Tomb of Horrors Chapter Two

Pock examines the stone and sees that there are older runes on the stone and other runes floating around the stone, very otherworldly, visible to someone trained in arcana but not with the naked eye. They appear to be from the Age of Monsters. It looks like it used to mark an area coterminous with Thelanis.

Erich stops the runes with his telekinetic powers and holds them still. Quiver notices that this provided a slight change, as the runes on the stone started to begin a bit more readable. Pock tries to disrupt the runes, but he hears an annoyed voice in his head that throws him off, and they begin spinning again. Eldaen, using what he knows about elven, sees the elven rune for tree, and thinks that if we decipher the rest, it will provide clues. Baltazar recalls studying a battle here between elves and fey that was being reinforced from a portal in the area, and that this stone directed fey to the portal. Eldaen discovers that it is a rhyming code, meant to be spoken in Common. Pock tries again to disrupt the runes, and finds himself briefly in an empty, haunted place. Frustrated, Erich and Pock blast away at the runes and gray mist comes off the rock, revealing the poem.

"Walk to the sun, three by three... turn to the snow, find the tree." Eldaen, Quiver and Baltazar decide to walk to the west and see if it takes us where it goes. After walking about nine paces, Baltazar turns to the north and sees a configuration of trees, growing together as a single clump that seem to shun the rest of the forest, and realizes that this is the portal. We walk through the portal and find ourselves on a narrow trail in Thelanis.

Erich calls out Paleius's name three times, and he appears. He begins singing, and wherever he goes, there is a path. He points out the way to the Garden of Graves. A pair of hags riding crocodiles emerge from the forest. Pock goes to greet them, and they say "They're outsiders, sister! Is this where it comes from!"

Baltazar tells them that we seek the corruption to undo it, and one of the hags dismounts her crocodile, starts walking toward him and shifts form into a beautiful maiden. "I want to believe you, mortal... where do you think the corruption comes from?"

"We've been told it comes from the garden of graves... it is infecting our world as well."

The other one says "We did not know that. Let them go, sister!"

"If you do not end the corruption, we will not let you leave here."

"If we do not end it, we will perish."

She goes back and gets on her crocodile and rides away. We decide to take the path on the right, which looks slightly more difficult as it has water. We jump across the river and continue to follow the path. There is a ridge looming ahead of us, and a tunnel in the middle of the ridge, with a message carved into the stone next to the tunnel. Eldaen reads the ancient elven script, which seems mostly to be an intimidating message warning us not to enter.

Despite misgivings, we enter the cave. There are statues of maiden, mother and crone with their hands outstretched. Pock examines them with his arcane knowledge, sending him briefly into a different place, where he sees oozing black goo pouring from the walls and moans of despair, and senses powerful magic both from the statues and from beyond them, radiating energy related to polymorphing. Pock puts a gold piece in the maiden's hand, and she crushes it and the crone animates.

Eldaen swings a radiant smite at the crone, and Pock moves back and misses her with a blast of eldritch energy. Quiver fires a poison wasp sting at the crone, which bounces off her stony hide, and then moves to cover behind one of the other statues. Baltazar uses his warlord strike on the crone to mark her for his allies. Crone attacks Eldaen, who touches him and makes him feel older and weakened. Erich uses forceful push to slide her back and uses memory hole.

Eldaen takes a defensive stance and waits for his weakened state to wear off. Pock throws a witchfire blast at the crone and misses, Quiver moves to get a clearer shot and fires an arrow at the crone with a critical hit, pushing her back and knocking her prone. Baltazar orders Quiver to fire again, but he is disconcerted by his orders to "shoot her in the cooch" and misses. She stands and moves up behind the statue, and screams wordlessly at her. Erich uses dishearten to weaken her resolve slightly.

Eldaen puts a coin in the mother's hand, but there's no effect. Pock moves up and fires an eldritch blast and misses. Quiver fires at the crone and misses. Baltazar takes the coin from the mother's hand and tries the crone, but nothing happens. Crone teleports from the statue to where she is next to everyone but Eldaen and swings her whirlwind of claws, hitting them all and knocking them all prone. In response, Erich unleashes infernal wrath that bloodies her, Baltazar's shield knocks her prone, and Pock fades away. Erich uses his acrobat boots to stand, shifts away from her and tries to use memory hole, but she resists. He uses his action point to take a second wind.

Eldaen moves in, swings and hits her with strength from valor. Pock uses ghost sound to fake his location, then teleports away past the statues and uses his second wind. Quiver stands, fires an escaping shot at her, missing her and shifting back away. Baltazar stands up, strikes with a guarding attack, spends an action point to use inspiring word on himself. Crone stands up, reaches out to attack Eldaen but misses. Erich moves to the rear of the cave, uses dishearten and misses.

Eldaen swings twice and misses. Pock stands up, but can't see the crone yet. Quiver fires an arrow at the crone, uses action point to draw and fire again, but misses the second shot. Baltazar uses war of attrition to hit the crone and give everyone else a better shot. The crone swings at Eldaen but misses. Erich disheartens the crone, destroying her.

As we take a short rest, Pock decides to stay on the other side of the statues and tells us he sees paths and a cliff. Baltazar puts the coin in the mother's hand, and the crone reanimates.

Quiver fires and, using elven accuracy, crits the crone but she is immune to poison damage. She uses whirlwind of claws on Eldaen, but misses Baltaar. Pock teleports and uses mire the mind on the crone, making us all temprorarily invisible to her. Eldaen invisibly uses his radiant smite and valiant strike, bloodying her, but misses when Baltazar tells him to swing again. Erich augments dishearten and misses.

Quiver crits again. Crone swings at Baltazar, because she can't see, takes divine sanction damage and misses Baltazar. Pock uses witchfire on the crone and misses. Eldaen moves to flank the crone, hits her with a holy strike. Baltazar uses war of attrition on the crone. Erich uses memory hole and destroys her.

Third time is the charm, as we put a gold piece in the crone's palm and the statue move aside. We spin the gnome, who directs us to go to the right. The path travels about fifty feet and comes into a clearing. There are tents and camping tools, as well as a strange obelisk at the center of the clearing. We check the obelisk, thinking it might be the "weary eye."

As Quiver tries to climb the obelisk, Pock moves to inspect the tools. Everyone else moves over to Quiver and the obelisk. A bright glow emerges from the forest and drags Quiver to it. Then the logs, tools and tents start flying at us. Baltazar is hit by hammers and nails and nailed to the floor, then blasted by flaming logs. Another flaming log sparks and hits Eldaen. Baltazar uses warlord's strike on a flaming log, destroying it, and gives himself an inspiring word. Eldaen moves to the will o wisp, marks it and swings and misses. A powerful lethargy overcomes Quiver and Erich.

Quiver steps back and puts an assassin's shroud on the will o wisp, then fires at it with a poisoned arrow and falls asleep. Pock uses the decree of queen of errant darkness to force all the animated tools and logs to attack one another, killing eight of the twelve, then curses the will o wisp. Erich uses dishearten and destroys most of the rest of the tents and logs, and then shakes off the weariness. The nails try again to strike at Baltazar, who dodges. Eldaen uses his Blood of the Mighty on the Will o Wisp, then lays hands on himself to heal. Baltazar swings at the tools and destroys them. The obelisk wearies Baltazar and Erich.

Quiver is still asleep. Pock uses an eldritch blast on the will o wisp and misses. Will o wisp attacks Eldaen and then shifts back a bit. Erich uses dishearten and misses, falling asleep. Eldaen hits the Will o Wisp with strength from valor, bloodying it. Wearied Baltazar steps up to flank the Will o Wisp and uses stand the fallen, healing Eldaen from bloodied, and wakes himiself up. The obelisk wearies Eldaen.

Quiver is still asleep. Pock uses shared agony on Will o wisp, destroying it and teleporting closer to the obelisk, then uses teleport to try and get to the top, then uses his action point to try and disarm the obelisk. Erich is still asleep. Eldaen wakes Quiver with divine mettle, then shakes off his weariness. Baltazar moves to the obelisk and shouts encouragement to Pock. Obelisk wearies Quiver and Pock.

Quiver fires at the obelisk with his assassin's shroud and shifts away from it. Pock tries to disarm the trap, opens the sleeping eye and it is disarmed. After a short rest, we send Quiver up to scout the building, and sees that it has weird angles, and is clearly new and not of fey design. There is a spiral staircase. We take an extended rest.

Quiver climbs the staircase up into the building, and sees a table that seems to be a map of the area. Pock moves something on the map to see if it affects the world, but it doesn't. The map leads to a Garden of Graves by following the rope bridge to the west. Someone has built a number of stone structures that does not match the maps, and we follow the rope bridge into the structures.

Quiver steps into the hallway and vanishes, and suffers a sudden sense of vertigo, and is surrounded by rough hewn rock. However, he can still see the doorway behind him, and he re-emerges, tells us what he saw and then goes back in. Then when he went in, everything changes and he comes back to warn us that we all need to go in together. Baltazar unfurls a rope, we all link together and go in. There are echoing screams resounding off the walls, and the agony of loss passes through us, leaving behind a lingering gloom in our souls. An angelic-looking gray being emerges, seemingly bearing the lost mark of death, we try to talk to it.

Quiver offers up a "Hello, friend, we mean you no harm" and puts away his bow. Erich offers up "Hello, gray sir, we're sorry to intrude in your house. You look like you need some cheering up? Would you like me to play you a tune?" and begins playing a jaunty tune. It lets out a scream, steps forward and attacks Baltazar with his scythe. Eldaen swings and misses, then lays hands to heal Baltazar. Baltazar swings and misses. Pock fires witchfire at the angel.

Quiver puts a shroud on the other angel, then fires at it and knocks it further down the hallway, creating a swarm of bats around it. Erich uses memory hole on the same angel, making himself invisible to that angel. One angel attacks and retreats, then the other one retreats. Eldaen chases it down and swings at it, but misses. Baltazar chases it down and uses blood designation, missing it. Pock fires shared agony at the angel and moves, gaining concealment.

Quiver fires and misses the angel after moving the bats to surround it. Erich recognizes these as corrupted angels, and realizes that we're on some sort of constructed pocket plane, then moves invisibly down the hallway to see hundreds or thousands of humanoid bones jutting from the walls, and there is a robed and crowned statue in the middle of the room. There are carved footprints in the floor that lead to the eastern wall. He begins walking in the carved footprints, ends at the wall. Angel's dragonmark activates and he launches a burst of necrotic damage, the other angel moves out of the statue and attacks Erich with a mark, then uses his scythe, which triggers his wrath of hellfire. Eldaen swings and misses, then draws a brutal attack of opportunity and runs toward the other room to help Erich. Baltazar attacks the angel with bastion of defense, then uses stand tough. Pock uses forceful assault on the angel, dazing him.

Quiver fires an arrow of fiery and cold shadow at the angel, immobilizing him, calls on the spirits of his ancestors to push him back, bloodying him. Erich uses his telekinetic push to get the angel away, mind blasts him and stuns him, then runs down the hallway. Bloodied angel marks Baltazar, shakes off the effects on him. The other angel shakes off being stunned. Eldaen rushes back, charges the bloodied angel and misses. Baltazar moves to the bloodied angel and misses with furious smash. Pock blasts the angel, making us all invisible to the angel.

Quiver fires a swarm of arrows at the bloodied angel, poisoning him. Erich runs back in the room and critically uses hypnotic pulse on the bloodied angel and dazes him. Bloodied angel takes poison damage, swings at Baltazar and misses, saves against daze. The other angel moves and charges Pock, bloodying him, and he fades away. Eldaen strikes the bloodied angel with Blood of the Mighty and Valiant Strike, nearly killing it. Baltazar swings and misses the angel. Pock moves up next to Eldaen, takes a second wind and is no longer bloodied, then uses his action point to use ring of pain on the bloodied angel.

Quiver puts a shroud on the angel coming at him, drinks a potion of necrotic resistance and fires biting swarm at the other angel, missing it. Erich fires at the bloodied angel and destroys it, exploding him, but Pock is able to teleport away from it, so it only hits Eldaen and Baltazar, knocking them prone. Then Erich retreats back to the defenders. Angel attacks Quiver. Eldaen stands up and charges the angel. Baltazar stands and orders Eldaen to strike again, and he misses. Pock uses incisive dagger to cut a hole in the plane and teleport to the other end of the hallway, then curses the angel and fires an eldritch blast at it.

Quiver fires escaping shot at the angel, triggering his shrouds, dazing him. Erich uses memory hole on the angel and misses. Angel attacks Eldaen and bloodies him. Eldaen shifts and hits the angel with valiant strike. Baltazar charges through the crowd of bats to attack the angel, missing him. Pock blasts the angel and misses him.

Quiver fires a shadowy burst arrow at the angel, slowing him. Erich fires an augmented dishearten and misses. Angel hits Eldaen, damaging him badly. Eldaen swings and misses the angel, and lays hands on himself. Baltazar uses stand the fallen, missing but healing allies, then uses his action point to miss again. Pock fires and misses the angel.

Quiver fires and hits the angel, spirits biting at his eyes to make it harder for him to hit. Erich fires an augmented dishearten at the angel, making it even harder for him to hit, then uses his action point to blast him again, turning invisible and bloodying him. Angel misses. Eldaen uses divine strength and hits the angel with valiant strike, lays hands to heal himself almost to full. Baltazar orders Eldaen to attack and misses. Pock misses.

Quiver fires grappling spirits and misses. Erich uses memory hole and misses the angel. Angel uses his necrotic burst on Eldaen, Baltazar and Erich, then moves back, drawing attacks from Baltazar and Eldaen. Eldaen heals Baltazar, moves up and misses the angel. Baltazar moves, orders Eldaen and he misses. Pock comes back, but can't see his target.

Quiver runs down the hall, fires grappling spirits at the angel. Erich misses. Angel misses Eldaen, moves and draws an AOO. Eldaen moves in and misses, quarries the Angel. Baltazar orders Quiver to fire, and he misses, then runs up next to Eldaen. Pock runs up and fires his eldritch blast at him.

Quiver fires and misses. Erich uses memory hole and misses. Angel attacks Eldaen, then moves back. Eldaen moves up and hits him with valiant strike. Baltazar orders Eldaen to hit him, and he finally does. Pock sneaks forward.

Quiver moves up and fires at the angel, missing. Erich steps back, can't get into the room. Angel attacks Eldaen and bloodies him, then disappears into the statue. Eldaen moves up and hits the statue. Baltazar moves up and examines the statue. Pock moves into the room and uses arcana to examine the statue.

Quiver examines the statue from a distance, is pretty sure it's a statue, then moves into the hallway and runs to see the other statue. Erich steps into the room and walks in the footsteps. Angel emerges from the statue and attacks Quiver, missing him. Eldaen runs up to back up Quiver. Pock starts moving toward the group.

Quiver fires an explosion of shadowy spirits at the angel, pushing him back, and then he shoots at him, killing him and he explodes, knocking Eldaen out. Baltazar uses inspiring word to heal him back up, and he spends his second wind.