March 17, 2012

To Nizwah

With the Oblivion King's body destroyed, the Motley Crew now has time to race to Nizwah to find and destroy his phylactery.

Zarana believes that leaving a larger group here will keep the lich spawning in this location rather than elsewhere. Snow agrees and leaves the giants with the Zhentils, only taking the ten Itchy Tiger trolls. The party gets in the magic Mirror of Thought, with Malouf remaining outside as the sphinx Narasimha carries them to Nizwah and the tomb of Saburses Tut.

As Narasimha sets off, a problem arises inside the mirror when four of the trolls panic, three of them running off while the fourth screams. Snow sends the trolls to retrieve the three and Klute plays a song to calm them.

Back outside the mirror, Narasimha spots two wyverns closing in on them.

Narasimha: Should we try to outrun them or fight?

Malouf: Ha ha! Today, we fight!

At first they do well against the two wyverns. But then...

Narasimha: We have a problem. (points out three more wyverns approaching)

Malouf: Fly on! I will cover your rear! (pulls out bow and starts firing)

They make a valiant attempt, but in the end, five wyverns is too much to handle alone. Narasimha is badly injured and poisoned by the wyverns.

Malouf: Drop down! We did our best, Narasimha.

Narasimha: (landing heavily) I have failed you. I have never felt such a coordinated attack before.

Malouf: (signalling the others inside the mirror) They must have been guided by an outside force. Josy! Narasimha has been poisoned!

The group makes short work of the wyverns. Just before they kill the last one, it looks up at the sky and screams as if it wants to leave but cannot. Narasimha collapses from the poison before Josy neutralizes it. She manages to save him, but he is weakened and must rest inside the mirror for the remainder of the journey.

In the distance, Brecaryn notices a Tusken Raider signalling them. As they try to understand what the Raider is telling them, they feel the earth rumbling. Up ahead, a giant worm bursts through the sand before crawling away to the south, leaving a huge chasm in its wake.

Looking to the Raider, they see he is now signalling that it is ok to continue forward. He lifts up a bag and points to Vain before dropping it and running off. Curiouser and curiouser.

With Narasimha in the mirror with the others, Malouf and Snow continue the journey on foot. At the chasm, they hand off the mirror to Flerm. Brecaryn gives him a push using a spell before getting back in the mirror so that Flerm can levitate himself and the mirror across the divide.

On the other side, Flerm picks up the bag the Tusken Raider dropped. Inside are 6 vials of some kind of black potion. The group speculates that they could be high risk health potions where there's a chance of ending up injured instead of healed. However, seeing as the Raider specifically pointed at Vain, it seems likely that there is more to these vials than that. A mystery for another time.

When Getting Killed and Resurrected Alot Makes you Friends

They reach Nizwah by nightfall. The animated guardian statues at the bottom of the valley once again block the path.

Flerm: They are with me.

Statue: While you bear the mark of Anubis, you are not trapped between life and death like the others that occupy this city. (long pause) When we met you previously, we were prevented by the presence of the Oblivion King from speaking with you. But he is strangely... diminished for the moment. Because of your mark, we can make a request of you. The Oblivion King has stolen and entrapped the Scepter of Anubis. While it is imprisoned, the Oblivion King is master here. But if you re-capture it and allow your priest to wield it, Anubis will suppress the Lich's magical ability. Return it to us when you leave.

Heading towards the Tomb of Saburses Tut, they are stopped by a group of vampires and bats.

Female Vampire: You are a fool to return.

Brecaryn responds with lightning and Malouf follows that up with a decapitation. Taking exception to this, the rest of the undead attack.

Flerm and Lieralyn are swarmed by the bats. Lieralyn is bitten. Again She fights them off, but uncharacteristically runs away.

Flerm uses his teleportation ability to good effect, surprising the vampires and decapitating them.

One of the vampires charms Malouf. Attempting to fight it off, Malouf realizes the best way to break the vampire's hold on him is to kill any of his teammates. Naturally, he goes for Lieralyn.

The trolls, released from the mirror, are confused and at first attack the vampires. Without magickal weapons, however, their attempts are futile, so Snow directs them to go after the bats.

The tide turns once Josy uses her holy symbol against the vampires. Unfortunately, three of the vampires manage to change into mist and escape before the Crew can kill them.

Flerm tackles Malouf and holds him down while Josy uncharms him. Although Malouf, contrite, apologizes, Lieralyn is very displeased.

The Tomb of Saburses Tut Revisited

At the entrance of the tomb, the trolls refuse to enter, so they are returned to the mirror. The group quickly reviews Alana's maps from the last time they were here. Brecaryn makes a point of reminding everyone that nothing should be taken from the tomb.

Once inside, they are beset by a horde of shambling undead. Oddly, to the eyes of the elves and halfling, some of the "undead" are giving off body heat.

The moaning mass begins to swarm the party. Alana quickly locates a secret door marked on her maps.

Alana: This way's clear!

Klute: I'm following my partner!

Flerm: (shouting to Lieralyn) I think we should go with Alana and Klute.

Lieralyn: Don't you want to help Malouf?

Flerm: ...

Lieralyn: Well, you go. I'll stay.

Lieralyn helps Malouf hold back the horde as Flerm retreats to the passageway entrance.

Snow: Don't kill anyone unless you're sure they're undead. Subdue them if you have to. Everyone pull back into the corridor. Brecaryn, use magic missile to distract them and give Malouf and Lieralyn a chance to run.

Malouf and Lieralyn make a break for the doorway, grabbing Josy on the way, as Brecaryn fires off several magick missiles. Locking the door behind them, they move down the corridor which opens into a bedroom. The party crawls through a tunnel that connects this room with another, more feminine, bedroom. Everything in both rooms is covered in dust except two exceptionally clean items - an inkwell and a tub. Detecting magick on both, Malouf smashes them before anyone can stop him.

Looking nervously at the open doorway leading to the treasure room from the second bedroom , Alana tries to get everyone to quiet down.

Alana: Hello! There's no door here! They can hear us!

Listening, they hear moaning from down the hall. Too late! Malouf barely manages to hit the mechanism to shut the door before the undead come through.

Trapped by undead on all sides, they devise a plan to clear out the treasure room. Malouf goes back through the first bedroom to the first secret door. He attracts the undead to him before quickly ducking back in to the passageway, locking the door behind him. Drawn by the noise, the undead move out of the treasure room. When the room is clear of all but three, Snow runs in and slams the treasure room door closed, preventing the rest of the horde from coming back in.

The three undead are easily taken care of. Malouf and Lieralyn brace the door while the rest of the group fights the urge to take something from the room.

Inspecting the items in the room, Brecaryn determines that the throne grants the person sitting on it clairaudience and the ability to detect if someone is lying. Flerm tries it and starts asking Lieralyn about whether or not she's under the control of the vampires. She denies it, but Flerm indicates she's lying. Lieralyn is indignant over the accusations. Seeing as she had so far done nothing to actively sabotage them, they decide to just keep a close watch over her.

All Dead or Slightly Alive?

Done surveying the treasure room, the party decides that the only way they're getting through this tomb is to kill all of the undead. Returning to the first bedroom, they open up the secret door to allow the undead to funnel in single file. Waiting at the bedroom doorway, the group is able to take the undead out one by one. The elves use their infravision to pick out the real undead from the fake undead so that they can incapacitate the humans instead of killing them.

It takes a while, but they eventually clear out this entire level of the tomb. Eight humans are saved. Leaving them in the room, they continue with their search for the phylactery.

Retracing their steps, the group climbs up the stairwell on the southern side of the tomb. They make it past the pit of flesh-eating beetles, but pause at the entrance to the room full of pendulum-like swinging blades. Flerm easily teleports across and Malouf uses his agility to get by without a scratch.

At the very top of the stairs, the pair find a flaming skeleton waiting for them. In an amazing feat of swordsmanship, Flerm kills the skeleton in one perfect swing. Not finding the scepter in the room, they return to the group, Malouf extolling Flerm's amazing feat.

I've Also Been Carrying Around This Trident of Fish-Control

Having explored the entirety of the main tomb, they have nowhere left to go but down the hole into the lower caverns. Remembering their last visit here and the wights that waited below, Alana drops her continual light necklace down the hole and Flerm takes a quick look.

Flerm: (in an excited voice) I think there's a zombie beholder down here!

Sure enough, floating a few feet from the hole is a rotting, mold-encrusted beholder, its ribs exposed, a few eye stalks missing.

Snow: I got this!

Pulling out the beholder fork she'd been carrying around for months, Snow jumps down and grabs it. Malouf follows to kill the creature.

As the rest of the party descends, they notice a disgusting slurping noise coming from the other end of the corridor. Turning, they see a tentalcled creature that looks like several merged human bodies.

Slurping Monster: Malouf....Malouf...

Malouf: Azhar?! What has happened? What can we do?

Slurping Monster: kill...ussss.....

Recognizing Azhar, Bayhas, and the rest of the fighters from Al-Laquant that they encountered on their way to the desert, Malouf is horrified.

Flerm: See? I told you we should have killed them. Now look. All you people with your "I'm good. I don't kill things." *pfft*

Flerm and Lieralyn move to put the creature out of its misery. Opening his mouth, Azhar rewards them by spitting up a noxious goo, causing the two to be sick. As it takes a minute to make gurgling noises, Snow leaps into the air swinging her leg forward in a powerful kick. The impact causes the creature to explode. Body parts and viscous fluid rain down everywhere, but Snow makes sure to avoid getting any of it on her.

Alana peers in interest at the clothing and weapons on the bodies strewn about. In between gagging, Lieralyn reminds her not to take anything. Sighing, Alana puts back the possibly magickal spear she's found.

Leaving the messy scene, they head towards the room where there had been a floating crown the last time they were here.

Our Cleric Rolls 20s

Klute: You know, crowns and scepters often go together.

The crown is still surrounded by a column of light that prevents any from touching it. Snow suggests Brecaryn try her phase ring.

Out of phase, the column of light is no longer there. Walking under the crown, Brecaryn takes the ring off and the light returns, lifting her robes and hair as it flows upwards. Brecaryn reaches up and grasps the crown.

The walls of the room disappear and the lights dim. Hanging on the back wall is the Scepter of Anubis. Guarding it is a giant, leather-wrapped skeleton and two 8ft tall vulture men with large hooked hands and a hook jutting out of the back of their heads.

Mistaking them for Anubis' followers, Brecaryn tries to speak to them.

Brecaryn: Stop. Don't attack us. We have the same goals.

Josy: (shaking head, looking frightened) We can't fight them. We need to run.

Hearing this, Snow leaps between the three guardians and grabs the scepter.

Snow: Let's get out of here.

She heads out of the room, pulling Josy along.

Unfortunately, the demon vultures follow right behind, in pursuit of the scepter.

Klute begins shaping the stone walls to seal off the room and trap the demons in, but he needs time to finish the process. Knowing the demons will follow the scepter, Snow heads back into the room to keep them occupied until the last minute while the others head for the exit.

Pouring her attacks on the skeleton demon (Babau), Snow kills it. Fighting off her trepidation, Josy says a quick prayer to Yondalla and steps forward brandishing her holy symbol at the vulture demons (Vrocks). Flinching in fear and pain, the symbol of Yondalla repels them, causing them to cower against the far wall. In this state, they are easily dispatched by Flerm.

Belatedly finishing his stone shaping, Klute has sealed off the entire corridor except for a small peep hole. Unfortunately, while he is on the outside, the rest of the party is stuck on the inside. So, once again, Klute works the stone, creating an opening for the group to get out.

Somehow, Vampires are Just Less Intimidating From the Back

Holding the scepter, Josy feels like something is guiding it. But before she can examine this feeling further, the group finds their path forward blocked by more undead, the three vampires who escaped before among them.

Snow: Kill the vampires before they turn to mist again!

Klute summons a swarm of biting insects that converge on the vampires. Malouf cleaves through the zombies and wights in his path. As the Crew steadily makes their way forward, the vampires realize imminent defeat is upon them. They retreat down a trapdoor, making good their escape, the skeleton wizards following close behind them.

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