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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MarauderX" data-source="post: 2440949" data-attributes="member: 9990">Session 37: Temple of DestructionQuentin proceeded forward cautiously along the side of the dark corridor. Alex sheathed his sword of light to allow the shadowdancer to use his vision. Then it seemed as though Quentin was no longer moving forward. Alex asked what was wrong and Quentin whispered that his leg had pushed a switch of some sort. Alex examined the lever and found the fulcrum point, at which he wedged a small piece of wood to prevent the lever from moving further forward or back. Alex motioned for Quentin to back off and the lever remained locked in the same position.Quentin pushed forward further down the wide corridor and he noticed that the rooms to the side did indeed look exactly like the map on the wall. Quentin moved to the first one on the right and ducked into the room as the motion of a duergar caught his attention. Alex continued to search for triggers that could sound an alarm or worse. The rest of the party waited patiently.Quentin watched the duergar stop at the edge of his vision, then another stood next to him. He watched as they held their crossbows in both hands and faced down the hall. Then a voice boomed down the corridor and the two duergar Quentin could see around the corner snapped into a pose to aim their weapons. Another command echoed out, and both duergar fired their crossbows down the dark corridor together, then they each swirled to the side chamber arches where they began reloading. Just as they moved out of the way, another command came down the hall, and Quentin saw another pair of duergar fire and spin to the side. Another bark came and two more bolts whistled by just as they moved out of the way. One more time it happened then a series of other orders, in the gravelly duergar language, echoed out.The rest of the group heard the orders, but not knowing what they were stood their ground and examined the dark corridor. The crossbow bolts flew out of the darkness in pairs at them, several hitting the group. Thovaas had the chance to step to the side and Jerrin began casting enchantments. The group began moving their way up to the duergar, and Grimnyr sprinted in to engage them. Alex crept along examining the worked rock as he went. Quentin helped to fell one of the duergar as more crossbow bolts came soaring down the corridor. Jerrin stepped into view of the corridor and cast a spell to fill the area with a thick fog.Still the crossbow bolts flew blindly down the corridor in hopes of finding a target, but the group had other ideas as they all crammed into the first small room on their right. Each in turn saw the ghastly figure strung up in the middle of the room. It reminded them of the mummy they had faced in the mountains, but instead of being a dry husk, this figure was wet with oozing pus. It was strung up with wrists held by a strong metal cord tied to a hook anchored into the ceiling, and the ankles were tied similarly with a cable lashed around a hook in the floor. Overcoming their fear of it they went to work.Jerrin kept watch and cast several spells to enhance his hearing that would prove to be invaluable. Quentin aided Alex as he scoured the room for anything strang, hidden, or even better - shiny. He found a nich in the wall that held scalples, small hooks, and rolls of bandages and not much else. Grimnyr studied the thing as it hung and wondered how a necromancer might find use for such a thing, then realized that it might be more handy to an alchemist looking to extract fluid from the juicy mummy. Thovaas examined it warily as he thought it another vile trap to be ignored.Jerrin thought of the layout of the place they were in and decided to summon a creature to aid them in taking a different route. A thoqqua appeared and began burrowing through the solid rock upon the druid's instruction. The others prepared spells and made other protective measures. Grimnyr's chanting about his forefathers and the riches given them by Kord could be heard over the din the thoqqua was generating. At the last measure of space to be burrowed through, Jerrin nodded at the others as it burst through to the other side of the rock.Without warning, a surge of lightning blasted them all, sending electricity up and down their spines. The thoqqua had vaporized from the blast, and it showed a clear hole to the other side where a packed audience watched the searing hot walls cool. Jerrin pushed forward with his massive bulk forward, as he was now in the form of a bear, and the red-hot rock was only slightly warm through his thick fur, hide, and magical protection. An instant later the group was pummeled by rocks falling from the ceiling, and a wave of mud threatened to bury them in the small room.Jerrin squeezed into the temple area at the end where he seemed to be interrupting a particularly dark ceremony. The head priest waved his arms and a symbol of a black skull dangling from his neck jostled from side to side. Suddenly Jerrin was struck blind, but fortunately his magically enhanced senses allowed him to use his ears to sense what was near. Wading into the alter area, Jerrin heard the cathedral-like area was full with worshippers now poised to follow the dark priest's orders.Grimnyr pushed his way to try to follow after Jerrin and his wolfhound Tempest, but his hand pressed against an unseen barrier. The wall of force blocked his way into the temple, sealing off the druid from the rest of the party as they wallowed in the chest-deep mud. Looking in, Grimnyr saw the followers begin to rise from their knees and he projected his thoughts though the barrier. A score of the followers were dumbstruck as to what to do at first, then they fled away from alter area as quickly as they could. Grimnyr instructed the others to follow Quentin to go the long way around in order to save the druid from peril.Quentin had made his way down the corridor where he managed to sneak into a good position using the cover of darkness. Alex kept his sword out and when he reentered the fog cloud Quentin saw their attention turn towards it. Quentin struck out, then vanished into the inky blackness, unseen by even their keen eyesight. Alex made his way slowly down the corridor after sheathing his sword to provide cover for himself. Thovaas and Grimnyr soon emerged into the corridor just as Alex drew his sword to strike at one of the duergar, and with him as a focal point, Grimnyr and Thovaas charged into battle.Meanwhile, Jerrin took several slashes from the ranger in front of him as his hearing was being inundated with cries of confusion. He cast airwalk and ascended to the highest reaches of the ceiling, flattening himself along an upper alcove where the echoes from below were weakest. The head priest and the elven wizardess flung spells at the blind druid, and Jerrin decided to even the odds a bit by calling on his own powers of magic to create a storm of sleet in the large room. He smiled inwardly as he heard the confusion below, knowing that the wicked congregation was now almost as blind as he. Jerrin guided Tempest to the ground where he protected his master as he summoned aid. An air elemental whisked forth, and Jerrin instructed it to create a whirlwind to devestate those in the temple. It got to work and pummeled the vast majority of the dark worshippers, flinging them about the room into the walls and against the stone ceiling. The druid release the sleet storm and noticed that he elf wizardess, the dark priest and the ranger were not among the defeated in the room. With the room mostly clear, Jerrin walked out of the room several feet above the floor.The others worked their way through the duergar as they charged forth, and Quentin stood hidden in the shadows to dispatch them as they came. With the way clear, they moved forward to see the intersection they had been expecting. Quentin met Jerrin half way down the corridor and grinned when he looked at the destruction in the temple. Quentin passed through another side chamber with four statues standing in niches along the one wall. Getting an eerie feeling, he left the room to report not to go back in there.Alex strode forward as word from the druid revealed that the three at the alter were likely still alive. Just as Alex reached the corner to the next side passage, the flash of a blade gleamed from the light of Alex's sword. Too late, and a line of crimson splashed onto the stone floor. Alex recoiled and the others charged in to find the attacker. Jerrin waived his small hand over Thovaas's sword, and from seemingly inside the weapon a bright glow pierced the darkness. Quentin objected to using such a fierce light, but the others all agreed that it would allow them all to see anyone trying to hide in the darkness.The group glanced down the wide passage and saw only darkness. Alex moved forward and soon found he was sliding in a pool of grease beneath his feet. To his left the cleric stood, but now he was twice his height. His warhammer cracked against the stone near Alex and the others came down the hall to join in the fray.Grimnyr bounded over the grease spot easily enough to launch a striking blow against the elf wizardess. She gasped as surely the wound Grimnyr left would cause a scar and more, and she backhanded the tall bard. The blow nearly knocked him off of his feet, and surely it would have knocked any normal man's head off, but Grimnyr stood firm. Again Grimnyr swung his axe into her, and this time it bit deeply into her heart. The barbarian-bard watched the gleam of life dull in her eyes before looking at the dark cleric to vent his fury.Jerrin summoned a massive earth elemental that filled what was left of the room. The dark priest took a heavy blow from the rock abomination, but still he stood and with both hands he swung his warhammer into Grimnyr's chest. Everyone heard the crackling of ribs, the sound of spurting blood coming from the man's mouth and hitting the wall, and Grimnyr's gasp for air as his lungs filled with blood after being punctured by his own ribs. Miraculously still standing, the tall man stared into the evil priest's eyes, defiant to the last. On the back swing the priest smashed his hammer into Grimnyr's back, further driving the broken ribs to pierce the man's heart. Though the spirit fought ever on, the tall man's flesh finally yielded.In a newfound rage Grimnyr would have been proud to write a poem about, the party found themselves re-energized with a hate for their opponents. The ranger tried several times to stop Jerrin in his tracks, and even attempted to charm the druid's companion away from him, but each to no avail. Thovaas slashed and struck down the ranger with Alex's aid, while Jerrin dealt with the dark priest to avenge Grimnyr.Quentin kept busy something nasty the elf wizardess had summoned, and he was soon aided by them all. It lashed out wildly as it screached, and the group worked in tandem to strike it down, Thovaas finally sending it back from where it came with a smiting blow.The group surveyed the damage and the costly victory as they gathered around Grimnyr's broken body.<<Holy crap have I been slammed at work.  I'll be finishing up this week, but it depends whether I play my cards right to get the 2 interns and/or 2 junior peeps to help me.  It's time to burn more skill points on Appraise Coworker, Office Diplomacy, and Project Intimidation.  Where's the dang office bard when you need one to attend management meetings.>></blockquote>

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