20020209 Heartspire2

<H1> Heartspire II: For a Few Levels More </H1>
<H2> Role Call </H2>
<TABLE>
<TR>
 <TD> Kill'Dar </TD>
 <TD> 14th/3rd Elf Wizard/Fighter </TD>
 <TD> Rick DiRicco </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Grackle </TD>
 <TD> 6th/10th Half-Elf Fighter/Rogue </TD>
 <TD> Mark Whisler </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Travian </TD>
 <TD> 16th Human Paladin </TD>
 <TD> Robert Giedt </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Estus </TD>
 <TD> 12th Human Cleric </TD>
 <TD> Ray Chiang </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Prince Donner </TD>
 <TD> 6th/11th Human Fighter/Wizard </TD>
 <TD> John Speck </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Colin </TD>
 <TD> 16th/1st Human Fighter/Hospitaler </TD>
 <TD> Jim Yonemura </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Fingle </TD>
 <TD> 3rd/13th Gnome Cleric/Wizard </TD>
 <TD> Richard Jacobsen </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Auric </TD>
 <TD> 11th (18th CL) Wemic Druid </TD>
 <TD> Keith Farrar </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<H2> Session Summary </H2>
As the party enters the tunnel. Fingle detects the effects of an Unhallow and several party members find that their spells have been removed. Several spellcasters surmise that Dispel Magic is in the Unhallow and may create a counterspell effect each time one of the party members casts a spell.
<B>Surprise Round:</B> The zombies surprise most of the party. As several zombies enter from the left side of the tunnels, Grackle takes advantage, wounding one and killing another. Various party members suffer minor wounds. Kill'Dar casts web down one of the tunnels, trapping several zombies. Donner swings his sword, injuring one of the zombies. Colin swings, clearing the tunnel of four zombies (3 with the first swing). Auric claws and swings his staff, killing two.
After a pause, the party determines that these creatures were ghouls and ghasts. After a quick discussion, the party continues down the tunnel. Eventually, the tunnel ends and runs into a large crystal wall (presumably the outer wall of Heartspire).
The Find the Path spell tells Grackle that the door requires a specific amount of fresh blood to open. Fingle performs Detect Magic and Travian performs Detect Evil. After a bit of time, Fingle detects Strong (Necromantic, Alteration) magic emanating from the walls of the door.
Estus casts Augury about smearing blood to open the door. The party offers to have him use the Deck of Fate, which gives a good result. Grackle cuts open his hand with Travian's sword. The blood is absorbed into the walls and the door slowly fades. The party quickly enters the room. The walls appear to be the same as before, but the floor appears to be earthen. The Find the Path spell indicates that Grackle should go through the door ahead. Also in the room, directly above the door, two points of red light begin glowing and fangs begin growing from where the door disappears. Grackle notes that the door is full of loose earth, as if a large party of vampires comes through daily. [Note: 5 minutes have passed since entering the tunnel.]
Mist enter the rooms and coalesces into several armed vampire spawn.
<B>Round 1:</B> Fingle casts Mass Haste. Travian turns twice, destroying all but two vampire spawn. The two vampires attack Donner, but both miss. Grackle attacks one of the vampires on Donner, wounding it. Colin steps up on the other vampire knocking it unconscious. Donner swings, knocked the last vampire unconscious.
The party quickly kills the remaining two vampires. Grackle says another word and the walls pull aside. In the next room are half of a octagonal room. There are two crystal columns and the ground appears to contain sand. Across the way is an opening leading into a great hallway. The walls in the current room are still crystalline, but appear to have a lot of fine writing on them, which is only visible when the pulsing light is behind the lettering.
Several spellcasters attempt to cast Read Magic, but only Kill'Dar succeeds. Looking at the writing, he notes that the writing seems to be of an enchantment sort. Periodically, there appears to be someone's name between the enchanted writing.
Fingle casts True Seeing from the runestone. He does not see the walls or the ceiling in the current room. Far down the chamber to the left appears to be a large hourglass (around six hours) on a stone platform with a magic circle drawn around it. At the back side of the large hall are several door like objects, but with a metal (adamantine and mithril) frame covered with runes. From the vaulted ceiling are several winged figures. Mists also appear to be gather in several places around the room. Looking up the walls of the great chamber, the pulse appears to traverse the height of the edifice and up at the top appears to be a large crystalline heart about 10-15 feet across.
Three of the winged creatures descend upon the party and three hang back and appear to be casting spells. As Grackle enters the room, the Find the Path spell ends. The party has entered the lair of Sarin II, the Daywalker.
<B>Round 1:</B> (Round 6 of Mass Haste) Kill'Dar disbelieves the illusion and sees what Fingle described. The winged creatures appear to be harpies. Kill'Dar casts Chain Lightning, injuring them. The three charging harpies enter the room and attack Estus, wounding him dearly. The three distant harpies cast a Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and a Dispel Magic. Behind the illusionary wall, several vampires coalese from the mist and appear to be moving judiciously towards the party. Estus heals himself and attempts to turn the harpies, but fails. Fingle casts Globe of Invulnerability centered on himself, protecting the party (except for Grackle) and then uses Improved Invsibility. Auric casts Ice Storm on the spellcasting harpies, also catching the heart, and follows up with a huge Flame Strike (49 pts). Colin delays. Travian delays. Grackle continues to stay hidden, readying his bow. Donner casts Haste on himself and Fly on Colin. Colin uses Fulchar to cast Flame Strike on the harpies near Estus (43 pts). Travian Refocuses. The remaining vampires move towards the party, one of whom attempts to use Telekinesis to drag Donner out of the Globe.
<B>Round 2:</B> Travian casts Holy Weapon on his sword and readies against any opponent who approaches. Kill'Dar attempts to Disintegrate the heart, but the spell fails to go off. He then casts Fly on Travian. The three armed harpies land next to Travian and attack him. Travian swings and hits one several times, misting it (100 pts w/Holy Sword). Fingle attempts to cast Cone of Cold on the heart but is countered, and casts Project Image by the hourglass. Estus turns twice, but fails to affect any creatures. One of the flying harpies begins casting a spell and Grackle fires an arrow at it--the harpy's Magic Missiles are neutralized by the Globe. Auric casts a spell that is countered, then moves and swings his staff at one of the harpies on Travian, hitting once. The other two harpies cast Magic Missile on Fingle's Projected Image, but to no effect. The remaining vampires move up. Of the spellcasting vampires, one casts Anti-Magic Shell. Steelhoof continues to delay. Donner casts Displacement on himself and Magic Missile on one of the harpies near the heart. The remaining vampires move up and attack the party.
<B>Round 3:</B> Travian attacks and mists the another vampire. Kill'Dar attempts to create a Hallowed area by Limited Wish, but it gets countered ("20" on the Unhallow dispel). The first group of vampires attack, wounding several people. Fingle attempts to cast a Slow and a Shadow Fireball, but both spells are countered. Estus attempts to turn, but fails again and follows up with a Healing Circle on the group. Grackle swings at a vampire, but misses. Auric heals Travian and Colin. The spellcasting harpies move away from the vampire with the Antimagic Shell. A figure moves up towards Travian and touches him. As it approaches the group, it appears to be a woman holding a twisted holy symbol. Travian is reduced to a single hit point. Steelhoof reaches over towards Travian and heals him partially. Donner casts Chain Lightning for 50 pts on the vampire near Colin, also hitting the nearby vampires (19 pts). He attempts to follow up with Magic Missile but is countered. Colin activates Fire Shield. He then swings and mists the last melee harpy. Colin then follows through on the evil cleric, wounding her. A vampire warrior swings at Travian and knocks him unconscious. Another vampire attacks Colin, wounding him. The vampire on Grackle attacks him, injuring him.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Estus:</B> Have we gotten any of them?
<B>Colin:</B> We've gotten the two harpies.
<B>Travian:</B> Don't you mean <I>I</I> got the two harpies? (Continues fighting)
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Round 4:</B> Kill'Dar casts Fly on himself and moves to line up to a Chain Lightning on one of the vampires near Colin (49/31 pts). The cloaked vampire attempts to TK on Donner, but Donner saves. Grackle steps towards Estus, retrieves, and hands him the Staff of Heal and then follows up to attack the vampire on him. Auric delays. Estus uses the Staff of Heal on Estus and casts Negative Plane Protection on Colin. Auric attempts to cast Greater Magic Fang, but is countered. He then follows up with an attack with his staff, hitting once. Fingle casts Mass Invisibility but is countered. He then moves over to the hourglass and examines it and the portals. The harpies cast Magic Missile on Colin, wounding him. The lady casts Unholy Blight, affecting the party members nearby her. The figure in the Antimagic Shell catches Kill'Dar and punches him. Steelhoof steps up to Grackle and heals him slightly. Donner casts Magic Missile on one of the vampires, misting it and readies to cast a spell at the lady. Colin swings at the female cleric, misting her. He then cleaves at the other warrior on him, hitting him once. The warrior on Colin swings and hits him. The runes next to the portal fall away and reveal an open portal with mist on the other side. Grackle sees a gentleman in rich, but comfortable clothing enters the room and leads a lady into the room. He places his hands on his hips and looks over the scene...
<H2> Foes Fought </H2>
10 Ghouls<BR />5 Ghasts<BR />14 Vampire Spawn<BR />6 Harpies <BR />6 Vampires