Entered Level 20 - Runestone Caverns

Discovery, Exploration

Entered the Runestone Caverns and experienced visions indicating that Halaster Blackcloak is really obsessed with Ezzat. Ultimately made it inside the tower and spoke with Ezzat, who convinced the party to work with him against Halaster. They then encountered Chanteralla the Myconid sovereign from Level 13 and led her and her people to a fungal promised land.   Returned to Level 20 and made it up the tower along with the Gentleman Bastards, who wished the phylactery to get the wish from the genies, intending to save Pe

Immediately upon entering the floor, the party assaulted the stalagmite tower tipped with the Runestone which functioned as a disintegration ray machine gun. They destroyed the runestone, but Zar'ryth was killed. The party returned to Waterdeep, taking out a loan from Mirt the Moneylender, in order to bring her back.   When the party returned they encountered the Gentleman Bastards who agreed to help fight the lich in exchange for the phylactery. Grel Momesk wanted the object so they could get a wish from the genies, which he intended to use to bring their friend Perlos back.   Upon encountering Ezzat, they learned the lich was working to bring down Halaster Blackcloak. The lich believed that Halaster returns time after time due to a stock of clones, and had created an item which could trap Halaster's soul long enough to stop it from using a clone. The Gentleman Bastards were not happy at the perceived betrayal, though the party promised to find another way to aid Perlos.   Ezzat dialogue:  

"Halaster cannot be left to his own devices; it is only a matter of time before his reckless tinkering with the Weave destabilizes the entire plane! Why are you wasting your time attacking me? Because I happen to be a skeleton? That madman is going to destroy all of us, and soon!" "The Weave is the magical energy that permeates all existence. Those who practice the Art tap into this weave, channel it, direct it to do our bidding. Somehow, in Undermountain, the flow of the Weave has gotten tangled, creating a Knot of pure, unfiltered magic. The Knot's influence permeates Undermountain, twisting all who enter. The weak-willed often find themselves unwilling to leave. Halaster is not weak-willed, but he has soaked his soul in the Knot, and it has broken his mind. In a way, his madness isn't even his fault. You do not blame the dog who goes rabid; you merely put it down."   "I do not know if Halaster caused the Knot, or if he merely found it, but either way the result is the same. The Knot allows him to touch the Weave directly; it is only a matter of time before his touch destabilizes it all!"   "Halaster fancies himself a god, but he is not immortal. He can be killed like any other. This may be difficult to wrap your tiny minds around, but this time the talking magical skeleton isn't the biggest threat. By all means, once Halaster is dealt with, return and nobly destroy me, the greatest scientific minds of the age, if that is what you feel you must do. But perhaps you should do that after Halaster is dealt with!"   "I have been researching Undermountain for many years. Though nearly all adventurers who venture into Undermountain perish, some few make it to the end to fight the Mad Mage, and rarely one manages to kill him. Yet Halaster always returns. The most logical explanation is that Halaster has created clones of himself. A wizard of his power could have dozens of them stored away in demiplanes, waiting for his soul to fly to them. If I am correct, then killing him would be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.   When a wizard with a clone dies, their soul flies to the shell and occupies the new body. If that can be prevented, no rebirth. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. The laws governing souls are set by the gods, and it is near impossible for mere mortal magic to interfere with." Ezzat pauses dramatically. "Fortunately for all of us, I am no mere mortal. I am Ezzat, the greatest wizard since Karsus, and no feat of magic is beyond my reach!" With a flourish, he produces a mithral cage of mind boggling intricacy. Every surface of it is covered in runes, each tinier than the last. "Every soul is unique, and so must be the cage that traps them. This device can stop Halaster's soul from leaving his body, just long enough to prevent his rebirth. It will work only on Halaster's soul, and it will work only once."