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

[Abe Sargent]

The haste spell wears off before they arrive at the next room. 32 trogs hear the alarm and move out. They arrive from the other corridor, and 10 die, before they flee. Alzar drops a Wall of Ice behind them and they are slain, because the space behind them was too big for the four gargoyles to hold. A side cave of 14 trolls are slain. The Water Elemental is taken out through.

They move through a large fungi farm to the other side of the trog caverns and there is no exit, and they are prepared, by the forces of the elementals and demons smash through. A few falling rock traps and such don’t do much beyond damaging the elementals and stripping all of the Mirror Images off a Vrock. 44 trogs are slain. They skip a tribe of roughly 150 bugbears as they are allied with the Døkkálfar.

They come across a giant slug that the Døkkálfar were going to take care of, and take it out. The wounded Earth is out and the glabby took 23. The next set of caves have ghouls and ghasts serving the drow and about to leave once the path with the giant slug is clear. He controls them and commands them to give him information. One gives him its treasure ad then he realizes them and leaves.

Using his Cloak of Displacement, Alzar clears out 14 piercers from a room. His elementals and demons take out a trapper, but the glabby has just 18 hp left.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar arrives at a small cavern with nothing in it. This is the final one. Like the others, he grabs his Gem of Seeing to investigate, and then his party is attacked.

By a lich!




A lich is a high level wizard who sought immortality by becoming an undead that retains the mind and powers of the wizard. The Lich casts Mirror Image first. Alzar tries to control it, and has a 16 or more on a d20 to do so. He rolls a10 and misses.

Battle begins.

It wins init and casts Lightning Bolt on Alzar – he makes his save and takes 21 hp. Three images are taken away by the summoned creatures and the fighters last two with range attacks. The Hell Hound hits for 3 damage. Alzar casts… Ray of Ondovir. It fails the save and will do the same thing next turn.

It wins init and casts Lightning Bolt, but it does not have a second one. Alzar’s group sweeps up six images and the fighters hit twice for 11 damage (they have double attacks this round). Alzar use Ray of Ondovir from his ring. This second level spell has a -3 penalty to the save, and Alzar gives a -1 to the save from his class. That’s a -4 penaalty to the save. The Lich succeed on a 7 or higher, but with the save at -4, he needs an 11 or higher on a d20. Here is the roll….it makes it.

It wins init and casts Globe of Invulnerability. Spells of level1-4 cannot target or effect the Lich. Alzar orders the fighters and demons to retreat, and leaves some skeletons attacking it. He casts Dispel Magic at the Lich, brings down both protections and flees. The Lich does not chase him.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar arrives back at the Døkkálfar and his party stay the night. They did not know there was a Lich hidden behind illusions in that cave. Alzar is going to handle it. He grabs both Crystal Balls and spends the next few hours spying on it. After an hour, it Dimension Doors away, and Alzar follows it. After hours of spying, it arrives at a wall and walks through another illusion. Behind this illusion are some traps and a number of items. It opens a door and reveals what Alzar is seeking.

Alzar summons a Bebau and equips the Ring of Spell Turning instead of the Mud Ring. They both Teleport in (him with his stored spells and arrives in the Lich’s chamber. He is healed, but the Lich has not. With surprise, the Bebau attacks the Lich and Alzar’s axe is out. They attack three times and hit twice for 21 damage. The Lich is reeling and turns and casts Time Stop. He gets two free rounds to do anything he wants. He casts Magic Missile on Alzar but a roll of 7 reflects 70% of the damage back on himself. He takes 22 and Alzar takes 10. Knowing the ring might reflect other spells, he turns and casts Flesh to Stone on the Bebau. It fails the save and petrifies

Next round - Alzar luckily wins init. Due to the Time Stop, I gave him a d20 and the Lich a d12 to see who was lowest, but Alzar rolled a 3. His axe attacks twice. One misses, and the other adds another 15 damage to the undead creature. It responds by casting teleport and is gone.

Alzar uses the Gem to search the area, and finds what he saw before. There are two books in a safe that was unlocked, and both are spellbooks. There is nothing else here save for a single scroll and two potions, and Alzar returns, through several traps and illusions. He gathers the items from the various rooms that things were slain in

[Abe Sargent]

Gained:

Gold Skull – 230 gp
Bronze Statute Idol of Shark God – Ivory, Coral and Gold – 9500 gp
1300 gp
Jewelry – 24,800 gp total
10x 500 gp gems
Garnet – 2000 x2
10000 gp gem

Potion – Longevity, Flying, Plant Controlx4
Jug of Alchemy
+3 javelin

Pair of Crystal Lenses

Two Lich spellbooks

Seven times a day, the Jug can pour out 8 gallons of fresh water or4 gallons of beer/ale or 16 gallons of salt water, 2 gallons of vinegar, 1 gallon of wine, 1 quart of ammonia, 1 pint of oil, and small amounts of aqua regia, alcohol, chlorine or cyanide. You can mix and match. In combination with the Mead Pitcher that makes any amount of mead, this will water a party indefinitely.


Slain - Døkkálfar 10 3rd fighter, 2 4th level fighters, 8 2nd level fighter, 1 6th level cleric, 9th level cleric, 1 7th level mage; Purple Worm, 12 wererat, 2 Mind Flayers, 52 trolls, 90 trogs, 1 trog chief, Giant Slug, 14 Piercer, Trapper,


D1 is complete!

Alzar quaffs the Pot of Longevity and loses another 6 years

XP total from the adventure is 195,423. We’ll divvy it up later.

[Abe Sargent]

D2. Shrine of the Kuo-Toa

[Abe Sargent]

The Døkkálfar give directions for Alzar the rest of the way to their city. It’s about 35 miles away, which is roughly 7 days.

Alzar’s party moves out the next day. They explore, and after two miles, they come across a patch of green slime, with three of them across the road. Alzar slays them, and they continue. Four more miles slide by as they have the smoothest traveling day of the journey so far. They camp for the night, and all remains quiet.

In the morning, after a mile they begin to hear the sound of a mighty river. This is the largest body of water in the area called by the residents the Underdeep or Underdark. The Svarjet River comes into view. It is about a third of a mile wide, fairly smooth, and unknown how deep. The tunnel stops at this end and begins on the other. A very large fishman with a giant raft paddles towards Alzar’s shore. He’s never seen or heard of this race before, and Wassilon just knows that there are rumors of a fish race called the Kuo-Toa among his group of people, and he reminds Alzar that he comes from far away from here. The person arrives and begins to speak. Alzar casts Tongues.

He is demanding 1 pp for each person to travel across. Alzar has no wish to insult the locals, so he gives him 5 gp per person, undead, but not for Megala and Dryshik. The Kuo-Toa accepts and they board the giant raft. He is able to push it across just by himself, and after a half hour they are at the other side.

After disembarking, they leave and continue on.

[Abe Sargent]

An hour later, as they continue to travel, one of the fighters steps on something sticky, and is immediately reeled in. They have been entrapped by a Cave fisher!



Alzar orders the Gargoyles, Megala, and Dryshik to fly and attack it before Maerie is brought in. They do so and the Fisher takes 21 damage. It claws at a gargoyle but can’t hit it. Maerie is in but it’s worried about the flyers. It attacks and misses, and they slay it. The rest of the day is quiet, and at night, they hear a screeching noise but nothing more.

[Abe Sargent]

Day three after the caverns begins like the others. Two miles and they begin to hear the rat-tat-tat sound of mining. They arrive at a medium sized cavern with a bunch of smaller openings. Alzar’s Gem of Seeing is out, inspecting, just as it always is. As they inspect, out comes a Svartalfar captain. He waves at Alzar’s party and approaches, with two others that emerge from the tunnels. They great Wassillon warmly.

They have been mining this area, but it is mostly mined out, and they are ready to move back home with their bounty. Their blue skin twinkles in the light of the phosphorescent lichen in the cave. They tell of a large temple the Kuo-Toa have about a mile off the main tunnel. They agree to check it out and then say good bye to the Svartalfar, who in a day or two will be done and head back.


The next two miles are smooth, but then a large set of sinkholes in the tunnel forces them to slow down. One is particularly is right in the middle of the cave and most of the tunnel leads down to it. They aren’t able to move very far, but they do get past these numbers of sinkholes before breaking for the evening. Camp is quiet and nice, and the evening passes without event.

[Abe Sargent]

As they finish breakfast and move out, two major side passages appear just a few hundred yards past their camp. They continue on, and the ceiling begins to get closer to the ground. Soon it’s only five feet high, but even the undead are able to get through. Then, the tunnel gets tighter. The ceiling opens to seven feet, but the passage is now only four feet wide. This continues for a half hour of travel, and it’s a bit unnerving.

The tunnel forks, and the directions they’ve gotten say you can go both ways, they meet up again about a mile down tunnel. They take the more traveled left fork. Things open back up again and people start to relax and normal travel resumes. Then a shaking can be heard, and a side tunnel arrives on the left. Flying out of the tunnel are a large flock of giant bats. Then from the ground bursts a large fiery worm. It’s smaller than the Purple Worm they encountered a few days ago, but its so hot it melts the ground around it. This is a Thoqqua



It’s about twenty-five feet long and five feet across. Since it melts the rock around it and travels, it is very hot and powerful. It also is causing a collapse in the nearby rock face, as melting rock gives way, and other rock follows without support. Parts of the tunnel collapse entirely. In a flash, Alzar is caught in the tunnel’s collapse. He falls down the side passage, and the rock avalanches down it and he is carried with it. Minutes pass as the passageway is gorged with rock and widens. He is carried down and pushed about from rocks to rocks. He cannot get the time to concentrate and cast a spell. Then, suddenly, the passageway breaks under the weight of the extra rock through a large sinkhole and tons of rock and Alzar are pitched down. He activates a charge on the Belt of Flying, and takes some damage from falling rocks, but manages to get out of the way of most of them. More rocks have wedged themselves into the sinkhole above him, and shut it off. He is inside the large sinkhole, and cannot go up.

He flies down to inspect the ground, and there is a huge cavern here. He drops to the ground and gathers his wits. Alzar managed to control the slide and commanded his flyers to follow, so Megala and Dryshik are both with him. Nobody else or anything else is. No people, no undead, nothing. A quick check shows that all of his possessions are still with him, and he took 29 points of damage in the falls.

He inspects what is around him, but sees and finds nothing. Instead of searching more, he rests, and then memorizes Teleport. He grabs his Crystal ball and checks where the collapse happened, but nothing can be seen save for rubble. He moves to the fork, and it looks the same as always. He casts teleport to return him to the fork, but it won’t work. He must be more than a mile away.

The Ebony Fly Statuette is called and Zadaxx grows from it. Alzar rides it up to the top of the sinkhole, and then uses Passwall on the rock, and tries Transmute, but it is too thick. There are tons of rock above him, and even if he managed to get up there, who knows how much more rock would be in front of him. It could take him months to have enough Passwall spells to return.


Alzar is on his own.


Slain – 4 Green Slime, 1 Cave Fisher

[Abe Sargent]

He returns to the cavern below and begins a more thorough search. There are two ways out – one is by a smaller tunnel that does not look used. The other is by a tunnel that also does not look used, but it twice the size. Alzar takes the larger of the options. He slips back on the Ring of Spell Turning now that he is by himself for the Mud Ring.

After two miles, Alzar has found nothing. He camps and memorizes a slightly different spell list to reflect being by himself:

2 Domination, 2 Animate Dead
2 Sleep, 1 Charm Person, 2 Hypnotise
2 Evard’s Black Tentacles, 1 Charm Monster, 1 Shield-Maidens
1 Blastbones, 1 Empathic Control, 1 Ray of Ondovir, 1 Tasha’s…Laughter, 1 Continual Light
1 Dire Charm, 1 Skulltrap, 1 Slumber, 1 Vampiric Touch, 1 Tongues

Now that he is by himself, Alzar travels invisible, with the two flyers placed in his OtherSpace. By keeping them in there, there is no chance of separation or them being noticed by another. Alzar is solo in the tunnels. He has also switched to the Elven Boots to remove any trace of passage and to drop his noise level.

During the day, Alzar passes by a series of Carrion Crawlers without challenging them. He also finds and moves past a column of large ants, each the size of a hand.

At night, after traveling five miles, he stops and rests. Is this really night above? Does it really matter?

Two more days of traveling pass, and eleven miles of underground tunnels have fallen behind him. He sticks to the large tunnels, hoping to find a way out. He spends a few hours reloading the teleport spell as a temp spell, replacing it.

[Abe Sargent]

Then on the next day, Alzar senses them. Three invisible forces move towards him, as if they knew where he was. A quick Gem of Seeing shows a trio of invisible stalkers about 50 yards away and closing. (Alzar senses 1st and 2nd level illusions with his Int of 20 – invisibility is a level 2 spell and illusion).

Alzar’s Axe is out and he approaches them. With his intelligence and Blind-Fighting, he can hit them as if he can see them. They don’t expect it, and he wins init, with his Axe cutting into one for 14 damage. They attack – two hit, one misses – Cloak causes all to hit. He attacks twice, and hits once more for 18 damage. The Stalker is dead. One misses, the other hits for 10 damage. Alzar slashes one for 15 damage. He takes 12. He double attacks and hits twice, taking it out. The last one attacks and misses. Alzar hits, takes 9, and slays it.

Alzar breathes and concentrates. He grabs the Orb and summons a Glabrezu, and the Demon Staff and a Vrock. There. The Gem flashes up, and he sees the invisible Lich just finishing casting a spell at him. It has a bunch of Invisible Mirror Images that are revealed when it completes its casting. It casts Lightning Bolt at him, and his Ring sends 50% back. They both take 19, save for half, and both make it. Out fly Megala and Dryshik from his OtherSpace.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar casts Ray of Ondovir at it and it fails its save. It casts Lightning Bolt, but it has it. The Lich has clearly learned from the first encounter, and casts Bolt at Alzar. The Ring rolls a 4 and only reflects back 40%. The Lich takes 15 with a failed save and Alzar takes 23 save for half to 12. The Demons arrive and blow off three images.

Alzar drinks a potion of Extra Healing and gains back 28 life. The demons take out two more Images. The Lich casts Time Stop. It Flesh to Stone’s a Glabrezu, bit it makes the save. Then it casts Globe of Invulnerability, and it gets one more free round this time. It casts Reverse Gravity, and Alzar flies up into the ceiling and takes 15 damage.

It wins init after and casts Monster Summoning VI. It opens a gate and out come a pack of four Wraiths to attack Alzar and his group. Mistake. Alzar controls them and they immediately go under his command. The Demons slash off two more images and the Lich is hit for 17 damage.

Alzar wins init. He orders the Wraiths to attack. Two destroy two images. The demons attack, and four attacks come in. One misses the AC of -3. The next hits and takes out an Image. The third blasts an image, and the fourth hits and deals 19 damage to it. With a damaged Lich, Alzar has one shot. It’s immune to most spells and Wands and such he has. However, the Wand of Frost, on his bandolier, can spend two charges for a Cone of Cold. Undead take half damage from cold. Then on top of that, it can make its save, and reduce the damage further. But it’s a 5th level spell and will penetrate the defenses.

The Cold of Cold begins. Alzar rolls 6d6, and treats any 1 as if it were a two. He rolls two 5s, and then a 1 and a 4, and finally a 1 and a 3. Total damage dealt to the Lich (and the Wraiths and Demons too btw) – 20 damage. This is halved, up to 10 damage to the Lich.

The Lich began with 65 hp, fully healed. When a Mirror Image spell is cast, there is a 1 in X chance you will hit the caster with any blow that connects, so you occasionally get hit. It took 10 damage from a Lightning Bolt, 15 damage from a Bolt, 17 from a demon hit and now 19 from one. It has taken 61 damage. Even if it makes the save and takes just five damage it dies. The Wraiths go away once he who summoned them died.

Alzar has slain the Lich. The only thing on it was a

Ring of Protection +3

Solo – 3 Invisible Stalkers, Lich

[Abe Sargent]

The lich is still alive of course, flying back to its phylactery – the container that holds its soul. It could be miles and miles away. Alzar doubts it will come after him a third time. The one thing a Lich values more than anything else is survival. Now it’s already lost against Alzar twice. Should Alzar learn of the location of its phylactery, he could destroy it. They are not big on revenge, and this was not the sort of lich that had massive resources, treasures, undead servants, unusual spells or many magic items. Doubtless it was a wandering Lich of some sort, which will return no more to haunt him. Alzar grabs a leg of the Lich, some of its bones and dust, and packs it away. Some powerful necromantic spells are rumored to require lich bones as components.

[Tellistto]

Was thinking earlier that that lich would be back eventually. Didn't take him long to find Alzar and die because of it.

Tell

[Abe Sargent]

I2. Tomb of the Lizard King

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

Was thinking earlier that that lich would be back eventually. Didn't take him long to find Alzar and die because of it.

Tell

Yeah, bad play by it!

[Abe Sargent]

The next day Alzar reloads Dispel Magic as a temporary spell and continues. Another day of travel is quiet and undisturbed. Then Alzar begins to hear a sound of civilization in front of him. The cavern opens up, and here Alzar discovers a rare thing.

A long time ago, while getting lost in a desert, Alzar explored the ruined civilization and discovered a remnant sub-race of humanity that lived there. Today Alzar is looking at another remnant of those people. Hundreds of miles away, and under miles of rock, here is another band of those humans – the Cynidiceans.

More than a hundred are here, under the earth. They have made their home in a giant cavern, which has mushrooms and lichens they farm, as well as these cave berries they grow that he is unfamiliar with. The flesh of large worms and insects are cooked and eaten and three wells give them water. The long time underground has bleached their skin, and reduced their hair to thin little grey wisps. Their bodies are not emaciated, as one might expect, but thick and muscular. Their heavy labor and hunting forces them to adapt.

The people speak Typic, and Alzar and them have long conversations. They were a trade caravan sent from their city generations ago. An earthquake happened and the desert swallowed them up and they fell into the deep under their own city. Most had survived, and they wandered for two years until they found this home and made it their own. It has everything they need, and their culture has lived on, hardy and strong.

In fact, this cavern used to be at the edge of the Empire if Iggwilv, an evil Døkkálfar conjurer who carved an underground empire down here. Her power was waning as she had ruled for more than a century, but something happened to cause her power to ebb. This cavern was held by a population of Sis’Sharr in it that has gotten lost from the same desert, and the tunnels led here. Their leader was a nasty female named Sakatha. The Cynidiceans, hardened by their trek, ousted the Sis’Sharr and slew their leader. Without support from Iggwilv, the rest fled and never returned.

[Abe Sargent]

They welcome him and he joins them. They don’t trade because civilization out here is few and far between. In fact, in the last year, a band of humanoids has been raiding the great tunnel that leads away, and that prevents the small remaining merchants from coming in. They have retreated when chased by the Cynidiceans. Alzar agrees to track them down, in hopes that they will know how to return to where he was.

In morning, Alzar sets out to find the bandits. He hits the main tunnel, and it’s twice as big as the one his party used for days. He has a backpack and carries a staff and nothing else, in order to look like a target. Two miles away, he hears the sound of rocks, and suddenly, twenty bugbears appear on both sides of the roads, with arrows aimed at him. One yells at him to drop his things. Alzar smiles and grabs the skull from his belt. He casts Skulltrap and flings it to the left. Ten bugbears are in range and die. Ten arrows from the other side fly at him and miss (Cloak).

Alzar wins init and uses the other Skull to Skulltrap eight of the remaining ten (From his Ring). They die. The other two begin running. They stop when a Hezrou that he summoned earlier jumps in front. It grabs both roughly and bring them over. Alzar grabs the Orb to Detect Lie. He has the one who spoke and the other. He asks the small one a question, and it refuses. Alzar orders the Hezrou to slay it, and it does. The leader is much more cooperative. Alzar agrees to free it and it tells him that their god has returned to them after being away so long. Now it leads them again. It came back a year ago or so, and it tells Alzar where the base is. Alzar nods to the Hezrou, and the bugbear runs away. It’s smart enough not to return to its people, and Alzar skips it

It appears that there is a tomb off the cavern that was built more than two centuries ago by Sakatha. The people avoid it, and someone finds that to be a suitable base. Alzar moves in.

[Abe Sargent]

The cavern has fetid water on the far side, which the people don’t drink from, because it is contaminated. With little fuel for fire, burning their own dung for fuel, they save their flame for cooking food rather than use it to purify water – thus the three wells. Alzar goes to the water and switches a few items. Out comes Zadaxx, and Alzar mounts him. Alzar flies over the lake, and arrives at the ruins of an old, beaten temple.

He waits until the hour is up from the first summon, and then brings a Glabrezu into existence from the Orb. With the Glabrezu, his flyers, and himself he senses four water weirds in the various fountains. He commands them to not attack with his ability to command other creatures, and they don’t make a sound.

Then he moves in and…

Wait…

Alzar sneaks up and verifies that what he sees is actually there. There is a Black Dragon of moderate age counting her treasure. How did a dragon live this close to this settlement of humans without getting hungry, or being found out?

His Gem shows it to be a real Dragon. Instead of stealth, Alzar reveals himself and moves to parley with it. He announces his presence. It tells him that he must leave this place, or else she will slay him. He asks how long she has been here, and he tells him that it felt good to come home after all of these years, but won’t tell him more. Alzar offers a bribe to allow him through, but she won’t have it. This is unusual behavior for the normally chaotic black dragon, but not every member of a species is the same as the tendency for it. Werebears are good, but Aleigha is neutral.

Alzar leaves and summons the Vrock via the Demon Staff. He also conjures an Earth Elemental, Air and Water Elemental with his daily devices. The Water is a 12 HD due to the lake. 71 hp. The Earth has 63 hp. The Air has 48. The Vrock casts Mirror Image. Alzar’s plan is simple. He wants the Vrock to teleport towards the front of the dragon, it will turn and the Glabrezu teleports in and tries Power Word, Stun, It probably won’t work, but it’s worth a try. Then the elementals and Alzar move in to finish it.

In goes the Vrock and she turns and breathes. It takes full damage from Acid and fails the save and dies. The Glabby comes in and cast Power word Stun and it works. She is stunned for two turns. Alzar group closes for the first one, and the demon this for 31 damage. They slay it next turn.

[Abe Sargent]

Treasure Gathered:

2900 pp
13000 cp
25000 sp
10x gp gems, 20x 50 gp gems, 30x 100 gp gems, 35 x 500 gp gems, 10x 1000 gp gems
800 gp Gold Brooch, 1200 gp Gold Necklace, 1500 Coral Pin, 2800gp Platinum Bracelet, 3000 gp Jade Pin, 4500 gp Gold Pin with Garnet; 10000 GP Platinum and Ruby Tiara;

Potion – Polymorph Self, Green Dragon Control, Fire Resistance
+1 Flail, +1 platemail
+1 Sword, +4 Defender
Scroll – Protection – Undead,

The dragon was keeping everything neat. A quick Gem of Seeing pops everything into a Bag for late. He just has the elementals and Demons scoop everything into bags, and he’ll drop the CP and SP later.

[Abe Sargent]

There are stairs down which Alzar takes. The door is opened and inside three Sis’Sharr attack but are instantly slain. This doesn’t make a lot of sense. Sis’sharr now? It’s time for some heavy artillery, and Alzar uses the Mud Ring and Water ring for two more elementals. They are 65 and 59 hp respectively. He now has Five Elementals and a Glabrezu.

He moves into the next room, and this is a large central room, with the alarm going off. There are twenty-ish bugbears, 3 trolls, six human clerics but not of the sub-race outside, and ten orcs. There are three sets of double doors back. Alzar casts Haste on his group and they run in.

Fists of elementals crash into the line of the bugbears as they throw spears and draw swords. Minor damage is sustained. Several humanoids are slain. Alzar drops a Tentacles by the clerics, and it entangles two of them, but the others make saves. He is hit by two Silence spells, and fails one save. One casts Cause Blindness on Alzar but it makes his save, the other casts Sticks to Snakes and turns five sticks into snakes. The final two are squeezed by tentacles.

They win init. They hammer a Water Elemental and one frees himself from his last tentacle. Hold Persons hit and roll off Alzar’s Spell Turning ring and one paralyzes himself. The elementals slay six humanoids, and Alzar swings with an axe to drop a troll. The glabby tps back by the strongest looking cleric.

Alzar takes back init. The tentacle cleric dies. Alzar double swings to take out two orcs. The bugbears are smashed by elementals and the demon drops a cleric. The humanoids are badly damaged, and the clerics order a withdrawal, but with their enemies hasted, they can’t get away, so they swing and hit the Water a few more times. It has 17 hp left.

Alzar keeps init. The demon drops a third cleric. Most of the humanoids are swept away and Alzar break through the snakes to hit a cleric for 13 damage. They miss and do little, and next turn Alzar cleans up.

[Abe Sargent]

On this level, they find a Vrock, recently summoned, and take it down after Alzar fails a control roll. Alzar has all items tossed into a bag by the Glabrezu as he takes the hasted elementals deeper into the level.

Near the stairs down to the next floor, there is another concentrated group of resistance. Alzar drops Wall of Ice behind him, and his hasted group slays them in three rounds. They head down with nothing else here, and the demon tps in and gives Alzar back the Bag.


Scroll of Protection – Lycanthropes, Magic
Staff of Striking – 48 charges
+2 warhammer, +1 mace, +1 plate, +2 mace
Ring of Warmth, Bard’s Ring (+2 AC, +4 saves, -2 charm saves for foes)

They move downstairs, and the Haste spells wears off.

[Abe Sargent]

The stairs up into a T. As Alzar looks around behind his elementals, Suddenly in flies a Flame Arrow spell and hits a modestly wounded Earth for 25 damage. Alzar turns and there is a line of 20 Sis’sharr to each side, and they pepper his group with arrows. They focus on the damaged Earth and bring it down.

Alzar casts Sleep and five Sis’Sharr drop. The Demon teleports in next to the mage and by the captain of the force. The Elementals move in behind, and Alzar spins to the five behind that are still awake.

Init is rolled. They win. The archers hit Alzar no times (cloak). The captain slashes into a Water Elemental with his Frostbrand sword and doles damage. The Mage, Darr’ess, follows with Continual Light at Alzar’s eyes. The Spell Turning Ring reflects 30% f it back. Alzar makes a save at +3 and the Mage at +7. They both make their rolls. The demon stabs the mage and hits for 16 damage. The Elementals destroy many fighters. Alzar casts Sleep and all five behind him drop.

They win init again. The mage casts Blink and blinks back 120 feet. The Elementals finish the guards, and the Water Elemental is finished by the captain. The demon follows the mage. Alzar grabs a dagger and throws it at the mage and misses. (extreme range negative, plus, not able to use daggers).

Alzar wins init. The demon finishes Darr’ess, and the captain dies at the hands of many elementals that manage to hit his AC0.

+2 Platmail, +1 longsword
+3 Longsword Frostbrand
Cloak of Protection +2
Ring of Swimming
Wand of Fear: 5 charges
Scroll – Protection - Magic


Solo – 48 Bugbears, Black Dragon, 5 trolls, 6 human clerics – levels 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6; 23 Sis’Sharr, 19 orcs, 1 Vrock, 1 Sis’Sharr fighter 7 ; 1 Sis’Sharr mage, level 8;

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar has an Earth, Water, Air left. He casts Animate Dead twice on soldiers and raises 24 skeletons as cannon fodder, and they’ll move into rooms, open doors, and so forth. They move to the left and find a locked door. Alzar tries the Gloves of Manual Dexterity, and he manages to pick it. This is the bedroom of the mage. The Gem of seeing reveals two hidden doors. One opens to his study and workroom and the other to a treasury.


Three Books on Spell Research into Commanding Undead
Vial of Diamond Dust – 350 gp
Gold Candlesticks, 200 gpx2
Tapestry – 1300 gp
500 gp
500 pp


Darr’ess’s Spell Book


They raid several barracks and the captain’s quarters. The only thing found is the tapestry mentioned above.

Alzar decides to return, and make a 12 HD Water Elemental from the orb, followed by a Stone and Air one. They have 65, 66, and 50 hp. Now he has six again. The glabby left. Back to exploring after he summons another glabby.

[Abe Sargent]

A skeleton trips an alarm as they move in, and suddenly noises are heard. Out of the area pour 9 clerics of various levels. Alzar orders in the party, holding back the skeletons. 12 skeletons are controlled by the evil clerics. He orders the glabby to tp next to someone.

Alzar’s team wins init. The demon carves into a 4th level cleric for death. Alzar casts Domination on the cleric with expensive clothes. He makes the save. Elementals slay three clerics. Alzar is Silenced. The patriarch orders a retreat and they move back. The skeletons try to attack Alzar but do little. The demon slays a cleric as they are retreating, and others die. Only the Patriarch makes it out. Alzar chases him down with his Boots of move faster than you do. The cleric turns and his staff turns into a snake. He casts poison on Alzar but Alzar, with his Periapt, makes it. Alzar attacks and hits him with an axe for 14. The demon pops up behind it. The priest dies the next turn. On the rest of the level, there is nothing but two mimics, slain by the elementals, after killing a skeleton each.


Staff of the Serpent, adder
+1 Plate Mail
800 gp Carpet
5000 gp
2000 pp
Cursed Scroll
Scroll of Protection – Demons

[Abe Sargent]

They head down stars. As the skeletons go down, the stairs turn into a chute and two skeletons drop into a large lake of fire. Alzar flies down riding Zadazz, finds some things like logs and such to post against the stairs and everybody else can drop. Alzar uses the giant fire to summon a 12 hd Fire Elemental from the Orb.

There is a giant green space here with a river and a raft and more The Gem detects it all an sn illusion covering ten acid pits. Alzar guides them around

They reach twelve barrows of dead servants, and out fly twelve wights and Alzar controls them all after two turns. They yield their treasure and join his group. He sends them in to slay a group of Sis’Sharr encamped here.

The main feature is a tomb with a three sided pyramid structure. There are two beautiful giant doors that are huge works of art and would be worth 35k gpo each if he could get them out. There are no locks, so he steps to the side and uses Passwall to breach the tomb.

Skeletons step into the hallway beyond and drop into pits and blades. Four are lost to four traps, but two have not reset and the others are avoidable.

[Abe Sargent]

There are three doors ,and Alzar takes the one on the right. In here is a hallway with a giant painting of a hunt and nothing else. The Gem shows nothing. He returns and heads to the left door, and it’s a hallway with an giant painting of a war and nothing.

The middle door opens into a giant dining room and stairs down, which are not trapped.

Double doors open into a large temple, with an altar at the center. There are three priests and 12 sis’sharr here ready to meet Alzar. Battle begins.

Seven wights are pulled away from his force by two sub-priests and the main one casts Flame Strike on Alzar and takes 15 himself – Alzar takes it too. 50% rolled with Ring. Elementals and demon are in and undead behind.

Alzar wins init. His elementals slay both of the subpriests. He regains control of his wights. Alzar drops a Domination spell on the head cleric, and he makes his save. He casts Hold Person on Alzar and both make their saves after the reflection.

They win init. The Priest tries again and fails. 7 sis’sharr are slain. Alzar toss a dagger and hits for 12 damage. Alzar wins init and the demon stabs the Priest for 23 damage and Alzar throws twice, hitting one for 10 and slaying him, The elementals finish the sis-sharr.

[Abe Sargent]

There are no doors here, but the Gem reveals two hidden ones that won’t open. It reveals levers by the alter than open them both. One opens into hallway that leads to a room that holds five coffins. Instead each are eh five brides of Sakatha. Alzar senses one female is undead, and tries to control her – she is a vampire. Her eyes flash open and she resists. He orders weapons to slay her before she emerges, and Holy Water purifies the coffin.
They move on. Alzar frees three Cynidiceans, who must have been captured and used for food by vampires without the people knowing. They return.

Alzar has run through the Tomb without letting anyone get a warning down to Sakatha, so he enters and finds a lizard vampire resting. Alzar orders the other rooms searched. They find a backup coffin ad holy water is used to destroy it.

Instead of slaying Sakatha in one turn, Alzar opens it, and wakens him. He can’t control him for some reason.

Sakatha looks up and around. Staring at him are a Glabrezu, 12 wights, 15ish skeletons, 6 elementals, and one evil mage. He doesn’t decide to attack. A conversation begins with the Orb detecting lies. Sakatha claims that 242 years ago when he was fighting the people who attacked him and his dominion, as he lay dying, he used a Ring of Wishes to allow him to live and drink the blood of his enemies. He despaired at the lack of support from his ruler, the Empress Iggwilv. 241 years later he woke up as a Vampire, but not a real one. He’s not undead technically, as others are. But he’s like an undead in every other way. He found the remnants of his people his own friend the dragon, and others. He used the people as unwilling guards for most things that would invade his lair and as food for himself and his bride. He offers Alzar position, power and wealth to join him, or to leave him. Alzar is tempted. But this is a Chaotic person, and both Alzar and Sakatha know that as soon as he left, Sakatha could chase him down, raise an army, and so forth. Sakatha sees the answer forthcoming and prepares a spell as the attacks begin.


Sakatha –

[Abe Sargent]

Sakatha wins init. He casts Fireball. It slays the minor undead, and wounds some Elementals. Alzar takes 18 after a save. His Axe carves into the vampire-sis’sharr for15 damage. The Elemtnals can’t get in a punch. It turns to gaseous form to move out and reforms, casting Lightning Bolt on Alzar. Alzar rolls a 8 and reflects back 22 to him and takes 7. He makes his save for half, and Alzar doesn’t. A double axe swings in, one hits for 15 damage. The Elementals punch and hit once for 18. The vampire phases out and back in, smashing Alzar for a Magic Missile from above, and Alzar reflects 40% back. He takes 12 and Alzar takes 16. Alzar’s dagger flies but misses. No one can reach him save the Air Elemental, who attacks and deals 13 damage, slaying him. The Coffin is purified.

A deep search finds:

14000 gp
3000 pp
4000 ep
100 gp gemx4
15800 gp in various jewelry
Platinum Crown 10000 gp
5 books on summoning and binding of demons
8 books on Magical Lore
A book on the Soul Gem
Book of Vile Darkness
+2 warhammer, +3 chain, +2 mace,
Arrow of Slaying (Thieves)
Javelin of Lightning; Javelin of Piercing,
Crystal Ball
Potion - Extra Healing
Scroll – Cursed
Cleric Scroll – Find the Path, Resist Cold, Raise Dead, Cure Critical Wounds
23x Dust of Disappearance
Ring of Wishes - One Wish



Sakatha;s Spellbook

[Abe Sargent]

C2. The Ghost Tower of Inverness

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar spends a few days at the people’s camp, reviewing his findings. This book on the Soul Gem is particularly interesting. Alzar begins reading it and finishes it.

A thousand years before the book was written, a Keep of a Powerful Oneiromancer (Dream Mage) was attacked by otherplanar creatures after creating the powerful Soul Gem. The Gem was deemed too powerful for humans, and servants of the gods attacked and destroyed the keep, and banished it to the darkness below. Rumors and myths of a “Sunken Keep” began .but ultimately ebbed as the Keep was out of sight of the surface world.

With few to none above the world knowing of the existence of the Soul Gem or the Keep, it began to pass into obscurity, until a seer in the Underdeep began having strange dreams inspired by the Soul Gem a thousand years later. That Seer wrote his book.

The Soul Gem has a personality and is of a devastating level of power. It can suck souls into it instantly, and acts as a Rod of Cancellation against magic items. That double dose of power is intoxicating if one can bring it under control.

The seer investigated, and found the Sunken Keep was in a certain place in the Underdeep and went exploring but could not find a way through the raps and defenses of that place. So he wrote this tome and moved on to other topics.

Others have read this book and looked for it. Our good vampire wrote in the margin of the map and showed that it was very close to his Tomb. Alzar believes she was trying to find it 250 years ago when she was swept aside, and was trying to rebuild to take it again with new life. Since that was what he was focusing on, she didn’t need the distraction of attacking the humans, or sallying out. That’s why she probably kept his dragon on a leash, figuratively, and so forth. She was gathering power for a big assault. Alzar can’t tell from the book if Iggwilv knew that the Sunken Keep held such riches or not, but its possible.

Alzar prepares and heads out the next day.

[Abe Sargent]

In eleven miles of side tunnels and three days, Alzar has arrived at the Sunken Keep.

After more than a thousand years, and however long ago it was since the seer wrote (at least 250 years) the Keep has not worn its welcome to the Underdeep very well. The Keep is largely in runs, with one large tower from it running up the length of the cavern. The ruins should be quick to explore, with Alzar moving to the rest easily enough. He has 21 skeletons he animated from the Tomb and hid in the lake.

The doors are crumbling and Alzar pushes his people through. The large courtyard is weak and full of holes. A skeleton falls and dies after springing a pitfall near the edge of a collapsed section of the courtyard.

The path to the Tower that rises above still in the back is completely blocked. The other two towers are shredded, but the door to one is yawning open, old with time. Recent footprints demonstrate that others are here. Alzar heads downstairs to the lower level.

[Abe Sargent]

They enter a room with five large flagstones across and four deep. Alzar is at a door in the middle, and there is a door on the other side. The Gem shows the room is magical. A skeleton moves onto the firs flagstone, and suddenly, Rust monster appears. The Skeletons easily take it out, but as they move to it, they trigger two more flagstone and force out a Hell Hound and Giant Spider. Alzar’s knives slay and they are killed after taking out one skeleton.

They move in and don’t trigger anything, but on the final flagstone before leaving, they trigger a Giant Lizard, which is slain.

A couple of broken and destroyed rooms pass by and then Alzar arrives at an odd room. This is a 90x90 room with a 20’ high ceiling There are 16 bugbears here, standing still, but they aren’t statues. There is a sarcophagus at the rear of the room and a way out on the left. Alzar orders a Skeleton in, and four Bugbears animate and move to attack. Alzar just decides to walk in and four more animate. The rest come in and he’s facing 16 Bugbears. Sleep drops 3 and then 3 more. The skeletons and him take care of the rest and five skeletons died. He Animates 12 skeletons from them to replenish his supply. He needs 10 skeletons to push aside the lid on the stone sarcophagus.

Gem 1500 value

Odd piece of metal

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar continues and arrive at T and a big door. This corridor has several others branching off it, and an oddly shaped keyhole. Alzar checks out another hallway.

In some rubble, a Manticore has landed and started a nest. It attacks Alzar’s skeletons and takes it Alzar. Alzar Charms it successfully and it joins him

Manticore – AC4, hp 46, 1d3x2, 1d8 or 1d6x4 with tail spikes – can do that 4x week

Behind the Manticore is the slain remains of several others that is quite old.

+1 Chain
Potion of Flying, Water Breathing,
Wizard Scroll of Rope Trick

Odd Piece of metal, identical to last

An illusionary trap triggers, and doesn’t effect the undead, and Alzar detects it with his 20 Intelligence. It ends and he returns and takes another path

[Abe Sargent]

After a few destroyed rooms, they find one with a 3’ tall crystal pedestal with a 8’ diameter crystal ball on top of it. There are engravings on the pedestal. A sealed door on the other end prevents further exploration. The engravings are in Typic, but are unknown words. They are Ixam, Myrg, Pentuk o and Alrastil. Maybe they are names or places from long ago. Alzar says Ixam and a Carnivorous Ape appears and attacks. He is easily slain. Alzar intones the other three and they destroy an Owl Bear, Taurian, and Ice Toad. The Ball shrinks to he size of a enchanted one and the door opens

Crystal Ball

In here was a normal room, but an Umber Hulk dug into it from below and is here now. Alzar accidentally meets its gazed and is Confused. The others attack. Alzar stands confused on turn one, and it attacks him and misses – Cloak. It takes 20 damage from the undead and Manticore. Alzar stands around again and the Hulk dies after moving to slay a skeleton that blocked it from its tunnel.

7000 gp
4000 sp

Another odd piece of metal

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar moves on, but the dungeon stops. The Umber Hulk tunnel moves out of the keep and deep away, but that’s no where Alzar is bound. He returns and takes the final hallway out.

In front of the party is a giant curtain of beads blocking the hallway and what is beyond can’t be seen. Alzar tries to send a skeleton through, but it can’t force sits way in. Alzar tries to push his hand through, but just can’t make it. He orders a skeleton to run at it, and it just makes it though, takes some damage, and is surprised and slain by the monsters on the other side. All Alzar knows is that it was slain.

Alzar hacks at it, but nothing. He orders four skeletons to run at it, and one is slain and three live. Knowing that some live, he has everyone run through it, and on the other side are just a few monsters. Alzar uses Sleep from a Ring to drop 4 bugbears, and two more are slain.

The corridor ends in a wall with five cubicles, each with a human shaped indentation and and carvings abound. The Gem of Seeing finds something mechanical in nature concealed. A skeleton moves to one and metal tubes reach out, grab it , and pull the skjeleton away somewhere and another cubicle slides up to replace it. The skeleton is not dead, and Alzar orders it to hold position. All five cubicles do it, and Alzar takes the middle one.

He is taken to a large chessboard. The square glows with a cold white light that Alzar is on. The others are gray, blue, green and yellow. At the back is a passageway, and a statue straddling two squares with a crown and a sword. The skeletons are in various positions on Alzar’s side of the board. Alzar orders the skeleton in the corner to move forward, and it does and is fine. The green square does nothing. It moves one again and again and again, all the way to the end. Alzar then orders is to move left towards the statute, and it works, and then forward and forward until it reaches the statue. At that point, the skeleton touches the statue and is glows a bit. The skeleton moves into the hallway. That was easy. Alzar order the skeleton is his square to step forward one at a time until it reaches the statue, and it works. He follows, and when he touches the statue, he glows a bit and a secret panel opens with the fourth weird object. He orders the other three skeletons forward, and each die from damage from the floor, so he lost 3 skeletons. This hallway hits a slide which dumps in the long corridor and Alzar and the two skeletons meet the other party.

[Abe Sargent]

The four metal objects fit into place in the odd shaped keyhole, and the door opens. Alzar is at the base of the Tower which is still standing. The room has a thick circular look to them and eight comfortable chair/beds are in here. The skeletons enter and nothing untowards happens, and then the door shuts close. Alzar opens it again with the keys and grabs them and everyone heads in.

A disorientating sensation occurs, and at the end of it, a small hole about 10 foot across opens in the top of the room. The Manticore can’t fit, so Alzar leaves it on guard. The Skeletons are easily able to climb up after Alzar makes a ramp from the beds. Bronze rungs are on the chute for 20’.

This is a big giant circular room. The air is full of a warm, thick atmosphere. The ground is a bit uneven and broken. The Air in here is powerful, and Alzar summons two Air Elementals, one from the Censor and one from the Orb at 12 hd – 59 and 62. Then they move out.

They explore, and run into a Sphinx, the Air Elementals are very powerful against creatures in the air, and they deal 31 combined damage to it. It moves to flee, and they follow it and stop it. Alzar summons a Vrock and it uses Mirror Image. The Vrock joins the battle and they slay it.

Later, three Pteranodons fly in. They are easily taken out by Alzar’s flyers after they miss a swooping Alzar attack. Eventually they find a staircase up to the next floor and they head there.

[Abe Sargent]

This floor is a large, well lit are with dense earth, rocks, and scraggy trees and plants. Three Su-Monster protest Alzar’s presence and are smashed by the Air Elementals, Demon, and Undead. They move through a maze of rocks and brush, until they run into a Medusa. Alzar averts his gaze in plenty of time, and the Elementals and undead are immune, but two skeletons fall. There is a smattering of treasure here

Potion of Sweet Water
Zircon 50gpx8; Emerald – 700 gp; Black Pearl 500 gp; Star Ruby – 5000 gp; Diamond – 10000 gp
Bracers of Defense AC4
Ring of Feather Falling

They find another staircase up and ascend to a hot sea of fire. Is each level really a simulation of an Elemental Plane? How prosaic. A pair of 12 HD Fire Elemental s are summoned from the Brazier and Orb and join the party. There is a sea of fire with walkways twisting around. A swarm of 24 Fire Fundamentals fly in and Alzar controls them and orders them at a Fire Giant 150 yards away. They fly in but get swept up in a permanent reverse gravity area and barely manage to make it out, then they reach him and peck him. Alzar’s party moves in, and finishes off the distracted Fire Giant.

[Abe Sargent]

A stairwell arrives inside of a sea of water. Alzar leaves behind the fire creatures, and the Airs, and the undead for now, but takes the Vrock is fine. With his necklace he can breathe fine underwater and his Bracelet allows fast swimming. Out comes a 12 HD Water Elemental from the Orb- 61 hp.

Alzar’s group encounters a giant fish, but he swims forward and takes it out easily. Then they move and encounter a ten set of Ixitxachitl. The Water Elemental, in its element, is ordered to create a a whirlwind to catch them. It destroys them all. The Vrock is still fine. There is an island here in the middle of the water area, and they arrive at it. On the big sandy island is a staircase leading up, and Alzar slips ahead, and spies the Soul Gem. His plan is simple. He summons an Earth Elemental from the Stone and another from the Orb – both are 8 HD ones, based on the sand around him. Rings summon two Waters at 12 HD each and the Demon Staff brings out a Vrock. The Five Elementals will tear up the stairs an the Vrocks will teleport into the room. They will surround the Soul Gem and destroy the defenses it rallies. Then one will capture it and bring it to Alzar.

The five Elementals pound up the stairs and the double Vrocks teleport in. The Soul Gem fires a cone that surrounds one quarter of the room, and kilsl aVrock, sucking its soul into the gem. The Elementals ana Vrock spread out. It attacks and blasts two Elementals, and one fails the save and one makes it. Fists pound into the barrier and it breaks and shatters onto the floor. The Gem blasts another Elemental, and Alzar orders the Vrock to grab it and bring it to him.

The Soul Gem stops firing its Ray, and Alzar is given the gem by his demon minion. As he saw, it can absorb the souls of many people at once in a 90 degree arc. Even if the tales of it destroying magic items are myth, that alone is very powerful. Alzar places the Soul Gem inside of a appropriate container, and will study it later at length.

[Abe Sargent]

Solo – Rust Monster, Giant Spider, Hellhound, Giant Lizard. 22 Bugbears, Ice Toad, Taurian, Owl Bear, Carnivorous Ape, Umber Hulk, 1 Sphinx, 3x Pteranodon, 3 Su-Monster, Medusa, Fire Giant, 10 Ixitxachitl

Used Sleepx2, Charm Monster


XP Gained – 25,680


Afterwards, Alzar has 20 skeletons and charmed Manticore

He returns back to the village for some more rest. After travelling back and resting a few days, Alzar is ready to hit the road

[Abe Sargent]

S4. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth




Ranked the #22 module of all time in the list they did. We’ve done many from the list, and we are doing more! This module was initially used in 1976 by a tournament in Detroit and then updated for 1980 publication. One of the things that makes it so interesting is the 32 page booklet that accompanies it with new monsters, magic items, and spells. It’s like a new Unearthed Arcana of awesome. Like many other of these high ranking early modules that introduced creatures, ,many of the ones found here had a huge influence on the game ,such as Draz’zt, Pech, Dao, Marid, and more. Now that Alzar is separated from the party and powered down a bit, I can do some underground modules with him

[Abe Sargent]

After leaving their town, Alzar and his minions encounter a group of Dire Bats, which are easily slain and he takes no damage. He orders their corpses carried by his skeletons, and that night, he memorizes Animate Dead Animals and adds 8 bat skeletons to his group.

The people didn’t know how to get back to the route he was on, so he is simply taking the main thoroughfare out. It bends back ninety degrees on the direction he took and rises a bit, so he hopes that eventually, he will find his way back. After two days of traveling, the bend occurs, and the tunnel begins to turn up. A mile afterwards, he encounters a Gelatinous Cube, and he moves in front and slays it. He takes the 500 gp gem it has and moves on.

Just another mile later some heavy sinkholes occur, and as Alzar’s party avoids them, out of three fly a group of 23 Stirges. Alzar orders his group back and a simple Blastbones slays 8 and the rest fly back down the sinkholes. Alzar grabs Zadaxx and flies after them to see what is down there, but it’s just a small cavern the Stirges uses as a home and ambush spot. He leaves them and returns.

[Abe Sargent]

After another few miles, they stop for the night, and everything is quiet. Three more days pass, and small minor battles occur. Nothing serious happens. Then Alzar comes across a small mining outpost of nine Svartalfar, who greet him. A Tongues spell begins communication and this is a newly established mining outpost. He learns that their main village is about ten days away, and they are from the same village as the ones they meet a few weeks ago. Alzar and their leader begin a conversation, and he finds out that he is near the home of Iggwilv’s empire. She gained her power much like Alzar and others – she explored and adventured. She found the caverns of an old warlord called Tsojcanth, and raided it. Finding valuable treasures and powerful magic, she turned them into establishing herself as the power of the region. Then, roughly 260 years ago, something happened and her power dropped. Her minions took her things, and she retreated to the caverns to regain her strength. No one ever heard from her again.

Alzar spends the night with the Svartalfar, and then in the morning, he moves for Iggwilv’s palace. It’s been raided many times, and he doesn’t expect to find anything major. He cleans out a tribe of 28 goblins. In here is nothing, but he does see a map of her Empire, made hundreds of years ago. On it, the Caverns of Tsojcanth are marked. Alzar traces the map onto a scroll with charcoal, and then begins to make his way toward the last spot known to house Iggwilv.

It’s about four days journey from her palace, and on the way, Alzar encounters a group of 4 trolls and slays them permanently. Nothing else of significance stands in his way, and he arrives at the entrance to the Caverns. It’s high on a ledge and there are two ramps that head up to it. The entrance is barely able to be squeezed into by the Manticore and they are in.

For this exploration, Alzar has swapped Tongues with Dispel Magic on the 3rd level, but makes no other changes

[Abe Sargent]

The entrance descends into a large chamber, all natural, about 70’ wide ad 50’ long. Six faces have been carved in bas-relief into the walls of the cavern. There are seven exits, none of which include the one just descended. Each has a carving between it. As a skeleton approaches one, it speaks aloud “Turn Back…This is not the way!”. The skeleton moves to each of the others, and they all speak the same intonation.

The Gem of Seeing shows that there is nothing here and the Mouths are as they appear to be. Alzar takes the cave on the farthest left and moves up it. Inside is a small cave and it ends. There are 20 Stirges in here. Alzar’s creatures slay them easily, and he summons a Vrock from the Orb and it flies up and finishes them off. It then casts Mirror Image.

They return and take the next one going clockwise. It leads into a long twisting tunnel that splits into three directions – one dead-ends, the other two end in small caves. The first is a squarish cave in an area of slate and shale. There are several weapons and armor strewn about, and suddenly, Alzar hears the sound of magic and in comes a hasted Clay Golem.

Alzar cannot control it (some golems have an elemental spirit animating them). It moves at double speed and gets two attacks. Alzar orders the Vrock to take point and builds around it. The golem wins init and hits once and takes out an Image. The Vrock attacks twice back, again hits once for 9 damage. Alzar hews a 14 hp chunk of clay, and the skeletons all miss – it can only be hit by magical weapons. It tears off another Image from the Vrock and they slay it. A Gem check finds a magical dagger which Alzar procures

+2 dagger, Longtooth

The other cave contains 8 Mobats, and Alzar’s group slays them, although he loses two bat skeletons. There is nothing in the room, so he returns to the chamber of faces and takes the next tunnel clockwise. This one ends after twenty feet ,and the Gem shows nothing, so the fourth exit is taken.

[Abe Sargent]

This ends in a decent sized grotto. The walls of carved and chiseled, and several veins of ore are exposed. There are tool marks around the area. Sounds of digging can be heard, and Alzar moves to the back of the grotto, where seven small humanoids Alzar is not familiar with are digging. They shout at him in several languages to turn out the light, and one is Typic, which he understands. He has the lantern shuttered, and they thank him. There seven small humanoids here, and they name themselves Pech. They are digging the ore here and building a staircase up to a mine shaft they have above this grotto. They will make this grotto part of their mine, and then keep expanding. Alzar introduces himself. They know these used to be the Caverns of Tsojcanth long ago, but never heard of Iggwilv. Alzar leaves them to their work and moves on.

The next tunnel from the bad-relief room goes straight ahead, and ends in a small cave with bones scattered throughout. A skeleton enters and a Lurker Above strikes and slays it. Alzar’s group takes it out. The Gem shows nothing in here, and they return and take the next exit.

This tunnel winds and has two dead end branches before arriving in a large cavern with two exits on eh other end. This place is filled with a large amount of fungi growth. Several large white bodies can be seen moving about. Dryshik flies above and Alzar sees through its eyes five giant cave crickets. A blastbones clears them out. There is nothing else here, and they move to another fungi cavern behind this first one. In here is a body wedged into the back, appeared like a mummified creature. Alzar tries to control it, but it’s not moving, and not undead. A search finds five grey oozes, which Alzar handles. The corpse was of a Døkkálfar that died here, and water dripping onto the corpse began to crystallize his body. A Gem of Seeing identifies the bracers as magical, and Alzar cuts into the mineral and takes them.

Bracers of Defense, AC4

The last tunnel form the first fungi cavern ends in a cave with four trolls. They eat the giant crickets that feed on the fungus, and Alzar moves in and slays them. He loses three skeletons. In their items here he finds:

13x 50 gp gems
Gold Necklace – 600 gp
Potion of Healing, Vitality
4x Arrow +1

He has 16 skeletons left, and 5 flying ones left

[Abe Sargent]

There is nothing more back here, so Alzar takes the final exit from the first room and enters a long twisting tunnel that goes on for a while. There are many fungus type here and eventually the tunnel has a side passage. Alzar continues down the main tunnel and widens significantly. IT becomes more than 40’ across and high. There are some giants lizards here that eat the fungus and are herbivores, so they don’t attack, but scurry from the light. The light also scares some large nightcrawlers about two feet long and four or five inches round.

Alzar’s group moves and the passage continues to widen. Soon he passes into a large cavern, with two formorian giants. They roar as they see his light and move out. They haven’t had large meet in a while and are hungry for his flesh. Alzar orders the Vrock and himself in first, with undead backup. The Vrock takes 20 damage from a club and the other can’t get a club on target for Alzar. They attack the same one and Alzar misses but the Vrock hits twice for 17 damage. The giants attack and take out an Image and hit Alzar but miss – cloak. They finish the damaged giant and the other begins to backpedal, but there is no retreat back here. They finish the second giant after Alzar takes 17.

In the Formorian Lair is:

Cloak of Poisonousness
Boots of Dancing, Levitation
1357 gp
Copper and Lapis Lazuli Bowl – 750 gp

[Abe Sargent]

This area ends so Alzar backtracks to the side tunnel. It opens into a large underground river and a small lake. There are several tunnels that open up from it. It has a swiftly flowing current, so Alzar heads out to inspect. 6 piercers drop onto him as he moves about and splash into the water below. He doesn’t bother with them.

There are large fish in the lake which is roughly 100 feet across and 150 feet long. Alzar, riding Zadaxx, flies above it to scout. There are four paths the water takes and three tunnels. He follows the left most waterway and it reaches the ends of the cavern. The Vrock is gone due to its one hour of time here. The second waterway leads to a tunnel north and then leaves the complex. Alzar returns. The third waterway arrives at a small pond with an island in the middle. Alzar lands on the Island and suddenly six lacedons (undead ghouls) burst from the pond to attack him. He command them and gains them. He forces them to give him their treasure.

1000 ep
2000 gp
6x 100 gp gems
2 Potions of Water Breathing
+2 Battle Axe, +4 vs Undead and Negative Plane

With six lacedons in his charge he returns. In the lake is a giant snapping turtle, who protests the presence of ghouls in his lake. It finishes a Lacedon and Alzar dives from Zadazz under the waves to assist. The Turtle takes a minor amount of damage, and then Alzar cleaves it for 14 and it attacks and slays a second ghoul. Alzar undead deal a lot of damage, and he cleaves it twice and slays it.

[Abe Sargent]

Alzar arrives in the fourth waterway into another small pond area. There is no way out, and Alzar is flying above with lacedon scouts below. Alzar senses something in the water, and comes down. He orders the ghouls away, and he finds an elemental presence in the water but there is an area that he cannot reach, because some force is pushing him away. He casts Dispel Magic at it and it disappears. A Marid is now free.




The Marid is modestly grateful that Alzar freed him from Iggwilv’s prison after a few hundred years. They are the most powerful of genie-kind and Alzar has not delusions that he can control this one. He doesn’t even try. He casts Water Walk and Water Breathing on Alzar for a day as a thanks, and then leaves this plane to return home.

Alzar returns and moves to the first tunnel off the lake on the left. It enters a beehive of tunnels that have n o large cave or anything, just endless tunnels. The only thing in here near the end is a pair of Cockatrices.

Alzar summons a Glabrezu who teleports in and attacks. Alzar looks through the eyes of Dryshik and Megala and closes his. The two of them finish it off. The glabby took 15 and Alzar was not hit. (Glabbys are immune to petrification).

[Abe Sargent]

Back here is a Lens of Detection and a Scroll of three spells. The Lens allows Alzar to track like a Ranger, and inspect items close up for flaws, cracks, and to see the magic in them. He returns and takes another tunnel that ends in a cave striated with veins of crystalline minerals to reflect light and beauty. The crystals are beautiful and apparently also tasty. Three Xorn are here eating some of the deserts. They demand 100 coins for each of them or they will attack Alzar’s party for food. He gives them each 100 electrum and they leave to munch happily. Why disturb the natives and lose some skeletons for nothing?

The last tunnel hits a Y and Alzar takes the right cavern since he thinks he hears something from that direction. He arrives at a cave with carpets strewn on the floor, rugs hanging, plump cushions, and many other objects of opulence.

From behind a silk screen steps a small man in orange pantaloons who welcomes Alzar to the Antechamber of the Garden of One Thousand Earthly Delights. He pulls a screen out of the way to reveal two attractive, scantily clad ladies behind it. Another eunuch stands behind them.

Alzar returns their greetings and pulls the Gem of Seeing from his belt. “Allow me to pay for your services!’ he says, and as the midget says no payment is needed, Alzar sees through the gem that the place is an illusion, and all four are a race of genies called Dao. Daos are a weaker race of geniekind. But they are still too powerful for Alzar to likely control. Alzar silently grabs the Orb from its Holster and the Dao sense that the jig is up. The midget advances and casts Wall of Stone behind him. Cutting Alzar and a few skeletons off. The rest dispel the illusion and move in. The glabrezu teleports in and Alzar summons a powerful Earth Elemental.

Battle begins.

One Dao turns the ground to mud to slow down Alzar and his group. The other three use Invisibility, but Alzar senses where they are. The demon Power Word Stuns the Dao still visible after using Transmute Rock to Mud and it will be out for 6 rounds. Alzar cleaves the air around him and smashes into an invisible Dao for 17 damage. It has 31 hp left. Alzar orders the skeletons to move in and hack the stunned genie while the Elemental, himself and the Demon focus on the others.

They win init. The Elemental it attacked twice and takes 24 damage and has 40 hp left. It punches a Dao and misses Alzar hits twice and the Demon finishes off a Dao. They win init again and jump into the rock around the cave. The Earth Elemental pounds the cave and breaks open the rock and Alzar and the demon damage one for 26 damage total. The next round, Alzar wins and the Elemental punches a Dao for 21 damage while Alzar and the demon finish the wounded one and the stunned one is fished by the skeletons. The damaged Dao casts Invisibility and make sfor the floor, attempting to dive in and leave. Alzar cleaves him for 18 damage and knocks him off his course and the others finish him.


The items were all illusions.

[Abe Sargent]

They return and take the other branch off the Y. They run into a Chimera lair, and Alzar orders two skeletons forward, who die in the breath attack. Then he has the demon teleport in from behind and the Elemental charge from the front. The chimera faces the front and breathes on the elemental, dropping its hp to 22. Battle begins. The demon slashes it once for 1 damage and the Elemental misses The Chimera attacks many times and finishes off he Elemental. The demon attacks back and stabs it for 35 damage. Alzar throws in a dagger and hits and finishes it off.


Back here is a Bag of Holding in a small bit of treasure with Scroll – Pro Cold, Pot of Green Dragon Control, 9000 gp, and Horn of Fog.

The Horn makes a bunch of Fog when blown, as per the Fog Cloud spell.

A skeleton dies in the back after being crushed by a boulder trap, but the trap reveals a pathway down to a lower level of the cavern.

Alzar has 4 lacedons, 15 skeletons, 5 animal skeletons, a manticore, a glabrezu, Zadazz, Megala ,and Dryshik



Solo – Gelatinous Cube, 8 Dire Bats, 28 Stirges, 28 goblins, 8 trolls, Clay Golem, 8 Mobats, Lurker, 5 Grey Ooze, 2 Formorian Giant, Giant Snapping Turtle, 2 Cockatrice, 4 Dao (5k each), Chimera,


Used – Blastbones, Dispel Magic