Endur's Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
- Thread starter Endur
- Start date
Endur
First Post
Turning back from the stone wall that blocked Spugnoir's secret escape passage, the party heads deeper into the underground complex.
The party travels past a passage that leads into the undead infested catacombs, travels down a stair case, and enters the room that Spugnoir said led to the cult's excavated new level.
This place is very cold and even the most insensitive can tell that the unnatural chill is a corruption in the air. A wide pit in the center dominates the room, its sides slick with moisture. A pulley has been affixed to the ceiling and a rope descends from it, connected to four more ropes. These in turn are tied to the edge of a 10-foot-wide wooden platform, circular in shape, in four different places to provide stability. A lantern sitting atop a stool in the southwestern corner illuminates the chamber. Scattered about the pit edge are picks and shovels. A strange statue rests in the corner farthest from the entrance. Against the north wall stands a large, round, flat stone about the diameter of the pit.
The platform, rope, and pulley all look new. The platform looks like it could be easily raised or lowered by someone on the platform or standing beside the shaft. It looks like the platform could be used as an elevator to lower the entire party down the shaft. Looking down the shaft, there are indications that a stone plug was once placed roughlly fifteen feet below surface of the room, to seal the shaft. Just above that point, a 4 foot wide tunnel carrying an underground stream empties into the shaft, the water spilling down into the darkness below. Once, when the seal was intact, the water filled the shaft up to the top and formed a pool. Excess water drained out through an opening just below the top of the shaft.
The water pouring down creates a mist below. Through that mist, Lenya and Raner can see that the floor below is sixty feet from the top of the shaft. It appears very smooth and black, with veins of deep violet.
The statue in the corner of the room is a rectangular block 3 feet high and 2 feet on a side. Each side has a distinct figure carved into it. The first is jet black and depicts a tall, muscular man in full plate with unfamiliar flanges and fluting, wearing a cape and holding a wavy bladed sword. The second side is dark green, carved into a man swathed in a flowing robe with long sleeves and a high collar, covering his face is a lilac-colored stone mask. The third side is deep blood red and depicts a man in high boots, a doublet, gauntlets of twisting design, and a hood drawn tight around the face conceals his head. The fourth side is a statue of man colored deep indigo, clothed in a many-pleated robe with a sash covered in strange sigils not even Lylamwyn can decipher, head cowled, and cradling a sceptre in his folded armes.
Neshi and the Black Cat are uncomfortable with the unnatural feel of this place and remain by the entrance to the room.
Raner thinks the stonework in the Moathouse above the surface is probably 50-100 years old. Raner thinks the underground dungeon is probably 100-300 years old. Raner thinks the unsealed level below (and the statue which was obviously recovered from below) is over one thousand years old.
The party travels past a passage that leads into the undead infested catacombs, travels down a stair case, and enters the room that Spugnoir said led to the cult's excavated new level.
This place is very cold and even the most insensitive can tell that the unnatural chill is a corruption in the air. A wide pit in the center dominates the room, its sides slick with moisture. A pulley has been affixed to the ceiling and a rope descends from it, connected to four more ropes. These in turn are tied to the edge of a 10-foot-wide wooden platform, circular in shape, in four different places to provide stability. A lantern sitting atop a stool in the southwestern corner illuminates the chamber. Scattered about the pit edge are picks and shovels. A strange statue rests in the corner farthest from the entrance. Against the north wall stands a large, round, flat stone about the diameter of the pit.
The platform, rope, and pulley all look new. The platform looks like it could be easily raised or lowered by someone on the platform or standing beside the shaft. It looks like the platform could be used as an elevator to lower the entire party down the shaft. Looking down the shaft, there are indications that a stone plug was once placed roughlly fifteen feet below surface of the room, to seal the shaft. Just above that point, a 4 foot wide tunnel carrying an underground stream empties into the shaft, the water spilling down into the darkness below. Once, when the seal was intact, the water filled the shaft up to the top and formed a pool. Excess water drained out through an opening just below the top of the shaft.
The water pouring down creates a mist below. Through that mist, Lenya and Raner can see that the floor below is sixty feet from the top of the shaft. It appears very smooth and black, with veins of deep violet.
The statue in the corner of the room is a rectangular block 3 feet high and 2 feet on a side. Each side has a distinct figure carved into it. The first is jet black and depicts a tall, muscular man in full plate with unfamiliar flanges and fluting, wearing a cape and holding a wavy bladed sword. The second side is dark green, carved into a man swathed in a flowing robe with long sleeves and a high collar, covering his face is a lilac-colored stone mask. The third side is deep blood red and depicts a man in high boots, a doublet, gauntlets of twisting design, and a hood drawn tight around the face conceals his head. The fourth side is a statue of man colored deep indigo, clothed in a many-pleated robe with a sash covered in strange sigils not even Lylamwyn can decipher, head cowled, and cradling a sceptre in his folded armes.
Neshi and the Black Cat are uncomfortable with the unnatural feel of this place and remain by the entrance to the room.
Raner thinks the stonework in the Moathouse above the surface is probably 50-100 years old. Raner thinks the underground dungeon is probably 100-300 years old. Raner thinks the unsealed level below (and the statue which was obviously recovered from below) is over one thousand years old.
"Oh this bodes no good at all. And I have the sinking feeling we need to go down in order to get to the bottom of this, pardon the pun," Craven says, his brow furrowed.
Dalamar
Adventurer
"So anybody want to bet against this being the thing-place-whatever that was in that journal we found? 'Cause I think that... thing is whatever they were looking for, and that tube's wherever they wanted to find," Kerwyn says with a know-it-all expression on his face, which is somewhat at odds with his words.
Thanee
First Post
Lenya
“This does not look good at all. What did this Geynor Ton write...”
“Just as the Doomdreamers proclaimed, the Dark Obelisk is here, under a pool in a cave. We discovered that below the pool was a shaft with a false bottom, sealed for many years. Once penetrated, the pool drained down into a wondrous cave pulsating with the power of our revered Master of Masters. O great day!
Apparently, the water from the stream above was diverted into the shaft, to fill up the pool and hide the cave from unworthy eyes!”
“So, this pit was filled with water before and obviously that was the pool, this cultist talked about in his journal. According to that, there would be some kind of secret passage at the bottom of this shaft here and somewhere below this ‘Dark Obelisk’. Now, here is the part, which worries me the most...”
“I marvel at the skill of our enlightened predecessors who constructed the Obelisk to honor and commune with the Dark Lord.”
“Do you also feel the sinister powers, which are at work here?”
“This does not look good at all. What did this Geynor Ton write...”
“Just as the Doomdreamers proclaimed, the Dark Obelisk is here, under a pool in a cave. We discovered that below the pool was a shaft with a false bottom, sealed for many years. Once penetrated, the pool drained down into a wondrous cave pulsating with the power of our revered Master of Masters. O great day!
Apparently, the water from the stream above was diverted into the shaft, to fill up the pool and hide the cave from unworthy eyes!”
“So, this pit was filled with water before and obviously that was the pool, this cultist talked about in his journal. According to that, there would be some kind of secret passage at the bottom of this shaft here and somewhere below this ‘Dark Obelisk’. Now, here is the part, which worries me the most...”
“I marvel at the skill of our enlightened predecessors who constructed the Obelisk to honor and commune with the Dark Lord.”
“Do you also feel the sinister powers, which are at work here?”
Endur
First Post
Craven’s detect evil ability only detects a lingering aura of evil around the statue, as if it was once created by evil or was evil itself, but is no longer evil. When Craven uses his detect evil ability down the shaft, he is momentarily stunned. The evil that is present down the shaft is so intense that he can not maintain his concentration.
Lenya’s detect magic ability only detects a lingering aura of magic around the statue, as if it was once created by magic or was magic itself, but is no longer magical. When Lenya uses her detect magic ability down the shaft, she is momentarily stunned. The magic that is present down the shaft is so overwhelmingly powerful that she can not maintain her concentration.
Lenya’s detect magic ability only detects a lingering aura of magic around the statue, as if it was once created by magic or was magic itself, but is no longer magical. When Lenya uses her detect magic ability down the shaft, she is momentarily stunned. The magic that is present down the shaft is so overwhelmingly powerful that she can not maintain her concentration.
