#100 - Partisanship and Regret

Storrgrim, the frost giant jarl (spirit)
inhabiting the Defiler's Bane (mace)

As told by Magnus of the Island of Seren.

I stood paralyzed.  I couldn’t move, which is something I hate (but have strangely been growing accustomed to). It seems that with all the magic in our midst these days, I am becoming more and more useless. On Seren, I had a purpose and my abilities were keeping pace with my desires. Lately, I spend my time frozen, paralyzed, held, blinded, blasted, snared, burned, unconscious, or unable to reach the foes we face. I feel like I haven’t landed one decent mash with my mace in days.

Storrgrim is watching me fail. This is not why I left Seren. My friends lead me astray, but I could never survive any of it without them. There are too many loops in the vine. I cannot see either end of the tale.

The strangest fight I can remember had unfolded in the chamber below: a wall of cheese, ice storms, fireballs, unicorns, new allies, and desperate measures. To top it all off, while I stood immobile and stricken by a serpent-flung spell, useless and bleeding and paralyzed at the end of the fight, the summoned unicorn came and healed me and wandered off. The party was regrouping, sorting through coins and smelling the cheese. Eventually, I shook off the numbness from my limbs and sat on the small ledge to start sewing myself back into some kind of fighting trim. But why?

The newcomer walked into view, a tough looking human with a very long weapon. It was a spear of considerable length, which I later heard was specifically called a partisan. This would not have been a practical weapon in the jungles of Seren.

She called herself Win. Win? With that obviously magic weapon, I bet she wins a lot. Storrgrim took note and I could feel his desire to stay near that weapon. Perhaps he wishes to change the owner of the mace. I feel unworthy.

I said my greeting to Win—rather, Wynn—and it slowly dawned on me that she was from Karrnath, a cold, northern realm I have only heard my companions speak of. Simel is a Karrn as well. Perhaps they will have much to talk about.

Then the unicorn vanished. More senseless magic. Does it make sense to Aleae, I wonder?

Clarion had heard the commotion and he walked into the vaulted chamber. He went about healing us and began his usual silent, magical chatter with Aleae. With my body ready for some more adventure, I hopped down from the balcony edge and said hello again, introducing Wynn to him. Clarion was not very interested at first, but after he secured the room he quite suddenly took interest in her—or at least her weapon. I'm not sure I have ever seen a warforged become so agitated without moving much. He interrogated her about it and expressed some strange familiarity with it. Where did she get it? From her family. I didn't quite follow the full exchange, but eventually Clarion grew calm and turned away again.

I started to remind everyone about our pressing current mission, to talk to the angel and then to kill the vampire, Governor Trazzen. After some discussion of the weight of a bag of coins, we headed back to the angel's hallway from which we had branched off.

Here Cypher and Aleae noticed a figure behind us standing in the darkness, back by the dark shaft we had descended. Cypher called out and we saw our old traveling companion Halbazar! He was much changed—no longer stout and warm, but pale and gaunt. Wynn even named him as being clearly undead.

I recall him trapped in the mirror under the Dhakaani keep, and then Rendar freeing him, and us bringing his very altered (and somewhat treacherous) self to the halfling house of healing in Droaam. It was there that Trazzen the vampire took him, killing almost all who were in that place. Before me very stood a servant of Trazzen, in the altered body of Halbazar. I told him I was here to kill Trazzen and he told me that it was not possible, that I would lose. I have heard that before, but my wounds keep healing so I continue on.

Halbazar offered to escort us to see the governor, for the governor had an offer for us, some terms of surrender maybe. As Halbazar put it, we could save our lives by joining Trazzen. Not likely. I will fight that vampire, I will attack his magical cunning with my simple strength and dragon-bone mace. I may lose and then he may take me and use me the way he took Halbazar and put him to foul purpose.  Those are my terms. I said so and he spoke slander against the dragons. Wisely, then, Halbazar left us, assuring us the next time we met it would not be under peaceful circumstances.

I later wondered how he knew where to find us. It may be that the undead ogre and minotaurs who came after us earlier made too much noise. Or perhaps they had been missed.

We set up marching down the too-smooth tunnel. After a time, we came to a strange wall of glass clouded by frozen gray mist. There was door in the middle with no handle. When Cypher touched the door to examine it, it sank into the mist. We debated what to do. Clarion ignored the discussion and simply stepped through the door. The door closed behind him and we lost sight of him altogether. We could only watch as the frozen gray mist in the room beyond the wall rolled back, revealing an outdoor scene:

A battle had taken place, but it was over now. Clarion, much "younger" and more beat-up-looking,  and lacking any religious icons on his armor, mercilessly killed a surrendering soldier and then dismembered him. We watched in horror as the gentle Clarion used his weapons to de-flesh the bones, used them to attempt to make music or percussive sounds, and then in the last he tried quite unsuccessfully to re-assemble the corpse. Then the vision faded.

Resolved to shame, I stepped through the door with no discussion. While unhindered, I found my mind troubled with something, a regret I have tried to dismiss for the better part of a year now. Around me the room was obscured but I eventually passed from it to emerge into another hall. I found Clarion there, his normal polished self, standing, looking quietly back. I don’t know what he saw in the misty window; as I watched the others follow, one by one, I can only conclude that he—that they—viewed a moment of shame in my past. 

Thankfully he said nothing.

One by one the group passed through the clouded gray chamber to join us, and each was shown to be a horrible vicious person with little regard for the dragon-granted livesof others. 

We watched as Cypher, likewise "younger" and carrying far fewer possessions, climbed into a building in some city. Shortly after he departed, the building exploded in fire, and there were helpless people inside. I saw there was a young girl within.


Within a forest, Simel, in the natural changeling form we have seldom seen, tortured a man. A warrior, perhaps, but helpless and defeated, unable to defend himself honorably. It was not brief.

In another forest, with taller trees and more vibrant plant life such as I have not seen even on Seren Island, Aleae—or rather, a much, much younger Aleae (decades ago, centuries?)—used her powerful wild magic to destroy what seemed to be a sister or cousin during what I took to be a harmless squabble. Then she marked her face and arms to seem like she had been in a real battle. 

I turned away as Wynn came through, she deserves her privacy. I wish I had done the same for my friends. We do not know Wynn at all, the good or the bad. But the others chose to watch her past unfold.

We assembled on the other side of the misty wall, each aware that the rest had seen us at our worst.

This is hardly the way to meet an angel.

#99 - Two-Headed and Serpentine Trouble

With the use of the Immovable Rod, rope, and Clarion's considerable weight, the group descended the shaft down and then out again into another passage (the shaft itself seemed to disappear into an abyss). Shortly down the next tunnel—which bore the same too-straight, too-smooth walls of the previous one—the party came across the pick-clean remains of umber hulk carapaces and a broken tunnel, likely burrowed by the same creatures, running almost perpendicular.

Sahlessh took off running down the burrow-tunnel when he heard the sound of a woman scream issue in that direction. "Saralith!" he exclaimed.

The group followed, slower than the Seren monk, while Clarion remained behind to stand guard. Aleae had briefly glimpsed a figure following the group; there was a need for watchful eyes.

Through a series of irregular tunnels the rest of the party ventured, coming at last into a goblin-carved chamber with a high balcony accessed by stairs across a pit. The design of the hall was becoming familiar, for Magnus and Cypher both passed through Dhakaani ruins even before Glyphstone Keep. A mound of gold and copper coins—easily several thousand—lay in the center of the chamber before the stairs up. As they began to examine the room, they were set upon by monsters!

The Journal of Wynn Dennavar

Zarantyr, 999 YK, part two

The day continued to get stranger from there.

As much as I wanted to fully investigate exactly where in Glyphstone Keep the teleportation rune had taken me, I had not come prepared for an extended stay underground. My options were limited. I had no desire to fight my way through the rock-worm nest, and had already taken wounds fending them off. Nor did I want to attempt to navigate the gaping pit, all the more so after glimpsing an unidentifiable quadruped and hearing its hooves against the stone. I chose to progress upward, towards the surface, and quickly before the rock worms reemerged.

The shaft continued up beyond the range of my light, but I reached a tunnel after fifteen feet of hard climbing. The walls, like the floor, had clearly been sculpted with magic. No rock I have seen has ever been so seamless and smooth.

I heard noise from deeper in the tunnel. Voices, loud but garbled beyond recognition. At the time it gave me hope that the surface might not be far away. This tunnel was shorter than the others, so I hooked my lantern to my belt and held the Fang parallel to the ground in order to advance.

Before I had gone more than a few steps, the voices heightened in pitch, and the sounds of battle began: running feet, weapons hitting flesh, and thunderous magic.

I had been moving too quickly. The floor abruptly dropped out from under my feet, becoming a steep chute. I fell, losing dozens of feet in elevation every second and heading directly for the source of the noises.

Somehow, I maintained my footing when I shot out into a wide corner. To my left, a short empty hall that turned out of sight. Ahead, pools of blood on the floor and walls, and the silhouette of a humanoid. Beyond him, something misshapen and monstrous. From what I later learned was happening around the corner, it was the most peaceful place I could have entered the battlefield. At the time, however, confusion and wariness kept me from venturing towards the noise, which came from every direction but back up the impossibly steep chute.

The humanoid—who I later knew as a Karrn named Simel—had to have heard my arrival, but was preoccupied. His attacker, a large purple snakelike creature, darted towards him and sank its fangs into his armor, tearing through the leather. Given the choice between targets, it was obvious I would throw in with the creature possessing legs and lacking long, poison-dripping fangs. I loosed a bolt from my crossbow, but missed.

The familiar sight of an exploding a fireball in the room beyond nearly blinded me, and scorched my bolt to cinders before it hit the ground. My caution in hanging back probably saved my life, for fireballs know neither friend nor foe, and I doubted my appearance would have convinced the caster to alter its placement.

At that point the serpent—whose face was disturbingly human-like in all the wrong ways—struck again, Simel collapsed, and the beast spat acidic venom at me. I ducked, and heard it sear the stone behind me. It fled around the corner and out of sight.

For a foolish moment I felt safe. Then my nose and ears caught up to my eyes. I was overwhelmed by a sickening stench, and heard massive stomping feet approaching my position. What I could only call an orcish giant lumbered into sight through the disappearing wisps of fire. It was unlike any other ogre I had encountered: it was far large, it had two malformed heads, was caked from head to toe in layers of cracked, blackened filth, the source of the stench. One head bled profusely, the other grinned madly. Both sets of eyes locked on us.

I advanced to meet it, moving around the fallen Simel. At that moment I first glimpsed the room beyond my corner.

*     *     *

The following description is reconstructed from my memories of the event and brief descriptions from the others involved. While I admit to the possibility of introducing errors in placement and timing, I assure the reader that the less-believable aspects of the following are in reality the most accurately portrayed.

The battlefield was an expansive chamber ringed by a balcony. I stood between the top of wide stairs and a stretch of narrow balcony positioned over a deep pit. A large man raining blood—mostly his own, and practically the only covering he wore—stood frozen on the balcony, mace clutched in a death-grip. Nearby and below, a canine-shaped homonculus crouched sideways, spider-like, on the wall. Beyond her—as I came to learn, the homonculus is referred to as female—a smaller-sized warforged of the trapsetting kind favored by the Brelish reloaded his arm crossbow. I had missed the shot he took, but he crouched close to the wall with the stance of a creature that’s—whose—desperation at the course of the battle prompted enough bravery to step out of the shadows.

There was also—and remember my caveat above, as I assure the reader that I took time after the battle to ascertain the truth of the words I write—a ten-foot high wall of densely-packed cheese cordoned off a section of the lower chamber.

There is little more to say about it, except that it was without a doubt real, and did nothing to improve the chamber’s stench.

In the rear of the chamber beyond the wall of cheese, the elf that had conjured it was dwarfed in the shadow of a massive, pearl-white unicorn.

*     *     *

From my new position I spotted the deer-like creature, trailing of blood down the stairs, and several more snakes. Despite the injuries on the ruminant beast—in truth, calling the oily, hideous thing a deer would be an insult to deerkind—the fight did not appear to be going well for my would-be allies. They fought utterly without discernible leadership or coordination, operating on raw firepower and determination. That alone would have made the following weeks a severe adjustment for me, but in the grand scheme it became the least of my worries.

Then, the unicorn burst into motion. This was no battlefield illusion. Its hoofbeats rang like bronze on the stone, the yellow torchlight somehow not marring the perfect whiteness of its coat. Its enraged snorts were the only mundane thing about it, yet the most convincing feature of its authenticity. It gored the deer-like creature, finishing it off, then charged up the stairs, and attacked the giant. The hooves beat ineffectually against the filth-caked hide, but the animal's spiral horn sank deep into its flesh.

I had miscalculated my positioning to the two-headed giant, not expecting its heads to grant it coordination enough to swing its arms independently. It barely missed me, but struck the unconscious Simel on the ground. The blow from the weapon jolted him awake despite the serpent's poison, and as he scrambled to his feet I noticed the Karrnathi emblem he wore—a welcome sight after the nearly three weeks since I had left my homeland.

I didn’t get a second chance to strike at the giant. There was another mercurial spell, and this time my ears caught the telltale crackling sound that warned me to shut my eyes against the flash. But it wasn't fire and light: When I opened my eyes again, an orb of thunderous force slammed into the creature and set it off balance.
Simel, in impressively close quarters, sank a peculiar black arrow into one of the giant's four eyes and it toppled at last into the abyss from which, I later learned, it had first climbed.

I pursued the serpent that had spat at me, gave and received in the scuffle, until it vanished into a swirl of mist. These serpents were spellcasters.

With the giant gone, the unicorn rounded the balcony corner directly towards me. Acting more on instinct than logic, I pressed myself against the wall, and it flew past me without a sideways glance. Even the homonculus that had moved up to defend the paralyzed barbarian yielded before it. The creature clattered to a halt in front of the man, lowered its radiant head, and touched its horn to the center of his chest with surprising gentleness. The barbarian remained frozen stiff, but blood ceased to leak from his wounds.

Then, for the briefest moment, the chamber was quiet.

#98 - Tunnel Heat

From the Analects of Simel, veteran of Karrnath

Usually at any crossroads a debate would ensue, but the unexpected and vicious attack by the cave dwellers left us open to the first suggestion to leave. Magnus voted to further investigate the upper

tunnel and none demurred. Once we attained the perch, the iron defender Rungo again acted as our scout and a circular room with a doomed ceiling was discover at some distance down the hewn corridor. An exit from the room lay opposite the entrance as well as two circular indentations at right angles to the entrance that mirrored its appearance—but contained only rock walls. Cypher led an investigation of the circular carvings as we all believed them to be hidden doorways, but no mechanism or marking could be discovered and they they seemed as solid as the rest of the room.

I had hung back listening for any sounds coming from behind us as I felt others of our party were far better equipped to solve such riddles, when I heard rapidly approaching footfalls echoing in the cavern we had left behind. I sounded the alarm and rushed to the ledge hoping to surprise any attacker. Aleae kneeled beside me peering into the darkness that even my magical eyewear could not penetrate. The footsteps turned to alarmingly loud thuds as three large shadows headed directly towards us.  I made out the skeletal shapes of two massive ogre-sized skeletons with what, when they were covered with flesh, might have been the fleshless heads of bulls. Just behind them was a similarly hulking creature who, while its bones were still covered with flesh, had misplaced whole swaths of its skin. Very large axes and clubs were carried in their dead, but animate hands.

I loosed an ineffectual arrow and the creatures continued in their run, hardly noticing that they no longer ran on the floor, but where now running directly up the cave wall we had struggled to climb just minutes before. There would be no chance at ambush. Rungo left our ledge and attempted to cast light on the creatures, biting one of the bony ones as it passed her. Abandoning my bow I attempted to trip the closest bone beast, but while it fell to one knee unbalanced, it refused to fall, and instead clung to the cave wall. Sahlessh closed the gap striking another of the beasts repeatedly and while it also refused to fall to the cave floor below, it seemed quite distracted as its bones visibly shattered.

Distracted as they were by our initial attacks, the tide shifted quickly and we were able to still all three of the beasts, as their bones and rotted flesh fell back to the cavern floor below.

I was not alone in being spent, but until we had investigated the tunnel behind us, this was not a place to rest.  I investigated the bodies, looking for any clue as to their origin, but only found the numbers 13, 4 and 5 carved into their foreheads.  The numbers themselves did not suggest any deeper meaning, other than perhaps that quantities of these creatures existed.  So many in fact that numbers were required to keep track of them.  I could only hope that their keeper could not count past 13.

Returning to the circular room and the tunnel beyond, we found an area blackened by flame with scattered shared debris. Magnus tossed a thighbone of one of the skeletal creatures ahead of us and the corridor was filled with a furnace-blast of flame. Heat washed over us and a great wind rolled the nor charred bone to our feet. Sahlessh carefully investigated the burnt remains and noticed amount the debris a flute. Damaged by the flame he still was able to identify it, impossibly, as a cherished belonging that had been taken from him. He tried playing a note, and while hardly beautiful, it still functioned.

We attempted tossing other items and I shot an arrow, hoping that the magical flames would perhaps take time to recharge between blasts, but with each prodding, the flames would again appear and the heat would feel just as strong.

Seeing no immediate solution, I left this puzzle to those more suited to puzzling and settled down to rest while keeping half an ear listening for the arrival of more company. Cypher's experience during the war suggested he was most suited to disarming such a magical barrier and after some discussion with the others he infused himself with various magics he possessed. He fairly glowed with energies I could not begin to understand, though presumably they afforded him some measure of protection.  Then he strode forward and disappeared into flames as what I hoped would not become his pyre reignited. Nearly a full minute passed and none of us dared speak. I could see his outline flicked and disappear only to appear again and then the flames went out. Smoke curled up from every joint and I could see the heat rising off of him twist the air. If a warforged could look satisfied, he did.  He showed us the runes which seemed to control this trap, but now we faced another. Farther down the hall a gale would instantly rise up and knock us back. It seems whoever wanted to keep intruders out was a master of elemental magics.

This puzzle was more easily defeated by Magnus with the help of his enormous strength, an Immovable Rod, and a length of rope. Again, runes caused the raging wind and Magnus was able to disable them.

Beyond the second set of runes we prepared for another trap but found that the tunnel ended in a pit that descended into inky blackness that even my treasured goggles could not penetrate.

#97 - Treasures and Tendrils

Excerpt from the Cypher's Codex: The Scrawlings of a Warforged Scholar

The Brelish wizard Elidac presented us with a fine leather-bound wooden chest of Lukar’s belongings. There were some very useful magical items inside and Elidac was amenable to identifying each of them, as well as the several items Simel had found on Lukar’s disabled body.
Below is a detailed inventory of the items acquired from our adventure in the upper keep.

Items acquired from the various phantasms we visited:

• Bag of Bones (borne by Cypher) - From the phantasmal event of Lurinet of Aundair. There are nine small bones in the bag. Planting a single bone in the ground will produce an unknown effect approximately one minute later. This effect sounds very similar to Aleae’s Wand of Wonder; therefore, it is not subject to further, qualitative analysis. Dumping the entire bag’s contents on on the ground will cause a great explosion, damaging all creatures within the vicinity, including the aggressor. A most fascinating set of items, I look forward to seeing them in use.  I have decided to keep these in my supplies for the time being.
• Elixir of Health (borne by Cypher) - From the phantasmal event of Lukar of Thrane. A decanter of frothy blue liquid with tiny bubbles of light inside. Contains enough for two doses. Drinking a dose of the potion can cure disease and a number of other ailments.
• Goggles of Night (borne by Simel) - From the phantasmal event of Lukar of Thrane. Wearing these goggles grants the wearer exception darkvision.
• Immovable Rod (borne by Cypher) - From the phantasmal event of Charise of Cyre. A silver but otherwise unremarkable cylinder. Pressing the small button on one side causes the rod to activate, becoming fixed in space. It can bear exception amounts of weight. Pressing the button again de-activates it.

Items taken from the corpse of Lukar of Thrane:

• Lukar’s Cane (borne by Cypher) - A finely crafted magical staff with the head of a goat carved in the top. Upon striking a creature, the wielder may choose to unleash a spell of Polymorph from within the cane.  This power can only be unleashed once each day. Currently only Lukar could activate the power of the cane. Anyone else who attempts to use the cane’s magical powers, or identify its properties as I found out with the most difficulty, will become the target of the Polymorph spell. I don’t think this cane will prove functionally useful to our group.  The only person who could have wielded it is Aleae and she does not seem interested in fighting with such a weapon. I do think that House Cannith would make use of this tool, once they readjust its matrix to allow another to use it. I will hold it in order to sell at a Cannith enclave.
• Bracelet of Feather Fall (borne by Aleae) - Fine silver bracelet with inscribed feathers around the band. Allows the wearer to cast a localized effect similar to the Feather Fall spell.
• Gem of the Earth Elemental (borne by Cypher and hidden from Aleae) - When cast upon the ground, an earth elemental is summoned in the place where the gem lands. The elemental will be friendly to the thrower and his companions and will obey verbal commands. The elemental remains on this plane for an hour or until it is destroyed. Simel and I were very careful to keep this item from Aleae’s awareness. I had strong suspicions that it was elemental conjuration magic and I did not want her to throw a fit like the last time we encountered such magic. Elemental magic is a powerful tool to be wielded deftly.



A sample of
rubellite tourmaline. 

• Lukar’s Dagger (borne by Simel) - A magical dagger with accoutrement of the Silver Flame

Former possessions of Lukar of Thrane:

• Two mundane gems (borne by Aleae): a fire opal and a star ruby, each estimated to be worth about 1,000 galifars.
• Quiver (mundane) with 15 arrows (born by Simel)
• 10 death arrows - magical arrows capable of sing the archer's own life force to exact greater punishment upon the target.
• 5 guardian arrows - strong magical arrows that increase the bearer's awareness of his surroundings.
• Staff of Clairvoyance (borne by Aleae) - Curled staff of ivory topped with a rubellite tourmaline. This magical staff grants its wield access to the Clairvoyance spell, and heightens one's magical defenses when grasped with both hands. 
• “Faith Bolt” (borne by Magnus) A javelin made of enchanted silver and wrapped in silk, this Javelin of Lightning was blessed by the Church of the Silver Flame. Lukar called it a Faithbolt. When activated while thrown and the command words spoken ("For the Silver Flame"), the Bolt will trail a massive lightning bolt, hitting each target, friend or foe, along its path. This magic is tied to the Silver Flame, so some measure of faith must be exerted to continue using the Faith Bolt’s powers. Much studying must be performed to understand this divine magic.
• Ring of Jumping (borne by Clarion) - A silver ring printed with the impression of an animal's print around the band. Allows the wearer to cast the Jump spell several times each day.
• Potion of Stone Giant Strength (borne by Simel) - Imbiber becomes as strong as a stone giant for an hour.
• Potion of Heroism (borne by Magnus) - A red seething liquid, gives the imbiber extra energy and the effects of a Blessing for an entire hour.
• Potions of Greater Healing (2 borne by Aleae and Clarion) - Potent potions of healing.
• 2 Scrolls of Protection (Protection from Plants, borne by Cypher, and Protection from Fiends, borne by Clarion) - Reading the scroll will create a 5-foot radius, 10-foot-high cylinder centered around the reader for 5 minutes. The barrier prevents creatures of the type specified from entering the cylinder and from affecting anything in the cylinder. Unlike scrolls created by an arcanist, these can be activated by any creature who can read.
• Draught of Impending Death (borne by Cypher) - A milky white liquid, the drinker will be repaired magically after being disabled within 24 hours of drinking the Draught.
• Philter of Sacrifice (borne by Cypher) - Two creatures drink from the potion, alchemically linking them for 24 hours. The first time one of the drinkers is disabled, they are repaired instantly but the other person loses a measure of life energy to balance the effects.

While we examined and equipped ourselves with these new devices, Elidac and the remaining wizards—Garrek of Karrnath, Charise of Cyre, and Lurinet of Aundair—looked on. I have noticed that only Elidac speaks to us. The other wizards always seem half-present.

After presented with several choices of where the wizards were willing to transport us, we decided rather quickly to visit the halls far beneath Glyphstone Keep where the alleged angel named Talor resided. Aleae questioned Elidac about what he knew of the Mournland—for her own errand, though unclear to me, is relates to the Mourning—and he suggested that if were truly insistent on that topic that we might find Talor more knowledgeable. He believed Talor may have been directly involved somehow, although he didn't appear to assign blame to the angel.

Elidac referred to Talor as a justicator of his kind. This was not a title with which we were familiar but the root word—justice—was immediately apparent. Elidac also warned us that while Talor may be considered "good" he is also dangerous and that we may be judged in his presence.

Elidac said that we would be welcome to return to this place if we wished, though we would have to return by conventional means. Then with a few arcane words Elidac cast a spell of teleportation.

We arrived moments later in a dark cavern. Given the sizable stalagmites and stalactites, we knew we must far underground indeed. A single passage wound up and out of sight and smelled of decay. Additionally a ledge was discovered 40 feet overhead by Simel, whose darkvision goggles allowed him to spy the aperture. I sent Rungo to climb the wall and investigate and she discovered the passage led to to another room, this one perfectly hewn from the rock in a way that makes it distinct from the goblin-carved passages of Glyphkeep proper. She also reported the air to be significantly warmer up in the passage above.

We fashioned two 50-foot lengths of rope and had Rungo bring one end up and then over the outcropping, allowing Clarion and myself to hold anchor while the others climbed up safely.  When several of the party members were safely along the outcropping, they were attacked by an unknown assailant. At the same time Simel and Clarion are attacked from below, ensnared by the stony yet flexible tendrils of an animate stalagmite, as we could see with Clarion’s dancing lights. Rungo informed me that there was a similar moving stalactite attacking the group from above, but they, like myself, were unable to see it in the dark. I infuse Rungo with magical light and sent her to climb and illuminate the creature on the cavern ceiling.

Over the past several weeks I have been honing the skills I learned in the creation forge and the Brelish army. They taught me to be swift and steady, the better to handle dangerous traps quickly, to get in and get out quickly without any trace. The consistent practice came to fruition and my speed in combat is now greatly increased. It will provide our party with a great tactical advantage.  I clambered up the wall with ease and got in position to attack with my armbow once Rungo lit up the target.

Magnus fought free from the adhesive tendrils of the stalactite and heaved the "Faithbolt" at the creature, activating the lightning power. Unfortunately Magnus was not very proficient in using magical items and he didn’t realize the risk that he was putting Rungo through, as she was between Magnus and the stalactite. Rungo took a massive hit of lightning, while the javelin and its energy completely missed its target. A bite from the stalactite and Rungo was nearly disabled but thankfully Aleae’s Wand of Wonder put the creature to sleep. Rungo bit the stalactite once more and then ran full-speed back towards me. A mundane javelin from Magnus finished off the stalactite on the
ceiling.

Meanwhile the stalagmite on the ground was hounding Clarion and Simel, but they fought back. Sahlessh, in a burst of speed I cannot properly understand, jumped down the 40-foot drop and performed a magnificent flying kick to the creature. He repeatedly struck the stone-like creature with various parts of his body before being savagely bitten by it. Simel, at last, disabled it with his rapier.

We are far from beaten, but had not expected to be attacked so suddenly. I am left wondering whether these creatures were independent subterranean predators, or whether they were sentries placed here to surprised intruders. And if so, whose are they? Avashad's or the angel's?

"What, is it my breath?"