Adrian: Baldur's Gate

The Tower.

It rose and rose and rose to giddy heights. Highest building in the city. Higher than the Ducal Palace, higher than the High House of Wonders, higher than the tall gray edifice that Scar had told Adrian was where the Iron Throne was lairing. He itched to go there, but it was too soon. Far too soon.

Breaking in, dragging Ramazith's corpse with them, was easy. Climbing the stairs was difficult.

Each single floor was hell.

As they reached a new level, it was populated with monsters, which got to attack the lead member (Adrian) first.

First, Kobolds with fire arrows. Not too hard, but Adrian was singed. Viconia healed him.

Then jellies. No longer the formidable foes they once had been, but they were hard to kill. The mages, at Adrian's urging, used the spells they had learned from Narcillicus to charm the jellies, bring them under their dominion, and sent them up the next flight of stairs first.

When they followed them up, they found the jellies fighting Ghouls. The monsters could not harm eachother, but this enabled Adrian to start sniping them with his crossbow. Unfortunately the undead noticed him, and moved around the jellies to attack him. Kagain saved him that time, leaping in with his axe.

Next level were gnolls with poisoned halberds. These enemies the jellies could hurt, but the gnolls could also hurt them, and the jellies died. Close quarter fighting, in which everyone was hurt, including the mages. Xzar nearly died. Viconia used up all her healing spells, and Tiax started with his.

Then, a strange mechanical construct, which their weapons could harm, but not much.

"A metal golem!" bellowed Edwin.

"No lightning!" Xzar screamed. "Lightning heals them!"

"As if I'd endorse the use of that spell in this confined space," Adrian snapped.

Viconia's blunt hammer seemed to be more effective against this foe, but it gave of a lightning spark when it struck that almost completely negated this advantage.

"Kagain," Adrian whispered. "Shoulder charge on three."

The Dwarf nodded.

"One, two, THREE!"

They hit it together, knocking into, and then through, a closed window lattice. it fell to the ground, and smashed into pieces. The few commoners who witnessed this wisely decided not to meddle in the affairs of the wizard's "failed experiment." The Fist might investigate later, but they'd be gone by then.

They settled down on this level, which was the last before the top. and rested. Tiax used up his healing spells.

"I want," snarled Edwin, "To ressurect Ramazith, just so I can kill him again."

"Slowly!" Xzar added in an screech, mad eyes blazing.

"Sacrifice him to Cyric," Tiax agreed.

"This is my fault," said Adrian, gritting his teeth. "I decided to storm the tower. Like some Godsdammned paladin."

A little dry laughter filtered through the group.

"We're healed, and we still have plenty left in our arsenals," said Kagain. "Let's do this."

They charged to the last level, and found Ramazith's apprentice, a snivelling blonde girl bareley into her teens...guarded by two skeletons. Only more powerful. Skeletal warriors, like Icharyd had been.

The mages knew the drill. A horde of magic missiles took out the apprentice before she got her first spell off. But the skel warriors were trouble enough. One of them got in a lucky shot and drilled Adrian against the wall. Kagain dived at that one's knees and was kicked off like an offending dog.

Viconia and Tiax made no attempt to command these undead, knowing full well that neither of them was powerful enough to suborn two Skel Warriors, even if they combined their powers. Instead, they called upon their dark gods as they struck, aided and abbetted by magic missiles from the mages. Both of them were badly wounded, but eventually the skels went down.

No time was wasted on congratulations; the mages scoured thsi top level for anything useful, Xzar starting with the apprentice's body, Edwin with the shelves of the mage library .

They did indeed find some useful items, including a tome that Edwin pocketed, bones from the skels for use in spell components, and several scrolls.

But then Tiax noticed a glittering jewel on the writing desk in the middle of the room. "Tiax is curious...." he reached for it.

Xzar and Edwin saw. Together they screamed "NO, TIAX!!" too late.

Tiax touched the jewel, and everything vanished in a blinding flash.....

....and the party fell through open air to land in a haystack outside the city walls.

"Teleport crystal," muttered Edwin. "Escape route."

Viconia laughed, heplessly.

Adrian sighed. "This has not been a red letter day."