From here, there was only one relevant path left, the secret doors that led to the caverns which glowed sickly green.
Nearby alcoves had stashes of treasure, but also green, hazardous looking terrain. As long as one walks off the terrain quick enough, they can avoid the slight poison damage.
Beyond the first alcoves, scouting revealed greater ghouls and crypt crawlers, lots of them. Crypt crawlers are supped up versions of carrion crawlers, essentially. So this whole cavern was filled with creatures that paralyse victims.
"So what's the plan?" Neera asked. "We do have two Rings of Free action to render paralysis a non-issue."
"Yet it doesn't protect from disease from the greater ghouls. Not very palatable for Jaheira and Khalid," I said.
"N-n-not at all," Khalid said, nodding. Jaheira nodded in agreement as well.
"Skeleton bulls then? They're immune to both paralysis and disease. Resistant to piercing attacks of the greater ghouls too," Branwen suggested. "I can fire up three at once."
"Not a bad suggestion really. But the crypt crawlers use crushing attacks. So I'm keen on another tact," I responded.
Fun facts about both greater ghouls; their attacks are considered magical +1 weapons but do piercing damage. Crypt Crawlers do crushing damage, but their attacks are considered non-magical. The paralysis and/or disease effect from both can be resisted with magic resistance.
Mustard jellies are immune to all piercing damage, magical or otherwise, as well as any non-magical weapons. Mustard jellies also have 125% magic resistance.
"I hate this strategy! I hate it!" Neera screamed. Tried to scream. She had no mouth, and could not scream.
Meanwhile, the rest of us were happily providing Neera the Mustard Jelly with covering fire from behind.
---
In a section of the caverns to the far west, a greater ghoul actually spoke to us. "Come you have to this cursed place? Fools you are and doomed as well. Welcome to the damned. You will stay here, yes you will. I guard the withered corpse of that fool Durlag, because there is little else to do."
"And just who might you be? Answer carefully, because they will be your last words," Jaheira said from behind Neera the Mustard Jelly.
"My last words? Last words I spoke when my body died. I like to think there was much lamenting when Grael fell, but it was but a sidebar. Durlag entrapped the beast, and his was the victory blow that is legend. A great evil, but not even the fight is remembered in this tower. My reward in undeath. My reward is the curse of this place and the madness that claimed it."
Jaheira's eyes narrowed. A good Harper agent wouldn't miss the chance to gather pertinent information. "Of what great evil do you speak? Is this different than the assault on the tower I had heard of?"
"An evil so grand only fools chase and fight. A tanar'ri true and horrible. Its name you do not speak unless its attention you wish to bring. Long before it walked and stalked, long before even the fall of the tower. We fought along with Durlag to encase the evil away. His was the blow that won, and ours were the souls that lost. Here we stay, turned to evil and irredeemable, but heroes still and not to be killed! A cruel charity! Durlag is legend and we are a pity! Beware the gaze that is not a gaze, but a look into your soul."
That HAD to be the Aec'letec that the chronicles were talking about earlier. We had already figured its soul is trapped in the dagger Hurgan wanted. But now we knew that the tanar'ri's gaze was dangerous. Should we ever face it, we should be prepared with the right countermeasures.
"You have our thanks, undead abomination. We will endeavor to vanquish this threat with the knowledge you have provided," Jaheira said, "Now then, are you ready for your eternal rest?"
"Naïve righteous fury! That is what I was armed with as well! Here is where it led, and here is where you will be too if you do not judge your targets carefully, as well as harshly. I speak from the dead with experience. You who were like me… you who are as I was… your existence mocks mine! You wish to cleanse this place? You are welcome to try!"
This fight was kind of hectic since greater ghouls will change targets sometimes when hit, but otherwise between Neera's invincibility to their attacks and Branwen turning them away, the fight went without much of a hitch.
Grael thrashed and ran away from Branwen's turning in despair, but was easily put down with ranged fire. He looked rather frustrated to go down without putting up a decent fight.
Grael had his own wardstone. Since he claimed to be protecting Durlag's corpse, we figured his wardstone would help lead to Durlag's own tomb.
---
Past ALL the greater ghouls and crypt crawlers, we found a secret door to the far east, far away from Grael. I suspect this door opened to the wardstone in my inventory? Probably?
There was after all a tomb here. And the chest here had two VERY powerful items.
Loot: Long Sword +1 Flame Tongue, and Staff of Striking +3.
The Long Sword +1 Flame Tongue did an extra 1 fire damage (so that's how Durlag took out all the trolls) was both a silver and cold iron long sword. Its enhancement jumps to +2 vs lycanthropes and trolls, +3 vs winter wolves (why? There weren't any left at this point in the game!), and +4 vs undead. It is one of FOUR weapons in the game which can harm a Loup Garou.
The Staff of Striking +3 is one of the most powerful backstab weapon in the game. It deals +9 instead of +3 damage when attacking. Unfortunately, it has one major drawback: it has limited charges before it disappears. Basically, I should use this to backstab bosses and recharge it when needed.
"With magical items this powerful, this had to be Durlag's own weapons," Jaheira concluded, then looked to the tomb. "And that's Durlag laying there."
"Rest in piece, Durlag," I said quietly. "It's a shame he couldn't move past this tragedy and build a proper homage to loved ones lost, rather than continue to wallow in grief."
It is the duty of the living to grieve, and then move on.
---
Beyond this tomb which housed Durlag's corpse, we found some trapped corridors led to dead ends.
"I think we're coming to the unfinished parts of Durlag's tower. Basement. We should be nearing the end," I said.
"Still no Soultaker dagger for Hurgan Stoneblade though," Neera said.
"Or Dalton, the young man the mother in Ulgoth's beard asked us to look out for," Imoen said.
"Or the last compass room," Jaheira said.
One last corridor revealed a throne room, with a HUGE pile of gold and gems! About 14k gold, diamonds, emeralds, rogue stones, star sapphires!
Oh, and a Shortsword +1. Eh.
"The throne itself is enchanted. Judging from its magic, I figure it'll whisk us away," Neera said, pointing to it.
To the last compass room, most likely.
---
True enough, we were transported to a room with four golems and a compass symbol on the floor.
Mishapen golem, "We came to kill, but not without reasonsss. We were here before, asss were the tentecalesss. Tehir underground wasss near, and the tower intruded on their expansionsss. Asss well, the bait was too great to passs. The dwarvesss did not hide their wealthhhh; did not ssstop the rumorsss of waist-deep gold! The invaderssss came and ssstill come, but not without invite. We came to kill, but not without reasonsss."
Again, mention that their masters have tentacles. Do tentacles mean mindflayers? Eh, who knows.
Dwarf golem, "There was no warning, but it would not have helped. There was no need to prepare for hard times, because hard times would never come. So we were assured, and so we believed. The great Trollkiller was our provider, and he would protect us. We put down our swords to live the life he always wanted: We lived as family. Suspicions were for outsiders; guards and weapons were for wartime. There was no warning, but it would not have helped."
Human golem, "We crafted as we were told. We built this place to prevent all from entering. We trapped every inch of every step, and made sure that to enter meant death. We have killed many over time, though it is not our will. It is all to protect against a repeat of the past, though the challenges ensure it will repeat. A mountain to climb, a river to cross. Because it is there, they will come. We crafted as we were told."
Durlag golem, "This is the end of things. Here I stood and struck them down as they came. My family and my clan, with their false faces. They dropped all pretense and drew their weapons against me. I fought them to the last, killing the shapechangers that had taken their forms. I cursed them for destroying the dream, but they were not the real evil. The real evil could not save my people before this deception. The real evil hid from life in the face of this tragedy. The real evil deserves the blame. This is the end of things. Answer where blame has fallen."
We spent quite some time arguing about this last one.
"Keep in mind Durlag couldn't move past his grief. Ultimately, he is the leader of his new clan, and he felt most responsible when his clan died and left him alone with survivor's guilt," I argued my case with the rest. "As the leader of our group, I know this well enough myself. Whenever I find ways to easily accomplish what could have been a risky battle, I have this responsibility in mind."
"Alright, you win, dear leader," Neera said. "Go on, show us you're right about this."
Neera supported me, of course, knowing fully well I knew the actual answer.
I told Durlag's golem, "The blame begins with the invaders, but they attacked with supposed good reason. It could be on your people, but they were in the shelter of your confidence. The craftsmen only did their jobs as directed. In your eyes, you are the one to blame for all that has happened."
The golem of Durlag was just that, a golem. Yet I could almost thought I heard a tone of regret in it's voice. "You have understood. You may yet survive what I could not."
And we we whisked away by teleportation magic once more.