Chapter 1: A Darkness Gathering

Turn 37: Encounters on the Road

“Hello,” called out Danton, stopping some twenty feet away from the armored man standing in the middle of the road. “Who might you be and why are you standing in our path? Are you here alone? And why Nulb? Tis not the most pleasant of places.” Danton paused to look around meaningfully at the shadows and other undead whose numbers were growing in the air overhead and in the dark spaces between the ruined buildings on both sides of the street.

“I live here,” intoned the armored man, his voice gravelly and low. “And I don’t appreciate visitors.”

“I see,” said Danton, his tone carefully neutral. “Might you be willing to answer some questions for us?” (diplomacy: 20+6=26)

“Maybe,” replied the one-eyed man. “If you make it worth my while and then get the hell out of Nulb.”

“What can you tell us about Nulb, the old Temple of Elemental Evil nearby, the abandoned moathouse to the south, cultists wearing an inverted ‘Y’ symbol, and about an entity called Tharizdun?” asked Danton in one breath.

“That’s a lot of questions,” grunted the man. “What are you willing to pay for such information as I might have?”

“I offer you a hundred…er two hundred gold wheatsheaves,” said Danton, hastily doubling the amount when he saw a scowl appear on the other man’s face.

“Fine,” said the one-eyed man after a moment of awkward silence. “Set the coins in the road and then back away.

“Alright,” replied Danton, counting out the coins and placing them in several stacks in the road. He then motioned for the others to back off ten feet.

“The Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye, the symbol of which you carry, was all a sham,” said the man as he walked forward to scoop up Danton’s coins. “The priests of the old temple thought they served the Eye, but they were actually all really working for the Cult of Tharizdun. They were but pawns in the effort to free the Dark God. But that is all over now. The temple, the moathouse, and even this town were sacked and abandoned. Yet here the dead linger rather than passing on to the oblivion that awaits. Now, I have answered your questions and you have tested my hospitality enough. Get out of Nulb and do not return.”

Having pocketed Danton’s money, the armored man spun on his heel and walked towards one of the narrow spaces between the sod buildings.

“I suggest you move quickly,” added the man as he went, not turning around to look at the party again, “for the spirits will not be held back much longer.”

Several of the other party members looked as if they might protest, but Danton held up a hand for silence. “I get the feeling (sense motive: 14+6=20) that we hath obtained all we can from this man, who striketh me as filled with anger and not entirely sane. Though he seemeth relatively coherent, I couldst discern a madness in his one remaining eye. We should withdraw, and forthwith. And as for our destination, methinks we must give some real thought to returning to Hommlet. I know it involveth further delay, but there are many amongst us, Aseneth not least, who hath suffered even worst than I.”

The Velunese accompanied the last comment with a meaningful glance at Nanoc.

“I am fine,” insisted the sorceress. “Was not first time I am fighting dead. We should going next to temple ruin.”

Nanoc shook his head. “I think we oughta go back to town and get everyone fixed up first. I already done buried one friend, and I don't wanna burry another one. It'll only take a few days, Asya. I don't think the stuff in that temple is gone anywhere.”

“The debilitating effects of the ghosts are permanent unless a cleric of strong faith reverses it,” added Luger. “I'm afraid the task is beyond my meager abilities for now. If we take a few days to get restored, perhaps the good priests in Hommlet will help us divine if our best course of action is to investigate the Temple of Elemental Evil or find this Temple of All Comsumption in Rastor.”

Aseneth shrugged, “We are so close to temple that I am thinking we should going there now, but if all are wanting visit town first, that is fine. But we should making own decisions where going--not having priests in town telling us.”

“Then let us move now,” said Danton with a glance at the undead swirling about in the cloudy sky overhead, “I wish to be far from Nulb ere the sun sets.”

***

After retreating back across the Imeryds Run, the party spent the next five hours retracing its steps back along the road to Hommlet, seeking to put as much distance between the group and Nulb as possible before camping for the night. The sun had already disappeared over the horizon to the west before Nanoc and Danton finally called a halt. While the others set up camp, Nanoc pulled Danton aside for a private conversation.

“Hey,” said the barbarian, “now that it's just me an’ you here, I wanna say a little more ‘bout what we was discussin’ earlier. It been near a year since we done travel together, and I ain't never seen you this neg-o-tive 'fore. Well I know'd you don't like doin' any favors if you ain't gettin return ones, but I ain't never heard you talk o' every day decent folk like you been doin' here. I knowed you speak o' them there o-fishials back where you come from like that, but heck the common people did not do you no wrong. So, I noticed ever since Tel done been wit us, you have gotten meaner. The thing that really is odd is Tel comes from one o' them noble/o-fishial types and it seem ta me you put more stock in his words than that of your good friend Nanoc. Heck he comes from the same kind o' blood that done double-crossed you. Now maybe it be that we ain't ever took the kind o' risks we is taken here and at the sunless place when we traveled together 'fore, but I'm thinkin' it's Tel that's got you gone this way.”

”Now I ain't that down on Tel,” added Nanoc quickly, “he's always been there in a fight when he ain't off gettin magic'd. An’ maybe the stress o' losin his father and then his uncle got 'im in a bad place. Don't know. Like I says I think there is good in most people, so I am givin' 'im a chance as I promised through this here adventure we is on.”

”So anywho,” concluded the barbarian, a sad expression on his face, “I'm your good friend and I'd hoped you could be happy for me and Asya. I hoped you could take my word, but since you is my friend if it is needed for you...you can have Luger magic me to make sure there ain't no 'chantments on me or whatever. I'm sure he can do it. I jus don't want ya messin' with Asya, she deserves better than that, and she ain't so sure 'bout you and I want her to like you as I do and I think that'd kill any chance o' that happenin'”

Danton smiled in the twilight. “Nanoc, straightaways, let me state that 'twill not be necessary to magick you or anyone else, including Aseneth. I take you at your word. Indeed, I think our time together hath proven that I always take you at your word. Now, disagreements over the best thing to do is another matter, but I hath never doubted your basic honesty. If anything, I hath counseled you, rightly or wrongly, to be less forthcoming in expressing your honest thoughts, at least amongst less-than-trustworthy folk.”

”Know also this,” said the Velunese after a moment’s pause, “if I disagree with Aseneth about this or that -- and, in all likelihood, eventually some disagreement will arise -- I do so only out of mine own view as to what is best, and not out of some latent enmity or fear. You broach two other concerns: the Hommletians and Telemachos. I wilt address both in order. First, respecting the Hommletians, I am now satisfied with their pledges. P'raps I was a bit harsh with them, suspecting them of ill motives, but, believe me Nanoc, the world is full of grasping men -- some of them high officials and some of them the basest peasants -- and mine own sense is that trust must be earned and virtually never should be given freely.”

”There is an expression among the diplomatists of Greyhawk,” said Danton, “’Trust, but verify.’ Mine own take is similar, though reversed: Verify, then trust. 'Tis hard to set aside such philosophical underpinnings. What we are, we are. You are a trusting soul. I am not. But I trust you, and, on your word and also on her own goodly actions, I wilt trust Aseneth. I trust the Hommletians to honor their bargain, but 'tis a different kind of trust: 'tis a trust borne of necessity, for not all things can be verified and proven and, thus, some things we must needs take on trust. I hath been instructed that the Viscount wilt make entreaties on mine behalf in Veluna. Can I really know if 'tis actually happening? Of course not. But I wilt not lower mineself to base paranoia. At bottom, some trust must be given. My principal quarrel with the Hommletians wast that they asked for deeds that would obviously require great effort and that might prove lethal, yet they were seemingly prepared to offer little to nothing up front and only vague assurances of reward yet to come. Put simply, one doth not have to be paranoid to reject such terms, and, indeed, only a poor businessman accepteth them. All of which is to say that I am now on the level with the Hommletians and trust that they will honor their bargain. And I, in turn, wilt honor mine.”

“Oh, yer makin’ my head spin again wit’ all those big words,” groaned Nanoc.

”Finally,” said Danton, ignoring the comment, “as for Telemachos, I hath no great insight on what, if anything, ails him. He is a Furyondian, after all, and they can be a queer people. He also hath his own demons, some of which we know. My primary fear with him was that his own driving quests -- first, to find his father and, second, to aid Jaroo -- would become too obsessive, leading us into places where objective thought would resist. This fear hath somewhat subsided as of late, largely because, with Jaroo dead and the father nowhere in sight, there is no obvious direction that would impel Telemachos.

I say this: be not too hard on Telemachos. As you say, he hath seemingly had a rough time of it, what with his father's disappearance and now with his uncle's death. Telemachos seemeth a man who feels intensely the problems of his family, unlike mineself, who feeleth intensely mainly mine own problems. Furyondians are a queer lot, but, in the breech, they are known as men of honor, which is to their -- and to Telemachos's -- credit. I think as time passes by and as Aseneth's company proves consistently fortuitous to our entire party and to you in particular, Telemachos wilt come around.”

With this said, Danton slapped Nanoc on the back and added with a laugh, “
The biggest loss, of course, is that, now, whene'er I finally make it back to Burrow or Woodstock, 'twill be me and me alone who wilt frolic with the halfling lasses. Ah, well.”

Nanoc laughed too. “Now that's better, an’ I'm glad you don't need me magic'd. I didn't think you would, but I wanted you to have the option cause we is friends and it will stay that way. Yep, I'll give Tel some leeway, but if he is still speakin' Ill o’ Asya after all this is over, well he and I are gonna have to have a reckonin' or go separate ways. But fer now, let’s get back to the others.”

After the party ate a cold meal in the dark, Nanoc took Aseneth’s hand and led her away from the camp and into a small copse of trees away from the road.

“You know, Asya,” said the barbarian when the two were alone, although still within sight of the faint green light cast by Danton’s partially covered magical torch, “I always liked lookin’ up there at them stars when I was a kid. They is so pretty. Twillian, that was my dad Justin’s friend, he was a magic person like you, used to say they was magic lights painted by the Gods themselves, and that on rare times star dust even made it all the way here and you could make a wish wit’ it. I wish I could get some o’ that dust for you and your town. I bet that’s just the thing you would need…”

“…But till we find some o’ that, I at least got some good news,” he continued. “When I went out with Danton a while back, he and I had a good heart to heart talk an he said you is alright by him, and he don’t know what Tel’s problem is other than all the bad stuff that happened to ‘im lately. So I said we’d give it some time and maybe Tel come ‘round too.”

“Alright,” said the sorceress, her fair skin and dark hair both shining in the light from the two moons overhead, “you are knowing both much long than I am. I trust you.”

Nanoc pulled the woman close at that point, and neither spoke again for some time.

***

When Nanoc and Aseneth finally returned to the camp some time later, Luger held the semi-substantial sword he had recovered from the strange ghost at the Nulb tavern.

“If no one has any argument,” said the cleric, “I shall keep this ghost sword for my own. I will name it Geistblatt, or Spirit Blade, and in my hands it will smite evil for as long as I draw breath!”

Neither Danton nor Telemachos had any objection to this, but Nanoc spoke up: “I don't mind ya holdin' onto that there blade for now, Luger, but I think it is exactly the type of stuff Asya was lookin' for to help her city. Of course, being a goodly cleric of Heironeus, maybe once we get through this and if the time is right, ya might want to come along wit’ us to help that city out and put that there sword to good use. I guess now ain't the time to be thinkin' o' that though.”

“Of course, my friend,” said Luger, glancing up at the barbarian. “Let us hold off on such discussions until we have a fire in the hearth to warm our souls and ale to wet our tongues.”

“Yeah,” said Telemachos, “Now is not the time to discuss the distribution of the loot. However, let me just make the statement that Aseneth does not claim anything and everything that glows when a magician casts a spell. At least, that's how I understood it. Then again, who knows, maybe we will give her every magical axe we find in the treasure pile. I would not object to that.”

Nanoc shot the Furyondian a sharp look in the darkness and a rejoinder was on the tip of his tongue, but when he felt the light touch of Aseneth’s hand on his wrist, he bit back the comment.

”On another subject,” said Telemachos, “I am not sure we are agreed on where we are headed next—after Hommlet, of course. But I do not wish to stay there long. To speed our journey back to the temple, why not ask the locals for horses?”

“A fair idea,” agreed Danton.

”But if your path be Rastor,” added Telemachos, “either now, or after the temple, I am afraid I must part ways with you and break our fellowship. I have not empty weeks to go about chasing spectres for these foolish townspeople. I will do what I can whilst I am here, but my missing father calls for mine aid.”

“My path likely leads eventually to Rastor,” said Luger. “My interest in the temple here lies with the goal of deciding if the cult is amassing a force of evil there. While killing the likes of hobgoblins, goblins and orcs has its merits, I do not see it as being worth our time, nor will it stop the enemy from unleashing its evil upon the Oerth. Tharizdun must not be released. When we go to Rastor, I prefer to do so via Oakhurst, that I might check on Mauser there and perhaps query the kobolds in the citadel ruins you mentioned.”

“Rastor is probly where I’ll be goin ‘ventually too,” said Nanoc. “Like I told Danton a million times, I wanna find a magic axe, make a name for myself, some day find one o' them lost swords o' Corusk. Though even I know I ain't good enough to handle a weapon like that. I wanna help Danton get whatever it is that he needs to get back to Veluna an’ have a shot at Vanessa. I want to make sure Asya's city is helped, and I want to help the Hommlet people.”

“First though,” continued the half-orc, “I promised Asya I would help her wit’ the moathouse, Nulb, and the temple. So short term, ‘fore we leave this area, I plans on gone to the temple no matter what some priest in Hommlet says. We know that temple was a source o' power for the cult, so even if they ain't usin' it we may still find some clues on them and what they are maybe even some things to help us beat 'em.”

“As all are knowing, I am seeking artifacts of power to aid Rinloru,” said Aseneth. “We are finding some things in moat-house, some in Nulb, and more in old temple, I am thinking. After temple, I am going where Nanoc is going. Rastor is being fine. These evil men are having much magic. If they are having base near this Rastor, could be having more magic there. Nanoc is wanting go there helping people from Hommlet, it is appearing to me, we can do all at same time. I am coming thousands of miles from Rinloru, so two hundred more to Rastor, that is not so much.”

Danton sighed. “As Nanoc hath indicated, my primary, long-term goal is to restore mine position in Veluna and to rejuvenate mine romance with the fair Vanessa. Happily, given the Viscount's concessions, mine primary goal is aided in a quid pro quo fashion by mine own half of the bargain: aiding Hommlet. Thus, I am devoted in the short- and medium-term to aiding the Hommletians, where'er that takes us, be it Temple, Rastor or what hath you. Naturally, I remain, as always, interested in scooping up booty, which I'm sure is true for most of us.”

“Well,” said Telemachos, scuffing his boots in the dirt, “seems you’re all determined to march off to Rastor and waste your time on charity for those pathetic Hommlet idiots. Suit yourselves, but when the time comes that you head south, I’m gone.”

***

The remainder of the trip back to Hommlet passed without event, and the party arrived in the early evening of the 24^th. Much to Danton’s disappointment, because of the ongoing renovations at the Inn of the Welcome Wench, there were no rooms available for the party and the group was forced to obtain lodgings in the common room at Terrigan’s. Nanoc was actually pleased by this turn of events, as he judged that Danton was less likely to want to stay in town for multiple days if he were denied the comforts of the inn.

Once in town, the party scattered, each seeking to take advantage of the lingering daylight to take care of personal affairs so that the group might depart once again as early as possible the next day.

Luger visited the clergy of Pelor and St. Cuthbert, paying his regular tithe to the former since there was no temple of Heironeous in Hommlet. The cleric also informed his colleagues of what had transpired in Nulb and asked them to perform whatever divinations they could to determine whether the party should return to investigate the old temple or make straight for Rastor. Finally, Luger informed the clergy of St. Cuthbert of the wounds various party members had suffered at the touch of powerful undead, and asked that Canoness Y’dey be prepared to heal those wounds the next morning. After all of this, Luger tracked down Elmo and left a letter with the militia captain that he had penned during the trip back from Nulb:

Dear Brother,

I hope this short note finds you well. Our father has been slain by our enemy and they have taken mother. Now, they are looking for you and I - to murder or capture, I do not know. I have joined forces with your friends here in Hommlet and will soon be off to a place called Rastor to save the world. I hope to look for you again in Oakhurst along the way. Please follow as soon as you can and disguise yourself as only you can.

Luger

Elmo promised Luger he would give the letter to Mauser if the other cleric should appear in Hommlet. He next went to the shop and residence of Spugnoir, where he found Nanoc and Aseneth sitting outside enjoying the long summer evening with the potion maker and his daughter. After chatting with them for nearly an hour, Nanoc and Luger each purchased a number of potions that Spugnoir had produced during the party’s trip to Nulb (Luger purchases potions of Haste, Cure Moderate Wounds, and Bull’s Strength for 480 gold; Nanoc purchases potions of cure light wounds (2), cure moderate wounds, and spider climbing for 245 gold).

Danton accomplished two things before retiring for the evening. First, the Velunese purchased four light riding horses, and one heavy one for Nanoc, from a stable at the southwest end of town, just north of the river. The cost was high (500 gold), but Danton was determined to have the others pay their share, both for this and for the money he had paid to the one-eyed man for information. After agreeing with the stableman, Rudoulf, that the party would be by to pick up the horses and associated equipment sometime the next day, he returned to Terrigan’s to have a few drinks and see what news he could pick up (gather information: 8+9=17).

From what Danton heard, it seemed that little of note had transpired in Hommlet in recent days, but there was much talk of events in Furyondy, where King Belvor was said to be on his deathbed. Because the king was without an heir, several ambitious branches of the extended royal family were actively jockeying for position, much to the detriment of political cohesion in the capital and the provinces, a particularly dire development at a time when the armies of Iuz were once again on the move.

Telemachos kept largely to himself once the party was back in Hommlet. With some assistance from Aseneth before she and Nanoc headed off to take care of their own affairs, the soldier activated one of the two magic feathers the enchantress had given him the last time the party was in Hommlet. Upon activation, the feather transformed into a gold-glowing bird the size of a hawk. Attached to one of its legs was a small tube, into which Telemachos placed all of the letters he had written, but not yet sent, to his mother. He also slipped the second, unused feather into the tube, in order that his mother would be able to send a reply to him, wherever he might be. Once the tube was sealed and Telemachos signaled all was ready, Aseneth commanded the bird to take flight and make its delivery. The bright gold color of the magical bird was visible in the darkening sky over Hommlet for some time before it finally disappeared to the north.

Although briefly heartened by sending the message, Telemachos’ melancholy soon returned, and he spent most of the evening sitting around Terrigan’s complaining about the lack of gratitude and compensation shown by the people of Hommlet as the party tried to save them and the world from impending doom. Not surprisingly, he very quickly found himself sitting alone, as both locals and travelers moved to other parts of the bar to avoid listening to his raving.

The next morning, the entire party made its way to the Church of St. Cuthbert, where Canoness Y’dey, wearing a helmet and suit of platemail rather than her usual robes, presided over a religious service attended only by the party and the other clergy of her order. At the end of the service, the canoness laid her hands on Nanoc, Aseneth, and Danton and literally lifted the touch and the gaze of the undead of Nulb from their shoulders. Of the three, only Aseneth had experienced anything like this before, and both Nanoc and Danton both felt a great relief as life and vigor were restored to them. As promised, the other clerics of St. Cuthbert also healed the more mundane injuries the party had suffered in Nulb.

As the others were leaving, the cleric Terjon pulled Luger aside and informed him of the result’s of the church’s divinations:

“The Canoness had a vision of fire—all-consuming, pure, elemental fire, burning all before it. She also believes that the man you met in Nulb must have been—or might still be—a cleric of Tharizdun, for no other would be likely to have such information and be living amongst the restless spirits of Nulb. He is likely a survivor of the sacking of the old temple, and should not be trusted.”

After the church service, Nanoc and Aseneth stopped at the Old Trading Post to sell more unneeded equipment and acquire fresh rations for the party. Most of the items Nanoc sold, including all of the various robes he had recovered from fallen cultist clerics, brought little value, but the suit of platemail he traded in was in good shape, and brought a fair return. After purchasing the rations, Nanoc walked away with a net profit of 700 gold.

The barbarian also remembered the rusted strongbox he had taken from the riverboat in Nulb and used his great strength to break it open after Danton had determined it was free of traps. Inside were many coins (430 gold, 135 silver), as well as a ring set with a huge black opal. The barbarian distributed the coins amongst the party, while he gave the ring to Aseneth, who slipped it onto one of the few ring-less fingers of her right hand.

Prior to departing Hommlet, Danton made one last inquiry with Elmo as to the progress of the Viscount’s efforts to have him reinstated in Veluna.

“Those efforts have begun, “said Elmo, “but the Viscount’s diplomats are only in an investigative stake thus far. I understand they approached Lord Van Dijk first—to see if he might be persuaded to change his attitude towards you if the conditions were right, but his response was to literally throw a junior member of our diplomatic staff out of his residence and insist that you would never be allowed back in Veluna. The Ambassador and his staff are now working to develop means of going around Van Dijk or trumping him in some manner, but that will take time.”

Although only Nanoc and, to a lesser degree, Telemachos, had any real experience with horses, those two were able to assist the others such that they could at least remain in the saddle and have their mounts follow those of the two warriors when they left town. As the party made its way north and east towards Nulb and the Temple of Elemental Evil once again, the sky remained clear and the temperature grew hotter and hotter as real summer finally reached the central Flanaess. The hot weather made it more and more uncomfortable for Luger and Telemachos to wear their heavy armor all the time, but each chose to endure it, at least as long as they were in the dangerous, uninhabited areas north of Hommlet.

Thanks to the horses, the party made very good progress the first day out of Hommlet, even with the late start, and Danton judged that if they maintained their pace, they would pass through Nulb once again on the afternoon of the next day and could reach the temple several hours before nightfall.

Although the skies were again sunny and clear when the party awoke and set out on the second day, they clouded over as the group approached Nulb for the second time. The temperature dropped dramatically, and a wind came up out of the east.

“There is something fell about this place,” said Luger as the group neared the abandoned town across the river. “I suspect the sun never shines here, no matter the time of day or year.”

“All the more reason to be through the place in a flash,” said Danton. “Once we reach the bridge, we should ride through the town with all speed and not look back.”

“Yes,” said Telemachos, “let us proceed immediately to the temple so that we can wipe out this cult. If we succeed, I shall go in quest of my father and shake the dust from my boots and be done with these fools. If any of you, or all of you, would like to join me in my search, I, of course, welcome your company." 

“You are wise to fear Nulb,” came an unknown, female voice from behind the party. “You will find only death there.”

Spinning about as one in their saddles, the party members were shocked to see a woman standing behind them. She was of medium height, had pale skin, red hair and green eyes, and wore some sort of hide armor and carried a gleaming scimitar at her side. There was something odd about her appearance, but it was difficult to determine what, for the clouds and shadows that hung over Nulb seemed to extend to her as well. She seemed both there and not there—much in the manner of Geistblatt.

When the horses registered the woman’s presence, all five reacted sharply, whinnying in fear and seeking to bolt from her presence. Nanoc and Telemachos had the skill to keep their mounts under control, but the others surely would have been thrown from the saddle had not the woman made a gesture with her hands that somehow calmed all five of the animals at once.

[Spot: Danton: 5+6=11, Nanoc: 14+1=15, Luger: 20+4=24, Telemachos: 2+1=3]

It was Luger who finally realized what it was that was wrong with the woman’s appearance.

“Her feet do not touch the ground!” he shouted, pointing down at the elfin woman. “And she casts no shadow! This must be another evil spirit, somehow able to manifest beyond Nulb!”

Fearing great evil, Luger held aloft his holy symbol and called on Heironeous to keep the spirit away from him and the others (turn undead attempt: 7+0=7; able to turn undead up to 3HD).

To Luger’s horror, and that of the others, the woman floated across the intervening space and knocked the lightning bolt of Heironeous out of the cleric’s hand.

“Could a ghost do that, you fool? I think not. Relax. If I meant you harm, you would all be dead by now. Few travelers come this way, and I was curious as to what brought you here. If you wish to pillage the old temple for treasure, be my guests. I know well the artifacts that may be found in such places and it is one such item that has brought me to Nulb.”

As the floating woman spoke, she ‘stood’ in the air three feet off the ground. Danton, Nanoc and the others had been about to rush to Luger’s aid, but something in the woman’s gaze held them rooted where they sat.

“I mean to take something from Nulb,” the woman continued, “and I mean to take it now. If you are wise, you will use the distraction my presence will create to make your own passage through the abandoned hamlet.”

“Who? Who are you?” stammered Danton.

“Until recently I was like you,” said the woman, turning her full gaze on the Velunese, “a seeker of adventure and fortune, but now I am the Archdruid of the Gnarely Forest and the Welkwood, having thrown down my predecessor—as is our way. I mean to make the Suss Forest mine as well, but for that I shall require more power—power to be found here. Now, if you will excuse me, I have much to do. Goodbye.”

Without another word, the woman flew thirty feet into the air and rocketed towards Nulb. She flew over the village and then dove into water of the harbor inlet with a great splash. Within a matter of moments, the water had begun to churn and swirl as if some sort of great struggle took place beneath its surface.

Shadows and all manner of strange shapes moved amongst the structures of Nulb now in great agitation, all moving in the direction of the harbor, providing the party the promised opportunity to make a mad dash through the center of Nulb while the spirits were thus preoccupied. The minutes that followed were harrowing, as the unskilled riders sought to race through Nulb even as piercing, unnatural shrieks, mixed in with the sound of splashing, churning water, rent the air. Although the party made it through Nulb unmolested, the terrible sounds the group heard during the ride promised to stay with them for some time to come.

Once past Nulb, the remainder of the journey to the Temple of Elemental Evil passed quickly. The distance was no more than six or seven miles and the terrain remained flat, although the road drew ever closer to the edge of the forest. By the last two miles, the first trees were no more than twenty yards from the roadside for most of the way.

Finally, as the afternoon ended and evening came to the land, so the party came at last to its destination:

The Temple of Elemental Evil: its name befitted its hideous appearance. The huge, charcoal-gray building that lurched up from the land on the edge of the forest, with its arched buttresses and obscene designs, stood a mute testament to the darker side of Verbobonc’s history. Every surface of the structure teemed with leering faces and twisted forms of demons and monstrosities unlike anything previously imagined. Even from a distance, it could be seen that the massive doors were crowned with winged beasts and disgusting figures that chilled a viewer to the very soul.

The surrounding compound was equally terrifying. Vermiculated growth, covered in dark thorns, twisted amid rubble from what was once a high curtain wall. Shadows danced along the blackened trees whose branches clawed at the air around them like desperate, dying men.

It needed not be said aloud, being obvious immediately: This was an evil place.

With a chill once again palpable in the very air, Nanoc led the party off the road and into the trees as soon as the huge walled structure became visible in the distance.

“Hey, Danton,” said the barbarian in a light tone, “maybe Asya can make it so you can’t be seen again. I don’t see no dragons or moats here, so maybe you’d have a little better luck this time. Just remember to stay down wind so the hobby-goblins don’t smell you, har, har, har!”

Nanoc’s attempt at levity made Danton and the others smile briefly as they dismounted, but could not erase the dark, oppressive feeling created by the very presence of the temple so close at hand.

“I’d rather just fight my way in and get this business done so I can see my way through to leaving this place,” said Telemachos. “I’m really learning to hate Verbobonc.”

“No, Nanoc’s idea hath merit,” said Danton. “We must know what we face ‘ere we go charging in—be it hobgoblins, spirits, or cultists, and in what number. Cast the spell, lady, and I shall do my part.”

“Okay,” she said, “but don’t forgetting will last less one hour—then all are seeing.”

Danton slipped his pack onto his shoulders, double-checked the blade at his side, and nodded. Moments later, Aseneth cast her spell and he disappeared from the view of all present.

Slipping out of the trees and back to the road, Danton made his way towards the temple. As he approached it, he tried to estimate its sheer size. The huge curtain wall around it, although severely damaged, apparently by siege weapons, at some point in the past, stood at least thirty feet high in those places where it was intact. The walls were at least 800 feet wide and looked to be well over a thousand feet long. From what Danton could see through the open gate and the holes in the wall, the temple itself filled the center of the enclosed area. Although its central structure and flying buttresses protruded high above the walls, it was difficult to judge its dimensions from this distance.

As Danton continued forward, he passed more and more evidence of some great battle long ago, including all manner of rusted, shattered weaponry and skeletons and bits of bone. The terrain was also covered with myriad humanoid-sized statues, some intact and many others shattered to rubble. The intact statues depicted all manner of monsters and demons, not unlike those portrayed on the curtain wall and the temple itself.

When he was no more than fifty feet away from the open gate of the temple wall, Danton saw the first hobgoblins. There were four of the creatures, all armed and wearing crude leather armor, standing behind a small copse of sickly trees that stood just outside the gate. There amid the thorny growth, what had once been a gatehouse lay in utter ruin. Mossy, overgrown stones lay scattered in small heaps.

Making his way well around the trees and the guards, Danton slipped around the east side of the wall. Deciding to make a circuit of the entire place first, the scout passed by several holes in the wall that would have allowed him easy passage into the courtyard of the temple. On this side of the temple, far off in the distance, Danton could see several ramshackle cottages and barns that looked long since abandoned. Closer at hand, huge trees clutched at the sky behind the temple, no more than a hundred yards from its outer wall.

As he rounded the back of the keep, Danton noticed that only one of the four towers that had once graced the corners of the outer wall remained somewhat intact—at the structure’s southwestern corner. The remnant of the black tower still stood by the ruined wall, about 25 feet tall, probably much shorter than it had been at one point. No door was visible, at least from the outside of the keep.

Having surveyed the surroundings, Danton finally picked his way carefully through the rubble that clogged one of the holes in the outer wall and stepped into the courtyard for the first time. Now that he had his first unobstructed look at the temple itself, he judged that it was nearly 400 feet long and ranged between one and two hundred feet wide—without the buttresses. A great set of stone stairs at the northern end of the temple led up to a huge set of bronze doors, each 23 feet high and 20 feet wide. Massive iron chains hung limply to either side, long since broken. Faded and worn runes covered each door, but were no longer readable. Lounging in or around the open doors were four more hobgoblins. They were outfitted in the same manner as those at the outer gate and each group was clearly visible to the other.

As for the courtyard itself, save for a long row of thick, spiny shrubbery that formed a barrier filling most of the space between the northern three-quarters of the enclosed area and the southern quarter, there was little else to see, save for more of the twisted, sometimes smashed, statues that littered the ground outside the walls. Peeking through the shrubbery, Danton saw what looked like a ruined stone structure just beyond it. Off to the southwest, there was another stone structure, partially collapsed, and beyond that stood the one semi-intact tower. Now that he was inside the keep, Danton could see that there was a heavy wooden door, closed at the moment, on the inside of the tower.

Having taken all of this in, Danton paused a moment to consider his options. He judged that approximately a half hour had passed since Aseneth cast her spell, meaning that his invisibility would likely fade sometime in the coming half hour.

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 38:

Please send postings for Turn 38 by the end of Tuesday, December 26^th.

Current date/time: 26 Lipanj 592; approximately 1900.

Items gained this turn: items purchased listed in turn

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed/sold this turn: items sold listed in turn

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: 59

New XP: 0

XP total: 11318

XP needed: 15,000

Equipment: masterwork great axe, silver-plated short sword, masterwork studded leather armor, 69 arrows, 2 quivers, backpack, waterskin, 20 days trail rations, bedroll, 2 sacks, 2 flint & steel, bearskin, tent, 50’ rope, 1 sap, masterwork mighty composite shortbow, masterwork shortsword, 6 iron triangles with inverted ‘Y’, three black cones made of some unknown substance, a black scepter decorated with a half dozen violet gems, a bead of force, metal scroll tube, a black cloak, two inverted ziggurat pendants; 2 potions of bull’s strength, potion of cure light wounds(X4), potion of cure moderate wounds (X1), potion of water breathing, potion of spider climbing, Aseneth’s House Torquann dragon ring, heavy riding horse and riding equipment.

Gold: 1190

Silver: 220

Danton

AC: 15 (16 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 22

New XP: 0

XP total: 11318

XP needed: 15,000

Equipment: rapier, 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 33 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, waterskin, 20 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, 6 iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside, 1 protection from fire scroll, 5 scrolls 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, tattered black cloak with burning eye emblazoned on it, disguise kit, letter to Master Dunrat, ochre-colored robe, bead of force, potion of cure light wounds (X2), cure moderate wounds (X2), scrolls of animal messenger and stone shape, wand of magic missiles (5 charges), unknown potion from tavern in Nulb, set of jeweled earrings from tavern in Nulb, light riding horse and equipment.

Gold: 947

Silver: 0

Telemachos

AC: 20

Hit points: 41/41

New XP: 0

XP total: 11318

XP needed: 10,000

Equipment: full plate mail, short sword, 2 daggers, longbow, quiver and 33 arrows, large steel shield, backpack, large sack, flint and steel, 20 days rations, waterskin, bedroll, tent, 1 sap, Shatterspike (longsword +1 with special properties), 2 iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside, 2 quall’s feather tokens, 1 potion cure moderate wounds, 1 potion cure light wounds, light riding horse and equipment.

Gold: 698

Silver: 210

Luger

AC: 19

Hit Points: 34/34

New XP: 0

XP total: 6768

XP needed: 10000

Equipment: longsword, heavy mace, light x-bow, dagger, 20 bolts, chainmail, large steel shield, 3 belt pouches, large bag, 50’ rope, 5 torches, hooded lantern, 3 oil flasks, flint & steel, 20 days rations, silver holy symbol of Heironeus, 3 flasks holy water, 2 healer’s kits, backpack, cleric’s vestment, traveler’s clothing, waterskin, bedroll, iron triangle with upside down ‘Y’ inside, eight cockatrice feathers, scrolls of cure light wounds (2), cure disease, neutralize poison, potions of cure light wounds, bull’s strength, cure moderate wounds, and haste; Geistblatt (ghost touch longsword +1), light riding horse and equipment.

Spell Selection:

Level 0(5): Detect Magic X2, Light X2
Level 1(4+1): Summon Monster, Remove Fear, Invisibility to Undead, Domain: Protection from Evil

Level 2 (3+1): SilenceX2, Lesser Restoration, Domain: Spiritual Weapon

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 7 of 7

Gold: 147