Necronomicon Lost?

"What was that thing?" Erevel exclaimed trying to piece her armor together.

"It apparently has some sort of Sunder capability." Ciprian responded.

"We need to bring Gavril back to the living," Ursina pleaded with the party.

"Soon enough, being dead for a few hours won't hurt him anymore," Ciprian snidely retorted.

"But we all have to wait for healing until Gavril is alive again," Armania stated.

Soon after the group approached Mother Grim Moon once again asking to avail of her power to raise dead.  She agreed but all could see that she was silently grumbling about the ineffectiveness of the party of ?Heroes?.

Gavril was alive once again and didn't even catch leprosy this time around.  Healing was applied to the whole group and restorations were supplied for those in need.  Ursina took special care to help her own madness.  More restorations would be needed in the morning to get Gavril back up to speed.

The next few hours were spent trying to determine how much money the group could gather from its collected loot.  Also they were interested in buying items from Hoshbagh.  Interestingly enough just as the evening meal was set out, Hoshbagh arrived in their camp, plopped herself down at the fire and started eating.  All the while she was talking about the deeds she could smell on the party members.  She only talked about their great successes, not any of the massive failures.

Talk was continuous through the evening hours and the group finally settled on a set of items purchased by the whole group for the good of all.  Left with cash burning a whole in their pockets the group then selected some personal items and Hoshbagh said she would get them as quick as tomorrow morning.

"Would you like to return to Cassomir?" Ciprian inquired.  "I have a way to get you back home."

"I would love to but don't you need me to help supply you with items?" Hoshbagh responded.

"It could be just before we left Neruzavin but never the less it would be home,"

"We will talk more about it later.  I will meet you at the southwest entry you have been using before."

The party then set about discussing their next move.  

"It seems that the creatures under the city are more powerful that those on the street level.  Perhaps we should clean out more of the upper city before descending once again," Ciprian began.

"Let's go check out the Saffron Prince, how difficult can he be?" Gavril suggested.

"That sounds good," Erevel piped in, "I am ready for anything, except maybe that GraveKnight."

"A funky yellow prince couldn't hurt us," Agna added.

As the party was settling down for the evening a howl was heard from Ciprian.  He was looking through his bag of holding for the Bid Bad Book, aka Necronomicon and it was missing.

"I know I had it in here.  Where could the book have gone?" he mused.  "We need the book for the rituals to get to Carcosa."

"Where do you think we lost it?" Armania asked.

"Probably when we teleported out of the underground.  We will have to go back and get the damned thing."

"Let's get a fast night's sleep then," Armania concluded.

In the morning the crew headed for the city at sunrise. They met Hoshbagh and traded items to collect their new magic items and headed apace for the twisted tower and the open well.  But on the way their movement forward was blocked by a colossal centipede creature.  The party moved to block its path with Gavril and Erevel in the lead when three dragon like creatures arose from the rooftops and spit a ball of gas that exploded into a cloud and rained acid on the party.  Ciprian identified the dragons as Rift Drakes and the Colossal monster as a Thunder Bug.  He began a performance against the centipede and rose into the air.  Armania's magic missiles hit one of the drakes and Erevel moved to a corner just as the Thunder Bug trampled forward over Gavril who moved enough to avoid the damage.

Ursina moved out of the battle area and cast Greater Invisibility. A fourth drake flew down to Erevel and bit her for bleed damage, the tail slapped to knock her prone.  Gavril massively attacked from under the colossal creature while Agna fired arrows at the centipede.  The drakes then attacked Agna and Armania while the third did a fly by attack on Agna.  Ciprian bashed the centipede and Armania cast Chained Lightning on all the enemies but one.  Ursina cast Flame Strike on three of the dragons while Agna slew the Thunder Bug.  Erevel stood up and took a critical attack adding to her bleed damage but she wailed on the dragon.  The dragon then attacked back and missed Erevel.

Gavril, who was under the Thunder Bug as it died taking damage from the weight of the creature, tried to crawl his way out of the mess.  Armania cast Starfall on the remaining monster killing two and blinding another.  The drakes attacked even the blind one randomly spit catching Ursina in the acid spray.  Agna took critical damage and added to her bleed damage. Ursina recalled her Flame Strike and attacked once again downing another drake as Erevel finished off the last enemy.

Catching their breath and healing up the party they headed for the well and the underground.  The initial room at the bottom of the well looked exactly as they had left it and the passageway to the next chamber had no changes.  As they spied the pond of water the party prepared as Armania started to cast Summon Monster, Ciprian and Ursina prepared the ghost touch spells while the fighters were determined not to wade right into a fight.  Armania reminded all to let the Grave Knight move out of the water.

The Grave Knight, on its Phantom Mount emerged from the far end of the chamber and rode to the edge of the water.  Armania's Summon Monster created two Shadow Demons in the southern edge of the water.  One cast Summon Monster itself while other tried a spell that failed.  Armania cast Fireball which the Knight resisted, but not the Phantom Steed.  Erevel delayed as did Gavril.  Ciprian began a performance against the Knight and moved back from the edge of the water as Ursina cast Bless on the party.  Agna shot arrows at the monster which did little damage.

The Grave Knight charged on its Mount directly at Ciprian but one of the Shadow Demons attacked the Mount killing it.  The Grave Knight floated down to stand in the water and grew twice as large as it cast a spell.  Erevel moved forward to attack but found the creature had reach and she took a attack of opportunity.  Her damage didn't seem as effective.  Ciprian tried to turn the monster corporeal but failed and Ursina followed suit exactly as her spell failed also.  Gavril moved up and also took an reach attack for massive damage again.  Ursina hurried up to heal Gavril who was hurting badly again. Armania fired an empowered magic missile at the monster as the Summon Spell of the Shadow Demon failed.  The remaining Demon attacked for full damage.  Agna tried a spell but it was resisted.

A cone of acid hit Erevel, Gavril and Ciprian although Gavril escaped the damage.  Armania was screaming to let the creature out of the water so Erevel moved back away from the edge to stand in front of Ciprian and called for the monster to come and get her as Gavril withdrew from the fight.  Ciprian moved closer to Armania and cast the Ectoplasmic damage spell and reminded Agna that she had Holy Weapon Balm on ten arrows to use against the incorporeal being.  Ursina called for help in front of her as the monster had a line right to her.  Armania called the Demon to front her and cast an ectoplasmic lightning bolt and Agna attacked with the special arrows.

DM's Notes: The party earned 4,666 XP for the night and now have 439,254 XP.  After the battle with the Grave Knight the party will either be dead or at 14th level.