Showdown (The Vast)

The Vast

As they cautiously go up the stairs, leaving Said behind to cover their backs, the adventurers find a vile looking statue dedicated to Orcus, the Demon-God of undeath as well as several sets of prison cells. Rob advances a bit too boldly and soon finds himself locked in a fight with no less than four of the undead.

With contemptuous ease Rista blasts the living dead to dust with the sheer force of her faith in the powers of Chauntea.

As they investigate a second, similar, corridor with cells and the resident skeletons emerge, Brother Gates moves in to annihilate these four skeletons as well, this time by invoking the power of Waukeen.

Rather than throwing caution to the winds, however, the gang proceeds with extreme caution as they find a wide corridor tiled with metal plates. Correctly assuming the corridor is very much trapped they soon find out that the some of the plates trigger heavy crossbows hidden in the walls. What's more they reload using a slow clockwork mechanism. Using a combination of crawling and throwing heavy rocks to set some of the traps off they make their way along the corridor.

Rob leads the way and boldly jumps through the big double doors at the end, straight into the waiting claws of a demon! The demon, a lion-headed brute surrounded by flames, lash out at the brawny elf and savages him badly. Rob, desperate to avoid instant death leaps back, out into the corridor and is struck by a quarrel from one of the reloaded traps. He falls to the floor, unconscious.

Even as Legolars begins to ply his bow in support, Jaden charges the demon using his mighty magics to enhance the attack but misses!

Gates heals the injured Rob while Rista, low on spells, also charges the demon, yet fails to injure it.

The demon retaliates and hurts both Jaden and Rista badly with it's fiery claws. Jaden loses patience with the impudent demon persisting to exist and fires off a Quickened True Strike and, with all his might brings his heavy blade down upon the demon! This catches the demon's attention and after a few more arrows from the demon-hating Legolars it succumbs to another blow from Jade's claymore, which apparently is bound with runes against demons and their wicked ilk.

By now all but Legolars and Brother Gates are fairly battered and the band withdraws back to the prison cells to get some badly needed rest and recuperation.

The night, however proves to be less than restful as the dozing heroes find themselves under attack by horrid hybrids! An unholy mixture of a Dretch and a skeleton steps into their chamber of rest and releases a cloud of noxious vapors, causing most of our protagonists to puke and retch.

Behind the first critter, another one is seen approaching down the hallway. To escape the stench, threatening to overpower him, Gates charges the approaching demon hybridoid and forces it to yield and expire to the might of his heavy mace!

Back in the room things are literally messy as the vomiting heroes bash the life and unlife of the remaining hybrid.

Finally they get some rest.

More or less rested and at least slightly cleaned up the gang eventually presses on, deeper into the tunnels.

By now things seem to have quieted down an for a long time they encounter no resistance. They do discover the library of the wizards as well as a secret chamber containing some sort of enchanted books.

Stuffing these into a bag the plucky fellows soldier on and ransack the living quarters of the wicked wizards, including a cabinet with fine liquor.

As they navigate a rather poorly constructed labyrinth eve further in, they spy a strange mirror-wall at some distance. Letting caution guid them they chuck a few large rocks at the mirror that shatters with a resounding crunch, revealing a large doorway behind it.

As they peer inside, Jaden casts a Light on his claymore. In the gloom they see large heaps of coins and even precious stones on platforms by the walls of the room. The floor however is missing and below is merely a surface of dark water. Leading out to the platforms and towards our heroes from a central platform are four wide planks.

Once again Rob takes the lead and makes his way to the central platform. As he does, the others notice a slight stir in a pile of coins and alerts Rob to this. Even as they cry out, one more of the hybrid demon-undead emerge from the pile of cash and charges across the plank towards Rob who parries it's attack and proceeds to promptly shove it off the platform into the water below where it sinks and expires.

With this last adversary done away with the gang gathers their loot, including a fabulous haversack that can hold more than it's size would at first imply, large amounts of coinage and gemstones.

Having made sure that there are no enemies left behind the band eventually, leave the misty island, return through the swamp and back to the village of Edgewise.

As the victorious band emerges from the deep, Said brings them bad news. Having spent the last few days outside the caves he has noticed the gnoll tribe they fought previously. Even worse news are that the gnoll are lead by their shaman and accompanied by a hill giant.

Despite Said's best efforts to spread dissent amongst the beastial enemies they now have begun to ferry across on rafts towards the island in the mists.

A new battle awaits.