SESSION 34 November 9th 216 The group heads back to Nightfang's spire. The party flies down a previously dug tunnel. Repairs seem to be going slower than previously. At the bottom the group hears some noises in the hallway. Heironaro throws some exploratory firebals. Soon afterwards the hallway is seen to have nothing more than a collection of ashes that Korvath guesses were vampire spawn or wights. Party starts to descend through the tower. Eventually they decide to go down the "safer" chute. At bottom there are several eyetrees the party destroys. There is a small room with stone rubble in the center of the floor. A single door opens north onto a grand room hundreds of feet long. It is a natural cavern and appears to be filled with hundreds of mindless undead. Luckily, the door is a hundred feet up the wall so the party is safely out of reach of the mindless masses. There is also a peak barely visable in the center of the cavern. Alex and Heironaro fly out to look at it. Swiftwind hitches a ride initially on Heironaro and then Alex as it becomes apparent that Heironaro can't control his flight with the additional weight. Halfway out into the room Swiftwind notices movement of spectres stalking the scouting party. Swiftwind also notices another door high up the eastern wall moments before there is a painful fiery explosion covering the scouting party. Alex is immediately beset by spectres and the scouts fall back in disarray. As the spectres chase the scouts back Korvath releases a mighty burst of holy light returning several spectres to the afterlife. Swftwind makes good use of the ghost touch dagger. Heironaro get targeted as the spectres sense easy prey, but Korvath destroys the remaining spectres with a second burst of divine radience. The group reassembles and tries another scouting mission. The fireball launchers appear to be a group of Mohgr with a necklace of fireballs. Alex and Heironaro take down the one with the necklace and Alex grabs the necklace before the Mohgr's can retrieve it. Alex then goes to the center of the chamber and wrests the fragment of the key from a dragon pedestal's maw. Their is a burst of lightning but Alex shrugs it off and the party decides to destroy a bunch of mindless undead before calling it a night. Heironaro manages to kill several hundred of the creatures with his fireballs. Whenever he blasts a hole the in the dead swarm beneath him, they rush to fill it. The party is somewhat chilled by his mad cackles as he send hundreds of skeletons and zombies to their deaths. The party then returns to the scool for a day of rest. November 10th 216 During the night Jaenelle heard information about a champion of Heironious who entered the tower with his two assistants. When the group investigate at the tower they notice signs that someone climbed the spire using pitons in the last week or two. The next day the group once again sweeps through the tower and goes to the other chute. They explore several dark crypts. The group encounters some girallons but battle is avoided. The group guesses that the girallons might be resisting Gulthias. While passing through Girallon territory, Alex bashes down a door startling several girallons and starting a battle that surrounds the party with multiarmed monsters on all sides. Jaenelle manages to play a song that stops the battle. Both sides retreat from battle as the song soothes nerves. The party is able to pass freely through the girallon territories while Jaenelle continues playing. The party encounters the Girallon leader but there does not seem to be a common language. Jaenelle understands enough to communicate slowly and difficultly. Some trade is established. During the discussions Korvath steals a piece of the key with Heironaro's help. Having gotten what they wanted the party explores the surrounding areas but only find empty tombs and many forked passages. Korvath asks Pelor for guidance and a beam of light begins leading him on the path through dark vaults beneath Nightfang spire. The group has to climb a narrow rock chimney but they reach a girrallon guarded passageway that opens onto a dark shrine of sorts. The shrine is packed with powerful magics. The party finds signs of past fires and possible magic traps. While Heironaro reads an inscription on one of the altars a trap is accidentally activated so the dragon on the ceiling starts watching the party and miniture wands engraved on the altars begin tracking the party. A riddle triggered the trap, so people guess at answers setting off the trap and catching the group on fire. Angry and disturbed, the party press on to the next room searching briefly before Alex realizes that he knows the answer to the riddle. He walks back into the previous room and reads the riddle before answering it correctly. And the party watches in horror as dozens of sickly green rays cover Alex destroying him utterly. The party sweeps up what remains of him and study the next room for teleportation entry purposes. The group then returns to Radclif and make arrangements to have Alex ressurected. There are some complications as a low level Pelorite bureaucrat has caused some issues, but the party clears up the issue and sets him in his place. November 11th 216 The party attempt to raise Alex but his soul has either achieved rest or was not interested in coming back. SESSION END Morning of November 11th 216B NEXT TIME : Gulthias's tower cleaning cadre. EXPERIENCE TOTALS (Session 34) ----------------- Korvath Herunaro Swiftwind Jaenelle Murgen 68380 63411 70183 69968 33225 NOTES ----- Death of Alex