D&D Dynasty: 3rd Path of King Alzar the Mighty - FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Month 4, Year 9 –

Alzar has found a small village at where the Landsplit River near the northern border of the Duchy hits the deep inland lake called the Lake Isojarvi. The village, called Lovajarvi, will be expanded into the major northern capital on the region. It’s in a good, defensive location, has a lot of resources, centrally located, and more.

His architects and such begin to expand, build walls, a keep, and more. The cost is 432000 gp for everything due to the distance of the materials . But Alzar shaves off 80k by opening up Worldwalk gates to rich locations once/day for 2 weeks to bring through all of the needed materials to ferry through all of the needed and essential high quality stone, wood, and more.



North of his holdings directly is a loose confederation of folks called Kaarjala, around the two rivers, the lakes, and going east/west. It’s not a state in a traditional sense, but more like a loose confederation of villages, towns, cities, and a few tribes of barbarians, demihumans, outside of the 5 tribes he’s allied with. This is on the border with them. So it gives him a rallying point, defensive position, and more,


Month 5, Year 9 –

Alzar has arrived at a large library in one of the law planes, and looks up the Rod of Seven Parts. He finds the best sigils and glyphs possible, and crafts the next Glyph


Later in the month, Vix has cleaned out three more lairs.

Alzar finishes another Silver Golem prepared by the Foundry.

[Abe Sargent]

Below is a list of the current allies, pets, and undead he has, outside of the usual, like one Invisible Stalker on patrol and stuff like that.


Allies, Pets, and Constructs in Pandius

9 Slow Shadows
4 Death Tyrants
50 Lichlings
12 Juju Zombies
2 Vampires - AC2, HP 40 each, Deal 1d10 damage and energy drain, charm, over at Ilth K’hinax
9 Coffer Corpses; 6 Ghoulstirges; 4 Swordwraith; 2 Topi; Undead Head (AC7 in the bottle), HD 3+3, HP 30, DMG 1d6 from screech or 1d4 bite. Alerts everyone.; 24 Giant Skeletons, various lower level undead (Zombies, skeletons) in Ilth K’hinax
2 Giant 2 Headed Troll Skeletons
150 zombies
625 skeletons
10 Crypt Things

Ak’Kabar Tabi

HD – 5; HP 26
THAC0 – 15; 2 Attacks, 1d4 each;
Intelligence – 9
Speaks – Own Language, Common Tongues
AL – Chaotic Neutral

Each hit by a claw must save vs poison or be deluded for 2d6 turns. Tabis can pick pockets, hide silently, and move in shadows with a 40% chance of success, and they can backstab when doing do. A tabi looks like a cross between a monkey, a bat, and a cat. They are about 15 pounds, and roughly 2 feet tall. After being bound I is extremely loyal, will do anything commanded, will be loyal for life, can go far outside the boundary normally had, and most importantly, the tabi is not a familiar. He can have a familiar, and if it dies nothing bad happens


Azzil, Imp

AC 2, HP 14, Save As: Level 7
THAC0 – 19; 1d4 + poison or die
Lawful Evil, INT Average
Flight class A, 18
25% Magic Resistance
Can only be hit by silver or magical items

Can polymorph at will into a raven or giant rat. Can turn invisible, detect good, magic, at will. Has infravision. Regenerate one hp/rnd. If within 1 mile, master gains infravision, regeneration and 25% magic resistance. User’s caster level increased by one. If not in 1 mile, caster level decreased by one. Immune to cold, fire, electricity. Can communicate telepathically with Alzar. Once/day can cast Suggestion. Now, if Azzil dies, Alzar is drained of two levels like an Energy Drain.

Azzil wants to be the leader of this relationship, and views Alzar as the tool and him as the master, but in reality, Azzil knows that it’s not nearly as powerful as Alzar can be. The devils allowed Alzar to take one of their Imps as a recognition of the work he’s done against demons.

Imps are the Ferrari of familiars. There is virtually no familiar that is as useful as an imp. Auto kills no matter the level with poison, they grant MR 25%, regen, and infravison and +1 caster level. They can invisible, polymorph, detect at will. They are the best and most agile of flyers. Now sure, Azzil is a bit independent, and will collect its own treasure and hide it away from bad guys. But it’s good.


Megala, Homunculus

Lawful Evil

HP: 10
THAC0: 19
AC: 6
Damage: 1d3+ sleep


Megala is Alzar’s Homunculus from before Vorthala died, and he had given Alzar much of the ingredients. Megala has no personality, and is merely an extension of Alzar. When he fights, his fangs force a save vs poison or put a person to sleep for 5d6 rounds. If he dies, Alzar will take 2d10 damage


“Aegis,” “Shield,” –


AC – 2
HP - 70 (HD 14)
THAC0 – 7
1 attack for 3d8damage
Needs a +2 to hit with a weapon
Immune to most spells

Made of Onyx Stone, gives it a better AC and HP than a normal Stone Golem. Heals fully when a Transmute Mud to Rock spell is cast on it.


Coils, Iron Cobra

Neutral
AC: 0
HP: 8
THAC0: 20

Attacks: 1d3 + poison


The Cobra can be activated and deactivated by command words known by Alzar. When an Iron Cobra hits in combat, the target must make a save at -2 vs. poison or die. The Cobra only has three such charges, but can be refilled by Alzar using his Poison Use proficiency. It has all of the normal construct immunities (Cold, Poison, Disease, Sleep, Charm, Fear, etc).


Fangs, Necrophidus. 30 more made

Neutral
AC: 2
HP: 12
THAC0: 19
Attacks: 1d8 + paralyzation

Fangs appears like a skeleton of a giant snake, with a human fanged head at the top, and jewels in the eye sockets. It shares all of the normal immunities that constructs have. In combat, it bites with its fangs and those bitten must save vs. magic or be paralyzed for 1d4 turns, which gives the Necrophidus plenty of time to finish off the target if they can kill, paralyze or drive off other invaders. Due to its slinking nature, it can surprise an opponent 50% of the time.

The Necrophidus can perform a maneuver called the Dance of Death. It is a hypnotic, semi-magical swaying that rivets the attention of onlookers. All must save versus Magic or be hypnotized, and unable to move. Creatures that are hypnotized can be safely attacked by the Necrophidus and Iron Cobra.




Bronze Golem, Named Aleph:

Bronze Golem – AC 0, HD 20, HP 97, THAC0 – 3, 1 attack fist 3d10 damage +1d10 heat damage;

Deals 1d10 heat damage from its scaling hot “blood” inside the being. That fiery liquid spurts out when it takes damage to whoever hit it, or when it punches because it makes contact. Immune to heat, and requires a +2 magical weapon to hit.


“Kitty”, Amber Golem –

AC 6, HD – 10, HP – 50, THACO – 11, 3 attacks for 2d6, 2d6 and 2d10. Movement 18.

Looks like great amber lion, Detects Invisible, +2 weapon to hit, can follow a trail 12 hours cold, for every 12 hours more its -5% at tracking. Half damage from fire magic.


“Lance”, “Trident”, “Spear” Silver Golems –

AC 0, HD – 12, HP – 65, THACO -9, 4 attacks for 1d8, 1d8, 1d8, 1d8. Movement 30.

Fastest known golem, has mercury in it. Always wins initiative, even against magic that would take it. +2 weapon to hit. Magic fire heals it, and causes it grow for a time (full damage from magical cold and it will shrink temporarily). Not affected by spells.



Android Bodyguard –

AC -1, HD 7, HP 40, THAC0 – 8, 1d8+4/1d8+4 attacks.

Programmed to use any human weapon, from missiles and physical weapons to the energy weapons on the ship. Immune to cold, and all of the normal construct immunities. Half damage from acid or fire. If hit with electrical attack, 1% chance per damage point dealt that it shuts down. As a guard android, has full stats = 18 dexterity, 18/90 strength, 18 constitution, can see 150% vision, hearing, and has infravision. Intelligent. It can self repair minor damage, major damage cannot be repaired save by returning to the ship and finding a way to do so.

The bodyguard shows him how to use the various items he didn’t know. One of the benefits of having this mobile attack platform is that he can use the best weapon for a battle without any disadvantages. For example, if they are fighting fire creatures, give the android a Frostbrand sword. Give it the vorpal yataghan normally, and maybe Wyrmcleaver or the +3 Flail of Disruption against undead and so forth. It punches twice or can use a weapon in each hand or a shield and a weapon and so forth. Plus it can use a weapon that might normally try to control the user or dominate it without any issues.

2 Iron Living Statues, 25 HP, Thaco 17, Deals 2d8 damage from punch, non magical slash/pierce weapons stick to it after hitting it. AC 2.


10 Spectators – Summoned and used as guardians through Alzar’s home.



Allies

Bevidoro, Mimic who insists he is a “Magic Door”

AC7, HD8, HP 51, MV3, ThACo 13, 3d4 damage, uses glue-ish attack to stick to target or anything else. Immune to acid. Neutral

Bevidoro was starving and picked up in the Lost Shrine of Bundushataur and promised lots of food and a nice place back home. Bevidoro guards places in Alzar’s castle, and is fed by the staff daily to prevent it from accidentally eating someone. Bevidoro can shrink down the size of a large box and stick to someone mobile to relocate quickly. Since mimics have a bad reputation, Bevidoro insists that he is, in fact, just a hungry magic door, and not a mimic at all. He will never admit otherwise. Unless maybe food was involved.


Draconus - Level 20 Ghost/Mage. Lawful Good, touch ages 1d4x10 years. Sight ages 10 years. Can use Magic Jar constantly, and can be turned. Knows lots of magic spells, from Wish to Magic Missile, and everything in between. (Magic Missile, Charm, Pro Evil, Read, Detect, ESP, Forget, Scare, Web, Hold, Light bolt, Slow, Suggestion, Confusion, Fumble PMprhOther, Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice, Cone of Cold, Feeblemind, Hold, TK, Wall of Force, Geas, Domination, Globe of Invul, Legend Lore, Limited Wish, Power Word - Stun, Vanish, Mass Charm, Maze, Symbol, Bigby’s Crush H, Foresight, Wish).

Draconus was one of the leaders against the Lords of Chaos and fought in the final battle at the Shrine of Chaos in Thunderdelve Mountain, and like many of his companions, fell there. He was trapped in a ghost’s body in the Shrine, and uses a Wish to stay LG and retain his magic casting ability as well. He can’t rise in ability or learn new spells. After Alzar arrived and removed the chaotic taint from the area, the ghost, who had been trapped for 1300+ years, agreed to come back and be the guardian, warden, and primary user of the extensive library that Alzar has collected. Draconus is good to Alzar’s evil, so there’s only so far he’ll go to help out, but this certainly counts. Plus, as he has told Alzar, there is a time in the near future where Alzar is going to be the Champion of Law in a major cross-planar battle that he is totally unaware of right now.



Figurines of Wondrous Power:


“Zadaxx” Ebony Fly Figurine, A Giant Fly, AC – 4; HP – 25; THAC0 – 16; 1d6 damage in combat from ramming; Alzar can ride it. Can be used three times per week for 12 hours at a time. Flies very fast, and can be turned back to statuette at a word, and is the size of a pony, and can be used as a steed. If killed, reverts to statue form and that uses up its magic for that 12 hour period.


“Zandran” Serpentine Owl; Two uses, and you can switch back and forth between them for eight hours a day. 1 –A small owl, very sneaky AC7, 3 hp, THACO – 20, 1d2x2 damage – 95% silence, infravision, keen hearing, telepathy with owner; 2 – Giant Owl, AC6, 19 hp, THACO – 17, 2d4, 2d4, 1d8.


“Kithog,” Onyx Dog - AC 3, HP 22, THACO 16; 1d6, 1d6; LN, Can summon any number of times but not more than one hour/day total, takes one week to come back after he dies.


“Angral” Obsidian Steed - like Heavy War Horse, but can use Fly, Go Ethereal, Astral; turns to 8 hours per day, 3x/week.


“Balo” Full Sized Ferret, AC5, Thaco 30, 3 hp, deals 1d2 damage, infravision of 60 feet, move silently 100%; hide in shadows 95%, pick pockets 75%, very fast,can be used for up to 6 hours at a time for up to 3 times a week.

Glass Griffon:

AC 3, HD7, HP40, 3 attacks – 1d4x2, 2d6, THACo 13, N;

Command words to shrink, grow, give rider infra/ultra vision, turn to griffon, and return. Can be used 1/day to make a Griffon, with max hp, 4 hours/day, until slain, and then turns back to glass for a week, can be used to ride.



The Skyfish Skyship:

It’s a magical vehicle shaped like a huge, silvery manta ray which can fly above and below water, and in the sky. It has a magical shield that uses Airy Water, Water Breathing, Resist Cold, and Resist Electricity. Its 50 feet long, and 60 wide. It can fit up to 15 people on the oak paneled cockpit on the back. There is a bench in the cockpit and it features two magical gem eyes that can fire lightning bolts from them. A wizard can also spend a round mentally attacking with the great, 20 foot tail for THACo 12 and 2d6 damage with a save vs Para or be stunned for 1d4 rounds if struck. It’s immune to magical fire, cold, water, electricity, but takes normal damage from acid. There is a magical Lightning Rod on it that absorbed any electrical attack that is directed at the way of a user.



Tazneer
Efreet
LE, 54 hp ,AC2, THACo 11; 3d8 damage;

Can use Invisible, gaseous form, enlarge, detect magic, wall of fire, polymorph self, create illusion, pyrotechnics, and produce flame all once/day and give wishes 3/day.

Tazneer is the youngest of the 80 efreet captured and imprisoned on the Doomgrinder for thousands of years. As part of agreeing to free the genies, Alzar gained the service of the weakest of them, with a Genie Contract spell. Tazeer is a powerful ally of Alzar’s, and can great wishes. Once he grants three wishes to Alzar, his contract will be over. Until then, Tazneer is one of the allies Alzar has available to him.












Vix, Alzar’s Wife
Neutral, Human-ish, Female
Level 27

On the path of Entropy following her mother Nyx

STR 18/96
DEX 18
CON 17
WIS 13
INT 11
CHA 17

AC: -5
HP – 144
THACO – 2
Age – Appears 26, unknown actual age (Born fully adult)

+4 Spear, returns when thrown, can be used 3/day to blind the target hit
+4 Banded Armor

Abilities – As a half-immortal –

Immune to:

Normal weapons, normal elements (fire, cold, poison, lightning, etc)

+2 saves vs magical throws

Skills:

Spear Weapon Mastery
Throwing Expertise
One Handed Weapon Expertise
Polearm mastery - +1 to hit and damage with polearms
Dagger

Non-Weapon –

Charioteering
Reading/Writing
Riding
Swimming
Blind-Fighting
Riding, Air
Survival
Hunting
Tracking
Endurance
Running

Speaks 6 languages


Chariot of Vix – Any animal tethered to it obeys all commands, levitates, flies, carries 3 human-sized passengers, animal tethered to it gets the benefit of a haste spell at all times, has 120 hp, AC of 0, and takes no damage from area attacks or spells – must be actually attacked to damage it. Can be magically restored only. Vix has no magic to restore (only priests of Nyx could) but Alzar’s spell, Repair Machine, will heal it a bit.





Dactyl Magnon

Lawful Neutral
AC 7,
HD 3+3
THACo - 17
# of Attacks - 1
Damage: 2d4 with beak or by weapon

The Dactyl Magnon is a humanoid take on a pterodactyl His has the head and beak, wings, and basic body outline of a Dactyl, but with elongated arms, hands, and articulated legs and feet. It tends to have yellow eyes. Dactyls can fly, and are intelligent. They tend to be lawful neutral, live around 45-50 years. A Dactyl Magnon gets +2 DEX, -2 CON, +1 WIS, -1 INT if created as a character.

This race of intelligent humanoids was created by Alzar and lives around the central areas of the early Barony, as well as the Ljallenvals Mountains.


Nasnas –
LE
AC 6, THACO 17; HD 2 + 2
1 attack for weapons +5.

Half humanoids, fly, cause fear with whoops, only be hit by iron or magic, extremely loyal to master.

Alzar brought these over from Hamedh, and has around 30 or so in a cave system a few hundred miles away, growing and developing


Alzar’s Lycanthrope Secret Network –

Once a month of the full moon, Alzar casts Summon Lycanthrope. Whichever creature summons will orient his response. If it’s something he can work with (wererats, werebears, etc) they are recruited to his secret police. Otherwise, they are slain as an enemy of the state. Good ones like werebears and wereravens are good for wilderness patrols in the local forests, and neutral ones like wereboars are fine too. And the lawful evil ones that can be set up like wererat are fine too. Others, like the chaotic evil werewolves and werefoxes are just too unpredictable to work with. They are taken out. Around 40 are currently in Alzar’s network, 6 Wereravens, 7 werebears, 13 wereboar, 12 wererats, 3 werebats currently. They are secret enforcers, spies, and police – patrolling outside of the normal networks and reporting to Alzar alone.


20 Spectral Guard –

In his throne room, unknown to any, are 20 Spectral Guard spells. If Alzar says a passcode, all 20 come to life and will fight under his command.


Simulacrum –

Alzar has a few Simulacrum of key people in his administration to play the role of a moving target and potential fake assassination and such.


Hordling –

31, 39, 45, 57 Hp
THACO 12
AC 2, 2, 1, and -1 respectively
2d6 per attack, 2 attacks

These lower planar creatures follow Alzar’s commands and are a powerful strike force of creatures. Only magic can harm them, sees at night, are not considered any of the main hitters either (demons, devils, daemons) so they can’t be harmed by magic that hits them. Alzar keeps them as an emergency strike force in a central room in Ith Khin’ax

Bearded Devil –

45 HP
THACo 13
2d6 +2 – 1 attack
AC 3

Bearded Devils are one of the shock troops of the devils, sometimes called the Ba’atezu. 30% magic resistance, they can go a little battle frenzy and get +2 attack and damage and -3 AC for a battle. They can command, affect normal fires, fear by touch, and produce flame. They can gate in others once/day with a 50% chance of success. Alzar has 10 of these shocks troops also in the same room as the Hordlings, and can open up a Worldwalk spell and bring them over. Otherwise they patrol the streets, and are an intelligent force.

[Abe Sargent]

The City of Ilth K'Hinax:

Underground, currently closed in, this former city of teh Beholders is fully under Alzar's control

[Abe Sargent]

Return of The Rod fo Seven Parts



A few days later, Alzar and Vix receive wedding invitations for some giant clans in the Ljallenvals. As the lord of that area, as well as friends with a few of them, it makes sense to head out and check them to ensure that everything works as pledged

It’s set up for the last day of the month

Alzar and Vix and a small delegation from his officials arrive two days earlier

A group of cloud giants are hosting a wedding, with a castle on top of a giant mountain in the chain. This will unite two cloud giant families, and as one is the chief, it’s a major event. There are representatives from the local dwarves, halflings from Leeha ,and others, including a large number of other giants from various tribes and families. From a Storm giant from a castle off the coast of Alzar’s realm to a triad of tree fire giants, there are many. Not all, obviously. Frosts and Hills are too angry. Mountain Giants and Stones are here though. There’s even a mated pair of rare Fog Giants here.

It’s a good day to be a giant!

While here, Alzar is getting a bit of a tug from his rod. He unfurls it, as it’s pointing to a great female fire giant. He is introduced to the various giantkin and others here. As he does, he pushes to the fire giant lady – Siiri Dragosdottir. The tug is coming from around her head, and Alzar sees a stick of wood around the expected length as a hairpin.

She’s a solid host for the Rod. Like him, fire giants are lawful evil, and therefore meet the qualifications of law. In fact, they are one of only a handful of lawful giant kin at all. Of the 17 major known races and kin of giants, from Cyclops to Wood Giants to Verbeeg, only Fire Giants are lawful none else. If you want a giant ally for the Rod, only Fires would work. You can trust them, they have an ordered society, and more.

So this is an appropriate home.

[Abe Sargent]

After spending some time investigating, Alzar asks to speak with Siiri and her husband alone. Alzar secretly casts ESP. He want to buy her hairpin. She knows that it’s magical and uses it to haste herself occasionally. She doesn’t know it’s an artifact, or what, but she does know it’s pretty valuable.

Alzar asks if there have been any attacks by spyder-fiends or demons ,and there have been. About four. Ever since she found the stick, but she’s never put them together. Alzar is an enemy of the demons, so he;s prepared to take on the consequences of the attacks. And he’s willing to pay her.

The giants aren’t interested in coin. Or trade benefits. They want better magic.

Trade is made:

+3 Halberd – can be used as a axe by them
Decanter of Endless Water (Alzar has two)

For the Rod

Alzar slips it into a Bag of Holding for now.

They finish their meals.

And then afterwards, there;s a problem. Two of the Stone Giants here have been acting odd and distant. Alzar suspects something a little odd is going odd. The Star detects that they are polymprhed forms of two dragons. They are a pair of white dragons, polymorphed,

His dragon lore can’t make out their age or anything, since he can’t see their true form. But this is an unexpected appearance.

He slips away and prepares some anti-cold and anti-dragon items and stuff.

Then he quietly informed Vix, and their hosts after sliding on a Helm of Telepathy.

They slowly, quietly, clear the chamber of non-combatants.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar slides to the polymorphed dragons as stone giants. He hails them and starts talking to them. And then, he takes down his axe to show them it’s dwarven craftsmanship. Alzar gives them a reason to be interested. “Your kind always loves high craftsmanship. The best of the giants! Here take a look at the axe the dwarves made.”

After showing them the ax, he orders the attack mentally, and he spins the axe and attacks!


The foes are:

Adult White Dragon – AC -2 6d76+6 breathe; 89 hp, 5% MR; Knows 1 1st level – 3 attacks, 1d6, 1d6, and 2d6 each – 7 THACO – 12k XP

Mature White Dragon – AC -3 7d6+7 breathe; 96 hp; 10% MR; Know 1 1st level – same attacks, 6 THACO – 13k XP


Alzar wins init. His axe can easily hit, needing just a 2 to hit. He smashes the one in front, the adult one,
for 49 with axe and Barrier connecting. Vix’s spear smashes for 18. The dragons polymorph back into their main form,

Battle begins

6 v 8

Alzar and Vix slay the wounded dragon. The other one breathes and deals 29 damage, save for half. Alzar gets bonuses to cold, as does Vix. They both make their saves

4 vs 1

Another breathe drops them by 26, save for half succeeds for both. Alzar and Vix hit the dragon for 51 damage (Alzar misses with his shield).

1 vs 2

Alzar and VIx slay the dragon

They spend some time hacking it up.

Why were they here?

The cloud giant tells of a secret. They captured a hatching white dragon a few days ago, and planned to kill it and serve it as part of the wedding feast. So these are probably the parents who were trying to infiltrate the party, find the hatchling and free it.

Anyway, the cooks use the meat from these whites to harvest for food, and Alzar heads down to an oubliette at the bottom, and there’s a small white hatchling. Much like Hill and Frost giants, whites are unpredictable and evil. Nasty things. Can’t trust them. It appears to be a few months old. The body is a little bigger than Alzar lengthwise, and skinny narrow, with about two feet of tail, and strong wing span.

They can kill the white later, at their leisure.

Alzar and Vix split 12.5k

[Abe Sargent]

There are no more surprises and the giants have a wedding, with the feast to follow, including spiced white dragon meat, among others.

Alzar has the third rod.

Now it appears he needs to secure a new glyph for each rod piece. The glyphs that enable them to get closed together are different for each set. So Alzar needs to find instructions for another glyph, make it, and then he can hunt for the 4th section of the Rod of Seven Parts. In the meantime, he has connected the three parts.

(In the actual adventure, you have evil cloud giants connecting their family to Siiri’s daughter, and bringing fire and cloud giants together. The dragons are a pair of silver dragons, chasing their child, and they slay the only non-evil people invited to the party to infiltrate it. Why do that instead of taking out evil invitees? I increased the party and guest list considerably, and then gave a peaceful resolution. In the major line, you are probably going to kill the evil giants.)

Rod – 3 pieces together, resonant:

Fly at will when holding the rod
Influence creatures from Elemental Plane of Air – they won’t approach, and get +2 saes vs them
20% Magic Resistance
Activate to get Cure Light Wounds/Slow/Haste

After finishing the Alzar has tried and failed to detect the location of the next piece.

One of the local elves visiting the wedding comes over to him and shifts to his real form . This is Arquestan, a lawful good Wind Duke of Aaqa He is one of the youngest of his kind, still locks in over 1200 years old. He’s the one sending the Hounds of Law, and letting the ghost Draconus know about the Rod and Alzar’s role.

Law has chosen Alzar as its champion. The Wind Duke tells Alzar more about the Rod and himself and the role to come. The two demon lords, the Wolf Spider who is imprisoned on Pandemonium and the Queen of Chaos who control an entire layer of The Abyss.

Arquestan won’t join Alzar, or anything, but he will provide the right push here and there to help Alzar find the next piece, right after he secures a glyph. The glyphs aren’t hard to figure out or make. He heads away after the conversation

Alzar is going to start using the Rod, he wants to call attention to certain forces later.

End of Rod of Seven Parts for Now

[Abe Sargent]

Month 6, Year 9

Begin WGR1. Greyhawk Ruins




One of the major places of interest in the newly expanded Grand Duchy of Alzar’s new control is a large set of ruins in the central hills to the far west. It’s about 150 miles north of the Dwarven fortress that Alzar cleared out of Tairdo and found in the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. There used to be a large fortress and city and settlement, created and run by the great ancient mage Zagthrane and it was destroyed some time ago by local goblinoids and other evil races in a siege.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar has spent some time doing a bit of investigation with scrying magic and more. This is a sprawling complex, and one that would likely take multiple trips to head into and through. There are three major structures and areas left.

The first one that has parts of it left is the old military area. The ground level of the area used to have a storage building with war machines and chariots and then barracks and storage. The other building are dead, but the underground complex survived, around 8 or 9 levels deep.

The next is the Magists’ Tower. Due to the magic of the place, the entire 6 floor building raises up. The final one is the dungeon’s sprawling under the underground in libraries, experiment chambers, and storage.

Alzar is going to start with the barracks, military, and more


Now due to the ruined nature of the entire area, many rooms have long since lost any special identifying aspects. There are a lot of new folks moved in, and the whole area is dilapidated. Therefore, other than the required information, any given room secured or investigated will always have the minimum amount of description. There are hundreds of rooms here, perhaps more than 1000. So we’ll just do quick swings through of some in the complex. (The adventure itself often just has a couple of lines as description, save for major rooms and complexes)

[Abe Sargent]

To get into the military complex, you need to pass a gate held by a group of dwarves, who require you to give up 1/3rd of the gold secured in the complex. So Alzar flies over and lands by the storage building for the war machines.

He feels the unnatural, necrotic tug of undead coming from a few places. There are 21 areas, rooms, and such in the storage area. The first few are openings off the main entrance, long since shattered and broken. A stone table is here with some old casks, cups, and bowls, destroyed. A few local closest and such open up.

There are a bunch of undead in here, Alzar reaches out to control them all. Swordwraiths of dead fighters, a few phantoms, wraiths, and other incorporeal undead. The entire area is full of these undead. He uses them t scout, and then uses Mass Teleport to send them all to Ith Khin’ax and clean out the building.

Many of these undead were here since the fall, protecting a handful of treasures. He explores the building, and finds some very unusual things.

8 war chariots are here, all still in adequate condition. The top quality war chariot have been magicked to make them survive battle conditions, and that worked for their age as well. Next we have destroyed weapons, armor, and such, all done for. A handful of long-since spoiled potions he’s not using either. The undead told him of some traps and such, and he disarms them, those that didn’t decay. There’s a posion dart trap with no poison and traps that were trigged long ago.

But the major acquisition here is:


The War Wagon – A three axle, magically enhanced and strengthened, adamantine and hornwood. The war wagon is worth around 30000 gp in value, and is powerfully armored, has potent weapons to smash stuff, and is extremely powerful as a armored, tank of a piece of equipment, with some ballista on the back on swivels, and other things. 100% MR.


The swordwraiths ran this, and still know how. Alzar may connect them together. Alzar has folks load up the war chariots and war wagon. He’ll use a variety of stuff to get things moved. The only other things of value here are minor. Gold belt buckle worth 150 gp, silver ring worth 75, etc. All minor

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar heads out, and then to the open door that heads down from a group of storage shacks next door.

The top floor is similar to the war machine storage area. There are a number of undead here. Alzar reaches out. There are 23 rooms here. Alzar uses the Scroll of Mapping.

The undead here are weaker physical ones, like zombies, skeletons, a few wights and such. He pulls them towards himself, clearing out some trogdilytes on the floor. But there’s an issue. After doing so, there is a area of the floor that a giant ant complex, sprawling in size, opens into the floor, where they tunneled in. There hundreds of giant ants in here, and that’s too many to deal with. Alzar heads over to their section of the dungeon, slays a few (they are about 1 hd each for the workers) and then casts Dig and moves earth around the entrance and closes it up. The undead say about 15 or so still in the area, and he has around 10 undead left, and the wights were never touched.

After clearing it out, Alzar does some more inspecting post-cleansing. Here is what he finds in the various storage rooms, kitchens, smithies, and other military oriented stuff. Broken weapons, crushed armor, broken furniture and more abound. He disarms traps and such. This underground complex and floor was more recently inhabited, not just by giant ants and trogs and undead. There is a staircase down to the east.

+1 Bone Knife
+3 2 Handed Sword

Locked, trapped stone chest, with Crystal Dining set like glasses and Decanter worth 7500 gp total.


As the undead head down the stairs, they trigger a flame and acid traps. These slay them – they are not immune to elements or fire.

[Abe Sargent]

Let me give you a sample room description from the 2nd floor to show what I mean. These are all full description, not excerpts.


“ A few bones and a dried up giant any body lie in the corner”

“Nine long-sword armed skeletons stand in wait in these two rooms. They will trap any group that wanders between the two portcullises. If the trapped group escapes, they will ambush from the rear once they pass the secret door.” - No room, just the foe and the basic tactics

“All of these corridors and rooms are at such a stage of stone work in which the walls only need to be smoothed. The construction stopped many years ago.”

With abbreviated descriptors for many of these, it’s hard to flesh them out here.

Descriptions usually merit traps, enemies, treasures, and anything unusual very old school D&D. And as you can see, very few, “this is what the room used to be” notations. It’s more like HeroQuest than D&D!

[Abe Sargent]

The 3rd floor has 35 rooms. Using his Map he made, the key features here are practice rooms now used for combat, kitchens, dining rooms, a large feast hall, temples and barracks. There’s also a set of defenses set up. No undead here, they were just near the surface. Here’s it’s mostly all humanoids. Some quick Scrying shows more trogs in a section of the floor, and then ogrillions, orogs and ogres in another. There is a running battle for worship and which immortal is to be venerated, and each of three temples is dedicated to a different monstrous immortal. These are all new signs of life, decorating the shrines, homes, food, and such.

It’s truly lived in

Alzar summons aid for this floor. He summons a Greater Earth Elemental a a normal one. He sends them out and about.

The stairs open in courtyards, battlements, and defenses in the hallway, that liter the area. His elementals crash into the defenses and scatter defenders. One orog is a priest and casts a sell to Banish the normal earth elemental and it heads home. The greater is fine. More reinforcements arrive

Alzar is behind, visible.

All of the various evil humanoids have gathered in te hallway (I’m making this a little harder than, kill a few orogs or ogres in each room).

7 vs 8

Alzar leads with Wail and slays 22 bad guys. They smash the elemental for 13 damage with some burning flasks and a Magic Missile spell from a low level mage.

3 vs 7

Alzar’s Death Spell finishes the group

Alzar spends some time heading to and slaying 17 trogs, 3 owlbears, and a few guardians as well. This floor is mostly clean of monsters. He also found 21 duegar slaves that are chained to their work stations or in a jail. Duergar are pretty rare here in Pandius. There isn’t the sprawling Underdeep or Underdark. SO there aren’t a lot of the deep and dark dwarves. In fact, there are no Dark Elves here at all. Although there are some Shadow Elves, a society of Elves that lives under the ground after being antagonized and ostracized. They aren’t evil, although they are extremely xenophobic. They have a different society as well, and few know of them. But not a lot of te classic Underdeep stuff.

But there are some duergar here and there. The 21 slaves here are freed, and tell Alzar of more slave pits and such lower down.

What about other stuff?

Alzar finds the following:


2400 gp worth of various implements and jewelry


Phylactery of Long Years

1 Book written in Infra Ink – Maps and Battle Plans for Armies Long Ago
6 Books Described War Machines, War Wagons, and unusual siege equipment
3 Very Rare Holy Books Describing Secret Rituals of Entropic Immortal Practices.
39 Books on Various Religions.

4 Bottles of Infra Ink

Infra Ink is a non magical ink made by alchemist that has a little heat, but does not show in the visible spectrum. Only those with infravision can read it

[Abe Sargent]

The Deurgar told him that the next level down has a ton of bad guys, more powerful that here, so Alzar changes gears and he’s going to drink a potion of invisibility, grab his stealth gear from his thief time, and sneak around. Leading with things like the Cloak of Shadows and such.

The 4th floor rocks 36 rooms. Alzar keeps the greater earth elemental above, and has no summoned folks coming down just yet, and uses the Star of Mo-Pilar to scan.

Using his Invisibility Potion, and Move Silently with the Cloak, (Which doubles his chance of success, and he’s so good already, it’s guaranteed unless something weird happens).

He starts in a chamber with 10 ogrillion and 12 orog corpses littering the floor. There are a few doors here, and everyone was killed recently. Alzar considers switching to a necromancer role and animating the corpses and moving on. For now, he slips through one of two doors to storage room, and then to a empty room on the far side. There is a cave in the next room, covering up a passageway, and another passage on the far side. Alzar slips through

He finds a chapel in here dedicated to the NE immortal of Entropy worshipped here named Atzanteotl. He is one of the most powerful of the Entropy immortals, and is ruler of humanoids, corruption among others. He is waging a war right now against the CE immortal of Entropy Ranivorous, a weaker but no less capable immortal. He is over racism, hatred, madness, and humanoids as well. They are both vying for the worship of the folks here, with various temples, shrines, statues, and more, usually makeshift ro converted from older shrines and temples here.

Atzantoetl is here, and his power lays over, with claw marks and such, and a rust colored altar. There is a Malachite Altar Set here worth 500 gp and Alzar skips it. He’s past that in need. There is a dining hall off the temple , and there is an altar here as well, with a permanent Create Food and Water spell on it, and with the right intonation, it will work 12x a day.

There’s an emaciated owlbear in the corner of the room as well. It senses Alzar but doesn’t have the strength to do anything. It’s almost dead. Alzar passes a proficiency check, and heads to OtherSpace, grabs some food, and feeds the owlbear. He then uses the Rod of Healing on it to heal it fully. Then after it is healed, he casts the Speak spell priest that he has and communicates with it. She tells him of
The various things she’s seen here and gives him a full understanding of most of the area, and the password for the altar as well, so he can make food/water. (She doesn’t realize the magic behind it, but mentally knows the word commonly said – owlbears have a low intelligent, she’s 6, but that’s a lot better than animals).

She agrees to come with Alzar:

Forshar, Owlbear, female
Neutral
AC 5, INT 6, THAC0 – 15,
HP - 29, HD 5+2
3 attacks, deals 1d6, 1d6, 2d6

Forshar was on death’s door in the Ruins of a lost fortress (Greyhawk Ruins module) when restored by Alzar to full health and fed. She can communicate with Alzar via the use of one of his priest spells. She has agreed to be a guard and ally for him.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar passes through and finds a few empty rooms, and them an area fully guarded. He has Forshar wait for him while he explores. There is a small area here that the priests to Atzantoetl lived and worked, but Alzar senses something necromantic here now. He reaches out and controls three wights, former priests. They tell him that a dark and powerful creature sent by Ranivorous from deeper down arrived and attacked them. It killed the various corpses Alzar saw earlier. Alzar takes from this area:

+2 Mace
7500 gp in gems/coins/jewels

Library of a small group of Atzantoetl Priests – 122 tomes
Diary of the High Priest of Atzantoetl

The Diary tells of the various things that happened to them and around their areas. He secures the books, and then sends the wights forward, while leaving behind the owlbear.

Alzar finds some traps, finds a few dead corpses, and a prison with a dead dwarf in it. Next is a large torture chamber sprawling with devices of various sorts. Alzar takes some poison and other alchemical ingredients from the area. Alzar its some stairs down and the tunnel on. According to the wights and owlbear, this tunnel heads to an area of the floor controlled by troglodytes.

Leading with the wights, and still sneaking around, Alzar explores the area. The wights slay some scouts on the edge, and they call out for aid. Soon the whole tribe of around 26 combatants arrives. Due to their immunity to anything but magic, the wights make short work of many trogs, and their Shaman kills some with a fireball, and then Alzar takes out the Shaman with a simple Polymorph Other spell. He clears out the section. In the many rooms and chambers back here he secures:

Potion of Fire Resistance
+2 Scimitar

He also frees 6 duergar slaves

[Abe Sargent]

After cleaning it out, Alzar finds a large chamber on the far side, with 33 Hook Horrors! They are moving to attack him as well.

Alzar heads in crying for attention, and then drops Wail of the Banshee and….20 die. 13 left.

6 vs 7

Alzar casts Skulltrap and cleans them out and took 31 damage himself. He’ll regenerate it.

He checks the cavern for anything else. There’s 320 pp.

As he does, suddenly out of the wall pops a Bulette!

Alzar casts Power Word Sleep at the creature as it drives at him and it falls asleep. He grabs his axe, aims, and carefully kills it. This way he can keep it prepared. Bulette shell properly worked creates Dwarven smiths can make 3 shields of +1-+3 power from the

Alzar checks the born through wall and sees the Bulette made a short cut from another section of the level here past the chamber on the far side. He heads through and finds a large, guarded section here, that’s controlled by the Cult of Ranivorous.

Alzar heads in, and scouts. He sees around 25 humanoids, a high priest, and his concubine, a female ranger with a bow. The group was chasing and fighting the fleeing Bulette, and they are fully armed ready, and right in front of him.


No one is surprised, init:

4 vs 2

They hit Alzar with some spells (fail due to 95% MR) and with a Silence 15’ Radius for the area, non targeted. Alzar casts the 2nd level spell Vocalize, and that will let him cast spells without needing a verbal component, so he can cast them under a Silence (that answer is better than a normal Dispel, since another Silence can’t hit him)

3 vs 5

Alzar casts Death Spell and 14 drops. He takes 5 damage from an arrow. The Priest has ordered a shift in tactics and spells come over to the area for a conjured Earth Elemental.

On Thorasia, Alzar would control it, and send it back at the spawner. But he can’t here, he’s considered other-planar, so he can’t sue the power of his home plane.

8 vs 6

Alzar is missed by everyone. The Priest has raised some dead to keep fighting. Alzar decides to cast the Banish spell and sends the Elemental back to its home plane.

5 vs 6

Alzar casts Evard’s Black Tentacles….11 dead, and all survivors are held by Tentacles and can’t move. 5 left, including concubine and high priest. The High Priests Dispels the Magic. The group retreats.

Alzar can cast one spell, or do one thing as an attack of opportunity.

He casts Confusion, begins to get focus stumbling around or attacking, and then finishes the group.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar finds in the final section of the level:


+1 Warhammer
Potion of Free Action
Scroll of Word of Recall


Large Badger Fur – 750 gp
Silk Gown – 2500 gp
Gold Brush – 250 gp
Gold Ring – 450 gp


Locked Chest with:

650 gp
400 pp
2500 sp


5 unhatched and uncooked Hook Horror Eggs


In addition to eating the eggs, the folks here had a variety of giant frog meat. On the far side of this section is a large pond with 19 giant frogs. Alzar slides into OtherSpace, grabs the Ring of Frog Control he took from the Temple of the Frog and slips it on (normally, Alzar wears the Ring of Wizardy and Ring of G. Sustenance, when adventuring, he usually wears the Ring of Spell Turning or Free Action for the GS one. But with his MR so high, that’s not needed, and the Frog Control one slides on instead. He controls the 19 giant frogs, and can order them around while he wears the Ring,

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar heads down to the 5th level. (I made the 4th one harder in multiple areas, and combined encounters). 6 more floors here to go.

This area is the first one marked with Zagthrane’s mark, and he was involved in it somehow.

Alzar casts Animate Dead and brings 27 zombies with him downstairs ,and the 19 giant frogs as well. He has the G Earth Elemental head to the 4th floor to hold up with the owlbear, while he heads down.

There are 40 rooms on the 5th floor.

According to the duergar slaves he’s freed, there is a lace on the 5th floor that’s the central of their home and resistance against the powers that be here.

Alzar finds the duergar home, with 15 of the rooms on the floor here, and is brought in to meet the powers that be. Having freed duergar on the two floors above, he is allowed to hold up here, use it as a base of operations if he wants, and more. Duergar on their Steeder Spiders that act as sort of knights and hard cavalry guard the entrances and head out or return from patrol

The old military complex dungeons have a few things going for them, boxes and crates of coal and ingots, and some mining shafts created by the evil dark dwarves. The rest of the level here is past a bridge that crosses a cavern, and there are a pair of staircases that wind down. The duergar tell Alzar of the basic layout for the rest of the level, as well as the one lower after he pays them 25 pp.

Forewarned, Alzar heads out, avoids some sessile and antagonistic monsters here (like a bunch of tentamorts and some deadly fungus and plants, and even some piercers.

There is one section that has more than 25 trolls, and they guard one way down. Another area of the level features an outpost of humans and humanoids of various persuasions’. The other way down is in their control. Past that area are some unknown rooms or chambers as well.

Alzar heads out, exploring, with Slippers of Spider Climbing helping him take odd angles. And again, leading with the Gem of Seeing/Star of Mo-Pilar that he has. The Troll controlled section of the tunnel opens up. Alzar slides into a large cavern with the whole tribe milling around and a variety of off chambers with privies and such. This used to be a large dining room for the military, now turned into a home for the trolls.

Alzar’s controlled giant frogs and zombies head in as fodder. But he’ll need acid or fire to finish a troll. He casts Searing Serpent and has that behind the fodder. They clash and as they do, the frogs/zombies bring down the occasional troll, and the serpent hits and finishes off dead trolls before they can regenerate.

Alzar casts Melf’s Acid Arrow to slay a troll slowly, and then the 5th level priest spell Wall of Fire. He has the zombies pull and toss in pieces of trolls as they die into the Wall to finish them. He then finishes with a Blastbones for 21 damage to a bunch (undead take half, and then save for nothing)

After taking out the 25 trolls, Alzar has left….random rolls here…7 giant frogs, and 6 zombies

They search the troll held area, and find:

7250 gp in gems

3 duergar slaves are found and freed

Alzar finds a few rancid foods, foul beddings, and more. A female troll recently gave birth and the foul issue is slain. It’s pretty messy back here.

[Abe Sargent]

He heads to a side passage, that heads to a new direction, to the human/humanoid section of the area

Again Alzar slips and sneaks about, he makes both the move silently and hide in shadows stuff, keeping his fodder behind him until he has searched a room He disarms a trap on the way in, made of poisoned spikes.

Using Scrying, Alzar sees 10 ogres, about 15 humans, and a variety of less powerful humanoids like goblins and bugbears. They have a small section of the level under their control, with beds, defenders, guards stationed, and more, and there appears to be a hill giant here leading them. Again, they have one central mess area they use, with other living rooms off it, and thus can easily fight with everything (I am making some changes here to make smaller numbers of battles with more opponents)


This time, Alzar is going to use the enchantment spells in his repertoire.

His fodder heads in to distract some guards, and then as they move about, he slides in from another angle and casts Mass Domination and …11 humans, and 3 ogres, and most of the other humanoids fail their saves and are now his. He uses them to kill the ones that aren’t his. They fall afoul o f theogres hard, and many of them die. Alzar then uses the remainder to grab their stuff an show him where their goods are.

Alzar procures:

2 potions of Sweet Water

6000 gp in coins and gems combined

He casts the Priest Aniamte Dead spell, animates another slate of zombies. Then they head to the far side of this area (in here is a well room, storae rooms made into bedrooms, stuff like that)

There is just one room past their section of note:

As Alzar and his retinue enter this large room, a beautiful gold statue of a naked woman is before. She holds a flower of silver in her hand, as if offering it to Alzar. It detects as magical. Alzar has a zombie head in. As he does, the statue animates, and there was an illusion here (Alzar is immune to lower level illusion, but this was the 7th level spell programmed illusion) and the statue is revealed in its full form as the avatar of Atzantoetl. It strikes with the power of its weapon and slays the zombie

The statue is not moving, it’s just there attacking. It flings it’s sword at an ogre, the only one left, and slays it in one hit. It’s immune to hits from the nonmagical creatures Alzar has. Alzar is using his short bow.

6 vs 4

It slays a bugbear. Alzar hits for 18 damage from his many missiles. (Hasp of reloading, and natural skill with short bow).

6 vs 7

Alzar doles out 14, and it hits for a dead bugbear.

3 vs 1

It slays a human. Alzar hits for 22.

6 vs 2

It slays another human. Alzar kills it

Dead statue.

It leaves behind a statue here worth 10000 gp and is deanimated and demagicaked.

Alzar will shrink and take it



In here is a secret cache that Alzar finds, disarms, picks, and opens.


Alzar finds:

Cursed Gem – Black Opal, 3000 gp, Anyone who owns this will lose XP instead of gaining it.

Blessed Gem Pouch – 700 gp spinel, 100 gp rhodochrosite, 95 gp jet, 2000 gp emerald, 500 gp ruby, 4x 20 gp hematite, 2000 gp alexandrite – 300 g Amber – total gp value of gems – 5745 gp. For each day Alzar has the Gem Pouch and these specific gems, gains an equal amount of XP equal to their value – 5745 XP. However, after being separated for a day, the owner loses 2x that amount daily.


He casts Remove Curse on the Cursed Gem and secures it for later usage, but that Blessed Gem Pouch is amazingly good. You can’t add gems to it, or take them out, to add to its magic, but that’s a guaranteed 2,096,925 million XP a year. 40215 XP a week. I have no idea why that item was made. But I’m not making that up – room W529, Greyhawk Ruins supplement. I did reduce the XP/GP amount in the bag a bit. How about instead I make it a weekly XP gain? That way it’s just 298,740 a year.

[Abe Sargent]

He heads down to the 6th floor – 24 rooms. The 6th floor is mostly Damaged rubble, and closed passages and such, damaged over the ages. There are going to be some monsters here, not the expected humanoids as much.

The first chamber is a huge room with a waterfall, underground stream, and large stones across it that were created when a central column fell and broke into pieces. Alzar notices a lot of movement in the room.

On one side is a large Roper, on the other a quick metallic blue Behir, a lizard-like lightning creature, and then some filament handing across the bottom of the stairs suggesting 4 Cave Fishers. Large insectlike creatures that reel in bait that is stuck to their tethers.

Alzar swaps some equipment, and heads to OtherSpace, grabs the longsword that invokes Flying once/day, and uses it to Fly. He flies up to a neutral space, above the fishers, and drops arrows on the 4 and slays them. While he does, the Behir slides over, and zaps him for 14 damage of lightning that actually managed to crack the 95% MR. He rains arrows down,kills the Behir, flies over and slays the Roper as well. All dead.

He takes the 2 Behir horns, and some talons, blood ad such. They are good for electric and lightning magical items due tto its affinity to lightning. He also takes the cave fisher filimets, cuts up the roper to find some gems in the stomach and takes stomach acid and such. (Ropers make a fine gem much like oysters make a pearl)

Roper Gem – 1500 gp

One road off the chamber leads to a dead end a grell uses as its lair. Alzar slays it in one turn (it just has 24 hp). A few more empty rooms pass. Alzar finds and avoids a patch of pollen that would puff up badly when entered. Some of his fodder needs to breathe. The find a odd temple to the local gods. An old statues is here, to Azantoetl, but it’s slowly transforming to Ravinvorous. In here, as Alzar’s folks explore, the altar animates, and bites and slays a giant frog, it’s a mimic. As it attacks, a pair of summoned Invisible Stalkers come from an exit on the far side to help out the battle.

Missiles rai down on the Stalker I front as Alzar’s minions hit the mimic

6 vs 5

Alzar loses two minions – zombie and human. He damages the first Stalker for 29 damage. As he can see invisible, he has an easy AC to hit.

4 vs 9

Alzar slasy the Stalker. He loses a frog and zombie.

5 vs 2

They slay a zombie. He damage a stalker for 22, and the mimic dies

6 vs 9

Alzar finishes the wounded invisible stalker.

In the room are:

Nothing.

That’s not nice.

Damaged wall tiles, and a dead altar, and a shrine on the far side as well. These were once to older immortals, and then rededicated long ago.

[Abe Sargent]

They find a side passage, and out from it pops a flail snail – a giant, immune to magic, requires magic to hit, snail like creature. Alzar grabs his axe Senyr, and orders his fodder back.

Two rounds later it’s dead. Alzar took 11 damage from 3 hits across two turns and 6 attacks each turn.

Alzar takes a highly prized shell, and can use it for making +2 magical shields that give 40% MR (Fades by 10% MR each month until just the +2 shield is left) or other many varied uses. (makes Robe of Scintillating Colors, potions of various sources, etc).

They find some various molds and fungus in a few rooms and take them out with undead. In a back room is something very unusual:

Many runes are scribed all around this chamber, with numerous religious articles hanging from pegs on the wall. At the far end is a wooden case some four feet long that is mounted on the wall. There is a horned, apelike creature that squats defensively in the corner of the room and suddenly all of the runes light up in a depe blue hue.

Alzar passes his Netherworld Knowledge Check (And if he failed, I’d give him a Sage Knowledge one for Outer Planes, it’s a pretty common creature). This is a Guardian Daemon. It was summoned here for guarding the room and the case on the wall. The runes are not a part of the summoning or holding and have another purpose. Spellcraft proficiency reveals they are a protective measure, and prevent any 7th level magic, or lower, from working in the room, or from crossing into it.

Again, this is a problem for Alzar’s axe. He hefts it, crosses, and enters. But the axe’s magic is dead here, and his first hit on the guardian daemon fails. He takes no hits back though, it can’t land on him. So he needs to use 8th or 9th level magic to harm the daemon only. That’s a pretty potent pair of defenses with the daemon’s

Alzar cast’s Strip Resistance at the Daemon and takes 14 damage. The Strip…….works and its MR drops to just 4%. Alzar’s regen doesn’t work in this room.

73/87

5 vs 6

Alzar casts the 9th level spell Power Word, Banishment. The Guardian Daemon is banished back to its home plane, and the room is free. Alzar picks the lock and finds:

Golden Scepter – 4000 gp
Rod of Resurrection – 41 charges

A few more rooms are inspected, and they finds some broken statues, rooms, and such

Alzar passes two shambling mounds that are sleeping and not stirring in a large canopy of underground moss and such. There are some dead ogres here, and a pool that has an angry trio of water weirds. They are slain almost immediately and Alzar lost only his final human from them via missile weapons

As they close to the pool, the pool itself morphs and strikes and slays zombies. It’s a greater mimic. Alzar casts Power Word Stun, stuns it, and they slay it dead.

They clear out some rubble and eventually find the path down. They pass some rooms on the far side, and they are heavily trapped, and Alzar picks them, and finds a chest that has in it:

2 gold dwarf statuettes, 1500 gp each
3 gold elf statuettes, 1500 gp each
2 human gold statuette, 3000 gp each

Diamond, 2000 gp

After taking out some more molds, they head downstairs…

[Abe Sargent]

Level 7 – 39 rooms – this area used to be the training area of the military stronghold, with training rooms, archery ranges, and more. There will also be some medical bays that were used to heal and rest folks, and storage of weapons, medicine, and such needed for the level. This level has been taken over by followers of Ravinorous.

Alzar uses his Scrying devices to search, and takes a quick tally of thelevel, given no aid from a bugbear, duergars, or anything else:

Total number of creatures on this level

49 ogres
Fire lizard
86 derro
9 trolls
18 urd
9 verbeeg giants
Verbeeg priest

That’s a lot of derro. They have an arena and battle pits made from fighting areas, with spectators.

So let’s do this the fast, but hard way. (remember when Alzar had to fight in the Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl and I combined a bunch of enemies from different areas to increase the difficultly? We’re doing that)

Apparently these folks have been forward about Alzar from above, and they have all rallied a huge defense, with flipped over tables, crates, and such creating fire lanes, they have closed off side passages and escapes with furnitures, rocks, and such. And they created one kill zone.

So Alzar sees them ready for him. He brings down is greater earth elemental, still summoned from above, and then takes a look over his current army:

18 zombies
Greater Earth Elemental
4 giant frogs
2 goblins

That’s not a lot. And he;s used up much of his conjuring magic, so he turns to he magical items.

The first place he digs is his summoning devices. He summons 2 Earths from the Stones, he turns his figurines into fighters, and blows the Horn of Valhalla, to summon 5 berserkers and then casts Summon Shadow and has some undead shadows. He summons a Fetish Spirit, and a Dust Devil from priest magic, and then an Aerial Servant. And that’s about the limit he can do right now.

He leads with the elementals first, they are immune to non-magical weapons, and thus make a powerful smashing force.

Battle begins.


5 vs 2

Alzar’s forces are hit, and magic missiles and other spells from Derro drop an Earth Elemental and damage another. Alzar loses zombies next in his line a lot. And then his forces smash some. Alzar casts Dimension Door and teleports to the center of their forces.

2 vs 7

This was a good initiative win. Alzar casts Time Stop. On the first turn, he casts Mass Charm. Does he get another? Yes one more. He casts Prismatic Spray at the group…

Time Stop Ends.

Alzar has charmed 13 derro. He slays a bunch offolks with the Spray. Here’s the details on how it works:

70 feet by 15 feet spray. Everyone in the range with 8 hd or fewer rolls and is saved or blinded for 2d4 rounds

Then…

Each creature is hit by one of these seven rays:

Red – 20 points o f damage, save vs half
Orange – 40 points, save vs half
Yellow – 80 points, save vs half
Green – Save vs poison or die, if you make it, take 20
Blue – Save vs petrification or turn to stone
Indigo – Save or go insane
Violet – Save or be banished to a random plane

So as you can see, it’s a great way to clear out a bunch of baddies in rom, and Alzar has a bunch in front on him on the Spray;s range. SO unless you roll a 1, you are taking at least 20 damage from 3 of these rays, and saving vs death, petrifaction, or banishment for 3. Insane act like they are confused and tend to attack the nearest target.

Alzar kills ,in a variety of ways, a bunch of folks in the room, and the 11 derro that are his friends (2 dies in the edge of the Spray) move off to the side into a vacant room.

Next round.

9 vs 7

Derro still alive kills the wounded Elemental, and slay a bunch of Shadows. More fodder falls. Alzar’s minions kill a handful of ogres, and then Alzar is out of is good crowd control spells. He’s used spells like Death Spell, Wail of the Banshee, Skulltrap, Prismatic Spray, and Evard’s Black Tentacles already. SO he has grabbed the Wand from his bandolier and and fires a small 6d6 fireball into the room with a Wand of Fire, clearing out a bunch of already damaged folks. He dealt 19, save for half.


6 vs 8

Alzar uses some more charges, and cleans out much of the room with another fireball. They spread out, and slay the rest of his shadows, and most of his minions have been killed. A Flame Strike from the Verbeeg priest finishes off his greater earth elemental.

2 vs 4

Alzar takes out 8 ogres and most of the remaining derro with a third fireball, but everyone has spread out now. Verbeegs are hitting him with boulders now and he’s hit twice for 22 damage.

66/87

2 vs 7

Alzar heads to a wounded Verbeegs, casts Vampiric Touch and deals 25 damage and smalys hit, healing himself One boulder for 11 follows.

78/87

8 vs 6

They hit Alzar for 8, and by now all of his fodder is dead. Alzar casts Power Word Kill and drops a giant. That’s his last level 9 spell.

71/87

1 vs 8

Alzar casts Chromatic Sphere, tosses the death sphere and…giant rolls a 4 and dies. Alzar is missed

72/87

8 vs 5

Alzar takes 12 from a boulder, 7 from an ogre’s war club, and the Verbeeg priest heals another verbeeg. Alzar casts Protection from Normal Missiles.

53/87

1 vs 5

Alzar casts Cure Serious Wounds. The verbeeg priest casts Dispel Magic and drops his protection, and hit takes no misiles, but another ogre hit for 9

75/87

4 vs 3

Alzar takes 20. He casts Protection again (priest spell)


56/87

6 vs 5

Alzar takes no damage. He hoists his axe, and carves and slays an ogre.

57/87

5 vs 3

Alzar takes 8. He slays two wounded ogres, the verbeeg have moved to melee range

The ogres left flee

Only Alzar and the Verbeeg are left,

7 vs 8

Alzar drops a verbeeg with his axe. He takes 11 from one hit.

46/87

6 vs 8

Alzar kills another giant. Very few left. They flee. He casts Phase Door, pops in front of them and slays one. The rest are killed.

[Abe Sargent]

He magics over and finishes the ogres. He learns from the 11 friendly derro about the rest of the level and gets them to bring all of the various level’s stuff to him.


Alzar gains:

Platinum Battering Ram Head – 5000 gp
Gold Collar and Chain – 4500 gp

Fire Lizard Egg – Alive
600 golden caltrops (each one worth 20 gp)
2 Rare wood picture frames, 650 gp each
Gold Sheath 0 600 gp
2 Golden and Gemmed Troll statuettes, 5000 gp each
Gold couch, 15000 gp
Rare pottery vase – 4500 gp
Gold Hairpin – 100 gp
6 casks of fine wine, 200 gp each
Jeweled Dagger – 1250 gp
10 Malachite Religious Tokens – 150 gp each

+1 Scythe
+2 Mining Pick
+2 Knife
Ring of Water Walking
+2 giant sized plate mail

122 Books of Derro lore
6 books - Rare Teachings of Ravinourous, 6500 gp value


With a dead and unreliable amount of magic left, and with just a handful of allies left to call on, Alzar sets up the Wondrous Fortress in front of the stairs down to prevent anyone from coming up, and then teleports himself and bus new bugbear friend home and unloads stuff from his Bags fo Holding. He has a ton of books he needs to move over and such. Then he’ll spend the night preparing for the next day, and teleport back over.

He drops the Instant Fortress, and heads down.

[Abe Sargent]

Level 8 –

There are 49 rooms on this level – this floor has a bridge over a river, and was formerly a barracks, with a bunch of rooms for sleeping and such.

Alzar scouted it last night during prep, and they have:

17 trolls
27 derro
26 ogres
4 half-orc priests

And then some cells with female advenures, and a graveyard with a vampire

The floor is full of traps, not combat, and seems to have twisted, traps, and weird rooms and such. Alzar heads back and believes that stealth is the order of the day here. The keep back in Evenarrow is keeping the owlbear fed

He slides back into stealth mode and slips and sneaks around

He skips past some tar pits, and some trapped and empty rooms, and then a station of 8 trolls and 5 derro that guard the entrance to their section of the tunnels. Alzar heads through above them, using Slippers, and the finds some storage, like wire and ingots, and kegs and such. Nothing major.

Past that are some sleeping rooms and water/food areas. They harvest underground plants for food and part of the level is converted to a pseudo-farm. Alzar slips into the area and is immune to spores and such that fire due to Necklace of Adaptation.

More derro and ogres are passes

He disarms trip wires and other things in the way. He secretly cuts the lines to large cisterns of oil that can be turned and lit or used for defense so they can’t be turned.

One large fungus here burns and makes a choking but feasible torch, and they use it as light, because infravision doesn’t work down here for some reason

He passes a kitchen and storage, and some mushroom winery. He finds a place with 4 sick derro being treated.

There is a fire resistant quality to the water here, and folks drink it, and are sort of immune to basic non-magical firse, and they are using this property to use things like making things in heat without needing gloves or metal tools or anything else. (He doesn’t, but if he cared to explore and break the walls, he’d find a Ring of Fire Resistance at the top of the spring here).

Alzar disarms more traps including an exploding gas one. He heads to the temple and finds a few items here of value that area used and slips them away in between folks coming in and out:

5000 gp Jacinth

Serpent Staff

Then Alzar hits something new – magical defenses, like Glyphs and Symbols, not something he can disarm as a thief. He waits for folks to leave, and then uses the Scroll of Passing to use Passwall spell and move through a newly made opening into the next room, avoiding the magical defenses.

He arrived in the central area of the temple. From here are stairs down. He gathers his forces, and then as two guards move into the room, he casts Summon Shadow, and brings out a bunch of shadows. They kill the ogres quickly, and the ogre’s shouts bring the various defenders here to the station. They can’t take the other entrance to the room – the trapped one, so they are heading to the other way here, a corner corridor that enters at the far ends of the room. Alzar has his shadows there, and hopes for some priestly intervention.

As expected, the half orcs arrive and begin to try and command the shadows. While busy and moving them, Alzar casts Time Stop. Then he drops Silence, 15, Radius and Skulltrap and…get’s one more spell off – Invisible Stalker. The Stalker heads over and fights, two priest are dead, and the others are silenced. The shadows took no damage from the Skulltrap, the damage is necrotic in nature

Next round.

Alzar fires and bows and hits a priests for 24 damage and she drops. The Stalker reengages the other and misses. The priest can’t control the shadows from Alzar and do anything else, so the shadows are freed and the priest flees.

The stalker tracks him down and slays him.

Four ogres were moving to his area to support them, but the shadows take them down quickly and efficiently.

Back here Alzar feels the pull of the vampire, and heads over t ocontrol it, succeeds, and brings it under his control. It shows him all of the various things and quirks of this level. Alzar then teleports the vampire to Ilth K’hinax, with the teleport dead spell.

Back here is:

14000 gp value in misc coins

12000 gp random gems

650 go Gold Sash

Shelf of Rust-Red books on Entropy

Potion of Dexterity

Alzar frees two captives, both LG adventurers who were taken from local areas. He will teleport them back later, but for now they’ll guard the level.

[Abe Sargent]

Level 9 –

Alzar grabs the Crystal Ball and spends about 30 minutes checking out the next level.

There are active mines here by a few folks, found in earthquakes and collapse, and now worked. A lot of the stuff here has been given over to this process – mine, crush, smelt, forge. Large and powerful creatures rest here.


20 giant 2-headed trolls
1 efreet runs a major forge
23 giant trolls
26 formorian giants
144 derro
2 earth elementals
4 umber hulks
5 half orc priests
32 fire salamanders
12 hell hounds
8 fire snakes
1 Fire Elemental
4 lava mephitis
Human wizard
29 derro skeletons

36 total rooms

That’s a lot of bad guys

Forges, metal rods, ingots, even some gem mining, cutting, is going on here as well – although not much of it. The gold, gems, and other stuff is being used to bribe surface folk or to purchase magical items. The most powerful here are bristling with magic 0 the expected lava, fir pits and more are all here.

Alzar has a few advantages his axe, Selnyr is a extinguishing weapon, and that’s useful. He’s immune to nonmagical fires as a cleric. He can walk into and through fire, lava, whatever. He always makes any save vs a fire based attack or magic, and if there isn’t one, he’ll get a save for half damage from it


The people here were recently put on notice, and they are in in triple the groups for patrols, guard stations, and no one is resting or away from one of the central rooms of the area unless working. They are not stopping, but they are concerned.

As you can see, the next level includes elementals, 79 different types of giants, and efreet, a score of derro, and a bunch of other threats.

Alzar is trying to figure out the best way to hit them.

He would not be able to take these folks easily. He’d have to fight in basically three major areas, the great forge run by the Efreet, the derro home, and the central transportation and work hub. He’d probably get folks from one section to pop over to others. But that’s the major stuff in his way right now.

What would work? What makes sense? Anti-fire stuff does – earth and water come to mind. Alzar could teleport out, animate some water elementals, and then teleport them all back. If you’ll recall, on his best day, Alzar could take out fewer than 100 frost giants in those attacks, and he’s used up some tricks already, like the horn of valalla and stones of summoning elementals

Alar can summon – 3 waters as a priest, one as a wizard, use the Face of Xenous for another, and then conjure a greater water with 7th level priest magic, use the censor for an air, conjure air with magic, and then conjure greater and normal para-ice elemental. Then layer in earth and greater earth and earth with Face. That’s a shock force of 5 waters, 1 greater water, 1 greater ice, 1 ice, 1 greater earth and 2 earth, and 3 Airs. Layer in Invisible Stalker too. That’s a strong shock force of 11 normal elementals, many at full 16 hd, and 3 greaters. And a Stalker, and perhaps junk like shadows, fetish spirits, and a Griffon and such. That’s pretty powerful. But it takes a teleport on that end and either Worldwalk or Mass Teleport on the far end. It would use up a lot of magic too.

So let’s do it right.

Alzar teleports to an icy island to the north, by the sea. The island has snow, ice, water, and wind. Everything needed. About 20 minutes later, the force is assembled. He scrys, and they’ll hit the great efreet’s forge, where a lot of the firebased creatures are, and a shock force of 12 giants – 4 of each, and 30 derro working the force.


Mass Teleport cast. Battle begins

I don’t want to spend 2 horus running this epic thing. I’ma fast sim it.

Our foes:

1 efreet
12 hell hounds
1 fire elemental
4 formorian giants
4 giant troll
4 2 headed giant troll
30 derro
4 lava mephitis
28 salamanders

Us:

11 Elementals
3 Greaters (Earth, Ice,Water)
1 Stalker
11 shadows
1 griffon

We’ll win this battle. Our Elementals are immune to non-magic attacks. Only the derros spells, Efreet, Fire, and I’m ruling the hell hounds too, and the salmanders will damage them. Meanwhile Alzar has ice and water stuff heavily, and earth and air – all stuff unharmed or strong against fire.

An alarm is sounded


Alzar orders his group to focus on the efreet, and it’s slain in two rounds. The rest are dropping quickly. Derro magic, fro those that know it, hits an slays two waters. Alzar banishes the Fire Elemental on the first turn. Alzar has shadows flanking the elementals, keeping folks from hitting them too hard. The giants take out some stuff early.

Alzar is forced to use some one:one magic like Chromatic Sphere, Flesh to Stone, and such to kill some giants quickly. And then he casts a Fire Elemental with the Face of Xenous and the lava here, and it takes out permantely the trolls. He also takes out a bunch of salamanders with Wail of the Banshee.

12 turns later:

Alzar’s group:

8 elementals, inc fire
3 greaters
2 shadows

A bunch of folks move in to cover for retreating derro and salamanders, 3 giants stand

[Abe Sargent]

There are magic users here, the priest and wizard have arrived, leading a charge or 18 giants of various types, and 40 derro. A priest cast’s banish and drops a greater water elemental from the battle. One casts Protection from Elementals from a scroll and it’s used up. And then Alzar casts Dispel Magic to drop the protection. Then they cast Silence on him, and then he uses Vocalize. They cast and drop more elementals, and Alzar casts Power Word Kill and takes out the mage. (just a level 9 mage, not a lot of protections or hp). The priests withdraw, and the derro’s spells kill more elementals.

Alzar is hit hard. He casts Black Tentacles as they retreat and takes out or captures many. His forces kill a few here and there, and he animates 32 zombies from the mass to attack and kill folks in the crowd. The enemy begins to flee full on instead of the previous orderly retreat ,and a priest tries to control the ozmbies, Alzar grabs it back.

From another vantage point, another 10 giants, 25 derro arrive.

Alzar casts Mass Domination, and grabs a bunch of Derro, and they turn magic and weapons on the giants and slay a few here and there. That group should take each other out in a few rounds.

A Blastbones cleans out some damaged folks in the center from the Tentacles. The last priest casts Word of Recall and is gone. Alzar casts some more crowd spells and Death Spell kills a bunch more. Mass Charm makes friends of some Derro that invade back. Giants are falling to Derro in other places Alzar uses Animate Dead again for more zombies. – 13 (priest spell gives you zombies based on priest level, not wizard level). They move to attack wounded folks

13 more rise, and Alzar’s final elemental falls. The 30 ish zombies on his side are all that’s left, and there are fewer than 20 folks in the room. Most are fleeing down the central path to the transportation hub. Alzar dimension doors over in front, and drops a bunch with his short bow, and they grab weapons, and move out. After battle, Alzar casts Searing Serpent, and it takes out the various trolls ato finish them. Then he scans the area. Left?

2 Earths; 4 Umber Hulks
54 Derro
17 giants
2 priests
29 Derro Skeletons

Alzar animates 26 more zombies, with two more 3rd level Priest spells. This gives him a horde of zombies for fun and smashery.

Alzar scans and finds they have all moved to the transportation hub and are setting up defenses of various sorts right now

Alzar heads down and prepares for another battle with zombies and fun times

Led by a zombie horde from one direction, and a Phase Door and Prismatic Spray on the other to hit them as they are gathered together, Alzar is able to take them out. He abjured a Earth, and then took out the priests with the Spray, targeting both.

Alzar charmed around 14 Derro that are still alive. Everyone else is dead.

[Abe Sargent]

He has them show him where everything here is and to show him around

He finds:

+2 mace
+2 shield
+3 Dagger
+2 Scythe
Bracers of Defense – AC 6
+1 robes
+1 platemail
+2 whip
+3 chainmail, x2

Scroll of Dispel Magic (Wizard), Cause Deafness, Blindness
Scroll of Protection from Lycanthropes
Potion of Levitation
Potion of Invisibility
Philter of Love
Sword of Dancing, +4
Boots of Striding and Springing
Oil of Earth Elemental Invulnerability

Jade Crown – 2400 gp
Diamond False Eye – 2000 gp
20 Jasper Gems, 100 gp each
Gold Necklace – 1000 gp
30 Rubies, 5000 gp each
Set of Black Sapphire Rings – 10000 gp set
Jewel Studded Throne – 15000 gp

100 blocks of gold, 500 gp each, weigh a lot though
6000 gp of unmarked gold coins

Hundreds of nuggets of gold, left behind


Ring of Efreet Summoning – Can only give one wish per month.

[Abe Sargent]

Ready for level 10?

Alzar scouts and sees……

9 ogre magi – leaders of the complex
9 giant two headed trolls
12 elite ogres
67 myconids – food growers and makers – slaves
9 giant troll skeletons
17 mustard jellies
2 spectres
61 crawling claws
9 formorian giants

This level as 19 rooms, and is more like one giant room of a dungeon, sort of a raised central pyramid that rises up from the ground as the stairs hit the floor. This level is dedicated to Ravinourous as well, with some hold outs of Aztantoetl

With their powerful tools and abilities, they saw Alzar was attacking the previous levels, and they have erected full defenses as well. Everything but the jellies and slaves are in the same room, ready to go.

Alzar is out of summonings and mass spells, having used them all up for the heavy hitting 9th floor. So instead he uses the Ring of Efreet Summoning to summon an Efreet, and then forces it to give him a Wish his spells are all restored and unused (an easy Wish to use) and he is reloaded.

Alzar summons his elemental pack again, this time without the items though –

3 Greaters
9 Elementals

Fire, Airs, Waters, Earths, Ices

Here he comes

Mass Teleport on top of the folks, and unloads his elemental horde.

As he does, they respond quickly. One Ogre Magi reads a Time Stop Scroll and….

[Abe Sargent]

She reads a Banish Scroll and then Magic Missile, and they hit a Ice Elemental, and it makes its save and passes. Then takes some damage. .

Initiative –

1 vs 4

Alzar heads first. He casts something his Elementals are immune to – Wail of the Banshee and…undead are immune too (Spectres, claws, and skeletons are immune) – he kills – 2 Ogre Magi, and 7 ogre. They hit with spells and kill two elementals.

As this round ends, something major happens.



Having senses his heavy use of the Rod of Seven Parts yesterday, The Queen of Chaos has located Alzar (used it with the Magic Resistance) and pinned him down with magic of various sorts. She has waited until he is beginning a major battle, and then opens up a gate to her level of the Abyss, and out fall 11 Spyder-Fiends of various types. All looking to slay an Alzar




If you’ll recall, Alzar was using the Rod openly to entice another attack, with a theory. He orders the closest elemental to cross the gate, and grab something.

7 vs 2

Alzar’s troupe takes some damage. Demons are casting spells, and some teleport without error next to him and try to stab him and take the Rod. 2 elementals fall. Alzar’s earth crosses, grabs some turf from the Abyss, and crosses back. Alzar casts Protection from Fiends ,the preist spell

2 vs 5

Alzar casts Death Spell and drops some more giants, ogre,s and one ogre magi. Then his group slays a pair of giants. The fiends decide to concentrate on Alzar’s allies, and take out elementals as well. One Spyder-Fiend casts Dispel Magic at the end to drop the protection he had

2 vs 6

Alzar casts Prismatic Spray and hits some folks, and clears out about half of the claws. Just two greaters are eft, but they smash the formorian giant dead. Alzar takes 18 damage from weapons o various sorts. Alzar makes a save vs poison on the Spyder Fiend

70/87

1 vs 6

Alzar casts Time Stop. He casts Power Word, Kill on the most powerful Spyder-Fiend, and then Power Word, Stun on a ogre magi. Both fire and they die.

2 vs 3

Alzar casts Disintegrate on a demon. If it works, it’s fully dead. 6 tossed, dead demon, fully and completely. Alzar takes 14. His final crew are all dead


60/87

Left – 5 Spyder Fiends, 3 ogre magi, 2 formorian giants, 22 claws ,2 spectres , 7 giant skeletons

9 vs 2

Alzar takes 16 from a bunch of attacks. He casts Vampiric Touch, and drains 25 from an adjacent Spyder_Fiend a little wounded and slays it.

70/87

1 vs 5

Alzar casts Flesh to Stone and….Ogre Magi dead – 2 left. He takes 11.

60/87

5 vs 1

They hit for 22. Alzar casts Polymorph Other and…drops a OM

39/87

2 vs 7

Alzar’s Power Word Sleep drops the last of the Ogre Magi, leaving just undead and 4 fiends. Alzar takes 19 from two fiend hits ,one is poisoned and he makes his save again.

2 vs 1

Alzar ttakes…10. He casts Cure Serious Wounds.

40/87

6 vs 1

Alzar is missed by the Fiend. He grabs his Axe and begins to carve. He hits a fiend for 41 and slays it.

41/87

1 vs 8

Alazar takes out another fiend and drops to

29/87

2 vs 7

Alzar kills the last fiend. He is missed y undead

[Abe Sargent]

The next few turns, Alzar controls the undead. Then they search the level and slay the jellies.

He frees and contracts the Myconid in the shepherds and pastures, they are free to live down here in peace.

Alzar has taken out just the first of the three areas out here in eh ruined keep.

He finds:


Ring of Protection +4
Sickle of Venom +3 (Acts as Dagger of Venom)
+2 Sickle
Oil of Fiery Burning

Gold and Gemmed Scepter – 9000 gp
2 Gold Chairs, 4000 gp each
9 Moss Agates, 500 gp each
5 Gold Candle Sconces, 750 gp each
5 Fire Opal; 5500 gp each
Gold and Silk Reading Chair – 2600 gp



Tome of Understanding


Countless meats and such.

Temple of Azanteotl, with evil altar that bad ly hurts non-evil creatures nearby.

Teaching of Faith, Religion, and Deep Mysteries – Book Case of 139 books


Alzar also took some earth from the far side of the portal, and can use that as the material component for a Worldwalk spell.

He also is close to gaining a level

He heads back and teleports in and out for a while, cleaning out the military and barracks.

End of Greyhawk Ruins for now

[Abe Sargent]

He’ll come back later for more cleaning, but something else got his attention for a bit


Alzar has an idea for a spell.

Alzar’s Trap Trigger

7th Level, Alteration
Duration – Permanent Until Used
Range – Touch
Casting Time – 7
Components – VSM

A caster may cast a Trap Trigger at a given location. After doing so, they give the Trap Trigger a given condition that, when met, triggers the spell. When casting the spell, the caster casts any spell they know into it, up through level 6. When the condition is met, the Trigger fires, and the spell cast into it resolves. The Trap Trigger has a few restrictions – a caster is limited is a total number of Trap Triggers to their caster level, and no more than one Trap Trigger can be in any 100’ foot range of any other. If a spell requires a target when triggered (such as Magic Missile) then if the caster is not there, the target will be directly above the Trap Trigger. The material component is a gem worth at least 150 gp, crushed when used in the spell.


This spell mimics others. I started it at level 4 in my head, and then improved it in level as I considered it, even with a bunch of restrictions added (no more than one per place, targeting restriction, limit to total number and limit to the level of spell Trigger-able.). But ti’s still good.

Alzar normally needs 7 weeks to prep and research a level 7 spell, and then 1 week roll each week. With Research proficiency we are rolling and….fail the prof. Still 7 weeks

This spell will be finished I 10 weeks.


Alzar takes a lot of the rich stuff and moves it to his keep, places like his library, central chambers, and more. He brings the war chariots and war wagon back as well and spends some time researching them.

Alzar also researches the earth that was grabbed by his elemental across the gate. After using high level divinatory magic, like Contact other Plane, he is able to figure out that it comes from the Abyss, the layer that is controlled by the Queen of Chaos. Alzar is considering a raid or scouting expedition, and does some more research. He has the glyph made for the 4th part, and he can get going as soon as that makes sense for everyone.

Now that he knows where it comes from, he can go back and hit that area.


Alzar heads back to the plane of Jaspa’a to secure some more spells. They are going to be added to his spellbook, and include spells like Mass Flight or Death Stalker.

[Abe Sargent]

Month 7, Year 9 –

Vix has taken out a few more lairs in his newly acquired area, while Alzar scouts and checks out various places, including the Ruins he was at earlier.

There is an attack by a nearby northern force on a combined, small nation to the north and west of Alzar’s holding, and one area of the holdings, a pass through the mountains named after the small town of Bloodstone and it’s Baron, is barely surviving as the area’s ruler was slain in battle.

Alzar’s wish this month is to gain 1 point in Charisma, maxing at 18. I nthe rules, you may spend one Wish to gain one point of stats, and do so each Wish until you hit 18, at which point you have to spend 10 Wishes to raise it one point. But I limit that to one point//Wish/per stat permanently. So Alzar has raised his INT/WIS by one already with wishes. (Now if his stat is lowered due to magic or something, he can use Wish to restore it, that’s fine).

An assassination of a local sheriff in Storn occurs as well, and no one is able to find out who.

Month 8, Year 9 –


Norwold is becoming increasingly restless and talking of independence. Recently, one of the Norwold forces, the Queen’s Guard, removed all Alphatian logos from their uniforms.

The spell is finished. Alzar has located the missing piece of the Rod of Seven Parts after much investigation. It seems like one of the major things keeping him from finding it was the fact that parts 4 and 5 have been connected already, and a few spells like Contact other Plane and Legend Lore helped to locate them far to the south in a desert.

[Abe Sargent]

Are you ready to hit this back again?


Let's pause to take a moment and recollect where we are with the story...



Over the next day or two, expect me to do some reference creating for you to give you and up-to-date list of the current characters as well as political scenes and more. Who's ready to rock this town right?

[Abe Sargent]

I am currently working on a new spellbook document for Alzar so you can have description of the spells he made, other spells made for this dynasty (like Vorthala's Undead Turning Immunity or Baltar's Lightening) as well as spells from obscure places like Dragon magazines and such so you don't have to look them up elsewhere in the dynasty.

I was thinking about creating a separate page and thread for Alzar so you don't have to keep stuff in your head and you read it. Thoughts?

[hoopsguy]

Excited to hear that there is a return run in the works for Alzar. This has been one of my favorite dynasties over the years.

In terms of a separate page/thread, whatever makes it easier for you in terms of sharing the story.

[Abe Sargent]

Let's pause to take a moment and recollect where we are with the story...



Alzar is now Married:





His wife is Vix, daughter of the entropic immortal Nyx. Like Alzar, Vix is currently working on a Path to Immotrality for her mother and Entropy. Alzar is currently deep into the third Path of the Dynast that he must finish in order to become an Immortal, and he has two more paths after this is finished. He has finished the Path of the Polymorph for the Sphere of Matter, after being sponsored by the Immortal Morena, and the Path of the Paragon for the Sphere of Energy after sponsorship by Pflar. Currently he is completing the Path of the Dynast for Vanya, Immortal of Time, leaving Thought and Entropy.


Alzar is currently Grand Duke of the entire northern fouth of Norwold, and has every hodling north of the Great Bay on the plane of Pandius, a plane that is really Mystara in every way only I used a lot of Mystaran stuff on other planes during this tri-planar dynasty, so now I had to remove some stuff and add others. It’s my interpretation of Mystara, and thus I named it Pandius after a secret Immortal city on the moon in the plane of Mystara.


Norwold was a recent colony by Alphatia here to land that has been back and forth between Alphatia and Thyatis for more than centuries. They are long-time foes that are very different culturally. Alphatian is heavily pro-magic, with a ruling council of 1000 mages of level 36. Norwold won a war for independance against Thyatis a couple of years after it’s founding on behialf of Alphatia and ever since, it’s King Ericall has moved ever more slowly to be indpendant. He is not a good King, and Alzar derides him as the Do-Nothing King. Alzar is now his most powerful subject, but the King has gone against Alzar or failed to support when other subjects turned against Alzar and raided his nation.


Alzar has a large burgeoning capital in Evenarrow with a large keep he has. He has one of the best libraries in the region, has built a foundary that makes golem bodies for Alzar to enchant, and his town includes an alchemist that makes potions and a few other higher-level stores. He has changed the way his dominion looks and feels, adding magical effects such as benches that are soft like featherdown pillows and built large monuments, statues, foundations, and more to help make his capital feel unique and different.

[Abe Sargent]

Norwold:



In this map, Alzar basically controls most of the area marked Viaskaland, Over on the west he doesn't dip down quite as far as Leeha. On the east he goes down further, over the Ljallenvals, to Berghom Island, and then just across on the other side of the straight.

One of the cool things happening now on the west edge of his holdings are the Dwarf hold he freed from thousands of goblins in the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords adventure. It was once one of the primary dwarf holds in the plane, and the more than 5000 survivors fled across the Known World, including to Hammerhelm in his own Ljallenvals region, and are his subjects. After freeing the dwarf hold, more than 1000 dwarves have already returned, with at least another 1000 rumoreds to be underway, and Alzar has secured that area as his primary fortress on the east, and building around it powerfully and quickly.

This area also includes the barbarian tribes he allied with in Howl from the North and Five Must be One when he united the various tribes by finding the five swords and freeing a powerful barbarian immortal who empowered them further. One of their leaders is Barkal the Red, one of Alzar's first allies in the area, going back to the first adventure module.

[Abe Sargent]

Begin Rod of Seven Parts Again

Alzar casts Mount and gives himself a Griffon, and then teleports them over. He flies over the desert and finds a Caravanserai. These road stops are sort of like a roadside inn, gated off and protected, with multiple rooms, buildings, stables, guards, merchants, and more.

Sometimes these can be pretty small and minor and Spartan:



And other times they are very opulent.




Alzar did a little research on this one before heading out. It’s in a rocky valley alongside a major trade route, with multiple waystations along the route, each one day from the next. This valley is actually pretty lush and green and a stark contrast to the nearby area. The desert isn’t one of those shapeless Arabian deserts loaded with sand, but more like the Mexican one, with plants and more habitable.

[Abe Sargent]

Off the trade route, the monsters and dangerous life-threating plants lurk, but the caravan route proper is pretty safe, as the guards from the Caravanserai here head out within a half day’s ride to either side and tour and keep the area clean of unwanted trade problems. There are no problems with bandits or raiders either, again kept clean. But this caravanserai has gone offline a few months ago, and raids have begun.

The Legend Lore clue that Alzar is following is:

What you seek is not alone
Two companions sheathed in stone
To a vale of fear and delusion you must ride
Where Spirits not of the dead abide


So again, it seems like segments 4 and 5 are attached together somewhere here in rock, earth or elsewhere. A map points to a local Vale of Spirits that’s off the route to the south and about 3 hours ride from the Caravanserai.

Alzar is prepared for desert travel after spending years in the Sand Mire in Hamedh.

Alzar is exploring and flies over a group of goat herders at the mouth of a nearby canyon. Alzar lands to take with them and they exchange greetings and give a few heads up about local news and such. There is a nearby spring the goats are moving too, and a few shepherds are watching sentry to make sure they are undisturbed. These are nomads who are not from the Caravanserai. They give Alzar some basic info about their location and such. They confirm that the Vale is haunted, but the spirits are kind to them and other poor and honest people.

Alzar heads to the caravanserai to rest and get some more information

A winding trail of roughly 10 feet reaches the front of a bluff, and enters the main gate, and then a wider trail is on the far side of the outpost. The wall is crumbling in a few places, with mud-bricks here long past their due-date. The walls are about 6 feet high ,and the area is around 100 by 150 yards total enclosed, pretty small.

[Abe Sargent]

Inside the compound is an air of neglect, and slow decay. A few desert plants have invaded the area, and the ground is littered with debris here and there including broken roof tiles near buildings or gnawed bones here and there..

There is a central house, and Alar spots two unusual guards. He succeeds with Genie Lore – they are jann guards – the weakest form of the five genies. They are hiding invisibly, but Alzar an see through it.

The entire outpost appears abandoned. The main gate is creaking, and dusty. It’s not locked, broken in a few places. An invisible jann flies to Alzar as he heads inside, Azar pretends he doesn’t notice.

There are some date palms inside, and Alzar notices something in one of them. He moves closer, and there is a Smoke Mephit here, lousing, and drinking from a wine bottle. Alzar calls out to the Mephit, and it is startled, and then throws the wine at Alzar (misses) and disappears. It turned invisible. Alzar lets it go.

They pass an inner gate, and then stables, with a very leaky roof, and damaged area. There are six mules in here, in rough shape. Alzar casts Speak with Animals and they tell him:

- We were walking through the rocks, carrying a lot of heavy stuff, when they were attacked by flying things and brought here.
- Horses flying through the air were the steeds of some who attacked
- A mean red horse led them here
- Awful featherless bird men sometimes feed them, but not often

Alzar heads out. The jann is still flying above.

He passes a granary, and then spies movement within. He heads in, and there is a large colony of about 20 giant rats here, and a wererat leading them. Alzar doesn’t immediately attack, and the wererat transforms and introduces himself as Finnek.

Alzar uses Detect Lie from the Bright Barrier and Finnek tells him about the outpost. A few months ago, some genies took over, and they brought some pets, among them medusae, mephits, and others. Finnek simply wants Alzar to keep himself and the rats unharmed. They agree.

While inside, Alzar scouts the area more deteailed with the crystal ball. A garden behind is where the medusae work, a smithy with a white-hot lump of matter from the Elemental Plane of Fire as the fire and a salamander tending it, and then a large inn with kitchnes, baths, a dining hal, and even a well on the far side.

No meduae are out right now in the garden, so he heads to the smithy A few smoke mephitis blow smoke at him from above as he enters.

Alzar is immune (Necklace of Adaptation) and then, under the roof, casts blastbones, flings it at the mephitis, and slays them.

The flame salamander spins and faces him. Alzar hits it with Polymorph Other and…it’s a smaller, normal salamander, crushed underheel

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar does a quick search, but turns up nothing of value – the smithy tools are crude, their products simple.

Alzar heads out, and looks up at the jann and addresses it in the appropriate manner and tongue expected for a formal greeting with Genie Lore. It heads to the Ethereal Plane and sails back to the main building.

There are still four jann on top of the building, so there are at least 5 jann. The evidence is pretty clear that these are efreet here. A block from the Elemental Plane of Fire as a forge? Salamanders and Smoke Mephits? Alzar slides to some of his anti-fire stuff in preparation.

The great house is a fired brick. Alzar heads to the wall, use the Scroll of Openings to drop a Passwall and moves in.

He arrives at…

A guard room

Seeing Alzar heading in, the jann guards above, and the one floating over him, all move to this chamber to protest his presence. Jann are normally pretty peaceful and the most friendly of genies to people. But these are under the control of others somewhere.

Jann – AC 1, HP 37, Thaco 10, 2d8+10 damage from great magical scimitars, need magic to hit, can cast enlarge, invisibility, and create food and drink. All five have already cast enlarge on themselves and the bonuses are listed above.

5 vs 9

Alzar’s axe is out and he’ll try to slay them in melee. As they are controlled, they won’t flee. Alzar’s axe, Selinyr is out, and Bright Barrier before him. He only misses on a 2 with the Axe or a 8 with the shield. And…He kills a genie. Then they need a 18 or higher to crack his armor. The first misses, the second as well, and then the 3rd hits but….it misses the 60% chance for Alzar’s thief ability, Evasion, which works on the first melee attack of the round that would hit. The 4th misses

3 vs 1

Alzar is missed. He kills anoter genie.

1 vs 6

Alzar slays a third. They miss.

Alzar kills the last two

The stuff they have with them disappear as his finishes them off.

The jann sent off an alarm, and as Alzar slips from the guardroom, into a small courtyard, there is assembled here the rest of the defenses

6 Jann
1 Imp
2 Efreets
40 illusionary horseman – Alzar is immune to them
15 Smoke Mephits
6 Medusa

5 s 3

They lead and Alzar takes 19 damage from some magical hits (Magic Missile) and missiles and a Jann smash of a sword for 14. Alzar casts Time Stop…

55/87

He drops Wail of the Banshee and then Vampiric Touches an adjacent Jann

The Stop ends, he slays a bunch of Mepthis, and some Medusa and the Imp. The Jann takes 22 and is almost dead

77/87

4 vs 2

Alzar takes 10 from one hit, and dodged another Missiles pepper him for 8. He casts Death Spell and drops the remaining Mephits.

60/87

6 vs 4

They hit him for…..20 damage. He drops Skulltrap, kills a wounded jann, takes 15 himself, and then clears out a lot. All that is left post-trap is two wounded Efretts ,and 2 Jann

26/87

2 vs 1

The efreets and jann miss (evasion) and then a missle for 9. He casts Heal and full heals himself.

2 vs 8

Alzar casts Power Word, Kill and slays a wounded Efreet. The other one orders the jann to keep fights and retreats. Alzar is missed.

4 vs 6

Alzar slays both wounded jann with his axe, one hit each.

Alzar uses Dimension Door to head in front of the Efreet.

Battle continues

7 vs 9

Alzar casts Power Word Stun to drop it, and then slays it.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar inspects the rest of the area, and there are no creatures left. He disarm a bunch of traps, and finds some creatures turned to stone. Alzar uses Stone to Flesh and frees one that had the Rod on it. It’s a werewolf. He slays it, and takes the Rod.

Meanwhile, he searches the rest of the area and finds:

Ring of X-Ray Vision
Ring of Telekinesis, 25 lbs

13500 gp worth of silks, carpets, and draperies

Alzar heads back and connects the 2 rods to the ones he has, and the Glyph secures them:

Full powers –

Alzar’s alignment changes to lawful neutral. This does come with the expected issues (a ranger loses their class, as would a Paladin). This won’t hurt Alzar too much…

Cast Cure Light Wounds, Slow, Slow, Haste, Gust fo Wind and True Seeing many times a day

Fly at will
+20% Magic Resistance
Control Winds 4x day
Shape Change 2x day

Fly faster, better, and with more agility that the spell
No creature native to Plane of Air attacks Alzar
May Charm Plane fo Air creatures 1/day, no save
Can cast Weather Summoning 1/day

Alzar cannot lie, cannot abide dirtiness or unkemptness, and will also abide by anything agreed to

Alzar heads back to reassess everything.


I am ruling that Alzar cannot control undead with his control undead class ability while LN, but he can turn undead with his normal cleric class of a level 13. I am also ruling that Alzar cannot cast any spell that I deem to be evil, like Trap the Soul or Revenant.

End Rod of Seven Parts

[Abe Sargent]

Month 9, Year 9 –

Vix is continuing to clear out some stuff and pacify the areas Alzar took.

Thus far Alzar has been totally unable to find out about the next Glyph needed, or where the next piece of the Rod is. There is a huge attack by the Queen of Chaos’s Spyder-Fiends on the west flank of the Grand Duchy on the dwarf hold, and almost 100 turned aside by the keep’s defenses led by Alzar after one of the dwarves uses a Spellcache Ring with teleport in it to let him know. 27 dwarves died in battle against the demons.

The next day, Alzar flies down to the ruins around 150 miles away from the dwarves to investige and delve into it while Vix is cleaning out a nest of giant spiders near the central lakes.

Alzar heads back over to clean out more ruins, and to distract him for a bit as well.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Excited to hear that there is a return run in the works for Alzar. This has been one of my favorite dynasties over the years.

In terms of a separate page/thread, whatever makes it easier for you in terms of sharing the story.

Thanks that's very nice of you to say!

Now get ready for one of the biggest Monty Haul adventures you've ever seen!

(That's a nickname for a adventure that gives away too much stuff to the players. You've seen me skip that multiple times in previous modules but here, it's time, Alzar has earned this...")

Although he'll have to keep it....

[Abe Sargent]

Begin Greyhawk Ruins Again

If you’ll recall, this formerly deceased fortress had three parts still running. The first is a former wizard’s tower, 6 stories high. The next was the barracks, and 9 levels of former military complex below. The last is a 10 level underground magical complex.

Alzar heads to the former Magists’ Tower. Due to the magic of the place, the entire 6 floor building raises up.

As a mage, predominantly, Alzar wants to explore and secure the area.

There are nine steps that lead up to the door, and they have a variety of magical traps, illusions, and such on them. Many folks have climbed the steps, turned off the magic temporarily, levitated, flew, or whatever, and moved into the Tower. This includes explorers and adventurers like Alzar, raiders and bandits, mages ,curious, travelers, merchants, and more.

Much of the stone comes from local quarries from the hills and such, and is old and worn. How many rooms and areas of note in the first floor? 66!

The Magist’s Tower is probably the one most used right now by others.

[Abe Sargent]

The first few rooms are swimming in traps and caltrops . Alzar spends time going slowly, to ensure nothing untoward happens. A few rooms pass, and then they open into a large central room with other corridors and doors heading off. In the center is a great fountain made of obsidian, and with magically fresh water pouring fourth, and out all along a set of fake plants, and stone decoration. The water cascades around, and then back, and about a third of the chamber is dominated by it. The fountain is magical, and the water appears to be as well.



Alzar needs some help. There are no corpses around, so he grabs a Warp Marble and unleashes Aleph, the bronze golem, and has it stopper up some water. It’s non-caustic. Alzar uses his sage knowledge, potions, but cannot identify the water. As the magical water is taken, Alzar can detect it as evil. There is an evil ness to the water, which won’t help Alzar anymore, as he is no longer evil.

He bottles the water, and it’s being magically replaced, later he’ll identify it as:

Evil Drinking Water – Evil Creatures Drinking the water, of at least one glass a day, after a few months ,gain two levels and HD of power, and some CON and STR as long as they keep drinking it. They’ll keep it until about a week after stopping.

Note Alzar is not evil right now....

One exit from here down a long, wide corridor without any traps or caltrops or anything else. Alzar reaches the front of a five room section of the level. There are a few stone statues here of lifelike people, orogs, and more. And the distinctly decorative odor of a greater basilisk. Alzar closes his eyes aand heads in.

With the blind-fighting proficiency, he moves in to fight. I am ruling that the evasion ability does not work with eyes closed.

The G Basilisk only has claws and such, just the petrifying gaze. Alzar easily takes it out in two turns and then takes some of its stuff.

1500 gp
3000 sp

Potion of Vitality
Oil of Enrichment
Oil of Fiery Burning
Ring of Blinking
Scroll of Permanency, Darkness 15’ Radius
Plate Mail, +3

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar skips the statues for now, and heads back to the fountain room and looks around more of the area.

There’s a trapped room where gravity is reversed and another with a large pool of acid on the bottom. Stuff like that. Empty rooms, rooms with some humanoids, quickly slain, and more.

In a room to the rear is a large golden rhino statue. It’s had gems and such taken off, and some gold has been removed from it as well – it’ seen better days. One of it’s legs is missing. They’ve tried to melt it, and there are scorch marks beneath, or blasting. Even in this state, the gold left is worth roughly 200,000 gp. But it would take a 35th level magic user to teleport it out as one. With his bonus from the Imp, Alzar is actually pretty close.

Alzar decides to cheat a bit.

He teleports back and conjures Fire Elementals, and then teleports back with them. He orders the Elementals to melt the giant statue. For more than hour, they do, and using his immunity to fire, he collects the molten gold, and bottles it. Their spell ends and they both leave. Alzar has collected 26000 gp worth of gold from it, and he can teleport the rest over, and melt is down. 200k is a lot of gp

Past the statue room is a large area of around 25% of the level that is under the control of the mad wizard, Jhinjhra. Alzar finds a magical traps back here, and casts Dispel Magic on one area and drops them.

As he does, some armored and enhanced trolls spill out to attack him. He scatters them with an cleric Produce Flame spell, and they flee as they are slain and burned.

After hearing what is happening, Jhinjhra heads out with a strike force to hit Alzar in an empty-ish room in her complex. Alzar’s MR hits and bounces the Magic Missiles she casts, and a variety of armored trolls and other creatures move in. A Death Spell cleans out the trolls, and Alzar and the mage are one on one

6 vs 9

She has a few magical defenses up, so Alzar cast’s Silence, 15’ radius. She grabs a scroll and casts Vocalize



4 vs 8

Alzar casts Dispel Magic (Priest) and drops her defenses. She summons an Earth Elemental.

5 vs 9

Alzar uses his Short Bow and slings out arrows and….hits her 4 times for 17 damage. The Elemental closes, and she summons an Invisible Stalker next,

6 vs 5

She begins to retreat, Alzar’s golem is handling the summoned dorks, he moves full speed and fires arrows at her (like he can with his various proficiencies) She takes 21 damage and dies.

Alzar Abjures the Earth Elemental, and slays the Invisible Stalker


Alzar spends some time grabbing stuff, disarming traps, finding and opening a secret door, and more:

Ring of Protection +2
Scroll of Vocalize, Dispel Magicx2,
Ring of Fire Resistance

2450 gp
6790 sp
3300 cp

2 Jeweled Rings worth 1750 gp each
+2 Trident
Cloak of the Bat



-1 Spear
-1 Shield

Jhinjra’s Spellbook

Alzar heads out and find another path from this area, and it leads into a room with a death image of the folks who died here long ago, playing over and over again It’s a form of undead called a Vision. Alzar watches, and then tries to communicate with it, and then does, and gives it freedom and it’s gone


Alzar skips an area with a handful of cyclopskin as he finds the stairs up to the next level of the tower. Alzar scouts some more, finds a room with a dozen rust monsters, then some slimes and jellies and more humanoids on the far end. He heads up:

[Abe Sargent]

Level 2 –

46 rooms,

The main feature of the floor is a central fountain identical to the one below. Much of this area is former laboratories and such for the Magists. Alzar checks out the central area, and then heads down a great hallway to the west. There are a 22 art objects, paintings, and statues, all top of the line, unique, and worth a ton of money each, Alzar uses the Star to detect a set of major curses on each of them, triggering if they are removed, but they are worth serious cash. He may come back later

On the far side of the gallery are some lesser travelled rooms, with little in them. Alzar finds a storeroom back here with decayed herbs, shattered glass, and other signs of dilapidation and decay. All of which stands as further proof of the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

Back the other way opens into a laboratory of the old era. One lab is 7 rooms big, and Alzar’s sage knowledge allows him to detect an odd anti-arcane feeling which is familiar. He cannot scry in here, despite trying to with his crystal ball. Its locked.

He slips in and takes it carefully, disarming one trap on the way. The corridor has been widened with disintegrate magic hitting the ways and getting odd lines. It’s precisely the sort of architecture in Alzar’s nity Ith K’hinax, and likely shows that Beholders are nearby.

[Abe Sargent]

There are six Beholders in a room up ahead, awaiting in ambush as Alzar moves. Forewarned, he heads back, grabs the scroll, and then uses Passwall to breach them from the other side, swapping over to anti-anti-magic.

As the wall falls, Alzar tosses an explosive grenade from one of the ships into the area, and it blows up. He damages all 6 Beholders, and they spin, fire eye rays at him, but they hit his MR, Spell Turning Ring, and saves. In unison, they move to cover him with AM instead, and battle begins:

4 vs 3

They bite Alzar twice, and he takes 13 damage and avoids the other. His axe, non magical, carves and slays a wounded Beholder.

74/87

5 vs 6

Alzar regains initiative and kills another Beholder. Two flee, and the last can’t hit him at all.

5 vs 4

They hit him for 9 damage on an bite. Alzar slays one more and the last one begins to flee

Alzars bow is out and he takes out the wounded Beholder. He hunts down and slays the last two with the bow as they flee. Either they let him use magic and he takes them out quickly, of the AM.

He’ll bring their bodies to various places and then reanimate them as Death Tyrants

Most of the lab here has broken stuff. He finds 5000 gp worth of unbroken glass or metal stuff for his lab, a handful of unbroken bottles here and there with various liquids and a handful of various treasures:

22 books on various poisons local and planar

Scroll - Priest Spells – Sticks to Snakes, Spike Stones, Turn Wood, Spiritual Hammer, Heal

Potion of Giant Strength; acid breath; fire breath; extra-healing; sweet water, and longevity

“Harlrun”, Long Sword, N, +4, +6 vs non-human humanoids, telepathic, communicates with Alzar as soon as it’s founds, can detect traps ongoing and cast Strength on the user once/day. +2 saves vs humanoid magic. Ego 28

Harlrun is okay with Alzar right now (he’s still LN) but won’t like the conversation back to LE laters.

Harp of Charming

[Abe Sargent]

An adjacent area of 8 rooms is taken over by a family of minotaurs. Alzar scouts with the crystal ball here, and finds 14 minotaurs in here. He leaps in, gathers, the group together, running around, and then casts Mass Domination, takes over most, slays the rest and leaves with…….. 7 minotaurs total.

They tell him of their various valuable things back here and he secures:

8300 gp

Jeweled Scabbard – 5500 gp


Numerous books that are destroyed or decayed (when Alzar restores them they will be 66 books, Generic Treatises on Labs, Chemistry, Alchemy, and more).

Alzar finds and slays a Bird shaped Stone Golem in a few rooms down after two rounds

He slays some humanoids, finds an abandoned section of the area where an illusionist that used to be here and left behind a lot of illusionary traps and such, most of which can be seen through. It was scoured a long time ago, has very little left. Only one secret door opens to a


Manual of Golems
Tome of Clear Thought
4 Ioun Stones

+4 dagger, Longtooth
Nothing Else