Session LVII: The Final Key

The party at session start:

1. Arwa (Weasly) - Wizard's guard freed from charm
2. Arg - Half-orc
3. Gnarly- Druid
4. Christopher - priest of Mithra
5. Maximus - Magic User
6. Capt. Vanir 
7. SkwankyHalfling Warrior
8. Handof - soldier
9. Wolf - Viking
10. Nafre - soldier
11. Thovin-Cleric
12. Brik - Black Church Acolyte 

Having navigated the mysterious chess board room, the war-weary party continued down a passageway which took them to a bubbling fountain of what appeared to be clear water. Examining the water but wary of all the other deadly traps throughout this complex, it was decided to avoid drinking the water (although Skwanky the halfling was already splashing around in it) and continue down the hallway.

At the end of the hall they found another dead end with the indentation in the shapes of two keys they found.  Not having found a key in their current section, they decided to back track to seek it out.

Once again, standing before the statue outside of the chessboard room, Arg give it a "high-five" and a panel opens within it's chest revealing the third piece of the key!

Leaving the tunnels beneath the wizard Zadir's tower and with everyone seriously wounded, it was decided to head back into town to heal up.

With dawn breaking and the battle for Caladan wrapping up, our weary group of adventurers went their separate ways with some heading back to the Temple of Mithra and the Cloven Hoof. 

Healed, rested and fed the party regouped at the final entrance to the basements of the tower.  Zadir is still nowhere to be found and Baron Blackmoor and his bannermen stood guard waiting for the Stygian to show his face.

Again, with some additional soldiers, the party descended beneath the surface in search for the final part of the key to open the final barrier to the tower.

The first chamber they find is one shrouded in shadow with an odd shape upon the floor. The halfling trots into the dim room where no light can cast off the grey shadows and found a body with a dagger in it's back.  Upon removing the dagger, it leaped out of his hand and attempted to stab him in the back.  The quick thinking halfling lifted the dead body upon his back and used it as a shield against the enchanted dagger - which worked as the dagger once again stabbed into the back of the already dead victim and ceased harassing the tiny warrior.

Continuing on, they found a cocoon which they cut opened.  Inside was a body with a terrorized look upon it's face.  Robbing his boots, the large half-orc found that they allowed him to fly!

The next chamber brought them to a very larger hall with an army of Bugbears standing perfectly still.  As Arg and Skwanky passed the threshold, the Bugbears became animated and attacked the party.  Creating a bottleneck within the doorway, the party easily hacked the Bugbears into a bloody heap.

In the expansive hall was a large stone sarcophagus which held treasure and the final piece of the key!

Continuing on they came across two ogres seemingly torturing a beautiful peasant girl.  Dispatching the ogres and rescuing the woman, they sent one of the soldiers to escort her back to the surface as they proceeded into the tunnels.

Finally, facing the polished door with the four pieces of the key, Arg joins the keys together and places them into the indentation.  A line appears going down the two halves and the doors suddenly spring open revealing a chamber inside.  Suddenly, all of the soldiers collapse onto the floor, asleep.  Turning around they party sees the rescued woman with eyes afire, the soldier her slave....