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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sniffles" data-source="post: 3297836" data-attributes="member: 30035">Letter #22LopollaDearest brother;As I told you in my last letter, we'd entered the temple of Kumari in search of the girl Ceceliah and had found it empty but for walking skeletons.  Alki told us that there were two entrances to the main sanctuary.  We decided to go there to see if there was any evidence of what was going on in the temple.  Shishir moved quietly up to one entrance and listened at the door.  I decided to proceed to the second entrance. Ninad and Illtud accompanied me.  Ninad was able to hear voices within the chamber but couldn't make out what they were saying.  He carefully opened the door a crack and peeked inside.  Once he saw a light entering the previously darkened sanctuary we knew that our other companions had entered and we threw open the door.  We found ourselves facing several snake-women with scaly features and tails.  There was another creature behind the altar, and something large that I first mistook for a statue.  I immediately attacked the first snake-woman in my path.  She cast some spell that caused Illtud to flee the sanctuary in terror, but it had no effect on me.  As we battled the snake-women the large shape behind the altar began to move.  Clay bits broke away from it, revealing a huge skeletal form with four arms, each bearing a blade.  Fortunately the blades weren't of proportionate size to their wielder, for the skeletal creature struck Shishir and myself several times and did us considerable injury.  I had to step back from the fight to avail myself of my wand of healing.  Erasyne had managed to borrow Illtud's mace before he fled the room, though she discovered that it wasn't as effective on the giant skeleton as it had been on the skeletal women.  Ninad and Shishir had better luck with their blows.  Before I could get back into the fray Ninad struck the thing a tremendous blow with his staff and it collapsed in a heap of mismatched bones.The huge skeleton was apparently some sort of construct, since the bones didn't all appear to come from the same type of creature.  The snake-woman who had been at the altar near the bone construct had vanished.  Shishir had seen her descend into an opening in the floor near where the bone golem stood.  The opening hadn't closed completely, having been damaged by a lightning spell Thor cast upon the golem.  We pried it open and descended beneath the temple.  Alki told us she'd been there before and believed that the eunuchs' quarters lay in the underground area.  Curiously, Erasyne had observed earlier that the temple appeared to be much more spacious within than it looked from outside, but we didn't have time to investigate this oddity.We descended into a small chamber with several corridors leading into it.  The snake-woman who'd fled was still within the room.  Shishir was the first to enter the room, and for his trouble she turned him into a small viper!  We attempted to surround her but she quickly retreated down one of the corridors.  She tried to cast a spell of darkness upon the area to conceal her escape, but Thor was able to dispel the darkness.  She then cast another spell of fear that once again sent Illtud running - and this time me as well.  I didn't have an opportunity to see what occurred after that, as I was cowering on the stairs with Rahon.  Only the fact that it was a spell keeps me from feeling shame for my cowardice.When the fear passed I found that my friends had slain the snake-woman.  Alki had run down one of the other corridors to seek the aid of a spirit that dwelled there.  The spirit couldn't leave its' chamber, but it was able to heal everyone of their wounds.  It explained that most of the evil was gone from the temple, and that it sensed only one new presence in one of the cells.  We were promised the contents of the temple treasury in return for destroying what evil remained.Following the spirit's directions, we found a few more skeletons that were easily eliminated, and some demonic creature that fled when we destroyed all its' minions.  We also found Ceceliah imprisoned in one of the eunuchs' cells.  Dancenash was naturally very pleased to find her unharmed.After we returned to the spirit it informed us that since there were no priestesses to maintain the temple it had no need to remain there any longer, and it departed.  We located the treasury behind a secret door.  At first we attempted to persuade Dancenash and Ceceliah to take the gold coins as a dowry so that the Malik would allow them to marry, but Dancenash was determined to face the Malik and win Ceceliah on his own.  We then asked Alki to keep some of the money to donate to the temple if new priestesses came to reopen it. But she was uncomfortable with keeping such a large quantity of gold.  Finally we determined that we might as well accept the reward the spirit had offered to us.  We divided the coins, gems and other items between us.  Thor was naturally attracted to two platinum statues of birds, though they had no significance other than as decorations.  I have decided to spend some of my share on a llama, or perhaps some type of riding animal.When we returned to the city Dancenash and Ceceliah went off to speak with the Malik.  I'm not certain how successful they'll be but I suppose that's not something in which my aid would be useful.  Kirp accompanied them, at least to the gates of the Malik's palace.  Alki had already parted ways with us before we headed back to the city.  After a bit of rest - our adventure at the temple had kept us busy all night - we parted company for the day to pursue our own interests.  Shishir had an opportunity to tell Liselle what it was like to be a snake for a short while.    Thor has achieved his heart's desire:  he persuaded a local merchant to sell him an axebeak.  I am happy for him.  And I must confess that I've been looking unkindly on Erasyne of late for no good reason.  I thought her interest in treasure merely greed, but it's more like curiosity and enthusiasm.  She is young, after all, and unskilled in the ways of the wider world.  Now I must try to understand why Thor and Erasyne seem so concerned about the twins.  They've had some quarrel recently but I'm sure their disagreement will soon be resolved.  I suppose it must be difficult for them to adjust to Liselle's presence, as they've spent all their lives as inseparable companions.I'm not sure yet what our next move will be.  I expect in a day or two we'll depart from Lopolla, but I have no doubt that we'll find many more adventures on our slow journey toward the sea.  I'll write you again when I have more to tell.Your sister, Lothiriel</blockquote>

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