�The Great sorcerer, planes traveler, and experimentalist Llur�Tnoma created a grand citadel and devoted his entire life to creating permanent portals to access the planes and collecting artifacts and relics during his travels. After making one too many deals with some of the greater denizens of the outer planes, the sorcerer was finally bested at his own game of politicking and tricked into an unfortunate maneuver which cost him his life. The town that grew around the citadel eventually fell into ruin. The security and traps left behind by the sorcerer protected the citadel for the thousands of years it stood vacant. Rumors of strange beasts in the surrounding areas, especially near the citadel, keep the wary traveler at bay.
�From time to time adventurers set out to claim the prizes and wealth from the citadel of chaos, never to return again. Some say adventurers are swept away to the planes as a result of the portals instability. Some say it�s the magical traps or monsters that bring the adventures to an early ending. Llur�Tnoma was known for bringing back with him great relics of evil power and corruption, frequently bargaining with denizens of evil to keep their prized possessions in safety, or to hide an item from a rival. Five relics and three greater relics must be returned to the temple in Oakspur. All treasure recovered from the citadel, is free for the taking; assuming the party can carry it out.�
The party finished the first floor of the house, found a hidden elevator in the back of the house, which gave them access to the basement and the tower. They found the great clockwork mechanism that activated the portals, found the Master Bedroom, and the late master's wife. The party also found a portal containing the major artifacts needed to complete half of the mission. The large, elaborately framed mirror served as the passage to the pocket in-between the planes that held the intensely evil artifacts. The party continued searching the citadel, using the elevator to access the basement below the tower. There, they defeated traps and guardians and found the remaining 5 relics needed to fulfill their obligation and receive their reward: freedom. Choosing to take only the more portable items and leaving the remaining plunder for another day, the party left the citadel, the mirror storing the artifacts and relics.
Egress:
When the mirror leaves the front door of the house, the ground begins to rumble. The house collapses. After the quake, if the party stops to watch all that can be seen of the house in the distance is a pile of debris. The citadel of chaos is now destroyed, the portals broken, and the relics plundered. The party may wonder later, what will the impact of so many destroyed portals in one area have on the fabric of the multi-verse; or on the material plane for that matter? Will some of the portals buried beneath that debris allow monsters through? If monsters can come into the material plane from other planes, what is to stop devils, demons, and demigods? Although the area long ago fell to ruins, what will become to this shore where once stood The Citadel of Chaos?
Homeward:
When the party arrives back at the temple, once more the temple is destroyed. Alyssa�s husband, now a vampire is alive and waiting for their return. The party is held captive by the chains, which still bind them to him. Alyssa�s husband tries to convince her to join him and together rule the world. He was the robed priest of Nerull who gave her orders from the beginning. Nerull/Hector wants the artifacts in order to raise the dead of the catacombs in Oakspur in mass. Hector also tries to convince Alyssa to turn the party members into their undying servants. Alyssa hopes that by destroying her husband she has set his soul free. Alyssa destroys the globe that holds them, freeing them to fight or flee. Hector has created many minions and the party destroys them. The party joins together to defeat Hector, then follows him to the catacombs where his mist begins to reform on the slab marked "Hector Clayburn". The slab directly below his is marked "Alyssa Clayburn".
With all the major artifacts in one place the party needs to think about what to do with them. Surely the completion of their mission has set off alarms all across the multi-verse. What will the forces of good, neutrality, and law do to set the balance right? Will the party be tough enough to face whatever foes are sent against them to wrest the artifacts from them? Do they have what it takes to face the gods themselves?
That evening, Alyssa tells the party the story of her past and what all was going on. With the chains now destroyed, the party is able to remember their own unique pasts and how they died. While the party is talking, they all drift off to sleep. They dream of an elaborately decorated study. An older gentleman in multi-colored robes with runes moving constantly across the fabric invites them in to sit and have refreshments. He then politely offers them all one item (with the exception of anything that was put into the mirror) in exchange for the mirror and all of its contents. The artifacts were once considered safe, protected behind wards and creatures. He asks to relieve the party of the burden of such dangerous artifacts, in exchange anything they wish for will be granted this one time. He encourages the party to not choose too hastily but when they awaken they will have what they want.
OOC: before the chains were broken the party had in effect a greater geas spell, protection from scrying, a variation of a change self spell, and undetectable alignment. Alyssa carried with her a globe three times the size of the sphere that connected the chains, granting her the same but with the additional bonus protection from Sunlight. Alyssa's background story that she tells is at http://www.geocities.com/maglibra/alyssa.html
