Having divided Uffrandir's hoard, the party returns to the maze-like corridors of the prison. Soon, they discover a cell occupied by a wounded astral deva. The deva's answers to the party's questions are inconsistent, but suddenly Malak hears the voice of Jerribeth in his head. "Free the angel," she says, "and I will release you from our bond." It seems like a good deal, and the party figures that anyone trapped in the Ineluctable Prison is an enemy of Baphomet. So Elaryan disintegrates the cell door, and the angel flies away. "Thank you," says the voice of Jerribeth to Malak. "Minagho will be a valuable ally to our cause." Moments later, Jerribeth's rune disappears from Malak's back. The draconic disciple is free. Continuing to explore the cellblocks, the heroes pass a seemingly empty cell, but with its wall of force still in place. A cold wind flows from within, seemingly though the wall of force. As the adventurers approach, the ghost of an elven maiden manifests and beckons to Elaryan. Intrigued, the sorcerer opens the cell and enters. The shade speaks quietly, so that only he can hear. "I see you bear my staff," she says, indicating the staff of healing that the party acquied on Colophyr. "My name is Cessily Manitel. The last time I saw that staff, it was in the possession of my husband, Kestoglyr. He and I were servants of Sarenrae who infiltrated the Ivory Labyrinth long ago. Ketsoglyr succumbed to Baphomet and betrayed me. I was imprisoned here, and in time my despair drove me to suicide." Malak remembers Kestoglyr, the graveknight with the bodak crew, whom the party defeated. Elaryan relates this information to the ghost, hoping to put her spirit to rest. But Cessily reveals that something else holds her spirit in thrall. When she was captured, Baphomet took her sacred scimitar, Dawnflower’s Kiss. That weapon was a gift from Sarenrae herself, but now it has been corrupted. She begs Elaryan to find it and to redeem it, so that she can finally rest. Elaryan tells the shade that he will do his best. Further exploration brings the party to a strange cell at the end of a winding hall. Beyond the wall of force , a luxurious chamber combines the features of a vast library, a wizard’s laboratory, and a throne room, yet it also carries an air of emptiness. No apprentices or supplicants or guards occupy the chamber, and dust lies in heaps in empty corners and thickly blankets many surfaces, giving the grand chamber a look of partial abandonment. Along one wall looms an enormous bookshelf lined with all manner of tomes. Along another, an enormous tapestry depicts a vast city and immense stone bridge laid out in the shadow of a mountain whose peak has been carved to resemble the visage of a leering old man. The party has begun to tentatively explore the chamber when, suddenly, an elderly human appears before them-- a man who seems eerily similar to the old man on the tapestry. He introduces himself as Runelord Alderpash, and explains that he has been watching the party as they explored the prison. Alderpash has been trapped in this cell for 11,000 years, due to a potent binding effect placed by Baphomet himself. He is willing to aid the party in their quest, if they will help free him. He believes a mage’s disjunction will sever the binding effect, but he cannot cast it himself, for it is from one of his opposition schools. He asks Elaryan to cast in, and offers to use a wish to free Malak from his mythic curse of death in return. Elaryan and Loki are suspicious of the offer, and so they try to negotiate. They refuse to free the wizard until he casts wish for them. Alderpash grows more and more impatient with them, as he is uncertain that Elaryan can even cast mage’s disjunction , and he is reluctant waste a 25,000 gp diamond. Meanwhile, from the safety of the hallway outside the cell, Malak uses his mariachi marionette to mock the runelord, calling him an old lady. "MARIACHI THINKS OLD LADY IS LYING", he shouts and, "MARIACHI NOT TRUST OLD LADY". Finally, Alderpash has has enough. He begins to escalate the situation, first by summoning two bonepowder ghouls to his side, then-- when the party continues to mock him-- by casting time stop . In a blink of an eye, both Alderpash and the ghouls are gone. Fearing the worst, both Elaryan and Loki try to flee, but they are halfway to the door when three delayed blast fireballs simultaneously explode. Loki ducks below the flames, but Elaryan is grievously wounded. Seconds later, one of the invisible ghouls strike with horrid wilting , killing Elaryan. Loki holds up his hands and begins to frantically negotiate. He beseeches Alderpash to discontinue the attack, and promises that the party will do everything in their power to free him. Mollified, Alderpash calls off the ghouls, and even uses a wish to return Elaryan to life. He then asks Elaryan to cast mage’s disjunction . as promised. Instead, Elaryan casts chain lightning on the runelord. The secondary bolts of the spell are somewhat effective, damaging the runelord's ghouls, but Alderpash himself is unaffected. Elaryan runs for the door, but before he can make it to the safety of the hallway, Alderpash slays him with finger of death . Loki takes to the safety of the shadows as Malak casts antimagic field upon himself. Malak enters the wizards chamber as Alderpash throws up mutiple walls of force to block his way. At that exact moment, however, a great bellowing roar is heard from the twisting hallway behind them. Inger-Maggor, Keeper of the Hounds of Baphomet, has tracked the party from Uffrandir's lair. A massive armored minotaur, Inger-Maggor charges up to the heroes, swinging his mighty greataxe. The ivory hunter can somehow detect the curse of death on Malak, and focuses his attacks on the dragon disciple. Malak fights valiantly, and his antimagic field is somewhat effective at protecting him. But he is still wounded from the battle with Uffrandir, and Inger-Maggor fights like a being possessed. Eventually, Malak falls. His vengeance sated, the minotaur turns to leave via the winding hall. Loki is having none of it. Even though the halfling is severely wounded, he runs after the Keeper of the Hounds, leaping onto the minotaur's back. Unfortunately, Inger-Maggor is too powerful. The minotaur grabs Loki in one massive claw and dashes him against one of the ivory walls of the hallway, ending the halfling's life. Everyone who played gains 10,000 XP.
