Gaming Session 26 (January 7, 2006) (Total XP for each party member: Orton: 2,100; Sebastian, Xu, Gwil, Grok, Elias, Dmitrius, Cuauhtemoc: 1,600)

26th Topaz: Elias is arrested, but not before he is able to deliver a secret message to D'mitrius, informing him of what he's learned of the emperor.

27th Topaz: Elias is able to loosen his bonds, and uses suggestion to convince a guard to help him escape.

28th Topaz: Elias reestablishes contact with the party through Phidias Sofos.

Based on what they learn about the Haunted Quarter, the party decides to search it to see if that is where the emperor might have fled.

The party is stopped by a pillar of fear. They attempt to get past it by trying a door off the main corridor, where they encounter shriekers! Battle with a ghost hag. XP reward for defeating the Ghost Hag: Cuauhtemoc, Dmitrius, Elias, Grok, Gwil, Sebastian, Xu: 1,600; Orton: 2,100.

At the base of the pillar, the party discover a secret door and staircase leading down. The go down and then take a corridor to the north, where they find an archway inscribed in Karmarthian with the words: "Final Resting Place of Lord Talmones." They sense a powerful undead presence behind the door, and turn back to the town, where they stay at "The Surly Mindflayer" in the Workers' Quarter.

29th Topaz: The party returns to the Haunted District. They follow a passage south, until they reach a fallen bridge at the edge of a vast chasm. The entrance to the fallen bridge is guarded by two enormous (large) gargoyles.

Gaming Session 27 (January 21, 2006) (Total XP for each party member: 1,013)

29th Topaz: The Battle with the Large Gargoyles is close... Cuauhtemoc, Orton and Elias all fall. D'mitrius makes his "use magic device" check, and uses Elias' wand of healing to bring Orton back from the brink, and Cuauhtemoc makes a crucial stabilization check (at -9 hit points!) XP reward for defeating the Large Gargoyles: 600.

The party hears a voice calling for help, but they recognize it as a deceit. Gwil follows one of the voices down a corridor to the west, but eventually gives up and leaves it alone. They follow the southwestward corridor until they reach a grotto with a broken fountain next to the rift. They see the Great Goblin Face carved out of the cliffs on the other side of the rift, and the see a footbridge leading to the other side from a lower level.

Encounter with Terte. She tells them she saw a Gold Goblin, dressed in the orange robes of a priest of Jacinth.

30th Topaz: Battle with Terte and the will-o-wisps. Orton destroys Terte. XP reward for defeating Terte and the will-o-wisps: 500.

31st-32nd Topaz: The party recuperates from the ability damage done by the revelation of Terte's "horrific appearance."

33rd Topaz: The party descends the stairwell under the Pillar of Fear, and follow the southward corridor, till they find the footbridge leading into the mouth of the Great Goblin Face. As they begin to cross the footbridge, they battle menacing giant spiders and spider eaters! They kill three spiders, and wound some of the spider eaters, driving them back, then they hasten across the bridge. XP reward for killing the spiders: 113.

On the other side of the footbridge, inside the "mouth" of the Great Goblin Face, they find themselves at the end of a forest of fungi, watered by a small river flowing through the center of the cavern, and drawing energy from an enormous, glowing green stone which Gwil recognizes to be an "earth node." Elias detects overwhelming evocation magic emanating from the stone.

Gaming Session 28 (February 4, 2006) (Total XP for each party member: 1,136 for Cuauhtemoc, Dmitirius, Elias, Grok, Orton, Sebastian, Xu; 450 for Gwil)

33rd Topaz: The party continues to search the maze of rooms in the catacombs... The Battle with the 3 Tendriculos. Gwil heroically sacrifices himself by using a "benign transposition" spell to save Grok from the maw of one of the Tendriculos. XP reward: 450. 200 GP from previously digested cadavers.

The Battle with 3 Huge Spiders. XP reward: 343. 500 GP from desiccated corpses.

36th Topaz: Dire rats, centipede swarms, and CON-sucking leeches. Party finds the alabaster dragon with the inscription: "For long life."

The Battle with 4 Vampire Spawn. Orton turns them. XP reward: 343.

Gaming Session 29 (February 18, 2006) (Total XP for each party member: 1,650)

36th Topaz: The party discovers a sanctuary of Jacinth, and therein, a curious red goblin frozen in temporal stasis. They find some scrolls of dispell magic, which they use to free him. Klesk joins the party...

The Battle with 6 Allips (undead shadow creatures). XP reward: 300.

The Battle with the Greenvise (monstrous Venus fly trap). XP reward: 600. After tripping the reverse gravity trap guarding a stone casket, the party finds inside a black rock and a ruby.

37th Topaz: The Battle with the 10 Vampire Spawn. Orton turns 6, 3 are killed, 1 flees. XP reward: 750.

The party follows the fleeing spawn to a room, where they find a menacing, fear-inducing statue of Hematite. Dmitritus touches the statue... Battle with "evil" Dmitrius. After the battle with Dmitrius, Grok, polymorphed into a Roper, tries moving the statue... Grok falls under its spell

Gaming Session 30 (March 18, 2006) (Total XP for each party member: 900)

37th Topaz: Battle with "evil" Roper Grok.

38th Topaz: After Orton removes the "evil" curse from Dmitrius and Grok, the party finally figures out a way to get past the statue of Hematite. XP reward for getting past the statue: 600.

The Battle with 3 Vampire Spiders. XP reward: 300.

In the course of their explorations of the catacombs, the party overhears voices in the corridor speaking of "the master." Beyond the secret door behind the statue of Hematite, they follow a corridor to a grand chamber where they come face to face with "the Master" and his spawn!

Gaming Session 31 (April 1, 2006) (Total XP for Sebastian, Xu, Orton & Grok: 2,514; for Elias, Dmitrius & Cuauhtemoc: 2,121)

38th Topaz: Battle with Moloch and his minions. XP reward for defeating the Vampire Drider and 4 Vampire Spiders: for Sebastian, Xu, Orton & Grok: 1,143; for Elias, Dmitrius, Cuahtemoc & Cuauhtemoc: 964. The party frees six goblins from the webbing in the Drider's lair, one of whom is the Emperor! Atanas does not appear, however, to be in full possession of his senses. The party also discovers a secret door at the base of the great dragon statue in Moloch's lair, which opens onto a staircase that leads to a lower chamber containing fabulous treasure: 22,000 GP, 3,200 GP, an ornate golden box; a flask of oil (magic), two potions (magic), a helm (magic), a light steel shield (magic), a scroll (magic), and a ring with a ram on it (magic). There is a door opening on a cyclopean stair; the party decides not to explore. The party closes the secret door and holes itself up in this treasure chamber for the night.

39th Topaz: The party opens the secret door with the intention of heading back to Pharsalus, when they are greeted by Moloch and his 4 Vampire Spiders! Grok casts a wall of flame to block their way, and the party flees down the cyclopean stair. At the base of the stair, they find an enormous facade with eight huge doors adorned with dragon statues. They enter one of the doors into a large corridor with dragon altars more doors. They pass through another door into a huge circular chamber, and come face to face with a huge white dragon! XP reward for defeating the adult, mature white dragon: for Sebastian, Xu, Orton & Grok: 1,371; for Elias, Dmitrius, Cuahtemoc & Cuauhtemoc: 1,157. After a battle lasting approximately 6 rounds, the party finds that Moloch and his minions are just arriving after the expiration of Grok's wall of fire.

There are more large doors on the opposite edge of the circular chamber where they defeated the dragon...

Chapter 8