The party continues to explore ‘The Lost Level’.
The claw-armed demon throws half of a statue… easily several hundres pounds… accross the room, where it smashes into another statue, releaseing the inky black smoke that heralds the arrival of another one of it’s kin. Before the party knows it, they are surrounded by three demons. The smell of sulfer hangs heavy in the air as Shazuu engages the Glabrezu, and Kherek shouts a war cry and charges the ape-demon on the other side of the room. Momentarily unencumbered, the third demon rushes forward and shatters the last statue, releasing a fourth demon from it’s stone prison. The group chokes back tears are the last demon materializes, surrounded by foul acrid mist. The vrock screeches in triumph, and the battle is joined.
The fighters stay close, and exchange blows with the demons, and Shining Brow moves into combat, slicing deep into the barlgura’s flesh. After a few moments, the combined might of the party forces it to it’s knees, and it falls. This brief pause gives Tygor and Alabaster an opening. The two magic users cast spells of binding and removal, and in moments the field is cleared. The two concentrate on their casting, repeating the phrases of binding until the spells are complete, and the demons are banished.
The party briefly searches the chamber, and decides that there’s nothing remaining of interest. With barely held excitement they make their way back to the temple of Dumathoin, and the massive bassalt doors. Once there, Shazuu touches the tips of the dead king’s mumified hand to the stone, and the doors slide open on silent hinges.
Within is a simple chamber, a tapestry hangs on one wall, while a Mirror Gate sits to the side. Mantis examines the tapestry, which nearly disintegrates into rotten rags when touched, while the rest of the party rests. Keherek can feel the weight of the mountain above him. The belt around his waist grows warm, and for some reason he can tell that this is a room of great power. After meditating on that feeling for a time, he understands that this room is the heart of the mountain, and here a dwarf would have great insight into the surrounding area. He feels at peace when he again opens his eyes, and the party begins to examine the Archway Gate.
A simple identify spell is cast, and Mantis knows the key. An invisible creature standing before the Mirror Gate will cause it to open. However, he also detects some sort of protection magic… A powerful ward of unknown origin. Trusting in his abilities, Mantis attempts to dispell the ward. Beleiveing the area clear, Alabaster casts his spell or invisibility, and a plane of shifting colors expands in the open arch. He enters the portal, and hears a screaming voice, ‘NO!’ it shouts, and violently casts him back into the room. He crashes into his companions who are arrayed in front of the gate. Though he was expelled from the portal, he comprehends that something has given him a great boon… He knows, inately, that for a time he has been given a gift of grace, and locked doors will open at his touch. Beleiving the ward expelled, Mantis attempts to enter the gate and is similarly cast back through it. The party argues about the gate, and examines it for a while more before giving up and moving on deeper into the dungeon.
The party moves back through the temple, and examines the doorway to the east. they move through several hallways, chasing phantom noises, until they encounter the corpses of two duergar. Each looks recently dead, cut deeply by sword wounds. On the north and south walls stand two open, empty arches… more gates.
The party move into the room, and examines the corpses. They carry nothing of value. Mantis approaches the north gate, and feels a soft breeze on his face, followed by a SWISH of something moving fast through the air. Suddenly pain erupts in his side. A second invisible creature lashes out at Shining Brow. The party leaps to their feet and readies a defense against the invisible stalkers. Tygor, thinking quickly, unfurls his lantern of revealing. Two smokey, indistinct shapes menace the group. Though they can now see roughly where the creatures stand, they still have a hard time striking their ephemeral forms. The combat is slow and tense, but eventually the group prevails.
After their frustration with the mirror gate in the heart of the mountain, the group all but ignores the two archways. After searching the room for treasure, they move back into the western hall, ready to examine a closed door that they found…