Printable Format

Chapter 3: The Temple of All-Consumption

Turn 75: The Cleansing of the Air Temple

Once he was certain he had seen all that there was to be seen in the Air Temple altar chamber, Danton retraced his steps back out of the area (move silently: 6+22=28), the strange whispers and sounds of moving air following him as he went. When he reached the spot where the others remained huddled in the doorway of the lavish bedchamber, Danton announced his presence in a whisper and then called on the others to follow him quietly back to the stairs leading to the balcony over the lake where the party could speak more freely without fear of being overheard.

When the party was on the stairs and the door leading to the long hallway outside was shut, Danton, still invisible, related all he had seen. When the Velunese finished, Luger was the first to speak, but his thoughts were unexpectedly focused on an earlier report Danton had given rather than the more recent one.

“I keep coming back to what you heard those men say about a half-orc and a woman…could it be?” asked the cleric rhetorically. “I must send Aseneth a message tomorrow after prayer. If Nanoc lives and she has joined him, we will have the power to clear this temple out. If they are here, we must find them.”

In a flash, Sparhawk had his huge horn out of his pack. “Please, allow me to call thy friend,” said the paladin. “For thy call tomorrow wilt comest too late, I am afraid. Mayhaps I canst put fear into our enemies with a bold call from a knight of Heironeous. Shalt I?” he finished, drawing the horn to his lips.

While some of the others were too surprised to react quickly, Tenaris was not. Before Sparhawk could bring the horn to his mouth, the elf woman had grasped it with both hands and pulled it away from his face. “Not a good idea,” she said sharply, only letting go of the horn when Sparhawk relaxed his own grip and let it drop down to his side.

“Fine, hath it thine way, milady,” said Sparhawk. “Here in the midst of our enemies, I shalt not blow my war horn and calleth Danton's friend to our aid. Instead of spreading dissension, I shalt ready mineself to face our enemies.”

Danton and Luger exchanged a look and then the cleric said, “I'd very much like to question the gentlemen who spoke of the half-orc and woman they are on the lookout for. It cannot be a coincidence. I only wish I could send to Aseneth now to ascertain if it is indeed her and Nanoc.”

“Methinks we art in o'er our heads if we plunge into yonder room,” said Danton with a not in the general direction of the altar chamber. “I counteth no less than twenty-four warriors -- and that taketh into consideration only the cannon fodder, besides which there art two priests and another warrior of likely formidable capacity. Moreover, they art wrought as tightly as a spring, waiting to attack. Mine counsel is that we slip back and find another way into the altar chamber, preferably from the south or west. They art arrayed eastward, and if we could come upon their flank, we'd at least have a bit of momentary surprise on our side. In the best of possible circumstances, if we could appear at the far corridor in the southwestern corner of the room, p'raps Syll could cast a spell into our present vantage point, where I hath just been lurking invisibly, I mean, to show an illusion of someone entering, p'raps a visage of Delchin himself, to draw forth the enemy's fire ... and hopefully magical fire. At that point, we could unleash our own firepower upon them.”

“Thus,” continued the Velunese, “mine vote is an immediate retreat and doubling back, to see where the doors in the ‘overlook chamber’ lead. And, moreover, if we hath expended our pyrotechnics, I am almost of the mind that we should hunker down and wait somewhere. The problem with this latter option is that I cannot expect that this massive assemblage wilt remain standing in place forever, waiting for our appearance. Of course, maybe that is to the good....”

“Good, Danton,” said Sparhawk, “assuming that they wilt not cometh after us, what thou sayest about holing up hath merit. They mayest indeed attempt to assault us whilst we sleep, so we would need to be extra cautious. They do seem to be aware of our presence and arrival, but how they mayest react to our delay is impossible to tell. Something nags at me though. I feel the need to press the attack since we canst not always be at ‘full charge’ as thou magick-users hath said in the past. I canst seeth merit in either alternative, so I wilt follow the will of the companionship.”

“I remain of the mind that our best interest is served by not entering the altar chamber straightaways,” said Danton firmly. “Thus, I continue to advocate either finding another way around to other entry points into the altar chamber or, alternatively, to lay an ambush in the lavish bedchamber for the high-ranking clergy who clearly occupies it. This option is not, of course, without its own dangers. The occupant may enter with multiple comrades, there might be an assemblage of goons immediately outside the door to stand guard, and other possibilities also come to mind. That is why, if we wert to choose this option, methinks we must needs block the door to prevent escape and also magically silence the chamber both to keep anyone from hearing the melee and also to prevent our target from casting spells.”

“I do not see any wisdom in assaulting the temple if it is so heavily guarded,” commented Luger. “I think it unlikely that these Air Temple goons are going to stand there indefinitely waiting for us to arrive. I wonder if it is in fact us they've prepared themselves for, or if they expect an attack from the Water Temple.
I would not be against lying in wait for the inhabitant of the bedchamber if we can manage it. I can silence the area of the door as soon as it opens and we can spring on whoever enters. I can also use detection spells to find any magical or evil devices hidden in the room.”

Sparhawk rubbed his chin. “An intriguing ruse, to be sure…it hath possibilities considering how quickly the other temples hath crumbled when either their ziggurat or leaders hath perished. Rushing in against large numbers in this place seemeth unwise compareth to taking out the opposing leadership. Indeed, this is usually a good martial strategy to undertake. Mayhaps Danton and one other mayest hide in waiting and slip a blade between our enemy's backbone whilst the warriors and firepower magicks-user wait outside either to guard against an on-rush of attackers or else to rush into the room should the attack go awry.”

“Not a bad idea, Sir Sparhawk,” said Danton approvingly. “If we did send in a truncated group, methinks Luger -- with his silence spell -- is a necessary member, and I'd be glad to be the other half. The remainder of our group could hide nearby, say in this very spot where we do our plotting now. What say you all? And how about you, Flower of Celene? What doth you think?” Danton finished with a look at Tenaris.

"Flower?" said the woman, a dangerous tone in her voice. “What?”

“Relax, mine beauty,” said Danton hastily. “Even roses have thorns.”

“That's better,” she replied. “As for planning, I only need to know one thing--where they are.”

Trying to ignore the drama, Luger mused, “I think we should quickly search the bedchamber to see if we can find any correspondence of the owner - something that will tell us his name and possibly his place in the temple. We can quickly decide if we want to ambush the man or go elsewhere to regroup. I would love to actually capture and question someone around here. Were I my brother, I would simply take the evil one's place and catch the whole of the temple off guard…”

Luger trailed off for a moment as his thoughts were drawn to his missing sibling, but then he shook his head to clear the cobwebs and continued, “If we are going to give the Air Temple a try, then I think we need to recharge our spells and decide how we are going to play the assault. I'm nervous about all the unknown doors in the altar room. We may have a wonderful plan for dealing with the priests and fodder currently in the room, only to be caught unprepared by Water Temple forces lying in wait behind closed doors or more Air Temple forces.”

“Some of the simplest and likely most effective spells we can drop on that chamber are silence and dispel magic,” said the cleric. “The priests will likely have defensive measures in place which may be disabled by a dispel magic and a magic user who cannot make a sound usually cannot cast spells. Of course, Syll and I also have more spectacular spells to kill our enemies with, but these can be thwarted if the targets are prepared for them. If we can draw the defenders into the corridor away from their center of power, we might be able to annihilate them more easily.”

Sparhawk looked dubious. “Their current martial array indicates some basic knowledge of tactics at the least. We mayest or mayest not be able to draw them out. They mayest be too sophisticated to channel all of their strength into a narrow passage to turn it into a weakness. We mayest hath to do this the hard way. But, taking out the leadership, either in the bedroom or in an assault on the temple itself mayest still be the most important aspect of the coming battle. Also, do not forget the temple or ziggurat itself. If we destroy it, we presumably mayest not hath to fight at all.”

“It seemeth that we art in general agreement on trying for an ambush in the lavish bedchamber,” said Danton, anxious to bring the discussion to a close and get the group moving again. “Thus, I propose that Luger and I attempt to hide inside the room, so that he can cast silence and so that I can backstab the cleric and prevent his immediate exit. The rest of you should pile into the chamber as soon as you can after the cleric enters. At least one person should remain at or near the threshold to keep an eye on any interlopers or rescuers -- we must not become trapped inside such a small space, or it could go very badly for us. If all goeth well, we wilt beat the cleric to an inch of his miserable life and then subdue him for questioning.”

“But,” he added, “if all doth not go well, we must needs have a backup plan. Mine suggestion is this, if we art forced to beat a retreat, we do so going away from the altar chamber, although I suppose it truly depends on the tactical situation. If, for instance, the cleric's rescuers are coming down the hallway from the opposite direction, we may have little choice but to head to the altar chamber. But I would not like to get trapped between the hammer and anvil, so, in such a circumstance, it might be best to make a mental determination of the odds and then hit as strongly as possible the weakest point so that we can make a breakthrough and open an avenue for escape, should it become necessary. If we art being pursued, we should flee until the tacticians amongst you find a solid place to hold off the enemy. Methinks, for instance, that if we positioned ourselves near the spiral stair, we should be able to cause them much woe and p'raps even prevent them from descending it altogether.”

“I am open to further suggestion,” said Danton, “but frankly time is short and we must needs act now one way or another. We cannot remain jib-jabbering here in this corridor, only 100 feet away from our gathered enemies. Besides, ‘Ventanarix…er…Siranet…over here wishes to stomp bugs, and she…er…he…wilt not be denied.”

“However,” he added, “before we launch ‘operation bedchamber’, there is at least one further bit of data-gathering that we can attempt. While still invisible, I can enter the altar chamber and skulk about to gain the greatest possible view of the tactical situation -- overhearing conversation, observing weaknesses, determining the chain of command or hierarchy through observation, examining the open hallways, and gaining some up-close knowledge of any architectural or structural weakpoints that we might exploit. Granted, there is risk involved, but I am willing to take it. Indeed, if I had enough time, I might even brave exploring one or two of the likely corridors to see if I can find another way into the altar chamber. In fact, the more I talk of this, the more I am inclined to do it.”

No one protested this suggestion, and Danton felt vaguely disappointed that Tenaris had not at least done so out of concern for his welfare, but she, like the others, seemed to have the utmost confidence in his abilities, and, before he knew it, the scout was off on his own once again. The others remained holed up in the stairwell, awaiting his return.

Danton began by making his way back to the altar chamber (move silently: 11+22=33). When he arrived, he could not help but note that more defenders had arrived in his absence. Where previously he had counted 24 gnoll and human warriors in addition to the short, fat man, the blond woman, and the half-orc, now there were 31 warriors besides the three principals. All seven of the newcomers appeared to be human males, and they were now scattered in defensive positions around the chamber just like all the others.

Making his boldest move yet, Danton slipped like a ghost amongst the defenders and made a full circuit around the massive dais on which the bald man stood with the air swirling around him (move silently: 19+22=41). Somehow the enormity of the danger brought out the best in Danton’s skills, as was usually the case. His footfalls left not the slightest sound, and all that could be heard in the chamber was the movement of air and the strange whispers it carried.

When he drew close to the dais, waves of malevolence washed over Danton. Although he could not see anything other than the priest and the swirling air atop the platform, somehow he knew that some other sentient force was present above him. Moreover, the man in the robes seemed to be speaking with someone or something unseen. Danton might have liked to climb the altar steps to hear the man’s words, but that was simply too reckless. Instead he made his way around the dais, observing that it had another set of stairs leading to the top on the far (western) side and then making his way back to the eastern side of the chamber.

Once he arrived at the southeastern corner of the room, Danton moved quickly off down the long hallway to the east that he found there (move silently: 12+22=34). The hall was lit by torches on both sides. After thirty feet or so, Danton came to a set of stairs leading downward. These were followed shortly thereafter by a second such flight as the corridor continued to descend.

At the bottom of the second set of stairs, Danton came to the first door he had seen in the long hallway, on its southern side. After examining the door at length (search 12+15=27, listen 9+8=17), he pushed it open, finding another small latrine beyond it. Wrinkling his invisible nose, the scout moved on to a second door located just east of the first on the southern wall (search 16+15=31, listen: 17+8=25).

Again finding no hint of immediate danger, Danton pushed open the second unlocked door. Inside was a twenty-foot by thirty-foot room that had no less than twelve bunk beds crammed into it. The chamber was unkempt and chaotic, covered with clothing, food scraps, and trash. It looked like a barracks for rank-and-file soldiers and Danton knew that his remaining time invisible was limited, so he did not bother to search the place.

Back in the corridor, Danton came to a third short flight of stairs leading downward. Once past those, he walked for another thirty feet and then found himself in the lower part of what he had dubbed the ‘overlook chamber’ on his map. Glancing upward, he could see the ledge that jutted out over the room and where he had slain the lone sniper earlier in the morning. To the north were the set of bronze double doors that he believed led into the chamber where the ogres and other defenders had been. And, on the southern wall and the southernmost ends of the western and eastern walls were the three other doors he had spotted from the overhang.

Although he had paid little attention to the floor of the ‘overlook chamber’ when he first gazed down on it from above, Danton now noticed that the stone was polished and smooth. There was also a long black and red rug that he could now see was embroidered with scenes of despicable debauchery and foul activities conducted by demons and mortals alike.

Tearing his gaze away from the rug, Danton examined both the massive set of double doors on the south wall and the two smaller single doors on the other walls (search: 1+15=16, 13+15=28, 12+15=27, listen: 8+8=16, 3+8=11, 10+8=18). All of the doors were made of wood and, as far as Danton could tell, none were trapped or had anyone lying in ambush behind them.

The scout first opened the smaller wooden door on the north wall. He found that it led to a narrow chamber running off to the south for roughly sixty feet. Other than arrow slits in the eastern wall, two barrels of crossbow bolts, and four heavy crossbows, the chamber was empty. When Danton walked up and looked out through the arrow slits, he could see natural light and he realized he was looking out on the main southern entrance to the mountain. He could see that the two large double doors in the ‘overlook chamber’ were in fact the outermost doors of the Temple of All Consumption in this particular area.

Those massive double doors opened up into a wide, natural cave with a floor that had been worked smooth. There was an archway above the doors that bore a leering devil’s face.

Since he now knew where the double doors led, Danton felt no need to take the time to open them, particularly since they were barred shut from the inside at the moment. Instead he moved to the wooden door on the eastern wall. He had a feeling that it would lead to a set of arrow slits on the eastern side of the main entrance and when he opened the door and looked inside, his supposition was proven correct: here again was a sixty foot long narrow chamber, empty save for heavy crossbows and barrels of bolts.

With nowhere else to explore in this area and with his invisibility likely running out before long, Danton jogged quickly back down the long corridor to the west and up each of the three flights of stairs as he came to them. Once he drew close to the altar chamber once again and heard the whispers of the air swirling about him, he slowed his pace to a walk. When he made his way through the altar chamber yet again (move silently: 13+22=35), little seemed to have changed. Some of the men and gnolls moved about a bit, but they all still seemed alert and careful to keep their distance from one another. As he moved out of the huge cavern yet again, Danton could not help but wonder just how long the Air Temple defenders could and would maintain their state of alert.

It was only minutes after Danton rejoined the others in their stairwell hiding place that his invisibility finally faded away. Once it was gone, he withdrew and updated his map and then used it to explain to the others all he had seen, highlighting the fact that there appeared to be no way to reach the Air Temple altar chamber from the far (western) side, save for heading off to the east and making a full circuit around the entire mountain.

Having gained as much information as they could via reconnaissance, the party members moved to implement the plan they had devised to try to capture one of the Air Temple leaders. Luger removed his pack and most of his equipment, taking with him only his sword, shield, potions, and the enchanted keys the party had recovered from the Earth and Fire Temple leaders. He and Danton then moved back into and across the corridor and quickly slipped into the bedchamber on the other side, leaving Sparhawk, Tenaris, and Syll to wait in the stairwell.

Once Danton and Luger had the door shut and locked behind them, the cleric quickly cast a spell (Detect Magic) and then moved about the well-decorated room. Much to his disappointment, he discerned no magic save for that he and Danton carried with them. Sighing, he cast another spell, this one on himself (Bull’s Strength: +4 Strength for 9 hours) and then set about assisting Danton with the rifling of the room.

The wardrobes and chests of drawers contained only personal gear, mostly men’s clothing best suited to someone fairly short with large girth, seemingly confirming the supposition that these were the chambers of the man atop the altar. The books on the shelves were uniformly vile, discussing demons, elemental air, and some very nasty, unsavory topics, some, unfortunately, with illustrations.

The desk proved to be the most interesting. It contained papers and ledgers that provided a great deal of information, which both Luger and Danton took the time to read. The ledgers showed records of supplies coming into the Air Temple/South Entrance Complex from outside the mountain, as well as Air Temple guard rotations and the flow of supplies to the Outer Fane.

As for the other papers, they made clear that the Air Temple high priest, presumably the short, fat man, was named Fachish. There were references to a priestess named Choranth and a half-orc named Graud with whom Choranth was apparently intimately involved. There were also references to someone else named Kellial and notes indicating Fachish intended to reward this Kellial by giving him something called the Sword of Air very soon.

Fachish’s records made clear that he worshiped both the Elder Elemental Eye and some other entity called ‘Yan-C-Bin’. There was also a great deal of information about the Temple of All Consumption that the party already knew, such as the fact that the Outer Fane could only be accessed by someone with a ‘greater key’ and that a different ‘key’ existed for each door to the Fane.

The papers also described the other three elemental temples, but not in any great detail. They described the constant rivalry, and the occasional outbursts of violence, between the temples. It was clear that the Air Temple generally fared quite poorly in comparison with the others, although in what appeared to be relatively recent writings, Fachish gloated at length about the destruction of the Earth and Fire Temples and the death of Tessimon.

Finally, several sheets of notes in Fachish’s handwriting related the fact that the area of Mount Stalagos where the Air Temple lay, as well as many of the chambers to the east of the temple, were once a living area of the dwarven miners who had inhabited the mountain. Fachish described finding an old dwarven scroll that indicated the dwarves had hidden a fabulous diamond called Tulian’s Eye somewhere in the area, and the Air Temple leader had begun a search for the gem, hoping to find it and use it to finance the hiring of additional warriors and servants for his temple. At least as far as the notes went, it appeared Fachish had not had any luck in the search.

Once they had read through the ledgers and notes, Danton stuffed them into his pack. He and Luger then re-arranged the chamber to ensure that nothing was out of place that would be noticed the moment someone entered. The pair then settled down to wait. While Danton positioned himself behind the spot where the door would open, Luger removed most of the clothing from one of the wardrobes, stuffed it all under the bed, and then climbed inside the wardrobe.

“Apart from pure conjecture,” hissed Danton after he and Luger had waited in silence for some indeterminable period, “is there truly any reason to believe that Nanoc and Aseneth art alive and about the temple? This issue hath been raised by you and some of the others, but I must needs confess that I'd not really made such a connection given the evidence uncovered thus far.”

“It strikes me as a possibility,” whispered back the cleric. “If the opportunity presents itself, I mean to ask someone about it. Those guards you overheard earlier would be prime candidates, as might this priest—if we manage to take him alive. I would like to question them closely for all they know about this ‘half-orc’ and ‘woman’ they were told to look out for. Aseneth did say she meant to return when she could. I had thought she would come first to us—she did tell me to keep hold of her ring, after all—but perhaps her plans changed. Nothing is certain, but it is an intriguing possibility, is it not?”

“I would give much to see Nanoc alive and well again,” agreed Danton. “Although I fear it might also revive all the old issues with Syll and Tenaris, and the last thing of which we hath need is more dissension in the ranks.”

“Agreed,” said Luger, “but with the power of Nanoc and Aseneth at our sides, we could truly throw down this entire, wretched place. Once I have had a chance to rest and pray, I shall contact Aseneth and seek to learn of her whereabouts and intentions.”

***

As first the minutes, and then the hours slipped by, Tenaris, Syll, and Sparhawk passed the time largely in silence. Neither Syll nor Sparhawk could help but notice that Tenaris rarely took her gaze off Sparhawk for long, and it was not difficult to tell that she expected the paladin to do something reckless and disastrous at any given moment.

At one point, the paladin, uncomfortable under this constant scrutiny, approached the woman and said, “Lady, stay thy hand and thine anger. Take thy hand off thy weapon, for surely thou canst see that I intend thee no harm. It grows. . . tiresome. Mine private demons do not include thee, I canst assure thee."

The woman shrugged, but said nothing, and continued to watch the paladin.

“Fine, do as thou wishes," he said, walking back up to the top of the stairs and listening at the doorway.  As he walked off, the paladin muttered quietly to himself, “I suppose this is what happens when women don armor and play war like men. Danton needeth to settle down with a real woman. I would telleth her to get herself to a nunnery, but that shalt only offend her masculine sense of honor. Mayhaps her costume is fitting.”

<<That one is not well mentally,>> whispered Tenaris to Syll in Elven when Sparhawk was out of earshot. <<He will get himself killed in this place before we are done. You mark my words. I just hope his instability will not be the death of the rest of us in the bargain.>>

<<I don’t know,>> replied Syll. <<Sometimes he seems fine and then, the next thing you know he’s goin’ coconuts.>>

<<Going coconuts?>> asked Tenaris, laughing out loud at the bizarre expression.

<<Good one, huh?>> asked the sorcerer rhetorically. <<I learned it during my days in Duxchan, in the so-called ‘Lordship of the Isles’. Somehow it’s even better in Elven.>>

***

Danton and Luger had intended that when the bald priest Fachish arrived, Luger would attempt to silence the entire area and then stun him with a spell so that he could be captured and interrogated. If that initial effort failed, then Luger would emerge to challenge Fachsish while Danton secured the door and then attacked the enemy priest from behind.

That, at least, was the plan, but as the hours slipped by, both the cleric and the scout began to wonder what was happening out in the Air Temple and why neither Fachish, nor anyone else, had come by. The pair had already begun to whisper back and forth about the possibility of abandoning the ambush plan when Danton’s keen ears (listen: 12+8=20) finally detected movement in the hallway outside the bedchamber. It sounded as though one or more creatures were moving slowly down the hallway from the west.

Seeing Danton’s signal, Luger pulled the doors of the wardrobe most of the way shut, leaving only a slight crack through which he could peek.

There were now sounds of what had to be multiple beings outside the doorway, but no voices could be heard. Then a key turned audibly in the lock and the door slid slowly inward. Danton tried to peek through the small space between the door and the wall, but for several moments nothing moved through the door. Then something huge, long, and green moved through his narrow field of vision and Danton’s breath caught in his throat.

With Danton hiding behind the door, it was Luger that caught the first good look at the creature that entered the room. The thing was well over ten feet long from head to tail. It vaguely resembled a huge reptilian lion, with green armored scales rather than fur, and without a mane. The thing’s eyes glowed red and seemed to Luger to bore through the wooden doors of the wardrobe in which he hid. Then the creature’s nose pointed towards the floor and he realized that it was tracking by scent. Several seconds passed as the nightmarish lion moved farther into the room, its armored tail swishing through the air as it seemed to study scents that led in several different directions. Then the second one appeared in the doorway.

Although Danton had not gotten a good look at whatever had entered the room, he knew something had gone badly wrong when he watched, through the crack, as a second huge green form entered the room.

While the first of the fiendish lions was moving slowly in Luger’s general direction, the second one moved towards the other side of the bed, closer to the desk—and to Danton. The cleric held his breath, trying not to make a sound as the first one moved closer and closer to his position. Danton did the same as the second creature came into his field of view, now from around the door rather than through the crack between it and the wall. In a matter of seconds, both men were certain to be detected.

As the first reptilian lion turned away from the bed and made straight for the wardrobe, Luger decided to seize the initiative. Calling on the power of Heironeous even as he pushed the wardrobe doors open, the cleric shot forth a beam of holy light directly at the approaching lion (Cast Searing Light: attack roll: 20+9=29; hit; 17 damage). Hearing the cleric’s spellcasting, Danton knew the game was up and he used the opportunity to guzzle a potion he had been saving for just such a dire situation (drink blur potion).

[Initiative: Luger: 18, Lions: 13, Danton: 10]

As Luger’s blast of holy light burned into the lion, the cleric took advantage of its brief distraction by the light to step out of the wardrobe and hit it with a second such spell (Cast Searing Light: attack roll: 18+9=27; hit; 22 damage). The light seared away the monster’s green armored scales, but this only seemed to enrage it, and it leaped at Luger. The cleric stepped aside as the massive beast flew at him, and it crashed into the wardrobe, smashing it to splinters. Then the second lion leaped over the bed and at him.

The second monster slammed into Luger, raking him with both of its fore claws (hit for 21 total damage), knocking him off his feet, and landing atop him. Then it raked him with both its hind claws (hit for 16 damage).

“We’ll need help against these nightmares!” called out the cleric. “Come on!” Without waiting to see if Danton would follow, Luger ran for the door, taking advantage of the fact that neither of the lions was between him and the exit at the moment. Both lions clawed at him as he ran, and he was hit twice more before he reached the doorway (attacks of opportunity; hit for a total of 15 damage). Then he was through the doorway and into the hall beyond.

When Luger went through the door, one of the lions pursued him, while the second launched itself at Danton. His shimmering form must have caused the beast some confusion, as it threw itself far enough to his left that only one of its foreclaws and its teeth grazed his skin (17 total damage). And although the impact still spun Danton about, the blur spell prevented the lion from hitting him directly and landing on top of him, probably thus saving his life. Danton knew that without the benefit of surprise or invisibility, he was no match for such a creature, and he too ran for the door, narrowly avoiding one of the claws of the lion as it spun its massive frame about in the narrow space in order to pursue him.

***

The first hint that Syll, Tenaris, and Sparhawk had that something was badly wrong was what sounded like furniture of some sort being smashed to bits. The crashing sound drew all three up the stairs and to the doorway in a flash. Hearing screams, running feet, and the crashing of more furniture, the trio rushed and to the door, Sparhawk hauling Luger’s gear as he went.

[Initiative: Sparhawk: 16, Tenaris: 13, Syll: 8]

Sparhawk had been nearest the top of the stairs when the first crashing noise was heard and it was he who reached the doorway first and wrenched it open. When he looked down the hallway to the east, he saw a very tall reptilian biped that wore heavy armor and carried a sword and shield. Flanking the armored warrior were two creatures the likes of which Sparhawk had never seen before: they looked like hairless green versions of the drawings of lions that he had seen in books back in Furyondy, but their eyes burned red and their green armored scales were hardly the fur and mane he would have expected to see on lions.

Before Sparhawk could decide what to do, Luger suddenly appeared in the hallway, running out of the bedchamber where he and Danton had hidden. Following right behind the running cleric was a third of the green lions. Luger ran flat out down the hallway towards Sparhawk, Tenaris, and Syll, with the lion right on his heels. Then, a second later, Danton rushed out into the hallway as well, followed by a fourth lion.

“Oh, shit,” said Syll unnecessarily as Tenaris and Sparhawk moved out into the hallway.

Sparhawk and Tenaris allowed Luger to pass by, and then moved to block the onrushing lion (Sparhawk attack: 19+12=31; potential critical hit—2^nd roll: 20+12=32; critical hit: 27-15=12 damage; second attack: 15+7=22; hit; 15-15=0 damage). Wielding Caladbolg with both hands, the paladin slashed it into the onrushing lion twice. Although his first hit actually drew a gout of greenish blood from the monster, his second strike seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

Tenaris hit the monster hard too, but even with her newly acquired magical sword, the blows did not seem to do nearly as much damage as they should have done and, despite all the abuse it had taken, the lion was still able to pounce on Sparhawk and knock him off his feet (hit a total of five times—all four sets of claws, plus teeth—for 32 damage).

As Danton rushed past Sparhawk, supine on the ground with a lion atop him, and Tenaris, he screamed at the elf woman, “Run, Tenaris! Run! No one knoweth your strength and courage in battle greater than I, but these foes are beyond us!”

Tenaris ignored the scout and placed herself between him and the lion that pursued him, forcing it to engage her rather than continue trying to run him down. As had happened with Sparhawk, the lion flung itself at the woman, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying to crash into the wall, and then crash to the ground, rolling and clanking in her armor.

Farther down the corridor to the west, the armored reptilian figure consumed a potion of some sort and then sent his other two lions—the pair he had initially held in reserve—rushing down the hall to join the first two. He followed closely behind.

Syll managed to blast the lion off of Sparhawk (Cast Magic Missile: 14 damage) and the creature—the same one that Luger had hit twice with magic, although Syll did not know this—was apparently finally badly wounded enough that it collapsed to the ground to the side of the paladin, allowing him to get to his feet. Seconds later, Luger, who was still in the process of shouldering his own pack after picking it up where Sparhawk had left it, detonated one of his most powerful spells in the midst of Sparhawk, Tenaris, Syll, the three lions still in the fight, and their reptilian master (Cast Holy Smite: 19 area-effect damage to all evil creatures in a 20 foot radius).

Although all three lions and their master were clearly burned by the holy light, none of them seemed badly enough injured to be taken out of the fight. At most, the flash of divine light distracted them long enough for Tenaris and Sparhawk to get to their feet.

“Run, Tenaris! We must withdraw!” screamed Danton. “If you get completely surrounded by these horrors—whom you could no doubt easily kill in the scores when faced only one at a time—they might be able to overwhelm you! Run!”

“You, Syll, and Luger go first!” screamed back the woman. “Sparhawk and I will hold them long enough to give you a head start. Now, you go!”

While Luger turned once again and ran, Syll quickly summoned (Cast Summon Monster II) a pair of large dogs in the midst of the reptilian lions. He knew they would not last long, but they might distract the monsters long enough to aid the party’s withdrawal. Once his spell was complete, he too turned and ran.

Danton, however, could not bring himself to flee while Tenaris stood her ground.

“Come, Tenaris!” he screamed again. “If you fall in battle here, then so too shall I! I wilt fight for your body against the grimmest odds, even if it should mean mine own certain death. I would rather join you in death than live without you.”

Ignoring Danton’s urgings, Sparhawk and Tenaris tried to eliminate the second wounded lion before the two fresh ones were upon them. Both struck the beast (Sparhawk attack: 9+12+3 smite evil bonus=24, 5+7=12; one hit; 23-15=8 damage), but again the blows of their blades seemed to do little to the monster and it used its fore claws to slash the paladin and knock him back against the wall of the hallway (hit twice for a total of 18 damage).

Calling on Heironeous to heal as many of his injuries as possible (Lay on Hands: +18 HP), Sparhawk backed away from the lion, managing to avoid its flashing teeth and claws as he went. This left only Tenaris facing the monster, even as the other two beasts tore into the dogs Syll had summoned.

“Tenaris, please!” screamed Danton. “Even the mightiest warrior can be overwhelmed in an onslaught!”

The woman slashed at the lion twice more, one of her swings actually seeming to injure the beast and then, with obvious reluctance, she too turned and ran. The lion clawed and tore at her as she fled, but then its master made a sort of whistling sound and the creature gave up the pursuit. However, within a matter of seconds, the two other lions, the fresh ones, had killed Syll’s summoned dogs, and the reptilian warrior sent them in pursuit of the fleeing party rather than the injured third lion.

Luger and Syll reached the top of the stairs at roughly the same time. The cleric had had a head start, but his armor slowed him and Syll caught up rapidly. By the time the pair reached the spiral stairs, they were well ahead of the others and they turned to look back down the corridor. Danton, Tenaris, and Sparhawk were all running together, with a pair of far faster lions rapidly closing the distance between them. Beyond that, Syll and Luger thought they could see the armored figure doing something with the one lion that the party had actually managed to fell. Luger and Syll exchanged glances and then each began casting a spell (Syll cast fireball: 29 area effect damage in a 20 foot radius, Luger cast Flame Strike: 46 area effect damage in a 10 foot radius).

Each of the spellcasters targeted his most powerful magic remaining on the master of the lions, hoping to catch the injured lion that remained with him in the bargain. A column of fire crashed down on the armored figure from out of nowhere even as Syll’s ball of fire flew over the heads of Syll, Tenaris, and Sparhawk and past the pair of lions that pursued them to crash down on the master of the creatures. The resulting conflagration shook the entire corridor, causing many of the torches in the sconces on the walls to fall out and onto the stone floor.

The waves of fire obscured the more distant parts of the corridor for several moments, but when they cleared, Luger and Syll could not believe what they saw. Not only had the armored humanoid and his injured lion survived the conflagration, but the fourth reptilian lion, the one that had apparently been incapacitated or killed, was now back on its feet.

“You have got to be kidding me,” complained Syll.

He then exchanged another glance with Luger, this one disbelieving, and then both ran down the stairs.

When Danton reached the top of the stairs shortly thereafter, he did not slow, instead leaping down the steps five or six at a time. Tenaris and Sparhawk were not far behind, but neither were the lions. When Danton emerged at the bottom of the stairs, he saw Luger and Syll ahead of him rushing into the room with the three sets of bronze doors. Realizing that fleeing right out the main gate would not be an option, for lifting two heavy bars and getting two sets of heavy doors open would simply take too long, the elf and the cleric turned east and ran pell-mell through the ruined bronze doors and into the long hallway beyond.

Danton waited until he saw Sparhawk emerge from the stairwell.

“Where is Tenaris?” he screamed at the paladin.

“Right behind me, I…” began the Furyondian before the sound of something heavy crashing on stone sounded somewhere on the stairs behind and above him.

There was a woman’s scream and then Tenaris leaped around the last corner and over the last half dozen stairs to land heavily in a crouch. She was covered in a mix of red and green blood, but managed to get to her feet even as heavy footfalls could be heard on the stone steps above.

The trio turned and ran, making it as far as the center of the ruined guard-post before the first lion was visible at the bottom of the spiral stairwell. It roared once, exactly in the manner of a ‘real’ lion, and then rushed forward, even as the second beast appeared above it on the stairs.

When Danton, Tenaris, and Sparhawk turned the corner and ran through the wreckage of the bronze doors Syll’s fireballs had destroyed earlier in the morning, they could see the sorcerer with Luger sixty feet down the corridor.

“Which way?” screamed Syll. “Do we flee the mountain through the window? Try to reach those boats and escape onto the lake? Or keep running down this endless hall?”

As the elf shouted, the others could look past him and take in the length of the corridor in which he stood. As they all knew well, it was hundreds of feet long, and it was a virtual certainty that if they simply kept running off down the hall, the lions would run them all down long before they reached the end of it.

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 76:

Please send postings for Turn 76 by the end of Friday, November 9th.

Current date/time/location: 18 Kolovoz; approximately 1500; The Temple of All Consumption

Items gained this turn: papers and ledgers from Fachish’s chambers

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed/sold/left behind this turn: Danton’s potion of blur

FOES DEFEATED:

Active party members listed in bold.

This Chapter:

Entire Campaign:

Current Status of the Party:

Danton

AC: 16 (17 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 30/47

New XP: 0

XP total: 42,391

XP needed: 45,000

Equipment: 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 33 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, 3 waterskins, 30 days trail rations, hooded lantern, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, old journal, 8 iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside,1 inverted ‘Y” pendant in a brown triangle, 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 disguise kit, letter to Master Dunrat, ochre-colored robe, potion of love, a dozen vials of lantern oil, masterwork thieves’ tools, Rat’s Tail (Rapier +1), 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, an emerald pendant, boots of elvenkind, 1/3 of Oamarthis gems, tattered dwarven book, pearl from the Dark Lake, potion of cure light wounds, nine inverted Y pendants with blue-green squares behind them, 3 iron keys from Fire Temple forces, inverted y pendant with red diamond background, map of Fire Temple area, letter from Hedrack to Tessimon, 2 vials of unknown liquid #1 and three vials of unknown liquid #2 (Turn 66), healing elixir from the fungal forest man, masterwork dagger, sack of random bits of metal intended to be used as chess pieces, 4 bottles cheap red wine, 2 pink pearls, potion of cure light wounds, 2 dwarven scrolls found on the balcony over the dark lake, cloak of resistance +1, Fachish’s papers

Gold: 1025

Silver: 430

Luger

AC: 22

Hit Points: 28/82

New XP: 0

XP total: 39,241

XP needed: 45,000

Equipment: masterwork heavy mace, chainmail +1, masterwork large steel shield, 3 belt pouches, large bag, 50’ rope, flint & steel, 30 days rations, silver holy symbol of Heironeus, 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, Geistblatt (ghost touch longsword +1), 5 vials of Furyondian Fire, cloak of resistance +1 (+1 to all saves), potions of reduce, nondetection, 2 silver and 2 gold brooches from Woodstock, tattered black cloak with burning eye emblazoned on it, note from Master Hedrack to Master Uskathoth (in Draconic), one large triangular metal bar and one large diamond shaped metal bar, 2 emerald pendants, book on history and worship of Elder Elemental Eye cult, one inverted Y pendant in brown triangles, scroll with remove paralysis and protection from elements, Oamarthis note, 3 books: The Worship of the Elder Elemental Eye, A History of Evil Cults, and The Temple of Elemental Evil,  Aseneth’s House Torquann dragon ring, ring of jumping (+30 to jumping checks), 1 iron triangle with inverted ‘Y’, three black cones made of some unknown substance, a black scepter decorated with a half dozen violet gems, metal scroll tube, one inverted ziggurat pendant; potion of cure light wounds, scrolls of contagion, greater magic weapon, bracers of health +2, potion of bear’s endurance, scroll of bless, hold person, and dispel magic, 2 pink pearls, large steel shield +1

Spell Selection:

Level 0 (6): Detect Magic (x2), Light (x3)

Level 1 (5+1): Detect Evil (X1), Bless (x1), Protection from Evil (Domain)

Level 2 (5+1): Hold Person (x2), Silence (x1), Aid (Domain)

Level 3 (4+1): Searing Light (x1), Dispel Magic (x1), Divine Power (Domain)

Level 4 (3+1): Restoration (x1), Discern Lies (x2)

Level 5 (1+1):

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 7 of 7

Gold: 448

Silver: 0

Syll

AC: 14 (15 versus one opponent)

Hit Points: 43/43

New XP: 0

XP total: 26,910

XP needed: 28,000

Equipment: Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Urrtarr’s spellbook, Masterwork Longsword, backpack, 3 water skins, 30 days rations, bedroll, magnifying glass, 2 flint & steel, 10 candles, map/scroll case, parchment, ink & pen, mirror, oil flask, 40 arrows, clothing, longbow, 1 dagger, sack, 50’ rope, chalk, 5 torches, storm whistle, 5 bells, gold brooch, lamp, black cloak, inverted Y pendant, rose quartz gem, ring of climbing, bracers of health +2, 1/3 of Oamarthis gems, scrolls of Pyrotechnics, Protection from Fire, Animal messenger and stone shape, Summon Monster II, Change self, Enlarge, Sleep X2, Wand of Monster Summon I (8 charges), potion of water breathing, potion of cure light wounds, potion of lesser restoration, ring of feather falling, wand of fireballs (13 charges; caster level 6), potion of protection from elements (fire), suit of chainmail +1, potion of cure moderate wounds (X2), 2 pink pearls

Spells per level per day:

Level 0: (6) (2 used)

Level 1: (7) (6 used)

Level 2: (7) (4 used)

Level 3: (5) (5 used)

Gold: 3557

Silver: 42

Sparhawk

AC: 19 (21 when using longsword/shield combination instead of great sword)

Hit Points: 25/60

New XP: 0

XP total: 20,990

XP needed: 21,000

Equipment: backpack, water skin, 30 days rations, bedroll, tent, 2 daggers, masterwork great sword (Justice), longsword, composite longbow, 1 quiver with 20 arrows, ink & inkpen, 50’ silk rope, whetstone, 1 vial holy water, half plate mail +1, masterwork large steel shield, 2 candles, signet ring and sealing wax, gilded warhorn, chalk, 2 mirrors, flint & steel, 5 pitons, 20 pieces parchment, 2 empty sacks, silver holy symbol of Heironeous, Everburning Torch, black cloak, inverted Y pendant, gauntlets of dexterity +2, potion of cure light wounds, pearl from the Dark Lake, gold-inlaid black urn, Tessimon’s jewelry box, golden orb set with amber, Book of the Dark Eye, Caladbolg (barbed great sword +1), potion of cure light wounds, two dark vision potions and one strength enhancing wafer from the fungal forest man, 2 pink pearls

Spell Selection:

Level 1 (2): Protection from Evil, Divine Favor

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 6 of 6

Lay on Hands healing points left on current day: 0 of 18

Smite Evil used today?: YES

Gold: 153

Silver: 0

Tenaris

AC: 23

Hit Points: 19/57

New XP: 0

XP total: 20,770

XP needed: 21,000

Equipment: longsword, chitin full plate mail, large steel shield, masterwork morningstar, 5 javelins, 2 troglodyte spears, inverted Y pendant, 30 days rations, potions of cat’s grace, spider climb, 1/3 of Oamarthis gems, cloak of resistance +1, black robe, Bracers of Kord (strength) +2, potion of cure light woundsX2, pearl from the Dark Lake, short sword +1, large steel shield +1, two strength enhancing wafers and one healing elixir from the fungal forest man, Masterwork longsword, Maicarya (flaming short sword +1), 2 pink pearls, longsword +1

Gold: 327

Silver: 30