Once there, Harvey told you, "all you have to do is pick him up where he asked me inside the Great Pyramid, doing what you Slayers do best", and of course, to stay clear of the gaurds watching the site, though obviously he wasn't telling everything...
Once in the city en route to the site, Kenneday spotted a young Halfling pickpocket lift her wallet from her purse! Instantly and calmly, like the heroes in movies, she stopped him cold by grabbing his neck and lifting him off the ground! :-) (rolled crit on grab try) This spurred his little friends into action and 2 more attacked her, one cutting her parrying arm slightly (another crit), while 2 more attacked Blade and a 3rd on Blade, hiding, lifted a small pouch in the confusion (but not without Blade noticing). Ember, Telgarth and Angelus was too far back in the crowd during the initial assault to really react.
With high religion checks and/or the MIB glasses, the Slayers knew these thieves were not undead, so attacked back to subdue only, and being in a thick crowd used magics that didn't give away who cast it, and quickly sent the youth fleeing to safety, many unconscious for their troubles. None of the Slayers pursued them, but noticed in the thick crowd a few random Vampires. The Vampires immediately recognized the use of magic, though couldn't discern who cast it, and immediately fled in seperate directions. The Slayers pursued the 2 they could catch, including Kenneday drawing her firearms and opening fire in the crowded public street. This caused any remaining public to flee in panic, with many cell phones photographing the goings on, so the Slayers quickly dusted the Vamps & fled themselves before the local authorities came on the scene.*
After leaving the city and approaching the ruins, the party noticed the young Halflings following them, despite their skillful shadow work, and Ember, Kenneday & Angelus led them on while Telgarth & Blade hid to ambush them. While Blade practically turned into a living shadow all but invisible, when they came up to where they were, the young Halflings immediately pointed and loudly whispered, "Slayers!" at the hiding Telgarth to an old man that was now with them. After scoffing at Telgarth's stealth abilities, Blade revealed himself and called the others back in a non-threatening manner.
The party was surprised to find that the group of young theives not only knew of the Slayers, but knew many accurate stories about your exploits. In inquiring how, the youth proudly announced they were Vampire hunters too and that the old man was a Swarmie who possessed magic (Giles being the only other living person you've met with magic besides the Slayers) and were Toknosfar, part of the Vampire resisters you've heard of (& Ashe's distant ancestors were original members). Curious to see his magic, the party asked the swarmie for a demonstration, which he was proud to share. After making the one boy give Blade his gold back (which the lad dejectedly did), he noticed Kenneday's cut and started chanting. After about 2 minutes of largely unnecessary ritual, he summoned healing magic to mend her cuts, but the swarmie was left baffled as she refused to 'burn a surge' and let the magic work...**
With the kids' help, the Slayers easily bypassed the gaurds, whom they've skirted many times, and easily made it into the main site with most of the guards mainly circling the perimeter. In passing the great Sphinx, the party noticed hieroglyphs where the wind blew the sand away and Ember cast another 'comprehend language' ritual to read "To the Zodiac Warriors of the future: Here lies the ancients' most valued treasure."
After reading that, the party decided finding Mr Gold could wait and swept away the sand to reveal what Ember recognized as a teleportation glyph that needed residuum to activate. After Ember decided to cast another comprehend language ritual on the leader of the Halflings so they could read the other hieroglyphs, she then activated the ritual (with residuum the party apparently happens to carry on them), teleporting the party deep under the Sphinx to a large dark underground chamber. Once there was light, the party could tell it was thousands of years old and a large statue stood with a Gemini sign on it's chest (the same sign as Angelus' birthmark), and Angelus grew even more solemn than usual.
Finding nothing of note but rubble in the chamber they were in, the party used their Slayer strength to start moving rubble blocking their way to the next passage to find 2 Large statues waiting for them (17th Stone Golems) attacking Angelus & Telgarth in ambush once the way was clear. Heroicly, Kenneday moved alone through the rubble hoping to magically shift everyone else through after, but the stone Golems were faster than they appeared & with greater reach too, and cut deep blows into the still wounded Kenneday. As the others squeezed through to help, they found most of the ground difficult to navigate from all the rubble, as well as a floating skull with ruby eyes attacking them from down the hall!
The terrain favored the enemy and Kenneday had to use much healing magic on herself before her friends could help with the stone monstrosities, who exploded when bloodied or defeated, sending rocks flying into Slayer flesh and causing even more difficult terrain everywhere before they could finally concentrate on the Demilich (20th solo). Once in close quarters, the Demilich used it's deadliest attack which can suck the very soul from even a healthy Slayer (2 missed saves = instant dead) over a dozen times, but the Slayers eventually prevailed without loss thanks in large part to Telgarth's powerful magics preventing the Demilich from consuming it's souls for powerful healing of its own.
'As if' by divine providence, before Ember ressurected Angelus last adventure, in death he was before the Raven Queen who told him a great heroic sacrifice would be needed of him soon and he'll know when that time was <No, Angelus didn't turn evil, but self-sacrificing and ultra-herioc!>. The Slayers found themselves before an impenetrable magical barrier that could only be breached with the soulstone of Aya and the lifeforce of a Slayer who brought it through. While the rest of the party decided the ancient treasure wasn't worth that, and Blade trying to think of how to convince one of the others it was to get the treasure, Angelus heeded the words of his goddess and brought down the barrier for everyone at the cost of his own life, and finally reunited the spirit of Aya into the Warforged body her lover made for her so many millenia ago, awakening her to new life.
Sad for the loss of Angelus, and dissappointed there wasn't more usable magic items for everyone, the party found enough residuum to activate the teleportation glyph back to the surface again with the ancient warrior, still groggy from her spirit's journey <i.e., Ken unexpectedly had to leave> before venturing on to find Mr Gold.
Bypassing the other 2 chambers (and the monsters in them), the party went straight down the very tight passage to the bottom chamber to hear, "See? They came & just under the wire too. Now let me go!", "Not until the money's in our hands". When the party came into view of the chamber, they saw some poor guy who must have been very seriously injured, as he was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, and called up to the party, "Did you bring the residuum?"
Answering "yes", Ember cast a dimensional rift to allow magical movement into the chamber and out of the squeezed passageway. As she & then Telgarth blinked into the room, they found themselves immediately dominated by a glyph above the entry (19th trap), causing the 2 Mummies' (17th elites) septers to glow. When Blade & Kenneday entered too, both septers had someone dominated already so were able to act normally save for being attacked by their friends when they arrived, as well as by both Mummies and 2 undead Yuanti Incanters (16th). Without the killing machine Angelus and the glyph dominating at the start of every turn, this was tough, long battle. Even Blade wasn't safe from the glyph as he was used to being undead, as this trap was set against other undead. Somehow even dominated, Telgarth knew friend from foe though, and went 0/7 in striking friends when dominated, and his normal deadly self upon the undead. This encounter could have been really hairy otherwise...
Mr Gold, who was spiked to the wall with 2 spikes in each limb and 2 huge (metal) spikes through his torso, was in a surprisingly good mood considering, and in the heat of this tough battle said to Blade, "Excuse me laddie, but I could use a hand here. This hurts." ("I'm a little busy", was Blade's only reply.) After the battle, when the party freed Mr Gold, even though his wounds immediately began to regenerate, he had an almost orgasmic shudder as he smelled the neck of Kenneday walking near him, but she & everyone refused to let him feed even a little!... Mr Gold didn't seem terribly surprised that "that movie pimp" wasn't going to pay the ransom for him despite owing him many favours, but was surprised that he was able to send the powerful prophesied Slayers to rescue him (but oddly, not THAT surprised...).
On the way back to Bloodstein's jet, the party noticed Mr Gold disappear for a while when passing through the guarded perimeter of the complex & looking much more refreshed & happy when he returned. Mr Gold also shared that he's one of the few (only?) "rogue" Vampires who's stayed unaligned with any coven yet managed to survive for an untold thousands of years growing very formidable alone. While he was surprised how much Giles & the Buffy sword was able to teach you about magic & Vampires, as well as your natural gifts, he also scoffed at how much you didn't know (and is willing to share if asked), and is happy to start crafing items for you. He also seems to be especially looking forward to the coming "Great Harvest"...
The next couple weeks go by pretty routinely, until one morning after the new moon...
(18th level adventure begins Fri 22nd in Kenneday's house, right when the party is getting up in the morning...)
Note: With Aya's magical request to enhance her sword, Mr Gold tells her he can do it, but you'll need to break into the well protected Wolfram & Hart, one of the few places with enough needed residuum for the job, as well as bring him back "a couple small trinkets" (a coin & a top)...
*Kenneday finds out later from the Swarmie that she is now wanted by authorities in Egypt for "reckless endangerment". It would be murder, but for some reason authorities couldn't find a body, only some dust...
**On the way back, the party also shows the swarmie how to tighten up his magic, eliminating much of the useless ritual. With that, plus the comprehend language ritual and the powerful display of their might (except for Telgarth's hiding ability, which didn't impress the naturally stealthy Halflings), the Slayers far surpassed this Toknosfar group's expectation of Slayers, and is happy to keep in touch and help you out in any way they can...
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