Characters:
Kathy - Vochma
Micah - Cardhu
Mark - Corlis
Ben - Drew
Liz - Quera
Joe - Moth
[When we left the group, the party was facing a pair of Slith, who were apparently trapped within the room they were found in]
They said "The Eye, give us the Eye." We were skeptical. We debated with them for some time, trying to divine their purpose. They claimed the trolls (and the creatures that possessed them) had trapped the Slith in this room. They wanted us to free them, so they could leave. After much debate within the group and with the foul creatures, they agreed to tell us how to destroy the Eye of Og (which by this time seemed welded to the hand of Corlis), and also how to close the portal the troll-creatures had opened nearby. They also offered us all their treasure (a not inconsiderable pile). In the end the party chose to free them. It turned out to be a good decision. The creatures honored their bargain, and took their leave.
We quickly searched the room (as some magical force was attempting to reseal the doors behind us), and removed the bulk of the treasure. Happily we uncovered a magical scroll of resurrection, which we used to return Drew to life! This time he returned as a tiny fairy creature (we're not yet sure if this is good or bad). We also recovered a large amount of gold, a small silver wand, several other scrolls, a few gems, and a sheaf of papers written in some strange language.
On the way out towards Drew's corpse, we noted the trolls had been slain by… something (ripped to shreds as a matter of fact). They were slowly regenerating, so we burned them to end their miserable existence. It appeared that something other than the trolls themselves were responsible for their deaths. It also appeared the Slith were not responsible, and we smell a brimstone scent somewhere in the area.
Given our battered state and the large amount of recovered gold, we elected to retreat for the day and rest the night. We did a brief march a mile or so from the entrance to the caverns and camped. As we are leaving, we note a sudden air pressure drop, followed by a ground shaking boom. Strange…
Two notes: The Eye can be destroyed by throwing it into the moon pool in (apparently) the ruined temple of Lopnel during a full moon. Also the portal can be closed by destroying its guardian.
We spent the day in rest. The mages studied the documents we found, which seem to detail demonic knowledge and symptoms of possession. Sadly enough, Corlis seems to be exhibiting most of the symptoms listed, including strange dreams about being pursued by giant birds.
Another day of rest. The mages continued their investigation of the items found.
We returned to the troll den to finish the work we had begun. We encountered no wards on the way in, indicating perhaps, that we had inflicted serious damage on the evil forces that ruled the place. We continued inward, searching rooms as we went. Along the way we found a trash heap (inhabited by something), and an armory with shredded kobolds within. As we searched the room, one of the dead kobolds leaps up and says "Come! Come! You'll find me further on!", then collapses again. Strangely enough the weapons were of human manufacture.
Next we discovered some sort of kitchen area, loaded with quality foodstuffs. After a brief stop to restock our supplies, we continued onward. It appeared as if we were descending a bit too.
Beyond the next door we opened, we discovered a woman working at a desk. She spoke in a strange language, which Cardhu's sword allowed him to understand. She asked us what we were doing here, and after an attempt to talk our way past her which failed miserably, we attacked. We end up capturing her, but she used some sort of poison tooth to try and kill us. Final result - one dead woman. Investigation revealed a diary of sorts in the desk, which revealed that a monk had discovered the portal and opened it, and that the woman (Berynella), and Basloot (a halfling thief), had come in search of treasure, and been captured by the forces coming through the portal. Apparently the trolls had also been possessed by some evil force. We also found a set of lockpicks, a mirror, some false teeth, and a dagger on her person.
At the end of the downward spiral, we found two rooms. One containing a large circle, with the corpses of many kobolds laid along the outside, which we felt was best left alone.
Next we continued to the final door. Beyond we discovered a strange doorway filled with colored light, with a figure in purple robes chained with magical chains next to it. Strangely he had bulging eyes and puffy, worm-like skin. He revealed himself to be a former servant of Mung. He demanded the Eye, which we refused to pass over. Corlis elects to slay the gatekeeper, closing the gate. As he strikes, the image of Vine appears in the portal. Just as he dies spurting hideous ichor, a troll leaps through. We were all surprised for a moment, but recover quickly. As we move to attack, *something* rips itself free from the trolls back. A dog-faced, rubbery thing with huge claws. We attack, and the troll quickly knocks out Moth, while Corlis unwillingly used the Eye to send the dog thing back to its hell. Left with only the troll, Corlis attacked along with Cardhu and Quera. Meanwhile Vochma tried to pull Moth out of the fray, and Drew tried to strike the troll with a spiritual hammer. As we stood toe to toe with the troll, Cardhu takes serious damage, and fell unconscious. Corlis managed to grab him and pull him out of the fray. The party as a whole pulled out of the room, and Vochma used a sound illusion to distract the beast while we escaped. Once everyone was out of the room, Moth (healed by Drew) tosses in a flask of flaming oil which fries the troll quite nicely.
Thus ended the threat of the portal and the possessed trolls. The party rejoiced.
The party left the complex, and returned to their campsite to determine what to do next. We had only a short time to get to Veldman's Needles and destroy the unnatural being that is inhabiting the mountain. We decided to head towards the mountains by way of the leprechaun glade. We meet the leprechaun king and give him back his ring. He is happy enough to have his ring back that he performs some magic on Corlis that seems to reduce the effects of the Eye, returning him to normal.
We travel towards Veldman's Needles.
The party has (not including items distributed):
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