[Abe Sargent]

They head up into more convoluted passages into which Alzar three times more orders searches. 37/54

They arrive at a door. It is an old door. Alzar uses his Ear Ring and hears nothing beyond it. They open it, and there is a small empty room beyond. There are wooden walls with knotty pines – old, heavy and full of knots. There is a wooden door on the other side. As always, Alzar is quite suspicious when someone tries to change the walls and floor into something completely different.

Alzar’s Ear Ring on the door reveals nothing, and no one else is in the room, and per usual. He raps on the door with his and nothing. He tries to open it, but it will need a big push, and will not just open on its own. Alzar is done with this. He walks out, grabs an oil flask, spreads it all over the wooden walls and door, and sets it on fire, and then they back up about 60 feet from the room and let it burn for 30 minutes. After the room is torched, they move forward and see spikes in the walls. Behind the now destroyed wooded door was a metal one, and if the wooden door was pushed back, it would pass a trigger that likely sent out many spikes in the room and behind the door Now that the switch is revealed, it is a simple matter to skip it and open the real door and leave. 40/57

After a bit ,the corridor ends at another door. Alzar’s Ear Ring detects the sound of weapons scraping, and whispers. They know someone is coming towards them, and they are readying an ambush. The door is locked. Alzar grabs his gauntlets and tries to pick it. He fails. He trades back and grabs a flask of acid and destroys the lock. He tells everybody to get ready. Est and Carum have their missile weapons ready to attack someone long range, Alzar will move it and cast spells as needed, and Aleigha will move in to support him if needed. Megala and Dryshik fly up, out of range of anything major that may come their way, and then launch Mist Balls or fly in for attacks if needed.

Before moving in, Alzar casts his other Shield-Maidens spell. They open the door and jump in.

This is a huge throne room more than 100’ long and wide, and very tall ,with four rows of pillars flanking a center area that s open. There is an ankylosaurus in front of them, and at the far end a large throne with a huge, emaciated gnoll-like figure whose eyes glow amber and a 7’ long flail in one hand. To the right of the throne are 6 gnolls, and to the left are 6 ghouls. To the side behind pillars are gnoll archers. Alzar orders the archers to fire at the gnoll archers. He tries to control the ghouls, but they aren’t there at all. The ankylosaurus is charging. The giant figure is casting a spell. Alzar releases Dispel Magic, because those ghouls are not-there, and hopes to reveal their real form.

Arrows fly out and miss Alzar from the gnoll archers. A fear spell is cast by the giant gnoll-ish creature on the throne. Aleigha is scared and runs. Everybody else made their saves. The Ankylosaurus misses Alzar. Carum’s magic sling wings a stone into a gnoll to the left pillar for 4 damage. Est nails one to the right for 6. Alzar’s Dispel Magic flings forth at the ghouls.

Result:

The ghouls disappear, they were an illusion
The six gnolls on the other side of the throne disappear, they were also an illusion.
The giant gnoll is actually just a frumpy looking human mage.

Dryshik Mist Balls the human and it hits a glass wall in front of him and disperses.

The next round arrives. Alzar orders Carum and Estaish to melee the dinosaur while he spends a round running to the illusionist. Est and Carum both hit for 14 damage between them. Dryshik and Megala flies around for one on each side. Alzar’s axe is out and he spends the round running towards the mage. The illusionist casts Hold Person on just Alzar, and it fails (Ring of Free Action). Est takes 5 from an arrow and Carum 1. The dinosaur misses.

40/45 – Estaish
50/58 – Carum

They win init. Arrows fly at the fighters and all miss the high ACs. They roll 7, 10, 14, 14, and 16, and with a THAC0 of 19, they all miss an AC of -2. The dino misses too. The illusionist, now next to Alzar, casts Blindness on him. Alzar just makes his save. An axe bites into the mage for 17 damage. The maidens add 2, with one barely hitting his AC of 0. A Mist Ball flies in and he fails his save, takes 4 damage and is himself blinded for 1 round. The fighters miss the dinosaur.

Alzar wins init and axes for 14 damage and the mage dies. Est hits the dinosaur for 7 damage. Carum adds 8 and kills it. The five gnoll archers Hit Carum for 12 damage (rolled 2d6 on two hits). Then they drop bows and draw long swords.

38/58 – Carum

Alzar’s Hypnotism puts 3 of them down and the other two run back towards the door, but Aleigha is there and blocks it and cuts one down for 10 damage. The other drops his weapons, Alzar casts Charm, he makes his save, and they tie him up and gag him by wrapping his mouth closed and tying it off.

They search and find:

A secret door in the far corner, locked
A key in the throne secret panel
Bracers on the Mage – Alzar cannot identify them
A Dagger


The dinosaur was actually a rust monster in illusion.

XP – 424 each