ADVENTURE 21: The Rakshasas Revenge

The Characters

Telok: Elf cleric of Obad-hai, divine disciple, level 11 CG
Jerry Springwater: Human Fighter-Paladin-Justicar, Level 10 LG
Jestyn: High Elf Wizard, Level 10 N
Verrof: Earth Genasi Ranger-Foe Hunter, Level 9 CG, ECL 10
Sithdar Darkblade: Human Rogue-Assassin, Level 11 NE

ADVENTURE 21: The Rakshasas Revenge: Going into the main mausoleum, the gargoyles were still gone, although the interior had been repaired. Inside the dungeon, they passed through the first level without trouble, noticing that the vine growth was subsiding. On the second floor the characters had an equally easy time, soon finding the stairs to level three.
The huge cavern opened up before them, filled with fungus growth and life of all sorts, dominated by a huge central rock formation. Suddenly, Sithdar got a message in his mind from Scramge: an invitation to meet in some secret room located on the rock formation. The characters investigated it. Telok cast True Seeing, finding a hidden staircase leading up to a door in the middle of the natural column. Arranging themselves, the PCs got ready to go in. Jerry went first, finding the door unlocked and leading into a plain tomb beyond. He went inor rather, he went insane. As he stepped through, the brave Justicar instantly became a complete moron, losing both his intellect and instinct. Not even able to speak, he dashed into the tomb and took the lid off the sarcophagus, wanting to use it as a slide to go down the stairs. The others tried helping him, but none of their spells were powerful enough. Suddenly, Scramge appeared. He charmed Sithdar, getting the rogue to help him try to defeat Telok. He suggested that Verrof run off, far away from the battle. The Rakshasa seemed utterly unaffected by any spells or actions the characters took. After using the coffin lid to sled down the stairs, the insane Jerry went back up and put on a robe he found on a dead wizard there. He also took the wizards staff, thinking it looked neat. When he went down, he began poking Sithdar with it. Sithdar grabbed the staff away from him. Immediately, the rogue melted into nothing, all of his coins instantly exploding in a burst of magical energy, making him very dead indeed. Jerry seemed unaffected, since he carried no money. The battle was long and difficult. Scramges jackalwere minions showed up, though proved to be easy foes, and so did a purple worm, which Jestyn charmed. (Though it didnt even hurt Scramge). Finally, Verrofs suggestion was dispelled while the others recovered. The ranger was nearly slain by two trolls that Scramge summoned, though both proved to be only illusions. As the heroes pummeled their enemy, he decided to make a run for it. With his fast speed, he ran back to what they believed to be his lair, beyond a door in a hammer-shaped room to the south. Through the door they found an odd sightan ogre guard with a little girl as his captive. Teloks True Sight revealed that it was the other way around: the ogre was the girl and the girl was the ogrean illusion. Going on the clerics word, Verrof attacked the seeming child, beating her into the ground with his mace. The ogre then ran into the rooms corner. Finally, Telok dispelled it all, revealing the truth. The girl, whose name was Carrie, was from the nearby village (in which all the citizens had disappeared many months ago). She couldnt remember much, only having terrible memories of bad men doing bad things, who wished to make her undead. She said the tiger-man was beyond the next door. The characters went onward, leaving Jestyns familiar to guard the child.
In the next room was a regal sight: a nobeman atop a throne, lovely women all around. It was all an illusion too, and in the room beyond was Scramge himselfvery real and waiting amidst a horrid chamber of people on meat hooks. As the characters went inside, the tiger-fiend unleashed a fire-ball from a scroll. He then disappeared into his mirror, which hung atop the ceiling. Figuring that it was a gateway to his home plane, Jestyn found out that the mirrors code-word was Sithdar. When spoken, it transported them all to an alien dimension, where translucent geometric shapes floated through an endless mass of churning chaos. Atop an immense sphere was Scramges house, a decadent adobe mansion. Here he sat atop a throne in mighty golden armorall an illusion, just for show. He was weakened. The only damage the villain did was with a lightning bolt scroll, and then he was cornered by the warriors and finally killed. Then, his house began to collapse. Not knowing if the mirror portal could take them back, Telok cast Plane Shift.
As the characters returned to their own plane, they found that they were in an unfamiliar cavern. In the middle of it was a huge underground lake, clean water filled with pale crustacean life, other corridors leading elsewhere. Deciding not to explore this new area, Jestyn Teleported the party back to near Scramges area. Here, they retrieved the little girl and spent some time memorizing teleport again, this time returning the Nenkal City.
Back at the Temple, they managed to cure Jerrys stupidity. Upon having his curse removed, Jerry received a quest from the ghost of Spiegel the Archmage, whose tomb he had found. The quest was to destroy Orcus temple on the 12th level of the dungeon, amidst the goblin slave pits. He was given a year and a day to complete it. Sithdar was resurrected for a high price, and the party introduced the girl to High-Priestess Karsyla, who volunteered to take her in and raise her as a priestess. Verrof went to the docks and purchased a rowboat, intent on using it to travel down level 3s river and find Zelkors lair. Thus the adventure ended, with the characters victorious, albeit not without cost.

DM’S COMMENTS: This was fun for me. They fell right into Scramge’s trap, although in the end their resources were a bit better than his. The funniest moment was when Sithdar grabbed the cursed staff from the retarted Jerry. Immediately I asked to see his characer sheet. He took over nine hundred damage at once! It could have gone very bad for the PCs, but they yet live. We’ll have to see how long that living status lasts, for next they shall take on the horrors of the Well, searching for the crypt of the wizard Zelkor!