My Gaming Journey: Icewind Dale II - Journal Entry #13

They say that 13 is an unlucky number. Well after the troubles I've had today getting this up I can believe it! Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for checking this blog entry out. This is actually my third attempt to get this up. My previous two attempts ended up going disastrously wrong but if at first you don't succeed try, try again. Anyway, I'd like to welcome Valkyriegirl, Fun_God, the three person team of Chthonic  Software, and JodyRoundhouse to my small but growing list of subscribers. I'm hoping to try and get to 100 to 250  subscribers by the end of the year. Why so small a number, because I don't want to be overconfident.  

Meanwhile the this Journal Entry will be from the P.O.V. of Terrax of Thay, the scheming, diabolical sorcerer. Get ready as family history and references to the original Icewind Dale game will be invoivled. Get ready as Journal Entry #13 begins now.

Terrax of Thay

Well this day has been full of inspiration and revalation. After the party awoke and the Monk streched out we returned to the level of the Eight Chambers.

In the first of the last three rooms called, The Chamber of Silk, Brianna had to fight for her life against Poisonweb spiders.  Now I know enough about those nasty little beasts from my father's library to know the poisons they secrete are absolutely deadly. Fortunately Brianna had mentioned she had mastered that Diamond Body technique. Such a technque actually proved useful against those nasty vermin, it allowed her to be triumphant. I've talked to Dar'Kandra about this and my succulent and vicious little Drow killer has mentioned she knows several techniques to domesticate spiders. Back on my family's compound in Thay, I know there are several chambers on the prison level that are just screaming to be used. 

The second chamber was the Chamber of Battle. That one was a bit more tricky. The Monk had to fight first one then two Iron Monks. The thing is...they can't be killed! Instead what happens is once they reach a certain level of damage they collapse into acetonic state, much like a troll, and begin to regenerate. The thing is there are two levers in the room that need to be activated by pressure plates in the chamber. Crazier still is the Chamber is separated into two rooms. Brianna had to fight first one then two Monks and make sure they ell into their catatonic state on the pressure plates. As I said tricky...but the Monk came through. Though we had to rest afterwards as Brianna took quite a bit of damage in the excursion. 

The final chamber was the Chamber of Immolation. That was a deliciously diabolical final test! Brianna had to fight two Brass Monks who could do fire damage while dodging Fire Streams that shot from the ceiling. That that would provide even better entertainment for unwanted prisoners and people who we've grown extremely tired of. I've made notes on this chamber for back in Thay on how to make it more useful. Brianna took a great deal of fire damage but succeeded in overcoming it. Ah I love it when a plan comes together!

The Chamber of Immolation

When we defeated the last of the Eight Chambers we went upstairs and informed Salisam of our success. Mali, Garrett, Dar'Kandra, and myself picked up some noise from one of the storerooms in the Monastery. Brannon went to investigate and discovered a Drow named Ven disguisded as a Monk hiding in there trying to steal from the Monks. The little wretch got away but stole nothing! After receiving congratulations  from Salisam we went to a Monk named Nonin and returned his ring to him, for which he was grateful. We then practically bought out the Monks' entire healing supply. A wise idea since none of us know when we I'll find another supplier. Better to be short some coin and fully prepared.  Healed up, we headed down into the burial Chamber of the Order of the Black Raven Monks, which contains the passageway to the Underdark that takes us under Dorm's Deep. Mali noted the burial site was guarded by several Iron Golems. Brannon chastised Mali on respecting the dead. But I had a funny feeling the Rogue has her own ideas. I won't say anything yet but I decided to be ready for whatever may ensue. On a hunch when we reached the chamber door we readied our defenses. I know the treacherous nature of Duergar dwarves all too well! The little bastards did not disappoint! No sooner did we open the door when they appeared and even more appeared behind us ready to take us and the Monks down.

Duergar Dwarves

Stupid little back stabbing, pathetic little bastards believed they could take us down? Fools! Once we dealt with their Cleric it was simplicity itself wiping them out, although one of their Orc Slave soldiers managed to injure me, the audacity! Once we cleaned up the little wretches we looted them for every last coin and useful item they had on them, and that included some healing potions. Once cleaned out we went back up to the Monastery, rested and healed. Once that was accomplished we ehaded back into the burial chamber and made our way towards the underground exit. We were just about to reach it when Mali told me to stop. She then had me cast a haste spell on her before she went back into the chamber. We soon found out what she had in mind. She came running back into the chamber carrying loot from the burial mound of the Monks' founder...The Iron Golem Guardians in pursuit! Realizing with our weapons we stood no chance against them we got out of there quickly! 

Once we reached the burial chamber we ran into a Drow who wished to talk to us. I could sense no hostile intent so we followed him to the Outpost where he and several others were. And there some of my own family's history came back to haunt us. The Drow Wizard as it turns up, is the current head of the Dark Elf Mage conclave known as the House of Sorcere...and then he told us what his name was Malavon Despana! As in the very same Malavon Despana my parents had helped to dispatch during the time they were dealing with Belhifet or rather Reverend Poquelin's Lieutenants. My mother and father had always said Malavon was a raving lunatic. However this Malavoon looked to be very much in his right frame of mind.  As it turned up the Malavon Despana my parents faced was a simulcrum, a magical clone. On the heels of being approached by Belhifet who was still pretending to be Reverend Poquelin at the time. Malavon did some divination and discovered that joining with Poquelin would be a fatal mistake. So he created his magical clone with no information on the discoveries he'd made in the divination.

Malavon Despana

Once the clone was created Malavon went into hiding and a magical stasis. When my parents and the rest of Tien Steelsong's group killed the clone, the real Malavon awoke. After awkening he learned things had gone horribly wrong. After my father's group had freed Malavon's sister, Ginafae from her enslavement, she had disappeared. While searching for her Malavon and a number of Drow spell casters, Priests of some of the lesser Gods of the Drow, and even a few former Matron mothers o and overthrew the Church of the Demonic God Lolth from their city.  Now while expanding their influence they discovered a cavern teeming with Driders, hideous half-Drow/Half-spider hybrids that usually get transformed by Priestesses of Lolth.  The chamber they were in was covered in them and that the outpost they were in was their last stong hold. They need us to go kill the Driders and find out who or what was spawning them. Dar'Kandra especially has a certain loathing for such creatures. I myself find them to be repulsive,  so we agreed to do so. 

Once we rested up, and Mali got sternly lectured by Brannon and Brianna for stealing and taking such a  dangerous risk, to which she just shrugged, we headed up. Our exploration of the caves actually proved quite eventful. We found a Drow Priestess, Drow Assassins, and Drow Spellswords/Deathbringers had penetrated the chamber looking to kill Malavon. Seeing as how I don't like to waste a potentiually useful ally We had to strongly object to that with our weapons. A good bless, defensive harmony, Hope, and a Mass haste spell do wonders I say. After we defeated the wretched we discovered they were carrying quite a few strong healing potions on them. We happily relieved the Drow's corpses of them and now our potion supply is at a surplus. Stupid Lolth Priestess you and your associates thought you would  have an easy time of killing us! Now you'll have to answer to your wretched Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Good riddance, gnats! Next we bargained with some nasty Duergar merchants and spent our money on a more powerful magical scimitar blade for Dar'Kandra. Well worth the cost.  We found a secret stash of treasure guarded by some pesky Myconids. ANd then we ran into an illithid or Mind Flayer who, via telepathy, introduced itself as Oinchack Olip and it needed us to find an Ioun stone it had lost in the Drider caves. After dealing with another Sword Spider Ambush we ran into some Shadow Drakes. Those nasty creatures managed to drain Dar'Kabndra of a level. Fortunately, The Cleric of Illmatar, Garrett had saved a major restoration spell for such an emergency.  And then we met up with a couple of nasty Driders name of Sorn and Vadal. And I remember why I loathe Driders so much!

A Drider, disgusting isn't it?

Vadal proved a competent spallcaster. Too bad he didn't get all that many spells off before we eliminated him and his cohort.  It also seems they have something of a grudge against House Despana. Ah, Drow politics isn't it wonderful! Before we went into the Drider Caves Mali eliminated some pesky traps for us. The Rogue is useful for her crossbow abilities and her ability to eliminate traps that could bring bodily harm to the party. Once inside the Cavern. We ran into some nasty Driders some of whom had spellcasting ability, such a bother! We dealt with a pack of Myconids and found the illithid's Ioun Stone, much to my relief! However it was when we sent Mali into a lab in a Cavern that some shocking discoveries were made. It turns up that the Driders are being made artificially with some device called Vicisamera. That was shocking enough but then the Red Wizard of Thay Mali talked to mentioned her name, Imphraili Asserbai. That wench is a member of the Transmuter school, a faction in Thay! My family has been having trouble with them for some time. If they've formed an alliance with the Legion of the Chimera then it's not only important to the realams but my own family's interests as well that the Legion of the Chimera be eliminated!

Imphraili Asserbail

After Mali garnered all the useful information we could out of her we eliminated that wretched witch and the Flesh Golems, and freakish Driders with her. The battle was a fierce, those things took a large chunk o the groups health out of them. Once that bloodshed was done Mali went through the chamber and found some information on the Viciscamera, which we need to destroy! Such a device in the hands of my enemies could represent a threat, this device has to be eliminated! Brannon and th rest of the group have talked with me, and we've come to the conclusion that every last creature in this place must be killed, all except for Ginafae. As we learned from Malavon it seems his sister is here and has joined up with the Legion of the Chimera..as a Drider. Malavon wants us to convince her to come to the camp. As much as it would please me to just destroy her, when wanting the help of the House of Sorcere in the future compromises must be reached. So, when we find her we find a way to return her to normal, get her to renounce her alliance with the Legion of the Chimera and wipe out every last Drider in this place! 

Isair and Madae, I swear when I reach you, your Cambion hides will feel my wrath for interfering with my family's plans in Thay! I and my family shall help bring order to the city by becoming a powerhouse in it! For what you've done I will take great pleasure in torturing you...very, very slowly!

There you have it, folks, there's my blog entry. I hope you enjoyed this but there'll be more next week. Meanwhile please feel free to like or remind this blog entry on your Minds timeline or refer this to any of your friends. If you're new please feel free to subscribe to my channel. I'll put a link to my Minds channel below. if you can afford it, please feel free to wire me any tokens. All tokens can help me boost this channel even more to get the word out to more people. Also for those of you who love cosplay and photography on my Gab channel I've put up all my pictures from the anime and Japanese Culture convention Sakura-Con  2019 in Seattle. If you'd like to see those pictures please subscribe to gab then go to my profile and check those pictures out. Please feel free to comment on them as well. 

Thanks so much for reading this. Until next week, stay true to yourselves, stay classy, and God bless you all!

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