Episode 53

"Dead Again"

Tron, a desperately lucky elf, Matt Grossman

Norel, a battle-scarred ranger, Tom Morin

Nigil, a mysterious noble from a distant land, Kevin Osborn

Soren, a priest of the war-god Hextor, Paul Skavland

Hawkwind, a spell-caster from the great city of Greyhawk, Bruce

Bliz, a blue skinned elf from icy North, Michael Goff

Hawkwind teleports the party back to the cave without any errors. Alakara's corpse is not there.

Soren: Hey, where'd the body go? This sucks.

Nigil: What about the one under the rocks?

Soren: She's gone too!

Norel: There are spider tracks everywhere. Very recent. It looks like the bodies were carried off.

Hawkwind: Probably the driders. Well, let's get going.

The party heads down the one passage they have not explored yet.

Norel: I don't see any elf tracks here.

Tron: That's encouraging. We want to go places the drow didn't go, since they didn't have the rod.

The passage splits into several caves. One ends in a dead end. The next passage slopes steeply downward and ends in a pool. The water is dark and absolutely still.

Bliz: (prepares to throw a rock in)

Nigil: Don't be stupid.

Tron: (throws a rock) Three skips!

Nigil: You idiot!

The party hears splashing in the water. They back away from the water's edge and prepare to defend themselves.

Tron: Whoah. I just felt something try to control my mind. Fortunately I was able to shake it off.

Nigil: You mean you have a mind? Urk.

Tron: Urk?

Nigil: (in drow) Why are you here?

Laurallie translates what the fighter says. He has obviously fallen victim to some kind of mind control.

Bliz: We are seeking the tomb of Alantria. We wish to honor her remains.

Laurallie translates.

Nigil: That place is far to the south. Leave and do not return.

Bliz: No problem.

The party leaves. However, Nigil still appears to be mind-controlled and merely follows along passively.

Hawkwind: It doesn't seem to be a magical effect, so a dispel magic won't end it.

Soren: A remove curse should do the job, but I don't have that spell.

Norel: What sort of creature could do this?

Laurallie: I have heard of beings called aboleth. They are squid-like beings who have great mental power and live deep underground.

Bliz: So Nigil's been possessed by a squid. [snicker]

Norel: Nigil seems to get controlled a lot.

The party continues, leading Nigil. They continue exploring the side passages, finding one more ossuary. This ossuary is located approximately above the pool, and parts of it are flooded. They then return to the main cave and continue exploring around the edge. The edge of the cave starts to bend to the south.

Soren: The squid said that the tomb was to the south.

Bliz: They were probably just saying that to make us leave.

The ground becomes damp. They find another ossuary, which turns out to be exactly the same as the others. After searching it, they prepare to leave. As they approach the entrance, a green mist starts rising out of the floor.

Soren: What the...?

Bliz: It burns!

Norel: Some sort of acid fog!

The ranger grabs Nigil and drags him backwards, further into the ossuary and out of the fog. Nigil is completely passive and shows no reaction. Laurallie runs forwards, out of the fog and into the main cave. There she sees the three surviving drow from the previous

encounter. The crossbow-armed drow shoot her.

Laurallie: Urgh! It's a trap!

Soren: Why do those words sound familiar? Hextor, defend your servant! (casts Sanctuary on himself and moves forwards)

Hawkwind: Gurgi, you may do whatever you like.

Gurgi: (runs backwards out of the fog and hides in the ossuary)

Hawkwind: Bah.

Bliz: (moves forwards and casts Iceball at the drow, with little effect) [cough cough]

Hawkwind: (moves forwards and casts Dancing Lights, illuminating the drow) Ow, my eyes! This fog sucks.

Tron: (runs out of the fog and charges the drow, drawing his scimitar) Yaaaaaa! [chop]

Laurallie: I see Tron's found a non-party member to use that scimitar on.

Drow #2: Aargh! (she fires her crossbow twice with great speed and accuracy, hitting Tron both times)

Norel: I guess the fight's on the other side. Stay here and watch

Gurgi. (runs through the fog and up to the drow)

Nigil: [blink blink]

Soren: (moves forwards slowly because of his armor) [clank clank] Leave some for me!

Bliz: If at first you don't succeed... (starts to cast Iceball again)

Drow crossbow-women: [twang twang]

Bliz: Urk... not... again... [thud] (falls unconscious)

Laurallie: (heals herself and moves to pull Bliz out of the acid fog)

Pharn (Drow mage): Die, killers of Alakara! [bzorm]

The cone of cold blasts all of the party except for Norel (who is standing outside the effect) and Nigil and Gurgi, who are in the ossuary. Bliz is killed instantly, Tron dodges nimbly and takes no damage, and the remaining party members are all wounded badly. The two crossbow drow are also caught in the effect, but are apparently uninjured.

Hawkwind: Eat this, bitch! (casts Disintegrate at Pharn)

Pharn: (saves, barely) Aagh! I will kill you all!

Tron: I don't think so! (circles around the crossbow drow and attacks

Pharn, decapitating her with one blow) Yes! I love this scimitar!

Laurallie: Hmph.

Drow#2: (hits Tron from behind with a battle ax, wounding him badly)

Drow#1: (misses Tron)

Norel: Now it's my turn! [swish swish swish swish swish swish] I don't believe this...

Laurallie: Obad-Hai, heal your servant! (heals herself)

Soren: Here's how it's done! Hextor, show forth your power and slay this miscreant! (slaps Drow#1 on the face)

Drow#1: Huh? What's that about?

Soren: Arrrgh! Nooooo! Dammit! Hextor, how could you fail me so?

Hawkwind: No, this is how it's done. Scorching ray! [bzort bzort bzort]

Drow#2: Aargh!

Tron: Ouch! Watch it!

Hawkwind: Ooops.

Tron is badly wounded and adopts a defensive position.

Drow#1: (attacks Tron)

Tron: Aaargh... ooh, the pain... I die! Farewell cruel world! (falls

to the ground, feigning unconsciousness)

Drow#2: (attacks Norel) [hack chop]

Norel: Yaaaargh! [hack chop spuck thud whack cleave slay]

Drow#1: Urk. [thud]

Drow#2: Ack. [thud]

Norel: Now that's how it's done.

Tron: Are they dead? (stands up) Cleric!

Laurallie heals the surviving party members.

Soren: I can heal myself, thanks.

Hawkwind: Well, that was a clusterfuck.

Soren: I can pray this evening for a spell to raise Bliz, if Hextor will allow it.

The party loots the bodies. Both crossbows and an adamantine dagger are magical. In addition the drow had two masterwork battle axes, 90 masterwork crossbow bolts, 2 suits of elven chain, 525 gold pieces, two diamond rings each worth 3500 silver pieces, a small bag of gems, and 35 platinum pieces.

Hawkwind: No spellbook? Aargh! I hate sorcerers!

Norel: Danic used to say that all the time.

Tron: This bag of gems is worth a lot. I'll have to take some time to appraise them all later.

Meanwhile, Soren has been busy.

Soren: Arise into unlife, and obey me, in the name of Hextor!

Pharn: Brains. Urgh.

Soren: Oh yeah, oh yeah! This rocks. Hextor is the best.

They decide to return to the cave where they arrived and camp in the rear chamber. Soren has the ghoul-Pharn drag the bodies of the other two drow.

Soren: I'll bring them back as ghouls too. Then I'll have my own undead army! I love Hextor!

Norel: (glares at the ghoul and fingers his mace)

The party makes camp. Soren prays for his spells and casts Raise Dead on Bliz.

Laurallie: You're not going to paint her body this time? (slaps her scimitar)

Soren: Errr.. no. Hextor, return this elf to life! Please?

Meanwhile, on the Plane of Negative Energy, Bliz's discorporate consciousness is floating among the mists.

Bliz: What is this tugging on my soul? Drawing me back to the floating world? Why should I not pass on to the place of judgement, and await the remaking of the world in the paradise or hell to which the judges assign me?

Suddenly a diabolic figure cloaked in chains appears in her consciousness.

Sumara: I am Sumara, centurion of Hextor. Again your companions ask for Hextor to return your soul to the material world. Hextor will send you back, resurrected as if by his mightiest priest, if you agree to follow him in all things and become his faithful servant.

Bliz: Uhhh… sounds okay to me.

The devil's laughter echoes in her mind as she feels herself drawn back into her body.

Soren: By the power of Hextor I bind Bliz's soul to her body! Arise! Arise!

Flames shoot from the priest's hands and his eyes glow as the power of Hextor enters him, causing him to cast a more powerful spell than he would ordinarily be able to cast.

Bliz: Whoah! (sits up) Hey, I feel fine. And I'm still wearing my clothes this time.

Soren: Err, yeah. Hmm, I didn't know I had it in me. Phew.

Soren also animates the two drow corpses as ghouls.

Bliz: Say, do you have a holy symbol of Hextor? I've decided to become a follower of the god.

Soren: Yes! Not only do I have an undead army, but also a disciple! Glory to Hextor!

Bliz: Hallelujah! Praise Hextor!

Soren: Now, let me explain the twenty-two basic principles of Hextorism...

Tron appraises the gems.

Tron: This bag of gems is worth about 30,000 silver pieces.

Norel: Here Nigil, put it in the bag of holding.

Nigil: [blink blink]

Norel: Ok, I'll do it.

Hawkwind: Time for our entertainment. Dance for us, Gurgi!

Gurgi: (dances)

Tron: He's going to be so mad...

Hawkwind: Hee hee. I know.

Norel: There's something disturbing about the way he jiggles.

The party rests for the night. In the "morning", Laurallie casts Remove Curse on Nigil.

Nigil: Finally! Tron, you moron!

Tron: It wasn't my fault! Well, I guess it was. Kinda.

The party continues exploring around the edge of the large cave. Soren casts Continual Flame on his holy symbol as well, doubling the party's light sources.

Norel: We should have done that a long time ago.

Hawkwind: What we should have done is bought some healing potions and distributed them among the party.

Tron: That didn't work so good the last time we tried it.

They come to another ossuary.

Norel: What do these inscriptions say?

Soren: (casts Comprehend Languages) Ahem. "Here lie the servitors of

the Erkebron family of the 5000th year of Ekdranom." And the rest are

all the same kind of thing.

Hawkwind: So what we thought before, these ossuaries just hold

minions.

Bliz: Maybe there's a tomb in the center of the big cave.

They continue around the big cave, finding several more ossuaries

which they do not enter. They also find a crevasse in the floor which

extends some distance into the cave. They go around this and continue

to the southern end of the large cave, where the cave narrows to a

passage.

Norel: There are a lot of spider tracks around here. Could be driders.

Soren: Would the drow allow the tombs of their leaders to be desecrated by the driders?

Hawkwind: Keep in mind these are old tombs. The drow don't even know where Alantria's tomb is.

The party decides to explore the center of the big cave before going south. They make several crossings of the center of the cave, until they are confident that they have explored the whole thing. There is some kind of fault line running across the center of the cave, with several crevasses. Near one of them they find the tracks of many small humanoids.

Norel: They aren't goblins or kobolds. I don't know what kind of

creature they are.

Nigil: Why don't we throw Tron in and find out?

Tron: Bah.

They decide to go back to the side cave and camp there again before exploring the south passage.

Soren: Now, Bliz, what are the main weapons of Hextor worshippers?

Bliz: Umm, let's see: Fear, surprise, and fanatical dedication to Hextor!

Soren: You forgot total ruthlessness! Give me fifty pushups!

Bliz: Ohhh...

Soren: Hextor has no room in his army for wusses! Get going!

Bliz: (starts doing pushups)

Norel: Fifty pushups? Bah. I can do that on one finger.

Nigil: Make her do jumping jacks next time. Heh heh.

Laurallie: Hmph.

Hawkwind: It's such a crude and anti-intellectual religion. I guess that makes it perfect for a sorceror.

TO BE CONTINUED...