oh brother ur asking for it
just kidding.
Hey i'm just wondering what kind of party did you have, and what levels? also what diffucity, insane or *laughing on the floor* novience or any of the other diffucity level other than insane, lol sorry just have been playing insane for so long.
anyway here's my success story, this was like my 100th run though SoA well not 100 run though but some high number
anyway i had an level 15/15 clerc/mage with some quite nice armor, i had the robe of vecona, that +4 to casting rock! then i had the baldurs helm, the flail of eastham +1 to Ac and +10 to all phyiscal attacks, then robe of the sewer for its +1 Ac, then ring of gaxx, and ring of protection +2 in addition i had the amulet of power with its +1 to spell casting time for total of 5 off the spell casting time, rocks! in addition i also had an shield in my off hand that gave me +4 ac and +7 to missile it rocked, clercs and mage are terriable dual wielder so i just gave her an shield and a flail.
Anyway outside the door i did some basic buffing spell like stoneskin *its on 100% of the time* protection from evil, and few other spells like improved invisiablity and that's it then i opened the door and poped in, i summoned some cannon folder and told them to stay back while i talked to the lich, i moved forward just barely for the lich to show up and talk to me then i retrat all the way to the stairs and send forth my cannon folders for the lich and others to wase their spells and stuff on. after an short but furious furry of spells both the lich and the mage casted timestop and the mage summoned an pitfiend and begun to fight eachothers, the mage mazed the pit fiend, now the lich was dumbfound and was just standing there, the beholder floated forward so i shot her down with an furry of fire bolt in an spell sequirer. the beholder died before she got any of her nasty anti-magic ray out. now the lich he was still standing there dumbfound so i removed his protection then begun to fry him with spells then i just rushed into the room there was an vamp but i had chaoic command, and amulet of power so the vamp was of no concern but i still ended her life anyway just to get her out of the way, the pit fiend respawned back in and begun to battle so i retrat untill the fiend died, then i ran forward and dispeled and did couple other spells to sherd up her shields then i begun shooting off mief's acid bolt after each others, about like what 6 of them before the mage finaly died and she couldn't get any spell off.
now i was done with the quest, and i only lost 10 hp total
only used up 1/3 of my spell resvor and after that i headed off finish some other hard quest and head off to whoop good ol jon's rear and by the time i whooped jon's rear i had finaly deplated my spell resvior and that was my first rest in a long time, did twisted runes, did the unseeing eye, did the slave lords, and did the entire ayssium in one rest with a clerc/mage
darn! lol
heh all i ever get on the quest is an staff of magi that thing rock and the eye stalk which i used up geting out.