Starday, 25 Lamashan

After having a little fun with our chosen giant commander, we somberly realized we still didn’t have enough rings + amulets to safely enter the field up on the mountain. Well technically we might have, but nobody really wanted to be subject to the scrying that the amulets left one vulnerable to.

So Takkad and Sabin when invisible and had magic detection on when they windwalked over to the Lamashtu temple to see if there were any likely looking treasure chests or living bearers of said amulets and rings. It was, of course, still semi-collapsed, and completely dark inside. Sabin had the advantage there, but couldn’t communicate to Takkad in windwalk form so I gather there was some wispy hand signals or something employed. (I wasn’t along; I just got a summary of their trip when they returned.)

The main chamber had 3 passages, but two had collapsed. There were idols of things vaguely dragonic and lion-like. In windwalk form, the collapsed passages were less of an issue than might otherwise be the case, but still they proved uninteresting. The passage going straight ahead had little rubble, and led to an antechamber with stairs down. The antechamber held the tattered clothing of three bodies – less cautious adventurers, I suppose – and nothing there radiated magic. The stairway led to a room that looked like a torture room, but that also appeared to be a deadend.

Returning to the entrance they tried the right passage. They were able to pass through the rubble, but it ended in a square room after 30′ of piled rubble. This room also had three exits from it.

• The right one held a stagnant pool.
• The middle one led to a large cathedral-like space which seemec to be a shrine to Lamashtu. Takkad sensed a presence there, but then these clerics are sometimes just on edge.
• The left one held benches and cabinets, but little else of interest.

Returning to the entrance, they tried to go left but it was impassable even in windwalk state.

That seemed to be it in the temple, so they returned and reported. To prepare, I case see invisible, mirror image, and spell resistance. I figured anything we found in a temple would be likely to try to cast a spell or two.

We windwalked, and entered the temple. By previous agreement, we made our way to the cathedral room, It didn’t take long at all to detect a shadowy figure .. or was it figures? .. at the far end of the room. I waited until the Usual Suspects were close enough together and then cast haste on our group.

There wasn’t just a couple. There were eight. Sabin used his sign of wrath and one shadow was seriously injured. 4 shadows turned on Sabin, but most of them hit the images from his mirror image spell. Takkad channelled positive energy, and one shadow fell. Avia channeled too, and three more were killed. Kane likewise channelled, and two more disappeared. And then by golly, it turns out they didn’t care much for fire, so I “channelled” a fireball that took out the remainder.

The altar was magic. There was a magic black painted metal chalice. There was a wand. There was a black dagger. And all these things were magic. We quickly determined we had

[1643] decanter of endless water
[1644] adamantine dagger, +3, decorated with genuine iconic Lamashtu figures
[1645] a wand of soul binding [4 charges]

Kane wanted to destroy the altar, so our team’s adamantine weapons were put to good use. He followed with a consecrate spell, which he apologetically explained would last a lot less time than he’d like but that too made him feel better.

For a little guy, Kane sure is fanatical at times.

Takkad was still dissatisfied with our efforts. Not at us, but he was thinking we were running out of time and worried that we needed to hurry and do certain things or Karzoug would be too powerful for us to kill. He decided to do a powerful Communing with his god, which unfortunately must be a series of yes/no questions. This was conducted with great pomp and circumstance, which I guess is de rigeur for this sort of spell. And we asked

1) Are there more rings in Xin Shalast? YES
2) Is the field on the mountain powered by a Runewell? YES
3) Is the Runewell in the city? NO
4) Do any remaining dragons have a sihedron ring? NO
5) Is Karzoug fully revived? NO
6) Is Karzoug able to leave the spires now? NO
7) Is Karzoug going to leave the spires within a week? YES
8) Should we confront him ASAP? YES
9) Does Karzoug have more than 12 allies with him in the spires? UNCERTAIN
10) Are we missing a needed artifact? UNCERTAIN
11) Does Karzoug get stronger the longer we wait? YES
12) Will it benefit us to create discord in the city? YES
13) Do we need rings or amulets within the occlusion field? YES
14) Does the field extend everywhere, including within the buildings? YES
15) Do any giants possess rings? NO

So it was clear that there was, unfortunately, some basis to Takkad’s fear that we needed to hurry. The discord thing, though, sounded both fun and easy. We talked to Margive about why the giant rebellions always seemed shortlived. He explained the Lamia held much greater sway over the city than we’d given them credit for. They were fairly quick to put down rebellions.

Lamia, hmm? We could reduce those numbers, although we really wanted to take out the matriarch if she ever came back down to the city. Margive surprised us by saying she had indeed returned to deal with the death of her priestess. Seems she thought that might have been another outgrowth of the rebellion and she felt a need to attend to it personally.

At last. A suitable target.

We returned to the coliseum, and carefully planned our next excursion. Takkad and Sabin decided to scout using the usual windwalk technique. They quickly and easily detected raised voice from Karzoug’s chapel. They spotted three harridans and one other dressed much better than the rest. They were loudly discussing what to do about the giants who’d killed their priestess (heh!)

That was pretty much all we needed. I again prepared mirror image, spell resistance, see invisible, and, in this particular case, haste before we even left.

We’d hoped to surprise them, but their hearing must be excellent. They heard us in the chamber next to them and startled. So I led with chain lightning, which hit all four of them, killing one as a nice start. Sedgewick threw a Mislead (his new favorite spell, I think!) and Kane prayed. Takkad did a greater dispel at her royal highness, and then the three remaining came after us. One attacked the false Sedgewick, which cringed and bent over in mock pain. Another brought a flame strike down in our midst, hitting all but me. Then Avia stepped up. She attacked the leader viciously, doing prodigious amounts of damage. Nolin stepped up and did the same.

I also did a Mislead while Sedgewick tried to deafen our opponents. Kane called in a flamestrike of his own, and Takkad simply cast Destruction (which unfortunately failed). A blade barrier appeared, followed by a firestorm at many of us and a searing light at Takkad. Sabin tried a disintegrate, with disappointing results. Avia took some more hardy swings, and Nolin actually charged to good effect.

Rigel went invisible, and I knew she was angling for a backstab at some point. Our fighters were now in the thick of the battle, but our healers were not close enough to help them heal. “Get together” I whispered hoarsely, “and i’ll teleport us”. I waited a few seconds for everyone to get in place and then teleported us closer.

Takkad did a powerful Mass Cure spell. Avia and Nolin found themselves under attack, and surprisingly one of the harridan found Takkad to be the most threatening and took some gouges out of him. Then the unholy blight hit, and suddenly people were a lot weaker. Sabin unleashed a flurry of blows and Avia finally took out another harridan. Nolin lent his blade to the effort.

Rigel tried to shoot some arrows, but only nicked one once. Worse, she became visible at that point. Sedgewick pulled out his wand of lightning, but the harridan’s spell resistance thwarted him. Kane healed Takkad and I initiated a mage sword. Takkad channelled, helping both himself and our fighters while a harridan tried unsuccessfully to take out Sabin. The other damaged Takkad a little, but mostly took out Sabin’s images. Sabin responded by taking it out, and Avia turned to the last one and took her out too.

We quickly assessed the magical items we’d won.

[1646] dagger, +1, unholy
[1647] headband of inspired wisdom +6
[1648] ring of force shield
[1649] 4 pearl anklets
[1650] golden crown
[1651] sihedron ring
[1652] dagger, +1, unholy
[1653,1655,1657] MW Breast plate
[1654,1656,1658] MW Great Sword

And to continue and extend the discord, we dumped the body of the matriarch into the giant section of town, in an alley. She was big enough and heavy enough I just teleported her.

Takkad sent another disquieting message to our favorite giant. “Your problem is solved – again.”

And when the body was discovered, we learned that we’d killed the chief assistant of Ceoptera, not Ceoptera. Or at least, that’s the body we’d dropped off; we probably killed her too (that would explain some of the difficulties we had) but she was disguised as a lesser. Oh well. She’s dead, anyway. I think. These folks should wear (accurate) nametags.

== Starday, Lamashan 25, 4708; Xin Shalast; evening ==

With still too few sihedron rings or too few sihedron amulets (or two few team members willing or able to wear the latter) we decided to search for additional rings in the more prominent ruins of the city. The now even more ruinous (thanks to yours truly) remains of the Temple of Lamashtu seemed as likely a place to try as any.

Sabin and I used invisibility plus Detect Magic and then Wind Walked into the building and scouted about.

Time had been a harsh mistress to the building, and rubble choked much of the entry chamber. We saw a pair of large stone idols fallen over on their sides: a dragon and a lion, both twisted and perverted. A mosaic tile in the floor boasted a great symbol of Lamashtu, but it was broken and bereft of any power or influence here.

Three exits led out from the chamber and deeper into the temple.

We went straight ahead to an antechamber, where the tattered gear and clothing lay strewn about. Upon closer examination we found the three corpses of our would be explorers, long ago ripped to pieces.

A stairway led down to a torture chamber with the usual arrangement of miserable cells, cruel devices, and a table designed to catch the blood of the room’s victims.

We returned to the entry chamber and went through the right exit, which was choked with collapsed stone. Wafting through the crevices like a breeze we came followed the ruined corridor thirty feet before it ended in a square room some twenty feet on a side.

To the right was a rectangular room with a stagnant pool in the center.

To the left was what looked like a locker room, with benches and cabinets lining the walls.

Directly ahead was a cathedral dedicated to Lamashtu. It looked as if it had been well maintained, while the rest of the temple had fallen down around it. We got an uneasy feeling that something was watching us… something only glimpsed, like a fleeting movement out of the corner of our eyes.

Back in the entry room we tried the left passageway, but it was completely blocked.

We returned to the others at our hideout, and it was decided that whatever was lurking in the temple needed to be removed.

We prepared for combat, and then Wind Walked back to the locker room, where we solidified quietly in the dark. Sabin moved quickly into the cathedral, and said that he saw shadowy incorporeal creatures moving about.

Avia and I moved into the cathedral, and Kane used a wand of Detect Evil, which promptly did so.

Nolin also moved in, while Sedjewick created Dancing Lights and began to sing.

Trask Hasted us as Sabin cast Sign of Wrath. All of a sudden the room was filled with a lot of shadows, which all closed in on Sabin (those that survived his spell).

I, Avia and Kane all chanelled energy against the Shadows, and all but two fell, which Trask promptly destroyed via a fireball.

There were various items of interest upon the altar:

[1643] chalice: a decanter of endless water
[1644] +3 black adamantine dagger decorated with disfigured animals
[1645] wand of soul bind (4 charges)

The entire room emanated evil, and Kane was not content to just leave it as it was, and so the fighters destroyed the altar, which made Kane feel somewhat better.

We then returned to our base, where I cast the powerful Commune spell and asked for Pharasma’s guidance.

Are any sihedron rings in Xin Shalast that are not in our possessions?

Yes

Is the occlusion field around the spires powered by a rune well?

No

Do any dragons in the region of Xin Shalast posses a sihedron ring?

No

Has Karzoug fully revived?

No

Is Karzoug able to leave the spires now?

No

Will Karzoug be able to leave the spires within the next week?

Yes

Should we move to directly confront Karzoug as soon as possible?

Yes

Does Karzoug have more than a dozen allies with him in the spires?

Yes

Are we missing an object or task from the city we need in order to defeat Karzoug?

Uncertain

Does Karzoug get stronger the longer we wait?

Yes

Will it benefit us to sow discord and chaos in the city itself?

Yes

Will we need to wear the sihedron rings and medallions to freely move about everywhere within the occlusion field?

Yes

Does the occlusion field extend to within the buildings?

Yes

Do any giants in the city have sihedron rings?

No

This gave us much food for thought, and we decided to check with Margive to see if he could explain why the giant rebellions always fizzle so quickly, and why the most recent one lasted longer.

He seemed surprised by our questions. “The Lamia have all of the power. They are the law,” he explained. “However a great deal of yelling was heard from their temple complex just a short while ago, and rumor says that her Most High Ceoptra has come down from the mountain to set her house in order.”

Score! Margive seemed terrified by her presence in the city, but this was what we had been waiting (and working) for!

We asked about the most recent giant rebellion, and he replied, “They meet at night in the slave area. They are easy to find.”

The first order of business was to take out Her Most Highestness and her entourage, if she was not alone.

Sabin and I did the usual prep with invisibility and using Wind Walk scouted out the temple. We heard an angry voice shouting from Karzoug’s chapel. There we found three harridans, dressed as warriors, gathered around a fourth, who was much better dressed and equipped than the others, and was wearing a robe of runes and a crown.

They were speaking in giant, and the fancy dressed one was shocked that the giants would kill her second in command.

Across from this side of the temple was another space where we could all gather and prepare for the attack, if we were lucky.

We returned to the others and prepared for what looked to be a fierce battle. Using a combination of invisibility spells and Wind Walk we managed to arrive at our designated gathering spot undetected, but our luck soon gave way to reality.

“My lady, I hear something in the other chamber!”

Oh drat, there went the element of surprise.

Trask sent a wicked arc of chain lightening down to zap several of the lamia, and Sedjewick created a mirror image and began to sing. Kane cast Prayer, and I used Greater Dispel Magic on the one we thought must be the Ceoptra.

Two harridans advanced upon us, while another cast Flame Strike on me — one of them was a cleric! The Ceoptra was muttering words of power.

Sabin used our Dimension Door strategy to put himself, Nolin, Avia and I next to the Ceoptra, where upon Avia and Nolin promptly killed her.

What the hell? It was only then that a trickle of doubt began to pool in my mind.

Rigel shot a warrior harridan, and Sedjewick Shouted ferociously at two.

The cleric harridan cast Blade Barrier, isolating the advance party from the rest of our team, and the other two then charged us.

The entire area filled with a Fire Storm, and I was targeted by Searing Light.

I tried Destruction on the cleric, but to no avail, and Sabin tried Disintegrate, but that too was disappointing.

Nolin and Avia realized they needed to take down the cleric, and charged her.

I managed to use a Mass cure spell to restore some health to my friends and myself.

Meanwhile the cleric cast Unholy Blight, and attacked Sabin with a dagger, which was odd, because she was wielding a greats word.

Sabin was seriously injured, but I was closer to death than I have ever been, and for the first time in years wondered if I would survive to see another day.

But then things began to turn our way. Sabin was able to get three solid hits on the cleric, while Avia killed a warrior and Nolin kept the other occupied.

At that point in time I discovered that Trask had used Teleport to bring the rest of our party to the party, and Kane revived me with a mighty Heal.

Trask used Mage Sword on the cleric, who began to hack at us, but Sabin put a stop to that by removing her head.

Avia very quickly killed the remaining and seriously out classed harridan.

We were bloodied, near exhaustion, and not quite sure what had just happened.

No small amount of channeling and cure spells brought us back to health, and we quickly searched the bodies for useful things.

[1646] +1 unholy dagger
[1647] +6 headband of inspired wisdom (Kane)
[1648] ring of force shield
[1649] 4 pearl anklets
[1650] gold crown
[1651] sihedron ring (from the cleric!)
[1652] +1 unholy dagger
[1653, 1655, 1657] masterwork breastplate
[1654, 1656, 1658] masterwork great sword

Then using the blood of the dead lamia, I scrawled as high upon the wall as I could reach, in a crude giantish hand, “Death to the tyrantz!”

We then shoved the body of the harridan we had thought was the Ceoptra into a bag of holding and returned to our hideout — but on the way Sabin and I dropped the body off into an alley.

I then used Greater Scrying on “our giant,” and using Sending sent him to the corpse.

He was at a loss. “A harridan!? But who would kill a harridan?” He then sent one of his minions over to the temple, “Unless I am mistaken, someone has killed the chief assistant of the Most High Ceoptra!”

Blast! We had been duped by one of the oldest tricks in the book, and very nearly paid dearly for it.