Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Diverging Paths, Sodden Hold

Morgrim, Bornir and Azrael bid their fellows and the prisoners well as they left the prison for relative safety.
The three looked into a side office, and after detecting for magic found an old gold ring book marking a ledger, which detected as magic. They then checked the boxes and crates and found a variety of old trades goods and tools. Another door was tried, and the floor opened up under their feet. A large 10'x20' pit 40' deep lined with spikes had opened up. Bornir and Morgrim featherfalled down, while Azrael took serious damage. Azrael cast Bulls Strength and Fly on himself and started ferrying the dwarves up. Morgrim was first, and when Azrael went back down to get Bornir, Morgrim was attacked from behind.
Morgrim was struck by several tendrils which stuck to him. He glanced back to see that the tendrils came from crates, or in this case something mimicing itself to look like crates. He was stuck fast and the things were quickly trying to envelope him. He shouted for help and Azrael quickly lifted Bornir to the surface so they could assist their friend.
A long drawn out fight ensued with two mimicing masses attacking the three adventurers. They found it very hard to keep themselves unstuck for long. Weapons were wrenched from their hands as soon as they struck the creatures. Finally Morgrim drew away and peppered the creatures with spears from his magical quiver. Azrael likewise unloaded his crossbow into the beasts and they were finally slain.
After magically healing the trio found the door beyond the pit trap was a false door, and decided to adventure deeper into the building beyond their cells.
The double doors leading deerer into the building revealed a rotten room, with pilings and mossy planks spanning openings in what was left of the floor. The water 5' below the floor was festooned with rusty spears and swords sticking up to catch anyone how fell below.
Azrael still had his fly and Bull Strength in effect, and was able to carry Morgrim across the water and around the corner to a door. Bornir cast Air Walk and followed. As they were flying, something invisible struck Azrael is solid blow that staggered him and when he fly away from the creatures, he was struck again. Morgrim touched down on solid ground and was immediately attacked by another Mimic which has disguised itself as a pier and mossy plank. Bornir cast freedom of movement on Morgrim allowing him to escape the mimic and the trio fled through the doorway, slamming the door shut behind themselves.
They found a room with a well in the corner, and they rested for the night to cure and regain precious spells. Down the well there was a rope ladder leading down 35' ft. to water. Bobbing at the top of the water was a large barrel.
The next morning the trio took spells which would help them navigate underwater. A water breathing and three freedom of movement spells were cast. The trio climbed the rope ladder down to the water then dropped in. Azrael cast a light spell on his shield. The three floated down to the bottom of the well where a tunnel led off to a much larger room, also filled with water. In the center of this large room was a large 10' diameter stone pillar. The tunnel had a 10' drop off to the actual bottom of the room. The three floated down to the bottom of the room and walked around the pillar to determine their next move. Around the bootom of the room were many mossy rocks and boulders. As they were walking they were suddenenly attacked as something camoflaged as a rock detached and attacked Morgrim with many tentacles. The three fought the large beast off and it fled in a cloud of inky black water which obscured all vision for a minute or so before the currents in the room revealed the beast had somehow fled.
Morgrim climbed the pillar and at the the surface of the water found a metal ladder attached to the pillars side. He also saw at this point a walkway from the top of the pillar to the side of the room. He climbed the ladder to the top and found a mechanical lever sticking out of the top of the pillar, it's handle canted at a 45 degree angle. Also, the walkway led to a door. He threw his weight against the lever and he was satisfied to hear the sound of gears and chains whirring below. Suddenly the level of the water dropped dramatically. Azrael was once again forced to cast fly and bulls strength to fly Bornir to the top of the pillar.
Beyond the door the trio found a corridor with many doors, and a set of double doors at each end. The side doors were opened and revealed a privy room and 4 bedrooms with two beds each and a wardrobe filled with various clothes and uniforms. Each belonging to someone in a different role of society, be it beggar, priest, guard, city clerk, aristocrat, child or merchant.
The trio headed towards one set of double doors at the end of the hallway. As they opened the doors a pit trap opened up beneath the feet of the two dwarves. They fell into a pit and when Azrael shone his light down the pit he saw they were gone! The 30' ft. pit was empty. Azrael used his fly spell to get a closer look into the pit. After some searching he quickly realized the bottom of the pit was covered with a silence spell and the floor was illusory. Beneath the 'floor' was 10 ft. more of pit with spikes at the bottom and two worried looking dwarves standing and staring at Azrael. He pulled them up one at a time.
The three headed towards the second set of double doors, and when they opened the doors they saw...themselves. Two perfect copies of Bornir and Morgrim stood before them. The adventurers quickly cut them down, and one of the dopplegangers turned as if to run before he was cut down by the angry dwarves.
The room beyond was a planning room, with a map of Greyhawk on the wall, sheafes of paper, scrolls and the like were piled on the two tables inside the room. The doppleganger had fled towards a corner of the exitless room, so the dwarves suspected a secret door, and after much searching they were able to find a secret door in the corner.
The door led to a short hall and then a mirror maze. Each wall was covered in steel mirrors from floor to ceiling. As the trio tried to navigate the confusing maze walls would slide between the lead adventurer and his fellows. Soon all three were seperated and wandering within the maze. At one point Morgrim found Bornir, only to get seperated once again. Finally Bornir found a door, and after opening it, he found a large labratory/throne room with a robed fellow atop the throne. He slammed the door shut and yelled for his friends to come quickly. Azrael and Morgrim eventually wandered to where Bornir was yelling and the three were united. Or were they?
The trio cast spells to increase their martial prowess then burst through the door. Again they saw a large room with a strange lab and table with straps and a silver helmet on one wall, and on the far wall they saw a raised dias and thronw. Standing before the throne was a man in robes they'd never seen before. He now had mirror images and an amber globe surrounding him.
The fight was on. Azrael rushed into the room, then the mage cast a grease spell on the doorway. Morgrim fell under atop the grease. Bornir cast Freedom of Movement on Morgrim. Azrael started summoning his air elemental. The mage cast a spell which assaulted the trio's minds with confusion, and all three resisted.
Morgrim advanced, as Bornir cast Air Walk on himself and moved over the grease. The elemental was brought to this plane and went on the attack against the mage, who had a protection from good/evil spell in effect. As Morgrim ran up the dias he was stopped by foes who came from invisibility. Armored guardsmen with shield, breast plate and long swords, they hacked at Morgrim using flanking positions. Bornir enlarged himself then advanced. The mage cast a spell attemptig to slow the adventurers, but again they all saved versus the effect.
Azrael also advanced but fell into a pit and took some damage from the fall and spikes. He then used his fly spell to rejoin the fight. His elemental was then redirected to attack the guardsmen. Morgrim pushed forward to strike the mage and as he struck one of the mirror images, he took a serious jolt down his arm as it discharged electricity. Also a third guardsman appeared to fight. The three adventurers and elemental were fighting four tough adversaries, and things looked grim as Bornir was forced to cure Morgrim repeatedly to keep him alive.
The mage cast a fireball on Morgrim and Bornir, but it didn't affect Bornir due to his Spell Immunity spell he had cast before entering. Again the wizard cast a fireball, this time off a scroll and it caught Bornir and Azrael. Azrael tried to dispel the mage's images, but the amber sphere nullified his magic. Perhaps a globe of invulnerabilty they thought?
Azrael then fought a guard and the mage in hand-to-hand combat. His elemental relationship with the plane of air afforded him some resistance to electricity and he barely noticed the damage as he attacked the mage's images. The elemental was killed by a guard and Morgrim had taken a serious beating repeatly from the mage's spells.
One by one the guards fell, then as the mage had lost all of his images, and used all of his spells, he changed. His form rippled and shimmered and he changed into a towering hulk of an orc. He drew a silver bastard sword and wielding it two handed flew into a furious rage hacking repeatedly at Azrael. Azrael was startled but the three pressed the shape changer and he fell to the floor, dead.
The trio, amazed to have survived, looted the dopplegangers corpse and search behind the throne, finding a secret door. Thedoppleganger had a 6 armed tentacled design tatooed to his forhead. Through the secret door they found his lair and treasure, along with a note in a foreign script.

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