SESSION 35 November 11th 216 The party attempts to decide what to do without Alex. Arrangements are made for the purchase of a slab of granite into which the party plans on embedding Alex's fork. The party sells some of Alex's weapons and equipment. Alex's psi-cystal reanimates. The party attempts to scry on Alex but they get nothing. The scrying using the psi-crystal the party gets a nursemaid and two babies. Group discuss what might have happened. Jaenelle reads Tomoko's memories and notices that the babies were elvin and the heraldry and language used by the elves is not something she has hear before. The nursemaid was human. November 12th-13th 216 Further memory analysis (By Jaenelle) determines that the babies are both girls. Party makes plans. Party prepares to go speak to Alex's parents. Jaenelle organizes party livery and gives lessons on comportment and diplomacy. Korvath touches up on divinations and translation spells. The party sold some more gear but kept Alex's equipment incase he was alive. November 14th 216 The group scries on Alex again. This time they get a male and female elf with the babies sleeping nearby. The male notices the scry censor and dismisses it. Party attempts to send a lantern archon with a note explaining that their comrade may have been reincarnated in the baby. The attempt fails since the archon can not fix on a location to teleport. The entire area appears to be warded against teleportation. Further attempts at scrying also fail. Korvath sends divine messages to the elvin male spellcaster explaining the situation. The male replies that he will look into the situation himself and that the party may send again the next day. November 15th 216 The next day at noon a troll arrives at the Colorless Lodge. Alex explains that "his parents" took it in stride since they had been blessed with twins. Apparently the island was the "Golden Realm" referred to in elven epic poetry. It was the land that the high fae had retreated to at the dawn of creation. Alex was warned not to return as intruders are never welcomed and the island' defenses would destroy any intruders. The family did inform him that they would watch and might contact him again towards the end of his mortal life. The family used a 'wish-like' spell to return Alex to his original form and let him teleport out the only gateway to the island. Alex was not allowed to see any other parts of the isle. The parents were about 1 foot tall and looked like wing-less fairies. Some experimentation with polymorph revealed that the high fae were very dexterous, and quite tough despite their appearances. Comments made by them suggested that they were very long lived (Elves were referred to as a mortal race) suggesting that they might have a lot of very powerful magic users among them. The group was glad to get Alex back and was somewhat interested in the glimpse of a culture hidden for thousands of years. The party wrapped up their financial transactions, and prepared to move on. The party briefly saw Essandri and Mel as they passed through town and Essandri bought a set of bracers from the party. They were still living around Ossington and that Mel's tribe was doing well at cleansing the woods of evil presence and returning the land to nature. The roads had been dissembled and the elves were doing all right. The faux-villagers were learning to harvest the land without hurting it under the guidance of the druids. Essandri was spending a lot of time with Saithnar and an area historians learning more about ancient cultures and the elvin involvement in the war. While selling some armor, Jaenelle had issues with "Roger" (the mayor's son) trying to drug her and Murgen and make Jaenelle his personal concubine. Jaenelle escaped and blackmailed Roger into paying top dollar to buy goods from the party that he couldn't afford in return for their silence. The net result was that Roger had to go heavily into debt to the Mafia and the party left him with no means of making it back. Jaenelle was satisfied with this situation, "Viscousness is its own punishment, He will know the error of his ways." November 16th 216 Group goes to attack Gulthias tower. In the room from which the group had teleported they find an elaborate falling block trap. The party disarmed the trap and Alex looted much of the original mechanism. The party loot several more vaults while avoiding deathly traps. Swiftwind has a close call with some nasty contact poisons but Alex winds up animating the tarry substance to inchworm off the coffin and crawl into a bottle for safe keeping. While bashing down doors the party is attacked by girillions supported by some greasy looking spellcasters. The party kills the girillions and one spellcaster but the other turns ethereal and slips away. Korvath leads the party onward using his divination magic and reveals that the party must go through a set of closets that turn out to be teleportation gates. The party appear to be in a different area of the vault and quickly find the third key fragment on a huge dragon Altar. Swiftwind is examining the alter when it animates and attacks. Simultaneously the group is attacked from behind by a group of mohgr that were attracted by the noise. The party is victorious but before the dust settles another group of girillion and mohgr attack the party. The party is still victorious due to Alex's wit and the Mohgr's lack of one. Korvath dispenses some badly needed healing and the group head onward along Korvath's magical path. The group goes down some long twisty passages and reach the cavern that had contained the swarms of mindless undead. The party is then drawn to the exit on the cavern's floor. Behind the set of double doors the party find a ornate staircase ascending into darkness. Ascending the stairs the group hears the sound of grinding stone machinery. Not sure what the noise was the group ascend to the top where they wage battle with a gargantuan tombstone golumn. Virtually immune to magic the creature is destroyed before anyone succumbs to its soul trapping death touch. The party destroys the creature's remains and press on to the final vault. Avoiding a nasty spike trap the party realize that the entire final vault is crisscrossed with wires that will electrocute anyone touching them. Alex looks at the vault for only a moment before animating the statue holding the last key so it will toss him the key while he is safely out of room. There are some pretty explosions and after the group finishes their ooh-ing and ahh-ing they collect the last of the key parts. The party is careful not to assemble the key. The party then memorize a safe location and depart to retire for the night. SESSION END evening of November 16th 216B NEXT TIME : Gulthias or Gulthi-less. EXPERIENCE TOTALS (Session 35) ----------------- Korvath Alex Herunaro Swiftwind Jaenelle Murgen 71435 66389* 67708* 72833 72626 34771 * - Attained 12th Level NOTES ----- You have the key, where are you going to go with it?