View source for Maure Castle: The Iron Golem

[[Category:Blackrazor Guild Sagas]]

==About the Saga==

The Blackrazors plunge deeper into Maure Castle, and find its terrible iron golem guardian.

===Timeframe===

* Greyhawk Date: Readyreat 25, CY 591
* Real World Date: 2005-03-25
* [[Blackrazor Guild Sagas|Read other Blackrazor Guild Sagas]]

===Cast of Characters===

* [[Scrappy]], human rogue (Damon)
* [[Ian]], human ranger (Nate)
* [[Alistar]], human wizard/loremaster (James)
* [[Charybdis]], cleric/rogue (NPC)

===Notable Quotes===

“Get your ass out of here you idiot!” – Scrappy to Alistar, as the rogue is trying to escape the iron golem that just turned Ian to stone.

===What Has Come Before===

The Blackrazors were exploring Maure Castle when they stumbled across a cache of cursed magic items, which drove one of their number -- a cleric of Pelor -- mad while simultaneously changing his sex to female. Having recovered from this unexpected betrayal, they now plan to venture deeper into the dungeon.

==The Saga==
===Ready'reat 25, 591===

Loot body, throw remains into pool where it is eaten by fish. Explore the eastern portion of the dungeon, returning to the stone wall with the "danger" and "Bigby" glyphs. Alistar--with darkvision provided by his cursed robe of eyes--looks through a 6" hole in the wall and sees a round room with nine shallow holes in it. The party wisely decides to take Bigby's warning, and leave.

Then go to the northern wall of the main chamber, and examine six different rooms, one of which had fine furniture and bed, one piled high with broken bits of adventure, and one with four statues pointing spears at a blood spot in the center. Scrappy flicks a coin on to the blood spot, but nothing bad happens. Alistar casts detect magic, revealing a faint abjuration over the blood stain.

Ian quickly goes around the room, breaking off the spear points, shattering them. He then stands on the blood spot, recovering the coin and experiencing a slight tingling. After leaving the room, they check the sixth and final room, finding it to be empty. Suspicious, Alistar casts true seeing in hopes of revealing illusions or powerful magic, but find nothing.

They rest for the night, re-memorize their spells, and prepare to venture forth. 

===Ready'reat 26, 591===

The next day, Charybdus casts Remove Curse on Alistair to rid him of the cursed robe, and Divination to seek guidance to defeat the golem. The cryptic answer returned by Ralishaz was "...the weapons at hand will aid you." The party took this to mean the weapons held by the smaller statues below the golem. They head south and find a towering, 30-foot tall black satin curtain stretching off to either side, held up by tall wooden towers. Scrappy summons a 24-foot ladder using Alistar's robe of useful things. He climbs up the ladder, cuts a whole in the curtain and looks out onto the huge arena beyond. He climbs back down, and as he does so, the curtain billows outward, spawning a huge animated sheet. The party quickly shreds it, reducing it to threads before Alistar burns it to ash with burning hands.

He casts arcane eye and sends it to scout out the arena. Sees six statues, towering over the field below, and recognizes them as scions of House Maure. When the eye evaporates, they are about to retreat back when they are confronted by a cleric of Ralishaz named Charydbus. 

====The Golem Awakens====

Go in flying, scout out secret door, revealed to be false door, awakening golem. Mage cases wall of ice to encase golem, while Scrappy and Ian go running up and snag magic weapons from other statues.

Golem breaks free, then alistar hits it with chain lightening, slowing it. Scrappy throws his new dagger at the golem, missing badly Ian steps up, hits the golem with the sword, scratching it. The golem lashes out, hitting him with his feathered whip and turning him to stone. It then breaths fire at Scrappy, who deftly avoids it.

Charybdus, hasted, but on the ground, spring attacks the golem, but misses. She then turns and runs as the slowed golem, which ponderously moves after her.

He then flies over to the other secret door, opens it … and finds it's another falls door. Alister flies back from curtain (after confirming that it not now covering a force wall) and sends his raven to pick up Scrappy's fallen dagger.

The golem, seeing the cleric flee, turns and slowly flies toward the hovering mage. Alistar, seeing this, flies away, terrified, escaping beyond the curtain.

Scrappy then flies up to examine the final secret door, opening a darkened space and stairs going down into the complex. The golem flies over toward Scrappy, and breathes fire again, scorching him badly.

"Get your ass out of here you idiot!" - Scrappy shouts to Alistar!

Scrappy and Alistar then flee, picking up Charybdus on the way out. They run to the Unopenable Doors, with Alistar throwing up a wall of force to slow it. They open the doors - somewhat surprised that they were not trapped or locked in some way-and leave. As they do so, they attempt to jam the door with an iron spike, which the door bends, and then tried to block it with an immoveable rod, which surprisingly moves.

They fall back to the Blackrazor camp, and attempt to figure out what the hell to do next. 

===Ready'reat 27, 591===
The next day, Alistar uses analyze dweomer and legend lore in an attempt to figure out how to open the door. He learns that the best way to open the door is to use the Silver Key of the Planes which is reportedly in the possession of the Circle of Eight.

==Experience==

* Charybdus: 225
* Scrappy: 93
* Ian: 225
* Alistar: 225