Sunday 12 July 2009

After resting, we decided to try the brass key in the gargoyle door. As a precaution, E'bor used mage hand to float the key into place, which caused a blast of freezing cold. Still the wrong key.

With nowhere else to go, and not willing to try our chances with an enraged carnage demon and two gargoyles, we searched the rest of the complex. We found that the block trap that had slid across the passageway as we entered had reset itself. In the clay scout's pedestal, we found an iron key with a dragonshard. We tried this new key in the gargoyle door, which caused the door and the key to disappear. The next door -- circular -- was opened with the wood key (after the brass key caused activated a burst of flame). The final door -- diamond-shaped -- had the phrase "Let he who would enter speak his name" written above it. Putting the brass key into the door didn't do anything, until someone finally said "Gutannis".

Beyond the final door was a 30' diameter circular chamber. Opposite the door were five stone gargoyles, each holding a chest. Painted on the wall was a mural of a strange desert world: lightning illuminated dagger-sharp mountains, while three large scorpions dominated the scene. According to E'bor, magic emanated from the chests and the painting.

Baxter -- natch -- skipped up to one of the statues. The chest it was holding wasn't locked, and didn't appear to have any (mundane) traps, but as soon as he tried to open it, the scorpions vanished from the painting, and three stormclaw scorpions appeared in the room [level 1 soldier]. One grabbed Baxter and stung him, rendering him near death. The rest of the party engaged the scorpions, eventually defeating them and rescuing the rogue from Death's clutches. However, before we could do anything, the imp appeared and attacked E'bor, before fleeing.

Taking a quick rest to recover, the party decided to put up bedrolls over the doorway, so we'd have some warning if the wretched imp tried returning. In the chest Baxter tried to open, we found a variety of potions. In another chest was an orb emanating a strong magical field. When E'bor touched it, he was flooded with images from around the world -- the Orb of Annata!
Fardrak opened another chest, and was attacked by a fire warrior, which proved no match for the party. The chest itself was empty.

The fourth chest contained a wand of psychic ravaging +1, which Tirah took, while the last chest contained treasure (400gp, 3 amythysts worth 25gp each, and an 80gp sapphire).

Having found what we had come for, we started to leave the dungeon. The imp, however, had other plans. It hovered over the parchment in the demon room, and threatened to shred the parchment (and thus releasing the demon), unless we left all our equipment behind. Realising that its guarantee of safe passage was meaningless, the party attacked. E'bor cast sleep, catching both the demon and the imp, then Tirah cast blunder, causing the imp to fall into the demon's circle. The party started running, while the demon was able to escape its circle. The two gargoyles flanking the pedestal animated, and attacked the demon, letting the party escape. As we left, we deliberately triggered the block trap, giving us at least several hours head start.
We headed back to Threshold with the Orb, handing it over to Horin Milnar at the Council Buildings, before heading to the Lonely Tankard for some much needed rest.

The Orb of Annata

When Tim's character touches the Orb of Annata a rush of cascading scenes erupts onto the surface of the orb.

… grey armoured horsemen cloaked in wolf skin furs are locked in brutal combat with a group of living trees and goat men. Swords and flaming brands slash left and right in a desperate melee. A great warrior surges forward and raises his sword high, the sword flares to life and beams of radiant light lance out towards his foes ..

…a strange many spired edifice of blackstone rises from brackish mist shrouded waters. Cloaked figures approach the structure and a hidden door swings wide spilling forth an emerald light from within …

… city walls blackened by fire stretch out to either side of a fortified gateway. Here and there it is broken in places by large rocks embedded in the shattered stone. A squad of graceful hunters pad through the open gateway. Bestial faces set in grim determination, they run across fertile fields, where others of their kind toil side by side with human men and women …

… grey ash floats through the air and blankets the ground and fire blackened trees like dirty snow. Large packs of charcoal black hounds scour the fire barren lands. Smoke and fire escape their open jaws and their eyes burn like smoldering embers. In the distance plumes of black smoke rise from the flame crowned peak of a huge volcano. Rivers of burning rock flow like fiery arteries down its jagged slopes. Striding through the wasteland a huge giant with charcoal skin, bronze metal armour and flaming red hair moves towards a rocky outcropping. A cloud of ash billows up from the ground as a huge dragon lands atop the outcropping. The rock smokes and slag's under its claws, waves of heat roll outward from skin like burning coal and wings of fiery fire …

… a cloaked hooded figure, wearing worn leather armour, carries a blanket wrapped body along a white marbled corridor. Cobwebs and dust are broken and disturbed by his passage. Emerging from the corridor, the man enters a large chamber dominated by the marble statue of a robed women, her arms outstretched and raised towards the ceiling. Tongues of blood red veins spread upwards from the hem of the robe, marring the pure alabaster stone. Blue fires burn in small braziers sitting atop black stone pedestals spaced evenly around the walls. Moving slowly forward he lays the body with gentle care before the statue. Despite his care, the loose blanket falls away from the head to reveal the partially burnt face of a man. As the man steps back and bows his head, the statue begins to glow with a pale sapphire radiance ...