We found ourselves in possession of Abigail’s hand, and the claw-like gauntlet that contained it. As we gazed upon it while pondering the significance of slicing off a vampire’s hand, the hand itself began to dissipate in a sulfurous mist. Presently, the hand completely disappeared, though it left behind the gauntlet, intact and seeming to smoke as the hand dissolved.

6 pillars rose to the ceiling of this large, 40’ x 70’ 15’ high room. The floors were wet and the walls appeared to have been recently wet as well, but drying - the pillars and walls were covered in crumbled carvings, suggesting buildings of odd geometry, the pillars carved like tentacles which seem to reach at party members from the corners of their eyes. An altar lay smashed into rubble on the east end of room, broken and defiled by hands other than our own.

We searched through the room, looking for secret doors and anything else of interest. Lycovyne checked the walls behind the crumbled altar and was utterly repelled by what was left of the frescos on the wall. He averted his eyes and moved on.

Finding Lenora#

The party had entered the hall through a door on the western end of the southern wall, and the only exit seemed to be another door in the southern wall, some 30 feet west. Cathal opened the door, which opened into a long, crumbling, damp room which extended 40’ southward, about 25-30’ wide. A door, black and glistening, was in the east wall. Low stalls stood along the crumbling, damp west wall, rusty chains secured to the wall in each. Several stalls contained the unsettling remains of … what was once something, but now just bones, bloodstains and gristle.

Except in one stall, where a scrawny young woman was chained to the wall. She was weakly fighting off the clawing depredations of the gnome Menka had turned earlier, her almost-whispered protestations of “stop Malley … no … stop…” evidencing her weary weakness. That same gnome (Malley, formerly a member of Creel’s household staff, now a vampire) had been feeding on her, apparently. Our intrusion spoiled his snack, and the paladin attacked.

• initiative loss
• Malley missed Cathal, though he tried desperately to bite his neck
• Cathal slashed him back for 12 points
• Gonchar also nailed Malley for 17 points
• initiative win
• Cathal nailed Malley for 22 more points and he was slain

Cathal detected no evil in the unfortunate figure chained to the wall. Flint was able to pick the locks on the girl’s shackles with ease. Menka cured her lesser wounds and she seemed to come back to life, though she still quaked with fear and revulsion. Cathal spoke with her for a bit and found out that both Malley and Abigail (“that … pale woman…”) had both been feeding on her. Repulsed, the paladin swore to protect her and return her to the surface. Several party members suggested some alternate activities that would not necessarily violate his oath to protect her, but Cathal would hear of no such thing, preferring the sandpaper handjob of the Claw of the Vampire…

Flint checked the door in the east wall and it was wet and swollen. He found no traps in the door so Cathal opened it. It opened into a hallway of warped reality. None of us stepped through, but down the hallway to the east we saw a rune-covered bronze door, green with verdigris and age. The hallway also had a door in the northern wall, which looked normal.

Looking For Abigail#

We made our way through the distorted hallway and examined the bronze doors. We had done what Creel asked, but we had also beaten Abigail down to zero. If we could find her dormant in her coffin, we could finish her off for good.

Flint examined the door closely, looking for traps. He failed his save vs. spell and backed away from the door, reeling, terrified, swearing he would get no closer to that fucking door. Seamus, examining the door, failed the same save and looked immediately terrified, and shared the same proclamation. Cathal pushed the two cream puffs aside, made his save and opened the door.

Stepping through, he entered a 50’x50’ room. It looked like it was once something of importance - the floors were of dark green marble, and the walls were of the same stone, moist and glistening, carved to suggest flowing waves and a background suggesting buildings of unusual geometry and incomprehensible curves and angles. Reality was as warped in this room as it was in the hallway.

Sets of double doors sat in the north and south walls. The doors in the north wall were guarded by nasty-looking tentacled creatures of the sort we had battled before, but these were armored, and gazed upon you with, despite their ghastly, inhuman visages, could only be hostility.

One of the creatures began its hypnotic tentacle-waving spell and we all had to save. Gonchar and Cathal both saved. -4 to attack rolls if you save, mentally tits up if you do not.

• initiative win
• Lycovyne made his save vs. mindfuck and sprayed the creatures with a Cone of Cold, doling out 18 pts of damage.
• Cathal nailed one of the creatures for 17 points
• Gonchar hit the same one for 18 more
• Menka, Seamus and Kyril both made their saves and entered the fray
• Seamus nailed the same creature for 20 points, killing it
• Menka chipped a nail
• The creatures returned fire and flailed Menka for 6 points
• They also hit Gonchar for 2 points and he failed his save vs. poison and hit the deck
• initiative win
• Menka dragged Gonchar out of the battle, yelling POISON! to Kyril
• Tim hit one of them with his dagger and a natural 20 for 18 points
• Cathal hit the remaining creature for 9 points
• It attacked him with the poisoned blade but he made his save
• Cathal took out the last opponent
• Kyril cast neutralize poison on Gonchar and the dwarf came round
• 2 octopic fighters, 40 hp

Cathal applied first aid to Menka, Gonchar and himself. The creatures had been blocking the doors in the north wall. The doors in the south wall were barred heavily from our side. Seamus examined the doors to the north, failed his save and walked away from them, shaking his head, cursing in his Celtic tongue, refusing to go near. Flint made his save and gave the doors a good going-over. He found no traps, and they were not locked.

The City Under The Sea#

We opened the doors and looked into a long, thin room with glistening walls, carved in undulating tentacles. The floor seemed to be wet marble, and 2 bizarre doors stood open at the far end. They seemed to frame a portal into a watery dimension. In the watery distance we could see what could only be a sea floor, beyond which could be seen a dim, green underwater city. The city was many-spired and full of buildings which jutted in various directions in a manner which seemed to violate the rules of gravity, logic and geometry. Beings moved throughout the city in the distance, some the fish-men whom the PCs know of, and tentacled creatures which move like humanoid squid, plus bigger things, to look at which caused the viewer’s mind to slip. It was very unnatural scene and the druid was appalled.

We did not have time to examine the portal in more detail as there were also 8 deep ones in the room, guarding the portal, or having just emerged from it. A pedestal set on a pillar of gleaming silver (which the dwarves each immediately identified as platinum!) stood waist high in the corner, upon which was a large, glowing orb with an impression of a webbed hand upon it. Standing next to it was another, larger Deep One who snarled as he gazed at you and began the work of spellcasting.

The other deep ones were armed with swords and spears and clad in armor that seem to be made of scales and turtle shells.

• initiative win
• Menka cast Chill into the room, believing the deep ones to have lowered resistance to cold damage - 8 points of damage per round, 4 if they save, for 8 rounds
• Tim cast a Stinking Cloud into the room as well - it would last for 9 rounds
• Nevertheless, Seamus leapt into the room and nailed a deep one for 13 points
  • he had to save vs. death magic when he entered the room, a save which he failed
  • suddenly, the Irish monk was nauseous, feeling a sense of vertigo as the angles of the walls and floor and ceilings stopped adding up the way they should, and the walls and floor/ground and ceiling and his companions, slid and shifted beneath his feet and around the room
• Cathal and Gonchar also thought it a great idea to leap into a room filled with a chilled stinking cloud - no mention of save vs. poison, though they had to save vs. spell and made wisdom checks
• Gonchar failed his wisdom check, while Cathal made it
• Seamus got sworded for 2 points
• Cathal and Gonchar each got hit for 5
• The large deep one with his hand on the orb spoke a word to Cathal in a language neither he nor anyone else could understand, forcing Cathal to save vs. something, which he did.
• One of the fishy fuckers hurled a spear at Menka, drilling the priest for 10 points
• Gonchar hit one for 14 points
• initiative win
• Gonchar hit one for 17 points, destroying it
• They hit Seamus again (who was prone?) but missed Cathal
• Menka pulled the spear free from his guts
• initiative loss
• Gonchar and Cathal were trying to kite the creatures out of the room
• the creatures missed in their attacks
• Cathal hit one twice for 25 points, destroying it
• Gonchar dragged Seamus out of the room
• initiative win
• With Gonchar and Cathal closer to the door, Tim launched a fireball into the room, doling out 29 points of damage
• Lycovyne attacked one near the door, doing 5 points of damage
• initiative win
• Flint hit one just inside the door for 13 points
• Lycovyne missed
• Gonchar re-entered the room and had to make a wisdom check
• Seamus also re-entered, failed his save, and began retching
• The large deep one warrior snarled and touched Gonchar where his bathing suit covers, doing 8 points of creepy damage
• Cathal hit a deep one near the door for 15 points
• Seamus got hit for 2 points
• initiative loss
• a large tentacle reached out of the portal and wrapped itself around Cathal, as the paladin had put himself between the portal and the big guy - it clung to him and did 5 points of damage
• he made his dex checks so both arms were free
• Tim zapped the tentacle with some save vs. magic missiles for 18 points and it let go of Cathal and disappeared into the portal
• The big guy made a break for the portal and Cathal blocked
• Gonchar nailed the big guy with 2 natural 20s for 64 points of damage, killing him
• tentacle, 8 deep one warriors, deep one Priest

With the deep ones attended to, Cathal and Gonchar attempted to close the 2 doors flanking the portal to the underwater city. Both had to save vs. death magic ^{[We are being very free with the phrase *death magic* here. To fail a save vs. death magic is to *die*. Notably, saves vs *paralyzation* and *poison* are in the same column on the table.]} to deal with the madness beyond the gate that danced into their peripheral vision, and were able to close the doors, which obscured the view of the maddening city. With the portal shut the unholy magics loose in the room dissipated and the party was able to enter without making wisdom saves.

Tim attempted to lay his hands on the silver orb, failed a save vs. paralyzation and fled the room. Kyril sighed heavily and volunteered to go find Tim. Cathal stated emphatically that we should leave the orb alone and not mess with it. The dwarves were far from convinced, slavering after the giant slug of platinum.

We did in fact let the orb be and headed back to the barred door to the south. Cathal was able to lift the bar, though he needed to make a save (or strength check?). The doors opened into a 40x20 room which was damp and cold. The walls and ceiling were in bad shape; little more than wet, crumbling plaster. Running water was audible to the south.

Wandering Monsters#

Bars stood in the wall at the far end of the room, with another chamber beyond. There appeared to be 50’ long chains affixed to the bars on the other side. A flat table on wheels sat in the center of the room, and empty rusting metal grooves/channels in the floor beneath it led to the chamber beyond the bars. We searched the room and found nothing of interest. Deciding we weren’t really all that curious about what could be summoned to the room beyond the bars, we left the room and put the bar back in place.

Believing ourselves to be finished below Creel’s tower, we got in marching order and began to make our way back to the water-filled chamber. As we headed west down the tunnel 4 trident-wielding deep ones attacked the party - from behind.

• initiative loss
• they missed Kyril
• though they hit Flint for 9 points
• Flint fought back, hitting twice for 14 points
• Menka cast Prayer
• initiative tie
• Flint hit twice, again, for 19 points
• Kyril staved one for 7 points
• Seamus pummeled a deep one for 9 points
• Menka missed
• so did the deep ones
• initiative loss
• they missed
• Flint hit twice, again, for 9 points
• Kyril hit his opponent for 8 points
• Menka flailed the same deep one for 8 points
• Seamus hit that one again for 9 points, dropping it
• initiative loss
• Flint got hit for 8 points with a trident
• on fire, he hit back twice for 12 points, killing the creature
• Kyril hit again for 9 points
• Menka flailed it again for 11 points
• Seamus took it out with a flagon to the mug, killing it
• 4 deep ones

Before Cathal could apply any first aid we were attacked by a second party of deep ones - also seemingly from the gate-room you’d just left - including one of the tentacled spellcasters.

• initiative win
• Menka, Tim, Kyril and Flint failed their saves as the tentacles began to undulate
• Cathal hit the tentacular spellcaster with a natural 20 for 42 points of damage and immediately felled him
• Lycovyne hit a deep one for 9 points
• Seamus got hit for 1 point
• initiative win
• Cathal hit a deep one for 14 points
• Gonchar chipped a nail
• Lycovyne missed as well
• Seamus pummeled a deep one for 12 points
• Cathal got hit for 3 points
• Gonchar hit a deep one for 17 points, felling it
• Cathal hit one for 8 more
• initiative loss
• Cathal hit his opponent for 10 more points, killing it
• Menka hit a deep one for 12 points, killing his opponent, praise Thoth!
• 4 deep ones, one Spawn of Cthulhu

We got the distinct impression that unless we shattered the orb and sealed the portal we’d never get out of here. Also, Cathal may have been hearing voices to the same effect. The party reversed course and headed back into the gate-room to find the doors flung open, the maddening city in the distance again looming!

• no initiative
• Gonchar threw a hissy fit then and, from outside the room, hurled his hammer at the orb, doing 26 points of damage and cracking it.
• Cathal flashed his python boots and a toothy grin and leapt across the chamber, saving and making his wisdom check, and attacking the orb with his sword. He missed heroically but needed to gaze upon it close-up to aim his second attack and made yet another save vs. death magic before hitting it for 12 points.
• Gonchar hurled again but missed the entirely inanimate object
• a tentacle began to reach out of the open gate
• Cathal hit it for 12 points of damage and did not have to make a second save
• tired of waiting around, Menka, from outside the door, nailed the orb with 3 charges from the Ring of the Ram and shattered it

The shards of the shattered orb flew through the portal into the water and the gate winked out, cutting off the tentacle, which dropped to the floor in a disgusting, saline mess. The portal seemed to be well and truly sealed. The doors, as if by magic, closed of their own accord.

Forming marching order, we once again headed toward the water filled chamber. This time we reached it without incident and Tim called up a large folding boat to get us across the water. Having already dispatched the stony guardians, we made it to the southern dock safely.

The Paper Yacht#

We debarked, folded the boat and made our way out of the tower, looking for signs of a coffin being dragged along the way. The party, before returning to Creel’s “cleared” area of the complex, checked a door to the east, across from the door to the room with walls depicting a yellow king. Lenora was having none of this, and ran off into Creel’s lit entry chamber. The party proceeded east and tried the door. The door opened, but with difficulty, into a room choked with webs. The party made like the Wild Rover, sang “no, nay, never”, closed the door and moved on. As we made our way back to Creel’s part of the lower complex we heard feet descending the stairs up - and Lenora returned, terrified, having heard her friend Tina’s voice calling to her from the darkness beyond the top of the stairs.

We made our way upstairs and rang the bell on the right, as described by Creel. The man himself appeared and was in much better shape than our previous meeting, though he was overrun with regret and remorse for the loss of his staff and his household, all of which he blamed on himself. Rightly, as it happens.

The party ascended into the ground floor, and to the upper floors. The second floor had bloodstains and wrapped corpses in the halls, which Creel sadly described as turned staff. Kyril looked out a window of the tower above ground and saw that Abigail’s hearse was gone.

The party discussed the situation below with Creel, and Lenora described what she had heard from Tina. The decision was made to dispatch Tina.

Creel asked if it would be possible to leave a holy symbol on the door to the unnamed pits below the tower and Menka provided just such a blessing, praying for 2 hours to acquire the Holy Symbol spell. He cast this spell on an ankh Creel had in his collection. Menka and Cathal hung the blessed ankh on the door downstairs and hung some garlic from it for good measure.

As we traveled downstairs to hang the holy symbol we searched for Tina in the servants’ chambers.

• she attacked
• Menka failed to turn her
• Cathal hit her for 9 points
• Gonchar hit her twice for 42 points, knocking her down
• Kyril handed the stakes to Cathal, who did the deed, freeing her dammed soul
• Tina, staked

The party returned to the surface levels of the Tower of Thelonius Creel to rejoin the heartbroken mage.

end