map of the cavern
Malik backtracks with Tux and Lareth. The three of them gather the horses and find a safe nook outside the cave entrance for them to stay. They discover that Rick, Constance's ever present crystal buddy, has followed them. Using his telepathic link with Constance, our two groups are able to communicate. Tux and Malik travel above the cave entrance, try to find an alternate entrance from above. Tux uses his survival skills to find a crevasse down to the main room of the cavern.
From above, Tux and Malik see the same cavern that the other three enter with their new mechanical comrades. Constance is put into a jail cell until he can be further interrogated. Ki and Cas, called 73 and 74 by the warforged, are given the new recruits' tour of the camp. A warforged named 24 is going out to search the abandoned city for artifacts, and offers to take 73 and 74 with him.
Tux and Malik climb down to the floor of the abandoned city. They begin to sneak their way through the debris. Malik hears a sound near them, and a warforged appears from the rubble. He asks what they are doing there. Tux is the first to respond, with little charisma, he claims he doesn't know where he is or who he is. The warforged, who calls himself 23, is very confused by Tux. Malik takes charge, and they discover that 23 is trying to overthrow the organization of this camp. He confides in them that he is going to create a distraction soon, if they are really there for a coup, they should plan on doing it soon. They have Rick relay this information to Constance.
While searching the city, 24 along with Ki and Cas, discover a Tome of Wisdom, which 24 keeps. They suffer damage in a collapse of one of the buildings they search. 24 offers to take them for repairs, but Ki convinces him to let them go to Constance, who has some extra health potions. This allows them to find out what is going on with Malik and Tux. The group in the cell decides to wait for the distraction. Cas and Ki sleep for a few hours after planning with Constance.
They wake up to a commotion outside in the warforged camp. 24 comes to gather them up. He says that the Lord of Blades is making a speech, they should come to listen. They tell him they'll be along shortly and take the place of a warforged left on duty. This leaves them alone to free Constance. Just on time, Malik and Tux show up to help. Now re-united, they head back out of the main chamber. Malik has had the time to scout down the extra passage. He has found that it winds downward in a spiral, getting hotter and hotter. Tux uses protection from elements on everyone they reach the lower passage.
We make it to the hall of the Lord of Blades. He has only two constructs there to guard him. We peek in to see him lounging at his throne, reading a book-- the Tome of Wisdom. Off to one side of the room is a large pit with a huge circular stone suspended above it. Constance is in awe. He barely gets out to the group that this is the mythical creation forge. It is exactly what he had hoped they would find here. The other side of the hall has a large forge with lava pouring through it. The room is extremely hot.
Our group waits outside the hall for a few minutes, formulating a plan. We know he has the potential to be very powerful, if he is allowed to charge at us. Tux summons six wolves, in the hopes of trip-locking him. He also transforms himself into a fleshraker. Everyone charges at once, gaining the advantage of surprise. We dispatch the constructs quickly. The wolves keep the Lord of Blades pinned, and we drop him to zero health. Cas goes to coup d'etat him, but Constance yells out not to.
Everyone stops. Constance reminds us that the Lord of Blades cannot heal, and we devise a plan to remove the Lord of Blades from his own stronghold. Constance has a spell to make his body frictionless, allowing Ki and Tux to slide him out of the hall. Malik runs ahead to scout. There is a great amount of commotion coming from the main upper hall, but Cas and Constance stay back. Constance does not want to leave the creation forge behind. He takes several moments to take notes on the strange device. Cas spends their last few moments in the hall searching for items. She finds a strange deck of cards.
our group later discovers the cards are a Deck of Transformations
Malik reports back to Tux and Ki that there are sentries outside the cave entrance. The will have to sneak out. Malik is able to teleport out, Ki casts silence and invisibility on her and Tux. They slip past the sentries and get back to their horses.
Cas pulls Constance from the hall. It's too dangerous to stay much longer. If they are found out, they stand little chance of survival. On their way out, they hear a booming voice coming from the main cavern. Cas stays to listen for a moment. The Lord of Blades is still making his speech... but it cannot be him.
Cas has a fleeting moment of grandeur. Imagining herself bursting into the cavern, disguised as the Lord of Blades. She shakes free of it, and they flee toward the entrance of the cave. Ki helps them out with some invisibility and silence, augmented by Constance's ability to slide. Exhilarated by their battle and escape, the group loads the body of the Lord of Blades onto a horse. Flawlessly, we ride off toward Sharn.
On the way, curiosity overcomes Ki, and she draws a card from Cas's deck. We find out that it is a Deck of Transformations when she is turned flesh into stone. There is nothing we can do for now. She will have to wait until we can remove the enchantment.
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