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...

Three Faces of Evil, part II

Players/Characters:

• Holly D'Vine (Bradford), LG female aasimar fighter 2
• Alden (Martin), CN male human barbarian 3
• Grey 'the Handsome' (Tom), CG male elf rogue 3
• Raavi Gill (Peggy), CG female half-elf sorcerer 3
• Tuor (Craig), NG male half-elf druid 3, with Bingy, wolf companion.

Game Events:

The passageway led to a larger cavern with two grimlocks on guard - they were swiftly dispatched, but not before the noise alerted more grimlocks in two adjoining caverns. With time pressing, the group quickly came up with a plan: Grey and Alden to hold one passage, and the others to hold the other.

Alas, Tuor misadvised the party on the effects of his entangle spell, and their plans were thrown agley as he realised, as the grimlocks rushed towards them, that the spell would entrap them as well! Poor Raavi found herself suddenly on the front line, as everyone tried to adjust and confusion set in.

Grey and Alden were being pressed hard by a grimlock barbarian, and Raavi was knocked unconscious by a grimlock's mace. Finally, Holly and Tuor began to find the measure of their opponents, but just as all was almost done, the grimlock barbarian scorned to attack Alden and chased the weakened Grey... one more strike, and the unfortunate Grey was slain.

Slightly saddened by the death of their comrade, the heroes investigated the caverns from where the grimlocks had come. To their surprise, they found a bound and trussed elf rogue who had been captured by the grimlocks. Even more to their surprise, he revealed that he was Grey's brother!

One more challenge remained in the grimlock lair, and that was the grimlock cleric of Erythnul. Well, he should have been a challenge, but the party, enraged by their previous failures, gave him no chance whatsoever. The shrine of Erythnul was cleared!

Resting during the night, a couple of the heroes heard sounds of movement in the main chamber near the elevator - two more tieflings chatting to each other. Eventually one moved away, and the unfortunate other never knew what hit him.

The shrine to Vecna was the next to be braved. The doorway lead to a maze of winding corridors, secret doors and chambers, inhabited by kenku rogues. These proved troubling indeed as they moved to flank and confuse the heroes.

The heroes were wounded and exhausted, but eventually the last kenku fell, and they returned to the grimlock tunnels to rest.