4th Day of the Claw of Sunsets (March) 1363 DR:
Firehammer Hold – Chapter Thirteen
Chapel of the Watcher No Grick: (24:10 pm):
The party is still to determin the Grick link between Harpshield Castle and Firehammer Hold.
Mirafir uses his still running ‘Detect Magic’ Spell on the Steeder Dens and thankfully he spies 4 other Dwarven sizes Magical glows along the north wall of the chamber. Finally, above the eastern tunnel Mirafir can see a Steeder and Duergar Rider hiding, clinging to the ceiling.
Frimly goes off to check Nalifarn’s Chamber as the ‘Wizard Locked’ door, used by the Drider, was still open. Frimly can see the corridor beyond, with the ‘Illusion’ cast upon it, is empty with no sign of the Wizard who must have opened the door for the Drider.
Nalifarn: “How is it that these interlopers have defeated all my forces in a matter of hours, the reports of their achievements were not exaggerated.”
Frimly searches Nalifarn’s Chamber, takes from it and places in the ‘Bag of Holding’:
- A Silver Bowl from his table.
- A Silver Chalice from his table.
- A Portable Alchemist’s Lab.
- A Steel Coffer containing 1,000 gp, 500 sp, two gold loop earrings with dried Blood on them (Jekk’s), 5 Yellow Topazes in the locked chest.
- A Pouch containing several pinches of a bright Red Powder.
Frimly also find some Picked Tentacles, which he believes to be from the Underdark Grick creature, and powdered Turquoise Egg Shell, also like that found in Harpshield Castle in the Orc Wizard’s Tower.
Frimly: “I remember their smell from Harpshield Castle. These creatures, Gricks, have many uses. Guard Dogs, Ingredients for Potions and Powder and finally a delicate meat to enjoy.
Mirafir casts ‘Invisibility’ on Sigune, who will then enter the Steeder Cavern and use her ‘Cloak of Arachnid’ to cast ‘Web’ and capture the Duergar Warriors and protect the 5 Female Julkoun Villagers. Sigune will be able to trap all but 2 Duergar Warriors to the west and a single Duergar Warrior to the east.
Mirafir ‘Fly’s’ into the Steeder Chamber first and hovers in the air and to the west of the chamber. Thora and Jekk will follow-up after the Paladin casts ‘Web’.
Sigune uses her ‘Cloak of Arachnid’ and is no longer ‘Invisible’. The 2 Duergar Warriors to the west fire their Crossbows and the Dwarves move up and Mirafir holds his action.
The Steeder and its Duergar Warrior rider then attack Sigune and the Spider sticks to the Paladin. One of the 4 Duergar Warriors managed to avoid the ‘Web’ and throws a Javelin at the Paladin which results in his ‘Invisibility’ to be cancelled.
The Steeder and its Rider are dispatched by Thora, Jekk is not much help, while Sigune managed to escape from the Sticky Steeder and makes a fighting retreat.
Another Steeder glides across the Paladin’s ‘Web’ and attacks Jekk. The Steeder and its Rider are killed by Thora as Jekk is stuck fast.
Frimly appears to the east of the Steeder Chamber and can hear the insuring battle. He thinks he must mentiion the Grick connection.
Then the Paladin‘s ‘Web’ bursts into flames and a Magical Duergar can be seen standing in one of the norther tunnels. Mirafir casts ‘Lightning Bolt’ and kills the Duergar Wizard 3 times over.
The 5 Female Julkoun Villagers all die due to the flames from the burnt ‘Web’ and the Duergar Warriors also take damage.
The party finish off the remaining Duergar Warriors and then turn their attentions to the 5 Female Julkoun Villagers with the Wizard Mirafir using his ‘Powder of Coagulation’ to bring them back from the brink of death.
The Party then discus what to do next and they have 2 options.
- Go back to investigate the stairs going down in the Deep Duerra Cave.
- Follow Nalifarn past the Ossuary.
Thora advocates for following Nalifarn and the party agree. The Party make ready:
- Black Chardalyn Stones, plus the ‘Fireball’ one carried by Sigune.
- Potion of Clairaudience.
- Short Sword ‘Quietstrike’ which can cast ‘Silence’ and make one attack without the targets DEX bonus.
- Spell Scrolls, which can be used by the Wizard or Thief. (Wall of Fog, ESP, Charm Person, Etc.)
- Deck of Illusions.
- Ring of Spell Storing (Stinking Cloud, Slow, Shield, Etc.)
The party head back to the Shrine to Dumathoin and forget that it was ‘Wizard Locked’, but Sigune remembers that they have Galan’s ‘Chime of Opening’ with its last charge and open the door (The chime of opening also destroys the magic of a hold portal spell or even a wizard lock cast by a wizard of less than 15th level.) and it lays open.
Nalifarn: “Let me see what they do to pass the door as the Wizard is low in Power, as he can’t help by say over and over again. Their arrogance has no bounds and they walk and talk freely about my conquest as if they had already won it.”
Thora strides into Shrine to Dumathoin and open the door to the Ossuary and its Magical Runes and Summoning Circle. The party deliberate how to proceed:
- Cast ‘Dispel Magic’ from the Scroll requested by Mirafir from Yellowdagger and forgotten about.
- Place the Chardalyn Stones, ‘Fireball’, by the door in case the Spell fails.
- Have the Fighter ready by the door ready to open the door on the norther side of the chamber.
- Mirafir and Frimly move to the southern stairs and act from there.
Nalifarn; “I think its best that I move back to Shrine to Dumathoin as I now know what they intend to do. Then I can take out the Thief and the weakened Mighty Mirafir.”
Mirafir successfully ‘Dispels’ the ‘Magical Runes’ and ‘Summoning Circle’ from the Ossuary and Thora strides in again to open the door, which was not locked. Sigune and Jekk follow the Female Dwarf and Mirafir and Frimly hold back.
Nalifarn: “These 3 knuckleheads will be detained by the Gricks and I must think how best to deal with the Thief and Wizard.”
Frimly takes the ‘Potion of Clairaudience’ and does Detect Noise beyond the locked door. Frimly can hear the sound of wind, or air movements beyond and an echo to it which leading the Thief to deduce that behind the door was a large cavern as he can also hear loose rocks falling every now and then.
The party all get ready to react and Thora opens the door.
Worm Pit With a Grick: (24:15 pm):
Worm Pit:
Walls of this cave are painted with primitive murals depicting the battle between a group of ancient-looking Dwarf warriors armed with Javelins and Short Swords and a huge Wormlike creature from the depths of the earth. One corner holds a seemingly Bottomless Pit. In this cave rainwater filtering from above keeps this area damp, and a blanket of dimly glowing yellow-green mould covers parts of the floor. Among the furry fungus are several oblong Blue-Green Eggs the size of a human fist.
Sigune moves into the chamber and readies herself to place her Black Chardalyn Stones on the floor.
Thora: “I know what these things are; they are the eggs of those Grick creatures that we fought under Harpshield Castle.”
The 2 Fighters and the Paladin immediately move out of the Worm Pit fearing the worst and also not forgetting that Nalifarn had orchestrated all of this.
Frimly moves up towards the 2 Fighters and the Paladin dismissing the suggestion by Mirafir to use one of his ‘Deck of Illusions’ and joins them in the Ossuary.
Mirafir prepares ‘Delayed Blast Fireball’ from one of his many his Scrolls, saving his last Spell Point for an emergency, and casts it into the Worm Pit. At the distance that the Wizard was he was unable to accurately calculate the area of effect for the Fireball and the flames caught Thora and Sigune.
The ‘Delayed Blast Fireball’ did also affect the 3 Gricks and 2 Alpha Gricks that were camouflaged and hiding in the Worm Pit, waiting to catch prey left for them by Nalifarn.
Nalifarn: “Now that I did not expect the Wizard to do, I thought him out of power and now the annoying wild card of a Thief has appeared in the same room as me. I need to divide and concur. Also, there may be a Grick left to aid in my ruse.”
Thora and Sigune stand by the doorway into the Worm Pit and Fight the Gricks within. They can see that 2 Gricks died, 1 was seriously damaged leaving the 2 Alpha Gricks. The larger Alpha Grick attacks Thora and Sigune. Jekk is unable to enter the Frey.
Frimly attempts to Detect Noise through his ‘Clairaudience’ Spell and Mirafir looks about the place.
Frimly is hit by ‘Magic Missiles’ from Nalifarn, who is ‘Invisible’ and ‘Flying’ in the south-east corner of the Ossuary. Frimly does not see Nalifarn, as the Devil stays Invisible, but our fine Thief spots the tell-tale shimmering effect of the Spell.
Thora and Sigune continue to fight the Male Alpha Grick.
Mirafir pulls out another of his Scrolls and cast ‘Spectral Force’ and then creates a copy of himself that becomes ‘Visible’ having cast ‘Solid Fog’ in the Ossuary.
Mirafir: “Run Frimly move out of the Ossuary now that Nalifarn cannot see you to fire more ‘Magic Missiles’ at you.”
Frimly move out of the Ossuary and makes his way down the stairs behind Mirafir.
Nalifarn: “I trust not this Frimley Thief and will cast ‘Detect Magic’ to see him and all his stolen Magic.”
Sigune and Thora dispatch of the Male Alpha Grick and are immediately attacked by the Female Alpha Grick, who had been checking on her murdered children and was not best pleased.
Nalifarn: “This is not fog but an ‘Illusion’, I will no longer play with these fools and bring Mirafir in alive may be something I tried very hard to do, but failed to achieve it in the end.”
Mirafir stands at the top of the stairs that lead down to the Cenotaph and the Chapel of the Watcher, while Frimly hides behind the Wizard further down the stairs.
Sigune and Thora kill the Female Alpha Grick, who was seriously damaged by Mirafir’s ‘Delayed Blast Fireball’ from his Scroll, and they order Jekk to run into the Worm Pit and kill the last surviving Grick within.
Mirafir makes his copy turn ‘Invisible’ and Frimly stays put.
Nalifarn: “Now to get my angle correct and catch them both in the ‘Lightning Bolt’.”
Mirafir and then Frimly are hit by Nalifarn’s ‘Lightning Bolt’ and Mirafir just catches the tell-tale shimmering effect of the Spell his was unable to lean himself.
Mirafir: “The Devil Dwarf is using ‘Improved Invisibility’ just as was cast on the Drider. I wonder how long it will last for and how much Magical Power Nalifarn has left if he has already cast spells.”
Nalifarn: “Stuck between 3 Warriors and a Wizard and Thief. I’d rather kill some or all of them then have to explain myself to him. This form may perish but I will once again rise from the Pits of Hell to have my vengeance. Mayhap not on these creatures I will have my vengeance on their children’s or their children’s children in turn.”