dwin, having ruminated on the subject during the previous night, determined that the tentacles of the Rust Monster might be distilled into a powerful alchemical concoction. Enthused by the idea he dragged Grapthar back to the previous tower to harvest the corpists, while the rest of the party set up camp. Once there Edwin carefully sawed off the creatures rust-inducing appendages at their base and wrapped them in a cloth bag inside a leather pouch.
On their return the party made camp in front of the metal doors.
The next morning Grapthar idly toyed with the four key segments, when suddenly two of them snapped together. The connection was completely seamless, as though the two keys had always been joined. The other two keys were similarly assembled into a square which fit the inlay of the doors. A seam appeared and the doors majestically swung open to reveal the room beyond.
Edwin's Extensive Edificatory Expositions
The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of the same bluish metal as the four keys. I think it is an alloy containing mithral and possibly corbomite. It certainly has the hardness of mithral. The apparently stable addition of the normally explosive corbomite is quite interesting, though I think it might explain the adhesive property of the keys when held firmly together ... but I digress.
The room contained eight thickly padded chairs, which appeared to flow seamlessly from the material of the floor and thus form an integral part of the room. Chaden began searching for secret doors while the rest of the group and I wandered about looking for anything unusual. I did not notice any seams, nor casting marks, nor any other indication of how such a large chunk of material could be worked... but I digress.
I decided the couches were the most promising area to begin searching. Shortly after clambering up on one, the room shifted sharply. There was a strong sensation of upward acceleration, forcing everyone to the floor (except me, though I was pushed more firmly into the padding than I would like). Sudden flashes of color raced across the walls. With my face pressed into the material I didn't get a good view of them all, but I did catch glimpses what I would have to describe as saffron. From the accompanying nausea and pressure I believe the room exists simultaneously on two planes of existence, the Prime Material and one other. Normally saffron color pools would be associated with a portal to the Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, though I think in this case we were transported to a small pocket dimension... but I digress.
The Narrator
Gradually the rapid ascent slowed, and those party members thrown to the floor were able to stand. A five foot diameter perfectly round hole had appeared in the ceiling. Seremak lifted Katriana up into the hole: a tube led straight upwards through rough stone, though ladder rungs could be seen beginning about twenty feet up. Chaden scaled the walls to tie a rope to the lowest rung.
The tube led upwards some fifty feet before opening up into an enormous room filled with a warm, thick mist. The fog cut visibility to ten feet, though there was clearly a bright source of illumination far above and a slight breeze could be felt. Save for the gravel floor Edwin thought it looked very much like the Elemental Plane of Air. Grapthar and Chaden, whose Darkvision was reasonably effective in the fog, took either end of a rope which the rest of the adventurers held on to. Grapthar walked a hundred feet forwards until he came up against the stone wall of the tower, and continued to the right until he spotted the heat signature of the first can of whoop-ass.
Chaden spotted it as well, and immediately flung an Orb of Fire. She missed, but heard an loud screech like that of a large bird.
The Narrator
Edwin cast Haste as Kaerick began singing Inspiring Ways, and Rai charged immediately out to bite the creature. The sphinx launched itself into the air, slashing Rai as it flew by. Once it came close enough to be seen in the fog Chaden hit with an Orb of Fire while Kaerick shot a Sleep arrow (which did not take effect) followed by two more. Katriana summoned an Arrow Hawk, which immediately shot a bolt of lightning at the sphinx. Grapthar struck with his flaming battleaxe and Seremak hit the monster three times as it flew by, killing it.
The party continued around the tower a short distance, finding first a staircase going upwards and then an enormous pile of detritus which served as the lair of the Hieracosphinx. It contained:
The spiral staircase beckoned. Without handrails and slippery from the fog, ascent was treacherous. Chaden sensed movement coming from above. Three enormous flying reptiles descended through the mists. Thin of body with a four foot beak and twenty foot wingspan, the Pteradons swooped down to try to knock the party from the stairs. As they flew by Chaden and Edwin launched missile weapons at them. Chaden scored a hit, while Edwin is essentially useless with the crossbow. Grapthar repeatedly threw his returning handaxe, scoring hits each time. Seremak was nearly knocked from the staircase by one of the creatures, but sliced off its right wing as it soared past. A second of the reptiles targeted Rai, knocking the canine from the staircase (he sustained minor damage from the fall). The pteradon banked for another strafing run, knocking Seremak off the stairs. Seremak twisted as he fell to lop off its head, then braced for impact. Chaden, Edwin, Katriana, Kaerick and Grapthar took out the final foe with a barrage of ranged weapons.
The staircase opened into a large, well lit area full of greenery and undergrowth. The ground was covered with a rich loamy soil, while numerous trees soared thirty feet to the ceiling above. Katriana noted that all of the plants were ancient varieties, and believed this level of the tower represented what Greyhawk must have looked like some ten thousand years ago.