The swirling blue fire eventually subsides, leaving the party at their destination. Another teleportation circle lies beneath them, and a second one off to the side.
It appears as though the magic transported them to another location within the Runeforge. Based on the similar architecture, they’re likely in the Halls of Wrath. That’s a relief. It’s much better than landing in the Hells.
The hallway opens up into a long chamber. Battered training dummies dot the floor, marred with scorch marks. Steady, flickering flames line the walls, providing the light in this room.
But they’re not alone.
Twelve Warriors of Wrath
Six grotesque sinspawn emerge from around the corners of the room. They had been lying in wait for the party to come. It’s almost as if they knew intruders were on the way.
Towards the back of the room, six more ferocious, human warriors yell and brandish their greatswords. As the sinspawn surround Barnaby, the warriors in the back benefit from a pair of haste spells.
And then comes a Fireball. It is the first of many in a lengthy combat.
Barnaby handles himself quite well, even with five sinspawn invading his personal space. Fyn buys the frontline some time by casting a sleet storm towards the middle of the room. This gives Fobias an opportunity to take the heat off Barnaby. Krask also concentrates his fire to give the party an exit lane.
Despite their battleaxe prowess, the sinspawn are no match for the martial might of our heroes. In fact, once Barnaby can get a few full-round attacks off, they fall like dominoes.
At this point, however, the Warriors of Wrath have arrived on the scene. Additional fireballs rain down, charring the ground, walls, and party. Fyn knows that he needs to incapacitate these spellcasters.
First, he creates a dense fog, concealing a pair of warriors. Next, he conjures up black tentacles to hinder their movements. Incapacitated, there isn’t much more those two warriors can do before they’re beaten down.
On the other side of the room, Fobias and Richard do their best to manage the other three warriors. Richard knocks one of them down, allowing Fobias an opportunity to run the warrior through as she tries to stand up. Another warrior tries to take advantage of the opportunity, but Fobias quickly turns and kills her as well.
Another Day, Another Door
All in all, the fireballs were the most damaging to the party. They heal up and sift through the loot. Barnaby and Krask upgrade their armor to the +2 mithral shirts, and the rest goes into the Bag of Holding.
With so many doors, the party doesn’t know where to start. Despite the concussive explosions and noise created in the battle, Krask is hopeful that whatever lies beyond will be unaware of their presence. He cautiously opens the door.
What will the party find behind the next door? Where did these sinspawn come from? Are we going to be in the Runeforge until next July!?