In the morning you prepare yourselves. When you are ready, you open the south door. Through it lies a 20' square room (10' west). It is bare. The now familiar glowing carving of a demon head is in the middle of the south wall, several feet above floor level.
It is actually afternoon, now.
Aron reads the scroll of protection from devils.
Magicians cast fly spells upon fighters: Hlarn, Kadlian, Sian, Zanax Hlarn casts Find Traps. He casts protection from evil 10' radius on himself and another Kadlian. Beauty casts prot. from evil 10' on Rage.
Sian, Kadlian, Zanax, Beauty, Umboth and Hlarn cast remove fear upon everyone in the party.
Hlarn lights his candle and casts withdraw. During this round he'll cast a blessing, a prayer, an aid spell and dispel evil upon himself. He'll come out of the withdraw by casting sticks to snakes upon the coffin fragments and blow out his candle and hand it to Aron to quickly stow it away while he casts Sanctuary upon him.
Beauty casts Prayer and Blessing.
Umboth uses the scroll of clerical magics to use the true seeing ability and serve as a lookout.
Kadlian casts an aid spell upon himself.
The wish to use when ordered by Kadlian, Hlarn or Kailar or if all the fighters are now dead and the spell casters have also begun to fall: "I wish all my companions come back to life here with all
their strength and abilities and weapons intact." Its worked before, should work again.
"Companions is a vague term. I would also use the word possessions instead of weapons. In fact I would word it like this."
"'I wish that all of the people who slept in the same chamber as me last night be restored to full life and health, with all of their possessions intact.'"
"But wouldn't that exclude Sir, should something happen to him?"
"Good point. People and Cats then. Wait. Cats and People would probably be better."
Rage is ready with a rock to mud spell if the room is a trap.
Kadlian looks around at everyone. "Ready?"
Kadlian touches the demon head. He then draws his swords.
As soon as he touches the head the door through which you entered slams shut of its own accord.
With a jerk the floor shudders, and begins rising towards the ceiling above.
Rapidly you ascend, and the distance between you and the ceiling quickly diminishes. Just as Rage is about to start casting her rock to mud spell, though, a straight crack appears in the ceiling, and it splits into two halves, which slide aside just as the floor reaches it.
The floor of the room stops at the floor level of a large chamber (40' X 70: the 20' square floor that you stand on is 10' north of the south wall, 10' west of the east wall and 10' east of the west wall; double doors in the middle of the north wall).
The floor of the elevator room ascends to this chamber. This large, airy place has walls some 40' high. A ceiling arches above to a height of 60'. The walls are adorned with stained glass panels depicting various species of demons. They are lit from behind by some diabolical method, illuminating the scene in a strange, unnatural light. Above the panels, around the four walls of the chamber, run words graven into the stone in rune-like letters some two feet high.
The words read as follows.
In the middle of the north wall is a 20' wide double door of steel. Before the door is the object of your search: the Sceptre of the Gods. A bejeweled stave of some strange, bluey metal perhaps some 4' long, it stands upright on a low pedestal without support.
Between you and the Sceptre, though, are some creatures intent on preventing you from acquiring it, namely the two ice devils.
The devils rise up off of the floor and move to attack you on your flanks.
Logan has his sword out and protects Umboth and Beauty.
Aron doesn't move to attack.
"Sian, with me. Zanax, with Hlarn. Here we go, folks!"
Kadlian flies to meet the devil on the left, with Sian, while Zanax and Hlarn go right.
"I have the feeling we'll be going to a bridge in the north soon."
As mentioned earlier, Hlarn will be using the hammer as his primary weapon this fight. He lets it fly immediately for an initial strike, but will use it as a melee weapon the rest of the time.
Hlarn misses with his first hammer throw, and it returns to his hand.
He takes flight as well to quickly meet the devils, hoping his dispel evil spell will quickly sent them back to the nine hells.
Zanax roars, "Die foul beast!" as he flies to the right with his shield up and his frost brand swinging.
Hlarn laughs, but has time for a scholarly debate while he flies after the devils. "You obviously aren't good at riddles."
"The sceptre. Found in the South here in Mestom. Found in the Grave, this being the Keep of the Dead. The scepter also having power over death."
"The north and east locations seem to point to the area where the sword and robe might be found. The bridge and city being either the place, or the associated powers."
"Perhaps the sword would be found in a place like Dyson's Ruin, which lies near a bridge crossing the Grande. Just a guess though. I don't know about you, but I think I'm interested in finding these other two artifacts."
"Hmph," snorts Agulhas in Aron's defense. "I'd say Aron surmised the same thing."
Though it may be of little help, Agulhas activates his ring of invisibility.
Hlarn ahs. "Ah, for some reason I read your "soon" as immediately, as in after this battle."
"My apologies. Too many thunks to the head."
"We can worry about it later."
Hlarn laughs. "Spoil sport. I had another idea. The city in the east could easily be Atlantia. It was after all the capitol of Saltar, one of the greatest empires this area has seen."
"Perhaps other people were sent to find those artifacts, as we were sent to find the Sceptre."
"Or perhaps, someone has already found them..." Zanax says ominously.
The four warriors close on the devils, but the monsters suddenly retreat when you get within 10' of them, being forced back by your protection from evil spells and aura. You find it impossible to melee with them from this range.
Suddenly two things happen.
You hear a tremendous ripping noise, as a flaming gate suddenly opens at the south end of the chamber, and two horrible, skeletal creatures with the tails and stingers of scorpions step through out of a parched wasteland glimpsed beyond.
At the same time the Sceptre is lifted off of its pedestal, as if by someone or something invisible.
"Rage, you fool!" shouts Umboth suddenly, in the direction of the pedestal.
"Sian, take the ice devil, I will deal with one of the scorpions."
Kadlian quickly looks back at the clump of mages and clerics for Rage.
Rage is not to be seen with them.
Hlarn waves away the protection from evil spells on himself and Kadlian and presses the attack.
"Those aren't scorpions, but bone devils. The stingers are poisonous, but not of a deadly sort. But they will weaken you. Zanax, I'm on this ice devil. You take the other bone one."
"Oh, this was a good plan!" Logan mutters as he shifts his sword into a guarding position, not leaving Beauty or Umboth.
"Not part of the plan!"
"Who's plan?" the invisible mage calls. "I think that this can help us once I activate it."
"Our plan. The one we came up with before we got here and the plan that I thought everyone agreed to follow."
"I guess I must have missed that part. Planning can be sooo boring, especially with the dour dwarf, the eccentric elf, the enigmatic illusionist, the lecherous Logan, and the pious paladin doing all the talking," the mage says.
Vanadil laughs in spite of herself.
"Chaos rules!" she says with a giggle.
"Oh shut up!" says Umboth. "This is serious business! Not only is she possessed by demons, but she her hands on an artifact of power!"
"If Rage was possessed by the demons, she would have attacked us by now."
"How can you say that with certainty? She's probably waiting for her allies the devils to weaken us, first!"
"Calm down, Umboth. While I do not like the turn of events, I trust Rage with all our lives."
"She doesn't radiate evil at least," Zanax responds.
"We are trying to keep ourselves alive. That was the goal, you know."
"I know. Hence my plan," Rage says with enthusiasm.
"No kidding!" Logan replies. "Ah, ladies!" he shouts in Rage's direction, "can I speak to Audrey or at least tell me who is in control right now?"
"Figure it out for yourself monkey boy," the mage says to Logan. "Audry is busy right now. You've got me. The best of the best of the best, Sir."
"Darling Rage, What the hell are you doing?" he asks, "It's nice you want to play with the scepter, just don't get us killed!"
"I'm testing a theory," the mage says. "Nothing too important, you'll see if it works. If not...well,there is always the next life."
The voice giggles a bit.
"Been there, done that," he says, "I'll pass, thanks!"
"I do not want to test your theories right now, Rage. Besdies, I would have thought that something like that would only be usable by clerics, not mages."
"Well, thats part of the theory. If ancient magics made it, perhaps a modern wizard can understand it."
"Rage, this could not wait until after we defeated the devils?"
"Its part of my plan to defeat the devils," the mage says.
"And why did you not share this plan with anyone?"
"'Cause with all the male testosterone in the room, a little old gal me can't get a word in edgewise."
"Mule fritters! You had plenty of opportunities to chime in."
Hlarn laughs. "Well, at least it will save me a few auguries on testing if the thing will kill us when we touch it."
The dwarf shrugs and keeps fighting, muttering things under his breath about eccentric mages.
"Rage, we will talk later!"
Kadlian turns back to his bone devil, slashing at it with a cold, calculating rage.
"You'd have more luck with your sword, Kad!" says Vanadil, still laughing.
Roganna continues her chanting, "Go team go... Yea team. Give me a V... Give me an I... Give me a C... Give me T... Give me an O. Give me a R. Give me a Y... What's that spell? VICTORY... Go team. The Sandas Slayers are here to kick your asses."
But she manages to raise an eyebrow at the turn of events.
Zanax activates his ring to faerie fire the devil, as he flies forward to attack.
The faerie fire does not affect the devils.
As soon as Hlarn cancels the protection from evil 10' radius spells the devils react. They select the two most lightly armoured of the warriors confronting them...and converge on Kadlian and Sian. At the same time the Sceptre - carried by the invisible Rage - starts to move back towards Aron.
Suddenly two ice storms engulf Rage and the Sceptre, followed by two horizontal walls of ice, which crash to the floor and shatter, taking the flying mage with them. She suffers 66 hit points in all, and is reduced to a bloodied, frozen corpse.
The Sceptre goes spinning across the icy floor, and comes to rest up against its pedestal.
Meanwhile, the battle with the devils is joined.
Kadlian swings at a bone devil, but misses with his longsword. It in turn skewers him with its great, barbed bone hook for 11 hit points. The ranger strikes it with his flame tongue and does some damage...though the flames do not bother the creature. Kadlian then feels the sting of the devil's tail, and he loses three points of strength.
Behind him, the ice devil attacks with gusto. Kadlian suffers a further 4 hit points of damage.
Sian, nearby, also finds himself in melee. He misses with his frost brand and then bounces his cutlass off of the chitinous exoskeleton of an ice devil. The devil tears into him for 18 hit points. The bone devil manages to miss the ranger.
Hlarn and Zanax attack the ice devils.
Hlarn misses with his hammer.
Zanax, however, lands two solid hits with his frost brand, and suddenly the ice devil on Sian is looking hurt.
"Well, that was pretty stupid of her," says Sian as Rage get pulverized.
Hlarn nods, "That's what happens when you don't follow The Plan."
Then, watching as his cutlass does nothing, Sian smacks himself in the forehead. "That was pretty dumb of me."
He attacks with the frost brand and defends with the cutlass.
Zanax smiles with glee, as he continues his onslaught on the ice devil.
"For Votishal!" he cries.
Aron continues to stay out of the action, watching and waiting to see if he needs to say the wish.
"Hlarn, get that ice devil off of me or take the bone devil."
Hlarn takes advantage of the fact that the devil is intent on striking Kadlian and tries to maneuver so as to attack it from behind.
"Hlarn, might we switch opponents? Use our respective weapons to greater use?"
Hlarn yells to the reserve fighters to come forward and take on the bone devils. It is the ice devils that are the real menace however, and Hlarn doesn't want to leave them while his Dispel Evil spell is active.
The dwarf mutters, wondering if its better for the party as a whole to keep the unpredictable mage unconscious or not.
Coming to a decision, he shouts, "Roganna, while chanting get over there and then stop and cast a death's door spell upon her and some healing magics. Logan and the rest of you, stay close to her so that you are all protected by the protection from devil's scroll that Logan used."
"I think she's dead, Hlarn," says Kailar, doing his Doctor McCoy imitation.
"Ah, then make certain. If not, do as I ordered. If so, continue chanting and hand her staff and other devices to someone who can use them."
"That would be Agulhas."
"Oh, wow," stammers Agulhas. "I, ah, am unsure which spells she has in the staff, and I don't think that I know how to use it."
"Fireball, lightning bolt and a few others, Agulhas. And, if I am not mistaken, you have carried it before."
"Boss, I can use Rage's equipment or get in on the fight. What's the call?" Logan asks, still guarding the clerics.
"Join us against the devils."
Logan shrugs and looks for an opening.
"I'm the one protected by the scroll." adds Aron.
"Yeah, thats what I ment."
Roganna nods, making her way over to Rage.
Roganna laughs, still chanting as she studies the remains.
"Gimme a V... Gimme an I... " she continues, peering at the pulverized purveyor of power who is now powerless.
Rage has been reduced to a pile of hamburger.
Roganna makes a face, continuing to chant.
Kadlian swings at the bone devil in front of him. "Hlarn, the bone devils are not as magic resistant as the ice ones, right? How about a few magic missiles to soften them up a bit?"
"The bone devils weren't here when we started the fight - they were probably called by the ice devils. The ice devils are stronger - we should concentrate our attack on the strongest, not the weakest."
"Hlarn said not to waste spells on the ice devils. Highly magic resistant..."
The dwarf agrees. "The bone devils are resistant as well, but the chances are better a spell might get through. I would guess one in three might succeed. With the ice devils you might have only a one in ten chance at best. I don't know exactly how strong each of you are in magic ability."
These words seemingly are enough to galvanize Agulhas to action. He fires 2 magic missile spells into the bone devil battling Kadlian.
Knowing he can't fight and the party is doing relatively ok, Aron looks at the walls.
"I figure if I get close to the rod, it will prevent the devils from doing the same."
Hlarn shouts. "Don't bother. If the devils could use the rod to hurt us, they would be doing so right now. Remember they are the ones who had access to it, not us."
Kailar casts enlarge spells on Kadlian, Hlarn, Sian and Zanax.
Agulhas' first magic missile spell gets through. Suddenly Kadlian grows to become 8' tall. Agulhas's second bout of missiles also damages the bone devil, and it is looking hurt. Hlarn next expands, to over 6' in height...and expands proportionally in girth as well.
Kadlian - as big as an ogre, now - is stung again for 4 hit points. Even after taking two stings, though, thanks to Kailar's spell he feels stranger than he normally would. Nevertheless, he fans with his longsword. His shortsword connects, though, and the bone devil, now sorely hurt, begins to retreat towards the still open gate. Kadlian - impaled through the thigh by the devil's barbed spear - is dragged after him. He swings desperately again with his longsword, this time opening up a wound, but the devil lives.
Logan arrives, swinging his sword, and missing.
Behind the elf the ice devil attacks. Kadlian is clawed for 3 hit points, then lashed for 4 more.
Hlarn swings the hammer again, and crunches it into the ice devil's exoskeleton. Finally noticing the dwarf, it turns on him, as Hlarn connects a second time.
Sian suddenly sprouts up to ogre size as well, and continues his attack on his devil. The ice devil connects for 2 hit points as the elf-ranger misses, and Sian takes a further 18 hit points. At last he connects with his frost brand. Zanax, now almost 10' tall, swings his blade again and finishes the devil off.
Its body suddenly vanishes.
Sian spins about to deal with the last bone devil attacking him, as it skewers him through the bicept for 2 hit points with its spear.
The bone devil on Kadlian is near death, the bone devil on Sian is healthy, and the ice devil now confronting Hlarn is badly injured.
"That hurts a lot," says Sian, looking at the spear in his arm.
Sian is stung for 5 hit points, and feels his strength ebbing. He musters
his remaining energy, though, and finally lands a solid hit against the
bone devil.
Logan tries to get a bead on Sian's bone devil to cast a lightning
bolt at it. Given that the 8' tall Sian is still trying to battle the
devil, the elf is unable to get a clear shot at the devil.
Zanax attacks the bone devil on Sian.
Zanax swings and misses with his longsword. He swings again...and misses again.
"Zanax, help Sian. Logan, help get me kill this devil."
Kadlian continues to try to kill the bone devil on him, desperately trying to avoid being pulled into the gate.
The ranger lands one last hit on the devil, and it drops dead at the entrance to the gate.
He then sets about extricating the spear from his leg.
Looking to the mages and priests, Aron asks, "Does your dispel magics close gates?"
Highly encouraged, Agulhas lets loose his last magic missile spell at the bone devil dragging Sian.
His spell does not get through.
Hlarn, meanwhile, battles the last ice devil alone. The devil claws him for 1 hit point. Hlarn swings his hammer and misses. Despite all of his magical enhancements, he is still but a Champion. However, his protections do save him from further damage.
From the gate comes an evil hiss, and Kadlian looks up from his bloody, just freed leg, to find two fresh bone devils confronting him.
"What do you think I'm doing!" Zanax replies belatedly , as he swings repeatedly at the devil.
"Creating a draft!"
"Hlarn, how do we close the gate?"
"Logan, get up here and help me."
Kadlian engages one of the bone devils.
"Kad, DUCK!" Logan yells as he casts a lightning bolt at the two devils, arcing just over Kad's hopefully prone body.
Kadlian takes off into the air above them, waiting for Logan's spell to finish wherein he drops down to attack the devils again.
The devils take off after him.
Once Logan unleashes his spell, with sword in hand, he aids Kad with whichever devils are remaining.
Logan flies all the way around the platform and when he can line up both bone devils that are fighting Kadlian with a lightning bolt, he will fire it.
The elf-ranger finds himself impaled by another bone devil spear, for 8 hit points. He is then stung for 3 hit points. Nevertheless, he swings his blade...and misses. Trying his flame tongue...he misses with that, too.
The other bone devil sticks his spear into the pinned ranger for 7 hit points, and stings him for 4 hit points. Kadlian feels his strength drop another 3 points.
Logan - actually realising that his bolt could not miss Kadlian in the melee - cancels his spell and closes to attack instead. He lands a beautiful hit on one devil, opening a massive wound in its back, through which oozes devil-ichor.
Nearby, Vanadil attacks the other devil, that she can just reach on her tippy-toes, also landing a solid hit.
"Dispel magic might work, just make certain no one casts it where it will dispell all of our protections."
"Who has a dispel magic? Roganna, Agulhas, Logan?"
"I do," answers Agulhas. "If everyone can get at least 15 feet away from the gate, I will try to dispel it!"
"Then do not do it unless more devils come through the gate. I do not want to take the chance that someone will get too close."
"If that doesn't work, I could stand in front of the gate," offers Aron.
"Send Aron to block the gate! The scroll's magic should protect him and prevent other devils from passing through the gate!"
"Are you sure that will not cause his protection to go away or force the devils to attack him?"
"The gate will have no effect on his protection and the devils won't be able to attack him physically."
"Aron, Agulhas, Roganna, Umboth and Vanadil, head towards the gate. Everyone stay away from the gate, except Aron, but stay in his protection zone."
Aron heads over to the gate, going slow enough that he doesn't leave any of the others behind.
"Aron, see if you can manage to push those bone devils back through the gate."
"Aye, I'll try moving halfway between where I'm at and the gate."
People start moving towards the gate. Roganna, realising that she is being left behind, hurries to get back within the sphere of protection. Suddenly a horizontal wall of ice forms above her and comes crashing down. She suffers 11 hit points before she catches up.
Sian fights hard, as the bone devil nears the open gate with him in tow. However, his swing is wide. He is stung again for 6 hit points, and loses another point of strength. Trying again, he connects with his frost brand, but it is a glancing blow and the devil laughs derisively at him. Zanax quickly wipes the grin off of the monster's face, though, as he manages to land one solid blow at last.
Higher up, Hlarn connects with the remaining ice devil with his hammer, leaving the creature critically injured. The devil barely connects for 1 hit point of damage as the dwarf swings his hammer again. The 'thrower' crunches into the exoskeleton of the devil, and suddenly it too is gone.
Aron is now close enough to start forcing the devils back towards the gate...however they are uncooperative and merely fly higher outside of the range of the magical effect. Fortunately for Kadlian and Sian, though, he does manage to prevent them from dragging the rangers back through the gate with them.
Sian, badly wounded now, misses withhis blade. He is stung for 5 hit points of damage, and is sapped for 2 points of strength. Zanax connects twice, though, and the bone devil drops to the floor like a dead weight and leaving Sian hanging in the air with a spear stuck in him.
The devils with Kadlian have flown further into the chamber, bringing them closer to Hlarn, who rushes to join the fray. Meanwhile, Vanadil is left flat-footed on the floor.
Kadlian is stung for 2 hit points and loses 2 points of strength. He swings, though, and lands a good blow with his longsword, followed by one with his flame tongue, and followed by a second hit with his longsword. Suddenly the devil is looking hurt.
The other devil leaves its spear in Kadlian and turns to deal with that pesky Logan. The elf is faster, though, and lands a quick, solid hit. Suddenly, though, he finds himself staring into the devil's eyes...and he abruptly realises that the creature is really his best friend.
"Bring us the Sceptre," suggests the devil.
Logan obediently turns and flies off towards the north end of the chamber, where the Sceptre lies.
Hlarn arrives, having changed weapons on the way, but only manages to clip the pointy tip off of one of Kadlian's ears with his battle axe.
Zanax, though, rushes in to take Logan's place against the other devil, but fares little better.
Kadlian continues to fight, but misses with his longsword. He is stung for 2 hit points. With his flame tongue, though, he lands a grazing blow. Hlarn swings his axe again, and this time connects, cleaving the devil in two.
Only one remains, now, and it turns to deal with Zanax. The paladin dodges its tail and plunges his blade into the devil to its hilt. Pulling it out, he tries to repeat the performance, but misses. Sian arrives next, and beheads the devil with his frost brand.
All of the devils are dead.
Silence returns, but only for a moment.
The Gate suddenly closes with a pop.
Logan - just reaching for the Sceptre - stops and blinks, as his wits return to him.
Finally, there is a grinding noise, as the doors at the north end of the room slowly slide aside, revealing a 20' wide opening. Through it you see the outdoors: The Rift of the Dead, with the river perhaps a few hundred feet away.
Those of you who were drained of strength slowly feel it starting to return.
"Whoa, that was certainly not cool!" Logan says as he snaps out of the charm.
"Do not worry about it, Logan."
Hlarn waves for Beauty to continue chanting for now and points for Kailar and Zanax to check the exit's status and look for more bad guys.
Kailar checks out the doors for traps and bad guys. He recasts Detect Invisibility and make sure that he is invisible.
Using his thieving abilities, Kailar spots no traps or bad guys. He also spots nothing invisible.
Hlarn's find traps also shows nothing.
"Don't touch the sceptre yet, but lets position ourselves around it so that nothing else can grab it just yet either. Zanax, detect any evil anywhere near?"
Zanax scans the area for evil as he removes his cloak.
If all is clear then the dwarf will signal that the clerics should see to the wounded.
"Shall I try and raise Rage now? She'll be unable to do anything, but at least we won't have to carry her. But of course that does leave her open to easily being killed again. My own suggestion is that we meet back with our party, and then use the wish to move all of us to Sandas, thus avoiding the problem of transport. Then I can raise Rage in relative safety and she'll be able to recover."
"I can carry her if need be!" Logan says to Kadlian.
"Let us wait on raising Rage for the moment. First, I want Sian, Roganna and myself healed."
"I can either assist in looking for traps in this room or stand guard at the entrance to the outside."
"I suggest that I go to camp first in the form of a bird and check to make sure that there are no ambushes there for us."
"I don't like the idea of any of us going out alone... if something happened we'd not know it. But unless someone else here can take on a seemingly innocent form then I guess you will have to."
"I have a potion of Polymorphing. Or Agulhas might know the spell. But we do have to scout out the camp before we walk into it."
"If I were in their position I would have someone watching the valley carefully who could see invisible things. Mestrom's forces attacked us once, I'm almost certain they are waiting now for us. Since they have not attacked yet, then I would assume that they simply are not aware of this entrance."
Hlarn stands in the doorway and looks through it for a long time. Finally, he recognises the outlines of the mountains on the far side of the valley and concludes that the party is located some miles east of where they entered the dungeon, and that he is facing north.
Zanax stands next to Hlarn and uses his Clairvoyance to scan the area where the rest of the party is located.
He sees nothing but static.
You recall that the followers were sent up to the camp where Hlarn, Kailar and Equinox originally awaited the rest of you to catch up. Zanax has never been there, anyway.
"Why are you so certain? I agree it would make sense, but the next group might not be here yet. Or they might be lost in the dungeon."
"Because its the most sensible precaution they could take. Its certainly possible that it isn't the actual case. Perhaps they don't know the first group is dead. Or as you said a new group might not have arrived. But its better we overestimate our opponents than underestimate them."
"If they were going to attack, they would do it now while we are weak from the battle. We should gather what we can from here and move on as quickly as possible."
"Keep in mind that they might not know where the exit came out and can't see us yet."
"Shouldn't we save the potion until we know we need it?"
"I agree that we should let Kailar scout the camp and report back to us. That will help us determine if we should raise Rage or not. If there is a waiting ambush, then we are going to need her alive and recovered."
"Hlarn, can't you cast auguries to see if it would be safe to return to camp now?"
"Not immediately, no. I used up all my spells preparing for the battle and hoping we'd have time to rest afterward."
Zanax picks up the sceptre with his cloak and wraps it up.
Kailar casts Polymorph self and takes the form of an ordinary bird and then flies out towards the camp.
He casts polymorph self. The cat in his backpack, though, is not part of the spell, and as Kailar and his equipment transforms, the cat pops out and lands on the floor.
Kailar flies through the doorway and makes for the mountains on the far side of the valley, where you sent the followers.