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The Bowels of the Dead
Prelude
In Dinasis:
"My Lord, what are we going to do about the attacks?"
"Up patrols, reinforce with more men. But do not let the other kingdoms know what is going on"
In Gri:
"Have you found it yet?"
A women stands there at the top of a hill, eyes closed, facing a wide stretching plain, humming to herself. She opens her eyes when she hears the question.
"Do you mind? Some quiet please, I was trying to concentrate. But to answer your question I think I did."
"Good, let's hope we find it before they do."
Reanna just shakes her head. 'Haven't I taught you anything Frahgin? They don't need to look for it, they know where it is. Let's just hope he's still weak to do anything about it, and he doesn't figure out I'm the reason he was so weak when he returned home."
Adventure Summary
Things proceeded fairly well, thanks in part to Toglard's wish that we be able to use even our most powerful spells while we were in the waste. Morduke released the stone fortress which had provided us sanctuary and we continued our investigation of the ruins. We encountered a second phoenix, which fell quickly when Toglard disintegrated it. Some of our number were upset at the loss of its eyes while others thought it was a cheap price to be rid of the loathsome creature.
We continued and were attacked by a half-dozen lizard-like creatures. They came at us slowly, which helped. Toglard and Olowniuk unleashed powerful spells and several volleys of arrows from Malik also softened the lizards up. By the time they closed, nearly all of them were dead and it was but a moment's work for Ferrol, Shane Lee and Ulrich to finish them off. We pressed on. In the next room we met a half-dozen of the evil undead demons. The battle was fierce and difficult. Spells, arrows, and blows were flying from all directions. In the end, the demons got the worst of it and the group was ready to continue.
It was at that moment they took stock of their situation. Toglard, in typical fashion, had lost his patience with the pace of the mission, which, according to him, was going too slow. Even as he complained the others realized they were heading south instead of north towards their objective. Toglard unleashed several spells, first a wish to see the ring, then a "find the path" to show him the way to the ring. Satisfied that we were at least moving in the right direction, Toglard quieted down for a time. When he saw the ring, he had seen also a powerful lich with many followers. It appeared they were in for a brawl when they finally arrived. Satisfied that we were at least moving in the right direction, Toglard quieted down for a time.
We hadn't gone much longer when we encountered a lich. Perhaps the scariest part of the encounter was realizing that this was not "the" lich, but rather "a" lich, one of his lieutenants. The group charged, hoping to render his spells useless, but their efforts were met with strong resistance. First, as they approached him, two demons appeared - living and larger versions of the undead they'd fought before. Second, the volley of spells launched at him to soften him up for the fighters failed. The demons provided a good fight for several members of the group while others concentrated on the lich himself.
Their efforts to kill the lich were greatly hampered when it became clear that he was actually protecting himself with a version of anti-magic shell which prevented any spells or items but his from working within five feet of him. Even so, he had not bargained on the fury of Ulrich and Ferrol. While the others concentrated on the demons, Ferrol beat a tattoo on the lich's head with his staff and Ulrich pierced and cut what putrid flesh still hung from his tattered bones. Somehow, Ulrich's sword not only maintained its magic, but was actually more powerful against the lich than normal. In the end, the lich and his demon pals were killed and the forces of good were again victorious. Searching the room turned up a treasure trove which included a near complete library of spell books and a variety of useful magic items. The only other thing of interest were the graves of two more heroes.
Within one of the graves the group found an ancient map which showed the Great Waste as a mere speck, barely worthy of mentioning on the map. It is not yet known if the waste grows naturally or if it can be stopped. After some discussion it was decided that the group would teleport to Ambroe Isle to see if they could get rid of some of the items they didn't need in exchange for some that would be more of use. Following that, they planned to wish themselves into the room next to the room occupied by the lich, guessing that his room would be proofed against such magics.
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