June 1st is again overcast and rainy.
You all pile into the portable hole and Valdar teleports you back to the room where you battled the party of adventurers. All of you are stoneskinned, and you can hear the DM grinding his teeth as a result. Woody the ranger is with you instead of Arrrgh! Also accompanying you are the two simulacrums.
Occa will show Acco-lite the map and say, "Do you know what else is on this level that we haven't found yet?"
"Oh yes," says he. "There is an enormous treasure with an enormous red dragon sitting on it...through that opening at the end of the southwest passage, there."
He points to the opening in the last 10' section of the right wall in the aforementioned passage.
Occa says, "Cool...enourmous treasure! Shall we folks?"
"Let's kill it !" Al says with a feral grin with Claw and shield in hand.
Occa begins to cast prep spells.
Cannon Fodder #2 says, "Uh, well, I don't think I will be much help there...I will watch from the far rear for surprise attacks though."
"Me too!" Says Acco-lite.
Occa turns invisible...you can hear him still casting after that, though.
Cannon Fodder puts on the ring Cannon Fodder #1 had and turns invisible as well.
"If we are going to do this, perhaps some protection from fire spells might be useful? And anything else that might be done to protect us from the dragon?" wonders Darian.
"You're so right," Orlon tells Darian as he casts resist fire on himself, followed by prayer.
"What about the rest of us?" asks the elf.
"These spells only do one person at a time. Next time." Orlon tells Darian sheepishly.
"Harrumpphhh..."
BrightAxe moves toward the rear.. "wimp coming through... look out, heading towards the back." He prepares his best flame avoidance manuevres.
"Oh great Horus, protect your faithful servant through prayer against any harmful effects from fire and from lack of movement." Al intones as he casts Prayer, Resist Fire, and Free Action on himself, itchin' to fight.
"Alright folks, let's it 'em hard and quick !"
Soon most of the party is at the rear of the marching order...as you move back out into the passage and head southwest.
Peering around the corner to the north, you see a triangular-shaped chamber (right wall runs northeast for 20', west for 30', then south for 30'). Sure enough, sitting in the northeast corner atop an enormous pile of coins is a red dragon.
Amazingly enough, he seems to be sleeping.
"Something fishy here," Al mutters as he detects evil first at the dragon then around the room as he splits off from his companions.
BrightAxe enters, goes to the side away rom other party members and waits for the initial volley of spells to go on. He tries to appear as unassuming as possible.
Since Darian received no protection, he moves back away from the door so that he is not likely to get scorched.
Occa appears near Al, surrounded by mirror images, speaks a command word and then lightning bolts the dragon.
There is a loud explosion...and the chamber is filled with bits of red rubber.
The dragon is no more...nor was it ever there...for now you realise that it was not a real dragon...but rather an inflatable rubber imitation of one.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" chortles Acco-lite. "Gotcha again, Occa!"
After wiping off the bits of scorched red rubber, Al says through clenched teeth, "Listen, Occa, either put that thing on a short leash or I'll make sure you'll need to make another - anyone ever have skewered simaculurum ??" he finishes with a fiendish grin as he looks to Acco-lite.
The treasure seems to be real enough, though, as you go over and count it out...all 10,000cp of it.
"Secret door over here," announces Valdar's sword...pointing at the middle of the north wall.
BrightAxe chuckles..."That was funny. Someone went to alot of time and expense to set this off. I'm glad someone got to see it through fruition."
Orlon goes over and kicks Acco-lite in the ass. "Save your sense of humour for the standup circuit."
"OWWW!" says Acco-lite, jumping around and rubbing his posterior. "Occa, make him stop! Polymorph him into a human being, or something!"
Occa considers a lightning bolt to his comedic simulacrum but then reconsiders. "Acco-lite...why don't you take point from here on out."
Occa grins.
"Up yours, Roboto!" replies Acco-lite. "I can lead from the rear just as well as you can."
"Let's do this secret door," says Valdar, so he knocks it open.
The door sproings open, revealing a good sized room (30' X 40': 10' east, 10' west, 40' north; door in middle of north wall).
This room has eight large marble statues of noble dwarves. They are much larger than life size, averaging about 8' tall. All depict males...and all of them have ragged, unkempt looking nests of rags and bones built atop their heads.
Sitting in the nests are a large number of stirges...18 in all...which of course spread their bat-like wings and take flight as soon as they spot you.
Jesse casts three spells of magic missles directing them at the creatures as best she can.
Her first spell shoots down two stirges.
Pharian magic missles any stirges that get close to him.
Pharian's first spell blows three monsters out of the air.
Darian also casts a magic missle at one of the stirges.
Darian kills one and badly injures another.
Orlon prepares to bash them when they get within range, hefting Big Bruiser.
"Slice and dice time, folks." Al says as he takes Claw to the stirges.
"Oh defowlers <g> of dwarven heroes. Perish before my blades !" BightAxe says.
The first wave swoops down on Gonzo, Arrrgh!, Occa, Pharian, Darian and Angst.
None of them are able to get past your stoneskins, though...but they do interfere with any spells that Occa, Pharian or Darian were planning to cast.
Gonzo whips out his flame tongue and the stirge pestering him drops in flames.
Arrrgh! tries out his fancy new rod. Speaking a command word, the rod suddenly becomes a two-headed flail. Swinging it at the stirge, one head misses while the other all but reduces the monster to a pulp.
Occa stands and laughs at the stirge trying to attack him.
Pharian turns invisible and retreats.
Darian does battle with his frost brand...badly wounding his stirge.
Angst - still using his bastard sword, presumably - handily dispatches with his stirge.
Jesse unloads another magic spell...two more monsters die and a third is wounded.
The remaining stirges swoop in...on Brightaxe, Jesse, Valdar, Al and Orlon.
Again the stoneskins protect you all.
Arrrgh! easily kills his stirge this round.
Brightaxe all but kills the stirge coming at him.
Gonzo strolls over and does in the stirge that was harrassing Occa.
Darian kills his monster...
Jesse - forced into battle - suddenly finds that cursed longsword back in her hand again! She misses badly with it.
Valdar - wielding his talking sword - does in his stirge.
Al - with claw - kills his stirge before it can even try to strike him...and finally Orlon, with Big Bruiser, crunches his stirge somewhat.
Only three monsters remain...and they are soon delt with.
Gonzo shinnies up each statue and checks out the nests...but none of them contain anything of value.
There is a door to the north...
"Orlon!" Jesse calls. "I thought that you said this problem was fixed!" the bard says as she throws the cursed sword to the ground. "Be gone you thing." she yells at the sword. "Be gone."
The woman begins to stamp around and curse her luck, in troll no less.
Cannon Fodder #2 will detect enemies with the wand and then check the door.
No enemies are detected.
Occa will has his unseen servant open the door.
Beyond is a 10' wide passage running north for 60'...where it ends at a door.
You head up there.
Approaching the door, Cannon Fodder 2 notes that his wand is detecting enemies to the north...
Occa says, "Well, do we need to prepare for this? We have some protective magics going."
He looks over at Acco-lite and says, "Any idea what is behind here, Acco?"
"Yup. Duerguar or something."
BrightAxe growls ominously.
"What's that?" Pharian whispers to Occa.
"Dwarves gone bad."
"Pharian, on my world, they are better known as Dark Dwarves.. as evil and malicious as the drow, but with great mystical powers over the earth and stone. They warp it to their evil ends... I have heard stories but never battled such creatures." Al explains to Pharian.
"I will move forward with Cannon fodder" says Angst.
Cannon Fodder laughs and says, "That is funny, cuz I am moving to the back now that I know there are enemies within..."
He giggles as he moves back and turns invisible.
Occa says, "Hee hee.." in a most sarcastic manner and then has his unseen servant open the door.
It takes five minutes for the poor little servant to get the door opened. Beyond is a room (30' X 40': 20' west, 40' north; door in south wall west corner; door in east wall 20' - 30' section).
In here are a dozen dwarves of dingy pallor...arrayed in a semicircle for battle, facing you.
"Yeah?" asks one of them.
Occa plans to have his unseen servant slam the door shut right after he tosses a fireball into the room.
Darian waits for a sign from Al as to whether he should attack or not.
"OCCA, HOLD UP," Al roars, "Must you toast everything we come up against, one of these days you are going to kill in cold blood someone or thing that you should have !" he says, "Now, a majority of the things here are evil, but not all, so calm the flambe approach !"
Occa says, "I always kill things I should have, Al. Also, we aren't going to ask every damn thing we meet if it is good or bad...nor are we going to wait on your stupid paladin ways. If it lives in here, then most likely we are going to kill it. Stand out of the way if you don't like that. Even morons know Dark dwarves are evil."
"The paladin may be pesky, but, he may be right. Let's not kill potential allies. If they are Duergar, then "hey flambe works for me." and Brightaxe won't try to interceed on the fireball.
Cannon Fodder #2 runs down the corridor, "I wouldn't interupt him if he is casting...that really pisses him off."
Apparently Al's detect evil intent comes back with the expected result, for he says to them -
"I am your salvation, dark ones!" Al says and grins as he moves to attack the closest one.
Orlon ducks for cover, just in case the door doesn't get closed in time. "I hope this resist fire is still working," he hopes.
Suddenly Darian yells -
"Psionic attack! Kill them quickly!!!"
He closes his eyes.
Jesse moves over to Darian, concern in her eyes, trying to silently lend him strength while she looks around at something to lightning bolt, preferablly the enemy doing this to Darian.
"Bugger this for a laugh!" exclaims Angst.
Hearing that, Pharian casts magic missle spells, as Occa continues his fireball spell.
Suddenly four of the dwarves grow by 2'! Also, Brightaxe breaks out in blisters all over his body.
As the magic missiles start to fly, six of the dwarves suddenly go reeling...and not from Pharian's attack.
Pharian's first spell burns into six of the duergar...killing one of them.
Darian suddenly sags into Jesse's arms.
Darian weakly reaches a hand up to Jesse. "I need rest... Lots of rest..."
Pharian's next two spells leave a grand total of six duergar dead...and the rest wounded.
Three of them - as large as men, now - advance towards you.
Jesse pulls Darian back as the fireball detonates and the door slams shut.
Jesse helps Darian as best she can, taking as much of his weight as she can support. Helping him walk. "I'm here for you," she says softly, "lean on me."
From behind the closed door you hear dwarves screaming...then silence...then the sound of a door slamming.
Valdar knocks open the door and you charge in.
Through the smoke you see 11 dead, incinerated dwarves. Number twelve, the largest and the one who spoke to you initially, is gone.
There are doors in the east wall, 20' - 30' section; and in the south wall, west corner.
"OUCH !" says Brightaxe, staring at the pustilent blisters that cover his anatomy. He then casts a cure light wounds on himself...which makes them go away.
Occa (unarmored) runs to the other south door, opens it (knocking it if need be) and runs through.
Cannon Fodder #2 and Acco-lite look at each other and say, "Idiot." at the same time.
"Good job, Darian," Al exclaims as he heads after Occa.
Occa yells to Al, "Check the other door!"
"I also will stay with Occa as he chases after the remaining dwarf" says Angst.
Pharian stays back with Darian and Jesse. "Don't go far," Pharian calls after Occa, Al, and Angst.
So...Occa and Angst run through the southwest door, while Al goes and hits the east door.
The rest of you wait anxiously.
Occa and Angst get back to the main room after a few minutes.
The mage says, "Not much that way...2 rooms...one has a bowl of jello in it. Maybe magical...we should check for secret doors. Is Al back yet?"
He describes the rooms.
As Occa finishes, you hear the sounds of Al cursing, through the doorway to the east...followed by the sounds of a fight...
Occa charges forward....
Cannon Fodder #2 says, "big idiot."
Acco-lite just shakes his head and laughs.
"I think he found the nine volts!"
"Gonzo, go see what the commotion is," Orlon tells him, following right behind Gonzo.
Pharian slips on his ring of invisibility as he darts through the eastern door.
Through the east door is another large room (20' X 40': 20' south, 10' north, 20' east. Another staging room you suspect, the walls are lined with more stone benches. The southeast corner, though, is filled with an impenitrable, unnatural looking darkness that your lights cannot pierce. It is from there that you hear the sounds of Al battling something.
"GET BACK !! These creatures' tails emit electricity, be careful" Al yells to his companions as he slices into the nearest creature.
"You infernal wind-up toy," yells Pharian at Acco-lite. "You are to tell us about the monsters _before_ they attack us, and not just snicker about it afterwards!"
"How was I to know where he'd end up?" chortles the simulacrum. "Paladins are so chaotic...he could have run off anywhere."
>From a spot near the door, you hear Pharian say, "Orlon, turn on the lights."
Orlon casts a continual light in the area where Al is fighting.
Pharian begins casting a cone of cold.
Brightaxe rushes forward toattack... "What a greedy jerk taking all the glory for himself."
Brightaxe charges forward, accompanied by Arrrgh! Gonzo steps into the shadows.
Not wearing metallic armour Angst will move forward to help Al in his combat.
Meanwhile, you hear the paladin chop down another...something. You hear several crackles of electricity from within the area of darkness...and Al takes a further 5 hit points of damage.
Orlon completes his spell...and suddenly the darkness is cancelled out.
You see Al battling four wingless flying creatures...hairy, spherical and with long tails and big mouths. Two more hover nearby...waiting for an opening.
At the last instant Pharian directs his cone of cold at these last two volts. He kills both of them.
As Arrrgh!, Brightaxe and Angst close to attack, three of the volts on Al turn on them.
Al all but kills the last one on him, as it misses with both its mouth and its tail. His next swing finishes it off.
Arrrgh! meets the approaching volt with his rod of flailing...and reduces it to mush before it can harm him.
Brightaxe misses badly with his first attack. The volt clamps onto his arm and then zaps him with its tail for 4 hit points. The dwarf also misses with his next attack. Gonzo leaps out of the shadows, drawing his flame tongue as he does so...skewering the monster and killing it.
Angst wings the last volt as it tries to bite him without success. He catches it again but it refuses to die...before he nails it a third time...finishing it off.
All of the volts are dead...lying scattered about on the floor in the southeast corner of the room.
Also revealed in the same corner of the south wall is a door opening into a 10' square room to the south. This latter room is barren.
There is no sign of the runaway duergar.
Al sheaths Claw and grabs Acco-lite by the front to his robes and slams him into the nearest wall.
"Listen to me you worthless snowdrift, you remain alive by my gratitude to Occa. If you do not start cooperating, even YOU will not know the end of meaning of true pain !" he says with a snarl as he looks Acco-lite dead in the eyes.
"How was I to know you'd go running off in this direction?" asks Acco-lite as he scampers free of Al. "Why don't you swallow some of your stupid paladin arrogance and ask me before you go charging off half-assed??!"
"How about _volunteering_ some information once in a while?" retorts Pharian. "After all, there is no reason for us to keep you around unless you make yourself useful."
Acco-lite bows to Pharian.
"All you have to do is ask," he says, then adds, "Nicely."
BrigthAxe will cast curelight on himself for those 4 hitpoints, and fall back into the party's marching ordering.
"He probably went through the secret door in the south wall of the 10x10. We either follow him or double back to the diagonal hallway and continue down that hall. I vote for the latter," Orlon tells the others.
"I vote for chasing down the black dwarf in order to prevent him from alerting his comrades and giving them to much time to prepare for us" says Angst.
Darian staggers into the room still leaning heavily on Jesse. "I'm in no condition to continue. Send me back to camp if you're going to chase the duergar because I'll only slow you down. I need rest... Lots of rest. The six duergar that attacked me, breached my defenses. If I hadn't lost control, they probably would've killed me."
Orlon asks Darian "Are you in need of some healing Darian?"
Darian shakes his head. "I just need rest. I don't think I was wounded physically, just mentally. I think I can recover completely if I get a chance to rest."
Al pushes Acco-lite out of the way and intone a prayer to Horus to heal himself, as he cast a cure light wounds on himself for 6 hit points.
"So, Acco, which is the quickest and less harmful way to this Tiamat ??" he asks in a barely controlled tone.
Acco-lite blinks at Al.
"Wow, you do have a death wish, don't you? Wanna take on a devil-dragon-goddess, do you? I've heard stories that she's invaded entire worlds, man!" he shakes his head, then continues. "Since she lives on the first level of the Nine Hells, I would imagine that the fastest way to get to her would be to get one of your high-powered party members to teleport you without error, there...or plane shift. There's also natural gates to the Hells, too. I heard one is in a dungeon called the Gates of Hell - how fitting? That's way to the east, though. The Greyhawk Gate can also be bent to your will, too, sometimes. Maybe the Drow downstairs could help you out.
"Now, if you want to get at her devil-spawn, Tiamatlet, you just keep walking east," he concludes with a smile.
"Ok, let me rephrase that, how do we get to Tiamatlet, in the quickest and less harmful way ?" Al asks impatiently.
"You're doing it right now," Acco-lite replies. "Going in through the back door. If you try a frontal assault on the main gates on the eastern side of the hill, every dragon in the place will take flight and cook/freeze/poison/dissolve/whatever you. This way, the dragons can't maneuver easily...in these tunnels, can they?"
Occa says to Al, "Don't worry about it! We don't need to meet her just yet...let's just keep wandering around and clear out this dungeon. We can build our strength that way."
Blithely ignoring Darian's plaintive protests, you take Orlon's advice and backtrack your way to the southwest passage again, via the room with the now destroyed inflatable red dragon.
Immediately past the opening into this chamber, the passage ends at another chamber (20' X 20": 20' west, 10' south). In here are three coffins, open.
Checking them out, you find that they are empty.
Checking the entire chamber out, you find nothing of value in here.
"Hey wow," says Valdar, "Let's go back to the black dragon chamber and check out the east and south passages."
You do so.
Returning to the oval chamber, you immediately note that there is no east passage.
"Silly!" says Valdar, slapping Orlon's wrist. "Maybe Arrrgh! should take over mapping!"
You look south. Beyond the intersection with the 20' wide, southwestbound passage, this hallway continues for 60' and on.
You go down there.
The passager continues to continue for another 60' and on. In the 30' - 40' section of the east wall is a passage running southeast.
You head down and look.
To the south, this passage runs for 40'...after which it ends at a "T" intersection with an east - west passage.
To the southeast, this other passage runs for 40' (right wall) after which it meets up with the same east - west passage.
You take this latter route...
...to the east - west passage.
To the east, the passage runs for 50' and ends.
To the west, it runs for 60' and on. In the 40' - 50' section is a passage running north.
Valdar checks about for secret doors but finds none.
You go west.
About 40' west of the northbound passage you come across the remains of a troop of lizard men that you cooked the last time you were down this way.
"This looks to be about it," says Valdar. "Did you want to take Darian back to camp...or should we make for another level?"
It is noontime.
"Is there someone who can teleport Darian out then come back in ? I'd hate to see him not be able to get out of the way of a waepon and end up dead..." says Brightaxe.
Darian mutters, "A fine group of friends you are. If you won't take me back to the main camp or just call it a day, how about finding someplace that I can hole up for the rest of the day and night? I'm of no use to anyone this way..."
Occa says, "We may be your friends, Darian,"
Cannon Fodder #2 says, "But you are seldom of much use anyway."
Darian rolls his eyes and says, "That's because you rarely need to be healed Occa..."
Occa giggles and says, "Just kidding. I shall cast Mordenkenian's Mansion, were we will wait a whole day for you to rest."
Occa casts the M Mansion spell and says, "Okay everyone, time to rest...again."
Darian eagerly enters the mansion. "Thank you, Occa. I really appreciate it. I can attend to people's wounds tomorrow, after I've rested."
Al has other ideas, though.
"I say we continue you, with that mad dwarf running around, this whole damn mountain will know we're here. Can the snowdrift tell us what more there is or if he can write up a map detailing the levels.."
"No I can't," replies Acco-lite.
Occa says, "Well, Darian, Cannon Fodder #2, Acco-lite and myself will be here...come get us in the morning if you decide to explore on. As for others knowing we are here...maybe, maybe not. That dwarf failed in his duties and ran, so he may just keep running. If he goes and alerts people, then it is probably already too late. Does it matter? Doesn't change our mission, just the element of surprise."
"If the rest of you would like, I could shoot off a couple of True Seeing spells to check out this level, before we rest, to make sure we haven't missed anything," Orlon tells the others. "Are you game?"
Ultimately, Orlon, Valdar and Al go off to look with spell and sword while the rest of you reture to the Mansion.
An hour later they rejoin you.
They found new secret doors in the entrance hall where you fought the wisps (northwest wall, 0' - 10' section; southwest wall, 10' - 20' section...both as measured from the west doors), in the 20' wide southwest passage south of the oval dragon chamber (south wall 20' - 30' section), and in the room where Al battled the volts (north wall, west corner).
Pharian looks peeved that someone is being more paranoid than he. "I expect the whole damn mountain does know we're here--after all, we've been attacking this part of the dungeon for months. They just don't care. This dragon-bitch spawn is obviously very confident that we can't harm her."
Brightaxe grins, as he relaxes in the decadent luxury of the Magnificent Mansion.
"If the whole mountain doesn't we're here by now, they won't believe the dwarf. I like the mansion idea for Darian to heal, after all it's only 1/2 day we're losing."
Occa says, concerning the secret doors, "Cool."
"Damn, that's where the damned dwarf vanished to.. I suggest we try that secret door first.. I want to hunt down and hurt that one for harming Darian." Al says with a vicious grin.
"Thanks, Al, but he didn't hurt me. I nailed the ones that hurt me and Pharian and Occa finished them off. Still, if you want an excuse to kill it, feel free to use my injuries as one. I don't mind." says Darian.
Occa looks to Acco-lite and says, "Do you know what is behind these doors?"
"The northwest door leads into an area with nothing much in it," replies the simulacrum. "It looks like the dwarves never got it developed before they were chased out of here. I didn't know that there was a secret door in the southwest wall. The door in the southwest passage opens into a small room...but there's nothing in it. I didn't know that there was a door in that last room...but maybe that's how the dark dwarf escaped."
"Well, I need to blow off some steam and since there are no available women here, Acco-lite, are there any creatures in the general area ??" Al asks, itching for a fight.
"Not anymore on this level, I'd say," Acco-lite replies.
Occa then says, "Let's explore them in the morning so that Darian doesn't miss any of the fun."
You settle down for a relaxing night.