By Brian P. Clausen 1/21/00
Following the landslide-covered path, the party advances over a low range of hills and into a valley beyond. They surmount low mountains and enter another valley with still larger mountains ahead. Their travel spans many days but is without incident. At various times during the long journey one party member or another sometimes hears an uneven booming or rumbling coming from the north, but its cause cannot be determined.
Finally they traverse a great mountain range and find themselves looking down a steep cliff to a savanna far below (though still about a mile above sea level). Ignoring the path which switchbacks to the valley floor the party instead magically descends to the valley floor. The party members now feel a sourceless heat that makes their skin tingle.
The valley is covered with a tall, homogenous grass that appears dry but seems surprisingly resistant to burning. Nethe notes extensive potling tracks along the path. He also notes that boot-clad human potlings appeared to have come down the path in the last few weeks. Aliou tries to speak with a plant spirit inhabiting a gnarled old tree but can only sense that spirit is weak, afraid, and full of hate for whatever evil infects this place.
As they move on they begin to notice that their magical abilities seem to be enhanced here. For example, Aliou's spells seem more effective and longer-lasting than normal.
The party continues its journey, silently brooding what could be causing the night sky to be lit by flickering flames. On the dawn of a new day they reach the eastern lip of a crater about a mile and half in diameter. Carefully they peer over the edge and witness a remarkable sight. In the center of the crater is a great golden arch. It is guarded by a long, sinuous dragon. At one end of the crater is a huge dome of fire. At the other end, Aliou spies his tower! It has been relocated but remains invisible to normal sight. Looking closely the party can see the forces of the Horrors throughout the crater.
The party decides to move clockwise around the rim of the crater to get behind the fire dome. They reach this point without any sign that they have been detected. It seems that the fire dome is shielding a force from the Horrors that move freely on the crater's floor. Perhaps they should seek aid and information from those inside the dome, but how? Aliou decides to send a fire elemental down to attempt to communicate with those inside the dome.
The fire elemental moves rapidly down the side of the crater and into the dome but not without detection by five skeerterlings. These twisted creatures fly up to the party's location to investigate and a quick skirmish ensues. After dispatching the enemy scouts the party runs downs the cliffside hoping to get asylum inside the dome before the rest of the enemy can converge.
The group makes it into a small door in the fire that has opened just before they can be seized by the enemy. Once inside, however, they discover they surrounded by heavily armed Therans! They surrender and are led to face an old nemesis - Minerva herself!
After the standard insults have been exchanged and Minerva has sufficiently gloated the party is led off to the cells. Aliou attempts to escape by magic but discovers that the Therans have antimagic staves that render spells useless. Soon he is in the laboratory of an older elf who has him bound to a chair. Although the man has some sense ("Minerva is insane.") he nevertheless intends to extract Aliou's knowledge by means of some horrific octopus-like creature that he puts on Aliou's head. Aliou gets unexpected deliverance when the creature, in the process of attempting to probe Aliou's brain, makes fatal contact with the small gate in his mind. He frees himself and eventually beats the man in combat, tying him up and leaving him in a closet. He then sneaks about the hallways, eventually getting access to Demek's cell.
Nethe meanwhile tricks the guards into setting him free from his own cell by first disappearing and then blending in with the guards. He's now faced with the daunting task of springing the others and then making an escape by means of the Theran's airship.
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Copyright © 2000 by Brian P. Clausen. All rights reserved.