Aeshma, Zerda and Cassandra meet up with Finnris, Vorstag, Alyilda and Marrak who had earlier killed a serpent guard and were in pursuit of its injured cohort. Sprinting ahead of the others Aeshma and Vorstag manage to catch up with it on the Dragon Stair and are able to kill it before it can raise the alarm.To give us time to bandage the wounded we rest an hour in a derelict building while making plans to continue. With a view to retaining our advantage of stealth, our initial plan is for Zerda to use magic to assume the form of the killed serpent guard, but then the conversation moves to the ghasts in the mausoleum and whether it would be a good idea to continue upwards to Voor Darayn’s peak while leaving that threat behind us.
An initial idea of Cassandra fireballing the inside of the mausoleum is dropped based on the noise it would make, but she then suggests a new spell: Tidal Wave, less explosive and hopefully more subtle. It proves an overly optimistic hope… Unable to target the spell accurately, she manages to catch only one ghast in the wall of water, and that one only a glancing blow. Vorstag, Finnris, Zerda and Aeshma then enter the mausoleum to fight them.
As the fight begins, Cassandra is targeted by another serpent guard archer who had been hidden further up the track. The arrow strikes the sorceress, nearly killing her, and driving her to seek cover behind a pillar. With the fight against the ghasts well in hand, Ayilda and Marrek hurry after the retreating serpent guard.
From the top of Voor Darayn we hear a demonic screech and, even as the last ghast is killed, we know without doubt any hope of stealth is long gone. Cassandra, incensed by her near death experience hurls a fireball after the serpent guard, catching him just as he ducks into a tunnel, then he vanishes from sight, still pursued by Ayilda and Marrek.
Once inside they discover a shrine, a robed serpent wizard and a group of dominated Lomari – as well as the serpent guard archer. The two of them are the target for numerous attacks, but all miss until the wizard summons a swarm of snakes that surrounds them. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Lomari soldiers move to attack, injuring Marrek. Between them they are able to kill the swarming serpents, but just as it looks like the tide has turned, Ayilda is frozen in place by the wizard’s magic, an easy target for the Lomari soldiers...
The rest of us hurry to cover the intervening ground and reach the tunnel entrance just as two Vrock demons swoop down on us. Their first strike is more than sufficient to knock down the already injured Cassandra, and only Aeshma’s last minute intervention with the Healing Light of Mithra is enough to save her life.
Finnris hurries to defend her and in his fury lands two mighty blows on the demon with the Spear of Asura. Cassandra pulls herself to her feet and throws a fireball at the mob of dominated cultists, using her magical talent to reduce its effectiveness around Ayilda. Then the Vrock that had been injured by Finnris screeches again, stunning Vorstag. Aeshma moves up and knocks it prone with her shield, allowing Finnris and Marrek to take advantage of the opportunity to kill it. Zerda then nearly kills the other Vrock but it survives long enough to tear great gouges in Vorstag, critically wounding him.
The Lomari soldiers rush forwards and once again attack Marrek, leaving him seriously injured. Then the wizard casts Evard’s Black Tentacles, trapping everyone apart from Cassandra who just able to scramble free. As she is adjacent to Vorstag, Aeshma is able to cure some of his injuries and both are able to struggle free from the lashing tentacles. Zerda is then able to break free and lands the killing blow on the last Vrock, but then he too is surrounded by the Lomari.
Between us we manage to kill the Lomari soldiers, clearing the way for Zerda to get to Ayilda just in time to save her life with a timely healing potion. The adjacent serpent guard ttries to hit her with his scimitar but misses, despite her being prone. The serpent wizard flees out the other end of the tunnel, but the guard is trapped. He tries to escape up some stairs but is caught by Vorstag’s harpoon which has the ability to drag him back towards us.
It is somehow apropos that the serpent guard is killed by Cassandra’s magic before it can get away. Much as we want to rest and recover from the fight, we are not sure we can risk it – from above we can hear the sound of a ritual reaching its climax…
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