Session 5 - Return to the Temple of Evil Chaos

Members

Kilborn Blindshaft - Dwarven Fighter
Solaris - Human Ranger
Kiln Hearthhome- Human Cleric
Tima - Human monk
Lórien - Elf Wizard

The party began the evening going into the Shunned Cavern to see what evil lived there.  While searching, they stumbled into a Gray Ooze.  Easy pickings, but you know that if there is one ooze, there will be more.  Kilborn leaned down to pick up another coin he found, and after noticing it was a copper, he tossed it back.

Venturing further into the cave, they found a silver piece among the scattered bones.  Seeing the remains of humanoids and corroded weapons in every corner.  To the south, they found the inhabitants.  It seemed at first that there was a single bugbear, but the battle was soon joined by his three mates.

Tima, Kiln and Kilborne headed back to the cave entrance to explore the northern passage, where they found a murky pool.  The air of the room was damp, and they saw and heard water drip all around them.  A few blind, white fish were swimming in the large pool of shallow water on the northern edge of the room.  They didn't notice the two Gelatinous Cubes in the room with them, until one of them engulfed Tima and the other slammed Kilborn.

The rest of the party ran to the room, as Kilborn held off the Oozes.  As the rest of the party joined the fight, two more gray oozes flowed out of the shadows, one almost on top of Solaris.  Kilborn dropped an ooze and a cube, and the tide was turned.  A quick mop up and the party had time to breathe and look around.  Kilborn noticed a jeweled goblet at the bottom of the pool and dove in to get it.

In a feat of magical prowess, Lórien plucked it out of his hands and held on to it.  Kilborn was angered, but let the mage hold the cup.  Kilborn decided to bide his time, and let the mage have his small victories.  After the fight, the party set up camp in the cave and made bugbear stew.  The night passed uneventfully.

In the morning, they headed back to the Temple of Evil Chaos.  Kiln cast aid, and they headed off.  Lórien made three illusionary wizards, all copied of himself holding his new goblet.  The party headed to the north, where they saw two doors.  Kilborn blasted the northern door off its hinges, right into a pack of ghosts.

Kilborn jumped to the front lines with the Mace of Disruption.  Much disruption was done.  The horrifying visages of the ghosts gave everyone a scare, but all were successful in resisting the urge to run away.  Kilborn put up a valiant fight, until a ghost took possession of him.  A thunderwave from Lórien knocked the ghost right out of Kilborn though.

After the ghost fight, the party headed east, and found the crypt locked again.  Remembering that there were bad things in there, Lórien and Solaris held actions while the rest of the party searched the sarcophagi.  In the second one, they found a vampire.

The vampire went right for Lórien and he bit him, doing damage and reducing his HP by 10 for the rest of the day.  Kilborn tried to intimidate it, but was only sneered at.  When his attack missed horridly, the vampire almost laughed.  The vampire was quickly reduced to a fading cloud of mist.

Heading back the way they came, the party returned to the Evil Chapel.  Still on the alter were the four cursed vessels, a shallow bowl, a pair of goblets, and a vaselike pitcher.  With a successful spell, Kiln destroyed the demonic curse of the four vessels.  The party felt the energy disperse and knew the world would be better with a little less evil in it.

Heading north, they came across the room that previously held four live acolytes (now four acolyte statues).  It was now occupied by three Wights.  These undead horrors attacked.  Kilborn jumped to the front lines again, and told Lórien to cast Thunderwave even though he was standing in the area it would hit.  Kilborn jumped on the table and let out a whirl wind of strikes, only to lose his balance and fall to the floor, but that last strike was what it took to make the fight end quickly.

Further up to the north, Kilborn destroyed the door to a secret passage, and destroyed the next door as well.  Only to walk in on the newest occupant of the temple, the Chaos Lich.  The party was in close quarters, trying to get through the passage, when the lich opened with a fireball to the center of the group.  Even with a few successful saves, the party was badly damaged, with Lórien down before the fight began.  He was revived by Kiln, and was able to heal a bit and join the fight.

With a successful cast of Hold Person from his wand of binding, Lórien held the lich.  With the Mace of Disruption, Kilborn destroyed the lich beyond hope of regeneration.  Just as it looked like the party would be victorious, two zombies burst through the door to the west.  The party felt a tangible aura of despair, and Solaris was frightened and paralyzed to his core.

Solaris broke the paralysis, and just as the fight ended and he was wiping his brow, Lórien saw more ghosts coming down from the northeastern passage.  The ghosts attacked Lórien, and one was successful in possessing him.  The other three were destroyed, and the party started to open up on Lórien/ghost.  With a command spell, Kiln knocked the ghost out, and Lórien was able to run away.  The ghost did not survive for long after that.

During this fight, Tima stumbled into the Temple of Evil Chaos, and fell under the enchantment of the seductive shapes moving across the western wall.  She uttered few stanzas to the gods of evil chaos.  Having looted the gems from this chamber on a previous occasion, there was not much loot to be found, but on searching the lich's room, they found a set of Efreeti Chain, a healing potion and a few gems.

The threat to the valley gone, and the temple artifacts defiled, the party left victorious.  Now the true celebration could be had back at the keep.

Loot:

690 gp
1 sp
Jeweled goblet (15gp)
2 Jade gems (100gp each)
2 Aquamarine (worth 100gp each)
1 bloodstone (worth 50gp)

Magic Items

3 Potions of healing
Potion of Heroism
2 Scrolls of Protection from Undead
Scroll of Feather Fall
+1 Short sword
Efreeti Chain
Evercool Mug - A mug made of electrum and silver that is always cool to the touch.

XP:

Shunned Cavern: 2300
Shrine of Evil Chaos: 8970
Destroying the evil vessels: 500xp
Quest XP for destroying the Caves of Chaos threat: 450
Total XP: 11770
Per person: 2444

Total Campaign XP per person: 4750
*I didn't think we would hit level 5 this session, but we will just ding it.  For those of you who have your own character, please update your character sheets.  Level 5 is kind of a dead level though, so it is a bit anti climactic.