We entered the hedge maze surrounding Xonthal’s Tower; clearly, an extradimensional space of some sort. Evidently, our approach had already been spotted: a human mage in dark purple robes, presumably Iskander, appeared on a tower balcony, waving the blue mask and a white hourglass at our fellowship, yelling like a damned fool. Someone came out and attacked him, but Iskander knocked his attacker over the edge, and dashed back inside the tower. It all seemed a bit suspiciously dramatic to me.
Before long we came to an intersection: eight paths converging upon a sundial. Though the morning sun cast all our shadows westward, the shadow of the sundial’s gnomen pointed to the north, straight ahead. We took this as an omen, and headed in that direction. We came again to an intersection of eight paths, converging upon a sundial, only now there were two shadows on the dial, pointing north and east. I thought this probably meant we should go northeast. Brick and Gunx were keen to discover whether this sundial was the same one we encountered before, or a new one, so Brick left the tin cup from his mess kit at the base of the sundial, and Gunx led us all southward, back the way we came.
Instead of a sundial, we came to a broad courtyard with a large circular pool, above the centre of which hovered a brilliant garnet. Understanding the implied challenge, Gunx prepared to run across the water to snatch the gem, while we spread out around the pool, readying ourselves for whatever would come next. Sure enough, as soon as Gunx set foot on the water, four hideous crustaceous aberrations burst from the murky depths. One immediately snatched Gunx within its pincers. We assailed the creatures with spells and weapons, as Gunx sank under the water with one, Brick was caught in the grip of a second, and Tegan went limp in the pincers of a third.
The fourth snatched me in its pincer, and delivered a sting which, due to my shellfish allergy, paralyzed me instantly. Helpless, I was dragged to the bottom of the pool. Unable to move or even see anything in the murk, slowly being crushed in its pincer grip, I was starting to think this would be my end, when I suddenly saw my companions, in the glow of Tolarin’s mighty Lathanderite mace, ganging up on my underwater aggressor.
With the four creatures dead, I swam to the surface and healed my wounds with potions, while Tegan healed everyone with his Healing Words, and the others brought a veritable hoard of treasure up from the bottom of the pool.
- Potions of Healing, Growth, and Fire Breath: all fortunately well sealed.
- A set of three magical daggers: it was decided that the spellcasters (Jorad, Tegan, and myself) would each take one.
- A Drift Globe, which Gunx took a shine to.
- A sky blue and cloud white elemental gem, which everyone seems leery of.
- A Wand of Fear, which I cannot wait to try out, once it’s dry.
Gunx grabbed the garnet, and we continued through the courtyard and through the maze to arrive back at the sundial, with Brick’s cup marking the base, and the north and east pointing shadows. We went northeast, and came back to the same sundial. Now, the shadows pointed in three directions. I summoned an emissary of Asmodeus, and through careful questioning he revealed the correct path, to the south.
Once again, we returned to the sundial, and now shadows pointed in four different directions. We chose a path at random, and came to a boulder strewn farmyard. A pair of cyclops women in the yard seemed friendly, so Tegan cast a Comprehend Languages spell to understand them. Evidently, they wanted one of our party to engage in a boulder throwing contest with them. Thank Beshaba, Gunx being equipped with a belt of hill giant strength allowed us to pass this challenge easily.
Baffled by the sundial once again, we picked another random direction, and came to a carpeted clearing guarded by standing suits of armour. These came to life as we tried to pass, and the more we destroyed, the more they reassembled themselves from the wreckage. Finally, a few of the suits dropped garnet gemstones, and we were able to collect these, and make it back to the sundial. I don’t know if it was frustration or inspiration that led me to jump up onto the dial plate, but when I did, I suddenly shifted to a new location.
Soon, the others joined me, and we now saw this gnomen had shadows pointing in eight different directions, one at each of the eight paths. Bewildered, we picked a path at random, and came to a placid pond, with a stout pagoda built onto a boulder island, with a little bridge running to it. Inside this sat a man in silk robes, playing a stringed instrument. Hoping this would be another friendly encounter, we approached the man on his little island. He began to prepare tea, or so I thought. Suddenly, our host disappeared, and the pagoda turned into a sealed stone cell, filling with poisonous vapour.
Tolarin plugged the teapot’s spout, and the rest of our fellowship struck it until the stone walls around us dropped and our host, revealed to be an enormous earth genie, suddenly returned, wielding a massive maul. After a quick fight, we were victorious. Tegan retrieved a jade stone, and we continued through the maze, once again coming back to the same accursed sundial. In frustration, Gunx tried to break through the hedges, and to our surprise, this was the way forward.
We found ourselves at the base of Xonthal’s tower, with a teleportation circle inscribed upon the ground. A clear path led from here to the sundial, and continued to the village beyond. After memorizing the sigil sequence, I stepped into the circle with my fellows, and we were whisked instantly to a round chamber within the tower, decorated with exotic Maztican animal motifs. The body of a dead cultist lay in a pool of blood on the floor.
Gunx and Tegan leapt up to investigate a pair of balconies above us. They discovered teleportation controls with nine mysterious symbols, including a flame sigil which they touched. This teleported our party immediately to a circular lounge with a large fireplace, a dragon skeleton, and a half dozen black hooded cultists. Tegan Shattered most of them, and Tolarin charged forward to finish off the survivors.
I touched a rectangular sigil, and we were transported to a round chamber with an altar, painted with a dracolich design, and featuring the skeletal limbs and claws of a dragon. More cultists, including a pair of mages, stood in this room. I hit most of their group with a Vitriolic Sphere, but the mages retaliated with Cones of Cold. Though I successfully Counterspelled one mage, I was struck down by the frigid spellcraft of the other.
When I regained consciousness, we were back in the lounge with the fireplace. Cultists followed, but these villains were quickly dispatched by my allies. After a brief rest, we touched the star sigil, and teleported to a circular observatory at the top of the tower, with a large brass telescope and a lens in the ceiling. Another wizard and a few more cultists stood against our fellowship here, but not for long. The mage, named Jorgen Pawl according to the inscription in his spellbook, had an hourglass that worked as a sort of key, allowing our party to activate the hourglass shaped teleportation sigil.
We found ourselves within a small rectangular chamber, with three bodies on the floor, and a trail of blood leading to the northeast…