Session Twenty-Three Recap

The Climb: Following the destruction of the mechanical fire-breathing hounds, the party identifies the only exit as a ledge 40 feet above them. Nebish flies up to scout, discovering a dark corridor leading deeper into the complex.
Scaling the Face: Bludarious (Blu) utilizes his Gloves of Climbing but falls twice, sustaining bludgeoning damage before successfully reaching the top. Drathus uses a climber’s kit to anchor himself and scales the wall with ease. Grundel struggles initially, losing his footing and falling once, but eventually manages to crest the ledge with the rest of the party.

The Descent: The party follows a spiraling stone corridor that descends deep below the level of the previous rooms. The air grows cold and damp, and the stone begins to emanate a faint, sickly green glow reminiscent of Shardisite.
The Armory Room: They enter a lavish, masonry-carved armory filled with polished weapons and four stone pedestals (daises).
Magical Acquisitions: Mickle utilizes Detect Magic to identify several items, though most pedestals are protected by poison gas traps:
- The Ale of Flying Fist: Grundel retrieves a gold-fitted wooden keg. Despite triggering a trap and taking 4 poison damage, he acquires several servings of an ale that grants temporary hit points and the effects of a Bless spell.
- Assassin's Glass Daggers: Blue and Nebish recover a belt of six obsidian daggers. They trigger a trap during the “switcheroo,” sustaining 11 poison damage from the resulting gas.
- The Baron's Shield: Mickle uses a gas mask to safely retrieve a teardrop shield emblazoned with the Baron’s face, which hums with magical energy.
- The Quarterstaff: Tucked away on a rack, Mickle finds an unidentified magical quarterstaff.

The Statue Ambush: In the next chamber, the party finds a five-foot-tall, twice life-size solid silver statue of The Baron holding a massive amber jewel. Drathus snatches the jewel, causing the statue to animate as a Silver Golem and enter a combat stance.
Brutal Combat: Grundel finds his non-magical wrench ineffectual against the silver construct. However, Drathus delivers two consecutive critical hits with his magical morningstar, enhanced by a second-level Divine Smite, carving deep gashes into the golem's silver “flesh”.
The Molten Maneuver: The golem retaliates by slamming Drathus, its fists turning “molten” to form a silver net that constricts and restrains the Paladin.
The Execution: After Mickle paints a “frowny face” on the golem's butt as a distraction, Blu borrows the “Executioner” great axe from Drathus. Blu leaps from the stairs and splits the golem in half, causing it to hit the ground with the sound of a massive gong.

The Exploding Chests: The party discovers two large chests near the golem's dais. Both are rigged with high-yield explosives:
- Chest One: Explodes for 32 damage, pelting the party with 36 gold bars (25 lbs each).
- Chest Two: Explodes for 25 damage, releasing 12 platinum bars (25 lbs each).
The Haul: Realizing they cannot carry the full weight of the treasure, the party fills the Bag of Holding to its 500-lb limit with all 12 platinum bars and 7 gold bars, leaving the rest of the “riches” behind.

The Hidden Contraption: Mickle detects a massive object hidden behind a magically reinforced, regenerating stone wall. After failed attempts to chisel through the stone or use Dimension Door, they resort to the “Big Boy” bomb provided by Grundel.
The Reveal: The explosion shatters the illusion, revealing a large, now-defunct mechanical contraption. Mickle identifies it as a specialized Projector designed to cast “illusions of grand power” over vast distances. The machine features three empty slots meant for jars—presumably the resting place for the Hag Eyes the Baron intended to use to intimidate the Amazonian Navy.
Conclusion: With the machine destroyed and the vault picked clean, the party prepares for their final escape as midnight approaches.