CUBES!!!!!

[venger]

Paavo: 140186 7th
Dan: 42736 6th
Youssef: 6144 3rd
Friedrich: 146713 8th
Mary: 47296 6th
Trommer: 135513 7th
Colby: 213081 | 10746 10th
Haddiq: 19145 5th
Azhbar: 5585 3rd
Basmadoos: 5585 3rd
Bolo: 85460 8th
Gabul: 4085 3rd
Nordel: 24076 5th

[Ginger]

Did we seriously only get 800 experience points for that? Ugh.

[Wolfgar]

That is the problem with fighting 4 HD creatures. You don't get much xp for killing them. And unfortunately there was no treasure in any of them. BTW, I don't think the xp value in the DMG is correct given the way we are playing them. They are getting multiple attacks instead of the single attack in the book. Also it is not clear that they swallow whole once you are paralyzed. I would think that needs to occur over time since they don't have a mouth. Also I am not sure how much spell casting adds. Regardless, it is not going to add up quickly given the number of people we have.

[venger]

Each cube (14) slain was worth about 10% additional experience. The spell-casting cubes slain (1) was worth double. We didn't roll treasure % for the last few cubes slain.

I'm pretty happy with how the cubes attack/engulf -

It could also be argued per the rules (DMG pg. 84) that the party should earn less experience due to the low hit dice & lousy armor class and general unchallenging nature of the opponents, considering your levels, THAC0, savings throws and magic items.

There were a lot of bad savings throw rolls on the party side and if I hadn't rolled a clutch 20 to hit Friedrich (and he hadn't rolled a 1 on his save) or if Nordel hadn't critically fumbled while shooting point-blank on these AC 8 creatures, this would have been a much easier combat.

[venger]

After much discussion, the party eventually agreed to the Nine-Eyed Sage's proposal. In exchange for precise instructions (transcribed by the lovely, albeit snake-torso'd receptionist) to repair the damaged Yuanti armband-device and the dust from atop the altar of Zolthupax, they would tell the ancient beholder everything they knew pertaining to the Vault of the Elders and the ruined city of Ulshamaran. In order to ensure their veracity, Nine-Eyes insisted that someone submit to his mind-controlling gaze. Dan Danberry was volunteered as he was one of those who journeyed to the lost city and posed the least threat to the party should the many-eyed creature plan treachery. Under the thrall of its charm-gaze, Dan was interrogated thoroughly and divulged all he could remember of the locale (Ulshamaran), its surrounds (the jungle) and inhabitants (the serpent-men). The creature seemed to know nothing of the wind-tunnels by which the party discovered the city and expressed surprise at their existence. The great beholder lolled its huge tongue, drooling at the description of the machines & "magic" within the metal vault. It asked numerous questions about the vault which Dan could not answer and seemed startled to learn that a silver-clad female was released from some kind of magical stasis. Satisfied with its interrogation, the beholder expressed interest in acquiring the golden tablet of Laan-hatra discovered in the Tomb of High Kings and any of the strange adamantine coins that Colby had collected to power the armband-device, but the heroes were unwilling to part with either; even when offered spells and knowledge in exchange.

Paavo asked the floating creature what it knew about the magical fountain and the strange six-fold pathway to Immortality, but received only the same cryptic clues: after drinking of the Waters of Life, he must arm himself with the Weapons of the Spheres, learn the Ancient Word at Laan-hatra and ascend the Endless Stair to claim the Throne of Immortal Power. The monstrous sage knew little more than that, suggesting that the "Heavenly Forge" was most likely somewhere beneath the waves, far to the east.

Their audience nearly concluded, the beholder set Colby down and directed the party to the rear of the shrine, where the altar of Zolthupax was covered by an old tarp. The altar was fairly ornate and crowned with huge horns, but the only thing upon it was a thick layer of dust. Paavo felt a faint, stirring presence as he collected the dust from the altar of the dead god, but it quickly dissipated.

When Youssef inquired what lay in the tower above, glancing at the hole in the ceiling, the beholder fixed several eyes upon him before stating that it valued its privacy. Taking that as a signal to leave, the party bid adieu to the Nine-Eyed Sage and his half-serpent receptionist, and left the tower-shrine of Zolthupax. The afternoon was stifling hot and no wind blew across the desert. One altar looted, the party descended the winding trail around the Tower of the Forbidden Gods, past the large cave (seemingly gnawed from living rock) of She Who Is Many and into the tent city at the base of the mesa where Mary Tanner and the desert guide/ghul-hunter Khaddil waited with the camels.

Settling a distance from the oasis, the party set up camp. Nordel began shoveling a trench around the perimeter but nobody except Friedrich seemed interested in fortifying a temporary encampment, and the archer needed rest anyway. Trommer and Paavo took watch while many slept, the paladin quite displeased to be in the presence of so much evil that he could not readily combat. Colby began the exhaustive ritual required to identify the hourglass ring obtained in the tomb of the unknown Plague Goddess. Bolo and Friedrich headed off into the tent city to make some purchases, passing the fighting pits and the Wheel of Woe, where three score slaves pushed endlessly on great wooden spokes to press desert wine. Though the Fleshmonger’s Guild brought regular supplies for the tent-city’s bazaar, prices were exorbitantly high. Bolo commissioned a dozen silver knives, which would be ready on the following day. As they made their way through the market, Friedrich noticed several men staring hard at him. Not one to be intimidated, the dwarf glowered back, despite Bolo’s protestations to “just move along” and “not start trouble” with what the halfling thief recognized, by their black sashes, as guilded assassins. Pulling at his sleeve, Bolo urged Friedrich to “let it go,” but Friedrich made a point of staring them down as he walked past, actually earning a grudging nod of respect from the lead assassin.

Night fell on the Tower of the Forbidden Gods, bringing with it cool relief from the blazing sun and much activity in the tent-city and on the mountain itself. Eldritch lightning struck repeatedly against the metal spike jutting from what Ratrudabi had identified as the shrine of Sif Muna at the highest point of the Tower and a hellish red glow emanated from the cave-entrance to the Temple of Kali. In the night, a huge bat-winged demon swept down from the shrine of Demogorgon and snatched up two screaming slaves from the pens. Paavo ground his teeth audibly.

By morning, Colby finished his identification ritual – the powerfully enchanted hourglass ring was a ring of (lesser) time reversal, which he believed capable of rewinding time for a period of two minutes. Very pleased, he removed the ring of armoring and slipped the hourglass ring onto his finger before going off in search of spell ink; Bolo and Friedrich having reported to him the presence of several tents bearing magical symbols. Stopping at the first such tent he found, Colby found himself confronted by a small demonic creature he recognized from his readings of the Demonomicon as a quasit. Asking to see its master, the creature jumped up and down excitedly upon glimpsing Colby’s lashing, undead-tongue. The quasit entered the tent and returned with an eastern magician named Cudrakana, who called himself a servant of Sif Muna. After some discussion about spell ink (which Colby found to be very overpriced) and the magic trade, Cudrakana was eager for Colby to meet his master Kulthoom, insisting that Colby could be useful for their ritual that very night. Perhaps it was the black, ghoul-like tongue he acquired after his own was cut out by the Amazons, or the haunted look his held eyes since his reading of the forbidden knowledge in the Demonomicon, but something about Colby rubbed this evil magic-user the right way. Not thrilled at the idea of establishing such a fellowship, Colby demurred, even though Cudrakana offered to send “something” to the party’s camp to fetch him. As he made to leave, Cudrakana asked Colby for his name. Hesitant to give it to this foreign sorceror, Colby saw Cudrakana starting to taking offense and quickly told the Vimanan magician to call him “Evil-Tongue.”

Gear was prepped, spells were cast and Bolo fetched the silver knives from the bazaar. Nordel set his hawk, Prince Nimar, to hunt as it would not serve him well within the confines an underground temple. It was decided the party would strike next at Drolb and the gelatinous cubes, figuring that they would be least likely to raise an alarm. The day was scorching hot when the party began its ascent of the scree-covered slope and again wound their away around the Tower of the Forbidden Gods. Though not visible from the base of the mountain during the daylight, as they passed the party again saw the evil red glare from the cave-entrance to Kali’s shrine. Circling the back-face of the Tower of the Forbidden Gods, the trail on the upper slopes was worn smooth and polished clean. Finally, nearing the summit, the party reached the tilted structure of Drolb’s shrine, a perfect 70’x70’ cube of black stone. A 10’ patch of opaque gel blocked what looked like an entrance. Paavo slashed the substance with Iskander, and the Holy Avenger stuck fast. Friedrich had to assist the paladin in retrieving the blade before it was pulled in. Several attempts were made to hack through the gel-door and Gabul applied the flaming sabre, which caused the surface to momentarily brûlée but otherwise had no effect. Friedrich agrees to enter the gel with a rope tied about his waist and disappears into the cube. Everyone waits for a couple long moments but he does not return. The rope grows taut, resisting all efforts to draw back on it, as it is slowly and inexorably pulled into the cube. Passing through the gelatinous substance is an unpleasant, near-suffocating experience but eventually everyone emerges on the other side to find Friedrich waiting in a 10’x10’ corridor of dull black stone. 30’ ahead is what appears to be a four-way intersection. Friedrich and Bolo feel uneasy, certain that they’re deep underground though realizing this is impossible due to their elevation on the Tower of the Forbidden Gods. Rather than proceed forward, everyone turns around and goes back through the wall of gel. Disappointingly, but not unsurprisingly, this did not lead back outside and instead expelled the party into another corridor of dull black stone. The passage runs left to right, perfectly straight, 10’x10’, turning around a corner after 30’ in either direction. Friedrich scored the stone near the “door” with his axe, hoping to leave some trace of the party’s passing. Heading to the left, turning the corner and proceeding forward, the party comes to another intersection. On the left wall is another gelatinous door, ahead the passage continues and to the right the passage continues. Above this intersection is a 10’x’10’ shaft, extending 20’ upward to what looks like another intersection on a level above. Everyone regards the map with dismay. A disgusting squelching sound can be heard as a gelatinous cube descends, quivering, from the shaft. Trommer and Friedrich glare at it suspiciously and someone urges them not to act threateningly, in case it doesn’t see the party as a threat. The cube finishes its descent and lurches toward the front rank. The ranger and the dwarf waste no time hacking into it, the dragon-slayer sword of Sylaire and Friedrich’s black iron axe making short work of the creature. Unable to maintain its surface tension, the cube collapses into a pool of gloop which rapidly sinks into the stone of the floor. Cries from the rear of the party alert everyone to the second cube which envelops Bolo. Magic missiles, arrows and crossbow bolts pierce the cube and dissolve it as well.

On high alert, the party proceeds through the bizarre complex, reaching another intersection with a gelatinous portal, two passages and a 10’x’10 shaft leading downward (20’) this time. Exploration of the level below reveals a decided lack of rope amongst the party and a single gelatinous portal in the floor. Unwilling to open the quantum box in this strange place for fear of dimensional implosion/collapse, some of the party’s miscellaneous adventuring equipment is inaccessible. The heaviest party members are lowered first, and then the lightest follow after. Climbing back up the shaft is more difficult, but everyone manages. All of the corridors appear identical and the party begins a steady march forward, marking the walls near the gelatinous portals as they pass. Fearful that stepping through one of the gel-portals might lead to a calamitous fall, considering the shaft in front of the last door, Bolo is nominated to go first -- the Halfling thief-acrobat perhaps regretting having boasted about his ability to tumble and fall. Passing through another viscous doorway, the party finds itself in a passage similar to that which they first entered. The corridor extended 30’ before reaching a six-way intersection: left, right, forward, backward, up and down – all identical, 10’x’10, and of smooth black stone. 30’ in every direction was a gelatinous portal. Using a rope to navigate the vertical shaft, the party proceeded to the other side. Readying himself, Bolo stepped through the gelatinous door. He entered into a large, open cube – on a ramped platform about 40’ from the floor. Gelatinous portals could be seen centrally in the ceiling, the floor and each of the four walls. Several cubes occupied the room and four of them immediately began to slide across the floor and up the ramps toward Bolo. The one cube, which hadn’t moved, turned a pink color and Bolo felt a sense of unease. Drawing the amber rod of lightning, Bolo set to blasting. The cube struck quivered and spasmed but seemed otherwise unaffected. Bolo gaped in dismay, before retreating through the gelatinous door. Some of the cubes followed and a brief battle ensued, with more cubes appearing behind the party. One of the cubes again turned a pinkish hue and Mr. Trommer felt an immobilizing spell take brief hold of him before he resisted. Colby blasted the cleric-cube with magic missiles as it retreated through a gelatinous door on the far side of the shaft. Dismissing the encounter, the party set to exploring more of, what they believed, to be a series of interconnected cubes. Having passed through most of the gel doors on the X axis, the decision was made to lower Bolo on a rope through one of the gel doors in the vertical shaft. Dangling from a rope, Bolo found himself suspended in another large, open space– above a central cube, with ramps leading to other gelatinous doors. Many gelatinous cubes could be observed, moving around in this area. Hauling himself back up the rope, Bolo reported his findings. Speculating that the hovering cube was the altar of Drolb, the party planned their attack. Perhaps hoping to get a better angle of attack, they passed through two more gelatinous doors before Colby polymorphed himself into a hawk. Flying down the vertical shaft to gather reconnaissance, Colby found himself in a different but still cube-shaped open space. 20’ below him was the roof of a building, 50’x 50’. Gelatinous cubes could be seen descending ramps to gelatinous doors and entering passages at the base of the structure. Flying back up rather than risk drawing attention, Colby transformed into gargoyle form to converse with the group. After a while it was decided that Friedrich, indomitable warrior that he is, would be lowered 30’ to the gelatinous door, and then 20’ more feet to the roof of the building, where he would establish a beachhead. Colby polymorphed into a hippopotamus to anchor the rope for the dwarf’s descent. Friedrich was half-way down the shaft when the cubes struck back! Two of them began to descend from the passage above and behind the party. Fending off the creature from above while clutching the rope proved impossible and Friedrich released his grip, rather than be consumed. The gelatinous door broke his fall and he somehow managed to tumble to his feet in the room below. He gripped his axe and activated the magical shield brooch, an aegis of golden light springing into his hand, as the surrounding cubes closed in on him. Slashing all around him, dealing mighty damage, the dwarf was unable to escape as three cubes pressed in and overwhelmed him!

The battle was intense, Dan Danberry and Azhbar succumbing to the paralyzing effects of a cube and being subsequently swallowed. Haddiq wailed on the monster with his magic bone club with little result. Fortunately Paavo was there to hack it apart. Mary was overcome by cubes descending the shaft and Colby, transforming back from a hippo, was caught by another cube. Finishing off the cube and releasing Mary, Bolo and Nordel descended the rope to rescue Friedrich. Landing on a cube below him, the Halfling fired an arrow before being immediately paralyzed and engulfed. Heroically, Nordel dropped the 20’ to the roof of the structure – bow in hand, arrow nocked. More cubes arrived, one of them glowing pink as it laid the hexahedronal blessing of Drolb on its allies – who were (un)fortunately already engaged in melee and gained no benefit. Nordel’s arrows blasted through the creatures, but the slick remnants of the creatures on smooth black stone proved his undoing and he fell, fumbling his bow as another cube enveloped him. Friedrich lay dripping slime, on the stone, freed but paralyzed. Trommer climbed down the rope, dropping the 20’ after the gelatinous door and landing heavily, chopping open a cube as he fell. But, like his companions, was also surrounded and overwhelmed… the cube sucking Friedrich back up in the process. Meanwhile, up above(?), the cube containing Colby slipped into the vertical shaft and began its descent, taking the rope and the magic-user with it…

Calling on the One God, Haddiq removed the paralysis affecting Dan Danberry. Azhbar remained paralyzed. Dan, in turn, called on the One God to remove the paralysis affecting Mary Tanner and Azhbar. Unfortunately Mary remained paralyzed.

With a prayer to Ukko and counting on his impact absorbing armor, Paavo leapt down the shaft, falling 30’ to the gelatinous portal and then another 20’ to the roof of the building below. The paladin landed in a heap on the ground, still swinging his sword, two cubes (one containing Colby, the other containing Friedrich, Nordel and Bolo) moving to squeeze him in between…

The situation seemed grim and Dan Danberry thumbed the bead of summoning on the necklace of prayer beads recovered from the blue-devil, beneath the Palace of the Silver Princess…

[venger]

The session began with Jell-o shots containing gummy bear-adventurers.

Nordel, Colby, Bolo and Friedrich were being slowly digested by gelatinous cubes. Trommer lay helpless, still paralyzed, where he had spilled from a slain cube. Paavo was on the ground between the two cubes, having fallen from the door above. The Holy Avenger carved quivering chunks from one of the cubes but it was not enough and they sandwiched the paladin between them, devouring him.

Things looked grim for our heroes. Having defeated vampires, dragons and ultrodaemons (oh my), would gelatinous cubes be their undoing?

…

Gabul, Azhbar, Haddiq and Dan Danberry stood guard in the passage, wary of another assault by the cubes. Mary Tanner was still paralyzed, slumped against a wall. Haddiq called upon the One God for healing and Dan stared anxiously down the shaft where the rest of the party had disappeared. Deciding on a course of action, he invoked the prayer bead of summoning, calling the angel Dariel to his aid. With a peal of distant thunder and the clap of wings, a shining figure appeared, illuminating the dim passages of Drolb’s Shrine in a pure silvery-white light. Dariel was tall, made more-so by the white feathered winged folded behind him, and encased in gleaming plate-armor. His mere presence inspired confidence. (DM note: Plus he was immune to paralyzation and non-magical weapons, leaving the poor, 4HD gelatinous cubes virtually defenseless against him. Talk about over-kill.)

Dan explained the situation and Dariel wasted no time, grabbing hold of both clerics (to Haddiq’s surprise) and plunging down the 30’ vertical shaft. Once through the gelatinous door, the angel flared his wings and landed gracefully between the cubes. Dan struck immediately with the two-headed rod of flailing and Haddiq lashed out with his demon-bone club, demolishing the cube holding Colby. The mage spilled out of the gelatinous mess looking partially digested. A flaming sword leapt into Dariel’s hand and with a flourish he cut the remaining cube into sizzling chunks as it futilely advanced upon him. In addition to their paralyzed companions, a small metal shield and a dagger were found in one of the pools of dissolving gelatinous goop, no doubt remnants of a previous victim.

Gabul took this opportunity to rifle through Mary’s possessions, claiming to be searching for healing potions. He discovered a number of large, inexplicably deep pockets in the black witch’s robe she wore. They contained, among other things; a variety of spell components, a couple slender spellbooks and a golden apple. The dervish Azhbar said nothing, looking uncomfortable.

The clerics ministered to the wounded, Colby being the most gravely hurt. Dan called on the One God to restore him from death’s door and Haddiq then restored him to consciousness. The fight with the cubes had taken a heavy toll and much healing magic was doled out. Dariel bestowed many powerful benedictions before leaving to retrieve Mary, Azhbar and Gabul who were still waiting above. The shaft proved too narrow to ascend in angelic form and so Dariel changed into a glowing white owl.

Once reunited atop the strange building, it took some time before everyone recovered from the paralyzing effects of the cubes. Dariel stood vigil, his serene gaze seeming to weigh each of the party in turn.

Seeing as they were out of immediate danger, Paavo and Dan told Dariel about the bizarre Shrine of Drolb and their quest to retrieve the ritual items and sacrifices from the altars of the Forbidden Gods for the Sainted Fizzi Finnini, filling in some backstory about their past adventures as they went. Dariel followed with interest but had little or no familiarity with any of the individuals or places named, recognizing only Demogorgon as the Prince of Demons and Kali as an obscure evil goddess. The angel explained that he had not walked their plane in centuries and that he and his brethren battled the tides of darkness on countless worlds; his words hinting at a great, cosmic struggle between good & evil.

Polymorphing into a bat, Colby flew down to investigate the interior of the structure. Inside, three cubes moved about, amidst piles of detritus and coin. A 30’ column of stone protruded down from the ceiling and in it was a gel-door from which was emerging another gelatinous cube. Below this was a gel-door in the floor. Not wanting to draw the attention of the cubes, Colby flew back to the rest of the group and informed them of what he had seen.

Without hesitation, Dariel dropped from the roof to engage the cubes. He returned moments later, declaring the enemy routed. The party exchanged hopeful glances, as if uncertain it should be this easy.

Rope was deployed and the stronger members of the group helped the weaker climb down to the lower level. The room matched Colby’s description and Bolo and Friedrich took time sifting through piles of what turned out to be corroded weapons & armor, undigested by the cubes, intermingled with gold and silver coins – mostly dinars and centimes, but some bearing the strange Gazolba-bird crown. The exhaustive search eventually turned up a few interesting items: a sapphire gemstone, a gold chain, an uncorroded, albeit, plain scimitar; and a bright red potion.

A decision was made to proceed through a particular gel-door up above which was believed, if the party’s map was correct, to lead to the room with the suspended cube altar. The rope was again climbed without incident. Dariel volunteered to go first and disappeared through the door. He came back a second later, indicating that the portal opened above a vertical shaft. Disconcerted, the party re-examined the map and scouted the other three doors with similar results. (DM note: A tesseract dungeon seems like a great idea but is really just a frustrating exercise in mapping…)

Dariel volunteered to scout and the party bid him to proceed through the gel-door in the floor of the structure. The angel took much longer to return and when he finally did, he described a large chamber with a cube suspended in the center. There, he said, he vanquished several gelatinous cubes, including a spell-caster. Dariel then presented Dan with a strange faceted cube of reddish stone which he had found lying on the altar.

“Well, that was anti-climactic,” Colby was heard to mutter.

At the party’s behest, Dariel explored more of the labyrinthine corridors of Drolb’s Shrine but was unable to find any point of egress, at one point becoming lost in a loop of passages and chambers.

Deciding that the carnelian cube might hold some answer, Dan threw his gem-inlaid augury sticks to determine if depressing one of the cube’s facets would lead to weal or woe. The results were auspicious and so Dan pushed in the top face of the cube. Everyone waited a long moment but nothing happened. However once the cube was brought into proximity of one of the gel doors, the portal all-but dissolved and bright sunlight poured in. Our heroes hastened to escape the shrine, stepping out onto the scarped slopes of the Tower of the Forbidden Gods.

…

Making no effort to hide their approach, a troupe of men advanced from the tent city toward the camp where Mamnoon, Youssef, Khaddil and Basmadoos waited with the camels. Mamnoon moved to guard his master, while Khaddil and Basmadoos readied their scimitars. The meager trench dug by Friedrich and Nordel proved no obstacle and a dozen men in the loose, flowing robes of the desert-peoples took up firing positions, leveling heavy crossbows. Their leader’s face was ritually scarred in the manner of the priests of Kali and he wore a black armband, possibly indicating his rank as an assassin. He had a lot of intrusive, demanding questions as pertained to the party’s business in this locale, which he phrased in a tone that implied violence. Youssef tried to placate him, explaining that the party had dealings with the Nine-Eyed Sage. That did not impress the scarred man whatsoever and he demanded that they all drop their weapons forthwith and submit to the will of Kali.

Basmadoos looked askance at Khaddil, their desert guide, and the ghul-hunter shook his head. He would not be surrendering.

“I don’t think we’ll be doing that,” Basmadoos rejoined.

“Kill that insolent dog,” the Kali worshipper howled, “kill them all!”

Mamnoon was on him in a flash with a huge scimitar, the Jann literally flying, to disrupt his spell. A ragged volley of crossbow bolts met Khaddil and Basmadoos’ charge, but in seconds they had closed to melee and were dealing death to the fanatic followers of Kali. His magical wards in place, Youssef summoned a crackling, hissing band of lightning, which struck like a serpent, electrocuting one man. The battle was brief; blood-mad, frothing at the mouths, the fanatics fought ferociously and without regard for their own lives, but proved no match for such skilled swordsmen.

Several onlookers hastily scurried off into the tent city as Mamnoon and Basmadoos dragged the corpses away behind a nearby dune. Looting the bodies, they accumulated a small pile of crossbows, bolts, curved daggers and padded robes. Of interest, they found a bone medallion carved to resemble a fanged skull, a gold tooth and a smattering of coin, as well as the black assassin’s armband.

“It would be good if your companions returned before we drew any more unwanted attention,” Khaddil remarked.


---

(dividing this session between this thread and the Demogorgon shrine)