The Library of Kas

As the party continued into the passage under Castle Xiphos they came upon a twenty foot square shaft that bisected the tunnel.  It rose up towards the Castle and led deep into the earth.  Darkness in both directions quickly swallowed up the parties light source.  The sides of the shaft were even more slick with moisture and yellowish slime than the passage itself.  A narrow one foot wide ledge ran around the sides of the shaft and on the other side a tunnel extended into the rock.  On the wall next to the shaft were three metals levers protruding from the wall.  The first and third level were pulled down and the middle lever was parallel to the floor.  As the party looked around a quiet sound rose from the depths -- some sort of wet, sloshing, slurping noise.


Gofin led the way inching along the narrow ledge with a rope tied around her.  She made it to the far side without much problem and the party secured both ends of the rope.  The rest of the party made their way around the shaft, some slipping off the ledge but then pulling themselves across with the rope.  Pretis and Mara jumped over the shaft without incident.  The tunnel continued into the darkness and the group debated whether to wait for whatever was coming up the shaft or leading onward.  Finally they headed down the shaft and found a turn to the left which ended in an iron door.  Demin checked for traps and found none but couldn't seem to find a locking mechanism even though the door wouldn't open.  Lythandar attempted a Knock Ritual but this also had no affect.  Finally the party decided that the levers must have something to do with opening the door.  Mara headed back to the shaft as Pretis stood at the door and Alhellara watched around the corner.  Lythandar headed down the tunnel with Mara to provide backup.  Mara again jumped over the shaft and about the time she landed a gargantuan loathsome thing rose -- oozed -- from the shaft.  Its greenish flesh, covered in oozing sores which drip a yellowish slime coated the walls, sprouted long, snaky tentacles that reached down the passageway.  It had innumerable inhuman eyes scattered across its obscene form.

Mara pushed a lever up, it moved slowly, and then was grabbed by a tentacle of the beast.  Demin, Melisana and Alhellara decided to stay back and use ranged attacks against the beast.  Lythandar used Wizards Escape to avoid being grabbed as Pretis and Gofin moved up the tunnel to join the fray.  Mara delivered two exceptional hits but the monster still seemed lively as it squeezed Mara to deliver more damage as it was attacked.  Pretis and Gofin were then grabbed, even though they were 25' away from the monster.  Gofin though used Slayers Escape to escape the grab.  After more battle the creature was finally bloodied but each time it was damaged it delivered more damage to the grabbed adventurers, who couldn't escape the clutches of the fell creature.  With the rest of the party staying outside of the tentacle range the creature eventually succumbed to the parties attacks loosing its hold on Mara and Pretis and sliding back down into the shaft.

Mara then randomly started moving the levers around while the party tried to open the door.  Finally Lythandar convinced her to use a methodical approach and soon the door opened.  Looking inside the party found a small chamber that had stayed considerably drier than the passageway.  Manuscripts covered an ancient looking desk in the center of the room, and more books and scrolls laid scattered about on the floor and chair.  The walls and floor were covered in crudely scratched symbols and words in an unknown language.  In this chaotic jumble of ancient papers and books a single golden scroll tube jutted out of a pile on the floor, the gleam of a dust covered red gem at its end.

 Demin picked up the scroll tube which was ornately worked gold.  Ancient dust filled patterns delicately coated its surface.  The gem stopper was as large as foretold.  Though flawed, its size alone must make it worth a fortune.  Lythandar did an Arcana check and found a cloak under a pile of books and manuscripts.  Looking over more of the clutter the party found marginalia in several tomes:

• "I doubt that Vecna will tolerate my unjust treatment.  Not even his own lieutenant may take so bold an action against Vecna's favored without suffering his wrath."
•  "It seems that I am to be left here indefinitely.  I have been forgotten, and my father's crime has gone unpunished.   Such vengeance must be mine then."
• "I believe I have uncovered the ritual I need.  Vecna's gifts have been extremely helpful, where his favor has not.  If only I can harness the magic it holds, I will free myself from this damnable prison and repay my father's betrayal."

Collecting some other books and papers to take to Banquo the party uncovered a single page torn from another manuscript and tucked between two other books.

And thus it came to pass in those days that the One Named Only in Whispers looked upon his tortured domain and saw that there was much amiss.  Woe to those in that realm in those days, for cities were laid waste and the earth itself rebelled against man, all at the behest of the Dying King.  The dark and forbidden land had prospered a little, as the Whispered One's attention had been in the endless wars that he waged, and his lieutenant had likewise entreated other lands with his cruel considerations.  Now that the sinister lord's gaze turned back to Cavitius, the foul place became even more befouled.  While the mad and unspeakable Kas continued to crush the enemies of his dread master, the Dying King looked upon his own homeland and saw that there existed matters which required his cursed attentions.  One wrong in the dark master's eyes was that the Book of Inverted Darkness had slipped from his evil grasp.  Sorcery great and vile located the baleful tome of the Ancient Brethren and brought if back into the skeletal clutches of the Master of the Spider Throne.  Restoring it to its rightful place with his other darkling treasures, he placed the book in that sorrowful place which some name the Shadowed Room where few can go and fewer can leave.  The Whispered One holds the key to this hidden chamber of forlorn secrets, as do his most faithful of servants.  The key, it is said, is likewise a secret, and the umbra of the dark mystery that holds the way into the Shadowed Room lies deep within the fact that there is no way in at all.  After the fall of Regelios and the Night of Golden Death,

The party then left the Library of Kas, recrossed the shaft and crept up to the exit door.  They listened for sounds outside and hearing none left the shaft to return to the burned out hovel for the remainder of the night.  As they walked down the hill a group of dark figures leaped from the shadows darting with the speed of serpents.  They had leering faces painted to look like one-eyed skulls, and carried slashing, stabbing knives with black rune covered blades.  In a low whisper the figures are chanting "blood...blood....blood..."

Scorecard:  The party found a Cloak of Distortion +2 in the library and they received 357 XP for defeating Narek, the tentacled monster.  The party now has 13163 XP, enough for level 8, and assuming that they survive the current attack will level up the next day.