== Oathday, Lamashan 23, 4708; Xin Shalast; evening ==

While I was taking the valuables from the invisible, undead, tentacled, vampire-thing, Avia had returned to the room above and detected evil beneath the stairs.

Using their adamantine weapons the fighters quickly carved through the stone and killed the four incapacitated unspared. They liberated a handful of items that we can sell should we return to the regular world.

[1606] 4 sets of +1 padded armor
[1607] 4 +1 bucklers
[1608] 4 +1 rings of protection

Both Avia and Nolin were in need of Restoration, and Kane had a single spell memorized. Nolin was the worse off of the two, and so he was brought back to his full life force. Kane and I shall memorize additional restorative spells tomorrow.

We found Margive skulking in his house, and he was delighted (in the same sort of subdued way he shows any emotion) with our news that the Great Evil had been slain.

We briefly discussed our next goal, and asked our host about Cricket, the ice devil in the arena, and the other inhabitants of the city above.

“The blue one has been there as long as my people can remember,” Margive said, “but the giants and lamias are more recent arrivals. As are the great flying beasts.”

“Flying beasts?!” I exclaimed, “As in, more than one?”

“Yes, I have seen three, and one of them has moved into a tower in the area with all of buildings that you call temples.”

Great. A small army of giants, a host of lamia, crag spiders, and at least three dragons: our chances for success just keep improving with each new bit of knowledge.

What to do next?

None of us liked the idea of Karzoug calling in a legion of powerful allies when we finally moved against him, and so we decided to pick off his most powerful servants first. But where to start: dragons or devils?

We knew that the ice devil was a formidable foe, and tragic tales of encounters with these fiends are sung by nearly every bard in every inn throughout Varisia. We decided to add a verse to the old story, with what we hoped was a surprise ending.

We returned to the vampire’s chamber and set up camp there, preparing a list of spells and strategies for the next day.

After a while I pulled out the peacock quill, a fine sheet of parchment, and a vial of amber ink. Normally I prefer to ask Pharasma for advice, but I had not prepared any divination spells for the day, and felt my question important enough to contact the god formerly known as the Peacock Spirit.

As usual whenever I pull out “The Quill,” as we have come to call it, the others stopped what they were doing and gathered around as I penned, “Why did Karzoug select Avia, our paladin, to speak for him?”

The quill then left my hand and wrote in reply, “The question is not why he chose her, but why did she allow him to?”

This caused quite a stir among us, and caused us to review what might be different about Avia from the rest of us.

Nolin scoffed at our effort, “It simply means she did not have the strength of will to resist him!”

But Kane, Sabin and I were not so sure, and we looked uneasily at the sihedron medallion that dangled from her neck. Of these magic devices we had three: Kane and Trask each kept one in their pack, but Avia wore hers.

Sedjewick and Avia then attempted to use The Quill to ask questions about the field of force surrounding the spires where Karzoug was hiding, but it failed to reply. Sedjewick, looking at The Quill with sudden interest, cast a mighty spell of Legend and Lore, and then pronounced that it was a long forgotten item that possessed the following attributes:

• No one who has a peacock quill ever runs out of ink

• It can be asked a question about near term events to use as a guide

• It can be called upon to make direct contact with the nether worlds

• There is a limit on how often it will respond to queries

As the day drew on toward evening, we decided to improve the defensibility of our camp, and we used a pair of Wall of Stone spells to seal off the two doorways that led further into the complex of tunnels.

As an extra precaution Trask cast Rope Trick, and we clambered inside and set our watches, who peered out from the portal.
== Fireday, Lamashan 24, 4708; Xin Shalast; before dawn ==

Our paranoia was well founded when during Sabin’s watch, Cricket, the ice devil, popped into the room and began to search about. Sabin quickly woke the rest of us, and after momentarily pondering how it knew our location, we prepared for battle.

Trask then dispelled the Rope Trick and having prepared for this we floated to the ground, scrambling to bring the attack to Cricket before he was aware we were upon him.

And it would have worked, too, had Avia not called out, “Gelugon, these people teleport to their foes during battle. Slay them all now!”

What the hell?

Sabin acted swiftly and used Dimension Door to bring himself, Nolin, Avia and I next to Cricket, where upon Nolin hacked at it so viciously that it fled, but not before Avia, Sabin and Nolin managed to brutally wound it. It then blinked out as suddenly as it had arrived.

Despite being relatively low on spells, Sabin and Trask teleported us into the coliseum where we had seen Cricket earlier that day. We did not see him now, but his quartet of dread wraiths wasted no time in attacking us, sapping a great deal of health from Rigel, and wounding me.

Trask used a fireball against them, while Sabin used his cold iron axe to slash at another.

I channeled energy — not the benevolent healing kind, but the “You dare to attack a servant of Pharasma, you undead filth?” vengeful, wounding kind.

Nolin killed one, while Avia faced off against two others, but suddenly Trask erected a wall of flame, cutting of their access to us (and ours to them).

Nolin flew up above the flames and called down to us, “The devil is hovering over the arena, watch out!”

Trask created another wall of flame, making a (toasted) wraith sandwich between his two burning walls.

Cricket then swooped over and blasted the lot of us with a Cold of Cone.

I called out to focus all of our attacks upon the ice devil when Kane banished him from our plane, and the spear he had been holding clattered to the ground.

Unfortunately the three remaining dread wraiths… remained, and we pressed our attacks against them. Sabin used magic missiles, I used Destruction, and Nolin used his sword to kill one.

Avia then said, “It matters not. The devil was not so important a servant of Karzoug as he fancied himself. You will all be mine in the end.”

And as if to make up for this outburst, Avia killed a wraith that had drifted over to her.

We pooled resources against the lone surviving dread wraith, who did not survive much longer.

Kane and I channeled energy to heal the wounded, and used a wand to restore Rigel. We then searched the immediate area for plunder, and picked up the spear, plus three darkwood chests.

[1609] +4 icy burst returning large spear (2d6) x3 on critical
+1d6 cold damage on hit (+1d10 and slow effect on critical)
[1610] Darkwood chest with 9K to 10K gold coins
[1611] Darkwood chest with 400 to 500 platinum coins
[1612] Darkwood chest with 1,500 gp worth of gems and jewelry, plus a ring
[1613] Sihedron Ring [Kane]

We wondered about these sihedron rings. Two of us were wearing them, and yet Karzoug still chose Avia through which to speak. Was it because of her sihedron medallion? Were the rings equally suspect? Kane is now wearing this newest ring.

We turned to Avia, who was looking sheepish at her latest pronouncement from Karzoug, and Sabin cast a spell to detect scrying. Someone was actively scrying Avia.

Kane said, “Avia, take off the medallion and put it in your pack.” After she had done so, Sabin reported that the scrying had stopped. So much for using the medallions.

We decided to set up camp here in the arena, and Trask created another Rope Trick on the far adjacent side of the space. He then returned to the vampire room and set up a false camp, complete with its own Rope Trick.
== Fireday, Lamashan 24, 4708; Xin Shalast; afternoon ==

We had to sleep in late this morning because our rest was interrupted during the night. Avia has been fully Restored, and has not spoken for Karzoug since she removed the medallion.

I began my day using a Divination spell, through which I asked Pharasma how we could safely pass through the energy field surrounding the spires. She replied that we needed to appear like Karzoug’s trusted servants.

We looked at the rings in a new light. The rings we found thus far had all been held by powerful beings from Xin Shalast. Could these be the keys we needed? But if so, we needed five more. Perhaps the medallions would work too, but the risk of giving away our plans to Karzoug seem too great to consider them.

We then returned to Margive and asked if he was familiar with the sihedron rings, and in his forays through the city had he seen anyone wearing them. He though perhaps some of the lamia near the temples may have worn them, or even some of the soldiers (the giants).

I cast Windwalk on us all and in gaseous form we returned to Karzoug’s temple. Various lamia were present and going about their daily clerical routines, but none wore rings.

We overheard two clerics speaking about someone whom they must refer to as “Her Most High Chiptra,” but apparently she was at the top of the mountain and no doubt had her ring with her.

We then flew over to where Margive reported a dragon had set up residence, and found a large 40 foot arched entrance leading within. None of us felt the need to encounter a dragon just yet, and so we moved on toward Jottenberg, where the giants dwelled.

We caught sight of a giant with tattoos, similar to the one we fought in Mokmuriun’s lair, but much larger — a frost giant. We swooped in for a closer look. He was giving commands to others, who obviously treated him with great respect (and even greater fear).

We followed him to his house, where servants scurried about bringing him food and drink. We had seen no other giants with servants, and concluded that this one was a high ranking official. We planned a later return to learn his habits and possibly defenses.

With a target selected, we then wafted up to the spires and took solid shape at the edge of the energy field. Kane bravely volunteered and walked into the zone toward the spires. Nothing untoward happened. We verified that the field was still there, but upon Kane it exerted no influence.

Success!

We needed more rings, and we now knew of a giant lord who no doubt possessed one. We flew back down to Jottenberg and found a deserted building near the tattooed giant’s house and have set a watch while we plan the assault.