Temple Of The Beast-(update 11/14)

[Hunter]

{edit New story posts #5, #6}
This story is based upon a sequence of events that I calculated transpired between the denizens of the dungeon while the character party was away (two months healing/travel time).
It started as an experiment to see how the power struggles developed between the various NPCs/creatures still existing in the Temple.-(I actually rolled dice at certain intervals to see who won and then based my writing/actions on the outcome. To see who was then on top.)

Eventually a horror story depicting their cruel acts and plots developed similar to a Tales from the Crypt kind of theme.
This story also serves as an example of why the given character party is justified in comiting genocide to any particular dungeon locale.

Playing the evil characters/denizens like a character party only with the difference that these characters exhibit sociopathic/delusional, bi-polar/borderline and schizophrenic personality disorders. With homicidal overtones.

The character party (not altogether good) eventually returns as do the wood elves-(the real heroes and good noble sentient creatures in the story).

For although I am fascinated with writing evil characters-(their motives/desires/actions what not) it is the inevitable good that I ultimately am striving for in my stories. (also helps if your players are very good at role playing).

For quoting Doctor Who in :

Genesis of The Daleks-(First appearance of Davross)
-‘From every evil must come…some good.’-end quote.

~Hunter


This story takes placed in a recently ruined keep with four broken and burned towers. Located on a scorched knoll surrounded by woodlands nestled just off the main trading paths of the Empire of the World Emperor.
A party of adventurers attempting to infiltrate the cult and religion of the Horned God destroyed the temple and keep recently. It had been slowly subjugating the surrounding countryside by brainwashing key members of various villages and hamlets to worship the Horned God: The Beast. Soon villagers became entranced cultists and they themselves killed/took slaves of their friends who resisted and burned/destroyed their own villages to join the Temple proper. This was its main objective but underneath the Temple of the Beast were far more insidious plots taking place. Alchemy was being brewed below by a wizard who mastered in evocations….
After much investigation in the hamlets surrounding the area and failing to stop the beast cultists from destroying said communities…
It was for the character party to infiltrate and stop this mad scheme of conquest. However tragedy struck early and the party was routed.

An attempt to gain entrance through the use of disguise (the party wearing the robes of the Beast’s cultists) failed at the entrance before the drawbridge as the party did not know the password/signal to gain entry. A missile melee followed and one character in a desperate attempt to save himself unleashed one of his most powerful magic items. It was a censer or something that instantly summoned a full HD fire elemental. With the drawbridge up, another character shot a crossbow bolt attached with rope to the wood of the drawbridge thus allowing the elemental to cross the moat by sweeping along the line of hemp. It immediately attacked the guards and cultists inside. Magical attempts at dispelling and control failed by both mage and priest. The High Priest was forced to flee the temple entirely-(Severely burned). Most all of his followers were burned alive. The mage was able to retreat under the keep to his laboratory and waited out the conflagration. Luckily the vents he had recently installed for the purpose of his alchemical experiments saved his life and most of the dungeon denizens from smoke inhalation. Eventually the fire elemental returned to its own plane but not after totally burning the temple/keep’s surface level. Low on hit points the party retreated to the nearest city ( Viridistan) to heal/regain supplies. The Temple had totally destroyed the surrounding hamlets and towns so there was no safety there. So the party’s journey back to the city was two weeks one way. Having lost their Priest in the melee (he also was the one that summoned the fire elemental) and not wanting to pay (or having enough to pay 1500 gp for cure light wounds) for healing they had to heal in the city naturally. That meant about a month of healing. Adding healing time along with travel there and back again to the Temple the time away from the dungeon was about two months. This story begins with what happens in the dungeon while the character party is away.

Aftermath

In a lonely wooded hollow just beneath the hill upon which the Temple burns, a group of robed men carrying a heavy burden stop a moment to catch their breaths. Gently placing their burden onto the soft supple grass of the glade, charcoal black flesh melting through smoke stained fingers as they lie him down…
The surviving priests stand around their High Priest, the Horned One, The GodHead.
Paralyzed by scorching flames he lies there unmoving. His hands frozen in claw like gestures.

The lead priest says ‘How many healing dweomers have we placed upon the master, and still he does not stir? This bodes ill. The Horned God is displeased…’
An adept of the order says ’Yet he lives, though not conscious’
‘But what of us?, without the walls and shelter of the Temple we are defenseless to the wilderland….’-says a Curate.

With that thought the gloom of the glade seems to encroach upon the group as they look about themselves. Orange glow reflecting down from burning rafters of their once proud temple.

Curate-‘We must go back, none of us possess the skills needed to survive in the wilderland and without the master to guide us, we are doomed here!’
Lead Priest-‘What!? Return to the flames above with that thing still up there? Art thou mad? We can do nothing against it and for all we know it will continue to seek…and burn…’
Curate-‘Then we are doomed…’
Lead Priest-‘ O’ Horned God! Preserve us!!! Let us pray…’

And so the red stained, burnt and dirty priests kneel around their master praying to their foul God for help and guidance.
As if on cue, the High Priest moves and then mutters unintellible sounds..
Curate-‘Look he stirs, the master awakens!’
Lead Priest-‘Blessed be he who knows all, sees all! .Blessed is the master of Beasts! The Horned God answers our prayers!’

Looking down upon the blackened form of their master the clergy sees pink lips parting the charcoal exterior and the whites of his eyes reveal glazed pupils and retinas. Weak and sorely burned the High Priest awakens.

Lead Priest-‘ Wait! Silence! He is attempting to speak!’

Bending over, the lead priest strains to hear his master’s voice.

Curate-‘All rever the Master! Nothing can destroy the Master! O’ joyous praise to The Beast!’
Lead Priest-‘Shhhhhhh! Yes? Yes? I think he is casting!’

Wet blood and flesh begins to congeal. Blackened skin stretches back over exposed muscle..What was once weak and dying , becomes strong and whole and the High Priest finishes his Heal Spell.

With the antlers to his head piece still smoking from the flames ,the High Priest, The Horned One, The GodHead rises, fully healed…but not quite.

Staring at him in disbelief, the clergy about him is shocked into silence. Gazing at their High Priest as if they have never seen him before…

High Priest-‘What!? what is it? Why are you looking at me that way!? Mordru why do stare at me as if I was some kind of monster???’
Lead Priest Mordru- Meakly pulling silver prayer plate from robes. ‘Look master and see….’
Gazing into the mirror, the High Priest sees the reason for his clergy’s astonishment.
Truth to tell the powerful dweomer healed him completely. Unfortunately the once Adonis handsome beauty of the High Priest is gone. Left are the scorched skin, the burned muscle and exposed bone although fully healed but fused into a horrorific visage on par with a flesh shriveled Lich!!!!!
High Priest-‘WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME????????!!!!!!!!!!’

At that moment the nerves in his skin and muscle return to life.

High Priest-‘Aaaarrrgghhhhhhh!!!! ‘

He falls to his knees buckling with pain!

Curate-In a high pitched whine-‘It is the Horned God’s doing! He is displeased with us!’

Writhing upon the ground suffering the pain of exposed and burned nerves, the High Priest rolls under a great oak tree, crying out to his god…

High Priest-‘O’ Please Great One I’ll do anything to appease thee, only please do not make me suffer this indignity !!! This Pain!!!’

Just then, a voice from the tree above silences the High Priest.

Voice-‘Pray not to your false god here, Devil worshiper!

And with that a flurry of arrows strikes around and upon the High Priest, piercing his already painfully (though healed) scorched flesh!
More arrows fly from around the glade with such speed and accuracy that it is impossible to see them until they hit their mark!
Throats, eyes and hearts are impaled by these lightning like missiles! Clutching necks and faces the priests begin to fall. Few survive the first onslaught. Those that do receive maiming wounds to the face.
From out of the rafters of the trees appear strong and lithe figures clad in forest green and earth brown wielding spears and swords. One particularly strong and sinewy one, with fire red hair and pale skin with large violet eyes descends upon a surviving priest… Pulling a well-balanced two-handed sword out its scabbard, upon his back, he cleanly cuts through the head and neck of the former Curate!

High Priest-‘Agh! Wood Elves!”
Wood Elf-Brandishing his blade-‘Blessed is the Great Mother who saw fit to deliver you finally into our hands Evil one! Long have we watched your deviltry to the humans surrounding our wold. Now the time for retribution is at hand!!! Hiiiaaaaa!!!
And with that cry the strong elf cuts another priest completey in twain!

High Priest-‘ O’ mighty Horned One hear my plea! Grant me the power you have blessed upon me in the past! You who command all Beasts! You who command all animals be they warm or cold blooded be they bird or reptile or INSECTS! Grant me a small portion of your ability! Let me command them in your name, Bring unto me the power to summon Insects to my aid!!!
Clutching his holy symbol and gesturing before the wood elves in the glade with a flower petal mixed with mud, suddenly the twilight light of night and the glow of the fire upon the hill is blotted out as things begin to swarm above the heads of the wood elves.
Looking up they see thousands of wasps, bees, hornets, flys and beetles cascading down upon them! Below around their feet suddenly appear centipedes and ants and spiders of incredible size all biting and clutching onto the soft pale flesh of the the elves! The High Priest smiles, his dweomer has been amplified by his deity.

Backing away the strong elf beating hopelessly with sword at the insect hoard starts calling out in elven:

Wood Elf-‘ Nistara your aid we need! Dispatch with this evil conjuration!’

A voice in the trees replies-‘I have dispelled the dweomer Tristarr, for a time the creepers will stay, mindless and uncontrolled though they may be!’

The High Priest leers at the wood elves through the clouded mass of biting insects. He laughs to himself, as he picks a handful of insects from the swarm…
Breathing into his palm, onto the insects he grabbed, once more he casts a spell. This time the insects glow and begin to swell like ballons suddenly transforming their size right before his eyes. They continue to grow until one, a bumble bee the size of a small horse becomes the largest, while two wasps and a fly become slightly smaller. The High Priest quickly mounts the bumble bee, just as arrows fly into the giant fly and wasps. A few arrows strike the High Priest as well, but he shrugs them off. What is the pain from a bite of an arrow compared to the incredible ferocity of burned flesh? With a maddening grin the High Priest takes to the air on his bumble bee mount along with his arrow ridden wasps and fly. Off they hover just above the treeline, to his right and left and behind respectively. Soon they disappear deep within the unexplored regions of Wilderland….

(Game originally began in 1998-99 and has since been converted to 3.0 and now 3.5 Edition.

Due to the players ingenuity in advancing along the plotline, I had to come up with the Temple Key and fill it during a game session.
Sometimes one can come up with interesting locales this way. I covered the area in a 'Hallucinatory Terrain Spell' of forest paths and illusionary wooded hills cloaking the Temple and populating the outlying perimeter with zombies (freshly dead villagers) and a wandering scavenging Ogre (who was hunting/eating the zombies) but the players managed to get through with remarkable speed. So this map and key were done quickly during pizza/soda and snack breaks. Once the fire elemental was summoned I erased the walls, towers, church of the temple and replaced them with burned out ruined rubble. Here is a pic of the map for this game.)

 

[Hunter]

…….Meanwhile, back at the Temple…


Crashing floors and roaring flames finally stop above the laboratory of the almost doomed wizard. With a wet cloth about his face lying upon the chamber floor he looks out of his lab through the swirling smoke down the naturally shaped tunnel leading out of his area to the stairways and entrances to the surface. Nothing. Finally the flames begin to die down from above and the smoke begins to filter out (due to excellent engineering on the part of ventilator shafts created for his laboratory) and yet still nothing from above. The fire creature does not descend within the depths below it seems…
Perhaps its limited time upon this plane is over muses the wizard. What then of the caster and the interlopers attempting subterfuge to gain false admittance into the Temple then? Hm? Where can they be?- he thinks.

After awhile and still nothing.The wizard contemplates. He needs more information. More intelligence to the current situation. Otherwise how can he make a decision? Time for a few risks he muses.

At a mental command something large and furry crawls out from beneath his robes. Eight ruby red eyes look up to him from a large mass of blue grey hair covered legs. Eight glorious legs! One can almost imagine the endearing affection coming from those eight glass-like eyes. If one knew the relationship of the wizard and his familiar. A wolf spider of no small size. This one is exceptionally large, easily the size of a water skin. Commanding him gently the wizard gestures and the spider runs up his walking staff to meet his gaze. Face to face. Eyes to Eyes. Its good to have friends… Only in this life or death situation would he even dare to risk his friend. The wizard however was never a hero or heroic. He would never consider to walk out into this particular unknown by himself. So his good friend and familiar will have to do the job. The wizard sighs, but not without some defenses he thinks. Pulling a large scroll from out of a crevice in the wall the wizard begins to chant some protective spells for his friend. Soon, shield, invisibility and protection from normal missiles are all cast upon the wolf spider. As the wizard touches the spider and as it slowly vanishes from the point on which he touched it the wizard sighs. One can never be too careful with one’s familiar…


Feral lights from burned out ceilings lie strewn about within the tunnels beneath the Temple. Portions of smoldering timber that had fallen through stairway and entrance ways cast ghoulish glows here and there. Smoke softly billowing and settling covers the floor and seeps through walls.
Burned bodies some fused into the walls some fused together themselves scatter sporadically all over the desolation. Some areas are still too hot to investigate. Shadowy shapes of undead guard zombies that the High Priest used as special soldiers wander, some on fire. All in all quite a mess.

With eyes closed (now looking through eight magnificent eyes) the wizard views all this and grimaces. To completely abandon his lab now would ruin years of hard work and research. He casually caresses the long metallic cylinder that dominates a large area of his lab. He feels the cool metal against his fingers. Damn to lose it all now!-he mutters-‘Years wasted!’
Looking about his lab for a moment before restoring contact with his familiar, the wizard gazes upon books and beakers and chemicals that all in all have cost over hundreds of thousands of gold pieces. All funded from tithes of the Temple as well as a mysterious Lord who insisted on secrecy.
At the time what did he care as long as he could fund his research? His discovery! Sure most of it was gleaned from a long lost scroll of dwarven origin. Dwarves who forged first. But it took his genius to resurrect it in this time and bring it back to the present, so to speak. He would not leave this willingly. Yet without the guards and soldiers of the Keep what or who then would keep back the invaders who attacked? Or of possible wandering creatures that might find roasted humans quite an appetizer? Just thinking of the possible things that could come snuffling in make the mage shudder in despair.

Looking back into his familiars eyes just in time to see a zombie soldier smolder into ruin…. they’ll stink up the dungeon even more now.

Wait! That’s it! The zombie guards! Why didn’t he think of it before?! The wizards eyes brighten with glee. Almost reflecting in the eight eyes of his familiar (if you could see him, right now he’s invisible). When the High Priest ruled the Temple he used those guards for special duty. Very special guard duty… The wizard begins licking his lips. There was always one chamber that lead to a tunnel that was off limits to all…All save the High Priest and his zombie guards. The wizard greedily thinks of the all the possibilities then sends his spider accomplice into the forbidden chamber and the large tunnel beyond…

A very large tunnel beyond. Down the wolf spider skitters amidst trailing wisps of vapor and tails of smoke until it reaches a huge natural cavern….
There nestled in a jagged like nest of stalagmites and debris lies one of the largest serpents the wizard has ever laid eyes on…
Fear and bewilderment creep over the mage as he views the great leviathan through smoke and vapor from the smoldering fire.
He thinks-The High Priest was known as the master of beasts! The Tamer of beasts!
Going for a closer look the spider edges nearer. Suddenly a serpentine eye opens…
Back, back! The wizard orders. Maybe chance or something in the air registered in the leviathans mind but suddenly slightly stirred, the long neck rises into the air and the triangular head covered in dark green and yellow metallic scales looks about. Then to the wizard’s further shock another long neck and serpentine head rises above its girth! Two heads?! No wait! Three! And five more still sleeping! A Hydra! Fearful the wizard begins to order his familiar to return, thinking that the creature can somehow detect invisible creatures possibly through smell. When something comes wandering into the chamber from the dungeon. A smoking zombie, limping aimlessly walks right up to the serpent. With a flick of it’s neck it suddenly whisks the zombie into its mouth. Lightning like speed the wizard thinks. The other two heads fight for a morsel of zombie as the first attempts to devour it.

A Hydra! Here below the Temple all this time! The wizard can’t believe it! He never knew. For what purpose did this serpent serve the High Priest? A possible mount? The Priest loved to ride creatures. The wizard remembers him riding a giant bat at certain times to strike fear during raids. What else though? Protection? No good against a fire elemental obviously. Still curious the wizard sends his spider closer for another look…
There just beyond the Hydra is the answer to the wizard’s questions. Within a natural alcove the wizard spies what can only be two to three very large chests nestled deep inside…
Some very large chests…

The wizard can pretty much guess what’s inside them…

This changes things completely as far as staying or leaving. He must find a way to get to those treasure chests! He must stay also to complete his experiments. If possible, if not the treasure and flight! Better to flee and work again. Time is crucial at the moment for the wizard. How much time before say the priest returns or the wilderness creeps into the ruined Temple.

After much brooding, partly through the eyes of the spider as it watches the great sleeping behemoth from a distance, partly through his own as he sits within his laboratory. The wizard makes a decision. A complete and thorough search of the surviving passages of the Temple is in order to find out what stayed and what left . A somewhat dangerous task as the High Priest was populating the lower levels with creatures he charmed/captured to use in further exploits and raids. Being preoccupied with his research and experiments the wizard did not pay too much attention to the comings and goings of the High Priest and his followers.

Reluctantly he orders his spider familiar back through the tunnels to search further. By passing rooms and chambers close to the surface entrances, cluttered with debris and smoldering ruin it takes the passages not often walked by the human inhabitants of the Temple.

Scuttling along the ceiling the spider eyes small shadowy humandoid shapes stealthily making their way through smoke and ruin. The wizard watches with much interest as they move through the tunnels in an orderly fashion. Two ahead, quietly as possible equipped with bow or sling, pausing at intersections before waving to the rest and then moving on.

Small though they may be quite smart and efficient the wizard muses, ordering his familiar closer for a better look. Standing about 3 and 1/2 feet tall with dog like snouts and tiny curved horns upon their brow. Timid yet fiendish, with small reptilian rusty brown colored scales covering their body and clad in blood red skirts and tunics with tails protruding underneath.

All with the symbol of the Horned God: a skull with horns in black. Why, of course, the wizard muses, the High Priest’s humanoid slavers, The kobolds of the Black Fang tribe! He had forgotten about them. Located deep within the far recesses of the Temple. Laired there to do to the bidding of the High Priest and help in his creature capture/hunts. Rarely coming to the surface and only leaving through another entrance safely hidden far deep within the bowels of the Temple dungeon. They must have come up for a look at the conflagration-the wizard thinks. Looking about as they enter a large ruined chamber the kobolds sniff the air and crouch over the burned bodies of the guards and cultists. Pulling out small knives they each pick a corpse and begin to cut…

Small husks of flesh they hew from the buttocks, thighs and torsos of the burned victims. Quietly and orderly placing them into small satchels around their shoulders for future meals. All the while looking about and smelling the air for possible danger…

Now there are some efficient servants-muses the wizard-but how to subjugate them to my rule at the least possible risk?
Gazing further the wizard notices one of the kobolds becoming alarmed. Creating a low gutteral groaking sound to alert the others they all turn in battle like stances at an entranceway leading out of the chamber.

Suddenly and quite slowly two rigid zombies stride into the room. Arms out stretched, sensing the life force in the small retched creatures. They move toward the kobold search party. With a scream and a hiss the kobolds launch missiles at the zombies. Sling bolts and spears miss or thump almost harmlessly into the putrid flesh of these rotting corpses.

Closer they come until the kobolds must face them hand to hand. Drawing short swords and spears the kobolds launch themselves at their undead foes. Congealed puss and rotten flesh flies off the undead as they clumsily grab for their small and elusive foes. Eventually one kobold is caught about the neck. Its life force is slowly squeezed out of it’s body.

The zombie’s vice like grip closes. It squeals in terror.
Just then bolts of solid force fly through the air and strike the undead unerringly through head and torso. Old flesh and brain spatter across the choking kobold as the force bolts explode upon impact. Within a few seconds both zombies are destroyed and unanimated.

Looking around in surprise and fear the kobolds see their benefactor. The mage stands at quite some distance just outside the chamber, his appearance quite altered. He has now grown quite tall and imperious. So tall as he enters the room he appears to stretch his body larger and taller becoming dark and fearsome to behold!

The wizard-In the common tongue-‘Your former master is gone and destroyed! Serve me and live! Resist me and die!’

As he speaks a ball of blue fire erupts in his hand waiting to be discharged.(Melf’s Minute Meteors) At that spectacle the kobolds unanimously yield and kneel before there new master. All is going according to the Invoker’s plan, soon he thinks –‘I will have that treasure and then be able to finish my experiment!!’

After much deliberation with the Shaman Witch and Kobold Chief the wizard agrees to 1/10 of all loot or booty found by the humanoids to be given over to the Kobold Chief: Umblach. The rest, of course, goes to the wizard.

The wizard then orders the kobolds to set up perimeter search patrols all around the tunnels leading to his laboratory. He also commands them to clean up the dead and burned bodies of the soldiers and cultists. However he only wishes them moved from the immediate vicinity of the lab and then placed elsewhere in the dungeon but made to look as if they died there from the inferno. Naturally if you will.

The wizard doesn’t want the place to look inhabitated in case of intruders or explorers coming from the outside. There are still those first invaders (still at large) to think about. So far they have yet to make an appearance, which is curious.

It is not long before the wizard starts to get back to his work in the lab that a search patrol comes to notify him of something. Umblach says that his captain has found humans locked behind dungeon doors in individual cells in one part of the dungeon. ‘Ah yes’ ‘The High Priest kept miscellaneous prisoners from various raids.’- the wizard thinks. ‘Hmmm perhaps I shall take a personal look at these dregs and see what advantage I can make of them.’

The wizard along with the kobold chief and his bodyguards make their way down a natural curving passage until they reach an open chamber. There a large oaken table and benchs dominates one side of the room. With a barrel of putrid smelling water and another filled with moldy green grain (The wizard sniffs it and makes a face-yuk!) and along one wall a collection of keys. Leaving this chamber is a hallway and as the wizard and co. move further into the chamber, those beyond notice their approach and begin moaning.

‘Food, food we beg you please feed us!!’. The wizard takes his torch and walks up to the first dungeon cell door. ‘Eh Food you say?’ ‘What’s all this about food then? Hm?’ ‘What makes you think your worthy of being fed? Hm? Hah!

Voice from cell-‘Please if your to kill me, let me die fighting! A bit of food to garner my strength send me to fight something anything, let me die with sword in hand please I beg thee!’.
The wizard-With a gleam in his eye, enjoying himself-‘ Oh well then we can get you food for we have plenty of food! Haha!’

The wizard commands the kobolds to check the other cells for survivors. Having to look through barred cell windows that are too high for them the kobolds stand on each others’ shoulders to look in.

Reporting back the kobolds tell the wizard that there are three more humans one empty cell and one giant bird.
The wizard-‘One giant bird? What? Are you speaking common correctly, scaled one?’ “Let me see!’

Moving up to the cell door, sure enough right before the wizard’s eyes is one of the largest owls he has ever seen. With mottled black and brown and white feathers over its wings and chest it almost seems as if the owl wears a king’s furred cloak.

So regal it looks. With giant amber glazed eyes staring back at the wizard. Almost piercing the wizard with its stare. One could almost imagine that it could speak, the stare bears so much like intelligence.

The wizard-‘ Well now, he went mad, that’s it, our Beast Priest was mad as an Emperor. Has to be!’.
In the empty cell the wizard finds only large rats scurring about.
The other three humans are in the same state of starvation as the first. All begging for food.

The wizard-‘ Well then, let’s get to feeding our guests, for we want them nice and fat! Heehee!’

Soon a slaughter room is created in an empty chamber not far from the prison. Taking some dead bodies and hanging them up like so much charnel in a butcher’s shop, the kobolds slice and dice and make meat stew for the prisoners (and themselves). Not telling them that its human meat the prisoners engorge themselves. Astounded at the change in the treatment. Thanking their gods to bless their new benefactor….they feast.

 

[Hunter]

About a week goes by after this and with only a few kobolds deserting nothing much transpires around the wizard. Beginning once again with his laboratory work, cauldrons are lit, beakers bubble, chemicals and powders are admisnistered, desolved, mixed together and made once more into chemical powder. All in all everything seems to be going according to plan…

Yessss-muses the wizard-with a fiendish grin.

Later after a hard days work, the wizard within his laboratory sitting relaxed in his high backed chair picks a thin strip of fried meat from off his lead plate. He rarely eats being bone thin and wiry, but when he does he savors each morsel. Biting into the greasy cooked meat, he mutters to himself-‘Just like…hmmm….just like bacon…’

Just then the kobolds arrive with more loot garnered from the ruined burned out surface of the Temple, for the wizard’s inspection. Prostrating themselves accordingly they each hold objects up to the wizard to inspect.

Wizard-‘No, no that’s junk! Throw it away!-(kobold takes broken bowl and tosses it against wall)-‘No you fool! Not in here! Take it away and dump it! Idiot!’-‘Take the shields and armor to chamber 4! Can you remember where chamber 4 is? Dullard!

Just then another kobold appears in the shadows of one of the passage ways. Silhouetted by watch torches placed further down the tunnel-(about 40’ down).

Wizard-‘Come in Hadzuel, you have something to report?!’
Not knowing of the wizards familiar nestled strategically upon the ceiling of the passage he is in, kobold scout Hadzuel is in awe once again of the wizard’s seemingly limitless precognitive abilities.
Hadzuel-in low guttered sub serving voice-‘Great one, your eye sees all!’

Wizard-‘ Yes Hadzuel, come forth and tell me what you need to report. Have you sighted something?’
Hadzuel-Prostrating him self before wizard-‘No intruders have been sighted my lord! However, we have found our traitorous cousins who deserted earlier!’-and he spits in vile exclamation and emotion toward his former brethren.

Wizard-‘ What do you mean found them? You reported to me that they had fled these tunnels’
Hadzuel-on knees holding out arms in idol prayer fashion-‘ Yes your greatness and so they did. We found there bodies inside one of the ruins of the surface towers.’

Wizard-‘ There bodies? What? –afflicted by curiousity from these events-Bring there corpses to me at once!’.

Soon the bodies are brought forth to the mage. Casual glance of the bodies shows that they had been lying there for some days. For rodents had been at work on these carcasses. So much so that it is hard to a identify the cause of death.

After much examination the wizard notices that the killing blow was caused by a large bite mark to the neck. Whatever it was that killed these kobolds bit them to kill them.

If it was an animal then why leave their corpses for the rats? Yet try as he might with measuring tools and such the wizard could not find any more bite marks that matched the bite radius of the killing blow. Curious. Very curious indeed. Perhaps these kobolds did not desert after all?

The wizard commands the kobolds to double their guards and to be on the lookout for an animal approximately the same size as they and maybe much larger. He would attend to this anomaly but at the moment it was…feeding time.

A cell door is opened in the prison section. Feral eyes glowing with infravision prod spears into the room. The human, the fighter has been chosen first.

Fighter-curled up and waking from troubled sleep-‘what, what who’s there? What do you want now?’
A low hiss is muttered in return using halting common-‘Come forth now!’----‘Disobey and die now!’

Slowly the half-crazed half-hopeless fighter clad in rags and feces with filthy food stained shaggy beard is brought out of his cell and into the passages beyond. Stumbling and swaying, still weak from lack of exercise but showing slightly more girth from eating 6 meals a day for 7 days he walks along arms swaying at his side...hopelessly.

Down,down, down through the passages of the dungeon he walks, his will to resist his torturers broken until he comes to a chamber with a very large tunnel leading away.

There he spies his captors for the first time under glaring torch light; The gaunt bone colored wizard staring at him with glaring eyes, Umblach the kobold chief, and his Shaman Witch kobold: Enku.

Before him is the large tunnel leading away. A strange slighty luminescent fog cloud-(cast by the wizard) obscures where the tunnel leads to.
Wizard-‘ You spoke once of dying with sword in hand my friend, no? Would you like to have that opportunity now? Yes?’

Fighter-nodding, his will shattered by his torturers-‘Yes thank you master, it is the way of my people bless you ,thank you!’

Wizard-‘Good yes, That is a great tradition your people have. I commend you and your people and grant you that opportunity now. Beyond this passage is the sword you seek. Take it, face whatever is beyond and you will be free. There is a tunnel to the outside further down. Face this last task and you will be free!’
Nodding submissively the fighter pauses…Suddenly taking his right elbow and crashing it into the snout of his kobold guard knocking him out completely!

Grabbing the kobold’s blade the fighter glares at his captors.
Fighter-‘Perhaps I’ll go to my gods now! Sword in hand with as many of you to come with me!’

The wizard gestures-‘I think not’ and pointing his index finger at the fighter a neon blue beam of light shoots out from it striking the fighter square in the head. Losing all strength from the beam of light the fighter is overwhelmed by the kobold guards. Wrestling and pummeling him to the ground in a swarm of horns, tails and scales.

Wizard-‘Bind the fool, and roll him down the passage way!’
Soon it is done and as the fighter regains conciousness he finds him self in a vast cavern covered by a soft glowing mist.
Wizard-calling from down the passage-‘I will restore your strength now, unfortunately you forfeit your sword and stay bound! Haha see you in hell my friend Bwaahahah!’

Turning around with his shoulders to get a better look the fighter soon realizes he is not alone. Before him, but beyond the misty fog cloud, a huge shadow grows closer. Then long trunk like necks erupt from the mist as 8 huge hydra heads appear like a host of snakes. Glaring up in abject fear, the fighter mutters a prayer to his war god as two heads descend upon him. The other six however look for different prey.

Confused by the mist, the wizard looking through his familiar, which is on the ceiling of the hydra chamber, is unable to see what is going on, until they are upon him. Out of the large tunnel leading to the hydras lair six heads appear from out of the fog cloud! –(earlier cast there by the wizard).

Hissing loudly like the bellow of a giant thunder storm, complete pandemonium sets in to the wizard and his kobolds. Immediately the hydra’s heads strike into the throng of yelping leaping and all together routed kobold bodyguards of Chieftain Umblach. Kobold blood flies everywhere as with a hiss and a bite the heads of the hydra engorge themselves. Partly severing legs, heads, mid sections and what not, the chamber becomes a slaughterhouse. With the hydra heads licking, gulping and biting everything they can reach.

The wizard frantically casts a spell, and bolts of pure force encapsulated with bluish light strike into the hydra heads. Blowing reptilian flesh from out of its skulls the hydra screams in agony. All eight heads,begin frantically thrashing into the walls, ceiling, floors and fallen kobolds in a chaotic melee.
Perhaps because the recent fire has compromised the structural integrity of the dungeon, or maybe due to the intense strength of the beast alone, some of the ceiling begins to give way.

From beyond within the hydra’s lair disaster results! The wizard’s familiar the wolf spider who was keeping watch earlier, falls from the ceiling!

Landing on the ground in typical spider like fashion it is unhurt from the fall.

However some debris from the roof lands on the spider injuring it. (about 1 hp of damage).
The wizard’s eyes bulge out of their sockets and he grabs his chest.
Wizard-‘ Uuunnnhhhh My my… Heart!!!’.
Falling over onto the ground before the blood bath and the two kobold leaders.

Kobold Shaman Enku-‘Leave him Umblach now is the time for our tribes freedom! The chieftain Umblach hesitates for a moment. Things have been good with the mage by and large but no one likes to be ruled either. Not even kobolds.
Umblach’s choice is made for him as Enku is suddenly whisked into the air by the serpentine tongue of a ravenous hydra head.
Taking the mage by the arm he drags him away from the chamber just in time as the Hydra heads were just finishing off his bodyguard retinue. Fortunately the Hydra appears to only be able to stick his heads into the chamber. The tunnel leading to his lair being too narrow for it to enter it’s wide body.

Temporarily stunned by the sudden trauma of the symbiotic relationship he shares with his spider familiar, the wizard rises to his feet.
Wizard-‘Unhhh, Miscalculated the size and length of the tunnel with that of the hydra. The High Priest must have used that chamber as a feeding platform for the behemoth…You did well in aiding me Umblach…A most wise decision indeed.’ Says the wizard with a knowing glance at the kobold chieftain as if he heard and knew what was said earlier in the heat of the disaster. Umblach prostrates himself before the mage once again. Tales of the wizard’s uncanny precognition do not go unheeded by the chieftain.

Umblach-‘Yes master, always to serve thee! You who see all!’
Properly served, the wizard is satisfied and he and the chieftain return back to the laboratory.

After the melee the wizard attempts to reestablish his rapport with his familiar. Seeking shelter the spider ran for its life. By complete coincidence it hides in the alcove with the four large chests.
Four large chests! Not the three he originally had thought he’d seen. There’s even more treasure in there than he first guessed. At first greed takes over the wizard’s mind and he thinks of just sending one bolt of lightning after another into the beast until it dies. But no that might start it to thrashing about, and that could cause another possible cave in once again. Burying the alcove, the treasure and his spider. His precious familiar! His friend! Struck by the rock it is no longer invisible and with this creature’s senses he could possibly be in grave danger. If he moved out of the alcove. The risk is too great to chance. A fireball is most certainly out of the question. Both the treasure and his familiar would be jeopardized by the intense heat generated.

No the wizard thinks, there is only one sure way of dispatching with that serpent quickly and cleanly without causing too much collateral damage. His invention. His greatest alchemical work.
If only he can finish his experiment he muses, as he lightly touches the metallic cylinder resting in one area of his laboratory. Gliding his fingers across its blue black surface. ‘Then we shall see’-he thinks-‘Yes alchemy will have the last laugh in this situation…’ the wizard smiles.

To make matters worse, before the wizard can continue his alchemical work he is interrupted by the concerned report of the exceptionally bright scout captain kobold Hadzuel.

Prostrated before the wizard Hadzuel reports-‘O’ great wizard, bad news this time! Patrols 3 and 7 have vanished! Without a trace! After failing to report in once there patrol duration was completed, search parties were organized and have since found nothing! Great Umblach is doubling the guard even as we speak. He requires your great eye to view all! See all!’

Unfortunately for the wizard his ‘great eye’ is hiding inside the treasure alcove of the hydra’s lair. The wizard thinks-‘Something definitely took out those patrols, they were definitely not desertions. Couldn’t be zombies we boarded up most of them in ruined chambers. Even if they broke out other patrols would have heard the commotion or the kobold’s bodies would have been found.’ ‘No something else is afoot within these ruins’-he thinks. Possibly some kind of large predator. In that case it must be caught or destroyed. However not one to make quick or rash decisions the mage thinks that descretion is the best option here. He plans and so….

 

[Hunter]

The Southeastern section of the Temple, specifically the tower suffered great during the conflagration. Completely burned out it was, with the floor collapsing into the dungeon below. However it fell in such a way as to allow access to the surface via broken and burned timber and stone that created a kind of ramp leading up.

There on the floor of the dungeon leading up to the surface stands Hadzuel. Captain scout of the Black Fang kobold tribe. Short spear in hand with sling at waist, he pauses a moment.
He is not used to not seeing himself as he walks.

Not even his infravision can show him his arms or legs as he slowly begins to move up the debris that forms a sort of ramp up into the bottom floor of the southeast tower. As he pauses to test the debris with his spear to see if its safe he thinks of the great honor that has been bestowed upon him.

The wizard chose him, Hadzuel over all the others to grant him great power! Hadzuel is now invisible to all!!! Still a little unnerving,he feels encapsulated by a rush of power! To be invisible to his enemies is a great advantage to his retched way of life. As well as a bit scary. He intends however to use this advantage once he is done with the wizard’s task. Soon Hadzuel will rule. But first he must complete his mission.

Making his way up the debris ramp, Hadzuel feels the cold night air blow through broken and burned out walls. Looking out through a crack in the wall he sees the desolation of the ruined Temple. He has been here before on his scouting patrols. A very desolate and dangerous area. One never knows what might creep up from outside to come seeking…exploring…hunting.

Hadzuel knows that some animal or creature of some kind is out there. His intellect is exceptional(for a kobold) and he is also aware that invisibility will not completely hide him from a large predator. Still he is encouraged and invigorated by his new gained power! Soon Hadzuel will rule! First he must complete his mission!

Making his way to the burned out room of the southeastern tower, he moves along the edge until he finds the stone stairway still intact to the second floor. Slowly but efficiently he climbs the staircase. Soon he finds a niche inside the crumbling tower with a complete view of the dungeon floor below.
At this point Hadzuel makes a low gutteral sound with his throat signaling the others below.

Soon they come. His scout brothers. Cautiously entering the dungeon floor just underneath the burned out southeastern tower. Pulling along with them they drag the last human prisoners from below. Bound and gagged, they are brought within the center of the chamber.

Tethered by thick ropes onto large broken boulders their legs are then cut and hamstrung in a most cruel fashion by the kobold scouts.

Left to bleed, the kobolds remove their gags before leaving. Moaning and lamenting there pain the humans lie there tied and bound, just out of reach of each other. Hadzuel gleefully watches their suffering. Watches and waits. This was the area last patrolled by the missing scouting party. If the wizard is right and it is an animal it shall return to this area. This area where feeding was…good.

Hadzuel thinks of his orders to only observe. Observe and then report. The wizard being most methodical and calculating wants more information before making a decision on this matter. The fact that the wizard can see all does not enter Hadzuel’s mind as he watches the suffering humans. He was chosen for this task by the wizard. He must be testing Hadzuel. Watching him, even now as he sits within the crumbling tower. Hadzuel must not displease him. He must follow the wizard’s word to the letter. Then mayhap the master will be pleased and grant him further gifts. Hadzuel ponders this as the cold night air blows through the ruins and the moon light casts white and grey light onto the floor where the wounded humans lie.

Nothing happens for a long, long time.

Then in the early hours just before daybreak there is a stirring.

From within the nooks and crannies, the cracks, crevices and rubble surrounding the prisoners is movement. Partly awakening as if by instinct one of the humans open his eyes to….. terror.

The moon has long since gone down but through the eerie milky darkness he spies tiny eyes watching him from a distance. Many tiny eyes. Many red eyes. They watch. They watch and wait. Then they begin to gather. As they enter the room Hadzuel notes that these rats are of very large size. So large in fact it is hard to discern the much larger ones that seem to lead them.

Hadzuel does however. His orders were to describe every detail he witnesses. Again the wizard tests him, Hadzuel thinks. He will not fail. He notices in fact that the much larger rats are huge! They equal him in size if not larger!

Fear creeps up Hadzuel’s spine, his race’s instinctive urge to flee something bigger than he. For what if they smell him up here? Even invisible Hadzuel is no match for a group of rats bigger than him. There might only be 3 to 4 of the extremely large ones but that would be more than enough to kill him.

He grips his spear and quietly shakes. It takes him incredible willpower to hold his position and follow his master’s orders. But stay he does. Below the big leaders seem to be sniffing the air around the trapped humans. Almost as if they are unsure…

While the humans begin to moan with terror, one of the large ones comes up to them. When he does this another large leader rat leaps upon the human from behind. Gripping his neck with his teeth. Suddenly there are screams and a rush of fur and tails. The feeding frenzy begins. It is a ghoulish spectacle.

Hadzuel looks on, fear giving way to hunger, as his mouth begins to salivate.

Spittle falling away only to appear visibly below him, as if out of thin air. Soon the screams snuffle out as the rats pour over their victims devouring all. It is a grisly site. They eat well.

Later that day….

Hadzuel, only appearing before the wizard as a pair of sandy foot/claw prints and a voice reports all that he had witnessed to the last detail.

The wizard merely listens and nods, now and then asking him to go back and repeat certain events. The wizard especially enjoyed the description of the feeding frenzy. Muttering to himself, he rises from his high backed chair and walks to a wall in his laboratory.

Picking up a stick of charcoal, he goes over to a map of the ruined temple tacked against the wall. There crudely drawn, is the surface area of the recent ruins of the Temple. Split into a grid of 10 sections, all with notes pertaining to sectors and patrol groups, times, and descriptions of recent events/reports.

There on the southeastern portion of the map marked as: sector 7 the wizard writes two rune glyphs. One is the symbol of the rat or rodent. The other is the symbol of lycanthropy.

Can it be true? The wizard expected a rodent infestation. Even before the fire and carnage the Temple had its share of rats. This report however concurs with his examination of the earlier kobold bodies. Their deathblow bite radiuses would match that of a huge rat.

It is possible that the Horned Priest bread extremely large rats. Larger than normal. Much larger than a large rat. However the actions of these huge rats sounded as if they were possibly controlling their smaller brethren. It sounded too much like a concerted effort. That would mean the possibility of the curse of lycanthropy infesting these ruins.

It may be that the wererats are very aware of the wizard, his laboratory, everything. The wizard does not know how long they have been in the Temple. They might have been here all this time. They might have even been working with/for the High Priest for all the wizard knows. Why then have they not made any attempts toward him other than snatching killing his scouts?

Perhaps some of the missing kobold scouting party were not eaten but infected as a means to add to their numbers. It is possible.

If so, then they may be waiting, bidding their time in order for the full moon to cycle once again so their infected kobolds (if they exist) will incubate until their time is ripe for their first change. Hmmmm two scouting parties were lost. That is over a dozen kobolds. The wizard’s brow furrows at the thought of that possibility. Hoping that he is wrong the wizard begins to plan.
As he does so, he hears a voice from out of thin air say-‘Master?’

The wizard-‘yes Hadzuel what is it?’
Hadzuel-‘Did I serve thee well master? Was I…good ?’
The wizard-‘Oh yes Hadzuel, you are an exceptional intellect for your breed. Now I have one more task for you to perform. I think you will find this task most rewarding.’

Walking over to one of his shelves, the wizard pulls out a black and grey colored dagger in scabbard.

Bringing it over to the laboratory work table he draws forth the blade. Muttering to himself-‘Now where did I put that brew…Ah yes here it is’ and he brings up a ceramic jar from one of his shelves and goes back to the work table. Taking the blade and running it under an open flame the wizard heats the daggers worn and jagged edge. Then, as it heats up, he takes the pungent smelling jelly like substance from the ceramic jar and smears it upon the daggers edge with a lab knife.

The wizard-‘ Ahhh there that should be enough.’. Waiting for it to dry before placing back within its sheath, he gives the applied dagger and scabbard to the open air.

The wizard-‘Now Hadzuel, for your reward I give you this dagger dipped in blade venom, take it.’ The dagger vanishes from view.
Hadzuel-‘Yes master thank you great one!’
The wizard-With a dark gleam in his eyes and fiendish grin-‘Now here’s what I want you to do…….’

 

[Hunter]

In the end it was quite easy. The dirk penetrated his scaly back with much ease. Quickly paralyzing first, then poisoning second the blade venom did its work.
Standing over the motionless corpse of Umblach, Hadzuel feels an incredible rush of adrenalin. Inside the former chieftains chamber, Hadzuel, now visible to Umblach’s female consorts, is triumphant. There within that dark crudely carved chamber with indentations upon the floor creating pocket like nests in Umblach’s private cave. Covered with bits of fur and dungeon detritus for animal like bedding the kobold chief’s harem fearfully gazes upon the now revealed figure of Hadzuel.

On all fours with tails curled up in ball like fashion Umblach’s women bare there teeth and snarl in wolfish smiles. All they know is that Hadzuel now appears over the slain body of their former chieftain. By right of strength Hadzuel has grasped the mantle of leadership in the Black Fang Tribe.

Assassination is a legitimate form of ascension in the Kobolds’ retched way of life. As long as one is able to hold onto the power. Once taken.

Umblach’s harem, bares their teeth and snarls not in rebellion but in acknowledgement. Hadzuel is now leader of the pack, so to speak. The dying screams of Umblach’s bodyguards are firm testaments to his ascension. Prepared and planned beforehand Hadzuel’s scouts carry out the grim duty with much relish. Hadzuel, the moment all he is aware of, stares out into space, completely and immensely satisfied. His spirit is injected with a surge of power beyond any he once knew. Power over his fellow creatures. Below him is Umblach’s unmoving carcass and his harem crawling around and before him on all fours in subservience and submission.
Now Hadzuel rules…..

 

[Hunter]

Meanwhile back in the laboratory…
The wizard is deep in his work.
Beakers and glass containers glow with boiling liquid while casting bizarre shadows in and around the gaunt, leering shape of the mage as he ponders each and every scale, measurement and application of the rare and wondrous powders.
Finally a batch of the now coal colored powder is created and poured into a large funnel like container. Taking said container the wizard brings it to the large metallic cylinder that takes up a good portion of his lab. The container is made of a cloth like substance on the bottom with the funnel like top tied closed with twine. Placing it in to the large hollow cylinder funnel end first the wizard then takes his staff and uses it to pack the funnel shaped container firmly to the bottom of the hollow metal cylinder.

Smiling with satisfaction, the wizard then goes into the crevice in the wall of his laboratory and draws forth an ornate and intricately carved wand.
Going back to the metal cylinder that is lying on a 45 degree angle, the mage invokes an incantation, while waving the wand over a large round iron ball about 1’ in diameter lying next to the wooden frame that supports the metal cylinder.

Suddenly, as if it contained a life of its own, the iron ball rises into the air to slowly hover before the wizard. Smiling at his wand’s dweomer taking affect, the wizard lightly pushes the iron ball over the hollow mouth of the cylinder.
Once positioned correctly he mutters another word, and with a jolt, the iron ball falls down to the bottom of the cylinder compacting the container containing the chemical powder he first placed within.

‘At last,’-speaks the wizard-‘it is ready for its first test….yes’.
The wizard furrows his brow and strokes his beard deep in thought. Now and again looking to the crude map he made of the ruined surface level of the Temple. His eyes straying to the two rune glyphs he made recently. The rat rune and the lycanthropy glyph. Testing his experiment will cause a great deal of noise. Looking to the right and left doorways of his laboratory the wizard grimaces to himself. There completely open hallways. Without doors or barriers of any kind. It was all part of his ventilation system to circulate the air through the vents installed within the laboratory and dungeon area. As a result of this design he removed the doors to his laboratory and widened the hallways.

Under the current situation, this will not do. Certain precautions need to be made. A prayer to his goddess of evil could not hurt either under the circumstances.

The wizard quickly changes into finer robes of red and black. Then a mithril silver ceremonial tunic and skullcap are adorned. A silver chain clasps the tunic against his bone thin wiry form. Glittering in the darkness the wizard walks over to a wall of his lab and opens a small concealed door.

There within a small alcove is a circular marble platform supporting an exquisite obsidian sculpture of a black widow spider standing upon a diamond sculpted web. The spider has an hourglass ruby gem on its belly and human head in place of where its arachnid eyes and mouth would normally be. The head is that of a dark and beautiful woman with Mithril silver hair.

The wizard lights prayer candles and incense in a small brazier and then begins praying.
‘O’Lolth most beautiful of all gods and goddesses, darkly powerful with venom beyond imagination, whose kiss is eternal and everlasting oblivion, favor your humble servant this night, grant me my desires, look to my success in this experiment, my lifes work…’-etc,etc, and so on and on…

With a pause in his reverence and prayer the wizards rises up from his small shrine and taking a small silver wire and bell walks down both open hallways and mutters an incantation.

Satisfied that his two dweomers in both hallways have taken effect he returns kneel before the shrine and prays once again.

Then once his prayer is finished, he goes across the room of his lab and walks up to the metal cylinder lying up at a 45 degree angle.
Taking his wand once again, he mutters an invocation, and then with casual ease moves the metal cylinder which must by all logical physics weigh a good many hundreds of pounds.

Leveling it off with one gaunt and bony hand the wizard turns the cylinder down a long narrow hallway that ends in a large pile of covered sand.
Another incantation is made, and the wizard’s finger lights afire as if it was a miniature torch.

Then pointing his flaming finger toward a small hole at the back end of the metal cylinder suddenly igniting the chemical powder he administered there earlier.

A massive evocation is invoked as the chemical powder explodes with a furious bang! Hurling the iron metal ball out of the metal cylinder and down the narrow hallway at lightning speed only to impact harmlessly against the large pile of sand in a splendid effusion of dust, smoke and dirt.

Smoke erupts out of the metal cylinder covering the laboratory. Soon the ingenious ventilation system filters out the smoke and brimstone smell. As it clears once again the wizard is revealed kneeling before the shrine of his adored spider goddess.
‘O’ great Lolth your humble servant thanks thee for a successful experiment. Blood and souls I will garner for you the most beautiful and frightening of all the gods and goddess that exist in this universe’-and so on and on…

A deep quiet sets in after such a blast of sound and noise…
The wizard, completely enthralled by the success of his experiment goes back to the beakers and burners on his lab table forgetting to take off his ceremonial robes, tunic and skullcap.
Suddenly a loud ringing is heard coming from down the left hallway!

His alarm spell had gone off!

Then, almost as if on cue, the right hallway alarm spell starts ringing as well!
Staring up from his laboratory table the wizard exclaims-‘Intruders!’
The wizard doesn’t hesitate (instinct and fear telling him it is not his Koblold guards) and quickly moves to the left corridor and begins an incantation.

As he casts, the bit of spider web in his hand starts to grow and weave around his fingers.

Then extending and elongating out of his hand a large web strand shoots to one side of the corridor wall. Attaching there the wizard then guides the strand with his hand pointing toward the other side of the corridor wall.

This is repeated, back and forth, multiple times, until many layers cover that part of the corridor completely blocking it off with giant spider web strands!
At this point, 20 giant Sumatran Rats appear in the right corridor!

Turning around eyes wide with fear and adrenalin the wizard casts the first spell that comes to his mind frantically fumbling for the components only to realize he doesn’t have any!

He runs to his lab table as the giant rats pour into the room! Grabbing a glass rod and some fur that were lying there he desperately casts!

The rats descend like a wall of hair and teeth!

Just at that moment the wizard’s spell goes off! A glass rod ignited by the fur flashes and a forked lightning bolt springs forth from the wizard’s forefingers!
The bolts fly through the rats but aimlessly into the cavern walls and bounce back into the laboratory chamber. The wizard did not have time to coordinate the bolts trajectory. Giant rats, beakers, bottles, a table, bookshelf, and volatile chemicals ignite in a flash of flashes!

The wizard is knocked unconscious.

Explosions die down, smoke replaces sound…

The mage awakens…he lives….but the rats that were blocked by the Web spell, 18 were free of it and being guided by a superior intellect are ordered to go back around to the other corridor.
The wizard shocked and wounded though he is peers down the right open corridor and sees them coming. This time he casts again and a large ball of glowing light like the sun appears before him, erupting into flames. Then as the giant rats appear within the flaming sphere’s firelight, the wizard commands it to roll over them!

Most of the rats are fried instantly although 7 dodge the sphere and go around intent upon their target and run into the laboratory.

The mage lets fly with essence bolts of pure magical force. 6 erupt, glowing out of his finger tips and strike unerringly into their targets exploding them into instant bits of meat, bone and fur.

One escapes that final spell barrage however and leaps upon the wizard’s leg biting him! Franticly he strikes the rat repeatedly until he stumbles onto his walking staff. Grabbing it, he takes careful aim and brains the creature mercilessly.
It was over…the wizard was…victorious….
…but now…it was WAR.