Let’s see... what do I remember? I’ve had such a horrible shock, everything’s gone wrong!

I remember we got out of the strange otherworldly kingdom, and found ourselves back near the lich-infested village, but several months later than expected. I was wondering what my husband was up to?

We walked into town, noticing that the fields were quiet, and most had crops rotting on the stalk. When we got to the village, we went to the shrine first, only to find it had been dismantled. We then saw that something was being built or rebuilt on the ruined tower hill above the lich’s lair. Well, it had several months to reform, so we shouldn’t be surprised!

Of course, we wondered and feared what had happened in the village itself. We’d been trying the winged creature’s ring of invisibility with no luck, but now, Roscoe set himself to find out the magic words in earnest. I found out that this can be quite painful for the user - boom! But Sprocket figured it out for him, and he ran off to the village. He went invisible for a little while.. then re-appeared!

Bryrgar was all for running down and telling him, but Sprocket and I talked him into waiting, hoping Roscoe would use his quick wits and the ring to return safely. Soon, he did - with tales of zombies, enslaved humans, and gnolls running the show. I felt terrible, even though we couldn’t have helped it; we were trapped on another plane while this went on!

Using one of Sprocket’s spells to be less noticeable, we headed through town ourselves. Unfortunately, Roscoe’s luck ran out and he appeared in front of a bunch of gnolls. Even though he disappeared quickly, the fight was on! We had a short but brutal battle with the guard unit, but managed to finish them all off before attracting notice.

We knew we had to get to the lich’s lair quickly, now! We could run for the building site, or hope that the tunnel from the graveyard was still there. Realizing the tower was swarming with life and unlife, we headed for the tomb. Of course, it got dark before we got there, and not all of the graves were empty! Bryrgar used his holy symbol to turn those zombies away, and opened the crypt.

I learned a few new dwarven curse words when the shadows themselves attacked us inside! Bryrgar was able to turn the things away again, and we all stepped inside, lit a torch, and headed through the secret door and down the tunnel. We reached the end that we remembered came out behind a statue in the upper altar room, and Roscoe peeped out through a crack. He suddenly went invisible...

We heard an attack and ran out to find that the halfling had tried to attack two priests praying at the altar, but the magically appearing skeletons had protected them! Everyone in the room piled into the fight, using everything at hand. Magical spider bites are nasty. My mace was much nicer, but I couldn’t seem to hit anything with it! Finally, we cleared a way to the altar, and descended the secret stairs.

We ran down to the lich’s lair, and were confronted by a crowd of zombies, skeletons, and the lich itself. We began to fight, but the lich cast a spell, and I was frozen in place! It was terrible to watch my companions fighting around me, each falling captive to the same spell, one at a time! Soon, everything went dark.

We woke in darkness, one each to a cell. The lich came and offered us a truce of sorts - it wants to use us as cannon fodder! There is a demon setting up a realm nearby, and the lich doesn’t want competition. It tried to persuade us to kill the demon instead, as the greater evil, but when it saw we wouldn’t agree, it cast yet another spell.

I found myself suddenly willing to give this new mission a shot, and apparently, very bad things will happen to me if I do not!

I wasn’t alone in this sudden conversion, but Bryrgar resisted violently. We talked over how to convince him to help his friends, which was rather an odd conversation - not only were we still chained in our cells, but the lich itself was giving suggestions! Finally, I decided against knocking him out, and asked for rope so we could tie him up and carry him away.

The lich sent a zombie for rope. The zombie was Charzth.

Well, what would anyone do under such circumstances? I went pretty well mad for a bit. I don’t remember much of the next few minutes, except that I swear that I will return to put my husband’s body to rest. And then I will kill that lich, I don’t care how! This is my vow!

I still shudder to think of it. Unclean, awful!

The lich, naturally, ignored all of this, gave Sprocket directions to its foe, and sent us on our way. Somewhere along the line, we got all of our gear back, and someone had tied up Bryrgar and brought him to a shoreline by a river while Sprocket looked for a boat. I didn’t ask questions. I just wept, and glared at a tree so no one would talk to me. Roscoe earned himself a toss onto the angry tied-up dwarf for trying.

Finally, everyone else was ready to go. They talked me out of muttering and punching the tree, and got me into the boat. The dwarf was still tied up... I guess he doesn’t like boats. I watched Sprocket try to use a new wand, and then I watched the riverbanks as we drifted downstream for the rest of the day. There wasn’t much to see, just some farms, but it was better than letting people talk to me.

It was almost the end of the day when Roscoe began to turn the boat for shore. Bryrgar suddenly escaped from his bonds, and attacked the halfing! Or, at least he tried, as Roscoe leapt from the boat and swam ashore to escape the angry dwarf. Bryrgar demanded that Sprocket and I get him ashore, too, and I awoke to my own danger - after all, I was the one to think of tying him up! I followed Roscoe. Eventually, Sprocket and Bryrgar rowed ashore as well, but Roscoe had plenty of time to climb a tree for safety.

We settled in for the night as best we could; Sprocket set her alarm spell, and Bryrgar set up watch beneath Roscoe’s tree. I slept for first watch and hadn’t been awake long for second, when the alarm went off and the ground began to rumble! I was very startled when a big insect of some kind erupted from the ground below, and tried to eat me!

The first bite hurt me very badly. Bryrgar leapt forward, brave dwarf, and healed me right in its jaws! Everyone was fighting the thing, but I couldn’t break free of it, and next thing I knew, it had pulled me underground! Ubtao knows where it was taking me - or to what - but my friends did not desert me. Bryrgar was hanging onto its carapace with one hand and stabbing it repeatedly with the other, even as we descended.

I finally got free of it for a moment, but didn’t get a chance to make use of it, as the thing re-grabbed me right away. Bryrgar healed me again as the tunnel filled with dancing lights and we could see - Sprocket and Roscoe had followed, as well! Ubtao bless them all! After much fighting (and an awful moment when the thing dropped me in order to spit acid on us all), Sprocket created a giant purple worm which scared the creature off. Bryrgar healed everyone up, and we climbed out of the hole.

Roscoe has to share his tree for the rest of the night. Bryrgar made a hammock of sorts out of the boat. I don’t want to go for an underground ride again for a very long time!

At least Bryrgar and Roscoe aren’t fighting, and I’m trying not to think so much about my husband. I know that his soul has passed on and it’s only his body, but it’s only decent to wish to see him buried. And how will I ever go home, now?

Posted by Kate on January 30, 2005, 09:24 | Nosila’s Journal