Imperial Destiny Campaign II

Imperial Destiny Campaign III Session Six

“Crown and Scepter” Fireseek 11.5-12.1, 782 CY

The squad spent a lengthy amount of time revisiting various locations within the Hexenkaiser’s tomb complex but found themselves growing increasingly frustrated at their inability to ascertain the location of his regalia. Lorenzo determinedly initiated an exceedingly thorough search for hidden doorways throughout the entire tomb despite assurances from his comrades that it was a wasted effort. The imperial scout’s relentless insistence on the exacting search at last paid off after hours of effort when Lorenzo stumbled upon a cleverly hidden rotating doorway on the upper main level of the place. In retrospect, the imperials reviewing their maps realized that should have identified the hidden area of the complex sooner given that it occupied a rather sizable blank space in the midst of their depiction of the level.

The rotating secret door allowed the squad egress to two additional chambers. The first of these was a small room that may have once been a parlor, though all of the once-extravagant furniture had long since been heaped on the far side of the room where it decayed into a dusty, rotten mess. Far more important to the squad than the fate of the furniture, however, was the presence of six sizable chests brimming with treasure of all sorts. It quickly became apparent that the group had stumbled upon the treasury of this place! Amongst the loot were thousands of copper, silver, electrum, and gold coins as well as numerous other valuables. The item of greatest interest to the group was a mysterious, heavy tome written in the Castigoth language that the squad lacked the resources to properly investigate at the time.

The group carefully sorted through all of the loot before setting it aside to be collected at a later time. As they were in the midst of this process, the squad watched on with trepidation as Strum dug out a tapestry found in one of the chests. The group had earlier observed that the old tapestry was a bizarre depiction of seven humanoids clad in purple robes that covered all of their bodies but for a small strip for their eyes. The robes were also equipped with tall, pointed hoods marked with the triangular peak symbol of the Hexenkaiser. Each of the figures was carrying an unusual item including four who held iron rods from which green fire burned like a torch, two others who swung what appeared to be iron incense burners, and a final figure that held a large iron horn with handles. It seemed likely that the individuals were engaged in some sort of obscure ritual, though the viewer could only guess at what its purpose was.

Strum unrolled the artwork and then gabbled excitedly about it with Falg, making it readily apparent that they at least had some idea of what it depicted. Without translation magic, the imperials had no understanding of their conversation, though it seemed clear that the savages felt the tapestry to be of some importance. As a result, the group observed that it would likely serve as one of the two favors that they owed to the barbarians for their earlier assistance.

The next chamber made accessible by the rotating secret door was a bit larger, though not nearly as interesting. The only feature immediately apparent in the room was a 5’ square hole in the floor on the far side of the room. The fact that the floor was covered with a thick layer of dust indicated that the humanoid defenders had had little use for the place. The squad advanced to examine the hole and found that there were aged bronze rungs that would allow one to descend. A clever experiment performed by

1 the group using a lantern tied to one end of an enormous length of rope uncoiled from Lorenzo’s endless supply soon revealed that the shaft below the hole was in excess of 330’ deep!

While the squad was considering how it would safely affect a descent into the shaft, Tiberius observed that their map indicated that there were still potentially two unexplored areas adjacent to this room. Lorenzo carefully searched the offending walls and soon located a subtly concealed door in each. Both of the doors led into a plain 10’ square room containing a strange variety of objects. The westernmost room contained four sets of violet robes, a plain iron box, and two iron thuribles affixed with chains of the same metal. Similarly, the eastern chamber held three additional robes, another simple iron box, a large iron horn with two handles that was etched with fanciful representations of the Hexenkaiser’s glorious mountain city, and four iron rods. The robes exactly resembled those in the tapestry that Strum and Falg had shown such a great interest in, as did the horn, the thuribles, and the iron rods.

The imperials were quick to take possession of the strange items, though they could only ominously note the intense interest with which Strum and Falg bore them. Even the Deatharc’s inhuman strength proved insufficient to open either of the iron boxes, which were apparently magically sealed. While the Deatharc heaved and hauled at the box lids with increasing frustration, Lorenzo took on a task for more suitable for completion by searching the walls of the newly discovered rooms. The strange imperial scout soon discovered that each of the rooms had been equipped with spy holes looking into other rooms and halls of the tomb, though the chambers had seemingly abandoned for some time. After giving up on the iron boxes for the time being, the squad returned to the previous room and set out to explore the nether reaches of the complex.

The squad carefully descended below using the bronze rungs moving one at a time in order to prevent the fall of one member from causing a catastrophe for the entire group. In this manner, the entire group eventually made it safely to a narrow passage at the bottom of the shaft, miraculously unscathed after the lengthy, arduous climb.

The walls of the passage were of dull black stone. The squad was disturbed to observe that the light cast by their torches illuminated no more than half of what would be expected, the light being muted by some unnatural force. Even the Sentinels reported that their ability to see in the dark had somehow been curtailed, something that neither had ever experienced before. A dull chill pervading the air only added to the dour aura of the place.

Despite these dire portents, the imperials pressed on, following the passage a short distance into a small hexagonal chamber. A loud metallic gonging noise resounded from the air in the room as the squad entered, after which a strangely eerie feeling came over those present. The nearby walls then suddenly seemed to waver before becoming purple in hue as a voice with no visible source spoke from somewhere up ahead. The sentence spoken by the mysterious voice was simple enough, merely being an exhortation for listeners to look upwards to know their fate. The voice was so low in register that it was barely audible, yet still made its force felt in the bodies everyone there. The words it spoke were apparently in the Common tongue, though the excited reactions of the savages with the group indicated that they too had somehow understood, hinting at a magical effect.

Glancing upward, the squad could see that the ceiling had somehow been transformed into a transparent, seemingly infinite violet haze. Swimming up through the purple mist was a series of black runes that rearranged themselves in midair to form a trio of sentences in the Common tongue that I have reproduced below:

2 “Those whom I find unfit, I place on my left”

“Those who succeed I place on my right”

“The chosen may come before me!”

The ceiling returned to normal shortly thereafter, leaving the imperials and their strangely animated guides to ponder the meanings of the messages that they had been given. Given the nature of their mission, it was no surprise when the group soon decided that they had best choose the center passage as it seemed the most likely to take them to the Hexenkaiser’s regalia.

A short length of hallway led into a 40’ across hexagonal chamber that was nearly featureless save for a pair of large triangular symbols carved on the entrance wall that appeared to be crude versions of the Hexenkaiser’s crest. After ascertaining that the room was indeed as empty as it initially appeared, the squad moved to investigate the graven symbols. They soon discovered that when touched, the engravings caused a 10’ radius circle in the center of the room to glow faintly with purple light. The circle would fade away mere seconds later despite constant touching of the symbols, though the group found that they could be summoned back with additional contact. The squad also discovered that the purple light did not appear to have any effect on those touching it for good or for ill.

After considerable experimentation, the imperials at last attempted to blow the horn while the purple circle was alight. The horribly deep sounding of the horn by Sparrow seemed to make the very walls of the place shake. Simultaneously, the purple light strengthened and then began to pulsate with each brightening more intense than the last. After a few moments of this activity, the light rose slowly in a column as a curtain of gray vapor emanating from it began to slowly fill the room. A pillar black as deepest night rose in the heart of the glowing beam of purple light, though the mist quickly obscured sight of it. The gray mist carried with it a terrible chill that sent me running for the safety of the hallway outside. Those staying behind wisely donned the purple robes found earlier in great haste, which they found to be surprisingly proof against the unnatural cold.

An interminable time passed for me as I waited alone in the dark of the passage, teeth chattering in a combination of chilliness and fear, listening to the muffled sounds of the squad’s voices from within the room. They at last emerged, blessedly with light sources in hand, but with an ominous appearance given that their robes were still on. The group reported that they had attempted to reach the black pillar several times, but were somehow defeated by the ever-present gray mist, which had filled the entirety of the room. Interestingly, the vapor ended in a perfectly straight line from floor to ceiling at the room’s entrance.

As the squad recounted its tale, it quickly became clear that Lorenzo and the barbarian scouts had failed to retreat from the room with them. Shouts from the imperials soon brought the savages out, who had apparently gotten lost, though Lorenzo, who unlike them did speak the Common tongue fluently, only yelled with inexplicable defiance that he wished to stay behind. The group briefly attempted to convince him of the uselessness of this course, but the strangely mannered imperial scout remained insistent. Shrugging their shoulders, the imperials moved on to explore another passage, this being the one that the black runes had earlier indicated should be used by “those who succeed”.

The short hallway led into a hexagonal chamber that had to be the most bizarre of all those encountered by the squad within the Hexenkaiser’s tomb. Nearly the entirety of the floor was covered with an alien collection of thick, darkly pulsing vines that grew from the very stone of the walls and floor. Each of

3 the vines was murky green in hue and were later ascertained by the imperials to possess a distressing degree of warmth. Sprouting forth from numerous locations on the tangled coils of vine like colossal flowers or fruits were bizarre Hexenkaiser heads, each with eyes closed in a deep sleep. The heads were roughly twice the size of a human’s and came in five separate colors including black, blue, red, green, and violet. Alone amongst the heads, those that were purple in hue were found to have two distinct varieties including a chubby grinning one and a stern-faced version with jaw clenched in effort. The heads of all other colors only wore the slack expressions of dreamers.

Though wildly curious about the peculiar arrangements of heads and vines in the room, the squad wisely determined that it would return later, hopefully armed with more information instead of recklessly experimenting. As a result, the imperials moved on to venture down the final hallway. They encountered Lorenzo on the way there, standing silently in the dark outside the mist chamber. It seemed that the weird little fellow had emerged from the room only to find his fellows gone and so decided to creepily wait in the darkness for several minutes for them. The rest of the squad patiently took Lorenzo back into their ranks before pressing on.

The last of the passages led into another dark chamber, this one trapezoidal in shape. The dimmed light sources carried by the squad only barely illuminated the room’s interior, though it was enough to see that it appeared to have been an ancient storeroom visited by a vengeful spirit. Shelves hanging from the wall once held pots, jars, urns, and other containers, which had long since been destroyed or otherwise made useless. Stands held suits of iron plate armor soon found to also have been destroyed. Jura was in the midst of exploring the chamber under the watchful gaze of her companions when a man- shaped shadow darker than most abruptly detached itself from an area near the ceiling and rushed down at her with impossible speed to claw at her unprotected back!

Jura’s screams of pain and surprise were worsened when magical darkness abruptly filled the area a second later that seemed to drain the very life out of those within it. Sparrow and I were not far behind the barbarian scouts as we fled back to the central chamber to escape the life-draining darkness, leaving the shrieks and clashes of battle behind us. The darkness failed to dissipate until something around a minute later when the battle had at last concluded.

As the survivors of the clash told the tale, they had been forced to battle the shadowy fiend within the pall of unnatural darkness, guessing at it and their comrades’ positions by sound alone. Thankfully, the creature had a penchant for whispering evilly as it struck with seeming ease, raking the imperials’ with both the claws on its hands and those on its feet when it was able to sink in its fingers for a solid grip. The fell spirit easily dismissed Lorenzo early on, forcing Jura and the Deatharc to fight heroically to save him. It was only their dispatching of the spirit that allowed Elspeth to rescue the peculiar imperial scout from certain death from the life-draining darkness.

While the shadowy spirit may not have left behind a body, the terrible wounds remaining as reminders of its attack were enough to convince the squad to cease their activities for the day to rest. As daunting as the notion of resting in the oppressive darkness of this lowest level of the tomb was, the mere thought of attempting to use the unsteady rungs to climb over 330’ to get back out was enough to convince the squad to give resting a try. The group therefore shared out the rations provided by Elspeth’s enchanted field ration box as best as they were able before settling to rest in the central chamber.

Planting 16/Fireseek 11.6

4 Remarkably, the squad’s rest was undisturbed, though it was clear the next day that none had enjoyed a truly refreshing sleep on the cold floor of the dark tomb. The group’s first order of business upon waking was to launch a more thorough investigation of the heavy tome found above in the treasury. Sparrow worked at task for a considerable time with the use of translation sorcery and reported the results of his efforts with a note of excitement in his voice.

According to the Rhenee War Wizard, the book detailed the requirements for constructing a large servant composed of parts from several animated corpses. While the act of sewing together the limbs, head, and brain of six separate corpses and using sorcery to animate them to one’s purpose sounded perfectly vile, Sparrow insisted that the tome was indeed of great value. The Rhenee War Wizard explained that it seemed that the creator of the book had been considerate enough to provide the reader with a copy of each of the powerful spells required for the animation ritual, one of which was a flexible bit of sorcery that Sparrow claimed would be able to raise Tiberius from the dead!

Unfortunately, Sparrow observed that the spell was extremely powerful and his relative inexperience in the higher magical arts would mean that there would be some small chance that he would either ruin the spell or even worse, cause it to backfire with catastrophic results. Sparrow’s revelations set a fierce debate amongst the imperials over whether it was worth the great risk to make the attempt to restore Tiberius’ spirit to his body. At last, Sparrow insisted that he was more than willing to make the attempt for a comrade in arms and began preparing for the spellcasting straightaway. To this end, the Deatharc retrieved the fallen priest’s body along with some supplies from the squad’s encampment up above, boldly making use of the bronze rungs on his climbs.

For all of the tension and drama leading to this decision, the resurrection of Tiberius was a surprisingly simple affair. Sparrow merely opened the tome to the appropriate page before murmuring carefully that he wished for Tiberius to be restored to life. A fierce white light surrounded the Cuthbert priest’s corpse that grew with intensity until it nearly overwhelmed the viewer’s sight. At last, the light faded with one final flash, revealing that Tiberius had just taken his first breath in days! The group was elated to have their comrade and spiritual leader once more amongst the living and rushed to welcome him back into their ranks. Strum and Falg could only gape in awe at the spectacle before them, though the two savages quickly attempted to mask their feelings with their customary stoicism.

While the group updated Tiberius on all that occurred since his tragic demise against the giants defending the tomb, Elspeth used her curative powers in an attempt to repair the damage wrought by the fell spirit in the nearby storeroom. The squad’s elation at Tiberius’ resurrection was quickly sundered as they realized that the wounds dealt by the fiend’s claws could not be repaired with mere healing magic! After examining the wounds and hearing the tale of how they were acquired, Tiberius announced his suspicion that the creature had been so strongly infused with unholy energies that the wounds still carried its vile taint. He further declared that the only way to heal such injuries is to take the victim into a holy consecrated area and perform the healing there. Without the means to sanctify such an area, the squad realized that they would simply have to endure their unholy injuries for the time being. The group opted to enjoy another day of rest in order to permit Tiberius to return to a semblance of his old self.

Amongst the mysteries confounding them in the tomb, the imperials opted to return to the chamber with the vines sprouting the six varieties of Hexenkaiser heads to attempt to discern their function. Unfortunately, the squad had no information about the vines or heads, which left them with only experimentation as an option to proceed. After touching the vines proved uneventful, the group soon

5 discovered that laying a hand upon the Hexenkaiser heads led to dramatic effects. Tiberius was the first to do so, touching one of the black heads.

The moment that Tiberius’ hand contacted the head, its eyes sprang open to lock upon the offending member as its mouth slowly opened. A gout of ebon-hued mist gushed forth from the mouth to completely envelop Tiberius for a moment before it cleared just as suddenly as it had formed. To the imperials’ horror, Tiberius was now crumpled on the floor, his clothing encrusted with ice! Elspeth rushed forward to apply healing magic and just in the nick of time as the supernaturally cold mist had nearly frozen the Cuthbert priest to death! The squad was quick to put their purple robes back on after Tiberius’ near-fatal experience in hopes that they would shield them from further injury.

Instead of being frightened off by the terrible experience of Tiberius’, the group resumed their experiments, determined to ascertain the purpose of the bizarre heads. Jura was the next to touch a face, choosing one of the jolly violet colored heads. The eyes again opened as the mouth discharged a quantity of purple mist that cut the hobgoblin Sentinel off from the view of the rest of the group. When the mist cleared a short time later, Jura was still standing and indeed had suffered no ill effects. To the contrary, the rest of the group observed that she seemed slightly more outgoing and personable after the experience, which seemed rather strange all things considered.

Jura’s successful experiment led the group to become bolder in its random samplings of the heads as they attempted to discern if there was a pattern to the punishments and rewards being dealt to them. The only observation I was able to make throughout the process was that the colors of the heads matched those of the four idols in the purple column niches on the lower level of the tomb, though whether this was relevant or not was not obvious.

Tiberius next touched a green head and reported that the mist seemed to give his thoughts greater clarity and insight. Elspeth laid her hand on a red head, but was nearly immolated by unseen flames that remarkably left her clothing and equipment completely unharmed. Undeterred by Elspeth’s near-death experience, Lorenzo touched a green head. Instead of being granted increased wisdom, the imperial scout’s entire body was ravaged by highly concentrated acid that amazingly left his possessions completely intact. To the group’s horror, the acid slew Lorenzo outright, leaving his body little more than a mushy sack of meat. For lack of a better option, the Deatharc opted to scoop the remains into a sack that he toted around with him for the rest of the group’s stay in the tomb.

Lorenzo’s demise at last convinced the squad that they needed to learn more about the heads before braving their lethal effects any further. To this end, the group decided to return to the aforementioned pillar and its attendant Hexenkaiser idols. The Deatharc volunteered to be the first to make the climb back to the levels above in order to haul his comrades up with a rope. Unfortunately, the titanic orog Sentinel was over 200’ of the way up when one of the bronze rungs broke in his hand, sending the Deatharc plummeting to the ground below! In an amazing testament to the Deatharc’s inhuman hardiness, the orog Sentinel somehow survived the fall, though he was perilously close to death when Tiberius and Elspeth rushed forward to apply healing magic.

Once revived, the Deatharc determinedly insisted on resuming the climb, eschewing any changes to the previous plan. He was successful on his second attempt and was subsequently able to ease the passage of his comrades to the level above. The squad then returned to the column with the idols without further incident.

6 Remembering the dramatic effect that the iron horn had had earlier, the squad again employed it here with equally spectacular results. Tiberius’ blast of the horn caused all four idols and the pillar to shimmer and become first translucent, then transparent, after which they seemingly disappeared altogether to reveal a 12’ tall figure draped in purple standing where the column had been. The form did nothing for a few seconds before demanding in a hollow, sepulchral voice to know what aspect of the eternal Hexenkaiser that they wanted to see. After a moment’s consideration, Tiberius replied that the group wished to see the great Gottshalkt, ruler of the Castigoths.

Regrettably, this answer did not satisfy the being as it castigated the Cuthbert priest for mocking and showing disrespect to the mighty Hexenkaiser in addition to accusing him of being an unbeliever. Further, the being cursed Tiberius as four beams of light fired from its hand. The beams were of the same colors as the four idols. Despite being struck by the four beams, Tiberius was apparently shielded by his god for he suffered no ill effects. The Cuthbert priest later reported that the red beam had made him feel momentarily frightened, the black beam had nearly caused his muscles to slacken, the blue beam had almost cost him his wits, and the green beam had temporarily disordered his thoughts. The huge figure next demanded that Tiberius seek forgiveness through faithful service with the threat of an even greater doom if he failed to comply. It then faded away, leaving the column and idols in its place.

A brief discussion amongst the imperials to ascertain the proper reply to the figure’s question led them to make another attempt at sounding the horn shortly thereafter. When it again demanded to know what aspect of the Hexenkaiser they wished to see, Tiberius initiated a reply but with far different results than on the last attempt. The moment that he used the word “blue”, the figure bellowed that he would now be permitted to behold the blue face of the eternal Hexenkaiser. It then vanished in a flash of purple fire with smoke of the same hue shooting upwards to the ceiling before disappearing. Standing before the group afterwards was a 10’ tall figure of the same deep blue color and appearance as the appropriate idol. It grew before the imperials’ eyes to a gigantic height of 20’ before speaking an enigmatic message.

The gigantic blue Hexenkaiser informed the squad that he was looking upon them, using the word “mortals” to describe them. The Hexenkaiser also stated that they were too puny to fully comprehend his might. He went on to say that they would have to do what they were told in order to gain the knowledge that they sought, after which they would be favored. The blue Hexenkaiser faded away to leave the column and idols in its place following the delivery of its message.

After a brief discussion, the group concluded that what they had just heard amounted to a pronouncement that they were now “favored” by the Hexenkaiser and as such would be able to make use of the heads with far greater impunity. The squad therefore headed back down the enormous shaft to the lowest level of the place and subsequently entered the chamber of the heads.

The first member of the group to brave another experiment with the heads was Jura. The bold hobgoblin Sentinel stridently approached one of the blue Hexenkaiser heads and laid her hand upon it as the rest of the group watched on with their misgivings written on their anxious faces. When the resultant blue mist at last faded, the group was horrified to see Jura prone on the floor, her form crackling with electrical energy! The group’s priests rushed forward to the aid of their comrade, but were dismayed to find that her body had died from the strain of enduring such a massive bolt of electricity.

This second lethally failed experiment with the Hexenkaiser heads convinced the squad to leave off with further testing unless absolutely necessary. With one-third of the squad now dead, the rest of the group resolved to find alternate means of progressing further after resting and regrouping.

7 Planting 18/Fireseek 11.8

Tiberius’ first act after preparing spells was to use a ward to protect the bodies of Lorenzo and Jura from further natural decay. The fully refreshed squad then returned its focus to finding a means of defeating the mysteries of the room of the gray mist and unattainable black pillar. After further study of the tapestry held by Strum that showed individuals clad in the purple robes and holding the ritual items, the group realized that they clearly needed to obtain more items to properly conduct such a ritual including something to create the green fire emanating from the torch rods and a supply of incense.

The group’s first act was to give a closer study to both the torch rods and the thuribles. In doing so, the imperials discovered that a small catch on the thuribles caused their dome-like tops to spring open to reveal a cup-shaped depression clearly designed to hold a spherical object. Similarly, the inspections made of the torch rods revealed conical hollows in the ends. The group turned its attention to the sealed iron boxes after recalling their presence in the same secret rooms where the ritual items were found.

While brute strength proved utterly ineffective against the wards sealing the boxes, Tiberius soon discovered that the mere utterance of “Gottshalkt”, the Hexenkaiser’s name, while the box was held caused the lids to spring open. In this manner, the squad found each of the boxes to be filled with nearly a score of soft black objects, some of which were conical while others were spherical, one type to a box. Naturally, the objects perfectly fit the depressions in the torch rods and thuribles respectively. Further experimentation by the squad found that setting flame to the objects caused the torch rods to burn with unearthly green flame while white, musty-scented smoke emanated from the thuribles. Pleased at their discoveries, the squad hastily returned to the chamber with the gray mist concealing the black pillar with a new purpose.

The group again prepared themselves for the ritual, but soon realized that they were short by one individual with Jura’s untimely demise. As a result, I was asked to participate in her stead, holding one of the thuribles along with Tiberius. While I was admittedly hesitant to involve myself directly in the dangerous action, I realized that there was no better way to watch what was about to unfold and so agreed with the proposal. With everyone in position around the circle in the center of the room, Elspeth touched the Hexenkaiser symbol on the wall before sounding the horn.

Unlike on the group’s previous attempts when the gray mist that flowed from the purple light obscured all sight, it quickly became apparent that the smoke from the thuribles was actively devouring it. A suggestion called from Elspeth led Tiberius and I to swing the thuribles from side to side to more assiduously spread their effect about until an area had been cleared around the squad. The group was able to thusly advance towards the black column without difficulty, the ghostly light from the torches lighting the way.

Once next to the pillar, the group was able to see an archway seemingly made from of purple light that had been previously unseen. Steps composed of deep lilac light spiraled down from the opening in the air. The imperials advanced without hesitation through the doorway and down the steps of light. Several interminable minutes of descent followed before the steps of light at last gave out onto a staircase of more mundane black stone.

As the group continued down onto the stone steps, it suddenly became apparent that the violet steps and surrounding walls of light had disappeared, leaving the group within what was in effect an enormous empty cylinder with a narrow set of steps spiraling downward that ended at nothing at their upper

8 extremity! The bottom of the cylinder could be dimly seen 20’ below. The floor, walls, and steps were of a needle-sharp mineral that would surely inflict numerous wounds upon anyone unfortunate enough to take a fall or even a casual rub against their surfaces. Also worthy of note was the fact that the air in this place was amazingly cold; only the surprisingly protective power of the ritual robes served to shield those present from quickly freezing to death. The group descended to the floor of the place and passed through a12’ wide opening in the wall there, the room’s only apparent exit. A spell used by Sparrow largely served to protect those present from the pain of holding the metallic ritual items in the cold.

The adjacent chamber was hemispherical and some 40’ in diameter. Ominously, its name sprang unbidden to the mind of each those entering: The Black Cyst. In the center of the room was a large stone block upon which a black form rested that appeared to be wrapped in an ebon-hued haze. Even the unearthly light of the torches was completely absorbed by the enervating power of the haze. Disturbingly, an occasional ripple was seen in the surface of the form beneath the haze making one wonder if it were stirring. One could only wonder if this form were not in fact the Hexenkaiser himself! The excited chattering of the barbarian scouts along with their awestruck gazes seemed to confirm that they at least thought so.

Two devices of black metal, each with three arms, flanked the stone block. An examination of the arms revealed that each had a conical depression seemingly sized to hold a torch cone. A step-like stone block of the same jagged stone seen elsewhere in the area stood next to the larger block. Low stands of black metal stood to either side of it, each with three cup-like depressions perfectly sized to hold incense balls.

After carefully inspecting the area, the group resolved to delve into their supply of torch cones and incense balls to fully arm both the stands and the devices flanking the block and step respectively. These items were then ignited, providing an eerie aura to the air of the fearsome chamber. At the urging of the rest of the group, Elspeth then sounded the iron horn.

The horn’s terrifying dirge caused the entire place to tremble for a moment before a portion of the wall directly opposite the entrance gently slid into the floor to reveal another chamber beyond. Regrettably, the intense cold of the horn’s mouth caused a small section of Elspeth’s lip to be torn away after contacting it despite Sparrow’s ward. The squad ignored the trifling injury and advanced to see what was within the previously hidden chamber.

The place beyond the secret doorway was a small circular room no more than 10’ in diameter. Only two seamless chests of black metal occupied the room. Tiberius quickly determined that a further uttering of the name of “Gottshalkt” was required to open the chests. Within the left chest were another 60 incense balls while the other held 30 torch cones. In addition, each chest held a piece of black metal 3’ in length with a triangular end, the use of which initially defied the imperials. After taking the metal rods, the group returned to the previous chamber to see if they would be of some use there.

The group initially encountered some difficulty in determining what they were to do next to find the Hexenkaiser’s regalia, which was all the more frustrating given how close they surely were at this point. Elspeth attempted to touch the black haze atop the block by way of experiment only to suddenly fall unconscious to the floor after contacting it! Horribly, the fall caused her robes to become torn in several places by the needle-like rock, leaving her vulnerable to the pervasive cold of the room despite Sparrow’s wards protecting her. She remained unconscious for several minutes, during which time Tiberius was forced to magically heal the damage done to her flesh by the extreme cold multiple times.

9 A careful examination of the stone step before the block eventually revealed the presence of a triangular opening on either side with the point facing downwards, the reverse of the Hexenkaiser’s symbol. The squad quickly thought to make use of the metal rods so recently discovered, placing their ends within the openings. The rods were then manipulated like levers by the imperials, causing the step to slide into the greater stone block adjacent to it. Thusly revealed on the floor was a depression approximately 1’ square.

Within the depression were three objects including a long tube of soot-covered metal, a fabulous golden, gem-encrusted crown, and a bag of metallic black cloth. Tiberius first brought up the crown in his hands, revealing its magnificent construction to the delighted eyes of his companions. Images of the mountain peak city were finely etched along the crown’s rim. Remarkably, the multicolored gems glowed with a fierce inner light when Tiberius lifted the crown of the Hexenkaiser from its resting place making it a truly wondrous sight. Tiberius appeared to gaze rapturously at the crown for a moment before holding it aside in order to allow him to reach within the hole a second time.

The Cuthbert priest next lifted out the sooty tube seen beneath the crown. Amazingly, by the time that Tiberius brought it up to eye level, the blackening seen along its length flaked completely away to reveal a magnificent scepter of gold and silver! Like the crown, the rod was heavily bejeweled and etched with finely wrought images of the Hexenkaiser’s realm.

Before the elated imperials could revel in their hard-won triumph in claiming the Hexenkaiser’s regalia, Strum bent to lift the metallic bag from the depression. The savage then proceeded to open it and draw forth a small, black leather-bound book with a confidence that suggested that he had expected to find it there. While the rest of the group watched on with growing apprehension, he flipped through the book to a point that he had seemingly deliberately sought before whispering a series of instructions to Halg. When Sparrow demanded to know what he was up to with the aid of a translation spell, Strum offhandedly replied that he and Halg needed to perform a short ritual of praise and thanks to the Hexenkaiser for his many blessings.

Needless to say, the group’s fears were not calmed in the least by Strum’s claims, especially when Halg clambered atop the block and lay down at the edge of the black haze. At the same time, Strum began to murmur in prayer as he drew forth what was clearly a ceremonial dagger; it seemed clear that the savages meant to carry out some brand of human sacrifice whose ends could only be guessed at!

The squad was quick to act to put a stop to this barbaric behavior, insisting most stridently through Sparrow that the ritual be halted immediately. Strum attempted to invoke one of the favors owed him by the group to force them to leave him be, though the imperials would have none of it after observing that he had already helped himself to both the tapestry and the book. Matters quickly grew tenser between the parties until the squad was at last forced to do violence to prevent Strum from driving his dagger home into Halg’s chest.

A ferocious, though brief melee erupted around the stone block as the imperials rushed to strike Strum down before it was too late. The group quite nearly failed in this endeavor, despite a highly impressive sweep of the Deatharc’s scythe. Worse yet, Halg proved surprisingly eager to bring about his own death, reaching for the dagger in his companion’s hand and moving his chest closer to it. In the end, the squad was forced to slay both of the barbarians despite their wishes not to. Thankfully, the savages’ ritual was not completed by their deaths despite the fact that Strum had thrown himself onto the block with his last breath. Whether this was due to the ritual being ineffective by nature or because the prayers were not fully carried out would never be known.

10 The deaths of the savages left the black book in the squad’s hands as well as the tapestry depicting the ritual. Sparrow attempted to use his translation magic to enable him to decipher the secrets of the book, only to find himself overcome by an unknown effect that dropped him to the floor, insensate! Similar to Elspeth, Sparrow took a few minutes to recover, after which he retained no memory of what evils he had seen within the book’s pages. The group wisely opted to leave further explorations of the book’s contents for another time.

With the Hexenkaiser’s regalia in hand, the squad had triumphed in their mission, though they now had no idea what they were to do next to bring it back to Novo Elredd safely given that the stair of purple light had disappeared behind them. After attempting various means and racking their brains for a lengthy time, it soon became clear to the imperials that they would eventually run out of healing magic to keep all of their number alive, even after Tiberius generously exchanged robes with Elspeth. The group was forced with extreme reluctance to allow Elspeth to carry out an earlier discarded plan to wear the Hexenkaiser’s crown to see if it would provide the answer.

As the Joramy priestess laid the crown upon her head, she underwent a remarkable transformation in the space of an instant from a battered woman in tattered robes to a regal figure with a vigorous aura of command about her. The squad’s worst fears that the crown would somehow corrupt or subsume Elspeth’s personality were soon laid to rest when she spoke to her fellows normally. Elspeth revealed that the crown had imparted the knowledge with her that it could open a portal back to the keep of Schnitterhaus in the very room where the squad had entered the failing gateway. In addition, Elspeth noted that she believed the crown capable of restoring the lilac-hued stairs of light, which was a notion greeted with delight by those members of the group concerned about bringing back the substantial haul of treasure found above along with the bodies of their fallen companions.

Elspeth first opened the portal to Sephora’s keep in the cylindrical entrance chamber, which took the appearance of a doorway of blazing green energy. She then turned her attention to the stairway, again using the crown to cause the stairs of light to spring back into existence. While the Joramy priestess maintained her concentration on the green gateway, most of the rest of the group ascended the lengthy stairs to return above.

The imperials returned a lengthy time later with the Deatharc carrying a huge bag made from bedding material with all of the treasure chests in it. Thusly armed, the group hastily made use of Elspeth’s portal, leaving her to follow last. In this manner, the squad again found itself in the midst of Sephora’s keep, amazingly safe back in Otherland once again. The blazing green fire of the failing portal was nowhere to be seen. It was not until the group had nearly reached the entrance of the keep that they realized that they had been forced to leave their mounts back in the plane of existence where the tomb was!

Thankfully, Elspeth soon learned from the crown that it was capable of reopening the portal to any point in the tomb’s world. She therefore again made use of the regalia to open another doorway of green energy that the group used to find their horses calmly awaiting their return in the grassy valley in which they had been left. The imperials retrieved their mounts and after spending some considerable length of time properly distributing their gear and treasure, set out on the short journey to Nordschmeide. While the fact that the mounts were being heavily burdened by all of the excess weight would likely cost the squad a day of travel time, the group felt it well worth it given the quantity of loot they were bringing back with them.

11 Their need for the crown’s powers at an end, the group instructed Elspeth to give it to the Deatharc for safekeeping. She did so with ease, suffering none of the feared-for irrational desire to keep it on her head. The Deatharc, however, appeared to fall prey to a sudden whim to don the crown himself once Elspeth turned it over to him. Though initially alarmed, the group was relieved when the orog Sentinel merely demonstrated his own ability to make use of the crown to create a green gate to the tomb’s world before he removed it without difficulty.

The imperials were still approaching Nordschmeide through the last stretches of the Ostwald when Elspeth and the Deatharc simultaneously announced that they had just somehow felt a binding between themselves and the tomb’s plane vanish through the crown. They both concluded that the crown had likely just had its connection to the miniature world severed somehow. The rest of the group was puzzled about what this portended.

The squad arrived at the outskirts of Nordschmeide by midmorning. With the conclusion of two wearying missions in the foreign wilds under their belts, each of the imperials looked forward to a proper rest and the comforts of civilization. It was therefore with a purposeful pace that the group neared the city’s gates for the first time in nearly a month.