This chamber is humid and dank with the smell of fresh blood. A 10 foot-wide relief sculpture of a skullface is carved in the center of the floor. Blood trickles from the skull's eye sockets, keeping large but shallow floor basins overtopped with the cloying crimson fluid. Ghouls infest the chamber, many of them lounging in the basins of blood.
It looks as if afar greater volume of blood could issue from the skull's wide eye sockets than is currently flowing.
As our heroes enter the chamber, the iron-hard bone doors slam shut, and the skull face in the floor begins to spray blood in fountains that scour the ceiling.
As they fight, the room is completely filled by blood, and after defeating the ghouls, Zakonik manages to break one of the bone doors, and escape the room with the others.
THEATER OF THE FLESHLESS
Except for a raised area in the hack that is brightly lit with a sourceless golden light, the floor here is knee deep in corpses, many of which are in advanced stages of decay. None shows signs of having been munched upon by ghouls.
Five humans stand on the raised area in the rear. All wear the elaborate dress of nobles. One holds a skull at arms length and carries on a one-sided conversation with the object.
The flesh of the hurnans on the raised platform seems a little slack in some places and too tight in others. The figure holding the skull raises it and yells, "See! As the skull of murdered Sir Deron prophesied, the corrupt Lords of Riverwood have come to slay us, their faithful servants of old, to hide their crimes! To that, I say nay!" The other figures on the platform respond in unison, "Nay!"
But the actors are not the real threath. After our heroes quickly dispatch them, the skull sheds lightning from its eye sockets, and hovers above them, attacking with powerful magic. It is in reality Sir Deron, the Demilich!
The undead creature reveals itself as a dangerous opponent, but in the end our heroes win the day.
HONOR GUARD
A massive, armor-scaled bull stands ready on the other side of the doors. Lightning constantly plays across its hide. The large room beyond seems designed around a grand set of stairs that descend on the far side. The stairs are flanked by skull-studded retaining walls and begin their descent between two elaborate statues of the Ghoul King. Standing near one statue is a mighty winged dragonborn that wields a blade of flame. Next to the other statue is an aberrant insectoid creature that is roughly humanoid despite its carapace and wings. Streamers of human flesh hang from the creature's limbs like obscene decorations. Finally five withered humanoids in ruined finery stand a few steps down the grand stairs. These are the last guardians befoe our heroes can get access to the Courht of Teeth, where Doreasin himself awaits them.
COURT OF TEETHThe floor of this large chamber shudders. It is a sea of ravenous undead, composed entirely of hundreds of standing ghouls jammed shoulder to shoulder. They are wedged so closely together that their upturned, hungry maws and waving, clawed hands seem like a solid surface. A gruesome but alluringly song issues from their open mouths.
The chamber is ringed with black square columns. Several of these serve as roosts for floating, fiery skulls. A great dais three tiers high dominates the chamber. Each tier rises 10 feet above the last.
A ghoul, eyes ablaze with sickly green light, stands on the highest tier. He wears a coat of supple humanflesh. A crown of bones rests on his head, and he wields a crystalline staff around which ghostly rings hover and shimmer. Through these rings, scenes of other worlds are visible. Another creature also stands on the upper tier of the dais -a huge, burning humanoid with bat wings, a lightning sword, and a fiery whip. Rising up behind and partially obscured by the great dais stands a massive, ram-headed statue whose wingtips scrape the ceiling. It is a visage of Orcus that looks all too real.
The Ghoul King releases his crystalline staff, which disappears into one of the shimmering rings surrounding it. In its place appears a staff formed of a rigid spinal column topped by a skull. Doresain screams over the constant groans of the massed ghouls, "Your quest ends here, sad fools! Did you think you could chase down the primordial so easily? Despite all your power, you have learned nothing about the true nature of existence. You are here because I willed it. You followed a trail long cold-Timesus is even now with Orcus so that he can unseat Death herself. You walked willingly toyourfinal deaths. Come, let us end your suffering!"The fiery skulls try to lure the heroes on the sea of ravening ghouls, while the Balor interposes himself between the heroes and his master. But our champions' power is no to be trifled with, and, while Waylander, Deadrie and Druss keep the Balor at bay, Zakonik teleports to Doresain, and unleashes his fury.
As Zakonik strikes him down, he taunts him with his last breath. "Even this was foreseen by the Demon Lord of Undeath! Your fate is not your own!"
Our heroes then proceed to the extermination of all the minions, and discover great treasures in the chamber, among them Audaviator, a staff of mighty powers whose main aim is to travel the Multiverse.
Now that the connection between their world and Timesus is forever cut, our heroes make plans to return home.
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