The party makes their way through the catacombs, which really haven’t changed a whole lot since they were down here last. I guess that just comes with the territory when exploring abandoned tunnels.
Luckily, Fobias is able to pick up on the guards’ tracks. They follow the twists and turns past the statue of Runelord Alaznist, the zombie pits, and the levitation chamber. Eventually, they reach a stairwell that had been previously inaccessible. Whatever caused the sinkhole opened things up down here.
Once they get to the bottom, however, it appears to be a dead end. Krask’s keen eye sees the telltale signs of a hidden door, and they open it. Unfortunately, Fyn realizes that the door was carrying an alarm spell. He’s just a little too late for the eager kobold.
Immense, swirling fog pours into the room. Fobias hands Fyn the fog-cutting lenses and they step into the room. The walls are covered in Thassilonian runes, all discussing Lamashtu’s holy text. There seems to be something hidden, but Fyn can’t concentrate long enough before a voice cuts through the clouds.
A person or creature identifying themselves as the Scribbler introduces himself. Apparently, he’s been down here since Thassilon was at the height of its power. He asks numerous questions about the state of the world above; the party answers the questions reluctantly. They don’t know who this guy is!
When the conversation seems to run dry, there is a distinct popping sound, and the man’s voice disappears. What the party does see, however, is the hulking shape of a demon that aggressively attacks.
Even without sight, the party is able to press their attack right up to the evil outsider. This prevents the demon from summoning another one of its kind, much to the benefit of the party. It is ferocious, and cleaves through multiple party members despite the fog.
Fyn hangs back and summons a smilodon to assist. Meanwhile, Krask fires arrows and the other three melee characters swing at the large creature. Outnumbered and outmatched, the demon eventually falls.
The Scribbler’s voice returns.
How has the Scribbler survived for so long? What is the Scribbler’s intention? Has this man been ripping cotton for thousands of years?
Rules Clarifications
The glabrezu demon began casting a summon monster spell at the beginning of the surprise round. Normally, surprise rounds are reserved for either a standard action or a move action. Summoning, however, takes an entire round, so normally this shouldn’t have been allowed. Or so we thought.
As it turns out, you can take a ‘start full-round action’ as a standard action, and complete the action on the next turn. The summoning was interrupted by Fobias’ damage, so it didn’t end up mattering in the long run, but it was interesting to find that out.