided to head back to the room with the smashed coffin. We made it back without incident and found a great deal of burnt coffin and dirt strewn around. We went back to the pelt room with the blue dragon skin.

• 2 leucrota
• large reptile
• tiger-headed creature
• blue dragon
• 2 unicorns
• 4 gnolls
• 4 fishlike creatures

Back to the long room with the grooves in the floor, we used the carpet to get over the group. The female wizard illusion replayed as we arrived. We ignored her. All the other local illusions re- appeared in this manner.

Back to crap central, then. Kyril cast Invisibility to Animals to get himself by the bats. Lycovyne planned to use the Wand of Frost on any giant bats that attacked us. Kyril agreed with this plan. We soaked some cloths in wine and wore them as masks to fight the stench a bit and then crossed the bridge.

We planned to ferry across the bridge on the carpet if necessary. Tim and Kyril failed their constitution saves and began projectile vomiting in all directions.

Lycovyne, Gonchar and Menka got on the carpet and made their way across the bridge over shit creek. They were attacked by bats. Lycovyne took 4 points of damage while fighting them off. The three did manage to get to the other side, though. Menka went back to get Flint and Ulland and brought them across the bridge.

Cathal offered to try and get Kyril and Tim across. He was able to get the writhing, convulsing enchanter across but failed his dex save with Kyril and dropped him into Shit Creek. Almost. Kyril managed to catch the edge of the bridge and hang on, dry heaves and all. A tentacle raised from the filth beneath the bridge and grabbed Kyril, trying to pulling him down. Cathal made his strength check and pulled the puking druid free and made it to the far side of the bridge. Kyril did get nailed by a giant bat for 1 point, ironically.

Having more or less successfully crossed the bridge we arrived at the door into Pippen’s chamber to find it blocked somehow. Cathal smashed his way through and we re-entered Pippen’s room. Inside we found Ilierann - dead and drained, with his throat ripped out. Pippen was passed out on the floor again. We noted at this time that Pippen is true neutral.

Coming to, Pippen begged us to help him:

“Please save my son! His name is Grastic Renfield. She is fleeing! She would only have kept me alive if she planned to come back…”