Time keeps going on even in the Shadow Tomb of Acererak

 1490

Year of the Star Walker's Return

Alturiak 1

 

      Inside the the Shadow Tomb our party of adventurer's take a long rest after their encounter with the room of many doors.  As they rest, back home the world of Faerun ushers in a new year, 1490, the Year of the Star Walker's Return.  Also at this time, at a monastery called Shan Phen, a little known monk named Brother Krux'Fiur was voted in as leader of the monastery.  This election was held in difficult contest between Brother Ayshad and Brother Erianae.  After many rounds of inconclusive voting, Brother Erianae along with several other well thought of monks threw their support to Krux in a surprise move to break the stalemate and foil Brother Ayshad's attempt to run the monastery.  Brother Ayshad's motives were long held in suspect by their old leader Bishop Sasoroth.  Sasoroth was a lovable old Genasi that took a particular liking to Krux and was loved by all except a few people like Ayshad and his followers.  Brother Erianae assumes the leadership until Krux can be brought back from his last known location, a back water place called Faerun on the prime material plane.  Erianae never made it to the next morning, he died that night after suffering a major heart attack.  Several monks used a speak with dead ritual, but could find no malcontent in his death.  Under the laws of the monastery, Brother Ayshad now ascends to the leadership position until Krux's return.  He has sent a party of monks to make sure Krux never returns.  His plans have almost come to complete fruition!  Some of the monks now suspect Ayshad in both the deaths of Erianae and Sasoroth but have little to gain and much to lose now if they were to speak up.  Sasoroth rules them with an iron fist.

     As Krux's ends his dream state and gathers up the more sleepy members of the party, their foreboding only increases as they go deeper into the tomb.  They run into a fight early in their explorations, a room covered in tapestries that seem to have a life of their own!  They avoid them as they fight a group of shadow undead.  To the great benefit of the party, Azten is able to heap extra amounts of radiant damage on these fell creatures doing much more damage than a regular attack would.  This makes Azten a big target especially now that Riddick is bent and weaken with age.  No where to be seen is Solomon, he was left behind being the ass that he is.  The group defeats the enemy and then continues to explore.  Coming out into a hallway there is nothing to be found except an animated door knob.  Apparently this knob was once a prince named Joephesus of a huge city called Greyhawk on a far away plane.  Jax's arcane knowledge is awoken at the memory of Greyhawk.  Although he has never been there, every mage worth his salt knows about the beginnings of magic back when it was ordered into sciences by the great pioneers in the field like Mordenkainen, Bigby, and Evard.  Joephesus promises them riches if they free him from the door he was cursed to open long ago by Acererak and return him home; Hannibal pries him off of the door and carries him with his bags.

    Passing through several trapped areas the party overcomes many challenges that Acererak has put in their way.  A room with no visible exit surrounded by necrotic water, a trapped hall that takes every one's best effort to piece together how to pass (Krux's nature checks were the difference there), and even an old prison room, where at the bottom was a treasure hoard from past adventurers that failed to conquer the tomb.

    The group seems to be getting closer to final areas of this horrible tomb, and they hope this happens soon.  Their supplies and will power are weakening just being in this awful place.  For now they continue on eager to meet Acererak and end him for good.

Exp. gained: 5890

Moil, the city that waits.

 1489
Year of the Warrior Princess 

Hammer 29 

   As our adventurer's run the gamut in the towers that over look ruined Moil, and they try and hurry to the portal that leads out of the city and to their next destination; following the adventuring party of the Raven Queen's followers.   They catch glimpses of the guardian of Moil, the Tortured Vestige from time to time as it hunts for all living beings that enter the city.

   They run into a dead end, but must fight the current occupant a huge undead called a Molian Barrow!  They decided to try and run past it thinking that it won't leave its tower to chase them.  Unluckily, Hannibal and Azten are not as lithe as Riddick and Brother Krux.  They end of defeating the Borrow and continue on.  On one of the dangerous bridges, they are beset upon by a large group of zombie rangers and their undead necrotic controllers.  A fierce battle ensues with Solomon Kong tumbling over the bridge and into the damaging mists below, dragging a zombie wizard with him.  Luckily the rangers have little resistance to the parties attacks and they are taken out very quickly.

   At last our party arrives at what must be the portal out of Moil.  Jax detects that the portal is shielded from use and that this shield is less that a week old.  He believes that he can break this shield with his arcane energy but it will take time.  Aiding him is Riddick using his knowledge of locks and traps to try and break it down using physical force.  While this is going on, a large creature enters the ruined tower trapping the party in the room.  It is none other that the Tortured Vestige!  Knowing that the creature is far more powerful than the party, Hannibal attacks it trying to buy time for Jax and Riddick.  Aiding him greatly are Azten and Solomon Kong.  The creature is hittable, and is taking some damage, but it is dealing out far more to the party.  At long last Jax breaks the seal on the portal and the party jumps through!  With baited breath they wait, hoping the creature does not follow them through the portal.  They wait and look about the room.  It is covered in arcane designs similar to the Garden of Graves in the Fae-wild.  Jax also tells them they are no longer on the plane of the Shadowfell, but most likely in a pocket dimension just off of the Shadowfell.  The room is circular shaped and has 10 odd doors going all around it.  In the middle is a large sculpture of a head looking upward, with its mouth open.  After an arcane and history check the group knows this is the symbol for Acererak, the legendary Demi-Litch, that has taken an interest to some of the members of the party for past deeds done against it by their ancestors.  Also hanging about the room are several corpses some of them wearing the symbols of the Raven Queen.   After testing some of the doors they find some teleport the person above the mouth of the statue and do damage, and some alter the person in a negative way.  Azten was struck unconscious and now suffers spats of sleep that occur at random times.  Solomon was cursed several times, his head turning into a donkeys, and his size shrinking to a half-ling's height.  Riddick was also unlucky, stepping through one of the doors aged him 150 years, to middle-age.  He now appears weakened and a bit slow, but that might wear off over time.  At long last they figure out the riddle of the room, but smashing the eyes of the statue which removes the magical trap and allows them to descend down into Acererak's dungeon!

Exp gained: 4267