Knut the Warrior, Lorena the Cleric of Starburst – Jon C
DJ the Dwarf, Wax the Sunless, Stodge the Halfling & Ib the Sanguine (Wizard) – Tim, — (Ian out with Flu)
Kurt Kangle, Cleric of Amun Tor, Breezy & Shif Tan – Thieves – Patrick
Bizo the Yeti & Zobol the Halfling – Clint

Today’s session resumed with the PCs having made a deal with Azazel to journey deep into the grotto of doom to destroy the Jewels of the Carnifex. (They were hardly actually committed to this action, as much as just trying to get out of harm’s way.)

They journeyed into the Worm room and worked out a plan by which Zobol, Shift Tan and Breezy all agreed to try to steal the jewels together. Despite trying their best to prop it up with some borrowed javelins, their timing was off— the Worm bit at them twice (Zobol & Shift Tan). Zobol had used a cloak to get the first Jewel and it was his. Breezy got hers. Shift Tan critically failed his Reflex Save and the Worm statue took two of his fingers, which twitched tauntingly in the Worm’s mouth as it opened up to reveal the remaining Jewel. Breezy finally retrieved the third jewel as well.

Under the watchful eye of Percy, sent by Azazel to ensure the party destroyed the Jewels, the party destroyed the first two. They hesitated before destroying the third though and eventually worked out a plan by which Zobol and Breezy used Sleight of Hand (Pick Pockets) checks to replace the jewel with the shattered crystal dust at the last second, fooling Percy.

Some of the party went to investigate the lowest room and the seal, where they deciphered the runes and deducted Azazel’s treachery. (But had no interest in freeing the Carnifex!— at all)

At this point, they decided to keep one jewel and bluff their way out of the dungeon past Azazel and his minions. Azazel was set to congratulate them by offering them a bowl of his special idol-ichor— unfortunately, Percy, charmed by Wax, was given the first sip and when the PCs observed his (missed save) bloody vomiting, they tried to escape the impromptu “awards ceremony”.

The mass of the Pious attackers immediately dropped Stodge the Halfling and swarmed the PCs. The PCs had very little luck making any inroads upon this group (but the Pious had unbelievably bad die rolls on the two rounds of attacks they got in— particularly on the AC 10 Wizards!)

Finally, Wax (played by Tim, since the flu-stricken Ian could not join us today) broke his own arm against a war-stave to spellburn and had a massive success on Sleep. (Even to regain this spell, he spellburned, so it was a massive SB job.. also involving Halfling Luck I believe). The sleep spell knocked out all the bad guys and probably saved the party a near /TPK.

After putting the bad guys down, they took Azazel to the final seal/runes room and questioned him. He admitted his treachery but when they asked if his death would redeem the Seal and finish off the Carnifex, he declared he did not know (also, due to Percy’s being tricked, he thought the Jewels were destroyed at this point.)

The PCs crushed his chest and drowned him in the sacrifice pool (shades of Dick Cheney here), whose death triggered a wash of healing and luck-giving radaince— and then looted the Idol in the Vault room before leaving.. the unguarded.. prison of the Carnifex… :)

Breezy the thief has kept the last Jewel of the Carnifex.
Zobol the halfling has kept the 7 Death’s head rings.
Wax was awarded the three-headed raven figurine
Knut took the platinum-chased battle axe
Bizo took the Executioner’s Wand.

The rest of the loot will be divided up equally amongst the survivors.