Session LXXX: Don't Mess With The Red Wizard

Continuing our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign...

Current Player Characters:

Torvin Fulvousmith (Dwarf)

Minimus (Cleric)

Thenus (Ranger)

Wang Du (Monk)
Centari (Elf)

Skwanky (Halfling)
Wolfheir (Viking)
Arg (Half-orc)  Biggs (Henchman)

NPCs
Fermina (fighter)
Liedrada (Magic-user)
Alar (Elf)
Veleda (Halfling)
Antiope (thief)

Entering deeper into Gimmwood in search for the tower of the Red Wizard, the party felt the oppressive vibe of the forest. Travel was easy, though, with the map that they had recovered from the Red Wizard's henchman back in the Were-Rat caves and, lead by Thenus the Ranger, good progress was made.

In the early morning hours of the third day, their nightly watches spotted a war-band of goblins and hobgoblins, lead by a Bugbear, sniffing around the trail. Rousing the other members of the party, they set an ambush and with a blast of lightening from Centari, destroyed the raiding party.

On the fifth day they arrived at the clearing where stood the Red Wizard's tower which looked abandoned.  Leaving some of the party and horses in the edge of the wood, Torvin and Wang explored around the perimeter of the tower looking for a secret entrance fearing that the front door, enhanced with magic, was trapped.  Thenus and Wolf searched the woods for some hidden passage that would lead to the tower while Centari contemplated how to get beyond the enchanted door.  With no other options but the front door, Centari dispelled all magic surrounding it, the door was kicked in and the party entered.

Walking down a long narrow hall, Wolf was attacked through murder holes in the passage by invisible foes.  Hurrying down the hall and into a plush chamber with floating candles, the party prepared themselves for battle as doors within the chamber opened and their Invisible Stalkers attacked.  Thenus was able to fire an arrow into one of the magical creatures that helped the party hunt it down but not before Wang fell dead.  Wolf and Minimus pulled one of the tapestries off the wall and tried to cover the invisible creature.  After a couple of attempts, they succeed and the party was able to kill the fiend.

Licking their wounds, they explore some of the rooms off the main chamber and find an armory.  Minimus only take some of the choice weapons out of there.  Beyond another door, Centari found a stone golem waiting to be activated.  Avoiding all of this, they headed up a flight of stairs into another plush parlor with fine tapestries and an ornate chess board.

Wary of the chess board and thinking it might be a good idea for reinforcements after Wang's death, the party descended and left the tower for the woods and their friends.  This proved to be a fatal error as the Red Wizard happened to be standing upon the roof of the tower and spied the armed intruders leaving his abode.  After a shouted warning, the wizard sent down a fireball to wipe out the party. With the party scattered like ashes and badly wounded, some rushed back into the tower lead by Arg while Minimus and Centari battled the wizard with spells flying.

With the spell-casters not making much headway, the Red Wizard ducked back into the tower while Minimus and Centari rushed back into the tower with their friends.  It was soon decided to throw caution to the wind and storm up the stairs to find the wizard.

On the third floor they came to a magically locked door.  Liedrada, using her ESP learned that he Red Wizard was beyond the door waiting for them.  When the party tried to open the door, a hidden chamber opened and out stepped a Flesh Golem.  Minimus and Arg fought the creature until it lay dead.  A plan was formed that Arg, the party's most powerful warrior, would be cast in a sphere of silence, and, after, Centari would dispell the magically locked door, Arg would rush in and trap the wizard in silence while the others rushed in to attack.  This was a fine plan but, unbeknownst to them, the Red Wizard was reading their thought and prepared his defense.

After Centari freed the door, Arg kicked it open but the Red Wizard enchanted the mighty warrior who became a slave.  The Wizard sent the powerful Arg against his former teammates and he rushed down the stairs at them...