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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/15/03 9:38 pm)
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Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
My party is due for an attack from Ukemil the next time they sleep. However, there's a good chance that they'll be doing that in Rastor, at the Grey Lodge. Would Ukemil attack in town, with his dire lions? That seems risky. If so, how would he go about it?
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 Infiniti2000
Cherub
(11/15/03 10:41 pm)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
The large dire lions (3.0 or 3.5 rules) would be hampered way too much indoors. The alternative would be to smoke them out. Have Ukemil light the Grey Lodge on fire, with flasks of oil and maybe a produce flame or just a torch. Simple, yet effective. When the party heads outside, pounce on them. In fact, you might pounce on a commoner or two instead. 3.0 pounce is a lot weaker than 3.5. In 3.5, remember that they only need to charge (moving at least 10ft) to pounce and can do it every round, if room and opponents allow. Oh, don't forget their improved grab and the two rakes when pouncing.
If Ukemil has reason to suspect one particular opponent as being far more of a prime target than the others, you can have him hold the lions in check until the main victim exits. Four fiendish dire lion pounces on a single opponent would probably be a sure death warrant. Heck, even three or two might kill most characters.
I actually used Victor and Ukemil and the dire lions tonight (we finished up maybe 30 minutes ago). All bad guys are now dead, but it was VERY close. Time to send the invisible stalkers. Btw, I used Victor for three nights, then (tonight) he attacked, the victim made the Fort save and then he lead them into an ambush by Ukemil. Dratted PCs barely defeated them.
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/15/03 10:56 pm)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
Burning down the Grey Lodge and catching them on the way out is brilliant. Thanks.
Yeah, we're very familiar with how nasty Pounce is in 3.5; the party's faced lions before, and Celestial Lions are the party cleric's favourite Summon. They'll soil their tunics when they see four dire lions pouncing on them.
To date, I've been concentrating all my assassination attempts on the cleric, but that's primarily because he's the only party member that can be successfully assassinated (rogue, rogue/fighter, and barbarian). So far, I've sent Gez (the goblin assassin from this board) twice, first alone, and then with a Stalker (both died the second time). With Ukemil, I think I'll split the lions evenly, though he is going to save his Contagion for the cleric -- Cackle Fever (1d6 Wisdom drain)... 
Man, you sent Ukemil _and_ Victor together? That's EL 13! You are one nasty GM. Congratulate your players for me!
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Killiak 
Dynama
(11/16/03 1:50 am)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
EL 13 for lvl 10 is not that wild 
For lvl 8 however  MWUHAHAHAHA
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grimbold
Memunite
(11/16/03 2:08 am)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
I agree that the dire lions need space to maneuver.
My players were able to take them out almost easily because they could only attack one at a time due to confined space.
If Ukemil has time in advance, you might consider changing his spell selection especially for the purpose.
Just think what some buffing can do to those beasts: bull´s strength, bear´s endurance, magic fang and a silence cast on them make them deadly! Even a simple no light spell on each of them make them deadlier against a party who has no darkvision.
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/16/03 6:21 am)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
What's No Light? Is that from a splat? He doesn't really have enough spells to buff up the lions; I suppose he could spend time scribing scrolls... So far, the only spell list change I've made was I scribed a scroll of Cure Serious (in place of the Cure Light he had in the book), and swapped the memorized Cure Serious for Invisibility Purge; Gez reported back that the party rogue has a ring of invisibility after their first encounter. I've also buffed him up with all his buff spells just before he engages in combat, so he'll be pretty tough. I think his lions should be able to take care of themselves, if the party makes the mistake of getting drawn out into the open for the fight.
I figure after (if!) Ukemil fails, the next night Hedrack will send a Planar Ally -- Glabrezu seems right, especially if it manages to pull in a couple Vrocks with it.  Of course, that will cost Hedrack dearly; perhaps he'll offer up one of the remaining CRM complexes to it as a sacrifice. The night after that, I'll send in Chymon.
How frequently have you folks been sending assassins from Hedrack once you start? So far, there was a long time (almost 2 months) between my first two attacks, because the party was laying low in Verbobonc and Hedrack had thought he'd scared them off. My third attack (Ukemil) will probably end up coming about 4 or 5 days after the 2nd. Should I prep multiple attacks for the next session, so that I can actually do them every night in game time? That certainly would up the pressure on the party to get into the Outer Fane and take Hedrack out, which wouldn't be a bad thing. But I'm worried that multiple night-time assassination attacks in a single game session might burn out the players a bit; with the Cleric of Pelor praying at dawn, a nighttime attack has the potential to really screw with them.
Edited by: msherman at: 11/16/03 6:37 am
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grimbold
Memunite
(11/16/03 7:21 am)
Reply
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
No light is from the BoVD.
It´s basically a 0-level inverted light spell, negating normal illumination in a 20´radius spread. duration is 1 minute/level.
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(11/16/03 9:37 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
Well, my party makeup, before the battle:
Elf Wizard 9
Elf Sorcerer 8/Dragon Disciple (Gold) 2
Halfling Druid 10 (Tigress animal companion)
Human Fighter 9 (with the amulet of inescapable location)
Human Fighter 6/Ranger 2
Dwarf Cleric 10
After the battle, both humans and the wizard levelled. In point of fact, Ukemil is a lot weaker than his CR. I'd say that the rogue levels don't stack well and his CR is probably only 9 or maybe even 8.
I had Victor attempt an assassination on the dragon disciple in room 164, but he made his Fort save. Victor then cast invisibility and moved away. As the party was waking up and following him, Victor was leading (on purpose) out to the corridor with the tracks. It took a few rounds, but that tumble is very useful. Eventually, the fighter caught up to Victor and critted him, killing him, but then got mauled by the lions, so did the dragon disciple (polymorphed into an actual gold dragon this time). Things were going real bad for the party, but I knew they could (1) flee or (2) do something creative. The saving grace was the cleric who dismissed one of the lions and the wizard who dimension doors into the hall and use black tentacles on Ukemil and held up two of the lions momentarily. Eventually, the party just killed everything. We had a lot of fun with it. The party had an easy time against the bugbears, so this is a preliminary wakeup call that the Outer Fane forces are definitely tough.
I had originally planned to use one attempt for night, but things never work out that way. The assassin is very capable and can easily escape after making an attempt. I had Victor make 3 separate attacks before this last one (four total) when I finally included the next 'wave' Ukemil. The next time, I will send the invisible stalkers and then Hedrack will wait them, merely providing some extra info (maybe support) to the remaining CRM forces and not getting directly involved again. Naquent, however, might do a lesser planar ally, maybe a succubus (someone had some great cut scenes written up on this).
How often you do it is dependent on your party. If they sleep in the mines or in Rastor, I think one group each night sometime after midnight. They don't all have to be assassination attempts, though. One of Victor's attempts he paralyzed the dwarven cleric. Amazingly all the others were asleep (lone watch). Victor pulled off his holy symbol to Moradin (to be used a scry focus), cut off a little bit of his beard (same reason), and then, for the pure evilness of it, put a symbol of Gruumsh around his neck, grinning in his face first.
Oh, one other thing. When you use Victor, you absolutely MUST use disguise self. His disguise check is a +25 with it. Have him appear as a dwarf, then an elf, human, etc. When they finally catch him (like they did IMC last night), they will catch a half-elf. My group is now scared spitless that there are a number of assassins running around. In particular, the dragon disciple was stabbed by an elf and then they caught a half-elf. They still think there's an assassin waiting around corner.
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arcane12
Memunite
(11/16/03 11:55 am)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
nice, with the disguise self
I have had Victor attacks the party once, he paralyzed the cleric then wispered a warning (I had something else planned, but the cleric woke up (darn my low rolls) so Victor had to run, but managed to sneak attack him when he walked outside looking for the perpertrator!
I sent Ukemil and the lions next, which the party took down with ease - they were holed up in the Wizards Leomonds secure shelter. Unfortunately for them the 30+ 1st level warriors outside were not so lucky (I got about five of them before the party stopped the lions)
One interested side effect was the night I decided to plan the attack the party decided to change thier routine and sleep far outside of town. Of course Ukemil did not know this so he went to Rastor, and when he could not find anyone in the house they rent he captured/tourtured a couple of commoners to get info. Then the lions ate a few and he left. When the party got back to town it was to a _very_ cold welcome - but I will let them descibe that in the journal
Basically what I wanted to show is Ukemil does not have to tromp up the stairs to meet the party. They was I suggest gives the party time to prepare, but they have to decide between being good and being prepared
All you have to do is have Ukemil start sending his lions into the poor peasant huts and the party _should_ come running. It gives them a chance to do some real heroics, but also demonstrates the realities of evil - they do not need to hurt you directly to hurt you!
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/17/03 11:27 am)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
The disguise self on Victor is a great idea; I'm holding Victor (and the one remaining Stalker) in reserve for fights inside the Outer Fane, but will definitely use that when he makes an appearance.
I used "assassination" rather broadly; now that Gez is dead, the night attacks are just going to be normal attacks, not actual assassins. The first group will be Ukemil and the Lions, and I'm going to use the arson plan to ratchet up the haphazard collateral damage.
After that, Hedrack will cast Planar Ally to bring in a Glabrezu. He'll offer the Glabrezu an entire CRM complex (Water Temple if it's still standing, or the Earth Bridge if the water temple is already destroyed) in sacrifice -- if the party finds the sacrificed complex, they'll find most of the occupants lying in a main room, kneeling, with their hearts ripped out and consumed (and their gear missing, of course). The Glabrezu (and his 0-2 summoned Vrocks) will attack each night for up to 14 nights, until he's killed or driven off the party (or killed himself, of course). Each night, the Glabrezu will teleport back to the fane when he gets too beat up, and Hedrack will Heal him for the next night. That should get the party eager enough to put their butts in gear to find and kill Hedrack.
I figure the first night, the Glabrezu will try to tempt a party member with its Wish granting power. Do you think it could use it's Wish to restore the Demonstone to the character who had it? For that matter, does this power grant the demon any info about the mortal he's tempting, or does he just have to make a generic offer of power and let the mortal ask for something specific? I think the temptation would be that much greater if the demon already knew what the mortal wanted. He'll only attack if attacked by the party. On subsequent nights, he'll probably just fight, unless the temptation seemed to get somewhere the first time. I figure he'll only last 2 or 3 nights before the cleric wises up and Banishes him.
What do you think is a reasonable XP award for this? I'm thinking I'll give them a CR11 award the first time they drive it away, nothing on subsequent nights until they kill it, when they'll get a full CR13.
Edited by: msherman at: 11/17/03 12:38 pm
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arcane12
Memunite
(11/17/03 4:31 pm)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
I looked up the wish ability and, unless you personally want to rule/do otherwise, it does not state any way of gaining this extra knowledge. One thing it hints at is that it grants the wish after a type of bargining process, and as the creature prefers to tempt mortal humanoids with power and wealth I would harzard a guess that it would ask (in a roundabout way) what their greatest wish is.
eg. G: "Hey you, lets talk. What's your name?"
B: "Bob. You are a big ugly deamon but seem quite nice. What do you want?"
G: "No, what do you want? I mean really, if you weren't here sleeping in the cold with these people where would you be? what would you be doing? Would you be on a beach surrounded by beutiful girls catering to your every whim?"
B: "Sure, that sounds dandy."
G: "You know I could make that happen. " Smiles. "You just go on over to your sleeping friend there, kill him and it's yours."
Ok, so not quite like that but you get my drift?
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/17/03 7:01 pm)
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Re: Ukemil attacking in Rastor?
Well, Hedrack has been scrying the party... I suppose I could have him cast detect thoughts through the scry on each member of the party. The fighter/rogue who usually stands guard most of the night (he wears a ring of sustenance) has a favourite sword that he's been enchanting up the whole campaign; his love for that blade is plain enough in his surface thoughts when he's using it. I'll have the demon teleport in to a hidden location just within 100' of him, contact him telepathically, and offer to buff it up.
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/24/03 7:27 am)
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
Our game saturday was delayed to next weekend, so I had more time to think about this. Here's what I've decided to do. There's one stretch in the abilities of the Glabrezu here -- I've decided that it's capable of carrying on 3 simultaneous telepathic conversations. After all, it is a Demon.
The party consists of four characters; a CG F/R/Shd (the guard w/ the proto-Oathblade mentioned above, who also happens to be packing Fragerach in his pack since they found it), a NN Bbn/Sor, a CN R/W/Ass (took a single assassin level while holding the Demonstone), and an NG Cleric of Pelor. Hedrack has been consistantly targetting the Pelorite with his assassins, and has grown to hate him. He uses Divination to determine the deepest desires of the other three party members: improving his sword for the Shd, resurrecting her dead 3yr old daughter (killed by Orcs at the start of the campaign) for the Bbn, and returning the demonstone to the assassin.
Here's how the encounter will progress. Late at night (presumably while the party is sleeping, with the Shadowdancer on guard), Hedrack will scry the cleric to figure out where they are (he has a sample of the cleric's blood from a previous assassination attempt). The demon will teleport in to the most hidden area within 100' of the party (hopefully in another room, if the party is sleeping either in Rastor or the 'safe' parts of the mines). At this point, the guard might notice the teleport, so he'll get a round to search, but even if he sees the demon, he can't close 100' and fight in a single round.
The next round, the demon will contact everyone but the cleric telepathically. I've prepared a note for each party member (even the cleric, for that false sense of security that makes this game so much fun... ) :
Cleric:Quote:
You remain asleep, dreaming a pleasant dream of the sunny meadows of Amoria, in Pelor’s blessed realm of Elysium. You can hear the pleasant trickle of the River Oceanus flowing nearby, it’s ever-pure water irrigating the crops and feeding man and beast alike. This is a common dream for you; it’s what keeps you going in your sometimes difficult oerth-bound struggle against the Elder Elemental Eye. Suddenly, your dream changes; the colors aren’t as bright, and the chirping of songbirds is interrupted by the screech of a vulture. You can smell something unpleasant in the air, like rotten eggs. All is not well.
Shadowdancer:Quote:
Your searching is interrupted by a deep booming voice in your head. “Chase. Draw your blade. Ah, yes, Revenge. It is wonderful – both the weapon, and the sentiment. I can give you all that you desire. Do but one simple task for me, and you will hold ultimate power within your hands – not just a fully formed Oathblade, but more: Revenge The Answerer. Are you interested?”
Barbarian:Quote:
Suddenly, you are jerked awake, your dreams of a more simple time roaming the hunting range with your tribe rudely interrupted. A deep voice booms within your head. “Shalathal. Barbarian. Master swordswoman. Mother. I can give you that which you desire most above all. I can restore to you the one thing that you truly care about in this world, or any other. Talissa can once again suckle at your breast. All I ask is one simple task. Are you interested?”
Assassin:Quote:
You awake with a start. You haven’t been sleeping well at the best of times, lately; the voices in your head seem to come more easily at night, taunting you to great evil in your dreams. Sometimes, you manage to resist; other times, not so much. Tonight, though, it’s different. The voice is louder, deeper, more… real. The other voices are still there, chirping, squealing, shouting to be heard, but the new voice drowns them out, leaving only an indistinct background noise. “Cyr. You once held great power within your grasp. You knew what it truly meant to be strong; not the strength of the arm that your weak companions so covet, but the true and pure strength of the soul. That can be yours again. I can restore to you that which you have lost, which you prized above all; the Demonstone can once again be yours. All I ask is but one simple task. Are you interested?”
If any of the three reply positively to the demon, he'll say that all he asks is that they destroy the false preist of Pelor, who leads them on this fools errand instead of tending his flock as is his station. Chaos, and hilarity, will ensue. Of course, if one of them actually does take the bait, and manages to kill the cleric, they'll get their wish, but demonically; Chase's sword will be enchanted as a Cursed Answering Oathblade, Shalathal's daughter will be raised as an undead, and Cyr will, well, Cyr will get the Demonstone.
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(11/24/03 9:34 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
Looks good. You might want to consider whether the note itself should contain the demon's request. For sure, they will all ask that and then you will spend additional time writing out notes. I think it would be easier this way. It has the added benefit that one of the players might accept the deal immediately, and turn and kill the cleric. I also suggest you start combat rounds immediately after handing out the notes, though it sounds like you are planning that anyway.
Also, I'm not sure about doing all three at once. I know it's a demon, but wouldn't it work just as well offering the Deal to each player, in turn, starting with the Shadowdancer?
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/24/03 2:16 pm)
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
Yeah, I'm actually going to start combat time the round _before_ they get the notes, which is the round in which the demon teleports in. That gives Chase (the Shadowdancer) one round to sweat while he searches for the source of the disturbance (he has a very high listen and spot, so he's quite likely to notice the demon teleporting in). I'll call for initiative rolls from the rest of the party as they awake -- Cyr and Shalathal when they get the note, and Hamish probably the next round -- I'll let him make a wisdom check to wake up on his own accord based on the change in his dream, and even if he fails that there's likely going to be enough noise to wake him anyway.
In my game, we don't allow actions the round in which you wake up, so Chase will have a one round head start when the Demon makes the offers, since he's already awake. Handing out the notes simultaneously raises the (admittedly slim) chance that more than one character will agree, and they'll have to fight each other to see who gets to kill the cleric -- the demon can only grant one wish, after all.
As for putting the task in the note, I decided to leave it out, since if the single note says "kill the cleric", none of the players are likely to give it a second thought. The drama's a bit more interesting if one or more character actually says "Yes, I'm interested, what's the task?" and then realizes after the fact how close they came to cutting a deal with a demon. I'll prep 3 follow up notes with his request if anyone asks what he wants them to do, so I won't waste too much time scribbling notes in play.
I do have one more question about the Glabrezu's abilities, though -- is his Telepathy ability 2 way communication, or just broadcast-only? Can he read minds?
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arcane12
Memunite
(11/24/03 2:29 pm)
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
from the SRD(3.5):
Quote:
Telepathy (Su): A creature with this ability can communicate telepathically with any other creature within a certain range (specified in the creature’s entry, usually 100 feet) that has a language. It is possible to address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time.
Some creatures have a limited form of telepathy, while others have a more powerful form of the ability.
As there is no mention of an ability to 'read' the mind I would say that the demon is only able to pick up the thoughts that the character chooses to share, just as you cannot 'force' someone to say anything. Of course bluff, intimidate, etc work normally, but a DM should never try to force a PC's actions (unless they are under the effects of a spell, or the GM is describing other involuntary/automatic action/reaction.
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(11/24/03 2:30 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
Telepathy certainly doesn't allow one to read minds, but I'd allow it to be a two-way communication, but only so long as the demon is willing, unless the PC also has telepathy. In that respect, maybe that's what you mean about reading minds, more like reading thought messages.
If Hedrack knows that the Shadowdancer has such a good listen check, why doesn't he put a silence spell on the Demon (or better, on a stone that the Demon can carry). One other thing, players have the bad habit of asking who they are talking to. What's the demon's name? What will he respond if they ask who/what are you? Those are the main questions though, and the Demon can easily ignore additional questions without causing too much of a problem. If you need a name, I suggest Infinitus.
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/24/03 2:54 pm)
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
Infinitus, it is! Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely spend a few minutes prepping answers to such prying questions as can be expected from mere mortals. Any ideas on what he'd reply if asked why the cleric must die? He does have a high bluff, and none of my PCs have a particularly high sense motive. I'm tempted to have him pretend to be a Guardinal, sent to eliminate the cleric because he has sinned against Pelor, but that might be too transparent.
The silence stone is a great idea; that'll add a good chance that the cleric stays sleeping during the whole thing.
As for "reading minds", yeah, that's what I meant. So the PCs can think their replies to the demon without each hearing what the other is saying. If they think to try that, that is.
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(11/24/03 3:46 pm)
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ezSupporter
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
Who are you?
You may call me Infinitus, should you require a name.
What are you?
I am merely an outside observer. Do not concern yourself with trivial details when I offer so much for your help.
Why kill the cleric?
Because he is a thorn in my plans. Without his leadership, the rest of you would abandon this foolish mission.
If you can grant my wish, why can't you just kill the cleric yourself?
I grant others power, but not myself. Surely you agree that it is fair payment for services rendered?
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msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/24/03 6:47 pm)
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Re: The Glabrezu's Temptations
That's great stuff. Thanks for all the help, Infinitus^H^Hi2k. I'll be sure to post a followup on this thread after the game sunday.
Edited by: msherman at: 11/24/03 6:48 pm
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msherman
Ophanite
(11/30/03 10:09 pm)
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Many successes today!
Well, both Ukemil and the Glabrezu Infinitus attacked my party in today's session, and much fun was had by all.
The first night, the party had cleared the Fire Bridge (the previous session), and their semi-allies the Orcs expanded into the area to hold it secure. The Orcs (combined groups from inside the CRM and from Rastor) now hold the entire area between the two gates, with the exception of the "Haunted" Dwarven temple.
So, instead of heading back to Rastor as I expected they would, they camped in the Fire Bridge complex, in room 47, the guard barracks (or, as they called it after seeing 8 guardsmen stream out of a 10x20' room smaller than the corridor it opened onto, the Sardine Can). The watchman (the fighter/rogue with a ring of sustenance) was alerted in the middle of the night when he heard a roar outside the door, followed by an orcish scream and the sound of orcs running away. He opened the door to see a lion chewing down on an orc, with the rest of the orcs taking off. A second lion attacked at the open door (but couldn't pounce, because he couldn't get there with a straight line), while the other three lions maneuvered into position to pounce at the door. A couple party members made it just outside the door, but the cramped quarters really hampered their style, and they didn't last very long. Ukemil wasn't much use, either; after the lions died he closed in for some touch spells, but blew off _3_ spells with failed Combat Casting checks.  His dying words were, "Master Hedrack has a message for you. I may not have been successful, but I will not be the last; leave... this plaaaa......"
Grumbling about another night of interrupted rest and no restful healing, they went back to sleep.
The next morning, an orc arrives from Rastor, bearing a message that a courier had delivered there to one of the PCs (part of Event 4 from Thicker Than Water, for those who know that adventure). The note asked the pc (Cyr, the rogue), to meet its author in a nearby town a half-day's ride away, in two days time at noon. The party decided they'd go early, after investigating the "Haunted Area" the orcs warned them about.
They go to the trapped door (#61), and Cyr scouts ahead, setting off almost every trap he discovers. First he falls into the pit, but with Feather Fall as one of his Assassin spells, that's not an issue. Then he discovers the Font, but after spending about 10 minutes trying to figure out how to take it apart and sell it for gemstones, he realizes it's just marble, and figures it's not worth the hassle; thankfully, they didn't try putting water in it. Then he goes to the reliquary, and the dollar signs really light up in his eyes when he sees the Hammerspheres; he quickly tumbles into the room (setting off the cone-of-cold glyph), and casts Obscuring Mist before any other party members get to the open door to see what's inside. He reaches for a sphere, and makes the polymorph save, but fails the domination save. The rest of the party, not knowing what's going on, bars the door to keep him inside; finally they let him out, after he assures them that he didn't take a sphere, and neither would any of them, thank you very much.
Then the party did something that really impressed me; Chase, the shadowdancer guardsman, figured out that this was the sealed dwarven temple that they'd read about in a document found near the main gate, and that they shouldn't delve any deeper into it, but rather tell Rerrid about it. Rerrid quickly gets a small expiditionary force together, and leads the party back in (after negotiating safe passage just this once for the dwarves past the orcs). Rerrid had heard tales from his grandfather about many of the relics; he creates two vials of holy water and gives them to Hamish with the font, and then demonstrates the Hammerspheres (but doesn't give them to the party, of course). Then, he heads into the main temple, and commands the stone golem to hold off its attack. He then goes on to the emerald room, where he warns the non-dwarves to avoid the stone, and touches it and receives the sum of all the clan's ritual knowledge. He shows the party the secret door, and informs them that Tulian's Eye is still missing, and if it was hidden by a dwarf, he wasn't able to escape with the knowledge of it's location back to the clan, otherwise Rerrid would have gleaned that from the Emerald. If the party can find Tulian's Eye, it can be used to power the Golem's ability to re-weave magic items at will. In the interim, he went to the treasury, and gave the party one of the chests with 3000gp, to reward them for restoring the temple to the dwarves, as well as offering them a permanent safe haven there.
Feeling pretty good about themselves, the party heads off for the nearby town they were instructed to go to in two days. When they get there, they check into the inn, and get a suite. That night, the Glabrezu attacks. Chase hears its arrival with a thud outside the door (I decided to forego the silence, I thought Hedrack and the demon were both a bit too cocky for that), and goes to listen at the suite's front door. He can hear heavy breathing muffled through at least one other wall or door outside the door. Then I hand out the notes. Everyone seemed quite shocked; it was _great_. Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, no-one said yes; there were about two rounds of telepathic chit-chat while they parleyed with the demon, asking who he was, and what he wanted them to do, but once he stated his price, they all said no. So he bursts in through the door, knocking the door frame right out of the wall (and throwing Chase back a bit, at the same time). The Cleric (who made his wisdom check to get up from the nightmare), recognizes the demon; with his mighty +4 in Knowledge (The Planes), he rolls exactly the 22 he needs. The Demon throws off an Unholy Blight, and everyone saves except Chase (who is good, and thus sickened). Chase pulls out Fragarach from his bedside, and charges the demon; this draws an AOO as he charges through reach, doing something like 22 damage, but he gets the return AOO thanks to the Answerer. Too bad Chase misses both attacks. The demon's already got Chase down to about 20 hitpoints; one full-round attack and Chase would be wallpaper paste.
Then the Cleric did something that amazed me; for some reason, he'd memorized Dismissal -- he thought he might need it when exploring the supposedly "Haunted" caves that morning. He makes the SR roll, and the Demon needs a 7 to save; he rolls a _6_. Poof. Finally, one last awsome die roll, he gets a 35 on his spellcraft, so he recognizes the spell in progress and identifies the Demon's behaviour as that of a Planar Ally.
So the whole encounter turned out to be a big win for the party, and everyone turning down the offer probably brought them a lot closer together. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Edited by: msherman at: 12/1/03 12:49 pm
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