== Sunday, Arodus 3, 4708; Runeforge; morning ==

We spent the next four hours scanning through the books and journals we had picked up throughout Runeforge, looking for any details about how to use the well to augment our weapons.

Despite being in the center of the complex that housed the well, there was precious little information available about how anything in Runeforge worked. Out best source of information was Vraxeris’ journal, which we had found in his study off of the hall of pride.

There were seven special attributes that could be added to a weapon via the Runeforge well, each created from combining the material components for two of the seven vices represented on the sihedron. To select an attribute that was most effective against any specific runelord, you needed to use the two vices that opposed that runelord’s vice — and the sihedron itself showed which two vices opposed any other vice.

The seven attributes are: miserly, covetous, jealous, dominant, tyrannical, sadistic, and parasitic.

For us, pride and lust would oppose greed, and would grant a dominant attribute to any weapon enchanted in the Runeforge well with those proper components, which we already possessed: the shards of mirrors from pride and the sex toys from lust.

But how were these components and the well used to enchant weapons? I decided to ask someone who would know: the Peacock Spirit. Using the pink ink (and why not?) I picked up the peacock feather quill and wrote,

“What are the procedures required to align weapons with the dominant attribute using Runeforge?”

As soon as I had penned this thought, the quill took over and wrote,

“Immerse deep the right components in opposition to the runelord’s rune, and hasten then to anoint thy weapons.”

After shaking off the unsettled feeling that always comes with using the quill, I realized that the use of the Runeforge well was far more simple than we had been trying to make it.

There seemed no reason to wait, and so we returned to the central Runeforge chamber and circled around the well. Each of us had selected a weapon to align, and so I dumped the components into the well.

The pool glowed with a bright gold light, and wisps of misty gold light wafted up from the surface, wrapping themselves around the weapons we held.

Avia dipped her long sword into the water, and gold traces of Thassilonian runes ran up her weapon to the hilt, etching themselves onto her weapon.

Suddenly a large wave of gold, watery light splashed up and onto the statue of Karzoug, and we heard his voice booming around us.

“You? Again?! I cannot help but be impressed by your optimism, but your enchanted weapons will never reach Xin Shalast, for you shall die here now.”

The rest of us quickly dipped our weapons in the pool, each receiving the brightly glowing golden runes, as the statue lurched to life and stomped heavily towards us.

It smacked Sabin and Nolin hard, but Avia moved and claimed first blood (or I should say “first stone flakes”) for our side. I channeled energy while Kane cast Prayer, and Sedgewick began to sing a song of courage. Trask cast haste, and suddenly we were all moving a lot faster.

The statue continue to hit our fighters, and also Kane, who had tumbled in next to it on some mischievous mission of his own.

Karzoug continued to taunt and gloat, “Give up. You are going to lose and be destroyed.” And of course as soon as he said this Nolin sliced off one of the statue’s legs, and it topped onto the floor, narrowly missing Sabin and I.

We then paused for a moment as Sabin examined our weapons more closely to see if he could discern what features the domineering attribute had added.

One thing we could all tell is that the weapons were empathic, and as long as we held them we could feel their suggestions for how to behave during combat whispering in our minds.

[-2 Diplomacy]

The weapons now provided some bonus for avoiding effects of transmutation magic, and they acted as bane weapons for transmuters and shape changers.

[+2 morale bonus on saves versus transmutation]
[+2 attacks/+2D6 damage versus transmuters and shape changers]

They could also absorb up to three harmful transmutation effects a day.

If a weapon was not magical before being aligned it now boasted a +1 bonus.

Our domineering weapons are:

Avia: +1 adamantine long sword
Nolin: +2 adamantine great sword
Sabin: +2 adamantine great axe
Kane: Masterwork (now +1) star knife
Rigel: keen rapier
Trask: staff
Sedgewick +1 rapier
Takkad: +1 light crossbow

Nolin then had the brilliant idea to try to enchant another set of weapons to be effective against wrath. The two runes that opposed wrath were envy and sloth.

We were not sure what components we needed from these halls, but because they had been abandoned or destroyed our options were limited. I had collected a vial of the quick-silver liquid from envy, and Trask sent an unseen servant into sloth (none of us wanted to return) to obtain some of the disgusting slimy liquid from the pools there.

Sabin decided not to align another weapon, and stood guard before the statue of Alasnist, in case it sprang to life when we activated the well. I put in the components, the water glowed with a gold light that caressed our weapons, and we enchanted another set.

Alasnist did not make an appearance, and we now had a set of covetous aligned weapons.

[-2 Diplomacy]
[+2 morale bonus on saves versus evocation]
[+2 attacks/+2D6 damage versus evocators and fire users]
[+5 Fire resistance]

Our covetous weapons are:

Avia: +1 long sword
Nolin: +1 great sword
Kane: +1 sling
Rigel: +1 bow
Trask: +1 knife
Sedgewick +light crossbow
Takkad: +1 knife

Having two contrasting empathic weapons proved to be very distracting, and so each of us made sure to keep one of these weapons in a bag of holding at any point in time.

Because we would visit wrath the next day we kept the covetous weapons on hand.

On the way back to the study in greed Sabin once again stopped and looked at the gold fish, and said, “Baleful Polymorph.” He explained that he thought the green mist, which we used Gust of Wind to pass through, changed anyone caught in it into a goldfish.

Kane and I each tried to Break Enchantment on one of the fish, but with no luck.

Before retiring for the day Kane, Sabin and I went to the large well beyond the study and recharged the wand of Lesser Restoration (+21 charges) and the wand of Endure Elements (+9).

My watch begins momentarily, and tomorrow will be a busy day.
== Sunday, Arodus 3, 4708; Runeforge; morning ==

We returned to the entrance hall of wrath, but it was as we left it yesterday, and so we walked to the teleport circles at the far back of the hall. We put up a few protective spells, but wanted to save as much magic for the big confrontation with Athroxis, which we felt would take place further in.

Avia, Nolin, Trask and I stepped into the blue circle and immediately found ourselves in the practise hall surrounded by four sin-spawn.

They struck out at us, and we returned blows while carefully stepping out of the teleportation circle so the rest of our team could join. In very little time the spawn were dead.

4 +1 great axes
4 +1 red breast plates

The four sin-spawn appeared to have been the only defenses placed in this hall, and we went further back and to the left to the teleport circles for the diamond room, and regrouped.

Nolin, Avia, Sabin and I stepped in the circle first, and popped into the diamond room with nine sin-spawn standing nearby, ready to attack. But we too were prepared and both sides exchanged blows. It was more crowded around the circle here, and it took longer to clear enough space for the others to arrive.

The combat was fierce and physical with very few spells and only a minimal of healing. I used some icicles, but mostly I struck out with my aligned knife, and channeled energy when needed.

Soon all nine spawn were down, and we took a moment to look around.

9 +1 great axes
9 +1 red breast plates

The flaming weapons are still stuck in the walls, but now I see that the mural on the ceiling of the red haired lady wielding a flaming ranseur was not, as I had first thought, Alasnist, but rather Athroxis.

The walls were inscribed with spidery runes describing various evocation spells.
== Sunday, Arodus 3, 4708; Runeforge; mid-morning ==

We decided to look through the smoke curtain first, and using True Seeing I peered through the illusion into a vast hall. Two rows of red stone pillars reached up some sixty feet to support a flaming ceiling, and a circle of low flames surrounded a large sihedron image in the floor.

But what caught my eye was the enormous daemon standing in the center of the hall. It was a shemhazian, of which I had only read before and never hoped to encounter. The hulking thing towered thirty five feet high, and looked like a giant cross between a bear and a spider. These things were said to have been created in the lowest levels of the abyss from the tortured souls of the most evil of people.

A small figure floated in the off to the side behind the daemon, and by her red hair and flaming ranseur I knew she was Athroxis. She was too far away for me to see what she was doing, but that soon became painfully clear enough.

I was struck by a lightening bolt, and while I managed to dodge aside at the last moment to avoid the full strike, it still hurt plenty.

I quickly described what I saw in the other room to my companions, and we prepared for battle. It seemed our best strategy was to focus on Athroxis and avoid the daemon until she was slain. But I was not sure what was in the minds of my companions. Sabin had an odd grin on his face, and Kane was muttering something about needing to kill the daemon.

And then two things abruptly changed our hastily drawn battle plans. First, another bolt of lightening arced in and struck me, but this one forked and blasted all of my companions as well. Second, the shemhazian vanished from the hall beyond the smoke and appeared behind us.

We adapted quickly. Trask put up a wall of force on this side of the curtain of smoke, effectively isolating us from Athroxis for the time being. We then turned and faced the daemon.

I cast Prayer and Sedgewick began to sing.

Nolin charged in, with Sabin close behind. It struck them hard, but they had a hard time penetrating its defenses and damaging it (even if they hit it). The creature bit Nolin, draining him of strength, and so Kane began to creep in so he could restore Nolin’s strength, and he too began to take hits.

I channeled energy to help heal those in front, and followed Kane in towards the beast.

Trask cast Fly upon Avia (he had previously cast this on Nolin, and she was waiting for her turn), and Sedgewick cast Greater Invisibility on her. She ran in to join her companions in arms, but the invisibility did not aid her against the daemon, and it struck her as she came in.

All the while the rest of us were trying to conserve as much magic as possible for the encounter with Athroxis, while still trying to make meaningful contributions in the battle against this potent foe.

The daemon continued to strike and bite with devastating results, while our own strikes seemed feeble by comparison.

But then Avia was finally standing next to the shemhazian, and while it did not know it yet, this spelled its imminent doom. Avia used her holy smite skill, which extended to Sabin, who was standing nearby, and the two of them began to cut seriously large chunks out of the daemon, who now began to howl and wail in agony.

And then from the cloud of smoke came a bright flash and the sound of a loud explosion: Athroxis had attempted another lightening spell, but had now discovered the force wall. Sedgewick placed his hand on the wall so he would know as soon as it fell, but even after another blast thudded into it, the wall held.

Nolin redoubled his efforts, having had much of his strength restored, and even though Avia suffered a bite for some strength loss, it now mattered little.

The demon, realizing just how close to death it was, teleported to the back of the room and screamed at us. Sabin ran up and threw his great axe at it, striking it squarely in the face.

The thing fell to the floor dead.

We have quickly healed and restored the wounded, and are at full strength with nearly our full complement of spells at the ready.

But we are letting Athroxis expend her spells trying to take down the wall of force.

As soon as it falls (or she gives up trying to take it down) we will take the fight to her.