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Chapter 3: The Temple of All-Consumption

Turn 56: Tenaris Glimmerdawn

Karzak looked around in confustion. “Well, who in blazes was that?” he asked Syll. “Looked an awful lot like Aseneth . . . was that her mother? I be very confused. Her mother be a cultist? I be right never ta be trustin' magicks.”

[Initiative: Nanoc: 15, Karzak: 14, Luger: 21, Danton: 10, Syll: 4, Enemies base roll: 18]

“I dunno,” muttered the elf, “but whoever it was, she left us in a hell of a mess.”

”Well, this much be fer sure, laddies,” grunted Karzak, hefting his axe, “them baddies know we be here an' unless ye be wantin' ta end up on that altar, ya better be ready fer some hackin' an' slashin'!”

”Hold one moment!” hissed Luger. “I am going to cast a spell, then we must rush the cleric at the altar. I do not know what has happened to Aseneth, but without her formidable spells, we are sorely at a disadvantage against spellcasters - divine or arcane. My spell will be centered upon me and will protect all against evil who stand within ten feet of me. Evil creatures cannot touch or attack us without overcoming the spell and they will not be able to use certain spells against us. Kill the vile priests first!”

While Luger performed his spell (Luger Casts spell: Magic Circle Against Evil), the figures across the room threw off their cloaks, revealing troglodytes underneath, and scrambled for weapons stored close at hand. The first volley of javelins rained down amidst the party seconds later. Fortunately this first salvo was not very accurate, and only Syll was grazed by a lucky shot.

While Luger was casting his spell, Nanoc finally recovered from his shock. When he first heard the commotion behind him, he had spun around just in time to see Aseneth and the other woman disappear.

“That was Asya's mom,” said the barbarian in anguish, “and she done took her back home...and these sons of bitches are gonna pay for it!”

Without another word, Nanoc withdrew and began to guzzle his potion of cats grace (+3 dex). The moment Luger’s spell was finished, the barbarian hefted his axe and charged into the cavern, screaming like a man possessed.

“Great Dwarffather!” said Karzak as he too ran forward. “Now, that be impressive. Most impressive! Well, I guess it be clobberin' time! Wait fer me, big feller! Me legs be too short ta run an' leap like that! Yeeaaah!”

Yelling at the cultists with a wide grin, the dwarf added: “Come on, baddies! I ginna cut yer own hearts out an' have me own feast! Whaddaya say?”

Danton too threw caution to the wind. Steeling himself with gritted teeth, he hissed, “Come, Rat's Tail, and at this fell hour prove your worth! If nothing else, you wilt now at least witness that most noble of all human activity: self-sacrifice born of love.”

“I too am with you, Nanoc!” he yelled.

While the troglodytes on the main level of the cavern threw javelins and those atop the ziggurat began what appeared to be spellcasting, the great monstrosity that had appeared out of the dirt floor moved directly towards the party with alarming speed, blocking Nanoc and Karzak’s charge before they made it very far into the chamber. The huge thing flailed at the barbarian with its many arms, striking him once (hit for 3 points), but he managed to dodge its huge maw when it tried to bite him. At the same time, Karzak sensed that someone had targeted him with a spell, but whatever it was had no effect (will save: 16+3+2+2=23; success).

Nanoc was still polishing off the last of his potion, so he was not able to counterattack the beast immediately, but Karzak (attack: 19+10=29; hit; 14 damage) and Danton (attack: 1+8=9; miss), had at the thing right away. Karzak’s axe bit deep into the monster’s flesh, but Rat’s Tail bounced harmlessly off its thick skin.

“This is stupid,” yelled Syll as the others rushed into the cavern. “I'm as heroic as the next guy, but I ain't feeling like doin' no dyin' today. Going down in a blaze of glory just ain't my style. We should’ve either run or done a fighting withdrawal so we wouldn’t have to fight ‘em all at once!”

With the others completely ignoring him, the elf cursed and followed them into the cavern. When the mad dash of the others was suddenly cut off by the rushing attack of the earth horror, Syll caught up to them quickly. When he did so, he clapped his hand on Danton’s back and muttered arcane words. A fraction of a second later, Danton saw his arm and blade turn invisible before his very eyes.

“If we’re throwing sanity out the window and doing this, at least make yourself useful!” hissed the elf. “Go backstab one of those clerics and leave critters like this to Nanoc and Karzak! If you dust anyone who looks like a priest, maybe we’ll get lucky and the blob here will disintegrate when his summoner gets iced!”

Feeling the circle of magical protection go up around him, Luger charged forward in an effort to keep Karzak and Nanoc within its field of protection. The multi-armed monster was large enough for everyone to attack at once, so Luger withdrew Geistblatt and slashed at the beast as well (attack: 15+7=22; hit; 5 damage).

Javelins rained down around the party once again, but the trogolodytes aim was little improved and once more Syll was the only one hit. The elf muttered what sounded like additional curses and cast a protective spell on himself.

With his speed and reactions now fully enhanced, Nanoc tried to bring his axe to bear against the massive creature blocking his path to the ziggurat, but it was still faster than he was. The barbarian ducked its bite, but was hit by two of its clawed arms (hit for 9 points) before he could counter. Karzak was at his side, but before the dwarf could do anything to help Nanoc, he was blindsided by a massive earthen appendage that appeared from out of nowhere and smashed him to the ground (hit for 15 points).

“I don’t believe it!” screamed Syll. “They have an elemental too! This just gets better and better! What a great plan we had here!”

After taking the bludgeoning from the elemental, Karzak rolled and came back up on his feet. He again felt the effect of hostile magic (will save: 19+3+2+2=26; success), but sheer dwarven stubbornness, combined with Luger’s protective magic, enabled him to shrug it off, whatever it was. “Here’s one fer Asya!” he yelled as he rushed at the eight-foot tall creature of mud and dirt that had knocked him over. The dwarf slammed his axe into the thing’s right leg (attack: 10+10=20; hit; 12 damage), tearing free a copious amount of earth and causing the magical creation to stumble.

As Nanoc’s realization that Aseneth was truly gone began to sink in, anger coursed through his body. His normally large muscles swelled even bigger and the veins on his arms, neck, and legs pulsed visibly as blood coursed through him. Raw barbarian rage overcame Nanoc at the thought of Aseneth’s disappearance and he vowed silently to share every bit of his pain with the cultists and their lackeys (barbarian rage: +4 str, +4 dex, +2 will saves, -2 AC). The beast they had summoned for their ceremony was his first victim, as two rapid swings of the barbarian’s massive axe tore the beast’s body open and ripped the life from it (attack: 14+16=30, 11+11=22; two hits; 42 total damage).

By the time the massive creature collapsed lifelessly to the ground, Nanoc was already running around it and continuing his mad charge at the ziggurat. By this time, Danton had made his way around the other side of the creature and was slipping around the ziggurat, intending to climb the edifice from the back and take the two spellcasting priests atop it unawares. However, as the Velunese reached the back of the structure, he saw that there was another troglodyte standing there, a few stairs from the top (spot: 15+8=23). This was in addition to the two priests and the two other troglodytes holding what Danton could now see clearly was a struggling elf woman atop the platform. Debating inwardly which target to strike first, Danton slipped up the back stairs of the ziggurat.

While another volley of javelins rained down, this time with no effect whatsoever, Karzak dodged one of the massive arms of the earth elemental and then slammed his axe into its other leg (attack: 15+10=25; hit; 13 damage). “That un’s fer the dwarves ye be enslaving!” he yelled.

“Not bad, kid, not too bad at all!” yelled Syll from somewhere nearby. “You slice him up and I knock him over!” A second later, the elf fired a pair of magic missiles into the torso of the elemental. With both its legs effectively ruined, the twin magical blasts were sufficient to knock the elemental over and take it out of the fight.

Karzak paused for a moment while Luger read a scroll (cure light wounds: +13 HP) and healed the pounding the dwarf had taken from the elemental.

“I thought I heard ya sayin’ something!” called out Karzak to Syll while Luger was doing his work. “But don’t be catchin' Danton's disease a' talkin' too much! Less gibber-gabbing an' more fightin'. Let's roll! Fer Asya!”

As Nanoc picked up speed and jumped into the air, using his enchanted ring for extra lift, he threw the bead of force he had been saving for months into the midst of the javelin-throwing troglodytes gathered near the base of the ziggurat (throw: 17+11=28; 15 area effect damage). The throw was near perfect, and the bead landed in the midst of three of the lizard men, exploding in a flash of light and sound that shook the cavern and the ziggurat even as Nanoc flew through the air and landed with a thud atop the platform between the two priests. The barbarian couldn’t be sure, but he thought all three troglodytes had been killed by the explosion.

As soon as he landed, Nanoc turned towards the closest of the two priests, the one who had thrown the heart of his sacrificial victim into the maw of the earth beast, but before the barbarian could do anything, he felt some sort of magic wash over him and sweep away the heightened dexterity his potion had given him. Down on the cavern floor, Luger felt the same effect as his protective circle was dispelled and Syll muttered yet more profanities when his own magical protection was apparently taken down.

Danton neared the top of the back of the ziggurat just as Nanoc landed at the front and began to stalk towards one of the priests. As the barbarian landed, the troglodyte that had been hiding at the back of the temple withdrew a long spear and slipped silently around the altar and towards Nanoc’s back, unseen by the barbarian.

Recognizing a fellow practitioner of the stealthy arts, however reluctant he would have been to acknowledge aloud any kinship with such a creature, Danton chose this would-be assassin as his target. He ran invisibly up the last of the stairs, around the two other troglodytes and their struggling elven prisoner, and stabbed Rat’s Tail expertly through a tiny gap in the straps that held the troglodyte assassin’s breastplate to his chest (backstab attack: 17+8=25; hit; 23 damage). The troglodyte never had any inkling of Danton’s presence, and it fell dead to the surface of the stone platform without having the slightest idea who or what had killed it.

As Nanoc and Danton entered combat with the troglodytes atop the ziggurat and as Karzak, Luger, and Syll moved past the fallen monster servants of the lizard men, all the party members drew into proximity with the creatures and were once again forced to endure the vile stench they emitted in combat (fortitude saves: Nanoc: 12+7=19; success, Danton: 2+1=3; failure, Luger: 6+9=15; success, Karzak: 10+9=19; success). Nanoc was hardly one to be slowed by such a distraction and Luger and Karzak shrugged it off as well, but Danton began retching and gagging even as he turned visible atop the ziggurat (-2 strength).

Aside from the foul smell of the troglodytes, as the party members drew close to the ziggurat or trod upon it, the thing’s very presence seemed to assault their senses, much as the unholy black obelisk under the moathouse had done months earlier, albeit without the same magnitude of awful power. Having encountered the obelisk, Danton, Nanoc, and Luger found this temple’s lesser effect to be a minor distraction at most, but the same was not true for Syll and Karzak, neither of whom had ever encountered any such thing before. The elf backed well away from the structure and Karzak felt nothing but relief when a group of troglodytes stepped between him and the temple.

Three troglodytes that had survived Nanoc’s bead of force came forward to meet Luger, Syll, and Karzak. These were clearly lesser warriors, and Luger (attack: 17+7=24, 16+7=23; two hits, 8, 4 damage) and Karzak (attack: 13+10=23, 8+10=18; two hits, 11, 15 damage) quickly got the best of their foes. Luger drove his enemy back towards the temple, while Karzak cut down the one in front of him. “An’ that’s that be fer all the innocent people ye be murderin' ye vile baddies!” he shouted. As this was happening, Syll peppered the third troglodyte with magic missiles and did his best to avoid its spear.

As if all of this were not enough, the two clerics atop the ziggurat, now well protected by a veritable wall of underlings, cast spells that summoned glowing magical morningstars. One of these floated down from the ziggurat and began to swing at Luger, while the second came at Danton, striking him a glancing blow (hit for 1 point).

“A little help up here would be nice!” shouted the scout as he suddenly found himself facing three hyenas, a lizard man, and the floating enchanted weapon.

The others might have come to his aid were it not for the fact that at this moment, four more troglodytes entered the cavern from the northeast corridor and joined the others fighting Luger, Syll, and Karzak. While the cleric and fighter were holding their own reasonably well, Syll was being gradually worn down and overwhelmed.

As a second troglodyte came at him, Luger ignored it and concentrated on bringing down the one he had already wounded (attack: 4+7=11, 19+7=26—potential critical—2^nd roll: 19+7=26; one critical hit; 22 damage). At the same time, Karzak had at one of the newcomers, knocking him back with his axe (attack: 11+10=21; hit; 10 damage) and then chopping the thing’s head off (attack: 20+10=30; potential critical hit—2^nd roll: 17+10=27; critical hit; 42 damage). One of the other newcomers hit Karzak a moment later, but the dwarf hardly noticed (hit for 8 points). “Wooo-weee!  Killin' ye baddies sure be

a lot a' fun!” gloated the dwarf.

Nearby, Syll managed to kill the last of the original troglodyte javelin throwers with a scroll of some sort, but the elf was clearly in a bad way and was having to resort to everything in his bag of tricks to survive.

Alone atop the ziggurat, Danton managed to avoid the attacks of the troglodyte and hyenas, but was bashed again and again by the glowing morningstar (hit for 8, 2 points). Kicking at the animals in a futile effort to keep them at bay, the Velunese finally managed to run through the lizard man (attack: 15+8-1=22; hit; 4 damage) and was rewarded by watching the creature fall off the platform and crash lifelessly down the stairs. Even as the second troglodyte holding the elf woman threw her to the stone platform and came at Danton, the scout took advantage of the momentary reprieve, such as it was, to drain one of his strongest healing potions (cure moderate wounds: + 17 HP).

With Danton held at bay by their summoned defenses and with the rest of the party occupied on the ground below, where another summoned morningstar still bashed ineffectively at Luger, the two clerics atop the temple began to hack and slash at the immobile Nanoc, clearly seeking to kill the barbarian before the spell holding him wore off (Nanoc hit for 3, 7, 6 damage).

Now with three of the troglodyte reinforcements remaining, Syll, Luger, and Karzak each had to face one of the creatures. Karzak took his down in the blink of an eye (attack: 11+20=12; hit; 15 damage), while Luger hacked away at another (attack: 13+7=20, 15+7=22, 2+7=9; two hits; 10, 9 damage) that seemed tougher than most of his fellows, taking two hard hits and still managing to stab the cleric with its spear (hit for 5 points). Syll dealt with the last one by draining some sort of potion and then trying to touch the troglodyte. It took the elf several tries to do so, but when he finally did, the creature stiffened up with a wail, gave off a far worse smell than usual, and collapsed to the ground with a puff of green smoke.

“Y’all don’t come back now, ya hear?” said the battered elf with a laugh.

Atop the ziggurat, Danton continued to fight for his life, striking his latest troglodyte attacker twice (attack: 15+8-1=22, 11+8-1=18; two hits; 6, 3 damage), even as he was bitten and pounded repeatedly by the many attackers that surrounded him (hit for 3, 4, 7, 3 points). However, just when Danton feared that he would be overwhelmed, everything changed as several of the spells cast by the troglodyte priests finally wore off. First, the glowing morningstar that had hit him so many times disappeared, then, seconds later, the three hyenas faded out of existence. Finally, and best of all, the spell holding Nanoc in place used up the last of its energy.

The barbarian had stood frozen in place for what seemed an eternity, helplessly watching as Danton was battered and cut and the two priests mere feet away cast spell after spell at his friends with impunity. Just as the spell holding him finally winked out, Nanoc was hit one last time (2 points), and the last of the burning rage that had temporarily augmented his strength faded away (-14 hit points, -2 str, -2 dex), but that hardly mattered. Exhausted or not, the barbarian still had more than enough anger and energy to deal with the likes of these troglodyte clerics. Roaring back to life, he finally brought his raised axe down on the armored helmet of the nearest one (attack: 17+13=30, 8+8=16, one hit, 12 damage), stunning the cleric and causing him to back away.

While the two clerics desperately flailed at Nanoc in an effort to hold him off (hit twice for a total of 13 points), the barbarian stalked methodically towards them. He swung once at the injured one (attack: 5+13=18; miss), his axe clanging harmlessly off the heavy armor the troglodyte wore. Then the barbarian gripped his weapon tighter and swung the axe lower, right below the creature’s breastplate, slamming the weapon into its gut (attack: 20+8=28; potential critical hit—2^nd roll: 18+8=26; critical hit; 53 damage). Even in his fatigued condition, Nanoc could still pack an incredible wallop and his axe cut the troglodyte priest clean in two.

Nanoc had planned to take down the second priest right after the first, but a sudden screaming charge up the ziggurat by Karzak spared him the need. The dwarf, fighting off the urge to flee that grew stronger the farther up the temple stairs he went, did a flying attack on the second priest with his axe leading the way (attack: 20+10=30; potential critical hit—2^nd roll: 18+20=28; critical hit; 37 damage). The troglodyte landed on its back with Karzak atop it and it tried feebly to bring up its heavy staff to defend itself, but Karzak’s axe cut the staff in half before slamming into the priest’s chest a second time (attack: 17+10=27; hit; 15 damage). The lizard man, grievously wounded, thrashed and flailed in an effort to throw the dwarf off its body and off the temple, but do no avail. Seconds later, Karzak finished him (attack: 16+10=26; hit; 7 damage). Having killed the priest, the dwarf ran screaming down the side of the ziggurat, seeking to get away from the structure as quickly as possible.

Down on the cavern floor, Luger was finally able to finish the last of the troglodyte reinforcements when Syll came at the thing from behind with his sword, causing the lizard man to turn his head just a fraction of a second too long—just long enough for Luger to cut him down with Geistblatt (attack: 16+7+2=25; hit; 3 damage).

“Oh, I feel terrible,” groaned Syll when the fight was over. “Stick a fork in me—I’m done.” The elf collapsed to the ground and rolled onto his back.

Sensing that salvation was at hand if only he could survive a little longer, Danton drained a second powerful healing potion (cure moderate wounds: +17 HP). The troglodyte facing him took advantage of his distraction while he was draining the vial, stabbing him in the side with its spear (hit for 5 points). Seconds later, the fight ended when Nanoc slammed his axe into the troglodyte’s back (attack: 15+13=28; hit; 14 damage), even as it was moving to stab Danton again.

“Wooo-weee!” exulted Karzak, standing a good thirty feet away from the temple. “Killin' ye baddies sure be a lot a' fun!  Nanoc, I’m glad ya dinna be killin' everybody an’ saved some fer me, ye wild man! Dwarffather, that be some 'mazing fightin'!  I ain't ne'er seen the like, 'cept when I be slayin' dragons an' all!"

With the cavern suddenly quiet for the first time in a long while, Danton stood atop the ziggurat next to Nanoc, looking down at the cavern below in amazement. “Verily, I knoweth not how we survived that battle,” he said in a low voice. “I am no religious man, but only the gods could have ordained our victory.”

“Yeah, right,” groaned Syll, still lying on his back. “Divine intervention? What a bunch of crap. Ain’t anybody ever told any of you guys about strategy? Tactics? What the heck was with that ridiculous charge? I had to waste just about every magic item I had just to stay alive! Let’s not do that again—ever!”

“Whether that was what you planned or not,” said an unfamiliar voice, “I, for one, am not complaining.”

Danton and Nanoc turned around at the sound of these words to see that the elf woman the troglodytes had brought up to the top of the ziggurat, presumably to be the second sacrificial victim of the priests and the creature Nanoc had killed, had managed to get to her feet. Her arms and legs were still bound behind her, however, and she could hardly do more than shuffle a few inches at a time.

Aside from the ropes that bound her, the woman wore a sort of black leather vest and pants that ended above the knee, along with high leather boots. Her elfin features made her age difficult to determine—her hair was purest white, but not a wrinkle creased her skin and she had wide, darting eyes that suggested youth. Nanoc withdrew a dagger and used it to slice the ropes at the woman’s feet and wrists. She was tall for an elf—at least five and a half feet.

“Thanks,” she said. “Now, if you’ll follow me, there are two more people here in need of rescuing.” Without waiting to see if they would follow, the woman half-jogged, half-stumbled down the back of the ziggurat and into the cavern directly behind it. Exchanging shrugs, Danton and Nanoc followed, while Luger and Karzak helped Syll to his feet and then followed in the others’ wake.

As it turned out, the passageway behind the ziggurat did not lead far. There was a passageway that ran twenty feet before opening into a small cave no more than twenty-five feet in diameter. The entire cave stank of urine and sweat, and no other exits were visible. Chains were bolted into the walls, and a few metal food dishes lay on the floor. Near the back of the cave, a coal-filled brazier glowed, a pair of hot irons stuck into the heat. Chained to the walls, out of reach of the brazier, were two human men, who looked up when the party entered. The men both appeared to be in their mid-thirties.

“You will cut them down, won’t you?” asked the elf woman. “You are here to rescue us, aren’t you?” Somehow the woman’s voice was melodic despite everything that she had just experienced.

“Do we look like we’re here for a game of cards?” asked Syll sarcastically from where Luger and Karzak propped him up at the cave entrance.

“We sure are here for a rescue!” said Nanoc, his voice more determined than ever. “Man, o’ man, this reminds me of when we sprung Erky at the Citadel! Now we jus’ gotta get Asya back an’ everythin’ would be great!”

“Hold a moment,” said Danton, motioning for the others to stop before moving to release the two male prisoners. “Just who are the three of you and what are you doing here?”

“I’m Tenaris, Tenaris Glimmerdawn,” said the elf woman. “I was traveling through the mountains with some other elves when we were ambushed by a bunch of strange clerics and their gnoll thugs. They brought us all here and chained us up—that was a week ago, I think.”

“You’re from Celene, aren’t you?” asked Syll. “I can tell by your accent. But where are these other elves you mentioned?”

Tenaris’ face darkened. “They were taken for sacrifice on that altar out there—one or two at a time. I’m the only one left.”

“Well ain’t that just great!” spat Syll. “What is it with every idiot who has some crawling horror for a pet that he feels the need to round up all the local elves and feed them to it?”

“And you gentlemen are?” asked Danton, nodding towards the two chained human men and ignoring the smuggler’s outburst.

“I’m Rolf and this is my brother Gerd,” said one of the men. “We’re from Rastor, an’ our story is pretty much like hers, ‘cept we wasn’t travelin’ through the mountains—just hunting—when they nabbed us in the foothills. We’ve been here for even longer—maybe two months.”

“And they never took you two for sacrifice?” asked Luger. “Interesting.”

“They seemed to have a particular dislike for elves,” commented Tenaris. “They’ve used Rolf and Gerd for menial labor for months, but they did nothing with my party except kill us.”

“I might have guessed,” said Syll bitterly. “Shitballs.”

“I’m bustin’ ‘em loose,” said Nanoc, giving Danton a look that brooked no argument. “They’ve been through enough.”

Using his massive axe, Nanoc cut through the chains holding each of the prisoners in turn.

“It’s a long way back to the entrance—which remains well guarded,” said the Velunese, speaking as much to Gerd, Rolf and Tenaris as much as Nanoc. “Do the three of you think you could make it or do you want to stick with us?”

“I dunno if we could get out,” said Gerd, looking at his brother, “but it’s got to be woth a try, and a heck of a lot better than rotting here, whatever our chances are.”

“I’m not so much interested in escape as in getting some payback,” said Tenaris. “If you can provide me some equipment, I’d be glad to join you in…whatever it is you’re doing…as long as it involves killing more of these foul clerics. I’m best with a longsword, but I can use most any weapon.”

“There’s a heck of a lot of equipment scattered about on and around that temple out there,” said Syll. “You three could probably find whatever you want.”

“Good idea,” said the woman. “I’ll be right at it.”

Gerd and Rolf seemed much less enthusiastic, but they still followed Tenaris out of the cave.

As Danton watched the woman go and as Luger converted his weakest remaining spells to healing in order to at least get Syll back on his feet (+4 HP to the smuggler), the scout began thinking out loud:

”Now that the slaughter and rescue hath finished -- at least for the moment -- tell me, good Nanoc, what in the Nine Hells is going on? I realize that we hath not the time for a full-fledged discourse on the matter, but I must needs understand what hath befallen Aseneth ... and how, if at all and to the degree that you know or can guess, her disappearance is related to the Temple of All-Consumption.
In short, is her disappearance related to our efforts in the temple or is it entirely coincidental? Doubtless, there are other things to discuss, but this one occurs to me first and foremost.”

Still visibly upset, Nanoc shook his head with a mix of anger and sadness. “That were her mom, Danton. Her mom didn't want her a gone 'round lookin' fer stuff to help. Her father is a general back home in Rinloru...or maybe it was Aerdy...yeah Rinloru is the name of the city. Anywho, Asya done finished witch school and wanted to go out and find things to help her father wit’ the war against the undead back there, but her mom and dad told her no, she could not go, but she wents anyway. I think that magic thingy she had...she must o' been trying to use it to see her mom, but her mom saw her. Her mom is a powerful witch and she came here and got her. It ain't got nothin' to do wit this place.”

“I can tells you this,” added the barbarian. “I am wit’ you guys to the end o' this quest to stop this here cult. After that, I am headin' for this Aerdy place...I may stop back in Hammstead and talks to Justin—he is from the east, an’ maybe he can tell me how to get there. You all is welcome to come along if you wants...guess there'll be sometime for you to think on that while we finish this here cult off. But you heard her, she loves me and I is o' plannin' to see her again soon, so as soon as this is done, I gots to go find her.”

Danton placed his arm around Nanoc’s massive shoulder. “Nanoc, be assured of this: if we survive this effort with the cult, I shalt accompany you to Aerdy ... or to where'er it takes to find your beloved. Still, it sounds as though Aseneth is safe, with her having been taken by her mother. She might be unhappy, and plainly I sympathize with your loss of her presence -- indeed, I know as well as anyone what 'tis like to be deprived of the one you love. But take heart: Aseneth hath not been taken prisoner by some vile force. Although, 'tis true enough that a mother-in-law couldst easily qualify in that regard....”

Karzak laughed and slapped Danton on the back. “Hah! Ye dun dashed me hopes, laddie, that ya winna be philosophizing. Yer silence dinna last none too long.”

“I be sorry fer yer loss too,” added the dwarf, looking at Nanoc. “Actually, all a' us dun lost her because she was a good lassie, an' not too bad in helping out in a fight. I don't mind helping ye out later, though I be none too happy 'bout interfering in a family dispute. Why would her mother be traveling halfway 'round the Oerth ta be forcin' her home? She's a grown lassie now. But be that as it may . . . we need ta be focusin' fer the moment on our problem right here. We still got lots of baddies ta fight an' need to be thinkin' 'bout how we goin' ta be accomplishin' it.”

“Fer my part,” he said, “hangin' 'round ye laddies be gettin' more an' more confusin' with every moment. Actually, it be almost like everything be startin' ta make sense, an' that be scarin' this wee bit o’ dwarf the most!”

“We need to rest soon,” said Luger, “but before we do, one thing more must be done—that vile temple and altar must be destroyed. The very existence of such a thing is an abomination. The obelisk under the moathouse was beyond our power to destroy, but I believe that this thing is not. I do not know if any of you noticed, but Nanoc’s explosive projectile did more than kill troglodytes when he threw it—it also blew out a portion of the front of the temple—suggesting the whole thing can be destroyed.”

“We’ll get your girlfriend back, Nanoc,” said Syll, “but we ain't any of us any good to her dead, so let’s take our time and plan this thing from now on. As far as what we might do, I’m always in favor of stealth and subterfuge. After all, with all these troglodytes dead, I think the ol’ Earth Temple has pretty much been stomped again—meaning that Delchin the Despicable and company rule the roost here now. We might give some thought to how best to take advantage of that.”

“I’ll try not to lose it like that again,” said Nanoc, giving Syll an apologetic look. “It was jus’ thinkin’ ‘bout losin’ Asya made me so mad. But it wasn’t so bad, was it? I mean it was only thirteen versus five, right?”

“Yeah,” muttered Syll, “until the reinforcements showed up. But, hey it was still a piece of cake. I hardly broke a sweat.”

By the time the party made its way back out to the temple chamber, Tenaris had already equipped herself with several short blades and the morningstar wielded by one of the clerics. She was in the process of removing the heavy plate mail worn by one of the clerics when the party entered. Already, even without the armor, the elf woman looked far more formidable than the seemingly helpless victim of the troglodytes she had been only a short time before.

Rolf and Gerd had also armed themselves with spears and javelins, but neither of them had ever worn armor before and they looked decidedly uncomfortable with the troglodyte weapons. Aside from the weapons and plate mail taken by Tenaris and the two men, the party members salvaged a good many items from the various bodies scattered about the temple chamber, including 900 gold, four more emerald pendants, a chitin breastplate that looked like it had been made from the exoskeleton of some creature, a similar chitin set of full plate mail, and two pendants with the familiar inverted ‘Y’ symbols set in brown triangles.

Additionally, there were five potion vials, a pair of boots, a ring, two scrolls, and another triangular metal bar that Syll said all resonated magic.

Once they had salvaged all they could, the party members used some of the remaining troglodyte weapons to bash at the altar and ziggurat. Most of these efforts were ineffective, but both Nanoc and Karzak were able to do real damage to the altar, smashing the stone into fragments. When this happened, the air in the chamber began to churn with dust and ceiling stones crashed down. With stones falling all around them, the party members rushed out of the cavern via the nearest exit—the tunnel running off to the east.

When the group was in the corridor, which remained stable, they turned and watched as the large temple cavern shook and stones rained down for two full minutes. When the rumbling finally stopped, the ziggurat in the cavern had collapsed entirely and the entire eastern half of the cavern was filled with rubble and scree. The cavern was still passable and it appeared the party could climb over the wreckage to reach the other tunnels running off from the chamber, but the earth temple had been utterly destroyed.

Searching for a place to rest, recover, and make decisions, the party picked its way down the eastern tunnel, once again relying on Danton’s enchanted torch now that all the light sources in the earth temple had been smashed by the collapsing roof. The tunnel ran east for at least a hundred feet before dividing into two passages. The passage to the left went only forty feet before dead ending in a small cave with two javelins on the floor. The walls were covered in black symbols and images painted crudely and without care. Otherwise the place was empty and unremarkable (Danton search: 12+13=25).

Wanting to see what lay down the tunnel in the other direction before making any decisions, the party retraced its steps to the intersection and then continued to the east. The dark tunnel ran for another hundred feet and then finally came to an end. On the northern side of the tunnel, just before the end, someone had installed a heavy stone door, which was presently closed.

Danton motioned for the others to follow him back, well away from the door, and then he whispered.

“Methinks the time hath come for a decision or two. Do we brave a door into the unknown, camp out in yon empty cave to the north, or pick our way through the ruins of the Earth Temple to try some other route? And what do we do about our three rescuees? It doth seem possible we couldst persuade the fair Tenaris to accompany us ‘gainst the cult for the time being, should we wish such a thing, but the brothers want naught but to escape and return home to Rastor.”

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 57:

Please send postings for Turn 57 by the end of Wednesday, May 23rd.

Current date/time/location: 8 Kolovoz (August); approximately 1430; The Temple of All-Consumption

Items gained this turn (not yet divided): 900 gold, 4 emerald pendants, 5 potion vials, 1 pair of boots, chitin breastplate, chitin full plate, ring, cloak, 2 scrolls, metal triangular bar, 2 inverted ‘Y’ symbols in brown triangles on pendants

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed/sold/left behind this turn: Nanoc potion of cat’s grace and bead of force, Luger cure light wounds scroll, Danton two cure moderate wounds potions

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: 30/79 (poisoned)

New XP: 1440

XP total: 26,571

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, 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), 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: 1521

Silver: 1420

Danton

AC: 16 (17 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 19/30 (poisoned)

New XP: 1440

XP total: 24,621

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 inverted ‘Y” pendant in a brown triangle, 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), 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 unknown dried herbs taken from the home of Tal Chamish, emerald pendant, a small ebony troglodyte statuette, a curved dagger, six sticks of incense, a black robe

Gold: 1239

Silver: 1200

Luger

AC: 20

Hit Points: 48/53

New XP: 1440

XP total: 20,071

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, scroll of 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):
Level 1(4+1): Domain: Protection from Evil

Level 2 (4+1): Domain: Aid

Level 3 (3+1): Domain:

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 7 of 7

Gold: -11 (owed to Nanoc)

Silver: 0

Karzak

AC: 19

Hit Points: 33/52

New XP: 1440

XP total: 9,740

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: 174

Silver: 1200