After Azaven fled, Gulnyr and Ash grabbed the bodies of their other companions, and left the Runeforge, retreating to Magnimar. They got Devin and Dottie resurrected, and returned Eliatris to flesh. However, Eliatris and Dottie decided that their destiny lay elsewhere, and left the party. We spent some time in Magnimar procuring useful supplies and magic items. About a week after we left the Runeforge, while sitting in a tavern, we were approached by an elf named Zacartas. He had some knowledge about the Runelords, and offered to join our party. We gratefully accepted.

When we were ready, we went back to the Runeforge, into the area of Gluttony. Investigating the room that had contained two standing crystals with a curtain of darkness between them, we found that a small crystal was starting to grow to replace the one we had destroyed. Gulnyr smashed it.

We returned to the room that had been filled with blue-robed corpses, and found it occupied by a large creature made of bones. As Gulnyr rushed in and attacked it, Devin tried channeling energy at it, but this had no effect. The creature trapped Gulnyr in a cage made of bones, which began to contract. It moved with Gulnyr as he moved, so he was unable to escape it using his blinking ability. Six shadowy figures then emerged from the walls to attack us. Fortunately, Devin’s channeling was able to destroy these in one blast. We killed the bone creature, with Ash delivering the final blow with her sling, and Gulnyr smashed his way out of the cage.

We proceeded to the alchemy laboratory, where we were attacked by three wraiths, which we dispatched quickly. We then went on to the room with the large urns. Zacartas borrowed Ash’s gloves, and used them to look into Azaven’s study. He saw a large creature, a devourer, waiting inside. As soon as we opened the door, it used a Ray of Enfeeblement on Gulnyr. Zacartas teleported into the room, to help fight the creature from behind it. As they killed it, Azaven appeared from behind an illusory wall at the back of the small corridor leading to the study, and cast Chain Lightning at us. Meanwhile, two specters came out of the walls in the study to attack Zacartas, afflicting him with negative levels. Azaven then used a fear effect, which affected Ash and Zacartas. Zacartas reacted by teleporting away from the specters, and put up a Wall of Force in front of Azaven.

Devin cast Restoration on Zacartas, while Gulnyr stepped up to the specters and fought them, receiving negative levels of his own. Azaven then used a spectral hand so he could cast at us from behind the force wall, and shrank Devin and Zacartas using Mass Reduce Person. After Gulnyr killed the specters, Zacartas dismissed the force wall so that we could attack Azaven. Azaven cast Mirror Image on himself, and then put up his own Wall of Force to section off Gulnyr from the rest of us. However, Zacartas quickly cast Disintegrate on it, freeing Gulnyr. Meanwhile, now that Azaven was out in the open, Devin started channeling energy at him.

Azaven cast Prismatic Spray at us, and Zacartas tried to counterspell it, but was unsuccessful. Azaven tried to Blind/Deafen Gulnyr, but Gulnyr resisted. Zacartas then cast Greater Dispell Magic on Azaven, which removed some of his protections. Between Gulnyr’s attacks and Devin’s channeling, we got Azaven near the point of death, but this triggered a contingency spell, which caused him to teleport away.

We found a secret trap door in the floor of the study. Gulnyr smashed through it, and below was a room containing several sarcophagi, as well as Azaven. The walls of the room had bony arms sticking out from them, which fired beams of necromantic energy every few seconds. As Zacartas peeked his head down into the room, Azaven cast Finger of Death at him, but he fortunately resisted. Ash dropped a thunderstone into the room to try to deafen Azaven, but he restisted. Zacartas cast Fireball into the room. Ash peeked in, and Azaven cast Finger of Death on her, but she resisted.

We then attacked all out. Gulnyr dropped into the room to fight Azaven directly. Ash fired sling bullets that had delayed explosive effects. Devin channeled energy. Eventually, Gulnyr damaged Azaven enough that he became gaseous, and retreated into a sarcophagus. When Gulnyr opened it, Azaven was solid again, and one of Ash’s explosive sling bullets detonated, deafening Azaven.

Azaven used a fear effect to panic Gulnyr. Devin chanelled energy. Azaven cast Disintegrate on Gulnyr, but failed to kill him. He then tried to turn invisible, but failed due to his deafness. Ash fired a sling bullet which turned into a boulder, dealing significant damage to him. Devin then used his last channel of the day, which killed Azaven, causing his essence to flow into a sarcophagus, which was his phylactery. Zacartas cast Acid Pit on the sarcophagus, destroying it.

We searched Avazen’s body, as well as his study, and found a number of magical and otherwise valuable items.