Category DND Blog: EFK Saga

Pausing to take 10 and plunder the library, the vastness of the task is daunting. In the end, only the scrolls that were separated from the rest and placed on the librarian’s table are even considered. When the first one turns out to be a guide to the Abyss, the group kinda freaks and makes haste to depart.
They roll into the hall and open the remaining untrapped door to reveal a conference room of sorts. Dalliance opines that whatever is within is unimportant since it is clear that Blasphemy is not within.
The wand of Negation is produced and wielded liberally upon the trapped double doors. The group pushes past and finds themselves in a large room, covered in elaborate and demonic decor. The room is dominated by a throne – made from a defiled altar from the church of Lathander...

Armed with knowledge and powered by boredom, the group travels to the region where the lair of Blasphemy is said to lie. It turns out to be surprisingly easy. Following thevarious signs (folks buried alive and the like) leads the group to a large cave. There are some ominous signs, including flaming blood weeping from the walls and some infanticide themed statuary. Magic is sought and found, and traps are detected.
Undeterred, the group presses on into another room that fairly reeks of evil. Maybe the statuary, maybe the pool of flaming blood…maybe the gargantuan, magic-wearing gargoyles that try to slay Barada – but this place seems unfriendly. Images of demons adorn most surfaces and the exit from the room of flaming blood reveals a hallway with more of the same adornments...

Several years pass after the group defeats the Sphinx queen and plunders her treasures. Members train and investigate various and sundry things, including seeking out some ‘easy’ money in the form of some dragon lairs.
Luckily, Dalliance knows where there are five orphaned red dragon young – since she slew the brood mother – so the group packs up and teleports to the volcano lair. A day of scouting is followed by 75 seconds of disintegrating dragons, then a few hours of shoveling treasure through teleportation circles.
Still feeling frisky and looking for more loot, the group seeks out and finds the lair of a black dragon in the High Moors. The unfortunate saurian is reduced to dust, but there is no treasure to be found...

After stalling for days the party finally has to make a decision about the staves and the sphinx queen. Dither and done – a plan is hatched, laid and goes all cattywhompus in the first few seconds.

The staves are placed in the hands of the statue and the wand of illumination is used to activate an elaborate teleportation ritual involving the couches in the sarcophagi. One by one the group is teleported away to face their dopplegangers and a dracosphinx. Yeah – you read that right. As each party member is teleported from the sarcophagus, he is faced by his exact duplicate.

Barada goes first and has the presence of mind to try and attack the mirror that is producing the duplicates. Unfortunately, subsequent party members mistake Barada for the doppleganger and some mayhem ensues...

When it seems clear that the departed cleric will remain departed, the group backtracks through the tomb complex until they regain the surface. There they deploy illusionary magics to conceal the fact that the tomb is open and deploy Dalliance to fetch up another cleric. While she is gone, the rest of the group hides as best they can and keep their heads down. Her absence is fairly unremarkable – save for the gathering of the manscorpions that sacrifices humans and calls down lightning throughout the night.

Dalliance returns, along with Abraham Blade, first cousin to the departed cleric, and one of the few remaining high priests of the sect. Please be careful with our cleric! Abe Blade fits into the party with a minimum of rotating and off they go…

Back into the maze of isolation, this ti...