To the Desert and Farther

Jian steps through the mirror and disappears and we don't see her in the mirror. In our room, there are colors on the floor Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue Violet, like a rainbow. After a bit, we see Jian appear in the room with Alec. They converse while we watch. Then Jian signals for Elwin who goes into the mirror. After that, I figure out that Jian is using potions to signal color order. The rest of us enter the mirror and find a series of colored rooms. We stumble over Elwin who is lost in the colored maze. Exit into room with Alec and Jian. Elwin searches for a way out of here. He puzzles out how to open the door. Outside harsh wind sounds. Alec thinks we are free. Up the stairs to a 25' square room. It is partially filled with sand. A skeleton is in the sand and a pickaxe lays nearby. Desert heat comes in through the open door to the outside. Hear a 'pop'. A large four armed dog headed thing appears. Speaks into our heads about "Not letting Alec escape and his evil pervading the world." "Navathorn" It moves to attack. The door behind us starts to close. Brak tosses Alacast onto the stairs before the door shuts. The demon pins Alec in its pincers. Alec screams out something about "Seek the smoking eye." "Fear Cauldron until it is found." just before the demon rips him apart. We beat the demon into black smoke and gather up Alec's remains. Check out the room. Go outside. A sea of dust in all directions with an empty horizon. Kinda like home but dirtier. Stay inside until nightfall. Send out the raven for an aerial view. It spots more ruins a ways off. Travel in the night for several hours. Arrive at a pyramid similar to what we were in. No visible entrance. Search around. Find a door on the west side. Elwin opens the door. A 15x15' chamber with similar runes and a mirror. We study the runes in the lower chamber. While we study, the mirror activates and a humanoid critter steps out. Has a symbol of a smoking eye. Says "Do not strike, I am here to help." Converse with him. He says we can aid Tercival's Quest. His name is Carifon. Can guide us to Occipitus for the Test of the Smoking Eye. Three parts. Each part is hidden on the plane of Occipitus. Goal is to free Celistia from Occipitus. Smoking Eye is part of Occipitus buried dead inside. When we ask, Carifon claims to know a place we can equip. How do we get there? He has the means to travel there and back. First Test? A ruined Celestial temple with two doors. One a Beolith (demon), the other a Celestial. How does this help Cauldron? uncertain. Gracie thinks Carifon is sorta telling the truth. Discuss what to do. Carifon will wait 24 hours. We decide to go. He gives Brak two scrolls of Plane Shift and uses a third to get us there. Poof. A fiery sky. Large white skull in the distance, mountain sized. Fire comes from one eye. Ground is like dried skin. Oozes blood like fluid when cut. "First stop is Cathedral of Feathers" about a hundred miles away. Sky doesn't change. Travel. About an hour later, some rocks transform into large frog like critters that spit lightning. Jian falls. A brief fight later, both frogs are beat to smoke.

Oosana

XP - Story: 1000, Kills: 1800

Giants in the Scar

After retreating back into the tubes after Elwin's fight, Mikel reports the giants are trying to close the gate. Wait four hours. Only one giant left on guard at the the entrance. We plan to draw the giant away from the entrance and try to kill it. Mikel taunts it and flourishes his wings. The giant falls for it and runs toward Mikel, tossing rocks. As it runs by, a well hidden Elwin shoots it in a very sensitive spot in the butt, dropping it. We move across the tunnel entrance on the far side of the cave. I spot something going on in the tunnel. I tell Gracie, Mikel and Elwin what I saw before continuing on to the second tunnel. Hear giant speak from behind the wooden wall in 2^nd tunnel. While Elwin and I sneak up to the wooden wall, three Ettins charge out from the first tunnel. I see no way past the wooden wall and the giant voices are now gone. We hear the sounds of combat from the first tunnel. A few moments later, we hear the sounds of something large moving through the area behind the wall. Elwin, looking through a gap in the wall, sees a fire giant moving through. Elwin wriggles through the gap and follows after the giant. He must still be under the influence of that funky stuff he drank. I run back to the others and shout a warning about the fire giant in several languages I hope the foes don't know. We only have a few moment to prepare before it comes around the corner. Mikel tries taunting it and barely escapes as it charges. Dubious does several hit and run attacks, mostly staying out of its reach. It keeps attacking Mikel, who is letting the giant succeed, protecting the rest of us. The giant fells Mikel, who explodes in a lilac burst as he falls, killing the giant. A glowing form starts appearing. Three hags charge around the tunnel corner and shout curses at the glowing form. A drow male appears where the form was. A mirrored tiefling is also with the hags. We move to attack the hags. I shoot the tiefling and it shatters to pieces. The hags flank me and hit, causing great weakness. Elwin steps out and shoots Gracie in the back, dropping her. I move and stabilize her then heal her. (use action point) Brak and Sky drop the two hags attacking me. The third hag steps out and Elwin shoots Sky in the back. Now Elwin gets in combat! Sky grabs his spear off the ground, turns and charges the last hag. Elwin jumps in front of the spear, protecting the hag. (use action point) He is impaled and goes limp. The last hag is dropped. Sky lays hands on Elwin and removes the mind control. Elwin returns to his normal non-combative self. Heal and fix up. Gather up loot. Check out the area. Find a humming magic chamber with a pentagonal mirror on the west wall. One of the visions in the mirror is of Alec with a look of despair. In a chest, we find a quarterstaff with runes that spell out “Alacast”. The weapon we were looking for.

Oosana

XP: Kills- 2000

Loot:

Satchel - 2100 sp. 950 gp, silver ring worth 400 gp. , gold halfling skull worth 250 gp.
Large metal chest - 280 gp, 4300 sp, 12 amber gems (100 gp each) ,
golden baboon masks -5 at 200 gp each, 130 gp, armband 450 gp, .

Items
+1 arrow of deflection light metal shield.
wand of lightening (lvl 7 - 17 charges),
3 potions cats grace,
3 potions protect element electricity.
divine scroll - magic fang, hold animal, remove disease. (all at cleric lvl 5).
wand of displacement -14 lvl 7,
wand of cure serious -22 - lvl 7,
wand dispel magic - 18 charges. lvl 7 each
wizard scroll - prying eyes, greater dispel magic, sequester at lvl 14