Return to the Demon-Web

[Ginger]

So, I vote that we stay here on the mountain while Antonus, Samantha, and Adler get trained. Before that starts, we can send to people. We want to get Perrin up here from Loftwick. I think Otto might want to swap followers so we can send to them. Perhaps Flew or Ned can head from here to Oytpass Keep to give them the papers we have about Sterich.

[Dead Greyhawk]

arrowguy said:

Question re: the Scroll of Protection from Possession.
1. Can we tell whether it is one of the 10-60 turn ones or a 10-60 round ones?
2. Also, (this is perhaps a question for the players as much as the DM) if we attempted to raise someone in the Abyss while in the protection, would that prevent other souls from trying to enter the body?

1. Not from just looking at it. Identify might help.

2. You'd have to test it.

[Dell]

arrowguy said:

So, I vote that we stay here on the mountain while Antonus, Samantha, and Adler get trained.

Otto can collect wound-binding treatments in the wild, but to get rations, rope, and crap like that, we'll have to go back into town.

Dell can accompany Sam, Leasonar and whoever else wants to go (Flewingham?) back to Loftwick. He'll buy supplies, load them up in his magical chest, and head back to the mountain for the expedition. Depending on the time frame, he can make some potions in the academy's lab.

[venger]

This took, like, forever... ugh.

Stupid chaotic Abyss.

[Ginger]

Good work! How about we never go back in the Abyss so it'll all be for naught.

[venger]

dell said:

Otto can collect wound-binding treatments in the wild, but to get rations, rope, and crap like that, we'll have to go back into town.

Dell can accompany Sam, Leasonar and whoever else wants to go (Flewingham?) back to Loftwick. He'll buy supplies, load them up in his magical chest, and head back to the mountain for the expedition. Depending on the time frame, he can make some potions in the academy's lab.

I thought Dell was going to train Samantha? The Academy will exorbitantly overcharge us. But if we have the money and the time...

Antonus should have ingredients for:

Potions of Polymorphing (demon type IV)
Potions of Regeneration (troll blood)
Potions of Waterbreathing (seahag)
Potions of Flight (demon type I)
Potions of Invulnerability (demon type V)

He'll need two traveling spellbooks and 20 inks so that he can get 5th level spells. And, as mentioned before, a 5000gp chest and 1000gp robe commissioned.

Florin needs arrows, a new quiver and a wineskin.

arrowguy said:

Good work! How about we never go back in the Abyss so it'll all be for naught.

boo

[Dell]

apprentice said:

I thought Dell was going to train Samantha? The Academy will exorbitantly overcharge us. But if we have the money and the time...

Antonus should have ingredients for:

Potions of Polymorphing (demon type IV)
Potions of Regeneration (troll blood)
Potions of Waterbreathing (seahag)
Potions of Flight (demon type I)
Potions of Invulnerability (demon type V)

He'll need two traveling spellbooks and 20 inks so that he can get 5th level spells. And, as mentioned before, a 5000gp chest and 1000gp robe commissioned.

Florin needs arrows, a new quiver and a wineskin.

Drow parts could get us a potion of Levitation, Drider parts a potion of Climbing...

We need supplies, and we could also use new potions. To do that we need one of the wizards free. Dell is also more expendable than Winthrop.

[Wolfgar]

If you are going to go for innate abilities how about a potion/oil of magic resistance?

[Dell]

otto said:

If you are going to go for innate abilities how about a potion/oil of magic resistance?

I could probably make a scroll of Protection from Magic, but we have some already so it's probably a waste.
Do we have anything that would make a Potion of Vitality? I wish we had one for everyone in the party.

[Wolfgar]

dell said:

Do we have anything that would make a Potion of Vitality? I wish we had one for everyone in the party.

Unfortunately the main ingredient is unicorn blood or a philosopher's stone.

[venger]

dell said:

We need supplies, and we could also use new potions. To do that we need one of the wizards free. Dell is also more expendable than Winthrop.

Sounds to me like Dell is trying to weasel out of going back into the Abyss.

What's the plan for tomorrow?

Who is training who?

Who is going to Loftwick for supplies?

How are we dividing up the magic items?

According to the requests on the board so far:

+3 shield - Hugh? Grizela?
phylactery of undead turning - Hugh
+3 sword - Adrienne? (Raven could probably use it more)
periapt of wound closure - Adrienne
potion of growth - Clift
potion of healingx1 - Florin
scroll of protection from possession - Adler
ring of anti-poison - Otto? Antonus?
scroll of charm monster - ??
3 other lilac potions - ??
ring of wishes?? - Pfiffwin, Dell (ha!)

[Wolfgar]

We decided to skip training and head straight back in. Samantha, Ned and Flewingham were sent to Loftwick with the Sepia'd dark elf, a bag of gems and parts for potion making. Perrin had finished training and was waiting for us at the base of the mountain.

We re-entered the demon-web, the gate shrinking ever more. We figured that the Great Druid was through a gate as opposed to a standard door. Raven decided we would map the entry level and see if we could find any gates.

We had several random encounters while mapping. There were of some giant spiders and giant insects as well as a pair of drider. Aside from the fireball and wall of ice they dropped on us the encounter with the drider went fairly well. Winthrop and Raven downed the cleric while it attempted to hold Pfiffwin's illusions. Otto chased after the mirror-imaged magic user and got two good hits in to kill it.

While mapping the entry level we discovered that it appears to have a four-fold symmetry with termini at four points. One was were we entered, the far side was the teleport room, the third one looked like a door but turned out to be a gate.

Otto kicked it open, failed his dexterity and Raven failed his bend bars so they both went falling through. They landed in a murky pool of water momentarily disoriented by the transition. Upon looking up they discovered Lloth standing directly above them. Otto was able to determine it was a statue but Raven unmanned himself.

At the same time two huge guard spiders descended to attack us. We could tell we were no longer in the Abyss because our normal bonuses were restored. Raven was bitten but saved versus poison. Otto hacked his spider in two with with two mighty blows. Ravens stood up and after receiving encouragement from Otto used his sword to slay his spider. The dying spiders emitted screams that alerted dark elves waiting nearby.

By now the rest of the Company started filing through the gate. We made pretty quick work of the nine dark elves that attacked. One ran away to alert more people. We seem to be in a large underground structure (city?). On the back side of the pool is a mural of a gate to the demon-web. We left off there.

[Dead Greyhawk]

"Man yourself!"

The Lolth that towers over you all moves and gestures as if alive. It also floats in mid-air, a good six feet off the ground. It appears more like an illusion than a statue.

The entirety of the temple resonates with a high pitched throbbing, an alarm signal that started with the deaths of the giant black widow spiders.

[Ginger]

That's a good summary. Additionally, Dell made a wall of fire to burn some of the elves, and it blocks the way to two of the three corridors in the room.

[Dell]

arrowguy said:

Additionally, Dell made a wall of fire to burn some of the elves, and it blocks the way to two of the three corridors in the room.

Dell did something useful... the Abyss really does make you act crazy!

[venger]

otto said:

We decided to skip training and head straight back in. Samantha, Ned and Flewingham were sent to Loftwick with the Sepia'd dark elf, a bag of gems and parts for potion making. Perrin had finished training and was waiting for us at the base of the mountain.

Samantha was given something like 14,000 gp in jewelry, or some such, to get trained. Whether or not this is enough, we don't know. To my recollection (and at least from off my character sheet) she wasn't given any potion ingredients. She also wasn't going to commission the secret chest or deeppockets robe that Antonus wanted. Because she's Chaotic Neutral. And untrustworthy.

otto said:

While mapping the entry level we discovered that it appears to have a four-fold symmetry with termini at four points. One was were we entered, the far side was the teleport room, the third one looked like a door but turned out to be a gate.

No applause necessary.

otto said:

We made pretty quick work of the nine dark elves that attacked. One ran away to alert more people. We seem to be in a large underground structure (city?). On the back side of the pool is a mural of a gate to the demon-web. We left off there.

How else, other than by capturing some knowledgable Drow, can we ascertain whether or not the Great Druid was brought here?

[Dell]

apprentice said:

How else, other than by capturing some knowledgable Drow, can we ascertain whether or not the Great Druid was brought here?

Some kind of Divination spell should tell us whether the deities think we're on the right track. Maybe something as simple as an augury.

[Wolfgar]

We could use Fido. We have those bedrolls from Little Boy Mountain. We could see if he recognizes any scents leading from the gate.

[Ginger]

I think Fido's description in the DMG mentions that he can only pick up scents less than 2 months old, so that's out.

[Dell]

Whether the druid has been taken here or not, I'm not leaving until we've stolen something.

[Wolfgar]

We can do a quick search of the bodies to see if they have anything identifying - maybe some coins with a familiar printing. Raven should do a quick scan of the area with the Helm to see if there is any dark elf writing that identifies where we are.

The alarm is still sounding and at least one dark elf ran off. Backup should be coming. We should decide quickly whether we are staying or not.

[Ginger]

We'll loot the 9 corpses we have and spend a few minutes looking around. If you want to steal something, Jasper has some spell books you can pickpocket.

[Perrin]

This is the best lead we've had in weeks. This door leads to the Prime Material Plane, unlike every other door we have entered in the Abyss. We have all our magical bonuses back and just slew the majority of a force of 10 drow. The Great Druid could be here! The Drow definitely have important information about the Abyss. And we're contemplating retreat?

Perrin isn't the bravest of adventurers, but he certainly has the courage to stand fast when we may be so close to success.

[Dell]

arrowguy said:

If you want to steal something, Jasper has some spell books you can pickpocket.

Don't be absurd. I don't steal from my companions.

[Mr. Trommer]

If we want to pursue the dark elf that got away before the alarm is raised too loudly we can certainly use Fido for the chase. I would think that we will get more information by quickly following the dark elf. There will be others where he is going that might know more.

Dell hasn't taken anything from the party (that we know of) since he saw the errors of his ways after we fought the Nerullites way back when. It was Oaklock that had the luck stone on his person.

[venger]

admin said:

The entirety of the temple resonates with a high pitched throbbing, an alarm signal that started with the deaths of the giant black widow spiders.

Alarm is already sounded.

We need to gather intel quickly.

Think we can hold this temple? Hold it hostage in exchange for the Great Druid? Collapse it with the wand of earth and stone as we flee through the gate!?

[Mr. Trommer]

Then we need to pursue and crush them in pockets before they can band together.

[Wolfgar]

winthrop said:

Then we need to pursue and crush them in pockets before they can band together.

Sounding a little bloodthirsty there. Must be Hugh speaking.

[Wolfgar]

perrin said:

This is the best lead we've had in weeks. This door leads to the Prime Material Plane, unlike every other door we have entered in the Abyss. We have all our magical bonuses back and just slew the majority of a force of 10 drow. The Great Druid could be here! The Drow definitely have important information about the Abyss. And we're contemplating retreat?

These were guards - 2nd/3rd level fighters. Not a spell caster in the bunch from what we could tell. The high priests and wizards should be coming soon.

We should double count the bodies. Either one or two dark elves escaped. I know there was a group of five coming from both directions and we killed all five of one group but I don't recall how many of the second group escaped. I think one left immediately and another escaped in the last round.

[Dell]

apprentice said:

Think we can hold this temple? Hold it hostage in exchange for the Great Druid? Collapse it with the wand of earth and stone as we flee through the gate!?

We fight better here than we do in the Abyss. If we think they might follow us, that's something to consider. Also, if we leave and it turns out the Druid really is here, they will be well defended when we return.