Hello Cthulhu #16

Nalia leads the party to the sewers under the temple district. The entrance was near the compound of the former Slaver Lords.

"Honey, wait up a minute. Here, hold still." Hellocthul carefully pulls on the hem adjusting cords sewn into the bottom of Nalia's mage robes, and closed them off. Now the skirt of Nalia's mage robes were shut, making walking a little difficult, but Hellocthul tied them with an unusual slip knot, so if Nalia stretched her legs, they would undo themselves, restoring her full mobility.

"Love? Why are you closing the bottom of my skirt? And what is that unusual knot?" Nalia asked.

"If we need to run, these knots will pull open, so don't worry. Hon, we are going down into the sewers, so...there are rats down there. They like to run up the skirts of mage robes." Hellocthul said, with a grimace of distaste.

"EEEKKK!! Run up my skirt?!! Adventuring sure isn't what I thought it was going to be. Brrr...." Nalia looked disgusted.

"I know. For example, why are mysterious hidden religious cults always down in the sewer? Why not a sea side resort, or a nice mountain villa? Did you memorize a lot of sleep spells like I asked you to, last night? Good! If we encounter a lot of rats, we can use a fireball spell to get rid of them, but if its too close to us, cast a sleep spell at them. Most of the time, all the rats near us will fall asleep, and drown in the water. Immy discovered that trick in the sewers under Baldur's Gate. Jan, do you have enough infravision spells for Nalia, Yoshimo and Minsc? Oh yes, Minsc has the helm of infravision, so just Nally and Yoshimo. Stoneskin, everyone." Hellocthul said.

The party finished its preparations, and descended into the sewers. They ran into trouble almost immediately, a band of outlaws making the sewers their headquarters. They made the mistake of demanding tribute from the party. By now, the 3 mages did not even have to speak. Hellocthul and Jan tossed in web spells, and Nalia followed up with her wand of cloudkill. After looting the bodies they went on. They encountered an insane rakasha and its goblin followers. Minsc chopped him up to bits after a flasher bruiser mate from Jan's crossbow stunned it.

It had on a very unusual cloak, that enhanced the dodging ability of the wearer by a small amount, but also the ability to change into some fairly unusual shapes. Jaheira took the cloak.

Further up ahead, they discovered a pair of secret doors. One door had a musky, unusual scent to it, and proved to be an unpickable enchanted lock. Behind the other door, at the top of the stair case, they encountered some mephits, and a small group of Yuan ti. A fireball spell roasted them. The rooms contained a large number of scrolls and magical items.

At the end of a windy passageway, they encountered the Necromancer, Meketh. He started blustering, and waving his arms about, talking about his captive and raving something about the "infinite planes" and "young conduits". When he started waving his cloudkill wand around, though, a volley of firearrows burned through his stoneskin and killed him. A quick search of the body revealed some wands, including another wand of cloudkill, which Hellocthul gave to Jan, and a powerful rod of ressurection, which Viconia got. Hellocthul pulled a peculiar ring off his finger.

"Here, Minsc, wear this. Its a ring of stoneskin, and simply wearing it will double your protection in combat." She tossed the ring to Minsc.

As the party was leaving Meketh's quarters, a tiefling bard appeared in front of them.

"Hello my ravens, may this bird of passage seek refuge behind your swords? I am Haer'dalis, and I have been imprisoned by yon foul necromancer for many a day now." Haer'dalis said.

"Then you are the captive Meketh spoke of? And you are not the paladin we were suppose to meet in the sewers?" Hellocthul asked.

"Why no, most fair and lovely of this flock, I confess I am not." Haer Dalis' replied.

"Darn, when Meketh spoke of his captive, I thought for sure that he had taken the paladin we were suppose to meet as prisoner. Well, I guess you can join us, but we are actually going in deeper into the sewers, not for the surface." Hellocthul said.

"Aha! A quest, a journey! Surely such a lovely raven as yourself must have weighty deeds and great events surrounding you. This meek and lowly sparrow will join you, to chronicle your words and to sing songs of your beauty and bravery to later generations." Haer Dalis' replied extravagantly.

"Oh great, an annoying bard. He can't even speak unless its in bad hyperbole." Jaheira muttered.

After picking up a small, unusually shaped gem Haer'dalis said was his property, the party advanced once more thru the sewers, until they came upon a single armored figure, fighting off a dozen skeletons. Minsc and azuredge made short work of them.

"Hail and well met. There be great evil in these sewers, if ye be sent by the temple to aid me, be welcome. If not, pass by, and preserve your own lives." Keldorn intoned.

"What is it with those silly daft knightly types? Does the weight of all that armor pull the juice out of their brains? Or perhapse it is the fumes of the armor polish? Oh yes, Hellocthul had mentioned that many of them start out as novitiates of Illmather, and given the generally howling idiotcy of priests of that insipid and boring god, it does make sense." Viconia said.

"A filthy drow! A drow in your group! A vile thing! Who be ye, speak quickly or prepare to die!" Keldorn replied in anger.

"We have been sent by the temple of Helm to investigate the cult of the eyeless ones. You are the paladin? You are Sir Keldorn?" Hellocthul moved to interpose herself between Viconia and Keldorn, her own swords drawn but the points dropped.

"Yes, I am Keldorn. You have been sent to aid me? I would aid you, by joining your group, but I demand first that you send away or slay that foul creature, the venomous snake in your midst." Keldorn said.

"No. I have known Viconia for many years, Keldorn, and while I appreciate your offer of joining us, Viconia stays. Now will you join us or not?" Hellocthul replied.

"Since my mission takes paramount importance over all other considerations, I shall join you. But be warned, foul creature of the underdark, I shall be on guard against your certain treachery." Keldorn said.

"Viconia has been with me for some years now, and I trust her with my life, Keldorn. I have just met you, Keldorn. YOU are on probation, and if you attack Viconia, you will regret it. Now, lets go." Hellocthul replied.

Viconia looked on Hellocthul with gratitude in her eyes, quickly hidden lest any member of the party noticed. The party moved down further into the sewers, encountering a trapped room which summoned ettercaps when entered. They quickly disposed of them, and Viconia and Jaheira quickly healed Minsc and Jan of their poisoned bites. Further on, they disposed of some wraiths, Viconia's false dawn spell blasting them instantly into dust. They encountered the blind priest Gaal, and Hellocthul accepted the quest to retrieve half of the great device from the lower depths.

"You know abbil that the treacherous jaluk will try to kill us as soon as we have retrieved the rod? And that the lower depths are likely to be a deathtrap?" Viconia said.

"Of course. But playing along gives us a chance to pass through the territory of the cult without being attacked at every step, and it sounds like the great device is the best way to kill this so called "god" of theirs. A blind beholder? Do you know of any lore concerning a blind beholder?" Hellocthul asked.

"No, abbil, I do not. And that worries me. What kind of powers can a blind beholder have? A normal beholder's powers and weapons are its eyes. It might have somehow sacrificed its eyes to gain terrible powers, and that possibility is the most troubling of all." Viconia replied.

The party met Sassar, and gained more insight into the nature of their enemy. In return for great powers of magic, the Unseeing eye sacrificed its eyes to the Demon Lords of the Abyss. The party knew they were facing a sorceror, probably more powerful than even Hellocthul. The party headed down. They encountered shades and spiders, all falling to their weapons. Keldorn proved most capable with his two handed greatsword. They came before a bridge, its center span broken, above a great chasm in the earth.

After casting a farsight spell, a rather nasty and satisfied smile appeared in Hellocthul's face. "We got 6 beholders and 3 gauths across the chasm, all of them primed and ready for us. Looks like we've entered the deathtrap Ghaal arranged for us. " She actually laughed out loud.

"Honey, that sounds bad. Why are you laughing? Can we even take that many beholders and gauths in a straight fight, much less crossing one at a time over this bridge?" Nalia asked.

"Sweetie, a beholder cannot fly, it hovers over a solid surface. So they cannot fly over the chasm. Now the rest of you back tword the passage we just came out of. Jae and I will walk on the bridge, as near to the edge as we can manage, and we will both hide behind the shield of balduran. Then I can fire cloudkills blindly over the chasm. The beholders will not be able to cross over to attack us! Jan, your wand, please." Jan handed over his wand of cloudkill to Hellocthul. The rest of the party moved back from the bridge.

The attack proved successful. Hiding behind the shield of balduran, Hellocthul fired cloudkill charges over the chasm, killing the beholders who were unable to cross over the chasm to attack the party. The beholders and gauths died without ever seeing their slayers. The party pressed on, after building a simple rope bridge to cross the chasm. They entered the fogotten temple of Amunator, slaying the guardian with a simple healing spell, since Hellocthul noticed its magic aura resembled a Death Knight's negative life field. The forgotten god gave them half the rod, with an injunction to bring the rod back after slaying the Unseeing eye.

The party quickly retraced their steps, returning to Sassar who gave them further help, a contact named Tad, still pretending to serve the cult. Hopefully, he knew of a way to reach the lair of the Unseeing Eye. Tad did know of a way, a way fraught with danger. The party moved down the dark steps into the pit of the unfaithful. At the bottom, they encountered ghouls and zombies, who easily fell before the combined might of Lilacor, Celestial Fury, and Hallowed Redeemer. Inside Zombie Town, the party faced more ghouls, zombies and a lich, who fell before Hellocthul's powerful adept level spells. Its undead body finally faced the funeral pyre it cheated centuries ago, as it burned inside the fiery vapors of an incindiary cloud. Its undead tongue seared into ash, it was unable to cast spells to preserve itself, and finally it crumbled into dust. Minsc received the powerful gauntlets of dexterity, hidden in the rubble of chewed over bones. The party continued on, knowing that their path was committed.

Inside the lair of the Unseeing Eye, Nalia cast an area effect invisibility spell. They carefully and quietly snuck past the hordes of beholders and blind priests, knowing if they fought them, the alarm would be given, and they would face the Unseeing Eye before getting the Great Device. They searched the chambers in the lair, finally finding the other half of the device. The party made ready, and Hellocthul assembled the great device.

The massive surge of magical power screamed at the magical senses of the mages in the party. As the pieces snapped into completion, the Unseeing Eye d-jumped in front of the party, looking really pissed.

"YOU DARE TO ATTACK A GOD!!! I SHALL FLAY YOU ALIVE, AND MY PRIESTS SHALL PARTAKE OF YOUR FLESH AND BLOOD!" The vast voice roared into their minds.

Hellocthul aimed the device at the huge beholder, right at the great gaping pit where its central eye used to be. As she triggered the Great Device, the beholder opened its mouth, and screamed. Everyone fell to their knees as the Wail of the Banshee assaulted their ears. The DeathWards Viconia and Jaheira cast on the party protected them from the necromantic effects of the scream, but Hellocthul was knocked to the ground by the power of the scream. The brilliant bolt of light that came out of the device missed the Unseeing Eye, tearing a hole through the wall, blasting through dozens of yards of solid rock. The device turned cold to the touch, its single powerful charge expended.

"Chuuuuuu!!!" Hellocthul could feel the immense powers of the Unseeing Eye, and knew that in a straight sorceror's duel, she might not win, and even if she does, most of the party would be dead from collateral damage.

Hello Cthulhu appeared, and she waved her paws, and said "Twister! Chubby Checkers!"

A large white sheet filled with green, red, yellow and blue dots appeared under the Unseeing Eye, and a most unusual person appeared. He wore green and purple checked jacket, and a blue and pink polka dotted pants. He started singing.

"Twist it, come on, come on, come on baby! Do the mashed potato, do the funky chicken, do it all night long!" He sang, as loud raucous music came out of nowhere. Hello Cthulhu held a white dial with a pointer mounted on it. She flicked the pointer, and it landed on one of the colored markings written on the rim.

"Left eyestalk on green!" Hello Cthulhu commanded in a piping, squeeking voice. Under some aweful compulsion, the Unseeing eye stretched out one of its left eyestalks, to the fullest extension, and touched a green circle. It also began to bounce to the beat of the song of the summoned singer from another plane of existance.

"Right eyestalk on blue!" "Right eyestalk on yellow!" "Left eyestalk on blue!" As Hello Cthulhu continued her calls, all of the eyestalks of the beholder were stretched out to their fullest extent, and each touched some colored dot on the sheet. Soon, the Unseeing Eye was forced to move eyestalks from one colored dot to another. Within a few calls, all of its eyestalks were hopelessly tangled with each other, and Hello Cthulhu issued its final instruction.

"Left eyestalk on red!" The beholder moved one tangled eyestalk from a green circle, and tried to move it to a red circle. With a hideous popping sound, it pulled off its own eyestalk, and due to its bouncing to the beat of the music and singing of Chubby Checkers, it pulled off most of its eyeball stalks. It sank to the floor of the chamber, frothing at the mouth, bleeding green blood from the ripped eyestalks. It twitched once, and died.

Nalia fed Hello Cthulhu a cookie, and Hellocthul looked in disgust at the huge corpse.

The party moved out, and found that all of the beholders inhabiting the lair dead, their eyestalks pulled out by the roots. Even the blind priests were locked into various grotesque poses, their legs and arms tangled up with their fellows, bound by compulsion to continue touching the colored dots. A few fireball spells soon rid them of their lives.

They looted all the chambers in the lair, retrieving powerful scrolls, and not a few weapons of unusual virtue. Hellocthul saw Nalia tuck one of the unstained sheets of colored dots littering the floor of the lair, into her backpack, along with a dial pointer. She had a saucy grin on her face. The party moved up the stairs, and encountered a happy and grateful Sassar who thanked them for the destruction of the cult. But the greatest thanks was at the temple of Amunator.

After they returned the rift device to the forgotten god, they left the lost temple. One of the diseased ones ran to them, a small child no more than 8 years old. Her disease ravaged features bore tears of joy, as she stopped just beyond the reach of Nalia's open arms.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for releasing me from the chains of immortality. Now I can finally forget the agony of the ages, of countless lifetimes in a rotting body, denied the release of death. I can return to the great wheel of existance, and if I choose rebirth, I will be relieved of the horror of memory. I can finally forget. I thank you." Her tiny form crumbled away into dust, but the last smile hung in the air like a ghost, full of love and gratitude.

The party killed all the rest of the cult priests, Gaal screaming and wailing that the Unseeing Eye was not dead, as Keldorn's sword clove him in two. The High Watcher was most grateful for the report of the cult's demise, and was generous in rewarding the party. The party headed back to the Inn of the Seven Vales for a good night's rest.

Hellocthul and Nalia shut the door of the room they shared. After a large and plentiful meal, the party dispersed into their rooms for rest and sleep, after Hellocthul arranged for an extra room for Keldorn and Haer Dalis'.

Nalia grabbed Hellocthul and gave her a kiss full of promise and passion. Hellocthul kissed her back.

"Hey lover, wanna play a game?" Nalia grinned, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She pulled out one of the sheets full of colored dots, and a spinner dial. They both quickly undressed.

"Left leg green!" "Right hand blue!" "Oh my, I can't reach that one!" Giggles filled the room.

"Hellocthul, what are...oh dear!" Jan quickly ran out of the room, his pants scorched by the magic missiles. He ran into Haer Dalis' in the hallway.

"What is happening, my little friend?" Haer Dalis' asked.

"Well, it seems that neither Hellocthul or Nalia were in any state to be disturbed. Is Jaheira or Viconia still up? I need a heal spell rather badly." replied Jan. He quickly headed for the other room shared by Jaheira and Viconia, limping.

Haer Dalis' smiled. He had tried flirting all day with the very lovely Hellocthul, but Nalia's dirty looks had crimped his style. "In no state to be disturbed? I wonder..." His curiosity would be the death of him someday, but for the chance to see Hellocthul naked, he was willing to take a chance. He bent near the keyhole of Hellocthul and Nalia's room.

Hellocthul, wrapped in a sheet, yanked the door open. Nalia's hands were already moving in the motions of a spell, as the startled Haer Dalis' froze like a deer in bright light.

"ZAP!"

"You forgot just how sensative elven ears are, Haer Dalis'. We don't appreciate peeping toms." Said Hellocthul to the black raven standing in the corridor. "Are you going to do that again?"

"Nevermore! Cawk!" replied the raven.