The next day the Crimson Fists receive a letter from the King granting them passage on his Flagship 'HMS SCIMITAR' to investigate the events in the Thunder Sea. The Fists 'Shadow Walk' to Sharn where the 'Scimitar' is docked and are welcomed aboard and briefed by the Captain of the vessel.
They spend the night in Sharn visiting their old comrade Anvil. Kapek also picks up Hurricane his faithful Glidewing.
Mol 2nd Sypheros 998 Y.K.
On the first tide the next day the 'Scimitar ' sets sail with the Fists aboard.
On the fourth day of the voyage the sky begins to darken and clouds gather as the 'Scimitar' heads into what is obviously a huge storm.
Shothragot
Wir 11th Sypheros 998 Y.K.
On the 11th day of sailing the Fists are informed they are nearing the epicentre of the storm, where the ship will not be able to survive for long. A 6,000 foot high column of writhing, watery darkness rears out of the sea topped by what looks like a black sphere.
Flying potions are quaffed and Kapek mounts Hurricane and the Fists fly up to examine the Sphere.
When they get within a 100 feet of the Sphere Kapek fires a clutch of boomerangs at the Sphere in the spirit of experimentation. Where the boomerangs hit cysts sprout on the surface of the Sphere, then burst spraying foul liquid. Tentacles emerge from the cysts and the cysts detach themselves from the Sphere and move towards the Fists.
Lorric launches himself at one of these strange creatures, attacking it. Another attacks Kapek sucking the life from him in what seems to be a 'Harm' effect! Kapek hastily retreats, Wil casts 'Incite Riot' on the creature but the spell has no effect. Mirra begins to blow on her horn to inspire her comrades.
Ajax joins in the attack with Lorric and together they slay their creature, as it dies a Fire elemental bursts from within the shell of darkness and hangs in the air for a second before plunging the 6,000 feet down to the ocean below. A unfortunate fate for a Fire elemental.
The Fists feel reality try to alter itself around them but they refuse to accept it and the feeling fades. Then the world whirls around them as another effect happens.
Two of the creatures charge Ajax, one striking him with physical blows the other invoking a 'Harm' on him. To add insult to injury Ajax is then 'Confused' and flees the battle.
Kapek uses Hurricane to the utmost, swooping in and strafing the creatures with Force boomerangs and then sweeping away. Wil casts 'Solid Fog' on two of the creatures.
Two of the creatures struggle in the 'Solid Fog',another one starts to return to the Sphere and the the last starts to merge with the Sphere.
Ajax driven by the spell on him charges one of the creatures in the 'Solid Fog'. Lorric joins him and it is soon slain, transforming into a Water Elemental before plunging away.
As one of the creature is fully absorbed by the Sphere the other creature in the 'Solid Fog' hits Ajax with a 'Harm', he responds with a storm of blows. Another flurry of boomerangs from Kapek finishes the creature which transforms into a Earth elemental
Wil casts 'Fox Cunning' on Kapek and Mirra 'Inspires Greatness' in him and Kapek fixes a Third Eye of Knowledge to his forehead. However even these preparations are not enough to overcome the strange hindrance to healing magic. Despite his best efforts Kapek fails to invoke the power of his Dragonmark and the two 'Heals' he can cast are wasted.
Meanwhile Ajax still under the influence of the 'Confusion' spell fires his longbow at the Sphere. Where the arrow hits a new cyst starts to form.
Wil quickly casts 'Break Enchantment' on Ajax and they move away from the cyst towards the base of the Sphere. There they find a rather disgusting looking valve into the interior of the Sphere. Having healed as best they can with Wands, Healing Belts and Potions ( Ajax using potions he's been carrying around with him for months) they head into the Sphere.
Inside the Sphere is composed of slimy flesh and pools of phosphorescent liquid. Lorric sneaks ahead but as the walls of flesh start to close around them to form a sphincter the rest of the Fists leap forward to avoid being crushed. The exit is now firmly sealed behind them.
Eight strange three-legged creatures (DRAUDNU) arise from the flesh of the floor. Kapek reacts instinctively with boomerangs and Wil follows up with a 'Flaywind Burst' spell and Lorric pummels one with his tankard. The creatures respond with numerous slashing hooks.
Ajax rips one apart and Wil casts another 'Flaywind Burst' and Lorric finishes off another creature.
The Draudnu have amazing reach but their attempts to hook the the Fists and bind them to the floor are fooled by the 'Freedom of Movement' spells on the Fists.
It is a long and bloody fight but only four of the Draudnu are left when a familiar looking type of demon appears. Seen last by the Fists in Pazunia at the head of a caravan of demons, it is another of the HYENA HEAD type. It rushes into the room and casts an area 'Dispel'.
Mirra is crushed as another section of the wall contracts on her but as she manages to eventually scramble free further into the Sphere.
Lorric charges Hyena Head, who throw his axe into the air so it can attack Lorric on its own as he claws at him.Meanwhile Ajax faces off against the remaining four Draudnu. Ajax slays one and Kapek's boomerangs another.
Mirra unleashes a cacophonic burst that strikes the creatures but also the wall causing a cyst to form, to all the Fists horror.
As it forms the battle goes the Fists way. Ajax slays one of the Draudnu, Wil 'Dispels' Hyena Heads axe and then Lorric slays him. Finally Ajax slays the last Draudnu.
Tentacles burst from the cyst and a creature detaches itself from the wall and attacks Lorric, delivering a 'Harm' but he is saved by his 'Protection from Negative Energy'. Kapek pelts it with boomerangs and Lorric and Ajax attack it in melee. It replies with four attacks on each of them, all of which hit, before Kapek cuts it down with more boomerangs.
Short of healing a 'Wand of Cure Light Wounds' is exhausted before the Crimson Fist are fully healed again.
The sphincter behind them suddenly bursts open as a silver dragon crashes into the room. When it has recovered its breath it explains it has been sent by Gloriatrix to protect the bearer of the Dragonmark, Kapek. She introduces herself as Kaely Tela (whom the Fists recognize as the elvish noblewoman who warned them of the flood at the festival) or VYTHMITRIK.
Having accepted this new member into the group Lorric sneaks forward to a junction. Straight ahead is carpeted with hundreds of dead of many different species. To the right leads to a room full of water, in it lies an island covered in strange black jewels. Two balls of black fire hover in the air near the entrance to the room. Mirra identifies them as HOLOCAUST DISCIPLES, creatures from FERNIA the plane of fire.
Wil casts 'Resist Fire' on himself, Ajax and Vyth and then Ajax uses his sandals to give everyone 'Water Walking'.
Lorric charges in and slays one of the Holocaust Disciples. Ajax charges and attack the other, shrugging off its fire attack thanks to Wil's spell, and hits it with his Pincer Staff. Kapek mounted on Vyth swoops in and blasts the creature and then flies away. A 'Prismatic Wall' springs up separating Kapek and Vyth from the rest of the group.
From beneath Ajax a Water Elemental surges up and slams into him.Ajax attacks back and grapples it with his Pincer Staff and then with help from Lorric kills it.
Ajax examines the black gems and decides they are smaller versions of the Tears of Atropos. Experimentally Lorric shatters one with his bare hands and the whole structure groans and creaks.
Ajax hurls one at the Prismatic Wall and it is instantly destroyed. The Fists set to chucking the gems at the Wall, the sphere groaning more and more. Eventually all the gems are destroyed.
Wil senses a magical aura in the water which Lorric recovers. It turns out to be a large 'Bag of Holding' full of coins and other treasure.
Wil attempts to disable the 'Prismatic Wall' and, aided by Mirra, he succeeds.
The CF pass back the way they had come and then through the chamber packed with corpses. They follow the passage beyond that until they reach another junction where they head right. Here they find a room with a flattened disc on the wall which pulses with a puce light. Its a portal through which can be seen shadowy monstrous creatures swimming back and forth.
The CF move on in this direction down the passage, they start to hear sobs and wails of terror and pain. The passageway opens into a room full of smoke and fire with cages hanging from the ceiling. They see two KEN-LI, a kind of Fire Giant, and six corpses in the cages seemingly animated by fire.
Lorric sneaks in but activates a fire trap although his swiftness saves him from any damage. As he advances one of the fiery corpses drops from its cage in front of him and attacks him. Lorric avoids the creature and attacks one of the Ken-Li.
Kapek swoops in on Vyth throwing boomerangs. Ajax charges in and strikes one of the fiery corpses only to his utter horror feel his spirit ripped from his body and forced into the shell of the undead as it takes control of his body.
Kapek resists a similar effect, but Vyth succumbs, then Kapek pounds one of the undead with a storm of boomerangs to seemingly very little effect.
Wil casts 'Dispel' on Ajax but it fails and Ajax charges in to attack Wil but misses as the negative energy of the creature possessing his body starts to eat into his vitality.
Vyth manages to throw off the effect as Kapek resists yet another attempt to 'Magic Jar' him.
Lorric having slain the Ken-Li charges one of the undead. Kapek finally slays the undead he'd been concentrating on then hits another and Vyth breathes a 'Cone of Cold' on it.Wil casts 'Greater Dispel' on Ajax but it also fails as the effects of the creatures energy contains to drain away Ajax's life force.
The possessing creature moves Ajax's body into the fire trap which shocks Ajax into finally throwing off the effect, even though thanks to Wil's spell he takes no damage.
Lorric kills his undead and Kapek slays another. A furious Ajax Shifts and charges out of the flames and lays into the undead that possessed him. Lorric joins him and together they slay it.
Without pausing for breath, or thought, Ajax charges another of the flaming undead, an EFFIGY. He is beaten to it by the faster Lorric and together they slay it. By it's body they find a greatsword thrust into a crack in the ground.
Kapek and Vyth perform their trademark manoeuvre of flying in, pelting a giant with boomerangs and then flying away in one smooth move. One of the Giants slams it's broadsword into the ground raising obscuring clouds of ash and cinders. The other charges Lorric who kills it.
Ajax charges down one of the hated Effigies, which tries to possess him but fails, he lays into it with venom and then Kapek finishes it with a boomerang. Together Ajax and Lorric then finish the last Effigy.
The Fists examine the greatsword which is magical and dedicated to DOL ARAH but no good to anyone in the group. Mirra removes the effects of the Effigies negative energy from Ajax with a Scroll of Restoration and the Crimson Fists move on and check the passage to the left. There they find a chilly room with three frozen waterfalls and a exit leading out of this room which they take.
This corridor splits and they go right which leads to another room containing three pillars and with four exits out of it. As Lorric enters the room he feels a slight surge of pain as does everyone else apart from Ajax, who is suddenly in agony. He backs off and the pain fades then he cautiously returns but this time feels only a little pain. Mirra believes the pain must be caused by a 'Symbol of Pain'. Lorric soon spots it and Wil gets to work disabling it.
As Lorric sneaks into the room he sees strange creatures, one behind each pillar. From Lorric's description, via the 'Message' spell, Mirra identifies them as KLURICHIR.
Then something invisible in front of Ajax uses a 'Destruction' spell on him ! Lorric charges the creature from the rear and stuns it. Ajax uses his 'Scout's Headband' to cast 'True Seeing' on himself so he can see his opponent and also activates his 'Skin of Celestial Embrace'.
Lorric endures two 'Destructions' ( one of which fizzles against his Spell Resistance) before slaying the creature he is fighting.
Ajax charges in and attacks another one as Mirra plays on her horn to inspire the Fists to action. Kapek and Vyth sweep in and open fire with boomerang and breath weapon before shooting up to the ceiling and straight into another 'Symbol of Pain'.
As Lorric joins Ajax and stuns his opponent, Ajax is hit by another 'Destruction' and replies by killing his opponent. Wil hits the last creature with a 'Flay Wind Burst' and Kapek with a clutch of boomerangs.
The last creature unleashes a shower of 'Scorching Rays' at Wil but they are foiled by his 'Protection From Fire'. It flys away but is chased down and slain by Ajax and Lorric.
Behind the pillars the room is full of pits filled with sickening ichor and a field of corpses. The Fists loot the corpses for their gear and Ajax finds a very fine cloak whose magics will help protect him.
One of the exits leads outside the sphere so the Fists take the other. It leads to a crossroads where the left way is sealed off by a fleshy membrane.So they go right, which leads to an empty chamber. They carry on straight ahead which ends in a room where are scattered pools of glowing green liquid and two thirty foot tall guards wait ( DEATH DRINKERS).
They are defeated but Ajax unable to Shift receives hideous damage from them before they are finally put down.
Heading inwards the Fists reach a large pair of organic looking double doors. Lorric hears a voice in his head and he repeats the words via 'Message' spell to Mira who translates them from Abyssal to Common for him.
As Lorric converses Wil examines the door for traps. The voice identifies itself as OBOX OB, the Vermin Prince. It claims by destroying the gems earlier they have removed the seal in the sky and allowed SHOTHRAGOT to ascend (which they are inside) and join with the moon.
Obox Ob tries to persuade Lorric to join him in destroying all existence, Lorric is unsurprisingly not very keen on this idea. Wil finds no traps on the door but the Fists decide not to go through the door but turn left instead.
They reach a chamber from which emanates a foul stench and the chittering of hordes of insects. A demon emerges from the chamber and Lorric sneaks back to the rest and describes the demon to the others. Mira believes that it is Obox Ob himself.
A few buffs are cast and then the Crimson Fist charge in. Lorric and Ajax charge Obox Ob, they resist an effect that tries to drive them insane and attack it dealing heavy wounds although it instantly starts to regenerate.
Swarms of spiders attack Ajax and Lorric as Obox Ob screams a scream that tears at Lorric and Ajax's sanity, deafening and confusing Ajax. Then it hits Ajax three times with his stinger and bites at Lorric and lashes him with his tongue. Mira sings, inspiring the Fists (apart from Ajax who is deafened) and Kapek opens fire with boomerangs.
Ajax under the effects of the 'Confusion' flees leaving Lorric alone in melee with Obox Ob. It attacks Lorric but mostly misses the agile Monk, so summons two colossal spiders. Meanwhile as Ajax pelts by Wil he casts 'Break Enchantment' on the unlucky Shifter and Ajax rallies and runs back in avoiding the web of one of the spiders thanks to his 'Freedom of Movement'.
Lorric slays one of the spiders and Ajax charge Obox Ob and they exchange mighty blows dealing each other massive damage. Then Lorric charges in and finishes it. Kapek slays the last spider.
On a nearby wall hang four purple robes, a lamp and a purple pouch containing four blocks of incense with an Evocation aura. Mira and Wil deduce that the robes protect from cold but cold dedicated to a specific dark god. They also think the incense would remove the magical darkness in the temple of that dark god.
The group follow a tunnel out of the chamber and come to a room filled with impenetrable darkness. The Fists light the incense in the lamp and its violet light pushes the darkness back by ten foot. Ajax and Lorric don the robes and head in. Inside they find a huge basalt altar the sight of which transfixes Ajax, as he feels his very soul start to drain away he manages at the last second to throw off the effect.
Lorric strikes the altar, he damages it but one of the Cyst creatures form so the duo retreat from the temple. The creature pursues them out and 'Harms' Ajax and then is itself slain.
Wil and Ajax search the temple, taking damage that won't heal but find nothing. In desperation they decide to destroy the altar. When it cracks in two the whole building/creature starts to shake and the chill and the darkness vanishes from the temple. However the Fists hopes are dashed when the shakes stop and the building is still intact.
The Fists are now well aware that they are running low on resources. Ajax cannot Shift or assume his Primal Form again today, Kapek cannot use his Dragonmark, they are running low on healing magic and even Mira is running low on the uses of her Bardic abilities.
The Fists decide they need to head deeper into the creature and so must go through the double-doors they found earlier. As the doors are pushed upon they retract into the body of the creature. In the room beyond lies a great pool of bubbling green slime and charging them out of the room is a madly screaming half-orc. Behind him a man with a scarred face in purple robes stands by an altar. Iron screens seem to be set into the walls of the room.
Kapek surges ahead of Lorric pounding the half-orc with boomerangs as Vath breathes paralyzing gas on him (to no effect). The half-orc reaches Lorric and swings a hugely powerful blow which completely misses. The scarred man chants and the area around the doors is shot through with icy blue fire that burns those Fists grouped there. He instantly follows this up with 'Destruction' on Lorric and 'Summons' a Vrock.
Ajax steps forward and with Lorric kills the half-orc. Kapek hits the scarred man with more boomerangs. Two fiendish Goliaths enter the room from behind one of the iron sections. Mirra Inspires the group for the last time she is able this day.One of the Goliaths casts 'Horrid Wilting' and the other 'Summons' a Babelith.
Wil casts 'Friend to Foe' on the scarred man and the Goliaths and the Goliaths fall under the effects of his magic and attack each other. Lorric tumbles over to the scarred man and slays him.
The Vrock and Ajax exchange blows but he slays it and Kapek joins in melee with the Babelith and slays it with his Shareesh.
Wil's spell having ended when the Goliaths struck each other they pull themselves together but Lorric is on them slaying one. Ajax attacks the other and then Kapek's boomerangs finish the job.
The Fists search the room but find nothing else there. They then retrace their steps to a path they had previously passed by, a locked and trapped door. Wil disarms the traps and opens the door. It reveals a corridor littered with bones which leads to a small room.In the room is an altar made from living flesh and one occupant, a DEATH SHRIEKER.
The creature tries to ambush the group by coming out of a wall at them but the Fists have had this tactic tried on them before and aren't surprised. They slay it before it can do any harm.
Wil carefully examines the room and discovers magic emanating from the altar, a 'Desecration' effect.They move through to another chamber filled with pillars sculpted to resemble people in excruciating pain.
Lorric sneaks in ahead of his comrades and barely avoids plummeting to his death as a pit opens up beneath his feet. A rope is tied around him and he goes in again. He spots an exit on the far side of the room.
Thinking to avoid the pits in the floor Kapek flies Vyth in, only for a sphincter to open in the roof of the room and tries to suck them upwards through it. Both floor and roof are heavily trapped.
Wil carefully finds and disarms the pit traps but discovers the exit leads to outside the creature. Outside they no longer see the blue of the sky but the blackness of space.
The Fist reckon the only place left unexplored is behind the frozen brown waterfall.
With understandable reluctance they return to the waterfall. Kapek flies Vyth up to peek over the top of the waterfall. He observes a corrupted looking Beholder, unfortunately it also sees him and opens fire in a blaze of magic.
Kapek is hit with a 'Disintegrate', an 'Inflict Critical Wounds' and, most disastrously, a 'Mordenkainen's Disjunction'. His Cloak of Displacement saves him from many other eye rays but Kapek loses a large fortune of his magical items to the 'Disjunction'.
Mirra casts 'Haste' on everybody and Wil 'Improved Invisibility' on Lorric, who then charges in. Two smaller corrupted looking Beholders emerge from pits. One hits Lorric with an 'Anti Magic Zone' but he still charges the first and largest Beholder and stuns it with a blow.
Ajax charges the nearest Beholder and it opens up with a barrage of eye-rays but mostly miss him thanks to his Ring of Entropic Deflection. He tears into the Beholder and kills it.
The second smaller Beholder fires all six rays at Ajax and misses with everyone. It retreats back into its pit. Ajax joins Lorric attacking the large and they slay it.
However they still find nothing vital here (apart from a pit full of loot the Beholders had taken from their victims) the Crimson Fist decide to bring down the creature they must destroy the other two altars they found in the creature. They destroy them but to no effect.
Worried they are running out of time and sure they are running out of options the Fists move to the membrane that blocks off the last unexplored tunnel. They decide they have no choice, they must risk creating more Cyst creatures by carving through the membrane.
Kapek slices at the membrane and a flood of acid pours out ( but no Cyst creatures are created) and a room is revealed within. It's empty !
Now absolutely out of ideas, it's remembered that they have a scroll of 'Find The Path' from the expedition to the Abyss. Mirra casts the spell from the scroll and follows the glowing path of magic back to the Portal room where it highlights a lantern and a pouch of incense. Some thought is given to resting but it is decided that even in their worn down state they must push on before their time runs out.
The incense is ignited in the lantern and the Portal clears to reveal a room which contains four statues positioned around a pit. In the pit something dark and vile writhes. Mirra identifies the statues as BLACK STONE GIGANTS.
Lorric and Ajax swig 'Fly' potions and cautiously the group enter and the Gigants immediately come to life. Lorric charges one and Kapek opens fire with his boomerangs. Wil casts 'Solid Fog' on another Gigant. As the combat begins a evil aura from the pit begins to corrode the Fist's sanity.
Ajax joins Lorric attacking the Gigant, in return it marches forward trampling over them both, Kapek dodges aside and finishes it with a flurry of Boomerangs. Wil casts another 'Solid Fog' on another of the Gigants that is slowly moving to join the combat. The aura from the pit continues to erode the groups sanity, Wil is overcome and collapses unconscious, Kapek babbles insanely to himself.
The monstrosity emerges from the pit, it is a smaller version of the very creature they are fighting within. It casts 'Chain Lightning' on the group, then clobbers Lorric with tentacles.
Quickly deciding that the creature must be destroyed before it drives them all mad Ajax ignores the Gigants and flies in to attack the thing from the pit. He slashes at it but every time he hits it erupts in fire, cold, acid and electricity. Hurting him every time he hurts it. Lorric joins Ajax ripping into the creature but both are aware they are not hurting it as much as they should as it's body resists some of the force of their attacks and then it starts to regenerate as well !
The creature slams four tentacles into Ajax not just hitting him but drinking his vitality and attempting to reshape his body into a limbless lump of flesh.
*Ajax comments
As a War Shaper Ajax recognize when his body is changing and is damn sure its only going to do so WHEN HE TELLS IT TO!
Then it does the same to Lorric, although only hitting twice. Then it casts 'Cone of Cold' over Lorric, Mirra and poor, defenceless Wil.
*Ajax comments
As a War Shaper Ajax recognize when his body is changing and is damn sure its only going to do so WHEN HE TELLS IT TO!
Then it does the same to Lorric, although only hitting twice. Then it casts 'Cone of Cold' over Lorric, Mirra and poor, defenceless Wil.
The sanity draining aura of the creature overwhelms Kapek and he passes out and falls off Vyth and slams into the ground with a painful sounding crunch.
Ajax and Lorric endure another barrage of blows and attempts to reshape their flesh and another 'Chain Lightning'. Ajax attacks again finding, to his own astonishment, within him enough spiritual energy to Shift one last time and his claws rip into the creature. With desperate effort he pours the last of his energy into the attacks and the creature crumples to the ground.
Almost immediately cracks appear in the walls and the ground begins to shake. The creature starts to fold in on itself in a most disturbing fashion. Quickly the Fists gather their fallen and group around Mirra, who hurriedly casts 'Dimension Door'.
They emerge in clear air, above them the creature they'd been exploring begins to slowly implode. The Fists fly like hell, a wise move as when the creature has collapsed to a tiny point it suddenly explodes outward with a massive, ear shattering explosion which deafens the Fists and the blast of which shatters the Glyph that had formed in the sky.
The Crimson Fist navigate their weary way back to the 'Scimitar', which do initially fire ballistae at them when they see Vyth. Explanations are made and the Fists allowed aboard and the 'Scimitar' turns for home.
The Essence of Evil - (Dungeon 152)
Design: Robert J. Schwalb
Editing: Miranda Horner
Cartography: Mike Schley
Interior Art: Francis Tsai, Mark Sasso
Design Manager: Christopher Perkins
Managing Editor: Kim Mohan
Art Director: Stacy Longstreet
Director of RPG R&D: Bill Slavicsek
Web Production: Chris Thomasson
Web Development: Mark A. Jindra
