Session 63 Synopsis

Previously, on Phoenix Rising...
… Their melee engagement only lasted a couple of rounds for the creature had teleported away and even though Asphodel had landed a strike as it disappeared, she was certain that it was not dead yet. She looked around the room and saw no other foe around so she headed out towards the hallway to see who might need some killing out there…

There was only oine barbed devil left in the narrow hallway where Blackwell, Kel and Zola were engaging it. Asphodel quickly entered the fray with the devil, allowing Zola to go around and attempt to circle back to the stairs leading down into this crypt to see what was going on with Zerak and Jobi. But just when she got there, she only was able to glimpse Jobi and Zerak as they were just coming down the stairs again when a blade barrier flashed into existence right in the very narrow hallway she was standing in - and that definitely hurt. Fortunately she was able to quickly step out of its reach and concentrate on what was in the original entrance chamber. There she saw Zerak and Jobi battling something - well Zerak was battling it for it seemed he could see it but whatever it was made quick work of him and he fell in front of Jobi. Jobi worked on healing him and trying to keep away from whatever it was attacking them.

By this time, the barbed devil had been laid to waste and the rest of the group was now advancing towards the entrance after hearing Zola shouting out that there was trouble back there. She ran through the blade barrier without a second thought but couldn't see where the enemy was, until Kel got close enough to the area. Kel had casted her invisibility purge spell and when she was close enough, the medusa-snake-like creature winked back into visibility. Everyone converged on her and did their best to kill her as fast as possible. This creature had some very formidible magic at her disposal and used it freely: chain lightning, harm, slay living, just to name a few. But out heroes were able to vanquish her before she was able to kill one of them, though Zerak had been quite close to death if it hadn't been for Jobi coming to his aid.

Once the creature was killed, the group did some healing and looting and found several powerful magic items including a +4 ring of protection, a suit of +5 leather armor, and a magical axiomatic bow -but none could use this since no one in the group has a lawful view on things. So they packed up the items and headed back into the catacombs to finish searching the area for any signs of the sword or documents they were here looking for. The next chamber they came to was both elegent and important looking, which gave them pause:

Arranged in various raised niches in the ornately-bricked walls are several dozen mummified corpses, attired in clothing of bygone eras, standing in lifelike poses as though engaged in conversation. Four oval niches in the north wall are obvious places of honor, as each holds but a single mummy bearing valuable-looking treasures and weapons. The room itself is lit brilliantly by two spheres of bright light floating near the center of the thirty-foot-high ceiling above.

Blackwell immediately set up searching the area for traps while the others looked for magical auras in hopes of finding the sword they were looking for. They all thought that the mummies in here were a possible threat if disturbed but the real threat came from the globes of light floating near the ceiling, as they found out all too soon. The globes formed into four shining creatures of incredible power called shining children. They used fire as their main weapon and the ability to fly as their main defense. Although some of the party had resistances to fire and even immunity as in Asphodel's case, the creatures had a very powerful fiery blast attack that could severely damage most of the party. The battle was very heated (no pun intended) for while the party was able to damage the creatures with each of their attacks, the shining children were certainly taking a toll out of the groups magic and healing abilities. Zerak, Kel, Jobi and Blackwell at one time had to retreat back into the hallway for a time to get out of the way of the enemies attacks. But that was no permanent relief for one of the creatures then teleported into the hallway and attacked them there as well. Fortunately they had had enough time to do some triage before those attacks came and between Jobi, Kel and Zerak they were able to defeat it just about the time that the others had vanquished the ones in the room with all the mummies.

Now that the battle was over, the party had to do some serious healing and resting for many of their daily abilities had been drained from these last two encounters and it would be foolish to continue on down here without being fully rested. They also went ahead and looted all the treasure on the mummies and made off with quite a bit of valuable items. But during their time down here, Jobi had become so traumatized from these battles and the countless others they had endured together, that she just could not go on anymore and Zerak decided that he needed to take her to the surface to rest and stay out of harm's way. They would wait on the usrface until the other four party members finished their quest for the items and would then leave this city of death when they do.

So our adventures come to a close this evening. Come back next week when we will continue the exploration of the Tomb of the Iron Medusa with only a party of 4...