Session 32

The party:

• Pholgon, purple fighter level 4 (MG)
• Ploikal, orange magic-user level 6 (TM)

Treasure:

• Bioluminescent painting (1,000 SP)
• Gold and silver inlays (512 SP)
• Ring of Mastery Over Men (“Vasith’s Ring of Coercion”)
• Spear +2 (“The Spear of Ssyrinthian”)

XP: 1,512

Casualties: Pholgon’s orux, killed by quantum serpents.

Report:

The party can’t pay their upkeep because they haven’t been able to liquidate treasure for quite a while. They decide they must try to reach Khodang Town despite the encirclement of Batbeng by boogiemen. Under the cover of heavy rain, they manage to make it to the desert unseen, and from there on to Khodang.

At the gate, the guards recognize Ploikal as a wanted criminal for his repeated use of magic to force merchants to sell him things at extremely low prices. Pholgon manages to fool them into believing he’s taken Ploikal into custody and is bringing him in for punishment, so they are let in. They stay in an obscure inn tucked away in a quiet part of town and liquidate a significant amount of treasure for a total of 5,336 SP.

The next day, Ploikal asks around about psionicists, hoping to find leads to meeting one somewhere. He hears there might be one or more in Khodang. Meanwhile, Pholgon goes out to buy a disguise for Ploikal and returns with a dramatic pitch-black beard and flamboyant set of spectacles. They make their way out of town unseen and head back to Batbeng the way they came.

They once again evade notice from the boogiemen despite the heavy rains having stopped. They do, however, stumble onto a nest of three quantum serpents. Pholgon’s orux is attacked and killed instantly. The snakes attack Pholgon next and manage to wound him, though he withstands the lethal poison. Two snakes are dispatched without much trouble, and the third flees. The rest of the way back home is uneventful.

Pholgon spends the third adventuring day resting and recovering from his minor injuries while Ploikal scribes a scroll. On the fourth day, in the evening, they head out to the farmers’ guild hall. The wizard lock opens for its caster, Ploikal, and they enter furtively. Inside, the remains of the cultists slain during the previous adventure are in an advanced state of decomposition.

They make their way to the main hall and from there enter the council chamber, which Ploikal searches while Pholgon holds watch. An ectoplasmic ooze tendril appears and attacks! Ploikal flees. Pholgon is slapped and wounded, his armor hisses from its acid touch, but remains intact. Pholgon easily cuts through the tendril and dispatches it. The fighter quaffs a healing potion and feels better straight away.

They realize they’ve forgotten to bring rope, quickly go back to fetch some, and continue their expedition. They head down the shaft into the cave system beneath. Ploikal’s inkbat familiar scouts ahead and warns them of several skeletons awaiting them below. Pholgon, fearless as ever, jumps down and destroys the four skeletons in one fell swoop.

They head southeast through a long tunnel. The inkbat warns them of treasure and traps ahead. Suddenly, they are attacked in the back by two skeletons. Pholgon easily dispatches them, headbutting one of its skulls to dust. They approach the cave ahead and see the treasure, a pendulum trap, but also murals that show the history of the alien god and its followers, a celestial map on walls and ceilings with silver and gold inlays, and a shaft down.

They trigger the pressure plate by throwing a heap of skeletons on top of it after a first failed attempt with a tossed hammer. They enter, Ploikal casts detect evil, and when the treasure appears safe, the magic-user takes the ring and the fighting-man takes the spear. Both are decorated in that distinctly evil-looking serpent-man fashion. The inkbat is sent down to check what is below. It returns scared witless with tales of mirrors and ghosts about 50 feet below.

Ploikal summons an unseen servant to pry out the silver and gold inlays. It grudgingly sets to work while the heroes continue their exploration. The next cave is previously explored and holds an ominous-looking altar but not much else. They pass through a short tunnel east into a cave with terracotta serpent man statues, several of which have been broken. There is also a shaft down in the floor. Pholgon uses his crossbow to shoot open the remaining statues. They find nothing of value. The inkbat is sent down once again. The way down is about fifty feet again. The inkbat returns with tales of feeling much lighter down there.

They backtrack, go through a cave where they previously killed brutish primitive looking serpent men, and where they took several geodes from. Passing through a tunnel heading southeast they approach a cave lit by bioluminescent creatures swimming in a stream and an equally shimmering painted panel depicting the summoning and entrapment of an alien godling and yet another shaft down. The cave also holds a grey ooze, which the inkbat spots before it can surprise them. They kill it with crossbow fire and magic missiles.

While they search the cave with the stream they are attacked by two brutes approaching from the north tunnel. Pholgon rushes ahead and kills them both with one attack by impaling them on his spear. They send the inkbat down the shaft once more. The way down is shorter than the previous ones, a mere twenty feet. It warns of many oozes and intricate instruments that must be very valuable.

They take the painted panel, backtrack to the cave where they left the unseen servant to remove the inlays. It has finished the job. They dismiss the servant, take the inlays, and head back out without further trouble.