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Chapter 3: The Temple of All-Consumption

Turn 58: Dark Waters

As the party stood on the dark shore of the underground lake, Karzak glanced back to the west towards the three bodies on the stone ground.

“I’ma ginna hazard me a guess here, laddies,” said the dwarf, “an' propose that we might be havin' some unanticipated help from some unknown folks travelin'
here in the temple jus' like us an' our pretty little lassie here.” Karzak paused at this point for a wink at Tenaris, who only scowled back at him and then looked away. “Whilst we should be being careful 'round anyun' we ginna ta encounter, we may also want ta stand down a bit an' consider them potential allies 'stead a us whirling an' chopping 'em down. On the other hand, we may be runnin' inta a situation where the baddies be fightin' each other now like I dun 'pected they might. After all, that there dead body dun told us that the elements prob'bly be at war with each other.”

“Either way,” mused the dwarf, “might be good news fer us. Course I kinna
think a' anything that would be a better fer our party than a pretty elven fighter lassie.”

Karzak flashed a toothy grin at Tenaris, who looked like she might lose her lunch. If it were possible, she somehow seemed even paler than usual.

”Don't'cha worry, lassie,” whispered Karzak, “I be growin' on ye 'fore too long.”

“Like a fungus, no doubt,” muttered Syll.

“Somehow I doubt we're lucky enough that the cavalry has been through
here,” added Syll, changing the subject. “Three bodies, but more than three swords, and a solid blood trail? Add that to the dead ape back there that looked like something sushied it and then ate it, and I think what we have is some big critter wandering through here—maybe some kind of monster. All we need to do
to find out is follow the blood. But my bet is we ain't going to like what we find.”

“I suppose that be 'other possibility,” admitted Karzak. “I be guessin' that whatever it be should enjoy it's last wee hours a' life 'fore Nanoc and me go carvin' it up an' making a new statue a' monsters fer this evil den! I mean, dinna ye see the way me axe thunked inta the ape's skull? Wooo-weee!”

The dwarf hefted his axe and swung it through the empty air to punctuate his words, then did a little victory dance around the invisible skull of an imaginary ape.

“I could speak with one of these dead soldiers and ask about what killed them,” said Luger. “If it is some sort of large creature that lives in that lake, maybe it will come back for the rest of these men. In that case, we might want to get away from the lake, for I suspect we'd have better luck fighting a water-beast in the caves than in the water. Of course, if we do not need to go this way, then do we really need to fight more large beasts at all? The next time we run across a den of apes, I, for one, say we find a way around them. Beyond that, I'd still like to find someone breathing to ask some questions. Killing evil beings is all well and good, but it is not leaving us with much to go on. Before we press forward, I say we find some more guards in this area and have a chat with them.”

“Find a way around?” asked Karzak incredulously. “Me laddie! Nae, nae, nae! An' deprive ourselves a' wee bit a' fun? Nae chance there, laddie. I kin tell ye that the feeling a' sinkin' me axe inta that monkey's head be 'bout the most satisfyin' thing I ever dun!”

Karzak looked as if he might be ready to reenact his victory over the ape again when he thought of something else, stopped short, and said to Tenaris, “Well . . . almost . . . not as satisfyin' as lookin' inta yer mysterious eyes, lassie. Ahhhh.”

The elf woman was now pointedly ignoring the dwarf and looking away from the party, back towards the table with the lantern at the far end of the long tunnel.

“Huh,” grunted Nanoc. “This seems like it becomin' a habit, but I gotta agree wit Luger...it'd be good if we done can finds someone alive to talk wit. Maybe we oughta follow that there bloody trail. It's bound to lead us to someone or somthin' and it looks like its done already hurt purty bad. Anywho, we gotta a lot o' unexplored places behind us fore we needs be a crossin that lake. Thats my way o' thinkin'.”

“In sooth,” said Danton, “I am not sure of the wisdom of following the bloody trail. Syll is likely correct that 'twill lead us to yet another voracious behemoth, which wilt require great expenditure of effort to slay ... probably, as per Murphy's Law, with little recompense in terms of booty or information. Still, I am at a loss for an obviously better plan. There are, of course numerous alternatives, however, and methinks we ought not forget them.”

Handing his torch to Luger and unrolling the maps he had drafted of the Temple of All Consumption thus far, Danton continued, “For instance, there art numerous unexplored chambers near to the western entrance, where we hath entered the temple. Closer to home, there art two wooden doors nearby -- which may or may not lead into the same room or complex of rooms. Mine guess is that they do link up. Then there is the unopened stone door that we had bypassed when we elected to take this trail from the ziggurat chamber. Any one of these options might be followed, and methinks that our goals art still sufficiently uninformed that we couldst easily break away and go back to them.”

”Of course,” continued the scout, “there is also the option of the underground lake, though frankly I am loath to go that route until there is no choice. And if we do go that route, we'd better verify, first, who can swim and who cannot. I, unfortunately, belong to the latter category. Second, we'd better assume that we are going to get attacked whilst in the rowboat and that at least some or all of us are going to get plunged into that lake, whose depth is unknown. Thus, no one ought to wear armor whilst in the rowboat unless he or she can swim in it. Yes, 'tis dangerous, but, thinking back to the time we fought the dragon at the moathouse, I know as well as anyone the danger of drowning in one's armor.”

”Naturally, if we backtrack, 'twill cost us time and effort, and we might also run into more enemies. And admittedly, we know not whether backtracking wilt take us any further substantively in these caves than if we stay the course. If the consensus is that we follow the bloody trail, I wilt not argue against it. But I find mineself wondering if we ought not explore other options first. Mine own personal opinion is that we should first explore those wooden doors o'er yonder and then, if necessary, explore the stone door that lieth a bit farther away. Then, if none of those doors provided any advantage or information, we could choose betwixt going back to the main entrance and following the bloody trail ... or the underground lake.”

”What say you?” asked the Velunese in conclusion. “And please, Tenaris and Syll, continue also to speak your mind on the matter, for all input is welcomed and valued. You share in our dangers and rewards, and I, for one, would have your mind on such matters. Do not be shy.”

“Unless we are left with no other choice, I would prefer we do not cross the lake and instead try to find some way around it,” said Luger firmly. “I think it would be prudent for me to expend a spell on one of these guards and simply ask what sort of beast caused this carnage. I can also attempt to ask what lies across the lake and how to reach the Inner Fane.”

”We were told by the guards near the entrance that there were bridges to cross to get the center and I'm guessing the Inner Fane lies in the center and that is where the Doomdreamers reside. Have we crossed a bridge and are we in the Inner Fane? I have absolutely no sense of direction in these caves, so I cannot tell if we are heading towards the center of this foul temple or even what direction ‘center’ might be from where we began.”

Danton looked down at his maps for a moment and then replied, “I do not believe we have crossed any bridges, and if your theory that the ‘Inner Fane’ lieth at the center of this mountain be correct, I do not believe we hath made a beeline for it—at least not yet.”

Luger nodded. “Lastly, as much ‘fun’ as hitting these creatures with an axe may be, I do not see much benefit in risking our lives and wasting our time on beasts which live in the tunnels unless we have no other choice. Lady Tenaris, I have an extra longsword you are welcome to if you are more comfortable with it. I'm afraid it has no extraordinary properties, but it has served me well in the past.”

“Thank you, Luger,” said the woman, taking the proffered blade from the cleric. “I can handle most any weapon just fine, but I’ve always been best with a longsword—as you’ll see when next violence rears its ugly head.”

The woman tested the feel of Luger’s original blade, slashing it through the air.

“Beauty and skill in motion—truly a devastating combination,” breathed Danton.

Tenaris paused, slipped the sword into a scabbard she had taken when she acquired the insectoid armor she now wore, and gave Danton what he felt was an appraising look. Unfortunately the moment was ruined when Karzak elbowed Danton in the ribs and said:

“Back off there, feller. B’sides, she’s way too much woman for a skinny guy like you who might blow away in a stiff wind.”

Syll sighed loudly. “Could we please get back to figuring out our next move? Much more of this and I’m going to lose my breakfast into this lake.”

Although Karzak had been focused on a combination of reliving his killing of the giant ape, mooning over Tenaris, and verbally sparring with Danton, Luger and Syll’s words finally caused a certain unpleasant reality to sink into the dwarf’s consciousness. He looked down at his booted feet, which were no more than a couple of yards from the edge of the dark lake.

“Ah . . . lake . . . water?” muttered the fighter nervously as he backed away from the edge of the vast body of water. “I dinna be supposin' that there be 'nother way 'round. I dinna like water too much, laddies.”

“Most important information, that,” said Syll conspiratorially to Tenaris. “Should our resident dwarf prove too boorish, I am quite certain that Danton there, would be more than willing to help you throw said dwarf into the lake.”

Highly amused at his good fortune at having Syll do his dirty work for him—and unprompted at that—Danton pointedly ignored Karzak.

“Shucks, Luger,” said Nanoc, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh at Syll’s comment, “I done thought you said these fellahs was stabbed and what not. Not beat like them there apey things do. Plus we see the extra swords. I think they is probably some fellahs from one of them other temples. From what you done said after talkin' wit that one dead guy back there, it seems like these here temples fight wit one another regular like. No, I'm guessin' its some fellahs that did this killin, and from all that there blood, it looks like they is hurtin' pretty bad.”

Luger shrugged. “You make a good point, Nanoc. After seeing the dead ape before we were attacked and now finding these men dead with others apparently dragged away, I was presuming the worst. When I see bodies being dragged off, I imagine something big enough for the task and hungry enough for the need. It's entirely possible that these men ran into some enemies and a few were hauled off to be tortured later, but I'm skeptical. In any case, I'd just as soon hear from these fellows what killed them than be caught unaware by a demon or a giant worm or a dragon or Heironeus knows what. I'm not against following the trail of blood, but I'd prefer to know what we're following. Perhaps we'll find a live guard willing to give us some much needed information in exchange for extricating him from someone's dinner table.

Now standing more comfortably a good thirty feet from the edge of the lake, Karzak shouted out, “Dinna I jus' be sayin' all this 'bout an hour ago?! Sheesh, a wee bit a' credit ta the humble dwarf now would be nice! No respect at all!”

“If magic is to be used to speak with the dead, I hath no objection,” said Danton in a deliberately quiet voice, hoping Karzak would take the hint and lower his own volume. “Anything that clarifies our situation is to be welcomed, and it seems that -- thanks to the skillful swordsmanship of mine doughty—and striking,” he added with a glance at Tenaris, “—comrades -- the one thing in which we art not lacking is corpses. So let us return to yon bodies that you may speak away, good Luger! Though, as for me, methinks I prefer better conversationalists with whom to discuss the latest attractions at the theater in Veluna City.”

“Karzak’s probably going to get that morningstar someplace unpleasant before long,” muttered Syll. “An’ that’s if he’s lucky. If he ain’t, she’ll use that longsword instead. But anyway, what I said stands, I think we got some big nasty creature havin’ a chogfest in here. Seein’s how all nasty things seem to like eating elves, I think I’ll be extra cautious-like. But Tenaris is probably in more danger from the kid’s paws. Like I said, if he ain’t careful, he’s gonna get a boot in the wrong side of the shorts.”

“I’ll give you a boot, elf!” spat Karzak before adding lamely, “er, not that there’s anything wrong wit’ elves in general—jus’ wit’ loudmouths like you!”

As the group walked back down the tunnel towards the bodies to the west, Karzak slapped Danton hard on the back. “'Tween me an' Nanoc here doin’ all the work, dinna ya mean ‘axemanship’ there, laddie, when ya was sayin’ ‘swordsmanship’? Or fer that matter, ‘axedwarfship’ or ‘axehalforcship’?”

Clearly highly amused at his own cleverness, Karzak belted out a series of laughs, which echoed off the cave walls.

Nanoc laughed as well. “That's a good one, Karzak. I gotta remembers me that

one...axehalforcship...Har, Har, Har...ain't that a good one, Danton?” 

Without waiting for the scout to answer, Nanoc clapped him on the shoulder even harder than had Karzak, leaving the Velunese coughing so hard that it was left to Syll to answer for him.

“Say! We could always forget all those ideas we talked about back there and just sit around waiting for all this noise to bring every villain in this whole damned place right to us!” said the elf sarcastically. “Now that would be a real plan!”

Catching his breath, Danton stretched his back and rolled his eyes as he addressed Nanoc: “If one's sense of humor tends toward the vaudevillian, yes, I can see how one might be amused.”

When Tenaris laughed out loud at his riposte, Danton enjoyed a wide smile at the expense of the dwarf and the barbarian and shot a conspiratorial wink at Syll.

Once the party was back near the tunnel leading to the north where the three bodies lay, Luger chose the corpse that was the most intact and performed another of his incantations on it (Cast Speak with Dead). As before, as soon as the cleric began his spell, Nanoc excused himself.

“Well if you fellahs really needs to talk wit some dead guy, I think I’ll jus’ stay away while you does that. Ain’t nothin’ good ‘bout wakin’ the dead. Looks like Syll had some sense that last time, so you is welcome to hang out wit me if’n you wants to.”

Nanoc shook his head in obvious disgust at the thought of what Luger was doing and then he turned and walked back towards the lake.

Syll followed the barbarian, but not before looking at Luger once more and offering a bit of advice: “I suggest you come up with some more cast-iron questions this time. Them other stiffs weren’t none to helpful, and they found ways to weasel out on the info you wanted. You leave an evil dead guy a loophole, he’s gonna take it every time. I sure would.”

The elf then looked at Danton. “While Luger chats up the stiffs, we’ll keep a weather eye on the agua and the blood trail. Ain’t no tellin’ what might come outta that lake there—it’s a sure thing there’s something living in the water. I’ve been from one side of the Flanaess to the other and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that if there’s a pool of water larger than a puddle, there is a giant octopus or some other nasty critter hiding out in it.”

With Syll moving quickly to catch up, Nanoc walked back to where the tunnel started to open up into the huge cavern with the lake so that he remained within easy earshot if the party should yell for help for some reason, but still stood well away from Luger’s latest séance.

“You know,” said Syll as he and Nanoc stared out into the cavern towards the huge lake, “I find it more than a bit interesting that these stiffs are the first humans we have run into since the front gate. That is significant, and says to me that we are moving into different territory here—perhaps the Fire Temple. I definitely vote we clear this area before moving on—nothing like being thorough. We got two doors left to check. But if these are fresh kills, we may want to keep in mind that whatever killed these guys may be a bit hurt, and the more time we give it to recover, the more it will heal. Plus, when it gets hungry again, it may well come hunting us. But if Luger finds out that it is something truly horrid, something we may be overmatched against, we should use all the info we have to avoid it.”

“Huh,” said Nanoc, “I was thinkin’ along the same lines—sorta. Lookin’ out over that there lake, I was o’ thinkin’ that might jus’ be the entrance to the Water Temple—not the fire one. I mean, everything in that there cave be wet. Plus there is that there weird gray column in the middle o’ the lake. It done sorta reminds me o’ that pillar we done seen in the moathouse, well I guess it ain’t really black but it is dark gray and it jus’ don’t seem right to be o’ standin’ there in the middle o’ the lake. Yup, I think to get to the Water Temple, we’d hafta cross that lake, and you can jus bet your last gold that there is some kind o’ guardian in that there lake and if he don’t recognize the right people rowin’ ‘cross it…there is gonna be trouble. Yer right, Syll, we oughta save crossin’ that for last, and only if we really needs to. I can’t go lookin’ for Asya very well if I is at the bottom o’ a lake.”

”Sounds good to me on avoiding the lake,” replied Syll. “But maybe we should at least try to find out what is down the passage whatever killed those guys went down. If there’s nothing behind the doors and we don’t want to cross the lake, we may have to use that bloody tunnel. In that case, we may be able to lure out the beastie with a dead trog and then lock it in somewhere.”

While Syll and Nanoc had this discussion as they stared out at the underground lake, Luger had a conversation of a different sort. As before, when he cast his spell, the temperature in the surrounding area dropped noticeably—but not to the same extreme as it had previously. The cleric again felt resistance when he tried to force his will on the body of one of the dead men, but this resistance was much more easily overcome than it had been with Uskathoth and the body on his ceiling.

“Who or what killed you?” asked Luger when his spell was complete.

The lips on the body of the dead man moved unnaturally and responded: “huge beasts with claws and beaks…”

“What lies beyond the lake to the east of here?” asked Luger.

“The Water Temple lies to the east,” came the reply.

“How do we reach the Inner Fane?” asked the cleric.

“You must cross the bridge,” said the corpse.

“Ya hear that?” asked Karzak when Luger’s work was done. “Beasties killed these fellers! Let’s be followin’ that blood an’ find the uglies so I kin be splittin’ their skulls with me axe! That is, if y’all ain’t too ‘fraid ta do it,” he added with a meaningful glance at Danton.

“I think not,” said the scout, “fighting some big, nasty, and probably brutishly dumb beast serves little purpose, despite your proclivity to have such battles. We needeth to find information or people who might possess information. Fighting giant apes and other behemoths is totally pointless unless they effectively stand in the way of gaining actionable intelligence or some booty truly worth having.”

While Karzak pushed hard for following the trail of blood and fighting whatever ‘huge beasts’ had killed the humans, Danton and Luger were firmly against such a course. Much to Danton’s satisfaction, Tenaris sided with him and the cleric. Nanoc and Syll were open to either following the trail or checking the nearby unexplored areas.

“Well,” said the barbarian, “if we thinks we oughta not go after those things, then I think we ougta start wit’ that there wood door down the corridor straight thatta way.” The half-orc pointed with his axe towards the portal off to the west at the far end of the tunnel. “Then we can jus’ check out everything as we works our way back…sooner or later we hafta run across some live guys to question…I thinks.”

Although Karzak grumbled loudly about Danton favoring “sneaking and poking fellers in the back” to “good, straight-up fights”, the others ignored him and returned to the wooden door at the west end of the tunnel. There Danton put his ear against the door and looked for traps (Listen: 6+7=13, Search: 6+13=19). Seeing and hearing nothing, the scout turned to dealing with the lock that held the door shut (open locks: 13+10=23; failure).

Surprised that the lock was able to resist his initial efforts, Danton shucked off his pack and attacked it more systematically with his tools, ignoring the loud gibes Karzak made to Tenaris at his expense. It took a good fifteen minutes, but the scout was eventually able to trip the lock’s sophisticated mechanism (open locks: take twenty: 20+10=30; success).

When Nanoc opened the now unlocked door, the party saw a narrow corridor with worked stone walls—only ten feet wide—that ran to the west for forty feet before turning south. At the point where the corridor turned south, another wooden door was visible on the north wall and, looking at his map, Danton was certain that it was the same door that the party had seen earlier from the opposite side. Burning torches lined the walls on both sides, making this area the best lit the party had seen since the gate complex where the group had first entered the mountain.

When the party reached the corner and turned south, the group found itself in another long, narrow corridor. It ran south for fifty feet and then came to a four-way intersection. Where the west and east corridors might lead was not immediately apparent as the party walked down the hall, but they could see into the room to the south, which appeared to be a guardroom of some sort. The irregularly shaped room held several long wooden tables flanked by benches. At the head of two tables sat ornate, padded chairs. Tapestries of red and gold hung on the plaster-covered walls, and red and gold carpets ran along the sides of the room as well as in between the tables.

There were at least a half-dozen human guards, wearing banded mail, black cloaks and inverted Y pendants, in the room to the south and they stood up from the tables as the party walked down the hall towards them. Several moved to the doorway and watched as the party approached, but once they had a good look at how the party was dressed—with their own cloaks and inverted Y symbols, they returned to what appeared to be a game they were playing at the tables.

When Danton and Nanoc, leading the party as usual, reached the four-way intersection, they saw a closed wooden door to the west—only five feet away—and a short corridor leading into a larger room to the east. Opting for the east in order to avoid having to face the possibility of having to stop and pick a lock with a half-dozen or more guardsmen only a few dozen feet away, Danton led the group into a large, irregularly shaped room with at least five different apparent exits.

The room was roughly L-shaped, with the shorter part running west-east and the longer part heading off to the south. It was thirty feet wide in most areas. A long table, flanked by wooden benches, was in the western part of this room where the party entered. A dagger was stuck into the wood of the table, and some breadcrumbs covered a pair of plates near it. The walls of this area were covered in plaster and frescoes of huge armies destroying cities and sacking and pillaging homes. An iron lever jutted from the south wall with a keyhole next to it.

The north wall of the room had a large set of closed wooden double doors, while three corridors or alcoves were located on the long east wall. Off to the south, the room seemed to open up to the outdoors, and the party breathed in fresh air and saw natural light for the first time in days.

Six more human guardsmen, dressed as the others had been, were scattered about this room, mostly lounging about near the table. They too looked up when the party approached, but said and did nothing to challenge the newcomers. The same could not be said of the half-dozen big black dogs that accompanied the men. These barked and howled when the party approached, making an awful racket. The men tried to calm the animals, but the latter were clearly unsettled by the arrival of strangers.

Trying to maintain the impression of being totally at home and at ease, Danton led the other party members around the bend and towards the southern end of the room, past the first corridor running off to the east, and then the second. From what he and the others could see, the first one bent to the north almost immediately, hiding whatever might lie in that direction, while the second seemed to lead to some large chamber where more men were gathered around yet another table.

As Danton and Nanoc approached the third and final opening on the east wall, they could see, looking straight ahead, that the hall lead out into the open air and to a bridge that crossed over the surface of gray and stagnant waters. Far off in the distance across the water, the bridge finally ended at some kind of great door set in the side of what appeared to be another mountain.

Although the party might have been tempted to stop and gaze out at the bridge and water, and breathe in the fresh air, something closer to hand demanded immediate attention. Karzak, Syll, and the others at the end of the party’s marching line had noticed that as they drew closer to the third opening on the east wall, the guardsmen in the room ceased all activity and stood watching the party in some sort of anticipation. Moments later, the reason for this strange behavior became apparent.

Lunging suddenly out of the third opening in the wall was a huge creature out of some nightmare. It was at least five feet tall, ten feet long, and so solidly built that it must have weighed thousands of pounds. It had the hindquarters of a large black goat and the forequarters of a lion. Great brownish-black wings extended from its back, while three huge heads thrust forward from its body on separate necks. The first was the black head of a gigantic goat, with glowing amber eyes and long ochre horns. The second was the head of a lion, with green eyes. The third head was white and covered in thick scales, looking like a much larger version of the wyrmling Calcryx the party had faced long ago in the Sunless Citadel.

This horrific beast might have been upon the party immediately had it not been for the massive chain that bound all three heads and disappeared back into the corridor or alcove from which the creature had emerged. The chain allowed the monster to move out enough to block the path to the bridge, but apparently prevented it from moving north into the main part of the L-shaped room where the guardsmen kept their vigil.

As Danton, Nanoc, and the others backed away from the creature, the lion’s head roared out a challenge, and the guardsmen in the room laughed at the party’s surprise and discomfort. Although keeping well away from the monster to the south, all the dogs in the room continued to bark and whine. All the noise drew the attention of those in the large room off to the east, and within a matter of moments eight more warriors entered the chamber, apparently to find out what was happening. Six of these were humans, but the other two were a dwarf and what appeared to be an unusually large goblin.

“What in the blazes is going on here?” shouted the dwarf, outfitted from head to toe in heavy plate mail, seemingly addressing both the party and the guards on duty. This dwarf was about the same size as Karzak, but his hair and skin were both a pale gray color. “How are we supposed to be planning anything with all this racket?”

Looking closely at the party members and their manner of dress, the dwarf’s eyes narrowed and he squinted at Danton. “Just who are you and where do you think you’re going?”

“Watch your tone, dwarf!” hissed the Velunese. “I am Delchin the Despicable and I have spent these many months wandering the world serving He-Who-Causes-Woe. I return now to the Inner Fane to report to the Doomdreamers, and I will not be delayed by the likes of you! Now, get that beast out of my way, lest I feel obligated to tell the Doomdreamers they must hold you accountable for my lateness!” (bluff: 10+7=17)

The gray-skinned dwarf scowled at Danton and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence during which the great beast and the dogs continued to howl and bark. Then the dwarf made a decision, nodded towards the goblin at his side, and the latter made his way across the room to the lever in the wall. It was difficult to see exactly what the goblin did, but the sound of metal on stone could be heard and, as the party watched, the chain around the three necks of the winged monster withdrew into the wall, pulling the creature back into its alcove. After it disappeared from sight, an iron door slid down from the ceiling, closing off the alcove.

“There you go,” said the dwarf, motioning with his arm toward the bridge. “After all, who am I to hold up the great Delchin the Despicable?”

With the eyes of at least a dozen guardsmen on them and with the dogs still howling, the party members marched towards the bridge. The stone span was twenty feet wide and ran straight for at least a thousand feet. A strong breeze tousled the hair and fluttered the cloaks of the party members as they made their way across the desolate span, looking down occasionally at the dark, unmoving waters below.

“Milady Tenaris,” said Danton dramatically as the party first stepped out onto the span, “I present you with fresh air, daylight, and the pathway to revenge.”

“At last,” said the elf woman. “Though I was held only a week, it feels like a lifetime since I last saw the sun.”

The bridge finally ended at a tall black door bound in a silvery metal. A large white circle was carved into the door in relief, edged in silver. The door was 15 feet high and wide. No handle, hinges or other conventional door trappings were visible.

“Uh, whadda we do now, Danton?” asked Nanoc, looking nervously back and forth between the door and the guardsmen at the far end of the bridge, who still stood watching the party. “If we can’t get in right quick or if we have ta go back, I thinks that dwarf will know we’re fakes.”

“Indeed,” said Syll. “The bluffing of the vile ‘Delchin’ may have gotten us in over our heads this time. And—contrary to the received wisdom of some in this party—there are definitely evil dwarves in the world and that one back there was one of them for sure.”

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Notes for turn 59:

Please send postings for Turn 59 by the end of Friday, June 15th.

Current date/time/location: 10 Kolovoz (August) [Day Three in the Temple]; approximately 1030; The Temple of All-Consumption

Items gained this turn (not yet divided): none

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed/sold/left behind this turn: none

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: 76/79

New XP: 0

XP total: 27,471

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, 3 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 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, two-handed sword, 2 emerald pendants, one suit of half-platemail, one suite of full platemail, one morningstar, one large metal shield, one curved knife, potion of invisibility, troglodyte chitin breastplate, cloak of resistance +1.

Gold: 1812

Silver: 1420

Danton

AC: 16 (17 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 30/30

New XP: 0

XP total: 25,521

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, 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 of monster summon I (12 charges), 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, an emerald pendant, potion of invisibility, boots of elvenkind

Gold: 1419

Silver: 1200

Luger

AC: 20

Hit Points: 45/53

New XP: 0

XP total: 20,971

XP needed: 21,000

Equipment: 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), 2 triangular metal bars, 2 emerald pendants, upside down pyramid symbol, book on history and worship of Elder Elemental Eye cult, two inverted Y pendants in brown triangles, scroll with cure moderate wounds and summon monster III, scroll with hold person, remove paralysis, and protection from elements.

Spell Selection:

Level 0(5): none
Level 1(4+1): Domain: Protection from Evil

Level 2 (4+1): Domain: Aid

Level 3 (3+1): Speak with Dead, Searing Light, Domain: Magic Circle Against Evil

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 7 of 7

Gold: 169

Silver: 0

Karzak

AC: 20

Hit Points: 61/63

New XP: 0

XP total: 10,640

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, gauntlets of dexterity +2, rose quartz gem, potion of invisibility, suit of troglodyte full plate mail, emerald pendant.

Gold: 354

Silver: 1200

Tenaris

AC: 22

Hit Points: 24/24

New XP: 0

XP total: 3,900

XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: longsword, chitin full plate mail, large steel shield, masterwork morningstar, 6 javelins, 2 troglodyte spears, inverted Y pendant, 28 days rations

Gold: 0

Silver: 0