The Biscuits	Gimar - Fighter 8th Level (PC) Jaron - Paladin 6th Level (PC) Rheaphlyndar - Thief 8th Level (PC) Nicola - Cleric 5th Level (PC) Dollin - Druid 6th Level (PC) Wed - Mage 5th Level (NPC) Little John - Fighter 5th Level (NPC)
Locale	The Lair of the Grell
Date	20th day of Flocktime, 585 CY (Common Year)
Time	early evening

Without uttering a word, the party fell quickly into battle formation.

Lurking just above the doorway was the beast described by the townfolk. Dollin had identified it as a Grell. The beast descended to attack!

 * Little John   :19: Hit, d6+4=6 to Grell
 4 Grell         :19,7,12,15,16: d4=1, 3d6=8/4 to Gimar, who is Paralyzed
 4 Grell         :9,16,20(3),8,20(5): d4=3, d6=4 on Jaron, who is Paralyzed
 5 Rheaphlyndar  sneaks
12 Nicola        :7: Remove Paralysis on Gimar
15 Gimar         :5: d8+d2+7=12 to Grell
15 Dollin        :6,6: Misses with two arrows
   Wed           pulls Jaron away from Grell
** Jaron         paralyzed

Nicola	Well, we've got the grell worried, I'm sure of it . . .
Gimar	Nicola, are you alright? You look kind of paralyzed yourself.

 * Little John   :1(10): Fumble, battlestaff flies across the room.
 0 Rheaphlyndar  :19: Hit, thrown dagger backstab, 3x3=9 to Grell
 5 Grell         :17,17,10,3,19: 2d4=7 3d6=13/6 to Gimar
 5 Grell         :4,17,13,1,10: d4=1 to Little John
 9 Dollin        :13,13: 2d8=12 to Grell

Nicola	That leather armor looks pretty rotten. Hey, isn't that a purse on the belt?
Gimar	mrfffmgd . . . .
Rheaphlyndar	I'll check the purse, you go help the dwarf.

Little John and Wed helped lever the grell corpse off the dwarf, right about the same time as Jaron was coming out of his paralysis.

Dollin	OOhhhh pretties!
Rheaphlyndar	There's coins here, quite a few. And here's an amethyst.
Nicola	Prevents drunkeness. Give it to the dwarf.
Dollin	Jaron, do you want the other spear back? This one's shorter and has some sort of lightning properties.
Jaron	Fine with me.
Dollin	Hey, Little John, how about a Cure Moderate Wounds?
Little John	Fine with me.
Dollin	Let me tell you all about my cousin's baby girl, Camille. She's just turning two today . . .

While Dollin healed the warrior, the rest of the group decided to check out the lair of the grell.

Little John	Grab my staff while you're in there, eh?
Nicola	No problem. Hey, these walls are a lot dirtier, but the murals are pretty much the same.
Rheaphlyndar	Hey, I see treasure.

While the group gathered coins and other treasure, the druid took a look at the murals of battles, martial exercises, and training.

Dollin	(to himself) These figures look human, but not like any race I've ever seen.
Gimar	(approaching from behind) Nor any race of the underdark that I've seen.
Dollin	Look at that wooly hair! The eyes are somewhat slanted and they have long slender limbs and hands.
Rheaphlyndar	Sixteen platinum, seventy-two gold, eighty-eight silver, these two gems . . .
Wed	. . . and this ivory brooch. Non-magical.
Rheaphlyndar	(giving it a good look) Probably worth about 200 gold. We're rich!
Gimar	We're filthy with dough.
Nicola	(referring to the grell ichor) You're filthy without it.
Wed	Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk.
Gimar	Well, at least it's all ours.
Jaron	Ulp! Unless that statue wants some.

A stone statue ambled forward from the eastern doorway, charging to attack. Quickly the party took arms.

 * Little John   :20(12): 2*d6+4=10 to Golem
 6 Nicola        :8: Misses with her mace
 7 Rheaphlyndar  :4: Misses with his dagger
12 Golem         :5: Misses Little John with a crystalline rod
13 Dollin        :1: Casts Soften Earth and Stone (Supra-effect)
                     Golem takes d20=6 damage and left arm is sagging
17 Gimar         :16,13,11: 3d8+3d2+21=35 to Golem, removing left arm
** Jaron         :11: d6+5=9 to Golem

 * Little John   :11: d6+4=6 to Golem
   Golem         :17: 4d6=15 to Dollin
   Gimar         :11,4: d8+d2+7=15, slaying the Golem

Dollin	Run ! ! !
Nicola	Phaser on overload ! ! !
Wed	Is that the incantation for a spell?
Little John	Who cares, just run !

Most of the party ran up the tunnel leading to the surface. Gimar and Jaron ran instead to the west, towards the Grell lair. The dwarven warriors boots of speed helped him clear the blast, but unfortunately the paladin was not so lucky.

Dollin	(returning to the room) Everybody alright?
Gimar	I'm fine, but Jaron caught some shrapnel here.
Rheaphlyndar	No sign of the rod, I see.
Jaron	There's still a few pieces in my back!

After a bit of dusting off, the Gimar, Wed and Little John checked the other rooms to see if anything was different. Rheaphlyndar stayed and examined the door in great detail, and Dollin and Nicola threw moderate curing spells on Jaron and Dollin.

Wed	(returning to the room) Nothing different over there either.
Rheaphlyndar	The door is made of stout wood with iron bands, and there's no hole for a key, so it probably isn't locked.
Gimar	(removing his helm) I'd like to check that workmanship. I'll listen at the door.

As the stout warrior put his ear to the door. He heard no sounds from within, but his eyes grew wide as the handle began to move. The iron handle changed into a claw and grasped Gimar's bearded chin.

Gimar	Hey!
Nicola	Great Pelor, it's one illusion after another down here.
Dollin	Another abomination ! ! In the name of Ehlonna be gone ! ! !
Nicola	That's it, I want a gem of true seeing!

Gimar willed his axe to shorten to hand-axe form, as Dollin pulled out his bow and Nicola her mace.

Nicola

Belt him with the mace! Er, the claw, not the dwarf.

An arrow whizzed by Gimar's ear, glancing off the iron handle.

Gimar	Oh great, arrows, maces, who is going to shoot fireballs?
Wed	I could, if you like.

Little John's well aimed staff blow landed squarely on the iron handle, but seemed to have no effect. Nicola's mace followed suit, creating a loud ring but not seeming to damage it. Gimar moved to cut off his own beard, but by now the claw was grasping his chin and moving for his throat!

Gimar	Hold the fireballs. How about a magic missile?
Nicola	Can we control it that finely?
Wed	I can if Little John moves that staff out of here.
Little John	(sprinting away) Done.

The iron claw began to crush Gimar's windpipe, and Wed took careful aim. Three magical missiles flew from his fingertips, drilling through the claw's metal body and clearly weakening it somewhat.

Dollin	It's working!
Gimar	(whispering) Nicola?
Nicola	I can't do magic missiles!
Gimar	(rasping) The wand . . .
Nicola	Oh, yeah, that's right.

The cleric whipped the magical wand out of her belt pouch and took careful aim as Gimar fought back the claw somewhat. Unfortunately, the wand fizzled and no shot came forth. Fortunately, Wed was quick on the draw to put another three missiles into the iron menace. It finally fell, riddled and broken, on the floor.

Gimar coughed, choked and sputtered while the door, now handleless, swung open. The dour warrior then pulled some ointment out of his backpack and began to slather it on his throat.

The hallway beyond was approximately 10 feet wide. It contained alternating alcoves which were also 10 feet wide down either side. The nearest alcove was cloaked with an inky, hazy magical darkness.

Gimar	Sounds like portals or teleporters.
Nicola	I'll try to dispel the darkness with continual light.

The magical darkness was not dispelled.

Nicola	Mmmm, not good.
Gimar	It seems either resistant to magic or of a greater power thank your own magic.
Wed	I concur.

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