Greatport

The party return to Castle Raglan where Ralph and the dwarves from Dolgold have arrived as have the Bard's remaining friends. Ralph is installed as castle steward while the dwarves assess the repair work needed on the castle towers. Meanwhile the party develop a plan to investigate the area around Skeffington. Ursulantha, Chief Druidess of the Witchwood south of Castle Raglan, has agreed to help in this venture. She casts a spell to detect powerful undead or unnatural monsters within a 10 mile radius near Skeffington. Strangely there is no response from the spell. She tries again nearer to the old Temple of the Wolf that Prando the hobbit once raided. This time two lairs are detected. The first is an old tomb inhabited by wraiths which the party easily despatch. The second lair belongs to an elusive monster who escapes leaving its treasure behind. The old Temple of the Wolf is then raided only for the party to find it deserted although it looks to have been inhabited in the recent past.

Next the party try a Find the Path spell. In order to utilise it to its maximum effect the party split up. One half, led by Brand the monk, speed south which is where the spell indicates there might be an active Temple of the Wolf. The other half remains behind. Brand's party ascertains the temple is south of Starstone County before the spell runs out. Lura acts as lookout for the other half of the party but goes missing by the time Brand returns. Fearing Lura has been captured by Kyren Darkmantle, in desperation the party ask Maelith the Drow cleric to try a Commune spell. Maelith discovers that Lura is being held in a seedy area of Greatport.

The party hasten to Greatport where the Enchantress lends them Alf to help in their search. While the party spend the rest of the day in the Plaza of Dark Delights occasionally looking for Lura to salve their consciences Alf reports that he has found someone who is looking for the party. The party capture this low-life and Brand impersonates him to try and discover who has hired him. Eventually the trail goes cold as the party follow a second and then lose a third man who obviously didn't want to be followed.

A note arrives which only the Rok can read. This sends the party to an address at midnight and after a wild goose chase across the city they eventually come to a secret door below even the level of the city sewers. Can the party rescue Lura? Or is she being used as bait? Is she dead or alive? Is this an ambush? Would it make any difference to the party's 'kick the door down and Fireball everyone in sight' policy if they knew it was? Is this a good day to die?

The party have heard rumours that there exists a ancient underground arena used by the Thieves and Assassins Guilds to dispose of captives in an entertaining way. It inhibits magic although their are tales that a mage escaped having suddenly got his Wand of Fireballs to work. Having opened the door the party test the water with a 'light' stone which duly goes out when tossed into the arena. An augury tells them it is better to proceed. A voice invites them in, pointing out that is it the only course of action if they want to see Lura again, and persuades them to sit in an alcove where seats (and strangely weapons) have been set out. The weapons according to the voice are keyed to the destruction of Evil Outsiders.

A cloaked being appears on a raised dais above the arena. Lura apears tied to a chair in the arena below. The alcove is then sealed by a forcewall which hides the party from further visitors to the arena. First to arrive are a group of thieves led by an imposing man named Rykar. They address the figure as Kyren and tell him that he had better explain what he is up to and why he had used the arena without authorisation. The second group are assassins and an argument ensues about whether Rykar called them to a meeting here or not. The third group are led by a black-cloaked magic user who wants to know what Kyren intends to do with Lura. Then rather surprisingly Kyren Darkmantle appears through the door. This causes much confusion and threats and counter-threats are thrown between the groups. Kyren himself appears confused but his confusion turns to fear when three high-level rakshasa assassins appear demanding that he is surrendered to them for execution.

Then the lights go down and vision is restricted to 30 feet. The party can only see the thieves who are nearest them and are heading their way. When he sees the party Rykar tells his cohorts to kill them. Brand goes off to rescue Lura but she is no longer in the chair. A brief melee with the thieves is interrupted by a searing green fireball from the cult magic-user damaging the thieves and party alike. Rykar gives the order for the thieves and assassins to engage the magic user and his acolytes. Meanwhile the rakshasas set about slaughtering anybody who gets in their way.

The party kill a number of thieves but Dindle is struck down by one of the rakshasas and Brand is also gravely injured. The party manage to surround and kill one of the rakshasas and the engage the remaining thieves and assassins. By this time the figure of the dias is revealed to be Lura who reveals that her doppelganger is yet another rakshasa who is seeking revenge on everyone in the room (apart from the party). In the ensuing battle Lura and Rok take life-threatening poisioned wounds and all the party are injured to some extent. When the lights finally go up the party and the Lura-like rakshasa are the only beings left alive. Kyren Darkmantle was killed by the rakshasa assassins and the evil magic-user despite using a Dimension Door-like spell fell to the female rakshasa. This rakshasa takes possession of Kyren's body; she is his mother.

Lura explains what she learnt in her captivity (see Nakira). A party of adventurers arrive late to the battle hoping to capture the magic user alive for the Enchantress. All that is left of him, however, is a tattered black cloak and some green goo on the floor. Both the party and the adventurers take samples hoping to discover more about the nature of these beings. Then there was the loot...

In the aftermath of the above encounter the party learn the whereabouts of the temple base of the evil magic user and his acolytes. They plan to raid it the following morning. When they get to the shop which acts as a 'front' for the temple, however, it is closed and when they break in they find the shopkeeper dead. Entering the secret door at the back of the shop they descend some stairs and find two dead priests (as in cut to ribbons). Entering the temple itself they are confronted by a beautiful woman who quickly reveals herself to be a six-armed demon with the tail of a snake (thus encapsulating the average relationship history of the male members of the party is matter of minutes). Unfortunately the party's magic is surpressed within the temple but not the demon's so a strategic withdrawal is called for. The demon's bloodlust is up and she severely underestimates the party as she pursues them out of the temple and up the stairs into the shop where the party score a swift victory.

Searching the temple the party find 1000gp and an elvish ghost, Arahir. The ghost informs them that there are two further temples nearby: one actually in the city walls and one in some ruins close to the city. He will not rest until these are destroyed. They also find a list of the 'cult names' of the worshippers. Lura also sees on the spectral report that the ghost has written a warning (in the style of a mad prophet) that winter will never end, magic will fail and the gods will desert their worshippers.

The part rest up, re-equip, and get Maelith the Drow to perform a Commune to ascertain the location of the other evil temple within Greatport's walls. Having located the temple in the south of the city the party stake it out and debate their strategy. In the end the option of infiltrating the place while the worshippers are there is rejected in favour of storming it while they are not. The plan works well and the party overcome the single priest inside. Unfortunately Rok feels that Moradin supports the smashing of the temple's altar, which always risks coming to the attention of the God (Gar) himself. In any event the evil magic user does not turn up despite a prolonged stake-out. The party had, however, managed to bag the congregation one by one which they turn over to the authorities while debating the ethics (definitely not Lawful Good) of robbing their houses while they are in detention. A cache of 5000gp also acts as some compensation.

Two down, one to go! With plenty of shopping to do the party wait a week for Maelith to perform another Commune in order to track down the location of the last temple. Discovering some ruins in the predicted location Lura makes her way through a patch of brambles to discover an underground door. Unfortunately Dindle's new pet, a stone golem has to be left outside along with his familiar, Erin. The main part of the temple appears to be doubling as a holding area for a hoard of scrolls and potions, which are being currently being sorted by two black-robed priests. The party kill one of the priests but the other makes his escape through a door behind the altar. Brand uses his speed to pursue him only to be confronted by the familiar shape of a six-armed demon.

A lengthy combat ensues. Each six-fold strike by the demon takes one of the party close to death. So a rotation system for fighting and healing has to be used. Magic does not work in the main temple so the party gradually back towards the foyer where it does. Unwisely the demon allows herself to be lured into the foyer where finally the party's numerical advantage tells. Once the demon is dead the party examine the potions and scrolls which turn out to be fake. During the combat Dindle had attempted to let Frag, his stone golem assistant, into the temple but although the golem started beating at the door he had not appeared. Dindle had also loss contact with Erin.

As the word 'trap' gradually filtered into some of the party members brains Roc applies a pickaxe to the door to the complex only to discover a void on the other side. Further experiments with help from the mad elven ghost conclude that the local ethereal plane is also a detached demiplane. Even worse there would appear to be no connection to the usually all-encompassing astral plane. With nothing to lose the party smash the altar and raise one to St Cuthbert in the hope he will hear their prayers. The party consider their options and realise that with a limited supply of air using magic to shrink their size or turn into plants might be a good idea.

Next time on Starstone Gardening Tips: Do Halflings or Dwarves make the best tubers?, When to prune an Elf Ranger/Blackcurrant Bush and forcing a Gnome Daffodil for early colour.