The room of keys is full of keys – most of which are trapped. Taking the untrapped ones and moving on leads them to another room…with more keys. And…another room…with even more keys and finally one last chamber full of keys. At each step, more of the keys are trapped and several are also invisible. Most curious. The party has no time for interesting mysteries and backstory be damned! They just want out.
Along the way it becomes clear that several party members have picked up some sort of wasting disease that is draining their ability scores and health. Eventually they resist the downward spiral and restore themselves thanks to the powers of Balhazor! (all praise his name). They find a passage through the worst of the dangers, but entry is forbidden to them thanks to the wickedness of their evil hearts, so they must tread the lo9nger and more dangerous path.
There is much to-and-fro-ing as well as a significant measure of back-and-forth-ing, as well as some retracing of past steps. But, after a few more days of travel, they find themselves in a brand new area – untrodden by their adventurous feetsies. The make contact with demons(?) who ask them for a favor…could they slay some angels(?) that are being a thorn in the demon’s sides as they plan for conquest? The party ponders for a hot second then nopes the hell out of there.
They resume wandering the passages they’ve already wandered, but eventually stumble across a bugbear war-room, complete with a large map of the immediate area. Comparing said map to the sheaves of paper sketched by the wandering party gives them an avenue to follow and so it is that they end up several days journey from where they started, contemplating the large mirrored room which is trapped and preventing their northward progress. Some shatter spells take care of the offending mirrors…but the trap is not dismissed. A Dispel Magic temporarily suppresses whatever nastiness awaits and the group takes that time to break open the door that bars passage.
They move northward and are immediately set upon by a huge spider-beast that nearly kills Digin in the immediate attack. Finger’s spells temporarily stun-lock the beast, Sniffles restores Digin to fighting trim and the axe of Digin’s vengeance cleaves a huge rift in the creature as volleys of magic missiles eventually fell it. Well…that was fun? Onwards through a distinctly cold and dismal area that clearly sees very little traffic, and before they know it, the group is back in a familiar place…the Celestial’s turf. The same Celestials that gave them a four-hour head start and swore to kill them all if they were seen again. Hmm. “Luckily” they are in an area overrun with “demons” and they have an amazing run of success. Apparently on their way out of here last time, they slew one of the two warring demon-tribes’ matriarch. The other demons are happy to give them passage through the area and escort them northward.
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