In the Pits

The party exited the Reliquary of the Heart and moved to the next door to the south.  This relief carved door was also locked and trapped which Demin and Gofin eliminated.  Inside was another Reliquary this one containing an amputated shriveled foot.  There was also an ordinary door on the southern wall of this chamber.  This door did not appear to have a trap and was not locked.


Again Mara led the way through the door into another east-west hallway.  At the western end was a relief carved door and at the eastern end a relief carved door that was slightly ajar.  Mara and Pretis opened the door cautiously and found another Reliquary but in this one the glass container was already removed from the pedestal and whatever body part that previously was here was missing.  There were two doors exiting this room, one north and one east, the eastern one was relief carved.  Alhellara noticed a pit trap in from of these doors, Demin used his previous knowledge to jam shut the pit.  

Gofin found a trap on the eastern door by attempting to pick the lock, a needle shot out of the locking mechanism.  Inside was another Reliquary this one containing a mummified head.  Melisana collected the relic but upon examination it appeared that both eye sockets held shrunken orbs.  The group thought this strange as Vecna is missing his left eye.  But the collected the head and moved to the northern door.  This door was locked and upon opening it the group found another unsacked knowledge vault.  This one held a magical knucklebone, a red vial and a pale blue vial.  These emanated high levels of evil and the group held on to them but feel unsure about doing so.

On to the western door, Demin found no traps and attempted to pick the lock, as he did so he disappeared from view.  Gofin quickly picked the lock and Mara rushed into the Reliquary worried that Demin may be in danger.  Inside the group found on the pedestal a thick roll of leathery parchment.  Melisana collected this possible skin of Vecna but the group found no trace of Demin.   Meanwhile at the bottom of a spiked pit Demin started singing a dirge about reanimating Vecna from his piece parts.  As the party exited the Reliquary they heard a voice lamenting from under the floor outside the doorway.  Investigation found that a pit trap existed there and Gofin tripped the latch whereupon they saw Demin.  Ropes lowered into the pit allowed Demin to rejoin the party.

On to the next door, with a paranoid Mara checking for pit traps, the next door was also relief carved, trapped and locked.  This trap was disabled the lock picked and another Reliquary opened.  After hearing Demin's dirge the group decided that maybe having Melisana carry ALL the body parts was not the best idea.  Therefore Alhellara collected the next relic, two blackened incisors.  The trip to the next door also revealed a north-south hallway apparently making a rectangle with the hallway to the north through which the group entered this area.  Again the door was trapped and locked which were successfully disarmed and picked.  In this reliquary was a single blackened molar.

Meanwhile Mara was exploring the north south hallway, there was a ordinary door to the south, and to the north a door, with a companion door to the west.  Checking the door to the south found another Supplication Chamber with various alchemical equipment.  The door in the northwest opened into another east west hallway. From here the group moved back to the east hallway they originally entered and moved to the southwestern door.  This door was carved but the relief was a set of runes interpreted by Lythandar as:

Neither fowl nor fish;
Not bone or flesh;
And yet possesses,
Thumb and four fingers.

After some thought without conclusion the party moved to the remaining northern door, Mara attempted to open the door and 4 beetle swarms crawled out of small holes in the wall.  A battle started as the beetles swarmed around and over the group.  As the battle continued the group found that melee and ranged attacks were less effective, but close and area attacks dealt more damage.  Just as a swarm was eliminated a group of humans bearing crossbows emerged into the north-south hall at the back of the party fire bolts at the heroes.  Then the swarms jumped onto Pretis and Mara followed by three more humans following the crossbowmen, who fired magic missiles into the party.

Scorecard:  The party earned 757 XP for the night and now stand at 39,277 XP which is enough for 13th level.  They will gain 13th level at the end of the ongoing battle.