“Here's my thought; we go forward and then down the hall on the right. That is back to Cor’s plan of trying to go deeper into the castle..... I’ll lead and check for traps and such. Next, Lothor to back me up... followed by Cor and Rayne... We keep the Sorceress in the middle, so she can cast front or rear, followed by Weaver, Foan and last Alyia.... Alyia maybe you could cast a wall of ice down the hall behind us to block the Orcs from coming through the door and following us.”
Cor immediately, although grudgingly, turned his attention away from the introductions with the new arrival, Roan Fenstrider, back towards the task at hand. Ulthok was right: they had to move. Those orcs wouldn't be held up for too much longer; furthermore, they had to compete their mission before the damage to the castle was too severe. As he had many times before, Cor wished they had more time.

"Ultok is right. We must move now. Let's at least put some distance between us and those orcs." As the party moved forward, Cor passed by Roan Fenstrider, and said, " We will continue introductions later, after we finish this mission," Striding forward to his part in the mission, Cor readied his axe, casting a glance backwards. He hoped that Ultok's plan with the ice wall and their speed would put some distance between them and the orcs. He was confident that Ultok would prevent any traps from killing them. Knowing that Valene weighed heavily on Ultok's mind, Cor made a silent pledge to Odin to find her. Cor kept pace with the group, occasionally glancing over his shoulder both to see if everyone was keeping up and to see if the orcs were closing the distance behind them.

Alyia.... Alyia.

maybe you could cast a wall of ice down the hall....

behind us....

block the Orcs.....

coming through......

door.....

following us.....
....Master Cor spoke? ... no it was ...Ulthok?

Alyia sighed softly and closed here eyes. In her minds Xin hovered before her, his arms crossed and his face an ever omnipresent scowl.

"mistress, do you wish for me to materialize onto your plain? you seem.... i do not want to say unwell, but." he paused in thought a moment stroking his small beard. "you seem distracted." he harrumphed in self congratulation.

"you must stay focused at the task at hand." Xin mused as if it was something Alyia needed reminding of.


Clenching her jaw at the verbal reprimand she opened her eyes and momentarily reaching into her pouch she grasped the small vile with her sisters remains. with a deep breath she let the vile go and reached further into the pouch. retrieving a small tear drop of crystal rock quarts. she smiled, she had always liked the milky white crystalline rock. the small tear seemed befit these entire proceedings.


casting the spell some 30 feet further back into the corridor she concentrated on forming the wall of ice in her mind. letting the cold seep along and spread the crystals linking and hardening. she pictured the ice swirling and spiralling etching the thick ice wall in cold vines and thorns.


Alyia felt a wisps of energy by her cheek, drawing her out of her momentary concentration, Xin had formed their in soft smoky green flames. His face still a scowl.

"you always were one to jump to the extremisms..." he muttered and moved to sit on Alyia's right shoulder.


( i took a little liberty with the spell. i was going to make a frozen/let it go ref but thought it would be to dorky.

i cast the spell further back to lessen any splash back if any. but here is the spell/stasts so you wont have to look it up )

Wall of Ice
Level: 4 Schools: Evocation
Range: 10 yds./level Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 turn/level Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: Special Saving Throw: None

This spell can be cast in one of three ways: as an anchored plane of ice, as a hemisphere, or as a horizontal sheet to fall upon creatures with the effect of an ice storm.

A) Ice plane. When this spell is cast, a sheet of strong, hard ice is created. The wall is primarily defensive, stopping pursuers and the like. The wall is 1 inch thick per level of experience of the wizard. It covers a 10-foot-square area per level (a 10th-level wizard can create a wall of ice 100 feet long and 10 feet high, a wall 50 feet long and 20 feet high, etc.). Any creature breaking through the ice suffers 2 points of damage per inch of thickness of the wall. Fire-using creatures suffer 3 points of damage per inch, while cold-using creatures suffer only 1 point of damage per inch when breaking through. The plane can be oriented in any fashion as long as it is anchored along one or more sides.

B) Hemisphere. This casting of the spell creates a hemisphere whose maximum radius is equal to 3 feet plus 1 foot per caster level. Thus, a 7th-level caster can create a hemisphere 10 feet in radius. The hemisphere lasts until it is broken, dispelled, or melted. Note that it is possible, but difficult, to trap mobile opponents under the hemisphere.

C) Ice sheet. This casting of the spell causes a horizontal sheet to fall upon opponents. The sheet covers a 10-foot-square area per caster level. The sheet has the same effect as an ice storm's hail stones--3d10 points of damage inflicted to creatures beneath it.

A wall of ice cannot form in an area occupied by physical objects or creatures; its surface must be smooth and unbroken when created. Magical fires such as fireballs and fiery dragon breath melt a wall of ice in one round, though this creates a great cloud of steamy fog that lasts one turn. Normal fires or lesser magical ones do not hasten the melting of a wall of ice.

The material component of this spell is a small piece of quartz or similar rock crystal.)

After introductions finally by all party members was over the decision to travel East and past the hallway they had just come from was just a matter if delaying pursuit. For that, they called on Aliya who quickly moved 5 feet inside the hallway and cast Wall of Ice from wall to wall. In minutes, the hallway was blocked by a thick block of frozen water, enough unless the Orcs had a mage with them, for a good 2 hours. Coming to the next branch and the hallways North and South the party could see they only traveled 30 feet before each reached a door.

Having gained a good bit of time from the most recent group of Orcs, Ulthok quickly checked the North door for traps and finding none slowly opened it and shinned a torch inside. The Halfling Thief/Mage need not have worried as he found only a small 30x30 room filled with all manner of normal gear and junk. Checking the door and room to the South proved only to be more of the same.

Having found nothing of note within those doors the party continued East only to find themselves in yet another North/South spilt. The way to the East having ended. Upon examination, the hallway to the North continued beyond infravision range into darkness. While the South Hallway after 40 feet revealed a branch headed back West. Beyond this new West, heading hallway 40 feet to the South the hallway like the way to the North disappeared into the dark of the castle.

Once more a choice for the party on which way to go.

(Ok short post with new North/South hallways to go. Any questions Ody feel free to call me . Next post next Sunday)

Cor kept up with the group, continuing to keep a look out. Already, Cor had messed up; he had been forced to use his Heal spell on himself. He grimaced at the thought. But he could not brood: he had to look forward and keep alert.

Once again, the group was confronted with a decision: a north-south intersection. Cor himself believed that South would lead towards the heart of the castle, therefore the prison and power source. Complete their mission so Craggian Core could stand another day.

Turning towards the party, Cor asked, "I would like to head South, but what do you all think? We're in this together, after all." Cor looked around at the other members of the party. Keeping his axe in both hand, he kept ready for a fight. They couldn't sit here too long, or more monsters would come for them. Possibly even more Illithids...

The party again was on the move. Ulthok took his place as scout, checking the corridor as they went. The first two halls proved only to lead to small storage areas that showed them nothing of use. Further on down the main hall it ended into another corridor heading North and South. Ulthok gave a quick see of each to help the party determine which way to proceed. North lead back toward the front of the castle, the way then had entered, it being long enough as to not reveal what lay that way. The South corridor turn back west and again turned south, Ulthok did not go far enough around the corner to determine what was beyond in the hall. He returned quickly to the group as they waited at the intersection. Addressing Cor, “These two corridors are long enough and dark enough that I could not tell which seemed more likely to bring us to where the Queen is held.” The Dwaren Cleric spoke, "I would like to head South, but what do you all think? We're in this together, after all."
For Ulthok that was good enough, “All right then, South it is. Same order of travel and protect each others backs.” The Halfling could tell that the weight of Command and the Evil in these ways was pressing on the Knight’s Cleric, perhaps causing him to second guess himself. Action was the only answer to doubt and Ulthok knew to trust Cor’s instincts. “Quickly, but carefully we must press on.” With that the Thief once again took the lead and headed south down the hall and around the corners.

Alyia sighed as Xin sat on her shoulder his wispy form solidifying leaving his skin with a molted green swirly tinge. his amber eyes glowed with predanatural energy. what little hair he had was pulled back in a tight top knot the dark black tresses only serverd to highlight his odd unhuman colouring.

Xin teasingly tugged the plaited barind at Alyia's temple. Alyia looked at him with a slidelong glare.

"what?" she grunted gruffly under her breath. Xin smirked as he spoke flicking the side of her cheek with the tail of her braid.

"Do not be rude. Mistress, Please. As we press on, introduce me to your pack." Alyia swatted at the attack of her hair in annoyance.

"were not dogs, Xin. Where people." she sighed in frustration. Part of her knew he was only doing this to raise her ire, and it was working.

Working her way through the party she introduced each member to Xin and explained their job/class roll of each.

Xin replied to each in a respectful compliment.

Only when Alyia seemed to Fidget when introducing Weaver, did Xin chuckle. Xin also seemed quite intrigued with the fae dragon Perri, seeming to loosen his tongue and ask several questions of her about her heritage and power manifestations.

Quickly apologizing to the dragon for his inappropriateness.

With the choice to again head south the party moved that way once more. However a new hallway came with a new set of rooms as they quickly found themselves passing yet another door. This door like the rest was not locked and after a quick check for traps by Ulthok, the Halfling Thief/Mage pushed the door open.

Within the 40x30 room as revealed by torch light was the home of a nice sized library socked with a number of books. Most of the books revealed were clearly dust covered and old with many a cover faded. For Ulthok and the rest of the parties Mages a faint tendril of magic could be felt. The hallway continuing its way to South was black and for the moment quiet............

(DM OOC: Another short post as you guys did not give me much to work with. Astrid nice post with Xin. Keep it up. Ok Next Post Next Sunday the 6th)

"Books!"

Roan rushed into the room as soon as he saw them. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and his eyes glazed over. Books! There was nothing quite like them; vast reservoirs of knowledge locked away inside dusty tomes, just waiting for a fertile mind. They might be hiding a detailed history of this place, or perhaps a study on the anatomy of giants. One might be a spellbook within whose pages lay unkown magics or (and this one was his favorite) a book that could unlock the secrets of another language.

Roan began perusing the dusty manuscripts with great interest, digesting the titles as thoroughly as possible. His hand gently touched a scar on his throat as he read.

Books always held great interest to Roan. They represented something he had lived a lifetime without understanding, and reminded him of the greatest gift he had ever been given. He had been out of his teens before he learned to read and write; even then it had been almost an accident.

He'd slept with another man's wife, purposefully. Jenniver was gorgeous, Roan was young and strong, and they were both full of liquor. When her husband found them in Roan's bed, he beat the ranger to within an inch of his life. It wasn't enough for the brutish man, and so he drew his knife and stabbed Roan in his throat. The ranger took a long time to bleed out, but his killer watched the entire time. That man's steely gaze was the last thing Roan saw before passing into death.

After a period of darkness beyond sleep, his eyes began to open. There seemed to be a mist over everything. He was horizontal, staring up at a domed wooden ceiling. Three interlocking triangles were carved above him into the rough cypress. It was the Valknut, the Knot of Slain Warriors. A man stood beside him looking pleased. Roan had heard of clerics raising the dead, but never imagined it would happen to him.

In the coming months, Roan came to know the man as Father Gregory. He was a priest in the temple of the Allfather as well as a powerful cleric. Under his tutelage, Roan learned to read and write, and found a passion for the study of language. In return, Roan became a protector of the church, and very soon became a member of their clergy.

That knife had been the end of Roan's childhood, and would have been the end of his life had his body not been found outside the temple of Odin a short while after his murder. Roan never knew if it was the husband or a mysterious benefactor who delivered him to that door. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had been Odin himself.

When the party regrouped after leaving the horror lab the young female warrior mage had decided it was time to introduce the small person that had earlier provided them with food. With the partially dressed man riding her shoulder the mage approach Ulthok and Peri. The fact that this being could create food was of interest to the faerie dragon. The dark skinned tiny man was called Xin and Peri was a bit taken back by his sudden barrage of personal questions.

Peri had been quite content to stay nestled in Ulthok’s arms. Over her long life she had experienced many things but the mind shock attacks from the squid faced creature was something she’d never endured before… and now it had happened twice. Her young Halfling had warned her of the possible dangers and she accepted them willingly. She was well aware of the evil that invaded the lands and threatened all, including her peace woods. It had been decided that even they must join in or surely they would be destroyed. When the call came she left her subjects, her family, her friends and her woods. Ulthok had accepted her without question, he recognized her station, respected her and appreciated that she treated him as an equal.

Now this little man was prattling on rudely. There was a quiet chiming as Peri giggled and prepared to blow him a special kiss.

“Peri… be nice. He meant no harm.” Ulthok warned. “After all, you are quite interesting.”

The Jenni realized his near error and quickly apologizing to Peri for his inappropriateness. With a smirky smile she addressed Alyia, ”It is good to have a helper around, but these men can be annoying at times.” Turning to the Jenni, “Would you by chance have any pie?”

Alyia blushed slightly her eyes momentary darting towards weaver.

"for the most part their tolerable." Alyia smiled softly at the little dragon.

Turning to the Jenni, “Would you by chance have any pie?”
Xin furrowd his brow in thought.
"Mayhap, I am unsure if my magic's will allow me such. though it may pend more on what type. " Xin began to ponder how to go about conjuring such an item, soon lost to thought.

Alyia smiled slightly embarrassed as Xin began to mutter to himself.

Alyia couldnt help but feel excited as the murrmer of library and books quickly worked ites way through the party. though part of her was wary of traps magic an other wise.as the room seemed eerily to easily accessed.

even so she hopped theirs be something of use or interests held within. a dead language, a new spell? or even an old history journal anything they didnt know before may be handy later.

Cor moved with the group, constantly on the look out for attack. After they had put some distance between themselves and the ice wall, he began to calm down slightly.

As they went South, Astrid approached Cor, introducing him to her familiar Xin. "Greeting Xin. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I must thank you with the food you provided earlier: that food will help us keep going in this twisted castle. The Jenni responded respectfully, before Astrid and him went off to interact with the other members of the party.

The Jenni seemed focused on Ulthok's Faerie Dragon familiar Peri. Cor chuckled for a moment at the display. Apparently, even familiars could be totally unprepared for interactions. Smiling for a second, Cor continued his march onwards.

The party was confronted from another set of doors. Ulthok quickly searched the door for traps, even without the help of Valene. Poor lass. They would find her later.

When the door opened, the room was not full of monsters: it was books that lined the walls of this room. Before Cor could say anything, Roan strode into the room, immediately beginning to look through the books. Astrid followed suit, looking through the books.

Well, books were better than monsters. And these books looked old. Who knew, they might even have a map or something of this castle. It was wishful thinking sure, but one could always dream. As the party entered the room, Cor said, "Alright, Lads and Lasses, let's take a quick look. We mustn't take too long though: there might be more of the Illithids around." Cor looked through the books for a short time, trying to find anything that could help him with his mission, and searching for a book on his Church. Cor looked over his shoulder constantly, keeping his eye out for more teleporting enemies...

Ulthok lead the party cautiously down the south corridor. Once again there were rooms along the way that needed to be checked. The first door was unlocked with no traps. Stepping in the torch light revealed a nice sized library. Most of the books were clearly dust covered and old, many a cover faded. A faint tendril of magic could be felt.

As the party caught up him Roan and Alyia stepped past the Halfling and started to examine the tomes. “Be careful,” the theif warned. “There is a trace of magic among the books that may be a warding….Evil will steal the secrets of others to turn to their use, but grudging does it make that knowledge available to others.” As the party filed into the room Ulthok drew his sword and stood guard at the door.

Rayne, though not happy that Cor and Ulthok had decided to head East instead of West through one of the three visible doors, followed quietly nonetheless. Her bow and spells ready she took her same place in line as before. With the discovery of a room possibly a library of some sort she took her place next to Ulthok and readied her bow in case of attack.

Let the others check this bookroom as she stood guard with the halfling thief.

The tell-tale hum of magical auras sang to Siréne at her first step into the library. It wriggle through the books and reached out through the room with undulating tentacles to tickle magical hunger. She knew the other arcanists felt just what she did. This was a dangerous place. Written words could illuminate the secrets in the shadows, revealing the hidden and the forgotten. Knowledge was power and there were few in this world who would let it go easily. Whomever had curated this collection of books would likely have gone to great pains to protect it.

And yet, here in the stronghold of the enemy they stood before tomes of knowledge. What secrets of the dark might they hold? Could the means for ending this war be locked away in these dusty pages?

Striding further into the room she heard Ulthok's impassioned warning and knew the wisdom of his words. The same thoughts had crossed through her mind. Yet without risk there would be no gain.

Without breaking stride, Siréne snapped her fingers and uttered a single word of power. Her eyes began to glow with an brilliant azure light and she felt her magical awareness vastly deepen. With the witch sight called, the enchantress began to peruse the many books, exploring their titles and searching for their magic origins. All the while she was sure to touch nothing.

((OOC: Casts Wizard Sight - From Tome of Magic Lvl 3))

The party having found a new room to peak the interest of the magic wielders watched as first Roan then others of the group moved into the room to seek out tomes or magical books. With Uthlok and Rayne guarding the hallway and Sirene equipped with magical sight, the scouring of the library went quickly.

In all the searchers found and came away with 5 tomes heavy magic in nature and 2 tomes of lighter magic, nary a magical guard on the books encountered. Though there was a feeling of being watched nothing or no one appeared to stop them and within minutes, they were headed South once more.

The way South was quiet, still, one could almost believe they were in a normal castle, not one flying and filled with enemies and death. In what were only minutes but seemed like days they reached yet another hallway branching to the right ending in another door. However, this was not a door of wood, but one of iron, the first so far encountered within the castle itself.

Looking to the South farther all could see a series of stairs leading up into the darkness of a stairway, the top hidden. Once more, the time had come for Ulthok to do his thing and to the door; he went checking for traps then picking the lock. However for the first time this mission he found himself somewhat stymied by a lock. Wishing for the benefit of a Knock spell the Thief/Mage could only turn to the party and raise his hands in bewilderment.

The party’s path looked to be up the stairs before them....

(Thank Nimu for the Wizard Sight made you finding those 7 books a lot faster then expected Ruined what I had planned…
Kyle get in touch with me by phone as soon as you can, Brundel if your still out there send me an email or PM me on here. Ok next post next Sunday the 13th Thx)