Session 38: entering the Outer Fane Report

General Summary

Stunned to be alive, the party looked at the burned circle marking the spot where the Glabrezu (Type III) demon was sent back to the Abyss. They slowly looked at the room around them, ruined tapestries, furniture piled in the corners and the recently made summoning circle across the floor. Retreat to the Troglodyte Priest's chamber to rest and bandage themselves seemed the best option. Mychorizzal drew upon her Circle of Spores to create a zombie guardian from discarded bones and within an hour this undead alarm warned of enemies. There was some shouted back and forth down the corridor, "Leave now to keep your skin", "We have Eredik", and so on. Eventually, the party retreated further into the dwarven mines to find rest and so they did in the cavern near the cart tracks where they found the dwarven map. While recuperating, Orlac made a useful 'gift', a small box upon which he cast a warding spell.   After a full rest, the heroes again ventured toward the bridge and searched nearby rooms, likely the private chambers of the wererat and the monk. In the former Tymaret found a wooden box, which Emmanuel Woodsmoke identified as magical. Upon opening it Tymaret was caught in a flash of lighting and injured. For his troubles he found a potion within the box, a pale yellow liquid within which floats a demi-human eyeball.   Another nearby room was host to two ogres and two gnolls, seemingly guards of the bridge complex. They were defeated without too much effort.   The bridge arced over the icy waters of Stalagos for perhaps 300 metres, ending at a large black door with a brown triangle carved into it. When the heroes placed their fused key onto the triangle the black door slowly slid into the ground and revealed a large room beyond. The room smelled of loam andthe walls were of brown and grey stone and covered with images in relief depicting huge dragons and other monstrous beasts erupting from the earth like primordial creations that exist only to destroy. At the far side of the room was a pile, perhaps 10 metres long and 3 metres high of earth and stone. This assembled into a towering earth elemental that attacked the party, slamming them with huge fists of rock, until a Banishment spell by Orlac sent the elemental back to its native plane.   A single corridor north from the chamber led into a barracks of sorts with eight beds suspended from the ceiling by chains, so that they hung some 2 metres off the floor. Eight veteran fighters to match were mustered to defend against the heroes approach, made noticeable by Tymaret's plate. The fighters created a dispersed attack with sword and bow, the heroes cast area spells like Spike Growth, but also engaged in melee. One fighter attempted to run down a corridor, but was stopped by Orlac's well-placed Flaming Sphere. Still the enemy was able to yell to his comrades behind a door at the end of the corridor.   Within a few minutes of the battle having been joined, the fighters were slain, but  none had shown any sign of asking for quarter to be granted. It seems the denizens of the Fane are committed to their cause.

Rewards Granted

Monsters:
Ogre x 2: 900 xp
Gnoll x 2: 200 xp
Earth Elemental x 1: 1800 xp
Veteran Fighters x 8: 5600 xp
  Adventure Advancement: 1000 xp
  Total xp per PC: 1,900