Rise of Lolith S16-The Fiendish Pact

Evaluating the fortress under construction before them, the party makes the dubious decision to allow Labkost to summon a balor to slaughter those building the fortress. Its unclear to me if this decision was based on the assumption the clone was not there, in which case they could have gone around fairly easily. Regardless, Labkost created his summoning circle and with his summoning skill called forth a balor:

• Evren (BiW): Level 8 Drow Psion Thief
• Labkost (ByW): Level 8 Gnome Magic-user
• Argent Smith (RiH): Level 8 Human Monk

The balor agrees, but he is lying. He immediately turns and attacks the party. Attempting to parry his mighty sword goes badly for Argent, but he stays up and between them they deal heavy blows to the balor, who backs up to summon a fomori to aide him.

Biweekly Monster-Baffler (AD&D)

Baffler
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6 (see below)
MOVE: 3″/21″ (MC: B)
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: R
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: surprise on 5 in 6, see below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S (2′ long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 40
Attack/Defense Modes: C/F

Haven: Probing Garim’s Great Road Holdings

After finding that Garim’s shrine was uninhabited, Gorg and Victor spend a week asking around for more information about Garim’s activities in the region. They end up speaking to Snass and Polly who last visited Schek Garim at Ker Vedno and get significant information about their watchfulness and positions. Malcom and Ragnvaldr inform them that the orcs seen on the Vale/Rovert border are only a small, temporary band. They decide to go to Ker Vedno and recruit another thief to help out:

• Gorg (HuS): Level 10 Orc Thief
• Victor (TrS): Level 7 Elf Thief
• Harold (MiM): Level 4 Halfling Thief

On the 14th, they enter the Great Road at Road Keep, crossing to the north side of the quarter-mile-wide road and setting out east toward the mountains and Ker Vedno. They discretely pass by some gnomish explorers coming back the other way. As they go on, near sunset they see a camp on the south side of the road.

Haven: To the Schek Garim Shrine

After returning from their infiltration of Schek Kagirt’s main shrine and having their stolen notes translated, they ask among the schekless refugees for where Schek Garim would have received the messages possible during the equinox and full moon near conjunction. Though the refugees have nothing to offer, Verdis’ ambassador with Schek Charuke is able to learn some legends that allow them to estimate the location of Garim’s main shrine.

• Gorg (HuS): Level 9 Orc Thief
• Victor (TrS): Level 6 Elf Thief

With an approximate location for the shrine, they have also heard that Kagirt build tunnels with subterranean carriage between the nephil shrines and they calculate that one of the tunnel entrances is likely in Rovert’s lands. This tunnel, though they are warned they go unused due to their danger, appeals to them as a way to avoid a pass through the Clinging Wood which the Garim shrine is supposed to be in.

Rise of Lolith S15-Bugbears and Battlements

After tracking Lolith and the clone into the wilderness, the party encounters a tribe of bugbears:

• Evren (BiW): Level 7 Drow Psion Thief
• Labkost (ByW): Level 7 Gnome Magic-user
• Argent Smith (RiH): Level 7 Human Monk

Argent and Evren rush forward to engage the enemy while Labkost starts a spell to create his summoning circle. Argent is soon completely surrounded, Evren nearly as much so, and neither is in a position to stop the few that rush toward Labkost.

Haven: Schek Kagirt on the Equinox

With Verdis’ and Rovert’s sages warning that the orcish Schek (cults) are able to communicate receive messages from their gods (the “true” giants living on the moon) during the days between the full moon (September 20th) and the Equinox (September 22nd), Verdis hires Gorg to find out what these communications are (for he has been told on many fronts that the return of these giants is imminent). On the 19th, Gorg grabs Victor and they head toward the nearest main shrine, that of Schek Kagirt.

• Gorg (HuS): Level 9 Orc Thief
• Victor (TrS): Level 6 Elf Thief

They follow the road from the orcish hunting cabin on the hill overlooking the god of knowledge dam toward the shrine, but keep to the edge of it to avoid being known by any orcs along the way. They see some wolves along the road and consider simply chasing them off before remembering that orcs are known to patrol their holdings in wolf form. They instead take to the upwind side of the road and bypass them through the woods. They make good time that day and, not wanting to lose sleep or travel time with a watch, Gorg finds them hiding places in the trees for the night.

Biweekly Item-Cloak of Stars (AD&D)

This cloak is created using a pool in the open air on the surface of which is spread a special, alchemically treated silk, nearly transparent and invisible upon the water. The alchemical treatment that is on it interacts with water and when exposed to light stiffens. Thus, to obtain a malleable cloak, the process must be completed at or near the half moon. So prepared and exposed, the silk is pulled from the surface of the pool and the moon-light curing fixes in it the stars reflected from directly above it.

Biweekly Monster-Ass of the Western Gate (AD&D)

In the garden of Orgagna, where the fey enchantress Falerina dwells, the western gate is guarded by “an ass, armed with scales of gold, and ears of such length and strength, as to be able to seize, and drag to himself by the aid of them, whatever was within his reach; his tail cut like a trenchant sword, and his bray made the forest tremble.” –Orlando Innamorato, translation by William Stewart Rose

Ass of the Western Gate
FREQUENCY: Unique
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 1 (as +5 scale armor)
MOVE: 18″
HIT DICE: 2+2 (18)
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: see below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 5
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-4/1-6/1-6/5-15
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Bray, Ears (see below)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +3 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 100%
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Biweekly Item-Teleport Pole (AD&D)

This is by all appearances a mundane 10-foot pole, but it can teleport the user to a surface it is touching. It has 20-25 charges and can be used by characters of any class.

Experience Point Value: 1000

G.P. Sale Value: 5000

A bit of a gimmick, to be sure, but thinking about it I couldn’t justify valuing it low with the utility it provides.

Rise of Lolith S14-In Search of the Clone

After briefly considering fighting the guards calling for them to surrender, they instead convince them to allow/help the party look for Evren’s “sister,” who she can telepathically verify that their commander has not seen the clone, but is willing to humor them since he has them in his hand:

• Evren (BiW): Level 7 Drow Psion Thief
• Labkost (ByW): Level 7 Gnome Magic-user
• Argent Smith (RiH): Level 7 Human Monk

As they wander the castle under the captain of the guard’s watchful eye, he happily conducts them to the dungeons and back out to the courtyard, where Evren sense the clone is heading north. The captain doesn’t want to allow them to leave, but they prevail upon him to talk to Lolith about it and he goes looking for her.