As the False Kerapti and their monstrous minions continued their furious melee, a translucent figure of ghastly aspect suddenly seemed to coalesce out of thin air, hovering several feet above the two towering False Kerapti .... The ghostly figure appeared as a gaunt and hunched old man, every inch of his translucent flesh horribly charred, his empty eye sockets staring blindly at the combatants, a gnarled and equally fire-blackened staff gripped in one charred and bony hand!
This was Aegwareth, "Shade of Vengeance," the ghost of the venerable Elder Druid who had been the ancient guardian of the Fane until he was challenged and defeated by the original Keraptis, who then cast the druid's broken body into the roiling sea of magma far below the Fane, and claimed several powerful magical treasures -- including the greatsword Frostrazor, and the potent statuette the evil archmage would later use to call destruction down upon his native city of Tostenhca in the Griff Mountains (now known as Skrellingshald).
He addressed the efreeti "Killjoy" and the ogre mage "Spatterdock" in a sepulchral voice that seemed to echo unnaturally within the vast spherical Fane: "YOU HAVE SEALED YOUR FATES IN COMING HERE, YOU WRETCHED AND FOOLISH PRETENDERS!! DESTROYING YOU WILL NOT GIVE ME NEARLY THE SAME SATISFACTION AS AVENGING MYSELF AGAINST THE TRUE KERAPTIS, WHEREVER HE MAY BE, BUT I SHALL VENT MY BURNING WRATH UPON YOU WITLESS FALSE KERAPTI NONETHELESS!!"
Both of the False Kerapi look up at this Shade of Vengeance with unmistakable expressions of dread, mouths agape in shock, as the ancient Elder Druid ghost utters an incantation and points a charred and bony finger down at them, calling down a roaring fire storm, only the first of a relentless barrage of fiery evocation spells of deadly power!
In vain, the vampire Ctenmiir hurls the warhammer Whelm at Aegwareth, but it merely passes through the ghostly Elder Druid's incorporeal form before flying back to the vampire's hand ....
The efreeti "Killjoy," and the two magma elementals, were unaffected by the ensuing holocaust of flame strikes, empowered fireballs, and other fire-based evocations Aegwareth cast down upon the monstrous combatants, but neither could they seem to reach the hovering ghost (let alone land a blow that would actually harm its incorporeal form). On the other hand, the vampire Ctenmiir soon burst into flames, flailing wildly and shrieking in agony, and as he was consumed utterly by the flames, Whelm fell to the inner surface of the Fane where the vampire had stood ....
Without hesitation, Erlick dashed over to where Whelm now rested unattended and seized the magic warhammer, immediately sensing the power of the mighty weapon .... He also sensed that Whelm most definitely did not approve of even being held by the Chaotic Evil antipaladin of Vecna (much less of being wielded by one so "unworthy" of it) ....