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Chapter 3: The Temple of All-Consumption

Turn 55: The Earth Temple

“Wooo-wee!” said Karzak, absently brushing small insects off his clothing and armor. “Now, that was some pretty good fightin'! I been meanin' ta stretch me muscles like that a wee bit. Now, Nanoc, that was some pretty mean axe-swingin', me laddie. But don't'cha go an' kill all me baddies with one swing a' ye wicked blade. Save some fer the rest a' us. Those baddies that don't go an' cut their own throats that is. But now we done that, I say ‘nough a' this sneakin' 'round business. Let's have ourselves a big ole fight now! Yeee-haaa! Clobberin' time!”

“Before we go anywhere or do anything,” said Luger, “I will do what I can to heal those who have been injured and poisoned.”

Because Danton had taken the worst of it during the fight with the troglodytes and their lackeys, Luger first removed the poison coursing through the scout’s veins (Cast Neutralize Poison from scroll) and then healed the worst of his cuts and bruises (Cast Cure Light Wounds: +11 HP). Luger did not have any other poison-removing spells prepared, so both Nanoc and Aseneth would have to endure the effects of their insect bites at least until the next day, but the cleric was able to help with their other injuries (Cast Cure Light Wounds on Aseneth: +9 HP, Cast Cure Light Wounds twice on Nanoc: +23 HP).

When Luger was done, everyone in the party still suffered from various minor injuries, but nothing serious. Insects continued to crawl around Uskathoth’s chamber and the cavern outside, but they seemed to be gradually dispersing now that the troglodyte cleric was dead.

“This is interesting,” said Luger, turning back to the note the party had found. ”Apparently, we are in the ‘Earth Temple’, which was destroyed in the past by the ‘Fire Temple.’ Does that mean there are also Air and Water temples? It would seem that the Temple of Elemental Evil has moved to this foul place. I wonder which temple this Master Hedrack is from. Maybe we can use this letter to instigate some conflict between the Fire Temple and another element. At any rate, we've got to get our stories straight going forward. I'm pretty sure the lizard priest simply detected our alignment. I can pray for a spell that will allow me to hide this for a day, but it will take three spells. I do not know if Aseneth can cast a similar spell.”

The sorceress shook her head. “I am not having this spell Luger is having,” she said regretfully.

“If they can scan us all so easily,” said Syll, “I guess Danton and the Princess here ought to be our reps on the Bean-Stanton Personality Test from now on, seeing as they seem to come up with an acceptable answer, or are immune to such things.”

“Well, I be willing ta try on them gauntlets ta see what they kin do. Any 'jections?” blurted Karzak, looking excitedly at the heavy gloves Uskathoth had worn. The dwarf moved towards the stack of captured equipment where Aseneth had piled it together to detect the presence of magic on the entire lot of it at once.

“I wouldn’t do that, kid,” said Syll firmly. “Ain't none of us should be tryin' any o' that gear out until the good padre here has checked it for evil mojo. I know ‘nough about unique and powerful items to know that some of them are as evil as
the folks who use 'em. If you put 'em on, they may fry yer brain or take you over. Trust me, that ain't no fun.”

“Now,” continued Syll, “after all that fun and slice and dice we had from you two axe boys, I guess we ought to continue on and poke around this place, but before we move anywhere, ol' Danton ought to jot down where we are and how we got here. This is no place to get lost, and we may need to be leaving in a hurry. Oh, and I suggest that we mark that unstable ceiling on the map. We may well want, or need, to collapse it at some point. You know, to squish pursuit or to trash the place.”

The elf’s words made Karzak pause. “Aye, I suppose it be possible,” he mused scratching his bearded chin. “I hanna really thought o’ that. On the other hand - no pun intended - they might be makin' me really strong - as strong as our big laddie here - an' 'nough ta turn the tide 'gainst the baddies. Anyone else git an opinion? I'm willin' ta try 'em on an' see what happens.”

“There is no need to be reckless, good dwarf,” said Luger, “I can at least discern if the items we've gathered are evil. Let me release the blessings of Heironeus and we'll know what is evil and what is not. I'd like to examine this room as well to see if there are any strong sources of evil here. If there is, we should destroy it as we should any evil item we find.”

“Reckless! Reckless! Why I…” spluttered Karzak before gaining control of his temper and shaking his head. “I dinna think ye be needin' ta cast any magicks ta see evil. Look 'round ye, laddie, an' open yer eyes! As fer destroyin' evil, I be all fer it. But, if the gloves not be evil, I winna mind tryin' 'em on fer size.”

“Methinks prudence should prevail on the question of trying on or using whatever bric-a-brac we find in this place,” said Danton. “Syll and Luger hath spoken correctly. What if, good dwarf, you art drawn to the dark side by some article you grasp or don? What then? We might have to slay you, or be slain. Though I am no adherent to Heironeous's creed, I trust in his power to discern the good from the wicked.”

Karzak shrugged acquiescence and Luger approached the pile of captured items, calling on Heironeous to heighten his senses as he did so (Cast Detect Evil). The cleric stood over the stack of booty for several moments, and while he was thus occupied, the rest of the group continued their conversation.

”Onto other matters,” said Danton, “such as: where are we off to, next? We seem to have come to a dead end here in the high priest's chambers. We art now left in a mine with a number of possible routes to take ... and no intelligence on any of them. Tell me, Luger, when thou art done there, canst thou speak with the dead? Or Aseneth, for that matter, is this a power you may use? I am thinking of the poor, shriveled bastard strung up here in Uskathoth's chamber like so much a grisly ornament -- p'raps if we could converse with him we might learn a thing or two. Beyond that, methinks Luger hath spoken correctly about the rift between the two elemental temples, fire and earth. Like Luger, I am thinking we might well also find a water and air temple. Also like Luger, I think we shouldst consider how best to exploit the rivalry betwixt the temples. However, none of this answers the most immediate question: which tunnel do we take next? I hath few suggestions.”

“There is no evil inherent in any of these items,” said Luger, moving away from the captured equipment and wandering about the room, seeking the presence of fell emanations from anywhere else. “As for your question, I can speak with the dead, however, like the spell that will mask our dispositions, I do not currently have it available to me. I can pray to Heironeus to grant it to me on the morrow, but it is too early to ask for such favors this day.”

Now standing near the bed and table, Luger added, “If it is a plan you seek, I believe I have one to propose. I do not know how much of these mines make up the realm of this Earth Temple, but I think we should clean it out. If we've killed the leadership in this room, we've likely faced the worst of it. I do not understand what role the four elements play in the grand scheme here, but I think if we wipe out one faction, we've at least weakened them by a quarter. We may be able to use the annihilation of the Earth Temple to gain the respect of the Fire Temple or as a catalyst for some sort of confrontation between this Hedrack and the Fire Temple. By clearing this area, perhaps we can use it as somewhat of a base of operations, though I would prefer we did not have to camp in a bug-infested hole like this. Perhaps if there are areas which are less traveled and easily defended, we could hole up in one of them when the time comes.”

“Now,” said the cleric, a frown on his face, “who do you suppose Ogremoch and these Doomdreamers are? I am worried that these Doomdreamers are watching the activities down here and even now know everything we are doing and saying... “

Danton watched as the cleric moved on to an examination of the chair and clothes chest.

“Luger's comments intrigue me,” he said. “If he is correct in his assumption that, in killing Uskathoth and the Swordmaster, we hath effectively eliminated the major domos of the Earth Temple, then that opens up certain possibilities. One that immediately interests me is the use of Uskathoth's chamber as a short-term base of operations, at least long enough to permit our spell-users to rejuvenate themselves. If Uskathoth was the major cleric of this vile temple, then methinks it unlikely that various riff-raff wilt come barging into here much, if at all. Uskathoth wast probably given a wide berth by his underlings. If true, we might be able to camp out in this area until we have sufficient spells to gather intelligence.”

”Although I admit that it could come to naught,” continued Danton, “I am most keen on having Luger commune with the dead being strung up in Uskathoth's chamber. It just might have some useful information. Indeed, if Luger thinketh that he can compel Uskathoth himself to speak with us, now that he too hath been rendered lifeless, that dead fiend surely knoweth a great deal. The only question is whether he wilt talk with us.”

”But he said he won’t have none o’ those spells til morning!” blurted Karzak. “’Xactly how long we ginna sit 'round here an' do nothin' but wait fer the baddies ta discover us? I be one who always be ready fer action, 'specially though in this evil place. I dinna relish sittin' 'round waitin' fer some force ta pen us up somewhere. An’ speakin’ o’ action, I’m trying out these here gauntlets right now!”

Without another word, Karzak picked up the metal gloves and slipped one onto each of his hands. Although he had expected some kind of immediate effect, nothing happened, at least not visibly.

“Huh,” grunted the dwarf. “I dinna feel no stronger, but mebee it’s only obvious when yer in a fight or tryin’ ta lift somethin’ heavy.”

“Friend Luger,” said Danton, looking away from Karzak and back at the cleric, “I hath a somewhat grotesque question to ask: what is necessary for you to speak with the dead? Put more precisely, exactly how much -- or what part -- of a corpse is needed in order to commune with the spirit that once dwelt within? Put simply, while I am loath to abandon the opportunity to conduct a seance with Uskathoth and the hapless corpse in his chamber, I recognize that staying in this area, particularly with the insects everywhere, might be problematic. However, if you could commune as easily with a remnant of the corpse as with the whole, then we couldst remove an article from each corpse and take it with us. “

“Great dwarffather!” said Karzak, the skin of his scarred face turning pale in the torchlight. “No usin' me shiny axe fer yer grisly work!”

Nanoc, who had been busily examining the bites and cuts Aseneth had suffered during the battle outside, suddenly looked up at this point. “Now we ain’t gonna be doin’ that! That jus’ ain’t right! I don’t care how evil they is. They is dead—we don’t need to be a cuttin’ the heads of to take wit us! Yuck!”

Danton’s comment even provoked a reaction from the ever-cynical Syll: “I ain’t sure about packin’ around no dead dude,” muttered the elf. “‘Course, if anyone wanted to know if we were evil, all we’d have to do is say, ‘sure I’m evil, look at my dead dude! You mess with us there’s more where that came from!’ Crikey, what a job this is. I should’a listened to my mother and been a poet. 200,000 g’s a year and no packin’ around no parts o’ no dead dude!”

“While taking the head would certainly give us a mouth to talk to,” said Luger, now probing the area of Uskathoth’s chamber nearest the cavern with all the bugs, “I have my doubts it will give us much information without its body. The more corpse we have for the spell, the more reliable the answers are likely to be. Frankly, I don't know that the hanging corpse will be nearly as useful as Uskathoth's body. The lizard cleric has seen and experienced much more recent events than the poor soul hanging there has and as the high priest, he would have been privy to a lot more useful information. Let us make the most out of today. We've cut off the head of the Earth Temple, now let’s kill the rest of it. Once this deed is complete, we can regroup, rest and then ask Uskathoth a few questions before exploring further into this Hell hole. By the way, this whole chamber is filled with ambient emanations of the evil acts committed here, but I can find no inherently evil item or specific location here.”

Danton nodded approval. “Luger, for good or ill, you hath laid out a fairly complete plan -- the first complete plan we hath had since passing the entry gate. Therefore, for love of planning if nothing else, count me in. Let us pillage the Earth Temple to the last degree, going whither we will and leading to their deaths -- under the artifices suggested by our good cleric -- such who we can guide back to Uskathoth's chamber. Verily, it was a cavern of death for any goodly folk who went there. Now let it become a hole of death for evil folk as well, yea and in terrific numbers. Now, let us sharpen our swords and gird tight our armor. ‘Delchin the Despicable’ goeth forth to lure lizard-fiends to their death. He will draw them hither with words, and you mightier folk can slay them with your spells and steel.”

“That all sounds good to me,” said Nanoc. “My axe is still got a thirst for cultist blood. Let’s see what else we can loot outta this here Earth Temple. Maybe we can find a place that ain’t got so many creepy crawlies to sleep at, somewheres else in this earth place.”

“Well,” said Syll, “you all seem agreed on it, but I ain’t sure this whole ‘cleaning house’ thing is such a good idea. We only need one of these birds to get past us and chirp in the wrong ear and we could have the whole place down on our heads. It sounds like there is dissension in the ranks here and the Uruk-hai don’t like the Fighting Tongs, but nothing unites the forces like a common enemy—namely us. My vote is this: we poke around a bit more and then when we get tired we find a spot to hole up while we get new spells and such. While there, the princess can ID the loot and we can use it to further the greater good.”

***

Although Syll favored going north and seeking to maintain a low profile, the rest of the group preferred Luger’s plan of cleaning out the Earth Temple and exploring it more systematically, starting with the areas to the south that the party had already passed through or seen from a distance. Syll protested, but went along with the plan when the party moved off to the south after clearing all the bodies out of the bug-hall and placing them in Uskathoth’s chamber.

“We can dust a few of these guys and continue to pose as baddies,” said the elf, “but if we start killing all of them, they will know we are not cultists—at least not generic ones. If you all are determined to go this route, we should announce we are from the fire temple—back to smash the earthies once again.”

Upon departing Uskathoth’s chamber, the party made its way through the bug-filled cavern and through the tunnel beyond to the four-way crossroads. Nanoc and Danton then led the group off to the southwest, back the way the party had come earlier, until the group reached the stairs and made its way back down into the huge rubble-filled cavern.

Once back in the vast cavern, Danton and Nanoc left the path and led the group across the uneven terrain towards the passageway visible to the east. The ground here was so rocky and uneven that it took a great deal of concentration not to lose one’s footing (Balance checks: Luger: 19-5=14, Karzak: 10-6=4, Nanoc: 18+4=22, Danton:4+1=5). Although Aseneth and Nanoc managed to maintain their footing fairly well, everyone else in the party stumbled and fell multiple times, making a great deal of noise and gaining numerous bumps and bruises.

When the group was roughly halfway to the tunnel leading to the east, there was a sudden sound of something rushing through the air and then a volley of long spikes slammed into Luger. His enchanted chainmail stopped some of the spikes, but others cut through it and into his flesh (hit for 29 total damage). Staggered by the sudden attack, Luger stumbled (Balance check: 12-5=7) and fell over onto his back with a loud metal clanging.

[Initiative: Luger: 20, Karzak: 14, Nanoc: 19, Danton: 19, Aseneth: 20, Syll: 17, Unknown: 4]

When Danton whipped his enchanted torch about, looking for the source of the attack, he and the others could see a huge winged creature with spikes running all along the length of its body and tail crouched amidst the rocks off to the southwest. With a target identified, Aseneth and Syll reacted in the blink of an eye, each firing magic missiles at the beast. Grunting in pain and still lying on his back, Luger converted the most powerful spell he had left to healing (Convert Dispel Magic to Cure Serious Wounds: gain 17 HP).

Because no one relished the idea of trying to run down a winged creature across the uneven ground of the cavern, Nanoc, Karzak, and Danton withdrew their ranged weapons and began firing arrows and bolts at the creature across the chamber. The Velunese threw his torch onto a rock, where it would continue to illuminate most of the cavern, and withdrew his crossbow, firing the pre-loaded bolt into the spike-firing monster (attack: 15+7=22; hit; 2 damage). Karzak’s aim was true as well and his bolt also slammed into the creature’s bodyl (attack: 16+5=21; hit; 2 damage). Nanoc was the most effective and quickest of all, firing off two rapid shots with the short-bow he had modified to make full use of his incredible strength (attack: 19+11=30, 16+6=22; two hits; 9,8 damage).

Nanoc’s arrows slammed into the body of the beast even as it launched itself into the air and towards the party. The beast flew straight at Karzak, making a flyby attack on the dwarf before he could load another bolt into his crossbow. One of the beast’s massive foreclaws glanced off his mail, but the other claw and the flashing teeth of the beast drew blood as it roared past him (hit for 19 damage). Although the flying monster was hardly slowed by the impact with the dwarf, the impact sent him flying (Balance check: 11-6=5) and he crashed onto his back amidst the rocks and scree just as Luger had done.

As the flying beast circled around for another pass, Aseneth fired off a magical arrow that missed its mark, Danton put a second bolt into the body of the creature (attack: 11+7=18; hit; 6 damage), and Syll peppered it with additional magic missiles. Karzak and Luger were climbing to their feat, with the former screaming curses at the monster that had knocked him over, when Nanoc fired off two more arrows that both hit their mark (attack: 15+11=26, 13+6=19; both hit, 6, 9 damage).

This second volley of missile fire was clearly too much for the monster, as each successive impact on its body and wings drained its strength further and its movements slowed. When Nanoc’s last arrow struck the beast, the wings ceased flapping and the creature plummeted down to crash with a resounding thud amidst the rocks not far from the path leading south out of the cavern.

“Damned beastie!” cursed Karzak. “Shootin’ spikes and flyin’ an’ bitin’ like that! Almost as bad as a drake! But this jus’ goes ta show ya, we canna be too sure that we figured all this place out! We, laddies and lass, jus' arrived here an' somehow made it down here alive. We defeated some baddies an' 'covered some clues. But, that dinna mean we un'erstand everythin' yet—after all, we dinna see no sign o’ this beastie when we came through here before. Jus' be keepin' that kind o’ surprises in mind when we go formulatin' plans an' all."

No one could argue with Karzak’s comment, and after Luger had used one healing scroll on himself and another on the dwarf (Cure Light Wounds on Luger: +7 HP, and on Karzak: +9 HP), the group moved on. Once out of the large cavern, the party found itself in a tunnel that headed east, but angled gradually to the south until it ended in a cave just over twenty feet in diameter. A vent in the center of the cave produced gusts of warm air. A hammock made from a net hung in the eastern part of the cave, while a mat of woven leather strips was at the entrance. Humanoid skulls and bones hung from, or had been spiked to, the walls.

“Looks to me like another cleric’s bedroom,” grunted Syll. “I knew Uskathoth wouldn’t be the only one.”

Danton gave the cavern a once over (search: 10+13=23), but found nothing of particular interest and no hidden exits. With nothing else to do here, the group made its way back to the cavern where they had fought the flying beast and picked their way back to the path, again with everyone except Aseneth and Nanoc slipping and falling multiple times, making a great deal of racket once more (Balance checks: Luger: 18-5=13, Karzak: 11-6=5, Nanoc: 15+4=19, Danton: 10+1=11).

Once they reached the cleared path running to the southwest, the going was much easier and the party moved quickly out of the chamber and through the tunnel back to where they had met the Swordmaster earlier. From here, Danton and Nanoc led the group into the northernmost of the two eastern tunnels. This tunnel ran for only twenty feet before opening up into a small, twenty-foot square chamber. Beyond the chamber, the tunnel continued off to the east.

At the edge of the apparently empty chamber, Danton called a halt while he held his torch high and scanned the area (search: 6+13=19). Spotting nothing at all, he and Nanoc went forward. The scout knew he had made a mistake almost instantly, when he felt the ground underneath his feet give way slightly and heard faint mechanical sounds in the walls to either side. A fraction of a second later, darts flashed through the air at both Danton and Nanoc. The scout was hit twice, while Nanoc was only struck once because he reacted quickly enough to block a second dart with his axe (Danton hit for 6 points and Nanoc for 1; Fortitude saves: Danton: 2+1=3, 15+1=16; one fails; Nanoc: 4+7=11; succeeds).

Both the scout and the barbarian froze in their tracks at this point, with Nanoc pulling the dart out of his arm and complaining:

“Yeesh, Danton! I thought you was getting better at this! This is jus’ like the Sunless Citadel all over again!”

“Oh, I feel terrible,” moaned the Velunese, referring to the sudden feeling of weakness that passed through him and not to any guilt over his missing of the trap during his examination of the area.

“You’ve likely been poisoned again,” said Luger, but there’s nothing we can do about it until I am able to rest and gain new spells tomorrow.”

Now that he knew what to look for, the pressure plates on the floor were easy for Danton to spot. Unfortunately they seemed to run the entire length of the chamber. In order to disarm the trap, Danton first tried to find some way around the edge of the plates (Disable Device: 7+10=17), but all he got for his efforts was another volley of darts that he narrowly avoided. The scout then shifted tactics, borrowed Aseneth’s staff and used the pole to pound repeatedly on each of the plates until they all exhausted their supply of darts (Disable Device: 14+10=24).

Moving beyond the trapped chamber, the party entered a second small room almost immediately beyond it. This room smelled of incense and had no other visible exits. Black drapery hung from the ceiling along each wall. A bed of black pillows was in the eastern portion of the room, behind a pair of black iron poles thrust into the stony floor, each dangling three to five humanoid skulls from the top of it and painted with mysterious red sigils.

“I hate to say it again, guys,” said Syll, “but this looks like yet another cleric bedroom. I think ol’ Uskathoth may have been just the tip of the clerical iceberg, so we really ought to re-think this whole idea of ‘clearing out’ the Earth Temple. Instead, stealth should still be the plan for the day, and we need to keep watch for a way to use that metal triangle bar. If we happen into any other temples, we ought to be on watch for similar artifacts since there may well be one for each temple. I bet there is, and all may have to be united for some purpose.”

“He may be right about another cleric,” admitted Luger. “These sigils painted on the walls are in Draconic and they all spell out things like ‘death’, ‘destruction’, ‘decay’, ‘oblivion’, and so on.”

“Lovely,” grunted Danton as he began his canvassing of the chamber (search: 13+13=26).

“I also think we need some kind of password with a response to make sure none of us has been possessed or replaced,” added Syll. “It may sound kind of paranoid, but in my line of work, you can’t be too careful. How about ‘Bifur’, with the proper response being ‘Bofur’? Anyway, I’m thinking this place may be divided into quadrants with a central area, that being the main temple. Each quadrant may have a bridge leading to the central area, and the earth and fire temples may be accessible through the back door while the water and sky temples are accessible through the front door. Earth and fire may be considered lesser temples and that may be why no one was too concerned when one smashed the other. Or the ‘Twerps-that-Be’ may feel like the competition and violence are a good thing leading to the fittest surviving. I wonder if the fire temple might be run by the gnolls since we haven’t seen too many of them here yet?”

While Syll was speaking, Danton uncovered a small chest hidden behind the makeshift ‘drapery’ on the south wall. The chest was locked, but some fool had placed the key right under the container and Danton had it open in a matter of seconds.

“Anyhow,” continued Syll, “I also think that the lines of communication here may not be too great. Mereclar didn’t check with anyone to see if we were expected or welcome, and Hedrack communicated by a note, not in person. That may allow us a bit of latitude if we hold off on heading into the center of things too soon, or attracting too much attention. We may be able to go through the various temples without alerting the central area. That would allow us to gather information, steal stuff, and cause mayhem, all while cutting off their arms. It’s just food for thought, but we may not want to cross the bridge too soon.”

“Hello, what’s this?” asked Danton, removing a pile of gold coins, what looked like three potion vials, a small ebony troglodyte statuette, a curved dagger, six sticks of incense, a black robe, and a pendant with the familiar inverted Y in the middle of a brown triangle.

Once Danton had gathered the items outside the chest, Luger cast a spell (Detect Magic), finding that only the three vials had any kind of magical aura.

“Healing potions” said Aseneth after holding up one of the vials.

“You sure?” asked Luger.

“Totally sure,” replied the sorceress.

Deciding to trust her judgment, Luger drained one of the vials, handed a second to Karzak to drink, and the third to Danton (Luger +11 HP, Karzak +8 HP, Danton +7 HP).

When Danton found nothing else of interest in the room, the party scooped up the other items from the chest and made their way back to the main tunnel and then into the second opening on its eastern wall. This tunnel ran for only twenty feet before dead-ending in what appeared to be a small storage chamber. Boxes, bags, and barrels sat on the floor, while tools, weapons, and clothing hung on the walls. There were thirty javelins, six long spears, two battleaxes, and a greataxe. Everything else appeared to be dried food. Danton could find nothing else (search: 9+13=22).

The party next retraced its steps back to where it had first met the three troglodyte guards that had first insisted on taking the group to Uskathoth. To the east of the intersection where the lizard men had been posted was a chamber roughly twenty-five feet in diameter. Various tiny niches had been dug into the walls, just large enough to fit the humanoid skull each held. A one-foot deep pit, about eight feet across, lay in the middle of the cave. It was filled with a smattering of bones, wood shavings, and a large mass of fungi that appeared to be used as a pillow. Otherwise (Danton search: 11+13=24), the room was empty.

With this area searched, the party passed back through the chamber where they had met the Swordmaster and ascended the stairs heading to the west, entering a large cavern at least forty feet to a side with a smooth floor. Laid into the floor, in new brownish stone, was a triangle mosaic 15 feet across. The walls had disturbing black sigils crudely smeared upon them.

“’Case it ain’t obvious, laddies and lassie,” said Karzak, “this here stonework is new—real new.”

“The sigils are more of the same,” added Luger, “’crush’, ‘death’, ‘devour’, and the like.”

There were two exits from the cavern, a tunnel running southwest and a set of stairs ascending to the north. Danton nodded towards the stairs and the party moved off in that direction.

“Is it just me,” said Syll, “or is anybody else wonderin’ where all the other trogs are? We dusted a few, but why is the rest of this place so deserted all of a sudden?”

No one had any answer for the elf, and the group picked its way carefully up the stone stairs, which ran for twenty feet before ending at another landing, which continued off to the north, twisting back and forth for eighty feet before finally turning east and opening up into a cave roughly thirty feet in diameter. In this area, stones had been arranged to function as chairs, couches, and tables. A brazier full of coals gone cold, surrounded by long metal forks and a pot full of cold water, sat atop one of the tables. The walls were covered with the skins of various creatures: bears, large lizards, and even humans. The cave carried an acrid odor.

“Again,” said Syll, “where the heck is everybody? I got a bad feeling about this.”

“I don’t know why no one is about,” said Luger, “but we should avoid touching anything we don’t have to, and if it seems we might be about to wade into serious trouble, I have a spell ready that could provide some protection to all of us. In that case, we must draw close together that all may benefit.”

Aside from the tunnel by which the party had entered, the only other exit was a tunnel running off to the southeast and ascending gradually. This tunnel ran for seventy feet before opening up into an oval-shaped chamber forty feet wide and nearly eighty feet from west to east. This large cave gave off an awful stench and was filled with sleeping pallets and piles of hay, as well as a few bags and sacks. A lingering, caustic stench hung in the air. The walls were smeared with pitch, making it seem particularly dark. Enough pallets existed here to ‘house’ at least twenty individuals. As in all the other rooms the party had searched, there was no one about. No other exits were visible either.

With the assistance of the others, Danton made a search of the cave, focusing on the bags and sacks (search: 19+13=31). Other than a great deal of odd shaped clothing no doubt intended for the troglodytes, the party found two more interesting items, including one of the upside-down pyramid symbols on a metal chain they had encountered before and a book written in Draconic that appeared to be about the worship of the Elder Elemental Eye and contained at least some of the history of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Luger scooped up these two items and then the party made its way back to the main tunnel that seemed to run the length of the Earth Temple.

From here the party made its way back north and east through familiar territory, still spotting nothing living anywhere they went, Danton’s torch providing the only light along the way. During the long walk, Aseneth removed the silver amulet the party had taken from Uskathoth and began to analyze it, while Luger flipped through the pages of the book he had found.

When the party finally came to the four-way intersection where one of the strange winged earth creatures had stood guard the first time the group passed by, they stood on the edge of unknown territory once again. Luger put away the book, but Aseneth continued to fumble about with the amulet in the green light of Danton’s torch. Somewhere off the northeast faint drum beats could be heard, the first sign of any activity of any kind since the party had fought the flying quill monster in the large cavern to the south. Interestingly, the sound of the drums seemed to come from both of the tunnels ahead, the one to the northeast as well as the one to the southeast.

With no criteria to help to choose between the two, Danton nodded towards the northeast tunnel and the party moved off down it slowly and cautiously. As the group went farther along, inhuman chanting greeted their ears, intermixed with the steady drumbeats. The tunnel continued for sixty feet before starting to angle slightly more towards east. It continued in this direction for another sixty feet. As the party traversed this second section of the tunnel, the light of fires became visible ahead and Danton extinguished his magic torch to avoid giving away the party’s approach.

Finally, the long tunnel opened up into yet another large cavern. This one was roughly rectangular, forty feet from northwest to southeast and sixty feet from southwest to northeast. The cave smelled of loam and blood. Its walls were covered with tapestries of dark brown and black images of demons and other hideous creatures. A three-tiered ziggurat rose 15 feet above the floor, which was of soft earth, at the far side of the chamber. Burning braziers scattered about the cavern provided relatively bright light. At least three four other exits from the area were visible, one in each of the three other corners of the cavern and the other one behind, and slightly to the side of, the ziggurat.

Black-cloaked figures surrounded the ziggurat, at the top of which was a triangular platform the color of watery mud. Another cloaked figure stood atop the altar clutching a bloody knife in one hand and what appeared to be a heart in the other. The blood-soaked body of what might have been an elf lay limp at the figure’s feet. Behind the figure with the knife, another black-cloaked figure beat on a drum, and, as it did so, something rose up through the floor in front of the ziggurat, passing through the soft earth as if it did not exist. This misshapen horror had a great maw on the ‘top’ of its body, and several strange, elongated arms that extended out from its central mass. There was a palpable feeling of great foreboding in the entire cavern, almost like a physical presence.

All together, there were at least a dozen of the black-robed figures present, and there might well have been more out of sight on the far side of the ziggurat. Danton, Nanoc, and Luger, who were closest to the front of the group, pressed themselves against the wall of the tunnel to minimize their chances of being spotted. Syll, Aseneth, and Karzak stood farther back in the dark tunnel.

“Well,” muttered Danton, “methinks we now know where everyone went.”

As those who could see clearly what was happening ahead watched, the figure holding the knife and heart held the latter over the edge of the top of the ziggurat and tossed it casually into the great maw of the beast that had appeared from out of the earth. The creature devoured the offering instantly, and the tempo of the pounding of the drums and the inhuman chanting increased. Two of the black robed figures disappeared around the back of the ziggurat, only to appear moments later atop it with a struggling figure, an elf or human woman by all appearances, held between them.

At that same moment, something strange happened back in the tunnel. Aseneth finally seemed to have found some way to move something on Uskathoth’s amulet and there was a sudden flash of white light that surely would have been noticed by those in the chamber beyond had they not been so preoccupied with their ritual.

“Careful, there, lassie!” hissed Karzak. “Ye’ll give away our position!”

Syll only scowled at the woman, but suddenly an expression of sheer horror appeared on her face out of all proportion to Syll’s dirty look and Karzak’s comment.

“Oh, no!” she moaned. “This is opposite of what I was thinking! She will be knowing where I am now!”

“Keep it down back there!” hissed Danton through clenched teeth without turning around.

Suddenly there was another flash of brilliant light—this time blue—immediately between Karzak and Aseneth and a tall woman with black hair, save for a single white lock in the center, stepped out of thin air. She wore black robes and bore a striking resemblance to Aseneth—only twenty or thirty years older.

Karzak and Syll were so stunned by this development that both stood in utter shock as the newcomer stalked towards Aseneth and grabbed her by the wrist. The older woman said something that neither the dwarf nor the elf understood, even as Aseneth fought to free herself of the woman’s grasp.

“Nanoc!” screamed Aseneth. “I love you!”

Then there was another flash of brilliant blue light and both Aseneth and the other woman were gone.

In the chamber ahead, all eyes turned towards the tunnel in which the party stood poorly hidden in the shadows. Flashes of light and whispers had gone unnoticed, but a woman’s piercing, echoing scream had not.

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 56:

Please send postings for Turn 56 by the end of Friday, May 18th.

Current date/time/location: 8 Kolovoz (August); approximately 1300; The Temple of All-Consumption

Items gained this turn (not yet divided): 133 gold coins, a small ebony troglodyte statuette, a curved dagger, six sticks of incense, a black robe, and a pendant with the familiar inverted Y in the middle of a brown triangle, upside-down pyramid symbol, book on history and worship of the Elder Elemental Eye cult.

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed/sold/left behind this turn: Luger’s Neutralize Poison scroll and two cure light scrolls, 3 cure light potions found and immediately consumed

FOES DEFEATED:

Active party members listed in bold.

This Chapter:

Entire Campaign:

Current Status of the Party:

Note: known magic items listed in bold.

Nanoc

AC: 17

Hit points: 73/79 (poisoned)

New XP: 200

XP total: 25,131

XP needed: 28,000

Equipment: masterwork great axe, great axe +1, masterwork studded leather armor, 69 arrows, 2 quivers, backpack, 3 waterskins, 29 days trail rations, bedroll, 2 sacks, 2 flint & steel, bearskin, 50’ rope, 1 sap, masterwork mighty composite shortbow, masterwork shortsword, 4 iron triangles with inverted ‘Y’, three black cones made of some unknown substance, a black scepter decorated with a half dozen violet gems, a bead of force, metal scroll tube, a black cloak, two inverted ziggurat pendants; potion of bull’s strength, potion of cure light wounds(X2), potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of water breathing, potion of spider climbing, Aseneth’s House Torquann dragon ring, ring of jumping (+30 to jumping checks), potions of cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, invisibility, silver and gold brooches, potion of spider climb, unknown two-handed sword, emerald pendant, one suit of half-platemail, one suite of full platemail, one morningstar, one large metal shield, one curved knife.

Gold: 1469

Silver: 1420

Danton

AC: 16 (17 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 25/30 (poisoned)

New XP: 200

XP total: 23,181

XP needed: 28,000

Equipment: rapier, 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 33 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, 3 waterskins, 29 days trail rations, hooded lantern, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, scrolls with pyrotechnics and melf’s acid arrow, old journal, 8 iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside, 1 protection from fire scroll, 1 scroll of cure light wounds, 2 scrolls of cure moderate wounds, new journal, notebook, pen, ink, parchment in sealed waterproof box, pipe, tobacco, metal box, whetstone, six packets of tinder for lighting fires, gold inlaid dagger, Journal of Geynor Ton, a folded piece of parchment with a note addressed to someone named Festrath, spider pendant, a wand, disguise kit, letter to Master Dunrat, ochre-colored robe, potion of cure light wounds (X2), cure moderate wounds (X2), scrolls of animal messenger and stone shape, potion of love, potion of spider climb, a dozen vials of lantern oil, masterwork thieves’ tools, scroll with summon monster II, potion of cat’s grace, Rat’s Tail (Rapier +1), scroll with change self, enlarge, and two sleep spells, silver and gold brooches, bracers of armor +1, potion of hiding, pouch of uknown dried herbs taken from the home of Tal Chamish, emerald pendant.

Gold: 1213

Silver: 1200

Luger

AC: 20

Hit Points: 53/53

New XP: 200

XP total: 18,631

XP needed: 21,000

Equipment: longsword, heavy mace, light x-bow, dagger, 20 bolts, chainmail +1, large steel shield, 3 belt pouches, large bag, 50’ rope, 5 torches, hooded lantern, 3 oil flasks, flint & steel, 29 days rations, silver holy symbol of Heironeus, 3 flasks holy water, 3 healer’s kits, backpack, cleric’s vestment, traveler’s clothing, 3 waterskins, bedroll, iron triangle with upside down ‘Y’ inside, eight cockatrice feathers, scrolls of cure light wounds (1), cure disease, potion of cure moderate wounds; Geistblatt (ghost touch longsword +1), 5 vials of Furyondian Fire, cloak of resistance +1 (+1 to all saves), potions of enlarge, reduce, nondetection, silver and gold brooches, tattered black cloak with burning eye emblazoned on it, note from Master Hedrack to Master Uskathoth (in Draconic), triangular metal bar, emerald pendant, upside down pyramid symbol, book on history and worship of Elder Elemental Eye cult.

Spell Selection:

Level 0(5): Detect Magic, Create WaterX2, Light
Level 1(4+1): Domain: Protection from Evil

Level 2 (4+1): Domain: Aid

Level 3 (3+1): Domain: Magic Circle Against Evil

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 7 of 7

Gold: -37 (owed to Nanoc)

Silver: 0

Karzak

AC: 19

Hit Points: 43/52

New XP: 200

XP total: 8,300

XP needed: 10,000

Equipment: backpack, water skin, 28 days rations, aleskin, 2 waterskins, flint & steel, heavy crossbow, 4 cases with 40 bolts, 2 daggers, masterwork dwarven waraxe, large steel shield, banded mail, short sword, silver and gold brooches, bedroll, sack, Nanoc’s silver-plated short sword, potion of levitate, black cloak, inverted Y pendant, unknown magic gauntlets, rose quartz gem.

Gold: 158

Silver: 1200