ADVENTURE 30: Pain in the Brain

The Characters

Telok: Elf cleric of Obad-hai, divine disciple, level 13 CG
Jerry Springwater: Human Fighter-Paladin-Justicar, Level 13 LG
Jestyn: High Elf Wizard, Level 13 NG
Verrof: Earth Genasi Ranger-Foe Hunter, Level 11 LG, ECL 12

ADVENTURE 30: Pain in the Brain: The PCs soon went back to the seventh level and explored further. Spending some time experimenting with teleporters, they eventually came into a long hallway filled with various doors, and a single semi-circular room at the end. They decided to take a side-passage here, and wound up going north, up some stairs. First, Jeb was sent ahead to scout. He did not return, but they could hear his screams. Running up the stairs they found the dwarf surrounded by mind flayers and their eyeless servants. This room was gigantic, filled with alien symbols and grotesque looking art, with dozens of pillars in the center, surrounding some kind of mysterious pool. Throughout the room, the PCs could feel some immense intellect, constantly prying into their own minds. As they tried to save their companion, a battle began. It was a fierce fight, lasting many minutes. As the others fought, Verrof was immediately knocked out by a fumbled hit from his own mace. Telok slew many of the eyeless beings with his spells, though eventually he was surrounded by mind-flayers, and could not cast effectively. One of the monsters got all four of its tentacles into Teloks mind, and was about to suck out his brains when Jestyn blasted it with a freezing sphere, instantly killing it. As several more pounced on the cleric, he managed to turn himself ethereal, thinking it would allow him to escape. They chased him into that plane as well, seeming to have some kind of dimensional jumping ability. The beings did the same with Jestyns force wall, ignoring it completely. Then they used a charm on Jerry, forcing him to leave the scene of the battle until it was later dispelled. Telok eventually escaped from his ethereal pursuers, and woke Verrof up. Instantly, as he swung for another monster, Verrof knocked himself out again! (Bad, bad, rolling). Meanwhile, Jestyn was swarmed by creatures. His invisibility, mirror images and stoneskin protected him from most attacks, though some still got through. One of the mind flayers got some tentacles into him too, hoping to feast on his succulent brains. Telok saved Jestyn this time, paying him back. Soon, Verrof was restored and so was Jerry. The two warriors finished of the remaining abominations, ending their foul lives. As the characters explored the room, they decided to look into the pool between the pillars. Telok prepared a divination, cautious about going near, while Verrof went right. He immediately fell unconscious (again!). Teloks divination revealed nothing. It was intercepted by some other being, not his god, which told him to leap into the pool. Going to investigate, the cleric found a strange sight; a gigantic tentacled brain that rested in a huge pool of strange fluids. He could feel it scanning his mind, and knew that it was the same being that had spoken in his divination. Jerry attempted to commune with it. As he did so, it spoke with him. He learned that it was the overmind, powerful god of the mind-flayers. He was told that they could not defeat it, and that he should become a servant of the brain-thing. He refused, and got ready to leave. Verrof, after waking up, flipped the Overmind a middle finger. He was knocked out again. They left the room, then teleported back to Nenkal, intent on researching a way to beat this thing.
Back in the city, a successful divination revealed only that the method of destroying the Overmind was long-lost and secret. Karsyla knew nothing of it, and even local adventurers had never heard of such a monster. A search in the library resulted in little more. Eventually, Jestyn had to speak with Cedric Arrenson, a wise sage who knew much of such matters. An eccentric and strange man, the sage offered to get him the information for an extravagant price, which the party gladly paid. Jestyn got the others, and Cedric gave his information, acquired through magical means. The monster could only be slain if it was first disabled with a high-priests Holy Word. Then it would have to be placed inside of a special golden box made in a hallowed smithy. Finally, another holy word, spoken in a holy temple by a high-level priest would destroy the thing. The characters spent a day and a half getting together all the gold to make the vessel. They then hired their regular armorer, Arnold, to aid them. Taking him to the secret forge in the hills south of Rappan Athuk, they began the process. It took over a day, but eventually the thing was madea huge cubical box, complete with handles.
When everyone was ready, the party persuaded High Priest Sartorious of Thyr to aid them in casting the holy words. Taking him along, they teleported back to the brains chamber and got ready to do the job quickly. Little did they know, it had brought in some extra protection. Beholderstwo of them, huge floating eyeballs with many mysterious powers. The monsters attacked. The first one disabled many characters with its antimagic ray. The second one, when it got a clear shot, used its many other eyeballs. Sartorious was killed instantly by a death ray attack, falling over from a heart attack. Verrof and Jerry were quickly disabled by a psionic blast from the Overmind, falling quickly into the embrace of sleep. Jeb charmed by a beholder, and soon disappeared from battle. One beholder, however, was soon slain by the two magic-users. The other one was a harder opponent. They could not move fast enough to get out of its magic-negating effect, and when they did it simply blasted them with its other eyes. Jestyn too fell to a mindblast from the brain, and only Telok remained. Continiously bombarded with rays, the cleric soon fell dead from all the damage he had taken. Then the beholder proceeded to try and kill the unconscious characters. Jerry, making his save against a disintegrate spell, woke up in great pain. Sadly, the beholder was able to charm him right after. As the beholder was also on the verge of death, it convinced the charmed paladin to leave. Using his great diplomatic skills, Jerry was also allowed to take the bodies of his friends with him. Outside again, they all decided to leave, especially considering the two dead clerics.
In the city, they got Telok and Sartorious raised from the dead. After preparing a bit more, they teleported right back to the beholder and the overmind. They attacked, killing the floating orb before it got a chance to strike, relieved that there were no more. Then they went for the overmind itself. Jerry and Verrof took the gold box towards the pool. Verrof was knocked out again, but they managed to awaken him. Sartorious used a holy word to disable it, and the characters eventually lifted the slippery brain up and threw it in their box, magically locking it. Arriving at Muir and Thys temple, they lifted it onto the altar, and the ritual begain. As the high priest spoke his silent word, the box shook and smoked, then eventually melted completely, covering the altar in an oddly-colored mess of gold, brains and other things. The Overmind was finally dead, or so they hoped.