The D&D Dynasty: The Path of Alzar the Mighty

[Abe Sargent]

She casts Heal on herself fully healing her. The Vrock and spiders bring down the wounded elemental, and a ghoul. Alzar’s group has 20 attacks coming in, and she takes 35 damage – 31/66 hp left. Alzar casts another Invisible Stalker to join the party.

She spins another web at the glabrezu and grabs him. She then tries to bite Alzar and misses (cloak). Lethal poison drips from her demonmaw. The Vrock and her allies slash four ghouls dead. In dice 21 attacks and a Stalker hits for 14, and a ghast for another 7. 10/66. Alzar casts Ray of Ondovir at her but it gets stuck in her magic resistance.

She uses Heal again. Her allies damage another Earth Elemental instead of messing with ghouls and Dretch. In come the attacks and with a webbed glabrezu unable to attack, she is getting 17 attacks. A Vrock carves her for 17 and two ghasts hit for 11 damage . 38/66 total. Alzar casts Greater Malison, but it fails to hit her through the magic resistance.

A web is spit at an earth Elemental but it shrugs it off. Alzar is attacked and bitten for 15 damage. He also makes a save vs poison or dies, but he gets +10 to the save for the Periapt and Alicorn. He makes it. More damage to the Earth and it’s reeling. She is pounded twice by the same elemental for 28 damage and takes 11 more from two ghast hits. She falls.

Lolth has been slain on the Prime Material Plane and cannot return for 100 years. She leaves behind an odd egg, which Alzar takes and will inspect later.

[Tellistto]

Nice comeback in that fight!

Tell

[CrimsonFox]

YAY VAULT!!!!!!!!!!

[Abe Sargent]

He expects a really bad reception from most of the Døkkálfar now. He leaves behind his army and teleports to the plateau, where his troops are waiting. They march to the temple, where he wants to blow through it, because he suspects that he will wear out his welcome very shortly. He forces his way into the temple through a Skulltrap at the spiders. His troops below finished the Vrock and spiders. And his army supplemented by an Earth, Waterx2, and Fire elemental blow through the meager defenses and enter the Fane of the temple. Twenty Døkkálfar drop in thirty seconds.

The open area has two altars like the shrine does, but richer and he orders everyone to steal items quickly and efficiently. They can analyze them later. He plows through five more giant black widows, six guards, and an underpriestess. The egg throbs in a temple, but as he leaves it, it stops.

There are stairs up and down and Alzar heads down. This is the basement level he was on before. They find a trap in the webs and release a Døkkálfar:

Nilonim
Level 4/4 Mage/Fighters
Neutral
26/26 hp
STR – 12, INT – 18, DEX – 18, CON – 15, WIS – 9, CHA – 13.

He organized a revolt against the nobles and was not to be sacrificed, but to be turned into a Drider to Lolth herself, and he joins them for now. Nothing else is down here, but his armies unite and they move up two floors.

[Abe Sargent]

There is a barracks that has been prepared for Alzar. Beds flipped, soldiers with missile weapons, and Darknesses drop as he comes up. 35 fighters are here, with two clerics in support. A Skulltrap flies into them and slays many fighters. The rest fire and hit and slay a wounded Earth and finish the mirror images from a Vrock and hit it.

They win init and do it again, taking out the Vrock and the wounded Glabrezu. A silence spell rebounds off Alzar’s Ring and hits the priestess and she is silenced herself. (80% was reflected and Alzar made his save). The other casts Hold Person on Estaish and it fails this time. Alzar casts Dispel Magic to banish the darknesses, and his crew smash most of the remaining fighters some of whom were already injured from his skulltrap. A retreat is called and they move away. Alzar orders his flyers to bock them and a Vrock, Zadazz, Zadran, and four gargoyles fly in front. Two gargoyles are slain easily, and it slows them down. Alzar blows the Horn of Blasting to slow down the people, and the rest are slain and the priestesses overcome.



Alzar orders the weapons and armor stripped off as quickly as possible and they keep moving. His Vrock and Dretch disappear because an hour has passed, and he summons a new Glabby but he can’t bring more demons. Four clerics are here to protest their entrance, and are quickly pushed aside but not before sending an Earth Elemental back to its plane with abjuration and controlling and slaying the ghouls and ghasts. Again, their items are all stripped very quickly, the six bedrooms are searched very quickly and everything is tossed into Bags of Holding or Alzar’s OtherSpace and they move on to the next level.

No one is on this level to stop them, and a few traps are easily disarmed. Rich apartments are raided and items accumulated. They move up to the final level.

[Abe Sargent]

Combatants from previous levels have arrived here for a last stand as well as the 14th level priestess who is charge. They have summoned allies and have two Hezrou, Vrock, 25 gargoyles from outside, a pack of 11 shadows, 8 giant black widows, and four powerful fighters, including the commander.

Battle begins.

Alzar wins init. He drops a Skulltrap on them to soften them. Down go some fodder. Some gargoyles, more than half of the widows, and three shadows fall. His force pounds into theirs save the Glabrezu who Power Word Stuns the Commander and she falls for 5 rounds. He will finish her in two. They can’t reach the priestess or fighters due to the fodder, but they do slay some. He has the non-magical ones focus on the spiders and they finish them all. A mist ball flies in and fails to blind the priestess. The fighters carve up a pair of shadows. Then the counter attack happens, and Alzar loses a Fire Elemental and many skeletons he brought up. The high priestess abjures an Invisible Stalker back to its plane.

Slain this battle – 9 gargoyles, 8 widows, 7 shadows, level 9 fighter,


His group pushes forward. A fireball from his Wand of Fire flies to the back and finishes more fodder and scratches those in the back. Elementals blast a Hezrou. His fighters finish the last shadow and take out two gargies. The counter begins. The enemy finishes a Fire Elemental and damage an Air. Their priestess abjures the other Stalker and sends it home.


Slain this battle – 20 gargoyles, 8 widows, 11 shadows, level 9 fighter, Hezrou

[Abe Sargent]

The other Hezrou falls and the fighters take out three gargoyles. Alzar’s Hell Hound breathes and takes out a fourth and the last one dies to Zadran. With nothing left save a Vrock, their flank is open. Missile weapon fly into a soldier and Alzar casts Domination at the priestess but she makes her save. The fighters do little and the Priestess cures the badly wounded soldier.

Alzar’s group slays the three fighters left and closes. The Vrock is stripped of images by skeletons. The priestess casts Cause Blindness on Alzar and it is rebounded back and they both make their saves.

Alzar’s group finishes both the priestess and he Vrock. Alzar orders his people to put up a defensive posture around the level as they strip the items from these, and explore fully the level, taking everything.

Slain this battle – 25 gargoyles, 8 widows, 11 shadows, level 9 fighter, 2 Hezrou, 2 level 7 fighters, 1 level 6 fighter, Vrock, 14th level priestess.


Slain – Succubus, Vampire, 45 Giant Black Widow Spiders, 5 Nightmare, 10 Displacer Beast, 15 bugbears, 32 unarmed, 33 level 2 fighters, 38 level 3 fighter, 13 level 4 fighter, 9 level 5 fighter, 5 level 6 fighter, 1 level 8 fighter,1 level 8/level 5 cleric/fighter, 4 Hezrou, 25 trogs, 1 5th/3rd cleric/fighter, 4 level 7 fighter, 1 Earth Elemental, 3 giant spiders, 3 Vrock, Level 10 high priestess, 4x level 4 priestess, level 6 priestess, 2 level 7 priestesses, 2 level 9 priestesses, 25 gargoyles, 11 shadows, level 9 fighter, 14th level priestess

Solo - Lolth

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar and his group found in the temple:

Onyx and Gold Candlesticks – 300 gpx4; Octagonal Golden Bowl – 3000 gpx2; Ruby – 1000 gpx32; Diamond – 5000 gpx15; Emerald – 2000gpx4; Sapphire – 1000 gpx2; 8 Paired Gold Service Sets – 45000 gp; Lolth Temple Tapestries – 2000 gpx26;

2 Death Lances, 6 charges each
Lurker Cloak
Spider Wand – 64 charges
Staff of Striking – 12 charges
Ring of Anti-Venom – 20 charges; Ring of Protection +1; Ring of Invisibility;
Demon Staff
Amulet vs Crystal Balls and ESP
36 Dust of Disappearance
Talisman of the Golem

10 Crystal Jars of Lotus Dust, Rare Mushroom Power and other drugs

184,000 gp worth of generic jewelry
103 10 gp gems; 41x 50 gp gems; 29x 100 gp gems
11320 gp
4390 pp
20 scrolls of cleric spells – All Curing and Restoration Spells
8 potions – Pursuit, Nutrition, Gaseous Form, Fire Giant Control, Fish Control, Fire Breath, Levitation, Heroism


Dokkalfar items –

39 +1 short swords, 39x +1 chainmail, 8x +2 chainmail, 5x +3 chainmail, 6x +2 long swords, 2x +1 shields, 2x +2 Mace, 2x +3 Mace, 3x +3 long swords, 4x +2 shield, +5 long sword, +5 chainmailx2, +4 buckler, +3 buckler,+5 Mace

30 cases of various venoms


The Spider Wand fires blasts of webbing that act like a Rope of Entanglement but only last three rounds. The Talisman is great. Alzar can try to control an golem, and if successful, he has the golem permanently under his control and the Talisman is attuned to it. Should the golem die, he can try to take another golem.

The Purist potion gives you speed greater than who you are chasing for one turn, and the Nutrition one has food and water requirement for a month. The Anti-Venom Ring will Neutralize Poisons for a charge each.

[Abe Sargent]

XP!


Alzar gains 25,000 for taking out Lolth solo

Xp Division: 242840 total for non-Nilonim folks – 34700 XP each, 2200 each for everyone but Gamholt and Nilonim for Drow Outpost, and 32,570 from Descent for everyone.



Gamholt – 44700 XP – Level 6 – 39 hp
Nilonim –18000/18000 Level 4 mage/level 5 fighter – 30 hp
Estaish – 459,085 (Level 9) –69 HP
Carum – 439,275 (Level9) - Now has 81 HP.
Wassilon – 182,942 fighter (level 8, level 9 at 250k)/ 182,942 thief (Level 10, lvl 11 at 220k) 58 hp total
Aleigha – 527,470– 75 hp – level 10 fighter
Maerie – 274,470 =- Level 11 thief – 63 hp
Alzar - 905,586 – 59 hp, level 12


Aleigha leveled to level 10; Maerie is now level 11 as a thief, Wassilon leveled as a thief as well, and Nilonim gained a fighter level. Gamholt jumped to level 6.

[Abe Sargent]

Q1. Queen of the Demonweb Pits



The final chapter of the saga is about to begin

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar’ egg continues to hum and vibrate as he moves back towards the bottom floor of the temple. He arrives at the chapel where is vibrates the loudest An image of Lolth ad her Abyss home is on the back wall, taking up the entire side. Alzar pulls out the egg and it begins to shake even more. He casts Dispel Magic on it and it opens, revealing several objects – iron pyramid, silver sphere, bronze star with nine points, blue crystal cube. A gate begins to form and Alzar and his retinue are drained into it.

They have arrived on The Abyss!

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar can immediately tell that this is the Demonweb layer of the Abyss.

The Abyss is Outer Plane with more than 600 layers. Each layer is ruled by a different demon lord. A few lords rules some adjacent layers. Each layer is a bit of a mini-plane. You can’t conjure or summon creatures here unless they are from an adjacent layer of The Abyss. That means no elementals, no Far Realm and nothing else. Alzar can’t use the Orb or an Amulet of the Planes to step into an elemental plane. Also, on the Abyss the home creatures are demons, and not devils or daemons, so those cannot be summoned either.

Thus, Alzar’s ability to summon aid drops significantly. He only can summon demons from the Demon Staff and the Orb and that’s it. There’s no Valhalla berserkers, no invisible stalkers, elementals, or anything else. Zadra, Zadaxx and the magic mice can still work.

A lot of magic works differently. This is a place carved out of The Abyss, and it’s all magical and all evil. First of all, most gods cannot or will not grant any cleric spell greater than third level, and this includes Gamholt, with an exception to those who worship Baetylus and Lolth via him. Healing magic is bad – healing can result in growing demon parts or skin and such. The stories of people changed massively by a visit to The Abyss are legion.

All magic items lose two pluses. A +3 axe is now a +1 axe, and a +2 sword is now non-magical. This includes items of protection. However, after inspection, Døkkálfar armor and weapons are not affected, because this is the home of Lolth, so in switch their armor, shields and weapons for most. Alzar will be using his +3 axe which is only +1.

[Abe Sargent]

This Demonweb itself is a chaotic mess of webs that cut through the aether. Here is the map of the webs:



The paths cross over and under each other, but they are at the same level, there are no ramps, stairs, inclines or anything else. When they do, people can jump from one path to the other, as can enemies. All pathways are 20’ wide and are made of a polished stone, but as Alzar bends to inspect it, there is a movement in them. The bodies and faces of distorted people are in here – the lost souls of the Abyss itself are used to construct the entire web.

[Abe Sargent]

There are no walls or ceilings, but there is a billowing, pulsating grey fog that hangs over everything. Vision is reduces to a maximum of 60’ in all directions. Nothing ebbs the hanging of the mist. No infravision or sight penetrates the fog, not even the Døkkálfar lenses. A rushing wind can be felt at the edge of the demonweb, and there is a maelstrom of aether and fog off of it. Alzar strongly recommends to keep the fighting on the web, because falling off could be fatal and eternal.

After a half hour of following the demonweb, a group of huge pedipalps fall down from above and arrive to attack Alzar’s party; there are five of them here. Alzar’s group moves in and slays them pretty quickly as none have more than 15 hp. It gives them a chance to suss out the new armor and weapons.

They continue down the path and reach another pair of underpasses. Alzar tries the Gem of Seeing, but it’s confused images come close to driving him mad and he pushes it away. They continue arrive at T section, with a group of creatures in front. Alzar goes invisible and moves up, and here are ten trolls on guard for anything coming up the Web. They notice him despite his invisibility due to the fog moving, and come in to attack. He orders his fellow fighters, undead, and the few summoned monsters that were pulled in to attack.

They win init and Alzar is attacked and missed due to his Cloak. His Lenses charm a Troll to his side and there are 9 left. Fighters slay one, and others slay another and badly damage a third. Alzar takes 25 damage and 15 is healed by Gamholt. Fighters with double attacks finish a wounded troll and badly carve into another. The Hell Hound breathes and slays it. They hit him for another 17, and three more die. 9 more damage is added and that’s the last time he takes damage. Acid destroys the trolls and finishes them officially.

The troll friend he has points out their treasure –

900 ep
Jewelry – 11000 gp total

Troll gained, 36/36 hp

[hoopsguy]

That is a very unfriendly set of rules on the Abyss for our "hero". Will be interesting to see what happens when you get to the real foes here.

You mentioned the healing being erratic, but Gamholt successfully healed you in the last battle. Is there a percentage chance of things going badly? Or is that just "flavor"?

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

That is a very unfriendly set of rules on the Abyss for our "hero". Will be interesting to see what happens when you get to the real foes here.

You mentioned the healing being erratic, but Gamholt successfully healed you in the last battle. Is there a percentage chance of things going badly? Or is that just "flavor"?

It really only kicks in for major injuries, such as arms, legs, and such. The only catch for other healing is its pretty minor. So if you heal 2 general damage, then it's non-existent, but the more you heal, the more it spikes to really hurt you.

[Abe Sargent]

The troll tells them that left is the gnoll barracks and right a crazy cleric who has captured many werewolves. Alzar decides to take the path that sounds easier and they move left. After two hours they arrive at a 100’ x 100’ room well lit by some magical means and contained 66 gnolls. They move in, led by 3 Døkkálfar fighters. Alzar casts Sleep and drops 6. 33 gnolls are throwing javelins and the others are charging, led by the magic arms of the Døkkálfar. He orders the gargoyles to swoop in and block attacks from the non-magical gnolls. Battle begins.

Alzar wins init and opens with a Horn of Blasting. It stuns the people for a turn and deals a minor amount of damage. 9 gnolls fall.

Alzar casts Sleep again and drops just three more. 10 are slain, and even though 28 gnolls have been slain, a mighty attack sweeps through. Many undead fall, as does a gargoyle from the combined attacks of the Døkkálfar. There are several scraps and pokes that are dealt out as well to the humans.

Alzar opens with a fireball off a wand for 21 damage for failed saves and 11 for made ones by the javelineers. 12 gnolls fall. His retinue adds 7 more. One Døkkálfar casts Levitate on him to lift him off the Web, and it does not get through the 5% magic resistance of his cloak. The others attack another gargoyle and damage it moderately. The gnolls tear into Carum and drop him to 48 hp.

The fighters and creatures deal another 8 slain gnolls. Just 11 left. Alzar moves his focus to the others, and dashes in, carving a wounded one for 9 damage. They counter and miss him, and the gnolls do very little.

Most of the remaining gnolls are down and Alzar’s double attack slays a fighter. The others begin to retreat, but are overwhelmed and slain, with Alzar charming one to tell him where everything is:

2000 gp
Jewelry – 9100 gp total
Rope of Climbing
Potion – Super Heroism, Invulnerability, Treasure Finding, Poison


Slain: 5 huge pedipalp; 10 trolls; 66 gnoll; 3 level 3 fighters;

[Abe Sargent]

As they leave, they cross under another ledge and four driders drop down to attack. Driders are male Døkkálfar who disagreed with Lolth and have been punished by being warped into a new creature.




Alzar orders his troops forward and casts Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter on them, and this round nothing happens as they move to combat. Three failed their saves and battle begins.

They win init. The one who made his save casts Levitate at Alzar and it bounces off his Ring and both make their saves. The other three spend this turn in hysterical laughing and can’t do anything else. Alzar orders his troops to strike at the laughing ones, and one falls. Alzar throws his dagger into the chest of another for 7 damage.

Now the driders that laughed are at -4 to their attacks and +4 to be attacked. Each round that will decrease one until the penalties are all gone. They attack but the one misses Alzar due to his cloak and the others just miss. The damaged one is slain and the other takes 17 damage from various attacks.

They hit Alzar for 13 damage and he makes his save vs poison. The last laughing one falls and the normal one is blasted badly and scurries away. Alzar’s troops outrun him and finish him as he casts Darkness on the area. They move on

[Abe Sargent]

There are no more random encounters until they have reached the end of this Web strand, and arrive at a larger section, open, on the web. Bones and refuse litter the ground and four Vrocks at the corners of it stand ready. Alzar summons his own Vrock from the Orb and it uses Mirror Image, as do they. This is a battle against demons as Alzar moves to take this room.

They win inti and swoop down, pounding into the Vrock he just summoned due to jealousy or anger. Alzar casts Dispel Magic and all Mirror Images disappear. With them gone, his group slays one outright and decently damages another for 14 damage. They slay his Vrock and attack Estaish for 20 damage. His party slays the wounded one with double attacks and badly wounds the third, and Alzar finishes it with a Wand of Magic Missiles, pumping three missiles into its chest. The last one misses, and dies.

As they slay the final Vrock, their party disappears and reappears at a station on another strand of the Demonweb. Since they are at a well defended dead end, Alzar order them to camp for the day. They get out food, set up ,and sleep for the night, with study in the morning. The new wizard does not have a spellbook , so Alzar’ loans him a minor one he found long ago to learn a few spells off of and then returns it.

[Abe Sargent]

During the rest, Alzar gets a visit.

Zuggtmoy arrives after sensing he was in The Abyss and travelling to him. She seeks the return of the orb of Golden Death. Of course, she can’t attack him, nor can she conspire against him. But she can try to bribe him. She spends the next hour offering him power, knowledge and other magic items. But pacts with demons are easily broken and once rid of it, she could have him destroyed at her leisure, and he knows it. She leaves frustrated but cannot interfere in Lolth’s realm, who are rivals.


Alzar memorizes a new set of spells for his new location:

Sleepx2, Hypnotizex2, Identify; Empathic Controlx2 ,Tasha’s Laughter, Continual Light, Ray of Ondovir; Skulltrapx3, Slumber, Vampiric Touch, Dispel Magic; Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer turned into V Touch, 2x Evard’s Tentacles, Minor Globe, Greater Malison; Animate Deadx3, Dominationx2; Stone to Flesh memorized backward as Flesh to Stone, Seizure


Before heading to bed, clerical magic from Gamholt healed most of their party, and Alzar was healed by his gem, and luckily nothing has happened yet to them.

[Abe Sargent]

Using the gnoll and troll’s knowledge of the area, they skip a minor barracks outpost and move to a different part of the track, and then down come 12 giant black widow spiders from a lower walkway to attack the party.

Alzar orders his troops in front to back up and summons a Hezrou to deal with them. It moves to the front of the line as battle begins, and it oozes its stink. A few rounds later Alzar’s group has cleaned out the spiders and the Hezrou has just 13 hp left.

A significant period of time passes with no major overpasses and they arrive at a large room situated on the web, with walls and a doorway facing them. The room appears to be totally dark. A skeleton walks in and is slain. The Hezrou r teleports in and dies just as quickly. No light can be seen from it. Alzar directs Continual Light at it and the darknesses banish, revealing four Døkkálfar priestesses and a mage. They get spells off first and suddenly Maerie is blinded, Carum makes a save for Hold Person, Estaish takes 15 from a Cause spell and Alzar is attempted to be silenced, but it bounces back and both make the save. The mage casts Mirror Image.

Battle begins and Alzar’s group wins init. Alzar launches a Skulltrap in that deals 29 damage and save for half. It hits all five, and some make their saves and some don’t but none die. The Hell Hound breathes and smashes into a priestess for 11 damage. Flying gargoyles finish her off. Undead and fighters attack the nearest priestess and badly wound her. Their turn arrives. A fireball from the mage tears into the party and slays 11 skeletons, and badly damages a few humans. . A priestess heals herself, and three more attack. Dryshik’s Mist Ball manages to find him after two images fall to battle, and the mage is blinded for 5 rounds. A priestess dies and Alzar throws a magical Døkkálfar dagger at another for 11 damage. She heals herself and the other slays a gargoyle. Alzar’s group finishes the two priestesses this round and the mage next.

Here is our hp check:

Gamholt – – Level 6 – 39 hp
Nilonim – Level 4 mage/level 5 fighter – 30 hp
Estaish – 42/69 HP
Carum – 67/81 HP.
Wassilon – (level 9 fighter Level 10 thief – 44/58 hp total
Aleigha – 75 hp
Maerie – 274,470 =- Level 11 thief – 53/63 hp
Alzar - 905,586 – 52/59 hp, level 12


They find:

Ring of Anti-Venom, 20 charges
4x Pot of Healing
6000 gp
400 pp
20 gems 100 gp

[Abe Sargent]

Out of the chamber walks his party. After an hour, another room rises to block them. It’s bigger than the last, and has a giant door on the front. A skeleton opens it and inside is a cursed Mirror of Opposition facing it and a skeleton spawns to attack Alzar’s party, along with the 42 Dretch demons in the room. Alzar tries to control some and fails, that apparently is not working here either.

Battle begins. A Skulltrap cleans out 28 before they can close. Many more are slain in the first turn, little damage is done back, and the rest are slain. Dretch are cannon fodder with about 15 hp each. This room has the Mirror, which Alzar covers and takes. Thieves discover a few traps in here and disarm them all. They find a treasure chest with:

2000 gp; 300 ep

Potions – Delusion, Invisibility, Invulnerability, Cold Resistance, Healing, Spider Climbing, Philter of Love


They continue on and blast through a group of 8 large solifugid that drop from above which Alzar’s group slays easily. He summons a glabrezu for aid. They arrive at a dead end platform with a circular middle that is 50’ in diameter. Four Hezrou surround it and move to battle. Battle begins and Alzar moves to the front along with his glabrezu.

They win init and the four beefy demons carve into him and miss. The Glabrezu stuns one and that one is slain by minor people. The fighters almost take out another. They win init and Alzar takes 31 damage. They finish the wounded demon and carve another dead with double attacks. Alzar is missed and he Vamp Touches one for 24 damage and they finish the last. As they do, they teleport to the next strand of the Web.

[Abe Sargent]

In front of them is a door leading into a small ziggurat structure, with the Web coming out of the other side and continuing on. This is clearly a powerful checkpoint. They arrive at the first door. The first opens to reveal a second which slays a skeleton with a Ward to reveal a third, which slays another skeleton with a Ward to reveal a fourth four about twenty feet back. This door opens easily and behind it is 40 feet of corridor with a another door at the end and a freshly cast Blade Barrier in the hallway. It will take at least a half hour to expire, so Alzar drops it with a Dispel Magic and the 5th floor is flung open and slays the skeleton. In they go.

This is a 100’ x 100’ room with three 30’ high pyramids in it. It serves as a gatehouse to the outside. One pyramid is in the rear center of the room, and the other two are on the sides. To the right of the door are two platforms that have spyholes into the corridor. On top of each pyramid are two Døkkálfar spell casters. 10 zombies are at the base of each pyramid as cannon fodder to keep away people from the spell slingers. The enemy are not surprised and are in position, but they did not finish readying their defensive spells, and have only cast Resist Cold thus far.

Alzar’s team rolls a 6 and theirs a seven. He goes first. We’ll swing back and forth rather than roll each time.

Round 1 –

Alzar needs to soften a spellcaster immediately. There is one mage and one cleric on top of each pyramid, so he focuses on a mage prior to him casting something like Mirror Image or Minor Globe of Invulnerability – this is his one shot at taking him out. Slumber and charms won’t work. Flesh to Stone has a range of 10 yards per level, so Alzar aims at the wizard in the back pyramid and tries to en-stone him. He gets no bonus to the save due to it not being in his specialty, so the Døkkálfar just needs to roll 9 on a d20, anything else is a death. Here we go. He rolls a…eight exactly. He is petrified. Most of Alzar’s retinue charge in and move in this round, with few in position before, and the glabrezu teleports by the lone cleric in the back. They cast a variety of spells. The left sees one cast protection from Good 10’ radius (won’t work on Alzar’s group) and a damage spell by the mage – Lightning Bolt on the glabrezu cracking him for 31 damage to help save the priest over there. The back priest casts a damage spell, Flame Strike, on Alzar and takes 12 damage herself as Alzar takes just 8. On the right Pro from good too as well as Slow on the fighters and thieves. Zombies collide with fighters.

[Abe Sargent]

Round 2 –

Alzar casts Skulltrap and launches it at the pyramid on the left. It misses but still hits them in range, but only finishes 3 zombies in range. The priest takes 14 and the mage 27. Fighters and more blast aside Zombies, and the demon attacks the priestess twice and hits once for 14. Both wounded clerics heal themselves. A mage casts another bolt at the demon and it has just 7 hp left. The other mage lances it with magic missiles and they free up the priestess in the rear center pyramid. The priestess tries to Hold Person on Wassilon and it works.


Round 3 –

Alzar casts Skulltrap his his Ring and is more on target this time. A few more zombies die, and he deals 32 damage to people who miss their save. This time the cleric fails her save and takes32 and the mage 16 as well. More zombies are crushed as the cannon fodder begins to ebb, and holes open up in their defenses. Dryshik’s Mist ball flies down at the unwounded mage on the right but he makes the save. Gargoyles arrive at the damaged platform with the cleric and mage. The cleric there casts Cure Critical Wounds on herself. The mage casts Polymorph Other on Carum and he fails the save and is turned into a small spider. He keeps his hp and Alzar orders him to retreat and he’ll heal Carum after the battle if they win. The rear Priestess casts Hold Person on Aleigha and fails, and the right cast a failed Hold Person as well and a Lightning Bolt on Estaish for 23 damage.

[Abe Sargent]

Round 4 –

Gamholt heals Estaish, the new wizard stabs out with two magic missiles at the wounded one, while Alzar stabs him with a Lightning Bolt from a Wand on his bandolier and finishes him off. Most zombies are finished and a few fighters have made it to the right platform. The gargoyles harass the cleric on the right. The priestess there controls them away from Alzar and sends them to fight him. The one in the back casts Flame Strike on Estaish for 18, and the priest/mage on the right cast magic missile and cause disease on him. He takes 23.

Round 5 -

Estaish quaffs the Extra Healing Pot he carries and heals 25. Gamholt adds a cure spell. A magic missile joins the last mage alongside 21 damage from fighters. Alzar grabs his Horn and blows it t the left and stuns the priestess, realsign control of the gargoyles, and hits the one in the back as well – both miss this turn. The mage grabs a javelin of lightning and throws it at Estaish for 26 damage, and the priestesses heal, heal, and Silence Nilonim.

Round 6 –

Their mage takes another 28 damage from various sources but was healed some last round. Alzar drops another 28 of lightning into him and he makes his save but still falls. Gargoyles fly back to the priestess and attack foir just 7 damage. The three clerics casts two cures and are fully healed and a Wand is pulled and Alzar takes 23 from a Magic Missile.

[Abe Sargent]

Round 7 –

Alzar begins with a Vampiric Touch from his Ring on the priestess on the left that was open. He heals all of his damage and doled out 27 in hurt. Gargoyles add 10. The fighters dive deeply into the priestess on the right, but she is still standing. The one in the middle stabs Alzar with 20 damage on more missiles, and the others heal themselves.

Round 8 –

The clerics on the flanks fall, and the one in the middle casts a cause spell on Alzar for 14 damage after draining her wand. She falls next.

Alzar casts Animate Dead thrice to restock his badly reduced force, and 36 zombies and Døkkálfar come back as skeletons. Alzar cuts off the head of the statue and then uses a charge on the Ring to bring him back to life, dead, and takes his items. He also brings back Carum with a charge on his Wand of Polymorph, leaving him with just one charge on it.

Javelin of Lightnignx2,
Death Lance - 3 chargesx2
+1 Ring of Protection
Potion – Silver Dragon Control, Invisibility, Fire Resistance, 6x Healing from chest,
Tiara – 10000 gp
4 3000 gp gems
1000 pp
Wings of Flying
Wand of Frost – 8 charges


Used: Continual Light, Skulltrapx4, Vampiric Touch, Flesh to Stone, Extra Healing Pot,2 Charges on Wand of Lightning, Animate Deadx2; Charge on Ring of Depetrification;

[Abe Sargent]

After cleaning out the chamber, they stop here for the night. They need to rest and recover spells, and do so. Alzar casts Dispel Magic and Slumber into the Rings to replace Skulltrap and Touch from them, and he memorizes an extra Touch instead of Slumber.

No one attacks or shows up, and they heal, learn new spells and move on. As they emerge from the outpost, 51 giant spiders are outside ready to ambush and led by a Vrock. Alzar drops a Skulltrap and cleans out most of the horde, and the rest are easily handled.

The Web continues for two hours in various contortions. It widens into a large 300 foot trapezoid shape. The room is home to an extensive Døkkálfar outpost, which includes roughly 30 fighters. Alzar flings another Skulltrap into their midst as Nilonim casts Flaming Sphere on the area. The combination of the magic forces them back and slays many. Then Alzar’s horde of skeletons crash into them, and he raises 12 more from the dead Skulltrapped ones and the fighters launch in missile attacks. At the end, Alzar has cast two Animate Deads and has 44 skeletons.

Their leader had an unusual pair of boots that Alzar takes, and they find some other items as well

Boots of Speed
600 pp
3 gems 500 gp each
Ring of Contrariness

[Abe Sargent]

They leave this platform and continue. Another 20 minutes passes and they have to take path at a fork in the road. The troll and gnoll don’t know which way to go on this strand of the Demonweb, so he pushes forward to the left. Less than 15 minutes later, there is a tall cylinder in the center of the web, like a Silo, only wider as the web widens as well. There are four arches that open at the bottom, one on each side, and about 10’ of space. They can see several sarcophagus as they close and Alzar, as habit, brings out a Bebau demon from the Orb just in case.

Inside are the honored dead of some of Lolth’s great servants, and there are approximately 100 corpses of Døkkálfar in the crypts. Alzar senses the presence of undead, and he tries to charm it but cannot. Out come three banshees – the spirits of dead females come back to life.


(For the Demonweb, I increased the difficulty of some encounters and changed some. The actual Web is a bit more random – why is there a crypt in the middle and why just five ghasts, considering how high of a level the party is? No clue, so I tied it in and brought in banshees instead, I changed many encounters after the first Web strand into much harder ones and morphed them at the same time.)

At their sight Alzar’s party makes some rolls. Carum and Gamholt run in fear from their sight and are gone. They can only be hit by magic, but Alzar’s skeletons are wielding the Døkkálfar weapons they’ve encountered, so they wade through the banshees easily. (I forgot banshee can only wail at night and there’s no night in The Abyss, so they can use their really potent weapon).

Alzar would love to search the crypt, but without the Gem of Seeing working, it’s hard. He decides to begin a systematic search of every sarcophagus for anything that looks magical or valuable – coins, gems jewelry, weapons, and so forth.

5000 gp
100 gems 50 gp value
5600 gp in random jewelry
+1 Broad Sword, +2 vs Magic Users and Enchanted Monsters
Wizard Scroll – Fire Trap, Push, ESP, Burning Hands, Wizard Lock, Otto’s Tin Soldiers
Potion - Lycanthrope Control

[Abe Sargent]

They move on. After another 80 minutes, the Web terminates at a 75’ x 75’ platform and in the middle are three Glabrezu that move to attack, and Alzar summons his own to battle them. He teleports into their midst and two others move in. They try to Power Word Stun Alzar and it gets past everything and he is stunned for 6 rounds. They stun Estaish for 4. The glabbyies miss each other

They carve deep into Aleigha for 33 damage. They hit our glabby twice for 29 as well. Damage is concentrated as per Carum for the one closer by Aleigha, and they badly damage one. Our glabby misses theirs once and deals 15 damage. Skeletons add another 14. They slash Aleigha for 40 more. The wounded one dies, as does the one on our glabrezu. The last one attacks and missies, and Gamholt has healed Aleigha some. We slay the final Glabrezu. As that happens, the party shifts to the last strand of the Web.

This level of the Demonweb is different than the others. It’s situated above the others and not part of the interlacing pathways. There are no side routes or intersections, just one winding route. All along the strand are various permanent Gates Lolth has opened to various Prime Material Planes.

[Abe Sargent]

The first gate looks out over the edge of a thick overgrown garden with a small castle on a hill in the background. A skeleton moves through it and nothing happens, so Alzar follows and has moved to a new Prime Material Plane, but not that of Thorasia. They are near the edge of a forest and everyone else steps through. As this is a permanent gate, they can return anytime.

Alzar moves towards the castle and as his party moves out of the forest claimed as Lolth’s domain in this world, a group of three manticores arrives to slay them. Alzar charms one with the Lenses and pushes himself forward. He charms a second as they miss him and a the third refuses, and is slain. He now has two manticores. He continues toward the palace with the charmed manticores in tow as well as his other folks.

A person who looks a bit like a russet skinned qwith steps from out of the bush and orders Alzar to stop. He casts Tongues and Alzar can understand him. Many others walk out, and he is ordered to the castle under heavy guard.

After a few hours of travel and waiting, Alzar is ushered in to meet Duke Alfric, a version of a qwith on this world. His people have been fighting against Lolth’s influence in the forest and as it moves about. He demands to know about Alzar and has many seers investigating his claims. The Medallion vs Crystal Balls and ESP is found and removed. Alzar claims that he and his party arrived on The Abyss after he slew Lolth’s form on his plane, and she left behind a present that pulled all of them into her realm. Now he seeks to leave, and if that takes him through her, then so be it. The Duke talks to his advisors for a while, and then offers Alzar an alliance. If he will destroy an outpost of Lolth’s in the woods, Alzar will be given his choice of three royal magic items to help him defeat Lolth.

Alzar agrees and he is escorted to the Forest Outpost, run by a large number of various goblinoids and spiders. Alzar uses his ability to finally summon elementals and brings out two from the rings and four from the items. Six elementals led by a Hezrou are dispatched to the garrison, and Alzar slays 84 enemies before the day is through. As the day wanes, he is brought back to the castle and his powerful magic becomes legendary. The Duke offers him dinner and his people rest for the night, and in the morning, Alzar selects a Girdle of Frost Giant Strength for himself.

[Abe Sargent]

This is a very powerful item that Alzar immediately equips. You may wear both a magical girdle and a belt. It gives him a strength of 21. He pulls off the gauntlets and puts on those of striking. When using his +3 battle axe this is what happens:

+3 to hit and damage from weapon mastery
1d8 damage from axe
1d6 damage from gauntlets
+3 to hit and damage from magic of axe
+4 to hit and +9 to damage from 21 strength

Therefore, Alzar has +10 to hit with his axe and deals 1d8+1d6+15 damage in battle from a single hit, giving him a damage range of 17-29. At this point, he’ll basically only fail to hit an AC of three or higher on a 1 on a d20. He can hit an AC of 0 with a four, and a very hard to hit AC-5 with a nine. Even AC -10, the best possible is hittable with anything over a thirteen. This is without his THAC0 rising due to his level improving. He’s in an odd position of being an amazing tank, but having so many spells and items that he has to stay on the sidelines too much.

Alzar’s skeleton army is now at 78

Alzar learns Otto’s Tin Soldiers from the scroll today after looking at it carefully.

[Abe Sargent]

They leave and return to the Abyss and move to the next Gate. This is a very cold land that has a bunch of forts all flying the colors of Lolth. Alzar has no desire to enter a land it appears she already has conquered.

The third Gate overlooks a dark swamp. It’s overgrown with rank grasses and muck, with spotted pools dotting the landscape. He arrives and uses divination magic, but nothing is nearby. He even jumps on Zadaxx and rides above the swamp, but the land is desolate in every direction so he returns.


The next Gate opens to a white, sandy beach. There are outcroppings of volcanic rock and some pretty unknown purple flowers dotting the landscape. Alzar moves into the nice sunny day. Again he searches the are with magic and flying, and again he can’t see anything of interest. He even tried diving under the water but found nothing.

The fifth Gate opens into a chamber about 100’ big. A skeleton is not accosted, so again Alzar moves in. The gate opened at the end of the cavern, and in fact it is vast as he turns around. Inside here is a gigantic cavern so large it cannot be seen on the other side, but the ceiling is about 250’ up. It is a hatchery for countless numbers of giant spiders and variants, including steeders ,black widows, pedipalps, solifugid, flying giant spiders, and more. There must be tens of thousands of spider eggs and hundreds of spiders. Suddenly, a group if 36 spiders phase towards Alzar and he recognizes them sa phase spiders – a particularly powerful sentry. He dives through the gate and returns. He has his missions guard the door an summons a Vrock with Mirror Image to get in front, but the Spiders juts jump in front of the gate but don’t recognize it for what it is. Alzar is safe.

[Abe Sargent]

The sixth gate is very interesting. Things do not look quite right. The mountains in the setting are larger than mountains can be and sharper as well. The sky is purplish, and the air appears shaded. In the foreground in a large forst full of goblinoids. A distance away in another fort with unknown people on the right. For to the front is a gigantic citadel under siege by some army.



Alzar and his forces push through and arrive at a place that smells of war and death. He goes invisible and scouts around, and the front fort has been captured by Lolth’s forces and flying her banner. He guesses that there must be at least 300 gnolls, 50 bugbears, and a pair of ogres and led by a Bebau demon. Alzar scrys to the next fort and it is held by 500 dvergr. Beyond it is a giant army of Lolth’s forces more than 10000 strong.

This should be fun.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar summons the 6 elementals and the Vrock moves to the front. It fails to gate in aid. Alzar orders his forces to the Fort, and the gnolls open the gate. A trap? Alzar orders his troops in and takes the lead.

The reinforcements are right on time, and Alzar is ordered to prepare to strike the dvergr held fort to remove any chance of a rear engagement when they attack the main fortress. This is war that has been ongoing on his plane for more than twenty years, and the final survivors of many campaigns have fled to the far fortress and Lolth means to take them out and claim the entire world as hers.

Alzar agrees to take up the van position and they immediately march and in 15 minutes, all of the forces from the fort move towards the dvergr position on the right. After five minutes of leaving the fort. Alzar orders his forces to attack the unsuspecting army.

Skeletons cleave into gnolls, a sleep spell from Nilonium drops 6 gnolls. A skulltrap slays 40 gnolls. Elementals unleashed slay may and havoc reigns. His troops manage to destroy an entire army in less than ten minutes, and with surprise, most of them fled and were chased down and slain. Alzar uses Animate Dead all three times and now has an army of 92 skeletons.

[Abe Sargent]

He arrives at the fort of the dvergr and having seen him slay an entire army, they rush to greet him, despite his allies. A commander greets him and says (Tongues Spell by their cleric) that they had no hope left, and no chance of reinforcements. Alzar gives the short three minute version of his story and how he came to be here. He is given command of all 500 dvergr fighters and 10 clerics for the coming battle. (He does have a lot of knowledge of leadership and tactics after all)

Alzar is given the name of the Dvergr Thane inside the fortress and he communicates with him via a teleport jar delivered by Dryshik. They send messages back and forth for more than an hour, and agree to a pincer movement tomorrow to attack the besieging army.

At night, Alzar slips into their camp with invisibility and drops skulltraps around. He wants to have some surprises when they move around tomorrow. He also Slumbers an officer and slays him in his sleep, and has a glabrezu pop out and Power Word Stun a priest, which it slays. However, the biggest weapon Lolth’s army has under its command is a red dragon, who stays far away from the rest of the army. That’s Alzar’s main target. The glabrezu is there to help him. He casts Skulltrap from a Ring and flings it at her to wake her up. She takes 18 damage after making her save and roars.

The dragon sees and breathes on the demon, now far away from Alzar. She deals some damage to it but it attacks her. Alzar’s axe hums into her for 20 damage. She attacks both with bites, wings and tail, but can’t hit Alzar due to Cloak but manages to finish the demon Alzar hacks twice and deals another 42 damage to her. She dies. Alzar takes ten minute to carve the body up before the enemy army moves in.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar rests with the Dvergr, and learns a very different slate of spells in the morning. He casts Animate Dead 5 times and uses two from his Rings to make 84 skeletons, which he adds to his force to give him 176 skeletons, plus 4 gargoyles and a hell hound. He also has the charmed gnoll, troll, two manticores, and summons the six elementals, three Vrocks from Demon Staves and a Glabrezu from the Orb. He has out the Horn of Blasting, and a different set of spells than normal. Out pop two Invisible Stalkers. Taking out the dragon was nice, and he blasted about 25 people with skulltraps in the camp.

To actually run this battle, I have a few choices. I could run it as an rpg, and do what I’ve been doing, or I could grab the Companion Rules for D&D and use their system. Let’s just RPG it with a fast sim approach.

The first thrust by the Thane has begun. His 4000 dvergr, 750 humans, and 200 bears move out. Lolth’s army moves to face them, and as the force of 10000+ meets the force of 5000-, a great crash can be heard. Alzar orders his troops in. His elementals and demons and gargoyles form the vanguard. Behind them are skeletons flanking on both sides, with the dvergr force in 20 ranks fifty deep. The elementals and demons will do the initial smash, with the skeletons providing the brunt of the first attack, and then the dvergr will move from behind the lines into the breach, and thus are protected from that initial clash.

During the day, Alzar’s 5 Skulltraps slay more than 100 enemy fighters. His fighters all did well, but only Estaish is still in the battle after two hours, as the rest withdraw due to major wounds inflicted. Being caught in a powerful flank attack devastated Lolth’s army but they held. Alzar’s axe slays many, and his cloak keeps him largely safe, as he turns his attention to any that would have hit him. His three Black Tentacles spells devastated their reforming line and took out many bugbears. He charmed various allies to his side, but the manticores, troll, gnoll, and elementals are long gone. Both Invisible Stalkers are still around, and Alzar is about ready to summon another demon from the Orb. Zadraxx and Zadran have fallen and returned to statues. The Hell Hound was slain twice and he cloak moved to other skeletons. The gargoyles have caused much fear due to their inability to be slain, but actually kill few. The dvergr have lost more than 1500 of their starting number and more than 150 of those in his unit are down. His skeleton army is reduced to just 33. The enemies have taken many more and their numbers are more than cut in half, with roughly 4000 left. They have circled up, creating a powerful defensive formation which Alzar occasionally breaks. Another Sleep spell claims five more gnolls, and his last spell is spent, and he has nothing left, but is at full hp due to wielding Blackrazor all day. With the many dead at his feet, Blackrazor hits automatically and slays automatically, and Alzar has more than 100 extra hp in reserve. He is a dervish of death that has slain dozens of bugbears and ogres.

It’s time and he grabs the Horn of Blasting and blows it just as he orders a charge from the Dvergr at the well-defended circle. It slays more than 20 injured enemies and opens a hole with the dead and stunned. The Dvergr carve deeply into their line and their defense is blown and a melee begins. Alzar, at the head of the charge, carves into them with his powerful sword and despite a -4 to hit from it not being a weapon he can use and loss of +3 due to mastery, it hits automatically, because Alzar’s current warrior level is more than 100 in terms of expertise. The weapon carves a circle of death around him and the enemy retreats from it. Their panic spreads, and the retreat begins. They run towards the other Dvergr army who charges in and picks them off as they loosen their defense. The rout is on. The combination of Alzar’s sword, the trap, the lost troops, and more causes them to lose heart and they break as a unit.

It causes six hours to track down most of the fleeing army. Alzar has his unit reform on the other side of the Gate to prevent retreat that way. More than 500 troops came through during the day and died to his unit finishing them off in the Demonweb. His troops return and the injured have been collected from the battlefield. Alzar returns Blackrazor to its Bag of Holding.

[Abe Sargent]

After a day of mourning comes celebration. Alzar animates three days worth of skeletons from Lolth’s army and returns with 191 skeletons and restocked the Rings with two more copies of the spell. He was lavished with praise for his role in turning away Lolth’s troops, and they never though a necromancer would be their salvation. They will sing of him for centuries. He leaves them to their rebuilding and returns to the Web.

The next Gate opens to a gloomy castle courtyard. Alzar checks it out and it’s boring and skips it because he wants to move on from these Gates. The next opens to a desert plain. He checks it out and sees prisons in the area. This catches his interest, and as he moves in, a large golem rises and blocks his way, it’s a bone colossus. Alzar tries to control it with his Golem Talisman and…it does not work. Too bad, this would have been a nice golem to control. But it didn’t even try to work, and this is an undead creature, and Alzar tries to control it that way but also fails. It’s undead alright. He summons three elementals as it closes and they blast it. The party frees several people, including a cleric who heals them and carries on. Alzar finds nothing, and the bone colossus is regenerating, so they return to the Web.

There is one last Gate. This portal is different than the others with bronze doors flanking it and closed over it. Alzar tries to open to but cannot. His thieves can’t either. A Knock spell opens it and behind is a gate that opens into some stairs. They lead up to a doorway that’s at last 25 stars away. The entire place, stairs, walls, and such has a metallic look. Alzar enters through. The doorway is entering a domed top with many windows that look like eyes. In fact, Alzar looks around, and they are not on a Prime Material Plane, like the other gates, but it’s another layer of The Abyss. In fact, Alzar can tell it’s one of the top layers, and many magic spells work again. They are on a gigantic ship shaped like a Spider that is sailing/flying?... via magic and steam power through the aether.

Part of the ship:



Here’s another:

[Abe Sargent]

This looks like a final confrontation so Alzar heads back to the last Gate, conjures six elementals an moves back and through. As they move up to the top, there is a Yochlol, a demon handmaiden of Lolth. She asks Alzar to sign a ledger to visit Lolth. She offers a seat to Alzar and his cohorts as see looks to find the ledger in a table of messed things. The chairs have been stolen by quasits though.



She then asks Alzar and his party to wait while she goes and retrieves it from somewhere. Alzar considers slaying her or busting, but he decides to wait, summoning a Glabrazu from the Orb who gates in two Vrocks. 15 minutes later she has returned, and he signs the ledger. She announces that Alzar is here to see her Highness, and escorts him past sentries of Døkkálfar, demons and goblinoids. They leave the head of the spider-ship and enter the body. Two large double doors are flanked by giants and open when Alzar’s party arrives. The yochlol announces Alzar’s presence to Lolth and leaves. A skeleton enters and just falls to the ground disenchanted. Lolth is beyond the doors laughing and chiding him. He grabs the Gem of Seeing and reveals her to be an illusion and casts Dispel Magic at the area and then another skeleton enters and is fine.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar’s group enters this giant chamber. On the far side are 15 doors, and none in the others. There is nothing in this giant room save those doors, and he has 15 skeletons open them simultaneously, revealing 15 10x10 rooms with doors on all four sides. They open them and find a few rooms beyond.

They each open into a cavern with a dragon. Alzar has his forces go north and the elementals and demons slay one, but not before a Water Elemental is taken down. They slay the other without losing anybody, but both Earths have less than 20 hp each left.

With as many hands as he has, it’s a quick thing to have both treasures loaded up.

600 gp
3 1000 gp gems
Bejeweled Buckle – 9000 gp
3 pots of healing

And

10 gems, 100 gp each
2 Pots of Extra healing and Flying

A skeleton dies to a glyph as the base of stairs heading up and the party moves to the central chamber at the top of the belly.

This deck opens to a large passageway and the Gem shows a secret door to the direction the big room was below. It’s unlocked and opened by a skeleton who dies in the blast of a Glyph. Another enters and falls down unenchanted. Alzar tosses a Dispel Magic from his Ring and a third skeleton makes it. He orders his forces in.

[Abe Sargent]

In this room is Lolth, and Alzar’s Gem shows it to he be the real one. There are 10 giant solifugids and 10 giant pedipalpi. There are also two Driders flanking Lolth. There is only one exit a pair of double doors behind her. Alzar’s Gem is returned and battle begins.

They win init. We will exchange it during the entire battle.

Round 1

Lolth casts Darkness in front of their group. The Driders casts Magic Missile on a Earth twice and drop it. The spiderish creatures charge in to melee range. Because they are not on her layer of The Abyss, the demons may attack Lolth. Alzar orders the Vrock and four gargoyles to fly over to the double doors on the other side of the room and guard Lolth from leaving. He casts Continual Light at the Darkness and it goes away. He orders concentration on Driders first by the elementals who blow by the spiders, which his skeletons will focus on as they pour into the room. Nilonim casts Magic Missile at a Drider for 7 damage. Carum misses with his sling, but Estaish stabs him with a crossbow bolt for 6 damage. The first elemental arrives at the floor 30’ it and sinks into quicksand. It’s an Earth and is fine in there, moving around very nicely. The Air moves above it and is fine. He orders the Fire to halt and attack spiders instead. Only the others can close.

[Abe Sargent]

Round 2

Lolth turns into a Døkkálfar woman who is a high level priest and mage and casts Power Word Stun on Alzar. It would work, too, save for the Ring of Spell Turning that directs 60% of it back and the Ring of Free Action. She gets a save it if she fails the magic resist roll, but she does not fail it. The Driders magic missile a dead Earth. The spiders carve into undead and slay many. Alzar summons an Earth Elemental from the Orb and sends it to attack driders. The undead carve back into spiders . The Elementals blast a wounded Drider and move to the other. Nilonim casts Magic Missile at that one for 8 damage.

[Abe Sargent]

Round 3

Lolth casts Globe of Invulnerability which will make her immune to all targeted fourth level spells and below. The Drider that is left casts Lightning Bolt on a Earth but it deals half damage and does not wound him much. The spiderish creatures slay very little, mostly missing. The undead finish most of them and Alzar orders them to hold their position here with the Fire Elemental. The other Drider falls. Alzar summons an Air Elemental from the Orb which flies over. The fighters finish the pedipalpi and solifugids. Alzar orders the glabrezu to try the Power Word stun but it fails to get past her MR of 70%. Alzar orders his humanoid troops to fire missile weapons at her in order to wound her, since he doesn’t want to risk them in a melee or in the quicksand.

[Abe Sargent]

Round 4

It’s basically just Lolth left. She morphs back to her more protected spider form and summons 8 giant spiders. Alzar casts Haste on the 5 elementals on Lolth, the glabrezu on her, the Vrocks, the Fire by the door, Hell Hound, and two gargoyles. She is attacked 18 times by elementals and the demon. She is hit twice for 28 damage. Alzar orders the fighters to concentrate on the summoned spiders. Missile weapons from the fighters miss.

Round 5

Lolth Gates in a Hezrou. Two smashes for 30 damage nail her, and fighters finish several spiders. Alzar casts Flesh to Stone on the Hezrou and it works and it is petrified. Alzar has hasted guardians at each of the exits. His Gem saw no others. He’s sure she can teleport, of course – like other demons.

[Abe Sargent]

Round 6

Lolth casts Heal. She is mostly missed, taking just 17 damage from an Air Elemental. The fighters blast a few more spiders and two are left. Alzar has moved in to her with his Belt using a charge to fly in last turn. He blows the Horn of Blasting and rolls against her magic resistance. He rolls a 84. She takes 4 damage and is stunned next turn (no save to stunning)

Round 7 –

Alzar’s team attacks her, including himself, exclusively. He wants to try and slay her this turn, before she can teleport away or heal.

The Elementals attack. An Air hits for 14 damage. She has taken 31 and is down to 35 hp
The glabrezu rolls four attacks – hasted as well. He rolls 2, 9, 16 and 14. Those are all misses.
Alzar attacks and need just a 14. He rolls an 18 and deals 23 damage to her – 12 left
Missile attacks arrive. Estaish has a magical crossbow and…he rolls a 17 and hits her for 8 damage – 4 left. Can someone else hit?

Carum’s Sling of Seeking fires and he rolls a 2 and misses.

Aleigha fires a magical longbow and….rolls an 11 and misses

Wassilon fires a magical crossbow and….rolls a 15 and that’s…a miss

Nilonim tosses another Døkkálfar dagger and rolls a 4

Gamholt with a magic sling tries to sling in a stone and rolls a 20!!! It smashes Lolth, but only does 1d4+3 damage. If he rolls a 1 she lives. He rolls a….3 and she dies.

Lolth has fallen on the The Abyss and is slain permanently.

[Abe Sargent]

As she dies, the creatures under her command on the ship become free agents, and without her power to bring them under one roof, cooperating, they immediately begin to turn on each other. Some of the demons just leave, but they all know that Lolth has passed. The 8 Yochlol on the Ship were created demons specifically by Lolth, and they die in the wake of her death. The other humanoids begin to panic.

The Ship is fine. It’s powered by steam and run by magic. It will hold together for some time yet. Alzar and his large party move out. They are trying to find items of import, information, and ultimately, passage off the ship.

Alzar manages to slay a chimera kept as a pet by the fire giants. 8 harpies fall easily before elementals. They find Lolth’s personal lair and Alzar packs away her delicate items in his OtherSpace and then they find one of her treasure chambers and raid it. Inside is a gate that is currently not tuned to any plane. There is a slot on top and Alzar tries to figure out how to key it, and after a few minutes, he has used one of his Amulets of the Planes to key it back home, just outside of his lair. They head through the portal and arrive, safe and sound, on the other side.

They don’t find all of the treasure on the ship, and some of the demons took valuables with them, for example, the Succubi left with jewelry worth more than 50,000 gp. They missed some magic items due to the inability to detect magic or use the Gem of Seeing. But here is what he is walking away with:

Potion of Cold Resistance, Infravision, Nutritionx2, Fire Giant Strength, Devil Control, Clairvoyance, Poison, Delusion,
Jewel Studded Anklet – 4000 gp;
54900 gp in jewelry
Tub of Emerald Gem Dust – 3000 gp worth
10x gems, 500 gp
Wizard Scroll – Ice Storm, Find Familiar, Limited Wish, Dispel Magic, Monster Summoning III
50,000 gp worth of delicate furniture, statues, and other things from Lolth’s Lair
Chime of Opening
Plate Mail of Vulnerability
Wand of Negation, 32 charges

[Abe Sargent]

Slain: 15 huge pedipalp; 10 trolls; 3 level 3 fighters; 6 Driders; 5 Vrocks, 16 giant black widow spiders, level 8/5 cleric fighter, level 7/7 mage fighter, level 7/3 cleric fighter, level 6/5 cleric fighter, level 6/6 cleric fighter; 42 Dretch, 18 large solifugid; 5 Hezrou; 30 zombies, 6 powerful magic users; 59 giant spiders; 28 level 2 fighters, 1 level 5 fighter, 3 banshee, 3 Glabrezu; 80 150 xp humanoids; 522 gnolls, 129 bugbear, 34 ogres, 1 bebau, red dragon, bone golem, white dragon, black dragon, Lolth, Chimera, 8 harpies,

Total XP – 343,280


Gamholt – 87,610 XP – Level 7 – 46 hp
Nilonim –40,000/40,000 Level 6 mage/level 6 fighter – 37 hp
Estaish – 501,995 (Level 10) –72 HP
Carum – 482,185 (Level9) - Now has 81 HP.
Wassilon – 204,040 fighter (level 8, level 9 at 250k)/ 204,040 thief (Level 11) 60 hp total
Aleigha – 569,660– 75 hp – level 10 fighter
Maerie – 317,380 - Level 11 thief – 63 hp
Alzar - 948,496 – 59 hp, level 12

42,910 each

Estaish is now level 10. Wassilon gained a thief level. Obviously, Gamholt and Nilonim gained levels as well.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar pays Aleigha and Maerie each 50000 gp for their service and time, and they leave again. Estaish also believes it’s time for him to move on as well, at least for now. In a month he will land a job as a captain in the local town guard at the nearby city, as third in command, and will be married in six months, with his first child a little over two years later. Alzar gives him 50k as well.

Carum is loyal to Alzar and will remain with him forever. He has no desire to move on, this is his life. The native from Tangoroa is honored by service to a necromancer. Alzar gives Carum and Wassilon each 25000 gp because they don’t need money for home or any major purchases. Similarly, Wassilon has nowhere to go and has expanded Alzar’s rough dungeon with natural carvings and beautiful natural expansions, so he has something he can continue to work towards.

Nilonim hopes to return to his city. With Lolth dead, his city could be changing for the first time. Alzar teleports him back and finds out that they are continuing to worship Lolth, despite her death. They have named her Lolth of the Grave, and continue her veneration like nothing happened. Alzar is welcomed still, because their society has not changed, and he is called the Gravewalker by the Døkkálfar - a Necromancer (in their eyes) who brought blissful death to Lolth and changed her state. Disillusioned, Nilonim decides to return to Alzar’s outpost. He gives him a few blank spellbooks to begin to copy off him, and Nilonim is now, not an apprentice, but another henchman sorta of Alzar.

After seeing how powerful Alzar was, and really having nowhere else to go right now, half-orc Gamholt is choosing to tether himself to the best thing going. From slave to priest of a powerful mage and liege, Gamholt sees his star rising and has no desire to move that. Like all Neutral Evil people, that is willing to change, but not right now. Gamholt and Nilonium get 10000 gp each for their assistance.

So, with Gamholt, Nilonim, Wassilon and Carum staying, plus his apprentice Vala, he has a changing landscape in his place. Gamholt moves into Estaish’s room, Nilonim gets a room of his own, and Carum is now taking over the 2nd place in command of battles behind Alzar whereas Vala is second in command of everything else, including magic and minions.

[Abe Sargent]

Now that things are back to normal for a while, Alzar looks at some of the items he gathered. The Chime of Opening works three times a day and it’s a Knock spell on a lock. That’s pretty useful. The Boots of Speed give him twice the movement rate and he can sustain it for an hour, and drop his AC by two if he in not on a ledge or somewhere else precarious, so he switches boots.

His AC is now -2 naturally, -4 when wielding axe and -6 when using Shield Maidens and Axe.

Alzar spends some time returning his allies from various places back to his compound, such as giant undead and so forth. Meanwhile, be begins to study the Book of the Planes. Here’s how it works.

Each month he can study it and gain intense information on one random plane. He gains the ability to move to it and survive in it permanently. Then there is a 5% cumulative chance that it goes.

Month #1 –Tarterus is gained, can continue
Month #2 – Acheron is gained, can continue
Month #3 – The Abyss is gained, can continue
Month #4 – Elysium is gained, can continue
Month #5 – The Astral Plane is gained, can continue
Month #6 – Arcadia is gained, can continue
Month #7 – The Positive Plane is gained, the book disappears!

Alzar may move and survive in the following planes at will: Tarterus, Acheron, The Abyss, Elysium, Arcadia, and the planes of Ash and Positive Energy.

Just before Alzar starts doing that, he creates a few new spells:

Alzar’s Bookcopy (Alteration, Geometry)

Level 2
Range – Touch
Casting Time – One Turn
Duration – Permanent
Components – VSM

This spell copies the contents of one book held in one hand into a blank book, held in the other. It copies a book exactly, including any mistakes and stains. The blank book must be a book of equal quality to that being copied. It cannot copy any book that is magical in nature, nor can it copy a book with a magical protection ,such as Sepia Snake Sigil, Hidden Page or Explosive Runes.


Alzar’s Backtrace Teleport (Alteration)

Level 6
Range – 100 miles/level
Casting Time – 6
Duration – Instantly
Components – VSM

This teleport spell allows a caster to take an item that he has acquired and trace it back to the place it was first acquired. Only those items which are assembled and not grown can be used. An item made by the caster cannot be used. The item must be at least the size of a 10x10 piece of paper, and it is consumed in the use of this spell. The item must have been associated with that location for an extended amount of time, at least 20% of its life.


Alzar gains 4000 xp from the spells.

[Abe Sargent]

He uses his spell to return to the Tower of Castanamir, to see what is still there. It could have been raided, but it was off the beaten path.

He arrives back and begins exploring again. There have been visitors to the tower since, and many things have been broken and set aside. The golem room is still protected by the small iron golems Castanamir made, and he moves in. He ignores them as he explores. He takes three models of Iron Men that are working, but not attacking, and places them in OtherSpace to explore.

Alzar returns to his library. While it seems that some ransacking has occurred, no one has touched them. Alzar takes 100 magical reference books that were not taken last time for his library. Most of the rest are chumps, but he takes a minor book in order to use it for the Backtrace spell. What he real treasure is the burnt area around the damaged spell book Alzar salvaged. He collects the burnt material and grabs a blank spellbook from his Bag. He casts Spellbookmend on the damaged spellbook and now has the full spellbook, as it originally was!

Restored Castanamir:

1st level – Shield, Spook
2nd level Darkness, 15’; Magic Mouth; Breath of Bewilderment; Bladeleap; Levitate; Flash
3rd level Icelance; Nystul’s Expeditious Fire Extinguisher; Item
4th Level – Beltyn’s Burning Blood, Mask of Death, Polymorph Other, Shout
5th Level – Chaos, Fabricate, Prying Eyes, Water Bomb
6th Level – Antimagic Shell, Flameproof, Metal to Rust
7th Level – Acid Storm

Alzar has also dispelled the two remaining spellbooks and he learns:

Chaos, Flameproof, Feeblemind, Anti-Magic Shell, Explosive Runes, Talon’s Waterproof, Otto’s Irresistible Dance, Monster Summoning VI, Prying Eyes – a divination spell that makes 1d4+ level eyes for 1/hour per level to spy for him; and these spells from Castanamir’s evil books 7 and 8. Amorphous Blob, Create Crypt Thing, Finger of Death, Consume Knowledge, and at 8 Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting, Demand, Mass Charm, Maze, Otto’s Irresistible Dance, Trap the Soul.

[Abe Sargent]

All of the spells in these two books are learned

Book 1 – Basics – Permanency 8th, Enchant an Item 6th, Analyze Dweomer 8th, Enchanted Weapon 4th, Recharge 6th, Steal Enchantment 7th

Book 2 – Advanced Item Making – Obar’s Lesser Purification (4th), Merald’s Meld (4th), Eternal Flame, (5th), Veladar’s Vambrace (5th), Crown Meld (6th), Wondrous Web (6th), Awakening (7th)

All of the spells learnable in this book are:

Demonomicon of Iggwilv:

Banishment 7th, Binding 8th, Dismissal 5th, Dolor 5th, Ensnarement 6th, Torment 7th, Gate 9th, Cacofiend, 7th; Power Word, Banishment 9th, Spiritwrack 6th

Dolor tries to force obedience from a trapped creature, Dismissal tries to send a creature back to its plane of origin, basically all of these spells sends creatures away, summon them try to dominate them or deal them pain.

(Volo) has been placed after the spells from Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical, which is not where I normally get my spells

While spending seven months working on the Book of the Planes and then the ten weeks on the spell crafting, Alzar teleports in and casts Bookcopy on two libraries. The first is the Kuo-Toa library in their shrine. For slaying Lolth herself, Alzar is given enough money for blank books for their library without having to add any money to it, and copies books on a daily basis.

1786 texts from Shrine of Kuo-Toa, on religion, water, history, and various UnderDeep cultures. 150,000 gp value
18 high quality religious texts on Sea Mother, 2500 gp total

This will take one full year of teleporting and copying each day, which takes just a half hour of his time. He has to use the 6th level Dokkalfar teleport twice, so he can’t use those spells for other tasks. However, to assist him, he often leaves Vala or Nilonim there for a few days to copy some books and accelerate his time. With them helping, he is complete in six months.