Izdahar spends the day gathering information from the various inns, taverns, coffee houses, and marketplaces. Among other tidbits of lore, she hears that a group of adventurers have rediscovered Dharm, the City of the Dead. Apparently, all the discoverers have since died of gruesome, bizarre deaths. There are also tales of an attack on the palace of the calipha (in Shadazar) by covert assassins from Genosha, bent on slaying the calipha. They were all killed by palace forces. That’s the official story. However, unofficially, there were apparently eye witnesses that swear that three large black clockwork creatures in golden armor (inevitables) were the attackers and that they were singlehandedly defeated by the calipha (who received minor injuries.)

It is also rumored that Sauf al-Sahar is actually a sham. They are dupes of the calipha and act as her eyes and ears. Their leader (Hakaad) is a cousin of the calipha and she taught him all the magic he knows. The proprietress of the Golden Goblet tells Izdahar the same story (knowing that it is false) and the traveler (a strange man) who told her the rumor was very insistent that she should believe the rumor.

The red comet still visible in the night sky.

Another rumor making the rounds is that a powerful vampire is secretly ruling Banja.

Hakaad asks Drendar’s Voice about the source of the rumor maligning Sauf al-Sahar and Hakaad in particular. He learns that the person (a man) initially responsible for starting the rumor was never in Banja.

Hakaad returns to al-Sayid’s villa after sunset to meet with a representative of the thieves’ guild. The man (based strictly on his voice) never introduces himself and speaks from behind a screen, so as not to be seen by Hakaad. After a brief discussion, they agree that some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement could be worked out between Hakaad and the guild. Hakaad is given a point of contact for future use (Hafez ibn Javad al Bhatti, guild master of the glassblowers and glaziers guild.)

Yasmina begins disappearing during the day, leaving the villa after breakfast and returning just before the evening meal. Questions regarding her daily activities are gracefully deflected.

While continuing her research at the college, Izdahar chances to spot Yasmina vanishing into the stacks with an assistant scholar in tow. Carefully following them, Izdahar spots them stop in the section on the Lower Planes. There, after a brief quiet discussion, the scholar retrieves two tomes (one small, the other quite large) from the shelves and carries them back into the common study area for Yasmina. He leaves her there with the books. When Izdahar approaches and hails Yasmina, she nonchalantly close the (large) book she is reading, covering the smaller one in the process, and engages in a brief, polite discussion. Again, she gracefully avoids providing detailed answers about her activities. In the end, Izdahar goes back to her own scholarly pursues with no further understanding of Yasmina’s actions.

In the early, pre-dawn hours, Hakaad sneaks into the common room of the villa where Drendar’s Voice is kept, and surreptitiously asks the current location of the individual responsible for introducing the false rumors about Sauf al-Sahar. The answer provided is “Royal palace, Shadazar”.

In the evening, a strange mist rolls in from the southern desert, over the city walls, and into the city. With it comes a bizarre collection of the nightmarish creatures, the likes of which no one in the party has even seen.

Upon realizing these creatures were slaughtering townsfolk, Yasmina teleports to the Golden Goblet and bring Nayla and her cook back to the villa. Those two, along with the household staff are herded into the wine cellar by Yusuf where they remain until it is safe to emerge.

Battle is joined in the back yard of the villa and the party ultimately dispatches more than a dozen assorted creatures. Upon dying, each creature immediately begins to dissolve into a puddle of black corruption which then evaporates in a noxious vapor. One of the rent-a-cop guards is killed during the battle, but the household staff is safe within the villa.

In spite of the thick fog, distant screams and sounds of battle indicate to the party that similar engagements are apparently taking place all across the city. A brilliant flash of distant light appears once from a point that approximates the east hill of the city. The party, concerned that battle is taking place at the Emirs palace, has Yasmina teleport them to the palace gates. Once palace guards recognize them, they offer their assistance and are directed to the grounds of the palace gardens (where the current combat is occurring.) Fatima al-Azadda, a captain of the palace guard, gladly accepts their assistance. Another bright light, a blue-white column into the sky and accompanied by a muted surf-like sound, appears in the distance to the southwest (perhaps closer to the center of town.)

More creatures of the kinds encountered at the villa are slain. As the palace battle winds down, Mar’aqutt spies a new, spindly-legged creature on the upper wall walkway. It seems to study the battle below with a malign intelligence. Before anyone can approach it, it vanishes in the mists.

Seeing that the mysterious blue-white column of light continues to blaze down in town (somewhere near the college, it seems), the party set out on foot to find its source. They pass many bodies (human and animal) and numerous scenes of carnage along the way. Upon arriving at the plaza in front of the college, they find that the column of light is a rotating, roaring, blue-white vortex of light, 20 feet in diameter. It is sucking up all the mist and carrying it into the sky. A staff-wielding human figure stands centered in the column, its arms upraised. The wizardess Gayda Johara stands near the column. She gestures the party to her. When they reach her, they realize that the figure in the light column is the Archmage Ra’id ibn Arrahn al-Zarr.

As the party discusses the current situation with Gayda, a variety of the bizarre creatures come tumbling towards the column, are sucked into it, and cast into the sky beyond view. This continues for some time, but eventually begins to slack off. The mist thins and the stars begin to come into view.

Zaki and Farid go to the temple of Corean. The rest of the party heads back to the villa, stopping by the Golden Goblet on the way to check it for safety and integrity. They find the latch on the entrance broken and the stables empty, but no other signs of disturbance.

Upon reaching the villa, they find the man who has been asking about Mar’aqutt and Farid waiting for them on the front steps. He exclaims that he has been urgently searching for Mar’aqutt and Farid, and has dire matters to discuss with them. When the party invites him into the villa, he asks if he can bring “a friend”. When they agree, he calls for “Abhi” and an adult, black-maned desert lion, which stands almost as tall as Izdahar. The group enters the villa and Izdahar contacts Farid, informing him of their new guest. After that communique, Farid heads back to the villa while Zaki remains at the temple to tend the injured. The household staff is brought back up from the hidden basement and Izdahar ascertains everyone’s state of mind. After she’s satisfied that everyone is reasonably settled, Izdahar send Malika and her daughter (Adara) off to the kitchen to prepare a late repast. Then she offers her on room (upstairs) to Nayla and her cook, so that they can rest and regain their composure before returning to their inn down the hill.

Once Izdahar returns downstairs, the stranger with the lion introduces himself as Nasir Malik Kemal Inal Ibrahim Shams ad-Dualla Wattab ibn Mahmud. His clan is (he claims) al-Kawi Afras (the Clan of the Strong Horses). Nasir says that he knows of Mar’aqutt and Farid because her (Mar’aqutt’s) uncle Amal has spoken of her (them) and said that they live in this al-Hadar village.

Nasir tells a tale to the party. He informs them that he has made it his life’s work to scour the world clean of undead and has been reasonably effective, on an individual basis. However, two months previous, he came into some new information which sent him searching in a new direction. In short order, he discovered Dharm, the lost City of the Dead, the Bastion of Eternal Dusk.

Nasir tells of meeting a scholarly hermit in the desert who names himself “Muktar the Mad.” He studies the undead of Dharm (from a distance.) On the 25^th of Had’ash, Muktar claims to have witnessed “something horrible” fall from the sky adjacent to Dharm. Nasir calls that which issued forth the H’Laqu and informs that party that what they fought this night were aspects of this new threat. Muktar claims that the H’Laqu from “outside”, that they come from the “space between the worlds”. Nasir also believes that this was the second arrival and that these H’Laqu are responsible for the current behavior of Genoshan leadership.

Hakaad produces a map of Al-Karag and has Nasir indicate the approximate location of Dharm for the party. After more discussion, the party makes plans to depart first thing in the morning.

Expending two charges from his staff (“Greater Teleport”) Hakaad and Yasmina jump to the storeroom of Kajji’s Rug Shop (and agent of the Second Compact and a distant colleague of Hakaad’s uncle Wazir.) After waking Kajji and assuring him that he is in no peril, Hakaad asks him if he knows of ibn Denash. Kajji states that he does and that ibn Denash is the right hand of the Grand Vizier. Hakaad pays him 100 kiam for this information, then Hakaad and Yasmina leave his shop. They leave the lower city for the upper city and from there, on to the main gates of the palace. They are closed and two guards stand watch. Using a spell (Voice of the Dragon), Hakaad convinces one of the guards to summon ibn Denash, which is done. In the meantime, a captain of the guard, and another soldier, join Hakaad and Yasmina to wait for the official to return. When asked his name, Hakaad introduces himself to the captain as Farouk al-Demar.

Hakaad make polite chit-chat with the captain for about ten minutes. Then, two people return to the gate across the palace grounds: one is the guard sent to fetch ibn Denash, the other is a dark-haired man with a mustache, dressed in a robe and slippers. Presumably is ibn Denash himself. At ten feet, ibn Denash spots Hakaad and yells, “YOU!”

Hakaad casts a spell to paralyze ibn Denash, but it fails for some reason. A brief skirmish ensues with the guards, but ibn Denash Dimension Doors away and escapes. After the remaining threats are neutralized, Hakaad and Yasmina, both with minor injuries, teleport home to the villa entrance and immediately retire to their room for the night.

In the morning, Farid heals the remainder of Nasir’s injuries, Nasir is introduced to Zaki and brings him up to speed on the story the rest of the party was told the night before. The party packs up and leaves Banja via the River (east) Gate, headed east towards Dhofar. The group has decided that the route of least resistance is to travel along the desert road to Enabar, then strike out south across Al-Karag. That evening, out of earshot of Nasir, Mar’aqutt asks Drendar’s Voice if Nasir bares anyone in the party ill-will. The Voice produces four blank message windows.

In the afternoon, several of the party members notice a small flock of odd-looking crows in a tree on the south side of the caravan road. They make no noise whatsoever and watch the party intently as they pass. Mar’aqutt unleashes a flurry of arrows at the flock (using the arrow mind spell) and slays the entire flock before any can fly away. The dead birds fall to the ground and immediately begin to dissolve into individual puddles of acrid black ooze.

The party arrives in Dhofar in the evening, without further incident.

That day, the party asks Drendar’s Voice, “Why have the H’Laqu come to Barr al-Fadi?” The answer they get is, “Target of opportunity.”

That evening, after the party has made camp, they are visited by four demons. Each is uniquely different from the others and all are grotesque in some fashion. One steps forward and speaks to the group, telling them that he and his “associates” have been sent by “their master” to present an offer to Sauf al-Sahar. The leader, who introduces himself Nezsoraax, identifies the others Glyve (the large winged demon), N’yarl (the Bar-lgura), and Ry’d’ly’chy (an evil pixie from the abyss.) Nezsoraax says that his master (whom he does not name, but it's Graz’zt, “the dark prince”) claims that Sauf al-Sahar is in service of a “competitor” and Nezsoraax’ master wants them in service of him. It’s that simple. If they refuse, Nezsoraax’ offer, he would be “very unhappy”. Hakaad convinces them to give the party one day to consider the “generous offer”. The demon leader agrees and the four creatures disappear into the night.

Afterwards, the party spends a fair amount of time discussing the machinations of Graz’zt and Dispater (without, of course, mentioning either of their names.) They retire again without really resolving anything.

Just before noon, the party tops a rise and notices, roughly two yards distant, a group of figures. Nasir and Mar’aqutt both pull out telescopes and see three obscured (in desert garb) humanoid figures on foot. They move in an unsteady, shambling gait. Mar’aqutt and Nasir slowly close on them, with Farid a ways behind the two, while the rest of the party waits behind. After closing half the distance (one hundred yards), they stop and study the trio again. At this distance, the clothing looks less ragged and more incorrectly donned. Further, the faces of the creatures look like men who were put together wrong.

Nasir suggests a closer, cautious approach, so he, Mar’aqutt and Farid all spread out in a line abreast and slowly move forward. At about seventy feet, the three party members stop in a line. The creatures abruptly change direction so that each one is moving directly towards an individual party member. This occurs at a steady walking pace.

Repeated commands from Mar’aqutt, Farid, and Nasir to halt are ignored by the creatures. As a result, the three party members launch attacks against the creatures. The rest of the party rides up to assist. After a brief battle, the three creatures are vanquished. The three creatures all dissolve into puddles of oily corruption.

After a brief midday repast, the party continues on. A couple hours later, they top a low rise and find themselves looking down into a draw (probably an old stream bed.) On one side, there is a stony overhang facing west, the underside of which has been walled up and with a sturdy door installed in it. An assortment if items (a small bench, a ferrier’s sharpening wheel, a few urns of various sizes, and so on) are scattered about near the entrance/door. Nasir indicates that this is the dwelling of Muktar the Mad, who typically sleeps during the day so that he may study the denizens of Dharm during the night.

The party dismounts and Nasir pounds on the door to wake Muktar. After several minutes, a five foot, five inch white-haired old man in a night shirt opens the door. Muktar “the Mad” al-Adin offers a rambling greeting and then invites everyone inside. After invoking the Sturdy Stable and caring for their mounts, the party enters. Muktar goes to change into more suitable clothes then comes back to talk to his guests. While Mar’aqutt keeps an eye out the window, the rest of the party explains why they are there.

Upon touching on the topic of the H’Laqu, Muktar suggests that the term is singular. There is only one “H’Laqu” and every “creature” encountered is a part of the whole. He does not know where they/it comes from but complains that it has made his studies of Dharm substantially more difficult. He also believes that access to the H’Laqu “nest” is somewhere deep within Dharm itself. This discussion continues on for some time and the party mulls over a number different options for engaging the H’Laqu. That discussion segues directly into tactics for the impending battle that night with the returning demons.

To insulate Muktar from potential harm (once the demons arrive), the party sets up their camp several hundred yards down the dry wash.

The evening, after the evening meal, the four demons reappear. A couple party members throw discrete “buffing” spells in preparation for battle. While this takes place, Hakaad engages in stalling conversation with the lead demon, which confuses and disconcerts that demon. Zaki and Mar’aqutt, hidden in one of the tents, cast several “buffing” spells on the party. When they step out of the tent, Farid calls the party to battle and it commences.

Half a minute of frenzied combat sees the party victorious and three of the four demons slain. The remaining demon (a Bar-Lgura) teleports away and escapes. After tending to their wounds, the party begins to settle in for the night but are interrupted by Muktar walking into the camp. He apologizes for not offering any assistance and offers a collection of fully-charged wands by way of recompense. In the end, the party receives a collection of wands, one each charged with

• See Invisibility,
• Lightning Bolt,
• Neutralize Poison,
• Bear’s Endurance,
• Cat’s Grace,
• Cure Serious Wounds, and Remove Disease.

Once again, the party begins to settle down for the night when Hakaad is surprised by a sending (via the Whispering Sand spell) from al-Sayid. She states that she urgently wishes to speak with Yasmina and him and ask that they come to her. Hakaad makes a flimsy excuse for Yasmina and him to be alone and then, once they are, she teleports the two of them back to the front walk at al-Sayid’s villa in Banja. A servant answers the door and escorts them to her audience chamber. They arrive in time to see another (brawny) servant drag a man’s body out of the room via a different door. The dead man’s throat has been ripped open and there is a great deal of blood spread around the room. Hakaad and Yasmina recognize the dead man as Tarun, one of al-Sayid’s “Chosen”. Al-Sayid is also present, standing off to one side of the room, her mouth bloody as though she has just fed (which, given, the tableau, is probably exactly what just happened.)

With no warning, al-Sayid casts a spell that paralyzes Yasmina and then, with the superhuman speed and strength of a vampire, pins Hakaad against the wall, lifting him off his feet by his throat. She then proceeds to berate Hakaad at length about his botched attack on Denash ibn-Denash in Shadazar just over a week previous. She informs him that all his household staff has been arrested, his villa has been occupied by Caliphate soldiers, and both he and his wife are now wanted outlaws across the caliphate. Hakaad informs al-Sayid that over the last year there have been several events that strongly suggest that the “Lord of the Iron City” (Dispater, who rules the city of Dis in the Nine Hells) consider the members of Sauf al-Sahar to be his “investments”. Hakaad also relates that there is circumstantial evidence to suggest that al-Sayid is somehow responsible for this.

Al-Sayid then releases Yasmina from the paralysis, who begins to verbally lash out at al-Sayid, only to be restrained by Hakaad. Al-Sayid claims innocence and demands to know where these accusations originate. Hakaad relates the claims made by the four demons the party just vanquished. When Hakaad tells al-Sayid of Sauf al-Sahar’s brief encounter with Dispater on 25^th of Ashra, 1499, al-Sayid is shocked and breaks a piece of furniture in a fit of temper.

After she calms down, al-Sayid tells Hakaad and Yasmina that she was “misinformed” and states, “We must take steps to reestablish your reputation.” While not actually making any claim of responsibility for the current state of affairs, Hakaad actually apologizes to al-Sayid for any inconvenience he may have caused her. He then goes on to suggest that they consider ways to mitigate the damage done to the reputation of himself, Yasmina, and the Sauf al-Sahar in general. Yasmina, meanwhile, is slack-jawed at the civilized cooperation between her husband and the vampire.

Al-Sayid has Hakaad and Yasmina make themselves comfortable, and has a servant bring refreshments. Hakaad then proceeds to offer al-Sayid a detailed recounting of many of the events over the past few months. (He does, however, deliberately omit certain details like the Warlock’s vision of 100 years into Banja’s future and the critical point that it is all apparently caused by Yasmina’s yet-to-take-place assassination of the Calipha.) This devolves into a discussion of caliphate politics and the hypothetical elimination of the Calipha.

They end their discussion by agreeing to both consider strategies to discredit Denash ibn Denash and restore Sauf al-Sahar’s reputation. Yasmina also (reluctantly) agrees to take no action (against the Calipha.) With that, Hakaad and Yasmina step outside the entryway of al-Sayid’s villa and Yasmina teleports both of them back to the party.

As the party breaks camp in the morning, Muktar, with backpack and walking stick, joins them to journey to Dharm. With Muktar walking and the rest on horseback, they head south towards Dharm. The morning passes w/o incident. About two hours after lunch, the party encounters a trio of desert lions at a distance of a couple hundred yards. One suddenly vanishes in a cloud of dust and the other two lions immediately flee. Hakaad dismounts, so as to take advantage of his Tremor Sense. The party cautiously approaches the location where the lion vanished to find a roughly circular area, about thirty feet in diameter, completely devoid of any vegetation. The area is vaguely concave and the soil looks quite soft.

At the (mounted) party’s request, Muktar picks up a rock and throws it into the center of the clear area. The rock sinks about half its thickness, but nothing else happens. Farid and Mar’aqutt both believe that this is an ant lion burrow. The party backs away cautiously and continues on their way.

After the party pitches camp that evening, they ask Drendar’s Voice, “How do we find the lair of the H’Laqu that is in or around Dharm?” The answer they get is, “Seek Temple of Hallah.”

That evening, the party discusses tactics for making it through Dharm to the Temple of Hallah without getting slaughtered, what to do with their mounts (plus two camels) while there, and what question to ask Drendar’s Voice that evening. The question that they settle on is, “What is the most dangerous foe that we could potentially encounter between here and the Temple of Hallah?” The answer is, “There are numerous liches.”

The night passes quietly.

The party breaks camp and travels until noon, which puts them within about ten miles of Dharm. Muktar offers to care for the animals while the party is gone. Mar’aqutt explains to him how to use the Secure Shelter to house and feed the animals. The party makes camp and stays there for the night.

Mid-morning, Hakaad casts Whispering Sands to contact Azhaven. The spell is successful and Azhaven replies. A civil conversation ensues and Hakaad eventually convinces Azhaven to offer them safe passage. Azhaven states that he must confer with his “peers” before safe passage can be guaranteed. He (Azhaven) indicates that Hakaad should await his contact shortly after sunset.

Mar’aqutt suddenly realizes that she has no mundane weapons. Nasir is in the same situation. Since they’ve been informed that the H’Laqu are more sensitive to mundane weapons, this could be a problem. Yasmina offers to transport Mar’aqutt and Nasir back to town for a few hours, to purchase mundane weapons. This is agreeable to the rest of the party, so Yasmina teleports to Maktaba al Dahab. Mar’aqutt buys a scimitar and a horseman’s mace. Nasir buys two scimitars and horseman’s mace. When done, they teleports back to the party.

The party maintains camp for the rest of the day, which passes without incident. In the afternoon, Mar’aqutt and Nasir spar for a while, to familiarize themselves with their new (non-magical) weapons.

Without warning, a patch of ground behind Mar’aqutt suddenly turns black, bulges up, and explodes, hurling debris everywhere. As the airborne debris rains down and settles to the ground, the black ground returns to its normal color, leaving only a small, ragged divot in the ground. Only Izdahar is injured by the flying rocks and dirt.

Everyone is on guard and scanning everywhere for danger. Again, without warning, three black monoliths of stone and dirt erupt around Nasir. As he leaps aside, the three columns slam closed on his previous position. Nasir avoids the damage that he might have incurred. The stone and earth columns immediately crumble back to the ground as normal soil.

Zaki quickly cures Izdahar’s injuries. A patch of ground behind Farid ripples in his direction, but nothing else follows. While Nasir and Zaki ready arrows, in case a target presents itself, Hakaad casts Transmute Sand to Glass. This creates a forty square of glass, ten feet thick, in the desert sand, which he and Yasmina immediately step upon. Moments later, a twenty foot-radius area of ground erupts in black, vitrified spikes, anywhere from one to three feet tall, causing minor injury to both Farid and Muktar. As quickly as they appear, the ground returns to a normal color and the spikes crumble back to earth and sand. Nasir fires a readied arrow at the patch of ground, hitting it squarely. It seems to have no effect whatsoever. Mar’aqutt readies an arrow to do the same, should the need arise. Hakaad attempts to Detect Magic, but finds nothing other than those magic auras already present around his companions.

Farid moves onto Hakaad’s area of glass and attempts to detect evil, to no effect. Then another of the ground ripple effects occurs, moving rapidly towards the area of glass, but dies out before reaching it.

Mar’aqutt, Nasir, Zafirah, and Zaki all have readied actions with their bows. Farid does also with his sword and Yasmina with a spell. Another section of earth suddenly turns black, bulges, and explodes, causing minor injury to Yasmina and Zaki. The four archers let fly their arrows, with Mar’aqutt, Nasir, and Zaki all scoring hits (to no apparent effect). Yasmina attacks the area with a Lightning Bolt, vitrifying some of the soil at the target location.

All the archers ready arrows again and Hakaad readies a Magic Missile spell. A huge column of earth and rock erupts next to Farid but fails to injure him by virtue of the massive plate of glass beneath him. Farid delivers a solid blow to the column, followed by an arrow hit from Mar’aqutt, a flurry of Magic Missiles from Hakaad, and another Lightning Bolt from Yasmina. The column of soil reverts to its original color and collapses back to the ground.

Everyone again readies arrows/spells/melee weapons, as appropriate. A tense half minute passes with no activity. The party eventually relaxes, unsure whether they destroyed whatever attacked them or merely drove it off.

The remainder of the day is uneventful. As the party completes their evening, Hakaad is contacted by Azhaven. He informs Hakaad that he and his colleagues have agreed to offer the party safe passage into and out of Dharm. After a brief consult with the rest of the party, Hakaad agrees and indicates that Sauf al-Sahar will arrive tomorrow at sunset. The party camps in their current location for the night. Zaki cures eveyones injuries. Having been instructed on the use of the Secure Shelter, Muktar agrees to wait five days for the party to return.

The next morning, Zaki provides a Heroes Feast for the party’s breakfast. Azhaven suggests that the animal companions (Sudha and Abhi) may be better off being left behind, but neither the animal nor their people think this is a good idea. Azhaven guides them roughly two and a half miles to the temple of Hallah. A large crowd of assorted undead greets the party as they reach the temple, but the undead do not seem hostile. Rather, they seem interested in seeing what will transpire once the party enters the temple. The party enters and proceeds down a long, ornate but time-worn corridor until they reach a huge interior circular chamber. On the far side of the chamber, a gothic façade is built into the wall, appearing as though it was an exterior building. Its large, stone double doors are blown out (one off its hinges) by some powerful internal force.

As the party steps into the huge circular chamber, a great sepulchral voice speaks. “The dead do not suffer the living to enter their realm. Who comes before us?” A fifty foot tall translucent female figure appears; an avatar of the goddess Hallah. Hakaad steps forward and tersely explains the nature of their visit and their intent in thwarting the H’Laqu. Hallah gestures towards the shattered doors. “Then you are the instrument of our retribution. Step forward and meet your doom.”

With no small amount of trepidation, the party steps through the broken doorway, into what appears to be the inner sanctum of the temple. A powerful disturbance has clearly wrought destruction on the interior. All manner of statues, along with Hallah’s own altar have been heavily damaged or outright destroyed. A raw circular tunnel has been carved out of the native rock at the rear of the chamber. It is roughly twenty feet in diameter and disappears, straight as an arrow, away into the darkness.

The party proceeds cautiously down the tunnel. After travelling about one hundred yards, the gravity abruptly drops, causing several party members to lose their footing. Once order is restored, the group does a bit of experimenting and discovers that at that very precise point in the tunnel, the gravity diminishes by about fifty percent and stays that way as the tunnel continues forward.

Now, more cautious than ever, the party advances on. Apparently the location at which the gravity changed was the midpoint of the tunnel for, as the party approaches the two hundred yard point, they see the end of the tunnel. It opens out onto a grey, rocky plain, under a black, start lit sky. Quietly advancing to the very lip of the tunnel, a number disturbing features become evident. The rocky plain appears to be the floor of a flat, shallow crater that is several hundred yards in diameter. A rebound spire occupies the center of the crater and appears to conceal something beyond it that produces a flickering violet glow. What at first appear to be two large moons in the sky quickly are identified as Faras and Vandhar itself. The party is astonished to discover that they are on Lahib (“Flame”). They are on the moon! The stars are hard points of light in the sky, suggesting that there is no atmosphere to scatter their light, and yet something is allowing breathable (if somewhat chilly) air to exist in the crater.

The most peculiar sight however, is a huge figure towards the far side of the crater, operating an equally huge machine or device. The figure is humanoid, roughly forty feet tall, and looks like some sort of iron giant/golem, it’s body made from solid, albeit rusting iron. It is wearing some sort of brass plate armor. It appears to be covered from head to foot (in those places where the armor does not occlude its skin) with glowing fiery runes, as if they’d been carved into it, exposing some sort of subdural lava flowing through its interior. An equally huge brass sword hangs from its waist. The machine it operates is marginally large that the giant itself, with the long axis horizontal, pointing from the giant away towards the nearest point in the crater wall. The machine appears to be compose of numerous intersecting chrome eggs and a series of red lens on metal support arms are aligned pointed towards the same point of the crater wall. A brilliant beam of energy emerges from the machine, is focused through the lens, and burns a new tunnel (just like the one from which the party emerged) into the stone and dust bank. Clearly, the machine needs to disabled or destroyed.

The party decides to consult Drendar’s Voice for advice. “Does diplomacy or negotiation with the very large being just outside of this tunnel have a reasonable chance of success?” The answer they get is, “No one is home.” It looks like they are going to have to do it the hard way.

Some brief experimentation determines that the lower gravity will be a substantial benefit to fast movement, but will have a detrimental effect on dexterity. The range of projectile weapons would double but, because of the unfamiliarity of the local gravity, accurate shots would become more difficult.

Before any action is taken, the group decides that they more information. First, a better look and the creature and its machine would be helpful. Of potentially more importance, what is causing the glow emanating from behind the rebound peak at the craters center? Mar’aqutt and Zafirah surreptitiously scout around the rebound peak. If the metal giant notices them, it takes no action. What they find on the far side is even more strange than anything seen so far. A forty-foot diameter, vertical whirlpool of eye-wrenching violet light slowly spins in midair. Its purpose/function cannot be determined. After moving a bit, they realize that it looks the same no matter what angle they view it from. It seems to be a sphere, rather than a circle. The two scouts return to the party and report their findings. A plan of attack is formulated.

The entire group will sneak out to the base of the rebound peak, which will reduce their distance to the creature to only about one hundred yards. Once the battle is joined, Hakaad will cast Body of War on himself and join the melee. Once there, a number “buff” spells are cast on the party and potions are consumed for all, Invisibility being one of the more beneficial (hopefully.) The attack is launched and after a fierce battle, the creature is slain. (The creature manages to switch the machine’s beam off before engaging the party, but the machine is still idling in some manner.) Hakaad, Farid, and Nasir all take severe injuries.

While Zaki tends to their wounds, Even after the giant is slain, the machine continues to run unattended. Zafirah and Izdahar examine the strange machine. No matter how hard they try, they cannot seem to make heads or tails of it. The party has noticed that two other tunnels already exist, equidistantly spaced between the one from which they emerged and the one currently be drilled by the machine. They decide to investigate them.

Each tunnel is (apparently) the same length as the original one used by the party. Gravity also switches at the midpoint in each tunnel, returning to what the party would consider normal. Zafirah scouts to the far end of one tunnel (the one closest to the one currently being drilled) and finds a world of ice, as far as the eye can see. There are no recognizable features that would indicate where she is. When the party explores the end of the other tunnel, they send Mar’aqutt. She emerges on a rolling grassy savannah, dotted with small copses of deciduous trees. Examination of the local vegetation leads Mar’aqutt to believe that they are somewhere in the Kahliopsis, uncomfortably close to the Yikaria city of Ranthamboor. Yasmina briefly explores that area immediately outside the tunnel, so as to fix it in her mind as a future teleport destination.

The party returns through the tunnel to Lahib and returns to examine the violet-colored whirlpool. Hakaad are unable to divine any information about it magically so Mar’aqutt chucks a softball-sized rock into it… with absolutely no effect. Hakaad attempts to dispel it (with the dispel magic spell), also to no effect. Izdahar attempts legend lore regarding the vortex and garners no information about it whatsoever.

Frustrated, the party re-enters the mouth of “their” tunnel and rests long enough to recover spells and attend to any remaining injuries.

The party asks Drendar’s Voice, “What is the best method available to us to destroy the violet swirling vortex in the crater?” The answer they get is, “Destroy the farside projector.” Hakaad specifically waits until after the Voice is queried before he memorize his spells for the day. The examines and discards numerous magical options for destroying (or even examine) the vortex and/or drilling machine.

Finally, in an act of desperation, Mar’aqutt volunteers to leap into the vortex on a scouting mission. In preparation, Yasmina casts invisibility on her and Mar’aqutt drinks a <>jump potion. She has a lifeline attached and will go through invisible. With Farid and Nasir gripping the safety line, Mar’aqutt makes a running jump into the sphere. Because of the low gravity, she overestimates the effort required and sails above the centerline (twenty feet up) of the sphere containing the vortex and comes down into the upper surface of the sphere. She is briefly flooded with indescribable sensations and is flung out, stunned, onto the ground on the far side of the vortex. All temporary magic she had (the invisibility spell and the jump potion) have been neutralized, but her permanent magic items seem to be unchanged. The party rushes to her side and, once she recovers, queries her about her experience. Unfortunately, her brief exposure to the alien environment made no sense. Mar’aqutt decides to try again, but just stick her head. The instance her face comes in contact with the sphere, her entire body is sucked in and instantly expelled on the far side. This time, Mar’aqutt is unconscious.

It finally occurs to a few of the party members that the “farside projector” may be on THIS side of the vortex, so perhaps the drilling machine IS the projector. The party decides to have Yasmina use the Wand of Disassembly to take the machine apart. The rest of the party prepares to dash for the tunnel through which they arrived. Yasmina’s first use of the wand causes the machine to start to fall apart. The vortex starts to stutter and synchronized stuttering flashes start to come from all the visible tunnels. A second charge from the wand causes most of the rear end of the machine comes apart. At that same moment, Hakaad casts disintegrate on the front end of the machine where the lens-supporting arms attached. That entire section of the machine vanishes into dust that the lens and their remaining arms fall to the ground.

By this time, the rest of that party is running for the tunnel. Yasmina unleashes a third charge from the wand and what is left of the machine falls apart in a mount of countless tiny gears, springs, and other clockwork components. The vortex is flickering in and out of existence (more out than in.) As actinic flashes of light stutter on and off (in unison) from all the tunnels, Mar’aqutt leads the party’s rush down there tunnel. Suddenly, the tunnel to the icy environment simply winks out of existence. Yasmina grabs Hakaad and dimension doors the two of them to where the party is tearing down “their” tunnel. The party rushes headlong into the blinding, stuttering light in the tunnel and, to the cacophony of thousands of shattered mirrors, find themselves…
                 …violently ejected into a wet, grimy, dimly lit alley. There is no evidence of the tunnel from which they were just ejected. Mar’aqutt sneaks down to the open end of the alley to find that it empties out onto a busy street, bustling with foot traffic and the occasional hand drawn cart. The “people” walking by are every kind imaginable: humans, dwarves, elves, the occasional Halfling, Azer (although no one in the party recognizes them), illithids, flaming, angel-like creatures (planetars, in all likelihood), and countless others all mingle as though such association were the most natural activity in the world. Looking up, they see an entire city spread out upside down several hundred feet above them. Izdahar has vague memories of an extraplanar location called Sigil that matches the description of this place. Zaki and Farid suddenly realize that they can no longer feel the divine presence of Corean. They are cut off from their god!

As the party frantically tries to make sense of their location, a repair crew of Dabu moves by, pulling a cart loaded with cobbles. The party has no idea what they are. Farid tries to talk to them, but they seem to communicate by projecting glowing pictograms in the air above their heads. After a few minutes of fruitless conversation, the Dabu continue on down the street. Meanwhile, Izdahar wanders into the shop adjacent to the alley mouth. A picture of a pitcher is the only adornment outside the business. It appears to be some sort of dining establishment. A humanoid, and vaguely elephantine, individual stands in the doorway surveying the street. He wears a knee-length brown robe, over which is hung a somewhat dirty white apron. He notices Izdahar and immediately invites her and her friends in to “refresh themselves”. Upon being questioned, he informs them that they are in Sigil, the City of Doors. All the party, save for Mar’aqutt, go inside. (She remains outside to watch the population move by.) Zafirah negotiates use of Barr al-Fadi currency, after which they all order tea and snacks. Shortly after the proprietor runs off to the back to prepare food and drink, the party notices a little version of the elephant-like owner peering at the from around the end of the bar. He appears to be the owner’s son and asks the party if they are “outsiders”. When he finds that they are from the prime material plane, he becomes excited and asks about their adventures. He tells them his name is Jubba.

The shop owner returns with tea and assorted light snacks. He’s sends his son scurrying into the back and, when asked, tells the party that his name is Ooday. Hakaad asks him about the “doors” that give Sigil its most famous title. Ooday says that they are everywhere but are not well known to simple businessmen such as he. When he learns that Hakaad is “powerful” mage, Ooday is puzzled as to why Hakaad does not already know all about the doors. Hakaad explains that he is leaned on his home plane but is unfamiliar with many of the aspects of this one. Hakaad then inquires about local spellcasters or sages that might be of help.

After negotiating a cut< blue quartz as payment for his help, Ooday sends Jubba to find someone named Kylie and he (Jubba) zooms off up the street. Shortly thereafter, the shop starts to fill up with customers for a midday meal. They pay the party little attention. About the time the crowd starts to thin out, Jubba returns with a man and young woman. The woman, is slender, has a somewhat ruddy complexion. Two tiny horns sprout from her forehead and a thin, three foot tail with a spade-shaped tip snakes around behind her. The man behind her is tall and built like a weight lifter. He wears leather breeches and a battle harness covered with throwing axes and daggers. The woman is apparently Kylie. She introduces that man as Borne and he’s apparently a body guard.

Kylie learns that the party is looking for a way home and informs them that anything can be had in Sigil… for a price. She and the party discuss the difference between local and Midani currency, to determine how much it will cost the party to hire her services. They work out a daily fee for Kylie of about sixteen dinar (plus expenses) per day. They touch on topics of changing currency, finding local lodging, and so on. First, she takes them to a usurer, where they change four 250 kiam gems for 470 “jinx” (gold toroids).

Kylie explains that she needs to consult with some “experts” to find a portal back to Barr al-Fadi, so she picks out a “kip” for them. While they walk, the party queries Kylie about the various races. Among others identified, Kylie informs them that Ooday and Jubba are Thaskeen (a smaller, less militant relative of the Thaskor.) Kylie leads them into the Lady’s Ward (which Kylie refers to “The Chessboard”) and ultimately to a sort of inn called The Crooked Rook. The party is charged one jinx per person, which includes dinner, breakfast, and a bath. The night passes uneventfully.

It turns out that the hot morning bath is heated by two salamanders (who are actually on staff!) Kylie comes and collects the party (and receives her daily pay in advance again.) She states that she has a “graybeard” lined up for them. They set out back across the Market Ward (which is where they appeared the day before.) At one point, the party passes a trio of muscular armored individuals. Kylie derisively refers to them as “cans”. When asked to elaborate, she tells the party that the three are Harmonium, one of the major factions in Sigil. They are nominally the keepers of the peace, but are widely known for their excessive use of force.

Kylie takes them to a modest two-story brick building, which she says is the home of Bartolamus, the planar sage. Kylie taps on the door and it is opened by a short, young, black-haired gentleman with yellowish skin and epicanthic folds around his eyes. This servant is apparently familiar with Kylie and invites everyone in. He leads everyone down a hallway and up a flight of stairs to a second-floor study. It is cluttered, with all manner of books and scrolls scattered about. However, the most interesting aspect of the study is a shelf along one wall that contains a dozen different orreries, each apparently representing a different planetary system or set of planes. Bartolamus is sitting at a desk, studying a parchment with a magnifying glass. He dismisses Jun (his servant) and asks the parties plane of origin. Upon being told Vandhar, he pulls out a parchment and unrolls it across his desk. It shows a fair representation of the many continents of Vandhar. Of course, the party members are only familiar with the continent Vindarten and Hakaad points out the general location of home.

Bartolamus pulls down a huge tome and, after consulting it for many minutes, locates a more-or-less permanent portal that would take the party to the actual interior of the Golden Library in Maktaba al-Dahab. The downside is that the Sigil end of the portal is in the Hive. Given the capabilities of the party, the location of the portal does not present a problem for them. However, a portal key is still required. Bartolamus does not have a key for that specific portal and it becomes apparent that a key will need to be crafted. Bartolamus drafts a letter to a key splitter name Jarol and he sends his man-servant to deliver it. In the meantime, Bartolamus quotes the party a price of 100 jinx for his services, but will consider a discount if the party can provide information about portals in Barr al-Fadi.

About one hour later, Jun returns with Jarol (a somewhat scruffy-looking little man). Bartolamus explains which key is needed. After brief consideration, Jarol says he can create such a key. A price of 100 jinx is agreed upon for a single-use key, which will take seven days to produce. Bartolamus offers Jarol lunch. Once Jarol has left the study, Bartolamus closes the door and offers an alternate bargain to the party. He will waive his fee and pay half of Jarol’s fee if the party agrees to deliver a small ceramic package to Tajjara. Once that package is delivered, the party will receive another package, which they need to deliver to Elenassi Talabrintarion, the capital of Ardenor. Once that is accomplished, their duty is discharged. A bit of quick math determines that agreeing to the bargain, and having a reusable key made rather than a single-use key, would reduce the total cost to 250 jinx. The party tentatively agrees to the deal and returns to the Crooked Rook to wait out the seven-day construction period for the key.

Individual members of the party come up with different ways to pass the time. Mar’aqutt and Zafirah practice their bladework. Nasir (and Abhi) never venture further than a block from the inn. Farid and Zaki stay to their separate rooms, mostly in meditation. Izdahar spends time in the Great Bazaar listening to a wide variety of bards, singers, and storytellers. Hakaad searches for a means to train up. He tips the proprietor of the inn and is directed to the Lyceum of Planar Knowledge. There, he is introduced to Simeon Whitequill, the headmaster of the school. Simeon agrees to provide Hakaad with a trainer, in exchange for information Hakaad can provide about his own elemental specialty and about specifics of Barr al-Fadi.

Hakaad trains up to 15^th level elemental sand mage. Yasmina disappears for the day. Izdahar performs in the Grand Bazaar again and makes a little change. When she returns to the inn (Hakaad has already returned) and is about half a block away, she hears a sound, like distant thunder. The crowd around her stops and listens as well. When the sound fails to reoccur, everyone resumes their previous business.

As Izdahar enters the inn and the door closes behind her, the boom occurs again, only this time it’s loud and sounds like it’s coming from right outside the door. The temperature immediately starts to door. Party members flock to the disturbance. Several members notice that ice is forming on the front wall and windows. Before any action can be taken, several of the windows explode inward, inflicting minor cuts on Hakaad and Izdahar. Now that the frosted windows are not obscuring everyones view, they can see out into the street. A thirty foot tall bipedal creature, apparently made completely of ice, is laying waste to the terrified populace in the street. The creature is attacking people at random with ice and snow, encasing some of the victims completely in ice.

Farid charges into the street, drawing his holy adamantium sword, followed closely by Mar’aqutt. Izdahar takes a step away from the door and begins to sing in support of the combatants. Several party members suffer additional damage from a blast of ice and lose their balance on the icy street as they exit the inn. Hakaad strikes the first serious blow with a cone of sand upwards at the creatures head. The creature suffers significant damage but remains upright. Farid regains his footing, steps up to the creature (well, it’s foot), and attacks with his long sword. The creature reaches for Farid, but before it can grab him, it vanishes. As the party gathers their wits, they notice a woman just the street about a block away, just floating a few inches off the ground. It is the Lady of Pain. She does nothing but turn away from the group and fade away. When that monster vanished, so did all the other Sigil citizens who were encased in ice. The party cautiously re-enters the inn and tries not to do anything to further frighten the locals. The pubican, Mackendou, says that he has lived in Sigil his entire life and has never seen anything like that. It’s also the first (and hopefully last) time he’s ever actually seen the Lady in person.

The rest of the day in the common room of the inn is somewhat subdued. The 3^rd meal is served as normal, while the staff boards up the broken windows (until the glass can be replaced.) The rest of the night passes uneventfully.

During an otherwise uneventful breakfast, Izdahar hears a crier outside selling a daily news sheet. She goes out and buys one. The headlines state that a huge ice creature (or creatures) attacked Sigil in five different locations yesterday. According to eye witnesses, the Lady dispatched every single one of them. The article also mentions that a group of “outsider cutters” stood up to one of them in the street in front of the Crooked Rook. Of the five attacks, that is the only one where anyone attempted to do anything (other than simply scream and run.) As a result, the creature that the party fought with apparently killed the fewest people. A few other customers in the common room are also reading copies of the news sheet and they begin to cast hesitant, side-long glances at the party.

Just as breakfast ends, Kylie walks in the front door. Dressed in head to foot in leather, she looks like an ad for a bondage magazine (if the party knew what a “bondage magazine” was.) She tells the party that Bartolamus sent her and that they should gather up their possessions and come with her.

When they arrive at the sage’s home, Kylie simply pushes passed Jun and hurries upstairs. Upon arriving in the study, they find Bartolamus reorganizing a thoroughly tossed room. He informs them that a) he has (obviously) been burglarized, and b) a runner came by earlier to inform him that Jarol (the key splitter) has disappeared from his residence. Bartolamus claims to be somewhat “out of his depth” but suggests that they all examine Jarol’s home before the “authorities” decide to make it off-limits.

Donning a cloak and picking up a staff, Bartolamus leads the party a dozen blocks across the ward to a non-descript home. After looking around to see if anyone is paying undue attention to the group, he turns the latch on the front door. Oddly, it is unlocked and he simply walks right in, followed by the party. The workshop has been completely tossed. All the other rooms in the house exhibit lesser disturbance. Jarol is nowhere in evidence and there is nothing to suggest any violence occurred (no blood, etc.)

Bartolamus suggests that they investigate the cellar. He takes them to a closet that contains a tight spiral stairs down. Descending forty feet, it opens out into the center of a forty-foot diameter round room containing sixteen doors set equidistant in the wall. The spiral stairs continue down. The stonework is simple and sturdy. Each door is built like a bank vault. Each door has a pair of holes in the metal frame; a large one and a small one. Upon inspection, Mar’aqutt determines that the most recent disturbances indicate that whoever was there last did not stop on this floor but rather continued down the stairs. Mar’aqutt proceeds downward, the rest of the party (and Bartolamus) following at a discreet distance.

The stairs descend twenty feet to a smaller (twenty-feet in diameter) room, with only four vault doors at the cardinal points. Once again, Mar’aqutt searches for signs of recent activity. (She’s doing this rather than Zafirah, because it’s more of a tracking activity than a “search for traps” type of activity.) Mar’aqutt finds nothing.

Again, the stairs descend twenty feet to a room identical to the last one visited. Four vault doors are again positioned at each of the cardinal points.

Once more, the stairs descend twenty feet, where they come to an end in the center of another twenty-foot diameter circular chamber. This chamber is different. There are five doors total; three at three of the four cardinal points and the other two centered in between the two gaps made by the first three. The wall covering the rest of the chamber is blank.

The temperature in this room is below freezing and one of the doors is open. The tracks become visible as they approach the door, because they are in snow. When Mar’aqutt peeks through the door, she finds the space beyond only extends about one foot before ending in a blank stone face. Bartolamus opines that the portal behind that door is not active.

Bartolamus is troubled and tells the party that, while he was aware of the previous three chambers they just passed, he had no knowledge of this one. He explains that the first chamber (with the sixteen doors) goes to each of sixteen outer planes. The doors in the second chamber go to each of the four elemental planes. The four doors in the chamber immediately above them go to the ethereal plane, the astral plane, the positive energy plane, and the negative energy plane. He suspects that this is the room where Jarol experiments. Izdahar proposes going up to the ground and searching for any notes or documents that might shed light on the current situation. Hakaad suggests trying to find another pair of Jarol’s boots to see if they match these footprints in the snow.

Zafirah finds another pair of boots and it becomes obvious that whoever left the tracks in the snow had measurably larger feet that Jarol. Izdahar goes through a few of the countless document before deciding that the total disarray of the place makes finding any useful writings is an exercise in futility.

When Zafirah comes back upstairs to put the boots back, she happens to look down at one of the many sheets of parchment scattered about the house. The first line catches her attention, so she reads the whole document, which consists of three lines:

        New Key for Bartolamus
        Right words for toast
        Koren obelisk = cold + suffering, tell Blackshield?

After reading it, she shows it to the rest of the party. Zafirah asks Bartolamus who Blackshield is. Bartolamus thinks is may be a reference to Bhaltair Blackshield. He was the commander of the Ysgard host, but is now retired.

Suddenly, a horrific wave of pain rips through everyone. Izdahar, Yasmina, and Bartolamus all collapse. The excruciating sensation lasts for ten or fifteen seconds and then ceases abruptly. Farid pokes his head out the front door and can hear all manner of cries, shouts, and sobs of anguish and surprise. Clearly this event, at a minimum, affected the entire neighborhood.

Mar’aqutt regains her composure and heads downstairs, Nasir is on her heels. She proceeds to the bottom cellar level, checking each one she passes, to see if anything has come through any of the portals. Upon reaching the bottom level, they find nothing different from that last time any party member is present.

Mar’aqutt slowly ascends back to the ground floor, trying to determine whether or not any invisible beings were present. She find nothing, either in the below-ground chambers or the rooms on the ground floor.

Farid suggest that the party should contact Blackshield for more information. Zafirah asks which door in the cellar goes to Ysgard and Bartolamus replies that he believes Blackshield is here in Sigil. He doesn’t know where but should be able to send out a number of runners and track him down in a few hours. He suggests that the party return to his home, locking up this place behind when they leave. The walk back to Bartolamus’s home is educational. Everyone they encounter on the way back appears to have endured the same painful experience as the party. Upon arriving at their destination, they learn that Jun also suffered the attack.

Bartolamus has Jun secure the services of about half a dozen runners. They are told to a) find General Blackshield, and b) along the way, ask people if they experienced that moment of pain. Once they’ve dispersed, Bartolamus has Jun make tea and Sampalla (spiced coffee) for everyone and they then get comfortable and wait.

About two and a half hours later, a group of “street urchins” return to Bartolamus’s home, accompanied by a rather dour and somewhat confused dwarf. Once Jun invites Blackshield (for it is he) in, Bartolamus introduces him to the party and has the party introduce themselves to him. The party asks if he know Jarol or has ever heard of the Koren obelisk. Blackshield doesn’t profess to recognize either. While they discuss those topics, Jun enters and quietly advises Bartolamus that, according to the kids (runners), the pain was felt at least one and a half wards away (in both directions.) It may have been felt by people further away, but that was only as far as the runners went before returning. Upon hearing of this, Blackshield exclaims that he was at home, in his parlor, when he felt the pain and it dropped him to his knees.

Blackshield studies the parchment taken from Jarol’s home and he gets a distant look in his eyes. Then he mutters, “Grysimbryl.” Bartolamus frowns, as he recognizes the name. Blackshield looks up from the document and repeats, “Grysimbryl, the para-elemental plane of ice the intersection between the plane of water and the plane of negative energy.”

Blackshield explains that no one goes to Grysimbryl by choice, for fear of running afoul of Leska, the Ice Queen, ruler of Grysimbryl. Blackshield states that he doesn’t know what this obelisk is, but he knows someone who could probably find out. He asks to keep the parchment (which the party agrees to) and requests that the party meet him tomorrow, one hour past the first meal at the Lyceum of Planar Knowledge.

Feeling stonewalled yet again, the party slumps back to the Crooked Rook to pass another night. Once there, they decide to see if Drendar’s Voice works in Sigil. The question that they ask is, “Are the recent events we have experienced in Sigil a deliberate attempt to thwart us from achieving our goals?” The answer is “No.” Yasmina muses that perhaps the answer isn’t as straightforward as it might appear, in that the mechanical sage may know more about the party’s goals than the party itself actually does.

After first meal, the Hakaad guides the party to the Lyceum, where they are met by Bartolamus. The group is escorted into a small auditorium (sixty feet wide by seventy feet deep.) There is a podium on a stage in the front and multiple rows of curved, theater-style seating at the rear. There are also seats set up along one side, which Bartolamus and the party are directed to. Blackshield enters with two other men, one of whom Hakaad already knows. It is Whitequill, the headmaster of the Lyceum. Another dwarf with them, who appears to be somewhat younger than Blackshield, is introduced as Kirean Deeprock. Deeprock is a professional tactical and is also Whitequill’s personal bodyguard.

Whitequill addresses the assembled audience, informing them that the recent assortment of cold-related and pain attacks can be traced directly to Leska, the Ice Queen. He also points out that Leska should have nowhere near the power required to exert that sort of force across the planes. Spies and divination has revealed she (Leska) has placed her chief inquisitor, Karven, in charge of a new project, mething called “The Scourge”. It is also referred to as the Koren Obelisk. It is known that learned individuals (mages, sages, and talented craftsmen) have been disappearing across a number planes for nearly two years. It has been learned that the suffering of those kidnap victims power the obelisk. With it fully functional, Leska could eliminate anyone, anywhere across all the planes, without ever leaving the comfort of her throne.

Blackshield takes over from Whitequill. He states that the attacks of the previous day were a trial run of the almost completed obelisk. Further information suggests that it should be fully functional within a month. An aid conjures a semi-solid illusion of a frozen “sand table”. Blackshield explains that this is the valley encompassing the Scourge and he points out the sole access point, what the enemy refers to at the “Frost Needle’s Eye”. Blackshield states that the obelisk may be destroyed by misdirection. Blackshield states that they have access to no team as powerful the party. As such, he proposes that his armies engage the defending force to draw them aside, after which the party enters by stealth, proceeds to the fortress housing the obelisk, and destroy it. Once it is eliminated, the spell barriers should vanish, and the party should be able to leave with ease.

Hakaad asks what compensation the party could expect for participating. Blackshield states that, upon completion, the party would be provided to a portal gate key to any destination of their choosing, plus the waiving of all fees they may have already incurred. After discussion and no small amount of grumbling, the party agrees.

Bartolamus bids everyone farewell and good luck, then he leaves. Blackshield indicates that the party will leave Sigil tomorrow morning for a staging area (which he does not immediately elaborate on) and the actual attack will take place the next day. He then puts the not-inconsequential resources of Sigil at the party’s disposal. He suggests curative wands and so on. Zaki immediately asks for two wands containing Cure Moderate Wounds, two containing Cure Serious Wounds, and one containing Cure Critical Wounds. Blackshield suggests that the party return to their inn and make a list. A courier will stop by after third meal to collect the list. The party also remembers that they have the collection of wands gifted to them by Muktar. The wands are disbursed as follows:

• See Invisibility(Yasmina)
• Lightning Bolt (Izdahar)
• Neutralize Poison (Mar’aqutt)
• Bear’s Endurance (Hakaad)
• Cat’s Grace (Yasmina) (8 charges have been used)
• Cure Serious Wounds (Farid)
• and Remove Disease (Farid)

The Cat’s Grace and Bear’s Endurance wands have all been used eight times each (one per party member for the battle on the moon.) All the others are fully charged. Farid points out that everyone in the party should begin the mission with Endure Elements cast on them. After substantial discussion, the party asks for (and receives) the following items:

Yasmina gets a Wand of Endure Elements (PH 226) (8 charges are expended on the party at the beginning of the mission.)

Mar’aqutt gets three wands:

• Wand of Pass w/o Trace (PH 259) (10^th level)
• Wand of Cure Serious Wounds (3d8+10)
• Wand of Snowshoes (SC 194) (10^th level)
• (8 charges are expended from the 1^st and 3^rd wands on the party at the beginning of the mission.)

Farid, Mar’aqutt, Zafirah, Nasir, Zaki, and Izdahar each get the following:

• Lesser Weapon Crystals of Fire Assault (MIC 64)

Farid gets a Lesser Clasp of Cold Protection (MIC 24)

The party arrives at the Lyceum to find only three people waiting for them; Blackshield, Whitequill, and a short, portly older man who introduces himself as Talamon as states he’ll be their “coachman for the morning.” Blackshield interrupts and shows the party where all the items they requested are waiting. Some magic item shuffling (especially “Cure” wands) between party members and then they are ready. Whitequill bids them farewell and good luck.

The party, along with Blackshield and Talamon gather together in a cleared area in the middle of the chamber. Talamon conjures some sort of portal, which the party steps through. With that, they find themselves standing on the white sands of Mithardir, the desert layer of Arborea. Turning around, they see a huge tent city, which seems to stretch to the horizon and must contain five thousand or more troops.

Blackshield leads the party into the camp, where they find that tents have been prepared especially for them and furnished in Al-Badia style.

This is the most hodge-podge army the party has ever seen. There are divisions of dwarven axemen and columns of elven archers side-by-side with centaur and bariaur cavalry. Aasimar cataphracts drill alongside goliaths dressed only in leather girdles. Other races too varied and unknown to mention are scattered about, all making preparations for war. The party settles into their temporary quarters and begin going over their equipment and preparing for action.

Blackshield comes back by late in the afternoon. He informs the party that he would like to breakfast with them tomorrow morning and will be accompanied by the priest that will provide the Heroes Feast for them.

After sunset, charcoal brazier fires by the hundreds spring up all throughout the encampment. Many of the disparate groups of warriors are singing, each in their own tongue. The night sky is breathtakingly beautiful, but totally alien.

Blackshield returns and asks to enter the party’s tent, saying he would like to discuss the actions of tomorrow with them. He spreads a map and explains that the army expects to attack from five different points. The map shows the valley of the obelisk with specific details for the entrance to the valley. He says there is a short tunnel, followed by a half-mile long causeway. This empties into the valley proper. However, the inner end of the causeway is guarded by a small keep and a cave which contains “The Eye”. With this eye, some unknown creature in that cave can scry the entire valley. If the creature can be slain, the scrying ability can be neutralized.

The five-pronged attack will be to attempt to fool the defenders of the valley that the walls around it can be topped. Hopefully, this will draw away the forces from the tunnel entrance. Once the eye has been blinded, the party is to proceed across the valley to the fortress containing the obelisk. They are to then enter the fortress and destroy the obelisk. Once that is complete, the party should be able to exfiltrate with relative ease. After answering a few additional questions, Blackshield bids all of them a good night and he leaves.

Once he is gone, the party decides to use Drendar’s Voice to determine the type of creature known as the “Keeper of the Eye”. The question they finally ask is, “What is the creature known as the Keeper of the Eye, in the valley of Leska, on the plane of Grysimbryl?” The answer provided by the Voice is, “Aboleth Savant.” Following that answer, the party spends a while discussing the known strengths and weaknesses of Aboleths and then turn in for the night.

Blackshield arrives with an attractive, black-haired elven woman in a red robe. She introduces herself as Willowwan and states that she is a priestess of Kord (a god not familiar to anyone in the party.) She provides a Heroes Feast for the party as breakfast, and joins Blackshield and them in it. They have the benefits of that spell for the next 12 hours. Willowwan bids them all good luck and departs. Blackshield bids them wait a short time and he will return.

When he comes back, he is in full battle armor and carries a full-length dwarven war-axe. He asks that they follow him to the marshalling area for the needle assault force. The party follows him to the location. While they wait, they use the wands to cast the first of the buff spells they plan to employ. Ask they approach the gate they intent to use, Blackshield bids them farewell, saying that he goes to lead his own troops. He states that he is certain that, once they reach the other side of the gate, they will recognize the situation and be able to deal with it appropriately.

The party steps through the gate and must immediately step aside to make room for those coming behind them. There appear to be over two hundred mixed infantry already in place ahead of them. Vicious blowing snow is hitting them from the side; if not for the protections spells cast earlier, the party would be freezing.

An icy cliff rises up out of the frozen plain about fifty yards ahead of them. A rock tunnel is clearly visible directly in front of them at ground level. A defending force of heavily armored orcs lay in between the friendly soldiers and the tunnel. They are supported by several fiendish mammoths, which charge without any regard for friend or foe. A twelve foot tall figure, covered in white, rune-covered plate armor, stands to the rear of the orcs. Then he attacks the friendly troops with clawed gauntlets, leaving a bloody swath in his wake.

Several party members launch individual ranged attacks against either one of the mammoths or the giant in white armor, then they all form up per Farids direction. Yasmina employs her Wand of Fireballs against the nearest fiendish mammoth and inflicts severe damage.

Once everyone is in position per Farids command, they advance in formation through the maelstrom of steel and blood before them. Along the way, several more arrow shots from the party finish off the nearest mammoth. Once it falls, the party moves directly into the tunnel.

Roughly one hundred feet later, the party emerges on a stone causeway that enters the valley. After about three quarters of a mile, the party comes in sight of the causeways end. A small stone bunker is visible on a low hill to the right of the causeway. A bit closer and further to the right, a slightly larger hill looms near. Three quarters of the way up that hill, a small cave is visible. A very poor, narrow trail leads from the base of the hill up, about forty feet, to the mouth of the cave.

Mar’aqutt and Zafirah move stealthily up the trail, with the rest of the party following a safe distance behind. Reaching the thirty-foot wide cave mouth, Mar’aqutt and Zafirah look inside to see a sloping floor that descends into the hill. About forty-feet into the cave, a humming flickering wall of energy completely obstructs any further view.

Once the entire party has arrived on the ledge in front of the cave, they begin to slowly advance with Zafirah in the lead. The stone floor descends gently into the cave and is covered with a thin layer of snow and ice. Even at the current distance, the party can faintly feel heat from the wall of fire. Hakaad attempts to dispel the wall of fire with no success. Zaki then attempts to do the same and the wall vanishes in a flash of orange light.

With the flame barrier gone, the party can see further into the cave. With light filtering into this ice cave, the party can see that the sloping path continues down approximately one hundred and forty feet before it levels out into a level snowy cavern floor. A pair of stone columns reach up from the snowy floor and stretch almost to the ceiling. The cavern floor extends another two hundred and fifty with a floor of packed snow. At the far end, a small exposed sheet of ice glows a faint blue radiance that adds some additional light to the cavern.

The party advances, with Nasir and Farid in the lead. About thirty feet beyond where the wall of fire was located, Farid and Nasir trigger some sort of blue-white glyph in the floor of the passage. It flashes and then was gone. Hakaad recognizes it as a Symbol of Stunning. Other than an instantaneous surge of disorientation, neither Hakaad or Farid are affected by it.

The party continues to advance cautiously, with Zafirah searching for magical traps. Yasmina uses her Vatic Gaze and is disconcerted by the discovery that the entire cavern radiates magic! After a bit of concentration, she determines that the lion’s share of the magic is illusion.

To Hakaad, Izdahar, Zaki, and Nasir, the cavern appears much larger, with more stone columns, a much larger ice sheet, and two small passage ways leading off of either side of the chamber. Faint scenes from all over the valley are flickering rapidly across the ice sheets. There are also a number of creatures, both large and small, already occupying the cavern. A pair of giant frost worms, one on either side of the chamber, are reared back and ready to attack. To the rear of the chamber, also concealed by the illusionary walls, are two people and a large bipedal creature. One of the people is an orc dressed in spiked, full-plate armor, all in bloody red. The other is a woman in a short black dress. She appears to not be bothered by the cold in any way. She is decorated with numerous necklaces, all of which appear to contain countless finger bones.

The large creature is a white insect-like being, with two pairs of arms and a bug head surmounted by a pair of compound eyes. It is armed with a very large spear. (This is a Gelugon, or Ice Devil.)

Bordering these three figures are two large dog-like creatures. They appear as a pair of coal black mastiffs the size of draft horses. They have matted fur, red glowing eyes, and are armored in a ruddy colored chainmail. (These are Nessian Warhounds.)

A frail old man, visible to everyone, is standing at the back of the chamber. He wears a thick winter cloak and a metal helmet made to look like the upper half of a bear’s skull. However, to Hakaad, Izdahar, Zaki, and Nasir, the ol man is obviously an illusion.

Izdahar and Hakaad make hurried attempts at warning the rest of the party as to the true nature of the chamber. Zaki cries out some sort of abjuration in the name of Corean which causes the illusionary walls in the chamber to dissolve. The view of the cavern floor remains unchanged. However, now the entire party can see the rest of the cavern as it really is, plus they can now see all of individuals and creatures occupying the cavern. Unfortunately, except for Hakaad, Izdahar, Zaki, and Nasir, the illusionary man at the far end of the chamber still looks quite real to everyone else. Izdahar identifies both the Gelugon and the warhounds and informs the party.

The (illusionary) old man at the far end of the chamber speaks. He congratulates the party on making it this far. However, he states, the party and the armies backing them are no match for Leska. He makes no attempt to lure the party to his side. He merely suggests that they leave immediately. Then they may live out their lives in relative safety, for Leska will only destroy those who she deems a threat or obstacle. If the party refuses to leave, the old man says that he will have no choice but to insure their perpetual agony. When the party refuses, the old man replies, “Oh, well. I would much rather torment you anyway. Velkiss, destroy them!”

Zafirah fires an arrow into one of the two frost worms while the old man is monologuing. Izdahar quickly advises the rest of the party that the old man is an illusion. The armored orc charges the party while Izdahar launches a fireball from her wand at the second worm.Then, things gets complicated.

The ice devil hits the party with an ice storm. The worm that Izdahar fire balled begins to trill, effectively stunning Farid and Zaki. Nasir backhands Farid, jarring him out of his condition. Yasmina pulls out her own wand of fireballs and launches one at the other worm. The woman in the black dress attempts to dominate one of the party members, but apparently fails. Izdahar notices Yasmina flinch but she seems to shake off the mental attack. The aboleth (unseen under the ice) psionically invokes hypnotic pattern, which fascinates Farid. Zafirah and Mar’aqutt launch volleys of arrows at the enemy. One of the war hounds advances and mauls Zafirah. Izdahar launches another fireball from her wand at the worm. Hakaad casts a wall of sand across the chamber, effectively blocking the party visually from all the medium and large size opponents at the far end of the cavern. Farid manages to shake off the fascination, but is injured by one of the nullifiers when he moves to recover his sword and shield. He responds by cleaving it in twain. On his follow-through, he takes a big bite out of one of the worms. Nasir takes several chunks out of one of the war hounds with his scimitars. The ice devil lashes out with a cone of cold, which catches both Zafirah and Nasir, plus both the hounds! One of the hounds succumbs to the cold damage and dies. Yasmina hits another of the creatures with a lightning bolt. Zafirah backstabs one of the Nullifiers for good damage. The remaining war hound attacks Mar’aqutt for moderate damage. Mar’aqutt returns the favor and puts several arrows in the hound at point blank range, slaying the creature. She then turns and puts two arrows in one of the frosts worms. Izdahar give Zaki a hard shove to try and get him to snap out of his state, then she uses her wand of fireballs the giant worm again. Hakaad casts a haboob, which envelopes the ice devil. One of the worms unleashes another blast of icy breath, which hits Nasir, Farid, Zafirah, and the remaining nullifier. Nasir and Zafirah manage to avoid the blast, but Farid is severely injured. The nullifier is destroyed. Farid charges the ice devil but fails to connect with his sword. Nasir steps up and connects with his left scimitar, but Farid thinks the blow should have caused substantially more damage than it appears to have. Mar’aqutt then succeeds at putting an arrow into the thing. Izdahar, Mar’aqutt, Yasmina, and Zaki all suffer an icy blast from one of the worms. Yasmina, in particular, takes major damage. (NOTE: I incorrectly had Zaki dying in this attack because I misremembered the amount of damage reduction provided by the cold resistance of his magic chainmail. He did, in face, survive.) In retaliation, Yasmina blows the worms head completely off with a sound lance. Zafirah puts a flaming arrow into the other worm, which finishes it off. She tries a second arrow at the ice devil, to no effect.

Hakaad’s wall of sand suddenly collapses. Mar’aqutt immediately launches four arrows at the woman in the short black dress. Two strike home. The heavily armored orc swings and hits Zafirah with his flaming axe. Izdahar heals some of her injuries with one of the curative wands. The ice devil fires off another cone of cold, which injures Hakaad. Farid casts knights move as a swift action and teleports to a position flanking the ice devil, whereupon he unleashes a full attack. (NOTE: this spell should have failed due to the teleportation inhibiting field covering the valley, but I forgot about it in the heat of battle, so it’ll stand as is.) He scores one telling blow, grievously wounding the fiend again. Yasmina fires a disintegrate spell at the ice devil, but it manages to resist the bulk of the spells damage. Even so, it suffers still further injury. Mar’aqutt puts another arrow (adamantine, this time) into the ice devil. By this point, he’s looking really ragged. Izdahar burns a charge of her wand of magic missiles and hits the spellcaster in the black dress with five magic missiles. Hakaad casts acid sheath on himself and then moves up right into the face of the orc, taunting him to strike. The ice devil stands up to his full height and taunts Farid. However, when Farid attacks with his sword, the blade swings right though the image of the devil, who promptly evaporates into thin air. Yasmina glares at the orc and promptly vanishes. (Invisibility? Dimension Door? Who knows?) Zafirah puts another arrow in the orc, followed by Mar’aqutt who puts two more in him. She then puts a third one into him which staggers him. He’s starting to look like a pin cushion and can barely stay on his feet. The orc turns towards Mar’aqutt and points his flaming great axe at her. A tongue of unholy black flame leaps out and strikes her, delivering serious damage.

Amazing as it may seem, only half a minute has elapsed since battle was joined. Hakaad casts acid breath which, augmented by the existing acid sheath, slays the orc with an acid bath which slays him. Farid charges the woman in the black dress and strikes her a fearsome blow. Yasmina swears at the same woman and then hits her with a sound lance, which slays her.

The illusionary figure at the far end of the cavern blares at the party, “You will all suffer greatly for that!” (apparently referring to the slain woman) and then fades from view.

Those party members with curative wands use them on all the injured party members to heal the majority of their injuries. By the time that is done, only Farid, Hakaad, Izdahar, and Nasir are still injured, and those are minor.

Led by Mar’aqutt, the party searches the bodies of the orc in plate mail, the woman spellcaster in the black dress, the two creatures wrapped in black leather, the two warhounds, and the frost worms. In addition to all other possessions collected from the dead, the party salvages two collars from the slain warhounds. Yasmina’s vatic gaze determines that they radiate divination magic. Hakaad takes up the mithril buckler that was taken from the slain woman. The rest of the “loot” is immediately squirreled away in either handy haversacks or bags of holding.

Knowing that there is supposed to be an aboleth somewhere about, the party begins casting about for its possible locations. The two side passages seem to be likely candidates. Then Mar’aqutt suggests that the party use Drendar’s Voice to zero in on their target, the eye. So, they ask the following question, “Where is the eye located in this cavern system?” The answer that they receive is, “You’re standing on it.”

Yasmina has a spell called channeled sound blast, which she’s never actually used before. It would take a while to use. After some discussion, the party decides that a shot from one of wands of fireballs would be the most effective against the ice sheet. Izdahar fires off a charge and melts a shallow crater in the ice. She does not, however, penetrate through it. A second shot from the wand punches a hole through the ice, which now appears to be roughly two feet thick. A large pool of dark open water is now exposed in the center of the area.

Before the party can decide how to proceed next, the open pool of water erupts with a number of slimy tentacles as the aboleth heaves itself out of the water and rushes towards the party!