Session 45 - Teeth, Eyes and Spiderclimb

A thin line of light appears and starts to trace a path in the air in the shape of a door. The Door opens and a cloaked figure wearing a Plague mask steps through. Baromar come with me, and as if pulled on a string his body is dragged through the door, which disappears much in the same way that it appears. A short time later a similar door and figure, perhaps the same one appear and take Gnarvick. The Keeper has been to visit. 

The party after exchanging glances of WTF just happened, continue to explore the Amber Temple. They find a room which contains the fixings of a lecture hall appears empty, as they explore they find a charred wizard hiding behind the lecturn. I am Vilnius, apprentice of Jakarion. Vilnius explains that his master was the fried wizard in the hall on the other side of the room that Pallas recovered the staff off of. Vilnius shows that he managed to get his masters spellbook but would very much like to recover the staff as well.

He explains that he has survived the Temple by eating rodents, and hiding from the Amber Golem. He asks the party if they have any food and Mulberry throws a handful of spices in his face. They party offer to escort him out and he says that he would rather stay than to try his luck on the road back to the village.

Pallas stands over him and demands the spellbook, telling him that as a group they have just defeated countless Flame Skulls and two Amber Golems, and that if he doesn't comply he will join the long list of the dead that the party has behind them. He hands over the spell book and decides to take his chances on the road after all, quickly scurrying away from the party and out the door. 

Continuing the exploration and using Pallas' wand of secrets they locate a secret door within a room with a shattered idol and scattered candlesticks. The door leads to stairs and down to another crypt with sarcophagi, this one also contains a group of Ghasts that have grown additional eyes on the top of their heads. They fill the room some on the walls and others on the ground. Snowball casts confusion in the room but only affects two of the Ghasts, while Pallas fireballs the rest leaving only the confused ones alive. 

Mulberry rushes in with Flaming Scimitar and takes one out, they relieve the remainder of his life and snowball accidentally touches a sarcophagus.

Snowball accepts the dark gift of Zantras, the Kingmaker. Zantras’s gift is power that comes from great presence and force of personality. Snowballs Charisma increases by 4,and he gains the following flaw: “I won’t take no for an answer.”

Denzel tries his luck on a different one and accepts dark gift of Dahlver-Nar, He of the Many Teeth. Dahlver-Nar’s gift is the power to live many lives. Denzel will now instantly reincarnates when he dies, as though it was the target of a reincarnate spell. His new body appears within 10 feet of the old one. After it has been used three times, the dark gift vanishes.

Denzel also loses all of its teeth until he reincarnates for the third and final time.

Mulberry decides to lick one of the sarcophagus to see what happens and accepts the dark gift of Drizlash, the Nine-Eyed Spider. Drizlash’s gift is the power to walk on walls and ceilings. This dark gift allows Mulberry to climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Along with this ability Mulberry grows an extra eye somewhere on her chest. The eye is blind and ever open.

Returning to the upper levels with their new found curses abilities the party continue to explore. Mulberry climbs across the wall of the chamber to the landing on the opposite side, and opens the door, inside she sees a statue of a wizard that calls to her and she is unable to do anything but stand next to it, seeing two dead wizards on the ground next to it. The rest of the party go the long way around through the room with the amazing smelling food. Noticing that there is a huge copper bowl in the middle of the table with imagery carved into its sides, leaving this alone, snowball enters the room and sees Mulberry standing by the statue unresponsive. He uses shatter and destroys the statue releasing Mulberry from its hold. They decide to camp out in here for the night in a tiny hut and have a long rest.

Waking the next morning they find another secret door and open it. The room is flooded with 1000's of skulls that pack the room from floor to ceiling. Collecting some for Baromar food, they party work to clear the remainder. The find a chest hanging from the Ceiling and determine that "Its a Trap!" and a secret door on the other side. Heading through this they find a study covered in dust and cobwebs and a Lich siting at a table. 

He greets them "Hello friends, welcome to our temple." He is aloof and can't recall things such as his name. The party search the room and find his spell book on a lectern with the name Exethanter on it. Speaking his name aloud opens two secret doors in the room, one containing his phylactery and another that contains an additional secret door. 

He explains that he is the keeper of the dark magic here but has long forgotten more than he can remember. They ask him about the Vestiges and he tells them of his library. He asks why they have come, and Pallas after asking if he can look at the Lich's spellbook and being warned strongly against touching that, explains they seek knowledge and power. He tells them of his library which contains both and Pallas asks to see it. The Lich leads them through the second secret door into the library which contains two Berserkers who don't attack as the Lich is escorting them. Pallas discovers the library contains a great deal of spell information, and starts to read and transcribes things into his own spell book furiously. 

Snowball decides to explore the sweeping staircase that leads down to the lower part of the library and discovers 6 boxes which burst open as he enters the room 6 Vampire spawn exploding into the air above their boxes turn to face Snowball. 

Who rushes back up stairs with the Vampires in pursuit.