Pale Tower overrun by the heroes! Radosak and Jairess defeated.
From the Diary of Zaaz Bloodfortune
…. The fight continued. Just as I was starting to despair, Hatch blasted the bitch out the window and I thought at the time, out of this life. Her body floated down to the courtyard and before we could be sure of the deal was swept up by a great bloody ice troll. We took a few parting shots and killed off a few of the guards that came out with the beast, but the troll and bitch got away. Taking stock of our party and strength, I begged my companions to pause the assault. Inside I was filled with an emptiness of power. The voices tell me facing the Witch and her apprentice will take all we have, to fight now would be to give them the advantage.
We did our best to block the portal point and holed up in one of the rooms at this level. Lucky for us Dalomar made a good search of the rooms and found a wee horde hidden in a dollhouse. So after a few hours, well fed, well rested, and a bit richer we unblocked the portal and went down again to the level below. I say that casually, we in fact we did dangle Hatch out the window like a minnow waiting a striker so he could peek at the level below to check if the coast was clear. The level seemed empty so the only real choice was to go back down and clear the level below. Dalomar and Sadobras went out the window on lines. The voices in my head became a cacophony, all at once united in their speech and chanted together to me, getting louder and louder as they went, jump, jump, jump, jump! Out the window I went and to my amazement my hair spread around me, slowed me, and I fell as light as a feather! Oh thank you ones beyond, for it is almost like flying as a bird.
Once in the courtyard we discovered the door in to the first level was not locked. In fact, it was not closed and the Ice Troll from before announced our arrival. Soon the rest of my companions came down as we battled the beast in at the door. Both of the bitches we found before in the Raven room were both back on their feet and fighting us along with a guard. Lesson to be learned is leave no evil behind, me thinks. Sly Noname realized that while all of us were fighting up front, the back might not be and sent repent down the portal to attack their rear. There he found a fountain and Water elemental and eliminated them as well as did a bit of scouting. Back to our battle. We fought much better together. I actually stayed back in cover where I could throw curse after curse at our enemies to sap their will to fight and cloud their abilities. Yoska, Dalomar, and Sadobras fought to great effect destroying our enemies and soon the place was quiet. Even Nadya, who had been struggling to do any damage in combat was somewhat successful. Searching the bodies we found what we had hoped, the key to the upper level.
Ready to finish the tower off we went up again to the second level and then chose an order to the top. Up we went one at a time, starting with repent, then myself, and the rest did follow. In the room at the top we were surprised to find Radosek, the witches apprentice, and his goat. Floating above it all was a globe of magical power, spinning and pulsing, covered with lines. Radosek immediately cast into a cauldron he had there and quickly out popped a large group of ice elementals. Did he really have that much power to summon that many of them, or was there something special about that cauldron? Repent immediately moved forward to attack the goat and I moved aside in the room to make room for the next to come up. As I was repositioning in the room I heard a banging from a side door. The voice of the one inside demanding to be let out was familiar. I asked who it was and Nadya’s voice asked, “Zaaz?!” This made no sense, how could Nadya be in there when she was downstairs awaiting her turn to come through the portal? Before I could find the answer though, a lighting arc hit me hard enough to knock me out. Why does this always seem to happen to me?! After a few moments I was woken back up through healing and I took stock of the room. All of our party was up and there were two Nadyas. Radosek and his ice elemtentals still battled as well. Having faith the Nadya from the room was the true Nadya I told her to talk my crossbow and fight. Quickly she shot the fake Nadya with the crossbow and the two went back and forth. The rest of the party in confusion fought as well. Noname dazed the real Nadya, then the fake one attacked Yoska and make it abundantly clear which was which. Soon through the valiant actions of the party, Radosek, his elementals, and the fake Nadya were killed. The fake Nadya’s body went through a terrible transformation as it died, first from one form, then to another. Even at one point it became Lady Argentia Malassene, hinting at some deep plot. The reality had became painfully clear, this was a vile doppleganger. The true Nadya was healed and told us her story that she had been taken from town when we went to get healing for our eyes before and had been held captive here in the tower.
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