Labyrinth Lord : Rahasia - Session 6

This was the largest player turnout for quite sometime.  With 8 players (though for the most part it was 7 as Craig decided that he needed to sleep again).  It would turn out to be a deadly session for our heroes and heroines.

Characters:
Jeremy played : Hawt Pantz - Cleric
Floatey played : Molly "The Mage" Misandre - Magic-User
Luke played : Raggard - Fighter
James played : Happy Gilmore - Fighter
Craig played : Baik Telor (normally NPC) - Fighter
Henry played : Jimmy - Thief
Nigel played : Kel Fromage - Thief
Justin played : Shooter McGavin - Halfling

Magic Items:
Hawt Pantz : Warhammer +1; Chainmail +1, Potion of Healing
Molly "The Mage" Misandre : Bracers of Armour AC 7; Dagger +1; Potion of Healing
Raggard: Mace +1; Ring of Fire Resistance
Happy Gilmore : Longsword +1, Light 30'R; Ring of Protection +1
Baik Telor : None
Jimmy : Potion of Extra Healing
Kel Fromage : +2 Leather Armour
Shooter McGavin : Potion of Extra Healing

RECAP:
The group continued on after the run in with the witch and the attempted ambush by the goblin warriors, finding two goblins crouching in the corner of a room. Vastly outnumbered, the goblins promptly surrendered, but Raggard slew them anyway.  The Goblins were the sole guardians of a stone chest that was looted promptly, containing some gold, a fancy looking mace and 3 bottles of wine, "Red Dragon Crush".

A good quality wine

Time passed and more rooms were searched.  A foul smelling room caused Happy Gilmore to lose consciousness as the group split searching multiple rooms at once.  From the fume filled room, nasty, wicked looking rat-like creatures emerged to begin feasting on Happy.  In the attempt to rescue him, Kel also lost consciousness and his torch sputtered and sparked in the strange, thick air.  Hawt Pantz and Raggard retrieved the fallen enemies as Molly cast an enchantment upon them, causing them all to fall into a slumber.  As they lay helpless, Raggard slew the lot of them for daring to bite him during the extraction of his allies.

The fumes it seemed came from ceramic jars, possibly containing contents once used for the creation of potions or other arcane concoctions.

Though the party had found stairs going down, they decided to investigate the rest of the level that they were currently on since they still had not found the witch that attacked them.

The investigations led the group to a throne room.  Three stone sarcophagi sat in a triangular pattern around a brazier.  A large book upon a pedestal faced a throne of cast iron.  Of the sarcophagi, two of the three were sealed with lead.  All three were covered with arcane styled runes and glyphs, but Molly couldn't understand what the purpose of the symbols was.

Raggard opened the book, the pages were blank.  But as he began to leaf through the pages, a disembodied voice spoke.

“Come woodland folk and gather near

The tale of the wizard’s keep to hear

Whence, long ago in a younger age

The Black Opal was held by Elyas the mage

The Opal increased his mgaical grace

But he kept the stone in an open place.

There witches wishing to heighten their power,

Rained flame and stone upon his tower

Elyas trapped each witch in a dragons eye.

But without the opal, they did not die

As Elyas raced to retrieve the Stone,

A granite mountain crushed the mage and his home.

The spell ne’er completed the there witches wait

In eternal suspension until by some fate

Their souls are relased upon innocence sweet

Then revenge they will reap on all that they meet.”

Remembering the hallucination that she had had when drinking the Purple Grape Mash wine, Hawt Pantz decided to drink some of the new wine they had found, and again lapsed into a deep sleep.

The group sans the cleric, then debated about who or what could be in the stone caskets.  It was assumed that it was the witches, but they couldn't be sure.  Since one of the caskets already had its seal broken, the group decided to look in that one first.  Inside was the skeletal remains of a woman, long dead.  She wore rusted chainmail armour and her arms were crossed over her chest.  One gnarled boney hand clasped the hilt of a nicked and pitted longsword, the other a cracked scroll of parchment.

Molly took the scroll whilst Kel played with the skeleton, pretending to be strangled by it and generally being silly.  The scroll was a short rhyme, which the Magic-User read aloud.

Suddenly, the skeleton arose.  The empty eye-sockets flared with an unholy yellow light, and Kel who had the skeleton's free hand around his throat in a mocking manner panicked and gasped.  Molly tried to communicate with the skeleton, but it either could not or would not respond in kind.  It's blade slashed at Kel striking the thief a deadly blow as combat was joined.

The fight was quick, as the warriors tried to fight the creature, whilst Molly set about trying to rouse the cleric.  The blade, though rent with imperfections of time was deadly in the hands of the undead warrioress, and many of the party were wounded by it.

Finally the crypt dweller was dispatched through weight of numbers, but it was too late for Kel.  The blade had cut deep, and nothing could be done.

R.I.P Kel Fromage

Crypt Dweller

Investigating the casket, a hidden catch was found that revealed a hidden compartment.  Inside was a small iron coffer that held a single metallic tube, a chime.  The other two crypts were now opened one at a time, but the group was ready for any possible threat.  The next one had the skeleton of a woman in a red dress, but she neither rose to fight nor her crypt contained a hidden compartment.  The final sarcophagus, the largest of the three, was the hardest to open.  The seal was more plentiful than on the previous one and the lid was larger and heavier.

As it opened, the smell of ash and brimstone rose from inside.  The skeleton of a woman in the tattered remains of a blue robe was inside.  Her hands were covered in ash and soot, and the bottom of the lid had been burned heavily, the stone half melted away.  Another hidden catch was found in this casket, and a jeweled, golden tiara was found inside.  After much discussion, Hawt Pantz who was now awake, put it on.  But it was merely a piece of jewelry.  

The group laid the body of the fallen thief to rest, in the same casket as his slayer, and replaced the lid, then descended the stairs they had found earlier.  It came to a deadend, but after careful examination, a secret door was discovered.  Through the group went into a square room with the centre blocked by a large, square column.  Suddenly, they realised that they were not alone, as another Gelatinous Cube attacked the group, but it was easily dispatched and after finding a ladder that lead to a secret door that headed back into the throne room, the group investigated the other side of the complex to find a similar secret door.  But they could find no other hidden portal.

Tired, injured and low on magical resources, the group retreated to the lair of Ular-Taman to heal and recuperate. There they stayed for a day and a half.  Molly quizzed the Dragon Guard some more and then spoke at length on matters that they both were interested in.  Eventually, when fully healed and Hawt Pantz again ready with healing spells, they followed the footsteps of their lost companion, Selanthia and headed for the blue disc elevator.

Down the elevator the group then went, the shaft descended perhaps 1000 feet.  There they found an identical room to the one above.  But there was no sign of Selanthia.  Through the brass doors the group headed, finding another corridor full of the strange precious metal statues.

Then they made a shocking discovery, yet one that was perhaps not unexpected.  At the end of the corridor was a statue of Selanthia.  The likeness was too uncanny.  The equipment she bore too exact.  It was obvious that this was indeed their lost companion, transmuted into metal and slain.

R.I.P Selanthia

After a moment, the group headed through the doors that blocked their way into a large room.  Two sets of glowing arches, one to the north and another to the south and a set of steel doors on the other side of the room greeted them.  To the north was a great room filled with untold treasures.  But Molly warned the group that they had already seen evidence that Elyas was a master of Illusion and that they should be wary.

Dragging a statue from the hall they unceremoniously pushed it through the southern arches.  When nothing happend, Raggard stepped through.

With a flash of light Raggard was no more.  In his place instead was a statue like the others.  Thankfully Jimmy who was hot on his tail managed to halt in time, before he too met the same grizzly fate.

R.I.P Raggard

-- Game to be continued --