You spend another night at the inn. October 30th dawns clear and cold, with the temperature around freezing. A chill wind off of the ocean makes it feel much colder, though.
After breakfast you return to the castle. Since you are going to be staying here for awhile (are you going to make this your permanent base?), Tracey wants to move into the castle and set up house.
"How about it, Orlon?" she says, as the others prepare to leave.
"Sounds like a good idea to me, Tracey," Orlon agrees.
So, when they are ready, a party consisting of Vardui, Al, Oh Well, Who Knows, Stiff and Woody assembles in the tower room before the strange door.
Vardui turns himself invisible.
On cue, you all jump through the black portal...
...and find yourselves at the end of a 10' wide passage. The passage runs for 30' ahead of you; the last 20' feet being a downward sloping ramp. After that the passage opens up into a chamber.
In the first fraction of a second here you notice three things: 1) the area is lit, 2) there are three firbolg giants and an ice demon standing in front of you, and 3) there is a strange elf standing beside you...looking rather surprised...
"RRRRRRRRRRROARRRRRRRRRRRR!" say the giants, and leap to attack you. The devil, at the back, just looks diabolical for the moment.
Suddenly, you are too busy fighting for your lives to take in any more of your surroundings...
"Time to play !" Al says as he unsheathes the Claw of Horus and swings. As he swings the magical scimitar, he bellows, "an offering to Thor, DIE !!!!"
Oh Well attacks a giant.
Woody would like to use his bastard sword (Giant Slayer) with which he is doubly proficient with, but it is only a 10' wide passage, and Al and Oh Well are in front of him. Who Knows has the same problem.
Stiff tries a bunch of Magic Missiles on the Ice Devil.
You hear Vardui speaking words of magic as well.
Stiff's magic missile spell easily blows past the devil's magic resistance, and wipes the smirk off of its so-called face. After the nine missiles have done their damage, the monster is looking very hurt. Still, it is not dead yet.
As the giants attack Al and Oh Well, a wall of ice suddenly appears right behind the latter pair, separating them from the rest of you. At the same time, an unspeakable fear assails the warriors. Al stands firm, but Oh Well shits himself and drops to his knees, cowering against the ice barrier.
The giant facing Al stabs at the cavalier with an enormous sword, but misses. Al connects with the Claw, though, and the giant yelps. He connects again, and he is showered in giant blood.
Beside him, the second giant, who had been about to attack Oh Well instead turns his attentions on Al as well. His sword clangs off of the cavalier's armour.
Beside the ice devil a rift in the space-time continuum suddenly opens. Through it step two bone devils.
As well, from around the corner in the chamber behind the ice devil come three derghodaemons...just itching to get in on the fun.
"Damn!" mutters Vardui from above, evidently flying, and apparently caught on the wrong side of the wall of ice with Stiff and the others.
The strange elf continues to look disoriented.
"Damn, that's all you can say.. I am about to become devil chow and all you can say is damn ?" Al asks Vardui, none too pleased. As he continues to battle, he puts up a wall of force before the devil.
"Sorry," says Vardui.
Who Knows slips on his ring and becomes invisible. He then looks to see if the ice wall can be climbed over. The wall forms a smooth barrier from floor to ceiling, wall to wall.
Oh Well suddenly realises that he was not feared after all...thanks to the manly presence of Al. He jumps to his feet and attacks the nearest giant. His first swing just grazes a gaint, but his second strike is a solid hit, and he is rewarded with a bloody shower.
Al strikes his foe with his speedy scimitar, and the monster drops.
The next giant steps up.
Oh Well lands another solid hit as he sidesteps a lunging sword, and then polishes off giant number two.
The ice devil seems to be content to stay behind Al's wall of force, as he slowly regenerates. The derghodaemons stop behind the greater devil.
The two bone devils, though, siddenly wink out, and reappear on Al and Oh Well's side of the wall of force.
Suddenly, up near the ceiling, Vardui appears, and breathes fire on the wall of ice. The ice begins to melt.
Al immediately strikes out at the nearest bone devil, trying to whittle him down. However, there is one last giant in the way, so the cavalier has to get through him first. This Al does, nicking the giant badly. The firbolg sticks Al for 13 hit points, but the cavalier lands another nasty slice next. The giant still stands, though.
Oh Well turns and attacks one of the bone devils. As the fighter moves to attack, he is impaled through the shoulder on the point of the devil's barbed spear for 10 hit points. Oh Well attacks back as best he can, landing two solid hits.
Vardui continues to breathe on the ice with his fire breath, and it evaporates into steam. Woody and Who Knows smash the crumbling wall with their weapons, and it shatters.
Logan casts a magic missile spell through the melting wall of ice into the giant standing over Al. Three missiles slam into the giant, leaving it all but dead.
That is Stiff's cue, as he unloads a second magic missile spell, spraying them everywhere. One missile kills the last giant, four more go into the bone devil on Oh Well, leaving him almost dead, and his last four go into the ice devil, leaving it badly injured...and mad.
Suddenly a horizontal wall of ice appears over the heads of the people at the back. It falls to earth, shattering on Logan, Woody, Stiff and Who Knows, who each take 18 hit points of damage.
Woody and Who Knows rush in to attack, but Al and Oh Well are blockiong the passage.
The last bone devil takes to the air, and flies to attack Vardui.
The derghodaemons continue to smirk from the rear.
Stiff casts 2 more magic missile spells for a total of 18 missiles. He directs them as follows. He will pump as many as necessary to get rid of the Ice Devil.
The first spell does not affect the ice devil. Suddenly another horizontal wall of ice appears over the people at the rear, dropping on them for 12 hit points of damage. Stiff looks critically injured, but that just adds desperation to his actions, as he redirects his missiles at the bone devils. A single missile kills the devil on Oh Well, and the devil facing Vardui has several large holes blown in him. The arch-mage tries his next magic missile spell on the ice devil, and it gets through. Two missiles are enough to kill it, and it poofs out of this existance. Five more missiles finish off the last bone devil. He sends his last two missiles at the derghodaemons, but they do not bother the infernal creatures.
Then, he speaks a word of power at a daemon, sending it sprawling to the floor, stunned.
Al grins a feral grin as bloodlust fills him. He swings unmercilessly at the closest enemy, be it a devil or a giant. It is a daemon, rushing up. The cavalier lashes out, and lands a good hit. He then takes a swipe across the kisser for 12 hit points. Landing an even better hit next, Al avoids the other four swinging claws.
Oh Well presses his attacks after snapping off the barbed point of the spear and pulling the shaft out of his shoulder (it makes a sickening sucking sound when he does so), and charges the third daemon.
Before the fighter can reach the daemon, though, it suddenly vanishes, as Stiff completes another spell.
Oh Well keeps going, and sticks the stunned daemon.
Who Knows, hurting from the ice, attacks the derghodaemon on Al. His/her sword misses.
Logan shakes off the effects of the ice and unsheathes both swords, and targets the nearest enemy. As he swings his sword, he notices that he does not feel exceptionally strong...and he misses, too.
Vardui drops down from above, swinging his bastard sword with the invisible blade...and he misses also.
>From here it turns into a hacking session, as you endeavour to finish off the last daemon. Al strikes it two more times while suffering 9 more hit points of damage. Who knows misses again, as does Logan.
Finally, it is Vardui who finishes off the daemon with a thrust of his blade into its back.
"Thanks, Stiff," says the high elf, "You saved our bacon."
You pause, take stock and look around.
As mentioned initially, you are at the end of a 10' wide passage which runs for 40' ahead of you. The farthest 20' of the passage slopes downwards into a chamber which opens up to either side.
The floor in the end 10' section of the passage glows red. This is where you appeared. The rest of the floor is a ruddy brown in colour. The walls are of corrugated metal, it appears, and are painted white. The paint is old, dirty, and streaked with rust. The ceiling is likewise of dirty white-painted metal, but at intervals along it are glowing panels which provide illumination. Some of them are flickering, and you hear buzzing noises which correspond to the flickering. In the background, you hear a low constant humming noise.
Then, you become aware of a figure taking shape at the entrance to the chamber, facing you. It is in the shape of a man dressed as a mage, and does not assume complete solidity, but remains transparent.
"I am Borjous of Ar'Razam," the voice says, "Or rather the programmed illusion of he. I was an arch-mage. Welcome to this little Nexus. I discovered this little place some years back, and have used it since. It is located somewhere far from Earth; I am not exactly sure of its location. It is an artifact of technology. Whatever. It was a safe haven for me. At the far end of this place you will find a cubic portal. Each of the four faces of the cube will send you to a place: Ar'Razam, Demon's Neck, the Great Libraries of Washt'n and Hork. If you are of sufficient mental capacity then you may bend them to take you elsewhere, also. In each of those places I have also secreted a portal, which will return you here should you step through it.
"I am dead, now, so you are welcome to this place. Oh yes, but you will have to clear it of my guardians, first!"
The image fades from sight.
"Cool!" says Vardui, then turns to Logan. "Who are you?"
"My name is Logan" the mysterious figure says through his facemask. He is a touch over five feet, and is a well muscled elf, noticeably by his thin and wiry frame. A thin black gauze mask is worn over his entire head, masquarading his features, black hair spills out from beneath the mask to about shoulder level. Blue form fitted robes adorn his body, revealing a bandolier of silver daggers across his bare chest. Black leather shorts match his black leather steel toed boots. He wears two swords strapped across his back and small silver fitted bracers are worn on his forearms.
"I take it I am no longer in Waterdeep ? And who are you ?" he says, swords still in hand, but not in a defensive stance, yet.
"I'm Vardui," the elf replies, floating overhead, grinning at the newcomer's wariness. "Don't worry, we won't kill you...unless you do something really stupid, like turn out to be a paladin."
"A paladin, ha !" Logan says from behind his mask.
"I need healing," complains Stiff. He looks badly beaten up, and a badly beaten up arch-mage is not a good thing to have.
"Can't help there." Logan says to the mage.
"I can," Al pipes in, "and well met Logan, I am Alhamet, cavalier of Thor."
He puts his hands on Stiff and intones, "oh great Thor, please heal my comrade from his wounds." as he casts a cure light wounds on Stiff. He is healed for 7 hit points.
"Anyone else ?" he asks.
Logan now looks to be in slightly worse condition than Stiff.
Meanwhile, others are searching the corpses.
On the giants you find: 1 gem (50gp), 1000gp, 250pp, another 120gp, a scroll, a potion, a lyre, a pair of elven booties and a further 1000gp.
Vardui regards the booties.
"I could them to good use..."
When you are ready, you move ahead, down the ramp and to the entrance to the chamber. It is rather odd-shaped (right wall goes right for 10', then ahead for 10', then right for 10', then ahead for 30', then left for 10', then ahead for 40' (opening in last 10' section), then left for 30', back towards you for 40' (door in 20' - 30' section), then left for 10', towards you for 30', right for 10', towards you for 10', then right for 10').
Like the passage, this place appears to made of rusted, white-painted metal. Glowing panels overhead - some flickering and buzzing - provide illumination. The floor in this chamber is raised: a 10' wide aisle runs down the middle for 40', then opens up into a 20' X 30' area (10' right, 30' ahead). Another such aisle runs over to the door from the middle of this area.
To either side of the first aisle, the floor is raised about 6". The 10' deep, 30' long alcoves to the left and right are a further 3' above the floor. Within them, the walls seem to be adorned with quite an impressive array of flashing lights and glowing panels. A large square in the middle of the (awww, hell) south wall of the right alcove glows red. The ceilings in the alcoves are only about 5' high.
To the left of the door is a 10'X10', 2' high pedestal. On the other side of the door, a 10' wide ledge, elevated some 4' above the floor, runs along the west wall and the north, to the opening to the northeast. That opening is also some 4' above the main floor level.
Logan just looks around, examining the room.
"Hold still, Logan," Al says as he repeats his litany and casts another cure light wounds, this time on Logan. The elf is cured for 7 hit points.
Al scratches his head, "aye, Stiff, is that the panel the apparition was talking about, that can take us places ?"
"You mean the red panel?" asks Vardui. He climbs up into the alcove and inspects it. Touching it, he is surprised when the red panel turns green, and the entire south section of the alcove wall slides aside!
Through it, to the south, is a 10' square room. It is bare but for a pile of loot. Counting it, you come up with 5000sp and 400pp.
"More gold for the glory of Thor," Al says as he rubs his hands together...
He looks around as well, but for something in which to carry the platinum and silver. He sees nothing convenient.
"Nice, not thrilling, but nice." Logan remarks as he looks around the rest of the room. "So where is this portal the dead mage was talking about ?"
"Guess we have to find it," says Vardui, coming back out of the secret room, with the platinum. "Wanna open the door or go up the other passage?"
"Let's look up the passage to see if there is anything interesting first," Who Knows replies.
You climb up onto the ledge at the back (north) end of the chamber, and look through the opening to the east. It is a 10' wide passage, running south.
Looking around the corner and down the length of it, you see that it only runs for 30' and then dead ends. However, down there is an iron box. You go down there, and after checking it for tricks and traps, Vardui opens it. Within it are 3000sp.
"Yawn," says Vardui with a yawn.
You go back to the chamber and go to the door in the west wall. As you approach it, it slides aside. This reveals another passage, running west for 60', where it also dead-ends.
You head down there anyway to check for secret doors.
Reaching the end, you are surprised when the entire last 10' section of the passage floor suddenly starts to sink down a shaft, taking you with it! You hear a loud rattle of chains and gears, as the elevator takes you down about 50', depositing you...outside.
You are in an open courtyard area, surrounded by high rock walls for the most part. To your right, as you face east, a wall runs south for 30', then east for 60' (stream flowing into this wall in 40'-50' section; passage running south in last 10' section), then north for 10', east for 10', north for 20' (door), west for 10', north for 10', west for 40' (passage running north out of first 10' section; stream flowing out of north wall in 2nd 10' section), then north for 10', west for 30', south for 20' and east for 10' to close up. The wall behind you is of white painted metal, with a vertical track running up it...for the elevator platform that just delivered you here. Looking up, you see a square metal enclosed span, which bridges the courtyard some 50' overhead. The elevator platform came out of an opening at this end of it...right over your heads. The far wall of this open area is also of metal, too. The bridge overhead connects to this wall. The rest of the courtyard is enclosed by rough-cut stone walls.
A stream bisects the courtyard, some 40' distant. It flows from north to south down a rectangular-shaped channel. A stone bridge spans it.
Right now, though, you are more concerned with the six rust monsters which are running at you, apparently attracted by the appetizing aroma of metal armour and weapons...
Logan quickly chants the words to a spell and a small pea sized sphere flies from his hands and explodes into an immense ball of fire, behind the six monsters. Flame engulfs them while leaving Logan's companions with just a warm and toasty view.
All of them are toasted to a greater or lesser extent...but none are killed.
Al unsheathes his wand of magic missiles and pumps them into the nearest moving monster. The wand spits out a missile but the cavalier's aim is poor, and he misses.
Who Knows tries to outrun the rust monsters and attempts to climb a wall to escape them. This he does, clinging precariously to the rough stone.
Oh Well uses his wand of illumination, pointing at any remaining rust monsters. There is a flash, and four of them are blinded.
"Take that!" says Vardui from above, becoming visible. A ray shoots from a wand that he is holding, striking one of the two non-blinded rust monsters. It freezes up solid.
The remaining ones reach you.
A blinded one attacks Al, who nimbly sidesteps it.
Another blinded one attacks Woody, who also is missed. The ranger strikes back with his Sinclair molecular chain longsword, killing the rust monster.
Oh Well is also misses, and jumps over his attacker. It spins around, and comes sniffing after him.
Stiff draws his blaster, but holds his fire for now. None go near him.
To add to your woes, suddenly a small, glowing sphere of light floats up out of the south opening that the stream flows into, and heads your way.
"Oh, no!" groans Vardui, readying his magic missile finger. "Will-o-wisp!"
Oh Well calls out, "Magic users, take care of those things."
Logan chants another spell and green billowing noxious fumes surround the rust monsters.
Al, none too pleased with his inability to properly use the wand of magic missiles, replaces it and chants, "oh great Thor, please grant your servant a hammer of power," as he casts a spiritual hammer.
Vardui opens fire with magic missiles directed at the will-o-wisp. His missiles pour into it, hurting it, and getting it to notice the elf. It floats towards him. He fires off another spell, as he tries to keep as much distance between him and the 'wisp.
Logan's spell goes off, engulfing the rust monsters, along with Al, Woody and Oh Well. Al's spell is ruined, as he and Oh Well are completely overcome by the fumes. Woody stumbles out and vomits on Logan, just to let him know what he thinks of him. However, all of the rust monsters except the one trying to attack Logan are also immobilised.
Vardui lets loose a third magic missile spell. The will-o-wisp is flickering, now, but it still sends out a spark which hits Vardui for 6 hit points. The elf zips away, and hurriedly casts another magic missile, which kills the 'wisp.
To your dismay, though, a second will-o-wisp pops out of the tunnel opening and starts floating towards you.
Al and Oh Well are overcome and helpless and in the stinking cloud. Logan and Woody are close together, trying to dodge a blinded rust monster. Stiff stands nearby, and Vardui flys overhead. Who Knows continues to cling to the wall.
Al tries to stumble out of the noxious vapors, puking and cursing at the fool who gassed him. However, he is too busy retching and vomiting to do even that.
Meanwhile, Logan hurls as many silver daggers at the rust monster that he can (of 5). His first dagger embeds itself in the monster.
Vardui unloads magic missiles into the second will-o-wisp. Three spells later the monster is still coming.
"That's it for me!" says the elf, and flies up high into the air to avoid the monster.
Logan throws a second dagger...and misses.
Woody, now recovered, swings his Sinclair sword and chops off the head of the rust monster attacking Logan, killing it. Then, he turns on the will-o-wisp.
As he does so, you see a third will-o-wisp float out of the tunnel opening, and drift towards you.
"Anyone know how to kill these floating torches ?" Logan quips as he intones a few words of magic and unleashes a Melf's Acid Arrow at the nearest will o' the wisp.
His arrow has no effect.
Suddenly Vardui appears behind the latest will-o-wisp. and chops his sword deep into it twice, killing it.
Al stumbles out of the green cloud. Oh Well is still incapacitated.
Woody dodges a spark from a will-o-wisp, then nails it with his Sinclair sword.
The last will-o-wisp turns on Logan who draws his longsword and attacks! As he does he feels the strength drain out of him...to the point where he is too weak to even hold his weapon! The will-o-wisp shoots a spark at him, but misses.
Stiff stands nearby, eyes closed, snoring away.
Logan tries to stagger away as Oh Well finally makes it out of the cloud. Again the will-o-wisp misses.
Vardui flits over, attacks, and kills it.
Only one remains, on Woody. Al goes to help out the ranger.
Woody hits it again, then takes 6 hit points of damage himself before connecting a second time. The 'wisp is very weak, now, as Al swings his scimitar and kills it.
Peace and tranquility reign again.
"I'd like to see where they came from," says Vardui.
"Let's just hope that we don't run into anymore of those things," Oh Well gasps, trying to catch his breath.
"Woo boy, thanks for the save, Al. Guys, I am really sorry, the Stinking Cloud spell isn't one I use often and I must have misjudged the range. I am glad we all made it through though." He says as he takes a seat on the ground, trying to rebuild his strength.
His strength does not recover.
"Ok, where to now, oh wise and mighty leader ?" He says to Vardui as he cracks his back and tries to stretch the weakness out of his body.
"Leader my ass," mutters the elf.
Al just looks at the flippant elf with a serious stare. "This is not a joking matter, elf, you are here to help. If you continue with such antics, the power of Thor will be upon your thick skull."
Al then goes to Woody to heal him, casting a cure light wounds on him.
Woody is healed for one lousy hit point.
Stiff awakens from an almost unearthly sleep. He looks round to see things are under control but knows that he needs more rest from having cast some big time spells earlier.
Stiff says "I would like to find a spot to rest up an learn some spells back. But if we have to go on so be it."
Vardui pauses.
"The upstairs is clear," he says. "Wanna go there?"
Stiff replies, "If you believe it to be safe, then I will rest there."
You step back onto the elevator, and it takes you back up to the previous level.
There are no really secure places to camp, though, so you post watches and rest at the end of the dead end passage that runs off of the north end of the multi-level chamber.