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<blockquote data-quote="ForceUser" data-source="post: 618884" data-attributes="member: 2785"><p><strong>Session Four, Part Four</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>TAM FELL</strong> backward against the furnace, bruising his shoulder as he fended off the engorged langur with his staff. The creature hissed and grasped at him as his shoved it roughly to the floor. Behind it, more red eyes glittered in the shadows. Gasping for breath, the wizard backpedaled toward the far side of the room, careful to keep his guard up. He yelled, “More back here!”</p><p></p><p>Vinh, his polearm hindered somewhat by the tight corridor, had not followed the other fighters into the room beyond the south door. In the jumbled light through the short hall he saw blood and fur flying, and heard men stomping through shallow water. When Tam yelled he turned and spied the monkeys coming from the western portal, so dashed to meet them. Remembering Tuyen’s unconventional fighting style, he improvised in the cramped space, thrusting his weapon down and before him, sweeping side to side as he switched his grip. Clumsily, he wounded one beast and pinned another to the stones, pressing deep until the abdomen crunched and blood welled up. Vinh gritted his teeth and drove the other monkeys back beyond the door. </p><p></p><p>“I need light in here!” bellowed the no-sheng. Hien responded, squeezing past Mai and tossing Vinh a torch. He threw it through the door before charging in. Behind him, Tam crept back toward the fray. Hien pressed against the furnace and tried to monitor both fights. </p><p></p><p>Vinh dove into what was once an eating hall. Monkeys scrambled over rows of wooden benches and tables silhouetted in the ruddy light. Some scattered; others leapt at him, and he hew them down as he moved in to allow anyone behind him room to follow. Woo, the lower half of his robe darkened with water, skidded comically into the chamber beside him. His torch revealed the rest of the hall, including the pantry in the back. Over there the creatures gnashed and spat at the adventurers, preparing to attack. Nodding at Woo, Vinh darted toward the pantry-room, then squatted and shouldered over a table bench, barricading the animals inside. As he did so they rushed and began to scale the table, which was not much of a deterrent to tree-dwellers. Vinh scrambled back, ready to meet their charge, but suddenly a sickly green skull, aflame with arcane energy, burst into being between them. Vinh recoiled, momentarily fearful, and the monkeys cried out in terror and fled to the farthest corner of the pantry. Behind the warriors, Tam stood in the doorway sweating, fist out-thrust, a look of determination in his eyes. Vinh and Woo stepped away from the horrid illusion, and Vinh noticed a distinct lack of combat from the other fight. </p><p></p><p>“All dead?” he asked his friend, leaning on his kama-do. </p><p></p><p>“All dead,” Woo confirmed. He gestured at the monkeys cowering behind the ghost light. “Kill these?”</p><p></p><p>“Why?” said Tam, “Let us go. They will not follow.” The warriors nodded, and soon a bench blocked the Door of the Western Wind. They joined the rest of the party in the room beyond the Door of the Southern Wind, which turned out to be a long-disused meditation chamber, complete with contemplation pool, which explained how Woo and Lei had gotten soaked during their fight. Two other doors stood in this area, one of which was connected to the room by a short flight of stairs. It stood ajar, and Mai confirmed that behind it was a ten-pace hall, which ended in an unlocked portal. On the western wall of the contemplation chamber stood yet another wooden door, behind which was a very long corridor.</p><p></p><p>After discussing it, they agreed to brave the longer tunnel because it appeared to go deeper into the temple. As they explored it, they discovered small sleeping cells with moldy floor mats to their right as they went. Many were covered in monkey dung, both old and fresh.</p><p></p><p>“This was where the monks slept,” affirmed Woo. </p><p></p><p>“No,” exclaimed Vinh, “not monks. No-sheng. Look.” He entered one of the rooms and bent to recover something. When he stood, the torchlight revealed a rusted greave. </p><p></p><p>“Well that makes sense,” said Hien, “We’re near the entrance, right? You’d want the soldiers to bunk close to where they guard.” </p><p></p><p>“Be careful!” cautioned Mai. She squatted ahead of the others, scrutinizing the flagstones. “I’m still looking for traps.”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t think they’d trap their sleeping quarters, Thi Mai,” said Woo. “Would make it a bit difficult if they had to get up to pee in the middle of the night, don’t you think?”</p><p></p><p>Defensively, she replied, “You never know. Doesn’t hurt to be careful.” The monk shrugged and stepped aside. Feeling foolish, Mai scanned once again and fell back behind Lei. Vinh nodded at her encouragingly, “No, doesn’t hurt.”</p><p></p><p>After fifty feet, the hallway turned right. At the elbow of the corridor stood a flimsy wood door, and shining his torch down the turn Lei saw a similar door about twenty feet away. “Officers quarters,” he declared, and upon inspection this proved to be true. The first two rooms had several sleeping mats in disarray, but in the third and largest room they found remnants of a single elaborate bed. Poking around, Mai discovered a time-ravaged but impressive tunic of red silk embroidered with a magnificent war elephant. The style was unfamiliar, Tam declared, but matched the statues they’d seen earlier. Whoever these Hindus had been, they had not been from Dai Viet. </p><p></p><p>Stepping out of the commander’s chamber, they discovered that the hall turned right yet again, ending in another wood portal. On its left, a sturdy iron-banded door stood slightly open. Upon inspection, Mai declared that the flimsy door led back to the eating hall and the sturdy one to what appeared to be an armory. Avoiding the dining hall, the adventurers crept into the other room and discovered four rows of racks, some of which still held rusty spears, polearms, and staves. All of the racks were spaced along the right wall, leaving a wide walkway to the left. They spread out as they moved in, and at the far edge of the torchlight Lei discovered a set of elaborate double doors at the end of the left walkway. The doors stood ten feet tall, ironbound and thick, with detailed engravings of a now familiar Monkey Warrior-god leading his host against some forgotten enemy. Lei admired the god’s courage and poise.</p><p></p><p>Among the racks, Woo discovered a shortspear not rusted away to dust and splinters. Hefting it, he noted its remarkable balance and masterwork artisanship. Glancing at Lei, who was examining the doors, he snorted in derision and tossed the spear back on the rack. As he turned to go, Mai shook her head at him. </p><p></p><p>“What?” said the monk. The thief, with an eye for wealth, shot him a scornful glance as she retrieved the spear. "This is quite nice.” She spoke low, arching an eyebrow. “You must have overlooked it.”</p><p></p><p>“Must have,” shrugged Woo. He walked to a different isle and ignored her. Mai presented the weapon to Lei, who was quite pleased. He dropped his old spear on the rack without another thought. </p><p></p><p>Left of the double doors on the adjacent wall stood yet another door, this one of etched stone banded in metal. On the lintel above a mason had engraved words in a language no one present knew, and none could guess what lay beyond the portal. Conferring, the group set that mystery aside for the moment and concentrated on what waited behind the more elegant doors, which were not locked. Hien, who had remained silent throughout the exploration of the armory, expressed a deep uneasiness with what lay beyond. When Lei pushed open the doors, they all felt it. A dark foreboding, a sense of inevitability, a soul-wearying languor washed over them then, and after readying sword and spell, they swept aside the doubt and fear tugging at them, and stepped forward once again into the unknown.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ForceUser, post: 618884, member: 2785"] [b]Session Four, Part Four[/b] [b]TAM FELL[/b] backward against the furnace, bruising his shoulder as he fended off the engorged langur with his staff. The creature hissed and grasped at him as his shoved it roughly to the floor. Behind it, more red eyes glittered in the shadows. Gasping for breath, the wizard backpedaled toward the far side of the room, careful to keep his guard up. He yelled, “More back here!” Vinh, his polearm hindered somewhat by the tight corridor, had not followed the other fighters into the room beyond the south door. In the jumbled light through the short hall he saw blood and fur flying, and heard men stomping through shallow water. When Tam yelled he turned and spied the monkeys coming from the western portal, so dashed to meet them. Remembering Tuyen’s unconventional fighting style, he improvised in the cramped space, thrusting his weapon down and before him, sweeping side to side as he switched his grip. Clumsily, he wounded one beast and pinned another to the stones, pressing deep until the abdomen crunched and blood welled up. Vinh gritted his teeth and drove the other monkeys back beyond the door. “I need light in here!” bellowed the no-sheng. Hien responded, squeezing past Mai and tossing Vinh a torch. He threw it through the door before charging in. Behind him, Tam crept back toward the fray. Hien pressed against the furnace and tried to monitor both fights. Vinh dove into what was once an eating hall. Monkeys scrambled over rows of wooden benches and tables silhouetted in the ruddy light. Some scattered; others leapt at him, and he hew them down as he moved in to allow anyone behind him room to follow. Woo, the lower half of his robe darkened with water, skidded comically into the chamber beside him. His torch revealed the rest of the hall, including the pantry in the back. Over there the creatures gnashed and spat at the adventurers, preparing to attack. Nodding at Woo, Vinh darted toward the pantry-room, then squatted and shouldered over a table bench, barricading the animals inside. As he did so they rushed and began to scale the table, which was not much of a deterrent to tree-dwellers. Vinh scrambled back, ready to meet their charge, but suddenly a sickly green skull, aflame with arcane energy, burst into being between them. Vinh recoiled, momentarily fearful, and the monkeys cried out in terror and fled to the farthest corner of the pantry. Behind the warriors, Tam stood in the doorway sweating, fist out-thrust, a look of determination in his eyes. Vinh and Woo stepped away from the horrid illusion, and Vinh noticed a distinct lack of combat from the other fight. “All dead?” he asked his friend, leaning on his kama-do. “All dead,” Woo confirmed. He gestured at the monkeys cowering behind the ghost light. “Kill these?” “Why?” said Tam, “Let us go. They will not follow.” The warriors nodded, and soon a bench blocked the Door of the Western Wind. They joined the rest of the party in the room beyond the Door of the Southern Wind, which turned out to be a long-disused meditation chamber, complete with contemplation pool, which explained how Woo and Lei had gotten soaked during their fight. Two other doors stood in this area, one of which was connected to the room by a short flight of stairs. It stood ajar, and Mai confirmed that behind it was a ten-pace hall, which ended in an unlocked portal. On the western wall of the contemplation chamber stood yet another wooden door, behind which was a very long corridor. After discussing it, they agreed to brave the longer tunnel because it appeared to go deeper into the temple. As they explored it, they discovered small sleeping cells with moldy floor mats to their right as they went. Many were covered in monkey dung, both old and fresh. “This was where the monks slept,” affirmed Woo. “No,” exclaimed Vinh, “not monks. No-sheng. Look.” He entered one of the rooms and bent to recover something. When he stood, the torchlight revealed a rusted greave. “Well that makes sense,” said Hien, “We’re near the entrance, right? You’d want the soldiers to bunk close to where they guard.” “Be careful!” cautioned Mai. She squatted ahead of the others, scrutinizing the flagstones. “I’m still looking for traps.” “I don’t think they’d trap their sleeping quarters, Thi Mai,” said Woo. “Would make it a bit difficult if they had to get up to pee in the middle of the night, don’t you think?” Defensively, she replied, “You never know. Doesn’t hurt to be careful.” The monk shrugged and stepped aside. Feeling foolish, Mai scanned once again and fell back behind Lei. Vinh nodded at her encouragingly, “No, doesn’t hurt.” After fifty feet, the hallway turned right. At the elbow of the corridor stood a flimsy wood door, and shining his torch down the turn Lei saw a similar door about twenty feet away. “Officers quarters,” he declared, and upon inspection this proved to be true. The first two rooms had several sleeping mats in disarray, but in the third and largest room they found remnants of a single elaborate bed. Poking around, Mai discovered a time-ravaged but impressive tunic of red silk embroidered with a magnificent war elephant. The style was unfamiliar, Tam declared, but matched the statues they’d seen earlier. Whoever these Hindus had been, they had not been from Dai Viet. Stepping out of the commander’s chamber, they discovered that the hall turned right yet again, ending in another wood portal. On its left, a sturdy iron-banded door stood slightly open. Upon inspection, Mai declared that the flimsy door led back to the eating hall and the sturdy one to what appeared to be an armory. Avoiding the dining hall, the adventurers crept into the other room and discovered four rows of racks, some of which still held rusty spears, polearms, and staves. All of the racks were spaced along the right wall, leaving a wide walkway to the left. They spread out as they moved in, and at the far edge of the torchlight Lei discovered a set of elaborate double doors at the end of the left walkway. The doors stood ten feet tall, ironbound and thick, with detailed engravings of a now familiar Monkey Warrior-god leading his host against some forgotten enemy. Lei admired the god’s courage and poise. Among the racks, Woo discovered a shortspear not rusted away to dust and splinters. Hefting it, he noted its remarkable balance and masterwork artisanship. Glancing at Lei, who was examining the doors, he snorted in derision and tossed the spear back on the rack. As he turned to go, Mai shook her head at him. “What?” said the monk. The thief, with an eye for wealth, shot him a scornful glance as she retrieved the spear. "This is quite nice.” She spoke low, arching an eyebrow. “You must have overlooked it.” “Must have,” shrugged Woo. He walked to a different isle and ignored her. Mai presented the weapon to Lei, who was quite pleased. He dropped his old spear on the rack without another thought. Left of the double doors on the adjacent wall stood yet another door, this one of etched stone banded in metal. On the lintel above a mason had engraved words in a language no one present knew, and none could guess what lay beyond the portal. Conferring, the group set that mystery aside for the moment and concentrated on what waited behind the more elegant doors, which were not locked. Hien, who had remained silent throughout the exploration of the armory, expressed a deep uneasiness with what lay beyond. When Lei pushed open the doors, they all felt it. A dark foreboding, a sense of inevitability, a soul-wearying languor washed over them then, and after readying sword and spell, they swept aside the doubt and fear tugging at them, and stepped forward once again into the unknown. [/QUOTE]
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