Magical Bridges
We are part way through the Tomb of Horrors and take a short rest to recover from the previous battle in the library.
Moving into a hallway next, we step into darkness and find ourselves teleported elsewhere. This new place is a room with a magical bridge spanning a chasm of roiling energy. The bridge is made of tiles inscribed with glyphs!
Jain casts light to reveal a sign reading: "The vortex eats all magic save what it was born from"
Sugar throws a dead rat she keeps in her pocket onto a magical tile, but nothing interesting happens. Jain tries to jump the entire 60-foot distance, but slams into an invisible wall and gets sucked down below the tiles. Luckily, Gnarls had tied a rope around her beforehand, and the party hauls her back up.
We eventually figure out which tiles to step on and make it through.
Illusions, Oh My!
Sugar walks into the next room and seemingly teleports to the Plane of Water. To her, she's swimming and a 60-foot megalodon is circling her. In a panic, she casts Leomund's Tiny Hut to hide. The rest of the party watches as she flails around in an empty room. Eventually, Sugar disbelieves the illusion with some encouragement from the party. Jain calls her a lazy goblin.
Next, we find a door with three platinum rings. Each has the draconic alphabet on it. Jain spells out "die" (the password we found in the library) and the doors open.
Showdown with Acererak
Inside is a chamber with many flaming skeletons (minotaur and otherwise) and Acererak the lich. A great battle ensues!
- Jain charges the lich
- Sugar casts a barrage spell
- AOEs blow up all over the place
- Skeletons get stuck in with claw and slam attacks
- Jain gets paralyzed by Acererak
- Acererak blasts Gnarls repeatedly with magic, who drops unconscious
- Sugar tries to dispel the paralysis on Jain, but it doesn't go through
The battle is looking dire. Sugar is surrounded by skeletons. Jain is paralyzed. Fell is cornered by even bigger skeletons. Gnarls is bleeding out!
In a moment of aged forgetfulness, Acererak casts fly to flex on the party. This inadvertently breaks concentration on the paralysis spell holding Jain. She immediately flies screaming across the room and beats him within an inch of unlife.
With the tables turned, Acererak tries to cast Meteor Swarm, but Vecna intervenes and counterspells it! Acererak then casts a Prismatic Wall with seven different colored layers. Jain and Sugar are blinded by the dazzling lights.
He then casts Soul Siphon on Jain, who drops unconscious. His claw attacks are turned by her nigh impervious armor. Fell manages to drop the final few skeletons.
Sugar moves over to Gnarls and gets him back on his feet with healing magic. Gnarls wakes up and gives Sugar an elixir to cure blindness.
Sugar uses the Hand of Vecna to cast Finger of Death, completely disintegrating Acererak. He turns into a mindless, obedient zombie, and the battle is won.
Aftermath
We leave and check on Gnarls' family. They can loot the rest of the dungeon, and we are heading back to Sigil. We entrust the Acererak zombie to Gnarls' brother, Jarl.
Loot
- Piece of the Rod of Several Parts
- 179 pp
- 7500gp Jade chess set
- 1000 sp
- 200 gp
- Robe of Stars (can cast a 5th-level magic missile)
