Episode 48

"The Return of Soren VannDrager"

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

All others, Sage Schreiner

The party carries Nuet's body back up to the top of the tower.

Laurallie: I fear that he has passed on.

Tarillian: Oh no! My favorite third cousin is dead! I will compose a drapa for him. (begins composing)

Norel: Well, I guess...

Nigil: We might as well...

Tron: Loot the body!

The sorcerer was wearing a set of bracers of armor, wearing a cloak that made him more personable, and

also wearing an amulet that provided him with additional magical protection. Tron ends up taking the amulet,

and Norel takes the cloak. Nuet also had a substantial amount of cash on his person.

Nigil: Bah. None of us can use the bracers, we all wear armor anyway.

Tron: Hey, look.

A dwarf is approaching the base of the tower.

Norel: He looks kind of familiar...

Tron: I'll check it out.

The elf climbs down the outside of the tower and approaches the dwarf, who is marching along with his head down.

Dwarf: Mmble frickin tower mumble suicide mission mumble...

Tron: Hold it right... Soren? Is it you?

Soren: Yup. I was looking for you guys. I was sent to help you.

Tron helps Soren climb up to the top of the tower.

Nigil: Soren, why is there a symbol of Hextor on your shield?

Soren: Because I'm a priest of Hextor now. Moraddin was killed by the Devourer because he was weak. The church of

Hextor is the only organization with the will to survive the current planar crisis.

Norel: So... are you, uh, evil now?

Soren: Your bourgeois morality is irrelevant and weak.

Norel: I'll take that as a yes.

Soren: Anyway, the high priest told me to seek you out and aid you. Thori Rocksplitter told me where you had gone,

and, well, here I am.

Nigil: How does your clan feel about you becoming a priest of Hextor?

Soren: They haven't kicked me out. Yet. And Danic approves.

Laurallie: Does he still have those... uhhh... hygeine issues?

Soren: Yes.

The party decides to rest and let Laurallie replenish her spells before heading down into the tower again. They

give the cloak of charisma to Soren.

Norel: It's not like I'm going to use it.

Nigil: Shouldn't you be following a dwarf god?

Soren: Bah. The dwarven traditions were once strong, but now they have become a trap. We need new ideas. Hextor

will accept anyone who is willing to follow him, except halflings of course.

Laurallie: You have to have some standards.

That night the party is awakened by a tremendous flash that lights up the north sky as bright as daylight, then

slowly fades. About thirty seconds later there is a small earthquake.

Norel: What was that?

Soren: Hmmm... based on my knowledge of the speed of sound in rock, I'd say it was at least 150 miles to the north,

on the other side of the mountains.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully, although several party members note that the great comet that has been

blazing in the sky for months is now gone. The morning is cool; it seems as though the unnatural heat wave has ended.

Tron: That makes sense. The comet is a fire in the sky, right? So of course it would make things hot.

Soren: But where did it go?

They prepare to descend into the spire.

Norel: It's a long way down to where the monsters are.

Tarillian: I'll stay here. I must compose a suitable drapa for my cousin.

Nigil: You can watch our treasure.

Soren: On the way down I can explain Hextor's fourteen point plan to save the world.

Laurallie casts Invisibility to Undead on the party and they descend.

Soren: ... so you see, the people must be kept completely dependent upon the state, and the church of Hextor must

control the state absolutely. Only then can the masses enjoy true freedom; the freedom to do the will of Hextor.

Nigil: I don't think that an income tax is going to be very popular.

Soren: We will tell the people that it protects them from oppression, by strengthening the state.

Nigil: Nobody would ever buy that.

Soren: The accumulation of private wealth by men of low social class is harmful to social unity. There has to be some

way of preventing it.

The party has come to a point where they must leave the one stairwell and head across the tower to another stairwell.

Tron is in the lead, followed by Nigil, Soren, Laurallie, and Norel.

Tron: Could you explain that social security thing again? It sounds like you're getting money from nowhere.

Soren: [sigh] It's not that...

Girallon: Raargh! (jumps out and claws Tron)

Tron: Ouch!

Soren: Hextor's balls! What is that thing?

Norel: A giant four-armed gorilla.

Soren: What fearsome monsters! I'm going to have to rethink my strategy a bit. Holy crap! They're actually

dangerous.

Laurallie: [snicker] Hextor may be strong, but his priests are wusses.

Tron: Take that, monkeyboy! (stabs girallon and moves back through the doorway)

Nigil: I'm with ya! (runs up and attacks girallon)

Girallon#2: (claws Nigil)

Girallon: (claws Nigil)

Nigil: Uh-oh.

Laurallie: [twang]

Soren: (heals Nigil)

Tron: (moves back to allow Norel into the front rank)

Norel: Get some! [hack chop]

The fight is brief but fierce. The girallons are killed, although Norel and Nigil are both wounded. The wounded party

members are healed by the clerics.

Norel: These girallons are wearing those strange mask things. I wonder what that means?

Soren: Check this out. In Hextor's name, rise and obey me!

One of the dead girallons rises to its feet and stands, awaiting instructions.

Soren: Hoody-hoo! I rock! I mean, Hextor rocks!

Tron: Now we send the zombie first.

They continue into the depths of the spire and soon come to the room where they fought the hags. Laurallie casts Locate

Object to try and locate Norel's stolen mace of disruption. It seems that the mace is located in the direction of the

center of the tower.

Nigil: It's probably in that vault thing. Great.

Norel: The double doors lead in that direction. But there's still stuff through the other door.

Tron: We should clean out that area first.

They return to the sarcophagus covered in poison, which they could not open earlier.

Laurallie: I have Create Water memorized now. I can wash it off.

Soren: Not problem. Open that sarcophagus!

Zombie: (opens the sarcophagus)

Nigil: Cool.

Tron searches the sarcophagus and finds ten ancient gold coins, each worth 2gp. They continue to the room where Nuet died.

Tron: Just don't read anything.

Soren: But I've studied ancient writing... hmm, it looks like Draconic...

Nigil: Trust me, just don't.

Soren: Fine. Just let me power up first. Bull's strength! Mooo!

There is one door leading out of this room. Tron approaches it and inspects it. A small pile of rocks has been placed behind

the door, apparently the idea is that when the door is opened the rocks will fall.

Tron: I know, let the zombie open it.

Soren: Sure!

They send the zombie through the door. Behind the door is a natural cavern that bends to the left. The zombie advances to

the corner and is suddenly clawed into several pieces by girallons hiding around the corner. The party retreats across the

room and prepares a defensive line. They can hear growling and sniffing from the monsters.

Norel: Why don't they attack?

Tron: Come get some!

He calls in several different languages.

There is more growling, but the monsters still do not attack.

Nigil: I guess they're waiting for us...

Tron: Oh, I'm a big fat elf, and my leg's broken! I'm so fat I can barely move, and I'm so tasty!

Norel: That never works.

Suddenly a guttural voice speaking heavily-accented elven calls from around the corner:

Girallon: Who you? Why you here?

Laurallie: It sounds like dark elven.

Tron: (in elven) We for to fight Gulthias, getum crown.

Girallon: We no fight, you come talk. What be "crown" thing?

Tron: Heap shiny strong juju for head.

Girallon: You come here.

The party decides to send Tron forward as a spokesman. The elf advances around the corner and sees a number of girallons.

Standing in front of them is a female girallon wearing some kind of necklace. As they see Tron the other girallons surge

forward, but the female leader holds them back. They subside, growling.

Girallon: Why for you use bad juju? (points at zombie) Gulthias use bad juju. Me think you same Gulthias, bad juju man.

Eat bad juju man! [growl]

Tron: We use juju, but we no be for Gulthias. You live in spire, but you no be with Gulthias.

Girallon: (ponders this wise statement) It is so. You not be for Gulthias.

A laborious conversation in pidgin elven follows. Tron attempts to explain that the party is looking for the crown, and

needs to find the pieces of key to get it. The girallon explains that the girallons the party has been fighting are girallons

that were kidnapped by the hags.

Girallon: We try for to kill, but they be too strong.

Tron: Oh, we killed them the other day.

Girallon: (grunts in astonishment)

The girallon leader sends a large girallon to verify the party's claim. There is an awkward period as they wait for his return.

Tron: So... you live underground? That sounds very interesting.

Girallon: Weather always same. Dark too.

Tron: How did you come to the spire?

Girallon: We here first. Then Gulthias come. [growl]

The large girallon soon returns and reports with grunts and gestures that the hags are dead.

Girallon: Show me key you look for.

They show her the key.

Girallon: Wait here.

The necklace wearing girallon leaves. While she is gone the other girallons appear restless.

It is clear that they are just barely under her control. She returns with a piece of the key (the wings of the dragon).

Tron: Could you send some of your people to fight with us?

Girallon: Hmmm... no. Not enough left. Hmmm... You use sharp thing?

Tron: Uh, yeah.

The girallon leaves and returns with a very nice shortsword.

Girallon: Here sharp thing. We no need. We sharp already.

Tron asks her more about the spire but she does not seem to know much. She does offer to lead the party through the girallon

lair to another part of the tower, an offer the party accepts.

Girallon: Now, pact of blood. (she claws her arm open and holds it up)

Tron: Great. (he cuts open his arm and they lick the blood off each others arms)

Girallon: Now we blood brothers. No fight.

Tron: (spits out girallon hair) No fight.

The girallon leads the party through the girallon caves and into another area of worked stone. They estimate that they have come

completely around the spire. They explore several empty rooms and find the bottom of the other ladder.

Norel: Now we know where that comes down.

Nigil: We're probably somewhere near the room that stone golem came out of.

Tron: That thing was tough.

Nigol: It kicked our asses, and we didn't even hurt it.

They continue exploring.

Soren: ... so you see, the so-called Oeridian "right to bear arms"

merely refers to the requirement to serve in the militia, and is not an individual right.

Nigil: I entirely agree. Peasants bearing arms? They'll be owning property next.

Tron: Hey guys, there's a mohrg hiding around the next corner.

The party has come to a tee intersection, with another corridor continuing on to the right of the tee.

| |

-------| |---- P = party

|____ _____M| M = mohrg

|P|

| |

Soren: Watch this! (steps out and confronts the mohrg) By the power of Hextor, obey!

Mohrg: Raargh! (shambles towards the priest)

Soren: Err... is this thing on? [tap tap]

Nigil: Guess we'll just have to turn undead the old fashioned way. [shing]

Soren engages the first mohrg. Suddenly another mohrg attacks the dwarf from behind. Nigil and Tron rush to engage this one,

when two more mohrgs appear in the corridor leading into the tee. Norel moves to intercept them.

Tron: (tumbles past mohrg #2 and stabs it) Unfortunately these things don't have any vulnerable points.

Laurallie: Obad-Hai blast you! [zorm]

Mohrg: (strikes at Norel, paralyzing him)

Norel: ...

Soren: Hextor, lend me aid! [smite]

Mohrg: Urk. [thud]

Nigil: Nice. [crunch]

The party defeats the four mohrgs without too much difficulty. Soren is a highly effective fighter and clearly adds to the

strength of the party. Tron searches the area and finds a hollow metal tube, a bunch of coins, and two small pearls. The party

continues on, and soon comes to a doorway.

Nigil: By my reckoning this is the room that golem came out of.

They cautiously approach but find the room empty. There is writing in draconic all over the walls.

Nigil: It's a shame none of us read draconic.

Tron: Literacy is no good.

Soren: Tomorrow I can prepare a spell to comprehend languages.

Suddenly they hear the sound of heavy feet approaching from the other side of the door.

Soren: So are we going to fight this thing?

Norel: No way.

Tron: It's scary.

Nigil: The only areas we haven't explored are the doors off of the corridor the golem guards, and the area behind the double

doors in the hag room. Let's check out the double doors first, then we can see if we need to fight it.

The party leaves, goes back up the ladder, across the tower, and down the ladder on the other side. Before they cross the ledge

along the chasm to the passageway leading to the hag room, Norel has an idea.

Norel: I want to see what's down at the bottom of this chasm.

Something is down there making a rustling sound, and I want to know what it is.

Soren: You could lower me down.

Laurallie: Oh yeah, good plan!

Tron: When she agrees, it's a bad idea.

They tie a lantern to a rope and lower it. The bottom of the chasm is filled with zombies and skeletons, wandering around and

bumping into each other.

Soren: Not even worth a flame strike. They can't get out.

They go to the hag room and proceed through the double doors. These lead to the other side of the vault room, with a curved

vault and keyhole identical to the one on the other side of the tower which they had already seen. They decide to go back to

the top of the tower, rest, and then return and fight the golem.

Soren: I still say this thing isn't as tough as you think it is.

Norel: Our weapons did not harm it.

Soren: We will see what Hextor's divine wrath does.

At the top of the tower they find Tarillian. He is able to identify several magic items. The tube is a chime of opening, the

shield from the fire elemental is a magic shield particularly enchanted to protect the owner's vitals, the sword from the

girallon is enchanted and also grants the ability to fight in darkness, and the ring from the hags is a ring that confers some

protection from electricity. Norel takes the shield and the shortsword, and Tron takes the chime.

Nigil: Bah. I better get some stuff soon.

Norel: At last I have a magic weapon!

Soren: I will pray for a spell that can make your nonmagical shortsword even mightier.

Norel: Hmm... that might be more effective against the golem.

Tron: Can I have my dagger back?

The next day they descend again into Nightfang Spire.

Soren: ... and that is why we have to kill all the halflings.

Tron: Makes sense to me.

Norel: I liked him better when he was a priest of Moraddin.

Nigil: I almost miss Danic. Well, not really. He had no sense of humor.

Norel: I miss Sapphire.

Laurallie: Me too.

They go straight to the golem room and open the door. While they are waiting for the golem Soren casts Comprehend Languages

on the writing on the wall.

Soren: Bah. It's just gibberish. And there's this weird tree carving.

Norel: Tron, do you want to pee on it?

Tron: Hmmm... no. I think I'm beyond that now.

Soon the golem tromps into sight.

Soren: Ok, watch this. By the power of Hextor, be atomized! [kablam]

A massive pillar of fire descends from the ceiling and envelops the golem. It advances through the flames, apparently unharmed.

Soren: Fine. Be atomized, again! [kablam]

The golem ignores the flame strike and advances to melee. The party takes up a position with Norel and Nigil in front, Soren

and Laurallie behind them, and Tron in the rear. The golem smashes the fighter and ranger with its massive fists, wounding them

badly. Because of its reach, it can also threaten the healers who try to support them. It also uses its slow power to slow

down the party members.

Norel: Take that! [chip]

Golem: [punch pummel slow]

Norel: Meeeedddddiiiiic.

Laurallie: (tries to heal Norell, but has to dodge the golem instead and is unable to cast her spell)

Nigil: Get some! [chip]

Golem: [pound pulverize]

Soren: (moves up and heals Norel, then moves to attack the golem)

Tron prepares to shoot the golem with one of his two remaining magic arrows.

Tron: Black arrow, you have never failed me. [twang] Dammit!

Norel: What the hell? Watch were you point that thing!

Things are going badly for the party. The golem does not appear to be seriously damaged by their weapons, and Norel and Nigil

are both at the limits of their strength.

Soren: Enough of this. Hextor, give me strength! [smite]

The golem shatters into a pile of rubble.

Soren: Yes! We won! Victory to Hextor!

Nigil: That was kind of anticlimactic. I don't know why we were so scared of it before.

Soren: You didn't have me with you before. After all you guys were saying about that thing, I was worried that I would have to call

upon Hextor to raise the dead after this battle.

Norel: You can raise the dead? Why don't you raise Nuet?

Soren: I can only raise those that Hextor judges worthy. Death in battle is a good place to start, not "death because I read

something stupid."

Laurallie: What about "death because someone you know stuck a sword through your back"?

TO BE CONTINUED...