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My eye
I lay in a strange comatose state after my resurrection. The party decided to leave Cassandra the Fox as protection! Ryn took my "evil eye" with a spoon.
Return to the tower
The party headed across the open waste ground to the Tower again. A distant dinosaur roar started getting much closer while the entrance archways all held billowing clouds of acrid yellow mist. No one could see much into the stairways, but Ryn guessed that the cloud spell would hurt everyone with poison whether or not they breathed it in.
But the dinosaur broke into open ground, a T-Rex, which dropped humanoid people to the ground and roared again. It started out towards the party.
So they ran inside, suffering burns and scalds, and up the stairs. A few seconds later and everyone came out of the killing mist and onto a twisted staircase.
The first floor was about 100 ft up. The stairs ended with in a large open chamber, however its many exits were festooned with vines. Worst strange demonic statues sat on plinths watching each exit. After much investigating, the party entered a room with a strong-room door. It had tables and chairs and a cryptic rhyme. But during a short rest, Tul Duru and Korros managed to find the hidden key and open the vault door. It was hidden in a mirror.
Garret spotted a fearsome fanged mouth in the carpet, which quickly changed into a seascape. He then tried to burn it but the carpet curled up into the farthest corner until Tul saved it.
An inventory of the vault found some things missing from the dusty shelves, but there was still quite a haul. It included a fully charged Rod of Bamfur. And a jasmin sized Amulet of Health (Con 16).
The Demon of fire and old friends
Afterwards the party found a way up and a torture room. But the fire Demon set up a wall of fire stopping many of the party from helping in a fight. However, Garret had the perfect solution – a wand of ice. Unfortunately, he fluffed placing the wall, managed to cause a strange ripple effect that broke the wand and caused an icy explosion that hit the party, almost killing Calipite.
The party saved Ristomay from torture and the torturer turned out to be Sofini – the Blackfire Adept. She had been badly hurt by the Queen of the Weretigers, Rani Rytasartha. The book went to her master in Hournox, and the Queen has set an elaborate trap for the party on the top.
Next the party found prisoners, children, a lizardfolk and an Erinyes devil – Xalia! After much discussion, Garret left angry that Sofini had not been killed as a betrayer and threat.
Later on, searching the bedrooms led to a book. Again Garret started in about Sofini and what she would do, but then Calipite calmed her by promising to check on her. To tie her up for Garret. He came back when the job was done.
To the towers summit
The party discussed having another rest, but agreed to forge on.
Upstairs to the next level and many rooms of priests, barracks and a huge central chamber holding dozens of skeletons. Lined up and waiting. It took three hours to search and find nothing of value.
Then upwards to the top but a corridor suddenly filled with a strange gas, a trap that stole the wisdom out of Ryn. Unfortunately she had little she could afford to lose.
Upstairs and the party were now on the top of the Tower in the shadow of a huge statue to Orcus the Goatlord. In its hands is an emerald green crystal skull. Then it started speaking.
No one could touch it, since the area of the ritual could not break past a magical shield. Tul duru used the carpet to fly around but could not get any closer. The skull and clawed hands of Orcus were the start of the whitestone path leading out into the sky.
The skull – Neconilis, explained that the Whitestone Path leads to someone called Iuz. A skull. Also that the master of the blackfire adepts is going to use the book of Chaos in Hournox to effect changes. Also confirmed that Rytasartha is coming with many monsters hidden in pockets out of sight. Ready to spring the trap.
A forgotten past?
Worse Neconilis saw that the party are much weaker than 500 years ago when they stopped the ritual and Iuz. But Ryta has used the rod to restart the ritual and the evil Iuz is coming. Again the party discussed fleeing the trap. Ignoring the cold voice of Neconilis.
So Ryta arrived and only her voice at first. Silky sweet and filled with hate, she admitted everything and promised to kill the party for what they did 500 years ago. Killing Marthamuli confirmed her hatred. The Rani of the Rakshasa has spent centuries waiting for the party since they defeated her plan and stopped the skull of Iuz. But now they are weak and feeble and ready to be killed.
Calipite shows his true colours killing Ryn
A fight ensued. A fight which turned on the sudden appearance of vampires, zombies and natives. Then it was made serious by Calipite turning invisible and firing Ryn with magical missiles of power. Not once but three times until the halfling fell and then he did it again destroying the healer.
Tul Duru and Garrett flee
Meanwhile Korros failed an enchantment and left to look for Xalia. Calipite laughed telling everyone that he had healed Sophini and not tied her up. Tul Duru used his carpet to escape and in a moment of pure inspiration he flew past the tower as Garret flipped onto the flying carpet too.
Then Korros found the bodies of the prisoners, killed by Sophini, but the bloody words “He healed her” on the wall. Xalia’s blood.
Korros flees too
Korros fled downstairs and out. He suffered at the poisonous cloud and came out staggering. Then there was a convergence. Garret fired on Calipite as the traitorous wizard flew down to grab the backpack. A lucky shot broke the fly spell.
From the jaws of defeat
Then Tul landed and cut the head off the Calipite. Together they rejoined me and found Thetis the dryad had healed my eye. Lost and unsure, Thetis took everyone back to her grove for rest and recuperation. At least they had the Rod, although the cost was high.
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