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After the fall of the tower, the party will find themselves on a rocky island in the middle of the Lake of Serpents. Roget is dead. Bigby and Vincent are missing.
When Dhersion cleared away the shadow, the Blue Dragon Turtle that brought them there will begin to return. However, he will take about an hour to get back.
In the meantime, Aramil will discover that he is carrying 5 pounds of silver dust in his backpack. It was hidden there by Vincent several days ago and will likely be used by Roderick to consecrate the step-pyramid-shaped rubble that was once the tower. (Note: The rubble isn't very stable. However, a well-placed Stone Shape could be used to shore it up).
Lashmere's power over the sea creatures will have been reduced considerably, but all it will take is a nudge to convince the already-charmed turtle to return them to the lake shore. However, the other serpents in the lake will be less forgiving. They need only make a Will save vs. DC 25 to resist the charm. Luckily for the party, the Dragon Turtle is a formidable foe and the serpents will not approach unless provoked.
Now that Roderick has Raise Dead, he will be able to raise Roget the next day. To do this, he requires 5,000 gp in diamonds. As fate would have it, Roget carries precisely this on his person. Once the spell is cast and Roget is back, he may note that the gems on his person weren't diamonds when he died!
As for Vincent and Bigby, they are stuck on the plane of Limbo, in the midst of the Shadowlord's takeover of that realm. On the second day, they will encounter some Slaad battling the Githzerai. Any aid offered to the Gith will earn them entry to a nearby monastery. Once there, they will be able to bargain with information to win a ride home. The Gith know quite a bit about the tower - including the fact that it was constructed quite recently. However, they know only a little about the Shadowlord - and the information that Vincent can provide will help them fill in the gaps of what really happened. Unless he becomes a pest, they will tell Vincent what they've deduced about the Shadowlord's occupation of Limbo.
To return them home, an 11th level Gith will plane shift them back. As long as Vincent tells them about the Lake of Serpents, the Gith will know where to take them. However, the Gith's knowledge of the area dates back to the second age - so he will deposit the two in the ruined city of Myagmarsuren. He will comment that it was once a majestic and powerful city - and will be quite surprised that it fell so long ago. (This tidbit is meant to indicate how out of touch the Githzerai are - rather than convey any significance about the story of Myagmarsuren).
Assuming through mighty magics, the party eventually reunites, they will find themselves in Myagmarsuren. The city is a ghost town - literally. On arrival, the main group will find barriers blocking the trails into the city. These will be reminiscent of the fur-skin crosses that barred the trail into Gressa, although they will be capped with a horse skull.
Once inside, the city will be found to be infested with undead. As long as the party is there during daylight, they should have no problems - though the evil of the place will be palpable. Skeletons and Corpses can be found in great number - along with many bones. And NO animals of any kind reside there - something that Aramil might notice before the others.
If they find themselves there at night, a never-ending onslaught of undead will attack. This will consist of the following random encounters. Roll on a d20 and keep rolling at one per round until the party flees or is killed.
1-4 Skeleton (1-4 = Human, 5-7 = Wolf, 8-9 = Owlbear, 10 = Troll or larger)
5-8 Zombie (1-4 = Human, 5-7 = Troglodyte, 8-9 = Bugbear, 10 = Ogre or larger)
9-10 Ghoul
11-12 Ghast
13-14 Shadow
15-16 Mummy
17-18 Ghost
19 Wight
20 Wraith
The Githzerai that brings Vincent back will deposit him in the crumbling foyer of a once-impressive palace. The roof has collapsed long ago, but half of the walls remain standing. If he does any kind of search, Vincent will discover a treasure trove of items! Each party member may select 10,000 gp worth of items as gifts from Imhotep and Matchitisiu. They may only select one or two items, though. (No loading up on small magic items).
Roget,
You float in a sea of mist and shadows, disoriented and confused. There is a silence around you - which seems very wrong. You try to remember how you got here, but it is as if your mind does not want you to know.
Slowly, piece by piece, your curiosity wakes up and wrestles the confusion out of your mind. You begin to remember. There were noises. There was chaos.
Chaos. That word has meaning to you.
And then, it all comes rushing in. You are jarred awake by a sensation of falling - a sensation which stops almost as quickly as it started.
The mist and shadows around you are much like the ethereal plane - however the invisible sun is nowhere to be seen. And there are no shapes from the material plane visible.
But the biggest problem is that you feel no pain.
You should! You remember the claws. You remember being tossed back - hard. But you never hit the ground.
“It is over, my love.”
Her voice is soft and soothing. You turn to see her standing - floating? - next to you. As before, her straight black hair is wet and her golden skin clings enticingly to her sheer robe. But there are differences, too. She seems taller. And her face seems less elfin. For a second, you wonder if she's gained weight.
“But I do not know whether we won,” she continues. You can hear the faint sound of rain when she speaks.
“What…” you begin to ask - but she answers before you can ask.
“The Shadowlord played us all for the fool. We believed he had sided with Chaos against this world. Instead, he appears to be seizing control over Limbo and is deposing the Lords of Chaos as we speak.
“We do not know whether he will succeed, but we now believe his goal all along was to throw down Chaos. It is possible - even likely - that he orchestrated this entire adventure. But how far back his machinations go, we do not know.”
She look away for a moment. A sadness seems to wash across her face. “I am sorry it ended this way. The pain and grief you suffered was more than I could endure sometimes - but the concordance…”
She stops suddenly, and with an embarrassed look, turns back to you. “Let us say simply that the obligations of the gods are sometimes difficult to bear.”
A smile finds its way onto her lips and she leans closer. “Imhotep has granted Roderick the power to bring you back and even now, your friend prepares the ritual. When you return, you will be beyond my reach once again. But do not fear our parting, for I am sure we will meet again soon. Until that time, others will see to your safety.”
She drifts above you and gently kisses your lips. A drop of rain tickles the corner of your mouth and your eyes begin to droop as an immense weariness that has been building over four months settles in.
The mist and shadows fade to black and the soothing sound of rain ebbs into your fading consciousness. Slowly, you become aware of other sensations. A coldness envelops your extremities and a sharp pain emerges in your shoulder and neck. The rain sounds are joined by the touch of pelting rain drops. At first they hurt, but soon you can feel them massaging and stitching your wounds.
And then you are awake. And Roderick stands over you. “I'll be damned!” he mutters quietly. “It worked!” Vincent and Bigby's adventures in Limbo:
Per our phone conversation earlier in the week, I thought I'd jot some notes down regarding Vincent's plan to get home…
For the first day, the two of you can effectively remain hidden from the chaos around you. While it's not terribly restful, Bigby manages to get enough sleep so he can prepare his spells the next “day”. However, he is not confident that they will work here as expected - so he suggests that you operate under the assumption that he will be useless.
That day, you spot a number of Slaad-like creatures moving around. While some move and behave like you expect a frog-like creature to behave, most appear to move with no regard for gravity or even space. It is at this point that you realize that gravity is subjective in this realm. If you can wrap your mind around the concept, you could conceivably fly - or at least jump great distances.
However, after much experimentation, you find that this method of movement requires too much practice to get good at it and until then, it's no more effective than simply “walking”.
After a few hours - during which you realize that the shifting landscape of Limbo makes it all but impossible to NOT get lost - you come across a small, glowing building.
Though it is no bigger than a small hermit's cabin, it stands out as a beacon of order in the midst of chaos and, unlike all its surroundings, you can focus your gaze on it without becoming confused. In addition, once you and Bigby compare notes, you realize that both of you are seeing the same thing - which is a first for this realm.
As you approach, a trio of Slaad leap in to attack. Before you are able to bring a weapon to bear, though, the door to the building opens and the Slaad flee as if in terror. A robed person stands in the doorway and gestures for you to come in. After a brief discussion, you decide you have little option but to trust him.
Once inside, the place is magnificent! It is FAR larger on the inside than the out and is reminiscent (in modern terms) to an Escher painting than an actual three-dimensional building. There are dozens of robed humanoids moving about. Many seem to be chanting as if in prayer - and, like the Slaad, they seem to be able to exploit the subjective gravity. Stairs wind their way up one wall, then on to the “ceiling”. Doors open at all orientations. And, occasionally, someone will step off a ledge and effortlessly “fly” from one spot to another.
The man who invited you in introduces himself with a name that you find difficult to pronounce but sounds like Mae'umt'ku. He explains that this is a Githzerai monastery and that you and Bigby are welcome to rest here.
In the end, you find that your hosts are friendly and they offer to let you stay here as long as you like. Bigby is eager to take them up on this and plys them for arcane knowledge as best he can.
You find that they are curious about the events that have unfolded recently and are able to offer some insights into what happened. Assuming your perspective is shared with them, the truth of the Shadowlord and the Lord of Chaos will likely emerge…
In addition, Mae'umt'ku offers that he can plane shift you back to the material world. And, while he cannot promise precision, if you are able to describe to him the lands where you came from, he should be able to return you nearby.