The stairs wind downwards, and finally terminate at a large room (65' X 70': right wall runs west for 55', left wall runs south for 70'; door in middle of east wall; doors in south wall east corner and south wall 40'-50' section as measured from the east; door in west wall 20'-30' section as measured from the north). The first thing you notice about this place is that the walls, floor and ceiling are of rough-cut, unfinished stone. The place looks to once have been a crude sort of barracks hall, going by the rows of broken pallets. Now, however, all that is in here is a giant scorpion, which immediately moves to attack you.
Ayazin readies a Neutralize Poison spell for anyone who is stung by the scorpion.
Humphrey moves to attack the scorpion from the side if possible.
Britan looks around at the Mages and Farad.
"Well, are you guys either going mind blast it or blast it to pieces with your spell, or do we just go hack it to pieces?"
Farad nods and looks at the scorpion approaching and mentally blasts the monster.
The scorpion obligingly explodes.
Searching the room, you turn up nothing of value.
Farad waves toward the western exit.
The exit does not wave back, so you go and open it.
Revealed is a passage, rough stone, 35' long, ending at another door.
Opening this latest door, you encounter a room (40' X 40': 20' north, 10' south, 40' west; door in south wall west corner). This room is very empty.
You open the south door, and see a passage running south before you.
You head down it.
In the 110'-120' section of the east wall is a passage running east. It goes that way for 20', then ends at a door.
To the south, the other passage runs on for as far as you can see.
You go and open the east door, after Gamvik listens at it. Beyond is another room (40' X 50': 40' east, 20' north, 20' south; door in east wall north corner), with a black pudding slithering across the floor towards you, in it.
"At least this is getting a little bit more exciting," says Kelar, smiling as he casts magic misslie at the pudding.
Farad shakes his head.
"Whatever," as he mindblasts the pudding also.
The missiles blast into the pudding, splitting it in half. Farad's mind blast then kills both of the puddings.
Britan just looks at the glob of pudding stuff.
"Well so much for the Jello Pudding. Let's continue on and see if we can find the Rat men."
Raz nods...still looking bored.
Searching this room turns up nothing, so you exit through the northeast door. This takes you up a passage running northeast for 20' (left wall) / 30' (right wall), after which it heads north. It runs north for 40' and ends at a door. Opening it, you find yourselves back in the first chamber on this level...with the dead scorpion.
Unfazed, you go and open the door in the southeast corner of this chamber, and go through it. This takes you down a passage running south. In the 60' - 70' section is another passage running east. After 110' the southbound passage turns southwest. It runs that way for 30' (right wall) and ends at a door faceing west.
Opening this door reveals an odd-shaped room (right wall runs northwest for 20', west for 20', south for 50', east for 40' and north for 20'). Apart from some broken furniture, this place is deserted.
You head northeast and north again, and take the east passage. In the 40' - 50' section of the east wall is another passage running north. It is only 30' long and ends at another door. You head north and open it.
Another odd-shaped room (right wall runs east for 40', northeast for 20', north for 20' (door in south section), west for 60', southwest for 30' and then southeast to close it up). This one looks have once been a warehouse, but is currently deserted.
You exit through the east door, and down a passage running east. After 80' the passage turns north. From the corner it runs north for 40', ending at yet another door. Opening this one reveals a roughly square-shaped room (40' X 40': west 20', east 10', north 40'; door in west wall north corner), again empty.
Opening the west door takes you down a passage running roughly southwest for 20' (right wall). after that it runs west for 20' before ending at still another door. Opening this reveals another chamber (40' X 50': 10' north, 30' south, 40' west; door in middle of west wall).
In here are two tigers, who immediately leap to attack you with a roar.
Farad is clawed, raked and bitten for 8 hit points of damage.
Humphrey is clawed for 6 hit points of damage.
"This place sure does like having animals as its defense," states Kelar. He draws swords and moves in.
Farad begins attacking with his sword on the tiger closest to him.
"What is a beast such as this doing in a place like this? Tigers are jungle creatures."
Humphrey complains, "Yowww".
Humphrey slices the tiger on him with his two short swords.
Raz keeps out of the range of combat, using his staff to defend himself if necessary.
"Do we have to kill them..?" Illyana draws her two handed sword.
Farad frowns. "Do you want them eating just anyone who passes this way?"
Ayazin the Ever-Slow says, "No, have mercy on these poor beasts trapped in these catacombs for a hundred generations, thousands of miles from their native biomes!" ...knowing that it's probably too late for them.
Farad nods. "Very well. I'll simply fight until they are unconscious. But if you can't charm or tame then, then they must be killed. This city belongs to others, not them, and they obviously attack anything they come across."
Not willing to kill the tigers, Britan stays back with the mages and guards the rear just in case something else attempts to attack from the rear.
"Well If you're going to do something to these tigers before they get killed you better do it now, because they will continue to the death!"
Indeed. The tigers feel no urge to show mercy on Farad and Humphrey, as they press their attacks, so Farad fights back. Easily striking the beast with his glowing longsword, he nearly kills it with one thrust.
Humphrey easily connects with his glowing shortsword, slicing into the tiger. He misses with his other sword, though.
Farad attacks again, and the tiger drops dead. Then, to his surprise, it transforms itself into a human female!
Humphrey dodges a swinging claw from the remaining monster and then chops it down, too.
It also transforms into the figure of a human female.
Ayazin reels in shock and anger. "Well, I suppose that explains why they were so far from their biome! It is a good thing to kill such abominations. Perhaps our methods aren't so misguided after all!"
"Huh? Why were they evil?" asks Illyana.
"Evil? I have no idea. But the impersonation of a creature of nature by a creature of enchantment is against the natural way. Two dead tigers I would mourn, but not two dead lycanthropes."
"Isn't lycanthropy a curse?"
Farad quickly heals his wounds and the others, looking for severe wounds. "I don't think anyone here was hurt badly enough to contract the disease, but we should take a careful watch come the next full moon."
Britan just shakes his head and says, "Well you can't really blame them all because evil has a way of sometimes consuming even the bravest and noblest of souls, and then making them do there bidding, but what we can blame is the one's who create these poor unfortunate creatures, and they are the true evil and they are what needs to be stopped, it is just unfortunate that we have to cut our way through these poor souls to get to the evil ones."
After a run-on sentence like that, Britan has to sit down and catch his breath for a few minutes.
Farad directs that the room be searched as he heals the wounded.
Searching the place, you find 2000ep and 3 gems (500gp ea.).
"This west door matches pretty much directly with the east door in the entrance room. So let's take that route."
Indeed it does, via an 80' long passage, and you quickly find yourselves back in the entrance chamber.
Farad then directs the party further west, back into the 40x40 room. Then we go out the south door, and proceed south, past the passage we took previously.
From the intersection with the eastbound passage, the south one runs for about 85', then turns southeast for about 20' (left wall), then turns east. It runs east for as far as you can see; however, in the 10' - 20' section of the south wall is a passage. Going and looking down it, you see that it runs for 30' and ends at a door.
You go and open the door.
This is a large, rather irregularily-shaped cave with no exits. Once, it looks like it was some sort of an office, perhaps. Now, all you find in here are three blink dogs.
"Arf! Arf!" they say, teleporting over, tails wagging. They seem to be quite partial to Farad, Humphrey, Kelar, and Illyana; ambivalent towards Aldarin, Ayazin, Britan, Beth, Sharone and Raz; and growl at Gamvik.
Knowing them to be of generally good disposition, you leave them after a bit and continue east.
From the latest intersection, the passage runs for 80', before there is another 30' long passage running south...ending at a door.
Gamvik hears nothing at the door, so you open it.
Beyond is a smaller, irregularily-shaped cave. It looks like a barracks hall. It is filled with junk.
As you move in to poke around, two dark forms detach themselves from the shadows, and move to attack!
Wraiths!
Illyana draws her longsword. "Back through the door!"
She looks back to the mages. "Spells?"
Illyana will only attack if the wraiths strike first.
Ayazin obeys, as quickly as possible.
Farad starts casting a spell.
Sharone steps forward. "By the power of mighty Idun, begone foul creatures. It is time for you to join the true dead "
She thrusts her holy symbol at the creatures.
The wraiths quail before the power of Idun, and retreat.
Farad releases his lightning bolt, striking them both. They are badly injured, but still their unlife persists.
Sharone's turning broken, they rush you again. The priestess attempts to turn them again, but this time they are faster.
This time her turning is unsuccessful.
Illyana leaps to defend the cleric with her longsword, but misses. Farad draws his longsword and runs it through a wraith, killing it.
One wraith remains. Illyana again misses. Farad strikes, though, and kills it also.
You now see a large chest on the far side of the cave.
Sharone takes some holy water and performing a ceremony, blesses the room.
"That should ensure no future undead taking up residence here "
Quietly she thanks Idun for keeping the wraiths at bay.
"Can anyone check for traps?" asks Illyana.
"Oh, that's me!" exclaims Gamvik, hurrying over to check the chest.
"I must say, this dungeon has been a disappointment ever since that first room, which was exceptionally well done," he says as he examines the chest.
Beth snorts, and says, "Well, you could always liven the place up by setting a few traps of your own."
Gamvik nods thoughtfully.
The gnome finds no traps, and flips open the lid.
This triggers the trap that he failed to find. A dart shoots out of the wall behind the lid, past the gnome's ear and imbeds itself in Farad's shield.
Looking at the dart, you see that it is covered in a sticky, rather unpleasant-looking substance...
In the chest, though, you find 3000ep, 5000gp and 8 various articles of jewelry worth 1200gp each.
Taking the loot, you continue your exploration. Returning to the east-west passage, you resume your eastward trek. After 80' you find yourselves standing at a 4-way intersection. To the south, a passage runs for 30' and ends at a door. To the north, this passage runs for 30' also, again ending at a door. To the east, the passage continues for 60' and on past the intersection. However, in the 50'-60' are passages running northeast and southeast, respectively.
Gamvik regards the dart in Farad's shield and nods appreciatively. "Close one," he says.
Farad nods. "Next time keep your mouth closed about how boring the area we are travelling is. You jinxed us if ever I saw such a thing."
Farad looks around. "Do any of you by chance know the spell to neutralize poison. For future reference..."
Ayazin says, "Indeed, I know such a spell. I haven't got it memorized for today, however, I do have two potions of Sweet Water, which may also be used to neutralize poison in emergencies... though I would prefer that another means be used if possible."
Farad nods, pointing north. "This looks like it might head back toward some areas we bypassed."
Opening the door to the north reveals another odd-shaped room (right wall runs east for 20', north for 30', northwest for 20', west for 10' (door), southwest for 20', south for 30' and east for 20'). In the centre of this room is a trap-door in the floor. Standing around it are two wooden figures, immobile. They look like scarecrows.
Britan looks in the room and wonders why someone would put two strawmen in there and for what purpose.
"So do you think they were put here to keep the bird mask people out?" he asks as he snickers. "This is strange and getting stranger by each room."
Farad comments, "This is a passageway down to the next level. My guess is that someone down there doesn't want company, and these are the guardians. Minor golems is my guess. Either that, or someone up here doesn't want what's down there coming up."
Raz sighs. "Who knows and who cares. I'm getting tired of this place..I miss the comforts of civilzation..hot food..card games..a warm bed..and warm women." Raz says the last with a gleam in his eye.
"Hey, watch what you say," Beth says, poking Raz in the upper arm with a quill. "I know some good lawyers."
"Anyone got a torch lit?" says Raz with a grin.
Farad shakes his head. "That looks like the way down, so I don't want to make this area too smoky to pass though. Lets use fire only as a last resort."
The elf moves toward the scarecrows.
Aldarin fires up his flaming sword, "Will this do?"
He then moves in to light one of them up.
"Whoop, so much for not smoking up the area," Beth notes. "Fire in the hole!"
Ayazin says, "Yes, perhaps we should burn these. Nearly everything else in this place has attacked us, even things we thought inanimate at first. The closer we get to Zargon, the more we ought to assume that everything is dangerous."
As the two elves approach the stick-men, they animate, but you were expecting that. They turn and move stiffly towards Farad and Aldarin. The former swings his sword and easily makes matchsticks out of one of them. Aldarin is a little slower, and manages to miss his while sidestepping a woody fist.
Aldarin swings again, and misses a second time. Farad spins around and smashes this last one to tinder as well.
You search the chamber, but find nothing of value. Opening the trap door, you see a shaft descending down into darkness. There is a ladder attached to one side of the shaft.
You open the north door. Beyond is a passage, running north for 30'. After that is a "T" intersection with a passage running east-west.
Britan looks down the trap door then at the door.
"I say we close the trap door and bar it closed for now and make sure nothing else down the hallway will sneak up behind us, or for that matter lock us in down in that hole."
Raz nods in agreement.
"I don't know about you guys but this kind of worrys me. Those things were there to keep what ever is down there down. They are not there now so...."
"I think we should go down," states Kelar
Farad shakes his head. "Lets make sure something isn't on this level that we don't want behind our backs so to speak."
Farad helps close the trap door and spike it shut. Turning north, he waves toward the west. "I think we've already been pretty much everywhere that way. Lets go east."
"Guess I am outvoted. I just don't want anything bad coming up from there behind us either. Hope that spike holds," comments Kelar.
60' east fo the intersection, the passage ends at a door. Gamvik listens at it, hears nothing, and so you open it.
Through the door is a large, irregularily shaped cave. The floor is littered with rotted straw, and the place smells quite unpleasant.
Standing near the door are two women, hooded, their backs turned to you. Upon hearing the door open, though, they turn, and you behold their incredibly ugly visages, topped with crowns of writhing snakes instead of hair...
Aldarin gasps as his eyes meet those of one of the women, and he turns to stone.
Britan likewise is petrified, as well.
Cackling, the women move towards you...
"Two can play that game," Beth says softly, as her hand produces a wand out of her robes.
Raz shouts out..."Close your eyes and stay behind me!"
Sharone draws a mirror from her belt pouch, using it to view the foul beasts.
Grasping her flail she will strike any that close on her. Otherwise she will leave it to the mages. "Sorry. These aren't my specialty. "
"This could get ugly quickly," states Kelar Keeping his eyes down he launches a magic missle at one of the medusae.
Ayazin fires a magic missile from his wand at the toes of the nearest medusa. He averts his gaze, of course, and orders his wolf to leave the room.
Aside from not looking at the Medusa, there isn't much Illyana thinks she can do.
Farad closes his eyes.
"Medusa! Stay back, I'll handle them. I don't want to hit anybody else."
The elf runs toward the medusae.
"Why do you think the casters have spells? Wait for them to blast the medusa, then charge."
Farad does so, but isn't so sure they'll be successful if they can't aim their spells properly.
Humphrey's about to go fight the Medusa when told not to. He therefore keeps looking at the ground so that if the medusa approaches he will be able to see the medusa's feet.
A ray shoots out of Beth's wand, striking one of the medusae in the belly. She freezes. An instant later later there is a terrific crackle, as Raz looses a forked lightning bolt. Even though not properly aimed, he catches both of the creatures in it, badly injuring them. Kelar's magic missiles pour into the still advancing medusa, and she drops, dead.
It only takes you a moment to kill the paralysed medusa.
Searching, you find under the straw 11 gems (110gp ea.), a rope, two vials, a scroll and a ring.
However, Aldarin and Britan remain petrified.
Beth wonders, "Is anybody keeping track of everything we've found down here? One of these days we're going to have to figure out what some of it is."
Farad nods. "I believe I have an accurate list."
Beth walks up to Britan and knocks on his forehead. "Always thought paladins and cavaliers were a bit thick in the head."
Beth takes a step back and says, "I don't think this is gonna work, but might as well try it." She points a finger alternating beteen Aldarin and Britan as she says, "Eenie meanie miney moe, catch a dragon by the toe, if he fries you let him go, eenie meanie miney moe."
The exercise finished, she casts "Dispel Magic" upon Aldarin.
Nothing happens.
She comments, "Well, that about shoots my wad for today. Anybody else have anything we can try on these guys?"
"Well, it looks like we lug these guys back to the surface and find a way to restore them up there. Unless someone has a better idea," states Kelar
"We would need a stone to flesh spell. Perhaps back in the city we could hire a mage to cast one. But it is a long journey back and I don't know how much they would charge us."
Farad looks at the others. "Perhaps we should venture down into the city below and see if any help can be found there. But only Raz and myself should speak with them. The followers of magic found the rest of you somewhat disagreeable."
"I don't think that money should be a concern right now. But that is probably our best bet. We should probably get going before something else decides that we look better as stone than flesh," says Kelar.
"We should try at least looking at the scrolls we have found and see if there is any help there. Then we can try going back to the city below looking for a cure," suggests Humphrey.
You do so. You have only found two scrolls while in here. They are both magic user scrolls. The first has continual light, levitate and comphrehend languages on it. The second has phantasmal force on it.
That avenue exhausted, you head back up...then down to the city far below. Britan and Aldarin must weigh close to 600lbs between them, so the trip is slow and exhausting.