Temple of Elemental Evil - Part 40 (Session 17)
Flames cast their shadows in flickering silhouettes against the wall as they approached the Fire Temple once again. The area they were in appeared to be the only place in the temple to be lit by torches, a fact Milo was grateful for. He hated trying to sneak around with a lantern. They left from the werewolves' den and entered the room of their near-defeat at the hands of the fire priests and the warrior with the flametongue. The bodies of their enemies lay where they had fallen. Brigit grunted once, pulled out Trollgrater and went to work on the corpses.
Besides the door they came in through, thankfully no longer trapped with the glyph of warding, there were three others. Two were along the same wall as their entrance, flanking the door. The third was opposite them, where the swordsman entered.
"When you're done over there, Brigit," Milo began. "I think we should check these two doors first."
"Jus'...a...minute...be...right...with...ya..." Brigit said in-between each chop of her axe.
They were soon gathered around the eastern door while Brigit led the way. The room seemed to be living quarters. There was a bed with a large brass chest at the foot, a copper box on the floor, and a large wardrobe in the far corner. There was also a lit brazier, its smoke curling to the ceiling.
Milo wrinkled his nose at the smell. "I think I need to relieve myself." he said cryptically.
In a few seconds Milo felt better and the brazier was no longer lit. It was Mazi's turn to wrinkle her nose.
"Do you think you could have done that after we had left?" she said.
"What can I say? Potty emergency." Milo shot back.
He crouched in front of the copper box, tools already in hand. It took a few seconds to work the lock and pop the lid up. Inside were various herbs and some jewelry. The latter brought Mazi over in a flash. She handled the baubles like fragile eggs as she examined them. Milo shrugged and moved to the large bronze chest at the foot of the bed.
"Awwww, crap." he exclaimed after a couple of tries with the lock.
The sturdy mechanism inside was slightly jammed, just enough to bend his tools. They were worthless now. He threw the formerly masterwork picks to the ground with an exasperated sigh.
"Here Milo, try mine." Brigit said as she handed her personal set to the halfling.
"Thanks Brigit, you sure you trust me with these? I've already ruined a perfectly good set."
"Ach, Ah'll jus' take it outta yer hide if ya break 'em."
"Your confidence overwhelms."
Brigit's tools proved just right for the job though. Milo soon lifted the lid to reveal the contents of the chest. Inside were clothes and armor, as well as a mace. The armor was chainmail, human sized. Underneath all of the clothes Milo found a stash of gold pieces in a small sack. They stowed the chainmail and coins for later.
Mazi and Jeremiah had been looking through the wardrobe while Brigit and Milo worked on the chest. Brigit stood up and joined the elf.
"Worthless lot O' junk, if'n ya ask me." she said as she grabbed a robe off its hangar. "Hold on a secon'." Brigit paused in her act of tossing the robe over her shoulder. "This is heavier than it should be." She turned the robe over and found a collection of semi-precious stones arrayed in a decoration on the back.
"No reason to carry the whole thing then, Brigit." Milo said as he walked over. "Here, let me see it." Milo drew his enchanted dagger and sliced through the fabric, cutting around the stones. "There you go," he said as he handed the weighty piece of cloth laden with jewels back to Brigit. He tossed the torn robe to the floor. "Anything else?
"Not that I can find," Mazi said.
Jeremiah led the way into the next room, eager for some sort of action. He was disappointed to find nothing but a study of sorts. Tapestries depicting the usual elemental evils were hung all about the room with lit wall sconces placed in-between. An open book sat atop a wooden pedestal in the middle of the room. A couple of chairs, a table with some notes strewn about, and a chest completed the room's contents.
Milo's first concern was the open book. Carefully marking the open page by placing his dagger in the book, he closed it. The binding described the book as a treatise on the element of fire. Trusting it to be safe to read, he opened it to the marked page and read the passage.
"Looks like our friends in the Fire Temple are boning up on their fire elemental knowledge." Milo said after reading for a few seconds. The pages described various attributes of fire elementals as well as methods on summoning them. Milo took a few minutes to read more, hoping the knowledge would come in handy in the future.
"Milo!" Brigit snapped him out of his reverie, "Get yer nose outta yer book an' come open this chest."
"Patience my dwarven friend. I just wanted to see what we could find out about the fire elementals before we find their chapel." Milo said as he walked over to the chest with Brigit's tools in hand.
The chest contained a small silver box and a bone scroll case. He handed the box to Brigit and opened the case to examine the contents himself. Inside he found a scroll with a spell of protection against devils and demons. Brigit opened the box to find a jeweled ring and some platinum pieces. Mazi peered over her shoulder, transfixed by the shiny jewelry.
"Ah ah ah, not yet elfie. We gots ta know if this be magic 'fore ya slip it on. Ya already gots two O' these on yer tiny fingers ya know." Brigit closed her hand around the ring.
"I was just admiring it." Mazi said petulantly. "Oh! I found this," she said, remembering the slip of paper she was holding. She held it low so Brigit and Milo could read it.
"Your rewards will be great if you bend your knee to the vast power of the Element of Fire..." Milo read aloud
"Looks a lot like the note we found upstairs in the Earth Temple." Mazi said. "It goes on like that for a while, 'Awesome might of Fire' and 'Burn for eternity' and the like. Pretty boring after a while."
"I wonder if we've already dealt with the author yet or if he's still hanging around here somewhere." Milo asked no one in particular.
"Well someone had to light that brazier you put out." Mazi crinkled her nose at the memory.
"True, well let's see if we can find that 'someone'."
Back in the main room they checked the southern door. It led into an antechamber of a large throne room. Torches in wall sconces lit tapestries already hot with color. They showed fire elementals laying waste to landscapes and people. Fires burned everything in every illustration. An empty gilded throne dominated the center of the room, padded with bright red and orange cushions. They could also see a privacy screen to the west.
"Ain't nobody home? We'll see bout that." Brigit said as she drew her bow.
She shot an arrow into the screen, aware of the privacy that it may afford a concealed occupant. Her missile tore through the fabric and clattered against the wall.
"Ah well, jus' in case," she knocked another arrow and loosed it at the throne. The shaft quivered after the point embedded itself deep in the back cushion.
"Ya never know. she said to the expectant stares of her companions.
A quick examination of the room revealed a passage concealed by the privacy screen. The passage led back into one of the wide hallways that emptied into the great hall that ran through the central part of the temple. They returned to the throne room, certain there was something they were missing.
As Mazi passed the middle of the south wall she stopped, a curious expression on her face. "This wall isn't quite right."
Milo examined the wall carefully. He found a vertical seam rising from the floor to as far as he could see. He also noticed the wall sconce to the side of the seam was slightly crooked and loose in its bracket.
"Mazi, I can't reach that sconce, will you twist it for me?"
The willowy elf turned the sconce and the wall swung outwards. Beyond they could see a huge well-lit room. They fanned out past the secret door, surveying the room.
The chapel was sweltering. Milo could see a shimmer in the air and could smell heated metal and fire. Great doors of beaten brass reflected the light of Hundreds of torches that lit the vaulted room brighter than daylight. Just in front of them was a shallow fire pit. Above which hung a brass tube by chains, at least twenty feet high and two feet in diameter. Beyond the pit were two stands of brass filled with charcoal. The room also contained octagonal tables with copper bowls and dishes. There were torch stands arranged on either side of the chapel. They were placed in diagonal lines that drew near at the middle of the room but veered back out as they approached the other end. The design formed an incomplete 'X' with room to walk in-between. Large cauldrons full of bubbling oil squatted on either side of the room as well. There was another fire pit at the far end of the room and an octagonal altar; the corners were pointed like the amulets they found on the bodies. Like the Earth Temple's chapel, the room was devoid of life.
Milo remembered the elementals upstairs and turned to his friends. "Let me bolster you before we head in there."
A few moments later Brigit was protected by a resist fire spell and Jeremiah by a protection from fire spell. They approached the far fire pit carefully, eyes watchful. As they neared the fire pit Milo could make out tiny figures dancing in the flames. Milo had prayed for a spell perfectly suited for this situation.
Once again Milo began chanting. A breeze seemed to pick up in the hot, still chapel. The refreshing air picked up speed, centered on Milo. He finished chanting and gestured at the fire pit. The whirling air of the divine zephyr swirled dust from the floor as it moved over the pit. Once over the pit the air sped up even more, drawing the flames up higher before subduing them to a small burn. The flames didn't go out completely, but the dancing figures disappeared.
They shifted their concentration on the altar. It was adorned with a large skull, its empty visage staring out over the windswept flames. Milo carefully approached. He figured that any action taken towards the altar would summon more elementals and he wanted the others ready to face the threat. Milo drew nearer to the altar. The heat began to be unbearable as he approached. He found himself longing for the breeze of the divine zephyr. Almost without thinking he reached for the altar.
As soon as his finger touched the red stone a sheet of searing flame erupted from the altar. He tumbled backwards, his instincts barely saving him from the fire. The skull animated to life and a booming voice issued from its chattering teeth.
"Who dares disturb the Element of Fire?"
Milo had recovered from the shock of the flame burst. "Whatever." was all he said.
He reached into his pack and drew out a vial of holy water, reached back, and pitched it into the altar. The flames burst out from the altar and the voice boomed again.
"Who dares disturb the Element of Fire?"
This time the flames in the fire pit flared, despite Milo's spell. They could see the dancing figures again, but they were bigger now. They were lizards, Milo could make out their thick tales and scaly skin. They hopped on their hind legs and brandished tridents. The friends could also hear a chorus of small voices, rising above the crackling of the flames.
First the father,
Then the daughter,
Lead them both,
Into the slaughter.
Brigit growled as she made out the words. She drew her bow to take some pot shots at the small lizards. Milo finally placed what the creatures were from his readings in the book.
"Salamanders! This must be some kind of portal to their realm."
"Ah don't care what they are, they're gonna be dead soon." Brigit shouted.
Mazi and Milo had prepared their ranged weapons as well. All three fired into the flames as Jer waited with the Windsword drawn. The salamanders made easy targets. Four popped out of existence as they rained arrows and bolts on them. There were at least a dozen left dancing though.
The salamanders grew in size, all the while singing and dancing. Just then flames burst from the two cauldrons. full sized salamanders sprang from within, tridents at the ready. All four turned to face the new threat. Milo and Mazi fired at the salamander advancing from the east and Brigit fired to the west. Only one of Milo's bolts found its mark, but it did plenty of damage. It pierced the salamander's shoulder, rendering its right arm lifeless. The other was forced back a step from one of Brigit's arrows, but advanced nonetheless.
Worried about the growing salamanders in the fire, Milo and Mazi turned to face the flames as the divine zephyr lost its power. They fired into the flames again and destroyed three more of the dancing figures.
Two more full-sized salamanders emerged from the cauldrons. They hissed and snarled as they headed for the group. Brigit and Jeremiah met them head on. Jer attacked the one Milo wounded, slicing into it twice with his sword. It merely hissed and attacked. The salamanders jabbed at Brigit and Jeremiah with their tridents; one actually scoring a burning hit on Brigit. She soon taught the creature its folly with her axe as it inflicted a deep wound on the offender.
Just then the salamanders from the fire pit jumped out at Milo and Mazi. The two friends were relieved to see that rather than six full salamanders attacking them there were only two, but the two had two mirror images each. Milo thanked his blessings and stowed his crossbow for his axes.
The battle raged on as the salamanders attacked over and over. Milo and Mazi managed to whittle down the salamanders' mirror images, leaving two very real and very aggressive fiery lizards. Brigit managed an impressive cleave with Trollgrater. She sliced clean through the first salamander then lopped off the head of the next. Jeremiah was in rare form as well. He stabbed one through its reptilian heart.
The salamanders fought viciously as well. Milo was wounded badly towards the end of the battle. He survived the fight with two nasty trident wounds in his side. The only other hero that was wounded was Jeremiah. His last opponent managed to slice into his hand with a downward thrust. Jer lost grip on his sword for a moment. He recovered and sent the salamander to an early grave with another critical stab of his sword. Milo managed to take down one of his own as well.
The last salamander fell to Brigit's axe and Mazi's sword. The group stood tense for a few minutes, waiting for more of the fiery salamanders to spring from the flames. The fire in the pit had ebbed to mere coals and the cauldrons remained silent. Milo breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't take much more abuse from the tridents.
Once it was evident that the battle was truly over they took to investigating the surrounding. They were careful to steer clear of the altar. Milo cast a detect magic cantrip and examined the chapel. The whole room had a ruddy magic glow but the brightest of it came from the altar. It came as no surprise to him. The pit also glowed. He was surprised the tubular bell and the cauldrons did not glow though.
"Let's get rid O' these buggers." Brigit said, just finished from hacking the salamander corpses.
Milo thought she was referring to the bits and pieces of salamander that decorated the floor. He was proved wrong when Brigit stalked to one of the cauldrons and put her back to it. She strained against its heavy weight; the spell Milo cast protected her from the heat. The bubbling liquid within sloshed as the cauldron tipped. The superheated oil splashed on the ground, sending the others running from its path. There seemed to be a dip in the floor that led to the fire pit. The oil streamed into the pit, igniting the blaze anew. The flames sped back towards the cauldron along the stream of oil. Brigit couldn't get away from the cauldron before the flames reached the still-large reservoir of oil. The cauldron exploded with a shower of fire.
When the smoke cleared Milo made out Brigit standing with her feet apart and a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Ah like that spell, Milo."
She stumped over to the other cauldron and performed a similar feat. The oil raised the flames near the vaulted ceiling before racing back and igniting the cauldron. Smoke streamed up from an invisible aura around the grinning dwarf.
"Are you finished?" Milo asked, trying hard to suppress his own grin.
"Ah suppose so, ya spoil sport." Brigit responded.
Her good humor was infectious and Milo found himself laughing through the pain of his wounds. They decided to explore a little further while Milo's enchantments remained in place. The bronze double doors to the east led into a large hallway. The walls pulsed with an otherworldly red light. They soon came to a four-way intersection. The path to the south glowed with a blue light, green to the north, and gray to the west. The halls to the south and north were short, leading to huge double doors with demonic symbols and faces leering outward.
"This must be the center of the four elements on this level." Mazi said.
"I think you're right," Milo agreed. "Let's head back to the Fire Temple though. I don't think we're ready to fight anyone from the others yet."
"Aye, an Ah wanna make use O this nice flame shield ya cast on me too." said Brigit.
They decided to check the double doors to the north back in the chapel. These led to another large hallway. After a few paces it headed northwest and eventually ended in another pair of brass doors. The doors opened into the end of another cavernous hallway. Directly across from them were yet another set of double brass doors. To the north they could see where the passage behind the screen back near the fire chapel emptied. The hallway led directly into the temple's great hall.
"I think we've done all we can today guys," Milo said, the effects of the salamander's wounds catching up to him. "Besides, I think your heat shields have worn off by now."
"Ach, if we have ta. Ah suppose so. Let's get ya patched up, Milo." Brigit said to the halfling.
"I appreciate that, Brigit."
With that they left the temple for another day.
