3.2 YOUR FRIENDS HAD TO SAVE YOU, IMBECILE! (Milestone - 4th Level!)

I'm not used to traveling with such a large group of adventurers, but the job at hand requires all the help we can muster. We've been briefed on the kind of power that the three artifacts could give to Brother Abbendis should his ritual succeed. We are NOT going let that happen. Each of the three artifacts is powerful by itself, but when combined the power granted could be untold. We are to make our way to Castle Drakenhoff and stop it at all costs.
 
The time spent travelling goes by uneventfully. I was too focused on the task at hand to get to know my fellow party members at all. As long as they can each pull their weight, I don't care who I'm with. Luckily I didn't have to worry too much about them. Myself, though? I'm finding it difficult to stay motivated during combat sometimes, but still I push through with the help of my friends.
 
We arrive at the castle at night. After some time scouting around the fortress, we decide going through the front gates is our best bet. Don't want to be too suspicious. We can see through the higher windows that Abbendis's plans are already in motion what with all the flashing lights. We may have just made it in time. It's time to begin our infiltration.
 
Freya's minion scouts ahead and above. It finds a wide-open courtyard that seems innocuous enough, but we know things can change quickly. Zorak noticed a lever several feet past the gates. Wesson devises a plan to use his rope and pitons to pull the lever. Valric provides a second set of eyes to guide Wesson to the lever. The plan works flawlessly, and just like that, we're in.
 
The moment we enter through the gates, a mysterious figure appears on the balcony above the courtyard. Wesson tries to continue to the large doors at the top of the short set of steps while Levo attempts to make conversation with the figure. Nyrael, on the other hand, perceived his materialization act as a sign of hostility and attempts to cast Sleep on the man. Unfortunately this didn't work as the figure vanished as quickly as he appeared. Just then, we feel the ground beginning to shake as several burrowing kruthiks, some young, some adults, appear from the ground below leaving holes the size of each of their bodies. Game on.
 
Everyone shows their worth in this fight. As I mentioned before, I attempted to do so, but I failed. I'm not as well prepared as I thought I was. I was quickly surrounded and overwhelmed. Zugg Zugg came to help, for which I was greatly appreciative. As much as I hate to admit it, Dispater's power allows me to command the battlefield a bit by allowing Dispater's commanding power to course through my allies' veins, allowing them to attack when they perhaps otherwise wouldn't be able to do so. This seemed to turn the tide of battle in my -- no, our -- favor as Zugg Zugg, Wesson and Zorak were able to quickly make an attack on the surrounding kruthiks. Wesson was able to land a good hit on the adult kruthik near me with his hand mortar. It ended up hurting me in the process, but it set fire to the grease pile next to me, dispatching any kruthiks within in short order. I may have barely survived, but I am eternally grateful for having these kind folks at my side. It proves that Dispater's evil power can be used for good.
 
We continue into the castle itself where we once again meet the mysterious figure. We find him sitting down at a dining table. I stand by some nearby pristine doors while the others use their diplomatic skills to get the information we need to continue with our mission. I can hear the conversation, but I'm listening for movement beyond the doors. After a few minutes of not hearing anything, I pay closer attention to the conversation, remaining by the doors just in case things escalate. The figure offers to tell us what is to come in exchange for magical items we have. Wesson offers his hand mortar, sans ammunition, which the figure accepts. He tells us that the master (Abbendis) has sealed off all paths save for one. The room beyond the doors is one he calls the Room of Dichotomy, though the dichotomy is a lie. Levo offers his Goggles of Night, which the figure also accepts. He then tells us the false dichotomy is such that if we mention that "there is always a third option" to the stone gargoyle in the next room, a hidden, secret door will open, allowing us to bypass Abbendis's puzzles that we would have had to waste time solving without this information.
 
Valric then asks the figure what he's getting out of handing over this information, to which the figure replies, in short saying it's about self preservation. He then stands, lifts up his shirt slightly, and points to a point on his body just above his hip. He asks Wesson to use his pistol to shoot him in that spot. I'm suspicious of this ask, but all I can discern is that he's using Wesson to further his yet incomplete plans. For what? I don't know. But Wesson obliges him. In an instant, thunderous crack, the projectile fired from Wesson's pistol lodges itself deep within the figure's body, knocking him off balance and into a nearby crate along the wall. The figure stumbles, falling unconscious. After Wesson looks for signs of life, Levo walks up and removes the head from the once-whole body. I shrug my shoulders, asking myself why he made it so easy, then suggested we take our belongings back before continuing. The party agrees, getting some other nifty items from the broken crate in the process.
 
Upon entering the Room of Dichotomy, it is exactly as described to us by the now-lifeless, and headless, man. Levo takes the lead, stands upon the altar, and speaks the phrase "There is always a third option" toward the stone gargoyle. We hear a quick sound followed by shifting stone. Indeed, a doorway opens.
 
Before us now is a long hallway, at the end of which is a blue portal. Valric quickly checks for traps and determines it's safe for us to pass. Just before going through the portal, we make sure to take stock of our abilities and prepare for whatever lies beyond. Then we enter.
 
The portal drops us into a large, cavernous stone room filled with large, green crystalline structures in each corner atop wooden platforms. From each of these crystals extends gigantic chains leading to one large green crystalline structure at the middle of the opposite end of the room. From this large crystal emits a cone of chromatic light. The light shines upon a central blue altar of sorts. Within the light stands Brother Abbendis himself, pacing around feverishly. He says he didn't expect to see us THIS quickly thanks to us bypassing his devilish puzzles. We may just have the upper hand thanks to our mysterious dead friend.
 
Wesson walks to one of the nearby wooden platforms and uses a pillow as a firestarter. It's now just a matter of time before the wooden platform crumbles, bringing down the pulsating crystal and its attached chain in a cacophonous bang. The fight is on.
 
Abbendis uses all the power at his disposal to prevent our intrusion from ruining his precious ritual. Levo just wanted to take notes on the ritual being the scholar he is, but the only notes he'll have the chance to take are those about how we defeated the traitorous mastermind behind it all. Wesson's plan works flawlessly yet again, and down comes the crystal and chain, preventing the ritual from completing.
 
At the same time, Brother Abbendis seems to have been defeated, but not before nearly metamorphosing into a chain devil. We know that had that happened, we would have been done for. Our efforts would've been for naught, but thanks to this party -- this team -- we prevented him from materializing and leading to who-knows-what. Hopefully we shall never find out.
 
Now it's back to relative safety in Urithiru to gather our thoughts and reflect on all that we've done to see this mission through.
 
Mission completed.