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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour
- Thread starter Milo Windby
- Start date
Brigit Deeperdown
First Post
Waiting
Are you kidding me its so worth it. I love playing. And your story lines are great with all the twists and turns. Besides who wouldnt love playing with Mother Screng.
Are you kidding me its so worth it. I love playing. And your story lines are great with all the twists and turns. Besides who wouldnt love playing with Mother Screng.
Nail
First Post
Frog: Sounds like yer doin' it right.
A while back, when I was DMing, I'd take players aside....the upside is th' suspense...but th' downside is th' boredom of the other players. Of course, if ye 'ave little ones running around, that might make things more....distracting for those players left behind. Sounds like you've got a regular zoo over there.
A while back, when I was DMing, I'd take players aside....the upside is th' suspense...but th' downside is th' boredom of the other players. Of course, if ye 'ave little ones running around, that might make things more....distracting for those players left behind. Sounds like you've got a regular zoo over there.
Brigit Deeperdown
First Post
Brigit and Mother Scrang's Exchange
"A'right Scrang, Ah need ta be healed. Wha's it gonna cost me?" Brigit asked.
"Well ya see's, me old bones been achin' lately. I be needin' some ointment for me feet." Mother Scrang said slyly.
"Ah've some Keoghtem's ointment, if tha's what ya mean. Ah'm hard pressed ta let tha' go tho. Are ya sure ya wouldna want a nice ivory statue ta brighten up tha place?" Brigit bartered.
"No, I don't be needin' any more useless ornaments on me shelves. Ya can already see me lovely stuffed dearies." Mother Scrang pointed out various poorly stuffed animals crowding her shelves. "But I would be lookin' for some pretty ornaments for me fingers. The one's I got be gettin' a bit tight." she pulled absent-mindedly at a ring that was a few sizes too small.
"Ah'm hesitant ta part with me gems. But as Ah'm fellin' very weak at tha moment, Ah s'pose Ah can part wi' me ruby ring."
"Nah, I don't like it. Red don't suit me hair color" Scrang paused for a cackle as she lifted some grey strands of stringy hair. "But me daughter would like it. Ya could give it to me from your little man. I could pass it along to me daughter. Ya can be bettin' she would like a ring. An engagement ring so's to speak."
"Ah don't think Ah could answer for mah friend tha' way. But if ya be willin' ta take it for a bit O healin' Ah would be very appreciative."
"We'll see, we'll see. What else have ya got for me?"
"Ah s'pose Ah could part wi' mah emerald ring. Bein' as special ta me as it is, I wouldna hope ya ask anythin' more O me."
Mother Scrang took the proffered ring and slipped it onto her crooked middle finger. A crooked smile formed on her wizened features.
"Ahhh, even with a beard ya have good taste. I'll heal ya for the two rings-" Brigit breathed a sigh of relief as Scrang paused, "-An the ointment for me feet of course." Scrang finished with a cackle.
"Done. Ah don' suppose ya can hurry it up a li'l? This armor is wearin' heavy on me."
"Tsk, these things take time. Ya don't want me to screw it up now, do ya?"
"No, no."
"Alrighty then. Ya best be layin' down then. This sometimes makes a body light-headed and I don't want ya falling about on the floor."
Mother Scrang cleared off a pallet for Brigit to lay down. Brigit carefully settled herself down and lay waiting tensely.
"Get outta your armor! Ya don't think I can do any healin' through that, do ya?"
Brigit groaned as she sat back up. She grumbled in dwarven as she struggled out of her full plate armor. Mother Scrang looked on, cackling every once in a while. In a few minutes Brigit was back on the pallet, dressed in her tunic and breeches. Mother Scrang started flapping her arms wildly, reminding Brigit of a chicken trying to fly. Scrang spoke, but it was in no language Brigit understood. She began to grow sleepy. Her eyelids drooped of their own accord. Soon Brigit drifted off to a peaceful sleep.
She felt herself gradually coming to, unaware of how much time passed. She heard a quiet voice at her ear. "And you'll know what to do when ya get there." She couldn't tell if it was part of a waking dream or if Mother Scrang whispered to her. The statement filled her with dread though.
Brigit took a few more minutes to fully awake. When she did, Mother Scrang was stooped over her. "How ya feelin' me dearie?"
"Ah'll admit, Ah've not felt better in many days."
"Wll then me dearie, how do ya suppose you're going to be gettin' back out of town now? You're quite visible and the little man be gone."
Brigit recognized a sales pitch when she heard one. "Ah don't know, but Ah'm sure ya 'ave somethin' for it."
"I suppose I could drag out me invisibility draught to help ya out, for a price of course."
"Why am Ah not surprised? Ah s'pose Ah would be needin' tha'. Now tha' we're on tha subject O potions tho, Ah was curious about any healin' potions ya might have. After all, now tha' yer gainin' a son-in-law, ya might wanna keep 'im. If he falls ill Ah'll need a way ta cure 'im." Brigit said with a conspiratorial grin.
"Don't you be threatenin' me daughter's suitor, dearie. I don't wanna haveta turn ya into a toad."
"No no, Ah'm very thankful for yer help. Ah was jus' lookin' out fer yer best interests in our good friend."
"Don't ya worry about that. Ah've got a potion that'll take care of that. It's a potion of love, among other things." Scrang cackled. "What are ya lookin' for in particular?"
"What's tha best ya got?"
"Well what do ya have for me in trade?"
"Ah've got this enchanted chainmail and shield." Brigit pulled the items from her voluminous sack.
"What's it look like to ya, that I'm runnin' an armory here?"
"Perhaps not, but ya asked."
"Fair enough. Ya know I like rings" Scrang let the statement dangle.
"Sorry madam, all tha reast of mah rings are stuck on mah fingers."
"Ahh well, what else ya got? That ya be willin' to part with, that is."
"Ah've got a special shield or two."
"Well for two of those 'special' shields I could part with maybe one of my best potions. It's sure to cure what ails ya." Again with the cackle.
"Ah don' think Ah can take tha' trade. Ya've gotta have more than a single potion, otherwise tha deal's off."
"This is me best stuff. It's good for what ails ya, poison, wounds, fallin' down big holes, whatever. Scrang considered for a few moments. "I suppose I could offer ya two of them."
"No, Ah canna take less than three."
"Hmmm, ya drive a hard bargain, dearie. I could part with two of the good ones and maybe one of my weaker draughts. But I want somethin' a little more in return." Mother Scrang suddenly looked very pious, "After all, have ya seen the shack I live in? It be needed some repairs. Otherwise me daughter and me new son-in-law won't have a place to live." She eyed the sack Brigit held, "You've got some nice jewelry in there, I'd wager."
"Ah already told ya, Ah'm not gonna give up any more jewelry."
Mother Scrang looked very put out. "How about some gold then? I'm a starvin' old woman. Gold I can use to buy meself some food."
"Ah don't think Ah can part with any of mah gold. Ah worked hard for it. Ah got another shield ya can sell fer gold."
"What would an old woman like me do with all these shields? After all, Duke Stephen has been acting really odd as of late. And then there's the Baron in the castle of Fort Doom. It's said he's been really friendly with the Duke lately. It's all very strange. People comin' through town buyin' up all the weapons and armor they can find for a great war or somethin'. I don't need the extra suspicion with all of your armor. You best be on your way. My final offer is two good potions and one weaker one in trade for your shield and fifty gold pieces."
Grumbling, Brigit counted out the money and handed over the shield in return for the three healing potions and the invisibility potion. She quickly downed the invisibility potion and gradually faded away. Brigit left Mother Scrang to her own devices and headed for the stables.
Before reaching the wooden building she recalled the words she heard, half dreaming, "And you'll know what to do when ya get there." A shiver of dread coursed down her spine. Mother Scrang did something to her. A myriad of possibilities ran through her mind. What if she was going to force her to do something to Milo? Make her bring him to her for her daughter? Brigit couldn't stand to be compelled to do anything against her will. She was a dwarf, she thought to herself, dwarves are their own people, always have been, always will be! What if it's something more sinister than that? What reason do they have to trust Mother Scrang after all? Nothing other than the word of Otis, she didn't trust him much either. The fear of unknown after affects from Mother Scrang's 'healing' settled like a cold stone in the pit of her stomach. She had to warn Milo, in case she was forced to do something against her will.
Brigit picked up her pace, heedless of the sound of her armor and the odd expressions of the townspeople she passed. Many folk thought a shade passed by, it's ghostly chains rattling as it moved through town. Brigit glanced about before entering Otis' stables. Seeing no one around, she burst through the unlatched door.
"We may have a problem."
"A'right Scrang, Ah need ta be healed. Wha's it gonna cost me?" Brigit asked.
"Well ya see's, me old bones been achin' lately. I be needin' some ointment for me feet." Mother Scrang said slyly.
"Ah've some Keoghtem's ointment, if tha's what ya mean. Ah'm hard pressed ta let tha' go tho. Are ya sure ya wouldna want a nice ivory statue ta brighten up tha place?" Brigit bartered.
"No, I don't be needin' any more useless ornaments on me shelves. Ya can already see me lovely stuffed dearies." Mother Scrang pointed out various poorly stuffed animals crowding her shelves. "But I would be lookin' for some pretty ornaments for me fingers. The one's I got be gettin' a bit tight." she pulled absent-mindedly at a ring that was a few sizes too small.
"Ah'm hesitant ta part with me gems. But as Ah'm fellin' very weak at tha moment, Ah s'pose Ah can part wi' me ruby ring."
"Nah, I don't like it. Red don't suit me hair color" Scrang paused for a cackle as she lifted some grey strands of stringy hair. "But me daughter would like it. Ya could give it to me from your little man. I could pass it along to me daughter. Ya can be bettin' she would like a ring. An engagement ring so's to speak."
"Ah don't think Ah could answer for mah friend tha' way. But if ya be willin' ta take it for a bit O healin' Ah would be very appreciative."
"We'll see, we'll see. What else have ya got for me?"
"Ah s'pose Ah could part wi' mah emerald ring. Bein' as special ta me as it is, I wouldna hope ya ask anythin' more O me."
Mother Scrang took the proffered ring and slipped it onto her crooked middle finger. A crooked smile formed on her wizened features.
"Ahhh, even with a beard ya have good taste. I'll heal ya for the two rings-" Brigit breathed a sigh of relief as Scrang paused, "-An the ointment for me feet of course." Scrang finished with a cackle.
"Done. Ah don' suppose ya can hurry it up a li'l? This armor is wearin' heavy on me."
"Tsk, these things take time. Ya don't want me to screw it up now, do ya?"
"No, no."
"Alrighty then. Ya best be layin' down then. This sometimes makes a body light-headed and I don't want ya falling about on the floor."
Mother Scrang cleared off a pallet for Brigit to lay down. Brigit carefully settled herself down and lay waiting tensely.
"Get outta your armor! Ya don't think I can do any healin' through that, do ya?"
Brigit groaned as she sat back up. She grumbled in dwarven as she struggled out of her full plate armor. Mother Scrang looked on, cackling every once in a while. In a few minutes Brigit was back on the pallet, dressed in her tunic and breeches. Mother Scrang started flapping her arms wildly, reminding Brigit of a chicken trying to fly. Scrang spoke, but it was in no language Brigit understood. She began to grow sleepy. Her eyelids drooped of their own accord. Soon Brigit drifted off to a peaceful sleep.
She felt herself gradually coming to, unaware of how much time passed. She heard a quiet voice at her ear. "And you'll know what to do when ya get there." She couldn't tell if it was part of a waking dream or if Mother Scrang whispered to her. The statement filled her with dread though.
Brigit took a few more minutes to fully awake. When she did, Mother Scrang was stooped over her. "How ya feelin' me dearie?"
"Ah'll admit, Ah've not felt better in many days."
"Wll then me dearie, how do ya suppose you're going to be gettin' back out of town now? You're quite visible and the little man be gone."
Brigit recognized a sales pitch when she heard one. "Ah don't know, but Ah'm sure ya 'ave somethin' for it."
"I suppose I could drag out me invisibility draught to help ya out, for a price of course."
"Why am Ah not surprised? Ah s'pose Ah would be needin' tha'. Now tha' we're on tha subject O potions tho, Ah was curious about any healin' potions ya might have. After all, now tha' yer gainin' a son-in-law, ya might wanna keep 'im. If he falls ill Ah'll need a way ta cure 'im." Brigit said with a conspiratorial grin.
"Don't you be threatenin' me daughter's suitor, dearie. I don't wanna haveta turn ya into a toad."
"No no, Ah'm very thankful for yer help. Ah was jus' lookin' out fer yer best interests in our good friend."
"Don't ya worry about that. Ah've got a potion that'll take care of that. It's a potion of love, among other things." Scrang cackled. "What are ya lookin' for in particular?"
"What's tha best ya got?"
"Well what do ya have for me in trade?"
"Ah've got this enchanted chainmail and shield." Brigit pulled the items from her voluminous sack.
"What's it look like to ya, that I'm runnin' an armory here?"
"Perhaps not, but ya asked."
"Fair enough. Ya know I like rings" Scrang let the statement dangle.
"Sorry madam, all tha reast of mah rings are stuck on mah fingers."
"Ahh well, what else ya got? That ya be willin' to part with, that is."
"Ah've got a special shield or two."
"Well for two of those 'special' shields I could part with maybe one of my best potions. It's sure to cure what ails ya." Again with the cackle.
"Ah don' think Ah can take tha' trade. Ya've gotta have more than a single potion, otherwise tha deal's off."
"This is me best stuff. It's good for what ails ya, poison, wounds, fallin' down big holes, whatever. Scrang considered for a few moments. "I suppose I could offer ya two of them."
"No, Ah canna take less than three."
"Hmmm, ya drive a hard bargain, dearie. I could part with two of the good ones and maybe one of my weaker draughts. But I want somethin' a little more in return." Mother Scrang suddenly looked very pious, "After all, have ya seen the shack I live in? It be needed some repairs. Otherwise me daughter and me new son-in-law won't have a place to live." She eyed the sack Brigit held, "You've got some nice jewelry in there, I'd wager."
"Ah already told ya, Ah'm not gonna give up any more jewelry."
Mother Scrang looked very put out. "How about some gold then? I'm a starvin' old woman. Gold I can use to buy meself some food."
"Ah don't think Ah can part with any of mah gold. Ah worked hard for it. Ah got another shield ya can sell fer gold."
"What would an old woman like me do with all these shields? After all, Duke Stephen has been acting really odd as of late. And then there's the Baron in the castle of Fort Doom. It's said he's been really friendly with the Duke lately. It's all very strange. People comin' through town buyin' up all the weapons and armor they can find for a great war or somethin'. I don't need the extra suspicion with all of your armor. You best be on your way. My final offer is two good potions and one weaker one in trade for your shield and fifty gold pieces."
Grumbling, Brigit counted out the money and handed over the shield in return for the three healing potions and the invisibility potion. She quickly downed the invisibility potion and gradually faded away. Brigit left Mother Scrang to her own devices and headed for the stables.
Before reaching the wooden building she recalled the words she heard, half dreaming, "And you'll know what to do when ya get there." A shiver of dread coursed down her spine. Mother Scrang did something to her. A myriad of possibilities ran through her mind. What if she was going to force her to do something to Milo? Make her bring him to her for her daughter? Brigit couldn't stand to be compelled to do anything against her will. She was a dwarf, she thought to herself, dwarves are their own people, always have been, always will be! What if it's something more sinister than that? What reason do they have to trust Mother Scrang after all? Nothing other than the word of Otis, she didn't trust him much either. The fear of unknown after affects from Mother Scrang's 'healing' settled like a cold stone in the pit of her stomach. She had to warn Milo, in case she was forced to do something against her will.
Brigit picked up her pace, heedless of the sound of her armor and the odd expressions of the townspeople she passed. Many folk thought a shade passed by, it's ghostly chains rattling as it moved through town. Brigit glanced about before entering Otis' stables. Seeing no one around, she burst through the unlatched door.
"We may have a problem."
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Milo Windby
First Post
Brigit's Post
Just a note for any of those wondering. Brigit's post was written by Brigit's player, who then sent it to me to revise the speech patterns. I've got a kind of unique way of writing Brigit and Mother Scrang. I added a little bit of non-dialogue then sent it back to her and she posted it. I think Brigit did an excellent job though.
You should have seen her that night. After Frog layed the line about "You'll know what to do when you get there". She was certain Mother Scrang had it out for her.
Just a note for any of those wondering. Brigit's post was written by Brigit's player, who then sent it to me to revise the speech patterns. I've got a kind of unique way of writing Brigit and Mother Scrang. I added a little bit of non-dialogue then sent it back to her and she posted it. I think Brigit did an excellent job though.
You should have seen her that night. After Frog layed the line about "You'll know what to do when you get there". She was certain Mother Scrang had it out for her.
Milo Windby
First Post
Temple of Elemental Evil – Part 46 (session 19)
Brigit hurriedly explained everything that she remembered from Mother Scrang’s, including the foreboding message she received when she was half awake.
”Hmmm, that is odd. I don’t know if it’s something we have to worry about though.” Milo said after some thought.
”Mebbe not, but Ah canna shake tha feelin’ tha’ she’s got somethin’ planned for tha lot O’ us. Tha’ just don’t bode well.” Brigit said, ”‘Specially seein’ how fond O’ ya she is. Who knows, she may be forcin’ me ta bring ya back ‘gainst yer will.”
”I can honestly say I’ve never seen you so scared of anything in the whole time I’ve known you.” Milo said with surprise. ”Very well, we’ll be on our guards. We’ll tell the others when we get back. You just be sure to tell us if you feel anything out of the ordinary.”
”Aye, Ah will. But ya gotta watch too. Ya know Ah’m tha first ta go when we’re up ‘gainst finger-wagglers. One look in me eye an’ they already got me held er some other humiliatin’ enchantment. It ain’t right.”
Milo turned to Otis. The balding blacksmith was amused by his customer’s discussion.
”I’m afraid we have to go. Thanks for all of your help Otis. Take good care of the animals.”
With that Milo pressed a few more gold coins to his palm and waved goodbye. The two were soon out of town and nearing the edge of the forest. The dark closeness of the trees enveloped them as they entered the woods. A false twilight set upon them under the boughs of the ancient oaks and the occasional drooping willow. Brigit plodded next to Milo morosely.
”Cheer up Brigit, you’re back to full health!” Milo said.
”Aye, but Ah don’ feel as well as Ah did ‘fore Scrang laid tha’ li’l bit on me.”
”We’ve been through worse. Remember in the cursed caves when you decided you had to touch the smoky glass? You almost jumped Mazi with your axe! Besides, we’ll keep close watch. I really don’t think Mother Scrang is that malicious.”
”Ah suppose. We’ll see.”
They walked the rest of the way to camp in silence. Milo reflected on the time that had passed since Usamigaras last visited him. His God was weakening and it was up to him to rescue His people. Milo fretted inwardly at the time it was taking them to find Brigit’s family and clear out the temple. He also worried that the others wouldn’t be interested in accompanying him to the shires to help him. He had spent most of his life alone and thought that was the way he preferred it. Now that he thought about it, the others had become like a family to him. He hated the thought of parting after all they had been through together. His resolve strengthened, he would do everything in his power to make sure they stayed together.
They made camp by nightfall. It was hard to determine under the leafy canopy of the forest, but the telltale sounds of evening slowly took over. The chirping of the birds was replaced by the song of the crickets. An owl hooted in the tree above their path. A lone wolf howled in the distance. The fire of the camp was a welcome sight to Milo’s eyes. He envied Brigit her darkvision at times. Milo cheerfully strode into camp.
”We have returned!” he said with a flourish.
Brigit dragged her feet into the circle and slumped to the ground.
”What’s wrong?” asked Mazi, ”Couldn’t Mother Scrang help?”
”Oh aye, she ‘helped’ a’right. Gave me some sort O’ gease along wi’ the healin’, Ah’m sure.”
”I think you may be exaggerating things a little,” Milo said, ”Mother Scrang gave Brigit some sort of message as she healed her.”
Mazi and Jer listened intently as Brigit told of her visit to Scrang. Milo also told them all that Otis shared about the Baron and his mustering of troops and equipment.
”You may be too quick to judge, Milo.” began Mazi after she heard Brigit’s tale. ”Scrang may have indeed set some sort of enchantment upon Brigit, perhaps as payment for the healing. Maybe she wasn’t satisfied with the shields and rings.”
”Or me ointment! Tha’ ole witch drove a hard bargain!”
”Or your ointment,” Mazi agreed. ”We won’t be able to tell for sure until her enchantment takes affect. We’ll have to keep close watch on you until then.”
”Tha’s what Ah’ve been sayin’!”
”Well I’ve had enough intrigue for one day,” said Milo, ”I’m packing it in. It’s back to the temple tomorrow.”
Milo was still unconvinced of Mother Scrang’s ill intent. She was strange, and a little frightening when she’d go off about Hruda. Milo just couldn’t see her forcing Brigit to do anything horrible, not even to kidnap Milo for a crossbow wedding. These were his thoughts as he drifted off to slumber. Even with his surface feelings about Mother Scrang, Milo dreamt of Brigit stealing off with him in a knapsack at night. She brought him before Mother Scrang who cackled with delight. In his dream Milo was still in the form of the short, fat, bald man whom Mother Scrang knew. She forced him into a suit of finery and cackled with glee as she scooted him off to the town’s church. At the altar stood a woman with her back to him. He was drawn inexorably towards the altar, under no power of his own. The woman turned to face him, reaching a hand up to lift her veil…
Suddenly Milo woke with a start. Brigit was shaking him gently.
”Ya were screamin’, laddie.” she said with uncharacteristic gentleness. ”It’s yer turn fer watch.”
Milo found that he and his bedroll were soaked with sweat. His hair was plastered to his skull. He took a few moments to get his bearings and compose his wits. He spent the rest of the night reconsidering his thoughts on Mother Scrang.
They were up before dawn; Milo woke them as the first birds tentatively chirped to each other in the trees. Camp was struck with practiced alacrity and they were soon on the way back to the temple. They discussed options en route. There were only one or two rooms unexplored on the second level. There was also the matter of the chained merman. They figured that he needed to be dealt with one way or another. Brigit had a potion of water-breathing as well. They’d figure something out one way or another.
There was a single door near the Water Temple that was bolted from the other side. Milo was certain they’d find a secret door in the vicinity that would reveal what was hidden behind. The trip down into the temple was quiet. It seemed that all of the patrols had been dealt with already. Milo scoured the walls near the door. He led them farther and farther from the portal.
Finally, just as the others were ready to give up on him, Milo found what he was looking for. The secret door was near the Air Temple and the site of Brigit’s close encounter with the wraith. The door swung inward, revealing a forked passage. To the right was a curved hallway that led to a set of stairs leading down into the darkness. To the left was a hall lined with piles of armor and an ironbound chest. The hall ended in a curtain. The others examined the armor while Milo busied himself with the chest.
Perhaps overconfident, Milo did a cursory check for traps before attempting to unlock the sturdy container. He felt a wash of dread as he heard the click of the needle trap in the lock. Milo yelped in pain as the sharp point of the needle embedded itself in his finger. He yanked his hand back and stood up.
”Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Milo said to himself.
A wave of nausea washed over him as the poison made it’s way through his bloodstream. Milo fought the ill effects inwardly as the others gathered around him concernedly. It took him a second to realize that the nausea had passed. It seemed that he weathered the poison with no affect.
”Ha! Teach them to use weak poison against me!”
He doubled over suddenly as a new wave of nausea swept through him. He suddenly felt weak and stumbled to one knee. Mazi steadied him as he tried to shake the effects off. He had no luck this time. The slow acting poison had done it’s damage.
”Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Milo said again.
He was ready to stand on his own in a few seconds, but could tell that his muscles needed time to recuperate from the poison still in his veins.
”You going to be alright, Milo?” asked Mazi.
”Yeah, I’ll just need to rest after we’re done today. Now I know how Brigit felt.”
Aw, ya look fine, laddie. If Ah looked as good as ya do now when Ah was hit by tha’ damnable wraith, then Ah don’ know what all tha fuss was about.”
”Thanks Brigit, I get the message. I’m going to spring that lock now, if it’s the last thing I do.”
Milo did just that. He swung the lid back with satisfaction and peered into the spoils. He was disappointed to find a paltry sum of eleven gold pieces and some silver. He checked the lining and the walls of the chest, but it seemed to be a normal, everyday box.
”Ach, well ya canna always have everythin’, eh Milo?” Brigit said as she slapped him on the back good-naturedly.
Milo stumbled from the blow and had to steady himself on the wall. ”Thanks Brigit, but how about holding back on the friendly pats until I get some rest?”
Brigit had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.
The curtain hid a room with a table and chairs. The bolted door was on the far wall. A few pewter dishes were scattered on the table but there were no diners. Milo searched the room. Another hidden door was concealed to the right of their entrance. The door led out into an offshoot of the grand hall.
”That’s it as far as I can see.” said Mazi as she poured over her map.
”I suppose that leaves our telepathic friend in the pool then.” Milo said with a sigh. ”Let’s get to it.”
They entered the room from the north this time, the farthest point from the pool of water. The merman remained at the bottom of the pool, still chained.
”You’ve returned! It’s not too late, you must help me!” came the pleading voice in their minds again.
”Not too late for what? You’ve been going on about nothing ever since we first found you.” Milo said out loud.
”He’s still coming! The beast is still coming!”
”Keep your fins on. We’re just about ready.” Milo said.
He turned to Brigit. She had just activated her ring of freedom of movement and was about to drink her potion of water breathing. Milo decided some extra precaution was needed. He still didn’t trust the situation. Milo focused and prayed for protection against water. He imparted his blessing on Brigit. She shimmered with a blue haze for a second before returning to normal.
”Just in case something in there isn’t friendly.”
Brigit nodded and downed a dose of the water-breathing potion. She handed Jeremiah her rope of entanglement for an emergency. The others stood back and watched as she slowly stepped into the water. As soon as the sturdy dwarf was waist deep, about three feet past the edge, the water began to churn. Her armor and gear started to sizzle in the frothy water.
”Get out of there, Brigit!” Mazi shouted.
Jeremiah readied his sword, peering into the churning pool. Brigit backpedaled as quickly as possible, making it to the edge before any of her armor was eaten through. It appeared the Milo’s spell was just enough protection to get her out.
The voice in their heads turned even more urgent. ”Please hurry! Get me out of here.”
”Oh no. I see what’s happening here. You’re probably not even real.” Milo said, ”In fact, I’d wager that this whole pool of ‘water’ is what’s actually doing this.”
”Let’s test that theory,” Mazi said.
A few seconds later a lightning bolt jagged from her finger and struck the water. The electricity played across the surface for a few seconds before dissipating.
”Nooooo!” came the shrieking mental voice.
”I think you’re onto something, Milo. The lightning didn’t seem to do too much though.” Mazi said.
”Hmm, let’s try a knife spray then.” Milo replied.
Milo finished his prayer and gestured at the pool. A stream of coalesced air formed into tiny shards and sped into the pool. The water on the surface slowed, almost congealing. The shrieking in their head intensified. The water was back to normal in seconds though. They could see the merman at the bottom writhing.
”Better, but we’re getting no where.” Milo said.
A sudden thought struck him. They had found a scroll not too long ago with the spell control water scribed. Milo fished out the parchment and located the incantation. He spoke the divine words and forced the water to lower. The shrieks became mentally painful then.
”I think we’ve hit on something.” Milo said, ”Too bad that’s my only control water spell.”
Just then Brigit stepped forward. Milo glanced at her before turning back to the pool. Something in her face made him look again.
”Ach, it’s hot in here. Ah need a bit O’ a bath, methinks.” Brigit said absentmindedly.
The dwarf stepped closer to the pool. Jeremiah was faster. He spoke the command word and Brigit’s rope sprung into action. She was soon trussed up just as Milo had been days before. Jer gave a strong tug and she toppled. Brigit shook her head as if clearing cobwebs from her mind.
”Wha’? What was Ah thinin’?”
”Don’t know, don’t do it again.” Jeremiah said.
He let her free and the four turned again to the pool.
”Stop! Please stop! I’ll give you anything! Anything you desire!” the voice in their minds persisted.
”We don’ make deals wi’ demons, devils, or tha likes O’ ya!” Brigit spat into the pool.
The water shuddered. Milo wracked his brain for any spells that dealt with water. All he had was a scroll of purify food and drink as well as one prepared. Stumped and with nothing better to do, he prayed for the pool to be purified.
Aauuuugghhh!” screamed the voice in their heads.
The water literally boiled at the effect of the purity. Milo grinned. He fished out the scroll with the same spell. Again the voice wailed and the water churned. It didn’t seem to be enough to finish off the mysterious being. The water settled.
”What about this?” Mazi said, holding up a vial of holy water.
”It’s worth a try.” Milo answered.
Mazi emptied the vial into the pool. The water boiled on contact with the blessed fluid. Milo whistled in appreciation. He emptied all of his vials, as did Brigit, Mazi, and Jeremiah. The water boiled and frothed but the voice never stopped wailing. Milo was beginning to get a splitting headache.
”It’s really hot in here. Ah need a drink.” said Brigit as she poured her last vial of holy water into the pool.
Jeremiah was ready with the rope. A few seconds later Brigit lay bound next to the pool, still trying to reach the edge. Her lips protruded as she tried to drink some of the tainted water.
”Thirsty? Wait a second, let’s try plain water.” Milo said.
Again the water boiled and frothed as they emptied their water skins into the pool. The screaming seemed to die down slightly as they each contributed their personal supplies. Just as the last drop from Jeremiah’s water skin fell the screaming ceased. The blue glow that suffused the room winked out. The crystal on the ceiling had grown dark. Suddenly, with the sound of ice on a lake thawing in spring, a jagged crack snaked along the face of the crystal. The ceiling shattered into thousands of tiny shards that rained down into the now still pool. The merman was nowhere to be seen.
”Whew,” sighed Milo, ”I was about ready to drop my trousers and relieve myself. Wonder if it would have worked?”
”Get me outta this thing!”
”Oops, sorry Brigit.”
In the heat of the moment they had forgotten the dwarf lying next to the pool. She had narrowly avoided a few stray shards by rolling this way and that. Jeremiah spoke the command word and the rope loosened, allowing Brigit to go free.
”Sorry ‘bout tha’. Ah don’ know what came over me.”
”Some sort of suggestion or hypnotism I’d imagine,” Mazi conjectured.
”Ya see what Ah mean? First moment we’re up ‘gainst anythin’ like tha’ an’ Ah’m tha first ta go.”
Milo listened half-heartedly to the conversation as he surveyed the wreckage. Most of the shards had sunk to the bottom of the pool. Floating near the far edge he could see a coral tube. Milo walked to the edge and knelt next to the pool.
”Milo! What are you doing?” Mazi shouted.
Jeremiah brandished the rope and started forward before Milo spoke.
”It’s a scrollcase, I’m not thirsty.”
Mazi laid a hand on Jeremiah’s arm and he lowered the rope. Milo fished the case out, unafraid of the water now that the creature had been destroyed. Inside the case he found a parchment. It was a note written in common. Milo read it aloud.
”On three in six lies nine,
But none shall ever see,
A vile good cloaked in fair evil for eternity,
Who will answer, Answerer?
Where is your power, pray?
With the wealth of Karemeikos,
And there until Doomsday.”
The four looked at each other in puzzlement. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke. Mazi broke the silence.
”The Answerer, that’s the name of the Duke’s sword. This does not bode well.”
Brigit hurriedly explained everything that she remembered from Mother Scrang’s, including the foreboding message she received when she was half awake.
”Hmmm, that is odd. I don’t know if it’s something we have to worry about though.” Milo said after some thought.
”Mebbe not, but Ah canna shake tha feelin’ tha’ she’s got somethin’ planned for tha lot O’ us. Tha’ just don’t bode well.” Brigit said, ”‘Specially seein’ how fond O’ ya she is. Who knows, she may be forcin’ me ta bring ya back ‘gainst yer will.”
”I can honestly say I’ve never seen you so scared of anything in the whole time I’ve known you.” Milo said with surprise. ”Very well, we’ll be on our guards. We’ll tell the others when we get back. You just be sure to tell us if you feel anything out of the ordinary.”
”Aye, Ah will. But ya gotta watch too. Ya know Ah’m tha first ta go when we’re up ‘gainst finger-wagglers. One look in me eye an’ they already got me held er some other humiliatin’ enchantment. It ain’t right.”
Milo turned to Otis. The balding blacksmith was amused by his customer’s discussion.
”I’m afraid we have to go. Thanks for all of your help Otis. Take good care of the animals.”
With that Milo pressed a few more gold coins to his palm and waved goodbye. The two were soon out of town and nearing the edge of the forest. The dark closeness of the trees enveloped them as they entered the woods. A false twilight set upon them under the boughs of the ancient oaks and the occasional drooping willow. Brigit plodded next to Milo morosely.
”Cheer up Brigit, you’re back to full health!” Milo said.
”Aye, but Ah don’ feel as well as Ah did ‘fore Scrang laid tha’ li’l bit on me.”
”We’ve been through worse. Remember in the cursed caves when you decided you had to touch the smoky glass? You almost jumped Mazi with your axe! Besides, we’ll keep close watch. I really don’t think Mother Scrang is that malicious.”
”Ah suppose. We’ll see.”
They walked the rest of the way to camp in silence. Milo reflected on the time that had passed since Usamigaras last visited him. His God was weakening and it was up to him to rescue His people. Milo fretted inwardly at the time it was taking them to find Brigit’s family and clear out the temple. He also worried that the others wouldn’t be interested in accompanying him to the shires to help him. He had spent most of his life alone and thought that was the way he preferred it. Now that he thought about it, the others had become like a family to him. He hated the thought of parting after all they had been through together. His resolve strengthened, he would do everything in his power to make sure they stayed together.
They made camp by nightfall. It was hard to determine under the leafy canopy of the forest, but the telltale sounds of evening slowly took over. The chirping of the birds was replaced by the song of the crickets. An owl hooted in the tree above their path. A lone wolf howled in the distance. The fire of the camp was a welcome sight to Milo’s eyes. He envied Brigit her darkvision at times. Milo cheerfully strode into camp.
”We have returned!” he said with a flourish.
Brigit dragged her feet into the circle and slumped to the ground.
”What’s wrong?” asked Mazi, ”Couldn’t Mother Scrang help?”
”Oh aye, she ‘helped’ a’right. Gave me some sort O’ gease along wi’ the healin’, Ah’m sure.”
”I think you may be exaggerating things a little,” Milo said, ”Mother Scrang gave Brigit some sort of message as she healed her.”
Mazi and Jer listened intently as Brigit told of her visit to Scrang. Milo also told them all that Otis shared about the Baron and his mustering of troops and equipment.
”You may be too quick to judge, Milo.” began Mazi after she heard Brigit’s tale. ”Scrang may have indeed set some sort of enchantment upon Brigit, perhaps as payment for the healing. Maybe she wasn’t satisfied with the shields and rings.”
”Or me ointment! Tha’ ole witch drove a hard bargain!”
”Or your ointment,” Mazi agreed. ”We won’t be able to tell for sure until her enchantment takes affect. We’ll have to keep close watch on you until then.”
”Tha’s what Ah’ve been sayin’!”
”Well I’ve had enough intrigue for one day,” said Milo, ”I’m packing it in. It’s back to the temple tomorrow.”
Milo was still unconvinced of Mother Scrang’s ill intent. She was strange, and a little frightening when she’d go off about Hruda. Milo just couldn’t see her forcing Brigit to do anything horrible, not even to kidnap Milo for a crossbow wedding. These were his thoughts as he drifted off to slumber. Even with his surface feelings about Mother Scrang, Milo dreamt of Brigit stealing off with him in a knapsack at night. She brought him before Mother Scrang who cackled with delight. In his dream Milo was still in the form of the short, fat, bald man whom Mother Scrang knew. She forced him into a suit of finery and cackled with glee as she scooted him off to the town’s church. At the altar stood a woman with her back to him. He was drawn inexorably towards the altar, under no power of his own. The woman turned to face him, reaching a hand up to lift her veil…
Suddenly Milo woke with a start. Brigit was shaking him gently.
”Ya were screamin’, laddie.” she said with uncharacteristic gentleness. ”It’s yer turn fer watch.”
Milo found that he and his bedroll were soaked with sweat. His hair was plastered to his skull. He took a few moments to get his bearings and compose his wits. He spent the rest of the night reconsidering his thoughts on Mother Scrang.
They were up before dawn; Milo woke them as the first birds tentatively chirped to each other in the trees. Camp was struck with practiced alacrity and they were soon on the way back to the temple. They discussed options en route. There were only one or two rooms unexplored on the second level. There was also the matter of the chained merman. They figured that he needed to be dealt with one way or another. Brigit had a potion of water-breathing as well. They’d figure something out one way or another.
There was a single door near the Water Temple that was bolted from the other side. Milo was certain they’d find a secret door in the vicinity that would reveal what was hidden behind. The trip down into the temple was quiet. It seemed that all of the patrols had been dealt with already. Milo scoured the walls near the door. He led them farther and farther from the portal.
Finally, just as the others were ready to give up on him, Milo found what he was looking for. The secret door was near the Air Temple and the site of Brigit’s close encounter with the wraith. The door swung inward, revealing a forked passage. To the right was a curved hallway that led to a set of stairs leading down into the darkness. To the left was a hall lined with piles of armor and an ironbound chest. The hall ended in a curtain. The others examined the armor while Milo busied himself with the chest.
Perhaps overconfident, Milo did a cursory check for traps before attempting to unlock the sturdy container. He felt a wash of dread as he heard the click of the needle trap in the lock. Milo yelped in pain as the sharp point of the needle embedded itself in his finger. He yanked his hand back and stood up.
”Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Milo said to himself.
A wave of nausea washed over him as the poison made it’s way through his bloodstream. Milo fought the ill effects inwardly as the others gathered around him concernedly. It took him a second to realize that the nausea had passed. It seemed that he weathered the poison with no affect.
”Ha! Teach them to use weak poison against me!”
He doubled over suddenly as a new wave of nausea swept through him. He suddenly felt weak and stumbled to one knee. Mazi steadied him as he tried to shake the effects off. He had no luck this time. The slow acting poison had done it’s damage.
”Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Milo said again.
He was ready to stand on his own in a few seconds, but could tell that his muscles needed time to recuperate from the poison still in his veins.
”You going to be alright, Milo?” asked Mazi.
”Yeah, I’ll just need to rest after we’re done today. Now I know how Brigit felt.”
Aw, ya look fine, laddie. If Ah looked as good as ya do now when Ah was hit by tha’ damnable wraith, then Ah don’ know what all tha fuss was about.”
”Thanks Brigit, I get the message. I’m going to spring that lock now, if it’s the last thing I do.”
Milo did just that. He swung the lid back with satisfaction and peered into the spoils. He was disappointed to find a paltry sum of eleven gold pieces and some silver. He checked the lining and the walls of the chest, but it seemed to be a normal, everyday box.
”Ach, well ya canna always have everythin’, eh Milo?” Brigit said as she slapped him on the back good-naturedly.
Milo stumbled from the blow and had to steady himself on the wall. ”Thanks Brigit, but how about holding back on the friendly pats until I get some rest?”
Brigit had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.
The curtain hid a room with a table and chairs. The bolted door was on the far wall. A few pewter dishes were scattered on the table but there were no diners. Milo searched the room. Another hidden door was concealed to the right of their entrance. The door led out into an offshoot of the grand hall.
”That’s it as far as I can see.” said Mazi as she poured over her map.
”I suppose that leaves our telepathic friend in the pool then.” Milo said with a sigh. ”Let’s get to it.”
They entered the room from the north this time, the farthest point from the pool of water. The merman remained at the bottom of the pool, still chained.
”You’ve returned! It’s not too late, you must help me!” came the pleading voice in their minds again.
”Not too late for what? You’ve been going on about nothing ever since we first found you.” Milo said out loud.
”He’s still coming! The beast is still coming!”
”Keep your fins on. We’re just about ready.” Milo said.
He turned to Brigit. She had just activated her ring of freedom of movement and was about to drink her potion of water breathing. Milo decided some extra precaution was needed. He still didn’t trust the situation. Milo focused and prayed for protection against water. He imparted his blessing on Brigit. She shimmered with a blue haze for a second before returning to normal.
”Just in case something in there isn’t friendly.”
Brigit nodded and downed a dose of the water-breathing potion. She handed Jeremiah her rope of entanglement for an emergency. The others stood back and watched as she slowly stepped into the water. As soon as the sturdy dwarf was waist deep, about three feet past the edge, the water began to churn. Her armor and gear started to sizzle in the frothy water.
”Get out of there, Brigit!” Mazi shouted.
Jeremiah readied his sword, peering into the churning pool. Brigit backpedaled as quickly as possible, making it to the edge before any of her armor was eaten through. It appeared the Milo’s spell was just enough protection to get her out.
The voice in their heads turned even more urgent. ”Please hurry! Get me out of here.”
”Oh no. I see what’s happening here. You’re probably not even real.” Milo said, ”In fact, I’d wager that this whole pool of ‘water’ is what’s actually doing this.”
”Let’s test that theory,” Mazi said.
A few seconds later a lightning bolt jagged from her finger and struck the water. The electricity played across the surface for a few seconds before dissipating.
”Nooooo!” came the shrieking mental voice.
”I think you’re onto something, Milo. The lightning didn’t seem to do too much though.” Mazi said.
”Hmm, let’s try a knife spray then.” Milo replied.
Milo finished his prayer and gestured at the pool. A stream of coalesced air formed into tiny shards and sped into the pool. The water on the surface slowed, almost congealing. The shrieking in their head intensified. The water was back to normal in seconds though. They could see the merman at the bottom writhing.
”Better, but we’re getting no where.” Milo said.
A sudden thought struck him. They had found a scroll not too long ago with the spell control water scribed. Milo fished out the parchment and located the incantation. He spoke the divine words and forced the water to lower. The shrieks became mentally painful then.
”I think we’ve hit on something.” Milo said, ”Too bad that’s my only control water spell.”
Just then Brigit stepped forward. Milo glanced at her before turning back to the pool. Something in her face made him look again.
”Ach, it’s hot in here. Ah need a bit O’ a bath, methinks.” Brigit said absentmindedly.
The dwarf stepped closer to the pool. Jeremiah was faster. He spoke the command word and Brigit’s rope sprung into action. She was soon trussed up just as Milo had been days before. Jer gave a strong tug and she toppled. Brigit shook her head as if clearing cobwebs from her mind.
”Wha’? What was Ah thinin’?”
”Don’t know, don’t do it again.” Jeremiah said.
He let her free and the four turned again to the pool.
”Stop! Please stop! I’ll give you anything! Anything you desire!” the voice in their minds persisted.
”We don’ make deals wi’ demons, devils, or tha likes O’ ya!” Brigit spat into the pool.
The water shuddered. Milo wracked his brain for any spells that dealt with water. All he had was a scroll of purify food and drink as well as one prepared. Stumped and with nothing better to do, he prayed for the pool to be purified.
Aauuuugghhh!” screamed the voice in their heads.
The water literally boiled at the effect of the purity. Milo grinned. He fished out the scroll with the same spell. Again the voice wailed and the water churned. It didn’t seem to be enough to finish off the mysterious being. The water settled.
”What about this?” Mazi said, holding up a vial of holy water.
”It’s worth a try.” Milo answered.
Mazi emptied the vial into the pool. The water boiled on contact with the blessed fluid. Milo whistled in appreciation. He emptied all of his vials, as did Brigit, Mazi, and Jeremiah. The water boiled and frothed but the voice never stopped wailing. Milo was beginning to get a splitting headache.
”It’s really hot in here. Ah need a drink.” said Brigit as she poured her last vial of holy water into the pool.
Jeremiah was ready with the rope. A few seconds later Brigit lay bound next to the pool, still trying to reach the edge. Her lips protruded as she tried to drink some of the tainted water.
”Thirsty? Wait a second, let’s try plain water.” Milo said.
Again the water boiled and frothed as they emptied their water skins into the pool. The screaming seemed to die down slightly as they each contributed their personal supplies. Just as the last drop from Jeremiah’s water skin fell the screaming ceased. The blue glow that suffused the room winked out. The crystal on the ceiling had grown dark. Suddenly, with the sound of ice on a lake thawing in spring, a jagged crack snaked along the face of the crystal. The ceiling shattered into thousands of tiny shards that rained down into the now still pool. The merman was nowhere to be seen.
”Whew,” sighed Milo, ”I was about ready to drop my trousers and relieve myself. Wonder if it would have worked?”
”Get me outta this thing!”
”Oops, sorry Brigit.”
In the heat of the moment they had forgotten the dwarf lying next to the pool. She had narrowly avoided a few stray shards by rolling this way and that. Jeremiah spoke the command word and the rope loosened, allowing Brigit to go free.
”Sorry ‘bout tha’. Ah don’ know what came over me.”
”Some sort of suggestion or hypnotism I’d imagine,” Mazi conjectured.
”Ya see what Ah mean? First moment we’re up ‘gainst anythin’ like tha’ an’ Ah’m tha first ta go.”
Milo listened half-heartedly to the conversation as he surveyed the wreckage. Most of the shards had sunk to the bottom of the pool. Floating near the far edge he could see a coral tube. Milo walked to the edge and knelt next to the pool.
”Milo! What are you doing?” Mazi shouted.
Jeremiah brandished the rope and started forward before Milo spoke.
”It’s a scrollcase, I’m not thirsty.”
Mazi laid a hand on Jeremiah’s arm and he lowered the rope. Milo fished the case out, unafraid of the water now that the creature had been destroyed. Inside the case he found a parchment. It was a note written in common. Milo read it aloud.
”On three in six lies nine,
But none shall ever see,
A vile good cloaked in fair evil for eternity,
Who will answer, Answerer?
Where is your power, pray?
With the wealth of Karemeikos,
And there until Doomsday.”
The four looked at each other in puzzlement. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke. Mazi broke the silence.
”The Answerer, that’s the name of the Duke’s sword. This does not bode well.”
Brigit Deeperdown
First Post
bum bum bum
I just wanted to share the Bum bum bummmm. What will happen next boys and girls? Will they discover what the riddle means? Will they find the wealth? Will they survive? Tune in next time for Milo's next post.
Edited for spelling & grammar
I just wanted to share the Bum bum bummmm. What will happen next boys and girls? Will they discover what the riddle means? Will they find the wealth? Will they survive? Tune in next time for Milo's next post.
Edited for spelling & grammar
Last edited:
Milo Windby
First Post
Temple of Elemental Evil - Part 47 (session 20)
Stumped by the meaning of the scroll they found, the heroes decided to retire for the night and think on it before they ventured to the next floor. That night they discussed possible meanings of the message. After some discussion they settled down for sleep no closer to a solution to the riddle than before.
Morning found them as stumped as the night before. Nonplussed, the four friends decided to head back into the temple. Perhaps more investigation on the next floor would shed some light on their puzzle.
The temple was eerily quiet on the first two floors. Mazi pointed out all of the stairs they had uncovered during their initial search of the second basement floor. One of the staircases they had discovered behind a secret door so recently seemed to be the perfect place to go down. The stony steps led deep into the darkness. The familiar dank smell of the temple filled their nostrils as they carefully made their way down. The stairs ended in a dead-end with a single door set in the north wall.
The door led to a passageway running east to west. To the east they found an oddly angled room lined with shelves. The room struck Milo as odd, it was the first time they had seen anything on shelves that were completely intact. Mazi seemed the most interested in the varied bottles and flasks crowding the shelves.
"There must be enough spell components in here to cast just about anything!" she said excitedly.
"Wha? Ya mean all this worthless dreck? There ain't anythin' in here worth packin' 'round." Brigit decided.
"Speak for yourself." Mazi said as she pored over the labels on the closest shelf.
"Well these might come in handy," Milo said as he picked up some empty flasks. "I can bless some water and fill the flasks, since we used all of ours upstairs."
"Tha's more like it. Ah'll carry 'round as many of those as ya like." Brigit said.
Milo and Mazi took some time to scan the shelves and stock up on empty flasks and spell components. Mazi grinned from ear to ear as she practically skipped from shelf to shelf of arcane material.
The other end of the passageway twisted around a sharp bend before coming to an intersection. One way led to the north, the other continued to the west. The northern passage led them around another corner into circular room. This room was filled with tables, lined orderly in rows. Upon the tables were beakers, glass tubes, and other alchemical devices. A table full of pottery turned out to be alchemical supplies. Mazi identified many of the powders and liquids. She paused at a pot full of what appeared to be liquid silver.
"Hmmm, quicksilver. This would sell for a pretty copper, Brigit. Quicksilver is valued highly by many alchemists." Mazi said slyly.
"Really? How much?" came Brigit's answer.
"Oh, I don't know. This much quicksilver would probably go for a few hundred gold back home."
"Well then, Ah can hold onta some O' that."
"And this," she said as held up a flask from a matched set. "is acid, sulfuric I believe."
"Now tha' can come in handy! Gimme some O' tha' stuff." Brigit said eagerly.
Brigit stowed five flasks of the corrosive liquid in her pack, cushioned by an empty sack she carried around. They split many of the rest of the ingredients between the four. Mazi estimated that there was over a thousand gold pieces worth of potion brewing material.
Back at the intersection they found the western passage slanted to the north before emptying into another hallway heading north and south. They kept to the "right turn only" mantra and followed the passage to its end. A stout oak door opened into a short east-west passage. Both ends of the passage opened to the north into a large workroom. Tables, desks, and shelves were arrayed in an orderly fashion along the walls. To the west was a small fountain and to the east was a supply area of sorts.
Milo approached the nearest desk first. Just as he neared the desk a thin tentacle whipped out towards his feet. His quick reflexes saved him from being wrapped up and hauled under the desk to an unknown fate.
As Milo tumbled backwards the owner of the tentacle slinked out from under the desk.
"A roper! That's all we need." Mazi groaned.
The amorphous body of the roper elongated to a pillar of greyish flesh with constantly shifting tentacles. The creature's only eye focused on the speaker, Mazi. One of its rope-like tentacles shot out towards the elf. Mazi wasn't nimble enough to avoid its steely grip. The roper hauled back and Mazi was inexorably drawn to the creature's opening maw.
A quick count revealed to Milo that five more tentacles were free to attack the three free heroes. He prayed for assistance in the form of as many summoned creatures as his god could spare. Three celestial badgers winked into existance around the roper. Milo hoped they'd be enough distraction for the roper to spare them the tentacles until they could vanquish it.
Brigit and Jeremiah tried to keep their distance but attacked fiercely with their bows. The roper's rubbery hide was difficult to pierce but they were able to exact a small amount of damage. Brigit snarled in frustration. Milo's hope for the badger's assistance was short lived as three tentacles snaked out and rendered all three completely helpless in a matter of seconds.
Milo was next to feel the creature's constricting hold. The tentacle shot behind him before looping around his waist and pulling him towards the central pillar. Milo struggled to break free but found his strength was severely sapped from the roper's paralyzing hold.
Jeremiah was soon in the same predicament as Milo and Mazi. The roper snagged his armor in its inflexible grip and yanked him off his feet. His gauntleted fingers scraped the stone floor as he was dragged to the roper's waiting mouth.
Left alone to face the roper, Brigit dropped her bow and drew her axes. She brandished them high and charged with a dwarven battle cry. Her axes bit deep into the roper's flesh, but weren't enough to free her comrades. She was hard pressed as she avoided the other three tentacles. Only her dwarven fortitude kept her from being affected by the creature's paralyzing touch.
Milo twisted and turned as he tried to free himself. He managed to twist his shoulder back enough to free some slack and dropped to the ground. He immediately began a prayer to strengthen his allies and weaken the roper.
Brigit continued to hack away at the creature, finding the job considerably easier with two tentacles focused on Milo and two on herself. Jeremiah and Mazi continued to struggle in the adamantine hold of the roper.
Milo despaired, the roper showed no signs of weakening. He drew a scroll that he had been saving for emergencies. The flame strike spell was the most powerful spell he had in his arsenal. He spoke the divine incantation and gestured to the roper, centering the strike away from his companions. The holy flames rained down on the creature with a loud 'woosh'. Milo grinned in satisfaction. His smile was soon replaced by a look of shock. As the flames cleared he could see that the roper was completely unscathed.
"They're...resistant..." wheezed Mazi as she struggled, "to...magic!"
Milo's curse changed to a shout of exclamation as one of the roper's tentacles reclaimed him. The air was filled with the heroes' shouts as the roper gnawed on each in turn. Brigit doggedly attacked over and over, batting away the persistent tentacles when they'd draw near.
Suddenly the roper's hold slackened. Brigit's Trollgrater came down with a final swing, embedding itself in the roper's single eye. She shouted in triumph as the pillar of gray flesh collapsed on itself. The others climbed to their feet shakily as Brigit took out her frustration on the remains of the roper.
Jeremiah, Milo, and Mazi took a few moments to steady themselves. All three felt weak after the struggle against the roper's touch. As Milo shook the cobwebs from his head he noticed a gleam in the roper's remains.
"Hold on a minute Brigit. What is that?"
"Wha?" Brigit paused, "Yer right, there is somethin' in there."
Brigit crouched and drew out a perfectly cut gem from the gory remains. She whistled in admiration at the fine craftsmanship as she stood to examine it closer. The gem was small, but well made. Brigit shuffled some of the gore around and found more of the precious jewels. She eventually crouched back down and rifled through the remains until she found twelve more of the stones.
Meanwhile Mazi had been examining the shelves. She came across three rolled scrolls near the fountain to the west. Unfurling the first, she began to read.
A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared near her with a loud noise. The acrid smell of the smoke caused Milo's eyes to water. He squinted into the smoke as it cleared. Standing before them was a skeletal demon, its grinning skull peered directly at Mazi.
"You summoned me, fleshling?" the demon's voice was like a thousand screaming voices combined into one.
"Errrr, no."
"No matter, I'm in no mood for games."
The demon attacked Mazi with his serrated long sword. She leaped out of the way, but the spell she was working on was lost in the ether. Brigit had already reached into her pack. She drew her rope of entanglement and aimed it for the demon's back. The rope wrapped around the demon, hampering its movements.
Milo intoned a prayer and centered the effect on the demon. It reeled from the sound blast but kept fighting. Mazi took the chance to finish her spell. The jagged lightning bolt sprang from her finger to play over the skeletal demon's bare bones. Brigit and Jeremiah jumped into the battle then, wary of their friends' spells.
The demon couldn't withstand the combined attack from the burly dwarf and huge human. Milo and Mazi continued to cast. Another lightning bolt, perfectly aimed to miss Brigit and Jeremiah, slammed into the demon. Milo's sword stream and knife spray finished the infernal beast off. The demon's skeleton seemed to fracture in all over before imploding on itself into a pile of dust.
"Does anyone know what demons do when they get desperate?" Milo asked. "We're lucky we finished him off so quickly."
"Nah, wha' do demon's do?" Brigit asked as she scattered the demon dust.
"Thorough, Brigit, very thorough" Milo said before answering. "They tend to call for help when the going is rough."
"More demons? I don't think we could have handled more than this one."
"Ach, bring 'em on Ah say." Brigit scoffed.
"Easy for you to say, you weren't sucked dry by the roper." Milo countered, "I couldn't have scratched a pudding with my axes, much less that thing."
"I'm with Milo. One demon is one too many." Mazi said as she absent-mindedly opening another scroll.
"Wait!" all three of her friends shouted in unison.
"Let me see if I can detect evil on the other two." Milo said after they caught their breath.
Milo prayed for the insight to detect evil and focused on the remaining scrolls. He couldn't tell a difference until he looked at the scroll at Mazi's feet. The residual taint of evil still hung about the parchment like a greasy cloud.
"Nope, those scrolls seem unmarked." he said.
Mazi opened the first one and read its contents.
"This has four spells scribed!" she said eagerly, "Polymorph other, charm monster, fly, and magic mouth! I can scribe those to my book."
"How about the other?" Milo asked.
Mazi peered at the scroll. She turned it upside down and sideways. She squinted at the printed text, obviously confused.
"Can't make it out. It doesn't make much sense."
Milo grabbed the parchment from her loose hands. He could understand the script perfectly.
"That's because this isn't arcane writing," he told Mazi, "There's an animate dead spell on here. Oh, and raise dead and restoration spells too. Excellent! We could probably use the restoration spell after the fight with the roper."
"Aye, ya prolly could. But let's use it outside. If yer all weak Ah don' wanna stick 'round to see wha' other demons come outta tha woodwork." Brigit seemed to have taken Milo's warning to heart.
They left the temple for the relative safety of the woods. Milo was a little disappointed that they didn't have more time to explore the third floor of the temple, but three of them were in dire need of rest. The next day Milo prayed for restorative magic. His lesser restoration spells weren't enough to heal all three of them in one day. The group wound up spending more time in the forest than they had planned. It was three days before they were ready to head into the depths of the temple again.
Stumped by the meaning of the scroll they found, the heroes decided to retire for the night and think on it before they ventured to the next floor. That night they discussed possible meanings of the message. After some discussion they settled down for sleep no closer to a solution to the riddle than before.
Morning found them as stumped as the night before. Nonplussed, the four friends decided to head back into the temple. Perhaps more investigation on the next floor would shed some light on their puzzle.
The temple was eerily quiet on the first two floors. Mazi pointed out all of the stairs they had uncovered during their initial search of the second basement floor. One of the staircases they had discovered behind a secret door so recently seemed to be the perfect place to go down. The stony steps led deep into the darkness. The familiar dank smell of the temple filled their nostrils as they carefully made their way down. The stairs ended in a dead-end with a single door set in the north wall.
The door led to a passageway running east to west. To the east they found an oddly angled room lined with shelves. The room struck Milo as odd, it was the first time they had seen anything on shelves that were completely intact. Mazi seemed the most interested in the varied bottles and flasks crowding the shelves.
"There must be enough spell components in here to cast just about anything!" she said excitedly.
"Wha? Ya mean all this worthless dreck? There ain't anythin' in here worth packin' 'round." Brigit decided.
"Speak for yourself." Mazi said as she pored over the labels on the closest shelf.
"Well these might come in handy," Milo said as he picked up some empty flasks. "I can bless some water and fill the flasks, since we used all of ours upstairs."
"Tha's more like it. Ah'll carry 'round as many of those as ya like." Brigit said.
Milo and Mazi took some time to scan the shelves and stock up on empty flasks and spell components. Mazi grinned from ear to ear as she practically skipped from shelf to shelf of arcane material.
The other end of the passageway twisted around a sharp bend before coming to an intersection. One way led to the north, the other continued to the west. The northern passage led them around another corner into circular room. This room was filled with tables, lined orderly in rows. Upon the tables were beakers, glass tubes, and other alchemical devices. A table full of pottery turned out to be alchemical supplies. Mazi identified many of the powders and liquids. She paused at a pot full of what appeared to be liquid silver.
"Hmmm, quicksilver. This would sell for a pretty copper, Brigit. Quicksilver is valued highly by many alchemists." Mazi said slyly.
"Really? How much?" came Brigit's answer.
"Oh, I don't know. This much quicksilver would probably go for a few hundred gold back home."
"Well then, Ah can hold onta some O' that."
"And this," she said as held up a flask from a matched set. "is acid, sulfuric I believe."
"Now tha' can come in handy! Gimme some O' tha' stuff." Brigit said eagerly.
Brigit stowed five flasks of the corrosive liquid in her pack, cushioned by an empty sack she carried around. They split many of the rest of the ingredients between the four. Mazi estimated that there was over a thousand gold pieces worth of potion brewing material.
Back at the intersection they found the western passage slanted to the north before emptying into another hallway heading north and south. They kept to the "right turn only" mantra and followed the passage to its end. A stout oak door opened into a short east-west passage. Both ends of the passage opened to the north into a large workroom. Tables, desks, and shelves were arrayed in an orderly fashion along the walls. To the west was a small fountain and to the east was a supply area of sorts.
Milo approached the nearest desk first. Just as he neared the desk a thin tentacle whipped out towards his feet. His quick reflexes saved him from being wrapped up and hauled under the desk to an unknown fate.
As Milo tumbled backwards the owner of the tentacle slinked out from under the desk.
"A roper! That's all we need." Mazi groaned.
The amorphous body of the roper elongated to a pillar of greyish flesh with constantly shifting tentacles. The creature's only eye focused on the speaker, Mazi. One of its rope-like tentacles shot out towards the elf. Mazi wasn't nimble enough to avoid its steely grip. The roper hauled back and Mazi was inexorably drawn to the creature's opening maw.
A quick count revealed to Milo that five more tentacles were free to attack the three free heroes. He prayed for assistance in the form of as many summoned creatures as his god could spare. Three celestial badgers winked into existance around the roper. Milo hoped they'd be enough distraction for the roper to spare them the tentacles until they could vanquish it.
Brigit and Jeremiah tried to keep their distance but attacked fiercely with their bows. The roper's rubbery hide was difficult to pierce but they were able to exact a small amount of damage. Brigit snarled in frustration. Milo's hope for the badger's assistance was short lived as three tentacles snaked out and rendered all three completely helpless in a matter of seconds.
Milo was next to feel the creature's constricting hold. The tentacle shot behind him before looping around his waist and pulling him towards the central pillar. Milo struggled to break free but found his strength was severely sapped from the roper's paralyzing hold.
Jeremiah was soon in the same predicament as Milo and Mazi. The roper snagged his armor in its inflexible grip and yanked him off his feet. His gauntleted fingers scraped the stone floor as he was dragged to the roper's waiting mouth.
Left alone to face the roper, Brigit dropped her bow and drew her axes. She brandished them high and charged with a dwarven battle cry. Her axes bit deep into the roper's flesh, but weren't enough to free her comrades. She was hard pressed as she avoided the other three tentacles. Only her dwarven fortitude kept her from being affected by the creature's paralyzing touch.
Milo twisted and turned as he tried to free himself. He managed to twist his shoulder back enough to free some slack and dropped to the ground. He immediately began a prayer to strengthen his allies and weaken the roper.
Brigit continued to hack away at the creature, finding the job considerably easier with two tentacles focused on Milo and two on herself. Jeremiah and Mazi continued to struggle in the adamantine hold of the roper.
Milo despaired, the roper showed no signs of weakening. He drew a scroll that he had been saving for emergencies. The flame strike spell was the most powerful spell he had in his arsenal. He spoke the divine incantation and gestured to the roper, centering the strike away from his companions. The holy flames rained down on the creature with a loud 'woosh'. Milo grinned in satisfaction. His smile was soon replaced by a look of shock. As the flames cleared he could see that the roper was completely unscathed.
"They're...resistant..." wheezed Mazi as she struggled, "to...magic!"
Milo's curse changed to a shout of exclamation as one of the roper's tentacles reclaimed him. The air was filled with the heroes' shouts as the roper gnawed on each in turn. Brigit doggedly attacked over and over, batting away the persistent tentacles when they'd draw near.
Suddenly the roper's hold slackened. Brigit's Trollgrater came down with a final swing, embedding itself in the roper's single eye. She shouted in triumph as the pillar of gray flesh collapsed on itself. The others climbed to their feet shakily as Brigit took out her frustration on the remains of the roper.
Jeremiah, Milo, and Mazi took a few moments to steady themselves. All three felt weak after the struggle against the roper's touch. As Milo shook the cobwebs from his head he noticed a gleam in the roper's remains.
"Hold on a minute Brigit. What is that?"
"Wha?" Brigit paused, "Yer right, there is somethin' in there."
Brigit crouched and drew out a perfectly cut gem from the gory remains. She whistled in admiration at the fine craftsmanship as she stood to examine it closer. The gem was small, but well made. Brigit shuffled some of the gore around and found more of the precious jewels. She eventually crouched back down and rifled through the remains until she found twelve more of the stones.
Meanwhile Mazi had been examining the shelves. She came across three rolled scrolls near the fountain to the west. Unfurling the first, she began to read.
A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared near her with a loud noise. The acrid smell of the smoke caused Milo's eyes to water. He squinted into the smoke as it cleared. Standing before them was a skeletal demon, its grinning skull peered directly at Mazi.
"You summoned me, fleshling?" the demon's voice was like a thousand screaming voices combined into one.
"Errrr, no."
"No matter, I'm in no mood for games."
The demon attacked Mazi with his serrated long sword. She leaped out of the way, but the spell she was working on was lost in the ether. Brigit had already reached into her pack. She drew her rope of entanglement and aimed it for the demon's back. The rope wrapped around the demon, hampering its movements.
Milo intoned a prayer and centered the effect on the demon. It reeled from the sound blast but kept fighting. Mazi took the chance to finish her spell. The jagged lightning bolt sprang from her finger to play over the skeletal demon's bare bones. Brigit and Jeremiah jumped into the battle then, wary of their friends' spells.
The demon couldn't withstand the combined attack from the burly dwarf and huge human. Milo and Mazi continued to cast. Another lightning bolt, perfectly aimed to miss Brigit and Jeremiah, slammed into the demon. Milo's sword stream and knife spray finished the infernal beast off. The demon's skeleton seemed to fracture in all over before imploding on itself into a pile of dust.
"Does anyone know what demons do when they get desperate?" Milo asked. "We're lucky we finished him off so quickly."
"Nah, wha' do demon's do?" Brigit asked as she scattered the demon dust.
"Thorough, Brigit, very thorough" Milo said before answering. "They tend to call for help when the going is rough."
"More demons? I don't think we could have handled more than this one."
"Ach, bring 'em on Ah say." Brigit scoffed.
"Easy for you to say, you weren't sucked dry by the roper." Milo countered, "I couldn't have scratched a pudding with my axes, much less that thing."
"I'm with Milo. One demon is one too many." Mazi said as she absent-mindedly opening another scroll.
"Wait!" all three of her friends shouted in unison.
"Let me see if I can detect evil on the other two." Milo said after they caught their breath.
Milo prayed for the insight to detect evil and focused on the remaining scrolls. He couldn't tell a difference until he looked at the scroll at Mazi's feet. The residual taint of evil still hung about the parchment like a greasy cloud.
"Nope, those scrolls seem unmarked." he said.
Mazi opened the first one and read its contents.
"This has four spells scribed!" she said eagerly, "Polymorph other, charm monster, fly, and magic mouth! I can scribe those to my book."
"How about the other?" Milo asked.
Mazi peered at the scroll. She turned it upside down and sideways. She squinted at the printed text, obviously confused.
"Can't make it out. It doesn't make much sense."
Milo grabbed the parchment from her loose hands. He could understand the script perfectly.
"That's because this isn't arcane writing," he told Mazi, "There's an animate dead spell on here. Oh, and raise dead and restoration spells too. Excellent! We could probably use the restoration spell after the fight with the roper."
"Aye, ya prolly could. But let's use it outside. If yer all weak Ah don' wanna stick 'round to see wha' other demons come outta tha woodwork." Brigit seemed to have taken Milo's warning to heart.
They left the temple for the relative safety of the woods. Milo was a little disappointed that they didn't have more time to explore the third floor of the temple, but three of them were in dire need of rest. The next day Milo prayed for restorative magic. His lesser restoration spells weren't enough to heal all three of them in one day. The group wound up spending more time in the forest than they had planned. It was three days before they were ready to head into the depths of the temple again.
Milo Windby
First Post
Temple of Elemental Evil - Part 48 (session 21)
Three days later the party was completely rested. Milo's lesser restoration spells eventually restored the three roper victims to their former strength. Brigit chafed at the wait, but Milo was insistent that they be completely healed before heading back down to the third level.
They entered the same hallway leading to the room of the roper and demon. Another passage branched from the main passage. The passage led them to another intersection. Mazi paused near the parting of the hallways.
"Something here feels," she paused for a moment, "off."
"'Off'? Like secret passage 'off'?" Milo's eyes lit up.
"Humph, Ah canna see nothin' 'off', ya sure yer not imaginin' things elfie?" Brigit scoffed.
"No, there's definitely something odd about this passage." Mazi said.
Milo was busy scouring the walls for anything he could find. Mazi and Brigit waited patiently while Jeremiah shifted back and forth in his armor.
"I can't find anything Mazi. Can you be a little more specific?" He said after minutes of fruitless searching.
"No, things just don't feel right here" Mazi made a feeble gesture at the surrounding area.
"I guess we'll come back later. Maybe we'll have a fresh perspective coming from the other direction." Milo suggested.
Mazi shrugged. Brigit made a scoffing noise and turned back to the intersection. The southern passage turned back the way they came before opening into a desolate room. Broken pottery shards lay about. A pile of old rotten clothes were heaped in the middle of the room. Brigit eyed them suspiciously. She drew her bow and loosed an arrow at the pile.
"Ah don' trust anythin' sittin' in tha middle of any room." she explained.
The pile of old garments remained quiescent. Milo cautiously entered the room and poked around in the pile. The heap of clothes were just that, a heap of clothes. Milo found a few gnawed bones in the mess, but nothing of note.
"This is either a den of sorts or a discard pile." he concluded.
"If it's a den, then where is tha beast?" Brigit asked.
"Out shopping?" Milo quipped. "I don't know. Not here."
They left the room for the other passage. Mazi paused again on the way past the intersection, concentrated for a minute, then shrugged and walked on. Whatever was there was either hidden too well or non-existent. The other hallway opened into a much larger room. It appeared to be a grisly museum of sorts. There were trophy cases filled with decapitated heads, wall hangings fashioned from flayed skin, cases of helm crests, unholy symbols, and ancient evil heraldry. The center of the room was completely empty.
The first thing Milo decided was to stay away from the middle of the room. As he moved around the room searching for traps and secrets he wished he had told the others as well. Mazi strode directly to the center of the room to look around. She immediately wished she hadn't. A dark shape loomed above her, vaguely shaped like a manta ray and dropping fast.
The battle was a blur. Mazi turned upwards and cast burning hands directly into the belly of the beast. Brigit fired two arrows in quick succession, easily piercing the mass of the lurker. The creature dropped onto Mazi, constricting on contact. Mazi's cry of pain was muffled by its mass. Jeremiah took one great stride and slashed deep into the lurker's flesh, inflicting massive pain. His return swing cut even deeper, setting the dark skin of the lurker quivering. Milo tumbled in and finished the creature off with a slice of his one of his enchanted axes.
Brigit and Jeremiah hefted the edge of the lurker as Mazi struggled to crawl out from beneath its large body. Milo stood by tossing his axe and catching it.
"The sushi master is back! Raw manta ray, anyone?" said Milo.
"If ya wanna slice somethin' up, help me wi' this thing." Brigit said as she began chopping the lurker with alternating strokes of her axes.
"I'll leave that up to y-" Milo was interrupted by the sharp sound of metal striking metal.
One of Brigit's axes had struck something solid in the mass of the lurker. She stooped down and retrieved the object. After wiping the gore off they could see the bright gleam of silver. She held a solid silver mace adorned with a myriad of shining jewels, from the pommel to the head.
"Har, Ah'd love ta see tha pansy that'd carry this thing 'round." Brigit laughed.
"Well I'd hang on to it, whether you think I'm a pansy or not. That thing's got to be worth a fortune." Milo said.
They left the museum with their prize and returned to the mysterious intersection. This time Mazi seemed better able to pinpoint her intuition about the walls. She pointed at the southern wall opposite from the branching halls. Milo ran his fingers along the wall and peered intently at the cracks. His nose was inches from the wall when he noticed a slight inconsistency. There was definitely something concealed in the wall. It took him a few more minutes to find the release for the secret door. The wall swung back smoothly, revealing a passage beyond.
Milo glanced back at his companions with a small amount of trepidation before venturing forth. The passage turned to the west before opening into an angled room of black stone. The walls were covered with three white tapestries, each bordered with a different color. One was lined completely around in purple, another had gold lines spaced completely around, the last was adorned with silver corners. A wooden altar painted white sat in the middle of the small reliquary. The altar was covered with rich red material spread with dark red runes. In the center lay a simple silver lamp. Across from the entrance hung a large silver cross. Something about the room made Milo's spine shiver.
Brigit stopped at the entrance and clutched her stomach. "Ah don' feel so good."
"You going to be alright?" Mazi asked.
"Aye, just mah gut churnin'" Brigit waved the concerned elf away. "Ah'll tell ya one thing though, Ah don' trust tha' altar any more than Ah trust a pile of clothes."
She knocked another arrow to her bow and shot an arrow point-blank into the altar. Nothing happened. Brigit shrugged and went back to clutching her stomach. Milo approached the altar cautiously. He found writing near the lamp that he could understand. He read the message out loud.
"Venerate this shrine of good then hasten away." Milo recited. Riiiiight. Any of you interested in 'venerating' this shrine?"
"After the werewolves upstairs? Not likely." Mazi snorted.
"I'm with you." Milo began. He stopped when he saw what Brigit was doing.
Brigit was in the process of pulling down the silver cross on the opposite wall.
"What are you doing! Don't take down the cross!" Milo shouted.
Milo had desecrated his share of shrines since they began their adventures, but something felt different about this supposed holy ground. He was too late though. Brigit stepped back with the heavy cross in her hands. She gently laid it down on the altar and returned to the wall. She studied the hook closely, finally reaching up and twisting it sideways.
The wall swung outward, just as the previous secret door. A large, mostly empty hexagonal room greeted their gaze as they joined Brigit at the door. The only contents of the room were a large iron coffin placed on a pedestal near the far wall and a skeleton sitting by the door. The coffin's lid leaned against the pedestal. Another silver cross adorned the coffin's lid.
"One coffin, huge room, fake reliquary. Anybody guess who's in the coffin?" Milo asked with a gulp.
No one answered. Brigit stepped into the room and kicked the skeleton. No magic animated the dusty bones, they skittered across the floor. Milo spotted a rolled up scroll in one of the bony hands. He pried off the skeletal fingers and yanked out the scroll. Unrolling it, he found there were two pieces of parchment. The first was written in common. He read it aloud.
"Let the good ones use their new found strength to seal in the horror of darkness to prove their faithfulness to right and justice. We who wrote this lacked the power to do this." He examined the other scroll, "It's a scroll of bull's strength, there's two copies."
Brigit suddenly jumped as if stung by a bee. The others peered at her concernedly.
"Ah jus' remembered Scrang's warnin'. You'll know wha' ta do when ya get there." Brigit said shakily, "Ah think Ah'm there."
"Well? Now what?" Milo asked.
"Ah don' know. She wasn't too specific. Ah think it has ta do with whoever's in tha coffin."
Milo had dreaded investigating the coffin. He was certain that some sort of undead creature would be there, especially after the warning note. Milo hated undead, really. The four closed in on the coffin, approaching it from three sides. Milo could barely see over the edge, but he could see that it was empty.
"Hmph, nobody home, guess we're free to go!" said Milo hopefully.
"Hang on. Milo, cast tha' bull's strength on me an' Jer. I got a feelin'" Brigit said.
Milo groaned but did as she said. In moments both Brigit and Jeremiah were bursting with magical strength. Brigit motioned Jeremiah to join her in-between the coffin and the wall. They braced themselves against the wall and pushed the coffin. Slowly the iron coffin scraped along the pedestal. Brigit strained against the heavy metal, the veins on her neck protruded. Jeremiah grunted as they pushed, focusing all of his strength on the task. Eventually the heavy coffin plummeted off the pedestal to land on the floor with a loud crash.
Milo glanced around furtively. The atmosphere in the room seemed to be getting to him. It was Mazi that heard the extra thump with the crash.
"Something dropped out of the coffin." she said, "But I can't see anything."
"Invisible...maybe?" wheezed Brigit
"Maybe, hang on. I've prepared a spell just for such an occasion."
Mazi sheathed her sword and began casting. Once her incantation was complete her eyes glowed bright yellow for a few seconds as the see invisibility spell took hold. She started when her eyes came to rest on the coffin.
"There's a man on the floor, he's got a stake through his chest!" she exclaimed.
"I knew it. Vampire, why did it have to a vampire?" Milo groaned.
"From what I know about them, a stake is not enough to kill. It will hold them immobile, but it's not lethal." Mazi said.
"Only thing I know that will kill a vampire is direct sunlight." Milo said.
"That's not all, immersing them in running water or decapitating them will do the job as well."
"Well the only running water here is that small fountain in the roper's room. I say we take it out to the sun and see what catches fire." said Milo.
"Aye, sounds good ta me. Where is it Mazi?" Brigit asked.
"Actually, I don't think it's a good idea to let you sling it over your shoulder. What if we're attacked and you drop it? The stake might come loose and we'd have an invisible vampire to deal with as well." Mazi argued. "I'll use a Tenser's floating disc and take it out that way."
"Suit yerself. I jus' can't figger out why Scrang would go ta all tha trouble jus' fer a incapacitated vampire." Brigit said.
"Don't know, but let's get it to the surface quick, this place is getting to me." Milo said.
Mazithra concentrated on her casting again. This time a translucent platform appeared on the floor, presumably under the invisible vampire. She focused on Tenser's floating disc and it rose in the air.
"I'm ready." she exclaimed.
They left the room, Milo in the lead. As soon as they came around the corner out of the secret passage they were assaulted by a familiar stench. Trollgrater burst into flames.
"Ya know what tha' means." Brigit said with a grin.
Three huge shapes lumbered into the light.
"Ugly, warty, green trolls." Milo finished.
Milo moved behind the fighters and they waited. The trolls stumped forward but stopped just shy of Jeremiah's reach. The first troll hammered into Jer with his fists. Jeremiah reeled from the blows. Milo was quick to heal Jeremiah before the troll could do more damage. Meanwhile Mazi cast her own spell to shield herself.
While Brigit and Jeremiah struggled against the trolls Milo and Mazi busily cast spells from the back row. Mazithra cast flaming sphere and rolled it into the rear troll, eliciting a surprised growl. Milo began a prayer to aid Brigit and Jer. The prayer made them harder to hit, but the trolls still got in a few vicious swipes of their fists.
Mazi's sphere continued to assault the rear troll. Jeremiah roared and with a mighty swing of his sword cleaved through one of the trolls into the other. Milo jumped at the opportunity to tumble to the back and cause a little havoc of his own. He attacked the rear troll along with Mazi's sphere.
Right as Milo sprang over the downed troll it began to stir. The wounds Jeremiah caused began to knit together and the troll staggered to its feet.
"We need more fire!" Milo shouted.
"Workin' on it, me boy." Brigit shouted back.
Jeremiah activated the Windsword and flew into a whirlwind of attacks. His sword snaked out to hit all three of the trolls in turn, actually dropping two of them. Brigit jumped in and attacked the two prone trolls, slicing into the warty green flesh with the burning axe. The combination of Mazi's flaming sphere and Milo's axes brought down the third troll.
Milo's troll and one of the others staggered back to their feet, still regenerating from most of the damage inflicted. Jeremiah fought back, inflicting a fatal wound across the troll's chest. Brigit hacked away at the downed troll, keeping it dead for good. The last troll tore at Milo, spilling his blood on the thirsty stones. Brigit jumped forward to attack just as Mazi's sphere rolled into it from behind one last time. The troll expired with a gurgling hiss.
"Ah love fightin' trolls." Brigit said with satisfaction.
"You may, but I know I could do without." said Milo, nursing his wounds. "Jeremiah took some nasty hits as well."
"The disc is fine, still have the vampire. Let's get to the surface." Mazi interrupted.
The rest of the trip through the twisting halls of the temple was uneventful. They were soon on the surface in the bright sunlight. Three pairs of eyes turned to Mazi.
"Hmm," she said, "That's odd. Nothing is happening."
Before anyone could remark they heard a shout from across the field.
"You there! Halt and surrender!"
Four bugbears, a human priest, and the missing rogue from weeks past were advancing on them from the crumbling tower. They were wearing the baron's colors.
"Not wi'out a fight!" Brigit shouted back.
She fired two quick arrows at the priest. They missed, but made their intentions clear. Milo cast a spell he always prepared for fights with priests. His silence fell like a blanket, centered on the priest's longsword. Milo hoped the human wouldn't figure out his target. He was rewarded with a look of surprise on the priest's face as he tried to bark out orders to the bugbears.
Mazithra cast a preparatory spell as well. Suddenly Jeremiah winked out of existence as her improved invisibility spell enveloped him. One of the bugbears suddenly lurched back as something unseen hit it from its flank. It was then that Milo noticed that the bugbears were carrying nets.
"They mean to take us alive. Let's make it worth their while." Milo shouted.
With that he cast another spell, this one centered on the rogue. He frowned when he noticed the hold person didn't take hold. Milo stopped worrying as an unseen sword ripped into the rogue's abdomen, spilling entrails, before it swiped his head clean off. The rogue never saw what took him out.
Brigit continued to fire arrow after arrow at the advancing cleric. The priest was soon beset by more than one enemy. Mazi's lightning bolt ripped into the cleric and one of the bugbears. The priest managed to twist his body outside of the main current but the electricity sparking along his armor indicated that he wasn't unscathed.
The bugbears had come close enough to throw their nets, and throw they did. Mazi was the only one of the heroes that couldn't manage to avoid the hazard. She growled in frustration as the net settled on her, entangling her hands and making casting near impossible. The cleric closed the distance to Mazi and stabbed into the net. That's when they found that the nets were attached to ropes wielded by the bugbears. Mazi was unable to escape the priest's sword, or the zone of silence that followed it.
Milo tumbled to Mazi's defense and unleashed a sword stream. Again the priest was able to avoid much of the damage but the hardened blades slammed full force into the bugbear holding Mazi's rope. The other bugbears gave up their fruitless search for their invisible stalker and focused on the two free heroes.
Brigit ignored the bugbears and charged at the priest. Her axe left a deep cleft in the cleric's back. The priest tumbled to the ground silently. Milo found fighting in the zone of silence partially disorienting, but livable. He turned his attention to the bugbears.
Jeremiah was an unseen angel of death. Another bugbear fell by his invisible great sword. Brigit finished off Mazi's captor with an axe to the neck. Mazi cut her way out of the net while the others turned to fight the other two bugbears. Jeremiah's sword cut down one as Brigit dropped her axes and swung out her bow in one smooth movement. Her arrow landed right between the last bugbear's eyes.
"Well I guess we've got the Baron's attention." Milo said after they made sure there were no more enemies.
"Aye, let em come too! They'll find me axe waitin'." Brigit said with fervor.
"Now, about the vampire," Milo left his statement hanging.
"Like I said before, nothing is happening. No smoking, no burning, nothing." Mazi said.
"Then Ah guess we gotta cut off his head." Brigit said.
"Not yet," Milo stopped her, "I've got one more trick up my sleeve. Though if this doesn't work, I don't know what will."
Milo pulled out a scroll. Scribed on it was a spell that would allow him to see how things really were. Something about the reliquary, the note, and the odd reaction the vampire had to sunlight didn't sit right with him. He spoke the words to the true seeing spell and looked towards Mazi's disc. His eyes widened as he realized who was really on the floating platform. In the place of the vampire was a man clad in white. No stake protruded from his chest. On his finger was the royal ring of family Karemeikos.
It was the Duke of Karemeikos.
Three days later the party was completely rested. Milo's lesser restoration spells eventually restored the three roper victims to their former strength. Brigit chafed at the wait, but Milo was insistent that they be completely healed before heading back down to the third level.
They entered the same hallway leading to the room of the roper and demon. Another passage branched from the main passage. The passage led them to another intersection. Mazi paused near the parting of the hallways.
"Something here feels," she paused for a moment, "off."
"'Off'? Like secret passage 'off'?" Milo's eyes lit up.
"Humph, Ah canna see nothin' 'off', ya sure yer not imaginin' things elfie?" Brigit scoffed.
"No, there's definitely something odd about this passage." Mazi said.
Milo was busy scouring the walls for anything he could find. Mazi and Brigit waited patiently while Jeremiah shifted back and forth in his armor.
"I can't find anything Mazi. Can you be a little more specific?" He said after minutes of fruitless searching.
"No, things just don't feel right here" Mazi made a feeble gesture at the surrounding area.
"I guess we'll come back later. Maybe we'll have a fresh perspective coming from the other direction." Milo suggested.
Mazi shrugged. Brigit made a scoffing noise and turned back to the intersection. The southern passage turned back the way they came before opening into a desolate room. Broken pottery shards lay about. A pile of old rotten clothes were heaped in the middle of the room. Brigit eyed them suspiciously. She drew her bow and loosed an arrow at the pile.
"Ah don' trust anythin' sittin' in tha middle of any room." she explained.
The pile of old garments remained quiescent. Milo cautiously entered the room and poked around in the pile. The heap of clothes were just that, a heap of clothes. Milo found a few gnawed bones in the mess, but nothing of note.
"This is either a den of sorts or a discard pile." he concluded.
"If it's a den, then where is tha beast?" Brigit asked.
"Out shopping?" Milo quipped. "I don't know. Not here."
They left the room for the other passage. Mazi paused again on the way past the intersection, concentrated for a minute, then shrugged and walked on. Whatever was there was either hidden too well or non-existent. The other hallway opened into a much larger room. It appeared to be a grisly museum of sorts. There were trophy cases filled with decapitated heads, wall hangings fashioned from flayed skin, cases of helm crests, unholy symbols, and ancient evil heraldry. The center of the room was completely empty.
The first thing Milo decided was to stay away from the middle of the room. As he moved around the room searching for traps and secrets he wished he had told the others as well. Mazi strode directly to the center of the room to look around. She immediately wished she hadn't. A dark shape loomed above her, vaguely shaped like a manta ray and dropping fast.
The battle was a blur. Mazi turned upwards and cast burning hands directly into the belly of the beast. Brigit fired two arrows in quick succession, easily piercing the mass of the lurker. The creature dropped onto Mazi, constricting on contact. Mazi's cry of pain was muffled by its mass. Jeremiah took one great stride and slashed deep into the lurker's flesh, inflicting massive pain. His return swing cut even deeper, setting the dark skin of the lurker quivering. Milo tumbled in and finished the creature off with a slice of his one of his enchanted axes.
Brigit and Jeremiah hefted the edge of the lurker as Mazi struggled to crawl out from beneath its large body. Milo stood by tossing his axe and catching it.
"The sushi master is back! Raw manta ray, anyone?" said Milo.
"If ya wanna slice somethin' up, help me wi' this thing." Brigit said as she began chopping the lurker with alternating strokes of her axes.
"I'll leave that up to y-" Milo was interrupted by the sharp sound of metal striking metal.
One of Brigit's axes had struck something solid in the mass of the lurker. She stooped down and retrieved the object. After wiping the gore off they could see the bright gleam of silver. She held a solid silver mace adorned with a myriad of shining jewels, from the pommel to the head.
"Har, Ah'd love ta see tha pansy that'd carry this thing 'round." Brigit laughed.
"Well I'd hang on to it, whether you think I'm a pansy or not. That thing's got to be worth a fortune." Milo said.
They left the museum with their prize and returned to the mysterious intersection. This time Mazi seemed better able to pinpoint her intuition about the walls. She pointed at the southern wall opposite from the branching halls. Milo ran his fingers along the wall and peered intently at the cracks. His nose was inches from the wall when he noticed a slight inconsistency. There was definitely something concealed in the wall. It took him a few more minutes to find the release for the secret door. The wall swung back smoothly, revealing a passage beyond.
Milo glanced back at his companions with a small amount of trepidation before venturing forth. The passage turned to the west before opening into an angled room of black stone. The walls were covered with three white tapestries, each bordered with a different color. One was lined completely around in purple, another had gold lines spaced completely around, the last was adorned with silver corners. A wooden altar painted white sat in the middle of the small reliquary. The altar was covered with rich red material spread with dark red runes. In the center lay a simple silver lamp. Across from the entrance hung a large silver cross. Something about the room made Milo's spine shiver.
Brigit stopped at the entrance and clutched her stomach. "Ah don' feel so good."
"You going to be alright?" Mazi asked.
"Aye, just mah gut churnin'" Brigit waved the concerned elf away. "Ah'll tell ya one thing though, Ah don' trust tha' altar any more than Ah trust a pile of clothes."
She knocked another arrow to her bow and shot an arrow point-blank into the altar. Nothing happened. Brigit shrugged and went back to clutching her stomach. Milo approached the altar cautiously. He found writing near the lamp that he could understand. He read the message out loud.
"Venerate this shrine of good then hasten away." Milo recited. Riiiiight. Any of you interested in 'venerating' this shrine?"
"After the werewolves upstairs? Not likely." Mazi snorted.
"I'm with you." Milo began. He stopped when he saw what Brigit was doing.
Brigit was in the process of pulling down the silver cross on the opposite wall.
"What are you doing! Don't take down the cross!" Milo shouted.
Milo had desecrated his share of shrines since they began their adventures, but something felt different about this supposed holy ground. He was too late though. Brigit stepped back with the heavy cross in her hands. She gently laid it down on the altar and returned to the wall. She studied the hook closely, finally reaching up and twisting it sideways.
The wall swung outward, just as the previous secret door. A large, mostly empty hexagonal room greeted their gaze as they joined Brigit at the door. The only contents of the room were a large iron coffin placed on a pedestal near the far wall and a skeleton sitting by the door. The coffin's lid leaned against the pedestal. Another silver cross adorned the coffin's lid.
"One coffin, huge room, fake reliquary. Anybody guess who's in the coffin?" Milo asked with a gulp.
No one answered. Brigit stepped into the room and kicked the skeleton. No magic animated the dusty bones, they skittered across the floor. Milo spotted a rolled up scroll in one of the bony hands. He pried off the skeletal fingers and yanked out the scroll. Unrolling it, he found there were two pieces of parchment. The first was written in common. He read it aloud.
"Let the good ones use their new found strength to seal in the horror of darkness to prove their faithfulness to right and justice. We who wrote this lacked the power to do this." He examined the other scroll, "It's a scroll of bull's strength, there's two copies."
Brigit suddenly jumped as if stung by a bee. The others peered at her concernedly.
"Ah jus' remembered Scrang's warnin'. You'll know wha' ta do when ya get there." Brigit said shakily, "Ah think Ah'm there."
"Well? Now what?" Milo asked.
"Ah don' know. She wasn't too specific. Ah think it has ta do with whoever's in tha coffin."
Milo had dreaded investigating the coffin. He was certain that some sort of undead creature would be there, especially after the warning note. Milo hated undead, really. The four closed in on the coffin, approaching it from three sides. Milo could barely see over the edge, but he could see that it was empty.
"Hmph, nobody home, guess we're free to go!" said Milo hopefully.
"Hang on. Milo, cast tha' bull's strength on me an' Jer. I got a feelin'" Brigit said.
Milo groaned but did as she said. In moments both Brigit and Jeremiah were bursting with magical strength. Brigit motioned Jeremiah to join her in-between the coffin and the wall. They braced themselves against the wall and pushed the coffin. Slowly the iron coffin scraped along the pedestal. Brigit strained against the heavy metal, the veins on her neck protruded. Jeremiah grunted as they pushed, focusing all of his strength on the task. Eventually the heavy coffin plummeted off the pedestal to land on the floor with a loud crash.
Milo glanced around furtively. The atmosphere in the room seemed to be getting to him. It was Mazi that heard the extra thump with the crash.
"Something dropped out of the coffin." she said, "But I can't see anything."
"Invisible...maybe?" wheezed Brigit
"Maybe, hang on. I've prepared a spell just for such an occasion."
Mazi sheathed her sword and began casting. Once her incantation was complete her eyes glowed bright yellow for a few seconds as the see invisibility spell took hold. She started when her eyes came to rest on the coffin.
"There's a man on the floor, he's got a stake through his chest!" she exclaimed.
"I knew it. Vampire, why did it have to a vampire?" Milo groaned.
"From what I know about them, a stake is not enough to kill. It will hold them immobile, but it's not lethal." Mazi said.
"Only thing I know that will kill a vampire is direct sunlight." Milo said.
"That's not all, immersing them in running water or decapitating them will do the job as well."
"Well the only running water here is that small fountain in the roper's room. I say we take it out to the sun and see what catches fire." said Milo.
"Aye, sounds good ta me. Where is it Mazi?" Brigit asked.
"Actually, I don't think it's a good idea to let you sling it over your shoulder. What if we're attacked and you drop it? The stake might come loose and we'd have an invisible vampire to deal with as well." Mazi argued. "I'll use a Tenser's floating disc and take it out that way."
"Suit yerself. I jus' can't figger out why Scrang would go ta all tha trouble jus' fer a incapacitated vampire." Brigit said.
"Don't know, but let's get it to the surface quick, this place is getting to me." Milo said.
Mazithra concentrated on her casting again. This time a translucent platform appeared on the floor, presumably under the invisible vampire. She focused on Tenser's floating disc and it rose in the air.
"I'm ready." she exclaimed.
They left the room, Milo in the lead. As soon as they came around the corner out of the secret passage they were assaulted by a familiar stench. Trollgrater burst into flames.
"Ya know what tha' means." Brigit said with a grin.
Three huge shapes lumbered into the light.
"Ugly, warty, green trolls." Milo finished.
Milo moved behind the fighters and they waited. The trolls stumped forward but stopped just shy of Jeremiah's reach. The first troll hammered into Jer with his fists. Jeremiah reeled from the blows. Milo was quick to heal Jeremiah before the troll could do more damage. Meanwhile Mazi cast her own spell to shield herself.
While Brigit and Jeremiah struggled against the trolls Milo and Mazi busily cast spells from the back row. Mazithra cast flaming sphere and rolled it into the rear troll, eliciting a surprised growl. Milo began a prayer to aid Brigit and Jer. The prayer made them harder to hit, but the trolls still got in a few vicious swipes of their fists.
Mazi's sphere continued to assault the rear troll. Jeremiah roared and with a mighty swing of his sword cleaved through one of the trolls into the other. Milo jumped at the opportunity to tumble to the back and cause a little havoc of his own. He attacked the rear troll along with Mazi's sphere.
Right as Milo sprang over the downed troll it began to stir. The wounds Jeremiah caused began to knit together and the troll staggered to its feet.
"We need more fire!" Milo shouted.
"Workin' on it, me boy." Brigit shouted back.
Jeremiah activated the Windsword and flew into a whirlwind of attacks. His sword snaked out to hit all three of the trolls in turn, actually dropping two of them. Brigit jumped in and attacked the two prone trolls, slicing into the warty green flesh with the burning axe. The combination of Mazi's flaming sphere and Milo's axes brought down the third troll.
Milo's troll and one of the others staggered back to their feet, still regenerating from most of the damage inflicted. Jeremiah fought back, inflicting a fatal wound across the troll's chest. Brigit hacked away at the downed troll, keeping it dead for good. The last troll tore at Milo, spilling his blood on the thirsty stones. Brigit jumped forward to attack just as Mazi's sphere rolled into it from behind one last time. The troll expired with a gurgling hiss.
"Ah love fightin' trolls." Brigit said with satisfaction.
"You may, but I know I could do without." said Milo, nursing his wounds. "Jeremiah took some nasty hits as well."
"The disc is fine, still have the vampire. Let's get to the surface." Mazi interrupted.
The rest of the trip through the twisting halls of the temple was uneventful. They were soon on the surface in the bright sunlight. Three pairs of eyes turned to Mazi.
"Hmm," she said, "That's odd. Nothing is happening."
Before anyone could remark they heard a shout from across the field.
"You there! Halt and surrender!"
Four bugbears, a human priest, and the missing rogue from weeks past were advancing on them from the crumbling tower. They were wearing the baron's colors.
"Not wi'out a fight!" Brigit shouted back.
She fired two quick arrows at the priest. They missed, but made their intentions clear. Milo cast a spell he always prepared for fights with priests. His silence fell like a blanket, centered on the priest's longsword. Milo hoped the human wouldn't figure out his target. He was rewarded with a look of surprise on the priest's face as he tried to bark out orders to the bugbears.
Mazithra cast a preparatory spell as well. Suddenly Jeremiah winked out of existence as her improved invisibility spell enveloped him. One of the bugbears suddenly lurched back as something unseen hit it from its flank. It was then that Milo noticed that the bugbears were carrying nets.
"They mean to take us alive. Let's make it worth their while." Milo shouted.
With that he cast another spell, this one centered on the rogue. He frowned when he noticed the hold person didn't take hold. Milo stopped worrying as an unseen sword ripped into the rogue's abdomen, spilling entrails, before it swiped his head clean off. The rogue never saw what took him out.
Brigit continued to fire arrow after arrow at the advancing cleric. The priest was soon beset by more than one enemy. Mazi's lightning bolt ripped into the cleric and one of the bugbears. The priest managed to twist his body outside of the main current but the electricity sparking along his armor indicated that he wasn't unscathed.
The bugbears had come close enough to throw their nets, and throw they did. Mazi was the only one of the heroes that couldn't manage to avoid the hazard. She growled in frustration as the net settled on her, entangling her hands and making casting near impossible. The cleric closed the distance to Mazi and stabbed into the net. That's when they found that the nets were attached to ropes wielded by the bugbears. Mazi was unable to escape the priest's sword, or the zone of silence that followed it.
Milo tumbled to Mazi's defense and unleashed a sword stream. Again the priest was able to avoid much of the damage but the hardened blades slammed full force into the bugbear holding Mazi's rope. The other bugbears gave up their fruitless search for their invisible stalker and focused on the two free heroes.
Brigit ignored the bugbears and charged at the priest. Her axe left a deep cleft in the cleric's back. The priest tumbled to the ground silently. Milo found fighting in the zone of silence partially disorienting, but livable. He turned his attention to the bugbears.
Jeremiah was an unseen angel of death. Another bugbear fell by his invisible great sword. Brigit finished off Mazi's captor with an axe to the neck. Mazi cut her way out of the net while the others turned to fight the other two bugbears. Jeremiah's sword cut down one as Brigit dropped her axes and swung out her bow in one smooth movement. Her arrow landed right between the last bugbear's eyes.
"Well I guess we've got the Baron's attention." Milo said after they made sure there were no more enemies.
"Aye, let em come too! They'll find me axe waitin'." Brigit said with fervor.
"Now, about the vampire," Milo left his statement hanging.
"Like I said before, nothing is happening. No smoking, no burning, nothing." Mazi said.
"Then Ah guess we gotta cut off his head." Brigit said.
"Not yet," Milo stopped her, "I've got one more trick up my sleeve. Though if this doesn't work, I don't know what will."
Milo pulled out a scroll. Scribed on it was a spell that would allow him to see how things really were. Something about the reliquary, the note, and the odd reaction the vampire had to sunlight didn't sit right with him. He spoke the words to the true seeing spell and looked towards Mazi's disc. His eyes widened as he realized who was really on the floating platform. In the place of the vampire was a man clad in white. No stake protruded from his chest. On his finger was the royal ring of family Karemeikos.
It was the Duke of Karemeikos.
