ADVENTURE 31: Teloks Rage

The Characters

Telok: Elf cleric of Obad-hai, divine disciple, level 13 CN
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 31: Teloks Rage: Back in the overminds lair, they searched its basin to find some interesting treasures, including a powerful amulet of armor. (Although Telok and Verrof were drained of their wisdom by going between the pillars. It was promptly restored at some experience cost.) In most of the surrounding rooms they found nothingonly broken architecture and piles of headless bones from the mind-flayers victims. In one room there were too pillars, with an insctiption at their base indicating that this was a test of strength. Verrof stepped between the pillars, and was instantly transported to an arena where he fought a two-headed giant. Barely winning, Verrof came back bloody and battered, carrying a Manual of Gainful Exercise. In the northern room they discovered another testa test of faith, which consisted of a three-step pyramid. Telok climbed it, answering several questions and then facing an undead assailant before gaining another bookthe tome of understanding.
All of the chambers near the mind-flayer lair checked, the characters then descended the other staircase that led into the central room. At the end of it was a huge cavern, thousands of feet wide. In the center was an enormous crater, filled with dark water. Not wishing to climb the steep outer rim, the cleric cast air-walk and the PCs flew up over the top. Inside of the crater-lake, Jeb could see a large form moving around; some kind of fish. As he pointed this out to the others, Jerry could feel evil coming form it. Telok went down to ask a divination of his god. He found out that the lake had a secret, and that the fish was possibly undead. The PCs formulated a plan to conquer this threat. First they made holes in the side of the crater, draining some water from it. Then, Telok went down to lure the fish out. He tried turning it, but with no success. It jumped out, a zombified shark with rotting flesh and horrid features. It attacked Telok, but the others were ready. Jestyn froze the lake surface with a freezing sphere, Jerry and Verrof attacked the thing, killing it. It soon fell through the ice and began sinking. After using some water breathing, and cold protection spells, the PCs were able to search the lakes bottom, where they found a single large boulder, blocking some kind of hole. After many tries the two warriors were able to move it, revealing an underwater passage. Going through it, the PCs found that it lead to the surface eventually, to a dark and dismal corridor. In the middle of this corridor, Jeb spotted a trap. When he failed to disarm it, dozens of spears shot from the walls, hurting most of the characters, but killing none. Further on, the passage ended in a square room adorned with paintings of Orcus and his minions. At the center of it was a stone crypt, each side with a painting of a door on it. The words Abase, Thee, And, Enter, were featured in Abyssal, one above each fake door. The characters tried many things to enter, but none of them worked. Figuring it was a kind of religious test, they abased themselves, bowing down and even offering prayers to their respective gods. Verrof even demanded that Orcus open the doors for them, and though he felt a cold sense of fear, nothing happened. Telok concluded that they would have to actually bow down and worship Orcus for the doors to open, but nobody was ready to test out his theory. Since no magic seemed to work here, the PCs eventually left. They swam back out, then decided to explore some of the hallway where they had first found the flayers room. In the most south room they found a secret door that lead to another tunnel, this one ending at a room with four doors in it, suspended in mid-air. Nothing was on the other side of any of the doors, only a black void and a gust of wind. Divinations revealed what lay beyond, to some extent; teleporters to the lair of a great beast, a place under the well, a place of chance and corruption, and finally the worst of all places. They decided to take the door leading under the well.
They found themselves in a similar room, containing four other such doors, which they ignored. They took the only exit, coming into a dark, cavernous room containing a pool of water, another exit, and a circle of six figureshorrid undead with their eyes and mouths sewn shut. Telok turned five of them, instantly destroying the monsters. The other one was killed by the warriors. Jerry sent his falcon of light to explore a tunnel he found in the pool. At the other end was a large cavern, full of stirges! Luckily, they couldnt hurt his bird, and so Jerry quickly sent it back, and they decided to explore the nearby door instead. It lead down to some stairs. A quick walk took them to the next level, a large cave featuring a nearby river, some side passages and a large central column. On one end of the room they fought several carrion crawlers, easily slain. Jeb took a magical dagger found on one of their victims. Going south, they were about to cross a part of the river when an incorporeal being arose from the floor and attacked, though it was slain almost instantly. The river proved to be far more lethal. Jerry jumped across with his great strength, and Verrof was able to swim it. Telok, however, sank immediately and started floating downstream, toward a nearby waterfall. Jestyn did the same. Verrof leaped back in after both. Telok was able to water-walk himself up to the surface, and there he waited while the others were drowning, deciding to explore the river further and looking down to see where the waterfall went. As Verrof attempted his rescue of Jestyn, he too was sucked down by the current, and though he tried grabbing the wizard, he was barely able to save himself. Jestyn cast a wall of force, preventing them from falling too far down the river, but also blocking Teloks escape. Verrof was nearly sucked under it, almost dying if not for Telok, who grabbed him and water-walked him as well. Jerry through a rope out, and Jestyn was able to grab onto it. Everyone was still alive, though shaken from their ordeal. No matter their power, nature itself was still greater. Past the river, the party headed further south along a narrow passage, deciding to explore a cave. Here, three rust-monsters hungrily jumped out. Jestyn immediately disintegrated one of them, though the others rushed Telok before he could get out of their way. They ate his precious armor, and it fell to the ground, rusted in half. Utterly enraged by this, the cleric cast a flame-strike spell, which instantly killed the rust monsters. It also injured Jerry, nearly killed Jeb, and did kill the tiny Snaggletooth, who afterwards resembled nothing so much as fried chicken. Immediately Jestyn cast a cold spell on Telok, hoping to weaken him in case he was betraying the party. Verrof confronted him, demanding that Telok pay for a true resurrection for snaggletooth, or else suffer his wrath. Jerry managed to prevent any violence with his gentle words, but there was still much anger here, as Telok didnt seem at all repentant. A single umber-hulk briefly interrupted the argument, but was easily killed. They decided to teleport back to town to further discuss this.
In town, Telok agreed to pay for Snaggletooths resurrection. (And later, all subsequent resurrections that the dragon might need). There was a long and heated discussion about what had happened, but in the end Snaggletooth decided to stay with the party, as did Jeb (provided they pay him extra). Telok was reprimanded, but they others decided to still give him a chance. Later that day, it was discovered that Karsyla was still absent from her temple. Supposedly, she had gone to the mainland for some priestly business. Oddly, no sendings could reach her. The characters suspected the worst, though divinations revealed no foul play afoot. Missing her, Jerry moped around the temple. Jestyn had dinner with his ladys father, asking him for permission to marry her. He was yet undecided, however, a bit apprehensive about elf-human marriages. The next day, Anna Marie decided to travel with the party, as she wished to test out her new fighting skills on the weaker monsters in Rappan Athuks upper floors. Telok also invited a local girl to join them, (a young woman named Mindy who he had met in a bar), but she didnt seem quite ready to adventure. The session ended with a bit of conflict, due to all the in-party fighting, but in the end the party remained together.

DM’S COMMENTS: This was a bad one, mostly due to ridiculous party conflict and bad role-playing. It didn’t end in death, but some characters (Verrof and Telok) seemed ready to go at it. We’ll see what happens next time.