LII. Ardaric

After Firiona and Lina had settled down enough to finish packing, the adventurers reassembled in the monastery courtyard. Abbot Ceril blessed their quest in the name of Pholtus. "Good fortune to you in your endeavor," said the monk. "You will remain in our thoughts always." The party thanked the monks for their aid and hospitality. And with that, they teleported back to the valley in which lay the city of Chalons.

Snow was on the ground all around them. They looked over the landscape on the approach to the city. Ominiously, they spotted many signs of battle, very recent battle at that. Damaged farms, homes and other buildings were everywhere.

"This doesn’t look good," observed Elana. "I wonder what happened here?" said Green Arrow. "We’ll find out soon enough, no doubt," said Edward. "I’m sure the city residents will have a lot to say about it."

The city came into closer view. It was a roughly square city, surrounded by walls about twenty feet high. A large gate stood before them as they reached the end of the road from the mountains. Edward knocked.

"Who goes there?" called out a voice from within the gate. "State your names and business!"

"We seek shelter," said Elana.

"We need fighters here, not floozies!" the gatekeeper responded.

Edward called out, "I am a fighter. I’ve been sent here to earn the blessing of Hieroneous."

The gatekeeper challenged Edward, "You’re a fighter, but why are you here?"

"If you let me enter, I’ll help your defense," answered the paladin. The gatekeeper paused, pondering Edward’s assurances.

"Are you friends of the Monastery of St. Theomon?" Edward asked.

"We have dealt with them. Why?"

The conversation seemed to be getting nowhere. Suddenly, Edward recalled the vision that had led him to the city in the first place, and tried a new approach.

"We’re here in the name of Ardaric!" he called out.

Excited voices could be heard from the guardhouse. "Well, well, why didn’t you say so in the first place!" exclaimed the gatekeeper. "Come on in!" And with that, the city gates creaked open and the adventurers were admitted.

The party entered the city. The main street of the city led from the gate directly to the center square, then through it straight to the main gate on the opposite side of the city. Another road crossed the main street at the city’s center square. The city was thus effectively divided into four roughly square quarters.

As they proceeded into the city, the adventurers could see heavy damage in many locations. Burned buildings, damaged roofs and smashed windows were everywhere they looked.

Off the center square, the city hall stood. The gatekeepers took the party inside, then told the doorwards who they were and why they were in the city. The doorwards in turn escorted the adventurers to the council chamber, where the city’s leaders were even then engaged in conference. Five men, one of them a veteran fighter of advanced years, and two women were discussing military and defense matters with considerable animation.

The doorwards introduced the party to the city’s leaders, then left them. The leaders excitedly greeted the adventurers, and, seeing that they appeared to be a powerful group, asked them to state their business. The party mentioned the battles they had engaged in to get to the city at all.

Hearing this, the councilmen asked the party, "Can you help us? For we are sorely pressed."

"So it appears," said Edward. "Who are your foes, and why have they made war on you?" One of the councilmen provided the requested explanation.

The city of Chalons had prospered over the years, due to the vast deposits of precious metals and gems in the surrounding mountains. The people had wisely not broadcast their wealth, and had allowed only limited trade with the world outside their valley, mostly via the Pholtan monastery that the adventurers had aided. They couldn’t completely keep their existence a secret, however, and over the years the area had assumed a somewhat legendary status. The presence of ancient Suel ruins, with metal roofs, in the surrounding hills may have added to the myth.

Over the years the city had defended itself against incursions from orcs, wolves and other evil creatures, and later sporadic invasions by bands of giants. Then, about ten years ago, the giants started to become more organized. The city, however, had always been able to defeat the invaders, but with more and more difficulty.  The city's population began to drop due to war casualties. 

Until now. Two days past, a huge army of orcs had assailed the city, led by a regiment of stone giants. "We think the orcs came from a vast underground to the northwest, near the realm of Stonehold," the councilman said. "The stone giants have allied with them and drove them against us."

Edward looked about the room, then discretely detected evil. Finding none, he asked, "Are we secure here in this chamber?" The councilman replied, "Yes, of course."

"Then I shall tell you the full nature of my quest," said the paladin. "I seek a weapon. A vision directed me to this city in my effort to retrieve it. If you assist me in locating the weapon, I and my friends will help you defend your city with its aid."

At this, the fighter spoke up. "Of what nature is the weapon you seek?" he inquired.

"It is a hammer of great power. It is known as a hammer of thunderbolts, and it is especially deadly against giants," Edward answered. "Should it be found, it would certainly be useful now, considering how you’re under attack by so many giants."

The fighter looked at Edward, then pulled back his cloak to reveal . . . a hammer!

"This is such a hammer!" declared the fighter.

"A hammer of thunderbolts!" exclaimed Edward. "How did you obtain it?"

"I have held this weapon for many years," explained the fighter. "Twenty years ago I came to the city. They were in need, and I came to their aid. I’ve aided them ever since, but now my years grow long. The latest battle took much from me."

Edward’s eyes were drawn to the fighter’s equipment. He recognized the bracers and belt that the fighter wore. Gauntlets of ogre power and a belt of giant strength!

"I’m sorry, but we haven’t been introduced, sir," said Edward. "How shall I address you?"

"How negligent of me," the fighter apologized. "You may call me Ardaric."

The rest of the adventurers whispered to each other. "He’s the one!" breathed Firiona.

Ardaric continued. "I am no longer able to wield it as I once was.  If you help us defeat the giants, the weapon is yours," he said to the paladin.

"Our weapons and our spells are at your service!" exclaimed Edward.

The city leaders quickly briefed the adventurers on the state of the city’s defenses, and the most recent reports from their spies.

"When do you expect another attack?" asked Edward. "It could be at any time," replied one of the women, apparently the leader responsible for intelligence-gathering. "Our spies report another horde gathering against us, this one even larger than the last."

The adventurers offered to help organize the defenders. The city’s plight was desperate. Only about three hundred militia remained to defend the walls of the city, seven hundred fifty feet on a side, along with four wizards and a cleric. Eight defensive ballistas provided some defensive firepower. The city’s main gates were double adamantine doors, each three inches thick. All were still intact.

Firiona made use of Rary’s telepathic bond to facilitate communication with the defenders. Edward, Green Arrow and Fulk conferred with the militia leaders, while Elana and Arimir met with the casters to assess their abilities and advise. Afterwards, the adventurers made their own plans.

"We’re going to have a tough time," said Edward. "The defenders are exhausted, they’re low on supplies, and there aren’t enough of them."

"Then we’ll just have to make up the difference," replied Firiona.

The next morning, before dawn, the party arose and continued preparations. It was an ominous pre-dawn. The weather was frigid and the skies cloudy. It was beginning to snow.

A soldier ran up to them with news. "Our scouts have returned to the city. The enemy is in sight. They come!"

LI. White Flight

Edward described the party’s encounter with the creatures to Abbot Ceril. "Small wonder we have seen no traders from Chalons in recent days. If these creatures were able to thwart you, who knows what may have befallen others?"

"I fear they did not live to tell of it," said Elana.

"What in the name of Pholtus were those monsters?" asked the monk.

"We’ve never seen the like," answered Firiona. "From what little I know, I think they’re called thorciasids. They live by draining their victims of strength and life energy, and other abilities as well. We were lucky to survive."

The abbot offered full healing and resupply to the party, who were always welcome at the monastery. "What do you intend to do next," he enquired.

"If we can’t go under the mountains," replied Elana, "then we’ll go over them."

After recuperating for a day or so, the party, without Firiona and Lina but again with Fulk and Edward’s griffon, teleported back to the entrance to the underground passage. From there, the party took flight, with the griffon bearing Edward, Fulk and Green Arrow, while Arimir and Elana flew separately. They rose high into the air, as the Griff Mountains themselves were high peaks.

At ten thousand feet and well into the Griffs, the party suddenly saw, far off in the distance, a group of white spots. The spots were flying toward them. Immediately, Edward activated his winged boots, as did Elana. The paladin gave Fulk a potion of fly. Green Arrow also quaffed a fly potion. The two fighters of the group also cast shield on themselves. Edward also gave himself a potion of rage. The extra ferocity would prove most useful.

The spots came into focus. A flight of four white dragons, including two great wyrms, a wyrm and an adult. And all of them big and ferocious-looking.

Edward instructed his griffon to watch out for fallen members of the party. No sooner had he done so than the dragons closed for battle.

Green Arrow got off the first volley of arrows against the adult white dragon, severely wounding it with five hits. But one of the great wyrms flew by Edward, doing serious damage then rising back up fifty feet. The monster’s frightful presence shook Green Arrow and Fulk. Arimir, unaffected by the creature, retaliated against it with an empowered cone of fire, striking both the great wyrm and the adult. The heat-vulnerable creatures took serious damage. Edward chased the great wyrm and wounded it.

The adult dragon flew steeply upward and turned right, then breathed a blast of cold that struck the entire party. Elana, however, cast mass cure moderate wounds to restore some of the damage.

Now the other great wyrm flew by the party and blasted them with its breath weapon, before winging over its foes for its next attack. Fulk, although shaken, was able to spontaneously cast mass cure serious wounds to partially compensate for the damage. But then the last of the four dragons flew by for yet another breath weapon attack.

Shaken though he was, Green Arrow fired an arrow of death at the adult dragon, but failed to kill the beast. Another likewise failed to slay it, and still another! But two more arrows from the eleven archer’s bow also found their mark, severely wounding the monster. Meanwhile, the first great wyrm renewed its assault on Edward, attempting an awesome blow that would knock him right out of the air. But the mighty paladin seized the opportunity to strike with the full power of Hieroneous. With one incredible slash of his sword, he felled the colossal monster, and it plummeted to the mountainside below. Wasting no time, Edward then flew toward Fulk and the griffon, charged into the adult dragon, and smote its deathblow as well. Two dragons down, two to go.

Meanwhile, Arimir cast mass resist cold on the other party members. Elana cast mass cure serious wounds, while Fulk added a mass cure critical wounds. The battle was shifting toward the adventurers’ favor.

The remaining great wyrm used its solid freezing fog power to block the party, then flew back two hundred feet to regroup. The wyrm white dragon did likewise. The fog didn’t prevent Green Arrow’s seeker and phase arrows from finding the wyrm, and they seriously wounded the creature. Nor was the great wyrm able to evade Arimir’s chain lightning. But the wyrm white dragon flew straight to Arimir, bit him for heavy damage, and knocked him ten feet back into the air.

Edward raced to the edge of the fog, while the griffon, with Fulk, flew out of the thick icy distraction. Elana did them one better. She made her way out of the fog, then cast greater dispel magic to get rid of it. But the great wyrm, undeterred, simply recreated it.

An attempted expeditious retreat by Green Arrow proved ineffective, so he moved back into one of the fog clouds. Arimir was more successful in casting greater invisibility, then flying away to reposition himself.

Suddenly, a prismatic spray sprang from Edward’s helmet, striking the wyrm with a fiery ray that singed its scales. The griffon flew up from Fulk’s position to a spot behind Edward.

Elana’s attempt to dispel the second fog failed, so she left the fog. The great wyrm, trying to knock its assailants out of the sky, cast gust of wind.

A heal spell, previously prepared by Fulk, restored Edward to full strength and vigor. This was followed by a flamestrike at the great wyrm, which burned the monster for serious damage. But then the wyrm dragon breathed again, blasting Fulk and the griffon but missing the rest of the party.

The adventurers continued their assault on the flying monsters. Green Arrow sent five arrows speeding toward the great wyrm. All of them hit, and the monster bellowed in pain. Arimir’s chain lightning inflicted further damage. Edward, seeing his chance, charged at the great wyrm, shrugging off its opportunistic attack, and delivered a tremendous blow to the monster. The damage was so massive that the great wyrm fell from the sky and crashed to earth, stricken dead!

While Edward was dispatching the great wyrm, Elana cast cure critical wounds on Arimir, restoring the airy adventurer. Fulk likewise cast cure moderate wounds on Edward. He was ready for the final assault on the remaining white dragon.

That last dragon, however, decided that escape was preferable to death. It turned tail and flew off at great speed.

"Well, that was a bit of a row," observed Arimir understatedly.

With the dragons slain or driven off, the adventurers continued their flight over the snowy peaks of the Griffs. After several hours of travel, they at last approached a large valley deep in the heart of the range. They descended to get a better view. As they descended, they spotted a road emerging from the mountains. The adventurers decided to follow the road.

The road led onward into the valley. After several miles, the party spotted a city off in the distance, to which the road led. They marked its location on the map they had brought from the monastery, committed its location to memory, and then teleported back to the monastery.

Back at the monastery, the party met with Firiona and Lina, and with the abbot and other monks, and described what they had found. "Looks like we’ve found Chalons," Green Arrow concluded. The party promptly made plans for their journey to the city. The monks provided heavy winter clothing for the adventurers, and resupplied them with provisions and various magic items. They then took their leave and returned to their quarters for the night, preparing for the morning’s departure.

Firiona found it difficult to sleep. Lina did as well. Finally, they both drifted off, though still uneasy. Suddenly, each of them became aware of a presence in their dreams . . . .

They opened their eyes. Dawn had just broken. They rose, dressed, and went to rouse the rest of the party. Once all of them were awake, Firiona began to speak.

"Last night I had an ominious dream," she began. "You too?!" exclaimed Lina. "So did I!" The two women both proceeded to describe their dreams. It appeared that they both had had the same dream.

"A might being appeared to me," said Firiona. "He was clad in shining armor. He spoke. I looked at him, and I knew who he was. He was an avatar of Hieroneous!"

"And he had a message for us," continued Lina. "In this portentous voice, he said: "It has been observed that you persist in assuming evil forms while you accompany my paladin. Such behavior causes scandal to my church, and offense to me. Therefore, henceforth, whenever you attempt to do so, I shall instead see to it that you assume a non-evil form, fit to accompany a paladin. Hieroneous has spoken."

The women eyed Edward, who pondered the import of this vision. "We’re neither of us too pleased with this," said Firiona. "We’re not even followers of Hieroneous, and here he goes depriving us of some of our best battle tactics!"

But Edward replied, "I’ve warned you about this before. It seems that my lord has plans for me, and they don’t include any more appearances in the company of devils and demons. Be glad he let you keep that spell at all. At least you’ll still get some use out of it."

Neither Firiona nor Lina were satisfied with Edward’s answer, and both left in a huff to finish their preparations on their own. "They’ll get over it," said Green Arrow. "They’d better," said Edward.

L. Not Mere Insects

When the party, including Fulk, had rested, replenished and made all preparations for their journey, they set out from the monastery, in dramatic fashion, by flying away. Heading roughly due north from the monastery, they flew for five days into the mountainous wilderness.

After five days, the adventurers spotted a road leading under the mountains. They landed and spelled up, while Edward’s griffon patrolled above them, then followed the road. About a mile along, the road turned sharply to the right and rose steeply upward. The party paused to renew their spells. Green Arrow cast light on an arrow, then shot it at the ceiling above the road. Firiona and Lina shapechanged to solar form. The party noticed rats scurrying about.

About an hour later, the path turned sharply left and continued its upward climb, still about fifteen feet wide and ten feet high, as if it had been cut to a uniform width and height. The adventurers continued onward. Elana cast light on Edward’s armor to illuminate their way more effectively. Edward’s spider climb was still in effect.

Fifty yards or so further along the underground road, the path suddenly widened. Dirt and rocks could be seen about the area, but nothing could be heard. Lina quickly assumed pit fiend form, while Firiona shapechanged to balor form.

Edward and Elana felt something disturbing about the path they were walking on. Their feet began to stick. Suddenly the floor gave way beneath them, and the two fell fifty feet into a pit filled with water. At the same time, a stream of some kind of viscous liquid substance from the ceiling re-sealed the hole they had just made. The party were under attack!
　

From ahead of the party, two bizarre creatures approached at high speed. They looked insectoid, like some particularly lean (and monstrously large) cockroach. Each ran on its rear four limbs, holding two very long front limbs and two antennae ahead of them. The thorax of the creatures joined the abdomen at a right angle, then bent forward again above the forelimbs. The overall effect was that of an insect built like a centaur.

"Insects?" thought Firiona to herself.  "Shouldn't be a problem."

The first of the creatures ran toward Fulk and ejected a stream of a noxious, viscous material at the cleric, then immediately sprang backward ten feet from the party. The material quickly hardened into a cocoon around Fulk, grappling the cleric! At the same time, from a hole in the ceiling above Firiona another spray of the same material emerged, striking and cocooning the wizard! And another of the weird creatures raced toward Lina and sprayed the material at her, but Lina somehow avoided being caught in the spray.

However, the first insectoid creature also sprayed Lina, and this time she was caught!

The second creature moved with amazing speed toward Firiona and struck her with its antennae and forelimbs. Its appearance immediately became stronger and more robust, as if it had somehow gained vitality from the attack. Firiona felt heavily drained of vitality and strength. Lina, meanwhile, shapechanged to ghaele eladrin form, became ethereal to escape from the cocoon, and passed into the nearby wall of the tunnel. From above, the third creature directed another noxious stream at Green Arrow, but the elven archer dodged the attack. In return, Green Arrow shot at the first of the attacking creatures, doing heavy damage.

While the elven archer was firing, Edward spiderclimbed up out of the water in the pit, then used his winged boots to fly up to the newly-solidified barrier above the pit, seeking a way out of the trap.

Back in the tunnel, Arimir cast an empowered chain lightning at the creatures, doing minor damage, then flew back behind cover. As he flew away, the weakened Firiona shapechanged into a dread wraith, then escaped into the tunnel wall and emerged to attack the first of the insectoids. She failed to damage the creature, however.

Back in the pit, Elana swam to the wall of the trap, then cast dimension door and escaped from the pit, ending up behind Arimir. Although she had escaped, Fulk was not able to and remained cocooned.

With astonishing speed and in defiance of gravity, the first creature ran up to the hole above the path and disappeared into the hole, apparently into an upper chamber hidden from view. The second creature advanced ten feet to attack Green Arrow, leaving the elven archer weaker and clumsier, then fled back and upward and also raced into the hole in the ceiling. While the creature was escaping, Lina moved out of the wall, changed to invisible stalker form, then flew thirty feet toward the third creature, which had previously left the hole to attack Green Arrow. Not quickly enough. The third insectoid sped toward Green Arrow and fired the gooey substance at him, cocooning him. The elven archer failed to break out of the cocoon!

While the others continued the struggle, Edward, still in the pit, tried to break through the upper barrier, but was unable to do so.

Arimir cast ray deflection on himself, as did Elana. The airy adventurer then flew up to the hole in the ceiling, but saw no creatures. Firiona, moving through another wall of the tunnel, shapechanged to another invisible stalker.

Fulk remained cocooned.

Suddenly, the party heard faint scuttling sounds from above the tunnel. They could see no creatures, however. Lina went to Fulk, cast dimension door on him, then headed down the corridor, toward the point of origin of the attacking creatures. The third creature, meanwhile, attacked Green Arrow with its forelimbs and antennae, now helplessly cocooned, gaining vigor at the elven archer’s expense. Green Arrow felt even weaker, clumsier and less vital than before, and again failed to escape.

Arimir, thinking quickly, cast dimension door, then flew into the sealed pit to aid Edward, who had again failed to break through the solidified goo blocking the pit.

The third creature came under attack as Firiona cast an admixed acid/fire scorching ray. Unfortunately, she cast so clumsily that one of her rays struck herself! The creature took only superficial damage.

Elana was finally able to reach Green Arrow, then took him with her via dimension door over to Fulk’s location. The cleric too was finally able to cast a spell, endowing himself with freedom of movement.

But things were about to get worse. Another creature suddenly appeared and cocooned Green Arrow again! The arcane archer was unable to break free of this second cocoon. Quickly reacting to the attack, Lina, using a maximized meta rod lightning bolt, fired at the new assailant, but barely scathed the creature. The third creature, rushing a full sixty feet toward Elana, feinted at her, then struck her with its antennae. Elana now felt weaker and clumsier, but managed to step back and cast sonic might at her attacker, doing significant damage.

"I’ll hold on," said Edward to Arimir. "You dimension door me next to the third creature." Arimir did as requested, and Edward, suddenly appearing within striking distance of the insetoid, hit it four times and severely wounded it.

Changing strategies, Firiona quaffed a potion of greater invisibility, then shapechanged to marilith form. Fulk, attempting to repeat the success he had had, cast freedom of movement on Green Arrow, hoping to free him.

This wasn’t enough. The battle became more and more unfavorable to the adventurers.

The fourth creature rushed another fifty feet toward Lina, struck her and drained her of more strength and dexterity, then sprang twenty feet back, out of range of retaliation. The second creature, now returned to the battle by some hidden path, advanced ten feet toward Lina and struck her as well, draining her even more, then ran back sixty feet. Now weak, clumsy and wounded, Lina still managed to shapechange into solar form, and then attacked her tormentors with her greatsword. Unfortunately, she missed. The third creature, meanwhile, struck Edward with antennae and forelegs, gaining vitality at the expense of the paladin. Edward’s strength, dexterity and vitality were devastated by the insectoid creature’s attack. Arimir’s orb of electricity did no more than minor damage to Edward’s attacker.

Nothing the party could do seemed to affect the course of the battle. They could see that the creatures would eventually grind them down. Firiona put her swords away, shapechanged to nightwalker form, then readied greater teleport. The other adventurers joined hands, then Firiona cast the readied spell. The party fled back to the monastery. The creatures had defeated them.

XLIX. Hakk, The Swamp King

Abbot Ceril turned to Edward and the rest of the adventurers, a look of grave concern on his face. "You are strong and bold. Please help us!" the abbot implored.

"How long until they reach the monastery?" Edward asked the monk who had brought the report. "They are no more than ten miles away!" the monk exclaimed. "They are making great haste toward us."

"What defenses have you?"

"About forty men able to bear arms live nearby. Beyond that, only our walls"

"How many of the enemy approach?"

"Hundreds!" the monk cried. "Trolls, orcs, hundreds of them!"

Edward conferred quickly with the other adventurers, then turned to the abbot. "We will aid you. Summon all men able to fight, then lock your gates and take up defensive positions."

Ceril thanked the party for their assistance. "Fulk will help you," he said, referring to one of the monastery’s clerics, a young man also having military training.

The party left Ceril’s office to meet with Fulk. After about an hour, when the party had buffed up with defensive spells and other magical enhancements, Edward and Green Arrow proceeded to organize the defenders. Once this was done, the two Enterprise heroes, together with Fulk and other fighters of the monastery, left the monastery and took up defensive positions. Firiona and Lina remained on the monastery’s battlements, positioning themselves to protect the defenders and attack the invading horde at range if necessary.

It wasn’t long before the enemy swarm came into view. Firiona could see a huge mob of orcs. She estimated them to be at least fifteen hundred strong, grouped in twenty bands. Behind them came one hundred trolls, followed by twenty more heavily armed and armored trolls, apparently some kind of elite fighting unit. And following them all came a troll of exceptional size and strength, massively armored and wielding a huge heavy flail. She relayed the information to Edward.

"The troll king comes. Hakk, King of the Swamps," said Fulk after Edward informed him of the enemy’s strength.

Firiona and Lina, together with two companies of defenders–twenty archers, twenty fighters–held their places on the monastery’s walls, watching as no less than twenty mobs of orcs approached at double-time. When they finally came within long bowshot, the archers loosed a huge volley of arrows. Firiona hurled an acid ball at the same unit. Almost fifty orcs were felled, and the survivors were badly shaken! But the remaining orcs, as well as the troll grunts and fighters kept advancing, then broke into a run, charging toward the monastery.

From the monastery walls, a barrage of arrows felled more of the surging orcs. Green Arrow shot at the troll fighters, while Firiona sent an admixed fireball their way. Three more of the armed trolls were heavily wounded, and another went down, fatally wounded.

Suddenly an ominous shape appeared next to the Troll King. As the two shapes advanced, Edward could see that Hakk had summoned a dragon. And no mere flying reptile. A great wyrm black dragon!

The enemy hordes continued their advance toward the monastery. More fell to arrows and to Edward’s sword. And another dragon appeared, as Firiona shapechanged into a huge gold dragon, panicking all but two of the advancing orc mobs and leaving the trolls shaken at the sight.

Suddenly, the Troll King quaffed a potion and took to the air! Edward, readying for battle, cast find the gap on himself, making his melee attacks even more deadly. From the monastery, the defending fighters charged at the orcs, killing four more of the evil creatures. Archers from the walls killed another dozen and shaking the survivors. 
　

Green Arrow flew toward Edward, then loosed an arrow at the black dragon, piercing its throat for critical damage! Yet still the raging orc mobs continued their advance toward the monastery, with more falling to the defenders’ attacks.

The black dragon breathed a stream of acid at Firiona, seriously wounding her. In turn, she quickly cast time stop. While time seemed to stop for her, she quickly cast energy resistance (acid), displacement and true seeing. She then rushed toward the dragon, changing to solar form as she did. Lina shapechanged to large silver dragon, then flew toward the Troll King and dispelled his fly spell.

Sensing a shift in the battle, the rest of the trolls and troll fighters rushed up to back up their king and the black dragon.

Hakk advanced threateningly toward Firiona. But Edward flew toward the black dragon, taking opportunistic damage, then demanded that the Troll King leave the area immediately!

The monastery fighters continued engaging the orcs, some of which had finally reached the monastery wall. Six of the evil creatures from the first mob fell. The remaining orc mob finally had enought, and fled. Green Arrow shot again at the black dragon, hitting with four arrows for severe damage.

Fulk moved toward Edward as the black dragon attacked Firiona with teeth, claw, wing and tail, doing only moderate damage to the elven wizard. Firiona rushed toward Fulk, then cast maximized darkbolt at the dragon for huge damage. Lina, ignoring the dragon’s opportunistic attack, cast Otto’s Irresistible Dance on the beast, and it was forced to dance.

Eight trolls and the surviving troll fighters stayed with Hakk, while the remaining trolls rushed the monastery walls. The Troll King hurled a javelin at Edward, inflicting minor damage at the airborne paladin. Landing, Edward attacked Hakk for heavy damage. Meanwhile, as the fighters from the monastery ran toward Fulk, who was readying heal, Green Arrow launchee a volley of five arrows at the dragon, bringing it down!

Fulk healed Firiona on her way to blast the remaining orcs at monastery, who had now reached the near wall of the monastery and managed to scale a ladder to the top of the wall. The orcs’ escallade was finally repulsed, though, by the defending archers and a blast of fiery breath from Firiona, now in gold dragon form. The brave, but foolish, orcs were all cut down.

Lina attempted to cast Otto’s at the troll king, but failed. Hakk’s counterattacks against her also failed. He then tried to disarm Edward-- twice!–but failed both times. He then backed up a step and whistled to the other surviving trolls. An attempt to negotiate?

But it was too late. Edward was having none of it, and with a mad flurry of sword-strokes slew the Troll King, to the dismay of the remaining trolls. They quickly fled the battle, but managed to take the king’s body with them as they withdrew. The monastery was saved.

The adventurers and the monastery’s defenders stripped the remaining dead attackers of their valuables, then returned to the monastery and secured the gate.

The monks rushed toward the party, expressing their gratitude for their aid against the monsters. They rewarded the party for their efforts, supplying them with three scrolls of mass heal and two scrolls of true resurrection. Later on, the abbot conferred with Edward. He offered the party free use of the monastery library.

Edward explained the nature of the party’s quest. "We wish to keep it quiet," he continued, "so others aren’t endangered." The abbot was appreciative of Edward’s concern. The paladin went on to describe Firiona’s vision.

"I think I can help you," said the abbot. "Come, let us go to the library."

The two proceeded to the monastery library. The abbot consulted large and musty tomes, and asked the librarian to locate a number of other rare manuscripts and volumes for him.

After about an hour, the abbot returned to Edward with a map and a handful of books.

"The place you seek is the city of Chalons," said the abbot, pointing to a spot on the map in the heart of the Griff Mountains. "Ancient legends characterized it as you related to me, although any such vast wealth has long ago disappeared. The city was still fairly prosperous even afterwards. We here at the monastery used to receive visitors and traders from the city from time to time. The last one was about six months ago. Not long enough to create any concern on our part–years have passed between visits in prior times."

"I thank you for your research on our behalf, Abbot," said Edward. "I agree, Chalons, should be our destination." The paladin advised the abbot to keep their research and discussions confidential, to which the abbot readily agreed. "You should also secure the books and other documents you used in your research, at least until our mission has been completed, lest unfriendly forces gain the information," Edward added. "It shall be done," replied the abbot.

Edward requested that the party be allowed to remain for a few days to make their preparations. "Of course, you are welcome as long as you wish," answered the abbot.

"A question did occur to me, now that the battle is over," said Edward. "Why should the Troll King attack this monastery?"

"Most likely because it lies directly on the shortest path to Rakervale," answered the abbot. "Hakk must have prepared his force to ravage the city, not just to destroy this monastery. Sadly for him, he did not reckon on the intervention of powerful allies on our side!"

Edward again thanked the abbot, then returned to his quarters, together with Firiona and Lina. The two casters agreed to teleport back to Greyhawk, where they would advise the Enterprise agency there of the recent developments, and ask them to watch over the monastery to prevent any follow-up attacks. They also would find Elana and Arimir and invite them to join the quest.

A few days later, all the adventurers re-assembled at the monastery. Elana and Arimir were there. So was Edward’s griffon mount, and his cohort, Merovech. The party from Greyhawk had obtained provisions for three weeks, as well as replenished magic. Elana had acquired as well five overland flight scrolls.

"Would it be possible for Fulk to accompany us?" Edward asked the abbot. "Our road may be dangerous, and we may need more healing than I can provide." The abbot readily agreed to allow Fulk to join the party. "It will be good experience for Fulk," he observed. In return, Edward assigned Merovech to guard the monastery, with instructions to report any troubles that may occur.

XLVIII. The Hammer Quest

The adventurers took advantage of the downtime to pursue their individual interests. About two months later, Edward contacted Firiona at the Darksea Magic Academy. "I’m ready to start searching," he told Firiona. "Are you ready to use that scroll?" She indicated that she was prepared.

When Firiona put the scroll to use, into her mind came the words, "To the beautiful land in the heart of the range, where buildings are roofed in gold, where gems lie strewn about, go in the name of Ardaric."

"Do you have any idea what that means?" the paladin asked Firiona. "I certainly haven’t heard of any such places, or anyone by that name." Firiona answered, "Can’t say that I have, either. Maybe you need to hire a sage. Should be someone available in Greyhawk who knows something."

Edward agreed that a sage was in order. He arranged for transportation to Greyhawk, where he met with elders of the Church of Hieroneous and asked for a reference. They in turn directed him to a large library in town, where a knowledgeable sage regularly made use of the facilities. The sage proved willing to work, for a modest fee of fifty gold pieces per day, one week minimum. Edward handed over three hundred and fifty gold pieces, and awaited the sage’s report.

One week later, the sage met with Edward. "Found something, I did," the sage told Edward. "Far to the north, beyond The Pale, such a land was said to be found. The Griff Mountains it was, that was the range. Never proven to exist, as far as records here show, but much wealth of minerals is known to be in the Griffs. Also many giants are said to wander there."

The sage took out a map and showed Edward where the Griff Mountains were located. "Best to make for Rakervale, in The Pale. From there, roads into the Griffs can be taken."

Edward thanked the sage for his work, praising his scholarship effusively. He then sought out a cartographer, who supplied him with a map of The Pale, including a street map of Rakervale, and the surrounding mountain ranges, including the Griff Mountains.

Having obtained the requisite geographical information, Edward returned to the inn in Greyhawk where he had been staying. Firiona had arrived a short while before. He told the mage what he had learned. "Let’s invite the rest of the crew," he said. Firiona agreed to return to Darksea and bring those of the friends who wished to join Edward on his quest. Green Arrow and Lina were eager to go. Miae, however, had had enough of adventuring for the time being, and declined to join the crew. "I think I’ll stick to brewing for now," she told the others.

Back in Greyhawk, the four adventurers prepared for their journey. Firiona then teleported the group to Rakervale, just outside the city gates. The gatekeepers asked the party what their business was. "We’re here to find monsters to slay!" answered Green Arrow. This response was very satisfactory to the gatekeepers, who admitted the party without further ado.

Once inside the city, Edward used the map he had obtained to locate a tavern in which to gather information. They found one quickly. The Holy Quarterstaff tavern was dark and crowded, the customers almost all humans, with a couple of elves and halflings keeping to themselves.

A waitress directed the party to the bar, as no tables were free at the time. They bellied up to the bar and ordered drinks. They noticed that the crowd didn’t seem especially friendly. That was no surprise, however, since they were in The Pale, and The Pale was not known for its friendly attitude to anyone who didn’t owe allegiance to the theocratic government and worship in the Church of Pholtus.

Edward decided to try to change some attitudes. He slapped one hundred gold pieces on the counter and spoke to the barkeep. "Obviously you can see we’re new here. We’re looking for information on the Griff Mountains and the surrounding areas." Using his most diplomatic manner, he asked, "Can you help us find someone with that kind of knowledge?"

The barkeep’s formerly surly expression suddenly changed to one of eager helpfulness. "Well, well, I can see you’re a gent of quality. So here’s what you should do. Go to the Monastery of St. Theomon. It’s about two days’ ride east of here. Has a very good library. Ask for the abbot. Not a bad trip, but beware of the Troll Fens."

Edward and the others thanked the barkeep, finished their drinks, then left the tavern to find a provisioner for their journey. They purchased about one month’s worth of rations, which all went into the portable hole. Shortly thereafter, they left the town, heading east.

After a two-day journey, with no problems to speak of other than a small band of orcs that were quickly scared away, the party reached the Monastery of St. Theomon in the early evening. They knocked at the large wooden door. After a few moments, it creaked open, and an old monk, with two novices beside him, appeared in the doorway.

"Who disturbs the peace of the Monastery of St. Theomon?" the old monk demanded.

"We come from Greyhawk, seeking knowledge. We have a donation to offer to the monastery," Edward answered diplomatically.

"You are not a Pholtan. Why should we aid you?" said the old monk. In response, Edward tapped his money pouch.

The old monk thought a moment, then suddenly his tone changed. "Perhaps you are worthy. Whom do you follow?" he asked.

"I follow Hieroneous," Edward answered.

"A worthy power," responded the old monk. "We do not look unfavorably on the valorous Hieroneous. Come in." The door swung wide, and the party entered the monastery. Edward discretely handed over the promised donation to the old monk.

"We can offer you accommodations for the night," the old monk told the party. "Monks’ quarters, of course. Not luxurious by any means, but we are sure you will find them sufficient." The adventurers thanked the old monk, then followed the two novices, who guided them to the cells that would be their lodging.

Early next morning – very early– the party were awakened by the sounds of the monks’ morning office. They rose, equipped themselves, and made their way to the refectory, where they hoped to obtain breakfast. After a simple meal, the party asked one of the novices if they could meet with the abbot of the monastery. The novice led them to the abbot’s office, then told them to wait. He entered the office, closing the door behind him.

A few moments later, the novice returned. "You may go in now," he said. "The abbot will see you."

Inside the office, the party were introduced to Abbot Ceril, a man of middle age, grey haired and bearded, richly dressed in clerical garb. He asked if the party had slept well, then inquired what their mission was and why they were here. Edward explained their need for information pertaining to the area of the Griff Mountains.

The abbot politely listened to Edward, then began a discourse on Pholtan theology. Edward explained that he was a high-ranking paladin of Hieroneous, but that he respected Pholtus and hoped for harmonious relations between the two churches. The abbot seemed agreeable, and kept asking questions, theological and otherwise.

Suddenly, a monk rushed into the abbot’s office.

"The new king of the trolls approaches!" the monk exclaimed. "We are in danger!"

XLVII. Attack of the Spider-Eater

As quickly as they had arrived, the adventurers left the Outlands safe house. Edward led them to the hidden location of the door that would take them back to Sigil. From Sigil, they made preparations to return to Enterprise headquarters. It was time to report.

Before leaving the Sigil safe house, Edward’s curiosity was piqued. He opened the portable hole and removed the corpse of the Inscrutable Redactor, hoping to find magic items of incredible power on the fallen drow wizard.

The Redactor opened his eyes. On his finger was a ring. The drow quickly spoke. Firiona recognized the word: the activation word for a ring of three wishes! Before anyone could stop him, the Redactor vanished!

"What in the name of Hieroneous just happened?!" demanded Edward. "He was dead. I killed him!" Firiona scratched her head and thought for a moment. "He must have had some kind of contingent resurrection spell on him. It must have activated while he was in storage, probably just before you pulled him out. Obviously he had a plan for such an outcome. The fellow was no fool," she said. "The Enterprise will no doubt be interested to hear about his escape, as well as everything else that’s befallen."

And indeed they were. After a few days of rest, relaxation and analysis of various looted items, the adventurers were debriefed. So important did the Enterprise view the meeting that it was held on the Enterprise’s secret demi-plane for extra security. And the attendees at the debriefing were also indicative of its importance: Tisiphone, the Blue Dahlia, Andronikos, Matasuntha, and Vessa herself!

The four intrepid Enterprise agents described in detail their activities in the Vault. Edward concluded the account by relating how he left his own personal message in the Chamber of the Libram. Vessa smiled. "Nice touch," she said. "The Redactor may not be long for the world after this defeat. The priestesses will be looking for him, if not Lolth herself."

"I’d guess his contingency plan did not include returning to the Vault," Tisiphone opined. "Perhaps I should look into tracing him," said the Blue Dahlia. "He may prove useful to us at a later date. He can certainly be turned against his former colleagues in the Vault."

"Maybe," replied Vessa.

Tisiphone then told the party about the Spider Ship mission, and the fate of Arnold. "Well, he went out a hero, anyway," said Green Arrow. "Indeed he did," answered Tisiphone. "I think he more than made up for his bungling in the Vault. I’ll think well of him from now on."

"His mission was more important than he may have realized," said Vessa. "Second only to yours. Indeed, one of the most important in the entire campaign."

"Campaign?" Edward repeated. "You mean, there was more going on than Arnold’s mission, and ours?"

"There was," Vessa answered. "Do you recall the death slaad’s atlas, that you recovered from his lair in the tunnels beyond Darksea?" The adventurers nodded. "We made great use of the information therein," the Enterprise leader continued. "The fifty most important drow strongholds came under attack, virtually simultaneously.  Some of the attacks were carried out by Enterprise agents.  Others, we instigated the Ashen Compact to undertake.  Lolth may be aware of events that affect the drow, but she can’t be everywhere at once. Your mission, and Arnold’s, were timed to begin after the other drow strongholds came under our attack. They were the most important of the lot. She is no doubt furious at the destruction of her ship, but even angrier at the loss of the Libram. And in fear, I would say, now that an unknown party has in its possession all the secret knowledge of the entire drow race!"

"And she won’t be able to find it, I take it?" asked Firiona. "It has been rendered undetectable, has it not?"

"Just so," said Tisiphone.

Firiona smiled, then continued. "But what about the floating dead baby? Or whatever it was. Where did it come from? It wasn’t a coincidence, was it?"

"Extra credit for you, Firiona!" exclaimed Vessa. "No, it was not a coincidence. In fact, Green Arrow and Miae helped to bring it to the Vault."

"We did? How?!" the two adventurers exclaimed.

Vessa grinned as she began explaining, clearly enjoying the story. "The information we had you deliver to the Church of Vecna was not actually intended for Vecna’s minions. One of our other agents in the Vault–a very, very deep agent!–informed Eclavdra, at our instruction, about the exchange that was due to take place between you and the Church. We knew that she would find the temptation to seize the information for herself irresistible. And so she did.

"The information she seized, however, was not in fact the location of the Sword of Kas. Instead, it was a scroll and map that we prepared, based on other information that you also found and delivered to us from the trove of the lich Issus."

"Issus!" cried Edward. "The one with the dagger!"

"He's the one," replied Vessa. "The lore he delivered to us in return for his dagger turned out to be of incredible value. The dagger itself, obviously, was of the greatest importance to him. I believe it was actually the key to his own personal demi-plane. At any rate, he was eager to make that bargain. He also seemed to have a healthy respect for me when we met. I think he knew I was more than I seemed," she said.

"But I digress. Issus’ lore included the location of a sealed crypt on the Astral Plane. He seems to have determined that the crypt guarded an entity of great power, so great that he refrained from further investigating and perhaps awakening it." Glancing at the Blue Dahlia, Vessa continued. "We were not so reluctant. Enterprise agents determined that the tomb imprisoned an extremely powerful monster. It was a a creature known as an abomination, but a particular kind of abomination. A still-born godling of tremendous evil: an atropal.

"We took thought as to how we might use this knowledge," said the Dahlia. "If properly used, it could deliver a devastating blow against the enemies of the Enterprise. Of course, a target immediately suggested itself: Eclavdra, and House Eilservs. We had only to arrange for Eclavdra to obtain the information–and to believe that she had seized it by her own treacherous means."

"That is where you came in, Green Arrow and Miae," continued Vessa. "As we mentioned, we manipulated Eclavdra, through our agent, into confiscating the package you were supposed to deliver to Vecna. Oh, and by the way," she added parenthetically, "did you ever wonder why Eclavdra let you keep your gear when she had you locked up in the Black Gate?"

The two adventurers looked at each other. "Now that you mention it," said Miae, "it did seem oddly negligent, to say the least."

"It was not negligence. I was there myself–completely undetectable, of course!–and helped Eclavdra "forget" to order your goods confiscated. It was that important that she seize the first package with the information we wanted her to have, that I myself supervised things to make sure they went as planned." She suppressed a laugh. "Sorry for the deception, Miae, Green Arrow, but I’m sure you see the need for it."

"Of course," Green Arrow answered.

Vessa continued. "Once Eclavdra had obtained and studied the package, she organized an exploratory mission to recover the artefact. I kept watch on the explorators myself," she boasted. "I followed them to the Astral plane and saw them reach the tomb where, they thought, they would find the Sword of Kas. I watched them take the silver hammer that hung from a hook next to a chime placed in front of the crypt, and strike the chime in the sequence the scroll instructed. And when they had struck the chime, the gates of the tomb opened, and out floated the abomination! And its life-draining power–which you witnessed yourselves–promptly slew the entire explorator team! Having done so, the atropal used its speak with dead power to extract information on their point of origin. The slain drow were turned into specters by the monster’s power to create greater undead. The atropal then proceeded to the Prime Material Plane via plane shift, taking the specters with it. I followed them to the Prime, where the monster and its enslaved minions found the most expeditious route to Erelhei-Cinlu.

"At this point I left the monsters to their rampage, returned to headquarters here, and had messages dispatched to your party, and Arnold’s. As you witnessed, the atropal quickly entered the Vault, killing everything in its path, creating and commanding undead, and heading toward the city and the noble estates beyond. Its target: the estate of House Eilservs.

"So," Vessa concluded, "not only did the atropal serve my intention to devastate Erelhei-Cinlu in general, and House Eilservs in particular–and in that it was spectacularly effective!–but it diverted almost all attention away from you and your activities in the Spire of the Encyclic. It slew most of those scholars who fled the Spire. A loss that the drow will have tremendous difficulty recovering from! And this allowed you to reach your target with much less difficulty than would otherwise have been the case. And by the way, it also improved the position of the Rakes within the Vault, which also serves our agenda. Your timely warning to the Rakes was of great benefit to our efforts."

The adventurers paused to digest this information. After a short time, Firiona spoke.  "Won't Lolth just resurrect the dead scholars, and whoever else is needed to reconstruct the city?" she asked.  "Maybe," replied Vessa.  "Maybe she'll decide that any city that couldn't protect itself and its valuables deserves what it gets.  Nobody knows.  But we have certainly made life more difficult for the enemy.  And now they have something to really be afraid of."

"Lolth's agents will very likely try to find you, Edward," added the Dahlia.  "Magical means won't work, but old-fashioned intelligence-gathering may.  You should be very careful in the future, Edward.  We'll do what we can to neutralize any threats we learn about, but you'll need to take active measures yourself."  Edward nodded.  "Goes with the territory," he observed.  "It was worth it to make sure they knew who did it!"

"What were those granite slabs we recovered?" Firiona continued.  "They seemed to have extremely powerful spells engraved on them."

"They really are extremely powerful," answered Matasuntha. "One of them you’ve figured out to some extent already. It’s the one called peripety. The other one, the one you couldn’t figure out, is something we never expected. It’s a tremendously powerful spell created by the wizard known as Irulan, who lived a century or more ago. She disappeared decades ago, but prior to her disappearance she had gained a reputation as an evoker of truly astounding power. We know of a handful of spells attributed to her, but none of this level. And," she emphasized, "one of the books you recovered with the slab included a description of the location at which the slab was found, and told of an adamantine door that could not be opened. We’ll definitely want to follow up on this."

"I was just wondering," Edward interjected, "why I was gated into the final battle with the Redactor. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just send me along with the others into the Vault?"

"No, it wouldn’t have," Vessa answered. "It would have been too much of a burden on you, a paladin of Hieroneous, to have to witness such depravity and evil on a continual basis. The temptation to intervene on behalf of some poor slave or sacrificial victim would have been too great for you to withstand, and that would have compromised the entire mission. We were looking out for you, Edward."

The paladin nodded to Vessa. "Wise of you, if I may say so. You’re right, I almost certainly would have tried to save some drow victim or other. It’s what I do."

"Now," said Vessa, "you all have some well-earned time off. Go and pursue your own goals. Rest, relax, travel, tend to your estates, whatever you see fit. When the time comes, we will have another project for you–one even more important that the mission you have just completed."

The adventurers wondered what could possibly be more important that the mission they’d just completed.

"If you have any more questions, please ask, by all means," said the Blue Dahlia.

Edward thought for a second, then asked why the Enterprise was waging open warfare against the drow. Vessa reminded him of the nature and purpose of the Enterprise. "We felt that the time was right to take action, and that the information that had come into our possession had come for just that reason."

At that, Edward suddenly unsheathed his mercurial greatsword and threw it on the table. "We’ve raided the stronghold of the drow, seized the Libram Encyclic, slain many of their leaders, seized a hoard of their most valuable treasures. They will certainly retaliate! And when they do, this weapon, powerful as it is, won’t be good enough!" Green Arrow tossed his bow on the table as well, agreeing with Edward.

"I need a better weapon: a Hammer of Thunderbolts–or a path to it!" He winked at Miae. "And dinner, too."

Firiona added, "I would also request that the Enterprise restore my sister Lina, who fell in the Spire."

"This mission has had its enjoyable aspects," said Miae, winking back at Edward. "But now I’m ready to head back home and brew up some more beer. I would appreciate having those magic items that the Redactor disjoined restored or replaced, if you would."

"All quite reasonable requests," agreed Vessa, "and they shall be granted. One already has been." She gestured to a door at the far end of the meeting room. The door opened, and into the room walked a familiar figure.

"Lina!" exclaimed Firiona. She rushed to embrace her sister, thanking the Enterprise leaders profusely as she did so. The rest of the party did likewise. And with that, the meeting ended, and the party were led back to their quarters to enjoy their time together re-united with Lina.

A few days later, the adventurers were ready to head back to Greyhawk and/or Darksea. The Enterprise supplied them with many of their requested items. However, the Enterprise did not have exact knowledge of the location of any such artifact as Edward desired to obtain. The best the organization could do was to give Firiona a vision scroll, which she could use to try to location one. 

XLVI. The Spire of the Encyclic

As Arnold, Elana and Aramir were heading for the Ship of Lolth, Green Arrow and the others still in Erelhei-Cinlu received a sending from the Enterprise: "Advise Jalvan and his Rakes: remain out of sight next two days if any "disturbances" in Vault." The adventurers passed on the message and continued to wait. "They wouldn’t have sent a message like this for nothing," thought Green Arrow. "Looks like we’d better keep our swords sharp and our spellbooks handy," he told Miae. She nodded.

The wait wasn’t long. The next evening, as the four Enterprise agents were taking their evening meal at the Far Night Inn, a second sending came: "When time right, enter Spire of Encyclic. Seize Libram Encyclic, also other valuables. Beware Redactor and allies. Escape Vault when mission completed." Green Arrow had just enough time to wonder, ""When the time is right?"", when suddenly loud explosions and terrified shouting were heard! Quickly, the adventurers headed for the roof of the Inn to see what they could see. Green Arrow turned invisible and flew upward over the drow city to get a better look. In the distance east of the city, he could see something rapidly approaching. With astonishing speed it came into view, and even the doughty Green Arrow was taken aback.

The creature slowed as it came over the city, flying through the dark air without wings, yet still moved many times faster than a man could walk. The sight was horrifying: it brought to Green Arrow’s mind nothing so much as an immense, floating dead baby. But far more appalling than the appearance of the creature was its effect on the city below. Hundreds, thousands of drow in a wide area about the monster fell dead, shrieking in utter terror as they died. Even more destruction was being wrought upon the city by the monster’s henchmen, if such they could be called: hundreds of skeletons, zombies, specters and other undead, followed by five immense nightcrawlers, destroying everything in their path. More undead were joining the horde with every passing minute, as scores of newly-dead drow arose under the control of the floating horror.

"Looks like the time is right," said Miae. "Let’s go!" She dashed back down to the ground floor of the inn, followed by Firiona and Lina, while Green Arrow flew down to street level to join them. As they ran toward the Spire, they saw the creature soaring above the city, heading, apparently, for the Ghetto of Scholars, and beyond that, toward the nobles’ quarter in the upper Vault.

The adventurers approached the Spire. Firiona recognized many of the staff and resident scholars attempting to flee. Before they could find safety, the floating monster targeted them with a wet, blackened, undead finger. Dozens fell dead from the spell. Dozens more as they entered the powerful negative aura of the thing. Some of the drow from the Spire and nearby establishments brought out ranged weapons with which they attempted to defend themselves from the monster. All failed to do any damage to it. The creature’s horde of undead soon raged through the vicinity of the Spire, and the defenders fled or fell. Then they continued in the wake of the creature toward the nobles’ quarter.

Ducking around a corner, the four Enterprise agents spelled up with invisibility and fly. Thus prepared, they headed for the Spire and entered through the open doors, proceeding to the central atrium. They flew up the atrium as far as they could. At the eleventh floor, they landed.

Green Arrow rushed to open the door to the eleventh floor, and was rewarded for his haste by setting off a trap. Fortunately for him, he was able to avoid the effects of the trap, but the door remained closed. Miae then tried to disable the trap. "Aaaahhh!" she groaned, suddenly feeling terribly weak. "Energy drain," she gasped, before casting restoration on herself. Finally, Firiona used her wand of dispel magic on the door. A first attempt only removed an arcane lock on the door, but a second try removed the energy drain and alarm spells. The party then entered. As a precaution, Firiona cast abyssal might on herself, after changing to balor form!

Once inside the eleventh floor, the party began to search for a way to the uppermost floors. The eleventh floor was a wide, open area surrounding the central atrium, with two doorways on opposite sides of the atrium. Two stairways on opposite sides of the floor along the outer circular wall of the Spire appeared to lead upwards. Two offices were located adjacent one of the stairways; three smaller rooms were placed adjacent the opposite stairway. Book cases and small tables were distributed radially about the remainder of the floor.

As they started to inspect the floor area, the party felt a sudden terror! Firiona, Lina and Miae shook their heads as the feeling passed. Green Arrow tried to do the same, but to his horror, a hideous apparition suddenly confronted him! He braced himself for its onrush, summoning all his strength and resolve. Just before it struck him, the apparition disappeared. He barely had time to cry, "Weird!" before the party found itself under assault.

Quickly, Green Arrow cast shield on himself. Firiona gave him a see invisible, while Lina, spotting no enemies, created seven mirror images of herself. Suddenly a torrent of energy struck the party. Green Arrow withstood the attack, but Firiona, Lina and Miae took damage from the rainbow blast. Miae ducked into some nearby book stacks, seeking cover.

A horde of pit fiends appeared as Firiona also cast mirror image on herself. Lina assumed planetar form–seven of them. From an unknown location a deafening shout emerged, doing serious harm to Firiona and Lina, but Miae was able to heal some of the damage to Firiona, who then gave herself true seeing. From planetar form, Lina shifted to pit fiends, just soon enough to resist a polar ray! Now Green Arrow shot a readied arrow toward the point from which the polar ray originated. To his horror, the arrow turned around in mid-flight and returned to him, doing heavy damage to the archer! But now, Firiona’s true seeing allowed her to spot the drow caster who had attacked them, and she sent seven darkbolts his way, two of them striking home! Lina also saw the enemy caster, quickly changed to balor form, and cast a greater dispel magic at the drow. The drow appeared to react to the spell, but returned his own greater dispel at Firiona, removing her mind blank and true seeing!

Another arrow from Green Arrow’s bow sped toward the drow, with the same result. Some spell was turning his attacks upon himself! But a second arrow emerged from one of the studies! Firiona ducked just in time to avoid the projectile, then cast another greater dispel at the drow wizard. He howled in frustration–a powerful spell was now lost! Lina used her balor’s whip on the drow, burning him for moderate damage, but in return he dispelled Lina’s shapechange. From the stacks, Miae came to Green Arrow’s aid with a cure spell. He in turn put his bow away and charged the drow wizard, wounding him. But now the other drow emerged from the study. "I’m coming, Molvith!" she called to the wizard, as she launched a spring attack against Green Arrow. She missed!

Glitterdust emerged from Firiona’s fingers, but failed to affect the drow wizard. He cast shapechange on himself, preparing some sinister form in which to attack the party. But Green Arrow swung again, critically wounding Molvith! Now the female drow ran toward the battle. Firiona attempted to whip the drow assassin, but missed. But Lina then uttered a word of deadly power at Molvith. The drow wizard shrieked in pain, gasped, "Leyli . . .", and fell dead! The female drow, seeing four powerful invaders arrayed against her, ducked a fireball from Green Arrow and fled from the room.

Green Arrow quickly searched the corpse of Molvith, finding a number of powerful magic items, while Miae searched the small rooms near each stairway, making sure first to search for traps. One of the rooms proved to be a storeroom for magic items. She grabbed several handfuls of mysterious rods and scrolls and stuffed them into the portable hole, along with parchments and other documents found in the other rooms. Firiona found fifteen books of interest among the stacks, and these too went into the portable hole. It was then time to move upward.

The party took the stairway on the northern wall, moving up the stairs as silently as they could, emerging shortly onto the twelfth floor. The floor was one large, semicircular open space with five stacks of bookshelves. A central alcove in the wall to their right aligned with the central axis of the Spire. Two closed doors stood on either end of the alcove.

But before the party could do more than glance into the room, a swarm of arrows suddenly assailed every memeber! All took damage. No sooner had the first flight hit its targets than a second barrage of arrows followed the first. Firiona and Lina took lesser damage due to their magical protection.

Green Arrow, looking quickly about the room, spotted a drow bearing a bow, lurking among the stacks. He shouted at the drow, heavily damaging the dark elf. Firiona cast displacement on herself and took pit fiend form. Lina likewise changed to devil-form. Miae quickly prepared a spell in case one of the adventurers should meet a sudden and violent end.

Suddenly, Lina felt herself under magical attack! The far door in the alcove had cracked open while the party were occupied with the drow archer. Lina was shocked to realize she had been hit with a reaving dispel. The caster, hidden behind the now-opened door, stole her shapechange, detect magic and displacement spells! Just then, another flight of arrows struck Firiona, wounding her severely. Miae quickly gave her a cure potion. From the open door a male drow wizard emerged, slamming the door behind him.

Now Green Arrow closed on the drow archer, and he was not to be denied. Five devastating blows sent the dark elf to his dark mistress, permanently. Magic missiles sped from Firiona toward the wizard, but failed to inflict any damage. Green Arrow attempted to shoot the enemy as well, but hit himself instead as, once again, his arrow turned back upon him! But then he nocked cure critical arrows, and thus healed himself of part of the damage he had just inflicted, as well as healing some of Firiona’s wounds.

Extending a hand toward the opened door, Firiona spoke the mystic syllables of a prismatic spray, and two rays sprang forth! A scream of pain came from the wizard, and he staggered, clutching his abdomen and gasping, before falling face down to the floor. "Poison!" exclaimed Firiona. "Gets ‘em every time."

"Better make it quick if you’re going to search," advised Green Arrow. "We must have been heard by now. Be wary!" The party searched the bodies, finding more choice magic items which were promptly placed in the portable hole. A scan of the bookcases located seven spellbooks, as well as books on religion, torture and poisons. Two atlases, one of the Flanaess, the other of the Underdark, were also found.

Before searching the two locked rooms, Green Arrow, Firiona and Lina spelled up. The door on the left of the alcove was examined and found to be locked, trapped and alarmed. It took five attempts before the various spells were dispelled via wand. Miae picked the lock, and the party entered. They found a large workshop, with work benches, tables and a large locked cabinet. Green Arrow opened the cabinet and found two strange rods, of unknown but obviously great power, and a gaudy cloak. All went into the portable hole.

The other room proved more difficult to enter. Eight uses of a dispel magic wand failed to remove the spells on the door. Firiona’s greater dispel magic failed three times. Finally, Lina’s knock spell removed the arcane lock on the door, and also opened the lock on it. Miae then went to work on disabling the trap.

A hideous shriek tore through the room. "Banshees!" cried Firiona. She steeled herself against the eldritch wail. "Is everyone OK?" she asked. Miae and Green Arrow nodded. Then a gasp came from Lina. "No, I’m . . . not . . . . " she whispered. She fell to the floor and lay still. Firiona rushed to her fallen sister, but it was too late. Lina was dead!

"No time for mourning now," said Miae. "Greenie, put her in the hole. There’s still plenty of room." And so Lina was placed in the portable hole along with the other booty. The survivors examined the contents of the room.

The only apparent contents of the room were contained in a glass case in the center of the room: two old and massive books, one of which appeared to be damaged, and two tablets of granite, inscribed with strange runes, glyphs and symbols. Miae examined the case, then attempted to open it. To her surprise, it opened immediately. No traps!

Firiona took out the books and examined them quickly. The undamaged book appeared to be a bestiary of some kind, although the creatures described therein were of kinds unknown to her. Strange, roach-like monsters. Huge reptilian beasts. Others wholly unfamiliar. The other book seemed to include descriptions of the lands depicted in the atlas they had found in the stacks on the main floor. Inside the book there was also a folio that included scraps of ancient maps not included in the atlas. "These look like they’re from areas beyond the Flanaess!" Firiona exclaimed. She handed them to Miae for placement in the portable hole.

Then she turned to the tablets. Summoning all her knowledege of spellcraft, she came to a startling conclusion: these were not ordinary spells! "These tablets contains extremely powerful spells. I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never seen them before." She tried to read some of the engraved symbols, but was stymied. Only the titles were comprehensible to her. "One of these is for some kind of projectile-reversal spell called "peripety." Maybe that’s what kept sending your arrows back at you, Green!" The other tablet was even more baffling. "This other one’s called "Irulan’s Supernova," but that’s all I can make of it. I have no idea what it does. The name sounds pretty dangerous, though," Firiona remarked. "The Enterprise’ll want to have a look at these, no doubt about it." And the tablets joined the other contents of the portable hole.

Leaving the second room, Green Arrow began to search the rest of the main floor, seeking any other signs of magic items or traps, and more specifically, hidden doors that might conceal a stairway to the uppermost floor. When he returned to the alcove, he discovered that the mid-wall of the alcove was highly magical! "This must be it," he said. Firiona examined the door using appropriate spells. "A phase door!" she cried. "And we don’t have the key for it!" "Maybe the key is in one of these scrolls we found," Miae suggested. She examined some of the scrolls the party had previously discovered, and found that they contained previously unknown spells as well, although not as powerful as those etched into the granite tablets. None of them, however, seemed to have the desired function.

Finally, Firiona had an idea. "Maybe the key isn’t in this room, and maybe it isn’t even a spell. If I cast a vision, maybe that would tell me what’s needed." "Sounds possible, but make it fast," said Green Arrow.

Vision was a time-consuming spell, but Firiona proceeded as expeditiously as she could. As the spell took effect, she saw something unexpected: a drow making a gesture. The dark elf crossed her hands over her chest, palms inward, with the fingers splayed and the two thumbs hooking inwards toward each other. "The sign of the spider!" the drow said. The vision faded. "Got it!" Firiona exclaimed. "Green, make this sign!" she shouted to Green Arrow, who was nearest the door. The mighty archer promptly faced the center of the alcove and crossed his hands as directed. When he did so, the alcove wall suddenly shimmered and disappeared, revealing a staircase leading upward!

The three adventurers quickly ascended the short stairway to a landing.  At the landing, they found no door. But looking upward, Green Arrow spotted a cord hanging from the ceiling. Miae leaped up, grabbed the cord and pulled it down. The trap door to which it was tied opened downward, and a ladder came down. "Up we go!" she said. Green Arrow held her back. "Wait until I check this out," he said. His elf-eyes noted a hazy, wavering, vague object that appeared to hover in the air. "A symbol!" he shouted. "I’ll get it," said Miae. She ascended the ladder, stopping just short of the trap, and after some thought, succeeded in disabling it. "Symbol of death. Nasty," she remarked.

Up flew Green Arrow, followed by Firiona. Miae climbed up the ladder. They found themselves in a large, empty room with a door directly ahead of them. Green Arrow quaffed an invisibility potion, then opened the door. The women followed him.

The door opened into a large, dimly lit chamber, luxuriously carpeted, adorned with wall hangings depicting scenes favored by the drow–spiders and torture of helpless victims. And directly ahead of the adventurers stood a large pedestal, surrounded by a transparent casing. On the pedestal lay a huge, heavily decorated tome.

They were in the Chamber of the Libram, and there lay the Libram Encyclic!

From their left came a sneering voice. The adventurers quickly turned to see an uncommonly large, heavily armored male drow wielding a staff carven with scenes of mystical power. The very armor of the drow seemed to project an aura of intimidation.

"Welcome," the drow sneered. "We’ve been watching you."

Battle commenced!

Green Arrow deferred to Firiona, who cast timestop! Five rounds of uninterrupted action allowed her to cast daylight, displacement, true seeing and eye of the beholder, then to advance toward the drow dreadnought and cast greater invisibility on herself. Time resumed, and Green Arrow rushed at the drow and attacked with his mercurial greatsword, doing heavy damage to the dark elf. But the drow was not so easily intimidated. He launched a furious attack on the elf archer with both ends of his staff, landing four blows that rocked the Enterprise agent. Miae held back and readied a spell. Then suddenly, from another door, to the right on the opposite end of the room, a second foe emerged, a huge hobgoblin even more heavily armored than the drow and wielding a huge weapon–another mercurial greatsword! "Stand fast, Bartlar!" the hobgoblin bellowed, then quaffed a potion. Suddenly the creature was even larger, towering over the other combatants!

And that wasn’t all. Another door opened, again to the right of the main chamber. Out stepped a male drow, clad in the robes of a wizard but otherwise apparently unarmored, bearing a rapier, holding a rod. A green and lavender stone floated around his head. His eyes gleamed, and he smiled, as if from some secret knowledge. He spoke mystical words of power, and suddenly Green Arrow, Firiona and Miae felt themselves under massive attack, as if someone were attempting to drain them of all magical power. Oh, no, thought Firiona.  Mordenkainen's Disjunction! And she knew who it was who had just launched the attack.

The Inscrutable Redactor.

So great was the Redactor’s mastery of disjunctive magic that the adventurers found almost all of their magic items stripped of their powers. Green Arrow’s mercurial greatsword and bow. Firiona’s flaming whip. Miae’s beloved rapier "Snoopy". Almost every worn or carried item, now mere mundane objects. Almost every spell, dispelled. Even Firiona’s shapechange suppressed. Miae found that a few of her items, including–luckily!–her ring of evasion, rod of cancellation and several valuable scrolls, had survived the spell. The second package given her by Tisiphone prior to commencement of the mission also seemed to be unharmed.

But even worse for the party, it seemed that the disjunctive effect had been shaped specifically to exclude their foes!

Green Arrow, undeterred, continued to attack the drow dreadnought. Magical or not, the mercurial greatsword was still capable of dealing brutal damage. Firiona attacked the hobgoblin, wounding him slightly. The fighter sneered at her feeble effort and struck back, wounding her. Bartlar’s next assault on Green Arrow found its mark, but did relatively little damage. But then, Green Arrow and Firiona both ganged up on Bartlar. The dark elf fell, mortally wounded. The elvish archer then turned his attention to the hobgoblin, striking him with four arrows. Firiona tried laying a greater curse on the hobgoblin, but the huge brute was unaffected.

A tremendous cone of frost sped from the Redactor toward Green Arrow, who ducked just in time to avoid being frozen in place. But no sooner had he avoided one attack than a dagger from the hobgoblin pierced the elf. The dagger then flew back to its owner. Green Arrow felt a sudden and massive loss of strength!

Miae retreated to a corner of the room. She remembered the second package, the one Tisiphone had told her not to use until the time was right. If this isn’t the right time, I don’t know when it will be, she thought. She opened the package. In it was another scroll. Miae took the scroll and read it. It was a gate spell. She drew a sharp breath when she realized who the being to be gated in was, but quickly read the mystic words. The gate formed . . . .

While battle raged in the Vault of the Drow, both inside the Spire and outside in the larger city and surroundings, Edward sat in the safe house in the Outlands. He was still wondering what he was supposed to do, and when he was supposed to do it, when he saw the air directly in front of him begin to swirl. A gate?! he thought. Immediately he drew his sword, pulled on his helm, and assumed a battle stance. Through the gate he heard a voice calling . . . .

"EDWARD, COME! YOU ARE NEEDED!!" Miae shouted into the gate as soon as she was able to see the form of the mighty paladin. And needed he was, for the situation was becoming desperate for the adventurers. Green Arrow’s shots, now with his brilliant energy bow, which had somehow evaded being disjoined by the Redactor’s spell, unfortunately missed their mark. The archer felt still weaker, but now he felt drained of vigor as well. Firiona’s quickened darkbolt struck the hobgoblin four times, severely wounding him but failing to daze him; her polar ray missed altogether. The hobgoblin in turn swung at Green Arrow but missed.

The Redactor, meanwhile, had pulled out a rod from beneath his cloak and aimed it at Firiona. With incredible speed, a cloud of deadly gas formed about Firiona, followed immediately by a hemisphere of ice that sealed in the deadly vapors! Firiona felt her vitality drain from her due to the weakening effect of the poisonous fumes. The Redactor then withdrew into his quarters, slamming shut the door. To aid Green Arrow, Miae quickly cast greater restoration, returning the archer to his normal strength and vigor.

At that point, through the gate stepped a mighty figure.  Edward the paladin! He looked around, but the first thing he spotted was the demonic form of a balor–Firiona’s temporary shape. Immediately he turned back and returned through the gate, remembering well the admonition of the Church! As he was withdrawing from the battle, Green Arrow was tumbling away from the hobgoblin and launching another barrage of arrows at the Redactor’s guardian. Firiona blasted the defender with two spells in rapid succession, severely wounding him. Not severely enough. The hobgoblin stepped up to Green Arrow and pummeled him brutally.

Firiona caught sight of Edward leaving the battle. "Get back here! It’s Firiona, you fool!" she shouted furiously. Swiftly shapeshifting back to her normal form, she followed Edward through the gate and back to the Outlands safe house. "We need you now!  This is the big one!" she screamed. "What’s going on?" Edward asked. "No time to go into details. We’re stealing the drow’s greatest secrets, all packed up in one big book. The custodian thereof objects. That’s where you come in." Edward liked what he heard. Finally, some action instead of sitting around a boring old safe house! He looked Firiona over, saw she was wounded, delivered some timely healing, then said, "Let’s roll!"

Meanwhile, Green Arrow shot at the hobgoblin defender again, and again couldn’t bring the brute down. Suddenly, the elven archer was grasped by an invisible hand the touch of which seemed to drain his very life from him. He gasped for breath. The hobgoblin stepped to Green Arrow again and swung a mightly blow at the elf with his mercurial greatsword. And Green Arrow went down!

"Good, good!" a gleefully evil voice called out from the Redactor’s quarters. "Well done, Lashkrugg!"

The fallen elf groaned as he lay on the floor of the Chamber of the Libram, blood oozing from many wounds. But then Firiona stepped through the gate and rejoined the battle, shifting to planetar form as she took her stance. Edward came through, tumbling to avoid attack and resisting the Redactor’s attempt to dominate him. Lashkrugg quaffed a cure potion, trying to recover from his many terrible wounds. Not enough. Edward’s full power divine might smote the evil brute a blow than few even among the mightiest fighters of the world could withstand. The hobgoblin fell dead, and Edward turned his attention to the Redactor, dealing him severe damage. Meanwhile, Miae backed away and focused all her efforts on keeping the gate open.

The Redactor evaded Firiona’s next blow, then seemed to disappear! But he reappeared almost immediately, along with a burst of wind that seemed to form a vertical plane. Edward laid hands on Green Arrow, healing his ally with his last use of his paladin’s abilities. "Wind wall!" the elven archer immediately shouted, recognizing that his arrows would now likely miss their mark. An acid storm from Firiona struck the Redactor, but missed. Not so his return attack: ducking into his own cloudkill (and ignoring the damage taken from that hostile environment), the Redactor reached out with deadly darkness to touch Edward. The mighty paladin shrieked as he felt his vigor draining from him. His helm of brilliance flared to no effect against the drow wizard.

The battle raged, magical energies flaring and manifesting. Firiona’s spell attack failed to overcome the Redactor’s resistance. The drow, stepping toward the case protecting the Libram, attempted to grab Edward with Bigby’s Crushing Hand, but to his dismay, found that Edward could not be grappled! Edward was able to heal himself somewhat, and then called out to Green Arrow. "Any special arrows left, Green?" he shouted. The elven archer understood immediately, and loosed four cure critical arrows at the wounded paladin!


From among the scrolls she was carrying, Firiona pulled out a scroll, then shapechanged to titan form! The Redactor was not intimidated. A roar of hideous and cacophonous sound from the drow wizard struck Green Arrow and Firiona, and Firiona could not resist its terrible power. She fell, dying!

Edward put his greatsword away and pulled out Sharkbite, the sword of Darksea. He was enabled to see the heretofore-invisible Redactor, and flew at him, intending to destroy the drow with his fully-powered divine might. He missed! Green Arrow’s next flight of arrows likewise failed to find their mark. Firiona now lay moaning and bleeding, unable to move. The Redactor moved past Edward, ignoring the minor damage he inflicted on the drow in passing, and turned to face the paladin. His mouth moved, forming syllables unknown to the adventurers, syllables of the most terrifying nature. The Dark Speech! The dread word reached for Edward. And bounced off the paladin’s tarrasque-hide armor!

A new wave of weakness washed over Green Arrow. The poison that had afflicted him a minute previously again took the strength from him. Firiona’s condition worsened. Another spell from the Redactor failed to penetrate Edward’s magical armor, while Edward’s counterattack also failed to find its mark. The tide of battle, however, seemed to have turned decisively against the adventurers. The Redactor’s might appeared to be too great for their remaining strength.

Four cure critical arrows flew from Green Arrow’s bow, striking Firiona and returning her to full strength. She in turn sent a lightning bolt at the Redactor, who easily evaded it.

The Redactor moved past Edward, seeking a position of greater advantage within the Chamber of the Libram. So confident of victory, or so arrogant, was he, that he paid no heed to the paladin in passing. Immediately, Edward seized his chance. He swung the magical sword of Darksea at the drow wizard. The blade found its mark. A massive wound bloodied the Redactor. The custodian of all drow knowledge screamed in agony, fell to the floor, spasmed violently, then lay still.

The Inscrutable Redactor was dead!

"A mighty blow, Edward!" yelled Miae from the far side of the chamber. "But you all had better loot this place in a hurry, I don’t know how much longer I can hold this gate!" The party heartily agreed. Firiona found thirteen spellbooks in the Redactor’s quarters, and a locked chest in Bartlar’s room. Edward sheathed Sharkbite, stuffed the corpse of the Redactor into the portable hole, despoiled the hobgoblin’s corpse of his armor and gear, then found Lashkrugg’s treasure chest in his quarters.

The Libram proved to be encased in a force field, but the party were able to dispel it. Firiona seized the Libram and handed it to Edward. Immediately the paladin placed it in the portable hole. "OK, let’s get out of here!" shouted Miae. Green Arrow and Firiona ran to the gate and jumped through. "Edward, let’s go!" Miae urged.

The paladin ran to the center of the Chamber of the Libram. He drew his mercurial greatsword and slashed the initials "EG" through the carpet and into the very stone of the floor. "I want them to know who defeated them!" the paladin cried triumphantly. He then ran through the gate. Miae was right behind him. As soon as she crossed the plane of the gate, it collapsed. The adventurers were back in the Outlands, at the Enterprise safe house.