Kadrin moved to face the gargoyles with shield and warhammer ready. The old general had faced flying foe before and knew that positioning was everything. He moved away from the party to prevent them being able to attack en mass and made his move to attack first. His hammer struck the gargoyle hard in the face as it dove downwards, the sound of hammer against stone rang across the room. The charge of the gargoyle was ended and it crashed and rolled to across the ground, but still came back up to move towards the general.

Maximus attacked with his swords as a strong creature attacked him from above. The magic of his weapons was strong enough to pierce the rocky hide of the creature several times but he was unsure whether he got a good attack in or not. Lucky, is speed and armour was enough to turn the claws and fangs of the gargoyles away.

Using Scalpel and Suction together, Sparrow engaged the gargoyle in close. The two sprawl across the stone floor, striking at each other in earnest. In the end, Sparrow kicked the monster off of her and slashed it several placed. The gargoyle scored wounds against Sparrow but the magic of suction drew energy from the creature and healed the wounds as quickly as they were made.

The Ody-Bear attacked with axe and fervour against the gargoyle. His axe bit deep into its side and it howled in pain. The monster managed to bite Ody, but in his bear-form, the gargoyle was unable to hurt him.

Jarenion rarely stood toe to toe with monster sin combat, but he did so against these beasts. As the one moved to rake claws across the mage, he struck with staff and muttered a quick incantation. There was a bright flash, a sound like bacon frying in a hot pan and the gargoyle was no more than dust in the floor of the room.

The gargoyles fly back away from your party and regroup. They are clearly rattled by the mage's staff and the death of one of their comrades. The three that are left then dive into the stone floor like passing through water. You look around at each other and keep up your guard, but another attack does not come.

The gargoyles had fled and the party needed to move on before something else tried to corner them in this room. The door out was about twenty feet up the wall and there nothing in the room to help them reach it. Walking to the stone wall the Cleric recalled a spell of change that aid their escape. Placing his hand on the stone Ody prayed to Mother Earth to grant him the spell of Shape Stone. Drawing the stone from the wall he formed series of blocks rising from the floor to the jam of the door creating a stair. Now Max could reach the door to check it for traps, neutralize it and then open a way out.

As the stone steps emerged from the wall Jarenion held his position. Since his staff appeared to be the best weapon against the Gargoyles he would be the last out of the room. As he carefully tried to keep an eye on all of the walls, floors, ceilings and stone surfaces for emerging gargoyles, including the stone at his feet, he spoke out to his comrades, "Be careful when you open the door. You never know which way will be "up" once it is opened."

Thinking about the chance of the room flipping on them again the mage brought the spell feather fall to mind - just in case. And with the spell in mind and his staff in hand he grinned. It seemed fighters weren't the only ones who occasionally like a little physical smiting. He was a meat shield! Ok, a small one, but it was time to be the muscle of the group. Well, sort of. Based on a magic staff. But wielded with muscles.

As he scanned the walls, floor and ceiling for emerging gargoyles, Jarnenion kept his thinking cap on and also kept his eye out for any sign that there might be additional traps or secret doors in the room. Dungeons never held such things, right?

As the gargoyles dived into their attack, Maximus was happy to see his swords cut deep into the stone creatures hide but to what effect the large Ex-gladiator now thief could not say. Yet even with Kedrin's hammer, Sparrows life draining sword, and Ody's sheer ferocity, the four of them gained no kills. In the end it was the Mage Jarenion that turned the tide with his instantaneous death of one of the gargoyles.

With the gargoyles for the moment beaten off the next task was getting out of this pit like room. After a quick yet brief discussion Ody moved to the wall creating steps out of its stone. Hesitating not at all Max moved up to the door to check it for locks or traps.

"Be careful when you open the door. You never know which way will be "up" once it is opened." Jarenion spoke a warning. Turning to face the mage Max gave a nod of his head in agreement and went to work...................

Sparrow was kind of glad that she was no longer going to be the first one up the wall. Better to let someone else take the risks; that way she was more likely to return home safe. She continued her watch with both swords at the ready in case the gargoyles felt like visiting again.

The stone stairs are created and the party moves up to the doorway. It is a simple door made of oak, bound with iron and Maximus does not locate any traps hidden on the doorway. Opening it and moving in, there is a brief moment of disorientation as the gravity shifts back to where it was when you first entered the tomb. Luckily, you are within a few feet of the floor when this happens so there is no far to fall. Once you have righted yourselves, you look around this room.

This large room (30x40) looks like it is or was in the process of renovations. There are sections of walls removed and torn down. Stone dust and plaster bits cover the floor. Other than the door you came in through, there are no other exits apparently.

In the centre of the room, illuminated by a single bean of light from the ceiling, is a woman, chained to a stone chair and with a black cauldron placed on her head, covering her face and shoulders. She is wearing a simple white dress than is dirty and bloodstained in places. Her figure is definitely feminine. She is however alive as she calls out as you enter the room, "Acererak? Acererak? Is that you? What foul tortures do you have prepared for me this time? You have not broken me yet and never shall!"

After escaping the pit, the party moved into a new room. Almost immediately they saw a bound woman who called out in challenge to someone. Sparrow redrew her swords in case the person the woman expected suddenly appeared. "Who are you?" she asked the bound woman.

The party moved from the upside down room to a right side up room. Once again the had to quickly recover before falling to the floor. This chamber seemed odd that it was appearing to have walls removed or changed.

The shaman sees in the center of the room, illuminated by a single bean of light from the ceiling, is a woman, chained to a stone chair and with a black cauldron placed on her head, covering her face and shoulders. She is wearing a simple white dress than is dirty and bloodstained in places. Her figure is definitely feminine. She is however alive as she calls out as you enter the room, "Acererak? Acererak? Is that you? What foul tortures do you have prepared for me this time? You have not broken me yet and never shall!"
As the remaining group gather in the room Sparrow redrew her swords; she is the first to speak to the chained figure. "Who are you?" she asked the bound woman.
Odyson moves carefully around behind the stone chair; as they await the woman's reply he cast a know alignment spell on the woman in hopes of gathering something useful.

Jarenion entered the room with the others. This "person" in front of him worried him a great deal. Something wasn't right. This isn't what the legends suggested. Could the Lich be alive (well, alive in lich terms) and this be one of the witches? Theories raced through his mind, but none of them had more than a wisp of smoke for a basis.

He wasn't sure he had have started with the first question that was asked, but there needed to be a start somewhere. Carefully he made sure the door to the room behind them was shut and he looked to be sure this figure was actually bound. Did he have a mirror on him, just in case?

He waited for a response, keeping his eyes on everything - using the excuse of keeping an eye out for the gargoyles making another appearance for keep his eyes away from the thing in the room. He clutched his staff and waited.

Working quickly Maximus found no traps and easily unlocked the door. Moving into the new room beyond and after brief moment of disorientation, he found himself with the others in a large room 30x40. By the looks of it the room had been or still was in the process of renovations. Even with sections of walls removed and torn down no other way out was visible.

However the most startling sight in the room was at its center where a woman, was chained to a stone chair wearing a black cauldron over her head face and shoulders. As Maximus tried to make sense of the sight before him Sparrow was the first to speak up.

"Who are you?" asked the Half-Elvin Ranger.

As Ody moved closer Maximus had a bad feeling about this whole set-up and would not stay silent.

"Ody, careful, nothing so far within these walls has been what it has first appeared to be. Mayhap before we free this women cast if you can Know Alignment. If evil she be, then we kill her, or leave her to her fate."

With Hoth and Jal in hand he awaited the Shaman's reading of the women's aura.

The woman under the cauldron laughs a mirthless laugh and says, "Ody? Hardly a hero's name now is that? Ody? You should try Ody the Terrible or Sir Ody the Good, Great and Godlike. Please Ody! Spare your divine favours for more pressing matters and allow me to assure you that I am all together evil and were it not for my current predicament, I would no doubt be hunting you instead of being the bait and the trap at the same time. You should not remove this steel hood from my head unless you wish only death as a peace from the torment." As an emphasis to her statement, the sudden hisses of many snakes echo from within the cauldron. "As to who I am, though I think you care more for what I am, my name is Cassandra."

(Ody can choose whether to continue casting the spell)

"So an elfmaid, a human, another elf and a ..." more hissing noise comes from within, "and a werebear enter a tomb. What is the punchline?" Cassandra asks.

"You are bait and a trap? Who is hunting what?" Sparrow was a more than a bit concerned about being in a room where a medusa was bait. Something powerful must be the prey and something powerful must have captured her. Sparrow did not want to meet either.

Maximus after having opened the door moved to the side as the rest of the party moved into the room. As he himself entered he heard a distorted but clearly female voice coming from under the cauldron

"Ody? Hardly a hero's name now is that? Ody? You should try Ody the Terrible or Sir Ody the Good, Great and Godlike. Please Ody! Spare your divine favors for more pressing matters and allow me to assure you that I am all together evil and were it not for my current predicament, I would no doubt be hunting you instead of being the bait and the trap at the same time. You should not remove this steel hood from my head unless you wish only death as a peace from the torment." As an emphasis to her statement, the sudden hisses of many snakes echo from within the cauldron. "As to who I am, though I think you care more for what I am, my name is Cassandra."

A brief pause then she continued.

"So an elf maid, a human, another elf and a ..." more hissing noise comes from within, "and a werebear enter a tomb. What is the punch line?" Cassandra asks.

"You are bait and a trap? Who is hunting what?" Sparrow asked the lady before them.

As Maximus listened to her words realizing she had said nothing about their Dwarf companion Kadrin, He saw a possible advantage if it came to a fight. However he knew to stay and speak with this medusa or not was dangerous.

"Enough of this, she has already admitted to being evil. Let us kill her or leave this room, there is no reason to talk with her or be prodded by her into some foolish action." Moving carefully Maximus went to work seeking another exit from the room.

Jarenion was not pleased to be right this time. He had guessed that the prisoner was a medusa the moment they entered the room and now it seemed he was correct. Damn. But "always be prepared" had been the slogan of the elvish scouts when he was a kid many years ago and so he was. Prepared, that is. He pulled out the small mirror he carried with him for just such a situation. You never knew when you'd meet a medusa, right?

He was pleased to see Maximus looking for other exits - there had to be one. Otherwise they had reached a dead end in the tomb and that just didn't make any sense. But he left the search for doors to the big man. He carefully examined the bindings holding the woman - was she really bound? It would not do to have her suddenly remove her helmet.

He was tempted to just kill her as was suggested, but knew that having a witch tied up here calling out to the tombs resident was a mystery that deserved a bit of their time. It might be just to mislead them, or even a trap. Well, it was almost certainly a trap. But why? They needed information.

"Nice helmet Cassandra. Normally one with such fine headgear is not so arrogant." Here he tapped lightly on the pot with his staff - not hard, just enough to feel if there were, indeed, snakes on the other side. If there were moving snakes, he thought he would be able to tell. Nothing in this tomb seemed to be what they expected, so it was worth confirming that this wasn't an illusion. He held up his mirror as he did so. Tapping her on the head might annoy the "lady," but somehow it didn't seem likely to make the trap any worse. "Who gave you such a nice helmet? What are you waiting for? I would think even the legendary Cassandra would have trouble seeing what the future holds when all she can see is the inside of a pot."

The elf wizard stood back to see what effect his words would have, keeping the mirror at the ready. Even as he did so he thought - Gargoyles. Now that makes sense. He would continue to be wary of an attack through the walls, floor or ceiling.

His thoughts on the stone guardians were voiced. "Were those gargoyles your pets or your jailers?"