Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for September 29, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gertie Foxglove (human witch), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Radimir Dragomirov (human huecuva lord cleric), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by cohort Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer) and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

The battle between the party and the Gallowdead raged. Blood spurted freely from Dario’s wounds, and Shaddoc was cut down by one of the fallen knights. Dario managed to heal himself while Gertie unleashed a powerful lightning bolt! Zedd made good use of magic missile as Radimir summoned an aura of doom. Gnok and Thrain unleashed a barrage of melee attacks, and Dario rejoined the ruckus. Soon both undead were killed. Thrain consumed a few potions, and the team rushed up to the pinnacle of the great tower.

At the top, the world seemed to shift, and the team found themselves on a broad plane with Gallowspire off in the distance. Before them stood Adivion Adrissant, his body pulsing barely contained arcane power threatening to rip his body apart. The forsaken lich unleashed a maximized chain lightning that coursed through the party. Several of the undead were not bothered, but others were rattled by the deadly attack. He then hit Thrain and Dario a torrent of raw arcane energy exploding from his form.

The team closed in quickly to pressure him in melee. Radimir and Zedd cast spells that floundered against Adivion’s spell resistance. The team began to enhance one another with spells like bull’s strength and disrupting weapon. Adivion warded himself with mirror image, much to the team’s consternation. Gnok slipped in a few lucky shots but found his attacks quite ineffective and healing at a staggering rate. Radimir summoned half a dozen huecuva to try and pin him down, and the magus caught most of the party in a cone of cold and more blasts of arcane energy. Dario was in bad shape, and all the huecuva were slain. The team felt they had the upper hand when they finally got Adivion surrounded, but he managed to use dimension door to reposition after drilling Dario with scorching ray. The team continued to hurl spells but struggled with the lich’s intense spell resistance.

The party hurtled across the battlefield to close with him again as Gertie tried to slip out of range. Adivion recalled to mind chain lightning and hit the team with it yet again, rendering Gertie unconscious. Gnok tried to grapple Adivion and was amazed at his defensive skills and his ability to ward off the attack quite easily with his staff. Thrain struggled to get into a good position and only got to get shots off here and there due to Adivion’s mobility. Zedd had enhanced some of the party but still struggled with spells failing on his resistances. Lucretia used magic to enhance allies as well and was forced to nurse her own injuries.

Dario, bleeding, burnt, chilled, and shocked, was barely holding onto to life. Filled with fury, however, he hefted his undead bane blade and ripped into the lich. Just as his momentum reached its peak, his disrupting weapon suddenly blasted Adivion into oblivion! The team looked on in stunned relief as the lich’s possessions clattered to the ground. The landscape lurched, and they realized an illusion had covered the top of the tower the entire fight. The silvery energy pulsing across the doorway into Gallowspire’s inner sanctums subsided, and the threat of awakening the Whispering Tyrant quite abruptly ended.

The team stood victorious but at a horrendous price. Gnok was condemned to an eternity of feeding upon the life of others and had already spread his plague to Lucretia. Radimir and Zedd were cast off by their gods and damned to servitude to Dagon the demon lord. Thrain had merged with his unholy armor and become more and less than he had ever been. Shaddoc and Nyssa lay dead, and Dario had embraced his bestial nature and lycanthropic curse. They may had prevented the rise of Tar-Baphon, but they unleashed half a dozen terribly powerful evils upon the world in his stead.

Game summary for September 22, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

The unholy elder fire elementals swarmed from the corners of Gallowspire and attacked the party. Nearly immediately, Bartemus burst into flames from the elementals’ attacks! Two of the outsiders attacked Dario but could not get through his defenses. Thrain and Gnok tried to flank one and found it an ineffective tactic. Zedd tried to hit one with icicle and missed. Thrain finally landed some attacks, and his icy pick dealt devastating damage! The team began to beat the guardians, and they fell one by one. An elemental snatched up Dario, and he warded himself with resist energy. He, and his allies, were quite stunned when it walked to the edge of the tower and hurled him 180 feet to the ground! He bounced off the ground, mildly protected by iron skin, and used blessing of fervor to charge back up the stairs of the tower. Meanwhile, the team cut down the rest of the elementals.

The group ascended further and were accosted by two skeletal knights with glowing swords trailing spiked chains wrapped around their bodies. The creatures whispered horrible, mind-bending secrets under their breath as they attacked. Chains shot forth and grappled Thrain, but Dario successfully used his gauntlet of rust to destroy it! Gnok used his amazing mastery of dwarven jujitsu to hurl the other to the floor. Insane Shaddoc managed to slay Nyssa with his crushing pincer, and the knights greatly harmed Dario and Gnok. Lucretia had some success with her greater flaming sphere, and Zedd landed several well-placed magic missiles. Lucretia managed to dominate Shaddoc, and Gnok hurled one of the undead to the ground yet again!

Game summary for September 15, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Radimir Dragomirov (human huecuva lord cleric), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

The team began to ascend the Bone Stair rising around the inner core of Gallowspire. They moved up to the second level where they triggered a trap of pendulums made of web holding blades! The wicked edges slashed through the team as they scurried for cover. From the stair, Zedd cast true seeing and discovered a massive Leng spider hiding under cover of invisibility!

The team dropped a flame strike in the room burning the webs to nothingness and causing the spider to attack! It focused on a big juicy morsel, the dire werewolf, Dario! It sank its enormous fangs into his chest and pumped him full of hallucinogenic poison! Thrain and Gnok moved in to flank while Radimir warded himself with magic. Shaddoc was knocked unconscious as Zedd moved up and hit the spider with dehydrating touch! The group tore into the spider, and before it could flee, Gnok struck a death blow.

The team searched the area and nursed wounds before proceeding to the next level of Gallowspire. They found this level to have a large open balcony and four braziers of blazing blue flame. The fire animated, emerged as hulking humanoid shapes, and advanced on the party!

Game summary for September 8, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), and Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer, accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), and Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer).

The team fell back from the onslaught of the Knights of the Gate. Dario fled on foot as quickly as he could, and Thrain was compelled to chase after him. At a sufficient distance, Dario summoned a roc that snatched up Thrain and hurled him into the ravener’s hanging cage. It then swooped down and grabbed both Knights of the Gate and flew high into the sky. When it disappeared back from whence it came, the two devourers plummeted to their destruction on the stones below.

The group nursed their wounds while the vampires recuperated in their coffins. The team then cast a barrage of spells and charged through the open gates of Gallowspire to discover General Sey’lok, an ancient nightwalker! Thrain stepped right up to the towering monstrosity and sunk his pick deep into its leg. It retaliated by sundering his magical shield! Gnok and Dario closed as Nyssa and Lucretia began enhancing and attack spells. The nightwalker focused on the large living werewolf over the undead running about its feet. It damaged his sword and sliced him to ribbons. Within moments, Dario was staggered and cling to life by the thinnest of threads. Finally, Gnok and Thrain managed to flank the nightwalker, and Thrain’s sneak attack damage began taking its toll. A solid critical hit from Gnok laid the undead horror low, and the party rejoiced.

Searching the area, they found massive stairs leading up and signs of a battle from long ago. Among the desiccated corpses of slain angels, the team found a +1 flaming greatsword.

Game summary for August 25, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

The ravener breathed fire across the party again! Lucretia dissolved into gaseous form due to the damage, and Dario fell unconscious. Nyssa roused him with cure serious wounds while Zedd began firing icicle. Gnok tried to jump astride the dragon and was swatted to the ground. Thrain moved closer as the ravener tried to command him but failed. Thrain hit the dragon with his frigid devastating blast repeatedly while Nyssa cast haste. Gnok connected with a few hits. Dario, Bartemus, and Shaddoc were all still affected by insanity and alternated attacking each other, babbling incoherently, and slicing themselves with their weapons. Finally, Thrain closed in and drove his frigid pick into the fiery dragon and killed it! Dario was able to heal himself of insanity as Bartemus fell unconscious from his wounds.

The team looked up to see a thin nobleman standing in the open doorway of Gallowspire. He screamed in anger and yelled, “You again! Count or no Count, the Tyrant will rise!” He then swallowed a potion and staggered into the darkness as the doors of Gallowspire slammed closed.

The group raced to the doors and found them securely closed. Great skeletal arms served as hinges, and they estimated the iron doors at around 200 tons each. Zedd walked up and calmly knocked. The negative energy of his lich touch flowed into the doors, and they swung wide! They party looked on a bit amazed.

Two devourers charged forth to engage the team. One enthralled Nyssa with a suggestion to flee, and she ran off into the rain. The other used control undead upon Thrain and drove him to beat Gnok into gaseous form! He then spun around to attack Zedd and found his frozen pick not as well suited for battling a lich.

Game summary for August 18, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

The team looked on in dread at the ravaged city of Adorak with the ominous iron tower of Gallowspire looming in the center. As they stared, metal-clad Dario was blasted with a lightning strike from the raging tempest. The team ran into a nearby building as the acidic embalming fluid falling like rain began to burn the skin. They advanced further into the city and crossed over a road of skulls. The chattering heads began to snap at the feet of the living but ignored the undead. The jaws inflicted horrendous damage, and their jabbering drove the living insane!

The group gathered in another crumbling building and healed each other a bit. Suddenly the building shook as a massive red-scaled monstrosity crashed into the roof causing it to collapse! Some of the team was pinned in the collapse while others scrambled out to see a massive dragon flapping off over the skyline! The group dug out their friends and nursed some wounds. A moment later, the dragon caught the team off guard again and crashed into the ground beside them. The tremendous impact caused a cave-in, and an enormous sinkhole fell in. Zedd, Shaddoc, and Bartemus were swept under the earth and pinned by the crushing weight.

Gnok shouted out for Zedd. The lich answered from beneath the earth, and Gnok began to search for the trapped wizard. The dragon landed once again, its very essence causing several to cower in fright, and breathed fire upon Dario and Lucretia. Both were terribly burned, and part of Dario’s soul was sucked up into the dragon’s maw! At this distance the team could see the dragon was undead with glowing fiery eyes! Gnok turned to gaseous form to cross the shifting soil. Thrain summoned his phantom steed capable of flying across the ground unhindered. Nyssa cast good hope while Lucretia nailed the dragon with acidic spray.

Dario remembered tales of Tar-Baphon’s steed, a mighty red dragon ravener named Marrowgarth! The werewolf began to cast a spell, but his insanity instead drove him to attack the dragon with his sword. His blade bounced off the metallic scales but got her attention. Marrowgarth then tore into Dario with tooth and claw. Dario invoked his divine intervention to narrowly escape death. Gnok dug up Zedd who immediately cast ice storm around Marrowgarth. Unfortunately, her spell resistance held out. Thrain, mounted on his wicked ghostly phantom horse, charged over the sinkhole and drove his pick into the dragon, the icy blast wreaking havoc. Lucretia hit it with an acidic elemental blast as well. Wanting no more, the ravener leaped into the air and took wing, flying away from the team.

The group extracted their buried friends while they heard screams off in the distance that suddenly went silent. The team sped toward Gallowspire and discovered a large cage filled with charred bodies. They realized the ravener had consumed the souls of these people to recharge its power. As they came to this conclusion, the ravener came crashing back down among them!

Game summary for August 13, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Radimir Dragomirov (human huecuva lord cleric), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

Thrain grabbed one of the chains and smashed through the other two suspending the corpse over the pit of negative energy. He held tightly as he and the body swung back and forth. Dario flailed away with his lucerne hammer, killing the Gray Friar and blasting a zombie into oblivion with his devastating weapon. Bartemus and Radimir dispatched a juju zombie. Shaddoc took several hits but slew one of his assailants as Gnok closed in and took down the other. Free of immediate threats, the team began healing up while Dario, in hybrid werewolf form, overturned the altar and hiked a leg.

The undead members of the party huddled around the pit of negative energy to recover their wounds while Zedd used the Seasage Effigy (a.k.a., the Face of Dagon) to commune with her demon lord master. She posed the following questions:

1. Does Lucimar have Count Galdana in his possession?  Unclear.
2. Is Lucimar heading for Gallowspire?  Yes.
3. Has the real Count Galdana been turned into a lich?  Unclear.
4. Is the real Count Galdana alive?  Unclear.
5. Were the juju zombies descended of the Count Galdana bloodline?  Unclear.
6. Does the Whispering Way have something in possession to continue the bloodline of Count Galdana?  Unclear.
7. Dagon, are you lying to me?  No
8. Has the reincarnation of Tar-Baphon into lich form already happened?  No.
9. Has the Carrion Crown been fully assembled?  Yes.
10. Has the Carrion Crown been used?  No.
11. Is the Carrion Crown in Gallowspire?  Yes.
12. Was Lucimar’s exchange with the Gray Friar a lie?  Yes.
13. Was the creature Lucimar teleported out of this room with a juju zombie?  Unclear.

The group barricaded themselves into the room and settled in to rest, recover abilities, and study or pray for new spells. Afterward, Zedd used one of his scrolls of teleport and successfully by-passed the witchgates. He got the team to the very edge of the ruined city of Adorak, home of dreaded Gallowspire!

Game summary for August 7, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

Thrain tumbled through his assailants but was quickly re-surrounded. Zedd destroyed several juju zombies with an ice storm as the high priest cast flame strike upon the team. Gnok and Shaddoc tore into the other zombies while Dario began summoning a vrock demon from the Abyss! Lucretia’s acid spells dissolved several zombies, and Bartemus’ blunderbuss pelted several others and brought one down. Train began to slay his attackers while the high priest tried to afflict Dario with deafness. The werewolf succeeded though in summoning forth the vrock!

The screeching demon attacked as Lucimar the Lich-Wolf, one of the leaders of the Whispering Way, appeared out of nowhere. He yelled at the high priest telling him to protect the Count at all costs and pointed to the man suspended above the well of negative energy. The high priest cast harm upon the vrock and sent it back into torment. Zedd hurled Thrain up onto the Count using telekinetic charge so he could pick the locks of his manacles and release him. Meanwhile, Dario figured the Count must be taking damage from the negative energy and cast cure serious wounds. Upon touching the Count, he screamed and died! Lucimar yelled for the high priest to salvage the corpse and then disappeared with one of the other zombies.

Game summary for July 28, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Radimir Dragomirov (human huecuva lord cleric), and Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger).

Thrain and Bartemus came back down the hall and tried to push through the black tentacles. Thrain made it through very stealthily. Nyssa healed Bartemus, and both of them then got grappled by the spell. They spent the most of the rest of the encounter being crushed.

Dario suddenly found himself face-to-face with a huge fire elemental! He fought it with a surprising furiosity, however and rocked it back. Radimir accidentally stumbled into the spellcaster, and the team began to unleash upon his invisible form. Dario got close enough to blindsense him and directed their attacks. Soon, his invisibility wore off and the team found they did indeed face a worm that walks! The hideous spellcaster was tremendously difficult to harm and healed at a staggering rate! Radimir hit him with a cone of cold while Thrain wailed away with his frosty pick. Dario beat down the fire elemental, which finally died beneath Radimir’s ice storm. At last, Radimir called upon the unholy power of Dagon to launch a frozen icicle from his finger which slammed into the caster and struck him dead on impact!

The group then opened the double doors and found an enormous stone cavern filled with pews and statues of Urgathoa. Over a dozen gaunt pale forms stood within chanting before a great black altar behind which an obviously undead priest stood. He invited the team to join the ritual! Nearby a large gaping hole radiated black negative energy from within, and the chained form of Count Galdana, pallid and grayish, hung suspended over the depths! The hooded figures turned to face the team, and shockingly, they all looked like Count Galdana.

Thrain made a mad dash for the platform and altar, trying to get to the priest. His stubby legs didn’t get him too far into the room before being swarmed by the pale Galdanas. They drew forth short swords and attacked him from all sides. Bartemus moved in to aid him and was quickly flanked by more. Radimir hit three of the creatures with a flame strike and found them nimble and resistant to fire. Nyssa dropped haste upon Radimir, Dario, and Bartemus but was unable to reach isolated Thrain.

Game summary for July 21, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Abilard Athame (human magus), Brutus Bonesmasher (human fighter), Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Malthus Brightray (half-elf cleric), Radimir Dragomirov (human huecuva lord cleric), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohorts Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer) and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

Radimir felt the unholy negative energy of Urgathoa’s priestess tear through his body and rip his soul from its moorings.  His last mortal thought was how ironic it was his deity’s immortal enemy and opposite who killed him.  Radimir awoke and knew he was dead.  Looking around, he recognized Pharasma’s Boneyard and the long lines of petitioners awaiting judgment and their eternal fate.  He stood in line and approached the throne.  Slowly.  It seemed all eternity passed as he stood, shuffled forward one place, and stood some more.  Occasionally he thought he caught just a whisper of his name, hushed and afar off.  However, no one spoke, they just stood.  Some wept, others quaked in fear.  But onward the line moved getting closer to knowing what judgment the goddess of the dead would pronounce.  Again, and again, he thought he heard his named whispered, but never could he divine the source.

“I can raise him,” growled Dario through his furry muzzle.  “Nah,” shrugged Gnok, as he dumped Radimir’s cooling corpse into a corner and pulled out the Lazurite Focus to allow its energy to mingle with the unhallowed desecrated aura of Renchurch.  Almost with malicious glee, the undead gathered to wait and see what horrors were inflicted upon their companion.  Dario shrugged and sat in another corner to chew on his fleas.  Muttering fearful prayers, Nyssa retreated to one of the stone pews and began rocking slightly back and forth.

Radimir knelt before the throne, the glory and splendor of his goddess radiant before him!  He wept joyfully that his quest had brought him here.  He was sorrowful he would not see the mission to the end, but he had died a martyr and he knew the promises of his goddess.  He nearly trembled with anticipation. 

“Fool!” Pharsma proclaimed, nearly rising out of her seat in anger.  “Fool!  You know the blight that is the undead!  You know the corruption!  And yet, you consort with them!  You stood by and watched as they slaughtered your companions!  You did nothing as they raised unholy blasphemies into the world!  You gripped the Raven’s Head, capable of sending them all back to dust, and did nothing!  And all the while you told yourself it was for the greater good!  No!  There is no good in the undead.  You know this.  You knew all along.  Deep down you knew what you did was wrong, and yet you went against everything you were ever taught and told yourself I would be pleased!  And you knew exactly what they would do with you if you fell in battle.”

“But… the Tyrant, we were weak, we needed strength…” Radimir sputtered.  Again, he heard his name whispered, but louder and more insistent. 

“Silence!” exclaimed Pharsma, with a cold, angry, authoritative voice.  “You sought to oppose the king of the undead with… undead.  Lust filled your hearts.  Lust for power.  Lust for immortality.  You are no better than Tar-Baphon and would deserve to be his slave.  You made your choices and must suffer the consequences.  Although I abhor what you shall become, your decisions allowed it, and so I will not intervene.  Another, however, petitions for your very soul.  He calls out for you from his godless, lightless realm.  I give you wholly to him for all eternity.  I proclaim you damned forever more.  I rescind from you every blessing I’ve ever provided.  I curse the ground upon which you walk.  I declare you anathema and heathen and enemy of me and my church.  Your soul is so judged and your fate decided.  Go to your new master and suffer for what you have allowed into the world.”

Radimir’s corpse spasmed as the black light of the Lazurite Focus pulsed.  The scent of decay wafted from his flesh as it began to rot before the eyes of his companions.  Dario raised his head, sniffed the befouled air, and went back to gnawing his hide.  Cruel smiles broke out on the faces of Radimir’s undead spectators.  Corruption and taint rippled in almost visible waves, threatening to tear a hole into the negative energy plane.  The undead basked in ecstasy.

Radimir awoke once again with the sensation he was drifting.  Or sinking.  His movements were sluggish as he struggled, and he could see light far above him.  He could make out the Boneyard in the circle of light, and he remembered be hurled out of Pharasma’s realm and plummeting into darkness.  He remembered crashing into the ground… no, it yielded too much to be the ground.  Water.  He had crashed into water.  Above him, the light shrank and faded, and he knew he was submerged, sinking deeper into a dark abyss.  The pressure and cold were tremendous and growing more so by the moment.  He could not even move or thrash.  He was pinned by the overwhelming weight of the water.  In the flickering shadows horrors swam by.  Mammoth sharks.  Tentacled monsters.  Froglike behemoths.  All eyed him, very aware of his presence but allowed him to sink past.  Soon the light was gone, and he could only speculate what manner of monstrosities brushed past him in the blackness. 

“Radimir,” came a booming voice nearly in his ear.  He recognized the voice from the whispers.  He realized it had not been whispering the whole time, but shouting from a great distance away!  Glowing green eyes slowly opened to regard the fallen priest, and in that light Radimir beheld an enormous form.  A creature not quite fish, not quite eel, not quite octopus, but some unholy combination of all.  It towered over him in the endless sea as large as a mountain.  Again, Dagon spoke.

Radimir’s corpse jerked as it coughed up salt water.  Zedd fell to his knees as a Dagon gave him a vision of Radimir’s soul.  He muttered praises to the demon lord as another soul was welcomed into damnation as his had so recently.

“You spent your entire life worshipping Pharasma.  You denied yourself so much.  So many prayers.  So many rituals.  So much you gave and sacrificed.  And for what?  Here you are, with me.  Mine forever.  One ‘mistake’ and she casts you aside as rubbish.  I will never cast you aside.  You are mine now and forever, and I will never forget you are mine.  And neither shall you.  This will be your eternal home.  The crushing depths, the freezing cold.  You will be eaten and abused by demons but never able to die.  You will heal in agony, and the cycle will play out forever.  You will not see what plucks out your eyes or lays its eggs in your throat.  The energy of your soul shall sustain so many horrors, and you will forever dread the next creature to get hold of you.  It will never end, for you are mine, and I will never cast you aside.  You are far too useful.  For now, I have use of you in the world.  I send you there, slave.  But know that if you ever fail me, that existence will end and this one begin.  Please me as long as you can.  Never forget, I am all you have.  Pharasma doesn’t care about you.  I only care about your use to me.  Go, be useful.”

The desiccated and rotted form of Radimir climbed to its feet before the onlookers.  Radimir doubled over and vomited forth several gallons of seawater and scuttling crabs.  He picked up the Raven’s Head and smoked billowed from his burning hand.  In rage he hurled the mace against the wall and ripped the symbol of Pharasma from around his neck.  He dropped to his knees beside the portable hole, crushing a crab in the process.  He leaned and rummaged about.  He soon emerged holding a reddish gold medallion depicting some kind of fish, eel, octopus hybrid.  He hung the symbol around his neck and hefted the trident once belonging to Polyphemus.  The fallen priest took his place among his companions and realized try as he might, he was unable to cry.

The team, joined by their newly undead companion, moved through the double doors and down a long flight of steps into the darkness. They opened a pair of doors and found the large round room with the pool of maggots. They engaged a man apparently made of worms who hit Dario with a disintegrate ray. He cast acid fog to block the team as Gnok closed in. The dwarf found an illusion and frustration for his trouble. The acid fog was dispelled, but the caster followed it with black tentacles. The grasping tentacles grappled Zedd and Lucretia, but the vampire turned to gaseous form to escape.

Malthus launched a wall of fire that began destroying the maggot pool while Radimir cast ice storm over the area. The spells harmed their allies a bit but not seriously. Abilard realized the caster was using project image and had to be within line of effect. He communicated this to his allies, and they began planning on how to find the hidden caster.