Still locked in battle with their clones, the party holds the line as best they can. The fake Fobias lashes out at Trace with his flaming ranseur, dealing massive damage. Barnaby’s clone follows up by cutting the paladin across the eyes. In fact, Trace becomes blinded by the blow, blood pouring down his face.
Krask unleashes another volley, killing the fake Fobias. With only the Barnaby clone remaining, the kobold shifts focus to the halfling. Unfortunately, he forgot about Barnaby’s Gloves of Arrow Snatching, and Barnaby 2 laughs as he catches the projectile with ease.
Fyn seals the deal with a well-timed Hideous Laughter spell, sending the Barnaby clone to the floor in a violent fit of chuckles. From this point, cleanup is easy, and the final reflection is dispatched for good.
Fobias is angry, and he smashes the larger mirrors on the opposite ends of the corridor. The broken shards still carry a faint trace of magic. Looking them over, Fyn recalls learning about Mirrors of Opposition, and how smashing the mirrors would have ‘dispelled’ the clones from the beginning.
However, the battle dealt a significant amount of damage to the party. They decide it would be best to rest, regroup, and heal Trace’s blindness before proceeding further into Pride.
Old Friends
While Krask is on the night watch, a familiar figure lumbers out from the corridor leading to Lust. It’s Zuvuzeg, the demon that they freed from Oridikon’s chambers.
Krask is quick to converse and give up information about the party. Apparently, Zuvuzeg has been wandering the Runeforge, hoping to find a way to escape. Much to his chagrin, he hasn’t been able to discover a way to accomplish this.
Forthcoming, Krask tells him about the teleportation circle in the Halls of Wrath, and about the party’s desire to use the Runeforge components to make powerful weapons. Zuvuzeg seems another opportunity to further his personal aspirations, and offers to guard the Runeforge while the party finishes exploring Pride.
When the rest of the party awakens, they agree that there’s no harm in allowing Zuvuzeg to stay in the central chamber. Fyn hints at the possibility of them helping Zuvuzeg escape the Runeforge, even though it is outside the bounds of their original agreement.
The Cathedral of Pride
The party returns to Pride, advancing much more cautiously this time. Fobias uses a mirror shard to inspect the upcoming hallway before they proceed.
To Fyn’s delight, the hallway opens up to a huge, mirrored cathedral. A massive peacock stands atop a wooden platform, extending its wings up towards the vaulted ceiling. The wizard tries to converse and communicate with the creature, but Trace recognizes it as nothing more than a permanent image. It’s an illusion.
Krask goes invisible and inspects the platform, but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. As the rest of the party files in, however, a blonde man dressed in lavish Thassilonian finery emerges from his invisible watch. Multiple voices, in unison, warn the party of their intrusion on the master’s work.
A fireball arcs towards the group, exploding in fiery radiance.
One by one, identical duplicates of this same man appear. They must have been invisible, waiting for the group to advance. Did the original battle with the clones alert them of the party’s presence?
Fyn hastens the party, and everyone charges into the room. It appears that all of the clones are spellcasters, as multiple Fireball spells and magic missiles swarm on the party. Krask, is hit with a particularly savage Ray of Enfeeblement, draining his Strength.
As the sixth clone appears, he conjures a massive tree from his palm. Bushes sprout from the base of the trunk, and a feminine hand protrudes from the foliage. It’s lifeless.
A thin ray of energy extends from this hand, hitting Trace square in the chest. It’s a Feeblemind spell, draining nearly all of Trace’s Charisma and Intelligence.
And the battle has only just begun.
Will Trace be cured? Why are there so many clones and duplicates in the Shimmering Veils of Pride? Why would Fobias volunteer to receive 14 years of bad luck?