Deeper Into Citadel Cavitus

The group tends to their wounds after the battle with the hoard of zombie goblins, or zoblins, lich hounds and a minotaur skeleton. Lirath and Hope rush into the ancient keep and begin to scour the dirty and decrepit rooms and find a trove of ancient coins, gems and other such treasures.

As the group rests they discuss what their next course of action should be. They are not in any rush to pursue Osterneth immediately after their last battle. They need to restore their health and spell abilities. To rush headlong after the priestess of Vecna would be foolhardy. While they discuss they pass the small griffon statue around trying to puzzle out its riddle.

Relaxed I sit upon my perch 
Till suddenly I give a lurch 
And off I speed on wing-tips three 
Before my prey can think to flee. 
I make its flesh and tendons part 
And claw my way into its heart. 

Now only kin can set me free 
so strike this statue with one Of me.

Inside The Statue
5,000 XP

Finally, Hope takes an arrow from Katya and stabs it into the statue. The head pulls back on unseen hinges to reveal a small hollow inside. Katya reaches inside and pulls out a long and ethereal black arrow. Wisps of black ether fall from the arrow. Katya tucks this away for later.

They decide that they should pursue Osterneth now that they are capable of fight.

They find the stairs that Lirath says he say the priestess descend and they too follow the ancient stone steps downwards. Moving ever downwards, the stairs twist and turn and the air begins to feel cold and damp. When they finally reach the bottom they are in an ancient temple, cold mist flowing a foot deep along the ornate floor tiles.

In the middle of the temple is a black portal. An oval stands 10 feet high, black liquid-like magic separates this world from another as they watch a foot disappear into the black flowing portal. Osterneth, who still stands beside the portal holds in her hand a cylindrical device which has multiple rings surrounding it. She spins these rings, jumbling whatever pattern which held the portal open. The portal collapses silently, leaving only Osterneth standing in front of the group with a sly smile, as she tucks the device into her robes.

Vecna Escapes
26,800 XP

She tells them that they are too late. Vecna has left to kill The Raven Queen. Now it is time for her revenge upon them. They are to be punished for casting her into the Astral Plane, the last time they fought.

Smallfang growls and charges in, Barb right behind him. Osterneth raises her hand and stuns them. As they are unable to move she uses a scepter and uses their inability to defend themselves to inflict grievous damage. She screams and laughs as she takes her revenge upon them.

Lirath, Hope and Katya close in and attack. They land their blows but Osterneths blood, or what passes for blood within the undead creature, splatters back upon them burning into their skin and spreading.

Rook moves back out of harms way. He casts the illusion of a rope over the scepter that Osterneth uses to bash in the skulls of Barb and Smallfang, and then forces it into reality. Osterneth frustrated with this tosses the rope/scepter aside.

As Smallfang and Barb regain their senses they continue their assault on the priestess, getting splashed with her necrotic energy, but again Osterneth raises her hand and casts power word kill upon the dragonborn. Knowing she has beaten him to the point where the spell can now instantly kill him. Laughing as Smallfang drops to his knees but Smallfang's resilience prevents him from being outright killed. He looks up into the eyes of Osterneth and smiles defiantly.

Smallfang's smile instantly fades as the necrotic damage he has sustained, pulses yet again and plunges him into unconsciousness. Smallfang is dying.

Osterneth uses her powers to call upon the dead of the temple to come to her aid. Several mumified skeletal remains rise up out of the mist and begin to attack. These are merely a distraction as they are easily dispatched leaving again only Osterneth to be dealt with.

The Death Of Osterneth

Between Barb and Smallfang's close quarter attacks Hope hopes that Osterneth has been injured enough for her favorite spell, disintegrate, to work. A blast of arcane energy leaves Hope and hits Osterneth directly. When the spell ends, Osterneth collapses on the floor. There is a pulsing arcanic energy which comes from the chest of Osterneth and she rises once more. The power spreading out of her exposed, blackened and shriveled heart fills the priestess' body and she smiles at the group. Clearly she cannot be killed this way.

But while Osterneth is gloating, Katya moving from within the shadows has nocked the black ethereal arrow, which they had found within the statue of the griffon. She uses all of her skill to aim directly for the heart. She releases the arrow and it finds its target.

The black arrow disappears but the heart begins to liquify and Osterneth screams as her body withers and collapses. Black ooze pouring out from where her heart would be.

Katya Destroys The Artifacts

The group stands around the dead priestess and debates whether or not they should destroy all of  Vecna's artifacts. But the debate is soon ended when Katya pulls out of her bag of holding the artifacts she has within her possession and stabs them. The arguing stops as they watch her destroy them and they turn into a puddle of black slimy liquid.

Going through the robes of Osternath they find the cylinrical device which they had seen her close the portal with and they after little time figure it out and open the portal.

They enter in pursuit of Vecna.

On the other side they find themselves within the Shadowfell.

The Shadowfell
10,000 XP

A bleak and stark land perpetually in twilight. The landscape is rough and broken. The sparse forest they find themselves in, has thin and twisted trees with no leaves. Rook, who has for years been hoping to find himself in the Shadowfell in service of The Raven Queen, has read much on the Shadowfell. He prays to his queen and asks for direction.

At this, ravens hidden thus far, in the dead trees of the forest, take flight and head off in a single direction.

They follow.

Soon they come across a pile of dead bodies after a quick inspection, Rook notices they are uniformed as the Deathless Watch, the militia and law enforcement here. He also notices a now familiar look of dead bodies who have died because their skeletons have been liquified. Vecna has passed through here. How long ago is difficult to determine, Rook tells the others that time here runs different. He might have come through here moments ago or days or even weeks ago.

A different group is approaching from near the direction they are headed.

It is a group of fanatics to the Raven Queen, the Ebony Guard. They begin to question the group trying to be friendly at first but soon the group notices their interest in Rook. His odd eye and hidden hands being suspicious. The adventurers attack.

They find the Ebony Guard hard to injure but soon they fall under Rook's hand of Vecna.

The Shadowfell is not very inviting.

Assault on Citadel Cavitus

This session's entry is done by Lirath Mindlasher

Out Of The Mansion and Into The Fog
6,000 XP

Leaving the magnificent mansion, we abandoned the useless wizard, but we took the Idiot Warrior, while the priest ran away. Along the way Lirath figured out he was somehow vampiric by biting the Idiot Warrior, after attacking Katya against his will.

We traveled on foot with a rope we held onto (like kindergarten children) while Rook kept ahead in the skies.

Rook spotted a giant beast with smaller things breaking off of it. Soon to find out it was a Grave Titan that dropped zombies.

They almost encountered our line, multiple tunes, but Rook and Lirath stopped them by either a telekinetic barrier or an illusion of a hole in the ground.

DM's Note:

(DM Note: This was going to be an awesome fight. A gargantuan creature which drops zombie-like creatures off of it like ticks falling off a dog! But no.

Citadel Cavitus
5,500 XP

Making it past, we came upon the Citadel. Rook scouted using his magic and thought of using Meteor Swarm on the groups to take them out quicker, but he didn’t. Instead we slipped through the wall, via Rook’s magic, and he created a fog cloud. Lirath put a zombie-goblin, a zoblin, into a giant brazier and watched it burn.

Zoblins started towards us because of this, but Rook and Lirath disposed of them quickly by use of more telekinesis and Rook’s spell of oil grease. Unfortunately this attracted death-shadow wolves and a Minotaur skeleton, and more zoblins.

We fought them, Lirath used his magic to throw one of the shadow-wolves attackig Katya on her wall perch up into the air, killing the Minotaur but the wolf survived by teleporting away. Katya abandoned the wall she was on and with the Idiot Warrior charged ahead, facing off against zoblins and being ambushed by more shadow-wolves. She almost fell but retreated back to the shadows. The Idiot Warrior did not survive, he was easily taken down. The Minotaur attempted to charge Rook, Smallfang, Barb, and Hope. Only to have the wizard use his boon granted by his goddess, the Raven Queen, and repelled the Beast, saving his companions from harm. Using his powers, Lirath picked up the Minotaur skeleton and tossed him into the air, Rook creating an illusion of a spike beneath him, turning it real as he fell upon it, impaling it.

Finishing them off quickly, Lirath mind controlling the wolf to eviscerate the remaining zoblins. Forcing it to stay still as Rook melted it with his hand.

Killing off the Minotaur and his minions, Barb though of using his dwarven black smithing skills to turn the Minotaurs giant axe into his own weapon, quickly being dismissed by both Smallfang and Rook, neither of them keen on putting up with the dwarves barbarians strange ideas. Both Lirath and Hope investigated a room and found a chest and pouches of gold, which they shared. Katya did the same in another room, the second of the three and gained pouches of riches, both gold and gems. Lirath left Hope and searched the last room, Hope quickly dismissing the broom closet, but Lirath found a hidden door which he gained a few more items from.

Katya finds a statue of a cute griffon perched upon the shoulder of a now dead zoblin. As she turns it over in her hands she sees a riddle engraved upon the bottom of the statue. Smallfang hears of a riddle and rushes over to take the statue out of Katya's hands. He then proceeds to stare at it for the next hour, without any success.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lirath spotted a woman who was missing a portion of her face, the Priestess of Vecna from the a previous encounter to which they scattered her across the Astral Plane. She ushered another down a flight of stairs, Lirath telepathically informing his companions. Now ready to chase down what Lirath assumed to be Vecna himself.

The Demiplane Of Dread

The group gathers at the mouth of the cave. Giant teeth-like structures span the height of the opening, each bone white bar sharp enough to cut through bone. Outside is a stark landscape which is completely obscured beneath a blanket of thick white fog, lies below several feet below. In the far distance, a vast rocky outcrop can be seen rising out of the mist. It vaguely resembles a humanoid skull.

Rook conjures the illusion of a wide red carpet which he rolls down the slope of the cave towards the razor sharp teeth at the bottom, so as to avoid slipping down and falling into the blade-like teeth. The carpet rolls and the left over roll of carpet embeds itself into the teeth below. Now protected from a dismembering death, Rook slides carefully down to the others.

Lirath enters his ethereal form and moves through the caves teeth and begins to descend down into the mist. It takes Lirath about 100 feet before he reaches the ground and finds the fog to cover the ground to a thickness of about 20 feet. Within the fog he can barely see a mere 10 feet in front of him. He ascends back up into the cave's mouth to tell the others.

The group moves through the cave, which has formed from the mouth of a massive, ancient fallen demon. They find that perhaps the "mouth" may still be able to open further, with a little assistance. Rook conjures the illusion of a jack, a metal device with a long toothed support which he lifts towards the ceiling of the cave using a long wooden handle. As he forces the illusion into reality, the cave's mouth begins to open further. The teeth beginning to separate, forming a gap between. But the illusion dissipates before the gap can become large enough to allow for the group to leave unharmed.

They all decide to rest. It has been a harrowing journey thus far. Katya already is curled up in a corner sleeping soundly.

Remembering Smiles

 When they wake they discuss the different possibilities that they may take. Someone brings up Katya's friend, Kenavu as well as their pet dragon, Smiles. Rook realizes his illusory cover over the ship they had hidden beside the hills formed by the ancient fallen demon has perhaps dissipated. Depending on how time works between the various planes they might have traveled, perhaps it has dissipated long ago.

There is a  mournful silence from both Katya and Smallfang.
Rook shrugs. Another soul for the Raven Queen. He conjures his mechanical jack once again and tries to lift the mouth open. Only having one minute to force his will upon the illusion to force it into reality, Rook finds he is not able to lift the mouth fast enough before his time runs out. Smallfang pulls Rook away from the device and starts to force the jack faster in order for them to finally escape.

When the illusory jack fades the mouth has opened enough that they can pass by the teeth unharmed.

Hope casts fly upon those in the group who cannot fly and they fly down towards the ground. They approach but do not enter the fog below them, wary of the dread they feel. They continuing flying towards the skull-like mountain in the far distance. Hope casts fly a couple more time before they realize that it will take them considerable time to fly there and she does not wish to deplete her spell casting ability, potentially leaving her helpless

Into The Mist

They descend slowly into the fog. Katya, Hope and Smallfang descend disappearing into the mist while Rook and Lirath continue to fly onwards, not immediately realizing their friends have ceased their flying. They soon realize it and circle back.

Meanwhile, within the mist, the others huddle close as they cannot see more than just a few feet. Both Hope and Katya stare helplessly into the fog and feel an overwhelming sense of dread and fear. As Smallfang tells them that they should get moving, both Hope and Katya fail to move or even respond. With a sigh, Smallfang gathers them, one under each arm, and carries them along.

A Dreadful Warning
60,000 XP

It is not long before Rook and Lirath return and, with some difficulty, find their companions and land beside them. They travel by foot for some distance until they see a faint outline of a creature ahead of them. As they approach, the figure slowly resolves itself into the form of a hooded humanoid. It raises a thin and bony hand and points at them, telling them to, "Return whence you came. The living do not belong in this land."

They try to approach and speak to the creature but it simply repeats it's demand. Finally when the group takes a threatening posture, the creature pulls forth a scythe and attacks. It is then that the group finally notices that there indeed, 3 more of these creatures surrounding them. Finally, Hope and Katya are roused back to their normal selves and the group defends itself. Black tendrils of mist rise from the ground and grasp at the adventurers.

The fight goes poorly for Lirath as he is felled and revived by Smallfang.
Rook conjures an illusory slide which extends a mile away. Hopefully enough to evade these creatures. He raises the land under the group's feet to the top of the bridge/slide. But standing atop blocking their way is one of the hooded creatures. Much to Rook's surprise, the creature dispels Rook's illusory bridge.

The group finds itself once again, submerged within the mist.

They continue to battle until finally each of the creatures is dispatched, as they turn to black ashes which dissipate quickly into the mist.

A Rest Interrupted
5,000 XP

The group is wary to travel within such a dangerous mist. So Rook conjures refuge in the form of mordenkainen's magnificent mansion. The group rests, eats and entertain themselves, feeling safe within their magical shelter.

Their peaceful rest is interrupted by shouts of panic from outside the walls. There are three people who have found their mansion and are pleading for sanctuary. Outside they find a young man, a tall beefy man, who holds a third elderly unconscious man under his arm.

Rook exits the mansion and toys with them. They plead with him to allow them into the safety of the mansion. They are exhausted. They are trying to comply with the demands of some mysterious hooded creatures, but they cant leave. They have tried everything but they cannot seem to travel home. They cannot run any longer.

Lirath exits the mansion and approaches them. He probes the mind of the younger man and looks back into his immediate memories.

Flashes of memory play for Lirath forming the poor man's story.

The three men sitting in a tavern, while the elderly bearded man tells them a plan that will make them rich beyond belief.
He has acquired a magical tome which they can use to travel anywhere. They pop in somewhere, find and steal what goods they can, and pop back. Fool proof. They need Jahner as muscle to carry as much as they can. Rini, the cleric, is there because Jahner will only listen to Rini. 
The plan has worked several times. That is until they travel to this plane.
They see nothing but mist. No treasure. Only threats from some mysterious hooded creatures. 
They run.
But they always run into another of the creatures.
They cannot run anymore, as Grandar, the great mage, passes out from the exertion.
Then they run into a column of earth, atop which sits this great mansion

Rook, moves to the old man and rummages through his belongings. He finds a magical tome, takes it and retires into the mansion. As he turns the pages he finds it only contains one spell, plane shift. Hmmm....useless. He tears out the page and tears it  half.

Outside Lirath forces his mind into the three newcomers and bonds them to protect him beyond all else. With that done, he lets them enter the mansion. 

Alquam, Demon Lord Of Night

As they group awakens in the ancient temple made inside the corpse of an ancient demon, they find Rook creating a simulacrum. As the creation takes form they watch it begin to resemble Hope, their tiefling bard. Soon Hope stands face to face with her likeness. The only way to tell them apart is the fact that the simulacrum stands naked in front of the extravagantly dressed bard.

Hope vs Hope

The group rummages through their belongings and soon enough the new Hope is equipped with its own clothing and weapons.

As the group moves through the intestinal tunnels the air becomes acrid and foul. A green fog grows thicker and deeper around the adventurer's ankles. As they walk they notice a growing darkness. Most of the group's darkvision penetrates the dark less and less. They cast light but find that it's usual strong glow is being hampered. Katya lights a torch but the light from the torch barely extends beyond her reach. Something foul is afoot.

Soon they enter a vast chamber which they can only imagine its size by the sounds of their echoing voices and the sound of liquid lapping at the shore which exists below them. They stare off into the vast darkness. They see only the precipice they stand on and the greenish liquid and fog which lies about 20 feet below. Lirath casts dancing lights which he sends out over the sea of green foul waters. They see various objects floating half rotted bobbing in the mostly still waters and green fog.

Alquam, Demon Lord Of Night
35,000 XP

There is a deep and sinister laughter from somewhere in the chamber. They shout out demanding who is out there. Suddenly, there is a magical darkness cast around Hope, Rook and Hope2. There is the sound of flapping wings and Hope is attacked and grabbed and taken into the air. The group watches as she is taken out of sight.

Hope casts dimension door in hopes that she can escape the grasp of whatever creature has taken her. As she manipulates the weave, she feels it slip from her usual confident fingers but she is able to compensate and soon she is standing back with the group. They all stand with weapons and spells ready.

Their adversary repeatedly swoops out of the darkness to claw, bite and try to grasp them. Soon Lirath is grasped and taken out over the foul waters. He is able to escape but drops into the waters. The green waters begin to burn into Lirath's flesh and clothing. He is able to clamber atop some floating debris and then steps into ethereal form and strides above the waters back towards the group.

Lirath communicates to the others what he has learned of the creature. Using this Rook discern's what he thinks the creature is. It is Alquam, Demon Lord Of Night. The demon lord had long ago disappeared from his usual layer of the Abyss, abandoning it to the chaos such a power vacuum creates. No word or knowledge of the demon lord has ever surfaced since. They have found its whereabouts.

It continues its repeated attacks out of the darkness and continually casts darkness at various members of the group. The demon lord is able to shrug off spells and the ground around the adventurers begins to open with tentacles grasping at them. At one point after an attack, Rook watched Alquam retreat once again. Knowing it would return again to devastating effect, Rook casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter and the demon lord howls in laughter at the puny mortals. It's laughter causes it to crash into the shores near the opposite side.

Smallfang and Katya are quick enough to round on the fallen creature and being to attack it. When Lirath arrives he is able to psychically push the creature deep into the acidic waters. Rook manipulates his mirage arcane to cover the acid lake with a deep layer of smooth stone, then wills it to become real. They breath a sigh of relief.

But the reprieve is not for long as the demon lord materializes again above them.

Smallfang rushes to attack but not before Hope2 is destroyed. Her life was short and filled with pain and terror. Smallfang attacks the unholy creature and soon it lies dead at his feet.

As the group tends to their wounded, Rook manipulates his mirage arcane once more and creates shelter. Smallfang was very brave and effective, he thinks.

He begins to create a new simulacrum. He shall name it Smallfang2.

The Demon's Throat
40,000 XP

The next morning the group carries on. The eventually come to a large long chamber. Vast wide stairs lead down. At the bottom is a tower. The tower is made of the same tissue-like material that they have been walking through the past few days. It is ringed with bony structures which ring the tower which reaches the ceiling, some 100 feet above them. The only feature of note is a shimmering doorway at the base. A silvery watery material shimmers in the doorway. Nothing can be seen through it.

Hope bravely approaches and touches the surface. She instantly finds herself inside the tower which is filled with clear water. She tries not to panic and hold her breath.

The others simply see Hope vanish and they stand hesitant to follow Hope to her death. Rook uses his x-ray vision to try and see into the tower. But on the other side of the flesh wall there is simply a vast nothingness. Smallfang's attempt to cut into the tower yields the same result as he had found before. Under a thin layer of a tissue-like substance there is a material which seems impervious to his sword.

Inside the tower, Hope look all around looking for  a way out. The water goes up for what seems hundreds of feet and all around the circumference of the tower are white long sharp bony rings which circle all the way up. At the bottom of the tower is a round stopper like structure made of metal. Hope swims down to it and tries to pull it out. It doesn't budge. So Hope tries to twist is out. The circular device rotates easily and clicks as Hope twists it.

Smallfang decides to not leave a member of their group alone to face danger. He touches the shimmering door. He appears inside the tower floating slightly above Hope as he watches her twist the metal cylinder.

The Death Of Hope

The water all around them begins to move swirling around the tower. Soon they are both caught up in the current and tossed around the sides of the tower. The bony ring structures cut deeply into them. There is a scraping sound as Smallfang's armor is cut open. The water fills with swirling blood clouding their vision. Smallfang swims as fast as he can towards the top.

Soon Smallfang bursts through the surface of the water into air. Smallfang gasps as he gulps lungfulls of air. The body of Hope floats slowly up beside him, her lifeless body face down in the water. Smallfang revives her and once she is safe he climbs out and explores the tunnel which branches off and down. The water sluicing over the edge and falling down creating the sound of a loud waterfall.

After the waters calm themselves, the rest of the group arrives at the top of the tower breaking the surface of the water.

Lirath and Smallfang scout ahead. Carefully treading down the tunnel, avoiding the treacherously slippery slope and finding rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth at the bottom of the slope. At the mouth of the tunnel they look down into a land covered with a white fog.

In the distance a large grey structure rises out of the fog. A large skull-like rocky structure. Judging by it's distance it must be larger than most castles.

They have arrived.  Ahead of them Citadel Cavitus. Vecna's home.

Alcohol Is Good For So Many Things

As the adventurers easily solve the runes laid out among the stone tiles upon the floor of the chamber an orifice opens allowing them to leave. They continue their trek through intestinal tunnels. The smell continues to worsen until they walk up to an opening to a large chamber in which the smell intensifies.

What A Smell You've Discovered

Most of the room seems dedicated to a collection of garbage, refuse and other rot that nearly fills the room. The pile looms high in the middle of the room to tower above the group. The refuse pile is large enough that they cannot see what is on the other side of the room. So they split up.

Smallfang and Rook move one way around the foul mound. They ind a series of tables, barrels, glass beakers and copper tubing which is connected to a system which is somehow attached to the pile of garbage.
Hope moves round the other way. She finds a large handle of a switch attached to a wall. She calls out to the group that she has found a lever and asks if she should pull it, her hand already on the switch. They yell to her not to touch it. At least not yet.

Attack Of The Grubs
4,000 XP

Barb moves ahead to inspect the pile of garbage. He shoves his hands into the pile of stinking refuse with no hesitation or trepidation. He immediately feels biting and slithering on both his arms. Barb pulls them back to find several creatures attached to his arms via tentacles. He watches with some odd dissociation as they pulse and bury their tentacles in deeper and he then passes out from the loss of blood. Katya and Lirath rush to Barb's aid.

Lirath uses his psionics to blast the minds of the creatures, stunning them. Barb scrapes the blade of his axe down his arm removing some of the grub-like creatures.  But the psionic blast has disturbed something deep within the mass of waste.

Smallfang and Rook are puzzled by the apparatus in the room. Is is some sort of chemical storage room. Katya comes around and puzzles out the tubing and substances in the barrels. She figures out that it is a sort of still system. Sure enough they check some of the barrels and they seem to have some sort of alcohol. It is greenish and a bit putrid but it definitely has the pungent smell of alcohol.
Three massive glass jars, the size of a human torso, sit upon a table. One jar is empty with its glass top missing. One is full of of liquid, the strong smell of alcohol wafting out of the top of the jar, as it is missing it's lid. The last is also full of liquid but the top is sealed with a glass lid.

The Worm Awakens
13,100 XP

As Lirath assists Barb to his feet, the massive pile of garbage shifts and begins to slough off to the sides as a worm-like creature rears up out of the pile. It lunges after Smallfang as it tries to catch the dragonborn within its mouth. Smallfang is able to avoid death by swallowing but falls unconscious from the massive hit.

Soon enough they are able to defeat the sathaq worm and the begin to investigate the room in earnest. Katya assures the others that the device is a still which ferments the garbage pile into alcohol. The jars of clear alcohol seem to be a refined distillate of the more raw alcohol in the barrels. Barb hears the word alcohol and rushes to pick up the full jar without the lid. As he tilts the jar towards his mouth, the liquid doesn't pour out...It slides down towards Barb like a gel.

That's No Alcohol...That's a Gelatinous Cube
450 XP

One might say like a gelatinous cube. It hits his face and begins its acid like attack. Thankfully the creature is easily lured away with the promise of more alcohol as Smallfang topples over the barrels of unrefined alcohol. But as the group listens they can hear the sound of the alcohol flowing and dripping down into an large and echo-y chamber below. There is some sort of chamber hidden underneath the garbage heap.

Hope returns to the switch at the wall as the group gives their agreement, Hope pulls the lever.

Cast Into The Pit of Carkoon
3,600 XP

The floor drops open underneath the garbage pile and pitches it down into the depths below. There is a deafening bellow. Some sort of creature, now covered in alcohol and refuse begins to climb its way out of the pit. Before the creature can be fully seen the group lights the whole ensemble on fire. The garbage soaked in alcohol, which also now covers the beast climbing out of the pit, lights easily and burns hot. The creature roars a deafening bellow.

Lirath blasts the creature with psionic power which pushes the massive beast back while Hope runs back to the switch which she activates. The floor panels swing back up into place locking the burning creature into its holding pit.

Barb, disappointed he never got a taste of this exotic alcohol, returns to the barrels. Hope follows excitedly. Barb takes a deep and long drink. The alcohol is powerful and different. He enjoys it but finds his constitution barely able to withstand its effects. His vision narrowing a bit he decides to abstain from more. Hope sees Barb successfully imbibe so she decides to follow suit.

Hope passes out.

Smallfang slings Hope over his shoulder and the group moves out before the creature below is able to get out. As they leave Lirath casts a spell to link all their minds together so they can communicate telepathically.

Hokey Religions and Ancient Weapons

They travel for some time. Traveling through tunnels more organic than carved. That is, until they enter a new chamber. This one is made of carved and smoothed stone. The room is circular and in the center is a 10 foot wide hole. On each side of the hole, are two massive stone hands, the palms facing inward as if close together to hold something.

They move closer to inspect. Each massive carving of a hand has many scratches and scars across it's palm. Perhaps thousands of layers of ancient dried blood cake the palms until they are stained a dark reddish brown. At the floor they see a large hole which seems to be protected by some arcanic barrier. It seems impassible and they cannot see down below the barrier.

At first they try sacrificing something. Rook conjures the illusion of a young lamb and forces it to become real. The lamb struggles as they hold it upon on of the palm statues. They cut its throat and let it bleed over the palm. But nothing seems to happen.

I Love You.  I Know

Katya strides to stand in the middle of the hole on top of the barrier. She uses one of her claws to scratch across her opposite palms until both palms are bleeding. She places her palms against the palm statues. Blood pours from the statues and pools below Katya's feet. Then in an instant, the pool of blood forms a sphere around Katya and begins to descend through the hole into the dark below. Katya's eyes go wide as she looks to the group before she sinks down and out of sight.

Thankfully, Lirath had cast a spell to link their minds telepathically. He calls out to Katya and she tells them that she has descended in her blood sphere into a dark vast chamber as her vision only extends enough to show her passing past an enormous face of a statue made of some sort of crystal. She continues descending down past a crystalline chest until she comes to a rest upon a massive crystalline stone hand, as her blood sphere disappears.

Even with her darkvision, Katya cannot see anything but darkness beyond the hand and arm she stands on. She tells the others telepathically that she is alright.

One by one, the others do the same as Katya, cutting their hands and placing them upon the palms of the statues. Some go together in two's. Finally Lirath and Barb are left. Barb slashes his hands but finds his dwarven arms are to short to reach the palm statues. Lirath has to perform the blood offering and together they descend.

Aren't You A Little Short For An Adventurer
24,500 XP

Together everyone stands upon the upturned hands of a crystalline statue which must stand near one hundred feet tall. Rook transforms into aarakokra form and flies through the room and around the statue. He finds that entire statue seems to be made up of crystals that are bound together into a humanoid form. At each of the joints the crystal structure looks as though it were made to allow for movement, a perfect smooth line forming each joint.

The rest of the room seems empty except for 4 massive braziers, one in each corner. Above each is a polished piece of silvered metal. Perhaps a mirror to spread the light of the brazier. At the base of the statue is a tiered pedestal which stands about 10 feet off of the floor. Under one of the statues feet seems to be a small opening which can be just barely seen. Other than that opening the room seems to have no other exit. At least not one the group can find.

One by one they light the enormous braziers until the room comes to full light. Rook and Smallfang run across the room, each positioning the mirrors until the reflection of the light hits various parts of the statue, making it glow a deep green. Light reflecting and refracting off of and through the crystals of the statue makes a beautiful display of green light across the room's walls, as they move the mirrors.

They try focusing the light upon the statues feet, then legs, then chest. But nothing seems to change. As they move the mirrors focusing the light on various parts of the statue they notice light catching on something not green within the statue's head. One by one they focus the light reflected by the mirrors upon the statues head. Something in the head glows a bright and deep red.

Once all four mirrors focus the brazier light upon the statue's head, there is a flash of red from within and the statue comes to life. It immediately and with surprising speed closes its hands upon the adventurers still standing upon it's hands, save for Katya who is able to jump out of the way quick enough. Katya scrambles up the creatures vast arm and across it's torso.

Barb is able to break free of the grip while Lirath discovers that teleporation spells do not seem to work. Eventually the entire group is free to attack but they find that the statue seems impervious to a lot of their attacks. Finally they are able to topple the statue and the group begins to hack away at the protective crystal structure in order to get to the glowing red crystal deep within the head.

Just as they expose enough of the inner crystal, Hope blasts it with a disintegration spell and the statue becomes still and ceases it's attacks.

The room is quiet save for the labored breaths of the adventurers.

The Bowels

Hovering in their ship over the vast expanse of the Plain Of A Thousand Portals, or Pazunia, the group looks to Rook with his newly installed Eye Of Falazure to tell them which way they should go.

Using the Eye Of Falazure, Rook scans around. All around him are pits which glow magically. They are portals leading to deeper levels of the Abyss. Some are small and almost impassable. Some are vast yawning craters with ancient fortress overlooking their depths. But the one that catches Rooks eye is what at first looks like small mountains eroded over eons.

The Fallen Demon

Looking now with the eye of a god, Rook can see that the landforms might have actually been thousands of years ago the form of a fallen titan or vast demon. Its form barely discernible now. The rib cage, long tail and head forming a small mountain range. There seems to be openings at the mouth and opposite end.

But what to do about their newly acquired ship. It would seem that a ship like this, one that can escape the Abyss would be highly sought after for demons wishing to escape in order to spread their chaos across the universe. There is that hoard of demons pursuing them. They are likely miles off but they will arrive sooner than desired.

Lirath had dropped a piece of metal to which he attached his vision. He is keeping track of the approaching and growing mass of demons. They do not have long.

Rook conjures the illusion of a shrine to Bahumat for Smallfang. Smallfang prays for guidance. Smallfang's words may or may not have been heard but he soon has an idea. :Land the ship on the far side of the titan's mountain range and cast an illusion around it to encompass it within the land form.

Escaping The Hoard

As quickly as they can they follow Smallfang's instructions. They land the ship behind the rise of what probably was the titans chest. Rook manipulates the illusion surrounding the ship and makes it look like the ship is within the mountain range. The group then gets Rook to cast the image of the ship in the sky and make it seem like its heading off in another direction, in order to have the hoard of demons leave the area. Lirath informs them that the mass of demons is approaching and Rook casts the image of the ship heading away from them. Soon the thunderous sound of the demon army lessens then disappears.

They then break out the rations, which they have not had to do in a long while. The land they find themselves in does not look amenable to hunting or scavenging for food. After resting they head off towards the "head" of the beast to find the entrance to the portal within. Near the mouth of the head, they find to huge demons toying with, and finally killing, a smaller demon. They are able to sneak past them and into the cave's mouth...only to find it sealed. They quietly grumble as they realize that they have to head back and go through the creature's other end. The anus.

Into The Bowels

Sure enough after traversing the length of the small mountain range, they find themselves at the mouth of a small cave. It smells horribly of sulfur and rot. It is small enough that they have to crawl through. One by one they enter.

Inside they find themselves in a structure very much like a winding tunnel. The sides of the walls are neither flesh nor stone. The forms all around are more organic than constructed. It is dark, humid and the floors are covered in refuse of a form better left to the imagination.

They travel the winding corridors. No doors or side corridors present themselves. Soon they find a small rise which ends in a similar tunnel but heading straight down. The striations which have lined the tunnels so far now form a ladder of sorts descending the tunnel. The tunnel is filled with a cobweb like material which obscures the view all the way down.

Powerword Kill

The group casts down a torch. It falls, making a hole through the layers of webs until it comes to rest about 80 feet below. Smallfang hoists Lirath own his back and crawls along down the tunnel using his ring of spider climb. He has to constantly bush away the webbings. About halfway down as Smallfang brushes yet another webbing out of the way, as he touches the web an arcane symbols lights up with bluish light across the entire width of the tunnel on the webbing.

The light flashes and fills the entire descending tunnel. Smallfang feels the touch of death but it passes as his unnaturally strong physique is able to ward off the killing spell. He looks over his shoulder at Lirath. Luckily Lirath had not been encompassed in the spell and looks at Smallfang with a look in his eyes that says, "I just about died....again!"

Finally all of the group descends not noticing the webbing slowly regrowing back to fill the tunnel once more. When they are all at the bottom of the tunnel it is a tight fit. They all stand within a small space barely able to move. After some careful looking they find a door carved to look like the rest of the intestinal tunnel.

Saved By Constipation
15,000 XP

The door is tall about 15 feet high but another panel of carved rock extends above the door by another 15 feet. This portion of the tunnel is covered in sharp protrusions. Smallfang tells everyone that he is sure it is a door and it is trapped.

Lirath enters his incorporeal form  and passes through the door. On the other side he sees a similar tunnel but one that immediately drops straight down. He floats above the drop trying to look down but sees only a collection of refuse. Perhaps a collection of long dead bodies.

On the other side Rook conjures an illusion of a large block of feces which extends across the tunnel effectively holding the upper portion of the carved panel in place as he wills the illusion into reality. Thus braced, they open the door and sure enough the upper portion of the door tries to swing down to crush everyone within the tunnel but it is prevented by the massive piece of feces blocking it.

Moving though to the other side the group carefully descends down this tunnel to the bottom. They find themselves standing in a pile of trash and creatures long dead. Clothes and even weapons crumble and rust.

Smallfang casts detect magic and sure enough a small spot of light glows underneath a pile. As he carefully moves things he finally finds a small white-silverish glowing crystal. It hovers and slowly rotates. Smallfang grabs for it, but not before a hand from below snatches it away first.

The Last Elf Remaining

A frail elf stands up holding the stone closed in both hands to his chest. His clothes are mere rotting rags such that he is half naked. He grins and laughs. He is pleased to see people! The group asks who he is and after some difficulty remembering he tells them that he is Eilif. He was a part of an army who was in pursuit of Venca a few years, a few centuries ago? He cannot remember properly.

The group notices that notches have been carved into the walls probably trying to mark the passage of time. The entire wall is occupied with overlapping markings. Eilif is clearly insane from the years of being isolated. How he has survived is a mystery.

The group doesn't trust him. Rook calmly walks over and places a hand on Eilif. Power shoots out from the hand and Eilif falls to the floor in a puddle of boneless form.

They detect that the tunnel extends further down but is blocked with some sort of tissue. Smallfang takes out his sword and cuts through the fleshy material.

You Are Your Own Worst Enemy
43,200 XP


They walk further along a now horizontal tunnel which winds and turns until they enter a larger chamber. It is roundish and is marked by rotting bodies scattered all over the floor. The group moves in cautiously and looks about. All of the bodies are elves, similar to Eilif. Perhaps more of the same regiment. They are clearly all slain by the weapons scattered around but some of the weapons are being held by the remains of elvin hands....by the blade. One of the elves holds a piece of parchment with the words:

Mark upon the stone,
The markings gone.
Let no twin stand as
would a single dragons breath kill  them both.


As Smallfang casts detect magic he sees several spots spaced evenly around the room on the walls, those spots begin to emit a horrific sounds which vibrates within their heads. Their weapons vibrate as well until each of the adventurer's weapons fly out of their sheaths and backpacks to hover above them menacingly.

The group stands confused and wary but not for long. Their own weapons begin to hack and beat them. Some of the group fare easily as they do not have many weapons. Rook is able to snatch up his own in a bag of holding. Katya is able to dodge and weave around her weapon's attacks. Hope bearing only a dagger is able to fare well.

Unfortunately for Smallfang, his veritable hoard of weapons turn on him on mass. He takes hit after hit from his weapons as well has his own treasured hazirawn! Beaten, bloody and unable to take much more Smallfang is saved when Rook casts antimagic and approaches each of his comrades until their weapons fall to the ground no longer attacking their own masters.

Collecting up their weapons the group tries to decipher the scroll that had been found in the dead elf's hand. They try to mark sigils, scratches and holy symbols in the magical spots that glowed upon the wall when they first came in. To no effect.

Finally they move on.

Runic Puzzle
10,000 XP

Through more winding tunnels until they come to another round chamber. As they step in the chamber both the opening they walked through and the opening at the other end of the room sphincter shut. The tiles placed into the floor have carefully carved markings.

No it doesn't take long for the group to figure out the scrolls meaning and carve the missing runes.
The doors open and they move on.

Through The Vortex

The group has returned to the elemental chaos ship, the Shevaithan. They have fought and killed the last of the githyanki crew, including its captain and obtained from within his chest, the key to the ship. An arcane orb which looks like a smaller version of the anarch spheres which seem to be the power source of the ship, which float tethered around the ship within a nest of massive ropes.

The adventurers decide they need to travel into the abyss, which they learned from their captured githyanki, was the destination of the ship and its precious cargo. They were to deliver a shard of a primordial from which someone was going to forge a weapon capable of killing a god. They had uncovered a plan to kill the Raven Queen, to dispose the god of death and allow Vecna to bypass death and create an army of undead to help him rule over all.

They need to take the shard to its intended destination in order to thwart these plans.

Taking Control Of The Ship
7,500 XP

Both Rook and Smallfang try to figure out the controls to the ship. They watch as arcane symbols flash and fly across the control console of the ship. The same symbols scroll and rotate around each of the massive anarch spheres, which are tethered in massive ropes at the sides and rear of the ship.
Frustrated in their lack of ability to control the ship, Smallfang yells insults at the ship as he kicks it. Suddenly the ships controls flash brightly and the arcane symbols, previously scrolling past so fast as to be unreadable, now lock in place and the symbols scrolling around the anarch spheres synchronize themselves to mirror the console.

Smallfang crosses his arms and gives the others a sly and prideful small.

Smallfang commands the ship to retract the chains anchoring them. The ship shudders and begins to descend towards the fortress below, to which the ship is still anchored. They panic and Smallfang orders the ship to stop. Investigating below decks near the bow of the ship where the chains enter the ship they find a room containing a massive spindle which holds the huge chain. It is wrapped in such a way that they cannot release the chain from the ships end. They must release it from within the fortress below.

The fortress, which sits upon an immense floating mote of rock within the elemental chaos, is where Smallfang had encountered a balor. No doubt the balor and whatever else was there is intended to guard the ship from theft. The ship, built to traverse the elemental chaos and able to enter the vortex descending into the abyss, is extremely rare. Many would desire it as creatures from within the abyss are unable to escape its confines without such a vessel.

They decide not to challenge the balor below.

Release The Anchor

Rook casts an illusion upon one of the mammoth chain links making it disappear. He then wills the illusion to become reality. No longer tethered on that side of the ship, the ship lurches horribly as many of the group are tossed and tumble across the deck. Barb and Lirath barely escape tumbling overboard into the elemental chaos which would soon rip them apart. Katya simply digs in her claws and stands, arms crossed and amused at the inability of some to keep their footing.

Rook then moves to the other side of the ship and releases the ship from that chain using the same process. Again, the ships new crew struggle to keep aboard the lurching ship. But now they are free of their moorings. Smallfang commands the ship to fly and fly fast.

Unfortunately, Smallfang doesn't have the best sense of direction as Rook taps him on the shoulder and gestures for Smallfang to look behind them. Behind the ship retreating into the distance is the vortex leading to the abyss.

They turn around.

A Balor Shall Not Be Passed

As the ship turns around, all on board feel the ship lean to one side accompanied by a loud crash upon the deck of the ship. As they rush towards the commotion they see the balor. Smallfang recognizes it as the one guarding the ship back at the fortress. As the balor folds its wings behind him he admonishes them for being so foolish as to try and steal the ship under his watch. He will watch them suffer. He pulls out a sword which comes to life with flames as well as a whip which crackles with a similar fire.

But the balor is vastly outpowered. Soon enough the balor realizes this too. Bleeding profusely, especially from the groin as the dwarf, Barb, has gotten underneath the balor and has been hacking away from just below the creatures loins, Barb all the while withstanding the scorching heat coming off the balor. The balor turns his sword around and places the hilt upon the deck, blade facing upwards. He snarls at the group and thrusts his body upon the sword dying. As death comes to the balor, some powerful energy held within the creatures begins to escape the confines of his body. Fire and arcane power burst of the balor's body creating an explosion which shatters the balor's weapons and body and injuring many of the group.

But at least the balor is taken care of.

Lirath Is Not Himself

Lirath runs to the side of Katya who has fallen. Katya is covered in blood and Lirath has an odd urge which he pushes down and helps revive Katya instead. When everyone has recovered and dusted themselves off, Barb covered in balor sludge perhaps not quite so dusted off, they gather around and notice that Lirath does not look good. Gaunt and pale looking, the elf does not look healthy. After some discussion and Smallfang using his paladin ability to cure disease, with no effect, it is decided that Lirath is suffering from the resurrection he has recently undergone to return to them.

They travel faster now towards the vortex leading down into the abyss. Each of them retiring to a portion of the ship to rest. Smallfang, now getting the hang of berating and abusing the ship into following his orders makes it so they will be able to have a good long rest before they reach the vortex. Smallfang takes time to cast find steed to call his trusty griffon. The magic goes awry, from the chaotic forces of the plane and the griffon appears twice as large as before. Smallfang, pleased, lies down nestled beside his enormous companion.

After resting they assemble back on deck to find the vortex now takes up half of the sky in front of the ship. They are going to descend into the abyss.

Into The Vortex and Stowaways
23,600 XP

Commanding the ship forward they lurch at full speed down into the spiraling vortex. Elemental powers swirl and coalesce creating a powerful sense of confusion and nausea in everyone. One by one they recover their senses. All except Lirath and Katya who after vomiting go below decks to convalesce. Barb lays down among a bed of old sail canvas to drink.

Rook and Smallfang, standing up at the console see a blur of yellow movement towards the ship and then a few heavy shudders through the ship. They begin to look around.

Barb notices Lirath beginning to hack away at the ropes holding one of the anarch spheres. The elemental powered spheres which power the ship.

Below decks Katya hears the sound of small footsteps running and childless laughter.

Smallfang rushes down into the hold and casts detect evil and the small childlike creatures glow evil and fiendishly. He charges at them trying to frighten them into going above deck. It works and one of the "children" run up to the deck only to find itself trapped in a cage created by Rook.

After killing or trapping each of the creatures, they question it with force. Lirath uses his ability to penetrate the mind of the creature. He sees the creature, along with many many of its confederates, assembled in front of the head priestess of Vecan, Osternath. She was the one they thought they had vanquished back within the maze of portals. She was banished to the Astral Plane but clearly she has survived. She confers with an old withered man in robes. Vecna!

The demons are tasked with looking for the group. They are given descriptions of each of the adventurers and told to kill them for the insult upon Osternath and by extension, Vecna himself. They must not be allowed to interfere with Vecna's plans. The demons are dismissed and scattered across the plane. Some, like this creature, are allowed to board the Shevaithan to scour outside the abyss for the infidels.

Lirath approaches the creature trapped within the cage and grabs it. The creature, a child with terror in its eyes, cries out as Lirath bites down upon its neck and begins to drink. The creature drops the pretense of being a small human child and reverts to its natural form. A yellow oozing creatures. A yochol. The creature now dead Lirath wipes his face and looks surprised as his actions.

Welcome To The Abyss

There is no time to question this as they are approaching the end of the vortex. Below them a grey and inhospitable expansive land grows closer by the second. They are heading down straight towards the ground. Smallfang does his best to right the ship and they just miss crashing into the ground. Hovering mere feet above the ground the group sees demons one by one come out of hiding to be amazed at the ship which has traversed the vortex.

Soon there is amassing a hoard of demons intently looking at the ship.

The group decides to leave the immediate vicinity as quickly as they can. At full speed they travel across the pit filled and craggy landscape leaving the hoard behind them giving chase. They travel for a while at great speed until they feel they can safely stop and assess their situation.

They are lost.

The Eye Of Falazure AND The Hand Of Vecna

Rook argues that with the artifacts of Vecna perhaps they would know what to do. They need the powers that the artifacts bestow. After some debate the group agrees.

Rook once again pulls out his own eye. This time stowing it away in a bag of holding for safe keeping. He places the Eye Of Falazure within his empty eye socket. As soon as that is done he amputates his own left hand and places the desiccated and leathery hand of Vecna against his bleeding stump and the hand bonds with his own arm. Almost immediately he is able to flex and move the hand as if it were his own.

Smallfang's enormous griffon growls and snarls from its perch above the group on the tower in the middle of the ship. It swoops down to land in front of Rook. It screeches menacingly at Rook and is about to strike. Rook reaches out his new left hand and simply touches the griffon.

The griffon shudders and a light flashes from with the creature. It's skeleton within visible as a flash of light for a brief second which then melts within. The griffon collapses to the deck in a loose puddle of flesh and feathers.

Rook smiles and thinks he might like this power.