Three Faces of Evil, part III

Players/Characters:

• Holly D'Vine (Bradford), LG female aasimar fighter 2
• Alden (Martin), CN male human barbarian 4
• Telman (Tom), CG male elf rogue 2
• Oloret Stoor (Sean), LG male human cleric of Pelor 3
• Raavi Gill (Peggy), CG female half-elf sorcerer 4
• Tuor (Craig), NG male half-elf druid 4, with Bingy, wolf companion.

Game Events:

The rest of the maze proved to be inhabited by only two dire weasels - easily slain. Then there was the true shrine of Vecna to face - it was inhabited by various acolytes and The Faceless One, the high priest, who wore a iron mask to hide his strangely disfigured and featureless face.

The acolytes proved easy prey, but the Faceless One was far more challenging. Attacked from one flank, he summoned a Huge Monstrous Centipede and webbed the passage, causing great discomfort for Tom's rogue and Alden.

The attack from the other side of his chamber worked even worse - alerted by the first round of attacks, he cast a lightning bolt the instant the door was opened, critically wounding many in the group. A second lightning bolt proved too much for Raavi.

The survivors rallied, and finally defeated the Faceless One. Within his chamber, they found spellbooks, a code key, magic items, and a blackwood staff topped by an amber crystal in a golden dragon's claw. As they examined the staff, a draconic eye peered out at them briefly, before vanishing again.

A prison cell yielded a companion of Telman - a human wizard, Peggy's new character, who, grateful for her freedom, joined the party (and claimed the Faceless One's spellbook for study).

More rest and recuperation was called for, and it was obtained.

One last shrine remained, that of Hextor. It proved well-defended, with Hextor cultists, tieflings and skeletons, but they proved little match for the party. Oloret turned the skeletons, the cultists were caught flat-footed, and Alden was way too much for the tieflings.

A grand temple/arena with a statue of Hextor was avoided by Alden and Telman, who ran in front as the rest of the heroes dealt with the cultist stragglers. They instead took a side passage, and killed two more tiefling guards. They were then left with a choice: to take the stairs up to the arena's gallery, or to take the door ahead...