Post by hubertbartels on Oct 12, 2019 14:52:29 GMT -5
Returning through the black gate to the cold chamber, we walked deeper into the complex. The next chamber was filled with a milky-white mist which was slightly poisonous. At the far end was an altar on which stood a crystalline enclosure in which a Yuan-Ti was struggling in pain. Kelric went up to study the arcane spells and determined the best way to free the Yuan-Ti. Stepping out of the mist was a Red Wizard and two iron golems. He ordered us to surrender. Aalyea burst across the room and quickly dropped the Thayan. The iron golems did a lot of damage but we managed to take them at last. On the wizard, we found a wanted poster with most of our descriptions. It is our guess that the Red Wizards had been scrying us.
Randall’s attempts to free the Yuan-Ti failed, killing the creature so we moved on. The next chamber was also filled with a mist – although this mist was white with streaks of red blood moving through it. This chamber also had a crystalline enclosure mounted on an altar. A Red Wizard and several zombies were guarding the chamber. He attempted to parley with us but the negotiations broke down when we insisted on destroying the chamber’s crystalline enclosure. Aaleya charged and killed the wizard and we disposed of the zombies.
In the enclosure was an elderly priest of Ilmater. Sunny opened a teleport circle and sent him to Shadowdale. On the wizard, we found a Wand of Binding which we gave to Jaggred and a treatise on the Doom Vault. The Doom Vault’s defenses was powered by extracting souls from the chosen of the gods. Each of the crystalline enclosures we had found was a device that performed this extraction.
We decide to continue shutting down the Doom Vault. The next chamber we entered was unguarded. In the extraction device we found a half-elf writhing in pain or pleasure. Sunny wasn’t sure. Randall extracted her from the crystalline device. Her name was Ashocrath(?) and she was a priestess of Loviatar, the maiden of pain. But she was willing to do anything to oppose Szass Tam and the undead so we let her tag along.
The following chamber was known as part of the Temple of Oppression. It was hexagonal with walls of red stone. On the walls were oozes which began slowly to slide toward us. Kelric burned some of them with a fireball while Jaggred smashed them with a maul. In the crystalline device was a drow male who was a cleric of Ghaunador. He was quite insane after Randall freed him, choosing to kill himself rather than be teleported away or join us.
Leaving the hexagonal chamber behind, we entered a chamber that was very dark. A light cantrip was blanked out by the darkness so Sunny cast Daylight on her stuff. Six shadow demons swarmed over towards Sunny. But they were weakened by the light so we managed to destroy them. In the extraction device was an old drow female. She thanked us briefly and said she would find her own way out.
In the next chamber, part of the Temple of Fortune, we are startled by the appearance of an arcane eye. We followed the eye to a Red Wizard and five flesh golems, dressed in plate mail. The Thayan was frightened of us and wished to be left alone. We agreed if we could destroy the extraction device. He agreed and left the chamber. From the device, we freed a halfling, a cleric of Tymora. His name was Curren.
From the temple of Savagery, we heard the screams and yells of fighting. We entered the chamber to find a lich in the robes of a red wizard, watching two ghasts fighting. Elathrion walked up to him and got his attention. The lich, furious at being interrupted, tried to make us fight among ourselves. Kelric answered by tossing a fireball into the chamber. Aaleya tried to attack but was banished. When the lich is destroyed, Aaleya pops back. The prisoner in the extraction device was a former Duke of Baldur’s Gate, a cleric of Bane and now a wight. We decide to destroy him.
The next chamber we needed to visit was the Temple of the Forest. The chamber was earthy and filled with roots and dirt. It was guarded by a wraith. The wraith was powerless to attack us because Sunny still had the Daylight spell up. In the crystalline enclosure, we find a wood elf. Erya was a cleric of Rillifane Rallathil. When we cracked the device, we ask if she is all right. Erya answered that she wasn’t sure – that the wizards did something to her and she was struggling to hold the spirit within her. If someone had the banishment spell, she would be free of the spirit.
Sunny said she had that spell. Erya released her hold and the spirit manifested, turning her into a large werewolf, an avatar of Talos. Sunny failed once to make the spell work but recasting it a second time caused the spirit to leave Erya. We left the chamber with the wraith cursing and swearing at us, still powerless to affect us. Erya joined us.
The final chamber we visited was the first one we entered. We now knew enough to approach the altar at the far end of the cold chamber and examine the crystalline device. Inside was a human woman, a cleric of Auril. We decided that she should not go free and Randall killed her in deactivating the device. Sunny got some of her scrolls and Elathrion got a robe of winter.
Randall’s attempts to free the Yuan-Ti failed, killing the creature so we moved on. The next chamber was also filled with a mist – although this mist was white with streaks of red blood moving through it. This chamber also had a crystalline enclosure mounted on an altar. A Red Wizard and several zombies were guarding the chamber. He attempted to parley with us but the negotiations broke down when we insisted on destroying the chamber’s crystalline enclosure. Aaleya charged and killed the wizard and we disposed of the zombies.
In the enclosure was an elderly priest of Ilmater. Sunny opened a teleport circle and sent him to Shadowdale. On the wizard, we found a Wand of Binding which we gave to Jaggred and a treatise on the Doom Vault. The Doom Vault’s defenses was powered by extracting souls from the chosen of the gods. Each of the crystalline enclosures we had found was a device that performed this extraction.
We decide to continue shutting down the Doom Vault. The next chamber we entered was unguarded. In the extraction device we found a half-elf writhing in pain or pleasure. Sunny wasn’t sure. Randall extracted her from the crystalline device. Her name was Ashocrath(?) and she was a priestess of Loviatar, the maiden of pain. But she was willing to do anything to oppose Szass Tam and the undead so we let her tag along.
The following chamber was known as part of the Temple of Oppression. It was hexagonal with walls of red stone. On the walls were oozes which began slowly to slide toward us. Kelric burned some of them with a fireball while Jaggred smashed them with a maul. In the crystalline device was a drow male who was a cleric of Ghaunador. He was quite insane after Randall freed him, choosing to kill himself rather than be teleported away or join us.
Leaving the hexagonal chamber behind, we entered a chamber that was very dark. A light cantrip was blanked out by the darkness so Sunny cast Daylight on her stuff. Six shadow demons swarmed over towards Sunny. But they were weakened by the light so we managed to destroy them. In the extraction device was an old drow female. She thanked us briefly and said she would find her own way out.
In the next chamber, part of the Temple of Fortune, we are startled by the appearance of an arcane eye. We followed the eye to a Red Wizard and five flesh golems, dressed in plate mail. The Thayan was frightened of us and wished to be left alone. We agreed if we could destroy the extraction device. He agreed and left the chamber. From the device, we freed a halfling, a cleric of Tymora. His name was Curren.
From the temple of Savagery, we heard the screams and yells of fighting. We entered the chamber to find a lich in the robes of a red wizard, watching two ghasts fighting. Elathrion walked up to him and got his attention. The lich, furious at being interrupted, tried to make us fight among ourselves. Kelric answered by tossing a fireball into the chamber. Aaleya tried to attack but was banished. When the lich is destroyed, Aaleya pops back. The prisoner in the extraction device was a former Duke of Baldur’s Gate, a cleric of Bane and now a wight. We decide to destroy him.
The next chamber we needed to visit was the Temple of the Forest. The chamber was earthy and filled with roots and dirt. It was guarded by a wraith. The wraith was powerless to attack us because Sunny still had the Daylight spell up. In the crystalline enclosure, we find a wood elf. Erya was a cleric of Rillifane Rallathil. When we cracked the device, we ask if she is all right. Erya answered that she wasn’t sure – that the wizards did something to her and she was struggling to hold the spirit within her. If someone had the banishment spell, she would be free of the spirit.
Sunny said she had that spell. Erya released her hold and the spirit manifested, turning her into a large werewolf, an avatar of Talos. Sunny failed once to make the spell work but recasting it a second time caused the spirit to leave Erya. We left the chamber with the wraith cursing and swearing at us, still powerless to affect us. Erya joined us.
The final chamber we visited was the first one we entered. We now knew enough to approach the altar at the far end of the cold chamber and examine the crystalline device. Inside was a human woman, a cleric of Auril. We decided that she should not go free and Randall killed her in deactivating the device. Sunny got some of her scrolls and Elathrion got a robe of winter.