Session Eighty-Five: Ashes to Ashes

The group talked about the strange requests for help, but could not make heads or tails of it. So, they continued looking for the gemstone. Kiara fell into a magma pit trap, right before a room opened in front of them. There was a large force of firenewts, and frilled flame lizards, guarding the room.
Defensively, the group found themselves as a disadvantage. The hallway bottlenecked them, while allowing free movement to the firenewts. Raco and Shade pushed their way through the enemy line. Alaxadner had another idea, he used the way and opened a dimensional door, which allowed access into the rear of the room.
Once the entirety of the group was inside the room, the firenewts had lost their tactical advantage and were roundly defeated. They group looted their enemies and healed their wounds. There was a stone door leading out the room. Doors had been rare in the volcanic complex, so the group was cautious.
Alaxander used the way to become insubstantial and peeked his head through the stone door.

Alaxander saw two magma brutes sitting in a large lava pool. One of the magma brutes saw him as well. Alaxander retreated, but decided to look past the brutes, into an adjoining room. He was thinking that he could find a place where he could place a dimension door and the group could avoid some of the enemies. Using the way, he moved through the wall.
Unfortunately, the magma brute, who has seen Alaxander peek through the door, moved to the door and opened it. The brutes saw the group and knew that they shouldn't be there. The brutes moved into the room, with the majority of the group. Alaxander was inside the wall.
The magma brutes were terrible enemies. Nyla was brutally beaten by the brutes. She suggested they retreat and Kiara agreed. Raco and Kalino disagreed. Raco used the way to turn himself into a magma creature, similar to the brutes, but smaller.
The magma brutes ignored Raco, possibly fooled by his transformation, which allowed Raco to attack them from behind. However, once he did, they turned on him. Raco used the way to absorb the energy from their attacks and redirect them. Kalino assisted Raco and, together, they killed the magma brutes.
While the rest of the group was fighting for their lives, Alaxander discovered an empty stairwell and opened a dimensional doorway. At the top of the stairwell was a door. He peeked through it and saw a firenewt wearing beads. It was not the same Beads they had kidnapped the day before.
Alaxander ignored him, but the newt attacked his mind. While Alaxander was battling on the mindscape, he was trying to get the group to go through the dimension door. Shade, Kiara, and Lilith made it through, before the firenewt took over Alaxander's mind and forced him to close it.

Alaxander was mentally strong enough to reassert control of his body, but the newt was still in his mind. He saw a bright light appear in the room, beyond the firenewt. Using his mastery of the way, Alaxander looked through the wall and saw a huge magma paraelemental. It had horns, wings, and clawed hands. It's head brushed the twenty-five foot ceiling, and the stone melted at its touch. Alaxander retreated to the stairwell and warned the others.
Meanwhile, Raco went into the first room, jumped over the magma pool there, and walked to the second doorway. He entered the second room and saw the huge magma paraelemental beast. The paraelemental beast then whipped Raco with its tail, knocking Raco back into the adjacent room. He was badly burned and unconscious. At that same moment, the paraelemental beast exhaled a stream of magma into the stairwell. Shade was knocked unconscious, even though he tried to avoid it. Alaxander was burned badly and, luckily, Kiara was out of range. Lilith, however, did not see it coming and was completely consumed by the liquid hot magma. The flesh of her body was quickly burned to ash and her bones soon followed. Alaxander cried out in pain, as the firenewt was rooting through his open mind. Alaxander grabbed a handful of Lilith's ash and the intelligent gems she had been holding. He then, using the way, opened a dimensional gateway and rushed through. Kiara grabbed Shade's unconscious body and followed.
Meanwhile, Kalino jumped over the magma pit and grabbed Raco. He caught a glimpse of the magma beast and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. He tossed Raco over the pit. Nyla caught him. Then Kalino jumped the pit again and they made a hasty retreat. They managed to stop Raco from bleeding to death, but were separated from the rest of the group and trapped in an enemy infested complex.
Meanwhile, a dimensional gateway opened near the Lost Oasis and Alaxander, Shade, and Kiara spilled through it. Alaxander was well out of range of nearly all mental effects, so the frewnewt left Alaxander's mind. Alaxander collapsed to the ground and held the ash, that was Lilith, to his chest. He wept.

Join us in two weeks for another exciting session of Adventures Under the Dark Sun. 
2nd edition AD&D Dark Sun Cast of Player Characters 
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. 18 years old. Played by Ben. Speaks Balican, Tyrian, Giant, and Elf. 
Nyla: Dwarf female psychometabolist/fighter. 50 years old. Played by my wife. Speaks Dwarf, Tyrian, and Urikite. 
Shade: Half-Elf male ranger/thief, 18 years old. Played by Chad. Speaks Balican, Elf and Tyrian. 
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. 20 years old. NPC. Speaks Rammin, Tyrian, and Balican.
Kiara: Human female fighter/templar, 22 years old. NPC. Speaks Urikite, Raamin, and Tyrian.
Lilith: Human female psychometabolist. 18 years old. Played by Mary. Speaks Urikite, Raamin, and Tyrian.
Raco: Mul male psychometbolist. 20 years old. Played by Dave. Speaks Dwarf and Tyrian.