Sixty-third session - 30 September 2005 - A new contract

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In attendance:

1 November 1108

After discussing the situation at length with the Githzerai, Ust'olda, the party decides they must present their findings to the Governor Warden. Ust'olda, however, cannot accompany them as he does not have immunity from the undead guards. They agree to meet him at the front lines in eight hours time.

The party finds that Sl'engeld, the Governor Warden, is a slow-witted “man” who is reluctant to accept anything they tell him at face value. However, after an arduous discussion, he eventually agrees to fulfill the terms of the contract and return Lashmere to them.

As fate would have it, though, the contract does not specify any means for the party to return home. In fact, it is discovered that plane shifts off the prison plane are not allowed and that Sl'engeld has no intention of letting the party free.

However, Sl'engeld confirms the party's suspicions that the necromantic energy from the rivers powers the prison that holds Gruumsh in place. He further admits that if a second river is drained of magical energy, the third alone will not be sufficient to keep “the prisoner” in place.

This thought terrifies Sl'engeld and makes him agreeable to a new contract. This time, however, the party has an active hand in writing it and the payoff is quite favorable - though the terms remains nearly impossible: Prevent a second river from falling into the Slaadi hands for the “foreseeable future”. If the rivers become safe from influence, the party will be allowed off the plane by the only means possible: Into the river of souls and down the drain under the pyramid, which empties into the Underworld, Hades' realm on Godsland.

To this end, the party heads up the “South-West” river (the one they arrived next to) to locate and hopefully destroy one or both of the Green Slaad who Ust'olda says have designs on that river. They start on the “south” side, but encounter a group of eight Blue Slaadi. They convince Ust'olda to approach them in Green Slaad form and order them away. Amazingly, this plans works on five of them. The remaining three attack the Gith, but the party quickly intervenes and kills them. Before the others return, the party decides it would be safer to travel up on the far side of the river, so Bigby dimension doors them across.

While Vincent, Bria, and Ust'olda wander off to investigate an unusual formation nearby, the rest of the party arrives at their original arrival point and finds a Green Slaad with six Blues down in the canyon. The Green is using some kind of wand to apparently siphon energy from the river.

Taking full advantage of the upper ground, the party unleashes a torrent of spells on the Green as the Blues scale the steps to attack. The Green returns the favor, but in the end, comes up short and is killed. As he falls, Bigby telekinetically recovers his wand. Soon thereafter, the Blues are defeated and the battle is over.

XP awarded: 3,800 for Bigby and Aramil; 4,700 for Roderick; 6,500 for Pavo; 2,900 for Bria.