Session 24 The Ruins of Al-Anria and the return of High Priestess Zumana
Dungeon Master: {Josh)
The Players:
Sarai Stewart aka “Arch-Mage Tyrrick”, “Inspector Gideon”, “Denimet Half-Dragon” and “Proprius Perficio” (Brendan) Changeling Thief-7, Wizard-1, Master of Masks-4
Argent (Ben) Warforged War Blade-12
Enalo Endless Shores (Mike) Water Goblin Druid-12
Specere Tredecim (Jeff) Synad Psionic Warrior-4, Crusader-8
Ann the Crocodile (Mike) Enalo’s Animal Companion [Dead]
Trot the Crocodile
(Mike) Enalo’s Animal Companion [Dead]Othokent Ketherd (Michael) Kobold Bard-5 [Retired]
Prechrysler (Steve) Human Wizard-4 Sorcerer-1 [Retired]
The decision was to press on before our enemies had a chance to regroup and hit us again. First stop the temple where we met the “Death Mother”. The room looked the same as we left it, except all the bodies were now gone. Moving on we exited through the door on the other side of the altar to where the door we entered. Beyond the door was a short hallway that turned east. We followed the hallway until we came to an area I thought would link up with the south end of this level. I searched the hallway and sure enough found the secret door linking the two areas. We headed south and came to a door. The door was untrapped and there were no detectable thoughts on the other side of the door. Argent opened the door and the room had a slight shimmering to it. Specere immediately reacted by stepping inside the room and attacking the huge gelatinous cube. He obviously put everything he had into the attack. The gelatinous cube didn’t just die; Specere released all his psychic energy into the powerful attack delivering a blow that was truly amazing. The gelatinous cube exploded into small bits of goo and vapor. When the attack was over the walls and Specere were covered in the remnants of the once ooze. There was nothing in the room of value especially after Specere’s attack. We returned to the secret door and continued east, north and then east. In the middle of the hallway a spring-loaded set of walls slammed together nearly flattened Specere and me. I inspected the trap and disabled it before we continued down the hall to a door. Again I detected no thoughts or traps. I moved to the back of the group and Argent moved to the front next to Specere. The room beyond was formally a mess hall. The room looked as though is had not been used in some time. There were two doors one to the north and one to the south. We headed to the southern door. I didn’t find any traps, but I did detect one intelligent thought on the other side of the door. Specere listened and thought he heard a chewing sound coming from the room. I moved to the back of the party and Argent moved to the front. Argent opened the door and in the supply room was a huge vermin. Argent charged first slamming the vermin followed by Specere. Following Specere’s attack the creature fell dead. The creature had been eating the decay supplies in this storeroom. In the back of the storeroom behind a set of shelves I found a chest. After inspecting the chest I handed it to Specere to open. Inside the chest was 3000sp, 5000gp, 26 gems and 6 jewels. We headed back through the mess hall and through the northern door after we checked and found no traps or didn’t detect any thoughts. The room was mostly empty, so we decided to search for secret door that might connect the eastern part of the level to the northern part of the level. While searching as Inspector Gideon, Enalo called for our attention. Standing in the doorway was another Synad. Looked just like Specere. He looked nervous and once he knew we had noticed him he said, “Please don’t hurt me I have a message to deliver.” I asked who sent him and he answered “High Priestess Zumana”. I noticed he had the message in his hand so I decided it might best to cast a detect magic on the note. It didn’t glow. Specere walked up to the poor guy and grabbed the collar around his neck and broke it off him telling him “Now, your free”. The poor guy answered, “What do I do now?” Specere told his new “brother” of his old “brother” in Stormreach and to ask for Dean Petty from Morgrave University and how he would help him out. I took the message and read it. It read
You have proved yourselves capable,
follow this servant. I want to know
your intensions. You will not be harmed.
High Priestess Zumana
The servants’ name was Specimen 27. He told us that we needed to go back up to the room where we had first met High Priest Zumana. We did. Next we went through the secret door under the altar and down the narrow path. This time though instead of the path ending in nothingness there was an elevator big enough for two people at a time to ride down into the darkness. The first trip was Specimen 27, Argent and Enalo, as a bat flying down on his own. After about a minute Specimen 27 returned. Specere and me had him explain how to work the elevator and told Specimen 27 to make a run for it and we wished him good luck. Specere and me headed down into the darkness. The elevator dropped down for about a full minute before we stopped in what looked to be the gates of a city. We approached the gates I did a quick scan around detecting two thoughts. I called out to the two invisible followers “I know you two are standing there why don’t you reveal yourselves.” I don’t think the two followers liked the fact that I knew they were there. I took off running the other way until they were out of my range. Outside the door, leading to who knows what, I decided to detect thought on the other side of the door. To my surprise there were hundreds of minds on the other side of the door. This could not be good. Zumana promised us we would not be harmed, but we know Zumana is chaotic. I cast Cat’s Grace on Specere and myself. I don’t know if it was that we were about to walk into sure death or the fact that I had just recently died and narrowly avoided two other deaths, but I saw Specere in a way I had never noticed before. He is not only a good friend, but he is the only man in my life I could say I had feeling for. It was in this moment that I made a decision as I turned into a form I had only thought about many times. I turned into a beautiful female Synad, the same race as Specere. I looked into his eyes and told him, “If you can get me out of this, I’m yours.” His eyes got big, but he understood what I was saying. We turned and entered through the doors. Just before we entered changed into Denimet Half-Dragon in case I needed to use my dragon breath. Inside were hundreds of drow and dozens of trolls. In the room standing alone was Argent. Flying above Argent was Enalo the bat. Forty feet beyond Argent was High Priestess Zumana. We bravely walked forward and stopped beside Argent. The huge hall was deathly silent. Zumana finally spoke. “What are your intentions for coming to the ruins?” I explained, “We were hired by Morgrave University to find the ancient runes in the ruins of Al-Anria.” While she was speaking I began detecting thoughts around me and found that many of the drow were invisible and standing a little to close for my comfort. Zumana began again “Your group has show itself to be resourceful and I would like to make deal with you, come forward.” I figured it was time to see if what she was saying was true and how much she really feared or hated us. “If we are going to work together than maybe you could have your invisible drow show themselves and back away.” Not wanting to show weakness Zumana just stood there waiting for us to come closer.” Argent suggested we more forward apparently one of the guards informed him that Zumana doesn’t repeat herself. We approached Zumana until only we could hear what she had to saw. So she began by telling us a story “You are in the city of Thandysha this is not our original home. To the south is our home city of Xil’etha. A fire giant attacked us and he took over our city. We were forced to flee here and capture this city. What I what you to do is to kill the fire giant leader and you and your friends from Morgrave University can have this city to study all you want.” I decided to press our luck again and see what more information you might reveal. I said, “If we kill the fire giant we want the gems.” Zumana said, “So you know about the gems, fine if you kill the fire giant you can have the gems.” She further explained, “The fire giant is currently running a ritual that takes twenty four hours. All he has is his four bodyguards protecting him. This would be the best time to kill him”. I asked, “Can you give us some of your assassins to help us fight the guards and the fire giant?” She explained, “We can not be associated with this attack in anyway or he will kill me.” I told her, “We agree to kill the fire giant, but we need to rest first is there a place we can sleep down here also we would like the ownership of Specimen 27.” Zumana told us, “You can sleep up in the pyramid and you can do what you want with Specimen 27 he is yours. Also I will send one of my priest to escort you to where the ritual is taking place in the morning.”
We camped and made ready for a fight against four guards and a fire giant. Both Enalo and myself prepared several ice spells. In the morning a female drow named Lorakythe came and took us to the ritual. We walked for hours deeper and deeper into the underearth. Eventually we stopped in a cavern and Lorakythe turned to us and said, “Zumana is my mother and she has no intention of keeping up her end of the bargain. If you survive find me and I will help you defeat Zumana and give you the gems.” Not knowing if this was a true statement or a set up we agreed. Lorakythe left us as we began casting a couple of spells. I cast dancing light. Just as I finished we all heard a death cry. Our best guess is Zumana sent some of her assassins to kill her daughter either because she didn’t trust her or knew of the plan to betray her. Either way it sounded as thought they had killed her. I logged that fact into my mind and if we got out of this maybe we could find her body and have her resurrected and still work out a deal with her. As we rounded the corner we saw a ledge and a ten-foot wide walkway heading into the darkness. I decided a little light might be a good idea so moved my dancing lights forward. Argent led the way and was shot by something from out of the darkness. I moved my lights ahead up the walkway towards a landing where three drow and a huge troll stood. Specere moved past me and stepped out onto the walkway. The troll wasted no time in charging and attacking Argent with a nasty swipe of his claw. Enalo flew out over the bottomless darkness and cast his now famous Vorpal Fish. The drow with an extra long arm shot Argent with some type of spell. It looked painful and Argent acted like it hurt too. Argent went berserk and attacked the troll slashing its chest with the Sword of Winter’s. The drow in the back with the bow shot Argent again hitting him. I cast a scorching ray at the troll hiting him solidly. Specere attacked the troll killing it and in the process was able to heal Argent a little. When the troll died though it turned into a drow and went gaseous. We were fighting vampiric drow. Enalo saw that several of the drow found safe positions just outside of the vorpal fish spell so he cast another one over the top of the other one such that the drow had no more safe places to stand without one the fish attacking them. The drow with the big arm fired a cone of eldritch blast hitting both Specere and Enalo. This was followed up by the spellcaster with the rapier who cast another spell. This time I recognized it as a fireball it hit both Specere and Argent. Luckily I was quick enough to avoid any damage. Both Specere and Argent both said they felt weaker after the spell hit them. Argent was looking bad, but continued to press the attack. The two warriors in the front decided to concentrate their attacks on the Rapier wielding spellcaster. Argent was the first to attack him with a well-placed strike. The drow in the back took the opportunity to cast a spell on Argent, but we shook off the effects. I pulled out a scroll of summon monster IV and began reading the scroll. Enalo let his fish inflict more damage on the drow and some on Argent as well before choosing to end the spells. He also tried to dispel magic on the rapiered drow in hope of weakening his defense. Once the fish spells had ended Specere rushed the spellcaster, but the attack missed as we noticed that the spellcasters form would blink every so often. The large armed drow tried attacking Argent with his two claw and a bite, fortunately all the attacks missed. The rapiered drow was much more accurate with his attacks hitting Argent twice. Argent looked like he was near death after the attacks. The bow user must have seen the same thing and shot Argent twice with his bow. Argent took the two hits in the chest and fell over backwards. I had never seen a warforged die before and I hope I never have to see it again. Almost as soon as he hit the ground he began to deteriorate right before my eyes. In my anger I finished summon my lion and sent it after the murdering drow. The lion did its best clawing him once, but it looked like it did little to no damage. I fired five magic missiles at the wizard hitting with all of them and ending his evil life right then and there. Enalo following my lead began casting a summon spell of his own. Specere with a full attack didn’t hold anything back and struck the large armed drow with three vicious attacks. When we had finished the drow lay dead at his feet. With just the bow using drow left I shot him first with a lesser acid orb followed by the appearance of a huge crocodile that chomped the drow into the next life. Now what? We are short one warrior, but we have an extra crocodile and a celestial lion to help us fight whatever lay beyond the door. Or maybe we should blow the whistle hoping to return to either the drow or Stormreach so we can try and return Argent back to the living. Whatever choice we make in the next few second we need to make it quick I sure the fire giant is not ideally waiting for us to arrive.
Quotes:
[After a good roll on a disable device check]
{Tyrrick} If my disable device check is 5 more than the DC I get the trap.
{DM} OK you get the two walls.
[DM describing the sounds Specere hears on the other side of the door]
{DM} You hear the sounds of mastication.
{Tyrrick} Did you saw masturbation?
[Specere power attacks a gelatinous cube for 105 points of damage]
{DM} You and the walls are covered in ooze.
{DM} You look like a porn star. Bukkake.
[Specere telling us he’s going to regains his psionic focus]
{Specere} then I’d better recharge my weapon.
[Enalo as a Rhino telling us what his primary attack is]
{Enalo} I’m horny.
[Four characters about to go down a two-person elevator]
{Enalo} I could turn into a pigeon and sit on Argent’s shoulder.
{Tyrrick} Yea, Argent {the warforged} is like a statue and if you’re a pigeon you could shit on him. That’s what pigeon do.
