Endur's Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Do you think we can hole up for a bit so we can make sure everyone is well? I want to clear out the cultists and ghouls, but not at the expense of any more lives. I'm worried about leaving the Moathouse for too long though. Lenya, I agree with you that they might try to sneak away," Craven opins.

 

[Seonaid]

Toriah nods in agreement with Craven, but his attention has been pulled to the box, now that the contents have proven magical. "C'n someone open 't?" he asks anxiously, quietly.

 

[Dalamar]

"Aw, come on. He doesn't mind, we're such good pals. In fact, he's agreed to give me some basic magical training," Kerwyn says with a pat on Lylamwyn's shoulder. After making sure he gets the goggles back and setting them on his forehead to keep his hair up, that is.
"Getting the box open isn't the hard part, it's getting past those scribbles."

 

[Xael]

"The trap goes boom if someone tries to open the box. I think. But the chest has lots of magic items inside. And I think that picking the lock might not cause the trap to trigger. Belaver, If Kerwyn or Toriah could pick the lock, could you summon another creature to open the box?", Lylamwyn says. He then glares at Kerwyn. "Why, yes, I can see that you might need a lengthy lesson of the appropriate names and vocabulary for magical thingamajings."

*In fact, there's almost too much magic inside the box. Oh well...*

 

[Dalamar]

"So it won't blast me to smithereens if I just open the lock, right? If it does, you're the one who gets the blame, teach," Kerwyn says as he spreads his tools next to the box, chooses the approriate ones, and starts moving the tumblers to open the lock.

OoC: Take 20, so any lock with a DC of 26 or less opens up

 

[Thanee]

Lenya

“The woman, who was commanding the skeletons, must still be somewhere around here. And probably a few other cultists as well. That ghoul, too, of course.” Lenya says to Craven.

When Kerwyn starts working on the lock, the warlock prefers to stay at good distance and in cover to the chest.

 

[Endur]

As Kerwyn puts the goggles on and selects the right tool and gets to work on the lock, a part of him is still trying to remember what those scribbles mean.

As the scribbles begin to glow, he remembers that glowing is bad and he tries to jump away.

Kerwyn jumps away from the box as Acid sprays out from the box in a 5' area.

(Kerwyn's Reflex save 15+3=18 pass, 16 points of damage, Kerwyn takes 8)

Looking back at the box, the burned Kerwyn notices that all the magical writing is gone. Kerwyn and Toriah easily unlock and open the box.

Inside the box they find the following items that Lenya says are magical
faint aura: 9 potions, 4 scrolls, 3 black cones (divination aura)
moderate aura: an iron torch, a small black sphere

non-magical items:
wooden rack for the potions
curved ceremonial dagger with gold inlay (Raner estimates its worth 50 gp)
black sceptre with violet gems (Raner estimates its worth 1000 gp)
black metal tube (which contains a worm-ridden scroll written in a language you do not recognize, Lylamwyn isn't sure, but the scroll might be directions or instructions on how to do something)
Sheaf of Papers (see Journal)
White Blanket (was being used to wrap some of the items)


Written in the Common Tongue

Excerpts from the Journal
of Geynor Ton


I do not claim to understand fully the workings of the Great Church and the Master of All-Consumption. Their alliance with these foul-smelling brutes is one that suprises me. I had assumed that we were the favored of the dark Lord. Who are these scaly beastmen to tell us what to do? No matter. Soon we’ll leave this accursed town and I won’t be cooped up in this flourmill with the creature.

Annihilation take you, Hommlet! I’ve not enjoyed my brief stay here. The food from the inn brought by Chatrilon was very good, however. Venison cured very nicely. What is that seasoning? Perhaps when we’ve slain all the people of this place, I can discover the secrets of its preparation. Great will be that day. Praise to the Elder Elemental Eye!

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! Truly the Dark God inspired such a wondrous plan, although it surely was carried out only after his unjust imprisonment. Yours shall be the name we proclaim, Dark Lord, once we have breathed new life into your most deserved worship. Once you are free all shall be set right, and those who deserve it most shall meet their cruel, cruel fate. Blessed destruction!

I marvel at the skill of our enlightened predecessors who constructed the Obelisk to honor and commune with the Dark Lord. Those must have been wonderful, heady days in which to live. Under the leadership of Master Thaque, we shall recover the relics of our lost heritage. Praise the Elder Elemental Eye!

Alas! Foul beast! What fate has befallen us? It must be a test sent to us from beyond – we must now go on without the leadership of Master Thaque, may his soul rest with the Dark God in the cold embrace of dissolution now and forevermore. Oh, wicked, cruel fate – I seek not your judgment in the claws of some dragon!

But Gungash is also dead. I hated him – he stole my lunch two days ago, and it was an excellent boiled egg and some of Tashi’s delicious spicebread. Take his soul, Dark Lord, and crush it beneath your contemptuous heel.

It appears that we are trapped here for a time. Festrath cannot convince the gnolls to attack the beast together-not after what happened two days ago. I think the dragon laughs at us. A grand joke, beast, but one that you’ll pay for with your very soul! Now Festrath hides with the Obelisk and the creature. We will continue our work here, but eventually we shall run out of food. Perhaps we shall have to live as the lovely ghouls do here. Or perhaps gnoll flesh can be flavored in some way so as to make it palatable.

 

[Thanee]

Lenya

“Ouch! Everything alright, Kerwyn? Good you jumped back in time, that did look quite nasty.

Once the items are looked through, Lenya will try to figure out, what the scrolls might be and what schools of magic the potions show (Spellcraft +4). She will also encourage Lylamwyn, who has more formal knowledge about spells and such, to do the same. Maybe they can find out some useful bits together.

“I think we are getting somewhere. All these notes... they seem to be up to no good, so much for sure. Freeing the Dark Lord... the Elder Elemental Eye... that Dark Obelisk... no, that doesn't sound good at all! At least Spugnoir seems to have been right, they do not know how to get out of here!”

 

[Xael]

Lylamwyn winces as the trap explodes at Kerwyn. "My bad...", he says silently while thanking gods inside his mind that Kerwyn is still alive.

Later, he goes to help Lenya trying to identify the Potions and Scrolls.

"Now we really need to capture the cultists for questioning, since they're brewing something big."

 

[Dalamar]

"Ow! Sizzles! Ouch! Burns!"
Kerwyn gets up from after his rolling leap away from the corrosive vapors and checks himself to see if he wailed in pain for nothing, or did he indeed get hurt badly. Coming to the conclusion that his clothes took the worst of it, he lets out a sigh of relief.
"Man, I really thought for a moment I was done for. Guess the old geezer at the academy actually managed to teach something usefull to me."