Returning
to
Randal,
told them that the drow raids had got much worse in the fortnight the party had
been away – the raids had been of a scale not seen in generations. Fortunately
some of his scouts had managed to track one of the raiding parties back to the
vicinity of the Dordrien Crypts, wherein according to local lore a passage to
the Underdark laid. Realising the utter folly of sending an army into the
Underdark, he wished the part to take on the task of finding out what had
stirred up the drow and stopping it. He was willing to pay 10000gp and also
offered to extend a line of credit at the
Barely
pausing to purchase supplies, the party set out on the 10 mile hike south to
the foothills of the Dagger Hills where the crypts lay. On arrival in the late
afternoon, they searched around two of the still standing crypts outside
- Dalgarth detected undead inside one, however as the crypt appeared to be
sealed, they decided to leave well enough alone.
Adizar
found tracks leading into the main mausoleum in the hillside, and after a knock
spell from Aerlyn entered into the darkness. In the passageway beyond they
found the bodies of 5 drow who had been stripped of all save their tabards with
s spider motif on them. Arnelius and Aerlyn identified that hand-crossbow bolts
– presumably fired by other drow – had killed the males and the females appeared
to have been abused and then clubbed to death.
Heading
deeper into the complex, they found a shut door, Adizar searched for traps and
finding none stepped aside to allow Dalgarth to enter the chamber beyond.
Unfortunately for Dalgarth as he stepped into the room a glowing Symbol lit
up beneath his feet ! As the burst of light alerted those back in the
corridor, that something untoward had happened - two golden-hued celestial
dire-tigers appeared and assaulted Dalgarth. His friends watched stunned for a
moment as the creature’s claws and teeth bit into the dwarf ferociously. A
brutal combat ensued as Didagi moved to confront one of the tigers and Arnelius
and Adizar the other. Yellyond rushed forward to heal Dalgarth who had fallen
before the combined assault of the creatures. Aerlyn, standing in the doorway
hurled spell after spell at the creatures only to watch in horror as many of
them fizzled out unable to bypass the celestial spell resistance. As first Yellyond then Didagi were attacked
and grappled by the tigers - eventually using Dimension Hop and Slide
to free themselves – Dalgarth lay on the floor casting cure spells on his
colleagues. Adizar and Arnelius continued flanking one of the creatures and
sneak attacking it – although Adizar had to withdraw at one point to use his
wand of Cure Light Wounds. Eventually,
battered and bruised from the conflict the party emerged victorious from the
battle. Arnelius examined the symbol and found it inactive.
After
retrieving some minor treasures from one of the sarcophaguses the party left
the vault, moving deeper into the crypts. Yellyond stopped at another doorway
that appeared undisturbed – she called Adizar forward, who examined the door
and pronounced it free of traps. Yellyond then tried to open the door – only to
see a glowing symbol appear in from of her – which emitted a black glow, which
enveloped her. As she felt the icy hand of death upon her she struggled for a
second before shaking off the worst effects of the spell as the pain hit her.
As Dalgarth rushed forward to heal his comrade, Arnelius moved forward to
examine the door again, searching it carefully though avoiding touching it. He
quickly identified the magical Finger Of Death trap and disabled it.
As Yellyond
recovered behind him, he opened the door. In the vault beyond stood a large
statue of a regal looking woman with jewelled eyes – four doorways led off this
room. Eagerly the rogue stepped into the room only for the statue to raise a
hand to halt him and a voice call out. He stopped and consulted with his
colleagues, unfortunately no-one could understand what the voice said, however
the meaning of the raised hand seemed clear enough! After a brief consultation
they decided they were here to find drow, not loot tombs and decided to leave
the statue alone. Leaving the vault and closing the door behind him, Arnelius
went to scrawl a warning message on the door – however to his horror he found
the trap had somehow reset itself and he was engulfed in the cloying back
light. Fortunately, like his colleague, he was able to shake off the worst of
the spell’s effects, and after some healing decided to move on.
At the end
of the passageway, a stairway led down into a natural looking cavern. The walls
of this cave were covered with niches into which jumbled bones had been
deposited. Moving swiftly through this cave to the one beyond – which was also
covered in bone-filled niches - the party found this cave dominated by an
alien-looking statue. Dalgarth identified the statue as one of Jergal an
ancient deity of death.
Moving
swiftly onward as they moved down a tunnel a voice called out “Hail sister in
darkness, why do you travel with the light-walkers?” Yellyond, at the
front of the party said “You talking to me?” The voice, apparently ignoring her
– reiterated its question. Eventually, realising the voice was addressing her,
Aerlyn said “I too walk in the light” – at which point the ropey tentacles
snaked out of the darkness attacking Yellyond and dragging her up the
passageway. As her colleagues reacted, more ropey tentacles snaked out of the
darkness grasping at Adizar and Arnelius. As Adizar struggled against the
tentacles grappling him he suddenly felt all the strength drain out of him –
Arnelius and Yellyond proved luckier in resisting the roper’s strength drain
and continued to fight. Aerlyn began casting spells against the creature but
initially struggled against its spell resistance – as did Dalgarth. Yellyond
and Arnelius engaged the roper in melee as Adizar struggled feebly on the
ground. Eventually Aerlyn used a orb of cold which bypassed the
creature’s resistance and in combination with the damage from the melee attacks
killed the creature.
After
Dalgarth cast restoration on Adizar the party moved deeper into the
crypts, finding a cave that smelled strongly of fresh death. Scattered piles of
equipment lay around. Yellyond cast detect magic and identified several
items of interest , but as she bent down to pick up a studded leather
breastplate, five ghouls suddenly appeared from nowhere and attacked. Dalgarth
reacted by invoking Moradin and attempting to turn the foul undead and four of
them vanished! The fifth who also appeared to be under some form of enchantment
seemed to be made of sterner stuff and continued attacking first Yellyond, then
Adizar as he moved to assist his colleague. As Arnelius to moved to support,
Aerlyn cast greater disrupt undead at the creature to little seeming
effect – though suddenly the ghoul vanished. Arnelius not convinced the ghoul
had gone anywhere continued sweeping the area the creature had stood with his
swords – to no avail.
For a few
moments the party stood poised, Aerlyn readied a spell, while Dalgarth cast one
and began to glow with a lambent light. The rogues spread out to began to
investigate the other treasures Adizar began snacking on some jerked beef.
Unfortunately Arnelius made straight for the area where unbeknown to him the
invisible creature stood silently, and as he examined the greataxe before him
the creature attacked! Instantly Aerlyn’s spell went off – another greater
disrupt undead – again to little apparent effect. As Dalgarth cast his own
spell it’s golden rays hitting the creature, which screamed - he suddenly
realised that this was not an undead, but some kind of evil outsider. As
Arnelius attacked it at Yellyond moved to support, Adizar continued to munch
his snack Aerlyn let loose a cone of cold into the area – Arnelius with
his superior reflexes avoided the effects, leaving the demon to take the brunt
of the attack. Despite it’s cold resistance the outsider fell slain.
After
retrieving the treasure the party moved on down a tunnel, which opened,
abruptly into a large cavern – the group just had time to take in the large
hole in the ground and the tunnel leading downwards when they spotted the drow
guards staring incredulously at them!
Reacting swiftly to the
presence of the drow guards the party deployed into the chamber – Dalgarth
challenged the guards to surrender and when they failed to do so Aerlyn cast a cone
of cold. One of the drow and the wraith spiders fell, the other guard took
to his heels down the sinkhole, reaching for a potion as he did so. The second
wraith spider feebly attacked Yellyond, but faced with the entire might of the
party it didn’t last long.
After a brief rest, the party
followed down the sinkhole – Adizar being the first lowered down the steep
slope. One by one the others followed cautiously save Dalgarth who decided that
falling was a better option than climbing and clattered to the bottom. At the
base of the sinkhole a long corridor continued the descent before ending
abruptly in a smooth granite wall that did not match the stonework surrounding
it. In front of the wall was another sinkhole – this time with a stout iron
ring embedded in the rock near the lip. The party spent some time examining the
wall – Yellyond opining that it was the creation of a wall of stone
spell and Dalgarth confirming it was no natural formation. Eventually however
they decided to investigate the sinkhole. Adizar, fastening a rope to the iron
ring, began lowering himself down.